"I have to agree with Julia." Adam nods. "I'm happy to accept that the others were not in their right minds, but Carley's a creep if I've ever seen one. She also has a silly name." He adds, perhaps unnecessarily.
"I'm fine with having Dinah with me." Michio answers Felicia. "Fuck it. Why not?" The one-eyed woman pulls the requested card from her deck, offering it to Julia. "How are you even more naive than Felicia...?" She shakes her head, through everyone can tell it isn't mean-spirited. Yumi smiles slightly. "Who said she would have a regular life? I am going to keep a very close eye on her. She has at least a dozen people to answer for. What else can we do? The police certainly wouldn't believe that she cast magic on dozens of people to enslave them."
"Creep? That's such a rude thing to call your friend's fiance. I'm truly crushed." The former cult leader remarks sarcastically.
"For a wedding gift, I'll be sure to get a muzzle." Julia still made it clear how she felt, but somewhat stared at Yumi. "I'm not sure yet. To be honest, I'm not even sure if she deserves to breath at this point." Julia made her objections obvious that she would not approve of this under any circumstances, but made her way to over the Shinarui card to Angelica after giving a quick thank you and placing it in Angelica's hand. She doubted an immediate connection would form yet or it would fully trust Angelica, but the spirit would know better if she's being sincere and maybe with time...Julia probed for a spark, while looking back at Carley, perhaps the only person to actually earn a truly hateful glare from the normally upbeat woman. "There's absolutely no way I can support any scenario where she just gets a minor scolding or lives her life in pleasure with the only consequence that from personal experience, isn't really any real kind of punishment." She joked a bit with Yumi, but her face was obviously strained in trying to force her mood into being positive about it.
"We could..." Adam slides a finger across his throat with an accompanying morbid sound effect. "Sparing Destiny was one thing, but her? We could just send her to the Shadow Realm, we wouldn't ecen have to do anything graphic." He shrugs. "Just a thought." "Un, she's not my friend - I only met her yesterday. Deux, given that your thugs stripped her and dumped her on a toilet seat for me to find, I'd say you're a pretty shitty fiance. Trois, sarcasm is unbecoming of a nun. Quatre, don't think you can say whatever you want just because you're hot - you're still a prisoner." "What she said." Adam gestures to Julia.
@Tjf @Arachna "Right, Dinah, from now on you should also obey Michio's orders." Felicia said, wondering if that was even possible. Then she watched Michio hand over the card to Julia. "Uuh, I'd rather we not do anything rash for now. I still need Carley... to repay my spirit for its help." The red-head leaves out the part that the lead nun is now her broodmother. Felicia then ignores the talks about being engaged, and wedding gifts, blushing as she does so. "Can we just leave? I agree that the police won't believe us. But maybe we can find a way to return the cards in their vault?"
Julia remained thinking of it, but raised an eyebrow at Felicia's claims of apparently needing her as some kind of tribute for her spirit. Some trigged in her mind. Yumi would be at risk for a corrupting force. The natural enemy of the fairies were fiends. Felicia wielded an Archfiend. Was she....? But...it just didn't make sense. While maybe a bit impulsive, Julia had a hard time really picturing this girl as a actual force of corruption. She shut her eyes, trying to imagine it. What do you think? She tried to ask for Valkyrus's input of what should be done, but glared at the cult leader. "If you have absolutely no other options....but only if it's accepted this is not her getting to be pardoned for her crimes. It's a temporary stay of execution. Very temporary. She does not get to just walk away from this." Julia's eyes said enough. Despite her usual cheerfulness, she absolutely was not bluffing or just talk about what she intends.
Angelica holds the Spectralsword Shade carefully but tightly, grateful to have something to clutch onto. Spoiler: Spiritual Resonance Roll 92+10=102 crit. success Any spirit tied to the card refuses to consider cooperating with Angelica due to far greater interest in Michio. Julia will probably need to use a non-Shiranui spirit to judge the crying woman.
Julia could feel the spark in the card. It wouldn't work with Angelica and she had to take it away...but... "The Shinarui belong with Michio it seems. However....while loyal to their owner and maybe haven't totally forgiven you, they seem to suggest it's still possible to form a new connection with time by finding something else." She spoke slowly and softly trying to let Angelica process her words. "If you're committed, redeeming your soul might still be possible. They still believe you have that chance. But you have to prove that your sincere." Julia returned the card to Michio, but it wasn't as fruitless as she hoped. That did mean bonds can change, for better or worse and she gave another look to Angelica. "Come back to the dorm with me after. From the ashes, something can be born anew." It was a bit of a stretch for Julia to lead Angelica to believe she actually knew what she was doing, but if the possibility existed, it was worth exploring. Not even for just Angelica...
Spoiler: Commune Roll 74+10=84 success I am busy! You must deal with this mess yourself just as I am forced to address the one you gave me. Valkyrus is...not pleased. Spoiler: Spiritual Resonance Roll 35+10=45 weak fail As she examines Felicia, Julia sees that the Red Dragon Archfiend's unity with her has weakened, but this is likely due to the Shadow Games' effects on the student.
Angelica nods, reluctantly giving the card back. Grief continues to wrack her. The tears begin to fall onto her clothes, leaving small wet spots.
@Arachna @Tjf "Right... I'll uh, leave it to you." Felicia mumbles, taking a deep breath to gather her courage as she already knew what she had to do once they got back to the dorms. Her heart already pounding within her chest.
@Arachna @Tjf Dinah, getting permission from Felicia first, disables the teleportation spell which bars the main entrance, allowing the group of twelve to leave. They trek back to the Duel Academy, seeing that the sun is beginning to set by the time they arrive back on the campus. Charlie, rather than joining them to the campus, goes the other direction from the mansion's gates, saying something about his family being worried. Dahlia and Demeter walk in the back of the pack, working out whatever may have gone on between them. Once they set foot on the school's grounds, Dahlia tells her rescuers. "I think my sis was brainwashed, and the same thing was going to happen to me. Thank you." She hugs Julia, then Adam, before walking in the direction of her home with Demeter in tow. The remaining nine approach the outside of the Obelisk Blue dorms, just as the first droplets of a rain shower splatter the ground. Spoiler: Blue dorms
(Should I skip ahead a bit then?) Back at the dorms, it had been mostly silent. Julia leaned against the wall while Angelica was at the floor looking at the cards laid out for her. Julia's back was turned to avoid looking at the shirts and jeans on the floor, among other things. It was a little awkward to have someone in here when she hadn't cleaned it up yet, but Angelica seemed too distracted to even really notice. Despite the fact her own living quarters was a few leagues above a student, Julia sure seemed to like to live like one. Spoiler But Julia's gaze was transfixed at Angelica trying out the cards laid out. On the plus side, finally able to access her lockbox of the stuff she didn't use for general duels, she was able to try a bunch of things to see if Angelica could get a connection out of it. Angelica did obviously have a connection to magic and spirits and the undead. That left more than quite a few options and Julia waited to see if any of them would take an interest in forming a bond with her. While she wasn't sure if any of the ones she picked out would work, she choose a variety of different elements and tribes to see what might have a spark. Spoiler And....it was a bit of a stretch but.... Spoiler She mostly said nothing to see what might resonate or suggest a proper direction for her to rebuild in.
As they made their way back to the academy, some of them limping, most of them having tattered clothes. Felicia hoped no one paid much attention to them, specially with the nuns in tow. Then as they reached the gate, where some of the rescued people break away, Felicia smiles, thinking that at least they managed to save some people. Though with some cultists still at large, she wondered peaceful their academy life will be. Not that it'll get as dangerous as wagering your soul in a shadow duel... right? She thinks to herself as they make their way to the dorms. "Aaah, finally back." Felicia lets out a relieved sigh. Just as it began to rain, "Oh, uh, we should get inside." The red-head leads Carley to her room, hoping Yumi arranged for the newly bought clothes to be delivered there.
[Skipping is fine.] Izanami, the first card Julia set before Angelica, seems to have the most interest in the girl. While nothing dramatic occurs, the professor can tell there's potential for a connection. What happens in the future, however, will have to rest on the former Mayakashi user's shoulders. [It was very hard to resist giving her a connection with Nephthys.]
Thankfully, with the rain fast approaching, there were few other walking about to notice the group. Yumi, Michio, and Dinah see Felicia and Carley to the redhead's flat. Michio and Dinah promptly depart for their own room, but Yumi remains, stopping Felicia at the student's door. "Do you desire for me to stay nearby? I am uncertain how much we can trust...your 'wife' as she calls herself. If not, I will be in my own housing next door."
"I, uh, think I can handle it. She's still... her, but there's like a bond between us, so I don't think she can do me any harm... without also harming herself." Felicia mumbles about the strange bond Carley's soul had with hers. "Thank you for the concern, professor. But uhm, I don't think I'll be able to handle it if you're around while we... uhm... do it." The red-head blushes, giving a slightly forced smile.
The older woman giggles, but stops herself from torturing the poor girl any further. "Do not hesitate to fetch me if you need anything, Felicia." Yumi saunters down the hall, leaving the student to her own devices. As she enters the living room, Felicia sees bags full of clothes resting near the couch. Carley has already started looking through them. The white-haired woman sits facing the door, with one of the bags in front of her.
