-Eric Greitens

The rest of the day passed without issue, save for the occasional uncertain glance from Seras to Sophia and the ever-present lustful glare that Sophia would shoot them both whenever she thought one or the other wasn't looking. Perhaps it was a result of being separated from the rest of their "flock" and having both of her parental figures to herself, whatever that meant to her. Regardless, John was suddenly uncomfortably aware of the fact that someone could address him as "Father" (and not inaccurately) before a moment later beginning to stroke him off.

Thankfully John was never **** to determine whether his lust or discomfort was greater. Sophia was allowed to join them in their bed, after much deliberation in a separate room, but aside from cuddling she made no moves to entice them further. John Newman was able to get a night's sleep, if not entirely peaceful - mostly because of the erection he was unable to subdue for most of the night due to ending up sandwiched between two incredibly stacked women most of the night. If Sophia made notice of his needs, she said nothing.

"If I ever figure out a spell that replaces sleep," John groaned, imagining the training and achievements he'd be able to reach with an extra eight hours in his day.

"It's not that interestin' for those of us who don't 'ave the ability to just make stuff," Seras groaned, stretching. "'alf the time I just nap with you so I can pass time without just faffin' about for a few hours."

"Huh. That's fair… it's actually pretty boring around here. Maybe I'll go home and grab some of my games, teach you to play." John didn't say it, but the thought of talking to his mother again without needing to lie to her - the first time he'd have done so since the start of the war - was a relaxing one.

"I cannot be angry if you two wish to spend the early morning hours conversing… but could you perhaps turn off whatever that annoying buzzing sound is?"

"Huh? Oh." John fumbled his way out of bed and strained to hear the direction that the sound was coming from. With no proper nightstands for the beds, John had simply tossed his phone on one of the spares, and between the sleep still clouding his brain and the previous night's events, he'd forgotten which one he'd chosen.

"Your ears are pretty good, I didn't even notice this yet," John complimented as he finally found the phone, quietly vibrating every few seconds while stuck between two folds of one of the Order's rough comforters. Unlocking the screen immediately revealed the culprit - a text message only a few minutes old and possibly what had woken John up in the first place, even if he hadn't consciously been paying any attention to the sound. The message itself concerned John far more than a few lost minutes of sleep, though.

"Thirty minutes. No more delays. Be ready - the passphrase is 'Songs of the Forgiven'."

"Thirty minutes, sent six minutes ago… what the hell is she planning?"

John warned Sophia and Seras of the incoming event as best as he could. Given his lack of information, that took all of five minutes. Sophia didn't seem happy to have John planning something alongside the woman she'd been ready to broadside less than a week ago, but when John insisted that he was going to be fighting regardless of her disapproval, she assured him that she would not allow him to go at it alone.

"Evellyn, can you tell me if any of my abilities or items aren't ready?"

"Confirmed - running full diagnostics. No negative status effects. Resources at maximum. Runes at full charges…"

John allowed Evellyn to continue until she ran over everything he had. The only thing he seemed to have forgotten was his Bronze Ring of Transference, which he had drained for training and never replenished. She also reminded him that he had never taken the time to actually check over the items he had received from his latest quest.

Golden Rose Insignia: The emblem of the Golden Rose, carved in silver. Enchanted to attach to the first piece of armor it is placed on.
+10% Damage against targets with negative Alignment.
-10% Healing to/from Allies with negative Relationship or Alignment.

Golden Agate Talisman: A piece of eye agate cut and socketed into a gilded frame, hung on a necklace. Stares at you while you sleep, haunts you in your dreams.
+20% Mana Regen
+20% Emotional Instability

"Fitting… and worrying."

John was a bit **** to put any of those on, but frankly he had no idea what challenges he was about to face. He was preparing to make decisions on which of his necklaces to equip when he realized that there were no slots - he hit "equip" on the Golden Agate Talisman and it simply hung along with his Pendant of the Loyal. Unsure of how long he would be using most of his gear, John chose to attach his new insignia to his greaves, assuming he would have more reason to replace his breastplate or boots for buffs before his leg armor.

The rest of the time he simply spent on equipping most of his gear and getting the others ready. Using Craft he was able to take some of the tattered and ruined garments Seras had worn in her last few encounters and stitch together a full outfit for Sophia. It was plain, losing all color and coming out white in the result, but at least it looked somewhat decent. Craft seemed incredibly accurate at making things appropriately sized; everything Sophia put on fit her perfectly - the shirt even had wing holes built in for when she conjured them.

"Father, do you have any armor that you might be able to spare? I had not considered garments as worth wasting material on, but that looks quite… impressive."

Sophia bit her lip a bit as she spoke, leading John to wonder if he had just discovered a kink of hers. Honestly, John had never considered armor for the harpy - given her ability to fly, he didn't imagine that such heavy and restrictive gear as his Order-styled plate would be useful, but there was probably something he could make.

"I'll have to look for something more suited to your needs. Armor like this is probably not great for you to fly in."

"My wings can carry many men, Father. Do not underestimate me."

Sophia's eyes flashed with a dangerous confidence that thrilled John. In his head, a winged creature and armor did not mix well, but perhaps he had been drawing conclusions too early? Perhaps he had about most of his Purified creatures… certainly they had all surprised him in one way or another. Despite his RPG instincts screaming against putting a flying creature in plate armor, John suddenly realized that the image of Sophia soaring above the battlefield in a full set of armor was now stuck in his head. Blade bloodied, eyes red, a battle-cry half formed on her perfect lips…

Shit, had John just discovered a kink of his? He'd be lying if Seras wasn't goddamn sexy with that rifle.

Before John had too much longer to consider violent fetishes, there came a pounding at the door to the safehouse. Sophia and Seras followed closely behind John as he opened the door to their new home, revealing a truly imposing figure.

Standing somewhere between six and ten inches taller than John was a woman who appeared to be attempting to live out the fantasies that John had just been playing in his head with Sophia and Seras. She wore armor of a kind that John had never seen, something between a liquid metal and latex. It was thicker than cloth and had carvings and intricate designs that held their form and shape as she swayed from side to side, but where her body moved, so too did the armor. Around the hips, arms, and neckline - which extended all the way to her jaw - it twisted and folded, never uncovering any skin or covering any more than it had originally, even appearing to stretch at times. It was crimson, with gold trim and a large purple gemstone slapped in the center, amid a solid chunk of the material.

Only on certain sections of her body - her shoulders, her upper chest, and her thighs - did the armor have actual plating. They were certainly covering vital regions, but the lack of covering over most of her midsection confused John since there were plenty of vital organs besides the heart and upper sections of her lungs that could still be easily struck. Her pink eyes took John in just as quickly and efficiently as his own, while ragged wisps of white hair swayed in the breeze, occasionally breaking John's eye contact with her.

After a few moments of mutual examination, the woman uncrossed her arms and pointed at John accusingly.

"What songs do a warrior's weapon sing?"

"I don't- sorry, what?"

The woman stepped closer to John, putting a single massive, gauntleted hand against his chest and pinning him to the wall. Her strength was great, but considering the scale of people John had been getting bullied by lately, she seemed to almost pale in comparison. Seras and Sophia tensed, angrily crying out at the woman's **** - John gripped her wrist and had just begun to pry it away when she spoke again.

"What songs do a warrior's weapon sing?!"

The woman repeated the line angrily, and John finally took the breath required to recall Moira's words before he let his mouth shoot off foolishly again.

"Songs of the Forgiven."

The Amazonian woman immediately sighed, releasing John's chest. Seras and Sophia stood down, Seras lowering her rifle and Sophia stepping back from the striking range she had approached to. The ivory-haired warrior eyed both of them with annoyance, as well as John.

"Do not waste my time with foolishness. Your mind is untrained and you are too easily taken by surprise. Your Warden is on her way - she insisted that we meet here, for some reason."

"She didn't tell me anything," John said quietly, "including who to expect. Who are you?"

"Even if I tell you, you have no reason to believe me save for a password that, I would guess, was not even given to you in person. Quiet the fear of your heart. For now, we wait until your Warden arrives."

"No," John said, his voice somehow coming out nearly as confident as it had sounded in his head, "you just walked into my home and assaulted me. I have no idea why you're here, I have no idea why you've set up this meeting, and I don't even have a clue who you are. Answer my question, or wait outside until I know you aren't a threat to me or my family."

"…And if I am a threat?"

The words were not menacing. They were… refreshingly honest, even missing some of the annoyance apparent in the woman's earlier words. She simply stood there, one eyebrow raised and a half-smirk dancing across her features.

"Then… I will eliminate that threat."

The smirk became a full-blown grin, complete with a soft chuckle. The woman crossed her arms again and leaned against the wall, looking suddenly satisfied with herself.

"Dealing with you Order contractors is so much more fun than dealing with the Order proper. So prim, so proper, and so much lost independence. You outsiders get all the confidence of being a part of something bigger without losing your own self-reliance, and without being afraid of stepping out of line."

"You seem very familiar with the Order," John admitted, noting that - aside from Etriyya, and then on rare occasion - her description of them wasn't entirely without merit. He didn't even know the names of many of the soldiers he'd fought alongside without the use of Observe to remind himself - most of the time they were faceless weapons as much as breathing people.

"We have history. I've fought them, fought beside them, and butted heads with that crimson-haired brat more than a time or two. Can't say I'm proud of some of the times we came to clashing blades, but I can't say I'm displeased with where it got us, either. My name is Julia Balventia. I'm the Imperial Legate of the Forgotten Legion."