#ZARINA STOP . . .SOTP . . I BEG. . .

[zorkaya-moved]

She is mustering her; mulling over appearance & information gathered so far if only to coerce mind into having an epiphany (Signet. Status. Name; you merely know the latter, meaning you might as well consider her an uncertain variable). Right, have you been paying attention? Counting vessels & having people gathered & met align? - yeah. All but her & those still dwelling in the Deep End.

Fine. Speculations will lead nowhere.

" Zarina. That's your name, correct? " - taciturn. Stoic. With a tone holding commonplace edge / she strikes abruptly, akin to one's namesake, whilst keeping distance; arms in a loose fold, violent eyes narrowed beneath brows' furrow. A part of her considers to continue own unusual greeting; to elaborate further [be polite] . Ah, but the other part, the one that wins, merely waits for a retort. - silence too an expression, no?

@vakinari

The current era continues to disapoint her more and more aside from certain miracles that keep her wish to stay there to see if she will witness it for herself. The miracle. The moment where humanity might show itself right and correct. she is fighting for those who have died already, this movement forward is only pushed by her utter stubborness and she always returns here, drowning in the past. They say the dead can drag you into an early grave, but honestly? If dead were people whom she cared about this much, it didn’t sound like a bad end. Even if she will never be remembered, there isn’t a way to leave a legacy nor is there a way for her to continue moving on once the end to Honkai will come forth. This existence of hers is nothing but to wait for the right moment when the power must be used for one last strike. She is a weapon more than a human, it’s not that hard for her to accept it. 

That’s why when Jackal reaches out to her, she returns without wasting time. A Herrscher core was brought in by their newest member - Herrscher of Thunder, a young maiden who will start to gather her powers. The core was accepted and returned to the ‘rightful’ owner, the one who did not hesitate nor bend the knee for the Will of Honkai not now not in the previous era. The current Herrscher of Ice, Ana Schariac, she will be erased from this core’s memory and existence like a white paint that she will scratch away. This is her power and she will dominate over it. A girl who lost control is not permitted to wield such powers. It doesn’t matter if she held back or not, the end result was obvious: she gave in, she lost, she was weak. Zarina Sokolova will not be, she was not and she will never be. This power is just another power like MANTISes, there isn’t much difference between them in her eyes. Her return both in power and in person made it obvious she’ll spend her time in the Elysian Realm, speaking to those who remain there and who will never leave that place. Zarina doesn’t want to leave either, but Kevin’s orders were orders she couldn’t deny. Not when he was the only one living and going towards the same project she put her hopes in as well. Hopes... No, her last wish to be here. 

Until then, this cycle will continue just like Jormungandr will continue to embrace the planet, a sign of infinity that Mobius once held so dear. Speaking of which, the doctor made sure to appear more often than others aside from Elysia and her visits to Aponia, the scientist would be asking questions regarding her body and how the experiments have affected her in these fifty thousand years. The butterfly’s discipline also holds true, chaining the wings of a hawk (sokol) from letting it fly too high and abandon the earthly pleasures (become an enemy). Golden eyes continue to scan the Elysian Realm, a glass of wine in her right hand as her left arm rests on the back of the couch, legs crossed as she indulges in the calm scenery until she hears clicks of heels. Elysia immediately gets up and chuckles, knowing of the plan they both came up for the fun of it to see how things will turn out. Another sip of the wine is done, Eden’s taste is exquisite as always... even though it was Sokolova who brought this wine. 

The appearance of Herrscher of Thunder reminded her of Dr. MEI, but only appearance wise. Thy were too different. All too different. She could appreciate the sharpness of her violet gaze and the power she already stood with before her. One who made a sacrifice. One who had something to lose. One who was going to do everything she can. A good thing to see, a small number of people will be able to stand here without looking away. The politeness that she hears is a surprising one, but a pleasant one nonetheless. Kevin had told her about what happened with the Herrscher of Ice from this era. The way she and Raven alongside Durandal had defeated the one who combined two cores inside her. A saddening tale of tragedy of a certain valkyrie. A tragic tale. What a familiar combination of words as it made her remember the very tragedy that led her to turn into a Herrscher back then. Raiden Mei had a strong name to go with a strong gaze, but to the one who lived for fifty thousand years she was still young. How will decades change her if she survives? Will this sternness and this stubbornness persist or will it within away? This blade must remain sharp, it must not become dull and hesitate. Even if someone beloved to her will turn into an enemy. Zarina knew how much hesitation could cot. 

Then again, there won’t be much truth in their first interaction. Not outright, oh no. There is a wish to tease and to hide, a prank was only a prank when another person wholeheartedly believed that this was the truth. It made her wonder who will give out the secret first and who will figure out this circus first. It made her laugh inside but she kept herself calm and collected, meeting the sharpness with sharpness. Instead of answering right away, she gives Raiden an attitude by taking another sip of her wine. 

“ Correct. And you are? I believe it’s best to introduce yourself first despite what others could have told me, ” she responds as Mei asks, but there is monotone as if she isn’t interested in another at all. This attitude is a game and she is here to play it until she’s satisfied, which will be the next meeting. It’d be quite hilarious to meet Mei next time. “ Have people of your era completely lost their manners? I don’t speak to those who don’t show respect. ”

Ah, so it begins.