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 Posted: Thu Dec 13, 2012 12:28 pm
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Posted: Thu Dec 13, 2012 12:58 pm
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A beautiful roaring scream, of joy and sorrow so extreme...
The appearance of the legendary angel brought a whole flood of nostalgic lore to the forefront of the little gypsy's mind. However, this pleasant reverie is cut abruptly, and ungracefully, short as she finds herself on the receiving end of one chivalrous knight faceplant.
A muffled cry of surprise escapes her as she and Domini are tumbled to the floor beneath an equally startled Ky. The jolt manages to shake her hold on the small inventor, releasing her from Tali's arms and landing them both side by side on the ground.
Lifting herself up slightly on her elbows, she cannot help but allow for some amusement as the flustered and slightly blushing soldier pulls himself off of her person. Although fairly virtuous herself, her vibrant ethnic heritage had already exposed the young lass to enough of the workings between lovers that she feels no real embarrassment from their momentarily compromising position.
Sitting up on the floor, she sends a concerned glance over to Domini to make sure she is all right before returning her gaze to graze over the group assembled around her.
One winged guardian of legend, one ancient magi of legend (whom she can't really see well cause Asmyrra is blocking her view), one flushed knight in scruffy armor, and two frazzled heretics on the floor. Again, the humor in the situation rises above any lingering fear.
"Well.." she offers lightly, a wry smile touching her lips and lacing in her tone in an attempt to share her mirth. ".. this is awkward."
There is a love in me raging. A joyous, magical feeling... |
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Posted: Thu Dec 13, 2012 9:23 pm
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 The momentary shock of finding herself face to face with the Elven commander wore off as soon as Azzy turned away, giving the angel's mind enough time to vaguely process everything that had happened. Her gaze brushed along each face staring back at her; Ky with his awed reverence, the disheveled pair on the floor and Relm...
"Relm!" she breathed in earnest. Grasping Asmyrra's arms with a surprising gentleness, Ash moved the blue-tinted Kael'dorei aside and stepped before the magi. At first the mask of indifference caught the her by surprise. She had expected at least a twinge of annoyance. Raising her eyes to meet the unfocused golden gaze, the poor angel was completely taken aback by the concentration of energy burning there.
Furious burning energy.
The ancient magi was not agitated.
She was seething.
A torrent of anguish bathed over the angel's features. This was all her fault. Relm had been in such a good mood before. Playful even. And now...
Now she had ruined everything.
Switching to the only dialect she knew would be understood by the magi alone, Ash reached out a hand towards her dearest friend.
"Relm..." each murmured syllable laced with sincerity and repentance, "I'm so sorry. I panicked when the light hit. It has been so long since I have been out in open air..."
The ancient Draconian tongue stumbled slightly from her lips, years of disuse taking their toll. But even without the eloquence she was normally capable of, her heart was in every word, her eyes pleading for understanding.
"Please, do not punish them for my folly. It was my rash actions that caused this mess. Be angry with me."
Long, pale fingers settled on the crook of the magi's arm with a gentle, loving pressure. It was the same arm attached to the clawed fist encasing the firey ball of energy. "Please dear one... let it rest."
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Posted: Fri Dec 14, 2012 5:41 am
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  The arm that Ash's fingers came to rest on almost jerked itself free of the gentle touch, the ancient magi's unfocused golden eyes still staring straight ahead, her other senses tracking the position of her potential prey. But the low, odd combination of growled, hissed, and gravelly-sounding syllables, and the message they conveyed did manage to reach that seething mind, causing the muscles along her jaw to visibly shift as her teeth clenched.
"...I've more than half a mind to do a little punishing," a similarly-tongued reply finally rasped free of the Weaveshaper, those golden eyes flashing in the direction of Ash's face with more than a little anger still apparent. "I told you that if you but had faith, paid attention, and waited, you would remain unseen..."
Seething anger remained on those pale features for a moment or two longer, the Kae'Dryn struggling with the mental conflict still vigorously calling for blood... But it was those words that Ash had called forth, and the language she had chosen, that finally stirred the heart within that ancient creature. Her slight stammer, the occasional wrong pronunciation... The entire missing physical half of the language... Every Angel knew at least a small part of the dragon's tongue by the end of the Arcane Wars. Ash had been forced to learn considerably more than most, however...
If only because the Kae'Dryn had been unwilling to speak younger languages for quite some time after the Breaking.
And so those golden eyes slid closed, that talonned hand curled itself into a fist, the fiery orb of energy within it dispersing with a small rush of flaming energy flooding from between her fingers. The lighting of the tower (sans the chandelier, of course) finally rose from the dim levels of evening to bathe the stairs and doors in the typical warm candle- and torch-lit ambiance. And as the lights came up, a long sigh of (apparently) vented vexation hissed free of the magi's unpainted lips, the ancient creature calling upon skills in acting honed over millennia of practice as she offered a faint shrug, her expression shifting to one of mild annoyance.
"...I suppose that we may as well call everyone in from the wings, as that is now all settled," came the eventual reply in the common Trade tongue, it's chime-like accent laced with a blend of annoyance and nonchalance. Canting her head to the side, those golden eyes half-opened and aimed their unfocused gaze towards the door Naelonni and Cyrillia were hiding behind, a single thin brow arching. "Including my two wayward apprentices that are so rudely eavesdropping out of sight, rather than staying well away from all this mess as they should be," she called, a bit of sternness replacing the nonchalance in those raised tones... |
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Posted: Fri Dec 14, 2012 12:36 pm
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Posted: Fri Dec 14, 2012 1:13 pm
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 It startled her.
Cyrillia winced slightly at the tone in which the Kae'drynn spoke. She knew all the along they were there, the elven girl felt ashamed, eavesdropping was not something she condoned or even thought she'd do it. But alas, she had, and without realizing it she had started listening to the group, they were interesting to say the least.
Her green eyes darted down to the floor, when she had noticed Nae shift her position to stand in the archway to be seen, Cyrillia walked quietly over as well, not wanting to look up. She felt like a child who had just been caught doing something she wasn't suppose too, "Please ma'am, we had not intended too." she now spoke softly, picking the folds of her dress and curtsied as well.
Cyrillia could not bring herself to look up, she did not wish to anger the Kae'drynn. She had come here to work under her not against her however the humans in which had visited and spoke intrigued her though. But she felt cautious and fearful, having heard many tales about them she could not imagine the kind of barbarian things that did to elves like her. She mentally shook her thoughts and fears away, she could not bring herself to fear them, at present they appeared harmless and slightly clumsy.
"I... only hoped for no one to be harmed.." she now said, and though she had been frightened to say it out loud her voice carried it perfectly and melodious as if she carried no fear. How she wished she could feel that way. |
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Posted: Sat Dec 15, 2012 7:08 am
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 Being confronted by the flame-lit features of one of her people's most fearsome (or feared, depending on who was asked) Weaveshapers was more than enough to make Asmyrra's heart quail a little. Especially considering that the emotionless mask those pale features had born, combined with the flaming death clutched so casually in one clawed hand, spoke of a doom mere moments away. Thus, it was perhaps explainable that the usually steely-nerved spellcaster jumped slightly when unfamiliar hands gently guided her to the side.
Those violet-hued eyes watched in some consternation and shock as a figure of legend confronted a figure of infamy, especially as the completely unfamiliar language the two of them briefly spoke emerged. Asmyrra had done more than a small share of travelling before her shadow had crossed the entrance of the Cathedral, and her oft-cursed memory made learning even regional variants of a language very easy for her to manage... This was something she had never even heard before. Whatever tongue it was the ancient magi and the albino angel shared, however, seemed to calm the Kae'Dryn... and probably spared their lives.
Indeed, Asmyrra carefully allowed a breath that she had unconsciously held when Ash stepped in front of her to escape as the ancient mage called forth her apprentices who had been lingering in the shadows. It was said that the Kae'Dryn was on rare occasions willing to teach younglings, which meant that their presence most likely meant that the danger had past. Which meant that now was the time to try her hand at the mission that had brought her small group to such a dangerous land...
Especially in the presence of the Ash, figure of uncountable stories of heroics and legendary nobility.
Gathering her courage, the azure-hued mage offered the Kae'Dryn (and by proximity, Ash) a deeply formal bow, her purring accent emerging with a clear note of sincere apology colouring it. "Most ancient Kae'Dryn, I offer my deepest apologies for the intrusion caused by myself and my compatriots. We would have never dreamed of disturbing you within your sanctuary, were the events in the southern lands not so dire. We have come to ask for your wisdom regarding a possible way of dealing with the horrible creature, the Beast, causing the dire catastrophe to the people of the south," she quietly stated, before a thoughtful pause caused a hitch in her words. Ideas blurred behind that suddenly hesitant gaze, and the decision to risk a gamble was taken...
"...As well as the possible inclusion of the Angels, as we have evidence that some unique quality of the power they bear may be the key to defeating this menace," that purring soprano concluded, those violet eyes canting towards Ash, clearly including her as a subject of Asmyrra's plea... |
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Posted: Sat Dec 15, 2012 5:52 pm
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A beautiful roaring scream, of joy and sorrow so extreme...
Still sitting on the stone floor, the bemused gypsy was content to watch and listen to the conversation around her. Now that the commander had moved, Tali had a direct line of sight on the Kae'dryn. It was clear to her that the magi was pretty angry. Considering the tone that had called to them from the stairs before the chaos hit sounded more challenging and defiant than truly menacing, she could not help but conclude that the appearance of the legendary angel was not part of the evenings plans.
It was also pretty obvious to her that if they survived the night, it would probably be due to the angel's intercession on their behalf. Already she was trying to coax the arcanist into sparing them. Least, that was her best guess. Talise could not understand the weird gutteral tongue spoken between them, but she has always been a great reader of body language. Most gypsies were powerful cold readers by their adult years. Cold reading, reasonable deception, haggling, fast talking.. these are all skills essential to caravan survival.
The alternating of gentleness, sincerity and apology in the guardian's tone combined with the faint pleading in her expression.. yeah, she was seeking mercy.. mercy for them.
Another smirk attempts to pull at her lips. They must be close, she muses internally. Only someone close to the Kae'dryn would get away with a request like "Please don't eat my new friends".
Thinking she might share this amusing thought with Domini, the gypsy lass turns to her left where the little inventor sits beside her. Any humor is suddenly replaced with concern as that one glance reminds her of the precariously fragile state her friend is in.
A frown creases her lips as swell of determination rises within her. Standing abruptly, she faces the angel and magi of legends.
"Not to seem disrespectful mistress, but it is very late and we have traveled far. Could we perhaps impose upon you for lodging for the evening? We do not require much and all of this could be discussed on the morrow."
Another wry smile quirks her lips, only this time her tone is slightly apologetic. "I'm sure you've seen quite enough of us at present."
There is a love in me raging. A joyous, magical feeling... |
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Posted: Sun Dec 16, 2012 12:08 am
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 Alas, the well intentioned angel was mistaken in her confidence of the privacy the ancient language could offer them. With each disjointed word, a butchered resemblance of that forgotten Draconian tongue, the amused curl of dark lips slowly faded. There was only one person that could have shared that knowledge with the pale guardian below. It was the same someone that had ensured her own fluency.
Heavy lids close over colourless eyes.
Legends of the Dragon Wars streamed forth from the depths of her memories. Everything started to fall into place. The identity of the angel, her history with Relm...
A touch of sadness washed briefly over her features before she retreated into a mask of apathy. No, she would not be given priority tonight.
Suddenly the conversation on ground level held no interest for her. Indeed, as the tower was once again bathed in the comfortable glow of torchlight, the dark witch felt herself naturally falling back into the ebbing shadows.
Slipping through the same door that sheltered her earlier, the ebony-hued figure worked to clear her thoughts from the uncomfortable realisations accosting her. Numbing her emotions, her body worked autonomously to release the magical lock from the window pane and grant her exit to the chilled night skies.
There was a pleasant anaesthetic property to be found in flight. The feel of cold wind rushing against a thin veil of feathers was soothing for her troubled soul and she welcomed the feeling... or rather, the lack thereof.
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Posted: Sun Dec 16, 2012 1:51 pm
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Ky stood after some amount of self persuasion. There he was, in the presence of yet another angel. One would think he would've be used to it by then, but that one would be greatly mistaken. Even after disbanding from the Paladin's Rod, Ky still revered Johannes as a vastly higher being. Yet the angel before him captivated him a few different ways. The most obvious one being that he had never laid eyes on a female angel. Second, both she and the Kae'dryn spoke a harsh language that he had no hope of understanding. Third, that this angel held sway with the Kae'dryn in such a way that he and his party were not smoldering ashes.
He cautiously approached their celestial guardian and cleared his throat. Not wanting to completely drop his guard, he forgoes the usual custom of kneeling before an angel. Instead he does his best to maintain an indirect form of eye contact.
"I beg your pardon in advance as I am unsure how to properly address a lady of the celestial court. I have so much I want to ask you, but I must second my friend. The journey, along with events recently transpired, has taken a toll on us."
He quickly glanced over his shoulder to the greatly fatigued pilot. "Ah, it would seem my small compatriot has paid more than the rest of us. I should assist her. Please excuse me." he said respectfully before taking a small bow.
The knight turned on his heels and knelt beside the diminutive tinkerer. He reassured her in a hushed and gentle tone, "Please don't strain yourself more than you already have. Allow me to help you." He proceeded to lean forward and slip one arm beneath her knees, and place the other arm behind her back. |
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Posted: Mon Dec 17, 2012 5:03 am
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  Terrified. Squished. Almost set on fire and crushed by falling furniture. Still clinging to Tali's hand with a deathgrip, because all inclination to sleep had been dispelled by a falling ball of fiery doom and a figure of myth (or maybe legend?) appearing.
. . .
Squeee didn't even begin to describe the craziness of the last day!!!
But between the growlingish talking stuff between the angel person and the mage threatening to cook them and the pretty flowery speeches from the two knight folks, Domini was starting to get enough mental traction to be irate. What the heck was she and Tali doing here?! She totally could have stayed safe and warm in her ship, able to sleep all she wanted without some short little magi-person trying to blow her up. She would finally have food, and her bed was all comfy and promising... And a bath!! Hot bath!
Who knows, maybe Tali would have been willing to keep her company, if they'd just stayed on the ship...
Maybe they could have just left these crazy knight people behind and taken off for the desert lands! At least it was warm there, and they had vindaloo!!
All those kinds of thoughts skittered to a halt when the knightly guy moved over to kneel beside her. Mismatched eyes watched his movements with the perplexed wariness of someone watching a chemical reaction that wasn't quite intended, but still somehow was going to explode all over the ceiling...
At least, until he touched her.
Rosso's reaction might have been a tad slow, but the moment Ky's hand came in contact with her leg to slide under her knees, the little inventor exploded into sudden, very vocal motion. She somehow managed to scoot several feet across the floor, aim a kick at Ky's armoured hand, bat several times at the other approaching hand, and launch a vigorously screeched protest... All at the same time!! Well, to her mind, at least... |
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Posted: Mon Dec 17, 2012 12:49 pm
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While the gypsy's humoured request received a faint smile from the angel, the speech delivered by Asmyrra and Ky brought an uncomfortable pang of guilt to her fine azure eyes. Johannes had already determined that his brethren held a particular advantage with the Beast simply by the divine powers they naturally wield. However, thus far he was the only one that had acknowledged this advantage with any intention of using it to help defeat this foe.
Slowly she shifted her gaze between her two erstwhile friends. This was not how she wanted it to be. They were never supposed to meet. How would this alter their course? Was she strong enough to share this secret with them as Relm had suggested? Was it fair to assume they would understand? What danger would it place them in to be privy to this forbidden knowledge? Gabriel would have their heads if he ever discovered the truth. There was so much riding on this...
It was strange to have them staring back at her as though she was a stranger. Yet there was something in the look they shared...
Attraction.
Ash blinked once.. then again. In the midst of all the emotions playing across their expressions, both of them obviously found her appearance pleasing. Of course they did. What else did she expect? Internally she scolded herself for being so foolish. Just because she hadn't seen it from them before...
Fighting, and failing, to stem the blush that washes over her skin from chest to ears, Ash suddenly cleared her throat. Before she got a syllable out, however, the evening stillness was interrupted with a small tirade of screeches from the otherwise quiet inventor launched against Ky's goodhearted chivalry.
Ash couldn't help but sigh. The gypsy had certainly nailed it. Awkward.
"Of course you are tired," she tried to make the reply as smooth, and as loud, as necessary to be heard over Domini's rumblings. "It is indeed, quite late. I think a bit of downtime would do us all a world of good."
Her eyes flickered briefly to the two apprentices and Ash realised that she had no idea who they were. She really had been gone too long.
"Perhaps you could show them to some guest quarters?" she motioned between Cyrillia and the group of visitors. She had no idea how much more of this night Relm could take. Her friend seemed relatively calm at the moment, but it was likely a front. She needed to get these people out of here.
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Posted: Tue Dec 18, 2012 1:03 pm
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Fascinating.
Allowing herself to circle a couple times, the large black raven managed to take in a complete view of the extraordinary ship before her. Although she had never spied the vessel herself, there were reports from her sisters about some kind of sailing apparatus that had previously been spotted in the distant skies near their home. Being of an innately paranoid mindset, she and her sisters knew to keep a look-out for the strange ship just in case it came too close to their territory. One never knows who might be at the helm of such a creation.
And what a creation it was. Even with her limited knowledge of anything mechanical, the ebon witch could tell the ship was one of a kind. Between the craftsmanship and the meticulously maintained exterior, she could not help but admire the sight filling her vision. Technology and magic combined. It was magnificent.
The group currently visiting the tower implied that the ship was likely empty of any personnel, but the perks of paranoia demanded that the black feathered intruder keep quiet as she explored the deck and under passages. Her alertness was eventually justified as she heard the soft sounds of raspy breathing emerge from an area probably meant for living quarters. Hammocks draped between stud poles around her, all unoccupied save for one...
The rhythmic pattern of breath informed the witch that the inhabitant was sleeping, though given the laboured struggle with each exhale it was probably not a natural rest. Drugged most likely.
After ensuring they were in fact alone on the vessel, the witch picked off the small wrapping against her talon and reverted to her proper form. A few minor cantrips renewed her clothing to its rightful size and, now modestly covered in a long wrap, her colourless gaze turned once more to regard the slumbering young woman.
Elf... No, half Elf. The lack of body tattoos suggested that she was not raised among her fey kindred. A small collection of wrappings spoke of at least moderately serious injury. Struggling breath implied something internal and definitely more serious.
Interesting that the group visiting the tower did not mention the need for medical assistance, she mused to herself thoughtfully. Perhaps they intend to wait until morning. No matter. It does not appear as though she will expire in the ni...
The thought was cut off abruptly as she noticed a large sheath of arrows lying on the floor against the column supporting the woman's hammock. Eyes narrowed momentarily, then eagerly turned to examine the half Elf's face. A wicked smirk lifted the corners of her mouth.
It's -her-.
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Near frantic steps slow then halt as she reaches the end of the hall, her eyes locked on the archway that rounds into the entryway. Cyrillia's voice was too quite to catch while she had been running. Now that the elven maid had stopped, a few of the blond's words reaches her ears. She motions beyond the arch, signalling the location of the Kae'drynn, then waves off any other questions.
