Her hand was outstretched, beckoning for the trusted friend to join her side.
"Lunae." The heiress whispered, her reddened eyes conveying her honesty. "Trust us."
Ivy had always been brash when it came to the sensitivity of others. She was quick to dismiss the actions of her close allies, so long as they were still aligned in their interests. The nature of her behavior had changed, however, and Lunae could feel it.
What was said before was repeated through her Psionic voice.
"You're not the first to bring your wretched past to this place. And so I shall not judge you for it."
Lunae's markings continued to flicker, spurred by the violent actions taken against her people. Not only had she dispensed with the flaming Penant and its horde, but she was actively abusing her authority over them to provide Ivy room to breathe. In no way could her hostile actions be denied.
Her pacifism was slipping.
She looked down at Ivy with quivering eyes, fixating on her mechanical features. The smooth blackened metal was comforting in a foreign way, reminding Lunae that she was not alone in her self-loathing.
"I...I can't keep doing this." Lunae sputtered, reaching for Ivy's mechanical hand as she spoke.
The skeletal appendage clutched her skin as gently as it could, pulling the girl down to the heiress's level.
"Your unwillingness to fight?" Ivy cocked her head, making a brief glance towards Lila, whom she cradled in her other arm.
"You've always had a keen eye." Lunae shuddered as she spoke. "I'm sure you know why I chose that path."
The heiress shrugged playfully, "You're a girl's girl who prefers to sit at home?"
"Hmph." The Infestare princess giggled, realizing Ivy had begun inheriting fragments of Lila's humor. "Perhaps that's part of it. But really, all I ever wanted to do was spurn my people."
"Who require violence." Ivy finished. "I see..."
"To join them in their reverie is to...lose myself." Lunae continued. "And yet...my denial is its own kind of pain."
Ivy knew exactly what she meant, given the way she trembled. The girl's mind was fraught with the chanting chaos of her people, gnawing at her sanity as punishment for her audacity. To even entertain the idea of violence was like shattering the floodgates.
Yet despite her agony, Lunae's condition had markedly improved since her last incident.
She knew it.
And she hated that she knew it.
The princess was becoming accustomed to her new life.
"How ironic that you choose to love a violent soul like Sonera." Ivy mused, her eyes wandering towards a group of Incipents who circled the edge of the remaining platform, unable to resist Lunae's command.
"You speak to me of irony?" Lunae scoffed. "With your chosen partner?"
The girl's eyes twitched, their inner irises quivering with hues of crimson red. Her effort matched her growing discomfort, and soon she bore a frown against Ivy. This, however, did not disturb the heiress, who appeared relieved at the notion of her making progress.
"We choose the people who change us. Who prove us wrong." Ivy huffed. "So then, what will you do in this instance?"
"What?" Lunae cocked her head.
"You claim to be indecisive. You claim we cannot trust you. So prove us wrong."
Ivy glanced down at Lila, her gaze returning to Lunae a moment later. She had silently acknowledged the feelings Lunae held for both of them and had demanded a reprieve. Lunae grimaced in response, unsure of what she should do.
"We are Psions," Ivy whispered into Lunae's mind. "We make our own fate. What will yours be?"
Placing her right hand on Lila's forehead, Lunae began to concentrate, focusing the apex of her power into Ivy's request.