A Long Time Coming (Open to One)

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There'll be a lot of editing when I be done~ or if someone joins~

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Three years away from the rest of the world was a long time in the grand scheme of things, but for Azza 'Sophia' Ambrose it felt equal to more than a life time's worth. Certainly more than enough time for the once uncertain and anxious girl to undergo trials and blossom into a woman no longer troubled by who she was. That was the past and no one can change the past no matter who they are.

"Eyes ahead, huh?" Azza said to no one in particular as she watched the smaller vessel that brought her ashore return to the ship she arrived upon. While Radasanth would have been the more logical port to bring her, Azza had requested to be dropped off somewhere quiet to the south of the forests of Underwood. During her time away near catastrophic events had occurred and with it the balance of power in many places had been upset. The news didn't feel real, however, as Se'lutia was far removed from the rest of Althanas - a place that might as well have been another world in this world.

Still, there was no denying the fact that something troubling indeed had happened as she turned away from the white ship with black sails to look at the dilapidated fishing village. Rather, the place seemed to be deserted with nary a soul despite the warm noon sun and gentle wind trying to convince her that everything was alright. There was a second of regret, reconsideration, and wonder if she could still return back to Se'lutia.

Loneliness crept up quickly with only the occasional birdsong to chase away the silence. A sigh passed from Azza's lips before she stooped down to collect her things and rifle through her pack to find a bit of jerky. With the bit of food to distract herself for the time being, she slung the pack and her sword over a shoulder -being careful of her wings- and stood again. Another brief survey of her surroundings told her little of where to go, but with her destination of Underwood in mind Azza at least had a direction to start walking towards.

Barely a few steps off of the worn pier the sounds of something panting and a set of feet padding about had the young woman looking about to see a scraggly looking black dog loitering around one of the rundown houses. Both of them froze as the two caught sight of one another. It took another moment for Azza to consider offering the piece of half chewed jerky. It approached slowly and cautiously while Azza held the dried meat at arm's length. "Here, doggie?"

She hoped she sounded calm and friendly. Someone back on Se'lutia had said the more primitive animals responded well to food and gentle voices. How true that was up to debate, but as the dog took the jerky to eat, Azza sighed out in relief. Fighting a stray dog the first hour she was back on native soil wasn't something she wanted to do. That and she wasn't going to be able to move too briskly in her robes and she certainly didn't want to tear them up.

"Right," she started as she stood and looked about where to go. "Eyes ahead, yeah?" this time asking the dog. "I don't suppose you'd know the way to Underwood do you? It's been a while since I've been back home you know?" As expected, the dog only stared at her and gave a perplexed whine. "Yeah, I guess not."

Azza chewed thoughtfully on another piece of jerky as she wandered the remaining tatters of the fishing village. Whatever had happened here didn't seem like violence and it certainly looked much more abandoned than just a few years. There were no signs of fires and even if looters had picked the place clean, they certainly wouldn't take the bones of the corpses. Aside from the crumbling buildings it was rather clean given the circumstances.

The black dog followed after her at her heels the whole time and Azza certainly didn't have the heart to shoo it away. "Everyone left you behind huh?" A whine from the dog. "Want to come with me?" A slight tilt of its head. Without warning the dog then bit and held onto the hem of her robe and began to tug her towards a ruin. "H-hey! Alright, alright! I'll take a look."

Thankfully Azza didn't have to stumble-step for too long before the two stopped in front of a smithy. Well, what was left of a smithy if she had to guess by the anvil still standing outside. The dog didn't wait for her as it clambered over some of the broken timber and barked at something. When Azza didn't follow and only continued to look over the broken-down building, the dog poked its head up from the rubble and barked again at her.

"I can't believe it; I'm being lead around by a stray dog..." Azza sighed out, but nevertheless she began to climb up and over the fallen debris to find where the dog had gone. Was it still here because of its master? Was there someone trapped beneath the rubble? No, that' can be it - they'd be dead by now. Pointless thoughts followed one another until she clambered over a rotting log to see down inside where the dog had gone.

A sword was the last thing she had expected to be there. Looters and scavengers would have already picked it up, so why was this left? Well, that and the area around it was curiously clean compared to everything else. The dog, on the other hand, looked quite pleased with itself as it sat behind the blade and barked at Azza once more.

"I don't suppose you're a spirit are you?" she asked while descending into the ruin. "Just handing out blades to young girls passing by?"

The dog made a large huffing sound and then, "Never!"

Slipping on the last bit of the descent, Azza caught herself on a loose bit of salt crusted rope and managed to remain standing. "If I didn't know better, I could have sworn you just said something."

There was no mistaking it now as the dog gave a snort and eyed the girl standing before the blade. "You heard me. I am Rab and I am not just a spirit; I'm the spirit that inhabits this sword."

Azza frowned at the dog and sword. The sword itself wasn't exactly remarkable in any way. If anything, it looked chipped and worn from years of having been left in the elements and the salty sea air near the coast did the metal no favors. There wasn't even a handle anymore. "I thought spirit bound objects never degraded."

The dog scoffed at her, though it did look to the weapon standing in the middle of all the rubble with a bit of irritation, or at least what Azza imagined what looked to be irritated in dog form. Both Azza and the spirit stayed silent for a while with only whistling sea breeze making any noise through the creaky walls that still stood. "... I was dying when I wandered here. To live on I sealed myself within this broken blade and slumbered."

Sitting down onto the sand, Azza waved a hand for the dog-spirit to continue. "Why wake up now?"

"I felt your warmth."

Azza blinked at the reply and stared back at the black dog. "Pardon?"

"I felt your warmth."

"Yes I get that, but could you elaborate?"

Rab sighed as it looked towards the open sky above before looking to Azza with a slight tilt of its head. "For us spirits your mana is warm. Like the sun. Comfortable. Even though you don't hide it, we aren't scorched by it. Greater spirits that can manifest, such as I, can awaken and be strengthened by it while the lesser spirits play in your glow."

"That can't be right... whenever my kind come into contact with spirits, they diminish in power in our hands."

"Curious... were the spirits awakened like me or were they sleeping within the objects?"

The question gave Azza pause as she wracked both her memories of this life and her former one. In the end she managed an embarrassed smile. "I uh, I don't know. I've never dealt much with spirits and I've certainly never heard of them being able to manifest and talk."

The black dog stared at Azza with what she figured was either disbelief or amusement. Perhaps even a mixture of both, but whatever the case the fact that she was being looked down upon, figuratively, by a dog had her frowning is a bit of annoyance. "I mean, look, I wasn't the brigh- erm, most studious, alright?"

Rab puffed a bit as if laughing. "Well regardless, I have a favor to ask."

"Let me guess, you want me to bring you along?"

"You catch on quick for someone who supposedly isn't the brightest!"

"Oh stow it. You're the one asking me for a favor right now you know?!" It was only after the outburst did Azza realize how silly she might have looked shouting at a snickering dog in the middle of a broken down smithy. Where she had felt a bit lonesome before, she was glad now that there was no one else around that could see her.

"You're right, you're right." Sitting down on its haunches Rab then crossed its right paw across its chest and then dipped its head forward as if bowing. "Once more I'd like to ask for the favor of being able to travel with you."

With a hand on her hip and the other scratching at the back of her neck, Azza couldn't help but scowl slightly at the display. However formal the black dog was being, it still felt as though it was mocking her. In the end she let loose an exasperated sigh. "Fine. What do I do, just pick up the broken bits and take it with me?"

"That's unnecessary if you have another object I can inhabit. It'll become my new home and this broken blade can finally rest and crumble."

Azza chewed at her bottom lips for a moment at the mention of the broken blade crumbling. Somehow it was oddly similar to the effects of her own ability to enchant things, but that was a question for later musing. "Can it be anything or is there something you should be in?"

The black dog inclined its head towards the blue sky above as if the answer was obviously written in the few fluffy clouds above. "Metal. It should be metal. The stronger connection you have to it the stronger connection I'll have with you."

"I guess that means the dream catcher tied to my wing is out of the question... and what you mean by a stronger connection with me? Sounds like you want me to become your master or something."

The dog scoffed or at least made a sound that Azza assumed it to be scoffing. "Partners. I prefer partners. I only have one master and she had long since passed."

"Alright, alright, no need to get huffy at me. Partners then. But something with a strong connection to me huh? You mean something sentimental?"

"Those items work best."

"How about this?" Azza asked while pointing to the copper hairpin helping keep her hair tucked behind a horn. A crudely made piece made into the shape of a small lily that was well taken care of.

"Hmmm... too small for me. I can feel that it is a cherished object though. What about your sword?" it asked while looking past her and to the blade she was carrying on her shoulder. "I can feel that it's a cherished and old object as well.

Azza stiffened for a moment, but then brought the sword off her shoulders. Holding onto the strap and scabbard with her hands, she then looked over to Rab. "It is... but I certainly don't want you to destroy it when it comes time for you to leave."

The dog rolled its eyes. "Didn't I say we'd become partners? I may not call you master, but I won't leave on a whim. I've an eye for people and I know you aren't a callous one. There should be no worries between us."

Once more Azza was left with chewing her lips as she rolled the options over in her head. It was a mutually beneficial so far as she can see: Rab could enjoy the presence of her mana as it put it and she... well, Azza wouldn't have to feel so lonesome traveling onwards. "Alright. Just... this was a gift from my adoptive father."

The expression that Rab wore softened as well as its tone. "I thank you for the opportunity to inhabit such a home."

She walked through the town her eyes wide and filled with wonder.

Quiet and peaceful it was a port, one which various ships came and went from, with the harbour stretching around the bay for half a mile. It was wooden and steel, cast by the best local smiths that be found. Despite this larger ships, ones with more than one mast, had to wait in the deeper waters offshore. They were the great merchant vessels and sloops that sent out smaller row boats to deal their business on land.

Celandine watched these come and go, sitting and eating a giant warm pretzel with some joy. It was salted and recently cooked, coming from a street vendor who sold his wares on the pier. It made her happy, to eat such a thing. It was rare she got out of the safety of her mother's fortress and was able to persuade people are was older than she looked.

Or really, she wasn't much older than five. But instead her maturity was something people often mistook. Sure it was the magic of an ancient tree goddess that had made her advance her mental years more than what was normal for a faun, but still Celandine was frustrated with being looked down upon for her appearance.

"Hey kid!" Someone - a gruff, bearded elf - said, limping towards her on his wooden leg. "Are you supposed to-"

"Go away," she grumbled, hopping down off the wall and landing on her hooves. She tucked the remains of the pretzel into her mouth. "I'm having an adventure."

"Wait - wait, kid, are your parents-"

She shot out her tongue to the man, cheekily swearing him off before turning her short tail and hopping away. Her hooves took her quickly away back up the pier and into the quiet town. Yes she could explain herself to the man, but she didn't want to. All she wanted was a day to herself as she managed to dodge her mother's fortress, and lessons from her governness. Indeed, she had run away, but she was also very good at looking after herself now. Thanks to sword lessons from her dad and her trusty scimitar at her waist. At some point she would be picked up by one of her mother's many women, a member of the Gilded Lily, and sent packing home.

But until then she would enjoy herself.

So Celandine continued to run, dodging into the town streets, looking for excitement and change. A distraction.

And a spirit doggo talking to another person with horns certainly fit that niche.

"So... what do I have to do then?" Azza asked, but she had barely finished the question before Rab's old home shattered into glittering dust. A light gust kicked up from somewhere and Rab's form shown with a subtle dusky light despite it being a little past noon before it took a running start to leap inside the outstretched longsword. Azza recoiled and dropped the sword, only catching it by the shoulder strap before it hit it sand. "H-hey what?! Don't I need to say something first?"

Rab soon jumped out from the scabbered longsword and sat before her with a scoff. "You already gave me permission, what else did you need?"

Azza gave the spirit a frown. "I figured we needed to say words to a pact or something."

"Feh. Old formalities thought up long ago so that the magi and highborn could feel more important than the pantaloons clinging to their arse."

"Are you going to be like this the whole time we're together? I'm starting to regret forming a partnership." Yet even as Azza said those words, there was no bite and instead only an amused grin.

Likewise, the dog's face shot back a rather wry look before it focused a ways away. "Perhaps, but that'll be for later - someone's coming."

"I thought this place was deserted."

"Well, yeah. You're in the old fishing village. Just over the crest and dunes there and you'll see a town and the main harbor in the cove. Too many big waves during storms hit this place you know?"

Before Azza could reply, she saw a rather curious looking creature walking- cantering- hopping? It was approaching closer. Before she could help herself, her hand moved to the hilt of the sword as she mumbled out to Rab, "Is it dangerous?"

"Oh yes, very. Blood-thirsty as hell and- oh, you're being serious? No! Unless you think child fauns to be a menace."

Azza frowned at Rab. "Considering that I've been stabbed by smaller and more adorable looking things than her, I err on the side of caution these days." No sooner had she finished, she saw the approaching faun girl within earshot. "Oh! Hey! Uhm. You live around here at all?"

Rab guffawed immediately. "Oh yeah! Not suspicious at all!"

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