The Assassin's Tale; Old Friends

Credits; Krell, Rea, Tala,

Rea hurried out of the room.  Krell was keeping up rather easily.  Rea was clearly trying to keep from being winded, but there was an eagerness to her gait that was apparent nonetheless.  Krell tried to remember everything he'd learned in school about Tala as they went along through the palace.  The storm mage was legendary for her exploits during the hierarchy wars, and then for her leadership during the frostbourne war, but other than that he only knew of how she'd helped found Seclora.  They were always important stories, but it was history.  He'd loved stories like the Adventures of Spearhead and the Battle of Petra Death's Daughter and the thousand shades, and meeting them he'd found that they were nothing like what they'd seemed.  Thalia, who'd always been portrayed as a villain in both media and history, had proved to be kind and gentle despite her reputation.  What would Tala, a war hero and a great leader prove to be in her off time? 
Fortunately, the one thing the stories had not exagerated was her sky blue hair.  He recognized her the second he saw her fall out of the cabinent ahead.  He heard her curse briefly just before Rea helped her up.  Her face brightened as she saw Rea and the two hugged for what Krell felt was slightly longer than strictly necessary. 
"Rea!  I didn't expect to..Careful with the leg hun, I twisted it jumping out a window the other day..I didn't expect to see you here.  What brings you round these parts?"
"Sorry.  I needed to see Thalia so she could teach us something."  She kind of tilted her head towards Krell as she mentioned him.  He waved and Tala let go of Rea and turned to inspect him. 
"Future Rea, always wanted to meet you.  I always thought you stopped when I..."  She paused and stared off into space for a second before recovering.  "But that's another day, isn't it?  So you're here to learn something?  What would make it worthwhile to come back again?"
"I shouldn't tell you.  It's after your time and I don't want to worry you." 
"We're partners, no secrets, right?"
Rea sighed and waved Krell over.  He stepped over silently, not sure how to greet her.  Tala took three steps back and put out a hand to hold him at that distance. 
"So you're the new guy?  I knew you'd hapen at some point.  Let's see what you are."  She began to circle him slowly as she looked him over.  She made it around twice before stopping next to Rea and pointing at him.  "Well, you've got good taste; he's a handsome young man."  She seemed to block Rea's punch on instinct; if she really had been Rea's partner in the past then she would have had to develop such an instinct.  Tala blocked a second punch and a roundhouse kick before she began to dodge.  "You know I don't mean anything by it hun, I don't do young guys."
Rea stopped and stepped back.  "Sorry, its been a while."
"You've been getting stronger."
They both stared and relaxed.  Krell's mind boggled at the idea of someone actually talking Rea down from a fight, but there it was.  Petra had welcomed the fight and crushed Rea, Arcania had gotten help, but Tala had stood there, defending herself, and just reminded Rea of her better nature.  He was impressed.  He noticed that Tala was facing him again and faced her in return. 
"Clearly Rea's been dressing you, but there's no way she'd give anyone boots, certainly not with that outfit.  So I can assume you're military.  No pistol, so you must be navy.  You're adventerous and apparently immortal, so I'm guessing upper ranks, probably a High Admiral.  You've got a very nice necklace there too, silver cross.  A priest?"  She looked over at Rea.  "Hun I know you've got a lot to atone for but it's not like there's a shortage of priests that you've got to bring your own along with you."  Rea smiled. 
"You're really good at this.  You're Tala then?"
"He calls me by name too; Daniellandish then."
"How does my using your name make a difference?"
"The Seclorans call me Svel.  Tell me, where'd you find this guy?"
"Gasca, in the spaceport."
"And Gascan to boot.  Well then sir, what kind of crazy quest has she dragged you along for?"
Krell looked over at Rea, who sighed and swiveled around and stepped over to be next to him.  "We need Thalia to show us how to drain, absorb, and transmit shadithic power."
Tala was stiff as stone for several minutes.  When she finally resumed breathing she put a hand to her head and pulled a chair up behind her.  "Rea, that's a really powerful technique.  Are you sure you can handle it?"
"You took the entirety of the natural forces of a world and channeled them through yourself; a portion of a demon's power divided between two people is barely..." 
"It is a thousand times more than that!"  Rea stopped and both she and Krell pulled chairs of their own from subspace and listened.  "Rea, you kill immortals.  We're very strong.  But Demons are a lot stronger.  Most immortals are lucky to beat a shade, two if they're good.  You, me, Chastity McMomProblems; we're a rare breed.  Just being able to beat a demon is amazing, taking their power?  Rea, even if it weren't one of the most corruptive things in existance that would be more than anyone could bear."
"By my time it's already been done.  But I don't have time to learn it then, I have two days."
"Then come up with a different plan.  Rea, I won't let you go and die, or worse, just so you can assassinate another stupid warlock."
"This isn't about the book."
"Then why are you doing it?"
"Because..The book's not working.  It's told me to kill the same person for almost six hundred years now.  Last week I did and it just changed it."
"Oh."  Tala reached into her pocket and jotted down a few notes on a small book of her own.  "I'd wondered when that would happen.  Rea, have you considered that maybe its just her time?"
"She doesn't have a time!  I asked her mum ages ago when she was fighting Palaptos.  She shouldn't exsist, so she isn't in the books properly.  She thinks its her time, but it isn't."
"Why?"
"Because she hasn't suffered enough yet!"
They both paused.  Krell hadn't realized how much Rea didn't like Petra.  She wanted to save her life, so that she could suffer?  Suddenly he wasn't sure what side was what any more. 
"She's still all uptight and mommy issues then?"
"Yes!"
"Fine, I'll help.  But I'm dissapointed that even after how many years since I died no one has managed to get through to the stupid girl."  She stood up and banished all three chairs, dropping he and Rea uncerimoniously onto the floor.  "Tell her to take a page from her mother's book, hang up her sword, and listen to what her damn cat's been trying to tell her for the past nine thousand years."  She brushed her hair back in an attempt to calm herself down and started walking towards the dining room.  "Honestly it would do you a lot of good too, hun."
Krell started to follow her and felt Rea's hand on his. 
"Krell, I didn't mean that.  About wanting her to suffer."
"You sure about that?  It seems like everyone hates her.  I don't like her much myself, but that's just awful..."
"Krell, Tala and I used to be, kind of still are, really close.  When we say we want her to suffer, we mean the sort of emotional suffering that the rest of the world takes for granted.  Petra's always aloof and apart from society; we just want to see her deal with normal stuff like sex and breakups and unrequited love and all that kind of stuff.  It's not cruel, mostly.  It kind of is.  But you've met her, don't you think she could use it too?"
He did.  Even if it weren't for the reputation he'd seen how self-righteous and stuck up she was.  But still, the idea that they were only trying to save her so that they could see her weak wasn't right.