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Ailward AspectPermalink Reply by ✓ Argent Kara Ailward on March 5, 2019 at 21:39

The redhead wasn’t really the kind of person who just showed up to see a stranger, this felt very strange for her. She was a pretty friendly person and would get along with anyone but she also wasn’t the kind of person who felt the need to seek anyone out, she was content with her own company too. She supposed living with so many people did that, you spent so much time with company, that being alone became rare and so you never really felt lonely, sometimes you even sought out the idea of alone time. When it came to her siblings however there was very little the aspect of light wouldn't do and while Malva was her elder sister the green-eyed female still felt a responsibility to take care of her and intervene when she thought she was in trouble.

As she sat there she started to wonder if this Benjamin person was even going to be of any help to her, truthfully she had no idea what her sister was up to anymore and she was worried, worried that she would get herself in too deep and not be able to ask for help when she needed it. She sighed softly which caught the attention of the receptionist who shot her a questioning look to which the aspect just shrugged, she knew she didn't look like the typical person who visited this building, no business dress for her, she didn't even own a pencil skirt.

When she finally got the go-ahead to head through she nodded a polite thanks to the woman and followed her lead to where she needed to go. When she reached the office she was met with the face of a blue-eyed male who she concluded instantly was Benjamin Vaughn. She received his hand and shook it with a serene smile on her face before she nodded to affirm he was correct with the name he spoke, though it was drawn out a little with the certainty. She eyed him suspiciously, either had done his research or Mal had told him more about the family than she realized “Argent is fine, too many Rs just reminds me of my time in Spain” she spoke with a bright smile as she pulled her hand away “I'd say I'd heard a lot about you but I'm afraid I haven't” she admitted as she pointed to the chair opposite his desk with a questioning look and when he gave the go-ahead she took a seat in it.

“Normally I would take the time to ask you a little about yourself and get to know you but” she pursed her lips slightly “Unfortunately I'm not here just because I'm curious about the guy my sister keeps sneaking around with” the redhead leaned back in the chair lifting one leg to cross over the other and studied him, he didn't didn't give her any bad impressions just yet, which considering that the aspect of light could read people's aura was a good sign, he was a mix of blues with the odd flash of purple which gave her a sense of a balanced and level headed person who was either temperamental or very passionate.

She knew she was being cryptic but it was in her nature not to trust people she didn't know and she had a very hard time just coming out with the truth because of that. Her face softened a little and she sighed as she tried to think about how to explain what she needed to know and why he should help her but it all felt like a jumbled mess “I almost feel ashamed to have to ask you how you know Malva” she admitted, her green gaze showing sincerity as she looked up at the sandy blond “Because I think you may care for her but if you don't then I'm wasting my time here” it was pretty obvious in the way Argent talked that she was a little distressed over the whole thing.

Ailward AspectPermalink Reply by ✓ Argent Kara Ailward on March 19, 2019 at 1:12

The redhead was glad that he seemed to have a sense of humor because that seemed to help make this whole thing feel slightly less awkward, especially because he seemed to know a little about her and she knew nothing at all about him, she pursed her lips and laughed “I’ll take the pirate version of my name, sounds more unique” she teased as she moved into the room, she noticed the way he seemed nervous which made her wonder what impression Mal had given him of their family, Argent was generally seen as the nicest of her siblings, if Ven or Reus were here then he may have reason for concern “Well my sister is hardly the most upfront girl, I think everyone knows that” Mal was a swallow her problems until she was snowed under kind of person, always had been.

She made herself comfortable in the chair she was sitting in, crossing one leg over the other as she watched him, she could tell that he seemed on edge, which she couldn’t blame him for, honestly she felt the same way, though it wasn’t him that had her worried, it was the welfare of the city and her siblings. While they all talked big game about putting the world first, the younger Ailward still suffered with her own personal feelings about everything, got more involved than she should have a lot “I know” Argent commented with a nod “I know my sister, she’s not the type to outright lie about stuff but she also won’t talk about things until you force it out of her” the redhead laughed, she could name a few others in her family like that. “Don’t worry I’m not here to threaten you or anything silly like that” the aspect of light was actually pretty nice to most people.

Argent was also very good at keeping her walls up though, she didn’t trust people easily, just something that was ingrained into her thanks to the collapse of so many relationships she’d had before now, she came to expect the worst of people and then be pleasantly surprised if things turned out better than she hoped. When he spoke about Mal trying to protect people Argent gave a half smile “That’s my family’s curse, none of them will let anyone else them” she bit on her bottom lip as she thought about the countless times they had shut one another out, Argent was guilty of it too, especially just after Raven died and she felt like the world just stopped for a while. He was very perceptive, she would give him that, figured out her reason for being here without her needing say it “No, I don’t think she is” the redhead admitted though she let him keep speaking before she would continue.

She nodded when she heard him confirm he cared, she got the feeling her sister probably cared about him deeper than she would ever say too, Mal didn’t really keep people around like that, at least not people who she wasn’t forced to stay alongside. “You sound like me” the aspect commented with a half effort smile, that was the thing with Mal, she only let you so far in and by the time she let anyone know she was drowning it was too late. Argent knew the path she was going down and it had the younger Ailward worried, worried she might lose her elder sister to insanity “No I get it, I know she’s probably gonna be mad at me for seeking you out but…” Argent paused a little “I can’t reach her” which was a hard pill for the aspect of light to swallow.

“Something is very wrong in this city, everyone is starting to feel it now” she redhead sighed softly running a hand through her red curls “The other night I found her with blood running from her eyes and she was reading these books” it felt really odd to spill all this to a stranger but she needed to tell someone, she needed someone to help her figure this out because she couldn’t lose another person she cared for “They’re not good books” Argent affirmed as she attempted to gather composure “And I know you say she doesn’t want your help but...if someone doesn’t reach her” she bit her lip, she wasn’t going to finish that sentence.

Ailward AspectPermalink Reply by ✓ Argent Kara Ailward on April 3, 2019 at 22:48

Argent laughed when he spoke about the way he had said her name “Don’t worry, I’m only mildly offended that you forgot my name” she commented with a playful smile on her lips, she hadn’t expected him to know it all really, much less to be able to put face to name, that told her a lot about what Mal must have shared with him and since the aspects didn’t take photos of themselves she knew her sister must have shown her memories to him. She didn’t comment on it though, it wasn’t her place to pry into that, nor did she really care to snoop into their relationship. Argent wasn’t the kind of girl to judge others for who they kept around, otherwise, she’d probably need to judge herself first. “I think anyone would have trust issues if they went through what we did” she nodded softly “Or any tough times really” she saw the world ruin a lot of good people and knew there was very little you could do to stop it.

It wasn’t like the aspect of light to seek out strangers, she usually turned to her family when she was troubled and usually, her family had the answers she needed but something just told her that wasn’t going to cut it today. Her sister was a complicated person and her siblings tended to get shut out the most, Argent wished it was different than that because they were probably the people who could help Mal the most but her sister was determined to protect everyone but herself. She nodded as Ben explained that Mal tried to push him away “She pushes everyone away, kinda her thing, she always thinks everyone else’s safety is more important than her own” but she doesn’t realize what losing her would do to everyone else and that’s what was dangerous. When Ben spoke about giving threats Argent hummed a little “I think you’d be surprised, I’m the one who conducts all the entrance interviews for the guard” she narrowed her eyes a little playfully “I have a few talents up my sleeve which could be considered scary if people have something to hide” but she didn’t sense any of that for him, his colors just spoke of loyalty to her.

The redhead nodded a little, she probably had the most humility of the aspects, she didn’t fight having a guard, in fact, she found Aurelia around was really good for her and helped to keep the aspect of light in check, Rei would be the one to keep her grounded to the earth. Mal didn’t really have that kind of relationship with her guard so Argent knew she had to search for help elsewhere, that was what led her here “I would hope so” she affirmed with a nod, she did expect the best for her sister after all. Truth be told she couldn’t fault him on anything he’s said or done so far.

Argent nodded, listening carefully to his choice of words, she could tell he was a city official because he had a polished way of speaking that was thoughtful, like how most people at the hospital spoke when they knew patients were in earshot. “I can deal with Malva being mad at me, I’m her little sister, it’s kinda my job to annoy her” the green-eyed female smiled but it wasn’t quite as genuine as it could have been, she’d rather her siblings ended up hating her than ended up dead and she would always take that mind “But she cares more than she lets on, you should know that much” a great deal more actually, she was always doing things in the name of others rather than herself, they all were really.

It seemed like everyone could feel the tension in the city, it was kind of like everyone was collectively holding their breath and didn’t know how to breathe out anymore “We’re doing everything we can from our side to get to the bottom of it but..” she pursed her lips “There seems to be a line of ‘everything we can’ which might be detrimental to ourselves” and by that she meant the aspect of magic who had always struggled with dark and unknown magic which could get her into serious trouble. When he admitted he worried for her sister she nodded her head slightly, she knew exactly what that meant, though she didn’t comment on it directly, just listened to him as he continued to speak “If she shuts you out I’ll tell her how much of an idiot she is” she assured but he was of the same mind as her, they had to do something. “This is going to sound a little crazy but…” she sighed, or a lot crazy “I heard my sister talking about a feather, it’s like...the embodiment of light magic and I think it can be used as a tether” she pursed her lips “I was going to ask you to help me track it down” because she needed someone she could rely on to keep it to themselves.

Ailward AspectPermalink Reply by ✓ Argent Kara Ailward on April 24, 2019 at 22:43

Argent laughed softly, of course, she didn’t actually mind the fact he didn’t know who she was, in fact, she had been expecting to have to give him the full explanation and in that respect he had saved her a lot of time “True, plus there are two redheads in the aspect family, very easy to mix me up with my sister” she scrunched up her nose a little the way she always did when she was joking with someone. It did affirm to her that Malva had shared her memories with him though and that spoke volumes if she sister trusted him that much then she knew she had nothing to worry about when it came to his intentions, though her instincts liked him anyway. “The world isn’t kind to most” she corrected him with a shrug “We’ve just lived longer than most and therefore accumulated more” she couldn’t name a single person she knew that hadn’t been through some kind of hardship.

Argent was probably one of the most chatty of her siblings, the one who most often had to seek Aureus’ help because she accidentally revealed who they were to someone she shouldn’t have, her sister was much more closed off that she was, all of her siblings were really, she supposed somehow she’d managed to claw onto a very small part of the childhood innocence she’d had many many years ago. Maybe that was why she was always the one clutching onto her siblings like she couldn’t afford to lose them, frankly, she probably couldn’t, she’d already lost so much, losing any of them, she didn’t know how she would even begin to cope with it. “You and me both, I’ve had the discussion with her many times but no matter how much she tells me she’ll pay it mind…” she shrugged “She’s not gonna change who she is because I ask her to” which left the redhead seeking other options on how she could help her. Which was really what led her here today. When he made a little joke she laughed softly and let the smile linger, she could see why Mal liked him “50 bucks says I get you to tell me at least one of them before the day ends” she teased with an amused expression.

“Nonsense, some of the humans we have on the guard are the most resilient and brave people I know” she commented absentmindedly, being the main person who took on people for the guard she had met a lot of people in her days and she never once decided on whether to let someone in or not based on what species they were. Everyone had their strengths, everyone had their weaknesses, she was much more interested in the kind of person they were “My sister doesn’t hold out for people who doubt themselves you know” she teased with a smile in his direction, he was downplaying himself considering the rank he held and the strong spirit she could see he had from his colors. There was way more to strength than being supernatural.

She understood where he was coming from though, holding out hatred for what you didn’t know or understand, it was a natural reaction, especially if you only saw the worst parts of it “All I’ve ever looked for in the world is something better” she admitted, it felt a little vulnerable to talk about this with someone she barely knew but she wanted him to trust her and she decided the best way to do that seemed to be honesty, he’d been nothing but truthful with her so far and he’d already seen everything no doubts thanks to Mal’s memories so what was the point in holding back “I was someone’s trophy wife, no job, no future, wasn’t even allowed to learn to fight despite the fact I was a Nephilim and it was in my very blood” she shrugged “Then I met Ven and everything changed, he painted a picture of a world I wanted to see” the redhead smiled “I think you probably know the rest of the story” she smiled softly “Mal really doesn’t help the witch stereotypes with the whole turning people into frogs threats” she commented with an amused look “Don’t worry she’s only actually done it once and Deus kinda deserved it” such a prankster had her brother been “She doesn’t share her past with...well anyone so” she nodded “Take that as you will” hell Argent wouldn’t be here, working with him, if it wasn’t for her sister.

She nodded, she agreed, it was like someone was holding Evermore by the throat and very slowly closing off the air supply until they all choked “And that’s never a good sign, I do my best to stay calm, some people think it’s kinda scary how calm I can be in a crisis” perhaps her positivity aura actually worked on herself and that was why she could make jokes and smile through the hardest times, it didn’t mean she didn’t feel the pain that came with them, it just meant it was her way of coping she supposed “But no one can deny that things feel wrong” she admitted flicking her green hues over to him. “Nor can any of us really stop ourselves from wanting to try and fix things, whatever the cost, I doubt you’d say you wouldn’t if you thought you had the means to right?” her family were guilty of always trying to save the world, it’s why they had died the first time after all. She knew she probably sounded nuts but the fact he didn’t treat her like it was, spoke a lot. “It’s not just a feather, it’s an angel feather or at least that’s what my research tells me” she admitted as she reached into the messenger bag she had brought with her and set a couple of books and letter she’d found on it, on the desk, she was going to be in trouble when Aureus realized these were missing but that could wait for another day “I can’t be sure it will help, but a tether of pure light magic, that has to be a good place to start with balance out the dark right?” she had to hope so because this was the only lead she had right now.

Ailward AspectPermalink Reply by ✓ Argent Kara Ailward on July 30, 2019 at 8:24

She laughed as he mentioned how her and Tia had a different aura and then she shrugged “You can say that again” she spoke with a smile “All my siblings and I are very different in ways, everyone is a different color” she grinned “And I don’t just mean because we’re different colored dragons, one of the gifts I was given when I came back was the ability to see people’s colors, I guess you could say it’s kind of like reading someone’s aura” she shrugged, it made sense to her but few other people “Virindeus, he’s green, really bright green like the color of a jungle which reminds me of someone full of life and optimism and Malva, there’s no mistaking that she’s purple, she’s got a sense of mysticism to her but purple also signifies strong levels of trust and loyalty” she smiled “You’re blue with a few hints of purple so I get the sense you’re pretty level-headed but also a little of that loyalty” she nodded hoping that explained a little about why she felt she could trust him without a single word.

“Well that’s probably for the best because one thing I have learned in a long life is quite literally no one ever really changes, nor should they” she shrugged, okay, perhaps some people had been misguided in the past and could be educated down another path but most of the time a stubborn person would always be stubborn, a belief would always be a belief and human tendencies would always surface. “I get it though, I feel like everyone needs to start realizing that being safe is a delusion, not a reality” this wasn’t the first time her family had been targeted, attacked or opposed and it certainly wouldn’t be the last. While this person had managed to do some serious damage, they had another thing coming if they thought her family would fall apart over it or that they would give up. She laughed when he backed out of her bet and she smirked softly “He’s smart with his money” she commented with an amused look in her eyes “I can tell I’m going to like you already” she scrunched up her nose playfully, she was glad he could be real with her, she’d met a lot of fake people in her life and didn’t have much time for them.

“I agree, something better, really should never be reached, there’s always more we can do, more progress to make, more people to educate” she shrugged, if they ever reached something better and stopped then the very purpose of who she was would cease to be. But as long as people had free will, there would always be some who chose to hate rather than love, those who are selfish and only care for gaining and not giving, that was a part of reality you had to accept. “We created the guard for that very reason, it’s about creating a culture where it’s not us and them, it’s just us” she bit her lip a little, their family had definitely seen a massive amount of pain in the past few years, they’d lost so many members of the guard and that would still felt raw and deep.

She could see a little twitch in his expression as she spoke a little about her past, she wasn’t exactly mad about what happened, she couldn’t really be given the state of the world back then but in the end, she had managed to come out of it the other side and make something great out of it, so while looking at her past hurt at times, sometimes she was glad she went through that to come out stronger the other side. “You just do” she responded with a shrug of her shoulders “I don’t think there’s a coping mechanism or a way to explain it really, you just do” that was inner strength at its core she supposed. His comments about Mal’s threats made her laugh “I think she likes to appear tougher than she actually is” she teased and winked, though she was sure he knew by now that there was much more below the surface.

“Hence your ocean blue colors” she spoke as she glanced over at him, she didn’t think it made either of them insane that they could hold it together when it felt the world was falling apart, it was probably just a reflection on the fact that they’d been through more pain than most should have to go through. “I don’t make jokes at the worst time, I just kind make em all the time” she laughed softly “I find it hard to constantly focus on the serious, that feels awkward and unnatural to me” she was known as the sunshine or the optimist of the aspects and she supposed that was down to her generally positive aura, even on the worst days she knew she could make the room a little brighter by making someone smile.

“Well then you’re exactly who I need” she tilted her head “Normally I would go to the guard or the other aspects with this but” she popped her lips and shrugged “I’m pretty sure if Mal knew I was worried about her she’d try and stop me helping or she’d try and talk me out of it at least and I just don’t wanna be pushed aside” she nodded a little “Hence why I’m turning to you I guess, you’re not under oath to tell my brother what’s happening and I get the sneaky suspicion that Mal will understand better if it’s us” she was probably going to get in trouble with Ven for this but she would deal with that down the line “An angel feather yes, I’ve never seen one myself but I’ve felt the presence of them” she nodded “Given that I was once nephilim and now affiliated to the light” she reached up to tuck a strand of her hair behind her ear “This isn’t to take the darkness at all” she admitted and bit her lip “Mal wants to delve deeper into dark magic, books that could quite literally consume her in it” and it wasn’t like she could talk her out of that “A light tether is just something to hold onto to ensure balance is maintained, it won’t destroy anything, nor would a dark tether” at least that was her understanding of it after many years of observing and listening.

“I’m getting a sense that what we’re looking for is a couple of states over and I fear someone else might beat us to finding it” she nodded “What do you say to a little adventure Ben?” she’d do it alone if he said no so she was getting it either way but at least with his help she’d have some kind of back up.

Ailward AspectPermalink Reply by ✓ Argent Kara Ailward on August 6, 2019 at 17:07

“You can say that again” she responded almost like reflex as he spoke about her family being a diverse set of people, they were all like-minded in their goals and where they wanted to the world to get to but their approaches and views were so far apart sometimes that she wondered how they all managed to co-exist for so long without going insane “They call me the nice one sometimes” she spoke in a joking tone, she probably was the nice one, to be honest, the one who tended to be more understanding and think about people’s welfare before the world’s. Some of her siblings saw that as counterproductive but that was who she was and she brought balance to the group with that. “True, optimism is a hard thing to hold onto, I see it is” she tilted her head a little “Like sand falling through an hourglass, it’s ever moving and sometimes you have to turn it over to get it back” that probably sounded a little crazy but she found optimism worked like that, you felt very positive at first and then reality slowly drained it but then something brings it back all at once. She looked up at him and nodded “My ability isn’t everything, it’s just an insight, people’s true colors come from knowing them” she agreed with him there, you proved your worth and just cause your intentions were good the day you met, didn’t mean they would be forever.

It was refreshing to meet someone who seemed to hold a lot of the same values she did, living in such a diverse faction, she was often faced with opposing views and she respected them but sometimes she wished there were more people who just ‘got’ the way that she thought “I think the worst thing a person can do is nothing at all” she echoed his thoughts with her own take on it “I see a world that’s damaged and often full of pointless hate and violence and if I can do something to change that, even one tiny thing, then I will” she personally believed it was their responsibility to do so in a sense “So I could never tell anyone else to do otherwise” though she also understood the other side of it too, the fear of losing someone to the point it paralyzed you and Argent had definitely lost a lot of people. She liked Ben’s sense of humor and how in touch with the reality of the world he seemed to be, he was the kind of person who just made a lot of sense, which she knew would make it hard to ever really disagree with him “I definitely feel you on the food topic, I swear sweets of any kind are my weakness” she laughed softly, always had a major sweet tooth for as long as she could remember. She gave him a genuine smile and nodded her head slightly.

She nodded softly, he’d make a very good leader, she noted in her head, from the way he spoke and the way he treated people, he didn’t even know her and yet he had heard her out respectfully and really took in what she had to say and she didn’t think that was just because she was related to Malva “It’s very easy to get caught up in the negative, I’d be lying if I said there weren’t periods in my life where I gave into it” she shrugged her shoulders, she was an optimistic person, always had been, but even she couldn’t look for the best all the time and losing someone she truly loved, that had been almost impossible to recover from. “Evermore is…” she pressed her lips together as she tried to find the words for it “Unique, I don’t think I’ve seen a city culture quite like it” there was a mutual want for peace here which she found very rare to find nowadays “Honestly, I don’t think I’ve seen a supernatural culture quite like it” she had seen a lot of the worst of species wars and disagreements, so much so that seeing them living alongside one another here was somewhat a shock to the system.

“Right” she nodded her head in affirmation because she really did believe in that, that you got as much from life as you put into it, if you just sat there and moped all day, the world was going to continue turning without you and you’d miss a beautiful sunset or the chance to meet a new friend. She didn’t want to spend her time regretting what she had done with it, she had died once and inevitably, one day she would die again and when she did, she wanted to say that she lived. “It’s getting her to let it down that’s the hard part, especially when half the time it’s an actual magical shield” she let out a heavy sigh, her sister could be a handful at times but she cared about her deeply and she knew how much Mal bottled up because she never wanted to be a burden to others.

She laughed, shaking her head in a lighthearted smile when he suggested that his coloring came from his eyes rather than what she saw inside of him “I mean they are pretty intense so maybe my radar’s off” she smirked, she could see why Malva liked to keep him around, he seemed to make a pretty dire situation seem lighter somehow which was truly a talent that she could appreciate “Well true, sometimes a joke is what’s needed to take off the pressure and bring focus back to getting what needs to be done, done” but she had definitely been given some choice looks for things she said in seemingly serious situations before “If I can’t make light of something, pun intended” she laughed at her own joke before continuing “Then I tend to end up putting too much pressure on myself and then I'm doomed for failure” she definitely did think there was power in positive thinking, that was for sure.

She couldn’t help the laugh that escaped as he likened himself to a rubber band only to immediately backtrack his words, when she first walked in here she had felt nervous and apprehensive, she knew next to nothing about him, only that he was the one her sister had been meeting on her little missions outside of the manor and the little she could find about him from a professional standpoint. All she could say was that she definitely didn’t regret coming here today “Yeah well she forgets the part where we are always supposed to be there for each other, if she thinks I’m going to sit by while she slowly edges towards insanity then she never knew me at all” in fact she was pretty sure her sister knew she’d try to help, though she might not expect Argent to search for it in someone outside the guard. He seemed to comprehend what she was trying to tell him well, which was good because honestly, she felt like she was talking gibberish whenever she talked about magic “Exactly, normally tethers are easier to come by but” she bit her lip “Not for dark magic of this level, nothing we have right now would be enough” which is why she was searching for a pure light.

Her green eyes met his blue ones with a slightly mischievous look in her eyes as he spoke about not being able to attend work for a couple of days, her plan was pretty much just to go without telling anyone, well, Aurelia would probably know, somehow the blonde valkyr knew everything Argent did but they had an understanding and she would deal with the aftermath from everyone else later. “Then I’d recommend we meet at first light tomorrow, because I’m guessing you’re not going to want to travel by dragon” honestly she wasn’t sure she trusted herself to fly someone that far on her back either. So a flight seemed like the wiser choice. She had a gut feeling of where they needed to go but it was going to definitely be a journey rather than a quick round trip. “Plus I need some time to do a little more research on what we’re looking for” she nodded firmly, she felt like this was doing something and that felt good, to know she wasn’t sitting idly by and waiting for the worst to happen.