rosavelle | Lucy, Nyuu, Voice | Budding Catch-All

[ It’s early March when Lucy decides to head to the shore near her house. The weather is nice enough that she can wear her swimsuit, albeit with a loose shirt and beach skirt tied around her waist. The sunhat she’s kept from Budwake keeps the early sun out of her eyes without dampening the brilliant pinks and oranges of the morning sun.

Down the embankments, across the beach, nearing a high cliff and a collection of rocky spires beneath it; it doesn’t take her long to find the exact target she’s looking for. The sea stack in question is jagged and easily the size of her own house if it were stretched out into a triangular point. It’s perfect for practice.

Since she’s been in Rosavelle, her vectors have had something of a vacation. She’s only ever needed them for household tasks, farming tasks, or otherwise small gestures she just didn’t have enough physical hands to complete. Nothing too taxing. Nothing at all like the island facility.

She needs to practice. To test. She needs to see if her limits are still clearly defined.

First is the range. How far away can she be from the stack to affect it? Her range used to be two meters, then five, then strong enough to pierce through at least a kilometer of earth and steel. She wasn’t sure of the exact distance, but a kilometer seemed right. It was too difficult to see from that far away, so she settled for the ten or so meters from her location to the spire itself. Easy enough to see from a distance with how big it was.

She takes a deep breath and focuses on the stack. First is reaching it. That’s the easiest part. Her vectors have no sense of touch like her skin, but as they touch the rock face, she can tell the shape of it, its texture, and how hard it is. She can even determine the moisture level of different sections based on which side faces the incoming waves of the sea directly.

Next is breaking it.

It’s easy for the hands to phase through the rock toward its core. The difficult part is disrupting it. Invisible fingers clench and squeeze at the stone’s inner workings. Centuries of erosion have already done a lot of the hard work for her. Despite how solid it is, there are definite cracks and faults where her vectors can grab hold and start to pull. Pull and pull and pull and- nothing? There’s no movement. No cracking. There’s nothing but a distinct throb of pain starting to well in her temple from the effort. Is it too far away? Is she not using enough strength? Is her will not that strong enough? She grits her teeth and forces it. She forces her vectors to vibrate more and to twist and pull and slice at the rock. The pain lancing through her temple pierces all the way through to the other side.

An explosion goes off! Or, no, it’s a crash. It’s the crashing of a thousand rocks breaking apart and crumbling in on each other, and the sea stack collapses into the rushing tide that’s battered it for an eternity. Lucy collapses to her hands and knees with the ache in her head gone, but a new one takes its place in her chest.

She coughs hideously. The sound has plagued her during many childhood years, but now it’s worse. Wetter. Sharp, and tasting of rough metal. Her breaths are shallow in between coughs, and finally she spits out thick, viscous gobs of blood into the sand. Her face pales and her eyes widen as she stares at them. ]

Just like…before…

[ A sand-crusted hand goes to her mouth in anticipation of the wet cough she can feel welling up in her throat. Again the stench of metal hits her nose as she coughs hard enough that it’s almost a retch.

The last thing she remembers is hurriedly covering the spilled blood with sand before crumpling to the side. ]

[For the better part of the morning, Dante had been making money. It wasn't a tremendous effort but it was still fun gambling away what he could to put together just enough coin to rub together but it was better still cheating at dice to scrape what he could into the shape of a guitar. He'd appreciated the feeling of sand between his toes and the harsh winds from the sea together, humming the percussion from Black Sabbath's The Shining with the distant sort of inattentiveness that came about from living in peace.

The smell of blood on the wind alone wouldn't have lulled him from that quiet place but what he spotted much further off down the shoreline certainly grabbed his attention. Pink hair cast over a figure hunched over the ground. She was far enough that he couldn't make out all the details but that was her house just above the sands. The wet sounds of coughing brought up more of that smell and ice lanced through him.

The wind picked up and there was a rumble of motion. To one side, the beach was undisturbed but on the other, there was an angled crater centered on where Dante's foot had fallen. She'd not had to chance to even land on the ground. His arm supported her, eyes wild at the sight of blood on her hands--on her lips. There were questions to ask and to be answered but he wasn't beginning with any of them. Soft, hurried, he'd rested a hand on her chest, trying to feel out for the raspy sounds of blood in her lungs. Was she even conscious?]

Breathe? Come on, keep breathing--

[ She's dazed enough that it takes her a second to realize she didn't hit the ground like she should have. Kaede's eyes flutter open to stare at Dante, bewildered, before a sheepish grin creeps onto her face. ]

Hey- [ Another cough, coarse as the sand under them. She tries to keep smiling but it falls away in her attempts to keep her breaths steady. ] I fucked up again.

[ It's putting it mildly, but she doesn't want to worry him. She reaches up to press her hand on his, though his touch is probably more of a comfort to her than vice versa. ]

I'll be fine...had worse.

Don't make excuses. Breathe slow.

[Blood in the lungs was never a good sign. He'd seen a guy get clipped in the chest and even a hairline scrape was enough to leave him drowning. The same hand he'd placed on her chest, searching for the faintest sign of a flutter and pressure that seemed off began breaking apart.

At first, he held his eyes on hers, painfully steady and serious. He couldn't feel her hand so much on the back of his hand, pieces of it dissolving and breaking apart. Instead of thinking so much about it, he'd moved her slowly, helping Kaede to her feet before lifting her to sit on his waist--anything to keep the pressure off her diaphragm. The rest of him was disappearing, replaced with a rough hide, spiked and armored and light, two sets of heavy, flexible wings spreading from his back.]

Just hold on and shut your eyes. I gotta fly you there, because everything else is gonna be too slow.

[The spawn of hell itself carried Kaede up, pointed at the Princess' castle.]

[ She's not used to being chastised. It's borne of genuine concern and care, but still she's startled. It doesn't stop her from holding onto him, however. Her arms slide around his neck as directed despite the shifting of his form. One hand even trails along an infernal horn of his before clasping her opposite wrist behind his shoulders.

Should she feel this guilty about worrying him? Should she be more concerned at her own lack of concern for herself? The thought buzzes around her fogged brain. ]

I won't let go.

[ The words come with another cough and another trickle of blood that hisses against the heat of his skin under her chin. She hadn't noticed the scent of smoke and ash until that moment. ]

[There was no struggling with the 'why', at least. There was no paralysis in action. Sure, he was shaped like something that was born and bred to kill everything that ever walked but Kaede's blood was already sizzling on his chest. Picking which option was worse was just the easy choice. Dante knew he could endure frightened stares. People already treated him like a devil before he even realized how much of one he was--and that was far more than even the ancient ones.

The way she'd squeezed him, he couldn't help but worry about all those uncomfortable parts. The beat of his wings had been jostling her and his hands were rough and coarse and sharp. He had to tell his body not to cut her all she was coughing and feeling weaker with each passing moments and the entire time he was asking himself how long it had been since they left. People could die in seconds as much as they could die in hours and days. He'd been around but he hadn't seen enough to know if whatever Kaede had was one of those 'deceptive' injuries.

There was no reason to risk it. The castle came into view and their landing was a bit harder than he intended, but he cradled her and let his arm and shoulder absorb as much they could. Attendants' brows raised and a number of people gathered around at the commotion as a winged monster came down onto cobblestones and soil, looking around as if trying to figure out where something was. Ah. As quickly as he healed, why would he know where the healers were?

Ticked off at the thought, knowing he couldn't pull her off of him, Dante covered Kaede's ears and bellowed with a devil's monstrous range and ferocity--just to grab everyone's attention, for better or worse. His voice carried the threat of violence for anyone not dropping whatever it was they were doing to help and that alone added a whole new layer of tension and confusion to the matter.]

STOP GAWKING AND GET A MEDIC--NOW!!

[ You know, later, Artoria's going to have to emphasize how lucky it is that they landed anywhere near anybody who could help, all things considered. ]

Wha...!

[ Off the bat, the first thing Artoria does is summon her staff. Something demonic crashing into the castle grounds is a pretty immediate cause for concern. Not that she's ever fought one before, but the avatar of the holy sword can hardly balk in the face of one, can she? ]

Hold on...! What the heck are you...!

[ It's fortunate, then, that when the smoke clears... the situation is readily apparent. Being able to understand at a glance what Dante is... well, that certainly helps, too. Ugh... did he have to yell so loud, though? Now everybody else is freaked out and she's the only one who can do anything.

Well, whatever. She can vent her complaints later, she supposes. She stomps forward, Staff still in her hand but no longer raised with the expectation that she'll need to smack anybody with it. ]

Put her down. Let me see her.

[ Geez, she hopes she can do something. She can't spot anything wrong on the outside, so is it internal? That's so complicated...! Still, she keeps her frustration from showing on her face. As long as it's not cursed or anything, she can probably manage. ]

[ "Put her down," she says, but Lucy won't let go. She turns her head to face the mage over her shoulder, and her grip on the demonic warrior doesn't lessen. If anything, she refuses to let go of him at all despite the blood dribbling down her chin. ]

I used my power too- [ hack ] Too much. That's all.

[ But her every breath is a wet wheeze. Worse still, small pieces of what can only be the weak tissue of her lungs occasionally fly out with each cough she tries in vain to suppress. Even so, she tightens her hold on the demon that ferried her here. ]

Edited 2026-03-12 03:00 (UTC)

I can't--Kaede, let go!

[He couldn't make her. All those spikes and blades... Trying to force her to do a thing was impossible so long as he had those and yet he didn't want to drop that transformation. No one in the right mind would let her stay near a devil while she was struggling--dying.

Once everyone knew what he was, that would be the end of it. He hadn't known Artoria but there was something about her presence that commanded an instinctive certainty. She was an oddity and willing to help and, for her sake, he'd met her eyes--wounds in his hollow, red eyes. He was terrified he'd tear the girl in his arms if he wasn't careful.

Even then, he didn't want to leave her. The devil's fangs gleamed in a scowl, pained by the grim realization that there were pieces of her boiling away on him.]

Come on, you're hurt...!

It's fine... stay that way, then. But at least loosen up a little, I need to get a proper look at you.

[ Strangely, Artoria is... concise. Sharp and as to the point as she can be. She wants to tell this guy to hurry up and turn back to normal so he can stop freaking the attendants out, but... that's probably a no-go, isn't it? Fine, she'll just put the attendants out of her mind for now. ]

A power that leaves you in a state like this... well, I'm sure you don't need me to tell you to what you should avoid doing right now.

[ The tip of her staff glows, and Artoria puts her hand on Lucy's chest. She frowns, moving her hand a little lower... to the side... back to where it was before... ]

Ah, geez... hold her still.

[ This'll be annoyingly tough... but she gets to work anyway. The blue light from the gem encased in the tip of her staff turns green, and along with it, the light from her hand as well. Her eyes are closed in deep focus... healing is hardly her specialty, after all. She learned it mostly so that she could patch her own injuries. She can heal someone else in a pinch, but it's so much easier when it's an external injury, rather than someone's lungs being messed up.

Still, despite all that, Lucy should start to feel... some relief. ]

[ Dante tells her to let go, but Kaede disobeys by nature alone. She won't release someone she holds so dear. Even if it's their wish, she's a selfish, wanting creature and she'd rather die than let him go.

Even the glance she turns his way before Artoria can work her craft screams "please don't leave me" as if she fears he'll do just that if her arms give even a little slack. Otherwise, she remains still and nods along obediently to the faerie mage's orders. It's easier to breathe before long by doing so, and she relaxes just a little more. ]

I won't...not again. I won't...I won't.

[He hadn't a clue what magic was going on between the both of them but what they'd done hadn't made anything worse. Trusting that much was the first step but the next step was his. Smoke billowed from his lips as he sighed and, even if he knew there would be whispers and distrust to come, he drew his power back in and put refashioned himself into a man.

Without an ounce of hesitation, he put his arms around her--supporting Kaede against him as tight as he could manage without interfering with the tense accumulation of magic. It wasn't even a question. The moment any one thing got in the way of her, he needed to do away with it. Even himself. He'd let her rest her cheek on his shoulder--settled.]

I'm with you. [He whispered at first, bringing up his eyes to Artoria's, an icy blue in stark contrast to a few moments before.] You need power to make it work? I'll give you what you need... Just tell me.

...

[ She considers it. It's probably better off if she didn't... she's not sure if she can even use whatever energy Dante has, what with him being on the demonic end of things while she's on the holy end of it. It's not like she's lacking in magical energy to work with, after all, but...

Her eyes flit down to the girl currently clinging to him so desperately... doesn't she recognize her? She does... but she's different now. Very different. In a way that's probably only so apparent to someone with eyes like hers.

...well, the more magical energy the better, she supposes. If there's any negative effects, she's the only one who'll have to deal with the consequences. Lucy, meanwhile... she'll get a more thorough healing. She moves her staff forward, positioning it between them. ]

Hold this, channel your power into it. Healing isn't my specialty, so I was only planning to patch her up... but I can do a better job with more magical energy.

[ Kaede leans against Dante's offered shoulder with a sigh. Her breathing still carries a wheeze, but the coughs that punctuate her breaths ease up and dry out slowly, gradually. Her grip on him likewise relaxes, and she briefly considers wiping the dried blood from her mouth and neck before realizing that would get in Artoria's way. ]

Than...thanks. Thank...you.

[ Her throat itches. There's another cough brewing, but for now it's more of a tickle. ]

[That girl was focused. A tired, bleak part of him he'd never once shown muttered grimly. 'Good, she's reliable. I'd never let a coward or a fool help her.' In that moment, Artoria earned his quiet respect, something valuable only to him--something that anyone who failed to take him seriously could never take away. For once, he'd been lucky. They had someone who could save Kaede when he couldn't.

He laughed and the first breaths she'd taken then sounded better. Her coughing didn't sound so pained or desperate. His hand, smudged with blood, clutched Kaede's back with every want in the world to hold her tight and the restraint to hold it back and the other reached out to Artoria's strange staff without touching for fear it might break. Red, crackling lightning connected to it and he bore down on Artoria with a maelstrom's incalcuable force.

There was a smile cut into his cheeks which lacked credibility. He'd spoken to no one... which was nothing new. People weren't usually around when you needed help most but those healthier breaths were a sign of parting clouds.

The devil's voice shook.]

Thank you... not this time. I dunno how many more losses I got in me, y'know?

Edited 2026-03-13 04:08 (UTC)

...!

[ Dang it...! She should've told him to go easy on the energy front!! Is he an idiot?! Dumping this much energy on her?! She's lucky the energy is being focused into the staff rather than herself! Otherwise she'd end up in worse shape than this girl! She's 100% smacking this guy over the head when this is over!! She doesn't care if he's a demon!!!

The maelstrom surges, an incalculable storm that she's expected to control, energy that clashes with hers in just about every conceivable way, but...

The blue tip of her staff briefly flashes red with Dante's energy, but as Artoria grips her staff with all her strength, it slowly reverts to it's original comfort. Fortunately, compared to the energy of a Holy Sword's activation, it's manageable.

Fortunately, it's not a total disaster. The healing accelerates, quickly healing the majority of whatever damage Lucy took. ]

Hn...!

[ Once she's done all she can, she promptly pulls away, yanking the staff away from him... and promptly smacking his head with the larger end. ]

Sheesh...!! Be gentler, dang it!! What would've happened if I couldn't control that much energy!? Do you wanna add an explosion to the list of your problems?!

[ Still, after shouting at him, she exhales... regaining her composure, at least somewhat. ]

I did all I could. I'm confident she's stable, but I'd get her checked out by a proper doctor anyways.

[ She... still looks annoyed. All the lovey-dovey crap while she was fighting Dante's maelstrom of demonic energy certainly hasn't helped her mood... but hey, at least she did a good job, right? ]

...And maybe don't go walking around like that? You'll confuse people.

[ She's stating the obvious, of course, but she deserves to be a little snippy right now. ]

Edited 2026-03-15 04:43 (UTC)

[ She should be grateful for Artoria's help. She is, too! But, the mage instantly draws Lucy's ire from the whack of her staff toward Dante's head. She doesn't have much strength to her thin frame, but still Lucy snaps her hand up to catch the staff regardless of whatever damage it does to her hand.

She should be thankful, but now...she grimaces and snarls at the blonde with open disdain. ]

If you're gonna bitch at someone, do it at me... [ Her hand still stings from catching the staff. Whatever. If the mage won't heal it, she'll deal with it too. It bothers her that violence is the recourse of so many when it's brought her only pain. That it comes right after he mentions this being another potential loss he's faced...no, she's immensely irritated now. ] Shouldn't you be scolding me for being careless instead of attacking the person who helped me? What's wrong with you?

Edited 2026-03-15 04:53 (UTC)

[ It’s early in the morning when Lucy walks through the doors of the Stay Golden Fitness gym.

She looks a bit rough, as if she hasn’t been sleeping well for the past couple of nights. Despite this, her jaw is set, her lips sit in a grim line, and her eyes burn with the kind of stubbornness that’s gotten her through her entire life to this point. ]

Gold Ship…I need to be stronger.

[ Early morning means Gold Ship's in one of two places
, running laps on the grounds or working in the gym. Lucy made the right choice today.

Golshi's doing drills on one of the heavy bags, the force of the uma's punches and kicks making it swing like it weighs nothing. Lucy speaks up just as a forceful kick from Golshi sends it flying past to the length of its chain. ]

Eh???

[ She turns to face Lucy. Her tracksuit jacket has been discarded, leaving her in the pants and a tank top. Her usual headgear is in place of course, it keeps her hair back. ]

Dang, Kaede. You look like crap.

[ Blunt as that is she's obviously concerned as she looks her friend over.

The heavy bag comes swinging back towards Goldship's back. She reaches behind her palm open, catching it with an impact that makes her arm shake. The showoff. ]

What do ya mean "stronger"? Ya know I'm not exactly much put next to spooky invisible hand power, right?

[ Her eyes narrow, but it's hard to tell if it's because of Gold Ship's density to what she said or just because she's tired. ]

Physical strength. A stronger body.[ She coughs softly without opening her mouth. ] One that doesn't need those hands to begin with.

[ Gold Ship's eyes narrow in return at that cough. That's new. Concerning... ]

Why?

[ Simple, direct. She grabs her nearby towel and rests it across her neck as she walks up to Lucy. ]

This for your health, self betterment, or are ya looking to win a fight?

[ Lucy doesn't react at first. Her gaze stays sullen, far, gazing beyond Gold Ship rather than at her. That is, until her focus comes back and she locks eyes with her. ]

If I keep using those "hands" of mine, I'll die.

[ She lets that sit for a breath before adding: ]

Is that good enough for you?

...

[ ... ]

Let's call that "health" then, eh?

[ Joking aside her tone is pretty serious. ]

Alright. What kinda physical limits are we talkin', forget the "hands". Muscle issues, bone issues?

[ Gold Ship is a hell of a trainer if she can determine what to do with only a few words. ]

Lungs. [ Because accounting for breathing is the most crucial step. ] The weakest tissue of my body will atrophy first. So I need to account for that.

Cardio then, breathing exercises. Yoga, aerobics, light swimming as a foundation. Already came up with a couple of routines for someone else who can't really engage their muscles.

[ She makes a Face at that thought. There's bad blood there now. ]

If you trust me enough I can help, but you gotta listen to what I tell ya.

[ Lucy's quiet for a moment, but only just long enough for her to chuckle. ]

You're the expert here. Of course I'll trust you.

[ Because, and she keeps this part quiet, even the worst results would still end with her being strong enough to fight the uma even if at the cost of her own health. She has nothing substantial to lose. ]

Edited 2026-03-12 04:29 (UTC)

[ Gold Ship watches Lucy for a moment, expression flat.

Then she grins and sticks out her hand for Lucy to shake. ]

Alrighty then! Welcome to Team Spica, Isekai Division, Two-Legged Corps! Glad to have ya on board Kaede!

[ A team, huh? She's never been on one before. It feels a little awkward. But she shakes her hand regardless. ]

Y-Yeah, uh... [ Damn. What do people say when joining a new group? ] Ah...please take care of me.

Edited 2026-03-13 03:37 (UTC)

[ More smiling as the umamusume eagerly leads Lucy over to one of the treadmills they've managed to forge with some know-how and bloomcraft. ]

Course I will! Golshi-sama's never failed as a mentor yet!

[ Last time the understudy broke her record, but... that's neither here nor there. ]

If you're up for it I'd like ta start you out with some light stuff today! A little runnin', easy weight work. Just to kinda get an idea of where you're at.

[ Running. Ugh. Why does the thought of it instantly fill her with dread? It's good for her, but even so... ]

Sounds good. Lead the way.

Edited 2026-03-15 04:56 (UTC)

Alright! Hop on.

[ She pats the "treadmill".

The thing about the treadmills here. They're less mills and more, well, person sized running wheels. Like for a hamster. Alongside the device itself is what looks like a stationary bike, but the chains on thr pedals connect to a system of pullies and gears attached to the wheel.

So someone else can up the speed for the runner if their own power isn't cutting it. Partner training at its finest! ]

We'll do a light fifteen minute jog and see how ya are after that.

[ With a gesture of her hand and some usage of her blood craft, Gold Ship conjures a floating illusion of blinking numbers; 00:15:00

Meramancy stopwatch. ]

We'll start as soon as you're ready.

[ Lucy's familiar shape moves aimlessly about the dueling grounds at first. Once she finds a set of practice swords, that changes. Her movements are oddly comfortable and quick, even relaxed to the point and observer might call them lazy, but each swing and strike at an invisible enemy is firm and doesn't waver.

One strike, however, veers perilously close to the neck of her sudden companion. Did she stop herself on purpose? Or was she just lucky to avoid their neck? Her snide smile suggests the former, as does its accompanying quip: ]

Reckless chump. I'd have taken your head off if it were a real fight.

Lucy, Nyuu, Voice | Budding Catch-All

Lucy | Marvelous Coastline | CW: blood, emeto, injury

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cw: gross and body horror idk how else to describe it

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1/2

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closed to Gold Ship

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The Voice | Dueling Ground