Outlying Village, The Accursed Kingdom, Italy

[Amy Sorel]

As Vanessa was now playing with her hair, Viola said :

"I can curl your hair if you wish… My curls are not natural either. You may not have noticed but I curl them…"

While speaking about hair, Viola wondered if she always had white hair. It probably wasn’t natural either… She then continued speaking.

"Of course we will go see your sister first… even if… you told me she was… hum… a little inquisitive…"

Viola really wondered what would Alice be like and how she would be toward her…

"Then I would get new clothes as you promised me and I would take care of your hair. Then go to… somewhere in Asia…"

Viola wasn’t sure where exactly was Soul Calibur going and she still wondered if that plan was not a little crazy. She would have to get whatever Soul Calibur was searching, probably some Soul Calibur shards and then lead the spirit sword with those, here. To destroy the Doge…

But then what she feared, the destruction of the village and much more than the Doge would happen… She wanted the Doge to be destroyed while Soul Calibur woud get weakened but not the village and the whole kingdom…

Maybe she should only steal the probably shards and give them to Soul Edge… Yet she still was reluctant to help the cursed sword… But she wanted her memory back and she was a malfested… She was probably destined to help the cursed sword…

Maybe use the shards herself against the Doge… But she probably couldn't since she was a malfested… and it helped her in nothing for her memory…

Whatever. She would think about it later. For now she had to get monsieur Vito and Adele out of the village, go to Florence and then she would think about it all while going to Asia…

Since Vanessa knew only Japanese, she hoped it would be in Japan… Or maybe they should get an ally who knew the language… But maybe even Vanessa was not on her side… Viola didn’t even know which side she was on herself… and she was dragging Vanessa into all those dangers for a cause she herself doubted… She felt guilty toward the older witch.

"Vanessa… You don’t like Soul Edge don’t you? And Soul Calibur?"

[Dark Vampire of Night]

"I can curl your hair if you wish… My curls are not natural either. You may not have noticed but I curl them…"

Vanessa smiles. "Oh I am fine with my hair. But your curls are so.. Beautiful." The witch admits to the seer in a smile breaking out. She didn't know about Viola curling her own hair.

"Of course we will go see your sister first… even if… you told me she was… hum… a little inquisitive…"

Vanessa sighs. "Yeah she can be.. Sensual about topics." She says in a dry tone. Knowing that Alice is going to give Viola one hell of a time there.

Vanessa messes with her own hair before hearing Viola.

"Vanessa… You don’t like Soul Edge don’t you? And Soul Calibur?

The witch looks at Viola and sighs. "I do not like them both since they are abnormal weapons. They weren't made for humans to wield. But low and behold.. They are here. Wanting to destroy everything." The witch says to Viola in a serious tone.

[Amy Sorel]

"Oh I am fine with my hair. But your curls are so.. Beautiful." The witch admits to the seer in a smile breaking out.

Viola suddenly realized that contrarily to her, Vanessa seemed to smile often yet she knew the older witch was so sad inside because of her revenge idea, her loss and her loneliness. But she was still smiling. Viola didn’t remember ever having put on a smile as bright as those Vanessa had. She just couldn’t. She didn’t feel like it. It didn’t seem to have ever been an habit. So even if the compliment was pleasing, she only outlined a smile and said :

"Merci. Your dark hair looks really nice as well. Better than my white."

Then as Viola asked about the swords Vanessa gave her that serious answer :

"I do not like them both since they are abnormal weapons. They weren't made for humans to wield. But low and behold.. They are here. Wanting to destroy everything."

So both swords were dangerous… Viola didn’t really know what to do about them… and how much she really was tied to Soul Edge…

She had many other questions for Vanessa but she didn’t speak more, looking toward the bathroom if Adele would finish with the bath. She didn’t want to involve those people with the swords and let them know she was malfested or anything… They were already stuck with the Doge…

She also wondered if Alice who was also a witch would know more about the swords as well… But not really knowing what to expect, Viola feared Vanessa’s sister almost as much as she feared the swords… even if not the same way…

She then went to see Adele and asked her :

"So do you know what to do exactly with the plan? Where will we take monsieur Vito?"

After a silence she added :

"If you intent to take him far I could say that all roads lead to Rome… I think Cesare is there. Beside it is the perfect place for a César… The best place also for a stranger to live since small village must be less welcoming for people from other villages… But you know Italy more than me."

After a while she added:

"We could all go to Florence… Me and my mother are going there…"

[Deleted]

Adele was just pouring out mugs of hot herbal tea, intending to ward off the chill of the early morning that still clung to the village after the rainstorm last night. "Ah.. I hadn't really thought that far ahead, young one." She shrugs, embarassed. "I didn't expect adventurous travelers like you to visit the village so soon after that gold-haired woman. Rome, Florence.... either of those should be far enough to avoid the Doge's men." She sighs, sadly stirring her tea with a spoon before sipping it. "And I doubt I would be traveling with you. I'm certain that as soon as he realizes that I've had him taken away against his wishes he will hate me, and send me away."

She sighs, visibly saddened by the prospect, but she still forces a smile as she hands two heavy mugs to Viola. "Here. For you and your mama. You should drink up, the medicine in it will keep you healthy if you intend to travel in this cold."

[Amy Sorel]

"Ah.. I hadn't really thought that far ahead, young one." She shrugs, embarassed. "I didn't expect adventurous travelers like you to visit the village so soon after that gold-haired woman. Rome, Florence.... either of those should be far enough to avoid the Doge's men."

"Gold-haired woman? Wasn’t it an Asian woman who came?" Asked Viola with some surprise.

But she then thought that there weren’t much nationalities who had white hair at her age either so who was she to speak about hair color… Beside whoever came, Asian or not, it wasn’t important. She and Vanessa would be gone when the soldiers will come back so they won’t accuse her ‘mother’ like she had feared. Adele continued speaking.

"And I doubt I would be traveling with you. I'm certain that as soon as he realizes that I've had him taken away against his wishes he will hate me, and send me away."

Viola had indeed guessed they would not come. But she wanted to give them all the chances to changes their mind. But it was Monsieur Vito who should change his…
Then Adele handed her two heavy mugs.

"Here. For you and your mama. You should drink up, the medicine in it will keep you healthy if you intend to travel in this cold."

"Medicine? What is in this?" Asked Viola who took the mugs and said :

"Merci…"

She then looked at the window. The sky was still grey.

"The sun must already be gone into the night… looking for its children…"

She then turned toward Adele once more and asked with some embarrassement:

"Hum… Is my bath ready? Euh… I’ll go bring this to my mother… Merci encore for everything, you are very kind…"

And she went to bring the mug to Vanessa.

[Deleted]

Adele nods. "I'm confused myself. I didn't see the fight, and some say she was a traveler from the orient, some say she had hair of gold..." She shrugged noncommittally, then smiles. "It has sacred bark, rhubarb, seed pods... It's flavor is a little bad, but it will prevent you or your mother from catching cold." She started. "Oh! Yes! Your bath is ready. I dragged out the smaller tub and curtain from the shed, so you and your mother don't need to wait if you don't want to."

[Amy Sorel]

Viola turned to Adele as she was beginning to go to the kitchen.

"I shall then take the small tub after I drink this. Merci."

She then went to see Vanessa. Presenting her a mug she said :

"Maman… Here is a herbal tea that will prevent us from catching cold. It has sacred bark, rhubarb, seed pods and other things in it. Adele made it for us. And she made two baths for us to take it already."

Then nt waiting more, she began to drink her herbal tea. Indeed the taste was not too great but the fact it was hot was pleasing indeed for the cold weather they had now. Yet the bath will be even more pleasing... Viola was eager to finish and take that bath.

[Dark Vampire of Night]

Vanessa waiting in the room where her scythe is. She begins gazing at it in suspicion. "My life has been on killing that vampire. Should I give up? No. I can't. Not after what he did.."The witch says to herself while looking at it. But then she hears Viola open the door.

"Maman… Here is a herbal tea that will prevent us from catching cold. It has sacred bark, rhubarb, seed pods and other things in it. Adele made it for us. And she made two baths for us to take it already."

Vanessa drinks the liquid but as soon as she tastes it. She wants to throw up due to the taste. But of course she stomached it and smiles.
"Oh good. A bath. I do need one." The witch says to her adopted child with a gentle tone in her tone.

[Amy Sorel]

Viola shyly smiled back at Vanessa before she finished her herbal tea and went back in the bathroom. She hid behind the curtain and got undressed before she went into the bath. Once in the warm water she relaxed a bit and began to think about her life as she took the soap to wash herself.

With the fact she didn’t know any Asian language, she realized that she did knew a lot of languages anyway. French, English, Italian, German, Hungarian, Greek, Latin… Some of them to lesser degree but it meant she did receive a very good education… And people with education are for the most part, rich people… not poor peasants. She did wake up in a rich bedroom… So she must come from a rich family…

But her native language was French so she must be French… at least, she was raised in France. Why did she woke up in Italy in a rich mansion? She should be in a rich mansion in France… Suddenly some idea struck her : Rich people make alliances… they marry their children together… What if she got married to someone in Italy? The idea scared her for a while until she realized it was improbable. She was wounded, why would she be wounded by marrying? Unless her husband was very violent but it didn’t make sense, he must not have been violent like this. Some husbands beat their wife but the injuries she seemed to have had, all bloody and all, seemed to have been caused by some weapon… Some domestic abuse could not have degenerated like this… She did live some fight but not with some husband.

So who were those Italian people who probably were in that mansion? Maybe her kidnappers as Vanessa suggested… They took her for some ransom… or revenge for some fight between rich houses… But they somehow took care of her since she had bandages, so they needed her alive… yet the wound seemed quite healed while the bandages were still stained… They did not come very often to take care of her… That part was still very confusing…

But she could probably say that she was raised in France, was rich and educated and probably, with the few she remembered of her dream, had a father who was kind, or some other man, maybe her brother or maybe a servant but even if she didn’t remember the dream exactly, she knew she felt good around that man. Was it her husband? Probably not… Even if she could get married, she was still a little young to do so… and she had the feeling the man was mostly protective like a father or a big brother… or a dedicated servant. A husband would not act like this… Probably… yet husbands could be protective as well… But it was not the impression she kept from that dream. Whatever that man was, it seems she got caught into some family feud or something or with criminals or maybe anti malfested people… There was so many possibilities! But she got those troubles probably because she was rich or malfested.

She would really have to go back in Venice or in France and inquire about every rich family there was and learn if there was some disappearance of one of their daughters or something. Or if some daughter got malfested or something. At least there was less rich families than poor peasants… So she was an educated girl, probably rich and raised in France. That she knew. Yet she still could be another nationality and have many mansion anywhere, even in Venice… Maybe it was her family living there… But they didn't take care of her properly and her orb told her to flee, she was probably not in her home when she escaped…

Soul Edge knew something… Aside from working for him and hope he would help her while she was hating to serve him, how could she make him tell her the truth?

Somehow she was scared to know what happened and feared the situation she may be in but she should try to know the truth and face it. Instead of fleeing from it… She knew she was trying to flee from her past since a while… Or else what would she be doing here in that village? Anywhere was better than to go back in Venice or France, where she probably lived and got those troubles… Viola was always embarrassed when Vanessa was offering to help her and saying she would stay with her to discover that past because she didn’t really want to know her past… even if she also was curious about it… The fact she didn’t know who her enemies were was troubling… She couldn’t see anything about it in her orb…

Speaking of it, what was that orb? Did she had it since a while or it was not long ago? Her orb was now covered under her clothes beside the tub since she didn’t want Adele or Monsieur Vito to see it but maybe she should stop hiding it as much as she should stop hiding herself… Face everything as it was… and like she was… To begin by facing Vanessa's sister will be a good start…

[Amy Sorel]

Viola finished her bath and got dressed. She went into the kitchen to eat since she only drank the herbal tea. She took some bread and began to eat, still keeping her orb hidden even if she wanted to not hide anymore.

Because Vanessa had not taken her bath already so she didn't want them to get in trouble while the older witch would be in an embarrassing situation.

But she asked Adele:

"What do you think about people who do magic?"

She had the feeling monsieur Vito would not really care and that maybe he already knew they were 'different' but she didn't know for Adele. She seemed more fearful. And she wasn't even certain for the old man as well. So she wanted to know if normal people always feared malfested and witches... without clearly telling they were but still... Yet to talk about it would be less frightening than already show her orb.

[Dark Vampire of Night]

The older witch gets into the bath and sighs. "Much better..." Vanessa says while she bathes in the water. Despite her body getting clean. She can't clean her soul from what she wants.
"Curse him.. Curse him... I hate him.. I hate him.. Gah Michael. You were such a good person." The witch says to herself while she cleans her dark hair. But she knows that her quest will fail since she thinks more about what Soul Edge wants from her and Viola.

Vanessa finishes her bath and gets dressed. Then she heads down into the kitchen to see Viola eating. "Oh good. You finished your bath."

[Amy Sorel]

"Oh good. You finished your bath."

Viola looked toward Vanessa and nodded.

"Indeed. I'm ready to go."

She did wonder if they would go already and say good bye to monsieur Vito but she didn't want to wake him up. Maybe they will wait until he woke up? Whatever Vanessa decided.

[Deleted]

The two witches can hear loud and angry arguing coming from Vito's bedroom, the maid and the old man exchanging heated words, the occasional sentence drifting down the stairs. "...Will NOT leave this place, I am NOT a COWARD. You...!" "..Just trying to help! If you stay here the Doge's men will KILL YOU!" "...Never want to see you again! Go! Traitor! Poisoner!"

[Amy Sorel]

Viola got surprised to hear those angry shouting even if she did foresee the old man would react badly if Adele tried something. She climbed the stairs, went to the bedroom without knocking and entered. She knew how the old man would react as well but she will speak. Adressing him on a calm tone, not looking impressed by the arguing scene, she said:

"It would not be cowardice to leave for a time but only helping destiny so you can see your son back one day. Your son left, he is not a coward either but he hoped to see you again, not see your grave. Adele is not at fault. I proposed that solution to her. She cares for you, she is the closest person you have with you now. Don’t you care about her? She will suffer as well if you stay."

[Deleted]

"Then she can leave!" The old man spat, furious. "I never asked her to stay anyway. Take her with you, since you're the one who proposed all of this. I want to see my son again and the only way that is going to happen is if I stay here to wait for his return. If I die, so be it! It's the natural order of things for children to outlive their parents anyway."

Adele squirmed, obviously uncomfortable faced with Vito's displeasure, and looked at Amy unhappily. "Waaah, I don't understaaaand. The potion I gave him should have put him to sleep..."