Scene #9304: Heavy Is The Crown That Gets The Head

Owner	Pose
Petra Soroka	Hydrochoeria may be the strangest place Audrey has been in the multiverse yet. It's technically accessible by warpgate again now, but Petra still takes Audrey there via the airship service from the Grand Dorado, because that's more fun than waiting in lines in warpgate hubs, and it gives a better introductory view of the Petra's domain. There's a short while of sailing over the Great Ocean below, until one of the islands in the distance is level with the airship rather than far below it. Viewing it from the side, it's obvious that the core chunk of rock and metal that makes up Hydrochoeria was simply ripped out of where it used to be. Conical like a stalactite, it's supported in the air by four massive jets that thrum at a constant intensity to keep it stable as it lazily drifts through the air. The central island is surrounded by smaller platforms of rock that either weightlessly orbit or are loosely chained in place, with the warpgate visible on one of those orbiting islands. The architecture itself is bizarre in a way that feels like it could only be indictative of Petra, with a mishmash of all different kinds of buildings patterned across the surface, built on the stripped skeleton of Quicknest that used to be there. It all radiates out from the plaza in front of the castle, which, viewed from above, has a mosaic of the Eggman Empire symbol combined with Petra's silver rat banner iconography, with the latter hanging as literal banners in various locations. On one side of the island is a colosseum, on the other is a building drenched in smooth morphmetal with a blooming Silver lotus sprouting out of the top, smooth roots snaking out to claim that 'patch' of the city. The bulk of the buildings are pleasantly urban-rustic, with much more space allotted to trees and greenery than the city center of Quicknest used to have, and the roads are all playground rubber of all things. In one area, there's some sort of processing building where the remaining clerks that survived Lobotomy Corporation are working on finding accomodations either in the apartments available on Hydrochoeria or somewhere offworld. In another, a sub-five-foot-tall robot girl with mouse ears and tail and a permanent smirk is lecturing Chewie on how to best run his upcoming restaurant for Maximum Pervert Potential And Financial Reward !! In another, there's a luxurious spa with a pool built into the rocky outcroppings outdoors, where a blue-haired magical girl is relaxing with a faceless maid. And then, the castle itself, which is what Audrey is actually here to see. Audrey can intuitively tell on sight, because of Video Games, that this is meant to be an 'evil' castle, but knowing from representations in media how the aesthetic is meant to come across only makes it clearer the ways in which Petra seems to have fallen short. Her aesthetic limitations and fixations clash with any intended sense of menace she meant to produce with it, and the blur between Gothic architecture and techno-medieval sci-fi villainy, along with a tendency towards soft angles and dark stone, make it seem at best as ominous as a World One's corrupted cozy castle, rather than a final villain's lair. Dark, round towers have blue or silver veins of metal or chunks of crystal, floating sci-fi rings around the central tower glow dimly yellow, some towers float autonomously above the rest of the structure and are reachable by chain bridges around the core tower ring.
Petra Soroka	The airship touches down in the central royal plaza, right in front of the castle. Petra hops over the side of the railing before it even settles down fully, trusting in the rubber cushioning that she put everywhere here to protect her from a measly twenty foot drop. She is, of course, wearing her full Elibe attire, on Audrey's request, and raises up a hand to invite Audrey down the ramp once it's deployed, into Petra's territory. "So, I've been building it up for around a year at this point. A little shorter than that, I think; I don't remember exactly when all the heroes came to try and dethrone me. And failed, obviously. Well-- not that I'd sit on the throne anyways, but I did beat their asses." "And thus I deployed my grand, evil plot," Petra says theatrically, spinning around on the ball of her foot to gesture with wide arms at her surroundings. "Giving a few homeless girls a place to stay and making a spa resort for the L-Corp employees to get some sun on their days off. I'm fucking terrible at being a villain sometimes. I think the whole Quicknest fiasco ended up saving way more lives than it ended."
Audrey Basque	When Audrey met up with Petra, she was holding onto burgers! Or, well, a bag, with burgers in it, obviously. Though someone might see a romantic gesture in the fact it's the same kind that Petra brought her when she visited the second time, Audrey had more seen it as knowing what place Petra likes her burgers from. It's a small thing, but it's also a bit cute, she supposes. She dressed for the occasion, too. The blouse, the skirt, the cloak; the outfit Petra so carefully helped pick for her, and then helped put together, and that paired at least a bit well with her own knightly getup. That, too, was a bit cute, but since she wanted to see a castle, it wouldn't do to look out of place in it! The airship ride is appreciated; she wonders if Petra remembered her fawning over Sarracenia's ship, that night with Rufus, or if it was just the best way there. Either way, she spends the ride fawning over this one, too. The view, the feeling of the wind, everything! Not only did this give them time to eat what she brought, but this is also where she remembers... "Oh! Petra! Let me show you..." She reaches her hand inside her cloak-- not a pocket!!-- and pulls out a small, burger-sized robotic scarab made of dark bronze-y steel, with a single glowing golden eye matching Audrey's lower eyes. Both gifts from Meresankh-- the scarab, and the idea of making the cloak a storage space. The little scarab floats on its own, over one of Audrey's shoulders, and begins taking pictures of the vistas they pass, per her instructions. "I haven't named it yet. It's cute, right?" A friend for the ratbots! "You hadn't mentioned you had so many people living here though! Petra, are you... a queen, in actual title?" Of all the things for her not to brag about! Of course the fact the castle is EVIL THEMED (ALMOST) doesn't escape her notice, but coming from Petra... that, too, is kind of cute, and makes Audrey hold a giggle in at the obvious effort. Petra hops off, but Audrey knows that's Fine, Actually. She waits for the ship to land, and walks down the hand to regroup with the evil queen once she can, the scarab following after her. "My, you even safeguarded this place from dastardly adventurers? Really, you should be bragging about being a queen. That's very kind of you, though. I'm sure Angela is glad to know they're in good hands here." She brings a hand up to cup her chin thoughtfully, eyeing Petra down with a bit of playfulness to her tone and eyes. "I still cannot believe I'm being courted by nobility though. You might actually be the highest class admirer I've had!" She tries to recall, in all seriousness. "Well there was that one prince, actually... but queen beats prince."
Petra Soroka	"Oh! Petra! Let me show you..." "Oh my god." Petra puts her burger down and diligently wipes her hands clean with the paper napkins. She flips open her compact mirror to pull out Twopence, like introducing two pets to each other, except Twopence isn't sentient in any way and doesn't gain anything out of hovering around to 'sniff' the scarab besides it being cute. "They're friends. Ohh, and it's got a camera too, like the ratbots...." "Well, where'd you get it from?" Petra pokes at the scarab and tries to delicately flip it upside down to see if she can get a look at whatever mechanisms are moving it. Eggman loved to talk about all the other almost-comparable roboticists in the multiverse, and while Petra doesn't really expect this to be from one of them, she's curious if she can at least identify some general trends in technique. "All my ratbots are named, like, Twopence, Pence, Farthing, Ruble, and so on, so you can, like, see the theme there. But you've only got the one, right?" "My, you even safeguarded this place from dastardly adventurers?" Petra, mortified by the accusation, gasps and gestures up at the castle behind her, as if how Obviously Evil it is will do the explaining for her. "I'm not a queen! I conquered an entire country and completely reduced it to rubble and had the entire populace stuck inside my evil robots, and then when the heroes came to try and free the terrorized civilians, I beat them and left the country totally annihilated!" She pauses. "Well, not that I didn't free the robotomized civilians after that anyways. But, like, Quicknest is gone because of me. I just wiped it off the map. These are my villainous spoils." "Anyways," Petra turns around and walks towards the castle, up the wide staircase that leads up to its double doors. "I haven't, um... used the castle all that much since rebuilding it from the last fight I had in it. I dunno. It doesn't suit me to spend time in a... castle or anything, like... even when I was controlling Quicknest, I spent most of my time out in the rest of the city or in the workshops I built in the dungeons. Or in the bloodsports arena doing bloodsports." "So I don't know how impressive the tour's gonna be, but... we can get a nice view of the island from the ring deck up top. You can see the terrace gardens from there. There's... bedrooms? I can show you the dungeons?" "I still cannot believe I'm being courted by nobility though." "Am I the one doing the courting, though?" Petra mumbles under her breath. She's not even certain yet how great she feels about that being a thing that's happening at all, but it's not like she's doing anything to stop it either. "That's true, though. I'm better than any loser prince or whatever. I mean, like, if there was a duel against practically anybody in your world, I'd win." This might not be the sole metric by which courtship is determined, but Petra's currently wearing the outfit and she's got her sword on her hip, so she's in a bit of a mood.
Audrey Basque	"Well, where'd you get it from?" As Petra flips the scarab over (it has antigrav, so it remains quite steadily afloat even upside down), it emits a sort of distressed chittering sound; but really, it's not sentient. It has no weaponry, what would normally be sharp little leg ends have been blunted, and the most complex thing on it seems to be that the eye doubles as a camera and a projector. It probably gets wi-fi! And it understands basic commands. It's a smartphone assistant! But holdable, like a burger. "Ah, that would from Queen Meresankh. We were trading outlooks and information on... she calls it astramancy. My Tradition, essentially, and their version of it. She gave me the idea to..." She reaches into her cloak and pulls out her phone. "See? Don't even need pockets now. I'd never really thought about it. Fabric folds are kind of like pockets." "These are my villainous spoils." "I think an evil conqueror queen is still a queen, but if not queen then I invite your majesty to provide a suitable title for me to refer to her as. Unless Lady Petra ends up being fine after all?" A slight smile. She might not have experience expressing herself this way, but she has years of experience listening to Maria tease her this way and kind of wishing she could be more carefree and aggravating in that way. A bit, at least. "So I don't know how impressive the tour's gonna be, but... we can get a nice view of the island from the ring deck up top. You can see the terrace gardens from there. There's... bedrooms? I can show you the dungeons?" "I've only ever been in so many castles, and in no cases have I gotten to see all of them up and down. I'll happily see everything you think is worth seeing. Except maybe the bloodsports arena, I don't think I need to see another bloodsports arena." She's not THAT much of a freak. "Am I the one doing the courting, though?" Audrey giggles, not just because of Petra's hesitation but the absurdity of the situation. She should feel ashamed. She should feel gripped by remorse, and regret, at this utter betrayal of who she is and who she wants to be. Why can't she, right now? It's so silly. It's funny. It's crushing, and if she doesn't laugh she might have a panic attack. "I guess... it's a split effort," she says. "But yes. You'd probably win. I've never been courted by anyone from the Immune Corps, if you must know, and so I trust every last one of them has never seen a minute of combat in their whole lives. I could probably fold them," she even adds, boldly, "And that's really funny to think about."
Petra Soroka	"Ah, that would from Queen Meresankh." "I dunno who that is, actually." Petra's opinion of Meresankh immediately goes down a tiny bit, because of the statistical reality of most queens who are also Elites. This forces her to think of herself being called a queen again, though, and that makes her a little pouty. "The bot's cute, though. It's honestly pretty similar to the ratbots overall, it looks like." "Unless Lady Petra ends up being fine after all?" Petra, on a few steps higher than Audrey towards the castle, suddenly twists around to look down on her. Abruptly, she puts an edge into her voice, hand on her hip just above the pommel of her morphmetal sword, practically glaring down at Audrey. "It's not fine. Don't." She holds that position for a moment, then furrows her forehead in faint confusion at herself and eases up, finishing the climb to the castle. "Sorry. I'm just really not a queen or anything. That's not my vibe. You can see my vibe." That being, pants, a cape and sword, a cuffed and ruffled shirt with a corset that has wide straps that partly flatten her chest down too. Her hair being slightly more shaggily grown out than before just makes her look more like the 'dashing knight' rather than the princess. "I'll happily see everything you think is worth seeing." At the top of the stairs, Petra pauses to pull open one of the massive double doors, gesturing Audrey inside with one gloved hand. She puts on a small amount of performance in order to repair the mood after getting upset. It is, also, Petra's castle. It's still cool! "Then allow me to be your guide, my lady. Eheh." The door opens up immediately into the throne room, as those sorts of doors should. Petra doesn't linger there for long, though, just gesturing at the (surprisingly luxurious but not at all Petra-seeming) throne at the far side while bringing Audrey over to the staircase. "That throne's actually built from the old Quicknest throne that I melted down. Back when I was ruling Quicknest, though, I didn't keep it down here; I had a, um, battle arena set up at the top of the tower where it was." Then at the staircase, Petra hesitates briefly. "Down or up...? I guess down first."
Petra Soroka	So after the ornate throne hall, the next place Audrey is shown is the grand spiral staircase that goes right down into the gloomy stone dungeons. Or, rather, they used to be stone, and used to be gloomy, but Audrey can tell what was the 'former' castle and what parts Petra modified herself. Metal is built into the stone both for structural support and aesthetics, with grind rails curving around the hallways and through the rooms, going down all the way to the base of the dungeons. It's lit up and warm by firelight, coming primarily from a kitchen where a ratbot in a little chef hat floats out the door. Petra refers to that one as "Franc, like, the money," and then points out the areas where other kitchens used to be, that she converted into robot forges instead. "I spent a lot of time in there. Making, like, more ratbots, repairing the robotomized bots, rigging up ways to strap weapons to them or just building the weapons straight up. More there than in the rest of the castle. I never had any prisoners to keep in the dungeon, though... I guess I still could. How much of a freak are you?" "You'd probably win. I've never been courted by anyone from the Immune Corps," After snickering at her own joke, Petra leans against the short stone wall that overlooks the drop into the panopticonic dungeon well. Idly, the sword in her belt loses surface tension and sloughs out of its binding, and the morphmetal orbits around Petra to reform the sword on the ledge of the wall beside her. "Well, that wouldn't stop me. I've beaten the single strongest person in the Immunes in a duel, you know. Not that it wasn't rigged in my favor, or that I didn't lose to her plenty of times before, haha.... But still."
Audrey Basque	"I dunno who that is, actually." "Oh. Remember my extremely odd fever dream about a giant frog and skeleton wall? She was there and helped save people. She's a Paladin. She is... also a robotic skeleton, and that took a bit of getting used to looking at, though her attendants are a bit scarier. And quirkier. And yes! I... ah... I wasn't sure what to ask of her, in payment, and... then I saw one of those, and remembered your little ratbots, and..." Audrey shrinks a little it, embarrassed to admit she asked for a little scarab for that silly reason. "It's not fine. Don't." And then she shrinks even more, having stepped over such a clear line. "O-Oh. N-No, please, don't apologize, it's... me, being a bit too..." Forward? Excited? She scratches the back of her head, nervously. "Of course. Ser Knight, not Lady. I didn't realize you felt so strongly about... it won't happen again." She, too, tries to restore the mood, making an exaggerated bow and even flourishing the cloak a little. "I won't sully your honor any further, noble knight." "Then allow me to be your guide, my lady. Eheh." And then suddenly, Audrey gets it. "Mmm. Are you sure you're not the one courting after all? It IS typically the noble knight's duty to woo her lady." Though the lady does also have a duty to chase, she supposes? "Perhaps with a feat of arms..." They come upon a throne room, as they chat, and of course Audrey stares wide-eyed at it even though their stay in the room is all too brief. She makes a note, after the tour, that she wants to see it again. They go down, and Audrey can't help but be a bit surprised at the warm interior. She'd expected it to be a bit cold or damp, further down, but it's actually well taken care of, despite being empty and lonely. "I guess I still could. How much of a freak are you?" Apparently not enough of one that she doesn't turn bright red at the suggestion. "T-That is, ah... I do not... I-I mean, perhaps... perhaps another... time?" She focuses her eyes on the forges, rather than Petra, pointedly trying to put those thoughts in a box. Though the prospect of-- No!! That's... simply too much, she thinks. Not that, with Petra, it doesn't also sound... "I've beaten the single strongest person in the Immunes in a duel, you know." Eyes momentarily captured by the morphmetal sword, Audrey recalls her earlier statement, smiling a bit wider. "A feat of arms! No way... you beat Miss Rook? In a duel? How?" She's curious, and not exclusively to validate Petra's feat in her eyes as the lady being wooed by the knight, but it's a convenient excuse too.
Petra Soroka	"She's a Paladin. She is... also a robotic skeleton," "Huh. Lots of robotic skeletons in the Paladins." Dimo isn't really that at all, but Petra thinks it's funny to say, and being in Hydrochoeria generally makes Dimo come to mind more often. "Just from one look at that scarab I know there's no influence from Dimo there, though, so I guess she's a totally different thing." "I didn't realize you felt so strongly about... it won't happen again." Petra sighs, feeling guilty now as she leads Audrey over to the spiral staircase. She's not even really sure where the sudden vehemence in her own reaction came from, besides the fact that she's repeated the same thing over and over again to Audrey and it's been treated as a joke. That's probably it, actually. "I don't know, it's not a big deal. It's just... I don't like it. I think I... don't like any kind of, insinuation, that whatever success or power I've got is going to mean I end up... resting on it and taking it easy. Right? I don't really care about luxury or, ruling kingdoms, or doing government stuff and ordering people to do stuff for me. It's been a bit of a worry on my mind ever since I became a Partner too. Like it looks like suddenly I've 'won' and can sit back and do nothing." "I-I mean, perhaps... perhaps another... time?" Audrey's stammering deflection is instantly drowned out by Petra's cackling, that echoes through the castle without anyone else around to hear it. "Oh my god you're such a slut! How did you even survive this long acting like a perfect top student?! If you weren't already 'degraded', that joke wouldn't have even made sense to you; I didn't even say anything specific!" It's good that Petra has the outlet of poking fun at Audrey, though, because she wouldn't have any idea how to follow up on that comment otherwise. Like, what the hell is Audrey even imagining? Being chained up in the dungeon like a damsel in distress? Isn't that too weird for even Petra?? And why is it all about sex now anyways?! "No way... you beat Miss Rook? In a duel?" "Barely, really," Petra immediately feels compelled to downplay her own claim, because hearing it out loud is way too ridiculous. Petra pushes herself off the wall and twirls around, sword telekinetically slotting itself back into her belt. "Wanna head upstairs? I don't know what else there'd be to do down here." After all the stairs to the entryway, going all the way up several tall flights in the spiral staircase might be exhausting to Audrey, but Petra's barely bothered by it. "It was during the war, and only really possible because I had, um, engineered everything to be on my side already. The last stretch of it was me trying to hold Lilian off from the door to Carmen's chamber for long enough while Angela took control of the Light, and I managed to make her retreat. Just for Gebura to show up right after, so I totally would've died there anyways, eheh."
Petra Soroka	Getting from the central tower out to the 'ring' as Petra calls it means going outside, across loose chain bridges held up by antigravity and rattling each time the wind blows. Petra's carelessly stable even when the bridges sway, but if Audrey gets spooked, Petra will give her a hand crossing to the orbiting rotating spiderweb-like mechanical construction. Through the window from here, Audrey can see the entirety of Hydrochoeria again from a different angle. As promised, there's a nice view of the terraced gardens, covered in flowers and other plants, with a playground-like obstacle course built around the hill. Petra follows up to the window behind her, and starts fiddling with Twopence to try and pull a certain thing up. "Honestly, the Quicknest castle was so ugly before. The whole city was. The whole country, actually, but I didn't bother rebuilding that part, just destroying it. I think I might've... overdid it a little bit, with the castle, since I haven't really gotten assaulted by a team of heroes again ever since building it out of the rubble of the old one. But the city's pretty enough, now."
Audrey Basque	"I... don't like any kind of, insinuation, that whatever success or power I've got is going to mean I end up... resting on it and taking it easy." "I understand. Actions, not words, and you feel such words were made to carry people without the need for actions. Or something along these lines?" It's not entirely a feeling Audrey can grasp, being that she, on the other hand, will happily remind people she is a Crown, even if it's just White, every chance she gets, at least home. "Whereas a knight, of course, is defined by their actions. You cannot infer what kind of person a Lady is, because that title can come from so many places including simple birthright. But if I call you Ser Knight, the implication leans towards having earned it, and being active." She might be totally off. That's the vibe Petra gives her, though. "Something like that?" "Oh my god you're such a slut!" "P-Petra! Please! I do not need to be a slut, as you so put it, to imagine what you mean by placing me in a dungeon cell! You are dressed like a dashing knight, I would imagine you would wish to... tie me up, and feign a rescue, or some... scenario similar to that in nature." Okay in fairness she's imagining something much more tame than what Petra likely presumed!! But it's still bad enough she, by reflex, slips back into a formal tone and presses her words carefully. But it's still Weird Roleplay. "Barely, really," They head upstairs, as Petra recalls a part of the war for Audrey. It is a bit exhausting for Audrey, yes! She's fit, but not walk up and down a castle a lot fit. She even does get spooked by the rickety chain bridges, even though it would be so trivial to tap into the existing antigravity. But it'd also defeat the purpose of the tour! So the hand from Petra is more than appreciated. Ever since the eversion, simply holding hands with Petra feels... different, unique, and she can't deny desiring that. With the great view from up there, Audrey directs her floating scarab to snap pictures of the flowers. "Who tends to these, anyway? You? It looks like a lot of work. But you said you don't spend much time here, so..." "But the city's pretty enough, now." "It is. And however you may feel on accepting the title of ruler, I suppose the important part is that the people you shelter here are happy. That's reason enough for you to be, right?"
Petra Soroka	"I would imagine you would wish to..." "You would imagine that I would want..." Petra's snickering trails off, giving Audrey a break with just the eyebrow-raising implication at the end of that sentence. The mocking mirth is replaced by a growing sense of unease at Audrey that she struggles to wrap her mind around properly. She focuses on the way it spiked up at that stammering line from her, and falls silent for a minute while she contemplates it. There's a sense of psychotic inhumanity to it, isn't there? That Petra is a mineral, a machine, a curse, whose presence is an infliction and whose innate nature causes this kind of perversion and ruin. Audrey can grasp Petra on purpose and allow Petra to destroy her life by existing, and she can sit and wait and let every bit of depraved want inside her be projected onto Petra so that none of it needs to be her own fault. Petra is the fuck-up, the altar Audrey can throw herself on to be tragically sacrificed, and... well... putting it like that, Petra's feelings only get more complicated. After all, it's true, and it's hard for Petra to complain about being taken advantage of when that's exactly the kind of thing she herself has done and encouraged. It's just strange for her to be in this position. "Well, I won't stop you from underestimating me." Petra mostly means that in a non-slutty way, as she gets more of a feel for the leaky noncommittal position Audrey made that claim of Petra 'damaging' her from. She also means it in a bit of a slutty way, and it's a good thing she's faced away from Audrey. "Who tends to these, anyway? You?" "Ah... nah." Petra shakes her head slightly, looking out at the flowers. They're all different kinds, practically spilling over each other haphazardly, and Petra is not particularly a gardener. "It was some of the agents' idea to actually turn it into something that needed taking care of. When I lost all the Quicknest bots, I sort of thought it would just slowly fall apart, but it ended up being a sort of community project. This is actually, uh... the first spring that anyone's doing much with it. I'm surprised they had the energy, after...." After most of their peers were killed in the fall of Lobotomy Corporation. It's a little odd, actually, now that Petra's thinking about it. The people on the island during the war just barely escaped dying along with everyone else, and Hydrochoeria was only ever an attachment to Lobotomy Corporation for them. That the flowers were planted and taken care of even when they were all given the opportunity to leave, and many of them took it, feels weird to Petra.
Petra Soroka	"That's reason enough for you to be, right?" "... I guess. I still don't know how to feel about being responsible for so many people's lives like that, even though I guess I have been for a while. Just, usually less directly. I'm... happy, I think. It's weird, because back when it was a real country, the whole city was just totally empty, and now that it's just this, there's all these people." Petra finally figures out what she wants out of Twopence, and holds the ratbot up so it can start hovering in front of the window. A sheet of light emanates out of its projector, overlaying 3D-ish holographic illusions over the entirety of Hydrochoeria, of what it looked like back when Petra had it conquered as the villainous Egg Head. The most striking thing, besides the general absence of life, is that it was practically one continuous obstacle course from end to end, full of spikes and lasers and crushing machines, and also just platforms to jump between and swarming robots as guards. "This was what it used to be, though. I actually went through the whole network of defenses myself like, three times while waiting for anyone else to show up to stop me. To-- you know, to make sure that it'd work and everything. It was a good learning experience, I think. Anyways, is there anything else you wanna see?"
Audrey Basque	"Well, I won't stop you from underestimating me." "I would never," Audrey huffs, hands on her hips, like this is the most serious matter in the world for a second or two. "I just... also... do not really..." She stammers, wordlessly, until she clears her throat to drop her guard and speak frankly. "I do not know what I want. Or how, or... why, or... what it will mean, for me. I have been thinking, a lot, about what you said. Needing to choose, to pick how I want others to see me before they do it for me." She looks down, not at the ground, but at her clothes; the fancy, freegoing attitude of dressing like she's going to a renaissance faire, unironically and seriously, and enjoying it. She'd even let her hair down! She doesn't, usually, unless it's for something formal where she feels in her element, and... well, these trips, in these clothes. That desire to throw herself onto the altar, indeed. "Ridiculous, right?" She leaves that hanging, because while it's true she's been thinking, she still hasn't figured it out. How could she? It's all so new and... degenerate. Shameful. Exciting. "This is actually, uh... the first spring that anyone's doing much with it." Her attention diverts, thankfully, back to the flowers. That's safer. Better. "Well, if it's the first spring... I can't wait to see the second. It's a nice place, and it looks like the people you have here care a lot." "This was what it used to be, though." Audrey watches the overlay, noticing the differences. It'd be hard not to. "Was the hero situation really that dire that you needed this many defenses?" She asks, puzzled, especially at the idea Petra kept going through it herself. But then she doubles back, beaming a big smile at Petra's statement that she's happy. "I prefer it now to what it used to look like. Especially the life. If it still seems empty to you... maybe we could find a way to make it feel less so. Decorate a little, get a few... ah..." A FEW DAYS AGO, IN HER DORM ROOM A handsome blonde young man, who definitely looks like he hangs out with Yuuki, shows Audrey his datapad and insists: "Yes, see, it says right here. You've been given command of--" "COMMAND? ME?" Audrey sputters at the confirmation. "H-How many? Why? W-What could I possibly do with-- where would I even house them?!" The young man sighs. "They're not butlers and maids, you don't have to house them unless you want to. They have houses. Anyway, what you use them for is up to you. It says you need the experience." Audrey dies a little bit inside. BACK TO NOW "I... erm... I was assigned... a not insignificant command, within the Concord, it turns out. Perhaps we could... I mean, a castle needs... servants, and maids, and... well the truth is, I could use a place to set up a magical workshop to experiment that isn't my room, or someone's EGO Library, and... I-I mean, if that would be... okay?" "Anyways, is there anything else you wanna see?" "And actually... could we... go back to the throne room?"
Petra Soroka	"Or how, or... why, or... what it will mean, for me." Not what, how, or why, but following the wordless shape of an urge still made her throw herself into a 'who'. And just a month after meeting Petra. Petra sighs, feeling abstractly dirtied and gratified at the same time. It's been too long since she's felt uncomfortable and ashamed of something she intended to do rather than an accident that happened just because of her existence. "Well, you apparently know enough to end up... nearby me, but not enough to know that you should be terrified of that." Petra paces away from Audrey, dragging her hand along the top of one of the cozy leather chairs situated facing the window. Seized by an impulse, she pivots around and folds her arms on top of the chair, planting her chin on top to slice a piercing look up and down Audrey's outfit. "But I guess you'll learn how afraid to be soon, right?" "It's not like you really get to put off the choice of how other people see you; it's happening every day, from the things you say and do. That you're not suited to be here, and you're a sheltered, inside cat, who's expecting to comfortably tour around the multiverse looking for a topic for her thesis for her neat little graduation so she can go home to her suitors and her mom and dad, and who's absolutely desperate for my and Lilian's validation." Petra pops up her hands to lift her chin, smiling a little bit. "And you might not know how to change that, but I do. All except the last one, I guess, haha." "Was the hero situation really that dire that you needed this many defenses?" "Nah. No one even showed up for months at first, even though it was on Kale's world, and directly destroyed a bunch of Watchtowers. I wiped a country off the map and basically directly attacked two other factions, and I still had to be the one encouraging people to get off their asses and stop me." Petra sits on the armrest of the leather chair, leaning back and kicking her feet while looking out at the hologram. "Supervillainy is kind of like a game, right? I mean, it means a distinctly different thing from, mass murderer, or dictator, or whatever. There's rules to it, and stakes, for the narrative. I'm playing to win, but I'm playing fair, and it's their responsibility to play fair too. I threatened to start killing hostages because of how embarrassing they were all being, but I didn't end up doing it. It'd ruin the point." "Anyways, I went through the defenses myself because it was fun. I don't hate what Hydrochoeria ended up being, but, like, having an entire city to turn into a big stupid obstacle course was practically my dream as a kid."
Petra Soroka	"I... erm... I was assigned... a not insignificant command, within the Concord, it turns out." "Oh... hm. That's not a bad idea. I mean, there are maids on the island, but I don't wanna make them work." Out of context, that sentence sounds ridiculous, but Petra doesn't notice as she says it. "I've pretty much just been using rentals in the Grand Dorado for stuff like robotics and everything, but I guess if you wanna set up here, there's no reason I shouldn't too. So yeah, why not?" "And actually... could we... go back to the throne room?" "Sure!" Energized by chatter, the reckless indulgence of being around another person, and just generally tottering around in her domain, Petra pops up to her feet. "I'm taking the fast way down; meet you there!" When Petra pulls open the door to the rushing air outside, rather than stepping onto the chain bridge, she takes a few steps and then leaps right off the side. She whips out her sword to grind it against the tower wall as she falls, eventually slowing enough for her feet to catch onto a brick and give her a wall-hopping, double-jumping way down to the courtyard, where she goes back into the throne room. However Audrey chooses to rejoin her, Petra's waiting to the side of the throne, draped over the back rather than daring to sit in it. Made of precise angles of metal rather than curves, the throne is primarily luxurious black upholstery, with gold and silver metal accenting it, and deep magenta accents.
Audrey Basque	"Well, you apparently know enough to end up... nearby me, but not enough to know that you should be terrified of that." Not what, how, or why; and did the who really matter? Was Petra special, in a way only she could have drawn Audrey's self out? Was it a byproduct of the eversion? Or Lilian, and Petra's proximity to Lilian? Or was Petra just the first real friend she's had in so long, that her compass is all fucked up and threw itself all-in on the idea of a friendship that isn't whatever Sylvie and Maria are to her? Audrey couldn't answer any of that. It might be something deeper, or it might be the needy grasping of a sheltered girl discovering life can be fun, for the first time in years, after swearing off any and all fun out of some warped desire not to be The Second Freak. "I am," Audrey smiles. "Terrified, I mean. Not of you, but... of what I am." She doesn't elaborate; she already had, in tears, in Petra's office. She didn't need to relive that. "But I will have you know my thesis topic is already chosen, and I put in a bit of work now and again." She's not arguing with the rest. "Supervillainy is kind of like a game, right? I mean, it means a distinctly different thing from, mass murderer, or dictator, or whatever." Audrey perks a brow up, mostly because she'd never heard it like that. "Is that so? Ah... I'll take your word for it." "I've pretty much just been using rentals in the Grand Dorado for stuff like robotics and everything, but I guess if you wanna set up here, there's no reason I shouldn't too. So yeah, why not?" Audrey beams wide in response. "Thank you! I'll-- I'll ask the Director for the paperwork, or... whatever it is I need to do. I'm not picky about the space, though... if there's a... tower, that's free, I mean..." A wizard tower? Really? Audrey feels a bit ashamed to even ask. It's so juvenile. "Sure!" Petra jumps off. Audrey looks down at Petra's stunts, stepping out after her to peer over the edge, still smiling to herself. It's so... refreshing to see Petra like this. This is the furthest she's been from those nights at the dorm, or... the office. It's night and day, and it invigorates Audrey in turn. Not enough to leap off after her, but enough to be a bit smug about it and take a step back, refracting through pearlescent mirror cracks and reappearing down below a bit behind Petra. By the time she fully catches up, Petra's waiting behind the throne, and Audrey approaches. This wasn't like Meresankh's at all; this one was suited to a person, an actual chair made for comfort, and in a proper castle at that. She indulges, sitting on the throne and angling her head up and back to look at Petra, from over her shoulder, with that kind of childish smile a little girl would have getting to do this. Multiple thoughts course through her head; does she simply say how long she'd wanted something as stupid as this? Does she ham it up a little up? Lean in? Have some fun? "... Ser Knight. I believe proper throne room decorum is to kneel before your lady, and not tower over her seat." Internally, she is screaming. This is surely too much.
Petra Soroka	"Not of you, but... of what I am." "You should be a lot more terrified of me. I don't think you understand yet, that it's not something as simple as... figuring out your identity, or being a little bit of a weirdo who might get laughed at or in trouble." Petra's hand falls to the hilt of her sword, rubbing her thumb across it as a ripple of bristling spikes of silver run down the blade. "It's, uh... war. Forever, against everyone. But you did volunteer." ". . . if there's a... tower, that's free, I mean..." "Oh, yeah-- you can have one of the floating ones! That's perfect, right? For the aesthestic, you gotta have a floating tower with rocks and stuff orbiting it." Petra is the one who built a castle just so she could have the correct look for a supervillain. It's a constant effort to burn her shame away, but she isn't built to have a shred of irony about any of the things she likes. "And I could set up in the dungeons again... I've actually never used the dining hall, but it might be fun." The moment Audrey suggested copresence, Petra latched fully onto it, considering the idea seriously in every respect. "And there's going to be a couple restaurants on the island, too, though you won't wanna go to Chewie's. Once Angela's able to leave the Library regularly... I should make it so there's a space in the castle for her too. I guess I could get more use out of it, now that I've got some energy again." When on the ground, Petra's a little out of breath and mussed-up, with her face red from the sudden exertion. She runs a hand through her hair to push it back into position, bouncing a little with each step with the platformer's equivalent to runner's high. When Audrey sits in the throne, Petra blinks in surprise-- that throne was only ever for Lilian, that's why it's got the closest magenta Petra could find to the color that Lilian exhales from overexertion. It's the one Lilian sat in to overlook Petra laying waste to eight Elites at once in her honor, after serving her wine in a villainous final lair. But it's not like Lilian's sat in it since. "... Ser Knight. I believe proper throne room decorum is to kneel before your lady, and not tower over her seat." Petra raises her eyebrows at Audrey and starts to smile. There's no way Audrey can commit to this bit harder than Petra can-- Petra's put aside her hesitation towards service in ways that would be illegal in most civilized worlds. So she circles around to the front of the throne, below the step that elevates it, and kneels down with her sword clattering lightly. "Of course, my lady. I would never in a thousand years dream of putting myself on the same level as your majesty, as your humble servant. What would you have of me?" This is now a game of chicken, and Audrey will break before Petra does.
Audrey Basque	War, forever, at Angela and Petra's side, almost seems... desirable. Not optimal, not happy, not fulfilling, but... desirable, in a way Audrey, who doesn't even know what war is or feels like, definitely couldn't define if she tried. The gut feeling and yearning for people who, really, barely knows, but who've already filled up more of her days than... anyone else. And having a place here, at the castle... sure, her family has a mansion, sure, they probably own... some old sites she's never been to, on Earth, and one of them's probably a castle or at least a pyramid. But that's not the same. This one, she... asked for. Worked for? It's different. Like the Library is, too. It'll be work to set up, but... a floating tower... that's so cool, right? And unlike almost everything else she's up to, it's NOT weird freak stuff she won't be able to talk about. She could show it off to Sylvie and Maria and they'd think it's cool, not weird! That's... actually kind of relieving. "Of course, my lady. I would never in a thousand years dream of putting myself on the same level as your majesty, as your humble servant. What would you have of me?" If Audrey knew this was Lilian's throne, she'd probably have wanted to sit in it even more. If she knew the context of it, probably even more!!! But she doesn't, and now it's not even just a little bit of sitting-- it's a game of chicken she picked, and she realizes she's stuck in it. She decides... she wants to win it. It's a game, after all. "Approach, Ser Knight," she addresses Petra, raising her voice in a mix of playfulness but also clearly, taking this way too seriously. If there's one thing she can pull off it's the stiff noblewoman voice, because that's her everyday school voice. "I am beset by suitors on all sides, though none but you have demonstrated a feat of arms sufficient to win an audience with me. Having defeated the terrible dragon in a duel earns you the right to make a single request of me." She idly motions with her hand. "Rise, and make your request, that the lady you have sworn to protect may grant it." She is doing her absolute best to keep the straightest face she can. It's betrayed by a bit of red, brows furrowed a tad from the strain.
Petra Soroka	"I am beset by suitors on all sides, though none but you . . ." When Petra is kneeling like this, in this outfit, she has more than enough self-control to keep her face serenely neutral without her thoughts showing. In her head, she's thinking again that Audrey is so thirsty for Petra that it makes her embarrassed secondhand, and that thought makes Petra want to say no just so Audrey's forced to fight harder for it. Somehow, it feels like Lilian would scorn Petra for lowering her standards to 'someone who would be attracted to her'. "Having defeated the terrible dragon in a duel . . ." And that, right after the story Petra just told about Lilian. Hm. Petra lifts up her eyes to meet Audrey's for just a moment at that, with briefly pointed intensity. She doesn't react otherwise, though. "Rise, and make your request, that the lady you have sworn to protect may grant it." Rather than standing up, Petra ducks her head in deference and smirks when her face isn't visible. Her tone is even and sincere when she talks, though, with a hobby-theatre quality performance. "My lady, it puts me ill at ease to accept reward for what ought to be expected of all of your servants. What I do at your command, I do for devotion to your majesty alone. I want for nothing besides that which you want for me, so if you deem it necessary to honor me for the minimum of service I promise to you, then allow my request to be this: tell me what you would have of me, and allow me, your faithful attendant, to perform it to your pleasure." In other words: say it yourself you fucking coward.
Audrey Basque	"tell me what you would have of me, and allow me, your faithful attendant, to perform it to your pleasure." Oh no. She's calling her bluff. Audrey's thoughts, ever serene and calm and normal on the surface, are a raging mix of a volcano and an ocean underneath, boiling waters giving way to new islands as hardened ideas float up, only to be dragged back down by their own weight moments later. What does she do? This is still a game. Petra's taking it just as seriously. They've already... and she liked it... It wouldn't be... that bad to...? "V-Very well. Such nobility should be applauded. Rise, and approach me," she demands, an order sure not to be ignored by her knight, in such circumstances. "The day has been long and the air here is cold; will you grant your lady some warmth, and neck her to your heart's content, Ser Knight?" Audrey's golden-blue eyes, ever starry, betray the slightest hint of hesitation, but also of curiosity. She could back down, at any moment, admit it was silly, forfeit! But she, desperately, here of all places, and while sitting on a throne, can't lose.
Petra Soroka	Obviously it would either come to this, or Audrey giving up, and Petra feels vaguely sick about whatever happens next. It would be absurd for Petra herself to back down at this point, as the multiverse's designated corrupting pervert freak. She, of all people, can't be uncomfortable with a kiss, especially not after that whole speech she gave earlier about how dangerous she is. A normal girl could turn down a demand like that, but Petra isn't normal-- for all her queasy discomfort at how quickly Audrey has felt that it's acceptable to lay claim over her and use her as some sort of evil sex gun, she is also, intoxicatingly, allured by the temptation of giving into it. Her hesitation is kind of silly, anyways. Blessed swords have the luxury to choose who lays hands on them, not cursed ones-- cursed swords are lucky to be held at all. Petra tskes a deep breath and stands up, one palm on the hilt of her sword to keep it from rattling. She looks up and locks eyes with Audrey, a little flushed herself. "If the heat of my heart may provide my lady with needed warmth, then who am I to refuse; for whom else would it burn?" Petra slowly takes the steps up to the throne, which is tall enough that even when sitting down, Audrey's eyeline is slightly above Petra's. Petra leans forwards and braces her hand against the back of the throne to bring her face right up to Audrey's, legs slid between Audrey's knees and her breath warm against her lips. It's been an eternity since she's been this close to another person in this way, and the neurochemical haze makes her heart beat loud enough to drown out any other thought in her head, where the formless guilt and unease and shame lie. Her lips press against Audrey's, and it tastes a little like ash. Worse, it tastes a little like something else, too. After multiple minutes, Petra finally pulls an inch back, breathless. She's pressed close enough that one knee has slid up onto the edge of the throne and her supporting hand has folded into a full forearm pressed against the chair to the side of Audrey's head, like she's barely a motion away from climbing fully on top of her. Interspersed with heavy breaths between parted lips, Petra takes a second to make sure she gets back into character. "... Might I suggest that your majesty speaks in less euphemism, next time?"
Audrey Basque	If there was so much as a second left to give up, it's long since been spent. Audrey is wide-eyed that Petra doesn't back down-- it's shock, it's fear, and surprise, and guilt, and shame, and the feeling of anticipation snapping back against her whole body like a rubber band. The taste of ash is foul, but it's balanced by the warmth; there's a feeling that rises, now that she's fully awake to actually experience this, start to finish, a minutes-long connection that brings her up and down several times. Her inexperience is obvious; it's Petra who has to lead, show her how to twist the tongue, do more than just press lips together, but near the end, when Petra is ready to pull away, Audrey bites her lower lip, gently, almost trying to keep her from withdrawing, but not with enough force to actually succeed. At some point she'd closed her eyes, just learned to melt into it. Her hands are tense, on her lap, not knowing if she should reach up with them, grab on to something-- maybe too afraid to, having already gotten this far. She's trembling, when she opens her eyes to look back into Petra's, breathing heavily and completely red in the face. She doesn't even notice how Petra is perched over her, almost completely on top, because all of her attention is on the golden eyes staring back at her. "T-T-That would b-be... w-wise, yes, I think, probably," Audrey manages, breaking character and losing the game, by all metrics, yet feeling oddly like she won regardless. "I, ah... s-sorry, I... w-was that... t-too far? You said... y-you... I should... put you in a situation where... you don't have a choice..." This is wrong. This is-- so, so... Right? Her eyes are wet, tearful, but begging. "I'm still... a bit cold, though..."
Petra Soroka	Petra would agree that Audrey won and Petra lost, though the battle Petra feels like she lost is bigger than the game of chicken. Letting her heart pound like this, and her face get flushed and the trail of saliva connect her and Audrey's lips for a moment longer before breaking, feels like a failing of meat and morals, in a cosmic sense. If asked, Petra couldn't justify it in her ideological framework as something she meant to do to be the philosophical ideal of herself; the impulse is a brick jammed out of place and a splotch of rot creeping into the foundation. She might be even more mortified at people finding out than Audrey would be. She feels like a failure to pull away would be an indictment against Petra Soroka, grounds for scrapping the whole project. Obviously she's attracted to Lilian, debilitatingly, but there was always more to it than that, right? Filling the gap left by her, to any degree at all, shouldn't be possible, and it shouldn't even be something she wants-- being devoted to Lilian was what gave Petra meaning, and there's a moral, spiritual component to that, not just whoever deigns to find Petra attractive enough. If not, then why not Cinder? She couldn't with Cinder then, and she especially can't now; and if not Lilian and not Cinder, then.... "You said... y-you... I should... put you in a situation where... you don't have a choice..." Petra pants through parted lips and drops her hand down beside Audrey's hip, pulling herself just a little further onto the throne to put weight onto Audrey's thighs and shoulders. "Whore. Slut. Freak. You're practically committing suicide like this, you know. You're not surviving this, I promise. Whatever comes out afterwards, it's gonna be completely unrecognizable." Petra leans even farther forwards to press Audrey against the back of the throne, slipping her face past Audrey's to hover right beside her ear. "No one's ever given me permission to do that before, because it's completely batshit insane. It feels illegal. You're past the point where you could even beg me to stop, you know?" "But," Petra's temporary slip out of the character is reeled back in when her voice drops lower, hot and humid against the side of Audrey's face. "My lady, it pains me to be presumptuous beyond my station, but is that order not even more euphemistic than before? Were I anyone besides your most loyal attendant, I might think to take advantage of your naïveté, but while I may find it charming," While ranting into Audrey's ear, she slides her other knee up onto the throne, kneeling interlocked with Audrey's lap. "It wearies my heart to imagine what may befall you without me around. "So allow me, your highness, to perform my duties as your sword and shield, by purging some of that away tonight." Petra's voice lowers into a harsher whisper as she goes on, and when she finishes, she drops her lips from Audrey's ear directly to her neck.
Audrey Basque	"Whore. Slut. Freak. You're practically committing suicide like this, you know. You're not surviving this, I promise. Whatever comes out afterwards, it's gonna be completely unrecognizable." "I've... managed this long, haven't I?" Had she, really? Pride, as an incorruptible Crown White, dictated she say that, dictated she insist, dictated that she could handle it. If not this, then what else? She couldn't afford to open the door to failure. There were psychological stakes - her absolute betrayal of herself, her image, everything she built, the unshaking motivation to be anything but this. There were moral stakes, trivial to identify. And there were the social stakes. For just a moment, she thinks to herself, happiness could be worth her standing. Just as quickly, she thinks of how utterly unacceptable that is. "You're past the point where you could even beg me to stop, you know?" "G-Good. B-Because... I think... if you let me... I would beg you to. S-So... this is..." It's fine. It's warm... "It wearies my heart to imagine what may befall you without me around." It took this long for Audrey to finally move her hands; reaching up, slowly, hesitantly, trembling, with unsteady hands cold as ice from nervousness, she places one against Petra's cheek and the other against her back. When Petra moves from whispers to the neck, the hand on her cheek retreats naturally into her blonde hair, grasping and tugging not out of knowledge to do it but out of reflex at the sensation of her lips on her neck. "P-Petra..." From here on out, she would follow the knight's lead, whatever that may end up meaning.