LESBIANS OF INNISTRAD: CHAPTER ONE (or zero because it's all buildup for now anyway) --------- The dark wood seemed silent, for once. Thalia bitterly noted the lack of howls that followed her footsteps, and the increasingly rare hisses that came from the undergrowth. Once, it would have taken a company of Cathars to guide a single merchant safely through the woods, but now, with the wolfir hard at work battling back the tide of creatures and the light of Avacyn piercing through even the thickest of canopies, she could walk the little path alone and feel quite safe. 'It had only done good.' 'Griselbrand, the worst of demons was gone now, and Avacyn was restored.' 'Innistrad was safe and healed once more.' Thalia felt sickness churning at her insides. They'd cheered her on. They'd congratulated her. At the summit where Avacyn's decrees had been handed down, they'd held her up as a hero, instead of the cowardly, weak-willed child she truly was. She'd broken open the Helvault, the one thing all of Innistrad had sworn never to do. No matter the circumstances, no matter the result, such a thing was a betrayal of the highest order. The branches to her left crackled, and she whirled around, blade held low to gut whatever dared attack her. The wolfir that had approached her flinched back, saw the icon of Avacyn's Church that the hilt formed, then nodded slowly and retreated into the dim forest. Shaking slightly from hunger as well as from nervousness, Thalia sheathed her sword and kept moving. So, she'd left. Excused herself at the earliest possible point of the summit, waved her way past the guards, and walked out of the ruins of Thraben into the sprawling wild forests. How long ago? The blonde soldier's head spun as she tried remember; had it been a day? Two days? Even more? A bright light shook her out of her thoughts, and Thalia cast her cloak before her eyes. "Who goes there?", she called out, free hand on her sword, hearing her voice crack with thirst. Had she eaten anything at the 'victory' dinner? Likely not. "Peace." The tone of voice the response was delivered in made it difficult to tell whether it was an answer or a request. However, when the light dimmed and Thalia dared lower her hand from her eyes, she felt her head go numb. Avacyn! The four-winged archangel stood on the path, her spear in a double-strap holster across her back, impossibly beautiful features in a gentle smile, flowing robes billowing even in the windless air of the forest. Thalia sank to her knees, hands falling limp in surprise. "Lady Avacyn..." "Peace, Thalia," Avacyn spoke, moving forwards. "Do not kneel. The saviour of Thraben has no need to kneel." "I am no hero!", Thalia burst out, averting her eyes for the first time. "I... I abandoned the post I was given, I broke the seals I had sworn never to touch...!" "Peace," Avacyn repeated gently, and stepped forward as Thalia shuffled backwards to softly embrace the shaking Cathar. "I will not tell you that you were right in breaking the Helvault," she murmured, Thalia frozen in her hug. "But I can forgive you." Thalia blinked once, saw the gentle smile again, and finally broke down; she threw her arms about the symbol of Innistrad's salvation, buried her face in Avacyn's shoulder, and wept in relief. She wailed and sobbed, hands clutching desperately to find a secure hold in the angel's robe, as she was held and supported by Avacyn. Finally, the rush of emotion subsided, and Thalia sniffed one last time, staring exhaustedly into the dark robe and white wings that made up her whole world. "Come, Thalia," Avacyn murmured, shifting her grip on the other woman and making her wings flare outwards. "I believe you do not wish to return to Thraben, but I will not leave you here." "No... not Thraben," the Cathar agreed limply, the tiredness of her self-inflicted march finally catching up with her. "Then... another place." Thalia sleepily felt her consciousness drift away as her body was lifted upwards, like it was being left behind on the forest floor. With an archangel's arms around, here was no need to worry, even as the green sprawl of the forest spread out, then shrunk down, rising ever higher... ---- Soft whiteness enveloped her. Thalia made a contented noise, one she hadn't made for a very long time - her life as a Cathar hadn't been one to let her experience comfort and peace. The temperature was suitable, too; neither hot nor cold, as though attuned to her body's ideal warmth. She sighed again as she drifted towards waking - the low murmur of distant conversation, a thwumping sound, like bird's wings- Thalia sat up suddenly, shooting to awakeness, remembering the events of the recent days - feeling the shame of being praised for breaking her oath, the aimless wandering, meeting Avacyn... The Cathar put her hand to her head, wincing slightly, then noticed for the first time the woman standing in healer's robes beside her bed. Well, not a woman, Thalia rectified as the angel smiled kindly at her and made a little gesture with her wings - moving the tips around to the front and touching them in what was probably a sign of peaceful intent. "You have awoken, Thalia of Thraben." "No! I-I mean," Thalia backpedaled, aware it was possibly a hangable offence to yell at an angel. "Just Thalia. Not of Thraben." Any more. "As you wish, Thalia. I am Sefia, of the Flight of Herons. Now, are you aware of where you are?" Thalia fell silent as she thought about her answer. Avacyn had said something about taken her someplace safe, but... Her cheeks turned red and she hugged herself reflexively as she remembered the calm, beautiful angel, the symbol of salvation and hope for all of the land. To think that she'd been visited - no, even sought out! - by such a wonderful being made her head spin. Taking her silence as a 'no', Sefia touched her shoulder to attract Thalia's attention and went on. "Lady Avacyn brought you here, to Clouded Keep - the true home and birthplace of all angels - and ordered you be taken care of and healed of maladies both mental and physical." Thalia took all this in with a stunned expression. "You should feel honoured, you know - only the Lady Avacyn has the authority to bring unwinged here. I should need to go through the records, but I do believe you may be the first unwinged to ever set foot in these halls." "I-I very much do feel honoured, Lady Sefia." Thalia glanced down at herself, noticing that she was now wearing a long white dress, not unlike what patients wore at the Krankenhaus. "Ah - where is..." "Right here," Sefia replied and reached underneath the large bed to bring up a bunch of washed clothes with a sword and scabbard on top that Thalia recognised as hers. "You were quite tired after your journey upwards, but we did not wish to lay you to rest in your then-dirty state." Thalia slung her legs over the side in preparation to get changed, then realised that her undergarments and bloomers had been changed too. "Ah... S-Sefia?", she said with a slight quaver to her voice as the angel stood up and began to leave. "Did you perchance wash me as well?" Sefia tilted her head, a confused look in her eye. "Why, of course. We couldn't treat your clothes and leave you dirtied, after all." A twinkle of amusement lit up in her eye. "It was quite amazing how many angels found time to take a pause from their training and help out. An unclothed unwinged is not something they see every day, after all." The angel half-bowed her head and turned to leave even as Thalia was coming to terms with the idea that quite a lot of peop- angels had seen her bare body (Had they laughed? Had they cringed? Had they been fascinated?). "In any case, I am afraid that I must leave you alone, for now - my studies require attending to. Do not be afraid to ask if you require help." The young woman shook off her growing blush and raised her hand helplessly at Sefia. "Wait! What if I stumble into a forbidden place? What do I tell the guards?" "Forbidden place?", Sefia asked her, sounding confused. "We have no secrets. If you are standing in these halls, Thalia, then you have permission to go wherever you choose to." "Ah... yes. O-of course," mumbled Thalia, hand dropping as Sefia opened the door and left, letting it drift shut. She moved over to her pile of clothes and removed the long gown-like robe, realising that she was naked otherwise. The Cathar took the opportunity to take a look at herself - no new scars since the battle over the Helvault, and her self-enforced fast had left its mark, making her ribs visible at the sides. She moved her hand over herself, ensuring her muscles were still in order, wondering absently what an angel looked like when bared. Her chest was small and uncared-for, while her between-leg hair looked suddenly out-of-place, even though it was blonde and fairly short. Of course, it was only to be expected - the life of a Cathar had not left much time for such things as love or coupling (though a handful of the lower-ranked ones had been lucky enough to find a husband or wife among the civilians). While she was still pondering her previous immersion in her role, the doors swung open and a naked angel walked in. Thalia took a moment to process the event, but then her cheeks lit up a fiery red and she covered herself up with her hands, even as the tall, slim angel strode undeterred over to her own bedside. The angel had short, fiery red hair, piercing blue eyes, wings that shone a faint gold, and a body that seemed like a mix of the two types that Thalia wished she had. Firstly, the strong muscles and taut upper body of a paragon, like a statue of triumph come to life. Secondly, and more embarrassingly for Thalia, however, the angel had smooth skin - clean of scars and blemishes - a pair of full, large breasts, and even a completely hairless groin and lower slit; the type of body Thalia had fantasies about in the deepest, least-used parts of her mind. She hurriedly grabbed the covers from the large bed and pulled them up in front of herself in shame, even as the angel bent over next a bed two bunks across and frowned slightly. "Thalia of Thraben?", the angel finally addressed her, a thoughtful look on her face as she drifted in space. "Ah - yes," Thalia rallied, blinking furiously. "From your hair and wings, I would guess Flight Goldnight?" "Correct. Jumera." The angel looked at her properly for the first time and tilted her head, then stepped closer. "Is something the matter? You are holding the sheet rather tightly to yourself. Are you injured?" "No!", the blonde woman yelped out. "I am just... in the middle of changing." Confusion swept across Jumera's striking features, and then understanding flashed. "Ah. Unwinged modesty. Forgive me; I am unused to such acts and habits when at Clouded Keep." "You are forgiven," Thalia said faintly, trying to inform her eyes that there were parts of the room to look at that were not Jumera's full, proud breasts or sleek hips. "My thanks," Jumera smiled. "In any case, I must apologise for intruding. I intended to reclothe and return to combat drills, but I appear to have left my garb in the bathing area." "Ah... yes." Jemura appeared amused, still standing with her hands at her sides and making no move to cover her shapely features. "Ah - if you've just woken up, then you will not have seen the rest of the Keep. Shall I show you?" Thalia forced her eyes aside, looking at her pile of clothes. Yes, clothes were good. "Your offer is kind, An- Jumera of Goldnight. I would be honoured to be shown the Keep by you." "Very good." Jumera promptly turned around and aimed for the door. "Ah..." Thalia half-raised a hand and stumbled after Jemura, tapping her on the arm. The angel spun around to face her and Thalia closed her eyes one instant too late to avoid seeing the bounce at chest height. "I'm... not clothed. I'll be cold." She didn't need to ask if the angel needed clothing - apparently, she'd walked all the way here while completely naked. "Do so quickly, then," Jemura nodded, and went to lean against the side of the door. Thalia blinked and stumbled back, fumbling with her undergarments and pulling them on, then draping her tunic on and adding the breeches - the temperature was still the same pleasant level it had been at when she'd awoken, so she likely wouldn't need her overshirt. The whole time she was aware of Jemura's eyes focused on her, undoubtably staring at her body... For a moment, she wondered what the angel thought of her. Did she judge her according to an angel's standards, or were there other standards she was being compared to? Did Jemura look down on her? "Any time, Cathar," the angel interrupted her with a hint of a grin in her tone. The sudden military-esque command made her snap to attention, the overshirt falling from her grip. Moments later, her senses returned, and she turned around back to nod at Jemura in embarrassment, walking hastily over to the still-naked angel. "In any case, Thalia," Jemura said with a sweeping motion to throw open the doors. "Welcome to the land of angels." ---- Thalia glanced at the gaps in the stonework as she followed the naked angel down the hallway. Windows, many leagues up, but it was just as warm up here as it was on the ground. "Jemura of Goldnight...?" "Simply Jemura," the angel replied, exchanging a stiff nod with three angels marching the other way down the bright corridor. "I'm more familiar with the short form. One breath less to waste in the midst of battle." Goldnight was the most martial of the flights, Thalia remembered. "Jemura, then. Angels die in battle, just like we humans. Am I correct?" The angel shot a confused look over her hellishly bare shoulder. "We do. If we did not, we would have little need of training. The Divine Vault, to the right, where we keep our assembled findings and the decrees of Avacyn Herself," she interjected, indicating a portal with ornate stonework leading into what looked like a library. "Yes, of course," Thalia answered absently. "But, Angels aren't... Are you born? You could not keep to your duties if there was no way to create more angels. Sooner or later, there would be none left, no matter the ability of the angel." They turned a right corner and Thalia felt the air grow warmer and wetter; like stepping into the cook's gallery when the food was being dropped into the boiling water. "The baths, our final stop. As for your question, Thalia... it may take a while to explain, since it requires explaining the history of us - at least, what is known. I also need to get back into the bath." "Didn't you say you only needed to regain your gear?", Thalia said with a touch of nervousness, then was struck a stupid kind of silent as the doors to the baths were opened and she saw what lay within. It was a largely open space, with a large, heated expanse of water at the centre and several small outcrops and raised sections providing a variety of small bays enough for four abreast (and the word 'abreast' was the right one to use, Thalia noted with a growing blush, angels from all flights variously standing, moving, swimming and speaking all about with very much no clothes on), some of the little bays hidden from view and some not. A fair number of curious looks were pointed in her direction, though the blonde Cathar didn't know if it was due to her lack of wings or her still being clothed. "Indeed, Thalia; however, I originally entered the baths because of an intended meeting; our trip took long enough that I should like to retry my luck. You haven't disrobed yet," Jemura added on when Thalia tried to look away from everything and shuffled over to near the sidewall, where little hollows stored a number of neatly-folded robes and tunics. As the Cathar nervously went about removing her clothing for the second time in as many hours, Jemura looked on for a little while until the same light as before flickered on behind her expression. "Ah - worry not, Thalia. There are more than a few angels with a smaller chest than you." "What?!" Thalia sputtered and fell over as she attempted to remove her breeches, wriggling unceremoniously back to her feet. "That is not my concern in the least!" And neither should it be yours, she added in the privacy of her head. "No? A number of the noble ladies at your balls had acted in such a way that this was their primary concern." "For the nobles, perhaps," Thalia muttered, finally removing the last of her clothing and placing it in a hollow. "My apologies, then," Jemura said and moved over to the water's as Thalia tried to cover herself up with her hands and followed her in a half-hunched mode. "So, then. You wished to learn how we keep our numbers from falling, correct?" "Yes," Thalia said gratefully, sinking in the water, much more thankful for the obscuration it gave to her body than the warmth. "So, in the beginning, there was only Our Lady," Jemura began. "Created as the first of the angels by a person She does not wish us to be informed of, She was given a mission - to protect the plane of Innistrad - and set forth. However, strong as She was, She was but one. Seeking allies similar to Her in ability, She gathered Her strength and spawned three beings, shaping them wholly out of the pure mana She Herself was made of." "Bruna, Sigarda, and Gisela," Thalia responded. "Correct, though Master Gisela would be quite insulted you mentioned her last," the angel smiled. "However, the act of pure creation drained Her greatly, and Avacyn never truly regain Her original might. Against a plane of horrors, however, four were still only as good as one, and She first feared She had wasted much for nothing. "However, Our Lady is and was strong of heart and conviction, and so she tried again - this time using each of the three messengers as a kind of base for the newest, and using far less of Her great power. In this way, each of the messengers became the leader of an assembly of angels based on them, though these angels are not that much greater than humans - certain powerful, but not the all-powerful beings the Four once were. "It took quite some time for the scholars of Flight Alabaster to adequately theorise what had truly transpired; each Act, or Founding, had been a simple outpouring of mana, forcing the new angels into being instead of introducing them slowly and letting them grow before giving them a separate form. In this way, we discovered the miracle of birth." Thalia blinked, trying to remember all the angel was telling her. At the very least, it was doing a good job of distracting her from Jemura's breasts, which were floating slightly. "So... you give birth? Like humans?" "Not exactly." Jemura frowned as she tried to find the right words. "When... Okay: Angels are based on human females, correct? We are made of pure mana, but the fact that we obey a 'template' makes it easier for us to take form. Because we are made like this, we also possess certain traits of the base template." "Like childbirth?" "No, I already told you. The best way to..." She glanced over at Thalia, then suddenly moved her hand up and grasped at Thalia's chest, stroking over the tip of the nipple. Thalia brought her hand down and smacked the hand away from her, redfaced. "That felt pleasant, yes?", the angel said over Thalia's sputtered complaints. "In the same way, it feels pleasant for us. When we are drowning in that kind of feeling; at the very height of our happiness - you could call it the 'climax'... Then, a very small part of our own mana leaks out." "You sound as if you speak from experience," Thalia grumbled, still red in the face, earning only a wink from the angel. "But what does this have to do with the topic?" "Well, when the recently-issued mana of an angel of the standard rank and an angel of the messenger group mixes in this way, the rank angel is Bestowed - a set of patterns unique to the nascent being begins to appear on the angel's skin. At that point, they must return to their Flight and immediately set to work - the more intensely they go about their duty, the faster the angel-to-be is... well, yes, I suppose you could say 'is born'. When the patterns reach a certain intensity in colour or shape, they return to Clouded Keep to meet with their partnered messenger and together use their own life force to kindle the spark which their hard work has enabled into a shining light. The light envelops both angels, and when it recedes, there are three," Jemura said simply. "So... it sounds rather similar to the procedure of our reproduction," Thalia replied, blushing, the image of two angelic bodies clasped tightly together, held together by each other's arms and linked at the lips and the hips flooding into her mind no matter how hard she tried to remove it. "You may be right," Jemura said. "It's a far more difficult process, however - the mana of both participants needs to become attuned to the other to improve the chances of a successful Bestowing, and generally only the mana of a messenger has the potency to Bestow another angel with a pattern." "'Generally'?" "Attempts to the contrary have typically involved multiple rank angels, but only a handful have Bestowed in the past - the mana we possess is simply too weak to create sparks." The angel noted the red face of the Cathar, and grinned. "Not for lack of trying, I must say." Thalia put her head under the water to cool it off for a moment, sudden pictures of entire groups of moaning, shaking and sighing angels writhing and moving around on top of and against one another before her mind's eye. When she surfaced, she noticed that Jemura was getting up to leave her behind, as evidenced by the sudden appearance of her groin nearly in Thalia's face. "Agh! Ah! Er... Jemura?" The angel glanced down at the Cathar, then returned to looking at the entrance, which seemed more crowded than before. "Thalia? I am afraid I must call an end to our tour for now. I must meet with Sigarda, as I intended to when I orginally came here. We have been fighting side-by-side for the last three weeks, and..." "You will... be Bestowed upon by her?", Thalia asked, her throat going a bit dry. "With luck, yes," Jemura craned her neck. "In some cases, the first attempt does not hold. However, reattempting typically brings success around the fourth try, at the latest." "The fourth?!" "I do not mind," the angel said with a faraway smile on her face and a faint red blush across her cheeks. "It is... not an unpleasant event." "And... where? Uh, where does the event take place, usually?", Thalia asked, suddenly not sure she needed to be here. "Here." In the public baths? "In front of everyone?" Jemura looked at her like she had said something strange. "Well... I do not mind. Some angels do, some do not, some prefer it. In any case... this is not my first Kindling. At least a few newly-sparked angels will be here to witness it. Any techniques they see here could improve their future chances of becoming Bestowed." She glanced down again, getting ready to step out of the water. "Would you like to watch?" "No!", Thalia said hastily, splashing backwards, and Jemura shrugged. "As you wish. I will meet you again, Thalia of Thraben," she said as she rose from the water, the drop cascading off her form, and moved towards the angel stepping through the crowd at the doorway; a striking gold-blonde angel with pure white wings that glimmered a faint green about the edges, still clothed. The blonde soldier looked away one moment too late to see the kiss that Jemura threw herself into, one that Sigarda returned, arms circling around the other angel. All manner of thoughts were running through Thalia's head, and she slunk away and out the side of the bath. Though she had to push her way through a small sea of angels, each as naked and as stunning as Jemura, her thoughts were simply too filled with bare-bodied beauties already to pay them much heed. She made her way to the hollows and dried off with the towel buried underneath her clothing; getting changed back took no time at all, and as a pleased whimper echoed through the room, she made her escape from the baths. Where now? To Avacyn, Thalia resolved. Putting aside the events of the bath, she still had so much to say to her saviour and her friend in the woods. Starting with where she would sleep.