Mysteries of Daraku III

Yumi

She lets out a hand to grab Ix, more of a deterrant than an actual barrier though as she is physicall weaker. "Ix, please." She looks at the light-side girl before her words comes out with concern, borderline worry. "Please do not charge at her like that, I do not want to lose all of you again." It is a reminder of what happened that got her in the situation in the first place. (will do Liselle afterward, Yumi needed to act first).

Before Barchiel could say any more, Ix had charged forward. Reckless girl...! Cursing under his breath, the Space Marine drew his Bolter, taking aim at Zara. Seemed like a fight would start.

Robin perked up, looking over at where the Seats had been. "What in the...?"

Before she could even start closing range with Zara, Yumi stopped her "Why? After all she said about Dixi, this is what she would do..." She stopped and lowered her weapon.

Yumi

"Because, we all know that she is in the wrong regardless of her intention. She is not asking you what you want, she is telling you. Correction, she does not even do that but decides for herself what is best for you." She turns and places her hands on her shoulder. "She does not acknowledge that Dixi and Xana are real and that blinds her. And despite how long she has claimed that she has been around you, a tiny fraction has anything involved with you. How important she is to you is your choice, whether you acknowledge her or is she irrelevant to you. "

Liselle

"Humor me, how long have you known her for? How long have you spoken to her? A good amount of time has passed, Zara, and you haven't been up to date. Heck, you took Dixi's rage and copy and paste it onto the front so you cannot say that you are not clean of trying to fracture her. And who am I to judge? Well I dunno. A mother that has over a century of experience thank you very much.

And if you cannot understand the feelings of one individual, how are you going to understand what the people need? That isn't peace, that isn't saving the world. And I've seen this cycle happen many many times now."

As a follow-up, for some unknown reason she extends a pseudo-pod out and places a shovel nex to Zara's feet.

"Yumi..." she stopped to think for a moment "You are right, she's only a bad memory from our past... A memory Dixi will remove once she finishes her training..." she then turned back to Zara "You heard? When Dixi comes back she's going to kick your ass for good!" she stated before looking to Yumi once more "Thank you Yumi... And you too Lis." She said before giving her a smile.

Glen and Prowd just wait and analize the situation and place while crossing arms taking details of any spot of the place while thinking a plan

Despite Robin technically 'leading' the dance, Gwenivere was the one truly controlling the flow of it.

"Do not worry about it, little bird. I am use to dealing with those less experienced than myself." Gwenivere responded, her voice a purr. "Just relax, and enjoy the rhythm." She added. She smiled slightly as Ix began to throw herself towards Zara, but showed little other reaction, keeping most of her attention on her prey dance partner, and redirecting his attention back to her, as he seemed a little distracted.

Zara raised an eyebrow at Barchiel.
"I do only what is necessary. Whether you choose to believe me or not is of little concern to me. If it were just up to myself, I would not have opened the gates to you all." Zara responded. "Not to say that I haven't enjoyed the company. It has been wonderful to host you all." She added, smiling.

As Ix charged at her, Zara made no movement to defend herself. Though she looked slightly disappointed when Yumi stopped her.

For the first time they had seen her, Jennifer smiled. She seemed to enjoy the dance, easily keeping up with Ferro's own. Her style was less flair, and more flowing and well choriographed.
"The world is a complex place." Jennifer responded. "Zara can fix that. It's pretty simple really. Why are you set against her?"

Zara sighed at Liselle, her tone genuine.
"It is irrelevant what people claim they want. I can see the true nature of people. What they truly desire. You can claim that what I am doing is wrong, or that the way I'm going about it is immoral, but at the end of the day, I'm the only one who can do this. You say you've been a mother for over a century? Can you honestly tell me that you are happy to send your children out into the world with the way it currently stands?"

"You claim to know what we want. Then please, enlighten me, because I must say, I'm hearing a lot of heresy right now, if you think your plan is more important that the Emperor of Mankind's plan."

Robin looked at Gwen, an eyebrow raising at her words before he simply focused on the rhythm. He needed to be careful around her. "This is..quite a nice song, I suppose. We don't have this kind of music where I come from. It's...." Crap, how to explain without letting her know more than she needed to? "A bit behind the times."

Perfect.

"Actually yes. For a while, we've actually established good relations with those around us, and this is in a world of those paranoid of midaras, mind you, paranoia you are stoking the flames of,by the way." It was then that she cease the confrontational tone before speaking more on a peer level. "Look, I'll level with you on this. You're setting Daraku on a crash course. You have billions of minds that are so varied right now. Expanding land so far is going to cause all sorts of internal, logistic, and organizational problems. I've seen it happen with so many empires that believe they feel they are the only ones that can do it. Heck I was walking on the line before I stopped. The worst case I've seen is a city that is prosperous that have the good intent for their people, but yet renders them nothing more than puppets. They are happy because they have no choice to be anything but happy. It isn't peace, it is stagnation." Liselle sighs. As she talks of all of this, memories seem to flood into her mind of everything she has seen, even her own folly. "And even then there is one last question, if you ended up falling off of the path of peace, who is going to save us from you, who is going to save you from yourself?"

"The answer is easy Lis... no one, that's what tyrants do and that's what she's trying to become as much as she disguise it as 'bringing peace'..." Ix claimed once she returned to her normal and calm self.

"It's simple, really. It does not take a mind reader, no offence intended dear Gwenivere, to see that you wish to be ruled." Zara responded, her tone completely doubtless.

"How interesting, little bird. You are rather far from your best, are you not?" Gwenivere commented, either not noticing, or not caring to acknowledge Zara's comment to her.

"Were the world more like your community, then perhaps there would be hope. But I still see signs banning midara from certain areas. People attacking midara on sight. Midara feeding on unwary travellers without regulation." Zara commented. "And if I were to stray from the path? I am no dictator or tyrant. I do not make all the decisions. Once the new world has surfaced, my purpose will be to protect it, not to rule it. However, even if I were to rule, my very nature prevents me from being corrupted."

"Of course, if you truly believe we are doomed to fail, why are you even here? You could do nothing, and the outcome would be the same, correct?" Zara commented. "Not that I wish you to leave, in fact, I'm rather sure we are beyond that point now."

Huh. This woman was certainly strange. Quite beautiful, Robin could definitely say that much. But she also seemed to be focused on something rather intently. Was it the dance? Or was it him? Though if she did indeed have control over people's minds...Could she be trying to distract him? And for what cause? To get into his head, perhaps....He needed to get away.

"Ah..Y-Yes. I am. I must say, you're quite amazing. At dancing, I mean." He moved a little closer, continuing the dance. He just had to wait for the right time...Maybe he could distract her.

"Ruled? You fool yourself, witch. The only thing humanity will rule, are the stars themselves. So says the God-Emperor of Mankind!"

Ferro moved with near flawless flow and intent, giving her a dip, giving her another twirl, and them flat out lifting her off the ground. "Because a complex world is a normal, right world. Not everything is good, in fact, my purpose is to protect the better half of the Midara in this world. However, it's not an unforgiving world either, you see." He easily set her back to the floor before lifting her again, setting her down, and finally, tossing her into the air and catching her. "I've made so many friends and allies, some I even see as family," he told her, giving a brief glance to Ixana and Yumi. "I love this world of ours. It's not always great, but it's up to us and those around us to make a good life with what we're given. Changing all of that, forcing the world to change, I can't forgive that. Because this world has given me those friends, family, good and bad experiences that I wouldn't trade away no matter what. And, this world even let me dance with you. I'd say this world is pretty great."

Even though Barchiel isn't a character from it, that line reminded me of Kamina! XD))

(Kamina confirmed to be the God-Emperor of Mankind.)

Yes!!))

"People doesn't want to be ruled, they want to be free, your method takes that freedom from them..." She replied to Zara's statement, she also was bothered by something the woman said, she claimed she knew her for a really long time, but... The incident was only a few years ago... And yet "You say you know me more than anyone and yet that's a lie, a few years ago on the incident is when we met and I didn't even remember you until Kath told us about you, so pretty sure you don't know anything about me!"

"Of course. At dancing." Gwenivere responded, with a knowing smile. "You seem a little nervous, is everything alright, little bird?" She asked, her voice flowing into the music. "Perhaps you are concerned what I might do if I were to learn your secret?"

Zara raised an amused eyebrow.
"You speak of God-Emporers, and you wish to tell me that you do not want to be ruled? I would say that, if anyone here is speaking heresy, it would be you." She retorted. She then turned to face Ixana. "You believe that to be the first time that I met you? I have not spoken a single lie to you since you entered, and yet you still doubt my word. So instead, I shall ask you a simple question. What do you remember of the incident?" She asked, smiling patiently.

It wasn't entirely clear whether Jennifer had listened to anything Ferro had said, as she seemed rather focused on her dancing, but after a brief pause upon Ferro finishing, she began to respond.
"Then you are one of the lucky ones. All my life has brought me is pain. The only lights to have come out of it is that the pain has made me strong. Strong enough to actually make a difference, so that other people are not forced to suffer what I went through. And even that has a cost. I've heard many people claiming that they wish to make the world a better place, but none of them are truly taking action to change it. They all want to protect the world, but they don't want it to change. Perhaps, like you, they have family, or friends, and they are worried for them. Perhaps that is precisely why I can do something. I have no attachments. I can't." She looked momentarily sorrowful, an emotion that came across in her movements, before returning to the upbeat flow that Ferro had been leading.

"You, laughing while saying it worked." She said with a serious look on her face "Right before your corruption got me."

He stayed silent for a moment, allowing some time to let it sink in before saying, "I'm sorry to hear that...But I am one of those people working to make this world better, without forcing change. It's what I've spent much of my life aspiring to do and so far, it's working, at least as far as I see it." He pulled her closer to himself before dipping her again. "And if you'd like, maybe you could make a new connection. I'd be more than happy to help you get started."

That caused Robin to freeze up slightly, though he still danced after a few seconds. Her voice was downright enchanting, but the comment about his...'secret' unnerved him. Which one was she speaking of? Crap...Play it cool, Robin. "Secret? What, you mean how I never kissed a girl?" That was a lie, but hey, maybe he could deflect her comment.

Barchiel frowned under the helmet. She made sense, but..she was also insulting the Emperor! "Must...Resist..Urge...To..Pull a Black Templar...And...Crusade!"

(Barchiel is confused!)

Sierra shaked her head. Not from what she see but from how she feels as she is start to become light headed to the point that she seems unsteady. Spring Rose sudden grows human size and grabs her before she starts to topple, though with some difficulty due to the doll's light composition. Slowly the crafter us lowered onto one of the chair at the side. The flow of everyones' ambient energy continues to slowly gravitate towards her though it is starting to slow.

"You all but begged me to let you be the first. You always were such a helpful child. You couldn't bear to let anyone else be the guinea pig." Zara responded, a wistful tone to her voice. "And I could never say no to you."

Jennifer looked up and Ferro from the dip.
"I'm afraid that is not possible. Even if I wished to leave which, for the record, I do not, leaving is not an option. The things I have had to do to gain this power are not something so easily undone." She responded. "Do not try to 'save' me. I am no damsel in distress, or villainess seeking redemption. I am as willing to join your quest to 'change the world without actually changing anything' as you are to join Daraku, I am sure."

Gwenivere's smile grew.
"I think we both know that isn't what I'm talking about. But that's fine. Your true secret is safe with me. At least, for now." Gwenivere responded. "Of course, you may need to find some way to repay my kindness later."

"W-What are you talking about, I never asked you anything!" A strange feeling started to build inside Ix, as she feared something about the words of the first seat of Daraku.

"Not 'save' you. And I'm not saying you are either a damsel or a Villainess. What I see in front of me is a smart and experienced women," he told her. "A woman that knows what she's doing, but not out of sinister intent. That's why I asked you to a dance, rather than Zara or Gwen. I respect you."