Devilla
"Is it normal for kitsune to fight like this?" I questioned Nivera, speaking in a whisper so as not to disturb the ongoing spar. They were on their third match and Lucy was trying to find the real Chloe among not only three demonoid figures, but two foxes.
Not that the exact numbers meant much when even Chloe's illusionary selves seemed capable of changing form, and the whole lot of them were constantly mixing up their placement.
"Nobody fights like Chloe," Nivera replied, pride evident in her voice.
"Though she is technically copying your dam's fighting style," Sallina chimed in, drawing my attention. She met my gaze with a warm smile, which I hesitantly returned. I was admittedly unsure how to feel about her recent display of protectiveness. I wanted to be upset that my girlfriend had been treated so harshly, yet I was also grateful that she would go so far for me... It had almost felt as if she were ready to
die
for me, ridiculous as that thought was.
"More like resurrecting it," Nivera corrected, thankfully giving me an excuse to break eye contact with Sallina. "She built her fighting style off tall tales and rumors, as much as anything - stories about how Issa turned back a human army by making them think she had an army of her own, and how she made the Heroine herself so dizzy she started throwing up and had to flee the battle... Your dam was extremely popular back in her day, from what I can tell. About on par with your Mom."
"More
popular with some people," Chloe chimed in, somehow standing right next to us despite the fact that Lucy was
still
battling three demonoid Chloes and two foxes. "I'm not actually sure what's true and what wasn't, so I've just focused on recreating everything I can in my own way! I think she'd have approved, though."
"I'm sorry," I interrupted, "but are you
actually
talking to us in the middle of a fight? Or is this just another illusion?"
"Why not both?" Chloe shrugged before suddenly just... disappearing.
I double checked to make sure there was no fox on the ground.
"Ignore her," Nivera grumbled. "She's just showing off. Like she doesn't have
enough
of a handicap with not being able to use illusions directly on herself..."
Sallina laughed, a full hearted sound that had one hand on her stomach and the other on her mouth as she tried to hide her smile.
"I'm sorry, dear," she said, answering my questioning gaze. "It's just... it's hard to believe that I'm watching Chloe lead the Heroine around by the nose... Not to mention the jovial attitude you girls are all taking. It almost makes me feel like I'm the crazy one here..."
"Chloe isn't exactly a fair metric to judge
anyone
by," Nivera pointed out, a touch of pride in her voice. "She's basically a force of nature."
"But Lucy's hits still connect sometimes, don't they?" Sallina challenged. "And when they do, Chloe isn't being sent hurtling away... if that's all the power she can manage, then I find myself more worried about what she'll do to 'Eena's' heart than what she'll do to Devilla's body."
"...You noticed, then?" I asked, unable to prevent the blush that climbed my cheeks. "Our feelings for one another?"
"It was fairly obvious once I was calm enough to look," Sallina confirmed, drawing a snort from Abigail and a nod from Nivera.
"You're not exactly great at hiding your weaknesses, sis," Nivera tacked on.
"I'd hardly list Lucy among my weaknesses," I protested, unable to help a frown. "If anything, she'll be of great help with taking my offer of peace to human lands... not to mention the emotional boon it is simply having her in my life, for however long it'll last."
"Yeah, yeah, love's a strength," Nivera replied, rolling her eyes. "Look, I get it. I'm in love too, remember? But I'm serious. You're going to need to wade into the political sphere if you want to get the whole tower behind this nonsense, and you dating the Heroine? Isn't the best look. There will be people claiming she found some way to charm or seduce you into a trap, or that you're giving us all up for the sake of sex."
"That's ridiculous," I scoffed. "Anyone who spends five minutes with Lucy can tell she's sincere."