Void Rift (rp) - Intermission

Xlentia wakes with a start and grabs Aquira near-instantaneously, pinning her to the ceiling.
"DON'T TOUCH MY GOLD." She roars, furious.

"Mistress, calm down. She only wants to see if she can get back home."
"THEN SHE NEEDS TO TELL ME THAT!" She roars.
"Not when you're like that." Emerald says flatly.
"WH-WHAT?!" Xlentia growls.

 

Aquira's titan suit melts into water, slipping through Xlentia's claws and freezing again before it hits the ground.

 

Aquira, however, finds herself trapped in Xlentia's now-cupped claws.
"SPEAK."
"Xlentia, let her go... not up there."
"NOT UNTIL SHE SAYS A WORD."
"Mistress, please. She's not trying to steal from you."

 

Aquira simply remains silent, clearly enjoying the control she has over Xlentia.

 

Xlentia opts to form a spectral cage for her hanging from the ceiling before going back to sleep.
Emerald flies up to Aquira and slaps her hard across the face.
"I'm willing to help you if you cut the shit with my Mistress." She says bluntly.

 

"Why should I even bother giving her any sort of kindness when she's the one keeping me prisoner?" Aquira asks, spite in her tone.

 

"She wasn't until you kept quiet." Emerald retorts. "When you first got here, she was confused. Now she's angry. You can get a confused Xlentia to help you or do something you want. You can only get away with your life with an angry Xlentia. Generals included."

 

"Let me get this clear: I do not want to be here, I wanted to hide from Xlentia and escape, having no other options, before someone stabbed me in the back, and I do not like Xlentia anymore, not after the way she's treated me." Aquira says, frustrated.

 

"One; you never liked her. Two; you should've just said so. She can open portals anywhere on your homeworld, and if you had just opened your mouth, you could've avoided all the shit she did to you because you wanted to feel above her. Now you're literally above her, which isn't what you wanted." Emerald retorts.

 

"Why don't you go connect a few dots between me and my daughter, hm?" Aquira says spitefully.

 

Crystal seems interested in the dials.
"If that's the case, then getting her will hopefully be easy."

 

"I literally can't. Katie's sweet, willing to compromise, and understanding. All you've done is go out of your way to piss everyone here except Muffin off, and Muffin's virtually impossible to piss off because she is the most damn uncaring feline I have ever seen."

 

The dials are mostly transparent, a slight blue tint to them. They turn easily, however stop solidly as soon as Shadow Stephanie takes her hand away. There appear to be five dials, four at each corner of a 'square' with the fifth in the centre.

As soon as Shadow Stephanie turns the centre dial, everything goes black for a moment as you and Crystal feel yourself being lifted away.

Once yours and Crystal's vision comes back, you find yourself in a dimly lit room with a terminal and large portal frame. Shadow Stephanie already seems to be at the terminal, typing in commands.

"So you'd really think Katie would just leave her mother caged up with a giant bitch dragon?" Aquira asks.

 

"Pretty cool stuff."
I say, impressed.
"What was that?"

 

"No, but I can't imagine she'd want to put up with you like this, either." Emerald says, realizing what Aquira meant. "Besides, why do you keep trying to torment Xlentia in her own home? Don't you realize she's putting up with a lot already? Imagine if half your reality's gods suddenly turned and tried to enslave everything - that's what we're up against. She doesn't need the extra pressure."

 

"Teleportation via elevator. It's a little weird at first, or if you haven't used it in a while, but you'll get used to it." Shadow Stephanie explains, before the portal activates, showing the base of a volcano.

"Abigail should be inside this volcano. Do you want me to come with you, or can you go on your own?" Shadow Stephanie asks, her tone slightly like that of a mother to a child.

________________________________

"She's keeping me trapped here, she doesn't get calm seas." Aquira says, serious.

 

"We go from Abigail's, to Xelentia's, to another world. It depends on if there's sufficient portals and if you want to come see a broken spaceship."
Pause.
"At least, that's our plan. It's really up to you."

 

"Well, now you have to make a deal with her. Plus, she took back the gold coin. We've never had anyone reject a three ton gold coin before, so at least you made our history books there." Emerald sighs. "Still, I'd at least act like you're willing to negotiate if you want to live. You're coming up on five days without food, and it'd be a sad way for someone as storied as you are to go."

 

"Sounds like a rad journey. I'll come." Shadow Stephanie says happily, before heading through the portal.

________________________________

"You keep believing that." Aquira says, crossing her arms.

 

"Keep believing which part?" Emerald asks, legitimately unsure.