OOC: XP
IC: Atra sat through the back-and-forth with a growing frown of annoyance, and eventually she summoned her staff and stamped its foot to silence Shade.
"Take this from the top, would you? You're talking in circles. You say something was affecting her memory back then?"
OOC: when you really try not to exposition, but how your own mind processes information can't stop it.
IC: Shade tried not to groan again, but hit Atra with a shake of her head at being silenced in such a manner.
"The soul Zora suppressed it so she could continue puppeting Azura's body. That's at least what I could grasp when I was awake. My point is, if I'm feeling Azura's magic react in the same way, I think there's something in Azura's magic impacted by what the soul Zora did to suppress those memories. What exactly happened up here?"
In the meanwhile, Azura was trying to pay attention, but was feeling her mind trying to start processing what Shade was giving her.
OOC: hm? please don't take that as me at you hun :U
IC: Atra narrowed her gaze at Shade's reaction. " 'The soul Zora'? Was Zora not just..." She glanced at Azura for an instant. "Was Zora more than just Azura?"
Stella lit up curiously. If that was the case, then perhaps all of Azura's guilt was unfounded!
OOC: No, don't worry dear, I know that wasn't you at me ^^" I'm just making light of that failing in me, as Shade isn't meant to monologue or exposition XP
IC: Shade nodded in acknowledgement, gaze turning towards Azura to try and gauge her response.
"How do you think a Silver who had forgotten her past named herself something like Zora? One of the souls Polaris fed Azura was the one in control until the d*mn interloper came. Until Zenorth happened. She simply gave her and what remained of Azura her own name."
"I...don't remember any of this..." Azura started, voice shaky but even as she tried to process this information, and though it was much weaker than earlier, that odd feeling was starting in her gut again.
"I'd be surprised if you did, she took advantage of your trauma to convince you to stay in your head, and when you didn't want to, or started remembering..." Shade's expression seemed to momentarily morph into something sympathetic, but it was gone as quick as the wind. "She suppressed you and your memories again. You started at square one again."
OOC: I don't think it's a failing :U I love your writing hun
IC: Atra growled under her breath in frustration. This scene was starting to look too familiar. And they were just starting to relax again too. Blasted. "Alright, that's enough," Atra said firmly, standing. "Shade--I see that you know a lot about this that the rest of us do not. I would like you to go to the Palace and wait for me, and we can continue this there. We will keep an eye out for any strange magic that may manifest."
OOC: ^^" thanks for the reassurance
IC: Shade's eyes narrowed at Atra, and for a moment the Fearling didn't seem like she would listen. The Fearling very much believed that, now that they had started down this road, Azura deserved to know the truth. The Fearling was also very aware of how Azura was reacting, and even now, that odd magical startup was giving her a weird pain in her head. With a sigh, Shade wordlessly nodded, and with Azura not asking for anything, or trying to force anything, she melted back into the shadows.
Azura was staring at the table, not in a stare as intense as earlier, but her aura was starting to show through her jacket again. The Star Born could at least remember what they were talking about this time, and she could thus control the physical reactions to the odd feelings bubbling up again.
OOC: of course <3
IC: Something imperceptible in Atra relaxed. She'd almost thought she'd have to have a fight in front of her people right there in the SK. Playing off the moment, she stepped around to Azura's side again and gently touched her shoulder.
OOC:
IC: Azura tensed for a moment at the reminder of the outside world, but relaxed it with a deep sigh.
"The more I think we have things figured out, the more that keeps being brought up."
She was doing too much boxing up thoughts and feelings together and storing them for later, but her emotional limit had been hit a long time ago, and she was trying to enjoy her friends company. It was the best way to manage stuff without falling apart yet again. And even then, she almost couldn't put away the anxious chewing at the inside of that specific box, that her missing memories might be for an entirely other malicious reason. Did the souls really have that much influence over her? She...didn't remember anything Shade had mentioned, and yet, while this one didn't hit as hard as whatever happened last time, there was something similar to this reaction.
OOC:
IC: " 'Tis the way of healing, sometimes," Atra agreed vaguely, withholding a sigh.
OOC:
IC: Azura didn't respond, between having a lack of a response but chewing on another thought.
"I...don't want to know anytime soon, but...could you let me know what she tells you? I...have been questioning why my memory of the first two decades was nonexistent, and why I can't remember other...events I've only been told about..." It hurt to put it off on some level, but what she tried to take as a blessing at this moment was that she could identify for once that she couldn't deal with that information for now. It also wasn't the time, but that was only secondary to the main one.
OOC:
IC: Atra nodded immediately. "I had planned to. I think I will discuss this with miss Opalina first, as well." Stars knew she would want to hear it, and might actually know something about all this.
"You're welcome to rest here a while longer, Azura," Stella piped up with a sympathetic smile.
OOC:
IC: Despite the visible exhaustion now creeping into Azura's expression, she managed a thankful smile towards Stella.
"If you don't mind, between this and...the last event, my exhaustion isn't really alleviating..."
OOC:
IC: "I Can't blame you," Stella chuckled sympathetically. "I do still have my earbud, so you know."
OOC:
IC: Azura nodded, trying to once again file it away, because she forgot that every time.
"Actually, Opalina might have something to talk about with you soon, Stella, so keep it nearby."
OOC:
IC: Stella blinked at her in surprise. "Oh?"
Atra tried to keep her smile at that small and secret.
OOC:
IC: "Yes, she made sure to tell me that when I contacted the castle to get Andrew and Methuselah set up. That and also the files are close to being decoded, so which ever comes first..." While the work itself wasn't good to think about, work was a nice thing to think about after the past few weeks. Something to keep her mind distracted...
OOC:
IC: "Ooh, I see," Stella mused. "Well, that will be interesting, I suppose."
"For now, let's enjoy our tea," Atra mused, starting back over to her seat. "And if anything else interrupts us, I'll strip it to shadows."
OOC: (sorry Atra, had no plan to do that, but your author hit the Camp Half Blood button XP)
IC: "Watch it be another Fearling." Azura tried to chuckle, looking at the now cleaned up mess of the cup with the broken handle and the tea that had been cleaned up. Did she drink anymore now?
OOC: XPPP it was a good idea, to be fair
IC: "I'd hope not," Atra grumbled.
"Oh, Azura! Your cup!" Stella said in remembrance. She bent over to whisper at the clouds at their feet, and about a minute later another teacup popped out and flew into the air. Stella caught it with a delighted smile and passed it across the table.
OOC: No, it was, just was an unlikely time to do it XP
IC: Azura managed another soft smile as she took the tea cup, for all as soon as she filled it, she simply set it down in front of her.
"Thank you, Stella..."