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Gingerly holding the envelope in her hands, she listened intently. He took and, basically, devoured her cup and she put it in the sink, talking to him while she walked. "Wolfgang, you and I both know I have no family, no friends, no ties. The Gemischt are nothing to me. He is all the ties I need, and want. I will, most likely, see you." She figured that by the time she finished speaking, he'd be out of the door without a trace. With curiosity she carefully removed the letter from the envelope, her eyes attacking the page.

Miss LaFragola, there is a group of Echt Quincy hunting for you after your actions the other day in Rome. You will take care of the issue and, this time, you will not attract attention.

Failure will not be tolerated.

Unfazed she put the letter back in the envelope and threw her mantle back around her. Buttoning it she couldn't help but smile. His Majesty was someone who was rough around the edges and the fact the was even giving her this chance showed that he still wanted her around. That was enough for Phoebe to move. Opening the sliding glass door that led outside, she opened her mind to the world around her. She found them in just a moment of searching, far outside the city. They were quite a few miles away and inside of a forest. She realized, with anxiety, that they were at one of her past training grounds. They made a mistake grouping together, she would've overlooked one or two Quincy together. Jumping off of her balcony she was off without much noise, using her Hirenkyaku to carry her.

She had an unshakable resolve. She was going to be blessed and she would make up for her blunder with the damned Shinigami. She had nothing else to live for; he liberated her, she had to spend her time repaying her debts. And so she ran, and ran, and ran. It made her wonder why she was the one who was going after them, and not someone stronger, but when she arrived it all made sense. Her parents, her aunt, and two pure blooded Quincy were there. Talking they all stiffened and turned to face her when she arrived. Lifting the hood of her cloak, she steeled her features. He was testing her, she could feel it. She had just told Wolfgang that she had no ties and yet, here she was, with those who gave her birth and her Quincy powers. Sliding her Quincy Cross onto her wrist, she formed two knives and threw them at the two pure blooded Quincy she didn't know.

"Mother, Father...Auntie...you guys can still join us. Repent for your ignorance and join us! Because...if you don't..." She froze, ever so slightly, only to form three more reishi knives between her fingers I'll have to purge you."

Phoebe's face contorted, ever so slightly, as her father had demanded that the two she didn't know duck and miss her knives. Why would he do such a rude and callous thing? She had to kill those particular two, so what did it matter? They were only delaying the inevitable and doing so was quite cruel. She didn't want to harm her people, in fact, it pained her. But the ends most definitely justified the means and she was loyal and allied to only His Majesty. They would either learn to agree or die, it was the only way. A silent tear dropped down her cheek, but it disappeared on its own.

Seeing her aunt trying to protect her brought back many memories. Some were good and some were bad, but she was the one out of the group she wanted least harm to come to. It was sad, dearly, but she hoped she could subdue the rest of the group before that happened. She listened to her father, the brave one, and even noted his attire. She knew what was on his arm and she bristled. Things had become complicated, then, as he was going to be significantly stronger especially if he was allowed to activate...

She shook her thoughts as he finally pleaded with her. She listened quietly and dropped down her hands, dispersing the knives. Head facing down, she listened and stood quiet. Finally she looked up at him and threw a knife right in front of him.

"They're Reishi Knives, not daggers. And you'd best know the name of the weapon that will kill you. Terra Clamare; the Cry of the Earth."

With a quick burst of her Hirenkyaku, and reaching into her coat with her left hand, she appeared right behind her mother. Her mother had stood quiet during the encounter and, due to her high perception, Phoebe had deduced that she was the most affected by her daughters 'betrayal'. As evil as it was, she was going to use it to her advantage. As she threw three knives at her mother, two at her feet and one for her thigh, she tossed a Ginto tube at one of the women she didn't know.

"A silver rod strikes the five-fingered stone bed - Gritz!" If her plan worked she would have incapacitated half of the enemy force and would be dealing with one woman who was emotionally distressed, one who was expendable, and then the greatest threat, as well as the ring leader, her father.

Things seemed to go well, but it depended on the views of the word. She didn't enjoy the shrieks of her mother, nor her aunt. She didn't enjoy watching the blades sink into her mother, however, it was a necessary evil. As much as it pained her to do this, she did rather like her mother, and what kind of child wanted to hurt their mother? If everything went according to her plans she just wanted them to hide in exile until one of the others were able to come and deal with the pests. But things wouldn't be that easy, she realized, as her dad sprung into action. The one closest to her, whom she assumed was 'Mona', released a Ginto flame.

Swift movements brought out a bladed object into her hand as she backed up - into what seemed like a trap. Mind racing, she began whispering to herself. She wouldn't need to activate her technique, no, when the chant was complete she could hold it for a little before using it. What she needed now was to distract them, make them falter in their plans. Her father wouldn't have it, being that she just attacked her mother, and the other two were there as back up. But there was one who she could still reach. A silent cracking in her chest only strengthened her resolved.

"So this is how you'll let me die, Auntie. First they ship me off like an animal they got, but decided they didn't want. They shipped me to you and this is how it ends. I always liked you, but, I guess that was just stupid of me, too. Can't trust any of your family, they'll only treat you like you're expendable from the moment you're born."

She knew it was unfair to use that against them all, but she was banking on her aunt begging her father and creating a lapse in time for her to deal with one of them. While she was speaking she made sure to disperse two of the knives that had pierced through her mother, while the last stuck through her ankle and into the ground. She needed to do this, she needed to prove to herself, and His Majesty, that she wasn't weak. She was a Quincy Prodigy and she was someone to be feared and coveted.

For a second, it seemed the world moved in slow motion as Phoebe's brain struggled to keep up. Time moved normally while her aunt looked at her...but something was off. The other two behind her, and her dad, wouldn't be able to notice. But she saw it clearly. Her eyes weren't sad, or alarmed, or even angry. They were playful, as if she was in on a big joke that no one else was getting. And then she looked away and began crying again. Time slowed down as her father spoke, and then was abruptly cut off. It had seemed as if the blood dropping on the glass sounded as loud as a waterfall.

Phoebe's eyes widened in shock, but not dismay. She just...couldn't understand what was happening. She had hoped to get a response out of her aunt, but it had seemed that she snapped under the tension. It only took a moment to figure out what was really happening, and she felt a bit...put off. They had killed her aunt, not that it mattered much, and replaced her with a Stern Ritter; her comrade. But they hadn't told her and it made her feel...untrustworthy. It bothered her a decent bit, but there were other things going on and she couldn't afford to become unfocused.

Within a moment the two Quincy woman had jumped out and attempted to attack Ser Giselle, but she took care of them quickly. Phoebe could see the attack clearly, though she had to pay attention, but the other two landed with a thud. They were dead before they even landed on the ground. She spoke and told her of her chance for retribution. She smiled, grimly, and lightly lifted the gun out of her hand. Going over to the mother, she shot her three times in the back. She was still wailing rather loudly, and was an annoyance more than anything. It was easier to do so when she couldn't see her mothers face, but it was different for her father. She would get no such liberty. 

But in the very same sense, it was easier. Lifting the barrel to his head, she sighed. "You shipped me off and forced me to learn on my own, for no reason. Did you really not foresee this? Until now I considered you my father, and I hesitated subconsciously to kill you. But now? His Majesty is my father. Despair in your weakness."


Click.

"A bonus round, eh?" She joked lightly as the woman warned her of what was going to happen once she began absorbing the Reishi into her cross. She let a tendril of fear wrap around her heart tightly, as she walked over to her dad's slumped body. Handing the gun back to Giselle, she bent down and sighed. Her father was such an idiot, if he hadn't given birth to a Quincy prodigy she'd probably say that there was nothing redeemable about him. In fact, if she stopped to truly think about it, she didn't regret killing him. It was like releasing a part of her life that had kept her wings chained down. A weight was lifted off of her shoulders; only to be replaced by a new task.

The Stern Ritter were strong; they were His Majesty's greatest assets and as such they had a high pain tolerance and were always ready to fight. For Giselle to warn Phoebe about the pain was something serious - more serious than she would've been able to grasp at the moment. But it was all for her blessing and that was something she simply could not jeopardize, and was worth all of the risk. In retrospect, she thought, she was glad that Giselle hadn't added any words of encouragement. Because there was nothing she could have said to prepare her for the pain that seemed to vibrate the very confines of her soul. 

She reached over to the Sanrei Glove and gingerly placed her fingers over the spike protruding there. She knew what would happen when she released it, however, she simply didn't know how she'd be able to withstand the pain that Giselle had warned her of. With a sigh, she realized that it was now or never. She snapped the spike off and, as she had said, a torrent of energy had erupted from the man. Taking her cross, she held it out. Nothing happened, for a moment, but then her Quincy Cross lit up in a bright blue. The reishi was being absorbed into the cross and, though there was a lot to go, she noticed no pain at all. Glancing back at Giselle she was wondering if they had tricked her to see if she'd even do it.

"Well that was pretty ea-" Unfortunately for Phoebe she had spoken way too soon. She was cut off by a bloody choke rising from her body as her knees shock and she was twisted on her back. Spasming and contorting she held the cross in front of her, not out of duty, but simply held there and unable to move. Screaming she punched the ground until her knuckles were bloody and slammed her head against the ground until her head was bruised and she was too dizzy to even tell when her head hit the ground. Though it wasn't hard, it was cold out so it certainly wasn't soft. Squeezing her cross the whole time while she managed other tasks with her other limbs, she squeezed so hard that it penetrated her hand and stabbed her palm at five different points. And yet, the other pain wasn't enough to distract her from the pain erupting straight from her heart. And during this time, not a brief respite either, she simply wished her heart would explode and her pain would end. Or maybe her body would overreact from the energy she was collecting and simply give out. It was all wishful thinking, however sick and twisted, however, because she was still there. The pain came in waves and every joint felt like a train had slammed against her. Her tongue was bleeding and so was her throat, so when she tried to scream it came out gurgled; mangled. 

She couldn't even see straight anymore as the pain rocketed her core and made her muscles feel like they were being stabbed repeatedly. She knew it wasn't the case and she knew she had to hang on, but, those were both fleeting thoughts. She just wanted everything to be over, she felt weak and useless like a shell. The pain changed from all consuming to a great fire spreading throughout her body. This erupted a newer, louder, and much more shrill from the young Quincy. This one was full of pure terror as she desperately scratched, with one arm, at her whole body trying to stop the burn by peeling off her skin. The 'flame' at her skins and through her veins, making her even vomit next to her, hunched over, forgetting that she even held the cross in her hand. In fact, she forget why she was even there. What had been her purpose? Who was she? And why did it feel like someone had injected pure fire into her veins?She wanted answers but she couldn't even think anymore. She simply felt.

"Pain, pain, but, pain, pain, His Majesty, pain, pain, he, pain, pain, he needs, pain, pain. His Majesty...believes..."

That was an awakening to her and she straightened her hunched position and cringed at the movement. The absorption process elicited another scream from her, this one less blood curdling. She gritted her teeth and bit her tongue until it bled and she could taste it but she, nonetheless, kept the scream to whines as she struggled for self control. Near the end of the process she let out another scream. There was nothing more to absorb into her cross but all she could do was lay there on the ground switching from screams to sobs, dazing in and out of consciousness.