Labyrinth OCT Round 6 1/10

"Talk about...what?" Maestrale tilted her head, closing her journal and turning her whole body towards the the stranger, wings half opened as if to shield something. "Anatolius...are you his friend? Did you come here to complain? I hope you're not plotting vengeance against me, because that's really not..."

Chrys seemed unfazed by the homunculus and her suspicion. She smiled, brushing her hair, wet from the rain, with her fingers as she sat on the foliage bed.  "Oh? No...no, you don't have to worry about that. Actually I'm pretty glad."

The sorceress chuckled when Maestrale tilted her head to the other side, like very confused bird. "You heard well. I'm not talking to you as his friend. He doesn't have or deserve any, as long as I know."

Maestrale finally closed her wings, ruffling them. Some black, thick drops splashed on the ground. “Tch.” She scoffed, still quite wary. "Talk about hate that's a wheel. You seem to know him pretty well.”

"Yes...and no. But...it's not what I want to talk right now." Chrys' smile faded, and she shook her head at her question. Still sat on the foliage bed, she put her hands on her knees.

Her smile widened again, as if it was never gone in the first place.

"I heard you passed last round, congratulations. Quite the ride, it seems. You must be really tired.” She  pointed at her stained bandages, the broken ribs, both wounded arms.

“It'll be finally the last stretch, hmm?"

The homunculus looked at herself, closing her eyes and still good hand when she saw something black dripping again on the ground. Magistra stood motionless for a while, head held low. She answered with a tired croak, sitting down on the stone she used as chair.

"Yes. You are correct."

“Good. Rest until you can.”

The woman leaned towards her, lowering her voice and looking around before she spoke. "And...I will get to the point and not waste your time: what do you know about Zolteotl? Are they dying?"

"What? Why do you want to know that?"

"Eh"

Chrys shrugged, a faint smile still on her lips as Maestrale backed off against the surface she was using to write.

 "Let's call this a professional deformation. I will be honest with you, my main goal was to stop Anatolius: you did it wonderfully and I really owe you one. The thought of ending this stupid immortaily circus even crossed my mind. But..."

The woman got up with a graceful leap, stretching her arms like a yawning big feline.

"It would be sweeter now to understand more about this place, it's unique in its own kind. If Zolteotl is really dying, then it does mean than even the so called immortality has its own limits. And this fascinates me."

Still quite cautious, the homunculus stared at her new acquaintance, and she spoke after a while.

"I'm not...sure if I like you or not."

Chrys chuckled, shaking her head as she shrugged, interrupting the homunculus who closed her beak with a clack, rolling her eyes.

"We do not have to like each other, am I right?”

 Magistra didn't answer, and the sorceress' smile widened. It was her turn to be silent, approaching the construct who warned her with a soft hiss.

Her voice grew softer too, as she stopped, taking the hint.

“Ok, ok, I'll begin." Chrys got back and sat again on the bed. "We...talked...and they said...only an immortal can bear the Labyrinth. Does it ring a bell?”

Maestrale shook her head, checking her hand for other black drops and then looking again at her new acquantaince.

“Afraid not. Zolteotl has been here...from a very long time. Not much it is known except...well...”

The homunculus shrugged, getting up and ruffling her wings again.

“What everyone knows. They are probably the last member of their own species, they guard the Labyrinth for the sake of the Door, their mask is crumbling, no one knows what's behind and they look sick lately, I don't know why. They said something about not many pages in both our books...”

Magistra tilted her head again, still quite confused. “This has no sense. If only an immortal can bear the Labyrinth, why do you think they're dying?”

The sorceress got up again, looking outside of the window, at the still pouring rain, rubbing her arms when a closer thundered echoed in the little cobbled streets.

“They quoted...something. And with strange aeons even death may die...I know where it's from, but why use that now?”

“I...don't know...it's not familiar to me.” The homunculus seemed even less sure of herself, almost lost, so much that the sorceress sighed.  “They often do say strange things. You should not listen to them: they like to annoy people.” Maestrale shook her head again, tail fanned in alarm, and Chrys groaned, pinching her nose.

“Annoy people...ridiculous. Come on, do we really need this?”

“Need...what?”

"What can..." The woman narrowed her eyes, but her expression soon cleared again. “Oh, I know: I heard the fish cat lady won. The strong one. She is your opponent. Did someone already announced that?"

Chrys flexed her arms and smiled again when Maestrale shuddered, a look of pure horror on her face.

“This has nothing to do with this conversation.”

"Oh...It has." She chuckled. "I'm quite interested to know what you'll do now. I also heard that you're pretty determined to win.”

The sorceress put a hand on the construct's shoulder, but she immediately pulled it back with a shiver, without a comment. When she talked her voice was still mild and convincing, her smile so large it showed a lot of teeth.

“Come on...we can settle this, strong woman to strong woman. What about...do ut des. It does mean...a mutual exchange. You help me to uncover this secrets by telling me what you did discover and I help you: for example, I can provide informations. I know your opponent has many friends and a caring heart, very simple to exploit, yet dangerous."

She stretched one hand towards Maestrale, and she hopped back again. "So: are you sure you don't know anything?"

Maestrale stood for a while, so still she didn't even blink.

“Wait a minute...” She chirped. “Are you thinking that I'm holding some secrets I don't want to share?” She shook her head, still quite shocked.

“...You are mistaken. I don't know more aside of what I've already said.”

“As if...Wait. You really don't?” Chrys sighed after a moment of pure bewilderment, waving in the air with a careless gesture of her hand. "Oh, I can't believe it. I thought you'd be more..."

“Enough!” Maestrale hissed again, wings half opened, other black droplets that joined the ones already on the ground. “You came here...unprompted. Invading my space. Exhausting me! I don't think I have time right now to  listen to your patronizing ramblings...”

The homunculus hopped towards Chrys until they were almost face to face and then snapped her beak as close as she could.

“If you excuse me. My rounds are more important than this.”

“Is that so?” The sorceress blinked without moving from where she was, and her lips curled into a sour sneer, pointing outside, to the pouring rain and black, thundering sky.

"Everything is going haywire. This storm...the walls are crumbling more and more, and the same thing is happening to Zolteotl's mask. Something is up and it's affecting everything, and yet you act like a blind fool. You should be grateful for my help!"

"Grateful for what help? How do you dare..." the homunculus looked at her and then clacked her beak, hopping then back where she was, her breath short. The silence was longer, and way more hostile. Maestrale lowered her head again, coughing when she tried to take a deeper breath, wincing again from the pain. It took a while for her to talk, and when she did her voice was way calmer.

"I'm telling you again, I don't know anything useful to you, I fear. I had no time for...well, anything except survive."

"Most of the people here try to survive, and yet...they search, they ask questions. I'm doing this and I'm never been in the competition.” Chrys put her hands on her hips. She didn't smile anymore. “I'm not even sure you've considered all the possible implications of drinking from that fountain when there's such a big mystery around. Am I correct, goo bird?"

"Careful with what you say." The homunculus growled again "I'm not your friend."

The two looked at each other, but before anything else the door opened with a loud bang. "Hey!"

D'arr had walked in the little shelter with the usual basket full of fruits. He was clearly in a rush, huffing and drenched from the rain.

Chrys smiled again, and waved.

"Oh. Hello."

"Who...what are you doing here?" The familiar lowered his ears, avoiding her to skitter up beside Maestrale, tail tucked between the legs. He left the basket near the homunculus, and  he continued to stare at the newcomer, even when the sorceress went to the door.

"Don't worry, I was going.” She turned towards Magistra, with another sneer. “Remember what we said, goo bird. A fountain that offers immortailty without consequences is too good to be true. If you find something...”

Magistra shuddered again, but she didn't avoid her gaze this time, and there was another, heavy silence.

“What did he do to you?”

“Oh, not another one. Aren't you and that tlaztal similar...” Chrys shook her head, preparing to go outside: she didn't turn when the homunculus spoke again, stopping with one hand on the ruined door.

“He ruined me and everything dear to me, that's all you need to know.” Her voice was soft and barely audible through the falling rain.

“Then there's really a thing I can say to you.” The sorceress finally turned towards Maestrale when she hopped a little closer to her, lowering her voice too.

"I've said it more times than I care to count, and I doubt you'll listen to me, but...if you have qualms or problems with Anatolius that you can't solve, let it be. Hate is a wheel and you never know who's gonna get crushed under it."

Chrys laughed. “Well, I hope I'll get to see when it happens to him.” She stared at a now very serious Maestrale, contempt clear in her eyes. “I...heard you were out for revenge, and now I'm baffled by what I hear. I thought we were similar.”

"You're wrong. Or maybe we were." The homunculus scoffed, making a step back, opening and closing her beak with a clack before speaking again.  “Live your life, and go on.”

Chrys scowled at those words. "Life?” She brushed her choker as her voice grew more bitter. “I don't have a life to live thanks to him.”

The sorceress hastily turned towards the rainy, crumbling streets of the Labyrinth. She stopped mid step one last time.

“Good luck, Maestrale. You'll need it a lot."

The moment Chrys was out of the temporary shelter, D'arr immediately jumped to action. He closed the door with a relieved sigh, and Maestrale chirped, tilting again her head.

"I don't like her very much."

The familiar explained with a shiver. He retrieved the basket, only to nudge the homunculus. She nodded, still  silent, and then she sat on her bed, scarfing down the fruits without thinking about it, in the usual wolfish manner. For a while the only sound was the falling rain, and some thunder.

"She remembers me of that...”

Magistra lowered her head, sighing and stopping to conteplate the apple she was eating. D'arr patiently waited for her to speak again, in a whisper that almost got drowned by the sound of the rain.

“The...black cat, Calibre. When her Rover died. She could have been like that, I even said some things... It's such an easy route..."

She jolted when a thunder rumbled very close to them, and got up, clutching the apple. The food gave her enough energy to not stain around her very much.

"Have you seen Calibre, by the way? She could still be outside, mourning. With this weather..."

D'arr tried to convince Maestrale to sit down again, nudging her and ignoring the cold that made his hairs to stand.

"Don't worry, I think she's safe. Sit down and eat some more, there's other fruit to eat!”

His encouraging smile faded when he stared at her, and his ears lowered again.

“Oh. You're...not thinking about Calibre, though.”

The homunculus sat down without much fuss, wincing from the pain and moving very carefully this time. The familiar sat as closer as he could to her.

“No.”

D'arr, still ignoring the cold, nudged her hand, and Magistra ruffled absent mindedly his head. She didn't leave any sinister black stain behind, this time.

“Hey, I think the food does a lot, you were right.” The little familiar smiled again, his voice grew softer.

“And don't worry. Your colours have changed with time, you know. When we met, many thoughts were black. Icy and not welcoming.”

He shuddered, ears still flattened against his head.

“But now...you're less dark: there's something tired, and something very sad instead. Like a winter sunset, when the trees sleep under the snow. You really are different, from her especially!”

D'arr finally perked up again, but Magistra sighed. He narrowed his eyes.

“What did she say to you?"

Maestrale averted his gaze and finally began to eat again, but it was impossible for him not to read what was in her mind.

The familiar whined. "She has been mean. I'm sure nothing will change if you discover or not..."

"She is right on one thing: I have not been careful. Her questions are legitimate.”

Finally the homunculus spoke again, after eating the last fruit. She rubbed her head with the good hand, closing her eyes when she touched the still new scar.

“What's going on around me? It's like I'm playing a game I don't understand. I have been so fixed on my problems, that..." Maestrale sighed again, searching for something on foliage bed and finally grabbing a blue notebook with her good hand. The one she had purchased with Mosse for Seth.

"What will happen now, on this round? It's not fair, it's warriors or children, and now I am against that...Stone. And I saw what she can do.” The homunculus drew a trembling breath, coughing when the broken ribs complained.

She stared at D'arr with a strange expression, her mouth was half opened like a trapped, scared little bird.

“I need to win. If I die before... you'll be safe, I told Zol...but no one is telling...they said...”

Her ghostly eyes searched through the room as she squeezed the notebook, almost piercing it. “I am still so afraid. I don't know what will happen to me. I agreed blindly with so many things, and yet I talk about consequences...”

Maestrale sighed again. “It's like doing the same mistakes...over and over again..."

D'arr stopped her almost incoherent, panicked rambling by putting his paw on her shoulder, shivering again from the cold.

"Heeeeey, wait a minute, you are thinking so many things at once and you'll give me an headache.”

There was something highly uncomfortable in his smile, and his tail was almost hanging to the ground.

“I never said thank you...for helping us. My master, Koss and me...you are kind, Maestrale. We were lucky.”

The familiar moved away a little from her to avoid the cold. He sniffled.

“Don't worry about Stone,ok? She's...kind too."

Magistra widened her eyes, ruffling again her wings.

"Is she the one who almost killed the gnome thing during the tlachtli game, am I right?"

"Yes, but...she didn't do on purpose!” D'arr shook his head. “And it's not like you didn't do anything, you battled Kossboss, and Anatolius, and you did that thing to Sage...sorry."

He lowered again his ears when he let that last name slip from his mouth.

Maestrale sighed again, clutching the notebook and staining it with other black droplets. "I guess you're right. I, at least, wasn't always a good person. Poor thing." She closed her eyes and then she got up again, turning towards the familiar.

“How much until the end?”

D'arr shook his head, and Magistra clacked her beak, hopping towards the door.

“I need to tie the last things up before anything else, and that means...I will speak to Seth and give to him this notebook. I don't know if they'll ever accept my apologies, but I must try."

“Can I come with you?” The familiar got up too, but the homunculus stopped him with a gesture and another tired smile as she opened the door. She hid the notebook under her wing to shelter it from the rain.

“Don't worry. I won't be long, don't go again outside in this rain or you'll catch a cold.” Her smile widened. “You too deserve to rest.”

And she hopped outside, closing the door without making too much sound.