Reality vs Fantasy

With a twitch of her ears, Rhapsody would turn about as a familiar voice called out to her; even without reintroduction's, the blue hair of the man she'd met in the forest was a dead give away.

"Russ?" Rhapsody would question in a rather enthusiastic manner, "I hadn't expected to see you here, has your time resting in the mountains come to an end?" She would ask casually, approaching Russ as he leaned against the wall and remarked on the situation around them.

Rhapsody would give a heavy sigh at the comment, lamenting her own shortcomings when it came to the experience; her ears would fold back and her expression would be one of obvious regret. It wasn't until well after the battle did she even realize that there was even a villain about; at the very least, she took solace in the fact that her efforts had spared a good few from harsher fates than they had. It was a difficult idea to swallow, but as the Elder of her village had taught her; being a guardian wasn't about defeating villains, it was about protecting the people. Regardless, a great many had died in that event, and Rhapsody couldn't help but feel the weight of failure upon her.

"Indeed, I know well how these people have suffered." Rhapsody would respond in a low, regretful tone, "I was there as well, and if not for the aid of others, then I'd likely be lying in one of these beds as well... or else I-" She'd continue, cutting herself off with a minor wince as she thought about the potential worst that could have happened.

She knew Celerous had taken part in battling the villain, alongside a good few others; one however, hadn't survived the encounter in spite of his valiant efforts, and Rhapsody knew that could have just as easily been her. She'd reached a roadblock in her progression; while her recovery since battling Lotus had gone smoothly, she found her power greatly lacking. She'd lost her traditional gi, still had no control over her strange transformation, and now found herself wandering the Earth rather aimlessly; if there had been a further low to be had, Rhapsody didn't yet know it, but felt sure that it would come for her at this rate.

"Let's not disturb those attempting to recover." Rhapsody would remark as she looked back towards Russ, "I'd like some fresh air, so I'll make for the roof. You're free to join me if you'd like." She'd state nonchalantly as she passed by Russ, subtly hinting to the man her desire to speak in private before quickly making for the stairway that led to the roof of the facility.

As the two climbed the stairs, eventually finding themselves upon the roof of the facility, a soft, sweet breeze would fill the air. In spite of the disaster that had occurred, the calm wind was a sign the the world would go on regardless; something that Rhapsody would have normally taken solace in, however now, she found her thoughts plagued by her inability to render aid. As she moved towards the edge of the rooftop and peered towards the city skyline, Russ would take his seat and make mention of her limited time. Rhapsody would take a deep breath before turning to him with a steely expression, intent to make herself clear without hesitation.

"I'll not waste your time then-" She would begin as her gaze slowly drifted towards the floor, "As I said, without the aid of those around me, I may very well have died in the attack... while you might believe I took part in the battle and was aided by my allies, this was not the case." She'd would explain with a pained expression as she clenched her fist, "I am weak, I was merely a bystander who found herself caught up in the explosion; and it was the aid of civilians that saw me freed from the debris that trapped me."

Her ears would fold back as her eyes narrowed, her demeanor was one of defeat, and even now all she could do was recall the many failures she'd endured up till this point. From the wound she suffered at the hands of Lottus, to her failure to protect the water creature Papri; the start of her trials were met with immediate failure, and these failures had only amplified.

"Upon my rescue, something occurred that I still cannot fully recall; what I have recalled however, is that for whatever reason I acted with foolishness and nearly did battle with my own friend, Celerous." Rhapsody would continue with a serious tone; her voice cracking slightly as she tried her best to recall the event, "I gave him no benefit of the doubt, in fact, I felt nearly compelled to accuse him and the one beside him in spite of the clear need for aid of those around us!" She'd state, holding her hand over her left eye as she felt a minor pain come to her head, "I simply don't understand it, I have no idea what came over me; it wasn't like me in the least, and while I was busy slowing Celerous down, more people were getting hurt!!"

Rhapsody would grit her teeth and finish her explanation, nearly feeling the need to tear up but holding back the feeling completely as she took a deep breath. She had to remember, the world would go on, the sweet air calmed her but she still felt her mind plagued by her subconscious thoughts. She would turn away from Russ and look back out towards the city skyline as she took a deep breath; her wings twitching beneath her white cloak as they sought to stretch out from their confinement.

"I'm sorry... I don't know why I would tell you all this, we've met only once and our time together was short." Rhapsody would say with a heavy sigh as her gaze slowly fell from the horizon to the ground below, "I've... no one else to speak to. I don't know what I should even do next, or where I should go..." She'd finish, thinking fondly of her home world for the briefest of moments.

As Russ responded firmly, Rhapsody would give a soft sigh; her ears would fold back as she looked towards the ground in heavy contemplation. He made things sound so easy, and as he continued speaking, it would soon be made clear as to why. His outlook was far different than Rhapsody's, and he seemed not to concern himself too heavily on trivial matters caused through misunderstanding. It was a difficult concept for Rhapsody to grasp, as were many things upon the world known as Earth. On her home world, matters of contention were settled by the guidance of the village elder, while greater matters were handled by the gods that guided the inhabitants of Zoa. Earth had no such elders or gods, everyone was meant to forge their own path and handle their own issues; it was likely that many appreciated such freedom, however it was clear that this freedom seemed to lead to chaos more than anything.

Rhapsody would cross her arms beneath her cloak as Russ began to explain his own hardships; the destruction that had occurred in East City weighed heavily on the mans mind. He blamed himself in a similar manner as Rhapsody, and looked critically upon his own shortcomings. For Russ, the situation was only amplified as it became clear that East City was his home; that was a similarity that Rhapsody could fully understand.

"I'm sorry you were left unaware of the state of your home." Rhapsody would respond, subtly clutching her left arm with her hand beneath her clock defensively, "I can... unfortunately relate." She would say simply as the minor thought of what was happening on her home world passed her mind.

She worried for the safety of her home, of her village within the mountains back on Zoa; pirates of space had attacked once before, so there was no guarantee that they wouldn't do so again. All she could do was trust in the fact that Aiden remained to protect her village, however recent events and experiences left her resolve and faith shaky. Russ would continue to speak, mentioning a story he meant to tell before asking Rhapsody if she knew of a place called Battle Island, to which Rhapsody would shake her head with a curious expression.

"No, I cannot say I have." She would respond, "I apologize, I still know very little of the Earth and its locales. I'm afraid I've never heard of this island before; it was only recently in fact that I learn that the name of this city was merely that of a cardinal direction." She'd explain, giving the slightest of laughs at the humor she found in the naming of Earth's major cities.

Rhapsody was glad that even the most minor bit of humor could be could be derived so casually in such a dour moment. The feeling helped her to believe that maybe the world truly could go on again so easily, but that didn't mean her regrets would be so easily alleviated. Then came Russ's explanation of his experiences on Battle Island; an explanation that, while crudely given, got the point across of the trials the blue haired man had endured. Behind the awkward commentary involving the strange location and even stranger weapon, a dark story of death and failure loomed which clearly weight heavily upon Russ's mind. His explanation revealed that he was on no mere vacation when they met in those mountains; rather, he had taken a moment to escape the reality of the situation. Rhapsody as well had thought of merely getting aboard her ship after her failures and simply leave, going no where in particular, but a constant tug of her senses kept her from doing so.

"You have dealt with much, I'm sorry Russ, for all you've been forced to endure." Rhapsody would say with a solemn nod, "Between this strange boat island of yours, and the destruction to your home here, I'm surprised you manage to maintain such a strong resolve." She would remark, questioning internally what she would possibly do if she were to ever find out that her own home had been destroyed while she was away.

She respected Russ's conviction, and desire to bring the one known as Marrow to justice. As well, he didn't seem to balk at the possibility of encounter the one who had caused such destruction to East City. The man held only determination in his eyes, and said determination was more than a bit inspiring for Rhapsody.

"Well said my friend, no matter who or how strong they are, justice will always be brought to bear upon those who focus their efforts on villainy!" Rhapsody would respond with an enthusiastic smile, "You say you weren't strong enough before, but you've trained to keep up your strength?" She would remark, "As I've said, I'm weak, and have found my power sorely wanting." She'd say with a scowl as she averted her gaze, "There is a power, I've felt it before... I simply haven't the means to call upon it." She would explain before looking back towards Russ with a determined expression, "What if-" She'd would begin, choking on her words before clearing her throat and steeling her resolve, "Russ, please, allow us to train together!" She'd say firmly, "I believe there's far more to be gained to combine our efforts rather than to go about it alone, so please, will you not assist me? And allow me to assist you as well?"

Russ had agreed quickly to the joint training efforts, and seemed enthusiastic to get started right away. Rhapsody wondered if perhaps the man hadn't had a training partner before, and such was why he was so keen on starting quickly; whatever the case was, Rhapsody had no qualms with agreeing and taking into the skies after him as they moved to a new location. The flight was short, and soon the two would be upon a field clearing well away from the city; here, the two could go all out in testing one another strengths, though Rhapsody seemed to have an issue of her own to deal with.

"Hmhm, do you fighters have all these different places to do battle memorized?" She would question in a somewhat teasing manner as she undid the clasp of her cloak, "Full glad I am that you're so enthusiastic about training... um, do try to maintain that focus." Rhapsody would request as her face began to redden slightly with the removal of her cloak.

While the cloak acted as a means to hide her wings, it wasn't the true purpose of the garment; the true purpose had been to hide the current attire she found herself in, an attire acquired during her experience in the recent destruction of East City. Those she was still unaware of exactly how she came to be clad in such attire, she had recalled that it had to do with some kind of bat-kin girl she'd met at the time. Regardless, after the experience she'd returned to her right state of mind, and found the attire rather... revealing. It was one thing to be gawked at due to her unique appearance, after all, that was something she'd dealt with for years growing up; as she'd traveled the city since the attack however, the stares she received were of a completely different sort that she wasn't so keen on enduring.

"Please, don't ask." Rhapsody would say preemptively in case Russ was curious about her current attire, "And while I thank you for your gentlemanly conduct, I'm afraid I'm unsure as to where to start." She'd admit as she untethered the string that held her sword strapped to her back, "Seeing as this is training, I'm not keen to use a bladed weapon against you... though, my only experience in combat is as a swordsman." She'd state as she examined her weapon and recalled her experience with Lottus.

With the magical change in attire that she'd experience, she'd lost the sheath to her sword; had it still been in her possession, she could have at least opted to use the weapon while in its sheath for blunt attacks. giving a heavy sigh, Rhapsody would take a few steps back and plant her sword firmly into the ground before returning to her position and looking over Russ's form and posture. It wasn't as though she'd never done hand to hand combat, but her only experience had been the basics of defensive fighting, and that had been a great many years ago; upon taking up the blade, swordsmanship had been her main focus but new experiences made her reluctant to use such a weapon any longer.

"Well Russ-" She would begin as she attempted to copy Russ's stance, "It appears I'll be learning a great deal more from you than you'll be learning from me." She'd say with a smile before splaying out her wings and dropping into a lower stance, "Here I come!" She'd exclaim, giving a quick and power beat of her wings and rushing towards Russ with full force.

She had judged Russ's stance and decided the man primarily focused on true hand to hand combat which utilized his fists; as trained as he was, Rhapsody knew she'd be at a disadvantage in such a fight. As such, as she approached Russ's position her body would suddenly pivot mid-air; rather than focus on strikes with her hands, she would aim for a horizontal kick with her right leg, aimed intentionally upon Russ's upper left arm in the hopes of weakening his ability to defend early.

Russ had been polite enough to listen to her request, and refrained from asking any strange or uncomfortable question about the attire she wore. She could still feel the shift in his attitude momentarily as he gawked with wondering eyes, but he would correct himself quickly and return his focus to the situation at hand, fighting. Rhapsody found that far too many focused solely on her form, even Russ had initially been one of them when they met previously in that forest; she was glad that for people like Russ, it was a passing detail. As she rushed the man, that feeling would be further compounded by how serious he took the sparring session straight from the get go.

Rhapsody swift strike with her leg would land true, or so it would have appeared; instead, her leg had struck some form of ethereal barrier, causing her to bounce off before suddenly the man would rush with an energy infused arm. With a powerful beat of her wings, Rhapsody would suddenly launch backwards to avoid the mans strike, before just as quickly shooting forward with the intent to rush behind the man with the aim of delivering a strike to his back before continuing to launch herself into the air whether she hit or missed.

"It sounds like a dangerous class my friend!" Rhapsody would shout out as she moved higher into the air to gain distance, "But if it's a class, perhaps you can educate me on something." She'd continue, taking up a defensive posture as she turned around to face Russ, "That stuff around your arm, what was that? It doesn't feel like it, but it look quite similar to some form of magic." She'd question curiously, having still been unaware of the concept of Ki Energy; the aura the Russ formed in fact gave her the slightest bit of pause as she was reminded of Lottus, though the aura Russ had didn't seem nearly as suffocating.