Completed [The Prairie] Of Blades And Magic (Annalisa)

[Fubuki Kouri]

"Ehm...?" Kouri tilted her head in confusion as Anna began to take off her clothes. Weren't they suppose to do some 'glyphing'? Anna looked like she wanted to take a bath and as far as the ghost could see, there was no source of water around... safe clean water at least. Still, she kept silent, maybe this 'glyphing' required the practitioner to take off their clothes. Kouri wondered if she should take off her 'clothes' too, she decided against it, it didn't matter anyway. Her 'clothes' were actually part of her body, every inch of her was her body, her hair, her ribbons, and her clothes. Unlike normal girls, she could feel pain if her hair was cut apart by a soulmisted-blade for example. Such was the quirk of being a ghost.

"Okay, my soulmist then possess, right?" She wanted to get it right, she didn't want Anna to be harmed, she had enough of harming the people close to her.

The girl's crimson eyes examined the tall woman's half-naked adult body, the body she would never have, she was stuck in a perpetual child-like state... unless she transformed herself. Kouri shook her head, it didn't really matter how she appeared, she was a ghost. Turning herself into an adult would make her feel awful, like she was hiding behind a wall, she would prove to the world that even a child could make a difference. "Ehehe~" She giggled when Anna shivered, the powerful sorceress looked so adorable in her state, half-naked and shivering, Kouri herself wasn't that much affected as she was a ghost. Even when she was alive, she was a Vantha, Aurora people of the North, snow and cold were nothing new to her.

Her brows frowned when she saw the strange bright mark on Anna's chest, she didn't know why, but she didn't like it. It looked painful and ugly, what kind of wound caused that kind of scar? "..." The ghost girl stood up and approached the sorceress, she materialized her right hand and trailed it over Anna's scar, flowing her cold touch in hope to ease her pain. "What... happened, Madame Annana?" No more words needed to be said, Anna would know what she meant. She pressed her right hand, feeling every bumps of the scarred skin. So entranced by the strange mark, Kouri almost forgot what she wanted to do.

"Oh! My soulmist, sorry." She remembered at the last moment, letting the sorceress took her position on the rock. With a smile, Kouri took off one of hair ribbons then crushed it with her right hand, moaning in pain as she ripped away that part of her body. The hair ribbon turned into a glowing gel-like substance that oozed great ethereal power, approaching the sorceress, Kouri put the gel on Anna's hands. "Use... ugh... it well." The throbs of pain lasted for a few more ticks before slowly dimming away as her body started regenerating itself. She then sat before Anna, her crimson eyes never leaving the scar.

"Just tell me when you want me to possess you, Madame Annana. Ehehe~" She smiled, her demeanor slighty changed due to seeing Anna's scar as she assumed them to be some kind of a healed deep wound on her heart. She felt concerned, if there was any way she could do to make it disappear, she would so. Then again, Anna was still lucky, she still had her body. Kouri's body... she never found it. "You know, Madame Annana... my body... I mean, my true body. I never found it. T-the tiger might..." She stopped, now was not the time for a sob story. They had something far more important to do. "I-it's okay, it's nothing..."

[Annalisa Marin]

Anna shivered slightly when the girl touched her mark, a flare of slight indignation shooting through her mind like a black bolt of lightning. She herself only rarely touched it, the scar she viewed as being beautiful and almost elegant in its simplicity. It was a mark of her Lord's favor after all, a sign of his approval in her which she returned as faith to him. The idea of other's touching it seemed almost irreverent in a way, invasive even. Of course Kouri wouldn't have known how personal it was, but still there was some resentment simmering beneath the surface.

Of course Kouri's question raised one from Anna herself, was it time yet to attempt to clear the lies that no doubt clouded the child's mind about Rhysol? The girl regarded them as being close, but could she or would she understand the Deceiver? More to the point, could Anna spin him in a positive light? Perhaps, only one way to find out.

Anna didn't answer the girl right away, already dipping her fingers in the gel Kouri had offered and starting with a Barrier on her stomach. The substance felt very cold upon her skin as it took the shape of a ring of shapes, her strokes deliberate and almost unthinking. Basic Glyphs came so much easier to her now, it was the act of making big sigils that took her a good deal of time.

As the woman worked, creating Barriers across the front of her torso and connecting them via a sequence of Paths she finally decided on what to say and how to broach the subject of her mark. First, she needed to establish what Kouri knew of Rhysol and build up from there. If it was clear by talking to her that the girl wouldn't be open to the Deceiver, then Anna would phrase her mark as being a curse. If she was open to him... then that would be an interesting path to follow up on.

"Tell me, Kouri, what do you know of Rhysol?" The tall woman asked, the name of her lord and master sliding easily off of her tongue.

Hmm... the sigils on her frontal section looked acceptable, of course she still needed to Glyph her arms, legs, and then her face. Wards were a tricky thing, first of all they differed from scrolls and other sigils in that the Barriers were designated to repulse anything from entering that space. Normally that something was magic, but Kouri's Soulmist might very well make that work with Ghosts. Secondly there was really no need to use a Focus as one was not channeling magic, but attempting to keep it from a designated area.

As Anna drew Paths up her shoulders, connecting other Barriers on her torso to the freshly drawn Glyphs on her shoulders, she reflected on the purpose of Paths. Theoretically they weren't needed, but Anna had opted to add them anyway if for no other reason than to add structure to the wards. While the Barriers were drawn with the theme being, 'reflect', 'repulse', 'reject' the Paths were given the theme of 'structure' and 'stability'. The hope was that it would make the whole thing stronger, binding every barrier together as being one.

The wards now extended up to her elbows by this point, likely the process wouldn't take too much longer but this was actually in part a distraction as her maddened mind was thinking of responses to Kouri. How could she twist her faith into a higher hand when dealing with the child? What lies could she whisper into the girl's ears to make her better serve the goals of Rhysol?

The truth was never in consideration unless that would bring about her usefulness to Rhysol. Lies were the tools of a Chaon, deception, and subterfuge. Anna herself preferred explosions and destruction but she was capable of being subtle when necessary, even insane as she was. They couldn't listen to her out here, she was safe to manipulate the child out here. So long as Kouri didn't get violent at least.

[Fubuki Kouri]

The little girl watched in intrigue as Anna made various shapes on her stomach using her soulmist as if it was paint, with her fingers acting as the brush. So 'glyphing' magic looked like this, Kouri thought it would be something fancy like Reimancy or substance-producing such as Spiritism. Anna was clearly no beginner in this disciple, she drew them with great efficiency, the circle of rings looked beautiful. Kouri wondered if Anna was secretly a painter. Of course, Kouri didn't understand what those various shapes meant, all she knew was they were glyphs of some sort and the end result would be them protecting Anna against possession attempts.

She had no knowledge about the God of Evil, he was not really popular within Morwen's realm. Other gods she knew of would be Priskil, the Goddess of Hope, as she was famous for the watchtowers in various cities and Dira, the Death Goddess, due to her experiences with spiritists. Heck, Kouri didn't even recognize 'Rhysol' as a god's name, as much as it hard to believe, her mind thought of it as that particular delicious snack. "Rissoles? Of course! I like them, especially the ones filled with vegetables! Ehehehe~" She giggled, truly like a child. "Hmmm... why do you ask, Madame Annana? Do you like rissoles? Are you hungry? Too bad I can't make one..." Of course the girl was oblivious to the true meaning of Anna's question and greatly digressed from the original point.

She kept observing as the sorceress continued with her work, the shapes were getting more and more complex with each stroke. She merely saw these glyphs from an aesthetical stand-point, she liked some of the shapes, while not fond of some others. The girl was getting bored, it was fun at first, but sitting there doing nothing but watching Anna painting her body took its toll on her. The ghost girl yawned as she closed her eyes and lay down on the ground with her long white hair splayed beneath her like a blanket, watching the night sky above.

She extended her right hand to cover her eyes, peering through the gaps between her fingers. The ghost girl smiled, the sky was truly beautiful. The various twinkles of stars and that one big circle known as the moon decorated the dark expanses of space. The girl felt turned her head to glance back at Anna. "Madame Annana... s-since I'm a good girl... do you think Mama and Papa will be happy if they see me now?" Kouri had always thought her parents wouldn't approve of what she became, a monster wielding multiple flying blades. However, she did kill bandits and slavers, helped various people, and taking care of two people she adopted as family. Her deeds weren't all virtuous, but everyone had their flaws. Even you, Papa... you led us to our death. She felt really awful, but her father was still her father, that fact would not change.

[Annalisa Marin]

Anna had to suppress a slow and hungry smile from creasing her features, oh this was just too perfect. She was certain it wasn't quite her birthday yet, though here was a present just laying and waiting to be taken. It was just the unwrapping bit that was going to take a bit of finesse. Still, since she apparently had no idea who Rhysol was and her mind had yet to have been muddied by other's opinions that made her job easy. Idly Anna wondered if perhaps she should stop trying to become a Sahovan Master and take to preaching. No reason she couldn't do both, the woman supposed.

Of course the how of spinning Rhysol's image was important, in a way that would not be loosened by anyone else. Hmm... painting him as a tragically misunderstood god would probably do it, emphasizing that his enemies were liars perhaps? The irony of that line of though was certainly not lost on her. It almost made her wish to chuckled, but she suppressed the urge and fixed Kouri with an indulgent smile. She halted her drawing, which had now moved to her legs, and gave the ghostly girl her full attention.

"No, not rissoles, you hopelessly adorable little girl, Rhysol. You wanted to know where I got my scar, well Rhysol is why. He is a god you see, a very powerful god." Anna said, raising an eyebrow.

"He is a great god with a mission in this world, to build a better existence where there is not evil or suffering and where everyone can live happily. It is truly an admirable mission, a quest that I myself seek to undertake and thus he imparted a sliver of his divine power unto me in the form of this Mark." She continued, knowing that the image she was painting was the exact opposite of the truth.

Anna sighed slightly and looked away from the girl, her grey eyes weighed with sadness and her shoulders giving what she thought was a rather convincing slump. She'd painted him up, now to add in his enemies to the list. There was really only one enemy Anna could think of that was good enough, one group that stood against everything her lord sought to bring about on the world.

"Sadly, Rhysol is misunderstood by most in this world. His enemies, foul and cruel liars and deceivers such as the Syliran Knights, decry him as evil. They would seek to halt his vision from coming true, unfortunately many believe these lies to be true. I myself once did, before I looked into his eyes and saw the depths of his compassion and heard the truth in his voice." She said, nodding to herself.

Actually his eyes had been milky and white things, terrifying and attractive to behold. His voice had been smooth and so easy to believe, lending understanding and acceptance to her betrayal. He was the only one who could truly know her and accept that side of her, the one that reveled in chaos and evil. Minor details really, nothing Kouri needed to know about. Actually Kouri's question about her parents fed wonderfully into another weave to add to this fabrication.

"Kouri, you are the most virtuous and well intentioned individual I know in this world. Actually, in a way you remind me of him, misunderstood by so many but a good person within. I firmly believe that your parents would be happy to see you, proud of you even." The Chaon replied, nodding sagely.

Anna then refocused her attention on her Glyphs, moving down the rest of her right leg in a spiral of Barriers and Paths. From here she moved on to her left leg, the patterns of geometric shapes that mad up her Barriers and Paths coming to life as they worked their way down her thigh. Kouri's Soulmist stayed in place wonderfully, really it was tempting her to actually see if she could use the gel like substance in every Glyph. There were some things Spiritism was good for it would seem.

After a time she finished her leg and moved to place the final series of Glyphs on her forehead. The Sorceress first started with a Barrier, and then a second one and then a third one. The arrangement looked like and inverted triangle. Finally she connected the inverted triangle via a series of Paths, completing the final placement.

Anna stood and examined the wards, her keen grey eyes looking for any weaknesses in the structure or design. Seeing none she regarded Kouri with an eager grin, her eyes blazing with a desire to test these immediately. Spreading the glory of Rhysol to others was important, but so was furthering her arcane knowledge to advance herself on Sahova. The deeper she engrained herself here, the more opportunities to carry out Rhysol's desires she would find.

[Fubuki Kouri]

"Aw..." The girl actually sounded disappointed when Anna claimed she was not talking about rissoles, Kouri liked that delicious dish, but too bad, she couldn't consume there anymore in her ethereal state. Maybe, she could ask Anna to make a rissole-shaped soulmist gel. Kouri licked her pale lips as she swayed her head from side to side, a couple of soulmist-rissoles would be good at the moment, especially since she just sacrificed a part of her body for Anna to use.

Consuming soulmist... now that she thought about it, Kouri felt more and more inhumane. She was addicted to this substance like drugs, with powerful enough soulmist, a spiritist could lure her into a trap, especially with her child-like mind. Just like lure ants with sugar, she wouldn't be able to resist it no matter how much she tried. Mistress Wanda's soulmist for example, one smell of it and the ghost girl would swoon like a drunken man.

"I'm... still a Vantha, yes, I'm still a Vantha" The girl whispered in her native tongue, her voice echoing. She needed to reassure herself everyday of her humanity lest she would forget completely. Due to her state, her mental development was frozen to those of a twelve-years old girl, it could change yes, but it would take much more effort compared to a growing healthy living girl. Her experiences with Wanda somewhat matured her, and those experiences could be considered extreme with witnessing her little sister being dusted as one of them. Mia though... that girl, she had been undoing what Wanda did, nurturing Kouri's psychotic side. To make matters worse, Wanda didn't even care about it. These two opposing forces threw Kouri's mind into disarray, she looked calm now, but it was just a thin veil, Anna's kind attitude towards her maintained that veil. Although... filling the girl with the power of Chaon back then had a more profound effect that what appeared on the surface.

"Rhy... sol?" Kouri sat up, glancing at the ugly scar-like mark. This god's name was new to her, she had never heard about his before. Her first assumption regarding him was him being evil, he wounded Anna with that mark. "What did he do to you? Why did he hurt you?" Even if he was a powerful god then he shouldn't toy with someone's body like that. Morwen was a benevolent Goddess, she was very powerful, with the season of Winter being her domain, yet the Goddess-Queen ruled fairly with compassion and kindness. This 'Rhysol' sounded like an abuser.

Anna's explanations regarding him utterly contrasted with her first impression though. Why was that? From what Anna told her, Rhysol was a great god with very admirable values then shouldn't a good God had more... good-looking marks? Okay... maybe it's just his tastes. The ghost girl, of all people, should know to not judge someone based on appearance alone. She experienced it first-hand, with the fearful and judging glances some of the Syliran populace gave her, scrutinizing her just because she was a ghost. This Rhysol might had bad aesthetic tastes, but he was a good god, Anna wouldn't lie to her, they had gone through so much for Kouri to consider that.

"I see, ehehe~ I like him! I hope he succeeds~" She approached closer and examined Anna's mark again. It still looked ugly. "What does his mark do by the way? Morwen blessed us, Vanthas, with the ability to play with Ice! Hehe~ But uhm... I can't do that anymore since I uh..." She looked down, breaking eye contact. She had lost her rightful birth-gnosis upon her death. A bitter truth she found out when Kouri tried to manipulate ice to spend her time. "...died. D-do you think Queen Morwen will hate me? S-she won't, right?" Anna might had no knowledge of the Goddess-Queen, but Kouri wanted assuring words from the sorceress even though they were fake. Shaking her head, she got back on topic. "What does his mark do anyway? Uhm... sorry, but it kinda look ugly to me." She whispered the last parts of her sentence, in a dilemma whether she wanted Anna to hear it or not.

"Awww... don't be sad." Kouri noticed Anna's forlorn expression. She materialized her whole body and softly hugged Anna, nuzzling her head on the woman's bosom again. She had this urge to absorb back her soulmist, but that would be cannibalism and it would destroy Anna's hard work. "W-wha-?" She released the hug and took a step back, her crimson large eyes widening in shock. So the Knights were evil all along, they hid behind false claims of justice. Liars, deceivers, and pompous arrogant bastards. "WHAT?!!" The ghost's long white hair rose up like living snakes as powerful aura of soulmist blasted from her in the form of chilling cold air. She put her right hand to cover the right side of her face as her lips curled into a fit of giggles.

"Ha... haha! Ehehehahahah! I knew it! Why was I so stupid?!" The memories of the knights and squires in Syliras dawned upon her; first, one of them bullied her for no reason other than a slight misunderstanding. A man named 'Gaius' tried to defend her, but the knights crushed his hand instead; second, knights put on a bounty on her head for reasons she didn't know; third, a knight who was Madame Fallon's friend stabbed her in the belly with his sword just because she wanted to hug him; and fourth, the most horrifying one of all, a squire actually tried to rape the little ghost girl. How? It was a tale best forgotten. However, all of these experiences culminated in breaking her mind further, nurturing her to go insane. To know that these 'defenders of justice' would do such horrible things to a little girl broke her image of them.

Kouri had so foolishly tried to defend her image by convincing herself that everyone had flaws, that most knights were good people like how most people saw them, but no... everyone in Syliras was blinded, tricked by those 'knights'. They were evil, cruel people, she could still her body shuddered as the girl shielded the place between her legs... where the dark-skinned squire's hand tainted her. "Y-yes! Yes! You are right! D-do you know... do you know what they did to me, Madame Anna?! Do you know?!!" She dropped to all fours as crimson-colored tears flowed to her cheeks, but they disappeared immediately upon reaching her chin. "T-they... they hated me!! They hurt people who defended me!! They put a bounty on me!! They stabbed me!! A-and.... and..." She hugged her own body with her arms, trembling in fear. "One of them tried to..." By now, she knew what that squire had tried to do to her. "RAPE ME!!! Aaaaaaaaaaaaagh! N-noooo! N-n-no... get them away!! Get them away!! I don't... I don't want them! T-they... they must all die!! K-kill... kill them... kill them all!" She was reduced to broken girl, her form curled on like a ball on the ground.

Hearing Anna's praise to her, Kouri loved the woman even more. She was among the few who truly understood her, hopefully, she wouldn't leave abruptly just like Master Cyrus, Madame Anna must stay with her for all eternity! Two black tendrils then slithered out from her back then the both of them would wrap around each of Anna's wrists. "Don't leave me... stay with me, please... please don't leave me." She would try to pull Anna towards her so the woman could embrace her, like a loving mother to her very own daughter. "I'll promise to be a good girl, s-so... please don't leave me."

[Annalisa Marin]

Anna thought of how best to spin the power Rhysol granted her, the ability to curse others and corrupt them from the inside out. The Sorceress had no idea what higher blessings could do, she was eager to please Rhysol so no doubt if she applied herself to his teachings she would stand before him again. She required no such vindication however, just serving his goals was more than enough for her at her current stage. Actually telling Kouri what a Chaon could do was unwise, but there were other words she could use in phrasing it just right.

"Rhysol's divine blessing allows one to affect... change in others. He has oversight over the domain of Chaos, which is why the knights hate him so. He offers freedom from their slavish devotion to order, a world where no one need be afraid to be themselves. His blessing allows me then to impart that change upon the world with but a single touch or a few well spoken words." Anna said, keeping the finer point purposely vague to avoid too many uncomfortable questions.

Not only had she explained the mark but also dropped another reason that the Knights were evil and mindless. She built up the followers of Sylir as blind slaves, following the whims of a cruel god against a tragically misunderstood god. Really it was an easy image to paint, even when she knew very little about Syliras and its knights. Chaos was freedom after all, the freedom to do as one pleased how they pleased.

Anna heard Kouri's story and once more had to keep a smile from forming on her face, this was all just so very perfect. The Knights had already done enough to make her hate them and their narrow minded god. Yes, by comparison Rhysol would seem so very enticing to her, there could be no doubt about it. Just a few more pushes in the right direction and the child would be forever opposed to the fools in the City of Peace.

Her somewhat violent reaction was unexpected and sent a thrill of fear through her mind, but Anna ignored it and pressed on. The child was nearing a breakdown and when it actually happened, by Rhysol it was glorious to hear. The human part of her felt bad about manipulating a scared and confused little girl, but the more dominant Chaon in her was interested in further twisting the girl around.

Anna was not expected to be bodily dragged towards the ghostly child, luckily she had a feeling she was not wanted to be dead but rather as a source of comfort. Well, what kind of heartless monster would she be if she refused the cry girl such a thing? Despicable one might say, crazy some others might cry, of course she was so very much a caring Chaon and obviously had the best interests of others at heart. Yes, indeed...

The tall woman pulled the girl into a tight embrace, her expression sympathetic and her mind victoriously pleased with this turn of events. Oh, yes this was a victory for Rhysol, one of the first of many on this island where the undead ruled. Anna wouldn't rest until she saw his dominance established over the Nuit, the god's power would be unmatched with Sahova under his thumb.

"Hush now, Kouri, I won't abandon you. No matter what happens or who hates you, be they the evil knights of Syliras or Queen Morwen I accept what you are child and I always will. Sylir may hate you, but Rhysol will give you understanding. Trust in me there. I've never lied to you and I never will." The Sorceress said soothingly.

She never actually indicated towards the child worshiping Rhysol, rather she presented her with two possible negatives, Sylir and his followers disdaining her and Morwen turning her gaze from the ghost. From there she added in that her god would understand, leaving it up to the girl to decide what she thought. After all, Morwen's mark no longer adorned Kouri's body apparently so obviously she had been abandoned by the Goddess. Just another liar, someone else who had looked away from what she had become.

After a chime or two of holding the girl Anna would attempt to pull away, eager to actually try the wards out for the child to test. She regarded the child with a raised eyebrow and a reassuring smirk, looking towards the sky slightly.

"Well then, I'd say its time for us to get started then Kouri. Go ahead and try to possess me whenever you are ready, precious." Anna said, sitting down again and adopting a meditative posture in preparation for the attempt.

OOCI'll leave it up to you whether or not Kouri succeeds in the possession.

[Fubuki Kouri]

Kouri immediately heaved herself up and clung her whole body like a vice when the woman embraced her, her body materialized as her arms and legs wrapped around Anna's torso and waist, her very long hair also moved like living strands and wrapped around the woman like a white coat. She put her chin on Anna's right shoulder, crying her heart out. The echoing ethereal nature of her voice very much sounded like how ghosts were often stereotyped, a wailing being with a voice that could give shivers to one's body. Anna's acceptance to her was rare, only few people could make physical contact with her in this state. Less than five as far as she could remember, Cyrus, Azcadelia, Sigrun, and now, Anna.

The ghost girl kept flowing her crimson tears for about a chime before it was reduced to pitiful sobs, her grip on Anna relaxed slightly and she pulled her head away, now looking at Anna directly in the eyes. Now that she calmed down, Kouri could answer Anna regarding Rhysol's powers. It sounded intriguing, to be able to impart change, something the ghost girl strived to do in her unlife. She wanted the world to change, for all evil people to die and good people to prosper. In her black and white child-like mind, it was a perfect goal, surely no one would object to it, save for the evil themselves of course. "C-chaos...? The power to change, I see... M-madame Annana, do you think Rissole's powers in you can change me? Y-you know... make me stronger? I still feel weak, I'm scared a lot, I cry a lot. Make me stronger, please." She begged to the woman, Anna might be the key to her salvation if everything she said was true.

When the sorceress spoke her promise, Kouri's large eyes widened for a couple of ticks as if she was frozen in place, before suddenly leaning in to hug the woman tight once more. She couldn't express her gratitude with words, Anna promised to stay with her forever, until the end of time. It was like a blessing from Morwen herself, she sobbed like a child who was just reunited with her mother after being separated for years. However, her grip faltered, she remembered that Cyrus said the very same thing to her. About him staying with her forever, for her to stand by his side when he finally rule Mizahar under his benevolent rule. In the end, he broke everything, he disappeared without even so much of a goodbye. After experiencing abandonment multiple times, Kouri became skeptical.

"Promise? Truly promise, Madame Annana?" Anna looked very sincere and unlike Cyrus, she had gone through life-and-death situations with her, she also promised under the name of her God. Being a rather devout Vantha in her life, she knew vowing while speaking a God/dess' name should not be taken lightly. "I understand... I don't care about those evil men in iron clothes, t-they... they are horrible. I want to kill them all!! What did I do to them?! They hate me for no reason!" Chilling cold air blasted from her small from once more, someday, all of them would pay for what they did to her.

As for Queen Morwen, "Uhm... Queen Morwen, she... do you think she left me? I don't know. I..." She hesitated, feeling awful for thinking about the Vantha's Goddess-Queen in such a way. If Morwen truly cared about her, why did the Goddess' mark upon her body disappeared when she died? Maybe beings like her shouldn't exist, she should go to Dira instead of remaining in the world, maybe it was an indirect message by Morwen, urging her to move on. No, she would not. She wouldn't leave without making her mark in this petched-up world. Too many had suffered, she would make sure no one else had to suffer. An utopia shall be created and this Rhysol... could understand her. Kouri closed her eyes as if contemplating something, before opening her eyes and gave Anna a firm smile. "Yes, it's time that I move on, Queen Morwen may left me, but... do you think Rissole can understand me? If so, tell me more about him. I want to be like you." She still mispronounced his name though, hopefully Rhysol wouldn't be offended.

Kouri understood Anna's gesture when the woman attempted to pull away, they had waste enough time. It might be just a common title for a female child, but Kouri giggled when Anna called her 'precious'. Not many could call her that, at least without being intimidated. No amount of fear was in Anna's voice, it meant a lot to her. "Okay then! Let's begin!" The girl became cheerful, she put her hands behind her back and disappeared. Then she appeared directly behind Anna, her position made it look like Anna was piggy-backing her. Both of Kouri's materialized hands were covering Anna's eyes. "Hehe~ be ready!" With a mischievous smirk, Kouri's ghostly form became more transparent as her soulmist started to pour into every orifice on Anna's body.

"...?" However, Kouri could feel something blocking her attempt. "E...eh? Eeeegh!" She tried harder, but something glowed from Anna's skin in the form of intricate patterns. The ghost girl detected it was her own soulmist... manipulated by Anna into fighting herself. How ironic, her own body prevented her from going inside Anna's body. "Come on!" She gritted her teeth as she tried harder, she literally crawled on Anna, searching for any weakspots. After five chimes of trying, the ghost girl pouted, groaned, and detached herself from Anna. "Hmph..." Childish pride fully displayed on her face, Kouri broke eye contact as she looked to the side, her right feet making circular patterns on the ground. "I can't do it."

Of course she would fail, Anna was a great wizard after all. "Hmmm?" She had another idea though, if those glyphs were made of soulmist, maybe she could... "Hehe~" Without a warning, Kouri blinked to hug Anna's body again then she focused to absorb the soulmist coating the sorceress' body. If she succeeded, the protective ward should disappear, then the ghost would try to possess Anna again. Without those blocking glyphs, her chance of success should increase by a great deal.

OOCI'll let you decide if this second attempt worked or not, Anna.

[Annalisa Marin]

Anna actually needed to think about the possibility of cursing Kouri, it was a delicate thing as curses were very potent things even for a single blessed Chaon like herself. It sounded like Kouri wanted to feel good about things, to be stronger mentally. More assertive one might say, more dominant, perhaps even controlling? The thing about curses was that they needed to impart negative consequences and corrupt people in some way. So she needed to think of a way to make Kouri 'stronger' while making the curse a negative thing.

It was a dangerous thing to give Kouri more dominant tendencies, especially with her growing attachment to Anna. At the moment Anna held the upper hand in their relationship, however Kouri could very well turn that around. Ending up as the slave of this child was not something the Sorceress wanted, it was enough to cause Anna to shiver slightly. However, perhaps Anna could avoid the child for the duration of the curse.

"Very well, Kouri. I shall give you a gift then. You will find yourself as being stronger than you have been in recent days. Be warned though, this shall only be a temporary change and will take time to manifest." Anna said, her voice carrying with it the seed of corruption.

With the curse Kouri would find herself growing more assertive and more controlling over those in her life, exactly how that manifested would be up to her but it would start a couple of days from now and last for a week unless Anna reinforced it. The image of those tendrils wrapping around her body flashed through her mind, rendering her helpless to whatever the child might do. Hopefully it would not come to that.

"Also as I've said, so long as you remain with me I'll remain with you. Through now and in a possible immortality, I'll let you know when I discover that little secret. Not to worry, I'm not going anywhere and I'll inform you more about Rhysol after our little experiment." Anna said.

Her attention was brought to Kouri mounting her back and attempting to enter her body, Anna shivered at the girl's touch but didn't fight it. The child attempted shove her tendrils down every orifice the Sorceress possessed, but was disappointed to find the Ward's foiling her entry. Anna felt a swell of pride at her own work as the powerful ghost struggled for chimes to enter, but was foiled. In the end she huffed and pouted at not being successful.

Unfortunate for her but now Anna had a possible defense against ghosts, a potent thing and if she tweaked it just right it might block ghosts from harming her entirely. The tall woman was pleased, a successful demonstration of strength in regards to Glyphing. Kouri blinked in and hugged her again and Anna misinterpreted it as her needing comfort, so she wrapped her arms around the girl.

Anna had made a miscalculation in regards to her wards, in that she had made it from Kouri's soulmist. It was given freely and could be taken back just as easily, if the Sorceress had used her own they might have held but Kouri was simply taking back what was hers. The Glyphs vanished from her body, leaving her completely unprepared and rather defenseless again Kouri's next possession attempt.

Well, doll time again. Anna thought sardonically as she waited for the ghost to push her way into her body once again.

Idly she noticed that this was three times the child had claimed Anna's body as her own. She wondered if that made it more comfortable for the girl, like slipping on an oft worn shoe. Actually Kouri was around as strong at possession as her mother had been, meaning that she could probably keep control of her body for a few bells at the least barring no resistance from Anna. Probably longer since Anna was technically a spiritist.

[Fubuki Kouri]

The seeds of corruption planted inside the ghost were still just that, seeds, it would lay dormant within her for a couple of days before manifesting. Until then, Kouri didn't realize any noticeable effect from Anna's voice, only the understanding that it would take time. The ghost girl happily nodded while smiling, taking the cursed words as if they were candy. The ghost girl didn't have a single cynical thought about Rhysol's powers, those knights were evil, and surely the ones that opposed the knights were good. The world wasn't that complicated, it was just some people who thought of it as such.

"Yay, ehehe~ Tell me more about Rissole~" She cheerfully giggled, she would learn about a new God, a God who could accept her for who she was. This Rhysol embodied Chaos, freedom, independence. She could break the chains on rigid etiquette and decorum her parents ingrained in her, she could finally do what was right without being blocked by pesky rules. Look what rules and laws got her, she was so naive to think the lawful Knights would be good and it turned out they were evil to the core. They scrutinized her, they hunted her, they stabbed her, and they even tried to violate her. She had enough, these 'laws' and 'rules', they were created by tyrants who wished to assert their power upon the weak. She wasn't weak, she would show them that age didn't matter, and Anna could help her through Rhysol's powers.

As the glyphs disappeared, Kouri giggled mischievously and didn't spare time as she started to drive her body to Anna's orifices and pores. The white mists flowing inside the sorceress' body and Kouri felt her soulmist brushing with Anna's astral body, the ghost girl concentrated as she suppressed Anna's natural mind resistance. She was much better in possession than in the past, it still lagged behind her other powers, but at least, she was not struggling with a willing target. Also, it seemed the memory leaks didn't happen and the process of taking hold of her host's astral didn't take as long. After about ten ticks, Kouri's could feel her fingers twitching and her eyelids fluttered as she became on with Anna.

The ghost girl opened Anna's eyes, she felt the familiar feel of Anna's body. She had possessed the woman for the third time, Kouri brought up Anna's hands before her eyes to examine them, then a rather childish grin plastered itself on Anna's face. Ehehehe~ I did it! Maybe there's something wrong with your glyphs, Madame Annana~ The girl teased the sorceress through her mind, her voice slightly mocking her. Kouri then proceeded to stand up, her soulmist controlling Anna's limbs to shift the sorceress' body into a standing position.

The possessor then tried to open Anna's lips and controlled her vocal cords, she wanted to do something she never tried before, shouting. "Ye... ye-yee..." She struggled at first, the voices that came out were heavily stuttered, but after a few more tries, Kouri managed to vibrate Anna's cords similar to how a person would scream. "Yaaaaaaaaay~! I did it! Ehehehahahaha~" An uncharacteristic giggles coming from the mature woman echoed in the Prairie, if Anna's colleague could see her know, what would they think? Excited, the ghost girl then walked forward while extending Anna's arms to the sides as if she was balancing atop of a rope, giggling all the while. Kouri walked in a circular pattern as she continued her mental conversation with Anna.

Now, I wonder, what should I do! Oh oh! Can you teach me to draw glyphs too? Ehehe~

[Annalisa Marin]

Anna remembered when her mother had taken over her body, it had been overwhelming and impossible to fight back then. It was less that now as she was actually willing to let Kouri do as she pleased, at least at the moment. So long as she didn't damage her body over much the Sorceress was fine with sharing her body for a few bells, after all the more Kouri possessed her the more comfortable with possession both would become. So as it was she didn't offer any resistance against the child as she latched on to her astral body, feeling control slip away from her.

As before Anna was reduced to being a mere passenger in her own flesh, though this time it wasn't so jarring to her. She'd been possessed many times previously, the sensation was hardly as frightening to her as it might be to one who had never been possessed. Kouri's mocking thoughts were projected towards her and the Sorceress sent the mental equivalent of an eyeroll her way.

The tall woman was a little surprised when the ghost spoke through her, well she already was mad by many people's definition might as well complete the image. Her worry wasn't that anyone would see but rather that the beasts of the Prairie would home in on the loud noise, not ideal given her current situation. If that occurred Kouri would need to leave her body and Anna would likely be getting some Reimancy practice after all.

Glyphing, it wasn't that she didn't want to teach Kouri, in fact she was curious just how far possession could go between two beings. Could it be that Kouri could very well stay within her? Was there a point in which ghost a spiritist become one, a transcended creature with power beyond either? Kouri possessed knowledge of Reimancy, could it then be that if Anna continued to educate her she could become more an extension of herself?

Spiritism was a fascinating field of study to Anna, not her main one perhaps but with Kouri's power she recognized it's potential to become stronger. Of course, this depended on the pair maintaining a stable relationship. Ghosts like Kouri only came around once in a while, then again Spiritists like Anna who didn't want to make Kouri return to move on were also not common. A perfect match in the Sorceress' mind.

Not as though I have much else to do, precious, you are the one conducting this whole thing. Umm... but perhaps you might consider putting some clothes back on my body, not sure if you can feel but its rather chilly. Anna projected to Kouri.

Now, Rhysol. I'm certain you remember my... friend Velia correct? Well, unfortunately our friendship was apparently not worth as much to her as it was to me and she betrayed me. That... forced me to retaliate in a manner I was not proud of. I felt rather horrible after it but Rhysol came to me, he told me that I simply had done what had needed to be done and accepted me despite my faults. She began.

Rhysol stands for the personal freedoms of individuals, as well as valuing people who have the strength to do what is necessary to ensure that freedom is brought upon the world. You, my dearest, are very strong and I suspect you have that power dwelling deep within you. Rhysol favors such individuals. The tall woman continued.

Unfortunately his enemies are manifold, cruel liars that decry him as evil and his followers as corrupt. They call the power to change a curse. They like the world as it is, they resist change that could ruin their delicate and decadent order. Some are merely ignorant but others are active enemies of Rhysol. Which is why I was hesitant to tell you about him at first, for all I knew you could have been one of those individuals. She finished.

She included that last bit as a means of saying that it was best to keep the faith a secret, one never knew who was any enemy of Rhysol. Anna was rather pleased by this whole turn of events, by the end of this whole thing she'd have the child singing the praises of Rhysol and clinging to her like a lost child clinging to her mother's skirts. Of course, perhaps the latter was not such a good thing considering her curse on the child. That might very well blow up in her face if she wasn't very careful in how she conducted herself.

As to Glyphing, well that was going to take a little while. The child had difficulty understanding Reimancy, no doubt something as theoretical as Glyphing would prove more complex. So it was best to simplify it into terms the girl would more easily understand.

If we are going to have lesson on Glyphing perhaps you might take my body back to the Citadel? The Common Labs will have much better supplies and less risk of hostile encounters. She suggested.