Welcome to Gaia! ::

“Stupid men and their…their stupidity!” grumbled the fuming female as she slathered on yet another coat of pale green paint to the white wall before her. In all honesty, Ebony wasn’t angry at all men, just one in particular, but it was far easier on her psyche if she could blame all her troubles on the entire male race instead. She’d tried, without success, to call Namini and find out how Prajna was doing. Yet it seemed every time someone picked up it was that dreg of a brother of hers and Ebony would have to hang up. Didn’t he have a job to be at or something? She huffed as she angrily made wide strokes up and down to spread the paint out. Good thing she invested in the ability to mask her number so none could call her back in such occasions as this. Not that she would answer even if he did happen to figure out it was her and called.

With her anger strong, the purple haired woman was able to get through two walls without any breaks, but by now her feelings had started to wind down and she could feel the weight of fatigue starting to drag her efforts. She gave a sigh and rubbed her forearm against her sweaty brow before stepping back to take a look at her handy work. It didn’t look half bad. Although she would have preferred to keep it white, but Cordelia wasn’t having that. She’d found an interior design magazine that had come in the mail and had adamantly pushed the book in her face, pointing specifically at the green walls. Ebony had no excuse not to give the girl what she wanted since she’d been lazy about getting her room ready to begin with.

She’d tried to get her to sleep in her room while she moved the boxes and stuff out, but the Basilisk was more than content on sleeping downstairs in the living room these days as close to the fireplace as she could get. In fact, that’s where the youth was right at that very moment instead of helping her guardian. Since the outburst with Prajna, the Brit had foregone leaving the house much and keeping Delia home. It wasn’t hard since Ebony had already called Aphismet a while back to put their lessons on hold until the Raevan was more settled in. Though she would have loved to have gone to Yuurei’s for Lucia’s party, but…the woman feared another possible fight so soon wasn’t healthy.

And of course, Cordelia had no qualms with staying put. She was absolutely absorbed with snuggling up next to the fire and sleeping her days away. Ebony worried it wasn’t normal, but she couldn’t be sure since what was normal for a person with only half a body? She wish she could ask another guardian for advice, but all the Raevans were unique and different things happened to each one uniquely as well. A heavier sigh left her lips then as she went back to painting the walls of Delia’s soon to be room. This guardian thing was a lot harder than she thought it would be.

The Basilisk mewed a yawn as one silver eye slowly opened to peer out of the confines of her fleece blanket. Soon the other followed suit as she realized she was alone in the room. Her woman must have gone to another place in the house. Oh well, that was fine, the violet haired human was always trying to wake her up from her naps. It was rather annoying. She gave a satisfied sigh and snuggled deeper into the blanket, pleased to be left alone for the time being.

Her vision stared into the fiery flames before her in the stone hearth for a few moments before an overwhelming wave of heat plagued her. So bad was it that she bitterly pushed the blanket from her as if it were the sole cause of her sudden discomfort. She waited, hoping the spike in temperature would come down, but it only seemed to flame higher. Why? Why was it so hot now? It wasn’t suppose to be this hot! Her attention was quickly drawn away from the fever then and to a throbbing pain in her neck. The hickie Lazarus had given her a few weeks prior hadn’t shown any signs of fading. Instead it had turned a hideous shade of black and dark purple while growing in size. It spread like some kind of disfiguring disease to encompass more of her beautiful fair skin. Even now it seemed to creep across her features as the pain and heat rose steadily.

Ebony dropped her brush, staining the wooden floor green as an excruciating scream pierced her hearing. Immediately, the Brit flew out the room and down the stairs, nearly tripping as she did. “Cordelia?!” Her grey eyes desperately searched the dim lit room for her ward. She found her exactly where she’d left her; instead the dark haired youth wasn’t sleeping anymore, but was floating eerily before the fireplace.

“Cor-Cordelia?” she asked again, slightly shaky since she didn’t know what had made the girl scream. Cautiously, Ebony stepped closer to the Basilisk. The smoky Frei’s half form was shaking so violently that the woman thought the whole house would start to shake in concession. Was it because she was cold? But it was so warm by the fire. The woman tried again while reaching a hand towards the girl’s shaking shoulder, “Cordelia, what’s wrong? Are you okay?”

She couldn’t suppress the sharp gasp that rushed out of her. Cordelia’s skin was covered in murky dark bruise like splotches and her eyes looked so reptilian then that it frightened Ebony to her core. What had happened to cause such a dramatic change in her charge? She opened her mouth to ask again when the girl screamed and threw several books that were on the coffee table into the fireplace. The Brit was too shocked at first to say anything, but managed to snap herself out of it when the serpentine femme practically threw herself at the flames.

Ebony grabbed the girl harshly and pulled her back shouting as Delia hissed and tried to claw her way past her guardian to the flames beyond. “Heavens above, what do you think you’re doing?! Are you trying to kill yourself?! Stop it Cordelia! Stop it right this instant!” Like flipping a switch, the Frei stopped her fighting and went slack. That’s when Ebony realized her skin wasn’t icy like it normally was, but hot, hotter than her own! Frowning, she pressed a tan hand to the other’s forehead. “You’re burning up! Come on you need to get away from this heat.”

She tired to move the girl away, but Cordelia wouldn’t budge. Instead she got very defensive then and shoved the human’s hands away. She hissed and rattled those sharp wings dangerously. It didn’t do anything to unprovoked the woman as she knew all too well by now that it was merely a show of warning. “Cordelia please! You’re not well. You need to move someplace else for awhile.” Ebony pleaded with her, but to no avail.

Again the black Frei’s body began to vibrate uncontrollably. Cordelia moaned painfully as she wrapped her arms tight around herself. She felt like she was on fire and their was a unmistakable pressure building in her that caused the origin of her suffering to throb even harder at the base of her neck, working to push the pain to the rest of her body. The girl sobbed hysterically. If only there was a way to escape this torture? And then…she did.

Before her guardian could even manage to think of a way to help her suffering ward, the Basilisk’s whole being eclipsed into darkness and she burst into smoke. Ebony gagged and coughed while trying to yell for her Raevan as she waved her hands around to disperse the screen of black. “C-Cordelia…Cor…Delia…where…where are you?” To her utter dismay, the scaly femme was nowhere within the dark cloud.

Panic-stricken, Ebony started running around the home shouting for the girl. But since Delia never spoke to begin with, there was no telling whether the girl was still there and just not answering. The Brit liked to think that, but she knew better and thus kept searching and calling. Meanwhile, the smoke from the Raevan’s disappearance hadn’t settled down and gone away, but true to the nature of the girl’s essence it stuck around. Though now it slowly began to swirl about with a mind of its own and then quickly shot up the chimney, snuffing out the fire that had once been.

A lilac flash zoomed in and out of rooms, opening and closing closets again and again before the woman finally came to the realization that her hope was false. She wouldn’t find her ward here. But then where was she? Ebony took a moment to lean weakly against a wall as the gravity of her situation finally hit home. Biting her lip, the woman flipped out her cell and hit speed dial two. “Alex, it’s Ebony. I need your help…”

With no solid means to keep track of time, Ebony had to rely solely on her own mental prowess to keep track of time. That proved futile as her attention drifted between the sea of snakes surrounding her and their ill naga. It had become painfully obvious over the past days that Cordelia was something like a queen to them. She couldn’t move an inch towards the Raevan without them immediately snapping to attention and producing vast amounts of hissing or rattling depending on the type of snake it was. Hell, the damn things wouldn’t even allow her the simple decency to leave the room without fuss. So after a while she just gave up and resigned to her fate. Hopefully help would come soon.

When sleep could no longer be staved off, the Brit eventually passed out and it was during that time that things had changed drastically in Cordelia’s condition. The interference from the snakes’ had hid the fact that the Frei’s rune had been flickering between its normal black and an emerald green, but now that new color had taken precedence. Her eyes had also given in to a crimson hue that gave her features this wild, feral look while feeling more reptilian than it ever had prior.

Eventually the dark girl had awoken from her troubled slumber feeling this incredible power pulsing in every cell of her body. She felt…good. No, more than good, incredible! Though this could very well be the virus playing with her mind because she was very much still unable to keep her form completely solid. It rolled across her like a storm, one minute a part was solid the next it was smoke again. But other than that, Cordelia felt she could do anything.

She looked to her serpent brethren surrounding her, a hand gently held out to the closest and giving them a fond, loving stroke to their scales. The snake seemed to shudder at her touch; it was hard to tell whether it was from fear or pleasure of being chosen for such an honor. Her eyes slid slowly to the purple haired human seated by her side, a wicked smile spreading wide upon her lips. Ebony wasn’t one of them, but she was hers all the same and it pleased Cordelia profoundly to see the woman clinging to her just as her serpentine subjects did. It was only right that what was hers should never leave her side, to always and forever protect their queen. And should they do this, the Basilisk would grant them the same.

Ebony stirred, weary eyes slowly focusing on the smoky figure before her. The girl looked to be sitting up. So she was awake! Rubbing her eyes the woman whispered, “Thank goodness Cordelia! Are you feeling better? I thought-“ Her sentence cut short as a gasp escaped her upon realization of the girl’s new looks. It sent shivers down her spine; memories of the soul capture washing over her like it was happening all over again.

She took a moment to swallow the lump in her throat and try to get past the new effect of the virus on her young ward. Maybe it was just a color change and nothing more. Ebony took whatever lies she could spin for herself and appealed to the Basilisk. “Cordelia…we have to get out of here. We need to get you back to the Lab so the Doctor can cure you.”

The Frei had been smiling pleasantly at the waking human until her face became riddled with emotion. Her voice was soft, but pleading and she saw the way she eyed the others of her kin. The purple haired female did not like them and wanted to leave. She wanted Delia to go with her and abandon them. Outrageous! Unacceptable! She wouldn’t leave the place she was happy in for anything! And Cordelia would not allow her human to leave either. With a grim look, the smoke Raevan floated to a standing position high above the British woman and gave a long string of hisses, commanding her to stay where she was.

Of course Ebony did not understand this unfamiliar tongue Delia spoke and thought it merely hissing gibberish. “Please Dove, lets go now. You’re not well.” The more she pleaded, the more the Basilisk grew agitated. Was she not listening? They weren’t going anywhere. She would not leave her brothers and sisters to fend for themselves. Not after they had looked after her during her time of need. But the dark girl was selfish and refused to allow her guardian to go either. She would keep her here one way or another. Slowly she advanced on the human, trying again to make her understand and obey her orders.

Those grey eyes widened at Cordelia as she moved forward, hissing furiously at her. Despite the possibility of being bit by one of the other snakes (who were just as agitated as their naga then), Ebony quickly rose from her seat and backed away. Her cell phone slipped from her pocket and hit the hardwood floor with a light thud, but Ebony ignored it. For the first time since receiving the newborn, she felt the girl might actually try to attack her. Instinctively the woman tensed into a defensive stance, though she couldn’t possibly raise a malicious hand towards her charge. “D-don’t Cordelia! Please calm down! There’s nothing to be upset about!”

Yet the damage had been already been done as the Basilisk roared with a loud hiss towards her guardian. What was she thinking? Would she stand against her now? Try to fight her? The smoke Raevan would not allow this act of treason to stand! She would force her human to be obedient like the rest of her brood. She quickly circled around to the other side of the woman, causing her to back into the bed rather than let her escape. Again she spoke in that strange language, her hisses taking on a strong sharpness to it. And again they passed over the Brit’s ears like the wind.

“No Cordelia, please stop! Please!” Something crunched under Ebony’s boot as she whirled and stumbled back into the bed. There was something hypnotic about those now red eyes and she found it hard to look away. The Brit tried to say more, beg once more for their departure, but found she couldn’t move her lips. Suddenly it felt like everything in her body had frozen up and no matter of telling her limbs to move was garnering a reaction out of them. Fear welled up in her chest as her eyes frantically shifted from side to side, the only movement she seemed to be able to produce then.

The Basilisk noticed her guardian’s stillness and was finally appeased. Good, she was done with this leaving nonsense and they could all go back to being happy in this safe, warm home of theirs. Slowly, the Raevan curled herself about her human in a loving, yet possessive manner. Ebony would stay with them here just like this forever.



*What the Lab's answering machine recorded.