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 Posted: Mon Feb 22, 2010 10:35 pm
Scratching against parchment had been the only sound between them for nearly two hours. Occasionally it would pause, be punctuated with the tinkle of quill tip against ink container, a gentle crackle from the nearby hearth, and sparsely accompanied by the shifting of armor. As had become standard, one of the empty dining halls in the Northern Base was utilized as a study; though large, it was secluded and spacious enough not to threaten claustrophobia. The warmth of the fireplace was another factor, he knew, though she never made mention of it.
Clawed metal gauntlets curled around the stone edge of a nearby window. Sir Sloane's forehead rested against the chilled window pane as he peered out into the white expanse. Behind the Northern Bases was nothing but frozen wilderness and dangerous mountains until the coast, Stillcrest being Shyregoed's only port and at its Northern most point. He found that decision somewhat humorous, always had, for the simple fact that nearly any other edge upon Shyregoed would surely make for a better port than one so close to one of the thickest mountain ranges in all of Panymium. All the same, perhaps it was moot given the nature of sea trade; he had never seen it in any other state than closed.
Sloane pulled away from the window to look at the lone member of a lengthy wooden dining table. Her back was to him, long dark hair resting over one shoulder as she leaned forward into her work. Lady Estratus was keeping a steady pace in her writing, as calm a hand as ever, but her posture was shifting lower as the hours ticked on. To her right was a pile of crisp, blank parchment while to her left sat a neat collection of papers she had already filled in. Such bureaucratic work had not been her duty until the Grand Magus appointed Sage Estratus as the Fellowship's Adviser. Where before she had time to mingle and practice, her current work took up most of the day every day. There was some resentment to be had from the Infitialis for this change of pace, directed both at the Grand Magus for issuing it and his Grimm for feeding into it.
Minutes passed on, still. He always managed to keep himself occupied, though it was difficult. Sloane reminded himself that he was to keep an eye on the Adviser out of duty; he was a Fellowship knight, after all. It was not duty or service that allowed his eyes to roam, however, scrutinizing and inspecting her every subtlety. His claws traveled to the bottom of his gauntlet, adjusting the armor just as a few frantic scratches to parchment were followed by a loud rip.
Lady Estratus raised her hands from the parchment. She dropped the quill and covered her face with both palms, leaning back in the chair and releasing a slow sigh. The page she had been writing held a large zigzag of black ink with an arrow shaped tear straight through the middle. It was completely ruined.
Sloane's brows raised with interest as he quickly surveyed the scene, the hint of a smile curling one side of his face. He stepped tentatively, muting the sound of his boots as much as possible in his approach. The top of the high backed chair reached the center of his sternum, Lady Estratus' head just a few inches lower. She tensed visibly when he stopped just behind the chair and wrapped his fingers around the raised sides. This didn't deter the grin forming on his face even when he bent forward, looming over the chair, and she mimicked the action to move away from him. Her neck was still exposed and Sloane intentionally hovered over that side.
Before speaking, he drew in breath and relished her scent. It wasn't quite floral, nor anything he could identify off hand, but it was uniquely hers. ”I am here, you know,” he spoke quietly, as if revealing an intimate secret.
His Grimm shifted, leaning more forward and propping her elbows on the table edge while a thumb cradled one of her temples. ”I could not be more aware of that fact,” her words were stiff, as he expected, until she felt his breath on her neck. At that, she attempted to push herself more forward, distance herself from him.
He was undeterred.
”I am here for you,” Sloane's clawed fingers caressed and curled around the top of the chair in lieu of the woman before him, ”To do with as you will.”
A light scoff left Lady Estratus and she straightened up, covering her exposed neck with the full length of her hair once more. Her hands set to work on returning the quill to its inky container and rolling up the ruined parchment.
”I can ease your burden, if you'll permit me.” The knight's smile became full and twisted. A multitude of meanings coated his words, any interpretation his Lady gained from such a statement likely being pertinent in one way or another. Only two were of actual relevance to Sloane.
At this assertion, Lady Estratus' folding of the parchment became more akin to crumpling. She paused with it between her hands as a misshapen ball. Her hesitation caused a light heat and excitement to rise in Sloane's gut. Just as he opened his mouth to speak again, she tossed the ruined document into the blaze, flames lapping it up greedily.
”Wouldn't it be prudent? Scribbling all day leaves no room for your other duties,” one finger reached out, gently claiming a piece of her hair and pulling it closer.
She pulled back before he could close it in his grasp. ”You've no skills that would lend themselves to this position.” Lady Estratus pushed the chair back until it knocked against Sloane's chest plate and finally moved away from his immediate reach. She stood by the side of the table, refusing to even glance at him as her fingers skillfully ran over the tops of the finished documents, counting their total.
”You could teach me,” he said hopefully, draping both arms across the top of the chair and resting his chin on them.
Lady Estratus' brows knit slightly. ”I would not have the strength of mind to spend even five minutes tutoring you, let alone the amount of time it would actually take.”
His expression soured and so did his tone, Sloane's words becoming firm. ”Someone else, then.”
When the documents were all counted, Lady Estratus picked up the pile, tapped its bottom against the table so everything was level, and pulled them to her chest. ”No one in the Fellowship would trust sensitive information to a Plague's scrawl, least of all an Infitialis.”
While she refused to look at him, Sloane's gaze never faltered. Even as he reached one arm over to the pile of blank parchment and rested his claws upon it, then pulled back, scattering pages to the floor. He wasn't smiling.
”You make a compelling argument,” she chided under her breath at the childish display, ”I would benefit from assistance, that much is true.” Sloane's expression perked slightly to one of neutrality rather than irritation. Lady Estratus turned away and walked to the nearest door. ”My course of action will not concern you, all the same.”
Sloane raised his head, one hand still gripping the chair tightly. ”What do you mean?”
”I will take on a human scribe.” The door groaned shut, the metal handle knocking against its side.
The Infitialis grit his teeth, disgust creasing his features. Before he could do anything else, the door opened once more, just a crack, and he heard his Lady order ”Pick up that mess,” then it shut once more.
His claws dug into the wood. The chair collided roughly with the stone floor, landing on its side and attempting to roll over but it fell back in place and rattled noisily.
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Posted: Mon Mar 15, 2010 3:10 pm
 Call and Answer
Lady Estratus and Sloane meet with a young man from Imisus intending to become her scribe.
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Posted: Mon Mar 15, 2010 3:15 pm
Reserved for reflection of said assistance...
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Posted: Mon Mar 15, 2010 3:16 pm
Ashes in the Snow
Going out for supplies, Sloane encounters a small boy who has been kidnapped. Upon rescuing him, he discovers the boy is actually a Grimm.
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Posted: Sat May 08, 2010 2:56 pm
The Smell of Sweet Decay
On their way to a small diplomatic meeting in Helios on behalf of Lady Waldgrave, a religious man with a very interesting ring is met.
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Posted: Sat May 08, 2010 2:58 pm
The Terrible Tale of Elsie Crane
Meeting with Lady Estratus is a woman named Elsie who hopes to join the Fellowship, but she brings awful news after her mission has been completed.
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Posted: Sat May 08, 2010 2:59 pm
Tea for Two, Coffee for One
A few days after Elsie arriving at the North Base, she is recovering from ill and Sloane tends to her in an attempt to cheer her up from the horrors she witnessed.
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Posted: Thu Jul 22, 2010 12:10 pm
A Fire by Any Other Name
Working with Jin-Ho to catch up on notes and documents while he was training, a kitchen fire erupts and Sage is burned. Jin-Ho heals the wound and he and Sloane have an awkward moment of clarity.
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Posted: Thu Jul 22, 2010 12:14 pm
A Fountain of Regrets The door slammed with a resounding echo, the thick wooden latch falling into place and barricading it tightly. He could still smell Jin-ho behind it, standing there dumbly, and he sneered. In the commotion of his sudden upheaval to his Lady's assistant, the man still managed to quickly scoop up the brush. Sloane would have felt better if it had remained on his bed.
Only when he heard the offending scribe begin his retreat did the Infitialis turn to face his living quarters. They were meager, messy. It was a small room, not particularly tall despite his height and he often had to crouch in order to not hit his head upon the wooden beams, but above was quite the opposite and that was where his Lady rested.
Swirled eyes lingered on the spot the tainted brush had been placed and the subtle clang of his armor against the floor berated his ears almost mockingly as he approached, knelt, and rested his face upon his bedspread. The cold of the sheet against his warm face was all too comforting but it allowed a feeling of sudden loneliness to pervade. His Lady's acquisition of an apprentice, whether she knew it or not, allowed all of his insecurities to bubble to the surface no matter how hard he tried to ignore them.
Always, it had been the two of them. They were a pair, two of a kind, a princess and her knight. Now it may as well have been a farce. A princess and her knight's sword, perhaps, as the knight left her and died on the battlefield. Yes, that was as good a metaphor as any for their current standing. He was a tool to her now, no longer a friend, and from the very start he had reacted badly to the idea. Instead of approaching her maturely about it he instead turned to passive aggressive tactics and childish comments.
And oh, how he reveled in her ordering him to cut the flesh of the one who started it all.
But... that wasn't entirely fair.
If one were to get down to brass tacks and truly examine the situation, it was he who was the root of the problem in their relationship, not Jin-ho Kyon. He, a Servos destined to heal, allowed a darkness to steep inside like a cancer until it became insatiable. It burst forth and he was forever transformed for the worse.
His heart hammered quietly in his chest and he felt his throat tighten. Clenching his eyes shut and gripping the fabric of his sheets desperately, Sloane resisted the intense and growing urge to tear his door open and pursue the b*****d that initiated this flow of emotions that he had been trying so hard to ignore – to cut him down there and then so he could be rid of him.
Rid of the man... who was able to help his Grimm.
It was selfish. He was selfish, and this only made his festering darkness balk and cry out for Jin-ho's anguish but he could not comply for two very simple reasons. His brush would never grow without him and Sage would never forgive him.
At that thought his eyes opened, damp and reddened. He gazed up, attempting to picture his Lady's room and how she was currently. Chances were she had heard him yell and put the pieces together but, even if he were reprimanded, he knew the only thing that would calm him down now was the sound of her voice. Uttering a quiet hiss, Sloane rose to his feet and returned to the small wooden stairway that was more like a step ladder and the ceiling hatch it lead to. Clawed fingers hesitantly reached for the handle and held it motionlessly for a few moments before he drummed up the necessary courage to push.
The interior of her room, for whatever reason, always brought a strange sort of peace to him. It was as monochromatic as her wardrobe; white walls with a slim but ornate pattern, the interior of the tower's tall steeple-like roof having a look almost like fine china, and it was so spacious compared to his cramped mess that he felt as though he could truly relax within. Perhaps the root of it was that it reminded him of simpler times when they lived with the Grand Magus in Anica.
Before...
As he knelt to close the hatch, his Lady stirred. A sigh left her, and she was quiet for a moment after leaving Sloane to wonder if she were truly awake or not, but when he came to a stand and began to move all illusions of such an occurrence were shattered.
”What are you doing?”
Without her scribe's presence, she allowed herself to sound as tired as she truly was. Despite the emotionless drawl she always carried, it caused a pang of nostalgia in him.
Sloane stopped where he stood, several feet from her bedside, and opened his mouth to respond. Then closed it again.
There was no good answer to that question. Simple facts were that he was intruding upon his Lady's privacy, her rest, without her permission. Anxiously, his fists clenched and his brows knit as he braced for verbal punishment.
Instead, when he offered no response, Lady Estratus pulled herself up to rest on an arm and turned her head to face him. Her hair was messily drawn over most of her face, though one amber eye was distinctly visible and pointed directly at his own swirls. She was exhausted, it was clear in her gaze, but it still held an authoritative stance demanding an answer.
”I...” he began hesitantly, with nothing prepared to follow with. Rather than giving her a legitimate response, his emotions took over for the logic that he was grasping for and it threw to the forefront a single unbidden thought that had wormed its way into his skull not twenty minutes prior. ”...How much do you trust him?” As soon as it left his lips Sloane stiffened, his jaw tightening as his gaze took on an obvious level of scrutiny.
Sage did not let it show upon her face but he could tell from her own pause in responding that it had managed to catch her off guard. ”...Enough.”
He scoffed.
”Am I correct in assuming, truthfully, that the real reason he was hired out of all the other capable candidates was due to that brush?” The tap on his emotions had been opened long ago by Jin-ho, and his attempts at reigning them in were like trying to cork a flooding damn.
”Sloane,” her tone carried warning, ”I trust him enough. That should be all that matters.”
The anhelo's breath hitched slightly at her dismissal. Perhaps she was right, but he could not just change how he felt. Unfortunately, the grim reality was that it didn't matter how he felt, the opinion of an Infitialis was ultimately worthless even to its Grimm. ”But it isn't...” It was becoming difficult for him to keep a single tone to his own words, each syllable bouncing between frustration and anguish as they began to get caught in his throat. ”It isn't all that matters...”
Clumsily, Sloane took a step forward, and then another. He was acting rash, being entirely too bold for his own good. In times of calm or emergency he had intruded here and upon her space but never in a situation such as this. Never had a situation as they were currently experiencing ever occurred between them, let alone from his own adamant probing.
”You are what matters to me...” It was becoming increasingly difficult for him to speak, his breath shuddering with each cautious step, ”If-... If your judgment of this man is erroneous or improper in any way, it will only harm you later.”
God, what was he saying? He could not bear to continue on as he was but felt too weak to stop himself. There was a strange rush, an exhilaration he had nary felt in all his years as he stood before her. The more he spoke the more naked and exposed he felt, so vulnerable against her cold stare, but he simply could not get enough because, for these moments, her attention was given to nothing and no one else but him.
That was all he wanted.
A deep and horrible silence followed as his Lady's eyes bore holes into him. She remained eerily still, save for the occasional blink and her steady breathing. As always, she was the pillar of strength and there he stood, her mighty protector and tool, simpering before her.
Slowly she moved, allowing her long legs to hang off the edge of her tall bed frame. From how she had been laying, Lady Estratus' dark hair was messily strewn about her face and she did nothing to remedy it. Compared to her normally prim and professional self, it almost gave her a wild look and despite all of the horrid apprehension and strange mix of emotions coiling through Sloane at that moment he felt something ripple in his gut.
It was a simple instinct, one that caused his eyes to widen and his teeth to clench tightly, and one that he vehemently refused to act upon. For the briefest of moments, he wanted to pin her to the bed and make her his.
A pitifully quiet groan escaped him as he restrained himself, knuckles white beneath his armor from clenching his fists to tightly.
”Sloane,” she began, no emotion on her face. Never any emotion. How was it possible for this woman to have shut all of her feelings down so completely?! ”If you do not stand down and leave me be, you are going to regret intruding here.”
His heart sunk.
What did he expect?
”I will not abide insolence, least of all from my Sword. I suggest you return to your quarters and cease entertaining such selfish notions. If the time comes that he proves himself unworthy of trust, then our professional relationship will come to an abrupt end. Until then, he is doing his job.” Without missing a beat, she lifted her healed hand and held it flat out for him to get a clear view of her palm, the still irritated flesh standing out starkly against her pale complexion, ”And a decent one at that.”
It was pathetic that all through her admonishment he was doing nothing but drinking in the sound of her voice. Sickening that, while her words stung, he hoped that each sentence was not her last and that she would continue speaking just so he had an excuse to linger in her presence. When no more words followed, a slow release of breath parted his lips and Sloane's gaze drifted away from his Lady. Just a few seconds more he stood, only kneeling when she returned her hand to her lap. He placed one of his own upon his heart and bowed his head, refusing eye contact with her and instead eying the floor until he rose and turned.
Silence was his reply and, after he quietly closed the floor hatch separating their resting quarters, silence was all that Lady Estratus was left with.
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Posted: Thu Jul 22, 2010 12:42 pm
The Renewing of Alliances
Old acquaintances return and are raised in rank and join the Fellowship. In particular, Sloane is elated by two of these new members, a young Grimm and his brother, and it seems things have come full circle.
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Posted: Thu Jul 22, 2010 3:56 pm
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Posted: Thu Sep 16, 2010 9:29 am
An Ink of High Quality
A meeting is called by Lady Sage Estratus for herself, Sloane and Jin-ho Kyon. Little do either of them know that Jin-ho's Plague has grown, why Sage is mysteriously absent from the meeting, or why there is a black knight in the room with them.
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Posted: Thu Sep 16, 2010 9:34 am
Curiosities
On the return trip from a fruitless venture, Sloane stops at a small town on the outskirts of Shyregoed to pick up supplies but encounters a strange young girl with an even stranger possession.
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