[Shieba]

"Oh, he wouldn't take it off anymore, of course!" Morwena sighed. "I will die with him if he dies and the kingdom would need him to live longer...no one can get the kingdom back from those traitors if not my Dear. But that means that I will die before him if we don't get killed, either because of old age or because I won't be pretty enough anymore and he will toss me away...if it makes him happy to do so, I don't mind, but..." Morwena sighed. Of course she wanted nothing but Bentner's happiness, but she had suffered so much when he had had another mistress a few years ago; not dying immediately because she didn't have that much Dracon blood within her, but still vomiting blood and knowing she had been slowly slipping towards death. She looked at the vial in Yoshi's hand. "I would...love to use it in this case, but I don't think I could live with the guilt afterwards. I am absolutely loyal to my Dear and as such, I would have to tell him afterwards what I had done to him. I wouldn't have minded an item that maybe would have had such an effect in a subtle way - much like I try with my style of clothing - but something so powerful? No, I wouldn't take it. His work is the most important thing to my Dear and basically stopping him from it for days would be inacceptable, not to mention the fact that this would basically mean to make him do as I wish. This is the complete opposite of my place and I would never do that. I wish to be more attractive to my Dear because I crave his affections and touches so, but it is meaningless if it's not out of his own free will but because of an overpowering potion." Yoshi's smile was unsettling her - despite being a dragon, Morwena had come to trust the girl by now since she had said that she wouldn't steal from her or her Dear, but now, she was getting doubts.

"If you can manage that, then you are a great king." Bentner nodded. "We live deep in the territory of the dark god and we can only stay alive through constant strength and power. I served as the advisor and First Mage of a wonderful king. He ruled our kingdom strictly, but it was needed to stay alive. But sadly, when strength is needed, weak ones tend to die and so, under the prince, the people led a revolt, calling the king a tyrant and killing him. Morwena and I managed to flee, hiding in my fortress since six years. Only my power is the reason why we are still alive. Next to us, only few other followers of the old king had been powerful enough to escape. All of us were declared criminals. I now lead this small resistance, but our chance to take back the kingdom to restore it to its old ways is slim. The new king believes in diplomacy instead of strength as well, but the demons speak no language and are nothing but beasts, so how will that save the kingdom? In my world, peace and diplomacy sadly only lead to death and I fear the day the kingdom our old king has built will fall because of these ideals of the new king. But of course, if there is nothing that endangers you here anymore, such values probably do make for a better kingdom." He glanced at Yoshi as well. "The dragon-girl...I cannot guess what she wants. There is a drawback to her gifts, I just know it, but I cannot figure out what it is, if it is not getting my own items in return."

[MillietheWarrior]

Yoshi’s shoulders seemed to droop just a bit, and her smile flickered, but remained. “Well, if you’re sure,” she muttered, sounding slightly disappointed. “Then very well.” With a wave of her hand, the vial reappeared back underneath the glass. “Is there anything else you want? I have so many different things here. I’m certain we could find…something. I’m afraid I can’t give you anything that would make him lust after or love you, though. That was all I had in the way of that. Sorry.” She did indeed look genuinely apologetic as she waited patiently for Morwena to instruct her on what she wanted.

Halibel’s eyes opened slightly. “Our worlds sound so similar…I cannot help but wonder how they can be the same and yet so unlike one another at the same time. We were once ruled by another king, long ago. He was a tyrant, who desired only power. He forced the weak to fight for him, or die in front of him. He banished me and my three most loyal followers to the caves beneath Hueco Mundo. I lived there until I was attacked by one of his subordinates. I was saved by…a man. He was the new king of Hueco Mundo. I pledged my allegiance to him, but in the end, he betrayed me and all my comrades. I am glad he is dead. But with him gone, our home was thrown back into the turmoil of beasts killing beasts. It is only through my power that order and peace is being restored.”

She clenched one fist beneath her chest, and shook her head. “Sometimes peace and diplomacy can only be gained through brute force and strength. And sometimes, deaths are unavoidable. Sometimes you must kill to gain order.” her eyes lifted to observe Yoshi, and beneath her mask, she frowned.

“Yoshi is…very, very old. Older than I am, I’d imagine. I found her a long time ago, after our…new king was killed in battle. She is a child in all but mind, though she likes to pretend otherwise. I cannot guess as to what she would want from you; she rarely interacts with anyone but me, and she doesn’t seem to like anything but her painting, her foil, and collecting her items. I know that she…desires power. She is a powerful creature herself; almost on par with me, and I can honestly say she is one of only two or so others in this land who can claim such a thing. It could be…that she wants knowledge from you. Knowledge of more power and how to gain it. But I cannot say for sure. She may not want anything at all, as she claims. But who knows?”

[Shieba]

"Ah well, I am grateful for having such patience with me." Yoshi looking genuinely apologetic calmed Morwena somewhat - she had already thought that Yoshi was ready to slip the potion into Bentner's drink for fun with a grin like hers. "Is there anything else that maybe would make me more attractive to him? Maybe an item that makes it look like I wear the dress he wants me to wear the most by casting an illusion?" Morwena was still toying with the ring. Her Dear would love it and she also wanted him to live longer since she knew that he feared death so much, but she also knew that something like this ring, which would make him live so much longer, would make him even more of a goal for headhunters and those craving a longer life. "Or something that would cure my Dear of his back pains and maybe make him live longer without making it as obvious as this ring so that he wouldn't get attacked by others wanting to steal it?"

"There is nothing as horrible as betrayal. I was offered to pledge myself alligance to the new king to save myself from being sentenced to death, but my loyalty will always be for the old king. And well..." Bentner looked at the book in his hand. "Power is what I desire the most, too - to make sure the kingdom is safe. And I ordered the deaths of people as well who dared to oppose the king - either because the king wished it so or because I myself deemed it necessary. They call me the worst criminal of the kingdom because of this, but I believed it indeed needed to gain order. When there is a threat like demons, we cannot have quarrels in the kingdom doubting the leader, or so I believe. You are very correct - sometimes, killing a few to save the greater rest is necessary. Sadly, the rest of the kingdom; those who feared the old king, saw it differently." He sighed. "With any luck, I will die of old age before I either get caught or the demons kill us all." He looked at Tia. "You have served under two kings and both brought misery to your land, yet you understand that not doing the complete opposite of what they had done is what helps, but only changing what led to their failure and misery for everyone else. I wish our new king would understand that, too."

"Knowledge..." Bentner shook his head. "Knowledge is power, or so I believe indeed, and I would love to call myself wise enough to be of use in this regard to such an old creature who has seen so many worlds and items I have never heard about, but how could that be? Morwena can be overly emotional sometimes, I hope she doesn't get manipulated into something right now. But then again, she is very smart, too, or she would have never become the mage she is today."

[MillietheWarrior]

“Oh, I have illusion casters, yes.” She looked Morwena up and down. “But I think you look fine. Why wouldn’t he find you attractive? Human females often wear clothing such as yours to attract males. I would’ve thought he liked that dress.” She motioned for Morwena to follow her, hands behind her back as she skipped down the rows of pedestals. “If you want to heal his back pains, you can use those hair pins I gave you. They should work well enough for any pains he might have. If you want to protect him and his life and make him live longer…” She paused and thought a moment. “I have a potion he can take. It’s…somewhat similar in intensity to the other I showed you. It will allow a human to reclaim the years they’ve already lived. It won’t change their physical age, but you will live two lifetimes, instead of one. Most humans don’t desire it because once they’ve lived a single lifetime, they don’t desire another.” She stopped at a darkened pedestal, where a blue vial of some sort of liquid sat. “It is up to you if you want it.”

“The lives of a few do not mean much against the lives of the many. Being a leader means making great sacrifices ands difficult decisions, and being hated, feared, or persecuted for them, even if they were for the good of those you lead. I have learned that such a thing is difficult to bear, but bear it I do. Leadership is a difficult thing to attain, and even more difficult to truly understand. The magnitude of the power you hold can sometimes lead to…a sense of insanity. It is imperative that those who hold such power are able to wield it effectively, without losing themselves in the process. I fear the new king you speak of was already lost before he took the throne.” She shook her head, eyes closing as she tightened her grip and folded her arms closer to her torso. “Who can say, with beings like her? She seeks for things that even she does not understand, and she will accept and covet whatever she finds interesting. I am afraid you and your companion are both ‘interesting’ to her. You have my protection, and thus, hers as well, but you have her interest, and I can’t say if that is a good or a bad thing. You may never truly be rid of her.”

[Shieba]

"I think I look fine as well", Morwena sighed. "They call me the most beautiful woman of the kingdom, even. Yet my Dear never seems all that interested. I am allowed to share his bed when he feels like it, but I never manage to get him to look at me over the course of the day or during work." It was upsetting, really. Morwena followed Yoshi. "Well! That potion sounds much more interesting! Is it possible that both my Dear and me drink half of it? I don't want to get old and ugly, I'd rather die young and beautiful together with my Dear, so half an additional lifetime for both of us would be amazing!"

"You are absolutely right. Sadly, few are able to see beyond what bothers them and can look at the greater scale of things. Because of that, many people do not understand that some sacrifices, no matter of which kind, are unavoidable to give them an overall better life - or even just a chance of survival. I know well what you mean, I was, after our king, the second most powerful man in the kingdom and the most powerful mage - which I still am - and rarely a decision is easy to make, for if there would not be a downside to each possible option, a decision would not be needed at all. Wielding power is not only difficult in itself, you also have to have the ability to not let your emotions affect you when you wield it. The new king, he believes that almost everything can be solved with talking. He believes more shields will help us to survive just as well as an offensive approach against the demons does without costing lives. For the moment, it seems that it holds true, but what will he do when enough demons come together because their numbers will rise when no one kills them and the shields will not be enough anymore?" It was strange that someone understood, actually. In a kingdom where he was hunted down and even those still calling themselves his allies wanted him dead to gain his artifacts, he was not used to this anymore except when talking to Morwena - and she never had wielded power and responsibility like him. "Never be rid of her? Dear goodness. I do not mind her finding us interesting, since clearly we gain something from it as well - and quite a bit, indeed - but if she will follow us into our world, this might complicate things. Neither Morwena nor I have time to deal with her much."

[MillietheWarrior]

“Have you ever tried dressing differently?” Yoshi suggested. “Maybe doing something different, that a woman like you wouldn’t normally dress as, would gain his attention? Something with a high collar and modest neckline?” She shrugged. “I’m not sure I understand human women though; they tend to put beauty over everything else. There is much more to life than being beautiful, and you have so much more to offer.” She reached out to pluck the vial from the case, holding it aloft in her hand. She swirled the blue liquid around. “Yes, it is possible. I imaginer you’d each get at least an additional 30 years, perhaps less.” She held her pal out, the vial sitting innocently on her palm. “Is this what you want, then?”

“Decisions are always difficult when it comes to the well-being of the kingdom. Your new king may believe that what he is doing is right. And perhaps for a time, he will be. I cannot say that I understand what perils face your kingdom, but if the parallels continue to hold true, then I understand where you are coming from. Not everything can be solved with talking. It may take a much firmer hand to take over and effectively run your kingdom.” She closed her eyes, and breathed a quiet sigh. “If ever you need aid on the battlefield, you need only call. I feel as though an alliance between us might be beneficial to both of our kingdoms.” She indicated his bracelet with a nod. “Should you need it, you can summon me with that artifact.” Tia unfolded one arm, pressing two fingers to the bridge of her nose, which was barely visible above the top of her mask. “She won’t bother you, I imagine. But she would help herself to an exploration of your world and the people in it. I doubt you’d see her much, but she would always be watching and waiting for the right time to pop in and batter you with questions. She does have impeccable timing, I’ll admit; she understands when someone is busy, and she tends to stay away during those times.”

[Shieba]

"Oh, of course I have more to offer than just being beautiful! This is why my Dear kept me around so long! All the other mistresses that he had next to me were always dismissed sooner or later because they were dumb idiots. Only with me he can talk about magic really well, which is the only topic that really interests him. And well...my Dear was born as a noble. I've seen him in ballrooms, but he never seemed to have interests in the females there despite their dresses. And he surely doesn't want me to wear those cheap clothes from the city that I grew up in. I really don't know what he wants, but if I ask him, he chides me and tells me to not bother him with such superficial things." Morwena looked at the vial. This was very much what she wanted - for her Dear to live longer and for her as well so that they could research more and spend more time together. But it wasn't her who had to decide that. "Deary, my Dear picks the items here, not me, especially not one like this that involves him as well. It's not my place to do so, but I would absolutely love this!"

"Oh, he does believe that he is right - humans rarely do things they believe are wrong. You see, our kingdom lies deep in the realm of the dark god, but that actually is what made us survive so far. If we would live where the battle of the gods takes place, we would have long died, but since there is no hope of the white god conquering the region where our kingdom stands anytime soon, all the real, intelligent demons are with the dark god in the midst of the battle. Those who roam our land are dumb creatures, too dumb even for the god to use, but they still get attracted to us because they live off of human, negative emotions. But because they lack intelligence, the new king believes they will not band together to smash the shields. I say it will happen simply because they crave the food and sooner or later, their numbers will grow so much that they won't even need to be able to plan an assault." Bentner looked at the bracelet in surprise. "This is...a great honor. Thank you kindly. Though I hope you are aware that I am, in my kingdom, nothing more than a criminal now. I cannot leave my fortress anymore or I would die, so the only time I still fight in my age is when I get attacked there by other humans who believe I should pay for my 'crimes'. We, the resistance who wish the old laws back, are hardly a hundred people. If you were to support me, my kingdom would not consider you an ally but an enemy." Bentner wanted nothing more than gaining more, strong allies to take back the kingdom, but he was no liar and he was loyal to his allies, so he felt he had to explain in detail what Tia was offering to get involved in. He glanced at Yoshi. "She might get that impression, too, when she visits our world. That Morwena and I are wrong, that is. And well, Morwena and I work from the beginning of the day to nightfall. We're always busy. And I'm not sure how I feel about getting watched. Then again, if the damage is already done, I suppose there is no use in complaining and that I should feel rather grateful that she has at least some consideration when it comes to bothering others."

[MillietheWarrior]

Yoshi looked perplexed, though her smile didn’t falter. “Perhaps if you tried different things, and saw the way he reacted to them, you could figure out what his preferences towards clothing were.” She curled her fingers around the vial, and canted her head. “If you want to discuss it with him, then by all means.” She nodded towards where Bentner and Tia were speaking. “Halibel-sama seems glad to be able to discuss the pressures of ruling a kingdom. It isn’t often she finds someone who understands. She has done a great deal for us here in Hueco Mundo.” Yoshi’s eyes softened momentarily. “Some more than others.” When she glanced back up at Morwena, her smile was bright. “Let’s go ask him then!” She grabbed Morwena’s hand and happily skipped back over to Benter and Tia.

“Allies and enemies are all circumstantial,” Tia replied, closing her eyes and folding her arms tighter across her torso. “I do not care what your kingdom will consider me. I offered my aid to you, not your kingdom. If you ever have need of our services, you may summon me. And I believe that Yoshi will keep tabs on you as well. Don’t be surprised if you find yourself in trouble and she shows up to help you. She does not have comrades; she answers only to myself, and no other, so if she considers you her comrades, then you can be certain that she would not allow harm to come to you if she could prevent it.” She took a deep breath, long and slow. “Yoshi does not care for ideals and causes. She serves her own purposes, and no other. If you are her purpose, she will not abandon you, no matter your ideals.” Her eyes crinkled as she opened them, and it was clear she was smiling behind her collar. “She is surprisingly considerate; but I am certain she will be sure to fill your study with her ‘masterpieces’ whenever she gets a chance. She has done that to me from time to time as well.”

[Shieba]

"That might displease him as well, sadly. He gives me the money to spend and if I waste it on many different clothes instead of magical items or supplies, he will get mad. It's so hard to know what he's thinking! I'm with him since so many years, but he's so smart and amazing that I can never guess what's going on in his head!" Morwena looked to where Tia and Bentner were speaking as well. "That will please my Dear so much! He only has me to talk about such things at home and I was only his student and very young when he still was First Mage, so I could never understand." She didn't want to disturb their talk if her Dear was happy, but since Yoshi was already on her way back, Morwena followed.

Bentner toyed with the book he was still holding. "That sounds wonderful. You have my deepest gratitude for your trust that you place in me despite us knowing each other since such a short time. Be assured that I will not bother you if the circumstances don't absolutely call for it. And well..." He sighed. The idea of children's art all around his fortress wasn't particulary entertaining, but... "I suppose if showering my home with her art will keep the lady over there happy with me, I can endure it. It seems important to her, after all." The last thing he wanted was a being like Yoshi, who was clearly powerful and who he couldn't keep away even if he tried, angry with him when he could just as well have her as an ally of sorts.

[MillietheWarrior]

Yoshi’s smile sharpened ever so slightly. “Oh, but have you ever thought of getting donated dresses? I’ve seen humans with so many clothes, they don’t even know they own half of them. Why not just get some donations? That’s what I would do.” She splayed a hand on the cute little dress she was wearing. “Normally, we Arrancar only wear black and white. But I’m special, so I accessorize with purple and my flower!”

“If my subordinates deem you trustworthy, then so too shall I. I trust their judgment, and know they would never steer me wrong.” She chuckled softly, her gaze flickering to Morwena and Yoshi, who were making their way back to them. “It is such a small price to pay. As long as you save them all and don’t throw them away. Another of my subordinates made the mistake of doing so, and we couldn’t find him for a week. When he returned, he looked as though he’d been put through a meat grinder.”

[Shieba]

Morwena chuckled. "Getting dresses for donation is always a bit difficult for us humans. We're more or less stuck with our forms and a lot of dresses are tailored for humans of specific sizes and body shapes. So not only is it difficult to find a dress you like, you would also have to try it on to see if it's worth getting it as a donation in the first place. And well, donations often have to be done so quickly..." Morwena sighed. "I am quite a bit more curvy than other females - which is a good thing, but it also means that very few dresses that were not specifically made for me fit me. We humans have silly problems like that. And why do you only wear black and white here normally, deary? This world is already so much like that only, a few colors on everyone wouldn't hurt! What's up with the way everyone dresses here anyway? Your...king - why don't you call her a queen? - even wears clothes that cover her mouth but not the more essential parts of her body."

"I shall remember that." Bentner sighed. So he had to save all the drawings, too? He needed to find an explanation on to why to keep them in a box rather than on his walls, then. "What an interesting girl. I wonder if Morwena can find that strange foil she likes in Evelon somewhere. It seems like it might please her." Bentner looked at the items Yoshi and Morwena were carrying. He had been wondering what they had done so long. Had Morwena found anything of interest?

[MillietheWarrior]

“I see,” Yoshi hummed, looking interested. “I sometimes forget humans are all stuck with only a single body shape. It must be inconvenient for you.” Yoshi twirled as she walked, her dress swirling around her. “I don’t know, really. Aizen-sama was our former king, and he just liked black and white, because it was the opposite of the black with white he used to wear. So now we wear all white with little black. We’re supposed to be ‘pure and clean’ or something like that. I never understood it much. We continue wearing white simply because…well, it’s convenient, and Halibel-sama seems to like the white, so we just continue with it. But some of us wear colors; Mila Rose wears purple on her belt and armbands, and I wear purple too. It just depends on the Arrancar.” She shrugged her shoulders, hands out at her sides as she spun and the pedestals seeming to move of their own free will to get out of her way. “To call her a queen would mean she was less than those who came before her. So she is our king. I know it’s confusing, since humans are usually hung up on gender, but really, there’s not that many females here, so it makes sense to show the males that she is equal and above them.” She opened her mouth wide, giggling lightly. “If you’re asking me why Halibel-sama wears the clothes she does, well, I think you’ll need to ask her. She’ll probably tell you, I bet.”

“It would indeed,” Halibel agreed with a slight nod. She glanced up as Morwena and Yoshi arrived, and pretended she hadn’t heard their conversations from earlier. She shot an amused look at the woman who was being towed along by the little girl. “Did you have a question?”

[Shieba]

"Well, it sure is when you are ugly. I like my body just fine, at least for now since I'm still pretty young. But I suppose being able to change ever so often would be nice. It would certainly be good when getting donations." Not that Morwena would wear something that wasn't green, but changing body shapes just for stealing would maybe be really convenient, even if there wouldn't be much disguise. "And well, if the one you listen to likes white, wearing it is the right thing to do! That's how it is for me and green, too, after all." Then she paused. "Not many females? Everyone I've met here so far were females! Where are your many men, huh?" That was really odd. Even Tia's direct subordinates were all women, after all. But well, if her Dear went along with it, so would Morwena.

She wanted to ask Yoshi more about Tia's clothing, but then they were back and both Tia and her Dear looked at her, Bentner clearly not aware of what was going on, but Tia looking directly at her. Did Tia have better hearing than humans? "Uhm, I talked to Yoshi about the clothes you wear and the colors and I wondered why you were hiding the lower part of your face. From what I've learned, I'd guess it's because maybe you have the rest of the mask you had as a Hollow there, but well..." Bentner gave her a glare that told her that he considered that question rude, but now it was too late. "I didn't want to ask directly because maybe it's not that but a scar or something and I, as a woman, know how much I'd hide something like that as well, but since you asked if I have a question, here I go?"