Completed [Palsa Hydrasa] New Vessel, Old Mind (Mirage)

[Fubuki Kouri]

"......" Kouri frowned at Mia's answers. Instead of clearing her confusion, those answers brought even more questions to her mind. Mia talked about her mother as if she was a normal mother, the older ghost girl flinched when the small child asked about her own mother. "Mama..." She whispered, of course she had a mother, Sora was the best mother in the world. She was kind, beautiful, and had no... flaws. Kouri trembled, for some reason, she hesitated when thinking about the last part. Like she knew in her heart that with all of her mother's love, the Vantha woman did have flaws, like all other humans. 'Walk elegant!', 'Don't put your elbows on the table!', 'Never speak loudly', 'Silence is golden' were some of the strict lessons Sora taught to Kouri. The Vantha girl felt like it was too much sometimes, the thought of herself being a mere doll, bound by rules and norms crossed her mind quite often. She knew her mother only wanted good for her, but could she be less... authoritative? It didn't matter now, she was gone. However, the next part of Mia's story brought goose bumps to the ghost. A ghost getting goose bumps, even Kriem would cock an eyebrow at that. It seemed Mia's mother was very, very, strict to the point of causing gruesome physical harm for punishments. Lacerations and mutilations, what kind of mother would have the heart to do that to her daughter? Kouri felt pity washed over her, her motherly instinct deemed her to comfort the little girl. The older child approached Mia and lovingly hugged her, patting Mia's back. "There, there, it's okay... it's okay, you are alright now." That didn't last long though as Kouri immediately froze when the little demon talked about punishing her mother. Her ethereal muscles went stiff, but she couldn't blame the kid. Like mother, like daughter. If her mother coerced Mia with threats of harm, it was no wonder her daughter took it the wrong way. But still, deep in her heart, Kouri hoped she could change... for she knew herself what it felt like to be blinded by a flawed perception of good and evil. "M-mia, ehm... you shouldn't do that anymore, okay? Y-you should love your mother..." The smaller ghost girl released herself from her grasp and began circling around her, it was like she was born anew, no trace of that sorrow from earlier. I acted like her in the past... I truly did... The ghost girl exhaled, now that she promised Mia to play with her, she had no choice. "Okay... let's play with them... but remember, if they are good sentient people. You can't kill or hurt them..." Even at the display of cruelty earlier, Kouri cursed herself for sharing Mia's manic delight. Her mind hadn't release itself fully from the insane ghostly little girl who derived pleasure from the suffering of others. "Who is Mr.Slasher?" Kouri didn't like the name, not one bit, but this was Sahova, she couldn't assume too much. She let herself be pulled by Mia, unsatisfied and confused. Who knows, maybe Slasher was a monster hunter and this 'screamers' are monsters that he regularly captured and hunted?

[Mirage]

The little girl was about ready to wiggle out of her skin with excitement, if she had skin that is. She tugged on Fubuki's arm, pulling her up and up and laughing as she did, "He's the nicest man in all of Sahova! He has so many knives and pokers and other things I don't even know what they do! He took out this guy's eye once, and it was STILL MOVING!" She giggled, cupping her hands over her eyes as if they were telescopes, "I wonder if he could still see? I couldn't! But my eye was not still attached."

She beamed so big, it was as if her birthday had come early. She bounced in excitement, whirling around Fubuki with the energy small children had, humming and laughing.

"MIA!"

Another voice, clearly male, rung through the cavern, loud and strong enough to make the air vibrate. Mia stopped her twirling and laughing, suddenly looking up at the ceiling apprehensively. She fidgeted, her expression sinking to one of a child about to be reprimanded. Through the ceiling another figure came, floating down to the same level as the girls. It was the Knight which guarded Wanda, the large sword strapped to his back. He lifted the helmet from his head, revealing a handsome, if some what haggard, face. His face was covered in scars, starting from the top of his balled head and splitting his face in half. Others hooked around his cheeks, under his eyes, divided his lips. Still, despite the disfigurements, there were hints to a rather good looking man beneath the carnage.

Now this man's eyes were sternly looking down at Mia, and he sighed rubbing his forehead, "Mia, Wanda wants you to return to her side. I am to watch over this girl now."

Mia pouted, "B-but she said I could watch her! We were just about to go play with the screamers! Tell him Big sis! Tell him we are playing and you want ME to watch you!"

The man looked down at Fubuiki, shaking his head slowly for her silence, before looking back at Mia. He knelt down before her, patting her head, "Now Mia, hasn't Wanda told you not to play with the Screamers? It's not nice to torture men. You will take work away from someone else." Mia crossed her arms, stamping her foot and puffing her cheeks at the knight, who only smiled, "Now run along. Wanda needs your help, and she cannot do it without you. I will keep an eye on this one until you finish, and then you can play some more."

Mia gave a big, very exaggerated sigh, "Fine..." Before floating up to leave. Before she did though she looked back and waved at Fubuki, "We will play again soon, ok?" It was just an instant, but Mia's form flickered. Those white eyes became empty, still bleeding sockets. Three fingers were missing from her right hand that she now used to wave, the other was missing two. There was a stub where her right foot should be, and the other was missing several toes. Scars riddled her face, down her arms, and where her dirty clothing was ripped there were signs of deep gashes still oozing. Her jaw hung crooked, and it looked as if someone has cut the left side of her mouth all the way up to her cheek before hastily stitching it back together. Then it was gone, and the smiling little girl was herself once more before she dashed away through he ceiling.

The knight stood, looking back to watch Mia go before turning his attention to Kouri, "Well that was Mia. Looks like she has taken quite a liking to you if she brought you down here to play on your first day together."

[Fubuki Kouri]

"By Queen Morwen..." Her worst assumption came true, this 'Slasher' was a torturer and this little girl adored him like he was some kind of hero. Kouri shuddered, she clenched her fists, not afraid of the slasher himself, but hating herself for... finding excitement and anticipation from the prospect of "playing" with him. "No, Mia... no, Big Sis doesn't want to play that..." I actually do, aren't I? No! I don't! She would never admit that, no longer, she had left that behind. Kouri's crimson eyes kept themselves on the spinning ghost girl, being in Mia's presence was not good for her mental health, she could end up being like her. Like someone who had just gotten over their drug addiction, if one was regularly exposed to the same drug, the former addict would succumb to his dormant urge in the end. Replace "drug addiction" with "sadistic pleasures" and then one would get Kouri's case. The booming, deep, voice of a male was like a sword that sliced through her mental cloud. Kouri was secretly thankful of the new presence, it was the gallant knight, most likely here to scold the little devil by the way he called Mia's name. "....." The knight's scarred handsome face brought the ghost girl to a pause, he looked like the very image of a war veteran, one who had survived numerous battles and brought glory to his kind. Kouri was not a stranger to scars, heck, she used to have a large gashing wound on her neck, complete with the bloodstains. She had gotten rid of that for some time now, along with all of the blood on her dress, a sign of her gradually leaving behind her vengeance-driven existence, replaced by a greater goal of eradicating all evil. Kouri watched the banter between the gallant knight and the little devil, perhaps Wanda realized that pairing her with Mia was not a good idea after all, it was like telling a naughty girl to watch over an older girl who had mischievous tendencies herself. "Uh..." When Mia asked for her assistance, Kouri didn't know on what to say, part of her wanted to scream 'Yes! We are going to play and Mia would be watching me, so get out of our way, tinman!', but she crushed that thought. "W-well, Mia..." Unbelievable, Kouri found herself struggling, struggling to say what's right. Did her urge to let herself loose like the ghost girl beside her was that strong? The knight saved her, Kouri understood the gesture and held her ethereal tongue. Mia left the group, but not without reassuring Kouri's promise "Y-yes, we can..." she looked down, muttering something under her breath, before facing up to Mia again "...play again soon..." !? The flickering form of the little ghost girl widened Kouri's crimson eyes for a few ticks. It was barely visible, but it was there. "...." Kouri didn't find it strange, maybe that was how Mia looked like when she died. Though, she concurred her body would be in a much, much, worse condition than Mia's, basically being torn apart and digested in a tiger's stomach. "Ha... ha... uuh..." Kouri dropped down to her knees, floating in the air. For some odd reason, she felt tired, really tired. The combination of watching some of her own sadistic traits inside Mia, forced to watch a man die and couldn't do anything about it, being revealed ghastly information, and most importantly, finding herself enjoying Mia's sense of "playing" all took their tolls on her mind. "S-ser Knight..." Kouri looked up, her small form facing the towering height of the knight. "S-she likes me, huh..." Kouri was torn between fear and happiness "b-but... her 'play'... it was not playing... it was..." Didn't I also enjoy it? Come on, I know I do. "torture, meaningless cruelty, Ser. T-that must..." She found herself trembling, her lips inhaling and exhaling, flowing white mists "...s-stop, Ser." She needed help. Kouri stood up and approached the knight, extending her right hand to hold the knight's left hand. She needed his presence, he could suppress her urge which was awakened by Mia "P-please take care of me..."

[Mirage]

The Knight hesitated for a moment, and then sighed and took her hand, shaking his head, "There's no use in losing your nerve now girl. Your already dead." He paused, seeming to realize the words might have a been a bit to harsh, and he closed his eyes and muttered, "Petch it Wanda you know I'm no good with kids..."

He looked around the room for a moment, and then with a strong tug pulled Fubuki close to his chest, floating upwards as he did, "Come on lets leave this den of misery..."

The floated upwards, through rock and stone, through some room or another until they finally exited the very top of the Citadel. The Knight let them stop high above the stone fortress that was Sahova, and he released her. Around them Sahova stretched out for miles, sloping hills, fields of trees, canyons and chasms, and beyond it all was the sea. The sun was setting far in the distance, lighting the clouds bright oranges and yellows.

The Knight scratched his head, looking unsure what to do with the girl now. He kneeled down before her, looking her in the eye. His eyes were strong, battle hardened, determined, and more than anything else they were kind, "Your... Fubuki right? I am Ser Crowley, Knight of the Royal Guard of Suva. You seem lost. Is there anything I can do?"

[Fubuki Kouri]

".....I know. You don't need to tell me that..." She mumbled in Vani, hoping the knight couldn't understand her. Kouri was tired of being reminded that, the statement coming from another spirit only annoyed her further. Kouri looked down, pouted, and hugged the knight. He was an insensitive man, but Kouri understood him, most knights acted like that, like those in Syliras. Perhaps brushing with danger and death on regular occasions dampened one's feelings. "Un..." The little girl closed her eyes as she was embraced by the knight, nodding and let herself be carried upwards. Calm down, Kouri, calm down... I don't want to do that, I'm not enjoying that... please... or am I... She sobbed and cried on the knight's chest, crimson tears trickling down her powder-white skin. Kouri turned her head to look at the scenery bleached orange by Syna's light. She found the island to be very depressing right now, beneath the beautiful architecture and magical wonders, it was filled with suffering, torture, and complete disregard of life. She felt like Wanda was toying with her, punishing her for acting arrogant and power-hungry, only to send Mia after her just moments later, fostering the very same side that Wanda snuffed out. But this knight, maybe he was different, maybe he truly was kind. Still a child at heart, she could somewhat see how an adult that truly cared for her would look. His firm gaze filled her with the confidence to talk. "Y-yes, I'm... Fubuki Kouri Snowsong... S-ser Crowley." She couldn't look at him in the eyes, she felt like the knight knew everything about her, the fact that beneath her childish exterior, something else was lurking deep under the surface. "I..." Of course she was lost, with all the unfortunate events happening so fast ever since she arrived on this dead island. "Can you tell me why Mistress Wanda sent Mia after me? Didn't she wanted me to change, to be good? T-then why... why she let Mia showed me all that... t-those people..."The ghost girl knelt down, she needed to let this one out "D-did she know that I'm like her, like Mia? T-that I love seeing people suffer?" Realizing she might earned the ire of the knight, Kouri put her hands up to cover her head as if expecting the knight to slam her with his sword "P-please don't hit me!"

[Mirage]

Annoyance flashed across the knights features as he growled, "Listen here girl, I may be dead but I am still an honorable knight of Suva. I would never lay hand upon a child, be her hands bloodied by the innocent or not." He looked off to the side, scratching his head as he did, "And the petch if I know what that woman is thinking. If you want to know, you will have to ask her yerself. I'm just a hired hand in all this..."

He fell silent for a tick or two, wresting his arm on his knee as he watched the sun dip under the horizon. When he spoke his question was solemn, "Mia is a ghost Wanda captured long long ago. She was abused, tortured, and violated in more ways than should be possible. Her mind is broken, shattered beyond repair. Wanda keeps her close because she can never be trusted to her own devices." His eyes sought out Kouri's once more, "Is that what you want to be? A lost spirit unable to move on, trapped forever in this world under constant watch by Wanda?" He shook his head, "Don't answer that out loud, answer it to yourself. If you really are like Mia, and you really want to play her 'games', then you are well on your way to be imprisoned forever in this courtyard under watch by Wanda for eternity. Mia has been under Wanda's care for over 500 years now... Think carefully on what you want. Is giving into that weakness, that madness, worth an eternity here unable to ever be free?"

He let the question hang in the air between them, not really expecting an answer, and assuming none came he would stand and sigh, "Well, you have time yet to decide. Either you learn to control your outbursts, or you have no future... and Neither does Rena." He shrugged his large shoulders, "Now I am sure you have something to attend to. Anything I can do to help?"

[Fubuki Kouri]

"....." Kouri slowly opened her crimson eyes, the hit she was expecting was not there. So fitting with his image, he was an honorable man, a true knight. Somewhere deep inside her psyche, Kouri was scarred forever when a squire of the Order tried to violate her so one could see where her illogical fears came from. "Uhn..." The knight didn't look like he was lying or more like, he was not capable of lying. Wanda was truly an enigma, even to her own guardians. "Mistress Wanda didn't tell you huh..." She stood up, fidgeting with one of her hair ribbons. "Maybe I'll ask her later, it's just... not right. T-that man..." The man, she ended his life, but she had no choice. End his life or let him die a death full of agony? Kouri would prefer the former. "Mia... S-she..." The smaller girl had a petched up past, Kouri didn't dare to compare herself with her. The Vantha girl had a good childhood until it was forcefully wrested from her by a monstrous cat, Mia though, she was a whole different story, she suffered in life and she suffered in death. "N-no..." Kouri didn't believe that, everyone deserved a chance, especially a child such as Mia. She acted like the insane ghost once, but she changed. She was sure Mia could change for the better as well. "Ser Crowley, I believe Mia can change, s-see me? I... I acted like her once, b-but I'm not like that anymore, right? S-so.. p-please don't say she's beyond repair." "No!" Kouri clenched her fists and shouted, was the Knight toying with her? Asking her obvious questions? Who in their right mind wanted to be a lost spirit? "....." At the Knight's command, she held her tongue. She looked down, her time as a ghost couldn't even be compared to her. Five hundred years, how could it be compared to her over-a-year time since she died? The Vantha might still be clinging to her human values, but as the time went on, Kouri was afraid she would act like Noaru or Shiyami, apathetic to the world. "R-rena... Rena! Aaah... Rena... Rena Rena Rena..." At the mention of her little sister's name, Kouri's large eyes became empty and she started repeating her name like a broken record. "Rena... Rena... R.. REna... rEna! W-why, why didn't you save her? W-why does someone like Mia be let roam free? W-why an innocent girl like Rena had to be imprisoned? W-why?! Y-you are a knight, right? You know what's right! Y-you said about honor, s-so... how could you let Wanda do that?" She looked up to the knight with a look that was a mix between anger and sadness. "W-what could you do..." Kouri sat down again, her empty gaze facing Syna's falling light. "W-will Mia ever visit me again?" She might as well asked.

[Mirage]

Crowley shrugged, "She has not changed in all of this time, even with Wanda working with her. You think you can change something that wrecked? Well you're welcome to try, but I'm warning you, she will drag you down with her." Again the knight shrugged, not the least bit disturbed by the questions or the tone of Kouri's voice, "It's just what Wanda decided. This is your punishment. Your actions caused someone close to you to get hurt. Maybe she hopes you will learn from the experience and accept the consequences of your actions. The petch if I know."

He sat down next to her, crossing his legs as he did and resting his elbows on his knees, "There was nothing for it kid. Wanda calls the shots, I only follow orders. I can't go against her will, despite what I might think is right or wrong... but I trust in her decisions. She's a scary old bat, but she's not like the rest of the walking corpses around here. She's still got a bit of kindness left in her, if only a little twisted."

He did not respond to the final question for some time, but when he did it was solemn and mater-of-fact, "Yeah, yer going to see her again. She likes you. She tends to cling to stuff she likes, until they start to fall to pieces. Though you got a different kind of problem. If you let her she will pull you down into the darkness, make you just like her. If she does you will be trapped here forever, and Rena will never be set free... So for both yer sakes I hope you have more strength of mind than even you know of."

[Fubuki Kouri]

Kouri was expecting that answer, if Mia had changed in the past five hundred years, why would she still act like that? Kouri's child-like mind found one major problem and with it, a solution. "Maybe she just needs a friend, you know? A friend about her age... I uhm... I maybe older" The Vantha meant older as in appearance-wise "B-but I'm sure a whole lot younger than Mistress Wanda. Y-you know how children sometimes are... e-even I admit I would be more easy listening to my friends than uuh... a scary old granny." Kouri was assuming, but it was a very strong assumption. Little by little, Kouri would change Mia and maybe even convince her to move on. Kouri wondered maybe this was why Spiritists wanted ghosts to move on, to prevent them from causing more trouble. "What... N-no..." Even with all the things that happened to her, deep in her mind, Kouri still believed in the stories of knights in shining armor. Independent, immaculately pure, good, travelling the land and vanquishing evil. To see a knight so close to that refusing to act on his own will further scarred the child's mind. She thought Crowley was different, but he was the same in the end, a soldier bound by orders. "I... I thought..." Kouri exhaled, it was not worth it, the knight clearly couldn't budge, not with him seeing her as a mere little girl. "A-ah?!" Her altered view of the Knight also made the Vantha felt insecure around him and that insecurity caused his statement about Mia to be more daunting that it should be. With the way he talked, Wanda and him would let the little devil haunt her again. This was a perfect chance for Kouri to change Mia, but... facing the real challenge made her willpower shrank. "H-hi... S-she's... she's..." She shuddered, not seeking protection in the knight anymore, she realized she would end up all alone. Kriemhild? What could Kriemhild do against such a powerful ghost? A phantom who is as - or even more - powerful than the maid's mistress? No, she must stop this, she must get away from the Knight. Straight to Wanda herself, maybe even confront Mia about it. "!?" She felt a figurative beat inside her ethereal heart. You know... little princess... "Hi-?!" She came back, did the little devil inside her heart really came back? Only her own twisted mind could call herself like that. Miss me? Well, those souldarts are nasty... bleh... now that was taken care of. I have something to tell us, something... interesting... "A-ah! Aaaaah!" Kouri closed her ears, she needed to do something and fast. Her eyes darted until it locked themselves to the Courtyard. Forgetting about the knight, she launched herself there, if no one stopped her, she would keep flying until she reached its entrance and called for Wanda. Oi oi oi, why are we running? I just want to tell you that... "No!" Playing with Mia might be... "S-shut up! Shut up!" Fun indeed... "M-mamaaaaa! Mama! H-help me... Aaaaaaaaaaaaaagh!" She needed to know, know why Wanda sent Mia of all people to "watch" her? Surely the Spiritist knew it was like dousing a flickering flame with oil.

[Mirage]

Crowley watched the girl impassively as she flew away. He shook his head slowly, only the smallest note of sympathy written across his features, "Stupid little shyke... If she's not careful she is going to call them right to her... he sighed and rubbed his balled head, slowly disappearing from sight.

Fubuki would get no immediate answer. There she would stand, alone in the Vestibule, her stuff right next to her, the Courtyard mere inches away. A chime would pass, then another, and another. The mist would collect before the entrance, and from it Wanda would materialize. In her hand she held what looked like a severed head, long since decomposed, by they hair. Its lips were sewn shut, eyes removed and nose missing entirely. Clearly Wanda was in the middle of something, and the hint of annoyance could be heard in her voice, "Why do you call me...?"