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 Posted: Sat Dec 05, 2009 9:21 am
As Sati came into the ground floor of the Tower, suddenly she would feel a chill deep within her scales followed by a somewhat pleasant warmth akin to that of a warm august sun shinning down on her scales warming her from the inside out.
Taking the time to look around, she would find herself in what seemed to be a most pleasant parlor designed for individuals of her persuasion...namely those of the Serpent race's. The entire "roof" was made of tilted glass allowing bright sunlight to warm the room.... but how could this be??? This was a tower and towers do not shrink or expand at whim.
Or could they?
The rest of the room was even more odd. Black leather Divan's against the walls which was divided by beaded curtains. Pillows of every size and shape scattered around the hard wood floors. The walls were tiled with mosaics of serpents and dragons. And in the center of the room was a large fountain and bathing area in the shape of a pair of naga's encoiled around each other, clear blue water spraying up from their arched mouths into the air.
Basically it has a very Middle Eastern feel to it.
If Sati turned around right then, she'd also notice that the shrouded man had disappeared and instead of a iron gate behind her, there was a solid oak door that seemed to be handcarved.
Softly she would hear the sound of scales sliding over wood at the far end of the room and the opening of a hidden door in that general direction. As the sounds grew closer, she would hear a voice that held a odd sort of accent that she couldn't quite place yet seemed English almost.
"Welcome Milady.... to my humble abode. Please... take a rest and be well."
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Posted: Sat Dec 05, 2009 9:56 am
The chill that ran through her as she entered the Tower made Sati gasp a little, though it was brief and replaced quickly by the sensation of pleasant warmth that made her relax a little. She gazed around the room she had just entered. She hadn't seen windows like that from the outside. She gazed up at the vast glass and enjoyed the glow of the sun on her grass green scales.
She slithered forward a little to watch the water dance from the fountain into the pool, filling the air with the gentle and relaxing sound. There were pillows everywhere and comfortable looking divans. Curtains brightened the room up. Sati paused to run her fingertips along a mosaic that was particularly intricate and impressive. She turned back to speak to the cloaked man.
He was gone. And so was the gate. Her black curls danced as she turned her head, seeking her guide. How had he vanished so easily? That sent a shiver through her. She rested the butt of her staff on the wooden floors and turned around slowly. There didn't seem to be a soul anywhere. She pushed her hood back from her face for a better look. Hadn't the creature said the master expected her?
The voice startled her, making her tense up and turn sharply to face the source of the sound. She could hear the all too familiar sound of scales on the hard floor. That would explain the decor. But could it possibly be another of her own kind, all the way out here? What were the odds on her finding the tower and having the master be another naga?
"Thank you sir." She replied nervously as she tried to see the owner of the voice through the curtains. She took his cue hesitantly, finding a large stack of cushions to coil her tail up on. She rested up on it and looked quite obviously tense. She gripped her staff close to herself, unsure what to expect. "You have a lovely home. I'm sorry if I am intruding." She craned her neck to see him if she could.
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Posted: Sat Dec 05, 2009 6:33 pm
Smiling slightly from behind the many curtains,Sati would catch glimpses of the creature on the other side. The glisten of his black scales through the thin cloth, his black and red armor and his ten foot long tail than snapped left and right. Finally sliding out of the last bit of curtains, the tall orochi bowed his cowl covered head for a moment, his bright eyes glowing from within the eyesockets of the helm.
"There is no intrusion for a dear cousin of a cousin."
The Orochi said as his long cloak billowed back showing that no matter the similarities between him and her, he was radically different in one very simple way. His torso was extended in length to allow a second pair of arms to be born onto his body instead of the more "usual" two.
"I am the Master of this Tower.... you may call me Vain if you would like. Mister Vain."
With a soft laugh as he referenced a obscure 1993 tune for his persona today, the Orochi reached up to the clasp on his helm mask and with a snap of compressed air, he lifted the mask away allowing his long silver locks to billow freely, the soft curls shaking free in a cascade like water down his shoulderblades. A handsome creature in most womens book, he flashed her a bright smile and removed his long cloak as well, setting both the cloak and the helm onto a near by divan that wasn't in use.
"I am...surprised actually that any could find their way here...the passage is treacherous for those who have issues with the undead. Would you care for a snack or something to drink?"
Coiling up across from the woman Naga, the orochi smiled softly as he leaned back on the pillows, interlocking both sets of fingers together on his stomach armor like some odd content Serpent Budda contemplating the world in general.
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Posted: Sun Dec 06, 2009 7:52 am
Sati's own bright blue eyes followed the shape as it moved along behind the curtains. Here and there she caught the promise of black and red armour, and the sheer size of her host. But most remarkable was the gleam of light reflecting from night-black scales. She felt her breath catch in her throat, anticipating seeing him clearly. Could it really be one of her own kind all the way out here, alone?
She caught sight of him fully and her eyes widened. The helmet was impressive. She could barely stop staring at the glow from the eyesockets. But she managed to look away as he pushed his cloak back, revealing the extra set of arms. She gasped, barely audible over the sound of the fountain. He was like her kind, but far more ancient. Far purer than her line. Somewhere in her family history some other beings had gotten mixed in, though it was long ago. There were few that still bore the ancient bloodlines, and this male was clearly one of them. She actually felt a little humbled.
"I am glad. I would not wish to upset your peace and quiet." She replied, bowing her head a little respectfully. "Thank you for receiving me so kindly, Mister Vain." She said softly but gratefully. Clearly the naga girl knew little of the music he referred to, having been secluded with her family for the best part of the 90s. She took him at his word.
She heard the hiss of the air freeing the helmet from the man's face. She wondered for a while if he hid his face for a reason. Perhaps he was ancient enough that he bore old scars, or marks, or perhaps even more primal features of their kin. But it seemed that was not the case. As his hair fell down his shoulders he set the helmet and cloak aside and flashed her a smile. Her cheeks pinked a little and she drew her coils in a bit tighter.
"It was luck, mostly." She admitted softly. "I was in the library and I just came through the door. And when I saw the tower I had the urge to see who lived here. The undead? Is that what those creatures out there are? They gave me no trouble, so I just left them be. They are very curious though. I've never seen anything quite like that." She tightened her hands around her staff, letting her mouth run away nervously. When he offered her food and drink she felt as though she should refuse politely. She didn't want to cause him any bother. He looked comfortable as he settled back against the pillows.
"I am a bit hungry and thirsty actually. It's been a while since I had a proper meal. I've been moving around mostly at night and the hunting hasn't been good. It's good to come to somewhere so bright and warm again." She admitted, unable to help herself. She gave him a bashful glance.
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Posted: Sun Dec 06, 2009 8:24 am
"No, the pleasure is mine milady. It is so...seldom that I find myself as the host of a dear cousin much less any visitors. I just hope that I can still remember it all..."
He said as his vice gained a somewhat distance tone for a brief moment. Claping his upper hands together as she mentioned the creatures outside, Mr. Vain had to laugh softly at her little misunderstanding.
"Those? Oh no, my dear... those are not undead though I can see how they can be thought of as such. Those are actually active memories of a sort. They are the blood of my tower and allow the tower to continue to grow. No the undead are much more....vicious than that. The swamp nearby seems to be a breeding ground for them and ever so often they come into the Tower grounds searching for food. Quite annoying but they do offer some protection for my studies."
Smiling brightly, the ancient orochi took in how she came here, slightly surprised that door would have opened for her. She must be one of Master Guyy's pupils.... or he subconsciously allowed a backdoor within the door to allow Serpent folk to find it no matter their affiliations.
He was not known for having the foresight skills.... but ever so often he had been known to not know the reason he did something or even that he DID do such things only to find that he found a need for it.
A sort of subconscious divination if you will.
"Well I am glad that you found yourself here safely. Don't dismiss luck though milady.... it is one of the great equalizers in the universe. "
Chuckling softly, the Orochi rose off of the pillows with a creak and began to head towards the doorway he'd entered the parlor in motioning for her to follow him as he did so.
"Well come come then. Let us head towards the kitchen. I know it's around here somewhere.... I'm sure we can find it. Would you care for anything in practicular? Once upon a time I was known as a gourmet chef and I should be able to remember a few old tricks. While we look, how about you tell me a little bit about yourself?"
As he reached the doorway, the orochi opened it wide and stared for a moment through the doorway that he'd come down that he was expecting to lead into a hallway.
But oddly enough, it led directly into the kitchen.... which is exactly what he was looking for.
"Well that answers where the kitchen is."
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Posted: Sun Dec 06, 2009 9:18 am
"I must admit I certainly did not expect to see a cousin all the way out here. I had assumed this tower must belong to a great wizard or sorcerer or something." She replied, doing her best not to look disappointed. On the one hand she was a little let down to discover he was not a great magician, but on the other she was delighted to meet the orochi. It was like finding a reward or a treat for all her questing and studying.
Judging by the almost wistful tone to his voice she had to guess he was really quite truthful when he said he didn't get many visitors at all. She wondered if it was just him and his strange servant here. When he clapped his hands and laughed she was startled. She blushed a little and tilted her head, dark curls falling around her face. Almost the complete opposite to his pale hair. She listened, eyes wide and rapt with attention, as he sort of explained that what she had seen were memories. Although his information about the undead sent a shiver up her long spine.
"They're really that vicious? Oh my. I suppose I really was lucky. I didn't see anything except the... ah... memories? Oh and I think your servant. I don't know where he went. He showed me in anyway." She glanced around. They did seem to be utterly alone now, but that was supposedly a sign of good staff. You never see them until you need them.
She hadn't realised the door was supposed to be difficult to get into. She'd opened it quite accidentally after all. Maybe it was her nature, or maybe it was her blood. Perhaps the door simply knew she had no malicious reasons at all for seeking out the tower and its owner. She smiled gently as he told her not to dismiss her luck. She would remember that, apparently it was doing good for her today.
She watched him rise and invite her to follow. Hesitantly she uncoiled herself. She wasn't as large as he was. Upright she rested at an almost human height, averagely. Her tail trailed behind her, just over eight feet of it and a bright green that seemed far too colourful next to his deep black. Yet his scales shone with an almost luxurious glimmer.
"You don't know where your kitchen is?" That took her by surprise. It sounded like he didn't leave the tower much, he must know it intimately, right? But it seemed not. But she smiled wide to learn he was a chef once. "Oh well, I was always fond of my mother's flatbreads. I haven't had any of that for ever so long. I am not sure whether you would have any though." She replied, referring to the traditional bread her mother baked when Sati was a child. "And the curries she made were divine too. Especially when she caught her own meat. There wasn't much game left when I left our homeland. And it was getting harder and harder to steal a lamb of a calf. The villagers around our tribe were getting wise to it. But they didn't want us to trade, superstition and all..." She waved a hand and sighed deeply. Times were harder than ever. Her parents had given her every blessing when she left the nest, knowing she had more chance of a better life away from their homelands.
"I don't have much to tell about myself really. Oh goodness, I never introduced myself, did I?" She realised with embarrassment. She ducked her head and blushed. "My name is Sati, from the Vashineh tribe to the east. I've been travelling around Gaia for the past couple of years, trying to solve something of a riddle. If I can, I might be able to help my family." She began to explain. The slithered through the door and right into the kitchen. That confused her. Surely if he came from this doorway, he knew where the kitchen was? She began to get the feeling there was far more to this tower than she could understand.
"Well, that was lucky. I guess you're right. We shouldn't dismiss luck." She gazed around in awe.
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Posted: Mon Dec 07, 2009 10:53 am
"Magic? I could be called a Great Mage but that is not one of my more focused talents. As to my servant, he's around here somewhere.... probably up on the library levels dedicated to Necromancy as he is looking for a way to evolve."
He said as he slithered into the very modern kitchen kind of still thinking about how the kitchen had come to be here.... but finally he remembered that the Tower had ways of reading his and guests mind and fufilling their wishes if possible. He really needed to write these things down somewhere.
Which he actually was, but he'd forgotten where he'd put the list of things to remember.
Funny really.
But his servant was trying to evolve??? Now that was an interesting little topic which she might find interesting. As he curled around the large granite island and began to go through his fridge and the handcarved oak cabinets, the orochi continued to speak.
Flatbread and Curry? I think that I have some fresh baked around here.... but what type of meat would you like in your curry then Sati? The meat locker should still be stocked from last time I had company...."
Noding slightly as he pressed a small rune on the wall and opened a large oval door that formed behind the rune. Noding slightly as he took a look within his breadbox, the Count reached within the stasis field which held the bread at the instant it was placed within and pulled out a large platter of steaming Flatbread that smelled perfectly baked as if it had just come out of the oven.
Which to the bread it had.
Placing the platter on the table, he gave her a small wink and motioned for her to dig in while he opened up the double steel doors and went into the walk-in meat locker that seemed to go back almost a hundred feet with large slabs of meat hanging from the ceiling on each side all the way down the corridor.
"Humm... that gives me a small idea. I am sorry that things are harsh for your family, Sati. I did not believe that there was any more Naga tribes that lived within a thousand miles that hadn't moved into the human cities. And a riddle you say? Most....interesting."
His voice fading away as he went deeper into the meat locker glancing at the small labels on each slab of meat, he pondered for a moment which meat he should use.... but hopefully Sati would let him know if there was any meat which she couldn't eat.
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Posted: Mon Dec 07, 2009 11:41 am
Her expression brightened up when she learned he was also a mage. Maybe he could help her and her family after all. She flashed him a shy smile as she looked around the kitchen. It was neat and modern and it looks quite luxurious and well stocked. So many things were different since she left her homeland. She had lived as her kind had centuries ago, in the caves in the hills, but they had at least gotten electricity and hot water plumbing.
"Evolve?" He asked, trailing her hand along the top of one of the expensive looking counters. "I'm not exactly educated, but I've read enough to learn that takes generations of small changes. How can one creature hope to evolve by reading about Necromancy?" She tilted her head and watched him as he began to look through his cupboards. She hadn't quite understood, clearly. But with this man how could she possibly understand? He seemed quite eccentric, but very nice so far.
He finally reached his breadbox. Perhaps he had some of that premade flatbread she had seen people buying in the human cities. It wasn't quite the same as eating it fresh from the oven, but it was always palatable at least. She was utterly shocked when the platter of bread he set down was still steaming gently. She looked back to the breadbox. It didn't look like it should be able to bake bread, and how was it timed so perfectly? Had he really knows she was coming? He barely seemed to know what day it was.
She stared at the bread in surprise. He motioned for her to get started on it and hesitantly she reached out and tore a piece of. It was as if it had just come out of the oven. She almost didn't answer his question, she was in such awe.
"Lamb. Goat. Deer. Chicken. Beef. Rabbit. Anything you have would be good. It's been a while since I had lamb actually. Humans seem to like to make curries with chicken. Not that I object to that really." She chewed on the bread thoughtfully as he vanished into the meat locker. "This is really good. Just like my mother used to make!" She praised happily.
"Yes, we live as part of a traditional tribe. We try to keep the old ways. Which is good and all, but it seems the local villagers are keeping to the old ways too. They won't have anything to do with us unless we have something rare to trade. They attack us and hunt us. One of my cousins even had her eggs stolen last spring." She sighed deeply. Despite her parents and grandparents trying so hard to make friends with the local humans they simply would not give up their old superstitions.
"And it's all compounded by a curse put on my family by a village witch a couple of centuries ago." She sighed heavily and tore off some more flatbread, enjoying the nostalgia of it. "Seems she decided all nagas were hateful thieves and liars so she cursed us all only to tell the truth. Which means every time we go down into the village we manage to offend someone, or worse..." She shook her head sadly.
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Posted: Mon Dec 07, 2009 12:32 pm
"Yes you see, he is one of the smarter undead known as a Wraith. A nice sort of man who doesn't really appreciate the situation he's found himself in, but he's come into the patience of those who do not have to worry about life and the troubles such things entail. He wishes to become something more than what he is... and the only way for the undead to do that is to open wider their personal "link" to the Negative Energy Plane where all undead are connected to."
He said as he continued to look at the tags and dismissing them one by one as not quite right. He had meat from a thousand different species in his meat locker and knew that somewhere down here, there was some slabs of lamb.
Finally finding what he was looking for, the Count grabbed up a five pound slab of lamb off the meathook and headed back out of the locker.
"I go through phases where cooking becomes more of an obsession than a hobby. And as I am the only one here who can eat any of it, I put the meals I make into stasis so that when I am in the mood, I only have to find which field I placed it within and take it out."
Placing the slab of lamb on the large carving block, he picked up a large meat cleaver in his lower right hand and allowed his lower appendages to begin to cut up the meat into small bite size pieces, setting the trimmed fat to the side.
While his lower arms where working on the meat, Zantara used one of his little talents to split his attention to gathering the cooking supplies he would need namely a bottle of clear vegetable oil which he poured a cup and a half into a large pan and placed it on the stove. As the oil began to heat, the Count began to chop or crush up bay leaves, cardamom, cinnamon sticks, peppercorns, and cloves into an almost paste adding each ingredient to the oil.
"It seems that either the humans must go... or your tribe must migrate. Humm... interesting. But a curse you say? A truth-telling curse at that?? Very very odd. It's almost benign which is quite unusual for some village tart of a witch. They usually deal in boils, and more painful things."
As the bay leaves began to sizzle, Zantara chopped up 2 large onions and tossed them into the pan. Picking up a large spatula off of the wall hook, he hummed quietly to himself as he sauteed the whole thing up with one hand as he motioned for Sati to hand him the bottle of ginger paste that was in the small jar by her left side as began to chop up a green chili pepper and a small garlic bulb.
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Posted: Tue Dec 08, 2009 1:35 am
"He's undead?" She looked shocked as she replied. She shivered a little and clung to the hot flatbread. Her staff had been set down carefully against the counter, though she still had her warm cloak draped around her shoulders. "Well... um. I guess it's good that he's trying to better himself like that. I can sympathise I suppose." She tilted her head curiously and nibbled at the bread.
She couldn't help but watch the male as he returned to the room with a slab of lamb. His lower limbs began to expertly dice it up as his upper arms worked on the rest of the preparation. She was transfixed. Clearly he meant what he said when he remarked on being a great chef. His explanation made sense as to where the food came from and she began to have the feeling he was more skilled with magic than he let on. She certainly couldn't do magic like that, and yet he used it for something as simple as keeping food fresh. It was remarkable.
She watched him add in various ingredients to the curry, marvelling at the ease he made it. Now she sort of wished her family didn't have the trouble of a single set of arms. He motioned to a jar nearby to her and she blinked before understanding that he wanted it. She set down her bread for now and picked up the jar of ginger paste, handing it to him.
"Well we can't move a whole village, but our family has been in those hills for thousands of years. We can't leave it now." She sighed. She knew he was probably right. Someone had to go. She was doubting this whole situation could merely be fixed, and the humans were doing an excellent job of whittling their numbers down simply because her tribe refused to fight back. They didn't want a war.
"Now you see the riddle. Such a small curse should not be keeping the humans so uptight about us. For hundreds of years they have scorned us, and we do not know why. My father thinks there was another curse, one we do not know about. So I have come seeking answers." She explained, looking quite forlorn. So far she'd had no luck whatsoever, and her truth curse had gotten her into quite a bit of bother in some places.
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Posted: Tue Dec 08, 2009 9:14 am
Adding in the ginger paste, the crushed garlic, chopped up peppers and the lamb into the pan, he continued to stir the mixture humming softly to himself an old wordless tune. Adding a bit of salt into the mix, he continued to stir with his upper left hand as his lower arms began to clean off the chopping block while pulling turmeric, coriander powder, cayenne, and garam masala from the spice cabinet.
"Oh yes, he's been undead for quite a few years.... I think he's coming onto his thousandth year sometime soon. He was a mage in his previous life and seeing as being a wraith kind of limits the amount and type of magic that a person can use, he's always chaffed under that certain yoke as it were."
Chuckling to himself as he grabbed two fresh tomatoes out of the vegetable bin beside him, Zantara began to chop them us as he began to add the spices, tasting the broth every few minutes to make sure that the consistency was correct. Adding a few tablespoons of water, he continued to speak
"Don't say you can't Lady Sati.... because you never know when such a statement will come bite you on the tail. If two people can not get along no matter the circumstances one of them has to leave. I would offer my own realm for your people but I surprisingly don't believe they would take me up on the offer."
As she pondered why the human's were like that, the Count was somewhat saddened at her child-like innocence.... and how he was going to be forced to crush such hopes. Adding the tomatoes into the pan, he continued to stir the mixture before adding four cups of water and setting the spatula aside.
"There is a more simpler explanation than there being a curse on your tribe Lady Sati. Humans have never needed such things to be hateful and mistrusting of those not like them. It is almost as if they have a genetic disposition to hate serpent-folk. They have actually been known to go out of their way to kill us no matter the circumstances. And it's not just us who fall under this hatred. The elves in all their multitude subraces, the dwarfs, the Dragons and other intelligent creatures of the land. We all have our history with the human race..... and most of that history is bad."
Scooping out a piece of the meat in a wooden spoon, he offered her the first taste of meat to see if it was tender enough before he continued.
"Now do not get me wrong. Every race also has stories of certain humans helping them freely in some great cause. We have our human heros, true enough. But these are only isolated humans.... ah if they are were that selfless the world would be a much better place."
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Posted: Wed Dec 09, 2009 1:13 am
Sati watched with rapt fascination as the male worked on his culinary creation. It wasn't long before the smell of the spices and herbs filled the air, mingling and making her mouth water. It looked so good. She kept nibbling at the bread as her stomach rumbled quietly but insistently.
"A thousand years old... I can barely imagine!" She muttered, amazed at everything she was encountering here. It was a remarkable place with remarkable people. "I always thought wraiths were scary, vengeful spirits. But he seems helpful."
She blushed a little when he called her Lady Sati. She'd never considered herself a lady. She looked up at him with wide, watery eyes. He offered her his home realm. Her family. She sighed softly and shook her head. He was right. Her siblings and cousins may have accepted, but her parents and grandparents would be frightfully reluctant. They fully believed they were entitled to that land, having been there for millennia.
"They won't leave. And the humans are fighting us. They won't leave either, unless..." She bit her lip. There was no way they would even dream of attacking the humans.
She tilted her head and watched him add the tomatoes. Her innocence did seem almost out of place in the modern world. She really did come from a simpler way of life, full of trust and honesty. Until she was a teenager she didn't even realise that people could lie. She was far too used to her family and their curse. Naturally, her innocence and naivety was often abused by the humans, until it was explained to her that they didn't always speak the truth. In fact, they rarely did. It still baffled her sometimes.
She hung her head. Part of her knew he was right. She'd seen it time and time again. Humans could be kind, but many attacked those of other races. Particularly those like herself and the dragons who looked different. She'd even heard that their religious books pointed out serpent-kind as responsible for evil in the world. It was heartbreaking to learn.
"You really think that there's no curse?" She looked up at him sadly. It would explain a lot. But it was saddening.
He offered her the meat and she hesitated before she nibbled the lamb from the spoon gently. It really was excellently cooked. She smiled softly and sighed.
"Oh, it has been ever so long since I tasted such wonderful meat! Humans do eat some vile things." She wrinkled up her nose. "I was recently introduced to a thing called a... a... Big Mag?" She shuddered a little.
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Posted: Wed Dec 09, 2009 11:29 am
"Oh don't get me wrong... he can be horrid sort of creature when he puts his mind to it. But once you reach that age of un-death, the overwhelming urges to kill and destroy the living kind of... fade away."
He said with a small knowing smile as she took a bite of the lamb, seemingly enjoying it as much as he was in making it. Going back to stiring the mixture, he opened the fridge with his long tail and removed a large tub of plain yogurt. Spooning out half a cup into the pan, he began to whisk it all together adding the final touch to the sauce as he pondered all that she had said.
"Well if your people will not move and if you are sure that there is no way they can be convinced of it and the humans don't seem to be in a mood to move either, then perhaps something needs to be done to make the land seem to be inhabitable to humans any longer."
Looking between the cookbooks on the shelve above his head, Mr. Vain pulled down a large book that seemed to be bound in metal sheets with embedded rubies on the cover in the profile of a dragon.
"What about a volcano perhaps? Humm.... maybe a bit too much. A swarm of locust? Too biblical. The undead outside aren't doing all that much...."
He muttered to himself as he flipped through the spellbook, still stirring the Curry. Nodding ever so often, the Count continued to speak to her slightly distracted as he was looking for a certain spell.
"I am glad that you enjoy. Like I said before.... it's quite seldom that I have visitors or much need to cook."
Placing a bookmark on a certain page, Zantara leaned over the curry and breathed in deeply. It smelled perfect. Grabbing the handle, he pulled it off of the hot stove and set it on the cooking block. Turning off the stove, he poured Sati and himself each a large steaming bowl of the curry and placed a spoon in each bowl before sliding it over to in front of her.
"I can see what I can do about checking, but I really don't see how your problem has to be attributed to a curse of all things. This is a perfect situation where Occam's razor should be realized in all it's beauty."
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Posted: Wed Dec 09, 2009 12:26 pm
Sati stared at her male companion. Her look of nervousness said it all when he remarked on his wraith servant once having urges to kill the living. She made a silent mental note never to turn her back on him, just in case. Though the count himself had survived this long with him, so it was probably safe. She wasn't used to all this dealing with the undead and supernatural. She really was a simple country girl at heart.
More ingredients went into the pan. She could feel herself salivating at the addition of the yoghurt, making the curry thick and creamy. She waved her tail to and fro in excited anticipation. It smelled so good. She still had the taste of the succulent lamb on her lips. His idea had her tilt her head. She had never considered the idea of making the humans not want to live there any more.
As he cooked he flicked through a heavy tome. She was still impressed that he could split his concentration like that without either task seeming to suffer at all. She looked at the cover of the book as he read. were those rubies? On a book? It must be a very important book. He spoke again and she looked up, blushing a little at having been staring.
"A... a volcano? But there's no volcano..." She looked at the book. This was big magic. She gasped a little. "You can do that?! That's amazing! But I don't think we want to hurt them... you really think there's a way of chasing them away? Oh that would be wonderful!" She clapped her single pair of hands together and smiled widely and charmingly. She was delighted. He set the book aside and spooned out the curry.
Now she was frankly ecstatic.
"Yes, yes I suppose. We have desired peaceful resolution for so long. But perhaps there simply isn't one. My family will not be pleased with such news, but if there is a way of chasing the humans away safely... oh that would be amazing." She wriggled a little where she was coiled, the smell of the curry making her drool. Her stomach rumbled. But she had been taught manners. Always wait for your host.
"I do hope we can solve our problems somehow." She nodded, letting it sink in that perhaps there was no additional curse at all.
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Posted: Wed Dec 09, 2009 3:18 pm
Pouring both of them a glass each of 1945 Cabernet Savignon, Zantara picked up his bowl of curry, three pieces of the flatbread. Tucking the book into a pouch on his belt, he picked up both glasses of wine in his lower hands and motioned for her to follow him back into the parlor that they had first began their conversation in.
"I was actually thinking something more along the lines of a illusionary volcano than a actual one... we would want to keep the land able to be habituated by your people won't we?"
Shaking his head slightly as he continued to ponder on the different ways a situation like this could be handled magically, the Count curled up on his Divan once more and held out the glass of wine to Sati.
"Do you happen to know who actually owns the land that you both live on? No matter.... let us come back to that after dinner."
And with that, he motioned for her to take her seat and the glass of wine and dig in at her own speed. Savoring the curry bite by bite, Zantara thought for a moment still pondering what might be done about Sati's dual problems of curses and troublesome humans.
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