Edward's relationship with Destania

[Eboreg]

The more I think about it the more I realize that Edward Ti'Fiona must have known Destania long before they got married.

Exhibit A) Edward's adventuring party killed one of Destania's worse enemies. His then wife was killed in the battle.

Exhibit B) Destania suddenly shows up and marries Edward two years after that fight. Coincidence? I think not.

Exhibit C) According to the contemporary story, Destania had the wherewithal to find a local tavern but not enough to hide her headwings. Seems a little unrealistic to me.

Exhibit D) No one else in the city or indeed, in the entire world knew that Edward married a Succubus. You'd think that would be a hot news item to spread and the way they were supposed to have met would have made it very public.

Exhibit E) According to the contemporary story Destania and Edward knew each other for 2 months before BOOM! happy marriage.

Exhibit F) We only have Alexsi's word for it that Destania came stumbling into Edward's tavern on a stormy night. Even then, she's not a primary source.

Here's my story. Edward was actually Destania's hitman. He was still an adventurer but got more than a few jobs to kill some of Destania's enemies from the woman herself. It would be a way to distance herself from any of the kills carried out as no-one will pay attention to an adventurer killing Cubi. Edward doesn't even have to know he's working for a Cubi. Finally, Destania gives the hit for Aniz Siar. However, something goes wrong and Edward's wife, Quintiga, dies leaving behind a less-than-year-old Alexsi.

After this, Edward and Destania become close. There may be a number of reasons. Destania may have felt sorry for the motherless child, Edward may have blamed Destania for the whole thing reminding her of Aniz, whatever. Eventually, Destania had to reveal her identity to Edward otherwise, she would have been a flaming hypocrite. Destania quietly moved in with Edward some time during this process and got married.

Now that I've put in my two cents, it's time to go back to the range.

[Bruinthor]

The major problem I see is that Destania has no history of hostility towards other cubi beside Aniz. It seems a bit much that she could plot the murder of other cubi just to cover her effort to get Aniz.
Switch: adventurer killing cubi
to: adventurer killing dragon or whatever is convenient
then throw in Aniz, it fits a lot better.
If Destania is willing to throw other cubi under the train then her and Biggs being behind the B-O-B becomes a real possibility.

IMHO her thing with Aniz was too personal to contract out.

[KiloFoxx]

possible, though i do agree with post above, it's personal.

as for the headwings, remember that Abel said "you'd have to be an idiot or stupid-powerful to NOT hide your headwings in public"? remember destina was head of the torture and pain classes? AND backed by a tri-wing? she dosn't need to hide her wings (and is one of the few who can beat her step-daughter in a fight)

[MT Hazard]

The major problem I see is that Destania has no history of hostility towards other cubi beside Aniz.

And Abel, who she left to bleed to death.

[llearch n'n'daCorna]

And Abel, who she left to bleed to death.

That wasn't hostility, that was tough love.

Also, within her job remit at SAIA, as I understand it. Arguably.

[Plotting]

And Abel, who she left to bleed to death.

That wasn't hostility, that was tough love.

Also, within her job remit at SAIA, as I understand it. Arguably.

If it was tough love, and therefore devoid of malice, I would hate to see what she would do to someone she hates...

Sure I know what she intended to do to someone she hated - namely destroying them mind, body, and soul. But I can't imagine what destroying someone's mind, body, and soul would look like.

[Lying Foo]

I'd pretty much just assumed since we found out who killed him that Destania had come to avenge Aniz, having softened on him since his death, and only relented when she found his killer had a soft spot for Creatures.

[Lurkie]

I don't see where Destania had softened on Aniz.  She set out to destroy him, "Body.  Mind.  Soul."  The only revenge I can see Destania wanting to take on Aniz's killer would be for robbing her of the satisfaction of killing him herself.  But of course, Aniz's killer herself died in the battle, which robbed Destania of even that satisfaction.  Which just left Quintinga's husband, Edward.  And we know where that went.

[Bruinthor]

The major problem I see is that Destania has no history of hostility towards other cubi beside Aniz.

And Abel, who she left to bleed to death.

She said that she couldn't kill Able. Presumably because Fa'Lina would prevent it. My take is she was po'ed over what she perceive as Able being a wuss. This is was a follow on to her star pupil Aary's diatribe about his failure to prepare to meet his father.

[Mao]

I feel I should point out that both Mab and I did the research on the injury that Dee inflicted on Abel:  It's non-lethal barring an infection or him choking on his own blood.  In fact there are piercings that go through like that...

Though I will point out that it's known to be incredibly painful.

[Eboreg]

@kilofoxx: You still have to consider why none of the bar's patrons thought "Huh the bartender's wife looks strangely like a Cubi I saw wonder in here. ATTACK!!!!" You also have to wonder what the  possessed Edward to bring a live Cubi into his establishment after years of adventuring. "Never was too much in the common sense department" doesn't cut it for me. THIS lack of common sense is worthy of a Darwin Award! I'm sorry but that story smells like steaming piles of horse

[MT Hazard]

And Abel, who she left to bleed to death.

That wasn't hostility, that was tough love.

Also, within her job remit at SAIA, as I understand it. Arguably.

Pretty sure proper tough love shouldn't include violence and death threats. Although it turns out (according to wikipedia) there are two different 'established' forms of tough love, American and British, one is seen as potential harmful, the other potential helpful.

[Bruinthor]

 Destania had been carrying her grudge against Aniz for more than 400 years. Aniz's desertion cost her  dream of marriage and family. When Quintinga kills Aniz, Destania looses a significant component of her self as well. The dream really is dead.
It could be a coincidence that winds up on Edward's doorstep after leaving SAIA. That seems unlikely but only Destania (or Edward) can tell us for sure (I hope they do). Edward and Alexsi have both suffered as much or more than Destania as a result of Aniz's final deed. If Destania is to salvage anything then marrying Edward is the best possible answer: she recovers her lost dream, reverses some of damage done in Aniz's final moments and gets a vicarious vengeance by taking on the role of Aniz's killer.
So ya Destania a gains a lot by marrying Edward.
Edward's motives are opaque because we know so much less about him. He is an adventurer but does not seem to be a 'kill all creatures on sight' type. At least he did not pass that on to either of his children. He gains a beautiful and powerful woman who genuinely cares for him and his half-orphaned child. So a better question might be why not marry her.

So  maybe Destania arrives at Lost Lake Inn bedraggled and helpless to appeal to Edward's romantic side and defuse his natural suspicions. She may never have mentioned her relationship with Aniz.

[llearch n'n'daCorna]

Pretty sure proper tough love shouldn't include violence and death threats. Although it turns out (according to wikipedia) there are two different 'established' forms of tough love, American and British, one is seen as potential harmful, the other potential helpful.

_I_ am pretty sure tough love shouldn't include that, either. I should clarify - I figured Destania thought of it as Tough Love, not that anyone else would agree. (and, lest you leap to conclusions, in my opinion anyone who thought that way probably shouldn't be allowed near any small animals, let alone children...)

[Nino]

The major problem I see is that Destania has no history of hostility towards other cubi beside Aniz.

And Abel, who she left to bleed to death.

She said that she couldn't kill Able. Presumably because Fa'Lina would prevent it. My take is she was po'ed over what she perceive as Able being a wuss. This is was a follow on to her star pupil Aary's diatribe about his failure to prepare to meet his father.

I always figured it went a lot deeper than that, involving anger and bitterness at Abel being the physical evidence that Aniz had had children and she wasn't the mom, and that Abel existing and walking around SAIA is a constant reminder of the life she almost had but lost.

I actually figured too that Dan is to Destania what Abel was to Aniz - a way of preserving her small clan, and also possibly because she just wanted kids. She didn't raise Dan how she would have as a 'Cubi, she raised him 'in character' as someone who had pretended to have renegged on her evil ways (as she taught in SAIA, as evidenced by Aary and Fa'Lina's conversation at SAIA (the first one we see)). She obviously did pick Edward for what happened with Aniz, though I doubt he knows it - that situation in the inn being an obvious set-up (Destania was probably not hurt at all, having read Edward's mind enough to know this was a good way to seduce him and even play into his 'damsel in distress' adventurer fantasies perhaps). Also the fact that what Aniz did to May and Abel he apparently learned from her - Destania was the original master, and even her clan is pain. Plus, there's that whole dragon thing with Biggs, proving that she didn't really give up who she was before, as she pretended to when Dan was born (they still use her 'foreign' succubus name, don't they?)

I think Abel is right, Dan's mom is evil, and I think that's going to come to light eventually in the comic and Dan's going to get a harsh wake-up call to who his mom really is. I could totally be wrong though.

edit - links:

Destania's ways to deceive adventurers by playing from a romantic angle

Destania taught Aniz all he knew, which I imagine to mean how to decieve a being into believing you're in love with them for your own personal gain, probably often for the high you get from pain and terror emotions when that crashes back down on them, but for Destania/Aniz it also works well to get beings to pop out kids that are guaranteed to be from your clan.

[Bruinthor]

"I always figured it went a lot deeper than that, involving anger and bitterness at Abel being the physical evidence that Aniz had had children and she wasn't the mom, and that Abel existing and walking around SAIA is a constant reminder of the life she almost had but lost."

I wish I had thought of that

[joshofspam]

It's actually fairly strange how Edward survived considering he had his back turned to Destania.

Though many things could have happened that night that led to the wedding. Maybe Edward kept changing the subject on her and she was never able to carry out her first intentions or maybe just once in her life the  thought of hurting someone didn't feel as easy as it did at the academy.

We also can't take Alexsi's part in all this for granted. Even if she was young, cubi seem to be empathic creatures. Would Destania at the time have her abilities screen the feelings of a two year old child or the ability to resist something she wasn't prepared for?

I gues that sometimes the simplest things can have big results.

[mithril]

actually, perhaps Destania and Edward met, and had a relationship, before that knight in the Inn?

Edward looks fairly similar to Aniz, and we know Aniz has disquised himself as an adventurer before. in fact, in abel's story, he picked someone who sorta looked the samehe he does in his natural cubi form.

so Destania might have assumed that Edward had died in the fight as well, and the Edward that 'survived' was Aniz pretending to to be Edward.

then Destania might have disguised herself and moved into the community in order to find out if her suspicion was right. she'd try to talk to edward, learn about him, etc. only she finds out he's not Aniz, and find herself falling for Edward, because he's like Aniz was before the Dragon-Cubi war. then when she tells him who she really is, they have a big falling out.. and later, when she's in trouble she goes to his Inn out of desperation, leading to the events Alexi described.

[Mao]

Oh no.  Not this again.

[Eboreg]

actually, perhaps Destania and Edward met, and had a relationship, before that knight in the Inn?

Edward looks fairly similar to Aniz, and we know Aniz has disquised himself as an adventurer before. in fact, in abel's story, he picked someone who sorta looked the samehe he does in his natural cubi form.

so Destania might have assumed that Edward had died in the fight as well, and the Edward that 'survived' was Aniz pretending to to be Edward.

then Destania might have disguised herself and moved into the community in order to find out if her suspicion was right. she'd try to talk to edward, learn about him, etc. only she finds out he's not Aniz, and find herself falling for Edward, because he's like Aniz was before the Dragon-Cubi war. then when she tells him who she really is, they have a big falling out.. and later, when she's in trouble she goes to his Inn out of desperation, leading to the events Alexi described.

Okay, this topic has now officially jumped the shark.

[Turnsky]

can we have aniz's head in a jar of formaldehyde sitting on someone's shelf please?

i'd like to see the whole "aniz is someone in disguise" dead and buried.

he's not old man withers, and DMFA is -not- scooby doo.

[Mao]

I'm not even going to start on this one.  It's too mad.  Here, just... just sip some tea my good lad.  Have some tea and just.. keep your mutterings down.  Don't want people to think you've lost it, right?  Keep up the good face, yes?  That's a good chap, now.  Sip your tea and let the hatter take you away...

[mithril]

not suggesting that edward is aniz guys.

just that we know aniz had done the whole "kill an adventurer then pretend to be him" thing in the past, which Destania would have known about due to Abel.
so she'd have wanted to investigate just in case... and certainly she would have wanted to meet the person who killed Aniz anyway. if it turned out the death was faked, Destania would get to killaniz. if, as it actually happened, the guy actually did kill aniz, she'd want to learn the details of it.

this would put her in the same area as Edward well before the scene in the inn. since Cubi aren't well liked, she'd have to hide her headwings and cubi powers.

the idea that they met during that time, and maybe found a connection seems reasonable. so would the idea that her revealing what she was causing problems in that regard.

it certainly would help set up why Edward refused to help others kill her that night.

[llearch n'n'daCorna]

It'd be easier to follow what you meant if you tried using appropriate punctuation, spelling, and grammar.

Having said that - Kria was probably involved in confirming that Edward's first wife, Quintinga, actually killed Aniz. After all, Abel was registered in Zinvth; I expect Aniz was similarly registered, albeit under the wrong name. So they'd have one of those little stones to check that he was who they said he was.

Which means the chances of Aniz managing to hide himself as Edward - or as Quintinga, for that matter - are pretty darned slim.


Next theory?

[Gabi]

I think mithril meant that Destania mistook Edward for Aniz, but even assuming she did for a moment, I don't think it could have lasted very long. Whether they knew each other from before and why they got married is still a mystery, as is the reason why she's plotting to destroy the whole Dragon race while still wanting to be a mother for Alexsi (although that may be her way to protect her family). Umm... does that count as a theory?

[Sofox]

I had the theory a while back that Quintiga actually was Destania. I don't like mentioning this theory much as most people react badly to Edward/Aniz, but from my point of view it makes sense.

After Destania leaves SAIA, she decides the best way to track Aniz down is to go under the guise of an adventurer, and not only would be able to ask as many questions about a rogue Incubi as possible without gaining suspicion, but would also be able to network with other adventurers and find out scraps of info that might clue her in to Aniz's location. Under this new identity, Quintiga, she met Edward (possibly mithril is right and she paid particular attention to him at first on suspicion that he was Aniz) and after becoming close, they relationship and eventually marry.
When she killed Aniz, she  "killed" her Quintiga identity and returned to Aniz where they remarried under her new identity.
The theory addresses most of Eboreg, which were what made me try to figure this out in the first place.

[Eboreg]

@Gabi: You have to remember that Pyroduck has one of Destania's feathers attached to his hair. Could mean a lot of things but I interpret it to mean that he's not going to get caught in the carnage. Also, we have it on record from Fa'lina that Pyroduck is the only dragon who won't go apes*** against clan Cyra.

@Sofox: One problem, if that were true, Alexsi would be a 'Cubi.

[Ignuus66]

it's a lovely day outside! Tea and Crumpets anyone?

[joshofspam]

Well to add to this tinfoil topic it would seem quite possible that Destania might have had other stops before coming to the Inn.

The scene in this page http://www.missmab.com/Comics/Vol_981.php speaks possible volumes on why she would be in the condition she was in at the door. It also might speak why DP has such a low opinion of his opponents when their females or when they let their emotions get the better of them.

[Gabi]

Eboreg: I never mentioned Pyroduck. I'm not sure whether or not Destania has thought of him at all.