Tentatively, he reached out toward the blue jar, unsure of why but felt that he should look into it. It was a feeling he didn't like, a feeling he didn't feel comfortable with, but why he wasn't sure. Why was the reason he chose it.
[ Take the Blue Jar ]Quote:
You take the blue jar. It has a tag on it:
Drink Me.
As this is a Goddess Task, it would be foolish to choose anything else. You drink all the contents. Immediately, you feel its effects, as you feel a mild concern, a dissatisfaction. You know there is something important you're forgetting, something you can't forget. The agitation begins to overflow as the table spins, just the top of it, spilling over with cloth and then an assortment of snacks. The cupcake looks fragile, tiny and lost, while the candies are slightly withered at best. Seated far away from the other two snacks is a slab of chocolate that almost seems to smoke maliciously.
Drink Me.
As this is a Goddess Task, it would be foolish to choose anything else. You drink all the contents. Immediately, you feel its effects, as you feel a mild concern, a dissatisfaction. You know there is something important you're forgetting, something you can't forget. The agitation begins to overflow as the table spins, just the top of it, spilling over with cloth and then an assortment of snacks. The cupcake looks fragile, tiny and lost, while the candies are slightly withered at best. Seated far away from the other two snacks is a slab of chocolate that almost seems to smoke maliciously.
Eyes shot wide open as his body seemed to overflow with an emotion... An emotion that angered him, annoyed him, and just the same the surroundings reflected it. The Table took off and the contents of it did the same. This was a Goddess' Task and he acted out in response.
[ Eat the cupcake ] Quote:
You take a bite of the cupcake. It is as promised, unsatisfactory, but more than that your Heart begins to beat a little faster in trepidation and anticipation. Perhaps you should get something to drink. The opportunity arises in the form of tea cups. There is a pale white tea cup and a pale black one. Both are equally uncertain .
[ Take the Black Tea Cup ] Quote:
You drink from the black teacup, and the memory you immediately evoke is one of helplessness. You feel a series of events begin to unfold and slowly, surely, smother and overwhelm you. You know, or some part of you, some part of you that clicks and connects, that this memory was, once, yours.
The cupcake did very little to help the overwhelming sensation. Quickly, the red-hearted reached for the black cup and took it down. Almost immediately, he regretted it. His mind retreated far into the recesses of his thoughts.... and memories.
---------
The manor had been ordered to be emptied, the servants were told to go to their quarters, and those who were not part of the family were escorted off the estate. The grand foyer was absolutely silent, the chandelier swaying over head with a soft tone washing over the fine, elegant decor. The Cocytus manor was the largest of the pack's estates and it was the head family's estate, it was understandable of the size and status of the manor. However, the atmosphere was dead. Literally. Nothing made a sound, the air was stale, stagnant, chilling. Only one room of the entire manor was a lit and it was the source of the single sound of the entire building.
"You! How dare you? It is all your fault, Xas. It is your fault that the Chasers broke their deal." A woman's voice shouted, the hard clicks of heals against wooden floor and then muffled by rug. This woman was familiar, one of strong stature and one of extreme beauty. Her eyes a beauitful azure, her hair long with subtle curls. "Because of you, Chaser's Jeniratha won't take Uru's hand in marriage. We lost our connection, we lost their loyalty!"
Before her, a large man, head small compared to the rest of his rugged figure. His attire much different than her own; simple but served it's purpose. It's directive; survive and durable. He stood before her, his thick arms across an equally proportional chest, his deep set, emerald eyes watching her as she paced. "You are losing business." his voice deep and serious.
She stopped. Turning she stormed to him, jabbing a finger into his chest. "Business?! It is loyalty, Xas, as long as the other packs have loyalty in us, we can maintain our status as one of the head packs. If you do not understand what that entails, then you have completely missed the reason I chose you."
He glowered. "You didn't choose me. Your father did."
She didn't reply. She smiled. She turned. "Yes, my father wanted an heir. And the only free pack that hadn't allied with us in this domain was the Umbra. Only fitting that we extend our hand to your dying pack." A nerve was struck, but the man known as Xas made no moves. He didn't dare make a move to his mate. "Your pack needed an heir from it's sole leader as did mine. It was only fitting that you and I made one."
"We did not have a son only to have him be some level for you, Demons." He growled, his arms down to his side. As a father, he was extremely close to his son, more so than his mother was. Unlike the Cocytus pack who used knowledge through tutelage to get what they wanted, the Umbra pack was a monster hellhound group that relied on survivability. The woman was the head of the pack and had demanded that her son to follow the teachings of his maternal half. That lasted up until his tenth name-day where his behavior became more like his father's, rebelling, fighting, and simply wanting to be out of clothes. It was around every full-moon that the father-son team went off the estate to spend time together, it was there that Uru felt free and himself. It was there that he could escape. However, that was what led to the issue at hand; when the Chasers had found out that the male that was betrothed to their female was not up to the Cocytus' standard, the deal was broken and the pack had withdrawn itself from the fold. This, was to be believed, to be the start of a new effect of the pack losing its standing among the others that fell under it. "You demons use whatever you want to get what you want. Is it that difficult for you to fight for it instead? I know you, you are strong, but you prefer to manipulate an-"
"Ah, that's right. I am good at that, yes. It seems there is only one way for me to fix this, and, believe me, I would rather not have to do it, but it is the choice for me." She turned to the door as it opened. A man of similar stature and almost identical appearance to Xas, but this man dressed like the woman. "Your brother is more than willing to assist me in the matter." In the man's arms stood a young boy, shiver within the large hands that rested on his shoulders. The young boy who's yellow-blue eyes looked to Xas and the woman then back to the Xas. The only person that returned his gaze with the utmost concern. "It is simple. There has been a blemish on my pack and I must get rid of it. It is either you, Xasthamar or Uru'baen. Now, I am okay with either option because your brother here," the man smiled. It wasn't just a smile of acknowledgement, it was one of joy. No, not joy, unsatisfied lust. Power? Courtship? No, it was something else. "he will happily supply me with a new heir."
"You cannot be ser-"
"Silence! You no longer have a word here unless it is the one I seek. Either you leave, banished from the packs, or we lose Uru'baen. The packs are waiting for an answer and I will do what I must to maintain the Cocytus. The Umbra are a dying breed, you are lucky to have this creature."
The four of them remained silent. Each whimper the young boy gave was responded by a jerk or a tightening grasp from the other man, the Uncle, the Brother. The woman grew impatient with every click of the clock, her feet in a constant motion of back and forth. "ANSWER!"
Kneeling, Xas lowered his head.
"I... I submit."
The woman narrowed her gaze, turning to the other gentleman who, equally, was surprised by the response. Xas, the once proud heir to the Umbra pack was bowing to a female. She smiled a devious smile. "So they shall have their answer. Xasthamar of Umbra has been banished. Now get out of my sight."
