A Paladin's Quest [Aria]

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"I suppose my goals then, are to become a noble. Then to become a God's champion. Their paladin of justice, protection, and righteousness." It was sad really, that Dante had to regain all his titles once again within this world.

"Despite how I speak of myself Aria, I am far from perfect. The more time you spend with me, the more you will realize that I am in fact almost the opposite of what a noble Paladin should be. In fact, I suppose it is what pushed me to be apart of the Paladin's Circle. I wanted to be accepted into the table for my accomplishments, regardless of my race, sexual orientation, background, or even my personality. I wanted to earn my place, and stand out among the 12 paladins, so that Iomede could see me." 

Dante smiled, however he couldn't help but feel sad speaking this. He pulled out a pot, once again using his illusion-ed armor to hide where exactly he was pulling out his objects. He pulled out a few more rations, and utensils, as well as a waterskin. He poured out the contents of the waterskin into the bucket, dropping in the dried apples, and a bit of sugar. 

"Well I suppose now is the waiting game.." Dante enjoyed cooking, however if he was honest he was never really good at it, in fact there was a reason he had a personal chef, of course there was one exception, that fancy apple sauce. 

"There seems to be a fundamental difference in between champions and Paladins. Champions, they are more like Gladiators.. Fighting to earn some respect among the other candidates. A Paladin, does not fight another Paladin. The only exception to this would be an Anti-Paladin. A paladin that was struck down from its God, and wanting the power that Paladins gain.. They move toward a God of the opposite morality.. Aria, I respect what you did. I myself seek to stop combat at all times, I prefer to use my tongue, and I am very good at it. I was also once considered a walking lie detector.." Dante chuckled lightly. "You seemed to use your diplomacy in an area where combat was almost guaranteed. That must have been difficult.  

"Aria, what is your goal?" 

[Deleted]

”I don’t see what so special about becoming a noble… you don’t need to be one to become a champion”

Aria shrugged, she didn’t expect him to be perfect nor did she assume he was. She was already well aware of the fact everyone had there flaws, some bigger than others, but there was always something else mixed in there. Aria chose not to say a word; she got the motivation behind wanting to be accepted. After all, it was a rarity when one actually was truly and fully. Aria had shitty luck on most days, but frankly the fact she had Garrett who did accept her crazy ass made up for it. At least in her eyes. Hell he even knew that she buried his father and uncle in flower pots that she kept in her room; yet he still loved her. Her dad accepted her; well the one back home.

”I’m going to assume about the applesauce?”

After all in his situation that wasn’t something you just ‘waited’ for. There was always something to do. Whether it seemed insignificant or not. Aria tilted her head to the side when he seemed to get the wrong idea of the champions.

”Really the fighting is more for the god’s amusement then anything. We’re actually considered the gods messengers. Considering we talk to them face to face; or at least can. I can’t speak for the other champions…and frankly this year it hasn’t come with much respect. Also you shouldn’t respect things until you get the full story. I manipulated my opponent into feeling sorry for me; I took advantage of his good nature to obtain a position that I wanted….mostly for shits and grins”

Well not really just for shits and grins; she had a long term objective….one that she hadn’t cashed in yet. Saden still owed her an ability; however nothing from a god was ever free. It was just a wild card in her pocket.

”Frankly I get a sense of pleasure ripping off someone’s arm and then slapping them with it. There is something very therapeutic about smashing someone’s face in.”

Ya perhaps she had some anger issues to work out…and developed a bit of a sadistic streak growing up. However she kept a tight grip on that side of herself; while she found it therapeutic she did usually tend to use violence as a last resort. But if someone started shit she was finishing it….she did miss fighting with Core though. It was always an interesting cometary the whole time. As for her goals…

”To protect my family…”

That was her goal at the very base of it, she didn’t need to go into details how….but at the root of it. That was where her motivation was for anything she did. However that was an uphill battle; one she often lost….and lost often. Aria sat down in the snow with her knees pulled to her chin and stared at the flames; a heavy weight seeming to sit itself upon her shoulders.

[Trésor de Lys]

Tres arrived on the scene with the crow perched on her shoulder. She strode in and looking at the crow said to Aria "You cawed?" she smiled, and looked to Dante. "Why hello there stranger." the corners of her mouth curled as she recognized the man. She then looked back to Aria with confusion "Please explain why you summon me, this crow kept flapping his beak, I couldn't understand him."

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Dante turned to Aria. "Aria, you certainly have noble thoughts don't you? IN FACT! If you were a part of my world, I could see you embroidered with a beautiful set of armor, not like mine at all, one of your personality. I could see you Aria, a glorious Paladin. One that could save many lives, and also take even more. Now, I tell you Aria, seeing you in a set of full plate, now that would be something to look at!" Dante smirked, not realizing that he did in fact just flirt with Aria. His honesty certainly got the better of him. 

Dante yawned loudly. "I tell you, I go through so much energy moving this.." Dante raised his hand to his chest, slapping it down hard onto the armor, and it clanged loud enough for the entire forest to hear. Dante yawned once again. "I really wish I could use magic here," Dante of course could learn to use this world's magic, but it would take time for him to become as profecient as he once was. 

"Aria, this may sound strange, but in fact I think I would prefer it to be like this.. I believe their is a greatness in you, little one." Dante was tall, and his armor made him much taller, in fact, Dante was 6'6, the armor almost making him stand at 7. When Dante said he believed their was greatness, he did not mean she would one day do something large, do something grand. He meant he believed she would be an amazing individual. One that would help others, protect the weak, and maybe even one day understand him.

"Do you know the one thing that irritates me about my code.. It's that, if there is an unjust law, I still must obide it. I mean, yes I could break my code in this world. If I felt that a law was unjust, what is stopping me from ignoring it? However, I prefer to keep my code.. It is almost a part of me at this point, and breaking it would be like changing who I am. However, Aria, If I cannot break the law, surely you could, if it was unjust that is!" Dante wasn't entirely sure why he was going on such a tangent, but oddly enough, despite having someone near right now Dante felt more lonely than he ever had before. 

Dante turned hearing someone call out to him. He quickly reached behind his back, and suddenly tossed a rose at the individual. "Pleasure to meet you as well!" 

[Deleted]

…..She just spoke of getting pleasure of ripping someone’s arm off and manipulating an opponent and his first description was that she had noble thoughts?! She looked at him like he had grown a second head….this one was certainly a special cookie. Then he started talking about amour sets ect. Her gaze darkened as his words hit home; she already had to do her duty when it came to matters such as that. Her jaw tightened as she looked back at the fire. Her goals certainly were to make sure neither her nor anyone else had to do that duty again. However he went on to rant about something on how she would look in such an armor.

”I’ll stick with my leather….and I’m not the Paladin type”

Aria shrugged when he mentioned he wished he could use magic here.

”Some gain the ability when they get fated over; others well they make due by finding magical items.”

Her nose scrunched up when he called her little….she wasn’t little….she was just fun sized with a bit of a vertical challenge. Plus she could turn into a giant bear that could eat his face off. She remained quiet as he went on to talk about the things that bothered him about his code….Her eyebrow raising as he went on to talk about breaking laws and such. Well…she was certainly one to do so but she hell wasn’t about to admit it to a stranger.

”If its unjust then one must find ways to change it yes? If you see something broken then why leave it like that?”

Like the order to execute all fated….She was thankful that Noku changed his mind during their brunch. Aria looked up as she heard footsteps approach, she gave a nod of greeting to Tres, fallowed by a dead panned expression when yet another rose was whipped out of no where.

”Where in the hell do those keep coming from….how many you got in there? They’re out of season…”

Aria turned back to Tres and stood brushing the snow off her clothes. She held up her hand and the crow flitted to it. She gave it the bit of apple she hadn’t eaten and it flew off.

”Yes I cawed; since you’re here you got the gist of its message. Such clever birds they are. Dante, Tresor, Tresor Dante. I was hoping you could explain more about gods and how they’re followers work…Unfortunately …I lack the proper wording on how to explain such positions. Dante Tres might be able to answer your questions better then I could.”

Well this was a piece of information Aria was actually severely lacking in, the gods had disappeared from most stuff by her time. So their followers weren’t as ….devout as they were in this time. Nor did they have champions or the likes. She had never thought to ask; so really Tres would actually surpass her when it came to this type of knowledge. Plus there was the added fact she wasn’t brought up to be a ‘follower’ in the traditional sense.

[Trésor de Lys]

Tres smirked at the man, she caught the rose in between her slender fingers. They followed the thorns of the rose, and caressed the prickled peaks of it's stem. She raised an eyebrow at the man, who apparently didn't recognize her even though she healed the crap out of him not too long before then. "Yeah. We've met." her sass cascaded over the snow white plains, she was offended by the Paladin seeing as she saved his ass not long before. However she brought the rose up to her nose and inhaled. The scent always made her at ease, so she supposed that he was forgiven.
Upon hearing his interest in the Gods, Tres turned abruptly to Dante. "What makes you so sure that you are mentally, physically and emotionally capable of sacrificing every ounce of your being to serve the Gods?" she sharply inserted. She grew tense, her spine straightening. She knew the many sacrifices it took to serve the Gods. She was even lucky to still be alive after being tosses away by her Goddess... She needed to remind herself that Helena was no longer "her" Goddess. The painful reminder that she was disowned after being disobedient. "If you choose to serve a God or Goddess, you better pray that you are lucky enough to be taken in by one who will willingly allow you free thought, because many of them won't blink an eye at you if you do." Tres grew defensive as she knew the pain-staking tasks that came with being a slave to the Gods.
Tres' eyes were cold and could burn a hole into the soul of even the strongest man. When she spoke about the Gods, she was not joking, and you could tell. "So you're a paladin, correct?" she laughed. "I've seen the damage you've taken Paladin, and the pain that the Gods could inflict upon you is much worse than you could imagine." she started pacing in the snow. "You are going to have to be trained much more than you already have been."
Tres approached the Paladin. She strutted right up to him, nose-to-nose and stared him dead in the eyes with her own bright hazel ones. "You've taken so much damage. You've fought time and time again to prove yourself, and now you've developed an identity crisis." Tres stood tall and confident. "But you're a survivor. And I can admire that." she backed off the man and scanned him up and down.
From what she could see, it was his armor that seemed to hold him up, take that away and he's just a man. "You need to build up more than just your stamina and your combat." she walked up to him and playfully knocked on his armor like a door. "Hiding behind steel is not going to get you anywhere."
She began scanning him again, and pondered a bit to herself."So Paladin, what do you hope to get out of all this? What's your goal? and more importantly, why?"

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The words that came from Tres' mouth only gave Dante a distrust for the woman. Anger was the only emotion that seemed to brew up from his chest. "Tres, I suggest you shut your mouth. You do nothing but disrespect me with your words." This was fundamentally different than anything Dante has spoken beforehand, he did not speak about why, what, when or how. He did not speak of the things he had done for his God, or the scars he faced on the way. He only told Tres what she needed to know. He would not answer a word she spoke to him, he would not speak to her, and he would not allow her into his heart, his mind, or his thoughts.

This woman spoke as if she understood the man behind this armor, as if she understood the things that he had experienced, lost, and went through. It was true, his personality could be quite childish, and he wasn't what you thought of when the word Paladin came about. Dante had already sacrificed every ounce of his body, and mind, in every sense of the word. Dante however didn't want praise for doing this, he didn't need acceptance from Tres, who spoke as if she knew everything, without knowing anything about him at all.

Dante looked at Aria briefly, then back to what was in front of him. There was only one thing that could be true of her words, as of right now his place in this world was shaky.

He kept his words away from Tres, he kept his thoughts from her mind. He didn't want to be bothered by someone who thought they knew what he went through, and thought they also knew his limits.

Dante never spoke about being above a man. Why did she speak as if he was? Tres eyes were nothing to Dante, he had seen things in his world that could terrify Demons. It was true, Dante did not have the enchantments from his God. However, that did not deteriorate his will, which almost nothing could shake. Dante gritted his teeth, trying to keep himself from asking for that beautiful red rose back. He wasn't quite sure that Tres deserved to hold it now. It was something he gave to others, in order to help him open up. It was a way for him to feel accepted. When someone accepted that rose, they accepted a small part of his personality. He wasn't quite sure if he wanted to share any of his personality with Tres anymore.

Dante was acting much differently than before, as if his personality had radically changed. The person that was mostly childish before Aria had changed to a more realistic serious man, eyes burning with pain. In fact, other than those words it was as if Tres did not exist. He felt so much disrespect from her words he was almost ready to leave. She acted as if his God was nothing but an imitation, by the way she spoke she downplayed every experience his life had. As if that life he had was less than this one, that his God was less than the Gods among this world. That was extremely disrespectful, and Dante didn't deserve any of it. She was acting as him holding the rank of Paladin. A knight of the God Iomede, was something to laugh at. The anger only boiled, but despite it all Dante was able to keep his composure.

"Aria, do you want some water?"

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Aria sat back and watched the exchanged….this certainly wasn’t what she had been expecting. Apparently they had already met, which was surprising, and apparently on questionable terms. She remained a silent observer as Tres spoke to Dante; quite frankly giving her point of view on what it was like to serve on of their gods….which unfortunately probably was more than accurate. It wasn’t a picnic being one of their kids either, and they actually cared what happened to them….well at least hers did. However her words seemed to have hit closer to home as Dante’s demeanor drastically changed. It would seem Dante was closing off the words Tres was saying; missing the fact her point was that he needed to rebuild himself after having lost everything he had worked for. Out of anyone Tres would know about building oneself up from that bottom point. Seeing that walls had been put up and nothing more was going to get through Aria walked over to Tres placing a hand on her shoulder and gently squeezing.

”You wield your experience like daggers my friend”

And blocking said daggers was a natural response. She gave Tres’s shoulder one more squeeze while offering her a small smile. She knew things had been tough for the fallen angel and her words were to help…even if they were not taken that way. Aria turned back to Dante who offered her water, she nodded.

”Yes please, and do understand I summoned Tres here. While her words are rough her experience vaguely mirrors your own. You asked for my help and knowledge in these matters well there is your source. Knowledge comes in many forms; more often than not the knowledge we seek is not always the most pleasant or easiest to swallow.”

She took a seat back to where she had been sitting previously and motioned for Tres to join her.

”Now I am not aware of the history you two share; but I urge you both to take in account how you each feel. Dante you feel your experiences slighted by her words do you not? Well going off of the small bit of knowledge I have received from you two, you just feed each other’s pain…For the sake of this conversation to move forward I would like to propose a temporary truce. Can we do that?”

[Trésor de Lys]

    A smile curled around Tres' lips. She was satisfied with how angry she made the Paladin. If he understood what it was like to be chained in every way to a God, then he would be fueled by her critique. However, he reacted like a closed-off child, which only made Tres want to poke the bear even further. "You insolent child." Tres shook her head while running her tongue behind her lower lip. "You don't scare me. In fact, I pity-" Tres felt a hand gently caress her shoulder, breaking her words. Looking to her side she saw a comforting Aria. Tres knew that she had to pull back before she offended further. Obviously Dante was not one to take such forward criticism.
    Tres walked over with Aria and sat down, staring down Dante the whole way. "I'm okay with a truce if you're willing to listen and learn a thing or two about the Gods of this world." she extended her hand, trying to hide her condescending aura before Dante- but it was so intentional that it would not go unhidden. Tres finally snapped back to her rational self, who was hiding behind the anger and resentment for the ignorant Paladin. Tres got down to the facts. "Look, Aria is right. If you trusted her enough to ask for her wisdom and her knowledge on these subjects in this world, and she summoned me... You're going to have to trust me as well." Tres was aware of how much Dante's demeanor changed in the few minutes she threw comments and critiques at him, so she tried to adjust and hide how frustrated she grew with him. She leaned forward in her seat "If you trusted me enough to heal you in your most fragile state, then why aren't you trusting me now?" She rocked back in her seat, confident in her knowledge of Teair Nova and it's religious structure and confident that she knew she could benefit him- even if he didn't think so. I don't mean to offend. It's simply a...critique. Besides you're going to get a lot worse from the Gods, so I suggest you get used to it. Tres would wait for a reaction from Dante, but then hesitated, realizing that she would have to walk on eggshells around this guy.
    She changed her demeanor from defensive to understanding in remarkable time. She still held the rose in her fingers, and continued to play with the stem- mostly because she saw how much it aggitated Dante. "I cannot say that I know where you come from, or what you've been through- that is none of my business and I am okay with that fact. But it is the same for you with myself. Understand that you and I are very different, but somehow our unique paths have lead us to meet on a few occasions, and that has to mean something." she softened her eyes, appearing almost doe-like now. "I am prepared to help you, if you so choose. You don't have to trust me in any way, but if you do choose to accept my offer, then I will not be holding back in anyway- you must understand this in order for you to move forward."
    Tres could see that Dante was not trusting of her, her intuition told her so. With that, Tres put herself out there, offering back the piece of him. She stood up and approached him, her body completely relaxed, showing no signs of tension or of dominance. She was far enough from him for her to be comfortable and hopefully him as well. With that in mind, she extended her hand, and with it, the rose. "If you take this back, you are saying that you do not trust me, and potentially never will. You will also be showing me that you do not accept my help or knowledge." she quickly inhaled through her nose, the cold nipping at it from the inside. "Please know before you make your decision, that I believe in free-will and choice. This is my peace-offering to you, as Aria said." With this, she looked back at Aria and smiled lightly.

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*Dante couldn't believe this woman. She still did not understand exactly why her words were disrespectful did she? "As of right now trust is not the issue." Dante spoke calmly, and kept himself straight to the point. "I am prepared to learn, if you are prepared to teach." Dante made himself appear much more calmly, letting the anger from earlier wash away. "I need to learn of the Gods in this world, and if Aria sent you then you must be something of an expert." Dante reached behind his back, as if drawing an arrow. This was very similar to the way he pulled his roses from 'thin air'. As he pulled his hand out a waterskin appeared, and he simply handed it over towards Aria. "That's actually my world's water, tell me if it tastes differently." Dante hadn't removed his waterskins from the quiver, so theoretically it should still be his world's water in them. 

Of course, Dante had not forgiven Tres for what she had said, and so rudely. He still felt that he was being disrespected by her, and that wouldn't change for quite some time. "So, please tell me." He spoke calmly. 

[Trésor de Lys]

Tres glared at the man in confusion. What does he mean by "it's not trust that's the issue?" Tres thought to herself. Perhaps this man was going to be a lot more work than she presumed. She walked around the man, looking him up and down to see what he needed to work on. At a glance, she could only pick up a few details, to which she would save for a later time. Tres felt quiet satisfaction in herself, finally convincing the block-head to listen to her.
She shot him a heavy glare when he questioned her teaching abilities. Seeing as she was already teaching him how to heal himself properly and now about the Gods of Nova, he really was in no place to question her as a teacher. She shrugged her shoulders profoundly with mention of her expertise, she shot him a sly smile, with a few keen words to follow "I suppose that makes me an expert in a few fields now, doesn't it?" Tres will eventually need to learn to bite her tongue and to hold her pride. Something she was not quite and expert at yet.
She observed him keenly as he brought out some... water? from out of no where. She was confused where he was pulling all these things from. He mustn't have been from this world if he was 1. unaware of the Novian Gods, 2. pulling out water from what he claims to be his home.
At last he seemed to acknowledge her presence in his life as a teacher. She raised a sassy shoulder at him. "Tell you what now? I haven't been here for your entire discussion with Aria, and I certainly cannot read minds- especially ones I have yet to comprehend. So please, enlighten me of what you want to start off with first and foremost? Should we start based on God or Goddess? Or should we start from you directly? Your interests, fascinations, abilities, it could lead me to the proper match for you." Tres awaited patiently as she played with the stem of her- officially now hers- rose.

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Dante looked at Tres and he quickly realized that she didn't realize exactly what angered him. He smiled brightly, his attitude consumed with happiness. Dante rolled his shoulders as if to stretch the muscles. The armor plates scraped together making an audible noise. Sometimes Dante wondered what it would be like if he wasn't chosen for this suit. He learned to love walking in it, but he felt as if the suit overshadowed the person sometimes. Dante looked at her curiously, taking in her image as he thought on her words. 

Dante knew he could only serve a Goddess, but he still wanted to learn of the other Gods. "Start with the Goddess, then Gods." Dante spoke briefly, with a kind tone. It could be said that perhaps he was looking for someone like his previous Goddess, but there was another reason behind his conscious choice to try and seek out a Goddess preferable to a God. 

Dante couldn't help but be a little excited. He didn't really feel complete without a Goal. His religous goals were always what drove him, and currently he didn't have any. It was almost what he really replaced friendship with. A inexperienced Paladin was lonely. They weren't taken as highly as the others, and had much less rights. Prayer and worship was what kept Dante feel sociable during those years. This made him a little giddy in someways, like being reunited with a friend.  

[Trésor de Lys]

Tres grew a bit agitated with the stupid grin that grew across the face of the Paladin. Part of her really wanted to smack that stupid smile off of his face. She shuddered at the thought of how satisfying the feeling would be. She paced back and forth and elaborated on all of the Gods and Goddesses in the pantheon. She touched upon simple details like this. She couldn't really go too in depth, but she elaborated enough.
"So, which one sounds most appealing?" she asked.

[Deleted]

Dante could tell from the look in her eye, she wanted to hit him. "If you must Tres, than please hit me." Dante wasn't afraid of pain, but he also was a little happy with her. Not only did she refrain from hitting him, she also kept her cool, it seemed. He, wasn't someone who held a grudge.. "I can forgive you Tres, but only if you understand why your words hinder me so much... Tres, by saying that I could possibly not understand the sacrifice it takes to serve a God, you are saying that everything I have done in my previous life is nothing, the trials, tribulations, and sacrifices I made. The people that have died for me, and the things I have faced. You are saying that they are beneath this world, and even if one day you can prove that to be true, I can still not see that way. Believing that, It would be as if I said that those people were insignificant. I can not do that Tres, because everyone has value.. Including you." 

Dante looked at her, "Wish I had a notebook.." Dante had spent many years with religion, and because of that his memory was actually quite good. He didn't need to have a notebook, but it would help him. "Teleska, Caster, or even Vanessa. They all sound like they hold integrity. More importantly they seem like they would use someone like me, not just hold me at bay. I feel like I could make all of them happy, with my current abilities, without having to break my code.." Dante didn't mean he would be able to emit emotion onto a God, but he meant that he could at least in a small way change their undying life in a way that made it more good than bad. Iomede, although rarely every seen, was someone Dante always looked up to, not only because she was a God but because there was something he felt he could achieve for her. 

"They all seem like amazing Gods, but I feel like my use would be more suited towards those few." 

[Deleted]

Aria sat quietly observing; this was a test for Tres, she was curious in the angel’s ability to guide one to a path in which one could find purpose. Tres had reigned herself in enough to begin these steps and as infuriating this Dante seemed to be, he would be a good step for Tres as well as being beneficial for Dante. Her patience was certainly being tested, for even Arias was quickly running out of hers. Frankly Aria thought herself as a fairly patient person when it came to learning ones lessons, however this person kept saying he wanted to learn but rejected most information given to him. His pride and ego certainly seemed to be clogging his ears. Didn’t Aria already said to others here in this world his accomplishments in the last meant nothing? Didn’t she of all people know this to be true? It was a bitter fact to swallow but the sooner one did the sooner one could move on. It wasn’t as if his experiences had not been important, they were, but only to him and him alone. He put on airs as if the world which was not his own owed him something. It was enough to piss most anyone off.

A small twitch began to form in the corner of her eye. He was already assuming he was good enough for one of the gods to choose him….already deciding he was worthy. Aria had to bite her tongue while rubbing the bridge of her nose. Dante was going to get his ass god stomped. Aria looked over at Tres with a raised eyebrow, knowing she was not the only one who could probably see this coming.

”I hope none of them are listening to this; elsewise this is going to go very badly”

Aria through her years was beginning to know when something was a lost cause, for Dante leading him on the clearest path she now knew would be impossible. He was going to have to learn the hard way. Aria looked at Tres to see if she too came to this conclusion, the angel did the part of which Aria had asked her to do. It would be her choice now to either see it through.