The Sound of Dragons Fighting from a Distance (Nadia/Cecil/Trinity/Isabella)

Cecil pushed down the flash of irritation that came with the fluttering of pink in Trinity's eyes. He got the feeling he'd not be fond of the colour if this continued.
He just wanted people to stay safe right now. To stay calm as they possibly could. But there was an instability in everyone present that bothered on volatility, and nowhere was that more apparent here than Trinity and all the people that made her up.
Not that he was any better, pinning his own frustrations at the situation on the first to lash out over it.

The blond starts to rub at his head as he lets Nadia guide him into a seat, other hand still grasping hers. "Losing people screws you up. We get it. It hurts...a lot. That doesn't make anything stupid we do because of it less dumb." He groans, and shakes his head. "Just be glad you might have them back. We don't know what happened afterwards. And even if they grab him and he ends up someone else altogether, we might be able to find a way to fix what they did."
In and out, Cecil takes a deep breath. "We'll see him one way or another. Focus on that. In the meantime...we should find something else to focus on before somebody explodes."

Nadia nodded to the words from Isabella. She just was now realizing that she hadn't introduced herself when they had met at the riverside the other day. She raised her voice just enough for the woman to hear. "My name is Nadia, Miss." She replied good-naturedly, before turning towards Trinity. The name sounded familiar, but it was the kind of name that always sounds familiar in it's extravagance. Nadia still wasn't sure what to make of this person. They referred to themself as if they were multiple people, and their eyes changed color when different members talked. Was it...some kind of persona phenomenon? or was it something more intrinsic than that. The human mind was truly an amazing thing.

Trinity's words were insightful in a way. Nadia had never had the fortune of conversation with them, but now she felt like she knew them a little bit more. So, they were one of the original members...and the last. People had disappeared...died...been lost to the Cadets perhaps. Somehow, that thought brought a level of reality to their situation that Nadia hadn't considered before. And after having just made a promise to the others to survive, too. Now the thought of being killed by the Cadets...simply for possessing a power she never asked for...gnawed at her guts like an angry animal. She wanted to offer some words of comfort to Trinity, but Cecil was already replying. And the words he delivered between deep breaths made her breath catch. Her heart hammered in her ears a few times before a shaky voice could be found. Suddenly a worse possibility than death had been offered up, and the implications of it terrified her.

...

"W-what do you mean 'ends up someone else altogether?'"

She applied more vinegar, before continuing to brush her hair. It was slowly starting to come down, looking less like a poofball. It was slow, methodical, as she continued looking to the others from the bathroom. "Pleased to make your... proper acquaintance, Trinity, Nadia. I'm Isabella." Though she'd wish she could have offered these words on a more... Positive note.

Trinity was a most... curious girl. Multiple personalities, perhaps? No. The changes were too extreme, there was no way it could be simply a mental disorder, could it? That unsettling detail aside, Isabella found herself surprised with the claim that she was a senior member of the playhouse. Not just a senior member, but the most senior member. She didn't know what to think of this.

As this went on, the woman remained quiet for a moment, focusing on her hair, and trying to think of something meaningful to say. Trinirt was upset, Cecil was clearly annoyed. Perhaps mediating between those two would be for...

What Cecil had just said suddenly sank in. Words Nadia would parrot shortly after, together with a question the older woman wasn't sure she wanted to know the answer to. The brush clattered to the floor from her grasp, the woman stepping to the door of the bathroom, the hair on the left side of her head mostly hanging, soggy with vinegar, while the right side was still held up with gel. "Cecil... Do you... Know something?" Again, she didn't know if she even wanted to know the answer to that question.

Trinity nodded, she remembered Larsinny's words but before she could say anything suddenly she shuddered and jolted before suddenly another body leaped out of her, dressed differently then her, she had Pink eyes though and her voice was one they had already heard twice today "Don't YOU DARE SAY THAT!!!" she yelled as she lunged at Cecil clear anger in her eyes as well as Tears running down her cheeks. her outfit was a pleated skirt, with a uniform top, and a loose tie and her hair was held up in a ponytail by a ribbon tied into a bow.

Trinity was still sitting in the seat though, before suddenly, and far less violently two more bodies both looking like her though one had grey eyes and the other had green managed to JUST catch the other person and pull her to the side missing the two on the couch entirely "Damn it Yuuko Calm the hell down this isn't going to help anyone, we all knew that was a possibility if he didn't say it one of us would have" the slightly more masculine voice said as they managed to pin The previous girls hands behind her back as she lay on the floor. This one was dressed in jeans and a red tee shirt with a leather coat, his hair was simply loose and left wild

"This is only making things harder.....we have to work together....Or we...may lose more...." the other girl said, her voice barely a whisper though it carried enough to be heard over the other girls growls of frustration though she was pinning down the angry girls legs to she couldn't get leverage to throw them off. this person dressed in what seemed to be a sun dress though it had somber or muted colors to it, mostly in blue and grey, her hair was long and looked like permanent bed head.

"What the hell would you know about working Together Lilith? You barely even payed any attention to anything before you just stayed in your little corner and GAH".

The green eyed youth twisted her arm a bit to shut her up "She knows enough to have come out of her shell and start to help us....that's more then you have ever been doing...you just keep trying to lash out at people....stop fighting and just let us help you....".

The one being pinned was about to say something but then Trinity stood up.....or rather another person stepped out of Trinity, this one had blue eyes, her out fit was a loose fitting kimono, with light Make up on her face to accentuate her facial features, and she had a more mature air around her as she walked over to Yuuko, and gently placed a hand on her "We all lost someone Yuuko....you're not alone....please calm down, listen to yourself.....you're lashing out at your own siblings now...." the voice had a motherly tone to it, despite the fact that the girl was clearly as old as the others that had stepped out of Trinity.

Though her words seemed to have reached the girl being pinned "Sorry...I...I just...first...s..Selenus....then Tatsui.....now Gabe........We lost everyone...." the girl broke down and just started to cry the other two getting off her and letting their sister hold her as they simply watched, the one in the leather coat watching the pink eyed one closely, the grey eyed one seemingly just looking around her.

"Alister we will be okay....I think she just needs time...." she said to the green eyed one in the leather coat who only nodded but kept his guard up.

"Okay just...I'm just going to keep an eye just in case..."

Trinity simply watched the exchange before looking to the two on the couch, "As I was going to say....Larsinny had told us as much not to long ago....." she said to confirm what Cecil had said before she bowed her head "I appologize for my siblings outburst once again" her voice still cold and emotionless, her expressionless face still looking at the two on the sofa unblinking even as tears were still running from her eyes.

note:

The shaking of a voice and the body of its owner. Something clattering to the ground. Two pairs of eyes, opened wide to a possibility more horrifying than any they had considered. Two people focused on his next words.
"They...never told you...?"
He couldn't shake the feeling he'd invited new horror on this place, as a bitter crest of frustration fell and gave rise to a cold sensation.
Larsinney was right when he'd told him those days ago. This was a horrible thing to have to tell someone.

He looked over as a clamour of voices sounded out, ready to act, when he saw a number of differently dressed copies of Trinity before him. His eyes went between the girl in the chair and the pile of her clones, watching as they argued amongst themselves until the voice of anger that had lashed out just...broke down.
"I'll let you deal with your...sibling." He turned his attention to the others - his girlfriend, the reporter, knowing he'd had to add to the suffering of those who had already suffered. It lingered in his mind, a cold feeling of guilt for inflicting this upon them. "...I was told when I first joined. They brainwash those they capture. People who dissent."
Awaiting their reactions, he puts an arm around Nadia, taking her into a gentle hold. A slight pressure, a familiar warmth, that he hoped would help keep her calm...as calm as she could be facing something like this, anyway.

A new horror gripped Nadia as she thought about what Cecil had implied. She didn't noticed the siblings come out of Trinity at first, her eyes zoning out, and her mind wandering through the implications of those words. It was the yelling that made her jump where she sat, pressing into Cecil's body instinctively to avoid whatever was going on. When her eyes found the siblings piled in her living room. they were going back and forth, having a dispute all their own. Each personality inside Trinity had it's own body now. Nadia wasn't sure how to react to this. She was already shocked by the implications of what Cecil had said, and now the occupancy of her home had doubled without her consent.

If they made too much noise...if they rose a fuss...A feeling of paranoia that had been sleeping somewhere in Nadia's mind since the Cadet's arrival took root as the siblings squabbled. Words turned into blurred sounds and faces drifted out of focus. Thoughts were passing so quickly through Nadia's mind that her senses couldn't keep up with anything else. I can't control this. Gabe might be gone and it's my fault. I wanted to protect everyone and now everyone is yelling, everything is unstable and if I lose everyone could die or worse...

"...I was told when I first joined. They brainwash those they capture. People who dissent."

It was like a shot through her heart, a sound that made all other sounds lose their meaning. Brainwash If we lose we'll get brainwashed. Everything that makes me me will disappear, and be replaced with something else. Everything that I have experienced...altered...changed. Different. "..." I'd rather die, she wanted to say, but there was no air in her lungs, just the face of a nameless fear in front of her that she couldn't see past. Wide-eyed, blank-faced, she sat beside Cecil like a doll, wrapped in his arms but feeling none of it. Her breath quickened, shoulders rising in and falling at a faster pace as though she was having trouble breathing. Her already pale face was whitening in fear. As her breath quickened, the hand that was holding Cecil's gripped tighter, and her mind spiraled further down the path of self-destructive imaginings.

The apparent disbelief at both her and Nadia's lack of knowledge to... whatever it was Cecil knew immediately flared up a bout of worry within the older woman, who stared at him sharply. At least until the... Outburst, if it could be called that. Seeing more children... just stepping out Trinity was... offputting, to say the least. But it did put some apparent perspective to what she'd witnessed earlier. It wasn't any kind of personality disorder, it was other people, literally.

How? Isabella wasn't sure, and neither was she sure on whether she even wanted to know. Instead, she stepped out of the bathroom, and walked over to the duo that had emerged from Trinity, having been holding down the one they'd called "Yuuko". "Do you two... Require assistance?" She wasn't sure what to say, they were clearly upset, but this was different from what she'd dealt with before. She just wanted to say something to break the silence.

But then... came the bombshell. In retrospect the woman found herself regretting her previous question that she'd posed to Cecil. For a moment, the woman drew a sudden, deep breath, and froze up, as she tried to process what he'd just said. Brainwashing. Brainwashing captured dissenters. Who could do that? What form of government could do that? For a moment, she stood, her expression staring past whatever it was looking at. And then there was that small click in her ear, followed by a whirring. Her breathing became uneven, the blonde inhaling and exhaling through clenched teeth. The whirring intensified as the shock gave way to anger.

But she din't lash out. No, instead she held in the initial destructive impulse, and instead slowly reached her right hand to her back, ripping at the fabric of the clothing to reveal her lower back. Two lengths of fabric extended out from two small openings The fabric would then fan out, seemingly becoming quite stiff. The whirring in her ear didn't stop, even as she tried to calm down. "I've... I've spoken with Ribbon previously, on how there is clearly something... Wrong with the government of the city.... But..." She shook her head, small droplets of vinegar being tossed about as she struggled to find words.

As Alister was keeping any eye on Yuuko and Myrna was consoling the now crying girl, Lilith looked up at Isabella as she asked her question "We seem to be fine here....She just needs time...." she said in a distant sounding voice, like she was here but not quite all aware of everything as she continued to look around the apartment.

Alister looked over at the others for a moment before returning his Gaze to Yuuko "Look..maybe you should head back...get some time to relax....I think everyone else needs time to talk..." he said to her as she stood up and offered his hand.

The crying Yuuko nodded and gently took Alister's offered hand and the two of them walked over to Trinity, as they neared her they started to fade, as they simply walked back into their sibling.

Myrna got up and joined them though as she was walking to Trinity she took the time to bow to the others "Please don't think badly of Yuuko...she....we have all lost a lot..." she said before fading into Trinity as well.

Trinity herself looked over to the woman who smelt of vinegar, "We believe it was our little friend that made us aware of what they do....but they have also killed one of Our friends already....and one is missing....as We have said....they were the ones that helped Us and brought Us into this...they were some of the senior members...at least of the newest....that now includes Us....now We are the last..." she said her voice still emotionless and her face expressionless as she moved her unblinking gaze from her to the two on the sofa.

"You need to calm down.....the simple fact is we are now safe for the time being.....so there is no need to panic...." she simply said to Nadia before getting up, those tears still running down her cheeks before she crossed the room and grabbed both of Nadia's shoulders "don't fear them....be angry.....that is much more useful....and it will keep you and Cecil safe....if that is not enough....then focus to protect the ones you want to protect....at least you can do that" she said to the girl in her monotone, her unblinking eyes looking right into her's

The reactions came quickly. Breath shook and fabric tore in response, fabric extending out from Isabella's body while Nadia went pale and started to hyperventilate. The blond squeezes his girlfriend's hand and gently rocks back and forth with her in his arms, holding her close and taking long, deep breaths. He didn't say a word, not sure it would reach her, and just quietly hushed her as they rocked, keeping her in gentle motion as he tried to give her a steady breath to match to. It was all he could think to try.

He didn't speak up as Trinity laid hands on Nadia and stared into her, but a tiny shake of his head and the way he watched Nadia's response communicated he didn't quite think that was the best way to handle the situation. After a moment, he spoke up, whispering to the shell-shocked girl. "We're safe, Nadia. Nobody's going to take us. Nothing is going to change us. No need to be angry. No need to be afraid. Just look around. We're all here. With you. Safe and sound."

Nadia was dead to the world, and didn't really see Isabella come over to talk to the clones, She was elsewhere, watching Shotaro's back as he walked away from them to protect them. Watching herself as she calously turned on her heel and walked away. Her breath caught, and she searched for something, anything to latch onto. That was when she felt like she was moving. Moving where? where was she right now? That's right...

Her vision cleared a little as Cecil's gentle motion brought her back to present. Her breath still came in shallow huffs, and she didn't look at anyone. The world came into sharp focus when Trinity's body appeared before her and laid hands on her shoulders. She stared at Trinity for a moment, not recognizing the words at first, but seeing her lips move. She still felt a little like she was underwater, her heart was beating so loud in her ears. Cecil, closer, and more familiar, was the voice that registered first as her heart rate declined. She looked at Cecil, and then back to Trinity. He falling anxiety cleared, and she could remember the words she hadn't registered at first from Trinity.

The frail girl nodded to the other two. It was sharp, tired nod, followed by a swallow, and hopefully, words. She opened her mouth. "Angh..." She cleared her dry throat. "Anger will just make us reckless. But fear can cripple us. W-what we need is a plan. But we can't do it alone. We need an understanding of the situation t-that we don't have. And it's still...not the best time for us to be talking about it, is it? after all..." She looked out the window. In the dark of the night, the spotlights miles away traced figured eights in the sky above vista Square. somewhere beyond that was Little Tokyo...and Shotaro. Presumably.

Calmer now, the sound of boiling water from the kitchen made her jump up from her seat. "Oh!" she turned and stalked off toward the kitchen, and pulled down four mugs from the cupboard to pour the water into and spooned in her home-made cocoa mix. "Does anyone want to watch a Movie. My Swap has a streaming service on it..." She mentioned as she worked. Busying herself with this task of hosting did wonders for her racing heart, and when she brought a small serving tray into the living room a moment later with four cups of piping hot cocoa, she was even working on a small smile. "Be careful everyone, it's hot..."

She merely looked at the presumed twins as they let her know the situation was under control, before offering a small nod, no more needing to be said as far as that subject was concerned.


The whirring in her ear didn't cease, the heat sinks beginning to waft off the excess heat, but Isabella btried to ignore it in favor of focusing on Trinity, as the girl explianed about his relation to... Who the blonde assumed was Gabe, as well as to some third party whom she was not aware of. She stared at those unblinking eyes, trying to think of something to say to comfort the young female. But in the end, all she could come up with was a quiet "I'm sorry." In retrospect the woman thought that maybe she should have been more specific in her wording, but she was hardly thinking straight.

She would follow Trinity iwth her gaze as she moved to Nadia, listening to the exchange the two had."You're both right to a degree. Both fear and anger can be useful in the correct amounts. Fear brings caution and alertness, while anger can serve as a source of drive. But if either of these are let run wild, they become toxic." She took a few steps closer, before placing one hand on each girl's shoulder, Nadia being the recipient of her almost uncomfortably warm left hand. Isabella then looked to Trinity, and then Nadia, looking for eye contact from both.

"But, we're safe here. It's okay to be angry, it's okay to be scared. Hell, I know I am. But the next time we face our enemies, leave those things behind. Otherwise..." She'd pause, taking a breath. "Otherwise what Gabriel did for us tonight, might all be in vain." She couldn't stop her voice from trembling as she said this, and pondered upon the meaning of this.

She would then step away as Nadia got up to prepare beverages. She would return to the bathroom, and again resumed with her vinegar treatment. At least it gave her something to do while waiting for whatever hot drinks the older of the two girls was preparing to come down to a nice temperature to enjoy it at. and ten came the question off watching a movie. "I wouldn't be opposed to the idea at least." She would call out from the bathroom.

Hearing the others talking and now Nadia was actually talking again Trinity looked to Cecil a moment, she had seen him shaking his head, she only locked eyes with the boy for a second, and there color changed to pink for but a moment, but she didn't move she just looked at him before looking to Nadia once more as the other girl walked to the kitchen before she herself finally returned to her chair, "Anger is more useful then fear or disspare, it can motivate, I never said give in to blind rage or bloodlust...but it is hard to fight an enemy and be happy about it, it is hard to do anything else, when all your doing is being afraid...or thinking it is hopeless..." she said in her monotone her eyes locked on to Cecil now.

"It's also does no good to Coddle people...or they may reach the breaking point if anything happens to you....Reassure and protect them....but don't coddle....we are far from safe....but we are currently Safer then we were before....and we are safer in a group then alone...but we will never be fully safe...so long as things stand the way they are" her voice was quiet, but still as monotone as ever, her eyes still locked on Cecil as she spoke.

"Whether you like it or not....conflict will only lead to issue we do not need...you had an issue with our leadership before...and you have made your stance clear on what you thought about them, I am the senior now...though I doubt any will follow me especially you seeing as your normal reaction is to reject most people that show even a slight difference to your ideals or so it seems..." she continued to speak low and her eyes remained locked on Cecil.

"More then likely Our friends hadn't told anyone yet due to the panic they knew it would cause...yet you took no time to think of the impact such words would have, would you blame Us for thinking of you the way you thought of Our friend? As you seem to act like you keep no council but your own, We would assume you would...We know nothing about most of you, most of you know little to nothing about Us, yet here we are, and We highly doubt anyone is willing to listen to use due to our age...body...or their own personal dislike for who we had associated with, but we have experience, we have knowledge and we have information..." her emotionless monotone continued, her face expressionless as those unblinking eyes stayed locked on Cecil.

"We are not foolish enough to think We are ever truly in a totally safe place....We can't let Our guard down, especially now that the people that once protected Us are gone...and We are Unsure if you would put that level of trust, that level of dedication...that level of courage, to do what Our friend did to save the others....especially with how you speak of them after the fact...We do not question the other two....We only Question You Cecil....you judge others...then you do things without thinking....We see you as a Hypocrite and one that lashes out at others when things do not go right...We have failings, we know we do and we acknowledge them and work to reduce their affect on others...you blame...or at least this is all you have shown to do...".

Trinity then Finally turned her head to look at Isabella, noting the cloth and feeling the heat coming from them she rather quickly understood what was going on, her training with computers, her interactions and talks with Selenus. She knew those were heat sinks, and so she said nothing about them but she let the woman ramble a bit "There is far worse things they have done We assure you...as we have learned quite a lot about some of their activities long before most of you showed up..." her voice once again was low so that it wouldn't carry to far she had to be far more guarded now, she was alone once again, and she wasn't about to lose the freedom that two of her friends bought with their lives.

Her unblinking gaze returned to Cecil "You may not like to hear it....but We are speaking the truth so far as We can see it, if We are wrong then please prove it to Us...We are not saying this to belittle, or to judge, we are saying this because we want to see you improve...We will tell you the truth when you are being irrational...when you are being foolish....when you are wrong, when you are acting out and lashing out....Because tht's what a leader and a friend should do....it's what I was told one should do..." she finished remembering the words that Gabriel had told her after their own fight.

Trinity then went silent again her eyes still looking right at Cecil unblinking. Though really she was in her mind talking with the others.

"This one will probably not react as we hope...he has proven to be the kind that blames..." Trinity said to her siblings.

Unison nodded "We have noted this in him as well, he also seems to doubt himself greatly, at least from what we have seen"

"Maybe.....he ...just doubts....everyone....but that other girl...." Lilith said as she looked out the window where they could see Cecil sitting there on the sofa.

"Seems we might have another Frog and Brit situation developing....but maybe in reverse? Thank god The girl doesn't seem as pig headed as Frog had been when we first met....hell least he is taking steps to better himself...not sure if Cecil is up to it..." Alister said as he sat near Yuuko.

"We should hope for change though....like we did with Frog...he finally listened to us after all...and Cecil at least seems to not be as far as Frog had been..." Myrna said who was sitting on the other side of Yuuko her and Alister making sure the crying girl wasn't alone at the moment.

"I guess we will just have to see how he reacts to what was said...." Nola spoke up as she sat there With Lilith looking out at what was going on.

Cecil breathed a small sigh of relief as Nadia came to again, smiling weakly. He let her go easily as she popped up to attend to matters in the kitchen, following her with his eyes and watching carefully for any sign she might relapse.
But as Trinity decided to stare him down to lecture him, he closed his eyes and gritted his teeth. He took a mug of cocoa and focused on that as the girl rambled on, trying not to do anything stupid.

"...are you done, Trinity?" The blond takes measured breaths, sipping on the cocoa. It was just as good as the last time he had it. "I'd prefer you didn't act like you've been perfectly reasonable the whole time when you've been lashing out just as much to the point you had to wrestle yourself to the ground. It doesn't matter that it's only one of you. You're all acting together. You're accountable for all your decisions."

He still didn't open his eyes. He could probably guess who was talking of the ones he knew, but who didn't matter - this was for all of them. "In any case, can you forgive me for assuming the info I was given the first time I ever visited would be shared? That people wouldn't be sent in blindly without knowing what it would cost them if something went awry? I knew that telling them wouldn't be anything resembling comforting, but by that point I'd already raised questions that were going to leave them thinking of all sorts of horrors. Better not to leave them like that and to just tell them instead of letting them torture themselves."

He sighs. "I did stupid shit, but I was never supposed to be the leader. I wasn't the one letting the newbie flounder as they either provided no guidance or just swooped in at the last minute to salvage it all. I wasn't the one dragging someone new to things about a major mission without explaining a single part of it all, never even once stopping to address things or try and make sense of things and leaving others to chide them. And as we saw today, I am certainly not only one to do something potentially catastrophic without thinking."
He takes another sip, and pauses. "I wouldn't follow you because you've never tried to be someone worth following. I didn't take to Shotaro because even after every one of the people that stood by him before left him except for you, he still assumed blind faith and only stepped forward to provide guidance as it suited him, doing things that gave me every reason to question him without ever giving me a reason to trust him. You dealt with whoever he was as he lead before my arrival. I only saw him as he was after everyone but you decided they'd rather trust the enticing words of a murderer and slaver than stick with him."

He takes a deep breath, and lets out another long, frustrated sigh. "You are right. It takes a lot to do what he did for us. And I don't know you. But we should have never been in this position, and neither he or you tried to make sure we knew each other. So, to be clear - I have people I listen to. You and Shotaro just aren't either of them. And you can call it coddling all you like, but when people are catatonic and just need a moment of peace and safety, my response isn't to tell them they're never safe and encourage them to be as angry and bitter as you've gotten. Call me a hypocrite for whatever you like, but I'm not going to apologise for actually making an effort sometimes for someone that needs it."

Shaking his head, Cecil opens his eyes and gets up, moving for the bedroom with his cocoa. "Know what? I'm just going to step out of this. This isn't going to end while we're both in the room, and the others don't deserve to deal with us whole they're trying to relax."
He stops in the doorway, and turns around. "I do stupid shit, Trinity. And I do try to be better about it too. But I also hate when people don't own up to it when they do something like that too, so take a moment to think of what's been said by everyone and try and really be sure you aren't just as bad as me. Because right now, you aren't a leader, you've never really been a friend, and I don't have any need to prove myself to you."
He was frustrated beyond belief, and he really wanted to keep going. To say more, to try and dig at Trinity and make it hurt as he went on with all the things he hated about dealing with her.
It was the dumbest thing he could have done, and he'd already added to the list of dumb things he'd done this night by not just immediately shutting his mouth and the door.
At least he could do that now.

"Enjoy the movie, you three. With any luck you can relax with me out of the room."
He shuts the door.

Isabella's words sounded wise, and they were words Nadia would remember. She nodded to the woman, as one might an instructor or parent who was imparting vital information to them. It was after that point that she went to fetch the drinks...and returned to more conflict.

Nadia was just Setting down the tray and suggesting the movie when Trinity started in on Cecil. Suddenly, as the words continued, and after the things that had happened this evening...Nadia was starting to wish that she hadn't allowed Trinity into her home. Nadia sat silently, holding the remote to her Funtindo in shaking hands, and looking at the screen that she hadn't turned on yet. Why couldn't they just get along? let it die and be done with it, but Trinity had to repeat herself, reprimanding Cecil for something Nadia herself was at a loss for words to thank him for.

And then Cecil started talking, calling back to things that she wasn't there for, but...they sounded like this wasn't the first mistake that Shotaro had made in Cecil's eyes atleast. But it didn't help either. He was trying to answer her concerns in a polite way, but he was frustrated too, and the words came out sharper than he meant. She could understand as she listened, but she was helpless to change the tide of things. He picked up his cocoa, and left, going into her room alone.

Nadia stood up, watching him leave. There were words caught in her throat, but she couldn't say them. There were too many, and she didn't know what order to put them in. Instead, the sound she made was something akin to a defeated wimper. She looked at Trinity. It was a quick glace, and she didn't look angry, only sad and betrayed.

"This is your domain, and here you rule. Do not allow those in your care to usurp your authority in the place your spirit resides."

Ereshkigal didn't talk to her much. It was a quiet, sharp voice that often reminded her a little too much of her mother. The Persona's words were both comforting and frightening. Because it meant that that strength and resolve was a part of Nadia, but so was the calousness and apathy. She swallowed, focused on Trinity, and found her words. "I don't agree with you. I understand that you've lost people. But everyone dies. Eventually...maybe sometime soon, each of us in this room will be fertilizing flowers. Cecil may judge too harshly sometimes, but he judges himself just as harshly." She looked away for a moment. "He coddles me...even when I don't know that I need it. I love him for that..." She cleared her throat, as frustrated tears threatened to well up in her eyes. It wasn't often that she got this emotional, but the thoughts were in her head now and they needed escape. "I'd rather let him hold me--let him coddle me as often as he likes--and when he dies I'll remember it fondly, instead of staying away from him to avoid the pain." It was true, truer than she would have admitted to herself. He could die...or be brainwashed, or just leave her forever. But she wanted to experience every part of this that she could...while she was alive to do so. "because I would regret it after." She shook her head. "And that's why I'm not going to let him spend tonight alone."

She walked around the coffee table and set the remote for the device on the coffee table. If Isabella was close enough by this point to meet her eyes, she would do so now. If not, then she would look to Trinity as she said. "I'm sorry, I'll leave this out here for the two of you. I'll go get some pillows and blankets so that the two of you can be comfortable, but I need to stay by his side."

Turning, she walked toward the door to her bed room. She didn't knock. Cecil would likely wave her away if she asked him, so instead, she didn't, and closed the door softly behind her. She found him where ever he was sitting, and kissed him lightly on the cheek. She didn't absolve him of his part in this any more than she would absolve Trinity. They had both spoken their peace and there wasn't anything for her to do about it now. Instead she simply said, "I'm going to get some blankets and pillows, so they can be comfortable in the living room. Then, I'll be back, okay?" She punctuated the statement with a bittersweet smile before heading to the closet and opening the door.

There was an avalanche of pillows, blankets, cushions, and comforters, pouring out into the corner of the room. They appeared to have been folded and stacked at one point, but having been stacked beyond capacity, gravity had won. They were all muted colors. Dark reds and blues, cool grey and mahogany. She didn't seem surprised by the avalanche, just knelt and started stacking up pillows. Focused on the task, her expression had taken on it's more neutral blank-ness.

So much for trying to be the mediator here. At first she just was hoping that maybe she could have tried to find some middle ground between the three who had some very differing points of view. But nope. First Trinity went off on her Tirade, to which Isabella could only wonder how someone so young could have gotten to that point? She thought she herself had grown bitter after all that had happened, and she had, but compared to the attitude Trinity was displaying? The blonde was like a pot of honey.

And then was Cecil, who took his time to retort, each of the two taking verbal jabs at one another as what was no doubt a good bit of emotional baggage came crashing down on both sides. All this time she wanted to say something, or do something to try and provide some damage control to the ongoing social trainwreck. But all she could do was stare and gawk. Cecil left for the bedroom. And then i was the stunned Nadia's turn to speak. She'd only met the two a few times, so the level of the relationship between the two somewhat of a surprise. It was clear Cecil, despite all his supposed flaws, really cared for Nadia. And Nadia, eccentric and unusual as she might be by most standards, cared for Cecil.

So given that she now had some understanding of how those two were connected, seeing Nadia step into the bedroom was not a surprise, but still was... Frustrating wasn't the word. The blonde let out a long sigh. She'd stare at the serving tray, and the game system Nadia had left on the table. She had no idea how one of those things worked. Not that there was much appeal left to the idea of a movie. Not with the atmosphere this tense and... Toxic.

The woman's gaze shifted to Trinity. "Trinity..." Isabella spoke in a low tone. After witnessing all that had just happened, the emotions that had been running high within her gave way to a creeping sense of apathy. The heat radiating off from the heat sinks began to lessen, and the fabric was slowly beginning to go visibly slack. "You went too far there." Her tone had disapproval to it.

She then turned to face the girl properly, and stepped closer, before lowering down onto one knee, so her face was level with the other, to a greater-or-lesser extent. "I..." She'd start, before pausing to collect herself, and starting again. "I don't know what has happened between you and Cecil in the past, but I can see that there's clearly a lot of unresolved issues between the two of you. Now, I want you to understand that normally I probably couldn't care less about interpersonal drama like this, but... This is different." The voice was stern and disapproving, but she tried her hardest as to not come of as condescending.

"I don't want this to come off the wrong way. You speak a lot of seniority and leadership. And I can see your passion, and that you have good intentions. And..." Isabella was clearly struggling, as her words cut off, a flash of frustration on her face. "I... I'm terrible at this, so let me just be blunt. I can see you've good intentions in mind, Trinity, but your methods only sow seeds of dissent amidst us."

Her right hand rose up to reach gently for the others shoulder. "Just... Take this from someone who has had someone.... Had someone die under their command. I don't want you to have to know that pain. I understand, you already hurt plenty, but what happened just now..." A heavy exhale blew out through her nose as she briefly closed her eyes. It was like walking of eggshells. "I... I'm not going to claim to know Gabriel in a way even approaching yours, but... Would he want us bickering like this? And..." A shake of her head again cut her words short.

The blonde would stand up, muttering a low, almost pitiful "I'm sorry" as she took a few steps away, before leaning against one of the walls with both hands, her gaze cast down to where the floor and wall met. A low "Damnit..." hissed out from between her lips as she shook her head again. That probably didn't help at all. And she was the adult here. Damnit. Yet here she was, lost for words on how to at least begin to make things right. Could things even be made right? There was clearly a lot of issues here, issues that couldn't be left unresolved, not when the lives of others could very well depend on it.

She was the adult here. Amidst a group of children. She should at least try to be a voice of reason and moderation. Yet... What could she do or say that wouldn't just risk making things worse. She would draw a deep breath, clsoing her eyes, before hissing an exhale out through clenched teeth.

"Damnit..."