Alas, this I cannot do. Very few Great Ones posses the power to clone a form. The Lady Maria has been moved to a new form once before, by the will of Kos, to protect her orphan from those who would do it harm. She has since abandoned that duty, and Kos is gone.The only way you could have of obtaining a form for the Lady Karina... Would be to strip the Lady Maria's mind of it's vessel and put it into a new one, so that it may be used by a new owner. The only remaining Great One with the power to do this is one very close to you. Maria must petition the Moon Prescence and become a hunter, gaining immortality... For the cost of a heinous act.The choice is yours.
* * * * * *
"Hard to believe it another year has come and gone, good Hunter, is it not?"
"Aye," The Hunter replies. "Though no longer than a single night for Yharnam. With the beasts in the city gone, it's almost peaceful."
"But as long as the moon is so close..."
"People will keep turning into beasts, so long as they keep using the blood. I know," the Hunter responds.
The two sit quietly, staring out at the endless abyss of the dream.
"I do not think that woman will cooperate,"
the Doll says quietly. "I had held so much hope that I may have a body to call my own..." She grits her teeth. "And now... Now it all rests on her."
The Hunter is quiet for a moment before responding. "Maria understands the value of the hunt," he says quietly. "Now so more than ever. It was the church she hated. All of that slaughter and experimentation..."
"All from well-meant beginnings," the Doll adds. "A miracle that was twisted into a curse by human greed."
"But not by us," the Hunter says. "Gherman's hunters weren't under a hierarchy. All they had to do was hunt. Those who worked for the church did so of their own accord."
"Do you truly think she will become that which she hates, just to benefit me?"
The Hunter sighs, his head down. "I don't know."
* * * * * * * *
Maria reclines on one of the gurneys at Iosefka's clinic. While her adventure in the Ringed city had allowed the child inside her to progress quite a bit, she had entered the stable period of the pregnancy. No longer was she plagued by morning sickness, and the worst of the mood swings had subsided, for now. Once she returned to Yharnam, the child's growth had halted, leaving her with just the barest bulge in her smooth Cainhurstian tummy.
A whirl of questions speed through her mind like angry bees. Firstly, would the baby be healthy? Would it even be human? There had been many complications when Auntie had Arianna, she thought. Human and Cainhurstian blood do not mix well.
Being Cainhurstian isn't as enjoyable as it seems, either. At an average of eight feet tall, traveling and finding suitable lodging were a struggle, and woe betide a human woman who lays with one from Cainhurst. The size differences make it all but impossible for a child to be born of human woman and a Cainhurst man.
Maria's great-aunt Annalise would be thrilled to hear of the pregnancy though. She knows from the Hunter that the queen constantly took blood dregs into herself, a desperate attempt to continue the line in the abscence of a pure-blood male.
Truth be told, Maria feels no connection nor sorrow for her mostly-late kinsmen.
A pompous and isolated people, they thought nothing of flaunting their use of special blood to 'better' themselves. Ultimately, that self-importance led to their downfall, and they were every one of them slaughtered by the jealous church.
Aside from the growing life inside her, she also has to contend with the words of the Great One they encountered in the Ringed City. She honestly has no problem with becoming a hunter once more; hunters have their own agenda nowadays, anyway. No more are there grand machinations to seize power and long life.
No, it was the loss of the child that gives her pause. Though it was created through an act by two others, this living embodiment of love, she feels that it is the only thing keeping her tethered to the Hunter. It's a sick, invasive action by her, and she loathes herself for even thinking of stealing so sacred.
But is it really so wrong? She thinks to herself. It is my child, after all... Shouldn't keeping it be my right? She shakes her head. "What do I do..."
* * * * * * *
Maria stands, slowly materializing in the realm of the Dream. The first few seconds were always the worst. A disjointed, fuzzy feeling, followed by all the blood rushing in the ears. The stomach swoops as one takes their first step into the Dream, and the rest of the body snaps into place all at once, leaving one dizzy and confused.
"Maria!" An excited voice rings out through the dream. The tall woman smiles. The Hunter had a particularly foolish, boyish smile that he reserved just for her, and seeing it always made her troubles disappear, if only for a moment.
Maria flashed him one of her own, praying he would not see the sadness behind it.
"Where have you been?!" He pants, skidding to a stop. "We were going to have a homecoming dinner, remember? Sedative Stew, your favorite!"
"Your favorite," Maria corrects. "I find the taste to be rather unpleasant." Truth be told, it is her favorite, but she knew that sedatives would not be healthy for the baby. "But it will have to wait. We have more pressing concerns that should be dealt with sooner, rather than later."
The Hunter frowns. "We just arrived home for the first time in a year. What could be so important?"
"You want your doll to have a body, do you not?"
The air stills between the two, the Hunter staring at her in disbelief. "You mean it?" He says, his voice small. "You would do that for us?"
Maria gives him a wan smile. "I am in the market for a new body anyway. This one is getting a bit heav-OOF!"
The breath is driven from her as the Hunter darts forward, wrapping her in a heartfelt hug. She returns it gingerly, closing her eyes and basking in his warmth. She feels muscles that weren't there before, physical proof of his growth. Fighting in the Ringed City had done wonders for his skill as a hunter.
The two friends embrace for some time, only separating when they hear the clack of heels on the cobblestone, signaling the Doll's approach. While inclined to be angry at the sight of her lover and her arch-rival embracing, she knew by the look on the Hunter's face that he had a suitable reason. As soon as he cleared Maria's arms, the Hunter leapt into the Doll's, squeezing her fiercely.
"She agreed!" The Hunter shouts, standing on his toes and kissing her passionately, his eyes bright and happy. The Doll looks up in surprise at Maria, who tilts her head at the Hunter as if to say, 'How could I say no to those eyes?'
The Doll nods curtly. Maria rolls her eyes. I suppose that's the closest to 'Thank you' I'll ever get from her.
The Doll clears her throat. "Then I suppose the first order of buisness is to find Oedon, yes?" The pair of friends nod their assent.
"Then it seems we have no choice but to join for a final time," The Doll says grimly.
"Hold on," The Hunter says, stopping her. "First, we need a name for the two of you. I feel strange calling you by either name when you are joined like that."
"What would you suggest?" Maria asks, raising an eyebrow.
"Well," the Hunter starts, scratching his chin. "It should be a mix of both your names, so... Karia? No... Karimia? No, that's not right..." Suddenly his eyes light up, and his mouth tugs upward in a grin.
"Well, whenever you share a body, you get wet, so how about... Marina?"
