A Splash of Red in a World of Blue (Ticoga/Challenge AT)

Zerori paid little heed to the important (she assumed anyway) figures that made their way to and from the citadel she stood guard in front of and had busied herself with counting the Eleven Laws of the Chakkapak when a voice had her eye widen in surprise. She turned in the direction it came from and blinked at the owner - An Arcosian of bright red skin with a set of purple and black armor Zerori knew denoted that he was of a high rank and influence. While she didn’t bow and offer any extraneous respects, Zerori would take in the words he directed at the two she stood between.

The tallest of them stood as straight as a board, clearly nervous as he shouted, “Yes Sir!”

The shorter of the two would grumble but say nothing, looking forward at seemingly nothing with a sour look on his face.

Zerori, on the other hand, would turn around completely to face the high-ranking Arcosian and think carefully about her next word before she spoke, “That’s… um, an honor. Thank you,” She returned with a healthy amount of gratitude. She was genuinely glad that there were minds in high and influential places that could see the value of off-worlder’s but more often than not it was a rather one-sided transaction. “A pleasure to meet you, Ticoga. I am Zerori of Chakkapak, Captain of the Royal Guard of Arcose-” The very second the words left her mouth the two guards would look at her venomous glares before Zerori added with confidence, “-technically an unofficial title. For now. Triumvirate Wintergreen and I discussed it,” And that was going to be the LAST time Zerori would ever refer to Ise by her family name. It felt weird and formal and not at all like how they spoke to each other privately.

Never mind that ‘discussion’ was a bit of a stretch.

Zerori looked between the two guards before she returned her focus to Ticoga, “You are the ‘Shield’ of Arcose? I can’t deny that it has quite a ring to it,” Her inquisitive expression eased in a grin, “-I can’t help but wonder it’s meaning, though. Are you just incredibly strong or does it mean something more metaphorical?”

Familiar with the function and appearance of scouters from her time on Plant, Zerori couldn’t help but feel a swell of pride when Ticoga had spoken a number back. It had been a long time since Zerori had materialized a scouter and even longer since she’d ever had a need to. It was good to know that she hadn’t grown weaker since that time. When Ticoga had asked her to walk with him, she’d allowed herself to cast one last look at the two guards she’d come to know before giving a smug grin and following him, “Keep up the good work, you two!” She’d call over her shoulder before falling in step just behind the shorter Arcosian. Already, he’d continued with his own response to her clan name. “Oh, most definitely, except we’re not exactly on a ‘planet’ as much as within a ‘realm’.” Though she could explain that in greater detail another time.

What Ticoga had said had her changing gears very quickly, her grin falling as he made it clear that her desire for the title that she’d toyed around with had very clear and very important ties to not just Ise but all of the rulers of Arcose. Silently, as Ticoga continued, Zerori ruminated on whether she actually wanted the title for the entire planet or… well, just Ise. When he turned to her to smile up at her, Zerori stopped to give her full attention upon answering her question about his title. “Oh! Damn, that’s pretty ambitious,” She laughed, having never even thought about trying to attain that much power for such a reason. “Ah - I’m not sure I could do the same, at least not for the same reason you’re doing that for.”

Then came the truth as Ticoga continued with Zerori following behind. “My desire is only to protect Ise. I learned from someone important that it’s dangerous to devote myself to a collective. My own personal experience, as well, has made me realize that not… not everyone is worthy of that devotion, either.” The visage of Kamae with his daughter came suddenly and painfully, even as Zerori steeled herself not to express any emotion outwardly. “If she wanted me to protect this place, which I figured was obvious, that’s just what I was going to do, y’know?” She finished, crossing her arms over her chest as she walked and looking around to seem as cool as possible to cover the fact that she was spilling her guts a bit more than she wanted to.

Still, she had to make it clear. "Whether the other triumvirs approved or not... I would do anything for Ise." She looked back at Ticoga, her visible red eye sharp with determination as she declared. "Anything."

While admired for her conviction, Zerori was effortlessly advised to think of the opposite and how it can be just as detrimental to only believe in and trust one person. At first, her knee jerk reaction was to quickly disagree - having gone down that road and experienced just how thankless and painful such care was. Not once. Not twice. But THREE times did Zerori try to believe that people weren’t all so bad and worth her help.

She was disappointed all three times and the final time was what she considered the last straw. Besides, she didn’t care for just one person. She just… liked Ise the most. What buzzed on her tongue as merely a disagreement, however, nearly blew up in a matter of seconds as Zerori looked to Ticoga with dangerous, cold eyes. She wasn’t going to say it out loud, for fear that perhaps she’d jumped the gun, but it sounded like he was suggesting that Ise could be manipulated, killed or confused in some manner that could prove just as dangerous as the uncertainty of the ‘collective’. She sneered at him, “I don’t want to think of the possibility of Ise manipulating OR someone close to Ise trying to manipulate her. She would never turn against her own people…”

She looked around, however, pointedly making it clear what her next words would be, “-but I don’t hold the same trust for everyone here. I don’t hate them, but the trust is clearly not there for me so why take the chance, yeah?”

While she wanted to keep the anger, a healthy reminder of what was possible to lose, his smile was unnaturally disarming - prompting Zerori to snort with a smirk of her own before relenting, “I’m sure you’re exactly who they need, then. Maybe,” She teased, allowing the spitfire of her anger to recede to where it belonged. His next words had her curious, however, following his gaze as he stared in the direction of some large estate far in the distance. She didn’t know the significance of it but whatever resided there must not have been good.

She glanced back at him, her eyebrow cocked upwards, “Something you wanna tell me?” She questioned cautiously, trying to follow the hints of what Ticoga might be implying.

Feeling more than a little anxious as the way Ticoga had spoke, Zerori cast one more glance in the direction of the mansion in the distance before relenting to whatever plan the shorter arcosian had in mind. While his wisdom didn’t exactly coincide with her own, she could at least keep it in mind for the future. His next words compounded his last ones as well, providing not exactly an answer to her question but he didn’t have to explain it in so many words, either, because she pretty much got the jist. Someone is going to die tonight, I just know it. She thought with a certain kind of heaviness in her heart as she followed him up the road. They passed by handfuls of the masses, either receiving looks of appraisal or revered glances, and Zerori noted the difference in reception. She didn’t elicit such reactions but Ticoga… Well, there was something to be said there and while Zerori wasn’t sure what that was quite yet something told her that she was about to find out.

Quietly, she listened as he explained just how dangerous the direction of power could become and where his role was played - a role she might even find herself in later if she truly would do anything for Ise. That distinction alone chilled and resolved Zerori to steel herself for what might happen. She wasn’t a child anymore; while death before had disgusted her, the naivety of a near death experience and almost losing her mother was a life-changing experience.

“Loud and clear,” Zerori acknowledged as they came up to the gate. As they were admitted and approached the doors, greeted by a brenchian, Zerori followed suit with an introduction of her own. This time, however, she made the bold claim that she was hesitant to do so before, “Zerori. Temporary Appointed Captain of the Royal Guard,” She introduced with firm confidence. When Ticoga had made their (his) business clear, Zerori would fold her arms across her chest with a scowl upon her face as if to say without speaking ‘It would be best if you let us in NOW’.

If the brenchian had turned to allow them entry Zerori would slightly lean down toward Ticoga to whisper, “I’ll hold him down while you punch him,” A wry grin on her face to help lighten the mood before the eventual continuation to what Zerori believed was going to be some kind of interrogation/murder.

At least she managed to crack his exterior for a moment and that was reward enough to know that he was still emotionally balanced before whatever was going to happen next occurred. Too often Zerori recalled the manner in which Yangcong so long ago had killed without meaning - disrupted lives that could have had a purpose right in front of her - and yet she’d been forced to endure his inevitable decline into senseless murder through physical pain. At least now she understood the laws of how her magic worked a little better.

Giving a nonchalant shrug, Zerori would watch as the servant appeared and didn’t think it was too much of a big deal that they would simply have to go to this Celsius guy. Except they wouldn’t. Curiously but with as much discretion as possible, Zerori turned her head to watch Ticoga as he calmly beat the servant into submission with words and, in no uncertain words, commanded the Lord to come to them. As agreed upon, Zerori remained silent and continued to do so even after the servant had returned to hopefully retrieve her Lord before things got messy.

The explanation was… distasteful and primitive but given her experiences and the stories of the more powerful Demon clans that existed back home - the concept of Hierarchy through the power of titles wasn’t lost on her. “It’s fine. I get the idea,” Zerori muttered quietly before turning back to the door and staring at it as if it were made of something interesting. “Back home - in Hell? - we had a clan that did something similar. Even though we ruled ourselves in our little piece of the pie, there were always stronger, faster and more powerful demons and devils that liked to let us know where we stood.” Her back straightened, rigid from the memories of the way her friends and family wondered when the next loss of kin would come.

A battle of wits that sent a poor fledging into the deadly unknown of the Demon Realm?

The sudden challenge to a warrior who only just got their title among their comrades?

Zerori’s lip twitched, the only sign she was affected by the blatant show of power that her people abhorred so deeply, “The last time it was a niece of mine… Younger than me. Seven. I think? Got a growth spurt, thought she was stronger than her brothers and decided to prove it to a rival clan that just so happened to be around,” Zerori could hear the servant approach with her incredible hearing and finished quickly. “There was nothing left but ashes. Power speaks and not always in words.” She cast him one last glance, the look in her eye tired and far away. “I’ve learned to listen.”

Catching sight of the very same child after her recounting of times long passed, Zerori felt a cold shudder race down her spine at just how different yet similar the situation was. Never, in her life, would Zerori have ever thought that she would be the one to knock on someone’s door to bring tragedy to a family… yet, in spite of Ticoga’s assurances, that was exactly how Zerori felt this was going to go. “We’ll see,” Zerori accepted before the Lord, Celsius, himself appeared at the door and Ho-LY shit was he huge. Seeing the mammoth of a man stand at the door and acknowledge them, even if she was the one getting the sass, had her eyes almost entirely wide as she silently scolded herself NOT to make a big deal out of it. He’s HUGE, just - WOW! And while he definitely cut a figure that she was sure anyone could see in the distance, she could say with confidence that she wasn’t intimidated.

Ticoga hadn’t hesitated to go right into the details of what he’d come for and why. Honestly, listening to the crime committed at first didn’t really make much sense to the woman as she tried to imagine the issues with bringing chemicals (as vague as that sounded) in from another planet. Was he talking about drugs? Why were those bad? Worse, she could SWEAR one of those names that stood against Celsius were familiar but she was having a hard time remembering where. Wait, was it the same Isikiy that she met alongside Tendantha?!

She blinked her eye rapidly, refocusing on the conversation (one-sided as it was) between Ticoga and the shocked Lord. At the mention of Pirates, even ones that Zerori had NO relation to, she could feel the palms of her hands beneath her finger less gloves start to sweat. The Nova’s were mercenaries, not pirates, technically but the anxiety of possibly being guilty by association later on down the line made the observation of the exchange surreal. As if she were watching what an interaction in the future would be like with herself in Lord Celsius’ place. She swallowed thickly, clenching her fists at her sides as Ticoga finished his accusation.

The look Celsius passed to her, along with his only partially finished words, made the hair on Zerori’s tail visibly bristle. What the fuck am I supposed to do?! He said to listen and nothing else, but… this is fuckin’ insane..

The ultimatum Ticoga threw down, threatening to kill the man in front of his own child, had Zerori nearly turning on Ticoga with a brightly shining red eye in his direction. Telepathically, Zerori made her reservations clear as Celsius had cast a look toward his child. You. Me. Somewhere private where we can’t destroy anything important. I have a disagreement to discuss with you, And she would leave it at that as she held her temper in check rather impressively. While Celsius had fortunately decided not to test Ticoga’s threat, Zerori was prepared to defend Celsius and impart her own brand of justice.

The thought of Zerori potentially being imprisoned with Ise returning to eventually look upon her with disappointment was enough to stay her hand… for the moment. For now, she added the only encouragement she felt would push this matter along swiftly, “I highly advise that you testify and, if the sources check out, we can use your testimony to bring justice to the soldiers lost due to your negligence.” It was little more than a regurgitation of what Zerori had heard other Arcosian say in her time on the planet but it sounded confident and she hoped that was enough.

She wouldn't admit it, but seeing the Lord capitulate so quickly at the thought of his child seeing him die right then and there... reminded her of just how quickly she might one day face the same thing with her mother.