I sighed as my Khopesh dug into the shoulder of the Cultist in front of me, a quick yank back sawing through her flesh and bones with ease and making her scream so wonderfully.
Sadly, I wasn't in a position to enjoy the way she crumpled to the ground with tears streaming from her dimming eyes as blood poured from the vicious wound and pooled around her, my focus instead being on the angry Lioness who was cutting through the fodder Cultists around us, her golden blade soaked with crimson viscera as the bodies continued to pile up.
"No, I'm not saying you need to apologize for her, but you need to admit that you went way too far and refused to see things from her side. From what it sounds like, Nirinia was really trying to have a discussion with you when you became emotional, and you didn't try to calm down and talk it out like adults! She wanted to search for solutions to make your relationship work, and you instead decided to take the emotions you had and explode, giving in to anger and not figuring out what was wrong with your relationship! Honestly, I have to wonder if you even wanted to be with Nirinia."
The Lioness' head snapped towards me at that, her golden eyes glowing with anger as she casually swatted a Cultist's blade away and skewered him, snarling "What's that supposed to mean?! Of course I wanted to be in a relationship with Nirinia! Do you think I accepted her offer on a whim?!"
"Did you want to be with Nirinia, or did you want to be with a woman that would court you, take you out to balls and theaters, cater to your whims and generally be just another tacky, useless Noble? The Nirinia that I know - and admittedly I have only known her for a short amount of time - is not the type to be romantic, to be waiting for you at the end of your job with flowers in hand and a ticket to see some play at a theater. She's going to want to take you out drinking, walk around and enjoy whatever happens inside the city before eventually going home and being intimate. When you got with Nirinia, did you really want to be with HER as a person or with your idealized concept of a partner? One that waits on you hand and foot so that they might have the pleasure of courting you?"
My words continued to rile up the Lioness, and after I wrenched my blade free from the stomach of a Cultist, I glanced at the woman and flicked the blood from my Khopesh, the silent surroundings making the entire area feel ghastly as we stood in a pile of bodies and pools of blood.
Adelina mirrored me, cleaning her blade off even as she glared at me, before her golden eyes hardened as I added "For a Commander you seem rather volatile. Instead of bottling everything up and waiting for it to explode, perhaps it'd be best if you found an outlet for your anger. Perhaps something like sparring with Nirinia and communicating with her in a way that you both are fluent in."
She frowned at that, the Lioness gritting her teeth and giving off an angry appearance, only to allow it to melt away as she took a deep breath and closed her eyes, calming herself down.
"You need to talk to her about everything. Unlike you I am perfectly content with having sex whenever and wherever my lovers desire me, and it helps create a balanced life for us since I can relieve them of any urges and desires that they have, whilst accepting their frustrations inside of myself. And with them being warriors, those desires and frustrations can be quite large. Nirinia is the same, Adelina. You need to find a way to meet her some of the way to keep her satisfied and desiring you, whilst sticking to your principals."
"It's not that easy though..! My own beliefs, my own values go against that 'middle ground' that both you and her speak of! So what, am I supposed to throw away my beliefs just to appease her lust?!"
"Are you just... not listening to me? I never said you needed to help get her off to meet her halfway. You need to find SOMETHING to keep her appeased, and YOU need to accept that she is who she is. There is not a chance in hell that Nirinia will act like a Noble to court you. It's not in her nature, and she isn't a Noble either; she's a member of an Orc Clan, Adelina. I hate to break it to you, but Orc's aren't really known for their elegance and willingness to speak in circles like Nobles either; they are straight forwards to a fault. You need to acknowledge that she isn't a 'Noble' and treat her as such. Once you can do that, perhaps then you can make some real progress in deepening your love for one another."
Red dusted her cheeks as she looked away from me, trying to hide her slight blush at that last line, only to growl "I don't appreciate that you took this entire time to casually bash me, Katherine..."
Raising a brow, I spun my Khopesh around and tilted my head, saying "Tough. Deal with it and move on. Or we could spar, here and now, if you'd prefer? Perhaps I could knock some sense into you."
"That's not very ladylike of you, Baroness."
I couldn't help but snort at that as I stabbed the Khopesh into the corpse of a Cultist beside me, freeing my hands as I took a breath before changing my expression from a casual one to a serious one as I gave her a curtsy - despite me not having any sort of skirt or dress on.
"A pleasure to meet you, Lady Leonisa. May the Empress' flames keep you warm. Would my Lady care for a spot of advice?"
'Lady Leonisa' narrowed her eyes at me as she looked me over, trying to keep up with the sudden shift as I continued onwards, only to shake her head and look away again.
"Perhaps you would find better counsel from someone who was willing to listen to you complain incessantly about why Nirinia was wrong? I apologize, but I don't believe I am the one to ask in regards to that~!"
"Fine, fine... I get it. I'll... think of something. I won't let the current... murky relationship between Nirinia and I cause any problems, 'Lady Katherine'."
I shivered slightly at the formal name, giving the Lioness a slight glare as I retrieved my Khopesh and said "Please refrain from calling me that... you might just find that something unpleasant can happen if you do..."
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