Metaplot

[Kyribird]

Metaplot - Part Four - Matilda's Wakening

The imp, Black and daunting with it's bat wings and fangs, the voices, the crying and the wriggling masses. The shout to "Track" it, whatever that meant...and the loud noises. Were those...Babies? What the hell were babies doing in her mind? And....Suddenly, her eyes met with the brown gaze of one of the children, wrapped in a pink elephant blanket, and staring blankly at her. A sudden hate flared in his eyes at the intrusion, causing Matilda to shudder inwardly. It couldn't be...It just....Couldn't be. There was no mistaking it, not with that gaze. No matter what body it was in, those brown eyes would always be the same...He had come back.


Matilda's eyes snapped open, watering as she lay on her bed, the gaze curtains surrounding it blowing in the picking up wind. It was that familiar stinging running through her body, snapping her out of her comatose state as a single shard of soul was wrenched from her body - and then split again, causing yet another tendril of pain to lap at her very core, setting her body flaming with heat.

The scream that followed made her glad that she was in a secluded realm, away from anyone to hear the terror and pain filled note drawn out so long her vocals went raw. It didn't end at the splitting - the intense fear balling inside of her very being was consuming her, causing her to shake upon the feather mattress of her bed. Even long after the pain of her soul being wrenched away faded, the fear was still there - a distinct, cancerous mass in the center of her stomach.

He had come back.

Thought after thought raced through Matilda's mind, memories of the past, thoughts of the future....He had come back.

It was him who caused her to die in the first place! It was him who had let her secret out of the bag! It was HIMwho she had been entrusted to.

And he was BACK!?

Pure, swift panic seared through her as she sat up, knuckles whitening from her grip on the sheets. A child, no doubt, but it was him.

And children, especially magical children, which she was sure he was, grew up. And fast.

Dorian, her best friend. Her Confidante. Her killer. The demigod charged with guarding her with his life and who had let himself get drunk enough to tell the town she was a witch...had looked her straight in her mental eye.

Why did he hate her? Why did he...Matilda shook her head, snapping out of it. She had a bigger problem. Never before had what happened tonight taken place. If two souls were born at the same time, two pieces of soul shard were ripped from her. Not one and then split into smaller pieces.
And she didn't feel a wand. She felt two very alive little wriggling masses of flesh. Babies. Their Mana read different from wands - or any other children she had sensed. Coailiann included.

This was Different.

Just like with Coailiann - She would have to be the one to retrieve them. There was one tiny little problem, however.

They were not on earth.  

[Kyribird]

Metaplot - Part Five - Dorian's Arrival

Blast it blast it BLAST it, I hate this mission.

Her back hurt, her neck ached. Her feet were sore, and her arms were cold. Her dress itch itch ITCHED like she couldn't believe- almost enough so that she would have preferred to have been without the tattered grey thing. She might get some funny looks walking around exposed, sure... but at least she wouldn't be driven half-mad by the urge to scratch.

How mortals ever managed to live out eighty full years under such constant irritation, Xemn could not imagine. All that she knew was that, after four long weeks of enduring solid flesh, she would be as gleeful as a schoolgirl to complete her mission objective and move her team out of the sector and back to give a full report- and she would never, EVER volunteer for such a pathetic assignment AGAIN.

The temporary headquarters they'd set up for the mission was located in the gazebo of a long-forgotten park, local designation Barton West Field. That was where Xemn stood now; leaned up against one of the railings with her arms crossed over her chest, eyes closed and with a look of pure annoyance crossing her expression. She would have liked to have rented someplace warm and comfortable to launch their investigation from, but funding was low- and HQ, blast them, hadn't replied to a single one of her requests for supplies. This must be a punishment for something, she decided, opening her eyes into menacing slits. Probably that last failure. That's it; they're still sour over that mission. Make one mistake, and you pay for it the rest of your career....

She sighed, low and forcefully. This was not a productive line of thought. If HQ wasn't going to send any supplies, then she just had to make do with what she had at her disposal; a makeshift headquarters, an admittedly small assembly of talented agents at her command, and any other edge she could manage to acquire in this hectic little world. She could handle this- there was nothing to be concerned about.

Confidence thusly gained, Xemn straightened up and started out. Sitting around impatiently wouldn't get anything done; if she was going to complete this mission, she would at least need to take stock of her current situation. That meant checking up on the progress of her team... in other words, she had to track down where the spirit-seer of hers had gotten to. Xemn had always treated Nevia with the respect she deserved, of course, but there was no helping how annoyed she got when Nevia didn't instinctively know when she was wanted and appear with a flourish and bow- and, of course, a fully-detailed report written double-spaced and in point twelve font.

As if on cue, Nevia appears gazing upon the miserable headquarters- that is if the gazebo could be considered to be a headquarter- in disdain. Unaffected by the chilling breeze as the humans seemed to cower from, she had insisted on choosing the barely there piece of stark white cloth to hang loosely on her frame.

Her eyes settle upon the rickety gazebo and walks to it, knowing that Xemn was there, if not nearby. She ascends the stairs soundlessly; almost everything about her was silent... she was not one for small talk or any of the mere unimportant trifles. What her true intentions were, only she herself knew and others could not fathom. It was only disclosed that she would be an agent and would be there to find any escaped spirits from the Limbo.

The Disgraces.
The ones she was able to find in the form of Nevia.

She had not always been Nevia. She was another girl before that, a girl that died a long time ago and had been erased and forgotten. But that girl disappeared forever from the world of spirits as well and left Nevia. Then they found her and she 'created' again.

Waiting until Xemn realizes that she's there, Nevia scans the top few sheets of paper sitting on the mess on the table, her shockingly blue eyes sharp and highly observant.

It didn't take the dark-haired woman more than a few seconds to spot the new arrival, standing in the gazebo Xemn had stepped out of not half a minute ago. A frown tugged at the corner of her mouth, a familiar expression for the dour agent to wear.

"There you are! Agent Nevia, report." Xemn clunked up the steps- the heavy sound gave her a more powerful presence, or at least she believed as much. Maybe enough to make up for the ridiculous frock she was wearing. Coming to an easy stance of attention, she gave the willowy other an authoritative look. "Have you made any progress in tracking down the location of the MIA souls?"

The ghostly girl looks up from the papers after hearing the other agent's demanding tone. She remains sitting as to not be towering over the lead agent with her height. Calm and expressionless, she raises two fingers, responding to her question, disregarding her usual frown.

"I discovered two. There are also several spirit trails in the area. They seem to be scattered throughout this human city. However, these only account for a few of the missing souls."

She remains silent for a moment before speaking again.

"So what shall our next course of action be? And have you discovered any spirits?"

"You found two?" If Xemn had been a cat, a dog, a fox- any sort of fuzzy creature at all with the proper appendages, she would have pricked up her ears and twitched her tail. As was, her eyes merely widened slightly before cooling into a perfect expression of professionalism. "Good work, Nevia." And that was as much of a compliment as Xemn ever had been known to give- 'good work, now get back to it'.

"Current plan of action; we'll go and survey the situation. If at all possible, we will recover possession of the two souls you have located and we will deliver them back to HQ in person, and return later for the final soul when we have established why there has been no contact from HQ." There; a nice, simple, easy plan. They were always so nice and simple when she said them... now, if only they could stay that way, and not go horribly horribly wrong once the mission was actually underway.

"Let's not waste any more time. If you would be so kind as to lead the way...?"

She nods and stands up walking out of the gazebo and walking east, into the city itself. She motions for Xemn to follow and sets off in a brisk yet relaxed pace.

"The sooner we catch them the better our situation will be or they will scatter once again and we'll have to return to searching. And I don't believe that headquarters would appreciate that."

She slows down as she reaches the boundary between the city and the field where they were standing, a bit odd for someone as composed as Nevia. She looks around before tentatively stepping foot into the city, as though there were a barrier of sorts around it. As she steps in, she shivers involuntarily. This break in her usually apathetic demeanor was strange but did not merit more than a few seconds of thought as there was a more important matter at hand and she did not seem to wish to disclose her discomfort.

She resumes the same quick pace and turns a sharp corner at the fourth dark alley. The walls are covered with years of collected dirt and grime and random graffiti scribbles of the vandals.

"Stay close... these alleys form a complex labyrinth." She warns although she knows well that Xemn is a very capable agent.

"Ha." If her tone and scowl said anything, it was that Xemn was considerably less than concerned about pleasing the headquarters at the moment. The mission was her focus, and nothing else; if completing it would make those ingrates who were not answering her supply requests back at the PLIB happy, then that was just an unfortunate side effect to doing her job properly. Pah... they'd better have a good excuse for all this, that's all I can say....

At Nevia's pause before the city, Xemn hesitated as well to look over her fellow agent. For at least a few seconds, she appeared concerned, almost touchingly so. Of course, that lasted only until Nevia recovered from her discomfort, at which point Xemn rolled her eyes heavenwards and started off again.

The city- now THAT was much more Xemn's territory, as compared to that weedy park called home base. This place was filthy, busy, crowded, noisy, bustling to the brim with all manners of people and the things they brought with them! What wasn't to love about a place like that, where every step you take stakes out your territory, where simply living proves you can hold your own with the top of them?

Within a matter of seconds, the agent forgot all of her grumblings and worries about the unanswered reports. She was in the city, and she was on a mission. Her focus sharpened, and she became very considerate of her surroundings as she paced after Nevia, straightening out the tattered gloves on her hands and opening up her awareness to catch even the slightest hints of movement from the corner of her eye.

Then, of course, Nevia had to ruin the feeling by being condescending. Stay close? As if Xemn didn't know the lay of the land! Pah!

But this was no time for her to allow her ego to flare up. Xemn answered the woman with a disbelieving snort and moved on.



The trail that Nevia followed was solid, albeit still a bit weak- growing more "real" with every passing step, strangely so. There were one, two souls, soaked in the essence of Limbo. They were perfectly stationary, tucked away in the heart of the twisted side streets of Barton. A damn good thing they weren't moving around, too- even with such a definite sense of where they must be, the local interference from all the clashing magics and creatures and technology to be found in this city masked them heavily, like layers upon layers of black veils drawn closed over a window. If she could be fairly certain where they were when they did not move, it would be difficult to discern if they did.

There was also something else tugging at her senses from the same direction; a third, significantly fainter sense. It didn't seem quite the same as the other two, and yet... it was not any different, either. It seemed to be in the same place, though, so supposedly, she'd be able to find out what it was when they investigated. It shouldn't be more than a few more streets, perhaps....

Nevia smirks slightly as she hears the contempt for headquarters in her partner's voice.

"I don't suppose that's on the top of your list of priorities then and I agree. The spirits are more important than the impatient demands of a bureau of desk jockeys."

She makes many abrupt turns through the twisted paths which become increasingly narrow as they proceed. Vines withered from neglect creep up the walls, causing them to crumble over time. Spider webs hang from every miniscule crack and crevice while their masters the eight legged creatures of the shadows watch, their eyes pinpricks of red light. Strange light-emitting orbs appear out of thin air and the shadows melt; dissolving and reshaping. Nevia and Xemn seemed to have left the realm of the ordinary and entered the realm of the extraordinary.

She sighs in relief as they approach the hidden heart of the city and a near smile appears on her face, the closest Nevia's thin lips have formed. As they enter a 'forest' of orbs, the symbols on Nevia's arms begin to glow, accentuating her already ghost-like appearance.

Finally... this feels much better. Being among the mortals again is quite uncomfortable and I would much rather forget...

"They are just around the next corner."

The partial smile appears on her countenance once again and the luminescent symbols pulse once before shining more brightly before and her eyes change color to a pale, almost white blue with a ring of black around the outside edge. Her entire being tingles as the spirit energy flows through and around her, excitement rushing through her.

The energy increases ten fold, spirit energy without a doubt. No magic medley could create such a distinct force.

Xemn may not have been any sort of "spirit seer" or whatever the heck they were called these days... but you couldn't be an agent as long as she had been without picking up at least some of the rudimentary basics of the trade. Close enough was she now to the source of the energy that even she could see and sense the mystifying changes in the area around her, knowing them instantly as the signs that they were. No doubt an ordinary mortal, of course, would be blind to the more supernatural of the effects- or, were they not, unable to recognize them as anything other than a cause for fear.

"Around the corner, eh?" A light smirk touched her face. Finally... four weeks was far too long to have to be burdened with this flesh. Get the souls, get out, and go back to throw a hissy fit at those poor jerks back at the HQ; the best plan she'd thought of yet. "Excellent. Let's wrap this up, then, shall we?" Boldly, Xemn strode forth and turned the corner, surveying the situation and ready to act quickly based on what she saw.



There were four forms... three and a half, if you wanted to get technical. Two, small and wriggling; one, half-formed and unmoving; and the last one, small and staring.

"What in the blazes--?"

Small and staring- an imp, the very essence of mischief brought to materiality. The size of a dog, hunched over and midnight black, bat wings spread across its back and two oversized fangs protruding down from the corners of its mouth. Its fingers were extending over a pink mass of blanket and child- the third one being half-faded and unmoving, seeming only partially solid.
This was, of course, in contrast to the two other forms, who were solid, kicking, and fussing. Though the agent didn't get a precisely good look at them, she could tell that there was something distinctly off about this children... such the fact that one had a tail, which- if Xemn recalled correctly- wasn't really normal for human children.
It took a moment for it to dawn on Xemn, staring at the imp and the three babies on the ground. The souls... have been given new flesh?

A moment was all that it took. The wide-eyed imp squealed and, acting on the only reflex it could manage to work up, grabbed the half-created child and sank through the ground. "Nevia! Track it!" Xemn commanded instantly, leaping forward to scoop up the two other children for fear that they too might be taken through the ground and stolen away. This cost her an unexpected bit of blood as something sharp nicked the flesh of the inside of her arm; looking down at the two bundles, she saw the very disturbing reason for the pain in the not-so-fleshy arm of the pale-haired boy.
The back of her mind still reeled and panicked- they've returned to mortality? How can I take souls back to Limbo that have been given a new body?! There was no time for that, though. They needed to recover three souls, not two- and if there was any chance at all of catching up with that imp, at ALL, they needed to take it NOW.

Although Xemn could not see most of the strange creatures of the area, swimming in the swirling vortex of energy, she was at least able to see some of the more noticeable signs. She was still oblivious to the shadows following them and blocking the way out but they had yet to give Nevia something to worry about. At the moment they were still lingering several meters away and were still insubstantial beings. It was when they solidified and took on distinct forms that it was time to leave immediately before they swallowed you and suffocated you in their thick darkness. She would be able to handle a few if they attacked but not an entire swarm.

A memory arises in her mind, one of an encounter with the shadows when she had been devoured and believed it was time for her to leave the world of the living... when she had still been alive that is. A pale hand reached through the void and held hers, the grip gentle and reassuring yet firm and it tugged insistently, freeing her from the pestilence that was eating away at her. Back then she had always been afraid, afraid of everything and everyone around her. They all hated her, each and everyone looked upon her with disgust and veiled fear. Fear of what she was. Not a soul had shown her kindness until that day. Her name was...

She curses herself silently for allowing her thoughts to wander off from the mission and back to remembering what she had banned to the hidden recesses. Those memories do not exist for me. That girl does not exist. My name is Nevia and I know what I must do.

They turn the corner and discover the spirits that emitted the energy... the missing souls. Yet the did not seem as so. They could not be spirits. They had the appearance of mortal children except for their strange traits that seemed to be in the realm of the extraordinary. She was sure that these were the souls they were tracking yet they were no longer in spirit form. They were definitely forms of flesh. Four of them. Three children, one goblin-like being. The goblin creature was floating a few centimeters off the ground and grinning impishly while dragging another child swathed in pink cloth holding a canister with it, the sound of the canister dragging over cement and the clanking of chains echoing through the expanse. The last child looked frail and seemed to be asleep for the time being. The last being her eyes settled on was the half formed bundle of mists. That one she knew was not fully here.

"How strange. The spirits seem to have been 'reborn' to physical forms. Not exactly human but most certainly mortal. How very peculiar. I do wonder what the explanation for this is. Three of these children have completed the transformation. But that one has been caught in between." She points to the motionless bundle.

"This will definitely complicate our mission. I don't believe we can take them to the Limbo."

She walks closer to them, the symbols glowing more brightly and fervently than before and she holds out her arms, gesturing them and welcoming them. She attempts to connect with the spirits, both parties acknowledging each other and she begins to call them in a strange, languid sounding language, beckoning them forward.

The goblin was startled and frantically pushed the being that had been trapped halfway through transformation back into the earth to who knows where.

Hearing Xemn's urgent command, she places her hand down on the place where the bundle had just been and closes her eyes, following its presence.

"It is quickly leaving this city and seems to be entering some kind of cavern portal. We cannot possibly follow it now. But I will search for the entrance as soon as possible." She said awaiting her response.

The response she had expected was not one of shock. It seemed the frail looking child had cut her with something and Nevia walks closer and discovers what her fellow agent had discovered, the blade where the child's other arm should have been.

But by now the little terror of mischief had disappeared and she trails after it, tracking the aura surrounding it. She calls after it in the language she spoke to the spirits and keeps chasing ignoring the shadows and leaving the other two with Xemn for the time being.

It was a long time before Xemn could manage an answer.

"...Yeah. Yeah- please do that." Disappointment shook through her voice. This was supposed to be the end of the mission, four weeks spent in mortal flesh drawn to a close at last. But now....

Xemn needed to reevaluate the team's progress. They had been sent here to investigate and recover the missing souls; their secondary objective was to discover the cause of what had taken them from Limbo in the first place. It was clear- painfully clear- that not only had none of their objectives been completed by finding the babies, but that there were unforeseen depths to the situation thusly suggested by the complication.

Shaking her head and clearing her expression of the numb uncertainty, Xemn reassumed her authoritative air. "Mm. Well. At least I can't complain that this mission hasn't been interesting thus far." Shifting the wriggling loads around so as to hold them more comfortably, doing her best to ignore the fussing that the sword-armed one was starting up, she nodded firmly to herself. "Agent Nevia, give me a full report regarding any progress you have made in the morning, and we will form a plan of action. I will return to temporary HQ for now and review the situation, as well as to report back to PLIB headquarters regarding these new developments. Further, I will assess the situation with the-" a glance down at the babies as she rethought her word choice, "missing souls" seemed almost too inhuman a term to apply to these new forms. While she liked to maintain professionalism, there was a point where it had to be ended; with a grimace, Xemn rephrased herself. "I will reassess the situation with the Disgraces and determine the best manner in which to oversee their care so as to not interfere with our mission."

Of course, by the time she finished saying all of this- or really, maybe even before she had begun- Nevia had already wandered off, taking up the chase without waiting for Xemn's input. Making most of Xemn's words greatly a waste of breath.

... Well, at least she isn't being lazy, the agent thought grumpily. Pausing only as long as it took to examine the alleyway one last time, she turned and left the barren place to its own means, occupying her mind with thoughts of how in hellfire she could explain this one to the Bureau.  

[Kyribird]

Metaplot - Part Six - Dorian's Confusion

The place it scampered through was lightless and uninhabited, the only noise that bounced in the air being the constant patterpatterpatter of its own two feet. Bleary eyes, a dimmish grey-yellow in color, could break through the darkness of its surroundings with little effort.

It could see exactly where it was going. The same could not be said, of course, for the eyes of the blanket-wrapped bundle clutched in the imp's arms.

It had been a close thing; when the imp had seen it was going to be interrupted, it had feared for a moment that it would not have time to bring the last child fully to flesh. When it had seized the Disgraced form and fled, the baby had not moved- and it had thought then, surely, that it had made some mistake and that the flesh was dead, that it had failed in its endeavor.

But it had been proved wrong, thankfully. The boy did not seem so active as the other two had been, but he moved and breathed and lived. The imp's efforts had not been wasted.

Patterpatterpatter-stop. The imp lifted its pointed snout to the air, as if listening or sniffing or sensing something invisible. Then it turned to face its left. Patterpatterpatterpatterpatter, it continued on at a quicker pace, the tip of its tongue sticking determinedly out the side of its mouth as it jogged along.

Dorian's brown eyes tried to focus on his surroundings, his little face rather scrunched in his concentration. Normally, he would have had no problems - but something about this body was different.

It frustrated the man-turned-baby to no end that he could barely even move...and he even seemed to be moving - just not on his own. A soft whimper was let out as he tried to actually speak, finding he just...couldn't.

A whimper? Since when have I ever whimpered in my entire li-- And then he remembered. His life had ended. Then where the ********> was he now?

That whimper turned into a full-out crying fit the moment he realized he was a baby again. If the imp had had any doubts to the boy being alive, they would be quelled by the screaming, now wriggling (albeit weakly) mass in his arms.

At the sudden explosion of emotion in his grip, the imp laid its long ears back with a startled hiss and held the baby at arms length. After a few moments of confused juggling, it tiptoed its way to the left, each step as exaggerated and careful as if the creature thought moving too quickly might provoke the mass into even an even greater tantrum. It continued like this until to an obstacle, which it stopped to prod carefully with its foot. The imp let loose a breathy sigh as it found a smooth barrier there- Dorian could feel the wall's solidity as the imp laid him on the ground against it and scurried a few steps away.

The black creature eyed the child a few heartbeats more, its head tilting slowly to one side as if a thought was trickling through its mind, a question that was forming bit by bit in the thick sludge the imp called a brain- then it turned and scampered away. It left Dorian no company but his own good self, alone in the shadows where no one would listen to his screams or fears or confusion.

At the sudden movement and then the feeling of abandonment, Dorian's screams elevated - until he thought his little vocal cords would go raw. Several emotions were running through the infant, wrapped in his blanket, and none of them were happy.

Confusion, for one. Where the ******** was he? Why was he in a god damn baby's body? WHY was a black thing that looked like the typical 'monster in closet' type deal carrying him - and most importantly, why was he left, alone, against what appeared to be a wall - when he couldn't protect himself.

Dorian's wails were silenced when the alone part registered in his mind. If he was alone, his little temper tantrums weren't going to do him much good. The best thing it would do would be to get him killed.

On that note, he had been dead long enough to know that it wasn't fun. Limbo was torture, especially when the memories continued to loop and your death continuously played in your mind. Not fun at all.

He settled for whimpering in defiance to the voice in his head.

The sounds of the imp's footsteps had long faded, leaving no other noises than that which Dorian himself made. Even if his eyes adjusted to the dark, there was no way that those feeble things could break through it; the only sensation there really was to tell him that he hadn't just been thrown back into the void of Limbo was the coldness of the ground beneath him. Not likely to be a pleasant feeling, but no doubt better than what else he could imagine.

Dorian couldn't have been sitting there for more than a few spare minutes, but when one is lost and confused and restless, even such a short amount of time can be an eternity. Eternity, however, was brought to a conclusion when there was a sound- a click, a woosh, a door that opened wide and stirred the lifeless air into motion with a faintly chill breeze. And with it- light, at last, light filled the infant's eyes for the first time since he had been brought into this new form. And with the light, a shadow that approached, hands that lifted him up; human hands, they had to be human.

"Well. Aren't you the little surprise." The voice suggested more amusement than shock; a stray finger tickled at the baby's forehead, brushing away a strand of hair. "Mm... you'll be quite the handsome thing when you get older, if I'm not mistaken. Good."

Without any time further wasted, the figure tucked Dorian into the crook of one elbow and brought him through the doorway, into the room filled with more light than human eyes were meant to withstand.

There was but one word spoken- "Jora"- before Dorian felt himself laid down once more. But not along the ground; no, something warm and comfortable was beneath him now, snuggly and soft and distinctly welcoming. Through the flooded light, Dorian could make out the sillouette as a human figure turned and left him, the person that had taken him from the darkness and given him into this place of warmth and life.

"Jora." That name spoken again. "Your duties will begin now. I will return when the time is right. Do not disappoint me."

Gone; whoever it was was gone from the room. Bit by bit, the lights finally dared to dim themselves into a tolerable level, revealing at last the place in which Dorian had come to.

A playroom. Toys and boxes, furniture painted in white and pink and yellow and blue, a normal-sized rocking chair set in one corner being the only piece of furniture that was not child-sized; and someone stood there, a new figure altogether....

The woman's keen blue eyes hidden behind the veil of black hair cascading towards her back flickered towards the boy child laying in the blankets atop the newly aquired changing table. He would, indeed, do.

"You know better than to doubt my abilities, M'lord," The woman stated to the voice, giving a small bow before the form disappeared and the light went back to normal, "Ahhhh, Dorian...It's nice to see you alive and well...Again. I trust that you won't fail us again now that you are under my care...."

Her voice was cold, somewhat calculated - as if she thought carefully about every word she uttered.

It was enough to make Dorian shudder despite the warmth of the blankets which were welcome after the pure nothingness of limbo.

Who the hell was this lady? Fail...Again? What the....

Dorian's brown eyes blinked to gaze around the room. Baby things. Joy. So not only was he going to BE a baby, he'd be treated as such. Lovely.

He let out a little whine, there not being much else he could do. Besides, the warm cuddly thing he was laying on was making his tired baby's body rather sleepy.

Jora smiled as she watched his eyes droop and drew a long nail against his cheek, "Oh yes, sleep well, Dorian."

Dorian's last thought before he gave into the pull of slumber - How the HELL does she know my name...?  

[Kyribird]

Metaplot - Part Seven - Matilda's Descent

It was dark outside when Matilda had finally finished preparing for her journey to In Between as she liked to call it. Half between Heaven and half between Hell. It wasn't her choice to go there - it was such a gray area that the Ancient's powers were severely weakened - but she had to go. The squirming spirits were setting alarm bells off in her head and she simply couldn't ignore them for much longer. It was not safefor souls to be there for long.

Especially new souls.

Not that they were technically new or anything. But they were children nonetheless. Powerful children. If by some chance something or someone who shouldn't come across them DID come across them....Well, Matilda didn't like to think about it.

She wouldn't lose a part of her soul in vain.

Her frail looking hand picked up her black shoulder bag, tightening the belt on it so nothing would fall out of it, and slid it onto her person. It felt extremely odd to be dressed in the drab gray that she was but it was a very necessary thing to do. In the stark blandness of In Between colors tended to stand out. It was bad enough that her hair, the light blue that it was, could not be disguised.

She was still too weak for glamours.

"Bag...Check. Blankets...Check. Wand...Check. It looks like I have everything," Matilda mumbled to herself, "Everything but my god damn power. I sincerely doubt anything I meet in the In Between will be threatened by my ability to turn them into flowers."

The thought was actually quite amusing in a morbid way.

She could see it now - A great big monster coming towards her, maw drooling, claws extended....and the sudden agonizing pain of them turning into a green stalk with leaves and colorful petals.

It was almost enough to make her laugh.

Almost.

It did, however, manage to get a smile onto those lips which was quite a feat in itself. The Ancient rarely laughed anymore, let alone smiled. If those lips of hers DID curve up it was usually a self-imposed smirk at someone else's stupidity.

But that was beside the point.

Matilda sighed and shook her head, pulling her long blue hair into a loose ponytail at the back of her head. If she couldn't disguise the color she could at least make it as unnoticeable as possible by pushing it beneath her gray cloak. It wasn't the best solution, but it was all she could do.

"Allrighty," she said to herself, "Let's go avoid the nasties and get those children. Hopefully in one piece."

With that, she stepped into her wall portal and was instantly transported into the murky gray of In Between.

The cold hit her almost immediately, causing the woman to shudder and her eyes to close momentarily. The fact of the matter was she hadn't been in the In Between for so long that she had forgotten how cold it was. How desolate it was. In Between wasn't limbo - but it wasn't any better. Some would say it was worse - though having been in both she would have chosen the In Between in a split second. To feel cold is one thing but to be left in a void of pure nothingness was torture.

At least the In Between offered a true and final death; which for some people was quite needed. Unfortunately enough, sometimes things that didn't belong there got stuck and died their final death as well. Which was what would be happening to the children if she didn't find them soon.

Infant souls in the In Between were like infants left in a car in a blizzard with no blankets or a child in front of a too-happy *****; Dangerous and deadly. The souls that haunted the place were usually strong enough to withstand the cold and pull of death - which wasn't exactly a good thing. Very few of the souls wandering around in the In Between could be classified as good. It wasn't like in those fairy tales where good always wins and evil is screwed.

It was actually quite the opposite. Good was preyed on because it was seen as weak. Far too trusting and willing to see just the smallest bit of good in people. Unfortunately - that was the opening most of the "Evil" or "Darker" souls needed.

They needed food too, you know.

Silver eyes blinked to get used to the fog and she bit her lip, scanning the immediate horizon for any sign of the twins. Of course it just wasn't in her luck for this to be an easy mission.

Was it ever? Okay, so Coailiann was fairly simple to get. She only had to crawl - okay walk - under the Irish hills, talk a guard into not lynching her, and grab the baby. Simple enough, right?

The three previous wands had been entertaining, albeit painful, to watch.

This one, with her luck, would end in her soul being obliviated before her purpose was fulfilled.

A few steps testing the ground before she determined it was safe to actually walk on and she was on her way again, her bag clutched tight to her person and her cloak firmly clasped. She wouldn't risk little clawed hands reaching up and pulling her down with them. It was possible to be dropped a level lower into the In Between, she knew, but she wasn't going to be one to test that out. It was bad enough being in this level - one of the more dangerous ones where a simple drop could mean the final death.

It was within the first five minutes that she felt a slimy, prickled hand grab at her ankle and attempt to do just that. It was a lesser spirit, thankfully, so it wasn't too hard to stamp on the hand and get rid of it. The fact that one had tried so soon in the game told Matilda to put her guard up - this was not going to be an easy ride.

When fifteen minutes later she had had to stomp on ten more hands, she knew that something didn't want her to be there.

It couldn't have been more obvious if there had been a large and pink neon sign saying "GO AWAY!"

Matilda chose to be illiterate for that particular moment.

"You know," Matilda said to particularly nobody at all, "All I came in here to do is get my kids. I did NOT sign up for the pedicures you're painfully trying to give me. Keep doing it and I'll have to ask for my money--" she paused to stomp on yet another clawed hand which had dug its nails into her flesh and actually drew blood. Matilda was promptly rewarded with a high pitch wail, "Back."

It felt good to give back to society.

~TBC~

 

[Kyribird]

Metaplot - Part Seven Continued - Levis and Malum
Matilda had been traveling in the In Between for a good two hours or so, fighting off several small creatures and one larger one and was already feeling her magic power drain and her body feeling sluggish. Much more of this and she knew she'd fade. If she was already feeling the effect of the In Between what state could the babies be in?

The thought was enough to make her stomach drop to the heels of her feet.

"God damnit, stupid gray place. Why can't anything go my way? I mean I just woke up from my co--" she paused, hearing a sharp wail. A child's wail, "Well I'll be, if it was that ******** easy why didn't I do it sooner?"

The Ancient took off towards the noise, silently thanking the deities for giving her this one little break in her search. She was interrupted by a loud grunt coming from her right side.

"You not get babe-flesh! Babe-flesh be destroy-ed says big ups, I say!"

Matilda stopped in her tracks and raised a brow, head turning to look at the large gray-black mass towering a few feet above her. And laughed.

"Talbar. I would have thought you'd have been sucked down into a permanent death by now. You've been here for...how long? And wha---" she blinked, did he just say "big ups"?

"No matter! Babe-flesh mine!"

Matty's eyes rolled, "Talbar, you may be one of the more powerful ones here but you can match m--"

It seemed to be a pattern, Matty was once more cut off. However this was...Bad. A big ball of neutral energy - the only kind that could really -harm- Matilda - was hurled at her and brushed her arm, "OW YOU MOTHER FU---"

She didn't have time to finish her curse - another ball was immediately being thrown at her. Luckily, she was able to duck it this time, it whizzing harmlessly by her and striking one of the lesser spirits into oblivion.

"You little..." a deep breath, wits gathering about her to send a spirit mana ball at him - the only thing that could destroy neutral energy in the In Between. "Animositas"

The purple ball, bright and burning, hit him directly in the center of the chest - causing him to stumble and be pulled under to the next level.

Not complete death - but close.

Unfortunately the single spell, because of the brightness, had not only drained Matilda but had alerted the spirits of her whereabouts. She had to get out. And fast.

Sprinting as fast as she could in her exhausted state, Matilda made her way through lesser spirits trying to grab at her to the two children, swathed in a gray blanket (Fitting, for where they were) and curled around a wand.

Huh. How cliche. A dark and light twin pair.

Immediately they were grabbed up into her grasp, and with a final, tired incantation, all three were transported to Matilda's bed leaving a group of very confused, stupid spirits.




Welcome Levis and Malum into the world of the living

 

[Ianna Umbridge]

The Underdark - Part One

It was the middle of the night when Ianna's sleep was interrupted by the familiar voice inside of her head. It was weak , which worried her, but it was the voice nonetheless. Matilda was still regaining her strength - could a wand have surfaced so quickly? Didn't the wands know when their mistress was out of commission?

A soft grumble was immediately heard from the silver-haired mortal and she sat up, straightening herself out, "Another bloody wand, Matty? Do they ever...I don't know, give you a break?"

"No, not really," Came a tired reply, "But this time, it's going to be harder on you than it is on me..."

Ianna paused in her movements, "What do you mean, harder on me?"

There was a long silence, "It's a Drow wand, mother."

"WHAT?! ARE YOU ******** tell me I have to..."

"Go to the Underdark? Yes. You do. What's worse? It's...Uh...."

"Uhm....It's what?"

"Currently half buried in front of Narbondel."

"...You're kidding me..."

When Ianna was met with silence she sat herself on the bed, crossing her arms over her chest, "No. No way in hell am I going to risk my life for a piece of WOOD."

"Well, it's not wood it -- "

"I DON'T CARE IF IT IS ******** PURE DIAMONDS!"

Matilda winced at her mother's screaming. Not that she could blame her for it - Narbondel was...Well...In the center of the Underdark and rather dangerous, even for some Drow, to mill around, "You're going. And if you just stand there you'll be killed."

"If I go there PERIOD I'll be killed, woman! Are you ******** CRAZY?!"

"Again, that's to be debated but...You have to go. I suggest taking one of the swords from the training room. Preferrably a light-spelled one. You know how to wield a sword, right?"

"If by wield you mean not cut myself open by holding one, yes."

Ianna could feel Matilda mentally roll her eyes, "Just go get a ******** sword."

"Matilda, I've never fought you on anything. Even with the werewolf, I didn't fight you. Moon, Atlantis, I didn't fight you. I'm ******** FIGHTING YOU NOW! I have Coailiann to consider. I have responsibilities. I cannot ******** die." Ianna stay put where she was, fists clenching until her knuckles turned white.

It was a death sentence to go the Underdark when not a Drow. Hell, it was a death sentence for a lot of Drow as well.

"Look, you don't have a choice. I can't go, I wasted my energy on the twins. Either you get prepared with a sword or you go unarmed. You have a better chance with the sword."

Ianna was silent for a few minutes before her fists slowly unclenched. She didn't have a choice in the matter, she knew that. Matilda could zap her there without a second thought and she'd be in the middle of some very confused and angry Drow, unarmed. It would be a very bad situation.

With a soft harrumph, Ianna stood up and shed her nightgown, putting on a pair of flexible leather pants - something that would at least hold up with rough wear. A long sleeved shirt, black, was also added.

At least she'd be covered.

A few moments later she was in the training room, meandering around the spelled weapon closet. It was difficult to find the right weapon between the hundred or so different ones hanging and stored on the shelves, but she did manage to find a relatively light sword that she could manage fairly easy.

It was nice, as well, because it was spelled with light magick as well. When hitting a target it would light up with a soft white glow, and depending on intent, it could grow in intensity. Therefore...If needed, she could blind the attackers momentarily and grab the wand.

Good plan. Sort of.

"Okay, I'm ready. But so help me if I die..."

Matilda rolled her eyes and transported the irate silver haired woman into the Underdark. Thankfully it was in a shadowed corner and she was virtually invisible with her dark clothes.

Silver eyes looked back and forth, scanning the area for the easiest past to Narbondel. It wasn't easy. There were quite a few people milling around and it wasn't exactly a walk in the park to get there. Especially since Narbondel was in the center of the city.

But she could see the wand - black and topped with a spider - laying half buried in the ground beside the large stone pillar. A thread of purple flashed in the light given off by the fire of Narbondel. That was definitely the Drow wand.

If it weren't for her pale complexion, Ianna could have probably passed for a Drow with her silver hair and silver eyes. It was times like this she wished she had glamour powers. Carefully she made her way through the people, pulling the hood of her cloak up around her to hide her as best as possible.

She almost made it to the wand when one of the larger Drow warriors stepped in front of her, blocking her way. Of course, being Ianna, she didn't realize he was there until she ran face-first into him and fell backwards onto her a**.

Her hood spilled backwards revealing her pale skin - and something akin to shock and anger filled the eyes of the Drow man.

" Ogglinn! Shinduago Wayc'e! Dos z'klaen el!" came his voice, harsh and full of hate, causing Ianna to cringe. If this man talked any louder he would bring upon all the guards - or all of them that were within a shouting distance.

Thankfully, Ianna was being fed words by Matilda - who had studied the language, and she was able to speak - despite not being sure what she was saying.

" Nau, naut shinduago wayc'e. Drathir ilythiiri! T'puuli."

The Drow man looked surprised that the white-skinned woman knew their language, "Dos xun naut lor saph drathir ilythiiri. Quin dos telanth udossta xanalress. Ele zhal'la Usstan naut elgg dos, vel'xunyrr?"

" Usstan tlun naut natha vel'xunyrr. Lu'oh byr orn'la Usstan telanth dosst xanalress?"

He looked thoughtful for a moment - maybe he was one of the more stupid ones. A nod of his head and he moved on, obviously more interested in one of the fights that had just started a few feet away.

Apparently, many others were too - and she was thankful. A distraction.

Carefully she made her way to the wand and attempted to tug it free. It was stuck. She would have to use her sword.

Which was bad - it lit up when striking something. s**t.

Thinking a moment, Ianna raised it and drove it deep into the earth, intending it to glow as light as possible. Even that was too much and the Drow noticed the flash.

" SSUSSUN WAYC'E! ********." She swore, wiggling her sword quickly to loosen the dirt packed around the black wand. It only took a second to get it free, but that second was all the Drow seemed to need to come at her, "MATILDA GET ME THE ******** OUT OF HERE!"

She was home before the last word exited her mouth - and without her sword.

"Never...A ********." she muttered, sweat dripping from her forehead.

The Underdark - Part Two

Never. Again. Never ever ever again. At the moment, Ianna was positively fuming over the fact she had risked her life to get a stupid wand made of who-knows-what for Matilda. Her daughter was DEFINITELY trying to kill her.

And to top it all off, she couldn't get the musty smell from the Underdark off her. She was definitely NOT a happy mortal.

"DO YOU HEAR ME MATILDA?! NEVER EVER EVER AGAIN! EVER!"

Matilda mentally rolled her eyes and went back to her nap.

Coailiann, on the other hand, woke up from the yelling with a startled yelp, "Owie!"

Ianna sighed and turned to look at the toddler, "Shh, it's okay, little love. Go back to sleep. Mommy's just mad at sissy, okay?"

Coailiann sleepily nodded her head and curled up in the playpen set up in the wand shoppe again.

Maybe today would be the lucky day and she'd rid herself of the black and purple reminder.

She certainly HOPED the guardian chosen was up to the challenge of a Drow child.


Neaveh's timing couldn't have been anymore perfect. The butterfly woman had only recently come home from a long day at work...or rather, a long year and a half of work. Her editor had demanded her services on an entirely different continent...around a certain area where there was supposed to be horrid ceremonies and sacrifices that needed documenting. Unfortunately, by the time she'd gotten to the desired location - A village in the middle of nowhere - a damn had already been built over it, and anything the village possessed, from toys to clothes to books, had all been shipped off to various surrounding places.

So she'd spent the last year and a half on a wild goose chase. Most of the documents were too old, worn, blood-splattered or wet to be read, and the ones that could be read were confusing and fragmented. Needless to say, she'd gone home frustrated and upset at the year and a half she'd now be missing from her life.

To make herself feel better, Neveah explored her home once more, and then went out to the shops to see what was still there, what had closed down, and what had gone up in its place. There were lots of new toy stores, new art places, clothing stores, costume shacks...but the thing that caught her attention instantly was something that would catch the attention of any Folklorist; A Wand Shoppe.

It didn't matter how tired she was, how hungry she was, or that part of her brain let her know she could always come back tomorrow...something wanted her in there now. Her curiousity over this feeling eventually winning out, Neveah pushed open the door to the Wand Shoppe and stepped inside cautiously, her antennae giving a testing twitch as the shoppe's air hit them. It was musty...but musty was something she was used to, considering her profession.

"...Hello?" She asked slowly but curiously; her eyes had yet to adjust, and so far, she saw nobody.


The still annoyed woman's eyes went to the lady who walked in, an eyebrow raising slightly. Odd appearance, but then again, in her profession, she should be used to THAT by now. She finished up rubbing Coailiann's back and stood herself up, straightening her sweats and shirt up before walking towards her, extending a hand.

"Hello. Welcome to Ghosts of the Past.. I've actually been expecting you."

There was no other reason for her to be here - she had to be a guardian. And when the bell in her head went off a moment later, she quietly praised herself for being right.

Mentally she stuck her tongue out at the napping Matilda. She didn't need her - not right now, "Please, come in?"


Neveah blinked her angled eyes, dragging her gaze down for but a moment to the other woman's hand. The woman wore a smile then, reaching out to clasp the silver haired woman's hand, her slightly longer fingers curling around a little more than they should. Her smile vanished however, when she was told her arrival was expected.

"...Thanks. You don't work for Philos, do you?" She inquired without a second thought, giving the woman a rather skeptical look. People just didn't expect someone...her editor probably knew she'd come here, and have an agent waiting to ship her off again or something. Mentally, she was preparing to kick the woman and bolt. She'd had enough adventures for another year and a half, thank you!

"Uh, sure." She was still hesitant about coming in...maybe there was a trap or something, where she'd get jumped, kidnapped, and shipped off to outerspace to look into moon frogs or something stupid like that. Slowly she wandered inside, letting her eyes adjust to the rather old place around her.

Still, Neveah didn't want to say anything more, just incase this WAS a trap. She couldn't assume Philos wouldn't kidnap her for something, because you couldn't put anything past him. Instead, until her worries were quelled, she would continue to be on guard, ready to kick and flail and bite if necessary.


Ianna raised a brow, "Who's Philos? Nevermind, I don't care. There are more important things...Come over here and take a look at this, hmm? I think you'll find it at least somewhat interesting...."

She hurried behind the large desk and dragged out a leather bound book, "By the way, Neveah, is it?" Okay. So she needed Matilda to freak out the new people. But hey, that was fun, "I just need you to touch the book for me, okay? Feel it, tell me what you think?"

The book itself was rather old, worn out leather with gold edges. She hoped that she wouldn't fight her on touching it. She wasn't in the best of moods and was rather anxious to get rid of the spider wand that was currently resting on top of the desk.

The commotion woke up Coailiann, however, and her green eyes looked over to the two adults, "Agoobah?" she questioned, giggling softly and pulling herself up. She was too tired to levitate over, but she could demand attention where attention was due, couldn't she? She WAS A princess, after all, right?

At least that's what her mommy called her and mommy, while stupid sometimes, was still mommy, "Hiiii!"

Ianna sighed, "Hi to you too, go back to sleep. It's not the time, Kay kay, Okay?"

Coailiann scowled and plopped herself down on her diapered rear, "Bah!"


As the woman questioned the name, Neveah visibly relaxed. It was almost as if the woman had a hundred pound weight taken off of her! Good, she wasn't going to get kidnapped and sent to the moon to study moon frogs or something! Today was now a perfect day, in her opinion. She made a happy little noise and only happily shuffled after Ianna. Naturally, she assumed the woman was being like all shopkeepers, and was going to show her some of the wares of the store...not that Neveah minded of course, since it had nothing to do with work!

"Yep, my name's Neveah!" She partially chirped, at first not really realizing that she hadn't given her name yet. "Just touch it?" She questioned, eyeing the old, worn-looking book. She's seen a lot of these kinds of books...but at least this one didn't have blood splatters on it. Reaching out for the book, she suddenly realized what she hadn't initially. Snapping her hand back to her, she instead pointed it accusingly at the woman.

"Wait! YOU! You knew my name! You HAVE to work for him, then! You lied to me!" Because nobody in Gaia would have known her name...she'd been gone for a long time, of course. "Tell him I JUST got back, and I'm NOT GOING OUT AGAIN!" She cried out, torn between whining in dismay and screaming in annoyance. With a huff, the woman spun on her heels and went to walk right back to the store entrance, the patchs of gloved fur on her forearms bristling. How dare they do this to her! She wasn't a machine, damnit!

...Though she did glance down at the cute little girl.


The minute the woman would touch the book, the cover would fly open, an invisible wind winding through the pages and blowing them rapidly open until it landed, quite suddenly, on a well-worn page. On the page was a beautifully detailed sketch of the wand currently sitting on Ianna's desk.

Under the picture read:

"Underdark. Wand ID 00017. A Soul has been trapped within the confines of the wand. Congratulations, you have become the next guardian to take on the task of raising it from infancy to greatness. We, Ianna and I, have the upmost faith in you to complete your task dutifully. Best of luck,

Matilda."


Of course, at the outburst and stalking away, Neveah wouldn't be able to read it, for the moment. Unless she came back. Ianna looked incredibly confused at it, "Uh...What?" she blinked, silver eyes mirroring said confusion.

She was NOT used to having guardians stalk out on her before they even read the damn book, nor was she ever accused of conspiracy. That alone was enough to give her a headache, "I have...absolutely NO clue what the hell you're talking about lady...I know your name because my daughter told me."


The butterfly hadn't stopped because of what Ianna had said. Neveah stopped because she suddenly realized something had happened in that brief second she'd touched that book, but in her accusing frenzy she never got to see it. She stopped because she was disappointed in herself. Some Folklorist, missing something that could probably be important! However, she wasn't about to let the woman know she was regretting stomping away, because then she might get kidnapped once off guard. Instead, she stayed near the door until she heard that the woman had to say.

"Daughter?" Neveah parrotted softly, glancing back down at the little girl. This girl definately didn't look old enough to know her name...then again, anything was possible. Blinking her rather angled eyes, she slowly made her way back to the desk. "Oh...well alright." Not that she really believed the woman, but she did want to see that book now...so it prompted her to walk back to the desk as non-chalantly as possible, to read over that had been written there.

"I'm sorry...I just got back from a year and a half of work-related torture...I hope you forgive my hysteria over it." Neveah smiled nervously at the woman. "I can see my boss coming and shipping me off again soon..." There, now that she'd explained herself, she finally looked down at the book, looked over ths picture, then down at the note.

Underdark? Soul? Guardian? ...Infant...?

The woman froze. Underdark sounded familiar, Souls where everywhere...but it was 'Guardian' and 'Infancy' that caught her attention. "Uh...what does this mean...?" She asked blatantly, pointing down at the picture. "If thats for me, I can't take it! I don't know how to raise a kid! I don't have any!" She was panicking now, but now as badly as she had been before. "I'd make a lousy guardian...ZERO experience with them!" Once she had pleaded to get out of work, now she'd pleaded against the woman and this Matilda person's judgement.


Ianna's head shook, "Yes, Daughter, and no, not her. Matilda. Matilda is my daughter. That little one there in the playpen is Coailiann, and a Sidhe child. She came from a wand as well," she bit her lip and slid her hand over the black and purple wand, handing it over to the butterfly woman, "This, this is the wand that currently houses your child's soul. And I'm sorry - but you are who the soul chose.

We do not choose the guardians - the children do. You're, quite frankly, stuck with it. Unless you want to kill it...Because without you, that's what will happen. You see...They cannot survive without you. They already died once horribly. This is their second chance. Do you really want to take that chance away from them?"

Her silver eyes locked in on the other woman, "And yes, I understand your paranoia, but you're going to have to get over it unless you want to be a murderer of children."

Cold, but necessary.


"Oh." Was all Neveah could think to say as the little girl in the playpen and the name Matilda were explained to her. It sounded like a stupid reply, but hey...she was tired and hungry and full of paranoia...she wasn't about to spew poetry here. Her long fingers curled around the shaft of the wand, pulling it closer to her out of curiousity alone.

As it was explained to her, Neveah ran her fine fingers over the well crafted wand, over the purple thread that spiralled around it, and eventually over the spider that adorned the very top. The feeling that same from the wand...it was unsettling. To her knowledge, the wand had not been touched prior to Ianna putting it into her hands...but there is was, pulsing with a warmth that was almost alive. Realizing that made her shudder.

"No, I don't..." If anything, Neveah sounded more like a child who was getting in trouble than an adult. She felt bad now, having tried to plead against getting this child. She didn't want the baby to die, but she didn't want it growing up improperly...which was very probable, considering she had NO knowledge of children nor did she possess maternal instincts in the least.

"...Guess I have no choice." She murmured with a sigh of defeat, holding the spider wand against herself. Partially resting her chin on the very tip of the spider's front two feet, Neveah was already thinking a mile a minute; most of it involved extensive research plans. Utterly defeated now, Neveah was more of a quiet, solemn person than she had been since she passed through the wand shoppe's doors. "Uh...Thanks...?" Now she realized she didn't know the other woman's name, and the tone of her voice encouraged the knowledge to be shared. "I'll try my best, then." She managed to smile, though even she couldn't hide her worry over the entire situation, and the future.


Ianna visably relaxed once she knew she wouldn't be getting any more arguments. They all eventually came around - but she knew that it would happen. All guardians did.

Because they were simply meant to, whether or not they knew it.

Silver eyes watched the woman touch the wand, gauging her reaction to it all, "I know it's a lot to swollow. When I found Matilda's wand, I was freaking out myself...I didn't believe it until I had a little girl of about four years old talking to me as if she was a twenty year old. Believe me, I was ready to run high tail and scream. But I grew to love the little brat.

Even if she's currently trying to kill me with all these missions...."

A voice filled the room, "I am SO not."

Ianna scoffed, "Yeah, and I'm the bloody Queen of England...Anyway...Your child won't grow as fast as Matilda did. It's a Drow though. For your sake, I hope it's a male."


Neveah listened to what Ianna had to say, though she did so silently. Oh, she had no doubt that she'd grow to accept and adore the baby...but she did have huge doubts about her parenting skills. As mentioned, she had ZERO maternal instincts. Most butterflies didn't. The woman did utter a soft giggle at the two-lined spat between Ianna and the voice that filled the room.

She looked as though she were about to say something...but at the mention of Drow, anything she might have said completely died on her lips. Underdark...that was where she had heard that word! "Drow?!" Neveah breathed out in surprise. "This...baby...will turn out to be a Drow!?" Suddenly, she didn't want the wand anymore. "Underdark...that Note said Underdark. Did that mean you..." The butterfly cut herself off, then went silent, leaving Ianna to fill in the blanks. Being a folklorist, Neveah naturally knew about the Drow, and how dangerous it was, no matter the gender. Slowly, the butterfly reached out and gave Ianna a sympathetic pat on the shoulder. "You poor, poor woman. I'm so happy to see you right now. Alive." Because being in the Underdark was a death wish.

"A Drow..." Neveah whined now, staring at the wand in her hand. She was seriously wishing the baby would be male as well. Any Folklorist worth their name knows that a female drow is murder and pain incarnate. Her mind was struggling with itself. She didn't want a baby at all, but a Drow baby was definately on her list of things to 'NEVER EVER EVER Aquire'. However, by rejecting the wand, she'd be killing another being, and that was also something she couldn't live with. Especially when it was possible to raise the child to not be like its brethern. "I guess...I have no choice." She murmured again out loud, and very much against her better judgement.

Screw work, she now had something else to be paranoid about. Something that was more dire and immediate to her, because hey...she'd be caring for a baby that was from one of the world's most dangerous species...without any maternal instincts. Yeah, work was now the last of her worries.

"I'm not sure whether to thank you or hate you for this, though." She said truthfully, with a hint of nervous laughter to her voice.


Ianna couldn't blame the butterfly woman for her paranoia when she had mentioned the word Drow. She had much the same reaction when Matilda had told her that the wand she was to go fetch would be Drow. Being in the business of getting wands from other times, races, and worlds tended to make you research.

And research she had, since the first day. Drow had been one of her first research subjects. And from that day she had prayed she'd never have to go fetch one of those wands.

She supposed Matilda and the little drow child had other ideas.

"Eh, It was actually very close. It...was right infront of Narbondel. Thankfully I ran into a warrior who was rather stupid and believed I was a Moon Drow..." she shuddered a little bit and took a deep breath.

"It was buried, too, so I had to use my sword, which was spelled to flash light, to dislodge it. Got the attention of every Drow in the vacinity...Anyway, no, you really don't have a choice...But..."

Ianna paused as she tried to figure out how to put it, "It's true the child will have a lot of it's natural instincts. But the child will also have human characteristics. It's their second life - they know nothing of their past. Not until they're a teenager."


Neveah visibly flinched at the mention of the stupid warrior...Drow that that never lasted long in the Underdark. "Its terrible of me...but I wonder what happened to him. I'm sure his Matron would have heard about his misdeeds by now...how he let you get away..." She didn't say it outloud, but she had a feeling the silver-haired woman would have thought it too; that Drow must be dead by now for his lack of logic...and if not dead, perhaps his fate was sealed as a dryder... "I'm still glad you got out alive though...that little girl over there depends on you, doesn't she?" Though the butterfly had no maternal instincts, she knew enough to know how devastating it would be to lose a family member...especially for a child so young.

Taking careful consideration of that the woman had said last, Neveah found herself thinking again. "So it is possible to tame them, so to speak...?" Naturally, she meant 'Not let the drow be a drow and go killing things for sacrificial reasons'. Right now, she was seriously wishing the soul in the wand was male...at least a male drow is bareable. "Well, Miss...It was so nice to meet you! I have to go home, avoid my editor and a possible kidnapping to the moon." Not to mention buy ten thousand or so books on parenting.

And maybe another million books on Drow.


Ianna knew that the warrior drow was probably dead by now. She wasn't too involved in Drow culture - but she knew enough to know that his matron would have probably tortured him long and hard.

A small sigh as she looked to her daughter, "Yes, she does. So does my eldest daughter. And...many others. You're not the only guardian. Before you go, however, I need to show you something. So please, follow me?"

Ianna picked up her daughter, who was whining for attention by now, and walked towards the door to the right of her desk. With a small push it opened to reveal a very dark looking void. She was too tired to deal with the paper portal, at the moment, and would just lead her through the door portal.

As they entered the main lobby Via the portal connecting the shoppe and the headquarters, the first thing they would notice is the vast...largeness...of it. The high ceilings, edged with gold, the large chandeliers dripping with crystals, the smooth white tile-floors, colorful rugs, and beautiful paintings.

To the left was a large recreational area complete with a large flat-screen television, several rows of various games, movies, video game systems and books. There was a basket of toys in the corner, full of plushies, dolls, cards and various other objects which would appeal to most ages. Included in the area were several comfy looking couches and plush chairs just made for sitting, lounging or bouncing in. It seemed to be heaven on a fluffy carpet. It even had a foos-ball table and an air-hockey table....and for the slightly more food-minded GoTP, a mini fridge always full.

To the right was a large elaborate counter, which seemed to have a force-field of some sort around it, keeping anyone who was not Ianna or Matilda from going behind it. On the counter lay a roster with the names of all the Ghostly children and their guardians, and an appointment book.

From there, it branched off into halls with rows and rows of rooms. Some were storage, some were guest rooms, some were bathrooms, and one very large and ornate door to the end of the hall led to the gardens. "Welcome to Headquarters. You're welcome here at any time, Neveah. Most of the other guardians mill about so...It's rarely ever empty...And we have a VERY large library I'm sure you'll enjoy."


"I gathered I wasn't...considering the wand's number wasn't one." Neveah couldn't help the childish giggle that escaped her lips. However, not being the only one was more than a good thing! She could cling to other owners and beg their assistance if need be! The butterfly was sure there was a Maternal or Paternal type somewhere around here! "Buh?" The confused noise came before she could stop it...but she found herself turning and following after the silver-haired woman and he little girl which she held.

Shifting through the portal didn't phase her...but the room itself seemed to stun her. It'd been so long since she'd seen a room this vast! The butterfly in her wanted to dance and flutter in pure joy...but alas, the more human part of her told her that wouldn't be wise just yet. Her very angled eyes took in everything...then brightened considerably at the mention of a library. "Oh wow! In that case, you'll see me here an AWFUL lot!" Wherever there was a library, there was Neveah! Oh, and also because of the little baby that would come from the wand, naturally. There was always that to keep in mind. "Its very pretty in here, it makes me want to dance." She nodded, grinning widely; strangely enough, it made her look like a small child. "How hard is it in the means of upkeeping?" Neveah had to know. She just HAD to.


"It's...Not really that hard. Right now there are very few children to muddle it up and when they do, I do my best to clean up. The gardens I enjoy working in, and well..Everything else is pretty much charmed to be dust free," she smiled a little bit. Matilda had done that to help keep her sane with so many rooms and things in the vast headquarters of a house.

She did live there, after all, "So you really like libraries, eh? Well, we have a section with what most people would call normal topics. Romance, science...etc. The top level is for magic and magic histories and other things that most would call obscure. I spend most of my time in the normal section simply because...I'm too surrounded by the obscure to need to read about much of it. I mean, I have a sidhe baby who flings apples at me."


Neveah leaned her head to the side in an unusually canine manner...for a butterfly woman. "...Wanna charm my house to be dust-free? I'm not home often, but when I am its just to catch up on cleaning." Giggling in a rather absent, but still amused manner, she glanced down at the wand she held. There was no way she could travel around like she used to...not now that she had a potential infant to care for and raise. There had to be a way around her job to better suit the lifestyle of a Mother...maybe she could use Zasalamel as an excuse to NOT go to the moon and study moonfrogs! Hurrah!

"I love libraries because of the books. I like readable books. I'm a Folklorist." Neveah clarified with a kind tone to her voice. As long as they were legible, she loved them. At the mention of the Sidhe baby, the woman's antennae twitched curiously. "That little one is a Sidhe?" Blinking from Mother to Daughter, her sights rested there, eyeing the girl with wide-eyed curiousity. "A little Faerie, then? She certainly looks the part..." Giggling girlishly, Neveah nodded. "Having a Sidhe baby, going into the Underdark...no wonder you'd stick to the normal section!" If it weren't for her job, she would too. While researching was one of her hobbies and she loved doing it dearly...it was nice to sit and curl up with a book that WASN'T written by you or WASN'T going to be published in a journal soon.


"I didn't do it, my eldest daughter did..." Ianna smiled and shifted the child in her arms to her other hip - who immediately latched onto her mother's hair and pulled. Hard. Ianna had usually kept it short but it was slowly growing longer.

And quite honestly? Coailiann figured it was a jungle gym made special for her.

Ianna yowled and untangled the child's hand from her hair, smacking the tops of them gently, "No. Do you want me to make you play with Del again?"

That shut the girl up and she immediately stuck her thumb in her mouth to pacify herself, head laying on her mother's shoulder. One thing was to be said - Ianna was getting better at shutting her up and making her behave.

"Ah, Folklore. I love the stuff, or did. When all you do is find children that folklore was made out of that have been stuck in wands because they were hacked up into pieces...well...It kind of gets old," she shook her head a bit and stroked her daughter's head lovingly. She complained a lot, but she did love it.

When she wasn't almost dying.


Neveah looked almost disappointed. Almost. Actually, she kind of expected something like that. "Oh, ah well...at least I gave it a shot!" She grinned, placing her long, slender left hand on her hip. Naturally, her grin faded into a grimance on behalf of the woman before her, and her angled eyes shifted back down to the spider-tipped wand she held in her right hand. God, she really hoped the child who came from the wand would be male...if it were female, she'd have to suffer through what Ianna was; she didn't think she could handle that, really. "You handled that very well!" The butterfly commented, sincerity painfilly obvious in her voice.

"I love it, but I could do without the year and a half wild goose chase." Neveah grumbled bitterly, her arms wrapping around the warm wand that she held, and pressing it close to her chest. "It'd make my job easier if I just studied all of you!" She continued on teasingly, even playfully sticking out her tongue for good measure. She wouldn't realize until much later, just how good of an idea that really was. However, not putting more thought into it than just teasing, the butterfly looked around. "I'm very sorry to cut this short...but I really should get going now...I have so many things to get caught up on, and to prepare for..." At her last words, she glanced down at the obsidian and purple wand.

Great, dusting and baby-preparing. Joy.


Ianna gave a small nod of her head, "We've gotten used to eachother over the last few months, haven't we sweetie?" her hand stroked over her daughter's head again and Coailiann made a face, "Agoobah no."

Ianna shook her head and sighed, "She thinks she's miss princess, but in the end, I'm the one who decides whether or not she gets apples and other things she likes."

Coailiann whimpered and buried her head in her mother's shoulder, her diapered rear sticking out slightly.

"It was nice meeting you, Neveah. Next time you find yourself here, perhaps I'll show you the gardens and library. I think you'll enjoy it..." she trailed off and gave a little bow, as best she could with Coailiann in her arms.  

[Kyribird]

Metaplot Update - Part Eight - Voices

The voices were starting again. That cold, almost inhuman voice. A woman's voice. The voice of a quickly growing Dorian, though it was baby speech and most often screams of displeasure.

It was starting to drive Matilda mad.

"She sentenced you to that, Dorian," Jora's voice came, one of her fingers scraping across the child's cheek - who cringed inwardly. The touch of the woman sickened him, deep in his core. Dorian didn't remember much of his past life. He remembered limbo. He remembered hating something so very much. He remembered the absolute nothingness that had surrounded him. Almost drove him mad.

But he didn't remember why.

His brown eyes looked at the woman who had been taking care of him the last few months, narrowing slightly. Still, he could barely speak - his new body wouldn't allow him to. "W..." he started, scrunching his fists in frustration.

Jora laughed harshly, "Why? Because she's a selfish little witch. And you know what?" she said softly, nail scratching at his cheek, "She's bringing others who died wrongly to life. And you know something else?" she giggled almost giddily at the fact she could deliver such a blow to the hero which had failed, "She forgot alllll about you. She didn't bring YOU back. And who had died worse than you, right? Disgraced."

His little head shook violently and tears welled up in his eyes. NO. That was not TRUE. He hadn't failed! He hadn't...Had he?

"Face it, little man. Matilda sentenced you to limbo and to death by just being who she was. And then when she got her second chance she refused to give you one as well."

At the look she was being given, Jora smiled. She had done her job. At least - for the night, "I'll leave you with that, little boy."

With that, she shoved his pacifier in his mouth, covered him with a blanket, and walked out of the room after turning out the lights.

"You've done well, Jora."

"You expected less?"

Laughter....So much laughter.....So much..


Matilda's eyes snapped open, pain gripping her head in a vice and refusing to let go.

No! That wasn't true! She hadn't damned him! He had damned HER! He had betrayed HER! Told HER secret and caused her to feel the sick pain of the flames licking at her body until it could take it no more and her soul had been trapped in the wand.

For so many long years.

Anger filled the Ancient woman, fists clenching and clinging to the satin sheets beneath her body. For the first time in a very long time....Matilda let loose. And cried.  

[Kyribird]

Metaplot Part Nine - Seirket's Finding

"You are my sunshine, my only sunshine. You make me happy when skies are grey..." Ianna's voice softly sang to the dark haired girl in her arms. The small wings of the succubus were arranged so they weren't cramped, and the girl's silver eyes were heavy-lidded with sleep.

Coailiann hadn't taken kindly to having a new sister. Del had been a trial enough - but at least that little thing stayed out of her way. She usually stayed closer to Ianna or Malen, which, while it took attention away from the Sidhe, she preferred.

At least she didn't slobber on her stuff.

So currently Ianna was attempting to make up for Coailiann's horrid treatment of her siblings by singing to her, rocking back and forth in the rocking chair of the room Malen had set up.

It was all so new, so different, to the silver woman.

"Mother...."

Ianna closed her eyes and sighed, "Matty, please tell me another wand hasn't been found? I'm just getting Kishi to sleep and Coailiann..." she looked slightly distressed at the idea of leaving both of them together.

"Malen can watch all three girls. This is important."

Ianna supposed her eldest daughter was right. She trusted Malen to watch the girls - she just didn't want to leave the serene comfort she was feeling at the present moment, "Very well, then...."

The woman stood up, shifting the sleepy succubus in her arms to a position against her shoulder for easier transportation as she made her way out of the nursery and into Malen's room. They'd yet to share one yet.

"You're on baby detail."

"Aren't I always on baby detail?"

Ianna smiled fondly at him. "Only when I say you are." She gently handed Kishi over to his waiting arms and tilted her head. "You look good with babies," she commented before turning and starting out the room. "I'll be back soon. Hopefully in one piece. Coailiann's napping in her room, Del... is, uh... in the fountain, I think." She nodded her head and left without another word.

~

"Where to?"

"It should be fairly easy. The forgotten line between the Realm of Dream and Thought. It's... forgotten, but there ARE some creatures hanging around that haven't forgotten the war and the heartaches from the bloodshed there. You'll want to be careful."

Ianna shuddered. She had read about the war, and how awful it had been. "What's to be found there but old memories and forgotten scars?"

"A gryphon."

Ianna's heart stopped a moment. "It couldn't be the one the BOOKS wrote about... could it?"

There was a silence before Matilda mentally nodded. "Seirket."

"Seirket will be returning to us? On OUR side?"

"So it seems. Pack your bag, mother."

~

It was an hour or so later that Ianna found herself on the invisible line between realms. It was cold all around her; the air that hung low seemed to be thick with the shivering loneliness of ice. But it wasn't from the weather that it was cold. It was from the psychic scars that the battle had left.

It was the battle in history where magic and humans had fought their hardest.

And where the People of Dreams had lost their faith.

It was, as Matilda had put it so long ago, the turning point in the war against magic users and the end of the belief in anything unexplainable. It had, she had said, been what started to make their world fade and the crusade of wiping out their people.

And Ianna could feel every lost soul.

"We must hurry, Matilda," Ianna said softly - for once none of her snarky complaints left her mouth. She had too much respect for this place. For the people lost there. And for once, Matilda agreed with her.

"Time works differently between realms. You must hurry, I agree."

Ianna took a deep breath... and began her long walk down the path.

~

She had lost track of time. It could have been hours, minutes, days, that she had been searching for Seirket's wand. But the moment she had wrapped her cold, stiff fingers around the glinting wand of gold, emerald and diamonds, she had known. It really was Seirket. The two osprey feathers hanging from leather straps only added to the certainty. They were his coloring.

"Let's go home, Matilda. I think this child may actually save us, someday."

 

[Kyribird]

Metaplot Update - Seirket's Finding - The War

"Lithle," she said, using the name Matilda supplied her with, "Tell me. Have you ever heard of the battle between the People of Dreams and the People of Thought?" she tilted her head, "The one which turned the tables on the People of Dreams and started the crusades?"

She was patient as she slowly closed the book and set the wand atop of it, the gold, real gold, catching the light and glittering slightly along with its emeralds and diamonds.

That wand was worth a lot of money. However...Ianna could not and would never sell her preciouses.

They were worth more than money.

At least she hadn't been shot. It seemed like nothing could faze the silver woman after all she'd been through - even with Danny.

Lithle knew about wars. But the wars she knew happened on the street, over money, drugs, territory. She knew about the victims, the ones who got caught in the crossfire for no reason but naivety or bad luck.

She knew Tred; she knew what it meant to fight an enemy by becoming it. To hate death enough to kill.

She didn't however, have a clue what the crazy woman was babbling about. And she didn't like the use of her name. She was at a disadvantage. She lacked the knowledge the woman had.

She didn't know what was going on. She stood still, fists shaking with the effort of holding still. The instinct in her pure fight or flight was strong, and it was possible that the war between the two was the only thing holding her in place.

"I don't have a clue. History isn't exactly my subject." She spat the words. "Stay out of my head."

The last added because she couldn't think of any other way her name might have been known. This was Gaia, after all.

Damn telepaths.

Ianna ignored the comment about being in her head - since she wasn't - and continued speaking.

"You may want to sit down. It's a lengthy explanation, and you need to hear it. Your spirit is a special little boy. He was and is of great importance and I won't have you screwing up his or our chance at happiness and true freedom, do you understand me?"

There was something about the dangerous yet calm glitter in Ianna's eyes as she made herself comfortable on her stool, "As you should know, living in Gaia, Magic and Humans live side by side. In not-so-great harmony. In the past, Magic and Explanation lived side by side in peace. We worked together, lived together...Mated together, loved together. Oh yes, some of us still do, but the majority despise magic for it has no logical explanation that can be put into words."

She paused and reached under her desk for a pot of tea and brought some out, pouring herself a cup, "Tea?"

Tea? Was the woman serious? She could use a beer. Or something stronger. She found herself wanting Savius, her sharp tongued, independent Kestrel. It seemed like whenever things got too ******** up, and she was slipping away or in danger of exploding, he was there. To pick a fight when she was depressed, or pour her a drink when she was near killing.

She didn't like that either. She didn't need anyone. Certainly not bird boy.

Still, the thought of him, with his irritating 'Dad' tattoo was enough to pull her off the brink and stop her shaking.

"What little boy?" She snapped, but without quite so much edge, taking a seat despite herself. "I really don't have the ******** time."

Lithle wasn't a good person. In the judgment of many she'd even be a bad person. But her moral code was carved in stone, and even if she hated them, she protected children.

Protect those who can't protect themselves. Loyalty to the pack. Make prey of the predator.

Tred.

"Fine, talk." She snarled, ignoring the fact that Ianna was already talking. "But don't waste my time. I've got the damned brats waiting for me."

"Well, Lithle, you'll have to just make the time, won't you? Because you may have 'brats' waiting for you elsewhere, your most important 'brat' is sitting right in front of me. If you walk away from me, from him, he DIES. Again. This is his second life, so you're going to stay sitting down and listen. For as long as it takes for me to explain."


She went back to her calmness and took a sip of her tea, "Anyway. As I was saying. Unrest began to spread through the humans. They didn't like that magic folk were stronger than they were. That they could do things that they couldn't. That they didn't have to work as hard, in their eyes, to get what they wanted.

A rebellion started. It started with a few random killings of mages and other creatures of the craft. Not enough to start a riot, but enough to strike fear into magic folks hearts. They were, or the majority were, not used to harming non-magic creatures. They knew they had differences - but they also respected them.

Soon two realms were created. One of Dreams and One of Thought. Each had their sub realms, but the two main were of Dream and of Thought. The humans resided in the Realm of Thought.

A few choice mages also resided in the human's realm, teaching basic magics to the humans to try and close the gap between the two. Once they had done their job, the Humans slayed them.

The magic folk felt their deaths. All magic, you see, is connected."

She paused and took yet another sip of her tea, her mouth becoming dry from so much talking, "The humans created strict guidelines to their magic - if you could call it that. It was not TRUE magic. At least - not in the eyes of the Dream Realm.

To them, the humans practicing such an act, restricting what was supposed to be free-flowing, was an abomination. Small battles began to break out between the two realms, which eventually escalated into the worst war in history.

Worse, one that humans, despite their victory, wiped from all other's memory. Unfortunately, the scars that magic leaves behind are unable to be erased.

When wrong is done and magic is to blame, being behind it...The magic scars the area. It's the way Psychics can tell. It leaves a foot print that, if strong enough, that can be felt even by those who have no such inclination. But...That's beside the point at the moment...

"The final battle of the war took place on the line between the two realms. The soul in that wand is one of the largest figures of the war. He was one of the most important people in the Realm of Dream's side...Or, rather, one of the most important CREATURES. A gryphon who was bound to a mage. They both died that day, and with their death, the Dream Realm fell and the Humans won.

What happened after is not to be spoken of now. It is irrelevant. What is important is..." her hand touched the wand, "Seirket has come back. And he chose you to be his guardian."