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[AzyWng]

Mitsurugi, Lyra

Before she knew it, the words had left her mouth. "Did I fail?"

No. No, that was the last thing she needed to be asking - she was doing this to help Mitsurugi, after all! "A-actually, I'd like to ask... How did you learn to wield a blade so skillfully?" She really wasn't sure what to ask Mitsu, honestly. She didn't want to touch on any more uncomfortable topics, especially after how poorly she'd performed just now.

[Chevaleresse]

Mitsurugi, Lyra

"No." Her voice was firm, almost angry. "You did not fail. I did." She let the topic drop, and it felt like it could be heard striking the floor like a rock. "I have had many, many years to practice swordsmanship, and many opportunities to learn from masters of the art. Furthermore, I am not beholden to natural laws in the same way that most humans are; I do not believe it is possible to match my speed without supernatural assistance."

[AzyWng]

Mitsurugi, Lyra

Oh, this wasn't helping much at all. Lyra took a few deep breaths, trying to calm herself and remember the advice Aurora had given her. Right. Conduct.

"Mitsurugi... I... first off, how should I address you? I'm not sure it's even right for me to just call you by your name like that... And second, as someone who's going to be... representing you... how should I conduct myself?"

[Chevaleresse]

Mitsurugi,

"I believe the most proper form for a conversation such as this is simply Mitsurugi-sama. You could refer to me in full as Saigai-no-Mitsurugi-no-Kami, and a form of address in-between would be Saigai-sama or Kami-sama, perhaps. Of course, that is what the proper forms would be if you were Japanese; it is up to you whether this is still proper given you are not." The talk of formalities seemed to distract Mitsurugi somewhat, as her expression crept back toward normal.

"Your conduct should be such as my own. Do not refuse to help the weak, even if it means great personal sacrifice. Do not offer disrespect unless it is offered in turn. Do not violate an oath. Do not shame yourself with dramatic outbursts, if at all possible. And. . . do not allow yourself to be swayed to the cause of darkness. Be ever alert for its whispers and temptations, lest it creep into your soul and grow."

[AzyWng]

Mitsurugi, Lyra

"Very well, Mitsurugi-sama..." The honorific felt a little odd to Lyra, but she figured that maybe using it would make the goddess feel a little better.

"I understand. I'll do the best I can." Even as Lyra promised this, she felt... off. Like it was now only a matter of time before she failed and disappointed the goddess yet again. Hell, the sudden prayer that she'd made earlier was proof that she was already prone to outbursts, wasn't it? Trying to distract herself, Lyra said, "It occurs to me that I haven't told you very much about myself... is there anything you'd like to ask of me?"

[Chevaleresse]

Mitsurugi

Mitsurugi thought for a moment. It would do her well to know the hearts and minds of her followers, and she was nowhere near such with Lyra. "Tell me of your own past. You come from a world far removed from mine, and have lived a life foreign to me. What were you doing before you were called here?"

[AzyWng]

Mitsurugi, Lyra

Lyra sighed. She knew this was gonna come sooner or later, but...

"I'm a contractor," Lyra said, pointing her thumb at herself. "That means I take contracts for various jobs... Sometimes someone needs security for a deal, muscle to aid in debt recovery, or just... someone who can kill people."

Lyra inclined her head, unable to meet Mitsurugi's gaze. "To put it another way... I was a mercenary. Before I was brought here, I'd been trying to find my mentor - she got captured about a week ago..." It felt more like an eternity had passed since she'd gotten the news...

Lyra raised her head now, hard as it was to do so, and looked at Mitsurugi's face to gauge her reaction. "Or did you want to hear my life story?"

[Chevaleresse]

Mitsurugi

The goddess nodded. "If you are willing, of course." The woman seemed reticent about her past. It was understandable; it sounded like a rather sordid tale. A mercenary's life was a hard and often short one, leaving pain and bitterness behind it. That was not all of them, however, and it sounded like she had at least some modicum of unselfish motivations. It was far from her place to condemn someone for a checkered past; this was not the only time she had been desperate to survive, after all. . . "I believe I will be able to connect to you more strongly if I know more of you. You are a virtual stranger, though our time together has been educational, and one's god should know them as much as they know their god, if not more."

[AzyWng]

Mitsurugi, Lyra

Perhaps judgement was being saved for the very end. Lyra cleared her throat, gulping down some tea to help soothe her dry mouth before she started telling her story proper.

"I... My childhood wasn't... I don't really remember much of it. Everything was simpler and a lot more fun, but I'm sure plenty of folks would say that about their own childhoods. But when I was fifteen..." Lyra gulped down more tea, hoping the heat would distract her from the pressure of telling Mitsurugi the tale.

"Jolisa, and Crux, my parents..." If I'm even worthy of calling them that, Lyra thought, "They were the traders of my group. They helped broker deals and ship goods from our little slice of the Drift to whoever was buying, and vice versa. One day, while I was with them, trying to learn the ins and outs of the business as they worked out some shipment of replacement parts, and Crux calls the folks back at Romara to let them know we're coming back. Only, he didn't get a response."

Lyra stared into the table, seeing the faces of those she'd failed. "Crux and Jolisa, they... decided to leave me for the time being while they checked out the situation. I didn't think anything would go wrong... But we didn't know how bad it was. See, our sector had been invaded by this force known as the Sleepers. Only thing anyone knew about them was that they spoke a language no-one understood, and that they were strong enough to take over the whole sector. A lot of places were hit so fast no-one knew it was them until it was way too late. Spent most of the war at that outpost, wondering when they'd finally get to killing us. Met Genie, who taught me everything I know, and spent the next five or six years learning to fight. By the time I'd finished... the Sleepers were already gone."

Lyra's hands balled into fists as she remembered. "Sader Fiasco. On the same day my parents left, she killed the Sleeper commander, and while I'd been struggling to put even a bruise on my mentor, she was bringing down the Sleepers as though it were nothing. When I heard the fleet's remnants had been fried by an electrical storm... I was beyond angry. They... they were my foe to fight. Mine to kill. And if I couldn't have that... I'd settle for whoever I could get my hands on."

Lyra continued to look down. Away from Mitsurugi, though she knew it wouldn't help. "And that's when I began a career in... in murder. And for a while, I was... happy. At least, until I realized how many people I'd killed."

Lyra looked back up at Mitsurugi, her expression blank and drained of energy, of life. "You already know most of the rest. I heard of Genie's capture, got interrupted with this, and... I haven't been a very helpful member of the team so far..."

What would Mitsurugi do, she wondered?

[Chevaleresse]

Mitsurugi, Lyra

". . . I see." The quiet after Lyra trailed off came back for a moment as Mitsurugi considered her words. It was a familiar tale, albeit in an unfamiliar setting. Come to think of it, the contractor had some fair similarities to the immortal girl. . . If she had escaped destruction (which she almost certainly did, if Mitsurugi herself was able to slip into another world,) perhaps she could share some of how she moved on with Lyra. "You remind me of someone I once knew."

She took a small sip of tea before continuing. "I will not tell you that your rage was justified or acceptable. I am certain you will remind yourself of that many times, with or without my help. However, you have been afforded perhaps the rarest opportunity possible to redeem yourself. You seem to genuinely desire repentance, and if we succeed in our quest, countless souls will be spared oblivion. If you are willing to truly dedicate yourself to this, then I will grant you what power I can to aid you, despite your history."

[AzyWng]

Mitsurugi, Lyra

Lyra just nodded, barely able to believe what Mitsurugi was telling her. Lyra really was being given another chance... and it seemed at least one other was willing to let her have it. "I... thank you. If I may ask... Who did you remind me of?"

[Chevaleresse]

Mitsurugi, Lyra

"A girl by the name of Fujiwara no Mokou. I believe she was an unwanted child of the clan, but when I first met her, she was a raging demon. She spent many years destroying all in her path in her rage, but the last time I spoke to her, she was acting as a simple guide to Eientei, and had occasionally helped outsiders who had lost themselves in those woods. It is likely that she still survives." She was quiet for a moment, remembering how, exactly, the Hourai Immortals were described to her once. Surviving past the death of the world itself. . .

She gave a small nod. "She had a similar air. Perhaps you may have the chance to speak one day."

[AzyWng]

Mitsurugi, Lyra

"I'd like that." Lyra let herself smile a little, but then remembered what she wanted to ask next. "Mitsurugi-sama... would it be all right if I asked you about your own past? Again, only if you want to." It was plain that Mitsurugi's own past wasn't a happy one - every setback they'd experienced seemed to make Mitsu... afraid of losing herself, or of fading away, like Aurora had mentioned. Lyra could only wonder what that past was.

[Chevaleresse]

Mitsurugi, Lyra

"That is no small question. I may not be the oldest of gods, but I have been conscious for centuries and likely existed for even longer. It is a long tale to tell in full; what would you like to know?" She kept her expression neutral; much of that story was bittersweet or painful, now. Especially given the relation of certain aspects to recent events.

[AzyWng]

Mitsurugi, Lyra

Lyra thought for a few moments, then decided she might as well. "First, did you hear the prayer I made a while ago? It's... related to that. You see, Aurora told me about your situation regarding faith. I wonder... how did things get so bad for you?" Lyra hoped she hadn't said anything too bad. She was literally asking Mitsurugi to remember what could be one of the worst times of her life... but without knowing what had happened in the past, how was Lyra to help avoid that in the future?