The Nexus Tavern (O//A)

[Astra_Kyste]

Lily yawned and put the necklace on. "Thanks for everything. I know I'm not the fastest person at learning things. As for guessing your element. I would say. Ice or water." She said not knowing the elements at all really. She stretched out and went to Hriob and gave him a hug followed by a little peck on the cheek. "Thanks again. But I think I'll go to bed for now. Night." She said and in a puff of smoke disappeared. She asleep in her normal sized bed before she even knew it.

[Kovahl Norzaar Amadan]

Hriob smiled, but didn't think much of the gesture outside of an act of kindness. He instead focuses on recovery yet again, while mulling over her answer. I suppose that was a decent guess... but still off. Then again, you claim you don't have any real knowledge of magic. The least I could do is mention the elements conversationally next time...

He dozes off, his body finishing the healing process much faster in his sleep. This time he is spared the darker dreams he has been plagued with recently.

After another couple of hours, he wakes up, finishes his tea, and continues sitting by the firepit, reading his Tome for spells he had read but never used, in hopes of finding something Lily might be able to use. He uses his other hand to continually send healing energy into his leg to bring himself to full strength, in a perfect mimicry of Caleb's spear Panacea.

[Astra_Kyste]

The full sized Lily left her bedroom and walked down the stairs without breaking anything. "Oh. It's kinda nice to walk and actually get places." She said and smiled to herself as she went down the last few steps. The necklace Hriob had given her was glowing nicely and resting around her neck. She was still wearing her black bikini top and shorts. She went into the kitchen and began to cook a batch of cinnamon rolls. "I bet Hriob is still asleep in the duel room. He's rather nice. I wander if he has someone." She asked herself unaware that Hriob and Night were together. Mainly because she hadn't spent much time talking with either one.

[Kovahl Norzaar Amadan]

Hriob by now had resumed training with his new technique, forming shards of nothingness in the air inside the Duelist room that took on the properties of the Void that inhabited the 'space' between universes... the haphazard and chaotic lack of reality that he used to travel between worlds with his Original Teleportation spell, Erasmus' Gate, and the Void that was connected most to his inborn, racial elemental attribute.

The door is firmly closed behind him as, with great focus and effort, he focuses not on how much inky-black nothingness he can generate for how long, but how quickly he can form and dismiss it repeatedly, what 'shapes' he can form it into and speeds he can 'move' it at. He can feel the room's magic complain somewhat around where the voids 'are', but it is less dangerous by far than what he had foolishly attempted with the charm on his glove; the gift Night had given him for safekeeping. This is more like poking a balloon lightly with your finger to stretch it, rather than trying to turn a patch of the rubber material into concrete and expecting it to stay in one piece... layman's terms, yes, but effective for explanation still.

The door floats in nothingness behind him, the room set to a recreation of the realm of a nether god no long gone... gravity was haphazard and broken there as it is here now, and in a nebulous background oddly reminiscent of his own soul he pushes his brain, heart, and spirit to exert a more natural, elemental pull on nothingness.

I wonder how Night is doing... I still don't know what happened with Misery and her boyfriend. One thing at a time, one thing at a time... I still need to get these things out of the way if I'm ever to actually get more than a day with her... and I still haven't really been able to enjoy her company without mixing it with business or dragging others along. He sighs wistfully, then resumes his self-imposed rigorous training.

He notices the smell of cinnamon rolls wafting through the door, but for now he concentrates. He still is concerned for Caleb and doesn't want to leave until he comes to again.

[Astra_Kyste]

Lily finished the cinnamon rolls off with thick gooey icing that dripped all over the plate that she pilled the twelve little cakes on. "Such a nice afternoon." She said and took the plate out of the kitchen and placed it on the counter. Then she scooped up two and in a paper towel and walked them to the duel room.

She pushed the door open to find the room in it's current state. She looked at the it all and smiled and stepped inside jumped inside. Floating slowly as she went it was nice not to feel so weighted down as before. "Hriob." She said and in a puff of black she was taken to a chunk of ground and from that she pushed off with plenty of force to send her sailing onward towards him. Her left hand was out stretched towards him and the right held the fresh warm cinnamon rolls.

[Lady Astraea of Radiance]

Demitri noisily sauntered down the stairs to the lobby where the fire spat and sputtered. Stretching his arms up he let out a satisfied sigh, his eyes a piercing bright red. One who knew vampires knew what he'd just done and if you were to go check up on Misery you'd be sure to find out. He flopped down on the couch nearest the fire and rested his head on his hands, crossing one leg over the other. Nightmare walked in the tavern from the front door, snow trickling behind her from the strong winds. With some effort she slammed it shut with her back, only wearing a sky blue tank top and a pair of skin tight white short shorts. He hair was wavy from being braided and hung about her shoulders beautifully, her tip glowing as vibrant as ever. She smiled towards Demitri but then stop in her tracks, glaring over to him. "Did you....?" She asked looking deep into his eyes. He slightly sat upright, as if a teenager just got caught making out with his girlfriend, "Uh....A little but she said it was fine" Night's eyes narrowed but then she sort of shook her head and kept walking, "I guess, if she said it was fine" Demitri chuckled, "I keep forgetting cold does not effect you, just like me your body is already as chilled as ice” Night nodded, "Yup, walking Popsicles, that's all we are”

The two laughed as Night pulled out a glass and freezing it over from her touch, poured a full cup of Vodka. She swigged it down and hick-upped. She covered her mouth in surprised and muffled a “pardon me” before pouring half a glass. While leaning on the counter she made her way over and sat at the bar. Her head was pounding and filled with voices that weren't her own. Get up and stop indulging, you didn't train enough, if you keep this up you'll get lazy! The voices hissed. “You know I never asked for any of your help or for a piece of the priestess's soul, if I could have helped it I would have never let her use my body as a vessel. Now I'm stuck with the lot of you who never shut up!” Demitri raised an eyebrow but didn't bother asking, he instead just laid back, closing his eyes though he wasn't the least bit tired.

[Kovahl Norzaar Amadan]

Hriob stops his casting to see Lily coming towards him with Cinnamon Rolls, and smiles. Letting the room reset, he grabs her and her pastries with gentle telekinesis to set them down gently despite gravity resuming at full normality. The voids he was working with shrink into nonexistance as the reality of the room re-asserts itself into an empty, if spacious wood-paneled area that was its base setting.

He opens his mouth to speak... and stops.

Eyes almost as wide as his sudden grin, he hurredly apologizes, and briskly walks out the door into the Lobby to see Night again... it's been way too long. Nodding at Demitri, he nevertheless does not stop until he is hugging Night close, burying his face in her hair. "I missed you."

[Lady Astraea of Radiance]

Night smiled fondly and hugged him back. His loving emotions swung over her softly and she understood, "You've been gone for a long while again haven't you" she said in her more gentle, caring voice. She felt his strong arms wrapped around her and this new surge of not energy but perhaps will, emitting from his soul. The twins walked down and wrinkled their noses, "Ugh get a room" They then sat beside one another at a table and Xavier chuckled, "He may look more manly but Night's always the one making the moves, if it was me hugging Night that close with her wearing that, woo it would be over" The twins laughed with each other, friendly, teasing smiles on their faces. The voices pounded in her head, Away from him child, his very essence is drawing us in, he's too dangerous. Night rolled her eyes and kept him close. That's when she placed her hand on his head, allowing him to hear them for the first time. If you don't back away from him we'll make you! She was slightly lurched back with force. The twins stopped laughing, "Looks like the ancestors are jealous of the touchy thing you two have got going on, mind you we are too" They grinned again from ear to ear. Night looked over to Hriob apologetically but from the connection he could still hear them. The shrill of multiple voices shouting out to her, We'll ring those vampires' necks so help us we will! She sighed, "God knows you'll make me do that too wouldn't you?" Of course, but we shall retire for now, we're tired of trying to convince you to listen, we'll return in the morning. Gaining control of her body again she appeared less tense and her eyes showed relief.

[Kovahl Norzaar Amadan]

With that sudden turn of events, Hriob just breathes in softly and helps Night back up. Deep in the back of his head and his heart Xavier's words struck a chord, but for now there is no reaction. Instead, a portion of his ever-multitasking mind is mulling over the ancestors' voices Night had let him hear... reminding him of another of the drawbacks of his people's inherent affinity for the Void.

So my soul won't ever know what an afterlife is like, so what. My Tome is here to make sure something of me remains anyway; that's what they were invented to address. Nevertheless he keeps in mind that he needs to control his spirit more, focus on the Wind and Lightning aspects to cover the core of Void in his spirit next time he contacts the spirits communing with Night. He smiles sheepishly at her, ignoring his heart almost wanting to skip a beat for reasons that had less to do with Night and more to do with his recent spiritual exertions.

//Hey Hriob! Just make a move already! This is ridiculous!//
**...Brother... oh dear, wait! What are you-

In an uncharacteristic moment of surprising irritation, Hriob's face seems to enter a blank expression for a spilt second. In that instant, his swords are instantly teleported to his room without a second thought.

Before anyone could react to that, he already has recomposed himself, hoping Night missed that... but especially hoping the vampires did. This, however, is subconsious enough where he wasn't even aware he was blocking anything, and would have been impossible for anyone to read at such short notice.

[Lady Astraea of Radiance]

Night smiled and dusting herself off fixed her shirt that had slightly lifted up from the fall. The twin's eyes sparked with excitement, their voices teeming with a more lustful hunger, "Clocks ticking boy, if you don't hurry up, we'll take her for ourselves" Demitri smiled, knowing all to well what they were talking about. Watching Hriob dance around Night like that made him wonder why he hadn't done anything yet. After meeting Misery it hadn't taken him very long to consume her heart and have her fall madly in love with him. Now that they're together they never leave each others side and the affection and lust they hold for one another never runs dry. It takes nothing for sparks to fly off between each other, just a wink and they're all over one another. Then again Demitri doesn't realize that the two of them are younger, and his vampire like charms have a kind of special effect on other creatures meant to draw them in. The twins however though their senses were rather numbed from Night's appearance still picked up the darker energy about Hriob. "Did you feel that?" Xavier whispered to his brother. "How could I have missed it?" Hunter said nodding, glaring suspiciously.

[Kovahl Norzaar Amadan]

Hriob sighs... but a core of stubbornness, ever at odds with his desire to use his flexibility to meet challenges, stirs in him with a thought. Smiling thoughtfully, he nods at the twins, and with a surge of focus sets a mark of energy into the floor of the Tavern; a Sigil that would let him know if Caleb entered the Lobby, or if something went wrong, even across the Void. With another thought, he teleports his guitar and strap to his shoulder, along with his bags, spades, and swords. Then, all within a second, he teleports himself and Night out of Selvia entirely with Erasmus' Gate...

This time, the cost seems much less, and the ripple much darker and more noticeable than usual, as his affinity for the Void seems to make everything more efficient.

They both appear on a beach on a hot, humid summer day, with crystal blue waters stretching as far as the eye can see and sparkling like diamonds under the sun's light. Behind them lies a dense jungle, teeming with exotic life, and hiding massive but overgrown ruins that even the ghosts and spirits of its past have left and moved out of by now; letting life have its way with the remains.

"This place, as far as I know, has no recorded name. People once lived here, but eventually cultures clashed, changed, and moved on to islands farther north a small ways, just over the horizon there... I think we should have a lot more privacy, and it should take less than a day back at the Tavern. I made sure our path was zigzagged and re-bounded so it would take an eternity to try and follow us without my knowing."

[Lady Astraea of Radiance]

Night smelled the air whisking by her, her silky hair blowing around gently. She was conveniently already bare foot so her feet being suddenly engulfed in nice warm sand was nice. The sea sprayed up and on to the two of them, the smell fresh. She wrapped her arms around his neck and smiled, her pulsing blue eyes bright. She couldn't help but smile of course, she was just happy to be with him, alone without any one to bother them. "Thank you" she whispered into his ear softly.

The twins had both rolled their eyes towards one another but grinned. They knew he'd take care of her but they also knew he'd be alone with her, without them there to stop them from getting closer, which tended to make their blood boil. This feeling was conflicting for them, Hriob had become a friend to them but they both were intensely in love with Night. Demitri on the other hand was more concerned about Misery, what will happen when she finds out?

[Kovahl Norzaar Amadan]

Hriob merely smiles and puts his hands around her back at her waist, holding her close for a minute. He then pulls the guitar down over his shoulder and begins to play, starting to walk into the jungle with a focused scanning of his environment. The music, while beautiful, is also serving to warn the wildlife of their approach as he leads her after him, looking for the hideaway he made in the area the one time he was here before.

{{ Music: Ewan Dobson - My Nightmare }}

After a few minutes he finds a large tree with a dagger made of Orichalchum in its root, marking with an otherworldly item where he had been last. With a smile, he teleports them straight up into the treetops, where a sleeping pad, cookingware, a small chest, and a wooden floor and roof had been hidden and made to blend into the tree expertly, overlooking much of the canopy of trees and the ocean beyond. "Sorry there was only one bedroll here, I had made this expecting to use this place as a solitary hideaway... years ago now. Barely spent any time here at all actually. I'll be making this a bit larger in a second." He sits for a second, looking out over the view as old memories of what had happened last he was here come to mind.

[Lady Astraea of Radiance]

"It's beautiful, everything about it is wonderful, I've never seen anything so soothing before" she said as she gazed about. "But I think one bed would be fine...we've shared one before haven't we" She smirked, looking over the room before turning back to him. She smiled softly and opening her soul with a simple pulse of white light she sung out, her voice smokey and gentle. She was mostly humming but the melody was pure and strong. The trees around them began to sway from a cool breeze, the sounds from the ocean hitting them with hint of salt. Her skin seemed brighter and her eyes came across a lot brighter but still soft. It reached Hriob like a wave of light washing over him and luring him closer. Her eyes flickered with interest and slight entertainment, but they still held the same love for him.

[Py Aster]

Caleb sighed as he got up. His room had finished healing him after what Night and the rest had done. Shaking his head, he looked around. So it all really happened then. I hoped it was just a bad dream He walked out of the Medical bay and then closed his eyes. Feeling a little faint still, he hugged a wall. Taking some time to regain his composure, he looked around. Man that really was a bad one, worse than that vampire... Makes me wonder if that vampire and Ran fought, who would win.... He opened his eyes and spoke out her name. "Ran...." You could really have killed he there...had you really followed orders... Shaking his head, he got up again and got to his place at the bar table. Sitting on a stool, he paced his hands on the bar table and looked at the door, watching the fire pit's flames dance. After a moment, he looked at the photo of Allie and sighed. Was I really ready to join you then? I keep telling myself I am ready to die, that I would see you again...but was I really? He sighed a bit, and closed his eyes. Maybe that was what that vampire felt, beneath all that malice...but that still wasn't the right way. He closed his eyes. I'm sure that lad would never understand. True feelings are only expressed in battle...and I had sensed Ran's better than he could.