To Protect What Matters Most [Private: Arianda/Ulv]

It had been at least a month, maybe more, it was hard to tell for Ari, since Arianda had come to Ulv with a request; to teach her what she had offered to teach her so long ago. Back then, she didn't wish to lose powers she was over attached to; now, there was no reason to hold back because of powers that were only keeping her attached to a past that had hurt herself and Amphilogiai. Indeed, Arianda found herself missing her old powers from time to time; however, they were fleeting feelings. Feelings that she threw out the window as soon as they came to her. She did not need those powers anymore, she would grow better; create new powers of her own. She didn't need Death's Energy or dominion over Conflict; she had herself, she had her daughters, Henrex, and she especially had Kita. However, today's topic was not Ari's darling girlfriend.

In the time Ulv had told Ari to relax, that is what she had done; relaxation with occasional minor bouts of training. The demon had even started to run around the island every morning. She didn't need to engage in physical activity to stay fit, but it gave her a satisfaction that helped Ari move past what she had lost. Doing nothing at this point, after what had happened, would probably drive Ari nuts anyways. However, after all this time, surely Ulv wouldn't reject Ari again; then again, she was basically an enigma with a woman's body. Arianda simply shrugged to herself as such thoughts accompanied her down the way towards Ulv's house; which she had to stop and stare at for a few moments.

It didn't have new decoration, or new pain; it simply looked like it had been partially melted. Arianda could not help but stare at the abode before she finally crossed the remaining distance between herself and Ulv's own house; quickening her pace. Indeed, Arianda did want answers; but she was still more apprehensive for what Ulv didn't wish to teach her a month ago. Which was why, with a few heavy knocks on the door, Arianda announced her presence to Ulv; if such a thing was even necessary. Knowing Ulv, she probably already knew Ari was here. Which was why, without much noise or comment on the hecked house, Arianda simply waited for Ulv to answer the door; or for the door to magically swing open. Either of the two could easily happen.

Well then, to say the least, Arianda had expected the door to swing in, not fall off with a rather beautiful crash; completely off it's hinges, or apparently hinge. She blinked at Ulv and then let out an exasperated sigh followed by a chuckle.

"Ulv, please don't mistake me with the woman who actually is running like a penguin in the morning; I'm perfectly fine. I may not be a master, but I know how to run like a competent person. Besides, I'm sure we both know what I'm here for, if it isn't clear..."

Arianda walked further into Ulv's house, noticing the sheer destruction she couldn't help but wonder what the actual hell Ulv did in here; or at least what had happened. However, Arianda cast her gaze to Ulv, her mind to the task at hand. It had been a while, and Ari indeed was doing better than previously; the past desperation because of Algos was gone. She smiled at Ulv, humming softly.

"I'm here to once more ask you to teach me to use Tulpa, Ulv. Please. And uh, unless you don't want to talk about it; what the actual fuck happened to your house?"

Ulv always had such a way with words. Upon speaking of her 180 with Kita, and how she was a nun now who absolutely abhorred sex, the demon couldn't help but roll her eyes while grinning. Indeed, Arianda could spend extra time telling Ulv that she was behaving herself for Kita's sake because the first time they met, Arianda was literally thrown into a building because she was being dumb. Despite what Ulv was saying, the demon simply chuckled at what Ulv said; smiling at Ulv once again. In truth, she didn't need to explain why she was doing this to Ulv. She could, but some part of Ari had a feeling Ulv may not be invested in the why; just whether Ari was okay or not.

"Don't worry, Ulv. I didn't have a Psychotic Break. Let's just say I'm trying to behave myself for once, hm~?"

Arianda smiled pleasantly, because that statement was largely true. She was trying to behave herself, even if she hadn't had sex in a good span of time; she didn't care. She wasn't going to hurt Kita nor Henrex; even if temptation itself tried to get Ari to do so. But, again, she truly did not need to get Ulv to understand the why; just that Ari was, indeed, fine.

"You had... sex...? Ulv, when I fucked Mana and conceived Caly; there wasn't THIS much destruction. Sure, some buildings got completely leveled in the after math, but, not like this. Just more... surprising, I suppose!"

Arianda shrugged, having never talked about such an event so casually; the darling daughter who she needed to reconnect with, and the woman who Ari had once loved with all her heart. Simply put, Arianda was glad Mana had become a better person; and was proud of her daughter for causing such a change. However, she simply pushed such rush of emotion aside before taking a seat on the floor across from Ulv.

"So uh... How does Tulpa work? I know it has something to do with the flame, but aside from that; no idea."

"I'm sorry, what was that? I was busy thinking about how to be a good nun~"

Arianda stuck her tongue out at Ulv playfully. She heard everything that the woman said, her whole passionate rant about how nobody listens to her; and Ari figured she would be a little coy and play with Ulv a bit. However, the rest of the time Ulv spoke, she was attentive; even if she was relatively confused. The Resolve Flame was entirely separate from Tulpa; which was an easy concept to understand. However, the next part was a little difficult for Ari. It wasn't hard to understand, but to execute.

The fact was that Arianda did not know what memories could be powerful enough for a Tulpa; especially when she had recently come to terms with some of her most traumatizing memories. Such things wouldn't follow her through rebirth, whatever that meant for a demon, at least not in the same way she had experienced them. They would simply be terrible memories of a time where her life was quite low. Even if they could be strong, it wasn't what Arianda wanted to focus on. Frankly speaking, Ari did believe the memories lost all their power the moment Mana had made amends for the things she had done; something Ari never would have expected. In other words, the demon believed she had to dig deeper; even into the memories that had long since grown clouded.

After Ulv had finished speaking, with Ari silently ignoring the comment about Henrex, she closed her eyes and started delving through her mind and memories; with a bit of Amphilogiai's help. Ari's mind and being had basically been Amphy's home for the longest time, so much so that she knew it pretty well; sometimes better than Ari did. So they searched, delving deeper into Arianda's mind for who knows how long; until, eventually, they reached the parts of Ari's memories that had grown foggy in the 300 years she had lived. She clearly remembered her 150 years of wandering on Earth, and a little bit of training with her scissors and some other things; but she can't remember her parents, what happened to them, or even what happened to Ari herself. However, as Amphy started to sort through the clouds that fogged Ari's past, it started to clear; revealing events Ari truly believed she never knew.

Arianda saw two women above her, one was holding her, the other was looking down at her; and she felt as if she was so small... a baby, perhaps? Whatever it was, Arianda could barely make out the defined forms of her parents faces; and then, the memory shifted and blazed through before she again saw her parents. They had been the ones who gave her the scissors, and from a relatively young age since Ari had grown, physically, relatively quickly; despite being so young. However, when Ari tried to focus on her parents, the memory shifted again; and then Ari saw something that caused her blood to run cold. She was being dragged away by demons, who had apparently abducted her to serve as some form of weapon; and her parents, who were injured and battered to near death, were only yelling for her and cursing the ones who had taken her; unable to move due to the fierce injuries that had left their energy low due to copious amounts of regeneration. Now, of all times, was when Arianda could see their faces clear as day; the faces of her two mothers, staring at the child they may never see again. One had horns, a pale complexion, long hair, and a broken sword lay in the ground. The other was dark skinned, hair white as snow, red eyes like Ari's own had once been, as well as a few small wyverns or dragons that looked less injured, but clearly out of the fight, that lay cradled in her arms. Unable to do anything as Arianda was dragged through a portal by the two demons; paralyzed with fear at the thought of never seeing her own parents ever again.

With a resounding crack, Arianda had fell backward out of her sitting position; her head colliding with the hard floor rather roughly. She blinked up at the ceiling, tears running free of her eyes as she didn't have anything to say as her injured head healed in mere moments; only the smallest of traces that Ari had hit her head on the floor remained, which was a tiny drop of the demon's blood. She swallowed softly, wiping her eyes to sit up and look at Ulv, feeling a bit sheepishly for reacting so strongly to something.

"Would uh... Would a almost forgotten memory about getting abducted as a child and stolen from my parents suffice...?"

Arianda let out a shaky sigh, her hands trembling some as Ulv asked her questions. It was undeniable how she felt about her parents; the feelings she had remembered were complete love for her two mothers. It made her wonder why, how, she could have forgotten them; especially if they were such great parents for Ari to feel the want to protect her own family so much she stopped the people who were fighting her parents to get Ari that she forced them to let her parents live in exchange for her. The sudden remembering of something so utterly powerful made the demon want to curl up right on the spot; however, she did no such thing. She rubbed her eyes gently, popped her knuckles, and then stared straight at Ulv.

"A myriad of emotions... Love for my parents. Anger, hate, and complete utter desire to destroy those who took me; and the urge to protect my moms... I-I basically gave myself up so they wouldn't die..."

Arianda tilted her head a bit, contemplating a few things before she giggled softly; shaking her head at the irony of everything. Mostly how her younger self was somehow better at protecting people, even if it was a single isolated incident, than Ari herself had been in recent memory. However, her small giggles soon ended and Arianda looked at Ulv solidly in the eyes, smiling at the woman warmly.

"I think it's enough, Ulv; I can't say I've had as strong of an emotional reaction to much else in recent memory. At least not in that magnitude... and it certainly fuels how I've been feeling as of late; the whole wanting to be able to protect those I care for and all. What do you think, Ulv...?"