Fitting In

[Cards of Fate]

“Let’s go.” He muttered motioning for the gunner to step through. Apprehensive, the woman strode over to the portal and paused for a moment, unsure about this new magic. She was so engrossed with the swirling teal energy, she didn’t notice Vince standing behind her. By the time she did, it was too late; his hand was on her shoulder giving her a small push. The gunner gave a small gasp and stumbled forward, suddenly finding herself in a very familiar room. Vincent stepped through the portal behind her and shot her a grin as he suppressed a laugh.

“I’m full of new tricks.”

The gunner turned around and took everything in. The two of them were standing in the throne room of the House of Cards. The polished marble floors seemed absolutely flawless, and reflected the celestial light from the massive crystal spire that jutted from the vaulted ceiling. Around them stood twenty two thrones, each covered in a light layer of dust. Vincent raised a hand, and suddenly a golden cup was flying to his hand. He turned to look at Alyssa and shook it slightly.

“Your bond to your Arcana is…weakened. We need to repair it.” He stated solemnly. “We need to rebind you to the Empress.” He snapped his fingers and a small Damascus dagger came to his hand in a flash of sparks. “You know how the ritual goes, yes? Or has time worn your memories away?” He shot her a teasing grin as he flipped the dagger and caught it carefully by the blade offering it to the woman in front of him.

“Spill some blood into the cup, swear your allegiance, take a bath. Super simple.” He fidgeted, shifting his weight slightly. “It might hurt a bit, I’ve never had to repair an Arcana, only bind.”

[Alyssa Snow]

Alyssa spent more time looking at the man that held the knife versus the sacred chalice cradled in her hands or the blade he held in his hand. Not only several miles, but several feet underground, they transitioned from one place to another. Even Alyssa's own trinket from the Red Crusade paled in comparison to that kind of power. Vincent had indeed changed over the year.

"You need me to repeat the steps?" he asked again, waving the blade at her between pinched fingers.

"No," she replied taking the blade from him and shoving the chalice into his hands. "Hold this."

She shook her head. Did he think she could cut herself and hold the cup at the same time? Alyssa took a deep breath and put the edge of the blade into the palm of her hand where it froze. Her chest tightened. Did she want to repair her bond? The idea of harming herself didn't warrant a minutia of her worries. She knew worse had happened to her, but as she stood in the hall of the Arcana, she felt doubt. She doubted her leadership, her purpose. Could she keep them all safe? Could she be as strong as the man in front of her?

Alyssa looked to Vince, blade motionless against her skin.

"Vince," she spoke in a soft tone. "If I go after him again, I want you to stop me at all costs. Can you do that for me?"

"I was already planning on it," Vince reassured.

Alyssa nodded, her grip tight on the knife. With a deep breath, she pulled the blade across her palm, parting pale skin to the deep red beneath. The blonde's lips parted ever so slightly as a soft whimper slipped past. With a similar finesse to the Emperor, Alyssa spun the knife to its tip and held it to him. She exchanged blade for chalice and held her hand over the golden cup. Crimson ichor welled in the valley of her wound before she clenched it tight and spilled fresh blood against its golden well.

The Arcana of the Empress appeared on Alyssa the day Pode breathed her last. As the magic of the chalice took grip over her and her mark, the surrounding world as she knew it faded to white. From the ethereal haze a woman clad in a flowing red gown came into view. Her smile racked Alyssa with unease and color washed from the Empress's face.

"Hello, my daughter," Pode hissed. The Forgotten One dragged her pointed red nails along the underside of Alyssa's chin. She froze in the haunting presence of the fallen.

"You -- You're dead!" Alyssa stammered, shaking her head and almost choking on the shock of her presence.

"No thanks to you and your friends," chided the Forgotten one.

"Leave the girl alone," demanded a foreign voice, strong and loud. Alyssa felt a firm grip on her shoulder and she turned to face the hardened features of a fiery redhead clad in armored plates and leather. Her form seemed to glow a golden hue around the edges as if possessed by a holy light.

"You've tormented the girl enough, Daughter of Aeris Valencia," the woman spoke with a glare to Pode. The forgotten one crossed her arms with a snarl at the name.

"Hello, child," greeted the redhead, firmly gripping her square by the shoulders.

"Who are you?" Alyssa questioned, relieved by her mere presence as Pode watched on from a distance.

"Terra," she replied, "Terra Eterna, the first Empress." Terra smiled warmly. "I'm here to help you."

"I don't understand." Alyssa felt dazed, her mind foggy.

"Shh..." Terra placed a finger on Alyssa's lips. "You've been through a lot." The redhead shot a firm look at Pode who glared in reply. "Listen, I need to repair your soul. Ignoring the call of fate has begun to tear it asunder. Without my help, it could fracture."

"My soul?" Alyssa uttered the words with confusion, hand placed above her heart. "I... have a soul?"

Sensing the context of the question, Terra nodded. "Yes, you do. Yours is different than most, but it still is a soul."

"Not quite all hers, though," Pode added with a sneer. Terra's face grew flat with a sigh, and a nod.

"Yes, that is true. Because of how you came to be, your soul is not human. Part of it is her." Terra pointed to Pode who waved a taunting gesture. "Part of it is artificial." The words hit Alyssa like an arrow and she downcast her eyes. Terra pulled her gaze back with a hand under her chin. "But a part of it is also yours. Unique only to you and gifted to you by fate. Without it, you would have never been chosen by the Empress."

"What if... What if I don't want to be the Empress?" Alyssa asked. The redhead shook her head.

"Fate chose you for this. You have a duty to uphold now. You cannot neglect it. Do so, and you will follow in her footsteps."

Pode walked up behind Terra, looming over her shoulder to look down on the young girl in Terra's hands. Alyssa drifted her gaze between the two. The weight of the information hung heavy on her and Alyssa took a deep breath. She nodded.

"When this is over, whatever this is, will I ever be able to live a peaceful life?" The homunculus asked.

Terra smiled warmly. Pode snickered a toothy grin.

"Yes," Terra replied. "When fate no longer needs you, you can do whatever your heart desires." Pode shook her head in background, pushing unease into Terra's reassuring words.

"Fate will never let go," Pode added. Terra turned abruptly and planted a finger in the Forgotten One's chest.

"You let anger take control of you! You killed your fellow Tarot and turned our forest into a sea of poison and death! Were I still alive, I would have cut you down the moment you raised your hand against your fellow members! Be glad I can't do so now!" Terra roared and Pode, for the first time Alyssa had seen, reeled under the might of another. "You ignored the call of fate for your own selfish revenge! So, in this eternity, find penance for your actions and leave the next generation be!"

Pode surrendered, hands up and stepped away.

"I'll leave your precious charge alone," Pode chided. "But hear me girl, I heard these words too, and Terra never came to my aid when the Elves marched against the Durklan."

Terra snarled. "You and your people were destined to fall." Her words fell like daggers from her tongue. "Fate is not always kind. You were not strong enough to understand and cope with the loss!"

Pode shook her head and smiled. "Have your way," she cooed.

Terra stomped her frustrations, fist clenched and shaking. She spat at Pode's feet and turned to Alyssa.

"Our time is running out," the First Empress warned. "I will repair your bond, but keep in mind what was said here today. You still choose your path, but every choice has consequence. The more you deny your fate, the darker your path will become."

Terra placed her hand over Alyssa's chest and rays of light poured from where their skin met.

"It's up to you, Alyssa." Terra stated as light became blinding. The First Empress' form began to fade in the brightness and in her shadow stood the crimson gowned Pode.

"We'll meet again," Pode warned until all semblance of the world washed white with radiance.

Alyssa gasped and the chalice slipped from her hands. Vince's deftly caught it before the relic fell to the floor, but couldn't help Alyssa as she collapsed to her knees. Her wound, fresh just seconds ago, bleed a luminous glow. Flesh mended upon itself, shutting the light out and left her skin completely unmarred. Winded, Alyssa struggled to catch her breath both feeling rejuvenated and exhausted. Head toward the marble floor, face hidden by the falls of her ponytail, Alyssa held her hand to Vince for help.

"About..." she managed between deep breaths. "About that bath?"

[Cards of Fate]

Vince gingerly tool Alyssa’s hand and pulled her from the floor, raising her arm over his shoulder and hoisted her to her feet. Her legs gave out under her, and her found himself effortlessly supporting her full weight as she clutched against his torso. The rebinding had clearing taken its toll on her, but he could feel what was bothering her. The red aura of Pode’s taint seemed to linger on her, trying to cloak her in it. It seemed to snap and sizzle immaterially with the small traces of the evil witch’s aura that had stained Vincent in the same crimson. He wrapped his other arm around her and gave her a patient smile.

“Let’s get you that bath.” He gingerly took a step forward, making sure she could find her footing with each step. The walk from the throne room was slow, but sure work. If anyone was in the House of Cards, they couldn’t tell from sheer lack of sound. The silence was deafening, causing each footstep to echo, each breath to reverberate endlessly through the cold stone halls. The ancient stone fortress seemed to be abandoned of all life except for the two of them.

Finally, after a winding staircase, and a long abandoned hallway, the two stood before the cloth curtain entrance to the Tarot’s bathing facilities. Vincent let Alyssa go, and ushered to the curtain. She nodded and took a few sheepish steps, a baby deer learning to walk. “I’ll see you when I get out.” He assured her grinning. “I just need to go take care of some paperwork, tell some people you’re back, the works.” Alyssa nodded and passed through the curtain off to her relaxing bath. The moment he was sure she was gone, Vincent turned on his heel and took off in a dead sprint, raising his left hand to his temple.

<Did you set the oven to preheat already? The batters made right? Good. Make sure the prep for the snacks and finger food are done and standby, I’ll be in the kitchen in ten seconds.> His right hand swished through the air, as if he was changing channels on a radio, and he was on another conversation. <Decorations done? Excellent. Fenn and Stella are accounted for yes? Good. The Empress is in the nest, be ready to go at any given moment, good job with not making any noise.> He hit the center of the floor, where the four wings met at a massive spiral staircase and he quickly hit the stairs and started to ascend. He flipped “channels” one time last time and asked a simple question.

<Any sightings? Good. Let me know if her ever so much as thinks about setting foot in Raiaera. I’ll personally greet him to give his fucking sword back.> With that he signed off the telepathic communications and reached the main floor of the House of Cards, filled with all the residences and utility rooms. He took a deep breath and smiled, knowing the rough day Alyssa had been through, he estimated he had about twenty minutes.

Plenty of time to throw a party together.

[Alyssa Snow]

The warm, damp air of the hot springs wrapped around her as Alyssa fell against a stone bench. She caught herself on the edge and hoisted up to at least a seated position. Swaths of nausea churned in her stomach, and her bones felt like they were forcibly hollowed and filled with termites. She ran her hand along her brow then through her hair. The feeling helped to soothe her headache.

"Back home, I guess," Alyssa muttered with a single dry chuckle. She shook her head.

With a deep breath, she worked free the bands that held her hair and blond waves washed over her shoulders. With some effort and a great deal of help from whatever she could lean against, Alyssa managed to undress. She tucked her belongings into one of the empty cubbie holes. Alyssa couldn't help but notice one of them held a white tank tee covered in grease stains. It must have been left there by Rayleigh- busy with her machines, no doubt.

Alyssa pulled a towel from the pile next to the pigeon holes and walked through the draping curtain to the hot springs. The room opened up wide with a brightly luminescent ceiling, filled with shining crystals and veins of unknown ore. Alyssa smirked at the familiar dragon statues and scattered runic glyph both in and out of the water. Compared to the first day Vincent brought her here, not much changed. The dead body and moss had been cleared away. All the signs of wear had been polished and patched.

With a smile, Alyssa carefully made her way to the water's edge. Her balance shifted ever so slightly along the way, and she looked as though several glasses into a good night. Finally, she knelt and slid herself into one of the soaking pools. Hot water hugged her aching body and worked tirelessly to ease her pain. A breath of relief escaped her lips, she leaned her head back, and let a long, emotional day melt away.