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 Posted: Mon Jan 18, 2010 12:06 pm
"This is true. And the mask isn't as extravagant as I had imagined. Perhaps we ought to look else where first."
The antique seller's brow rose just the slightest as the two women conversed. So he wasn't dealing with novices it seemed. To be honest, since labeled as being cursed the man had trouble getting anyone even remotely interested in the mask. This here was the first time anyone had ever come in actually looking for the item without him trying to pawn it off on them. Still...he couldn't allow them to know how desperate he was to be rid of it otherwise they'd take advantage and he'd have to sell it for lower than he wanted.
Rubbing his chin as if in deep thought, "Well...if you are seriously looking to acquire this mask then I suppose allowing you a brief handle would be fine." With that he re-opened the case once more and carefully removed the mask from its place within. Slowly it made its way towards Ebony's outstretched hands, its decorative swirls seeming to shimmer with anticipation.
Delia was feeling better now that they were getting further away from the cold outside and more towards the warmer inner part of the store. Though she would have sucked it up just for Xiu, she was greatly appreciative now that he had decided to stay inside. So instead of being frustrated with him like she had been, the Basilisk allowed her bad mood to slip away and entwined her arms around the white Raevan's once more. Yet in a less constrictive way than prior. Merely hugging it so to speak.
When they had arrived back to their guardians, a flash of silver caught her eyes and Delia craned her head to look around the women to the mask they seemed transfixed with. She smiled as it was sort of pretty, like a woman with special makeup on. Lightly she tugged on Xiu's sleeve and pointed from it and then to each of them, trying to convey that it kind of reminded her of them, the perfect contrast of light and dark.
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Posted: Fri Jan 22, 2010 1:03 pm
Hazeline nodded at Ebony’s words, smiling but at the same time, keeping an eye on the shopkeeper. It would not do to push the seller too far. If…for a moment the shopkeeper decided that entertaining them was just too much trouble, their ‘acting’ would all go to waste. Placing a hand nonchalantly on her hips, Hazeline mused. It would seem that the shopkeeper was pretty desperate after all. The guardian could see him pondering over his sales tactics thoughtfully as he too observed his potential customers reaction. Then, finally giving in, the shopkeeper had offered Ebony the mask for viewing.
This gave Hazeline a second chance to better observe the mask as well. Leaning over a little, Hazeline watched as Ebony took the mask from the shopkeeper, the swirls of the mask seeming to enchant its viewer. Hazeline found herself drawn to the mask’s intricate patterns. And yet, the mask for all of its decorative charms seemed eerie. Hazeline found herself wondering if the rumours of a curse were true after all.
Xiu gave the Basilisk small smile when he noticed that Cordelia still clutching his arm. Chuckling softly, the white frei raised his hand and was about to give Cordelia’s hair a fond ruffle before thinking better of it. Not everyone liked having their hair ruffled after all. Settling himself with a soft chuckle, the white frei made his way deeper into the antique shop only to stop and stare at the mask that was being handed over to Ebony. Feeling a tug on his shoulder, Xiu gave Delia a distracted glance and a nod before shifting his attention once again to the mask. A slight shiver ran down the frei’s short spine as he watched the mask being examined. Unlike the other antiques, this mask was not radiating off stale energy but rather…
“I-I don’t think you should have that, Miss Ebony,” said Xiu finally with a forced confidence. “I do not think that is a good item to purchase,”
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Posted: Fri Jan 22, 2010 5:34 pm
Cordelia tilted her head up curiously at Xiu. It wasn't because he'd pretty much blew off her newest attempt at interaction (which was a tad urking nonetheless), but because of how he'd done so. The look on the highly distracted Raevan's face was a concentrated mixture of anxiety and concern. Just like the humans, Xiu's bright azure eyes were tightly transfixed upon the mask, but unlike their quiet stares of admiration, his was sharp and more like a glare. Was there something wrong with it?
From where she floated, the snake could make out nothing as potentially or immediately dangerous. But then why was Xiu so rigid as if he'd just seen a ghost? Once again Cordelia placed her hand to his cheek, this time in a silent, yet urgent 'why'? Why was he so set against that mask? Was there something she was missing? Should she too be on guard?
The pale Frei's words were unfortunately lost on Ebony. It wasn't that she didn't hear them, merely that she couldn't make sense of them and thus could not answer. All the rest, the world, everything seemed to melt away from her awareness at the precise moment the mask was securely in her hands. Her once bright and shining silver eyes had gradually dulled to a dismal grey. A woman possessed, she heard a whisper from origins unknown telling her to wear the mysterious veneer as her own. Unable to think of a reason to refuse such a request, Ebony obliged by slowly lifting the antique to her face.
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Posted: Fri Jan 22, 2010 9:40 pm
Time seemed to have slowed down the minute Ebony decided to wear the mask. Barely noticing Delia’s hand on his cheek, Xiu held his breath as he watched the purple haired guardian brought the mask closer and closer to her face.
Then, as though finally out of his trance, the white frei lunged forward, dragging the Basilisk along with him. “No, don’t!” said Xiu a little more insistently this time as he held Ebony’s hand at bay. “This mask, it has a bad feeling about it. It would bring harm should you decide to wear it, Ebony,”
Hazeline stared at her raevan’s behaviour, no doubt feeling as baffled as the shopkeeper who stood next to her. “What’s the meaning of this, Xiu?” exclaimed Hazeline feeling her cheeks reddening at her frei’s behaviour. “Cut it out already,”
“No, not unless Ebony puts the mask away,” said Xiu still clutching at Ebony’s hand. Staring intently into the woman grey eyes, Xiu gripped her hand a little tighter. “I mean it,”
“Perhaps you should listen to him, Ebony,” said Hazeline a little nervously. “Xiu…he has an innate ability about such matters…,”
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Posted: Sat Jan 23, 2010 3:14 pm
Second by second, inch by inch, the mask drew closer to getting exactly what it wanted. It could practically taste the heat resonating off the woman’s tanned skin now as it hovered just above it. Oh how much it wanted to be able to feel that kind of heat again, to feel anything really. Being trapped in an inanimate object was near complete sensory deprivation. This close to getting out was almost maddening.
It willed the human to move faster, to not delay the inevitable, but in her trance like state the woman moved far too slow. Suddenly and cruelly, the mask's goal was ripped away by a creature foreign to it. Much like a peacock lowering its marvelous plumage, the Venetian artifact's swirling designs died down in their shimmering. Surely the creature within would remember this slight.
Eyes fluttering, Ebony placed a hand to her head. "Xiu?" What was going on? Why was he looking at her with such a pleading look? Had she done something to offend him? She sighed, feeling so very disoriented, the mask hanging limp and momentarily forgotten in her other hand.
The basilisk wasn't sure how to react at first when Xiu suddenly flew at her guardian, towing her along as well. She felt she ought to put herself between them, but Xiu didn't seem the type to just randomly attack someone. But what did she know? Their first interaction had been quite brief and this second encounter hadn’t yet yielded anything more about the white male. Except maybe that he was a bit forward.
Cordelia crept over to Ebony and took the mask from her. Carefully she returned it to the box in which the store clerk had taken it out of and snapped the lid back tight. Floating back to her guardian’s side, the black femme slid her arms around the other’s waist in a comforting hug. Hopefully now that the offensive object had been removed from everyone’s line of sight, they’d all go back to normal. She didn’t like it when everyone acted so tense and odd.
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Posted: Thu Feb 25, 2010 1:27 am
The purple haired woman seemed to have awoken from a daze of sorts; her hand limply holding onto the mask. Xiu half hoped that the woman would drop the mask, shatter it and that would be the end of it.
But it would seem that the woman’s limp grip was stronger than it looked for the mask did not fall. Instead, the Briton had turned to Xiu with a slightly disorientated expression on her face and asked if something was wrong.
There were a lot of things wrong; starting with the mask for instance.
Xiu flared his wings a little as he tried thinking of how he should explain it to Ebony. “You were…taken by the mask,” said Xiu a little hesitantly. Ebony seemed like the kind to scoff at superstitions and the mask possession was certainly slotted under superstition…
Delia meanwhile had done the smartest thing anyone could have done and had placed the mask back into its box before floating over to support her guardian. Xiu was impressed. Cordelia certainly had a sensible head on her despite her youth. “Now why didn’t we think of that…,” said Xiu with a chuckle before turning to Ebony. “I would strongly advise against buying that mask, though…,” said Xiu in earnest. “It’s an unwise purchase…,”
Hazeline blinked. Was it just her or…had the mask seemed less…vibrant eversince Xiu stopped Ebony from putting it on. Surely not the sensible part of her brain said. It’s just a mask
Well, that was true but the mask had certainly had the both of them under its spell (if there ever was one). Hazeline hadn’t quite found herself capable of looking away until the mask had been locked within its case once again by Delia. That thought itself was…creepy and Hazeline found herself suggesting that perhaps they leave the premises. “Perhaps some fresh air would do us good…,” the young lady found herself saying.
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Posted: Fri Feb 26, 2010 11:08 pm
"Ebby..." Cordelia murmured soft and low as she laid her face into the side of the woman's neck and shoulder. She was so far away right then and the Frei didn't like it. It wasn't like her guardian to space out aimlessly like that. If ever she had it was with a look of deep thought or concentration, not this odd blank stare that so resembled that mask just now. Though she knew nothing of supernatural things like magic and spells, Delia felt the need to go now and get as far away from this uncomfortableness the antique had created.
Ebony was somewhat surprised to find Cordelia clinging to her in a fearful manner then. What had scared the basilisk girl to cause such a reaction? Or maybe she was just over analyzing it and Cordelia was simply tired? Whatever the case, the Brit slowly wrapped her arms around her dark ward, returning the caring embrace. Speaking softly, "Hey, are you okay? Do you want to go home?"
Not sure what the correct answer was, Delia buried her face more into the flesh of her guardian and made an indistinguishable sound. Ebony sighed and cast a longing look at the closed case where the mask resided. She really did want that mask, but...first things first. Besides, she could always come back later if she still wanted it. Addressing the two and the clerk, "I think you maybe right Hazeline. I'm sorry sir, but we'll have to discuss this another time. Children, you understand." Whether he knew or not, Ebony couldn't care less and proceeded to lead Cordelia outside. Something the clerk wasn't pleased with, but she had said another time. So perhaps the purple haired woman would return and he'd get his sale after all. Thus he humbly waved them a farewell as they departed.
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Posted: Fri Mar 05, 2010 12:15 pm
Hazeline nodded; glad that Ebony was in favour of stepping out of this claustrophobic antique shop as well. Stepping aside and indicating that Ebony should go first, Hazeline waited until Xiu came close before stepping up to her frei. Leaning over a little, Hazeline looked at her charge questioningly. “What was that about Xiu?” said Hazeline with a small frown. “Was that mask really cursed?”
“I don’t know about cursed,” said Xiu tentatively as they made their way down the aisle. “But there was something definitely not right about it…,”
“I guess I can live with that,” said the young woman with a small shrug. People lived of intuition all the time right? Hazeline saw no harm in following what does not hurt.
Stepping out into the open air once more, Hazeline nodded at Ebony and Cordelia. “Well, it was nice meeting you Ebony, Cordelia; but I guess we’d take our leave now,” said Hazeline with a smile. “Perhaps we’d be able to meet again sometime? And oh! Number exchange would be good too” added Hazeline taking out her cell phone.
While the guardians were exchanging numbers, Xiu gave Cordelia an apologetic smile. “Sorry we couldn’t hang out much,” said the white frei with a slight upward hand movement. “Next time, we’ll do better alright?”
“Xiu, it’s time to go,” said Hazeline as she gave Ebony and Cordelia a farewell wave.
“Yes, well, goodbye then Ebony, Cordelia,” said Xiu with a wave of his own before following his guardian back to her car.
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Posted: Fri Mar 05, 2010 9:21 pm
Stepping outside, Cordelia immediately cringed deeper into her guardian's protective embrace. This had easily become the young Frei's top worst feelings of all time, the feeling of the cold winter winds right after stepping from a nice warm building. For some reason it almost always felt its coldest outside the first moment you stepped out like this and Delia couldn't understand why. Not that she particularly cared right now, too busy trying to leech warmth from her woman.
Shifting her dark ward as much as possible, Ebony reached out to shake Hazeline's hand in a firm grip. "Yes, it was nice seeing you two again as well. I'm sure Cordelia would be more than up for another visit with Xiu. Right?" She asked looking down at the Frei. Delia, realizing that the two were separating from them now, finally unlatched herself from the Brit long enough to say a proper goodbye.
While Ebony and Xiu's guardian exchanged phone numbers, whatever those were, the basilisk slide over to her contrasting companion. Patting his cheek gently, Cordelia managed a small smile, "Xiu..." She floated off to the other human and patted her cheek as well. "Hazeline..." After all was said and done, Cordelia quickly stole back to her woman's side. Everyone would just have to assume that this was her version of a farewell.
With a chuckle and a smile, "I'll take that as a yes. Farewell Hazeline, Xiu. Hope to see you again soon."
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