[M/IC] War of the Hidden (Numbers and Naming)

Despite the fact that she was currently preoccupied with her kata, Shivali would wince slightly when the sound of breaking bones and reknitting muscles reached her ears, seemingly broken out of her rhythm. She was no stranger to broken bones and the likes, given her history as a warrior, but there was something different about this. The fact that it was multiple parts breaking and reforming at once, perhaps, or the simple knowledge that it would involve every bone and muscle twisting and deforming as they changed shape and size to suit their new purpose. Shivali found herself curious, despite the sickening nature of what she had just witnessed.

Of course, Christina herself seemed oddly unbothered by what had just happened. How did she endure the pain of having so many parts of her damaged at once, in rapid succession, without so much as flinching? Perhaps she had merely grown used to it, or didn't feel the pain at all. Heck, for all Shivali knew, her physiology had merely evolved or adapted to the constant changing. That, or her nerves and sensory organs were all so busy reforming that they were temporarily incapable of performing their function. Another thing to add to the list of questions she would need to ask -thankfully they would likely have plenty of time for that today.

"I could probably spend hours questioning an expert on that particular matter and still not be satisfied." she would mutter simply, finally giving up and falling out of the stance she had been practicing. With that, she would turn and walk over to where she had left her things. The warrior-servant would reach down and gather up her things, before using a spare patch of cloth to wipe the sweat off of her face.

"I'll honestly never know how your race is the one that ended up so heavily integrated with the humans. You're all infinitely weirder than my people, that much is for sure" she would state rather simply, packing her things away and slinging her pack over one shoulder again. Apparently she was somewhat unfazed by the idea of starting their daily march without taking a moment to recover from her stretching routine. "Regardless, we should get moving. The sooner we can hit the next town, the better" she would offer rather simply, starting to move back towards the road, whilst trusting her companion to follow.

"Yes, I agree, we should move now. As for my people, quite simply we used to rule over all races. Our empire was huge and taking control of everything. However, over time, the other races simply grew jealous and fearful our race and rose up against us. We fought a long bloody war that lasted hundreds of years until finally, our race started to lose. In the process, we were almost completely wiped out. Only maybe a two or three percent of our population managed to survive. Even now I would say we're not even a tenth of the size we used to be. Anyways though, because of the fact that we were so destroyed, we were forced to change how we lived, how we think of the world, and what our place in the world was. We were forced to live in the shadows and the best way for us to thrive in the shadows and grow our population was to hide among the humans. Obviously, besides nobles and the royal family, we couldn't hide our features so those in that area of our race were forced to live in areas that humans didn't want, or didn't care about seeing weird creatures. Mines, Quarries, farms in dangerous areas, out on the sea, all kinds of weird and dangerous places. As for nobles, they simply shifted into the form of a human, hiding their tails and ears. Royals, well, we're rarely seen by humans. We usually work through the nobles who deal with the humans and help run the kingdom under our orders." She flicked her tail around to grab it in her hand and look at it, slowly brushing the fur along it as she smoothed it out.

"Of course, some humans still saw me in my true form. For the most part, they were executed. Only a few managed to survive since they met me when I got old enough to start resisting my father and his orders. At that point, I was getting my own contacts in the military, people who owed me favors, allies who believed in me. Of course, everything changed when I got these bodies. More so when I started to learn what I was supposed to use them for." She was making sure to walk along the side of her traveling companion as she went on and on about talking about things.

"I'm well aware of the history of this world, my dear princess. I hardly need a refresher lesson, let alone in the middle of nowhere like this. That was hardly the point of my observation" she would admonish gently as the two of them began their stroll, falling into step beside her new travelling companion. Aside from that one instance, though, Shivali was rather content to let her new friend do most of the talking. Christina certainly seemed to enjoy taking the leading role when it came to conversation, and the warrior-servant had no reason to try and steal the spotlight from her. She was happy to respond when necessary, or exchange information about their respective people and cultures, but she had not the other girl's talent for monologuing on relatively straightforward topics

"Our people were never as numerous as yours to begin with, even before the manywar, and our losses were difficult to recover from because of it. As for now...well, tracking our population's numbers has become tricky. With so many people out scouting, its hard to get an accurate count" she would start, a small frown flickering across her features. For what seemed like the first time, she seemed almost hesitant to speak of something that could be considered a part of their information exchange. Not because she was worried about giving away vital or sensitive information, but for more personal reasons.

"A...we very rarely hear of it directly when our scouts die. We simply stop receiving messages from them, and are left to forever wonder what befell them. We never know if the deserted, or fell in combat. If they passed away from an accident, or were captured and jailed" she answered, tone suddenly much softer. She even tilted her eyes downwards slightly as the two of them walked, watching the ground in front of her. Apparently this was something of a soft spot amongst her kind. "Most of them never receive a proper burial. We never know the right words to say to honour them, if they are indeed worth honouring"

She thought on the words of her friend, listening to what it is that she said about the fallen comrades. "I'm sorry. It must take its toll on your people." She then looked back up. "I've decided. I'll use some of the contacts I have to gather information on people who fit your match. Any information we have about agents we have found and observed will be delivered to an agent that we have eyes or get eyes on. So that your people can at least get some peace about some of the lost ones. Of course, I won't be able to send the request to one of my contacts until we get to the city. Though I doubt too much of it will be able to be gathered right now. However, once I become Queen and rule the land, I'll be able to allow your people to come into my land peacefully in the hunt for information on what happened to those who were lost." She said with a smile as she continued to walk with her companion. The truth was that she understood how much it meant to know how someone was lost.

She was facing such a quest with her own mother. She had the version given to her by her father. However, with all the lies her father ever told her, she had no reason to believe it was the correct version. So with the help of her bodies, she was gathering information from her agents and contacts, in order to piece the truth of not only what happened to her mother, but the truth behind her own past which was at times, foggy between truth and lies. "I'm sure we still have a few in jail. However, I can tell you now... After being jailed... It would be better if they were killed instead of caught. Considering what my father did to me, his own daughter. I would hate to think what experiments he would try on enemies in the name of gaining the power to defeat his enemies."

Shivali would maintain her silence as the two of them continued to march onwards for a moment, lost in her own thoughts. The unknown fate of her companions weighed heavily on the woman's shoulders, and it showed in her body language, despite her determined attempts to remain stoic. She would glance up again as her travelling companion offered to try and alleviate such suffering with means available only to her, expression softening greatly at the thought. There was no guarantee that such an offer would be successful, of course - the king might try and stifle Christina's influence now that he knew she had escaped, or they might struggle to get in contact with another agent. Still, a slim hope was better than none, and even if they could only provide knowledge about one or two of Shivali's comrades, it was still better than nothing at all.

Hopefully someone thinks to do the same for me, should I fall before the end of this

The kind offer was almost enough to make Shivali feel bad about her deception

"Thank you" she offered simply, tone soft. In an attempt to shirk her own dour mood, the warrior-servant would force a rather wry smile. "I suppose that's just another reason to make you queen as soon as I possibly can"

Unfortunately, the talk soon turned dour again, as Christina mentioned what might be happening to any agents who had been captured by her father, instead of being killed outright. It was hard to restrain someone who possessed a sword that could cut through anything and could call it to their side at any time, but it was possible, if one knew how. Still, after a few moments, Shivali realised that she had unconsciously curled her hands into fists at the thought, and clenched her jaw.

"They..." she hissed, before quickly stopping herself. It took a few moments, but Shivali would quickly force herself to relax, uncurling her hands and taking a deep, audible breath. What was she going to do? The warrior-servant wanted nothing more than to try and put a stop to such a thing, but risking herself and her current mission to try and correct the situation would be...foolhardy at best. They were scouts and spies - she and her companions had all acknowledged and accepted the possibility when they had taken on this job.

"Nobody deserves such treatment" Shivali would finally offer, only when she trusted that she had composed herself enough to speak rationally again. She suppressed any of the barbed comments she wanted to make about the king, out of consideration for Christina. The girl likely held some measure of affection for her father, even if she could acknowledge his faults...or so she was inclined to think.

"Should we somehow manage to free them, I would consider it a personal debt to you. I know its irrational, and unlikely, but...well, you never know"

"Don't consider it a debt, after all, here you are helping me to restore my kingdom by putting me on the throne. Besides, if I can convince that I truly wish to bring peace, it will only help me out more in your kingdom. After all, depending on how the situation looks at this city, I may have to consider going through your lands to get to the coast in order to avoid the agents of my father. If that comes to pass, I'll need your trust and support even more than I already do. I understand politics all to well and even if you want to help, I know that not everyone in your lands might agree with that. Especially if they learn who I truly am." Christina shook the thought out of head for now.

"Thank you... For holding your tongue about my father... No one knows his crimes and faults more than I do. I understand better than anyone what he has done and why he must be stopped. Yet, I also understand his reasoning for doing all of this. I know he is wrong and I know he thinks that he is right. However, it's because I understand his point of view, that I know I must step up and stop him. If I do nothing, then I am no better than he is. Some would say he deserves to die for what he has done..." Christina tried to keep her voice from wavering as she spoke. It was a touchy subject, but she knew that she needed to be open with her companion. "..However, his death won't fix that which has already been done, and every life is precious in the eyes of our goddess. So even when I take control, he will not face execution. I wish to show him the right path, the path of the light." She looked back to her companion before stopping and grabbing her hands with a smile on her face.

She cocked her head to the side as she closed her eyes with a smile, making her tail move side to side excitedly. "I hope that you'll be by my side for this whole journey while I bring the light back to me people!" She opened her eyes to stare up at her companions face with a determined look. "With my diplomatic power and your combat abilities, I know we can bring a peace between the nations of the world that our people only thought of as a distant pipe dream!"

A wry smile flickered across Shivali's features as her travelling companion decided to bring up the topic of her father, breaching the subject on her own terms. Love for one's family despite their shortcomings was something the warrior-servant could understand, even if she didn't necessarily agree with Christina's assessment. Few had the stomach to wholeheartedly turn on and condemn their own family, in her experience, despite whatever atrocities they may have committed. Shivali, of course, was not limited by sentiment in her views on Christina's father. She remained somewhat sceptical as to whether such a man could be saved, and most definitely qualified as one of those who thought the man should pay with his life for his crimes.


"I can't necessarily say that I agree with your opinions, but I admire your optimism, if nothing else" she remarked, meeting her companion's gaze. She was still yet to decide if Christina was simply naïve, or truly capable of acting as a catalyst for such change. However, she had decided to trust her new travelling companion, if just for the time being. The world the Nekorian envisioned truly seemed better, and trust had to start somewhere. Besides, there were plenty of benefits for her own people, should such actually come to pass.

"I do hope that your dream comes true, for the sake of my own people. I can't help but wonder just how much we will come to grow, should the day ever come when we can travel the world freely" she would remark, turning her eyes up towards the sky as she pondered the thought. Would their numbers increase to the sort of levels that the Nekorians and humans had reached at their peak? Just how would their culture and blood change if they were to mingle on a daily basis? An interesting thought.

"Even if my father never becomes a better man, he'll still have his uses. If I sentence him to death, that's it. He'll never do anything ever again, good or bad. If I keep him alive, even if he refuses to do good, there are still benefits that I can keep him for. A way to bring out allies of my father as they attempt to rescue him from the castle prison." She turned back around and continued walking again.

She held her hands behind her back and her tail moved side to side as she walked, with her tail swinging to the side opposite of the foot that was stepping forward. She couldn't help but think about her size all of the sudden. Maybe it was because she was trying to stare into the eyes of her companion only to find that she was mostly looking up. After all, she was already short compared to the rest of her species. Then there was her companion, who was taller than most in her species as well, only making her have to look up more than she was used to. It wouldn't surprise her if some humans thought that they were mother and daughter. She was kind of looking forward to it, seeing it as a good story to use if they got stopped by human guards at the city, especially if they were with her merchant friend.

"Its your party, princess. I'm just the security" Shivali would answer, giving something akin to a casual shrug as she tried to dismiss the topic. Truth be told, the warrior-servant wasn't sure if she would want to be there or not, should the day come when they returned to Christina's home and confronted her father directly. Shivali doubted she would be able to stop herself from 'slipping' and ending the man's life whilst trying to restrain him, and quite frankly, she wasn't certain if that was a good or a bad thing. Dangerous territory, and a topic better left unspoken while they were still newly made friends.

Having moved on from such dangerous ground, Shivali would continue to march onwards, maintaining a pace that was quick yet sustainable. While today would be much like the others in that it would consist of several hours of continuous walking, there would be one major difference today. If their estimations proved to be correct, this would be the day that they finally arrived at their destination. An end to the forced march, and possibly a proper bed for the night.

Sure enough, the city's outer walls would come into view later into the evening. They towered above both the buildings within and the rolling hills without, proclaiming the owner's dominance over the surrounding landscape. Of course, as the two of them got closer, the road would slowly become more crowded. Their paths crossed with those of other travellers - mostly merchants looking to ply their trade, transporting goods to areas where they would fetch higher prices than what they had paid to begin with.

"Your friend should already be waiting for us, correct? Is there a specific place we are supposed to meet him, or should I be keeping an eye out for anything in particular?" she would question rather simply. Of course, she was already keeping an eye out for any Nekorian guards that might cross their path, but...well, it would be hard to spot their contact if she had no idea what to look for.

"Yes, my bird made contact with him. Only, he is already in the city. From the bird, I can tell which inn he is in. So we must only get past the guards controlling the entrance to the city. You'll have no problems getting in. Tell them that you're a mercenary and that you're here to find work with the merchant Alex. I myself will use my bodies to form myself into some kind of animal to hide on your shoulder. Maybe a ferret, they're quite cute don't you think so?" She said in an amused tone as she wasn't worried about any of the surrounding people paying attention to her. "It would mean we'll need to get away from the road real quick so that I can change forms and climb onto your neck. I'll still be able to speak our language, so I'll just make sure to whisper into your ear. So, shall we go with this plan?" She wanted to get into the city sooner than later and her being in the animal form would allow her to be safer than being seen by a guard until they met up with Alex.