[tessa]

@Sunblink  @CritterAu Revoir, piss stain Tessa. We hardly knew ye

Set near the end??? Of the party

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It wasn’t a matter of belief. Despite her late-mother’s wishes otherwise, Tessa was a valley wolf through and through. The blonde knew The holy trinity, for all intents and purposes anyways, was immortal, their sight endless, power absolute within the little bubble they called home sweet home. And yet...

Once, the tactician had heard from a buddy of hers that the former white rose had an eight pack. That the former white rose was shredded that seeing a Rosa in the flesh felt an awful lot like gazing directly into the sun: stunning, damn near blinding in it's white hot intensity, a reminder of just how insignificant and small one was in the grand scheme of things. Now though, sporting a fashionable pair of jade-colored glasses, Tessa found she couldn’t rev up any of that raved about emotion. Blinking bewilderedly at the younger woman before her, she wondered if the little punk was even Gigantea at all, or if some brats had put their acorn sized brains together and decided to pull one over the tactician. I mean, was beating a snot-nosed brat really a punishable offense these days? Pfft, soft. They were going soft.

A low growl from her escort reminding her where she was, though, and despite whatever the blonde felt inwardly she decided to keep her cards close to her chest. Just in case.

“Gigantea,” she sang, “You’re looking lovely today.” Dipping her head in a quick bow, she flashed her her most winning smile, voice oddly saccharine for someone who, for all she knew, was about to face the firing squad.

Was it damage control, then, a last try at getting on the young Goddess’ good side with a bit of flattery? Or, had she put aside her cynicism and learned to smile in the face of life’s ironies?

Like how many licks it takes to get to the center of a tootsie pop, the world would never know.

[Anamelech]

As part of her new arrangement with Thetis, she had decreed that there would be no secrets between them. Anamelech would be privy to even the most insignificant developments in her young doppelganger's life. She had insisted as such, and when she learned about the origins of the scar that adorned Thetis's breast -- she was very displeased. That scar was the one blemish on Thetis's lovely appearance; a fracture that would never fade on her porcelain girl facade. Tessa had broken Anamelech's plaything, and now she thought to return her to the shelf and hope she wouldn't notice.

Oh, silly girl. Scheherazade sees all! And she strikes when you're most unsuspecting.

Anamelech's guards paraded Tessa into her quarters, and Anamelech surveyed with the bemused detachment of a noblewoman toying with her wine glass. If Anamelech had known the former Captain Iti, she would have reflected on how Tessa was the mirror image of her golden mother -- and yet she failed to embody the graciousness and efficiency that allowed Tenkiame to move so fluidly through Oukoku-Kai's ranks. From where she had adopted her boorish demeanor, Anamelech would never know. Tessa was a pretty one, and it was for that reason that Anamelech would not allow Thetis to obliterate a potential playmate. Anamelech was not one who shared her toys, but as lovely as Tessa was, her sour disposition would prove to be the unlikely boon that prevented Anamelech from snapping up Tessa as she did with her siblings.

Naughty toys had their value. Tessa, however, had transgressed in a way that demanded retribution.

Anamelech had Thetis in attendance, and hopefully seated at her side. This was not merely a matter of equalizing the scales - this encounter would be a valuable moment of education for Thetis. As White Seour, she could allow no one to victimize her. She would need to find it in her to devastate every childhood monster that once caused her anguish.

Flattery would ordinarily get Tessa everywhere, but not even her sweetest honeyed praise would help her wriggle out of Anamelech's line of fire. She looked upon Tessa, her smile never once twitching in acknowledgment, and beneath her smirking projection, she hoped that Tessa looked upon Thetis, standing beside her and eager to wield her new powers, and felt her bowels churn.

Anamelech sighed, curling a paw against the plume of her chest fur. "Ah, Tessaaaa..." she purred, rolling the name off her tongue. Lovely name. Too bad it was given to such an ugly person. "My, my, my. Someone's been naughty. Imagine what your mother would think." Whether she was referring to the dearly departed Captain Iti or the High Priestess, it was unclear, but it was nevertheless a deliberate jab at Tessa's unhealed wounds. "I hear you've been very bad, going around and making fun of my... darling little Seour, here."

Anamelech looked at Thetis, as if to illustrate the point she was looping around in laborious, taunting circles. "You understand, darling, that this will not do, yes? But as stupid as you are, Tessa," she smiled, "I think you can still be of use."

Her tongue slipped over the edges of her teeth, and she flashed a wet, juicy smile at Thetis. "So, Thetis," she declared, "What shall we do to this nasty little bully?"