ORIGIN - Drastic measures

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"We did not kill Reseda before, because we aren't judging who lives and who dies," Pride pointed out, and his voice was strong and carrying. This was a point he felt it important to make. "We are putting a stop to someone who is an immediate threat to the lives of those around us. It isn't a matter of judgement, Amazon, but of necessity."

He pushed up, looking after the Collector with forward-cupped ears, and then paced over to peer down at Reseda's body. It smelled burnt, and the odor of blood was strong in his nostrils, sparking a thrill of adrenaline through pure instinct. He pushed past this, ignoring it as best he could, to speak further. "If you stopped and tried to reason with and change Reseda, she would have mocked you, called you weak, and left. Or killed you. Anyone can change, Amazon, yes--but only if they wish to."

And good riddance, Pride thought to himself.

Even now his kindness and good nature toward Amazon was bleeding away into impatience, though he hadn't shown it yet. To him, this development was only a good thing, and there was nothing particularly dramatic about it. The lizard was a victim, a civilian, a citizen: kind, but weak, to be protected. Pride turned back toward her with a clicking of hooves. "No one will ask you to ever harm anyone. But if someone harms you, we will handle it ourselves. You did what had to be done to save your life; you have family yet to live for. Do not let her afflict you with suffering--with guilt and the like--from beyond the grave." Pride gave a nod to Livius--no words, just acknowledgement of theirs.

He turned back to Reseda's body, thoughtfully. Perhaps we can make her bones into weapons, at the very least. Though I have to think about how.

"If you two wish to rest--and Amazon, you will feel better after sleeping, I think--I will keep watch, for now, in case anything else turns up."

@Livius

The strange figure didn't answer them, and Licius' gaze kept on the figure for just a fleeting moment longer. Finally, though, they turned back towards Amazon and Pride. Was it really important? Really?

...Well. Potentially.

The stranger was certainly ominous. They sensed that it cared little for them or their Kingdom, and it reeked of malice. But it wasn't, strictly speaking, hurting anyone. Besides, they were exhausted, both physically and emotionally, and they wanted nothing more than to crawl away into some little nook and cranny somewhere, and wash off their fur.

They let Pride reason with the bawling little lizard. They had, after all, already tried, and they were quite past the ability to be diplomatic. Their quills gradually lowered against their back. "She swallowed you whole. One of you had to go, and I'd rather it be her."

As Pride asked if they wanted to sleep, Livius raised themselves up onto their haunches, holding out their bloodied paws. "I have to deal with this first," they said drily, looking down at their smudged fur with disgust, and already missing the leaf-green hues they were used to. Their own smell made them sick to the stomach, bloody and intoxicating. But at least Amazon's scales were clean.

"...And I'd... rather do that alone."

Livius looked up at Pride, knowing full well that they were a sight for sore eyes. And yet he, as ever, stood tall and beautiful, unruffled, as though the battle had never happened.

They knew he wouldn't understand, but they silently, secretly hoped he would.

@amazon

In her state of panic, it was difficult for Amazon to get off of her one track mind of regret and wrongness. Her whole body was trembling, her breath coming in short gasps, her eyes stared unseeing, glazed over. She saw, again, the bright flash of light and heard that screaming and the abrupt silence as life was cut away.

But she did her best, a tiny sliver of rationality cutting through the haze. Pride's gentle voice was definitely helping and the sense in what he was saying was making an impact on her. But still, she unconsciously fought against it. Because this was too horrible a thing to just accept and continue on from. Anyone can change, but only if they wish to. Was that why they'd killed Reseda? Because she didn't want to change? It all made sense to her, she knew they'd done the right thing, but at the moment it didn't make its way through.

She looked up at the last of his words, which, at last, seemed to push the last of the panic attack from her system. She latched onto the words and began repeating them to herself. She had a family to take care of - Luster and the unhatched child - she couldn't let Reseda ruin her from beyond the grave. What's done is done. What's happened can't be changed. Still, she couldn't stop herself from that awful feeling in her gut.

By the time she'd finally come around to all of this realization, Livius had wiped up most of the blood from her scales. She was breathing a little easier now, but she was still shaking uncontrollably, most likely from the extreme stress of the last few hours. It was wild to think that it hadn't even been a day since she'd awoken from her sleep. And even then, it hadn't even seemed long at all since her trek through Hydra. She knew it had been a couple of weeks but in her head, she'd been struggling through the sands only yesterday.

She nodded weakly, too tired out to say anything else and still drowning in that sea of guilt and regret. She wanted to lean up against Livius, but their blood-soaked fur put her off and she instead struggled back to her feet. "I...yeah, I'll...I'll rest. Please don't...don't desecrate her body. I don't want to look at it. I don't want to see them. Not after..." she shook out her head, trying to release that image of her exploding and further, from Hydra, watching the vultures descend upon the seagull, the snake falling beneath the sands, the Dead Marshes, stinking of decay, the fear of death as she fought through Hydra...

She didn't even realize that her breathing had sped up again, she only tried staggering away, towards the direction of her cave. She wanted to see Luster, but not like this. Not while she was a mess. She needed to be alone for a little while and adjust. To the fact that she'd seen death, that she'd killed, and that she would have to be killed herself to die now. How ironic.

*exit, unless stopped

@Pride

Desecrate. Disgust flickered through him. After all he'd done, that was her concern?

"I will decide later." His voice was empty, cold, and he looked back to Livius. They, it seemed, were almost as out of patience with Amazon's weakness as he was. Yes, the weak were to be protected, but he didn't have to enjoy their whimpering. Some irritated part of him determined to put Reseda's bones on the most blatant possible display, but he pushed that out of his mind. A pile, perhaps; that would be enough... maybe. "The cost of being up close and personal," he said to Livius, with some amusement. "The 'dirty work,' as they say. Be careful; I do not know if you licked near her stone, but I think it is more toxic than your own."

He looked around, wearily, and then shook himself a little. "I've met that stranger, once or twice. The Collector, they call him; he supposedly hands out magical trinkets in exchange for service. I think I've mentioned him to you before; I suppose Reseda was one of his, then. I'll go see what else I can find out."

He'd spoken to him, even received a quest of sorts of his own. One that, perhaps for the best, had never come to fruition upon the disappearance of the others involved.

"Rest well... and well fought, my king." With a sweeping bow he turned, making his own way quietly off.

exit Pride
@Livius