Figures of Authority [Amaranta, Khaana]

Unaccustomed to watching over injured warriors, Amaranta allowed the woman's abnormal body to correct itself over a few days. Assuming that she could effectively fix her body alone, the bronze woman reflected on her emotions. Experiencing the unpredictable nature of an idle mind, she visualized where or to whom she could direct her frustration. After all, without answers, she couldn't properly illustrate, let alone confirm, whether her anger was misguided.


Where was Kanako? Who allowed her to travel within an inch of that desecrated country? In reality, she knew Khaana wasn't the inviolable princess that needed to be protected, but she was a warrior who proved intelligent enough in the past---so why? Why throw yourself into a den of beasts? It was a foolish choice with nothing to be gained from the conclusion - except death and regret.

Whatever. Thinking any longer on this would only annoy her further, and so she spent her time sitting by the door while she stuffed her mouth full of human snacks, a handheld game in hand. When the door parted, the first vision that would greet Khaana during her cursory glance was the tall woman sprawled across a sleeping bag. Gazing at the woman in annoyed silence, Amaranta bluntly stated her intentions regarding an explanation.

"Answers now. That explanation you gave me in Africa isn't cutting it and I think you know that."

Whoa. Well, that certainly escalated, didn't it? She demanded answers, received an abundance, and now she was lying atop her large frame after kicking her to the ground and clinging to her like a lost child in need of guidance. Some small part of her found a somewhat criminal amusement in that, but it did little to eliminate the agitation she currently felt so far.

"The special protagonist you always dreamed of turned out to be a sham - so what? A menos drags you along and forces you to join their family and you fight back and get your ass kicked. It's rough. It's humbling. And it sure as hell is a rough pill to swallow, but you're still here. Alive and breathing."

Obviously, Amaranta was ill-equipped to offer any lofty words that could singlehandedly ease her tortured soul. She specialized in combat, not emotion. Even so, it was rather unpleasant to observe her falling apart at the seams. Tossing the handheld game neatly to the side, firm hands rose to ruffle the woman's auburn hair.

There was little use in making matters worse for her, offering her heartfelt advice on the matter might prove a sufficient method. Thus, she offered an answer from her perspective, from her ideal point of view. To her, as long as one lived, and possessed the will to carry on, they could start anew. Carve a new path in life. That was always her approach. Turn a defeat into a victory.

"Let me be honest with you. I always thought that the image you were attempting to convey never matched the fire I felt from you, anyway. The brutality. The aggression. Even your words now proved that my belief was correct. After all, what streamer would wander into a warzone like Africa?"

Pausing for a moment, recognizing how some foolish idiot trying to get views might well entertain the thought, she shook her head as she waved her hand dismissively.

"...Don't answer that. My point is... Be whatever the hell you want. I like those aspects of you. The bossy lady with a haughty tinge who can tap into a violent mood full of relentless brutality. In terms of all these characters you speak about, I think you're one hell of a badass in your own way."

Furrowing her eyebrows, the bronze lioness tilted her head to the side, quietly reflecting on her words. As expected, she couldn't relate to this woman at all regarding stuff like this. What was there to say here? Amaranta knew what she valued in the woman, what brought her back to the table consistently. Did her being a hollow have anything to do with it?

If no human in their right mind was going to want her? Then why not look elsewhere? There were special brands of individuals that would probably give this troubled redhead the world if she looked hard enough. At the moment, all this amounted to her as excuses. A hand rose to pinch the woman's cheek. Exhaling softly, Amaranta offered her unfiltered opinion. That was what helped her in the past. What good would it do her to go from what worked now?

"Then choose someone that isn't in their right mind. Think outside the box, Idiot. There's your problem. There are two sides of you fighting over who desires what you want. Neither of them are working together. On one hand, you have this part of you that thrives in danger and rushes headfirst into it like a maniac. On the other, the softer, more feminine side of you wants to settle down with someone and retire quietly."

Amaranta continued to chop her across the head with a grin.

"Boring way to settle down, if you ask me, but whatever. I can't speak on this career stuff, but if you're waiting for a human, of all things to validate you, you've already lost the battle. There's a whole bunch of races and you keep defaulting to human. No wonder you're suffering right now."

"Yuck. Kanako? Hell no. I could think of far better options than that gargantuan retard. As far as me... Of course not. Me? Marriage and a quiet ending with a family? I can't even imagine raising a child!"

A peal of laughter roared from her throat even in the midst of Khaana seizing her wrist. As expected, there was no tact in her approach to this subject. After all, even she couldn't comprehend the scope of her own relationships, let alone the notion of true love. From her perspective, all of this was simply a matter of grasping and taking what the heart desired. An act that came as natural as breathing to her, like a law engraved in her soul. Precisely because she couldn't relate to it, she offered the course she would navigate if she were in her shoes. Resting her chin against her free hand, Amaranta cocked her head to the side with a grin.

"I don't have a problem with it. After all, you are a free woman with a free mind. Who am I to hold you in place? My only problem is you failing to talk to me about anything. What is it the humans go on about? Communication. I'm not equipped for any of this, and I've probably pissed you off, but I'd rather talk about this than find you expiring pathetically. Although..."

Like a smug feline, a grin danced across her features as she stroked her chin, relishing in the curious words that graced her ears just now.

"Me? An option, eh? I won't act like I don't find ya some measure of attractive, but I'm far and away from what you're into. You established as much, remember~?"

"I know, I know... but still though.... What a curious set of options. I know I'm drop-dead gorgeous, but I'm truly at a loss of words."

The threat of being punched in the face didn't faze her at all. Agitating others, even those she considered companions, was a pastime she would never grow tired of even in a thousand years. That said, it humored her even more that Khaana was focusing in on what she said, threatening her armored fist. Flicking her ears around, maintaining that arrogant grin, Amaranta pretended that the question hadn't registered for a moment. Of course, she was more than a measure of attractive in her eyes, but she learned time and again that nothing was more entertaining than drawing out the suspense in a situation. Where was the rush in answering her? None at all. Eventually, she answered after pretending it took her a minute to come to a decisive answer.

"Don't go threatening me with a good time, Princess. My head in a crater just means the battle hard-on ends up expanded to full length and we wouldn't do that, would we? Not in your current condition. Anyway, let me cut past the bullshit. I think you're pretty damn hot. Hell, before I even ended up settling in here, I wanted to overpower you and have my way with you after getting a taste of your violent aspects, but you established your whole shtick about wanting that special someone and I never bothered. No fun in topping someone who isn't reciprocating interest, you know?"