Orchid sat crosslegged, finally allowing herself to get comfortable and letting one of her sandals slide from her foot. Her eyes lingered upon Venus as her smile faltered slightly, then returned to that full glow that Orchid had remembered. Venus was an interesting thing, indeed. She could see why Akkarina liked her so much. The scent of the tea was surprisingly delightful, maybe this girl could do something right after all. Orchid examined her nails in boredom as she awaited Venus' return with the tea. She almost regretted the attempt at small talk, nearly kicking herself for how stupid she sounded to question the woman's gaze. The thoughts evaporated when Venus returned with the drink. The scent was heavy and sweet, and the tea was warm and milky. She took a sip and was delighted by its texture and aroma; very surprising! Orchid took a moment before answering. "Well. . ." She paused, taking another sip. "It isn't grotesque.."

She nodded at Venus' reply, taking this moment to not say anything, but to enjoy her tea. However, eye gaze turned sharply toward Venus when she asked for clarification of the statement she had made earlier. The mug was removed from her lips and a genuine smile appeared in its place. She didn't know? This could be interesting. "Wait. You don't know why the twins train so much?!" She asked, her voice reaching the excitement levels of teenage girls sitting in a room spreading gossip. "Oh child, it would be very rude of me to divulge the secrets of my dear little sister, would it not?" She smirked. "I couldn't possibly do that!" She said with a very exaggerated tone and faux concern.

She took a second to wait for Venus' reaction before interjecting. "But since you insist. I guess I can tell you." This level of excitement was not something Orchid had in mind for the day. She came here for a specific reason and was now treated with this! "Let me guess, she said she needed to be strong and is obsessed with strength? Bull crap! She's so prideful, it's disgusting!"

"Let's start with the beginning." She said, sitting the tea down and leaning forward to face Venus more closely. "The twin's father was a cosmic being. I'm not talking about cosmic as in space. But an ethereal angelic being whose whole presence in this plane of existence could break reality itself. He broke the rules to be here; that's how much he loved my mother. Now, I know I'm part demon, but this is a whole other thing." She took a sip of tea to allow this information to settle in before continuing. "Anyway.." She started. "My mother is a goddess, but she is from this world. Akkarina's father isn't meant for this world. So for them to have children defies all of the laws that govern this realm and his. This shatters rules and reality. It creates a glitch." Orchid takes a deep breath, allowing the aroma of the tea to wash over her. "If the twins don't constantly train, constantly do some type of meditation or physical activity, they could quite literally be ripped apart at more than the molecular level. The trips they take together are to fully get a hold of themselves so they wouldn't have to work as hard the rest of the year they are apart. Have you noticed Akkarina's appearance varies slightly? You're her wife, I would assume you'd notice at some point. That's from trying to keep her body from ripping itself apart and phasing out of existence. She doesn't try to change her appearance, but I'm pretty sure she forgot what she originally looked like, it's just a consequence of her bodily composure." Taking a deep breath, she eyes Venus to see how she's taking this information. "Of course there's more to it, but maybe this is all you need to know for right now. Don't want to. . .Overwhelm you." She said, smirking.

As Orchid made her approach to her sister's abode, she was shocked to see the door open before she even set foot upon the doorstep. It was also a surprise to see that Venus had recognized her, given the Disaster Demon genes had changed her hair from a golden white to a molten lava red. However, she shouldn't be too surprised since her beauty had remained intact. As her sister in law greeted her, Orchid looked down upon the shorter woman and smiled, though it didn't reach her eyes.

Venus, being pretty attractive in her own right, never seemed to be able to acknowledge the beauty that Orchid held, and that frustrated her. Deep down there was a little resentment toward the woman, in addition to what she held toward her sister. Now, what was his name. . .Ciaran. . Yes. He at least took notice and stood in genuine awe of the beauty that stood before him. He was definitely interesting. "I didn't come here to be inundated with your constant prattle. . ." Orchid said as she took in the scenery before her, sliding her fingers along shelving and furniture as if she were a drill sergeant doing an inspection. "How. . quaint. " She mumbled under her breath.

"You know what. ." She said, trying to be as nice as possible. "I'll partake in your pleasantries." She said as she reluctantly sat upon the offered seat, as if it were layered in a coating of disgust, while crossing her legs, right over left. "Ahh.. My timing could not have been any worse, it seems. That little sister of mine has taken to the trip to keep herself held together, hmm?" Not a question, but rather a confirmation. " I guess this time could be used to better our relationship." She said, rather smugly. "I'll have some of your tea, sounds rather delightful. I do hope you use refined leaves, and not some pedestrian brew." Struggling to get comfortable, she decided to make the most of this time with Venus. "You refuse to gaze at me, why?" She asked, dumbfounded by someone who is clearly into women, not being enchanted by her beauty.

Off in the distance, the cool and calm waters of the Eastern ocean because to roil as if coming to a vigorous boil. The boiling water then started to swirl, creating an intense whirlpool that stretched into the infinite depths of the ocean. The anomaly was soon transformed into a portal that linked Sancta Tera to Maridia, creating a path for the Queen to emerge upon Sancta Terra soil. It would take several moments however, but the entity that emerged had finally set foot upon the sandy shores of this land.

Her eyes, that usually flow through various intense aquatic colors, now primarily a blue as brilliant as the waters that she had emerged from, had landed upon the visage of the land before her. She had never been here before, but knew of it's location. "Hmm. Now where is she?" Orchid, the Queen of Maridia had asked herself as she swept some of the now Reef Red hair from her beautiful face. The hair that would remain perpetually wet due to her close connection to her lineage. Her fit body was dressed in a skin tight green and gold body suit that resembled scales. It was also adorned with ornate gems of different colors and types; a very regal custom. Her perfectly pedicured feet, nails the color of powder blue ocean water, was set in sandals that had the same gems attached to them. The colors gleamed in the sun light. Her body had a rainbow aura about her due to the inherent moisture that always accompanied her.

She set her eyes upon the mega structure in the center of the land mass and made her way there. Good thing it wasn't too far of a jaunt, otherwise the Pretty Queen would have been highly annoyed. This business of hers could not wait too long, however, since the news she needs to inform her estranged sister about is very, interesting. "Ohh, Akkarina..." She called out, her voice singsong in tone. The locals, of course, looked upon Orchid in both awe and disdain, due to her regal presence and otherworldly beauty, something she definitely prided her self on.

Whatever Akkarina did or said, she had an effect on Venus. The woman's muscles tensed up, her veins throbbed with super heated liquid. Her skin turned red hot, scorching and evaporating the water that flowed over them. So much so that the water even stopped touching them completely! It was a dome of steam and crackling bubbles of boiling water. Akkarina's powers weren't as refined as her mother's; she didn't have climate and cold powers to that extent. Most of her powers involved rain and electricity. The head caused her to retract her hand from Venus' body and give her wife a glare.  Both sets of eyes locked in a heated tug of war; glowing red vs kaleidoscopic beauty.

As Venus spoke, Akkarina's head tilted. Listen? She had to think about that for a second. She thought that she always listened to Venus' wants and needs. Was it something she was missing? Then, it happened. Venus issued a command. That command was for the Queen to get down on her knees. For what? She couldn't imagine.  It was so odd for Akkarina to get on her knees for anyone, yet alone her wife. The hissing of the water around them was the only thing that disturbed the silence betwixt them. Her eyes lowered over Venus' body, down to the bottom of the tub, then back up to Venus' eyes again. She was not kidding! And, she was VERY serious. After what seemed like a multitude of minutes, Akkarina relented. With a sigh, Akkarina slowly lowered herself to her knees. Her body struggling to stay standing as if it didn't understand the mental commands it had received. She said nothing as her knees finally laid to rest. She looked up at her lover with a slight narrowing of eyes.

Akkarina was growing very frustrated with Venus and her refusal to see that the Maridian was TRYING. Sighing to herself, Rina straightened herself out and began to ponder what she could do. She had never been subject to a situation like this nor have she felt this way about someone before. She only knew how to fight and be a dominant figure to anyone she was around. Maybe that was the key. . . Maybe she needed to MAKE Venus listen to her. Either that, or allow Venus to vent her frustrations out on Akkarina herself. Pressing her palm against the door, Rina closed her eyes and took a very slow and deep breath. As she exhaled, the water from the shower reacted in kind; mimicking the presence of Akkarina around the neck of Venus.  "I can't do that right now. We can give her some time. But now. . We should work on. . ." Within moments of speaking, Rina's form was behind Venus - Not a physical form, but a virtual representation-. "Us."

As she finished, the form filled in and Akkarina was completely there; transporting herself from the outside of the door and into the shower. Now, just as bare as Venus, she would allow herself to be Venus' Punching bag for a while, to at least let her get the anger out of her system. But, first, Akkarina must assert her dominance. Her hand gripped the hair of Venus at the root and pulled her head back. The other hand grabbed her by the throat while applying a slight squeeze. "I don't want anything other than us to get over this bullshit. Whatever it may take for you to see that I am f u c k i n g trying here!" She said roughly and aggressively against Venus' ear before releasing her wife from under her control. "I'm F U C K I N G trying!"

So many thoughts flowed through Akkarina's mind; like a rushing white river carrying enough forced that would cause even salmon to not be able to swim against it's current. The waters banged against the rocks of her mind and heart, eroding away the hard chunks and quickly breaking the Stormbringer down. She had never seen Venus like this; so passionate, so fiery, so. . . Angry. But was that anger? Or a deep disappointment? Which would be worse? Akkarina had fought so hard to avoid disappointing her parents and linage that she had actually disappointed the people who she means the most to; and that stung like a jellyfish. Her pursuit of power, in the grand scheme of things, proved worthless. She wanted power for all the wrong reasons. . . . She wanted to prove that she could live up to her blood line, be as strong as her mother and father. These reasons had caused her to forget the reason they were so powerful: protecting the ones that they loved. Not some selfish self service that Akkarina had been perusing.

One would think that all of these years together would cause Akkarina to see this flaw in her character and change. Hell, even Akkarin would tell her that she needed to get her act together; maybe with his talks with Venus on the rare occasion that they would meet, he absorbed more information about Venus than Akkarina did. The dark eyes slowly began to swirl back to their original colors as tears, as rare as they are, started to be born from the corners of her eyes and race down her cheeks. "I. . " She managed to mumble out before Venus began to berate her. No matter how strong Akkarina's body and mind is, her heart would forever be fragile. But this moment has shattered her heart, mind, and soul. What was the point? Why fight to be stronger when it didn't even matter when it needed to? She was born and bred to be strong. She has the blood of gods flowing through her, and because of that, fighting was thrust upon her as early as she could remember. There was no room or time for emotions.

Akkarina, for the first time in her life, hung her head as Venus scolded her and walked off. The slamming of the door caused her to jump and sigh. She stood there for a few minutes; minutes that seemed like hours. Slowly, she turned her tear streaked face up toward the bathroom door. She wanted to reach out to Venus, but she was frozen solid; stiff with regret and shame. Should she even be a queen? A goddess? A mother? A wife? With all of the training she has been breaking her self with, she failed to realize that Airika was incredibly emotional. Maybe Akkarina would learn that one day. She slowly made her way to the bathroom door, pressing her back against it and slid down in a heap. The woman hugged her knees and broke down in tears and sobs. She had never done this before; her father would berate her if she had cried. But, her mother would comfort her. What Venus had said cut deep and she couldn't bring herself to figure out with to say to Venus in response. What COULD she say? "I. . I'm sorry. . ." Was what she said, not knowing if Venus would hear her or even think that she meant it.

Giving the loud shower some thought, Akkarina channeled her voice through the falling water. "I'm sorry. . We had this argument many times over the years and it's sad that it takes this to get me to understand. All of this training can't teach me the lessons that you and our daughter could teach me. . ." She said, reluctantly rising to her feet, turning to face the door, and pressing against it. Her somber emotions causing the weather to become a gloomy mess. "I need a different kind of training, one that you have slowly tried to bestow upon me." She said as tears continued to flow with no sign of stopping. "Please. . " Another word that she had rarely, if ever, spoke in her life. "Teach me. . . Make me better. . . For you, Addie, and myself. . ." She sobbed as the words spilled out. "My lineage starts with us. Not my parents. . " She wanted to transport herself through the moisture and enter the shower with Venus, but the Maridian was stunned and didn't know what to do. This was far out of her comfort zone and area of expertise..

Akkarina still didn't know what to make of Calyx and Addie. They seemed so good together, yet she felt that he was a distraction for her daughter. Taking a deep long breath as Venus spoke, Akkarina simply listened; not wanting to react so fast to what was being said. Something was really bothering Venus and obviously this wasn't it. In fact, simply speaking of this seemed to shift her wife's mood slightly. "Trying to cook?" Akkarina asked, her lips forming in a small grin as she pictured what type of mess that the dynamic duo could have conjured up. "I guess I'll leave them be for now.." Akkarina spoke in a hushed tone; multicolored orbs surveying the beauty who sat beside her as she continued to inform the Maridian of what happened in her absence.

At this point, the grin widened into a smile. They were training together!! Akkarina couldn't believe it! All of that pushing has finally paid off! She couldn't help her giddiness as the story progressed, but near the end, she could see where Venus' sadness spawned from. They broke up. . . That was really quick. She could respect the fact that he needed to get stronger. . . She saw a lot of herself in him now that Venus has explained the whole situation and she could do nothing but sympathize. It was good that Addie was getting on with her life, even though training her body would have been much more beneficial to her in this day and age. But, they never listen to her. "My heart goes out to him. But he is a strong child. He will be alright.." Akkarina tried her best to sooth Venus' worries, but that was all for naught.

Venus' tears made Akkarina's heart ache, but soon, she was made to understand why they were flowing. It wasn't that their child had left. It wasn't the fact Rai's family was in trouble. It was something else; something more sinister and cowardly.  The kaleidoscopic colors that always flowed so freely; dancing like rivers of light upon Akkarina's eyes suddenly stopped. The colors suddenly began to grow a deep dark blue as the story unfolded. As the silence between them fell, the mood of Akkarina was felt as thunder blasted outside, rattling the building. She stood up, hands curled into fists as she trembled. Winds whipped up outside, and even inside the room where they reside. Seeing Venus in this state drove Akkarina crazy, and just the thought of how Addie could have felt. "Where is this person?" Akkarina asked calmly, even though there was a storm brewing. Being the hot head that she was, she didn't think of consoling Venus; only revenge. "Let's go.. Take me there.." She spoke slowly and calmly while eyeing down her wife.

"I know. I know" Was all that Akkarina could say. She knew that these missions were always putting a strain on Venus' emotions. It was one thing that always stuck with her upon her travels. This time. . . This time was different and Akkarina knew that. Something was really bugging Venus, but she couldn't quite get what was bothering her. "I'm sorry I've been gone for so long. This was very taxing and difficult. I'm back now and I don't plan on leaving any time soon!" Akkarina tried her best to reassure her wonderful wife that all will be okay now. She knew that Venus was very emotional. "I missed you.." The Storm Mother muttered silently so that only Venus would hear; even though they were alone, she felt the need to say it in that manner.

Akkarina cupped Venus' face as the woman tried to fight back tears. The salty pools of liquid were not visible but could be felt by Akkarina and this caused her heart to drop. Slowly and lightly, Akkarina placed kisses upon her wife's forehead, cheeks, and finally her lips. Before offering her a smile and several kisses to her eyes to kiss away the tears. What Venus didn't expect, Akkarin had been teaching Akkarina to show more affection and softness; he was always that type and wanted to help Akkarina in all aspects her her own life. It was an essential part of their training as well. "So, tell me what I missed."

Akkarina must have been extremely tired; she had never slept this long nor this soundly. She was usually the one to rise early, sometimes mocking Venus internally about her ability to sleep nearly all day. The trip and training with her brother was brutal and nearly killed her, but it was needed if she were to hone in and be able to control her powers before they rip her apart. Her body was healing; slowly, yet healing faster than a normal person's would.

The kiss caused Akkarina to stir slightly and a small smile crept upon the woman's face. Her fingers danced lightly over Venus' arm as the words from her wife's mouth coherently made their way into the Maridian's ears.  "Hmmm..." She mumbled quietly, eyes fluttering open slightly. As her view came into focus, Akkarina's smile widened. She had missed her wife and thought about her every second that she was away. That was something she tried not to do, for she felt that it was a distraction. "Why. . ." Akkarina started as her gaze honed in upon Venus' face. "Why do you look so troubled, love?" She asked, grasping Venus' hand into her own while sitting up.

In spite of everything, the young girl smiled at her mother's humor, knowing that there was an ounce of truth in it. Adelaide shifted in her position on the floor when Venus said that there was something that she needed to talk with her about. The urgency of in her tone stopped the tears and her brow furrowed.

Raijuta dead? Her eyes widened. As soon as she said Calyx was in a coma, Adelaide was up on her feet and shrugging in her jacket.

"I have to go mom," she murmured. The shock was evident in her expression, but she was set on getting to Calyx and she knew her mother would understand.

Adelaide gave her a swift kiss on her cheek and was out the door.