-╪ Tuatha De Dannan ╪- [ Medieval Fantasy / Steampunk ]

[Talise Anora]

Skittering down the corridor towards the apprentice rooms, salty tears starting to pool into the corners of her eyes, the elven maid slides to a halt before her brother's door. Small fists pound on the wooden planks like a madwoman.

"Heron! Heron open up! She's going to kill them!" the plea rushing from her lips before coherent thought has time to catch up.

Wait.. Heron went to the market for the weekly supplies.. disappointment floods her features with the realization. He can't help me..

"Oh, what will I do?" she murmurs miserably. With a slight huff, she turns in place and leans heavily against the door behind her. Precious seconds drift by and she wallows for a moment in her helpless melancholy.

Suddenly chocolate eyes snap open. "Cyrillia!" the name practically squeaked. And just like that, her feet are once again carrying her swiftly down the hall and up the stairs to the girl's quarters. Scampering across the rugged floors she slides up to her target destination. Slightly calmer and more determined now, a hand comes up quickly to wipe the excess liquid from her eyes before knocking rapidly upon the wood.

"Cyrillia!" she calls through the door, "Please be in! I need your help!"

I am a leaf on the wind...

 

[--Winters-Cruel-Fate--]

She was indeed in.

Cyrillia had been going over some stuff for most of the morning and previous nights so when she heard a loud knock she just about jumped out of her skin. 'A visitor...?' she thought blinking curiously. Who would come and see her? She didn't know a lot of people.

Her question was answered with a panicked squeak of her name and the hurried words of Naelonni Dalearin. Why she sounded the way she had was beyond Cyrillia but she gave a smile and walked over to the door, now opening it she waved. "Good morning, Nae." she said politely.

Cyrillia soon realized the girl had been running and she looked like something was troubling her. She tilted her head to the side, as if that would help at all. "Nae.. is something wrong?" was it safe to assume excited wasn't the reason the woman looked the way she had? Cyrillia didn't know, she could feel her smile fading from her lips, a frown starting to make it's way. 'What could have happened..?' she thought.
 

[Cheshiyre]

Urban Thorne

It was into this mantle of energy that Asmyrra's concentration dived, and it was from that very Weaveshape that a fiery-hued opaque sphere snapped into being. It lacked the appearance of solidity present in the ancient magi's weaving, instead appearing almost like a flame-hued soap bubble crossing behind Ky and in front of it's shaper, it's glowing edges just clearing Ky's hands before touching against the wall the older mage had entrapped them in. Once that aura of protection was in place, Asmyrra's mind turned to the struggle her still-healing lungs were trapped in, desperately hoping that whatever debris blasted forth from the falling chandelier would at least be partially deflected by Ky's armoured form...

Similar to the two soldiers at ground level, coherent thought had very little to do with the pale angel's current state of mind. Although younger than Johannes, Ash had spent most of her waking life involved in one war or another and long ago developed instincts were strong. With the threat lunging towards those trapped below all other considerations of secrecy and discretion were replaced by the sudden urge to act.

The hand reaching for the railing hit target and Ash used the leverage to catapult over the banister, diving to join the path of the ill fated chandelier. Azure eyes dart to the floor and took note of which side of the circle the entrapped had huddled. Angling her wings for momentum, the angel rammed into the flaming mass of iron, sending it hurling off course towards the tower wall and knocking some of the candles loose.

Ignoring the protesting pain in her left shoulder, speckled grey and white feathers unfurled majestically from her back. In one fluid movement, her body whipped around to allow feet to register on the stone etched nautical star and help cushion the force of her landing. Less than a foot away from Asmyrra, Ash reached out with both hands to her friend even as her lips murmured a vain attempt of dispelling Relm's opaque walls. Unfortunately, like the blue tinted elf standing before her, any motion to dispell the magi's powerful magic was doomed to failure. However the strength of her spell -was- enough to dismiss the bubble of protection the commander had erected, which ironically had gone unnoticed by the angel during all of the commotion. Pulling Azzy down to kneel with her, Ash encompass the group within the shelter of her massive wings.

Flaming candle debris were deflected by the wall of feathers and rolled onto the floor around them, but the faint sting and discomfort went relatively unnoticed by their bearer. The hollow entry echoed with loudly repeated clangs of iron hitting stone as the chandelier crashed into the tower wall, then waterfalled off the uninhabited stairs and came to rest with a noisy and ungraceful series of metallic pangs onto the floor near the end of the stairwell. With that, the angel raised her head with the intention of surveying the damage but found instead her gaze locked with familiar, albeit startled violet eyes.

 

[Talise Anora]

Relief floods her troubled features with her friend's appearance. "Cyrillia! Oh thank goodness you are still here!" she cries, throwing her arms around the other apprentice's shoulders for a grateful hug. Pulling back again, she continues breathlessly, "It's the Kae'dryn. Visitors came to the tower and I didn't know what to do so I let them in I wasn't even sure she'd see them but I didn't get a chance to even ask.."

The words steaming from her lips without pause or consideration. "But then she trapped them in the star, with the walls and everything and now she's going to fireball them and I didn't know what to do!"

The little elven maid is clearly in a state of distress, barely taking a moment to breath before finishing desolately. "We have to help them! Maybe try to convice her to spare them. They only came to seek help from some threat."

Her thoughts seem to collect as she pauses for the first time.

"I think they might be from the south," the next fact whispered as if it might be a secret, "They have humans with them."

I am a leaf on the wind...

 

[Rikki Tikki Travi]

Ky had braced himself, mentally and physically, as much as he could muster. Muscles tensed and teeth clenched when the iron mass ended it's descent. He didn't even register that there were additional clangs. It also took him a moment to realize that he wasn't dead.

The knight's right eye opened a bit first, followed by his left. He let out a rush of air and inhaled sharply. He felt no pain. The women huddled beneath him also appeared to be unharmed at first glance. It was hard to tell in the darkness.

Darkness? There had been ample lighting even before the chandelier was lit. He lifted his head and looked about. What he saw caused another moment of breathlessness.

Wings, grand wings that he had only seen coming from the backs of his celestial Lords. He traced their origin until he had to look over his other shoulder. Ky's body locked up as his eyes bore witness to the shaded feature's of what he considered a true guardian angel.

With only the minimal amount of breath that was left in his lungs he whispered, "Gods be praised..."  

[--Winters-Cruel-Fate--]

Cyrillia was at first taken back by the stream of words coming from the young woman. It wasn't odd to say the least to hear the girl talk but the fact was that this was not a normal day to day Naelonni moment.

It was trouble.

The young elf frowned after hearing all of what Nae was breathlessly trying to explain. Cyrillia knew she heard Kae'drynn but it was the use of the word human that made it clearer to determine what had happened through what Nae had said. "Perhaps one of us should distract the Kae'drynn while the other helps the group whom you let enter the tower?" she suggested, trying to stay as calm as she could.

Even with her trying to stay calm, it was obvious to anyone that she was troubled and discouraged by the news. Cyrillia did not wish to see people be killed human or not, the Kae'drynn could not do such a horrible act. She knew the Kae'drynn was cranky and stuff but she could not take out the frustration and bitterness towards the visitors even if they were from the South.  

[Urban Thorne]

Rikki Tikki Travi

Wings, grand wings that he had only seen coming from the backs of his celestial Lords. He traced their origin until he had to look over his other shoulder. Ky's body locked up as his eyes bore witness to the shaded feature's of what he considered a true guardian angel.

With only the minimal amount of breath that was left in his lungs he whispered, "Gods be praised..."

The resounding crash and clatter from the rather large chandelier being aimed into the spiraling steps brought the ancient magi's steps to a sudden halt, those slanted golden orbs narrowing as she tried to identify the sound. However, it took her no time at all to begin piecing together what was going on in the central room of the tower, based on the feel of her friend's personal energies shooting past her... And the sudden severing of the Weave that the younger mage had managed.

Vexation momentarily filled those angular features as a slim hand rose, turning it's palm upwards and allowing long-nailed fingers to begin curling inward, drawing the energy from the now-wrecked chandelier back towards herself. Within that upturned hand, the fiery orb that had been roiling and growing in the middle of the destroyed iron began to form in miniature, it's light finally illuminating the pale features that had been so thoroughly hidden in the shadows of the staircase. The Kae'Dryn continued to arch those fingers around the fiery globe until the long nails delicately came in contact with each other... Effectively forming a cage for the boiling energy.

Now the anger began to come. Her carefully laid plans and traps, her clearly intended path for this meeting... Indeed, probably her entire evening, ruined. Ruined by what was probably the best intentions in the world. Ruined by lack of faith and patience. And now she had to deal with these people, and most likely in a direct and personal fashion.

And so her path reached the bottom of the stairs with surprising speed, those golden eyes reflecting both the faint glow from the opaque wall containing her "visitors", and the fiery light blazing from the cage of her right hand, the ancient magi coming to stop a mere meter or so behind the azure-hued woman... Those angular features in what most would probably consider an indifferent mask. A mask that her erstwhile friend would know entirely differently, a mask concealing a growing elemental fury...  

[Urban Thorne]

Talise Anora

"Together.. Always"

The sudden ensnaring wasn't quite what the tired Rosso had been expecting. Nor was the impact against that weird glowing wall. But as she found her ear pressed over the thundering heart of the only person in all existence she had left, those mismatched eyes squeezed shut as her thin arms snaked around Tali's form, crushing her against the small inventor. Indeed, those whispered words seemed to echo in Domini's mind as her body tensed, awaiting the end.

And when the sudden crash of iron on stone filled the air around them, Domini's throat tightened in an almost uncontrollable urge to scream, her arms tightening even more on Tali as the shock of the explosion of sound caused her to start in fright. Any moment now, the pain would strike, and the world would go black.

Any moment now.

. . .

The racing heartbeat in her ear still pounded on. The sound of her own blood racing through her head echoed starkly against the silence pressing down on them from all directions. She could still feel the wall behind her, and the warmth of the thinly-concealed flesh on the other side of the cloth pressed against her cheek.

...They weren't dead?

A single eye slowly peered open, the Sky Captain giving a wary look around the limited space she could see. Tali, the blue lady, and the white knight guy were all there, as well as some strange pale person. The wall was still up. But the room was so silent...

Something had to be wrong, and in the worst possible way...  

[Talise Anora]

The little elven maid's brow furrows slightly as she considers Cyrillia's words. If the visitors had not entered the tower yet, such a plan might have worked. Unfortunately the Kae'drynn was now aware of their presence. To distract their mistress from her task while someone else flees with the outsiders seems almost like deceiving the Kae'drynn. That couldn't possibly do that.

"Well.." she begins, no small amount of uncertainty in her voice, "I hadn't thought of it that way. We cannot go against the Kae'drynn's wishes. I thought maybe we could attempt to intercede on their behalf. Soften the blow, so to speak. Try to sway the mistress to just let them go instead of punish them for disturbing her"

Suddenly her attention is drawn back down the hall from whence she came, the sound of heavy clanging iron ricocheting off the walls. Her thoughtful expression drops, a small amount of fear returning to her features.

"Oh no! We might be too late! Come quickly!" she whispers hurriedly to her fellow apprentice, a hand briefly touching the other girl's arm before she herself rushes back through the corridor towards the center of the tower.

I am a leaf on the wind...

 

[Talise Anora]

A beautiful roaring scream, of joy and sorrow so extreme...

Much like the young woman in her arms, the gypsy's grip tightened around her precious holdings with each crash and clang of metal hitting stone. It took a moment for her to register the fact that sound was coming from somewhere to the side of them and if iron was hitting stone, that means it wasn't hitting them.

Opening her eyes, Tali blinks a few times in surprise at the shadow that seems to have surrounded them. Even with Ky looming over them protectively, there was no shadow before. Her gaze drifts up to the chivalrous knight above them, catching sight of the strange blanket of speckled feathers shielding his back and blocking her view beyond.

Feathers?

Confusion sets in fast behind those sapphire eyes. Seeking answers, or at least recognition of this unusual state, she glances to Ky's face only to notice that he was staring dumbfounded towards the commander. Following his lead, her sight falls upon the pale, beautiful features of the white haired young woman knelt before Asmyrra.

Beautiful white haired woman... speckled gray and white wings... A gasp escapes her lips as her brain connects the dots.

"Ash..." she breathes, her eyes widening with realization. She's real!

There is a love in me raging. A joyous, magical feeling...

 

[--Winters-Cruel-Fate--]

The young apprentice went after Nae, after having heard the clangs as well. She hoped with all her soul the Kae'drynn had not attacked those people. Cyrillia was not only hoping but found herself praying that somehow the Kae'drynn had decided to scare them a little with her magic instead of doing harm to them.

The elf could hear her own heart over the sounds of her shoes tapping upon the cobbler floors of the tower. Her blond almost white locks swayed in her vision as she tried to keep up with her friend, Cyrillia was not much as a runner and had a hard time keeping up without falling over but she did the best she could.

"Nae..Naelonni..." she called out in pants, feeling a bit winded by the sprint. She couldn't even tell if the other woman could hear her, Cyrillia knew how soft her voice was and that it would seemed even smaller and softer while she ran after Naelonni. "Where... where is the Kae'drynn.. right... now.." she panted, trying to get her breathing under control as she ran. Cyrillia could feel her heart in her throat now, she was feeling even more so panicked than she had earlier on in the conversation. The realization of any body being harmed by the Kae'drynn was sinking in and the thought to rush and save them was all she could think to do, be in dangerous or not.

 

[Cheshiyre]

Pathetic.

That was the only way to describe the events unfolding around her.

To be sure, it had been a surprise for the ebon-skinned witch to discover that the angel intruder was in fact the heroine of the great Dragon Wars. And as legends go, the feathered woman seemed to fit the description of her fabled role quite well. Magnificent wings spanned out around her, forming a protective sheath for the poor, undeserving unfortunates below. Silky locks of the purest white tumbled in disarray down her perfect, almost luminescent skin.

The lovely angel's beauty could only be rivaled by the sheer force of her ineptitude.

Which, as the feathered nit had so abundantly displayed, was quite staggering indeed.

With all of the magical energies currently crackling in the tower's super charged atmosphere, it was not difficult for the dark witch as she slipped from the shelter of the adjoining room to watch the developments from the hall. Shadows clung to her form as though drawn by some magnetic force and allowed her to settle mere meters away from the very spot previously occupied by the fumbling speckled ninnie now trapped within the opaque walls below.

Colourless eyes flickered to the ancient magi hovering just beyond that shimmering prison. Irritation and menace was radiating from the small oriental figure. Her dear friend's obvious displeasure with this comedy of errors actually brought a sense of satisfaction for the witch, in a selfish, perverse sort of way.

Serves her right for cavorting with hypocritical defenders of righteousness and purity...

Idly leaning against the railing, one ebony hand raised to point down towards the cluster of folk at ground level. A subtle shifting of thin, elongated metallic nails and a few breathlessly murmured words wove through the trapping spell, carefully and delicately finding the single thread which would unravel it from existence.

It had been foolish for both the angel and the blue-skinned Elven mage to even attempt to dispel a weave created by the mighty Kae'dryn. In a way, the knowledge that the angel did not know the magi well enough to be aware of this little trick brought some comfort to her faintly jilted heart.

With the gentlest of mental tugs, the opaque walls surrounding their victims sponteneously dropped into nothingness. Dark lips could not help but smirk as the knight who was bracing the wall for protection suddenly finds nothing solid beneath his palms to hold his weight...
 

[Rikki Tikki Travi]

The young knight noticed a half second too late that the opaque barrier he had put his weight against made a sudden departure. His eyes went from shocked to surprised as he made a sudden and clumsy attempt to stop himself. In a moment he would later regard as one of his least graceful, he fell face first over the two ladies he had been shielding.

A quick and incomplete "Whuh?!" came from Ky's mouth as he fell. He quickly pushed himself up and looked down at the women to make sure he hadn't inadvertently injured them after narrowly escaping death.

His apology was cut off before it began when he realized how close he was to Talise. Memories of her scantily clad form peeking out from his tent rushed into his minds eyes, causing a quick rush of blood in his face. His flushed mouth pursed as he swallowed hard and scrambled to roll off of Domini and Talise.

"Do excuse me." he blurted out after finally managing to position himself on the side of the party farthest from Asmyrra. His unexpected fluster ended once he remembered he was in the presence of a celestial guardian.

Ky's gaze returned to the gorgeous angel before him. He had so many questions for her. He was perplexed to find his throat unable to utter a syllable.  

[Urban Thorne]

Asmyrra had just begun to regain her breath when the world around her exploded into sudden action. She had been expecting the crash of the chandelier, and was prepared to face whatever conflagration that was destined to explode from the ball of fire gracing it. Her mind had not had time to contemplate quite yet that those things would most likely mark her end...

...When suddenly the world exploded into a flurry of speckle-touched white feathers. Asmyrra's mind barely noticed the dispelling of her fire ward as it struggled to reconcile what had landed almost on top of her compatriots...

Ash. The Ash.

There were no shortage of stories among the Kael'dorei about the only known female Angel on the planet. Amid all the stories passed to young Weaveshapers came all of the horrible stories of the Dragon Wars, the ever-present thread was that the Angel Ash had been the first of the allied races to truly reach out to the dragons, simply trying to end the conflict. As such, that angel was the first to attempt to show the elves true wisdom in that time of madness. It was even said that some of the most ancient High 'Shapers could actually remember the figure now kneeling mere inches from the stunned azure-tinted elf, staring into her own slanted eyes with blue orbs that burned with an inner vibrancy all of their own, a life and strength completely unfamiliar and new...

Yet also completely and inexplicably familiar...

But the moment was fleeting, as the sudden and final shift in the energy weave around them caused the dimly glowing curved wall to vanish, and Ky to fall. The sound of his figure collapsing to the floor, and the muffled yelp laced with a warring combination of indignation and fright blurting forth from beneath him, jerked those violet-hued orbs to that direction. Concern for her friend and the compatriots he guarded managed to break Asmyrra's mind free of the momentary shocked stupor caused by being faced with what was basically a living legend, and the brief spell that had fallen was shattered, her mind quickly blurring back up to speed. Asmyrra's skittering thoughts had barely begun to catch up as her slim figure scrambled to it's feet, whirling to scan the area for any imminent danger...

...And to come face-to-face with the fire-lit features of the ancient magi who had been, mere moments before, separated from them by a glowing wall.

. o O (( My apologies for the occasional slowness of my responses, retail during the holidays is absolute hell. Will definitely work on being more consistent.. after I get some sleep. *stumbles off to bed* )) O o .