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 Posted: Sun Dec 30, 2012 7:48 pm
Aleria was in their favourite place: the library. Quietly, they sat with their newly acquired scarepod, one headphone hooked over a pointed ear. They were clad in winter clothes .
Soft sounds of something classical was playing, with a lot of bells and chimes: the music of their tribe, far in the North.
The tall demon was hunched over a book, specifically about the history of the world, reading up about history and old treaties and boring details-- but to Aleria, they were fascinating. There was an open notebook next to them, filled with prim writing done in blue ink.
They were alone at the table, and the library was a little full today. Frowning, Aleria turned up their music. There was no point in being apologetic about it, they assumed. Everyone else was being significantly noisier.
They turned to the next page of their book.
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Posted: Sun Dec 30, 2012 7:56 pm
False had ventured to the library many times, it never ceased to amaze him how much time he could spend reading books in this place. Books that might not be class related, but books he cared about. Spells, artifacts, and enchantments consumed his time when the mood struck and such a mood it was today.
Sweeping through the halls of shelves he let his fingers trail on spine after spine of books before randomly tugging one down dropping it to the feline below who quickly added it to a small bundle it tugged behind him. "Is that the laaaast one? This is getting heavy and you said the last one was the last one. Twice."
"Yes cat, it is, back to the usual place." Turning the corner though he stopped. He heard, something. He wasn't quiet sure, it sounded like classical music, something he hadn't heard in a while. Adjusting his pace he rounded the corner the opposite way of his usual path. Pausing only to pick up the cat and bundle of books depositing them on the table across from Aleria.
"A Northerner in our midst? And a scholar no less even. Is this table taken completely?"
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Posted: Sun Dec 30, 2012 8:48 pm
Aleria blinked, straightening in their seat as they were addressed.
They rested their head on a heavily clawed hand, smiling to reveal two rows of sharp teeth.
"Correct," they acknowledged with a nod of the head, and tucked a lock of shocking white hair behind a pointed ear. "A small town, port-worthy. Shayala, if you might know it."
They gestured to the empty seats around them.
"I would not mind the company," the demon said, and a good thing too, for the boil had already laid his books down in preparation, it seemed.
"My name is Aleria." They held out their hand in offering, for Aleria had manners, thank you very much. "Might this demon catch yours?"
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Posted: Sun Dec 30, 2012 8:57 pm
False returned the smile, one row of teeth, very white with just a few flakes of some herb in them from whatever it was he last smoked.
"Shayala, very far. No relation to Anor Lando and the southern Great Swamps. No room for a boat. Maybe a raft, but no boats." Sliding into the seat offered he set about piling his four books carefully before tugging parchment and quills from a bag strapped to his side.
Once done he reached across the table his warm hand just a tad hotter then the average reapers wrapping around hers. "False, and my familiar Sharpie." At this point the demoness would notice a cat now perched at the edge of her feet.
"Hello!" it chirped in greeting.
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Posted: Mon Dec 31, 2012 7:06 pm
"Very far indeed," Aleria agreed. "It has been around for nearly a thousand years, full of sea-faring folks that brave the ice. Their vines hummed contentedly in the demon's mind, recoiling a little as a warm hand embraced Aleria's.
The demon's hand was frigid to the touch, below freezing, so the heat came at a bit of a shock.
"I did not realise you had a familiar," they said, peering down at their boots. "Greetings to you as well. I have a presence with me as well, but alas."
They tapped their veins, and something beneath the surface of their skin squirmed, bulging as if a worm had burrowed beneath it.
"I am an arctic flora demon-- each of my kind is one with a different plant. My vascular system is comprised of...well. Vines."
The demon tapped at one of their horns, hardened vines with thorns.
"I am pleased to make your acquaintance, and I extend that to you both, False and Sharpie."
The demon removed an earbud, and the notes of music got a bit louder, so Aleria paused their scarepod. They hummed noncommittally, peering at the books that the reaper had brought with him. "We are from opposite sides of the earth, it seems, with me from the North and you from the South."
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Posted: Tue Jan 01, 2013 5:38 pm
"The same can be said for Anor Londo, though New Londo sank into the dark and flooded. It's practically the swamps in a way. History is history though and what is, simply is."
He noted the coolness of the hand he shook and though for him it didn't shock or really bother him he was quick to release her hand with a sheepish smile and a shrug of the shoulders. Some folks didn't like the heat understandably.
"I'm a Pyromancer, we tend to all have familiars with the rare few who take up weapons over our usual arts." Down at Aleria's feet Sharpie was purring like a motor boat pawing at her leg happily. Thankfully he was not nearly as warm as the reaper across from her.
"Arctic flora demon..." He rubbed his chin slightly adjusting his glasses, "Living veins, I probably pry too much but I assume judging by the movement in your lovely skin that you're able to re-adjust your vital life lines at will?" A lovely trick really.
Still he had come to study so he tugged the first of his books over flipping it open to the index to seek the spells and formulas he was seeking at the time. All the while he listened to the lingering sound of the ghouls Scarepod nodding at her statement.
"Indeed we are, though what people think of the south is obscured, some would say we're the barbarians of the Reaper race, places like New Londo still hold wealth and knowledge of the world even in the darkest and worn of places." He glanced up from his reading looking over the rim of his glasses, "Have you always been a fan of classical songs Aleria?"
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Posted: Fri Jan 11, 2013 6:49 pm
"Swamps," the demon replied, musing. "Interesting. I do not believe I've ever seen one outside of a textbook," they mused, tapping their chin with a claw.
Aleria nodded as False filled them in on what he was, and why he had a familiar. Reaching down, the demon tentatively ran a hand over Sharpie's fur, scritching him lightly behind an ear and underneath his jaw and chin.
"At will would be a stretch," they confessed. "They primarily come out to play when I utilise my fear. I have a constant connection with them, but they're not prehensile until I use my powers, I'm afraid. It's sort of a symbiotic relationship. I give them a host, they give me strength."
Aleria's smile widened. Few had thought to ask about their origins, and the demon had a lot of pride regarding their species.
"Knowledge is everywhere," they agreed. "While we were a small town, the constant ships carried with them news and books and scientists alike."
Aleria blinked, then reached to touch their scarepod. "Indeed. I was raised to play piano, although I am rather rusty in recent times. I primarily sing a little, these days, but I suppose if I were to practise either, I might be able to remember them better. Are you also a fan of the genre? I've always been a fan of Choppin and Ichaivosky."
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Posted: Mon Jan 14, 2013 3:36 pm
"Outside the temperature and humidity I think you would enjoy a swamp quite a bit. Considering the nature of plant life there and you're own relationship with it."
Sharpie meanwhile let out a low purr completely okay with all the attention to his ears and chin, so much so that when Aleria stopped scratching she would find the cat plopped happily in her lap. He was indeed a lap cat, and for once had enough manners not to let his paws ink all over her outfit.
"Interesting, and when you manifest fear how do they react? For myself I guess it's rather obvious fire is the name of the game. Sharpie is the fuel, and when I use my FEAR conjoined with his smaller amount it ignites the ink he's made of causing a rather... furry fireball I guess. But that's just the basic idea of how I can use him before adding in other spells and tricks."
The mention of books and trading made him sigh wistfully, "To have fresh news brought from distant lands.... that is a refreshing idea. The swamps never catered many great guests or traders. We lived off the land, studied our magics and while we might have a few people of note in the cities above and records there, those below where hardly considered interesting or great. You had to sneak a way up or work there to get the meat of the library."
"I was slated to learn such things, but music was never my primary interest, along with most other things put forth for me to study by my parents. Though I have listened to classics, the later one, he's what they call 'Russian' yes? And Choppin." He frowned tapping a finger on the desk when the cat chimed in from Aleria's lap.
"French. Piano again!"
The reaper nodded and rolled his eyes, "Yes, there we go. Though if I had one song I enjoy I would say Ave Maria. I tend to air on the side of German works myself."
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Posted: Wed Feb 20, 2013 1:47 pm
"Plantlife is indeed always an interesting thing," Aleria conceded, even if they did make a face at the idea of warmth.
Aleria hummed momentarily. "Perhaps it would be easier if I were to do a demonstration?"
They removed their outer jacket, revealing a shirt without a collar: a wide, sweeping neckline that bared their shoulders. They took in a deep, calming breath. The first vine slid forth from beneath the demon's eye, curling to life as it escaped its hidden place inside their body. The veins in Aleria's arms ripped free from their flesh, lashing impatiently and twining around a pale, pale wrist.
From their back a series of vines erupted, three per side, and raised above the demon like a raised skitter's legs. And then Aleria smiled, and from within their mouth came another, curling.
Lo and behold. The vines had emerged. They could stretch for a far distance, and one slimy, cold tentacle reached to pat False's face, gently. Another reached to pet Sharpie, before they all retracted immediately.
Aleria sagged in their seat, exhausted from the demonstration, before turning their head to blink once at False.
"I am afraid I am uninitiated in the genres that you speak. What is...French? What is German? They are regions in Halloween I have not yet heard of. Can you tell me more? I enjoy playing classical music from all around Halloween, to add to the repertoire would be wondrous."
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Posted: Wed Feb 20, 2013 2:00 pm
False could plainly see her discomfort at the mention of warm, he didn't really blame her either, he wasn't fond of cold and wet most of the time. (Amphi was a very special exception to the 'wet' rule. Wet could include warm like a swamp so.... special cases!)
"A demonstration is always good," He leaned back in his chair resting one elbow on the arm and his chin on the same hand watching as she seemed to split apart, vines and tendrils emerging from places that well, frankly no vine had any right to be in really in his body.
Then she smiled and False couldn't help but grin as the vine slid out between her lips, thin and slimey they reached over stroking his cheek along with the cat's own, Sharpie being a cat of course decided batting at the appendage was a good idea. Again he was a proper cat, no claws, you're welcome Miss Aleria!
When she finally dropped back into her chair, Sharpie leaped onto the table moving to finally end up on False's other shoulder. "Well where I'm from we have a lot of rubs with the Human world. Or did at least. We have extensive studies on their cultures. Halloween and the Human world have mirrored artist, time periods, designs, everything is sort of.... copied. Now not EVERYTHING. But we adopt a fair bit from their culture. Russia and France are two, places in their world where music like the ones you mentioned where made."
He sighed, "Sadly the human world has a distinct lack of magic and fire. Very boring really but the music is good. Lots of languages too."
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Posted: Sat Mar 09, 2013 6:15 pm
"I am truly envious," Aleria explained emphatically, resting their chin in their spindly hands, their all-black eyes practically shining. "The only ones I have met were during the Horsemen Trials, and I was only made aware of the fact that they weren't reapers when we invaded their island. A quaint island-- too warm entirely. You might find it homely."
They frowned at the idea of the human world being so boring. "Do all humans not have weapons like reapers? And languages? I have not heard any but my native tongue, this one we speak now."
"There is no magic?" the demon asked, tapping their chin. "None at all...? Truly? How can they create such wonderful works, if you say the music is similar, without it?"
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Posted: Mon Apr 15, 2013 9:15 pm
"I am well adjusted to warm swamps and hot weather, but that Island sound's like a royal hell with armed humans that I'd rather avoid. Regardless of how I act fighting is the last thing I want to do. More trouble then it's worth."
To the later though he seemed to perk up sitting a bit straighter as she offered up her questions, "No they don't, some have weapons but nothing like our own. They where made to fight other humans in silly fights over petty things. To us most humans are hardly a threat. As for languages, dozens on dozens. The cat speaks a good thirty, I know German and Latin, I'm trying to learn more but it's terribly complex knowing multiple ones."
As for the music he nodded, "No magic, only those hunter ones and even then it's because of their weapons like our Reapers use. The music? Talent oddly. Humans are short lived passionate creatures. Their music is just one thing that is surprisingly deep and moving."
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Posted: Sun May 12, 2013 7:16 pm
"Interesting," the demon murmured, nodding their head. "I know only the common tongue, and that of the cold and the north, but that is no language at all."
"I know nothing of Hunters, really, except that they remind me of Reapers, and a few were not as fond of the Famine room as I." They brushed claws through their hair, gaze fixated on False, but ...unfocused, seeming to almost peer through him.
"I should think I'd like to meet some under less calamitous circumstances. Do you know how I might do such a thing?"
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