If You Love Something...

[Your Mom~]

[ooc: During Let It Go Free]

"-And that's why we're better off pushing to the East as opposed to trying to attack Barker directly. If you look at this chart-"

Olesya had her elbow on the table and her chin in her palm, blinking away the boredom. They'd brought in an old retired general for his opinion on their army's movement and advancement. What they had hoped for was professional expertise. What they hadn't expected was a rambling windbag who took twenty minutes to say he thought they should move East as opposed to South. August sat next to her, doodling in his notebook. He had started taking notes, but as the meeting dragged on, he devolved to drawing stick figures of their honored guest dying in creative ways. Falling off a cliff, rabid dog attack, rogue hot air balloon...

Three hours later, they finally adjourned. Les pushed back from the table, eagerly climbing to her feet and stretching her arms over her head. She nudged August's foot with her own, as he had dozed of some forty minutes prior. He snorted, breathing in sharply mid-snore and lifted his head, climbing to his feet drowsily.

"It over yet? What'd I miss?"

"He spent the last hour explaining formations of troops in regards to air current and cloud position..."

The white haired woman rolled her eyes, making the red haired man chuckle. They walked out of the war room and into the street, heading back for Olesya's house. She'd almost automatically turned to head toward her old place...David's place, but she didn't have the courage to face him just yet.

[Kyrie Blaze]

It was, perhaps on the very corner that the habitual and instinctive urge nearly had Olesya turning for David's house that she would catch sight of Kyrie, her shoulder leaning against the corner of the building. Her gaze was quiet but intent and intense, arms gently crossed over her upper abdomen as she had a sneaky little passenger hiding in her clothing. Olesya was looked at, though August was given a slow glance.

But with the blonde's blue eyes landing back on Olesya, she spoke: quiet and clear.

"Storm's Voice, walk with me."

She shifted from her position to stand straight and tall, turn on her heel, and begin to walk with her arms falling to her sides. It was obvious from the glance and words that she wanted only Olesya to come with, and if nothing else, she figured August would honour that. She did not walk rapidly, but used her normal gate to cover ground. The petite woman did not look back.

Clearly, she expected Olesya to do just as she had said.

[Your Mom~]

Olesya felt Kiyr's prescence before she saw her. It was the tingling on the back of her neck and shoulders that you get when the shadows are looking at you. Her beckoning only confirmed her presence, and Olesya stopped midstride, looking over to the blonde. She looked back to August, who was giving her a curious (and still partially sleepy) expression.

"Go on ahead, I'll just be a minute."

She waved August off, who shrugged and continued on toward Olesya's house where Youichi and Maddie were waiting. Olesya walked over to Kiyr, her kaleidoscope gaze carefully neutral.

"Earth Dragon's Shadow. For what do I have the honor?"

[Kyrie Blaze]

Kyrie would continue walking, leading Olesya from August. Her pace wasn't hurried, though, so Olesya would be able to catch and keep up, easily.

"I apologise if you need to be anywhere right at this moment, but I have an urgent matter to discuss with you." The blonde turned her head in the white-blonde's direction, slightly, but didn't quite look at her. "I do nt think, however, it will take long."

Even if she had a lot to say.

[Your Mom~]

Urgent matter? A slight frown creased the young woman's face as she caught up with Kiyr, and she studied the blonde with her kaleidoscope eyes, trying to determine the nature of the urgent matter. Was someone dead? Hostage? Did Intelligence reveal a portion of Barker's scheme? A new weapon?

"Of course, you have my full attention."


(ooc; sorry short! -_-)

[Kyrie Blaze]

. o O ( No worries. <3 Needed to build up to it, anyway. )

"Though it is a delicate matter, I am going to be blunt."

Did she hope for forgiveness for it? No. Whatever came of it, it was something that needed to be said. Or at least, Kyrie figured it did. Scarlet's words were ringing in her ears: that David fought and gave so much to so many others, so they could be happy. Nobody did so for him, and he kept little to none for himself. Maybe it was time someone did. He seemed happy with Olesya. And then there was Maddie.

Kyrie did not want to have a little girl's family be ripped apart.

So this would have to be their choice. It could not be hers. The blonde knew what she wanted, in her heart and she was willing to fight for it. But some things had to be fought one way, first. Olesya and David deserved the chance before...

Tears stung her eyes and she hadn't even started to speak. She wanted to take Scarlet out, but took a deep breath instead.

"Are you really giving up? You have fortune beyond what you can see--that you have his love. David would have been a rarity enough before the world was torn asunder, and even more, now. He loves unconditionally. And more than that, his heart is vast. That he can feel love for more than one at a time is a gift, that he remains faithful to the one he chose speaks of his great loyalty, and his values. A lesser man would have kept it secret and hidden, played the odds, or cut one completely from his heart when love does not work like that. But David, at least, had courage enough to tell you. And you completely underestimate him. You underestimate his capacity to love. You underestimate his love for you. And in seeing this? In seeing this from you both even though you are hurting - and rightfully so for what you both have done to one another - I feel ashamed that my family resorts to this."

Kyrie took a deep, slightly shaky, breath, and plunged onward. "Let me tell you something, Olesya. If you think these antics are love, you are wrong: this is the two of you, hurting, lashing out at one another and even those around you. This is very important, what you need to understand is what my family taught me: you must choose. But always remember to choose love. For it, not time - but with enough time nevertheless - overcomes all evil. And it will be the hardest choice you will ever have to make, because it takes strength and courage, faith and trust and hope to do so. This? The choice you are making right now, to walk away? That choice is easy, though it is just as painful. So in that I have shame. Confronted with a choice, instead of choosing to love him despite all obstacles, you choose to cast it aside. And for what, Olesya? Tell m-me."

Her heart gave a pained squeeze. For all that she said, and the rest that she had to say. Kyrie was going to admit it was her, just not directly. Her brow furrowed, and with emotion high and scattered as it was, a couple tears trailed down her cheeks and fell from her jaw to her shirt.

"You need to figure out what it is you truly want. If he is truly who you love, who you want, then you will fight for that love. And you will fight for him. Otherwise..." Her voice hitched, just a tiny bit. "Otherwise, there is at least one other that knows...and she will."

It was done. She was through. She wasn't even sure she wanted to stick around. To be honest, she just wanted to give Olesya something to think about and leave--but she couldn't, because Olesya deserved a chance to speak if she wanted to. And chances were likely the white-blonde would have teo think long and hard about. Because it was all stupid--all of it, even what she was doing, now. And Kyrie herself wanted to simply wait it out and then fight for herself, for him, but...but...

But both David and Olesya deserved to have a shot at happiness. She'd seen how torn he was. How happy he had been.

'How can one let a love like his go..?' She wondered to herself as her heart squeezed painfully again. And why was she doing the same if that was what this was? Was she crazy?

Maybe. And it hurt.

[Your Mom~]

Strange concern flitted across her face as the girl appeared on the verge of tears even before she began talking. Did someone hurt her? What were these emotions for? It was moments like these that Olesya realized just how isolated she had been and how damaged her emotions still were, despite the amazing progress she'd made. As Kiyr spoke, however, that concern turned to hurt, to anger...who was she to tell Olesya how to feel?! How she she know what Olesya had been through, the torture she'd gone through...she'd never told the girl anything. It had to have been David...David must have shared with her, confided in her, trusted her...

It hit her like a brick in the chest.

"You."

How could she have been so blind?! A flash of emotions kaleidoscoped in Olesya's head, and she resisted the reflexive urge to lash out, controlling her breathing like Dr. Twist had taught her. She neeed to control her emotions, not let them control her. After a minute of just staring at the girl, she let out a deep breath and spoke.

"Since clearly David has been forthcoming with you, I suspect it's my turn. You don't know my past, our past, enough to judge on such a deep level. Though I appreciate the concern, you need to realize that you don't know even half of the story. I'm sure you've realized that my hair and eyes are nto their natural color. I was an experiment of Barker's, one of the first. Obviously his chemical compound was flawed, and he used students as his guinea pigs while he attempted to perfect the formula to create his super soldiers. It changed me, made me stronger and faster, but more violent and caustic. I lost my memories, my identity. I became the very thing I feared the most: a monster. I ran into David on the roof of a club one night, and he sparked my memory. With two sets of memories I became plagued with guilt and disgust, with anger that I had become the very thing I hated. I was so full of hate...at myself, my friends, my family, humanity...so much I became numb, and what I couldn't numb, I numbed with self medication. I became so I couldn't feel anything."

Olesya's voice became rough, and her eyes glassy. She balled her hands into fists, but pressed on, determined to finish what she'd started. If Kiyr wanted to open a can of worms, then Olesya was gonig to give them to her. If she was bound and determined to 'fix' the mess that David and Olesya were in, then she might as well know everything.

"I was institutionalized, they picked me up on the side of the road. I was so fucking blitz that I didn't know my own name. I went by 'No One,' because I felt like no one. They diagnozed me with severe schizophrenia with suicidal tendencies. I don't know how long I was there...a couple years. I would have rotted in that fucking asylum if Dr. Twist hadn't found me. He had worked for Barker back when I was captured. He knew the chemicals that coursed through my veins, he had worked with them himself. He and he alone was able to cure me, but the damage had already been done. He rehabilitated me, brought me back to a semblance of myself. You have no idea what it's like to go from being a healthy and enthusiastic empath to becojming a monster to feeling like a rag doll. It was a huge trauma to my psyche. Sometimes still I don't know how to interact with people, how to express the tangle of unnamed emotions in my head. It was a miracle I was able to love in the first place."

Her voice broke, and Olesya took a deep breath, trying to calm herself from shaking. Her stomach felt like it was in shreds, her heart felt clenched so tight it could turn into a diamond from the pressure. When she spoke again, the heat had left her voice, and she sounded defeated.

"When I found out about her...about you...it broke me. Because it confirmed my greatest fear, I knew that I wasn't as good to David as he was to me. I was never good enough for him. His patience was neverending, his kindness knew no bounds. He was there for me even at my worst, from beginning to end. When I found out that his love was torn, I felt like I was cheating him of something I could never give him. What he doesn't realize is that I do love him. Hee's the only one to have made it to the innermost core of my monstrosity of a heart. I love him enough to l-let him g-go."

She stared at Kiyr, at the woman who was her pure opposite. Kiyr was inocent as Olesya was tarnished. Good as Olesya had been evil. To Olesya, Kiyr represented all the things she wished she could have given David, staring her right in the face. It hurt, a lot. She cleared her through, blinking away the tears that threatened the corners of her eyes. She fought to regain her neutral composure, after having bared her own story to the blonde woman.

[Kyrie Blaze]

As she trailed to an end, her footsteps also ceased. The blonde turned to Olesya, standing, facing her and watching the tangled snarl of emotion. When she spoke, she spoke one word that jarred her. However prepared she thought she was for Olesya to know and blame her, she truly wasn't. She was not ashamed of her feelings, so there was none of that. Just sadness and empathy at the forefront. But she was ready, if there was going to be a lashing out from Olesya: her shadow had eked into the white-blonde's, for she could not risk harm to Scarlet.

But, thankfully, no physical attack came. What did come, however, she hadn't been expecting but realized it for what it was...but only after wrestling with the instinct to let Olesya know her own story. She recognized the emotion that came with it. Frustration. And even anger. And she knew why. Accepted why. Allowed herself to feel it for a few moments, then set it aside. This was not about herself. This was not a contest of who had been hurt more in their short-yet-long lives. For all their differences, the two women were remarkably similar. It was just the outlook that was different...but that was to be expected, between how they were raised, happenstance, chemical alteration, and the fact they were their own individuals.

So, she listened. Quietly and without complaint - but with some wonderment that Olesya would share at all, even in anger - and with her blue eyes reflective. Her heart hurt for Olesya, now in more ways than one. And hurt more because she didn't understand and couldn't bring herself to wish she could. But she could still empathize, because there were similarities.

Kyrie took a moment, gathering herself. When she looked up and spoke, she was quiet, but audible to Olesya.

"...when you say you are not good enough, Olesya...you are wrong. If you think back, or even feel as you do, now...can you control how you feel towards someone? Love for him, love for Maddie...anger towards me..? Just because he cannot control how he feels for another does not mean you could ever mean anything less to him in comparison to me or anyone else. He feels for you, which is separate of what he feels for me, despite it being the same emotion. He chose you because you are good enough. Because you do love. He would not have, otherwise." Kyrie shook her head. That wouldn't be David at all. She opened her eyes after the brief motion, and spoke around the lump in her throat. "But, as you said, you are damaged. Damaged but not broken. Your head may have trouble comprehending and finding the best ways to communicate, but your heart knows how it feels and it works just fine. More than anything, you should hold on to that."

She paused, then, and spread her arms away from her sides, fingers pointing towards the ground, palms towards Olesya. A sad, quiet smile ghosted over her lips, there and gone in a brief wrinkle in time. Her hands fell back to her sides after her gesture of openness. Of vulnerability. She wouldn't lay her own past or even what had happened recently to Olesya's feet - no, she was much too private for that - but she would give her something.

"...on letting go, on loving enough to do so, I understand you perfectly... Why else would I be here? There is a time to let go, and a time to fight. You just have to know when to take which path, if it turns out to be what you want..."

[Your Mom~]

"I'm only angry toward you because I see traits in you I used to have, or that I wanted to have. It's like looking into a twisted mirror at what I could have been instead of seeing my own monstrosity reflected back at me. I'm not asking for pity or sympathy, in fact I'm not sure what I'm asking for."

She frowned slightly, looking away from the blonde.

"We didn't end on a good note. He left for a mission a week or so ago, haven't heard anything from him since. I moved into the new house to give him his space...it's his choice now."

[Kyrie Blaze]

Kyrie was silent for at least twenty seconds, her gaze careful as she observed Olesya. Part of her silence was that she was weighing Olesya's words, the words she wanted to say, and whether she should tell Olesya that David...

...that David had left.

The slender blonde decided on both a hunch and need and desire to not drive rifts between Olesya and David - especially considering Olesya had a hard enough time with her mental state - and let her find that out on her own.

"I would not be so certain of losing traits that were yours to begin with. Give yourself the gifts of love and patience from yourself...and with time you may surprise yourself."

If...if there was something Kyrie thought she could give Olesya, it was a bit of understanding. But her advice this time was something she struggled with, herself.

"...I know." The blonde softly admitted. "The Core are not prone to gossip, so it depends where you tune your ears to...but there are ways of listening for information."

As David had known she would know. Once again, she had not survived her years alone without considerable skill.

"And you are right. It is his choice, once you let him know, if you decide to. Of course, whether you do or do not bring forward things once you find out what you want, that is up to you..."

[Your Mom~]

It was weird, discussing strategy with the woman whose presence disrupted everything in the first palce. But then again, if it wasn't Kiyr, it would probably be someone else in her place. Olesya couldn't blame him, when they first reunited, she was frigid and unpredictable at best. Now she was learning how to use her emotions again, like riding a bike or whatever the phrase was. She hadn't completely forgotten how to use them, but it didn't mean she wasn't going to stumble a few times.

"I know what I want."

She said, perhaps a little more coolly than was necessary. Now that she'd spilt her guts, her wals were reforming themselves. Had she given Kiyr ammo to use against her? Olesya recognized that she didn't know this woman very much at all, much less what her own strategy was.

"What are your intentions?"

[Kyrie Blaze]

The blonde flinched at the tone--with emotion running as high as it was from her interactions with David before he left, to deciding to do this, to being here and doing this, it was understandable. With Olesya's question, Kyrie looked up. The sheen of tears meant she would answer, when her original intent had been to leave after saying what she had come to say; all sadness, hope, and love.

The love that lifted her so high even as it was both the sweetest and most brutal pain. Kyrie gestured again, palms open, speaking clearly though the lump in her throat was apparent.

"...right now..? Right now I fight for him in a different way--he deserves to have someone fight hard enough so he has the chance to choose what makes him happy, when he has done that constantly for others, whether they realize it or not." Her eyes said it all: doesn't he deserve that much..? Her heart gave a constricted squeeze, feeling like it was curling in on itself. "I know regardless of his choice...that I will be part of his life, and he will always care for me, and that in this stretch of time and who knows how much longer after that...he loves me, too--"

With the feel of the lump in her throat growing to choke her words, the blonde moved on, and could speak just a little more.

"My future intentions..? Are to wait. To wait and see and if it comes to pass that I have an opportunity after giving you two a chance..then I will fight for him - for all of him - knowing what I said about myself is also true for you. Either way...I accept it."

Her hands fell from their elevated position. And in that, she had said more than she ever intended by seeking Olesya out. But the small woman was honest - at times to a fault - when asked something. And with everything going on, she may well have been an open book--if not only by expression but by actions and words as well. She did not return the question. She simply stood, keeping the tears at bay, though they blurred her vision. Kyrie couldn't say if not being with him but still knowing he cared would be enough--her emotions were stretched all over the place she didn't think she could even give herself a straight answer. But if Olesya had given Kiyr ammo, then so too, Kyrie gave to her in kind.

[Your Mom~]

Of course Kiyr would fight for him, but she appeared to respect Olesya and Olesya and David's relationship enough to give it a fair shot. If she screwed it up, Olesya could guarantee that Kiyr would be there to pick up the pieces and give David the love he des- NO. Olesya caught herself off mid-thought. David DID deserve to be loved, but if Olesya continued with her self-defeating thought process, she might as well just hand him over now. No. She'd give him the proper fight he deserved, and then when he chose, then the woman he chose would truly deserve his love.

"For David, then."

Regardless of David's decision, Olesya had decided that she would not let it affect Maddie. If David chose to be with Kiyr, and he still wanted to adopt Maddie, she'd see that visitation could be arranged. Having two families was better than having none, and Maddie was Olesya's family now. She would protect her from Barker's war and from the war of the affairs of adults as well. She didn't deserve to be hurt or affected by any of this, and Olesya would do everything in her power to make sure of that.

"Thank you...for giving me a chance. I promise, should I fail, that I will give the same respect to you."

She said awkwardly, though returning the gesture in kind to what Kiyr had just told her.

[Kyrie Blaze]

Kyrie nodded, saying nothing in response to Olesya's words. Yes. For David. For David and Olesya and Maddie and for who knew how many other connected people.

There was only a sad smile to grace her lips.

"...everyone deserves a chance or second chance, Olesya... And for my family, how could I choose to offer anything less?" She swallowed, hard, and her lips parted once more. "I wish you only the best, Olesya."

No matter what it was or how it came about. The blonde had had some time to come to terms with how she felt since the meeting she found out they were a couple in. Since her meeting, after, with David. So she could say that...say that and mean it, now.

She turned after offering a Dragon bow, Apprentice to Voice, and moved away at a walk.

One step.

Two.

Three.

Four steps.

Five.

Provided there was nothing that stopped her, at her sixth measured pace, Kyrie sprang into a run as the first tear fell. The blonde quickly found her stride, pushed further to fly faster along the ground, and settled into it until she could find a safe alley to turn around a corner, get most of the way down it, with a breathlessly gasped half-sob--

--and disappear into shadow.

Though, who knew how long she would stay there.

Her back pressed against the mirroring wall of the building within the twilit realm. She slid down and touched her fingers to her cheek. Wet. No surprise there. She trembled, holding back anything more because it wouldn't be comfortable for the tiny mechanical dragon to be jostled by a sob.

The blonde didn't even know if Scarlet would crawl out.

She was going to need a few hours to regroup and compose herself. Too much had gone on - she was lost in feeling for the moment as those glistening tears fell - and the future was uncertain.

'...if she hurts him again...' But there was no need to make sure Olesya knew the consequences of that. While she considered Olesya family because she was a Dragon...it didn't mean family couldn't be mad or disagree. And, while she would never wish harm to her, while she would come to her if she needed aid, in Kyrie's case, in this case...she would lose all respect for the white-blonde. 'What makes you so sure you have not just hurt him by giving her those words? By giving her this chance?'

The blonde bowed her head and tried to wipe away the wet on her cheeks, in her eyes. She didn't know what she should do. Would do.

Kyrie wasn't even sure if she had just done the right thing.

[Your Mom~]

"And you as well."

Olesya mirrored her Dragon salute, turning back the way she came, retracing her steps to where Kiyr intercepted her. She was a couple minutes behind August, he would be back at her house by now where Youichi and Maddie were waiting.

She tried to juggle all the thoughts in her head, but they all kept getting confused. Between handling the Dragons, raising Maddie, and dealing with....this, it gave her a headache. She pinched the bridge of her nose, breathing deeply for a moment before righting her composure and setting off for her house.