Player
You fool! You fell right for my trap!
Hequita
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Rewind
Posted Dec 14, 2022 10:55:39 GMT -5
Post by Hequita on Dec 14, 2022 10:55:39 GMT -5
Maria Tokareva Location: Las Vegas
Status: Alive Dressed in a short brown cloak, Maria made her way through the eternally bright streets of Las Vegas. Invisible to the people, she nonetheless carefully observed the masses, and especially focused on her Reiatsu senses, searching for anything that had an above average Reiatsu - it wasn't too unheard of a Shinigami on patrol to do so, but she wasn't here seeking out Hollows. Some time after the events in Tendo Shoten concluded, Maria finally harassed Tensai enough for the scientist to spill the beans on what happened during the battle that shook the sky. He did not have anywhere near the full story, as when he and Yoshi had arrived to confront her sister, she had already taken that... odd state, and he knew little about how she got there. However, through him, Maria learned that Val was unexpectedly focused upon two people in the fight. A Quincy and a Fullbringer. And the Fullbringer's name was Niji. Ginger-haired. Aside from that... there was little about her to tell. Still, however, this gave Maria a clue where to search. If Val was intently focused on this "Niji", she might know about what happened. And... perhaps know whether Val could still be found anywhere. When Maria briefly mentioned this trail to Katsuaki Kanbe, he offered her to seek out Tendo. When she appeared in Tendo Shoten, the mention briefly got the shopkeeper to pause, but eventually, in rather vague terms, he stated that perhaps he could come across a clue to Niji's whereabouts in Las Vegas. So, here she was. Briefly, Maria stood in the middle of a busy street in between two flashy casinos, cars speeding past her intangible frame as if it were nothing. Sure wish the old man wasn't so cryptic... |
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Player
Fullbringer
I have nothing to say.
Niji
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Rewind
Posted Dec 14, 2022 20:19:43 GMT -5
Post by Niji on Dec 14, 2022 20:19:43 GMT -5
Niji might have been a little bit tipsy as she left the Bellagio, she was celebrating with her local employees and customers. Nearly a year ago she had locked in one of the most valuable contracts in the world of high-end beef. She had wheeled and dealed and edged out Kobe to make Hikari the official wagyu of Las Vegas; it was practically a coup. They didn’t have the highest market share in the world, but they had moved up to number two over Matsusaka Ushi and Ohmi. The red haired fullbringer stood alone outside the casino, her royal blue column dress swaying slightly in the gentle wind of the strip. The businesswoman also swayed slightly, for an entirely separate reason. She was only a little tipsy. Honest. Niji stood quietly and watched the famous fountain begin its show, thinking solemnly about the last year. It had been…eventful, to say the least. So much had happened, she had gotten engaged, started Kibō no Hikari, started advising the Spangler Institute, and even the ranches were doing better than ever. And, of course…the Battle of Broken Skies. The Red Lotus. Hibano... She shook her head at that thought, trying to focus more on the show in front of her. A sly smirk came over her face, she could do better than this; this water had to move in entirely natural fashions. The fullbringer began to gather just a smidgen of energy, but shook her head again; frowning; anything too unnatural would raise alarms. She hadn’t had enough sake to lose all reason. So, instead, she summoned dozens of animal spirits, a rainbow of birds to dart through the columns of water, dolphins to play and jump between bursts. She raised her hands like a conductor, guiding the spirits as she felt water building under various nozzles, putting on a private show for herself that no one else would see. Anywhere else, a woman in a dress that cost several thousand dollars waving her arms like a crazy person would have drawn gawkers and stares. In the strip of Las Vegas, it didn’t even warrant a second glance. Hequita |
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Player
You fool! You fell right for my trap!
Hequita
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Rewind
Posted Dec 15, 2022 14:07:14 GMT -5
Post by Hequita on Dec 15, 2022 14:07:14 GMT -5
Maria Tokareva Location: Las Vegas
Status: Alive Wandering the streets of Las Vegas was a little like ending up in the downtown of the Moscow metropolis, except even more of an assault on the senses. Travelling them while being completely invisible to the people was certainly an experience, too. A part of Maria's heart missed the ecstatic city life, completely opposite of the mellow village-like atmosphere of Soul Society. It's what she was used to, after all, even if that life was hectic, full of fear and hunger... But that did not matter now. Finding this "Niji" person was the main priority today, she can contemplate later. And, lucky her, her sixth sense informed her that some spiritual activity was taking place nearby right as she cut a corner. Clutching onto her cloak as she hastened her pace through the street, Maria approached a vast casino and resort, towering above the surrounding area in its size and glamour. Before the central building stood a large fountain, and inside the fountain... Huh?Animals. Trained animals, clearly, jumping hoops and darting around the sprays of water in impressive synchronization. Yet, something was odd about them. Nobody, not even a single person, was paying attention to the show, as if they refused to recognize its presence in the first place. At the same time, she could see something... spiritual about the entire thing. As if it belonged a little more to her side of the world, and not theirs. Well... the idea that nobody else was paying any attention to the show in the fountain wasn't true. A woman in fancy blue dress certainly was, and she was going ham at it, waving her hands like a conductor and briefly disrupting a few people passing by with her drunken dance. Normally, Maria would just give this event a passing glance and move on, she's seen enough drunks and addicts in her past life. But the woman's hair... it was a rich ginger. Just like what Tensai told her. Is-is this really her? This Fullbringer who helped save the Universe, who knew Val personally... was this drunk dancing woman? The first impression... was rather disappointing. Maria would have left her while she was still hidden by the crowds, but she decided to give it a test. Moving past the hundreds of bystanders, she approached the woman while yelling: " Niji! Niji!!" Someone who did not have high specs would not even be able to hear her. Someone who wasn't "Niji" would, presumably, not pay attention to someone yelling another person's name. |
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Player
Fullbringer
I have nothing to say.
Niji
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Rewind
Posted Dec 15, 2022 18:29:27 GMT -5
Post by Niji on Dec 15, 2022 18:29:27 GMT -5
For the briefest of moments, all the mortals in the nearby vicinity felt an enormous pressure on them. Everyone's vision briefly went black, but recovered after a heartbeat. No one mentioned it, of course; just like no one mentions when they feel like the lights might have just flickered for no discernable reason. The feeling was gone as quickly it had arrived. Maria, for the same brief instance, would see the red haired woman engulfed in a nimbus of golden light as the Fullbringer's slight inebriation caused her logical brain to be slightly delayed and the instinct of fight took over. Suddenly, the nimbus was gone, there was no sign of spiritual pressure, the animals in the fountain had vanished. Slightly unfocused blue eyes scanned the crowd, Niji's vision swimming slightly as she tried to figure out who was calling her. Why had she defaulted to fight? It was probably just one of her staff, or maybe a client that wanted her to answer another question. This wasn’t a situation where she was in danger, few people in the spiritual world knew her name, and none of them were women. She shook her head, trying to focus as she tried to pick out a face she recognized. After a few seconds, her eyes focused on a vaguely familiar face. ”Masha?”The name escaped her lips the same time she realized she was suddenly on edge. She was sensing the reiatsu of a Shinigami. Hequita |
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Player
You fool! You fell right for my trap!
Hequita
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Rewind
Posted Dec 16, 2022 14:06:21 GMT -5
Post by Hequita on Dec 16, 2022 14:06:21 GMT -5
Maria Tokareva Location: Las Vegas
Status: Alive Maria's approach stopped when a burst of Reiatsu was suddenly released from the ginger woman's body. Something just happened to her, and she did not know what the cloak of golden clouds meant, but the level of power and pressure that she became a witness of was impossible to ignore. She stopped three steps away from Niji, and watched her turn around and face her. The ginger's two eyes faced one of hers. There were several ways how this could have gone. The tipsy lady could ask her why she came casually, or she could be a threat - why else would she suddenly flaunt her power at Maria like that? Yet, Niji went for the worst possible option. Masha?The last time she has been referred to this way was... a very long time ago. Only a few people ever addressed Maria this way, and the last one she heard was her sister. Nobody in Soul Society knew that nickname. To everyone, even Hya, she was Maria, not Masha. If this woman recognized her and called her like this, she must know her from before her death. How?! For a few seconds, Maria remained silent. A massive weight was just dropped on her and she had to comprehend how to deal with it. Eventually, with a weaker tone, she pushed out: " ...How do you know about me?" Because she sure as hell knew nothing about Niji. |
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Player
Fullbringer
I have nothing to say.
Niji
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Rewind
Posted Dec 17, 2022 6:18:54 GMT -5
Post by Niji on Dec 17, 2022 6:18:54 GMT -5
In the seconds before Maria replied, several thoughts blazed through Niji’s mind as she looked at the girl–no, woman now, in front of her. The first was a follow-up to realizing why she was on edge; she was sensing a Shinigami, and judging by the zanpakutou, she knew who was giving off that aura. In another life, Masha had died to give her sisters time to get away; killed by Shinigami. Until Irisa had pointed out to her that she’d end up a Shinigami when she died, she hadn’t really put much thought into what happened to Fullbringers after death. Vice Captain Muimina had told her that the family member he had talked to about Valentina was Maria; but she hadn’t even considered the woman was a Shinigami now. Niji had never asked Valentina what happened to Maria in this reality, not that there had ever been time to do that. This spiraled into the next thought, the realization that, like Morgan, she had no idea what this person was actually like. Her Val hadn’t been a nihilistic monster that the real one was, and she had no idea how Masha compared to the person in front of her. This dichotomy was bound to be even worse to untie in her head, because she had only encountered the Zodiac a few times in the alternate life; she had literally spent years growing up with the twins. She couldn’t do this right now, she needed more information. She needed to talk to Vice Captain Muimina. Get an idea of what this version was like. Engage on her own terms. She needed time to think about this. On how to approach the woman who was not Masha. But her dead sister was in front of her. And there was never any time. Niji took a few steps back, tears already building in her eyes, and shook her head quickly, ”I–I am sorry, I thought you were someone else.”
Hequita |
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Player
You fool! You fell right for my trap!
Hequita
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Rewind
Posted Dec 17, 2022 7:25:13 GMT -5
Post by Hequita on Dec 17, 2022 7:25:13 GMT -5
Maria Tokareva Location: Las Vegas
Status: Alive Niji's words and actions did not correspond to one another. Her movement, the expression on her face, it all made clear that the ginger haired woman recognized who Maria was - yet, she refused to confess that she did, instead trying to cover herself up by claiming that she was thinking of someone else. Needless to say, this was not very convincing to the Shinigami, and it encouraged her to try to push Niji further. " Then you wouldn't be crying..." Maria answered Niji's reply, with a judgmental tone in her voice. How Niji knew of her, and why spoke of her with such an intimate name was still unclear to her. She was completely unfamiliar to her - she had never heard of "Niji" before when Tensai informed her of the Fullbringer's presence in the Battle of Broken Skies, nor was her face familiar to her at all. She didn't even know any gingers from her past life - much less known one so closely as to be known as Masha to her. She had to figure out this mystery, no matter what it takes - it will definitely get her closer to what she wanted to know about Val. In response to Niji's steps backward, Maria made a single, determined step forward, and asked: " What do you know about my sister?" |
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Player
Fullbringer
I have nothing to say.
Niji
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Rewind
Posted Dec 17, 2022 19:42:41 GMT -5
Post by Niji on Dec 17, 2022 19:42:41 GMT -5
Niji wiped away her blossoming tears without really thinking about it. She once again shook her head at Maria as she took another step back. The woman took a deep breath, trying to collect herself. This was not Masha, this was a stranger; it didn’t exactly sound like the sister she had mourned, and the eyepatch was new. There was enough to separate the two in her head. She could pretend; this was just a stranger asking about Valentina.
Focus on the reiatsu; it didn’t feel the same, Shinigami felt very different from the Fullbringer Masha had been. The woman looked at the ground, unable to really bring herself to look the woman in the face. Another heavy sigh, her voice far shakier than she would have preferred, ”I do not know what to tell you, Miss Shinigami. How much do you already know?”
A few drops of tears dripped to the ground, Niji watched them fall. She knew this Shinigami wasn’t her Masha, but a part of her was so curious. What had this woman become in this world? Did she share the twisted worldview of her sister? Would telling her the truth be dangerous? Didn’t she deserve to know? It was too much.
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GAME MASTER
Wandenreich - Soldat
Memories broken, the truth goes unspoken...
Hibano
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Rewind
Posted Dec 18, 2022 8:36:21 GMT -5
Post by Hibano on Dec 18, 2022 8:36:21 GMT -5
Maria Tokareva Location: Las Vegas
Status: Alive Yet again, Niji made a step back and try to wrangle herself out of giving any answer by asking Maria what she knows about her sister's fate first. Yet again, Maria followed with an another step of hers, making sure to always keep the same distance between them. For a few seconds, she observed the ginger woman's sobbing. Even a simple answer, or making eye contact with Maria, was painful to her. It didn't matter. Maria was here to find out what happened, and she wasn't going to back away just because Niji could not control herself. If anything, that made her more curious. Why did she and her sister cause such a strong emotional response from someone she's never met? What has happened between them that she's unaware of? The only theory she could possibly come up with at this point is that this woman and Val were in some sort of relationship, possibly even a romantic one if merely remembering her left her so shaken, and the memory of Val's death was responsible for this emotional response as a result. That wouldn't explain why she called her "Masha" or even recognized Maria, however. " Look at me. Get a hold of yourself," Maria ordered to Niji, then, dipping to her memory to answer the Fullbringer's question, she glanced away to the ground. " I know that she survived the battle in which I died, and didn't pass to the realm of the dead alongside me. I also know that you and others killed her a few months ago, and that she was responsible for the broken skies that stretched across the world during that day." Maria's right hand, not fully covered by her brown cloak, reached forward - it was bandaged from the base of the fingers to the elbow. It wasn't wounded - rather, the bandages served as an extended wrist brace for someone who was fighting and training almost constantly, as expected of a Shinigami from her Division. " She knew you. She focused on you in the battle. I am not here to take revenge for my sister's death, as much as I want to punch someone for it. Rather, I know that you can tell me what happened to her." |
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Player
Fullbringer
I have nothing to say.
Niji
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Rewind
Posted Dec 18, 2022 9:40:10 GMT -5
Post by Niji on Dec 18, 2022 9:40:10 GMT -5
Niji didn’t look up at Maria, listening to her request; she saw the woman’s shadow in the bright lights of the strop reaching out towards her. Part of her wanted to take her si–the stranger’s hand, to explain everything. Part of her wanted to just smack it away and flee. She took the middle option. She did nothing, she just spoke, still looking at the ground. Her voice was faint when she started her explanation, ”’Would you fight the whole world for your dream?’”
The Fullbringer paused, and took another deep breath. Separate. These women weren’t actually your sisters. That wasn’t your life. ”Those were the last words Miss Tokareva said to me; months before…before everything else.”She shook her head again, this was just telling a stranger what had happened during the Battle of Broken Skies; she wasn't telling Masha about Val. She was telling a Shinigami about the events in Tokyo. She could almost believe that. Almost. ”She was dead before she broke the sky. She was betrayed by the people she trusted, and Sadaharu Tendo was tricked into thinking she was a willing participant in his experiment. The experiment killed her, infusing her with power that any body, no matter how strong, couldn’t contain. And…”Niji took another deep breath, tears still dropping to the Vegas sidewalk as she continued in a trembling voice, ”Her dream was to end suffering. By way of making sure no one ever suffered again. By making sure no one existed, ever again.”The woman’s voice steadied, but only slightly. ”By the time I arrived, Miss Tokareva was dead, and the thing that was the result of the experiment was an echo of her dream, and trying to destroy all reality.”
Hequita Hibano |
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GAME MASTER
Wandenreich - Soldat
Memories broken, the truth goes unspoken...
Hibano
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Rewind
Posted Dec 18, 2022 16:43:08 GMT -5
Post by Hibano on Dec 18, 2022 16:43:08 GMT -5
Maria Tokareva Location: Las Vegas
Status: Alive Finally, they were making some progress. Maria listened to Niji's confession of the truth intently. It was fairly obvious that she was still withholding some things, covering them under generic descriptions of "betrayal" and "everything else", nor did Maria quite believe Niji when she declared that Val was dead during the final battle below Tendo Shoten. That was not the report she heard from Tensai when she shook him for information - he described Val as cognizant of herself, even if also very clearly insane. Perhaps it was a metaphorical death. A death of the Valentina Tokareva that Niji was familiar with, and the birth of... some kind of monster. Maria still couldn't believe that Val could be described that way. Wishing to fight the whole world for something she dreamed of was very clearly her, but destroying the fabric of reality... that was clearly not. The entire time, Maria remained silent, watching Niji's cries, anguish and empathic claims. Once the ginger haired woman finished, she finally spoke: " I was told... that Val had become a villain before the events in Tokyo. That she was on her way towards what she had become, months before that tragedy happened." Hyakuji's depiction of her flashed to her mind. Val had almost killed him when they first met, and only curiosity got her to let him go after their skirmish above London skies. This was not the only report like that. Yoshi could tell her much of the same. Several disappearances of Shinigami in the World of the Living were traced down to her. Maria's expression turned more stern. " Is this true?" |
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Player
Fullbringer
I have nothing to say.
Niji
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Rewind
Posted Dec 18, 2022 21:21:34 GMT -5
Post by Niji on Dec 18, 2022 21:21:34 GMT -5
Briefly, Niji looked up at the woman in front of her, and beyond the expected sorrow that the fullbringer was clearly feeling, Maria might also catch a flash of loving compassion, ”Oh, Mas–”The woman seemed to stop in mid-word, catching herself before the affectionate nickname came out again. A flash of regret and dismay overtook her features before she averted her eyes from Maria again. Do not look at her, it will be easier. At least the woman had stopped reaching out towards her. Another beat, a calming breath, and she continued. Niji shook her head sadly, ”Yes, it is true, Miss Shinigami. I met her almost a year before the events in Tokyo. She tried to convince me that the cycle of souls was just a tool the Shinigami used to control the spiritual realms. Miss Tokareva was not even certain of it, but thought that the potential destruction of the Universe was an acceptable risk to tear down the balance.”Another deep breath, ”Miss Tokoreva was full of bloodlust, despair, and hatred long before I met her. Nothing could have diverted her from the path she was on. I am so sorry, there was nothing I could have done.”That last bit was more to herself than to Maria. Hequita Hibano |
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Player
You fool! You fell right for my trap!
Hequita
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Post by Hequita on Dec 19, 2022 8:17:35 GMT -5
Maria Tokareva Location: Las Vegas
Status: Alive Niji stammered a version of events that was similar to what Hyakuji had told Maria before. A little more pessimistic - the ginger haired woman was certain that Val was a lost cause even a year before the events of the Battle of Broken Skies. According to Niji, she was full of hatred. Thirst for destruction. Despair. A senseless drive to destroy all of reality. Impossible to divert from the path of self-annihilation that ended in Tendo Shoten. Maria watched Niji's detailed explanation with a somber face, briefly hesitating to continue asking herself. If she's heard the same... what if this was true? What if she never understood her sister, and was blind to someone so hateful, spiteful and destructive, someone who just needed the push of receiving Fullbringer powers to go on a rampage? That... No. That couldn't be. Val was never like this.The somber tone turned bitter. Then, Maria went for a risky move. It could lead to her getting vaporized by someone significantly more powerful than her. Yet, she knew she had to do it. She stepped forward, walking up to Niji, then grabbed her by the collar and pulled her to her eye level. The gingerhead was a few inches taller than her, " Look me in the eyes, and tell me the truth." Maria ordered. A hint of venom was noticeable in her voice. " That's not who Val was. That's never been who Val was. She was friendly. Sociable. Energetic. A happy sunshine. I was the distraught one of the two. I was the one who was sure there's no light at the end of the tunnel. She was the one who wanted to salvage something out of our pathetic, worthless mortal lives." The sorrow was starting to catch up to Maria. She glanced away, gritting her teeth, bearing the weight of her memories. " I was certain that she'd be a much better Shinigami than I'd ever be..." she gushed out. " So. What... happened to her? Answer me!" |
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Player
Fullbringer
I have nothing to say.
Niji
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Rewind
Posted Dec 19, 2022 17:11:35 GMT -5
Post by Niji on Dec 19, 2022 17:11:35 GMT -5
There was a brief flash of fury, and an immediate building of spiritual energy as Maria forced Niji’s face towards her. But even that faded almost immediately as the Fullbringer’s wet blue eyes locked onto the Shinigami’s good eye. The whole encounter was sobering her up rapidly, and she wasn’t sure that was a good thing. ”I do not know, I only know what did not.”The woman’s eyes looked haunted, and she continued in a wavering voice, ”You two suffered through more in your first ten years than most do in their entire lives. I do not know what happened to you or Polina; but…”Niji shook her head, glancing down at Maria’s zanpakuto. The idea of either of the twins as a Shinigami was laughable, but reality clearly had gone a different way. ”The academy usually takes six years, and you were never a particularly diligent student.”For a moment, the woman’s eyes looked far away, like she was remembering something, a conversation from another life. When that Maria had died; Niji and the remaining twin found comfort in each other. They had both wanted to strike back at the Shinigami for killing Masha, get revenge for their lost sister. The two of them had planned, gathered allies, and claimed the world of the living for the living. Val hadn’t been much of a planner; and if she spent years just acting without planning, seeing failure after failure. And Niji had been forced to see, to live the type of life Val had, it wouldn’t have taken much to crack the youth that had just lost her twin. Polina had already been on a downward spiral when the twins were ten, and with no support system… ”That is a long time to be angry and alone.”Hibano Hequita |
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Player
You fool! You fell right for my trap!
Hequita
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Rewind
Posted Dec 20, 2022 4:53:38 GMT -5
Post by Hequita on Dec 20, 2022 4:53:38 GMT -5
Maria Tokareva Location: Las Vegas
Status: Alive Maria did not let go of Niji's collar even when the sobbing woman finished speaking. She abandoned her attempts to pretend that she was unfamiliar with the Shinigami and dropped a few bombshells - that she knew what Maria was like, she knew who her mother was, and what their life was like before her death. From this knowledge, she hinted at how Val may have finally been broken by the tragedy and loneliness. Maria could have guessed as much herself. It still was unbelievable, though. Val was stronger than this, wasn't she? " So you lied to me, then. You were thinking of me, not some other person, after all," Maria stated, referring back to the beginning of their conversation. Her tone was not furious or judgmental though. She merely stated a matter of fact - Niji's attempt to pretend that she was unfamiliar with her was not convincing, after all. " You know my family. You speak of me as if we were close friends, yet, we have never met. I had never heard of you before I learned of your role in the Battle of Broken Skies. How do you know so much about me?" She was determined to make this interrogation continue as long as possible. It's making Niji tear up every single sentence, but such is the price they have to pay so she can get closer to the truth. " You wouldn't break down and sob at merely seeing a distant friend's sister." |
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