Child O' Mine

Helena Lethe
Dun Loireag - Isekai Roukan - Garden

    Sitting by the pond was a young woman in her twenties. Her hair is cut short, with a slight green tinge to its black color. Her eyes just as soft as the water, with a color of minty green.

The day they saved this young girl, she was a hostage to a horrible monster in the woods, but now she is cleaned up, humming a song to herself, as she reaches over gently and runs her finger tips gracefully over the water, singing the last lines to herself, "And we will never be apart..."
Shiruba
Dun Loireag - Isekai Roukan - Garden

"Hello?" Shiruba asked softly as she stepped through the garden, not wanting to disrupt the young lady suddenly. "I'm not interrupting, am I? Just felt it was about time for someone to check on how you are... recovering. From that experience." Her tail twitchs a few times. Oi, this was a kind of awkward conversation to try and start, she's kind of just winging it for the moment.
Helena Lethe
Dun Loireag - Isekai Roukan - Garden

    When Shiruba makes herself known, the young woman known as Gabriela Drake stands up, "Oh!" She then calms down. "Its you... One of the ones who saved me. I-- never got the chance to give you all a proper thank you."

Her hands then came to rest in front of her. "Nor... did I ever introduce myself." She then bows respectfully. "I am Gabriela Drake... I... I don't think that..." She pauses, seeming unsure what to say next for a moment. "... I... am not sure if... he would have... ever let me go."
Shiruba
Dun Loireag - Isekai Roukan - Garden

Shiruba smiles a little when she's recognized. "It's quite all right, Gabriela. We were in a fair bit of a hurry at the time." The hug was a little awkward, but understandable. When you had no hope of escape up until that point, you get excited.

The lupin cait returns the bow politely. "Shiruba Howlinger, Moderator of the Silver Sword Guild of the New World Alliance." There's a pause, and an awkward chuckle as she rises back up and rubs the back of her head. "But just Shiruba is fine! I.. try to not get too into formalities."
Helena Lethe
Dun Loireag - Isekai Roukan - Garden

    "Sometimes, formalities are all we have." Gabriela said with a smile. She does walk up toward Shiruba, the dress she was given clean and with a white top and blue, flowing bottom. "Though you are all the first adventurers I ever met! Given the small farm town didn't have too much exciting that ever happened, well... until..."

The young woman falls to silence as her eyes lower and she looks over to the pond. "I use to desire adventure, like what you adventurers have. To see the world and fight monsters." She laughs a little. "Foolish maybe. My father told me it was all flights of fancy and I was better to remain a stable girl."
Shiruba
Dun Loireag - Isekai Roukan - Garden

Shiruba reaches over to put a comforting hand on Gabriela's shoulder. "There -are- a lot of dangerous things out there in the world. Your father was only looking out for you." Not entirely a sentiment she can sympathize with, considering her own issues with her parents back in the Old World, but we're not going to let that get to us right now. "But they shouldn't try to entirely shut down one's dreams, either." That on the other hand she knows very well.
Helena Lethe
Dun Loireag - Isekai Roukan - Garden

    The touch on the shoulder, causes Gabriela to almost step back; Almost. She has to do a deep inhale to calm her own nerves, as if reminding herself that she is safe.

"He... was. I know he was. They... They turned him into one of those... Those monsters." Her arms crossed over her chest. "I could hear him beg... I saw the shadows as it looked like they nearly drained him of all his life... Then.. then later.. He-- he was some horrible... ghoul.." Her body shivers, as she holds herself tighter.

"Most everyone I /knew/ was turned into... undead of some kind... I-- I was simply spared because..." Tears form in her eyes, before she turns away from Shiruba. A few droplets hit the pond below that she stands over. "... why... how can that.. that thing..."
Shiruba
Dun Loireag - Isekai Roukan - Garden

"That had to be a terrifying experience." Shiruba shifts her arm from just clasping a shoulder to wrapping it around her back loosely to comfort her. "We know about them taking people to turn into more undead monsters," she adds softly, deciding it's better to let the girl go at her pace than to try and immeadiately broach the subject on her mind. "When we found out you had been taken elsewhere instead, we made a rescue as soon as we could. That he took you away personally was... unusual behavoir for them..."
Helena Lethe
Dun Loireag - Isekai Roukan - Garden

    The young woman shifts a little. Her own hand rubs her arm as she does. She does not mind the comfort from Shiruba, not pulling away either, but there was a long silence.

She reaches up gently and wipes away the tears from her eyes, trying to recompose herself. "I..I... I was told when... when I was young.. that... my grandfather was a Queen's knight. That he fought for that honor and by her side... did... they unite the small neighboring kingdom with another."

Gabriela turns to look at Shiruba. "That he fought in wars and slayed giant beasts on his mighty steed. That he was ever as sharp with his with, as his blade-- and his arrows always flied so true. He-- he sounded like... a fairy tale really." She laughs softly. "And I.. I wanted to be like him. Like my grandfather, but again... father says... stay in the stables. Help your mother. Collect those eggs!"

    The young girl tries to smile, but it was weak. "... He... nor my uncle, ever explained /what/ happened to my grandfather. Just... I knew... my dad was raised by my uncle and... my grandmother was killed by.. by a horrible disaster."

"... so... that... monster... That held me... That pulled me out of their damp, dark crumbling castle... He-- he wanted me to /choose/. He wanted me to /agree/... but.." She shakes her head softly. "... by the goddesses... how.."
Shiruba
Dun Loireag - Isekai Roukan - Garden

There is a small historical nugget of information in there, about uniting kingdoms and what not, but that is just stored away for later. It wasn't as important as the more immeadiate matter.

Gabriela starts, stammers, starts again, sobs here and there, but slowly works her way through the explaination. Ears perk up, and while it's not immeadiately or directly mentioned, the gears are turning. The fact that the Generals had been seen acting more like monsterous people than horrible monsters at times came to her mind.

A Queen's Knight. Slaying beasts upon a warhorse... It.. oh... oh wow...

"He was looking for surviving family," she softly mutters the thing that Gabriela seems to have trouble getting to come out.
Helena Lethe
Dun Loireag - Isekai Roukan - Garden

    Gabriela Drake doesn't confirm what Shiruba says, she then slowly goes down to the floor, sitting there, as she carefully pulls her knees up to her chest, as the dress keeps everything nicely covered.

"... when... /he/ first saw me... he... said I looked like his wife. When.. he came to get me out of the cell... he told the guards he wanted me as a /pet/. They... tried to argue with him, something about shortage for meals... and he told them this one.. be me... was not to be part of the cattle." Her nose wrinkles up a bit.

She closes her eyes, she inhales deeply, trying to calm her nerves. Trying to be brave. Trying to be strong. "He... he took me to that cabin in the woods... I.. I first didn't understand /why/... me looking like his wife would matter... when he asked me my name... I told him." She looks directly at Shiruba. "I /told/ him my name with defiance in my voice, and claimed my heritage to the great knight and-- like that knight I would one day kill him."

    She lowers her eyes. "He... laughed. He laughed... and laughed... I.... was angry... I even tried to use anything I could find to fight him... He.. he so easily moved me aside... then he told me his name... ... and... I realized why he was laughing... he... he was that knight.. he was Auther Drake... my grandfather... a fairy tale... turned nightmare."

She closes her eyes once more. "Then... then that is when he wanted me to join him. He wanted me to willingly join him. To... to become /like/ him... I refused over and over... and he continued over and over... Told me I was being foolish. That I was denying my... full potential..."

"... my grandfather... a vampire monster... a murderer..." Then Gabriela slips out the next part in a whisper. "... my legacy... my history... all tied to a murdering bastard of a monster..."
Shiruba
Dun Loireag - Isekai Roukan - Garden

Why is it one of the times that she would of loved to be wrong that she's not? Figures.

Shiruba lets out a soft sigh, and sits down next to the young lady. Puts her arm back around her shoulder and holds her close. "It hurts, I'm sure. To meet someone you looked up to... only to find out they are nothing like that. Not anymore." She wrinkled her nose a little. She had hoped maybe sparing the girl was some sign of forgotten compassion in the monster... but no, he was only looking to make more of his kind. That just happened to be a few generations down the line in relation. Which has turned this into something even more skeevy on some levels, but we're not going to think about that.

A name, a family connection, historical tidbits... those were things that could be researched. Later. Right now this girl needed something more personal.

"Yes... and no." Gently Shiruba turned Gabriela to look her in the eyes.

"Let history stay where it belongs in the past. Leave -his- legacy with the great man he was, not the monster he was made into." There's a reason for the bit of emphasis she makes. "-Your- legacy... is what you decide to make it for yourself."
Helena Lethe
Dun Loireag - Isekai Roukan - Garden

    Gabriela accepts the comfort, leaning into Shiruba once more. Just as she did when the wolf woman saved her. She closes her eyes and one hand clasps like a child to some part of Shiruba's clothing.

A twenty, nearly thirty year old, clinging like a child, but it was all troubling. So troubling. "... I can still hear his laughter... that dark laughter... I can see those fanged teeth.. the glowing eyes..."

    "If there... was some kind of.. family love... it... was like a farmer taking care... of a prized heifer... I... I am glad he didn't turn me... not... without my permission... and... Thank you, Shiruba." She holds on a little tighter and whispers once more. "... thank you for saving me... and being here still."

"I... I will try to not let the monster keep hold of me." She admits softly. "To... To write my own fate away from his... I just... I think.. I think I need to go rest."
Shiruba
Dun Loireag - Isekai Roukan - Garden

Shiruba makes a face briefly as it's put that way.... but it's a disturbingly accurate description from the former farmgirl, to be honest. "Yeah... he wanted you for a trophy, not the reunion," she mutters softly.

"That is probably best. You've been through a lot, rest is good." The wolfgirl stands up, so she can help Gabriela to her feet. "Just remember that you're not alone now. We'll help you find a place to make a name for yourself rather than having to live in shadows of the past."
Helena Lethe
Dun Loireag - Isekai Roukan - Garden

    Gabriela nods her head gently and smiles to Shiruba, "Maybe... Maybe you can teach me a few things, huh?" But she goes to stand up with wolf woman's help before she steps back. "Rest well when you do Shiruba. I-- I hope we get to talk again." Then the woman heads for her temporary room at the inn.
Shiruba
Dun Loireag - Isekai Roukan - Garden

Shiruba nods, and offers a smile in return. "I will check in on you again, when you've had more time to recover." She does have a few more questions, but she doesn't want to hassle the girl while she's still rebounding from such a horrible experience. "Good night, Gabriela."