~+~Black Rose Manor~+~ (Open and Accepting)

[Laren Luracluren]

Laren begins to feel light headed from the pain and blood loss. Clenching his teeth, he keeps his eyes focused on the white peaks before him. The sun begins to dim around him and yet remain bright every where else.

[Laren Luracluren]

The scar on his chest gradually begins to separate and open into a gaping wound. The wound that would have ended him, no blood comes forth but the pain renews in full force. He pushes forward, the mansion has summoned no one. He knows this, he feels no one. Come on you stupid lump of brinks! A morbid grin dances its way onto his lips.

[Laren Luracluren]

Laren falls against a tree, he turns his gaze to the sun. The dimness surrounding him grows darker. He begins to wish for the true light of the sun, but he knows the mansion will deny it to him. 3 days... only 3 days... It's farther than before.... but not far enough... I need to keep pushing the walls further.... Maybe someday I can reach those peaks... He sighs deeply, exhaustion tugging at his flesh.

[Laren Luracluren]

He remembers back to a time when he could go no further than the mansion grounds. It took weeks for him to make it to the forest edge. Longer still to enter the forest itself. After a thousand years he finds himself finally able to walk three days away from the mansion.

[Laren Luracluren]

He chuckles at the ridiculousness of it to himself. 3 days in a thousand years? He knows he must push it farther. The mansion lays only eleven days from the nearest peak. If he cannot travel at least that far then he knows any who come to reside here may be in danger. Should they be outside his reach.

[Laren Luracluren]

Laren attempts to take one more step forward but instead falls to the moist ground. His vision darkens as he loses consciousness. He feels the world no more. His breathing becomes light and faint, but his heart continues to beat strong. Exhaustion has overwhelmed him.

[Laren Luracluren]

Laren draws in a deep shaking breath as he opens his eyes, his vision is blurred. Carefully, he pushes himself off the ground and attempts to take in his surroundings. As his vision clears he can see that he has remained where he fell, he is still three days from the mansion. At least it somehow hasn't managed to pull me back.

[Laren Luracluren]

He resumes his unsteady walk towards the mountains, ignoring the pain the manor was causing him, ignoring how it pulled at him. He worried the deep gash in his chest would start bleeding at any moment. Laren kept his eyes aimed toward the white peaks before him.

[Laren Luracluren]

As his breathing labors he smiles. Day 4... I've managed to come 4 days out. Let's see if we can make 5. He finds humor in the fact that he hadn't been this far from the manor in over a thousand years. He begins to feel a light headed giddiness at the thought of actually reaching the mountains. What will I do then? He feels the creatures of the forest avoiding him. The magic of the manor frightening them away from him.

[Laren Luracluren]

He stops for a moment and turns his gaze to the sky, admiring the trees and the way the sunlight plays through the emerald leaves. He smiles slightly. His wounds begin to hurt somewhat less. The pull of the manor did not abate. So... you won't kill me then? He laughs in relief.

[Laren Luracluren]

Unsure if he should continue, he hesitates and comes to a stand still once again. I'm already four days out... Should I say it's good enough or keep stretching the bond while I can? What if the manor decides it's far enough and kills me? He shudders at the thought before continuing onward. Well, if it kills me then it really will have to find a new caretaker. Either way, the manor will have to pull in someone new. He smiles slightly to himself, finding some morbid humor in his situation.

[Brokenruby]

Ruby stands atop the roof of the manor. She keeps her gaze fixed upon the forest. She watches the shadows flicker. The caretaker had been gone for far to long. She could feel it in the wind and see it in the trees. It wasn't right in her mind that he would put himself at such great risk. She couldn't understand why he felt it necessary to travel away from the manor when it obviously hurt him. The smell of blood faint and distant drifted on the breeze. Ruby clenched her fists in fury. Why does he persist? She hisses her words quietly.

[Brokenruby]

Ruby begins to grow impatient at the caretaker as he seems to continue to refuse to bend to the manor's will and return. Worry begins to consume her thoughts that the manor may kill him if he doesn't return soon, and yet she was forbade from retrieving him unless his untimely death should occur. She clenches and unclenches her fists rapidly, feeling betrayed that he would command such a thing. He may be the caretaker of the manor but he was her charge to protect. A position she had claimed for her self but a position none the less. His safety was paramount to her. And yet he challenges death to take him.