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 Posted: Thu Aug 11, 2011 6:10 pm
Ensia
Filing Lamia's information away for a moment, Pahkakino tried to forget, for the moment, the events that put him here and just enjoy the company. Mandy was turning out to be quite the adorable puzzle, and Lamia just made him concerned. Sweating blood, condition or not, was not a good thing. The well dressed man from before, one dubbed 'The Mess-Maker' in Pahkakino's mind was still nearby, and seemed to be attempting another conversation with Mandy.
'Should be fun to watch. Sharp tongued children are adorable.' His thoughts strayed to his children for a moment before he turned them away. Casting his white eyes about once more, the demon felt a very strong presence and gaze settle on him. At almost the same moment, Lamia stood and approached a very large human-appearing man. It was his stare that the demon felt.
Tail tips flicking lazily about his legs, Pahkakino met the man's eyes, curiosity the foremost expression on his face.WoefulInfinity  | Rivek Ailinar | Rivek followed the fellow in black to a dusty inn. Not a classy establishment, but he'd seen much worse. He muscled his way between two foreign ruffians, leaned over the bar and motioned for a glass of gin. As the bartender slid it down the table, someone else reached out a hairy arm and grabbed it. Rivek glared at the other man but just ordered another - this time, making sure to take it from the bartender directly.
Unfortunately, the dragon scare meant there weren't many seats left. Most people had the same thoughts he did - get a drink and wait for the military to get the hell out.
He noticed one man at a table alone. Maybe he had scared away all the other customers. Rivek scoffed to himself, not particularly afraid. The other man didn't look too tough. More like simply brooding. He sat down, crossed his legs, and nursed his glass in both hands.
"Tough crowd, huh?"Blade Kuroda
Though the place was pretty crowded and kind of noisy, there at least wasn't any trouble going on for now. His guess was that people were going to try and avoid causing a scene for a little while after what had just happened and all. Shun didn't get the whole picture, having only heard bits and pieces, but it sounded like some faction wasn't too happy with the new folks around. The problem in itself wasn't too foreign of a concept.
For the most part, he had tuned out the rest of the bar, not picking up on anything interesting. Though, when someone came by and sat down, he glanced up to see it was the bandaged man from before.
"Possibly," he shrugged, "But better to just mind myself than to deal with most of the drunkards."
Small talk wasn't a pass time he particularly enjoyed, but he supposed with a place as crammed as this one, it would be inevitable.WoefulInfinity | Rivek Ailinar |
"You say that with such disdain. Drunkards can be fun." He sipped at his gin.
"So, what brings you to this neck of the s**t-filled woods?"Blade Kuroda
"Eh. A lot of the times they just make me want to punch them in the face or worse," scoffed the human while taking in some water. At the next question, Shun sort of paused before speaking up once more.
"Been one hell of a day. Needed to take a moment and relax. Or try to," he started, "Unless you mean the city, in which I couldn't really tell you even if I wanted to."WoefulInfinity | Rivek Ailinar | "I daresay, punching someone in the face can be pretty enjoyable as well. And the satisfaction can be pretty relaxing." He cracked his scarred knuckles. "I mean, I'm sure you can drum up a fight if you're looking for one."
"I guess I meant this city, at the exact moment a dragon descends on it. Weren't doing something interesting before, were you?"Blade Kuroda While the stranger cracked his knuckles, Shun looked and took note of the scars there. Between that and the bandages covering the rest of the body, he figured that either this man had been through his share of fights as well, or was just accident prone. Perhaps it was a mixture of both.
"Finding a fight is usually easy enough," he replied impassively before raising a brow at the elaboration of the previous question.
"Not particularly. Unless you consider trying to figure out what the hell happened to me all that interesting," he grumbled afterwards.
"Speaking of, I don't suppose you have more insight of the way this place works do you?"
Shun figured he might as well try to get some answers while this guy was speaking to him. WoefulInfinity | Rivek Ailinar |
He saw the other man sizing up his arms. He smirked, "You haven't seen a burn victim before? If it helps, the bandages are purely cosmetic. Helps keep others' attention up here." He pointed to his face, which didn't seem nearly as badly damaged aside from a massive, purple, cross-shaped mark on his right cheek.
"I may be judging you on a purely exterior basis, but I think you might have some interesting origin story. And after all, I enjoy collecting stories."
"Tell you what. I'll trade you what I know - little that it is - for your life story." Of course, this was a bit of a gamble. If he were in this stranger's position - his life story for a little information from a guy who barely knows what's going on - he'd be lying through the teeth.
He extended his bandaged right hand, and took a drink from the glass in his left. "Rivek Ailinar, notary public for a - so to speak - rather 'deadly' official. How do you do?"Katherdante Meilin's eyes went wide when the thunder rolled in... or was it not thunder? He quickly made polite goodbyes to everyone he'd been talking to, gathered his masks, and went to seek shelter. He had found a benefactor who provided him with a small studio while he got on his feet. That was on the other part of town. Not sure what was happening or what it all meant he found the nearest shop and popped inside. It was a weapons shop. He made a face, but moved towards the back of the shop, loitering there. He didn't even want to know what was going outside. He just wanted it to go away. Blade Kuroda "I've seen people get burned, but usually not after they've healed."
Shun couldn't help but narrow his eyes some at the proposition given. He wasn't exactly one to freely speak of himself like that. The information this man, Rivek, had to offer could be incredibly valuable even if there wasn't much of it. At the same time, it could be utter garbage.
"That doesn't seem like much of a trade to me," he grumbled while looking down at the extended hand. For now he did not take it, biding his time to see if he had anything else to offer. However, he did give his name, seeing how Rivek had said his.
"The name's Shun Kuroda." Jalil  [Inside the Worldspanners Inn]
Devaena smiled to herself as Astra took the lead. Confidence, good. So you're not afraid I'm going to put a knife in your back...yet, she thought to herself making careful observation of the woman in front of her. As Astra held open the door Dev gave a nod of thanks and made her way inside. It was quite a melting pot.
Once they were both inside, Devaena picked out a table far enough away that they could have a conversation and it stay relatively private, but close enough that either of them could keep a cautious eye on the crowd. Devaena did not trust this place or these people yet (if indeed she ever really would). Better to be safe than to be the sorry 'loth spending the next decade floating in the nothingness of the essence of Hades.
As she slid into a chair she pondered what to ask the stoic woman accompanying her. There were plenty of things she -could- ask, but she would get better answers if she worked into those. Finally she settled on, "Would you like a drink or the like since we're here?"Astra Asgren  Astra met her gaze, getting a strange feeling from her she couldn't understand. It was complicated and felt old. Curious. "Sure, if they take the coin I have on me." she said with chagrin. "What is your drink?" Devaena was starting with the easy topics, and that was fine by her. The olive skinned woman who had stood up the the dragons flame had caught her attention and she wanted to know more about her. It may not seem like it, but Astra enjoyed watching people, unraveling them. Not necessarily to learn weaknesses, the critical ones always made themselves abundantly clear. She just found people interesting. Devaena was interesting.WoefulInfinity | Rivek Ailinar |
"Well, nice to meet you, Shun."
Eh. Rivek retracted his hand, and undid the bandage around his palm. He re-tied it as he spoke, "Scar tissue is never perfect. But it will heal itself in due time - that is, when I pay my dues." Haha, double entendre.
Accustomed to lying himself, Rivek caught Shun's slight glare. "I'll go first. First thing's first - you're here. So that undoubtedly means... you're dead."Blade Kuroda Shun had no qualms with the guy going first. It at least would give him a better idea of how much he should give in return afterwards. However, the first bit of info he received had him frowning... more.
"I suspected as much. Just didn't really have anything as confirmation," he sighed. It was a little bit of a downer, but there wasn't anything that could be done about it now. In any case, he supposed this could be better than burning for an eternity, but he did have to wonder if he'd end up meeting with anyone he knew here now.
"This doesn't exactly seem like a 'typical' afterlife though," he mumbled. WoefulInfinity | Rivek Ailinar | "You could probably take my word as confirmation. I hope you weren't expecting cherubs bringing you puff pastry as you sat atop a cloud made of silk." He twirled the glass in his hand, offering it to Shun. "Care for a sip?"
"From what I understand, though - there are people like me, who carve out our meager existences here... and that you should watch out for a number of those people. Not me, of course. Well, okay, maybe me. I can do a thing or two. Don't want you thinking I'm a wuss, now do I?"
"But really - watch out for the guys in the flying machines who have a lot of rules and hoo-ha. You thought there were a lot? I can assure you there will be more. They take people, and you don't see them again. And when it comes to dragons, be sure they will eat you, regardless. I have a feeling, though, one of you Outsiders is going to stir up a lot of fuss - my bet is on that grey-skinned girl with horns, that arrogant demon-herder, or that blond girl in the red dress. If I were you, I wouldn't do that whole self-righteous act."
"That said... I think there are places you can go to beyond here. You might have to die again. Who knows? I think that part's up to you. I'm just under a contract to help you Outsiders figure out where you're going, and my boss doesn't give two shits of a rat's a** when it comes to the politics of Serendipity."
He adjusted the bandages on his leg. They itched on occasion. All those wonderful afterlife powers, and nothing to prevent chafing.
And, he thought to himself, the more of you help, the closer I will be to having my body back.Blade Kuroda "Expected more of the opposite really, if anything at all, and I'll pass," Shun said while bringing up a hand to decline the offer of a drink. Sure, he might be dead now, but chances were that his 'body' still couldn't handle a whole lot of booze. Right now, he'd rather have his wits about him, especially since he didn't really know how strong the alcohol was around here.
While Rivek went on, he listened carefully. He was a little wordier than he would have liked, but information was information. There were some things valuable to be said here. He got some more insight on those guys with the flying machines, as well as the dragons. From the sounds of things, the dragons weren't the most benevolent peacekeepers around, or something to that effect.
The last bits said, did catch his attention though. If there was a way out of here, that would be fairly ideal. That aside, the fact that this guy was under some sort of contract was interesting.
"Self righteous isn't generally the path I take," he murmured, "But judging how I keep hearing people drop the term 'outsider', I take it this place wasn't always a pitstop for the dead." WoefulInfinity | Rivek Ailinar | "Was, wasn't... not really important. It sure is a pitstop now, though. My guess is the high on high government is up to something. The number of people cropping up - and the number of people having 'justice' administered to them - in the past few days can't just be co-incidence. And my boss is riding my a** about it." He threw his head back.
"Honestly, though, when you think about it... I'd say the dragons are the most fair. They don't play favorites with people. They just smite you if you're being troublesome. As for everyone else... you got a lot of underhanded stuff going on. There's more than just people in machines. You've got some undead cult, some prissy winged folk - not counting myself in that one -, and weird elementals. They're like, people made of fire or something."
"Honestly, though, getting out of here isn't something people do very often. Usually, you just settle in with someone else. They're nicer to you that way. Lay low, pick a side. Or lay ever lower. At least, that's what I do."
He finished he drink and set his arms on the table. He folded his hands together. "Your turn. Now, spill."Blade Kuroda Given what he knew from the red demon and what Rivek had to say, getting off this floating island was not going to be easy. A small part of him had to wonder if it'd even be worth it. Well, he supposed if getting out of here could potentially mean returning home, then perhaps it would be. The next place after Serendipity could easily be be some place worse, though.
Then again, he wasn't really a fan of the ruling here from what he had seen thus far.
In any case, the amount of information he had received was a fair bit, so when Rivek reminded him of his part of the deal, Shun let out a sigh and took a drink of water. It was irritating, but he had his end to uphold.
Where to begin.
"Right, right... Well, to start, I come from Earth, one of them at least. I've heard of multiplanes and stuff like that and seeing how it's apparently true, there's probably multiple variants of the planet. Couldn't really tell you which one that happens to be but humans make up the majority of it. There's other races as well; demons, the various animal tribes, and even the occasional, but rare dragon. There's a few others, but they don't make much of an impact."
Pausing there, he supposed that he needed to get more onto himself.
"Born and raised in the city. It probably wouldn't have been too bad if it weren't for my hardass of a father. Being the kid of head of a decent sized gang has it's pressures and all," he said with a frown, sounding a little bitter, "Then again, maybe it would have been better if he saw more than an asset. He wanted a good hitman, so training started early."
"Not the most glorious thing to do, but I was able to eventually do it pretty damn well. The pay's usually pretty good and I have a hard time seeing myself doing much else at this point." WoefulInfinity | Rivek Ailinar | "They don't have demons or dragons where I'm from either. Admittedly, it was pretty boring. People with magic powers was as exciting as it got, really."
Rivek mulled over Shun's words. So, a gang leader's son with daddy issues. In his experience, children from powerful families often had a hefty dose of entitlement. That said, in his other experience, the dead here were dead who had unfinished business. He would take Shun's self-assessment of his skills with a grain of salt.
"A hitman," he smiled. "Now that I can relate to."
He leaned forward. "But... You're still missing the important part. How did you end up here?"Blade Kuroda "You do something similar?" Shun started with a raised brow before grimacing at the next bit.
"Some of the details are fuzzy.. possibly due to the trauma of dying. Not really sure," he shrugged before closing his eyes for the moment. He was trying to recall anything else of the events before waking up here. Some more did come to him, but chunks of the picture were still missing, "But what I manage to remember was being called somewhere. It turned out to be a trap. Seeing how I'm here, I think it's safe to assume I got caught pretty badly."
Pausing again, he tried to see if there was anything else he needed to add.
"I vaguely recall at least one of people I care about there too. I haven't the slightest clue what became of them though. I could try to see what else I remember but it's going to take a bit." WoefulInfinity | Rivek Ailinar | "Did," he nodded. "But my position required a decent bit more versatility. The only thing in common between what I do now and what I did then is the low pay grade."
He nodded, satisfied with Shun's answer. "Wish you could tell me more, but you haven't got much memory left on you, huh? I was hoping I'd get a little more. You make it seem quite boring. I would have thought you'd have a high-flying tale with trash compactor walls closing in on you as you made a narrow escape by carrier pidgeon. A shame, that that will have to do."
He ran his finger along the edge of his glass, a little wistful. He didn't have all of his memories when he first arrived either, but he had had ones of her. "Would you try to go back to them, then?"Blade Kuroda "No, nothing that elaborate... I think at least. But not everything can be as exciting as the movies," he grumbled while straightening up some.
"If possible... yes. I would. But death is death. I'm here because most likely I wasn't as careful as I should have been or something. If I can't go back... then so be it. At the very least I'd like to know what became of them though," Shun added lowly.
Hopefully, he'd be able to remember more in time. If he got that much, he might be able to use his last memories to guess what might have happened. It'd also help if he could remember who it was that was with him. All he got was that it was someone he cared about. If it was her.. then he'd really need to find out what happened. WoefulInfinity | Rivek Ailinar | Rivek smirked, having obviously hit a soft spot on this otherwise reserved man. It almost made up for the vague description of his death. "No worries, I'm sure you'll find out. Unfortunately, take it from me, who's been here awhile... that will mean interacting with more people and not just a cup of water."
He stood up to head to the bar again and ordered another glass of gin. Kimaya Chuckling openly at the last comment and her guarded looks, Blakely smiled while he asked with an amused look, "Will you?... Now that I would like to see." So she just arrived, vulnerable and confused. Pretty much perfect.
"Sorry, I shouldn't be laughing at your expense... as arriving here is really no laughing matter. Its usually that way when you get here - something in the air I think - so I wouldn't worry about it too much. Maybe I can help you get pointed in the right direction though. I know this area fairly well. Where are you from?" He asked, hoping to get her to talk about herself a little more so he could find something he could use.
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Posted: Thu Aug 11, 2011 6:12 pm
Blade Kuroda
"Hmph."
Shun didn't care much for that answer, but Rivek was likely right. He was going to need to do a bit more reaching out while he was here than he normally would. It wasn't something he liked to do, but he'd have to deal with it. Already he had found out more in general though others than he would have on his own.
But damn this was going to be a pain.
While Rivek went to go get another drink, he remained where he was, mulling over everything for the time being, as well as trying to see if he could dig anything else up as far as his memories went.LadyFox
 Hmmmm, well that was certainly interesting information. Lurp watched as the bandaged man rose and returned to the bar for another drink. Lurp didn't feel the slightest bit guilty about listening in to conversations. In fact she'd sat here most of the day absorbing information. It sounded like there might be ways to leave this place. This gave her something to think about, And the bandaged man's words gave her a possible course of action. Hmmmm indeed.WoefulInfinity | Rivek Ailinar |
Rivek figured he'd have to leave Shun alone for now. There was no way the other man would figure out his past if Rivek was hand-holding him the whole way. He was just there to agitate people into fixing their own problems, really.
"Actually," he told the bartender. "Brandy, please."
He took the glass and disappeared into the crowd, wondering what freak Outsider would show up next. He rubbed his thigh, but he realized, it actually had stopped itching.
Well, if anything, life was finally getting more exciting.Katherdante When the noise seemed to die down Meilin shuffled out of the weapons-shop, leaving a slightly perturbed store owner. Well well, that had been odd. Whatever could that noise have been? Maybe some had been braver than he. He wandered into a bar he liked to go to and looked around. His moth-like brown and gold wings flicked in annoyance. He wasn't the best at making conversation, though he did want to know what had happened. He wandered around before sitting at the bar with a sigh. In the end he was terrible at making friends and starting conversations... with lower people anyway. People of stature generally knew who he was and paid attention to him which made things easier on him. So far he only had working relationships here, and none of them were interesting or particularly special.
Meilin gazed around the room curiously from his bar stool as he made himself drink their wine. It was the only kind in town that he could tolerate, and it really wasn't that good. He just used it to get drunk sometimes, or like now to fit in. It may be good to most people, but not those with a discerning, refined palate like him. Commoners wine as it were.
He smirked a little at the thought but then noticed a scarred and dark haired man coming towards him. He blinked and analyzed him critically. He was pretty, but dear god what had happened to his skin. It was terrible, well it was ok, but the scars? Geeze. But, he was coming towards him and that made it easier to talk to him than wandering up to someone who was already sitting down and talking to someone else. He cleared his throat, a somewhat girly sound. Solemn but deep brown eyes with gold flecks in them looked at Rivek. "Excuse me... um." He did an odd, nervous tic with his fingers on his lap before resting one hand on the other. "Do you know what... what happened earlier?" he asked nonchalantly. Finoewae  Teagan blushed slightly. Goddammit, I'm such an idiot when I first wake up...
She fixed her eyes on the stranger. It was apparent he wasn't buying her story. Maybe she should try to call his bluff. He was bluffing, right?
"...Mmmm." She bit her lip before continuing. "Alright, let me be perfectly frank. You seem like an intelligent fellow.." Who succumbs to flattery, god willing.. "And you obviously don't believe me. So let me explain. No, I'm not quite sure where I am at the moment. But like I said, I sleepwalk. Although I'm not quite sure if that was the case this time." She took a breath.
Well, he seems to be listening at least.
"I'm perfectly able to take care of myself but I would appreciate it still if you took me to the town's...public office. Wherever the public officials are. This place is just...too busy. I'm not fond of crowds." She narrowed her eyes at him a little.
"Oh and forgive my manners," she continued. "I don't believe we're acquainted. Your name is?" She kept her eyes narrowed. She'd be damned if he was going to learn her name anytime soon. Ensia Pahkakino was just about to continue his conversation with Mandy, and start a new one with the Mess-Maker, when, as he casually flicked his eyes about the crowd, keeping a mindful eye on Lamia and the big man, his gaze settled on a familiar face.
Coppery skin, made multi-hued in the lamp light. An angular face so like his sire's, framed by electric blue. Two rows of ebony horns rising out of the tangled locks to run down the male's spine, between his furled wings.
"Sylith." he wasn't even aware of the name slipping past his lips.
~Pain lanced through his back as his dark wings were ripped from his spine. Wheeling, staggering from the pain, Pahkakino looked into the red eyes of his first born. 'Oimug?!' At once the patriarch shot through the minds of his children. Rebellion. A scream of pain and agony rang through the great hall of the fortress.
'Thrandwe!!' Sylith stood over her, his coppery skin dark with his older sister's blood. Yanasin was fighting with Virotekatima, but as soon as he felt Pahkakino enter his mind, Oimug and he, the eighteenth, switched opponents. Feeling his life-blood draining away, Pahkakino felt his fire begin to crawl along his back. Concentrating only on deflecting Yanasin's blows, feeling his telepathy get cut off, the red demon felt anger begin to course through his body.
How DARE his children turn on their parents! As he began to fight back, to push Yanasin back, more of his offspring joined the fray. Some were helping him and Virotekatima, most were siding with Oimug, Sylith, and Yanasin. The screams of injured and dying demons, male and female alike rang thick in the blood-filled air.
'MOTHER!!!' an anguished cry cut through Pahkakino's anger. Turning, he felt his heart stop beating. His beautiful mate, her skin stained with blood, lay dead at Oimug's feet. A scream of rage still echoed through the hall. Pahkakino's eyes traveled up the stairs, to the form of his nineteenth born, his son Kyerlusen. The boy's claws were bloody, and several injuries showed on his strong form. But there were tears in his eyes as he saw the bodies of his mother, and Thrandwe, his favorite sister.
A dull pain thudded in his chest as sharp claws pierced his heart. Turning, Pahkakino regarded the traitor children he had loved and raised. Yanasin reached for his throat.~
In a flurry of dirt and motion, Pahkakino shot away from the wall where he sat, no doubt knocking several people off their feet. His eyes were wild with pain and rage, and his fangs were bared, ready for a fight.
"SYLITH!!" He roared, shooting past Lamia, aiming for his traitorous thirteenth born child.
Sylith's red eyes showed the shock he felt at hearing his father's voice again, then pure terror consumed his face and in a frenzied beat of wings, he took to the sky, Pahkakino fast on his heels. trickfrance xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx☽Ͼ ɦ ℓ ɘ ʀ α☾
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●Could this be...>>The Afterlife?
●Chlera was sure the old man who gave her a mask, was the same man who died a few months ago.But how? Chlera clutched her mask and stroked the smooth oak. She put her mask back on and rushed through the streets. Not knowing where to go, she went back to where she woke up. When she got there, she looked up, hoping to see the beautiful color palette of the sky. Instead she saw dark clouds hanging above the whole city. She frowned and looked around. There were still many people walking, but many had gone home. Suddenly, Chlera heard some music. It sounded like pianos, violins, and flutes put together. She loved music because her father used to play with some of his Human friends.She stood there, waiting for the memory...
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxℳ-𝔪𝔢𝔪𝔬𝔯𝔶
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●The festival is about the begin! I ought to hurry! I was only 10 at the time, and the festivities where new to me. At the age of 8, you were allowed to participate in the Summer Festival. The Summer Festival was a festival were we celebrated water. We sang chants that made our river larger and made more fish come. The first time I took part in the festival, I messed up while chanting, and made our river have waves. Apparently this was a knew chant, and I had to remember what I had chanted, so it could be recorded into a book. At the end of the festival, groups play music and dance. I waited for my dads' group to play. When they came up, my dad smiled at me, and I smiled back. He took out a lute, while another took a flute, and another a violin, while another got ready to dance. I loved his music so much.●
●She followed the music and ended up in front of an Inn. She sadly turned away, knowing that she had no money and could not afford such comfort.
As the night settled and the clouds roared and the rain poured, she tried to find a dry spot to sleep. Wrapped in her cloak, and using her mask and some moss as a pillow, she began to sing to herself. As she dozed off, tears brimmed in her eyes.I'm all alone. Blade Kuroda Quietly keeping to himself once more, Shun was trying to figure out where and what he should do from here. He glanced around briefly, to see who else was around the bar. There was a decent variety of different people around for sure. One girl in particular, he could have sworn had been looking over in his direction for a bit. Narrowing his eyes, he lingered on her for a moment or so before turning his attention away. Jenannen
Avery woke to the pleasant sound of a creek. Inhaling deeply he smiled at the welcome scent of earth and opened his eyes. The moonlight danced through the branches of grand tress.Unfamiliar trees, Avery though beginning to wake more fully.And earth... I was underground battling Ka’mahre for the orb... the spell must have knocked me out. Odd, I usually wake up from this in a bed... “Eelaqacias” Avery called. There was no answer. “Eelaqacias,” he called more loudly. A knot formed in his stomach as a multitude of unpleasantries befell his friend in a frenzy of thoughts.
No, he quieted his fears,if something horrible had befallen Eelaqacias I’d not be in one piece. Avery gave himself a quick inspection completed by the removal and replacement of his glove. Nothing.So there’s no magic in the immediate vicinity. Avery wondered where this vicinity was.
Wondering where he was brought Avery to the question of when he was. Oh no! Sen! I promised her I’d be back before the baby. Avery Moved quickly and quietly through the forest keeping his eyes and ears alert to anyone that may be able to tell him where and when he was.
As he reached the edge of the forest Avery caught sight of a celestial modifying his appearance to that of a more human one. He stayed carefully hidden until the transformation was complete; unsure that this transformation was something that he should have witnessed.
As Avery closed the distance between the celestial and himself he watched, with interest, the silent interaction between this being and the passersby. Though drunkards could, at times, be amusing he was seeking information and not entertainment so he opted to continue his pursuit of the celestial.
Falling in step aside the celestial he offered in greeting, “Vivendi thosel sennivi, nievana sen fis. Elrad losi sennivi, nievana jen skiimer lareth.”
No matter the celestial’s form Avery desired to convey his respect while at the same time offering a subtle hint that he was aware of the greater depth.
* “A pool of clear water is lovely, no matter what its depth. A green leaf is lovely no matter how short the day.”Lori Annalynn
Reed sensed the subtle approach of the stranger—but he was surprised when the man matched his pace to walk next to him. What is he doing? Reed wondered if this were some sort of trap, the dead trying to catch the living. Well, he wasn't going to fall into it.
And then the man spoke. The words seemed strange in a way, unfamiliar and understandable at the same time, almost as if he were hearing two languages in one voice. Reed blinked, wondering if something were wrong with his ears. He hadn't checked on those after coming through the portal, had he? And what was this talk about pools of water and leaves?
Maybe it's something to do with the dead. He probably thinks I'm dead, Reed realized. Though he did not stop walking, he risked a quick glance out of the corner of his eye, examining the stranger. He seemed youngish, though there was an ageless quality about him that reminded Reed of his own race. Dark hair, with pointed ears peeking through, and eyes that were inscrutable in the dimness. And that same feeling of deadness, of something existing in a different way than Reed.
But . . . there was nothing threatening about this stranger. His tone had been one of polite greeting, untinged with hostility or disdain. And there was no hurry, no demand, in his steps. This simple, patient greeting made Reed's wariness ebb slightly. Was it against the rules to talk to any of the dead? What if they talked to you first? What if you had a Talent for speaking to the dead—did it matter where you were doing it?
Of course it mattered. If Reed spoke to the wrong person, said the wrong thing, he might be caught here forever. But . . . How do I know who the wrong person is? Either everyone was wrong, or no one was. But if it were so wrong to talk to the dead at all, then why could he do it in the first place?
Reed's mind was going around in circles. He hated the feeling of stepping on eggshells, of being out of his league, of not knowing what was going on. He hated being bound by rules he did not know. He hated wondering if those same rules would seal him into this fate at any moment. I just want to get out of here.
Abruptly, he made a decision. Stopping in mid-stride, he turned to face the stranger. "I'm not what you think I am," he said bluntly. Perhaps, if he let the dead know he was not one of them, then they might leave him alone. Hopefully, that would stop him from getting sucked into anything on this Plane. He didn't plan to stay—so he certainly wasn't going to get involved.WoefulInfinity | Rivek Ailinar | Rivek, brandy still in hand, wandered outside the inn and sat down on the steps. He just couldn't stand how noisy it was getting inside, but it wouldn't make much sense for him to completely leave now. He would surely miss a number of opportunities to escort - or at minimum, mess around with - Outsiders. More chaos would appear soon enough. He was sure of it.rhyn crenham Upon entering the group a large wing folded back as the owner glanced over seemingly somewhat invitingly. He had made space for him to join their group, Rhyn gathered, noted a newer addition to the group, a pale younger looking female nodding his direction. Nodding in acknowledgement to either of them, he moved closer to the child now, who had apparently not heard him. Just then the large red complexioned man roared and dashed off deep into the crowd, narrowly missing him. He was yelling something and it felt like someone else was yelling too, but he could not determine from which direction. His attention returned to the child when he spoke again, determined to mend the previous encounter and start off again on the right foot. "I'd like to apologize miss," Rhyn stated softly, bending down nearer to her, "are you feeling alright?" LadyFox
 Among the strange mix of outsiders, Lurp hardly stood out, even with her ears "out" instead of hidden. She'd seen elves, dragons, and several species she couldn't put a name to. Blending in is what Lurp did. It's where she felt safe. So the last thing she should be doing was rising to follow the bandaged man, but he'd seemed to know so much about this place and how it worked. The sound of her footsteps were covered by the noise as she followed him out into the night. She paused just short of him, uncertain what to say. It was always Will that worked with people, she had no gift for it. Lurp hovered in his peripheral vision, nursing a drink and trying to decide how to approach him.WoefulInfinity | Rivek Ailinar | Despite the minor intoxication, Rivek noticed something fluttering at the corner of his eye. Instinctively, he turned. He saw a small figure - but wow, what impressive ears. Clearly, another Outsider.
"Not often you see someone of your stature wandering about a bar. Shouldn't you be heading home somewhere?"
He pointed to the glass in her hand, "You drink too much of that, and you'll stay short for good.LadyFox Lurp had to bite back a reply. She was as tall as Will. Granted he was on the short side for a man, but still... She had to remind herself that she had made herself short to appear nonthreatening, and that would be kind of ruined if she insisted she was actually tall.
"There's advantages to being short," she pointed out. "Easier to get into harder to reach places." She was remembering arguments she had made to her friend Sette, who had been tiny and always hated it. She sipped at her drink. It wouldn't do anything to her anyway. Arvul didn't get drunk on alcohol, they had other sources.
"Anyway, from what I've gathered this is home now. Unless you know of ways to wander "back" home?"
That was more blunt than Lurp had meant to be, but if the situation presented itself... why not? WoefulInfinity | Rivek Ailinar | "It doesn't help you get stuff off shelves, though. My best friend had two inches on me, so he'd put all my s**t up on the highest spot in the room."
He turned to face her, but didn't bother getting up. "What, you don't like it here? All the chaos, should be invigorating, no?"
He swirled his drink around. "I mean, you'd believe what a drunk sod like me would say?"
((For the record, Rivek is about 5'10", 5'11".))
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Posted: Thu Aug 11, 2011 6:16 pm
LadyFox 
"Some friend." Lurp said, but she couldn't help smiling at the story. And she wondered about that. What was it about this person that he'd made her smile so easily. He was a man, and therefore dangerous she reminded herself. Even so, she eased the strain on his neck muscles by having a seat next to him. Not too close of course, but it didn't hurt to be friendly.
"I've had enough chaos for a lifetime." she said unthinking, and then jerked as the full truth of that statement struck. Yes, she'd had a lifetime, and now it was over... but just maybe.
"I've been around a lot of drunks." Lurp answered "I'm pretty good at filtering the gold from the brass." She paused. "Besides, who says I have to believe you. Maybe I just like hearing stories."
((For the record, despite the picture, Lurp's scars aren't currently visible))WoefulInfinity | Rivek Ailinar |
"I know. I pick the best, don't I? Suffice to say, the stories we had ... completely worth the constant torment. Maybe." He scratched at his upper left arm, trying to re-wrap it. Alas, two drinks in, he wasn't doing a particularly good job and revealed a bit of black tattoo ink. He'd hoped that once he was done this death dealing stuff, maybe that would go away, too.
"You look like you could use one, though. You know, a friend."
He sipped at the brandy. Should have gotten another gin instead. "Of course, I'm thinking of those lovely lads and ladies inside. Might want to test your gold-brass filter there. I consider myself more of a... ah, oxidized copper."LadyMatrona
 Mandy sat lost in her thoughts. What exactly was a human and why did it ring a bell? Could it have anything to do with her murder or was it merely a coincidence that it meant anything to her ... if it did at all.
Suddenly, the demon let out a yell, bringing Mandy's mind back into consciousness of her surroundings. Mandy jumped to her feet as her new companion darted off into the sky. "Wait!" Mandy called out after him, preparing to fallow in the pursuit. He couldn't leave now! Not when she'd finally found someone she wanted to talk to.
As Mandy stood, she felt her head begin to reel. Now that she thought about it, she hadn't even noticed it stopping until now that it had happened again. "Ughh!" Mandy grunted in annoyance, swirling around to find the source. "I knew it", she thought to herself. Crouched down at her side was that wimpy, snobby dressed guy who spilled food on everyone before.
"What are you doing, you freak?!?" She yelled, holding her head and stepping backward. It didn't hurt, but it was enough to drive someone nuts. It almost sounded like a swarm of bees, but much higher pitched.
"Get out of my head!!" She thundered as her face flushed and she began to lift off the ground. Her white eyes stayed fixed on the man as she passed above his eye level until her feet stood above his head.LadyFox  Lurp was in turmoil. This man sparked so many disparate reactions in her, she wasn't sure which to let through. "Here, let me," she said, moving to re-wrap the bandage for him if he allowed it. It was so out of character for her, that her hands shook a little as she reached. What was it about this man that made her... want to be nice. There was something about him that reminded her of Will. That had to be it, though she couldn't put her finger on what it was. Certainly he didn't look like him.
"My friends are back home." she answered. All two of them. Maybe two and a half if she counted Minnow. Her usual frown slipped back into place. "I don't need new ones." She didn't need anybody. Except that wasn't true was it? Here she was needing help from someone.
He seemed to be trustworthy... as trustworthy as men get anyway. Maybe? Lurp couldn't believe she was doing this, but she offered up the only thing she had to give, opening a door, though he would probably slam it in her face, and it would give him power over her. "I'm Lilly." she said, giving her true name, "Lilly Robinson."WoefulInfinity | Rivek Ailinar |
He gave a half-hearted attempt to wave her away from his bandaged arm, but eventually realized he was in no sober form to do so. As long as she didn't ask about it, then fine.
"No new friends? Gotta play all hard and icy in this world, huh? You're just as bad as most of the other guys I know. Haha, I gave up on that tough guy act awhile ago. Just too lazy. All right then, let's be not-friends."
"Cute name, though." He knocked back the rest of the brandy. Well, that's... more than enough for now. "I'm Rivek Ailinar, death's superiorly charming paper boy."
He held out a bandaged hand.LadyFox
Lurp adjusted the bandage without asking any uncomfortable questions. She knew what it was like having things you wanted to keep covered, and she the last person to go prying into anyone else's. As for being tough... Lurp is lazy too, but she thinks it's easier to be alone than with people. Being with people takes so much energy.
At Rivek's suggestion Lurp smiles again and realizes what it is about him that reminds her of Will. His personality... the way he talks, the way he acts... he makes her smile.
"Not-friends" Lurp agrees solemnly, shaking his proffered hand. "Rivek..." She rolls the name off her tongue. "what's it mean?"
When he mentions being death's paperboy she squints at him, as if weighing his words. "You don't mean that metaphorically do you?"WoefulInfinity | Rivek Ailinar |
The re-bandage was quite well done. Snug, but not too tight. Even distribution of the linens. He nodded with approval. He was only wearing them for show, so they might as well look nice.
"Why, I'm glad you asked." He leaned back. "Let me tell you a story."
His tone of voice changed to an over-dramatic drawl. "Once upon a time, there was a great war general who went out to battle to a far away land."
"Unfortunately, he had to leave his beautiful daughter at home. After all, she was one of those skinny sorts who couldn't hold a sword. She had eyes the color of the sky and hair the color of ripe wheat. Actually, haha, that sounds like my sister, too. But she is quite formidable with the sword part. And maybe her hair's a little whiter." He laughed as he remembered how she would beat him up every day until he was finally taller than her.
"Anyway, with a girl that pretty, of course someone was going to try and steal her away. And an evil prince did. He came with his men and raided the tower and took this girl to his mountain home. You can imagine what he did there." He wouldn't go into that with a lady present.
"Locked amongst the cliffs, the girl didn't know what to do. So she sang, hoping someone would hear her. And she cried rivers, upon rivers - that is, making the rivers that flowed down from the mountains. Grass grew in the valleys where her tears collected, and animals started appearing. These animals longed to see the face of their creator, so one day - one of them grew wings."
He made an idiotic bird gesture with his hands. "So, the eagle was born, and he flew to the tower. And you can kind of guess what happened next. Girl befriends eagle. Eagle eats evil warlord. Girl rides eagle back to her dad."
He folded his hands in his lap. "And that's what my name means. 'Eagle'."
"Sort of. It's a conjugated form of the word, rivekron, which - in my father's language, anyway - means 'to soar.' Technically, it's what the girl said as she told the eagle to fly away from the mountain hold."
"As for my profession... well, in a way yes, in a way no. I obviously don't have any sort of control over mortality whatsoever. I'm just here to make sure no one gets their butt handed to them by Serendipity. It just you know, as with most things, helps if you know what's going on. What little I know, anyhow. I certainly wouldn't take it from me. I've been here a pretty damn long time, and I haven't found a way off. Or any group of citizen people I particularly like for that matter."LadyFox  Lurp sat back as he began the story, smiling, enjoying the sound of his telling. That was until he got to the part where he glossed over what had happened to the girl at the hands of her captor. Rivek didn't have to go into detail. Lurp had LIVED the details. She didn't frown, it was more than that. Her ears pulled flat against her head and canted downwards. Her face took on an expression that Will had simply dubbed "scary" and left at that. She didn't hear parts of the rest of the story, but came to her senses again by the ending. She caught enough to understand the significance of his name.
"It's a good name," she said, nodding. "A strong name." She shook her head to clear her thoughts.
"I still don't...understand exactly what it is you do." she said. But he had said he didn't know a way off the island, that much had been clear. "So.. what happens if you die here?" It seemed it was possible. People seemed to fear it as much here as anywhere else too. "The innkeeper said something about regeneration and people coming back...?" Lurp had hoped suicide might be a solution to her problem. If she would just wind up back here though...
And goodness, she was asking a lot of questions, wasn't she? Well, she needed to know. And how nice of him to give her information without the exchange he'd demanded of the broody water-drinker.
She found herself sitting on her hands, afraid of Rivek's answer.DXSciz John Tyler noticed the one pale woman headed his way. His gaze shifted from Pahkakino, whom he saw was looking his way. Since he didn't sense a hint of threat coming from the demon man he decided that it would be safe to stop staring at him. Of course, his senses were still peaked and he was aware of motions going on around him so he wasn't completely ready to trust anyone yet.
When the woman began speaking to him, he let his muscles relax some. If one who was just talking to the demon man was approaching him so politely, he didn't want to greet her kindness with anger. Of course, he didn't smile, he wasn't one for smiling, but his body language was at least an attempt to seem a little more....inviting.
"...She was fine..." Should he really mention it was that red man near them that had caused such a reaction? Probably best not to. "I just saw something." Yes....something. John Tyler wasn't one for talking, but he also didn't see a reason to ignore an invitation. So long as he wasn't be pulled into a trap of some sort. The sense of danger was no where to be found. And if the demon man was to be a threat, at least having him close by would make reacting much easier. He wasn't sure what supernatural powers the creature might have, or if he had any at all, but being closer was a strategic move for John Tyler.
If all of them were relatively new, like he, maybe there was a reason he had ended up near them....Garcans could be highly religious at times and they believed deeply in fate and The Father's guiding hand. Now he could not say no to her invitation. "Sure..." John Tyler said very little and mostly showed his temper and emotions through body language. Most Garcans were this way. But seeing as this young woman had been so nice to approach him and invite him into a conversation of sorts, it felt inappropriate to not extend the same warmth to her as well. "My name's Johnathan Tyler, but I normally go by John Tyler or some version of the two." It was true. He'd answered to everything from Captain Tyler, Captain John Tyler, John Tyler, Johnathan Tyler, or just Tyler. Though John was his real name, Garcans often called other's by their last name as a sign of trust and formality. One only ever referred to another by their first name if they were close friends. To do so any other time was an insult. "What's your name?" John Tyler questioned politely as he could with a slight frown on his face. It wasn't that he disliked her, but that he disliked this feeling of the unknown. And of course being spooked by Pahkakino through him off. He figured this was the best thing to start a conversation with her on. Especially since knowing what to call someone else was always a great place to start.
As he walked behind the young pale woman, he saw the commotion from the red demon man and him flee the area with a roar. It caused John Tyler to stop in his tracks and stare off after the man. Well damn. There went that 'strategic move'. But to do anything else now would be disruptive to the woman he was now with. So he simply turned his gaze back to her and attempted to forget what he'd seen. Otherwise it'd just nag at him. It would have probably done that if the demon man had stayed put at his seat, but now he has seen a sort of rage from the thing that had seemed so calm before.
But soon something else had caught his attention. The little girl, who seemed the most normal, had yelled some strange things. And he stared back at the group. But when she began floating, his eyes widened. Red demon men, floating little girls.....what was this place? Kimaya "You may call me Blakely... and what should I call you?" An official building.... why he knew just the place. "As for the city office - I would be most happy to help. Its not too far from here actually."
Blakely turned and began heading down the alleyway the way he had come, glancing back over his shoulder to see if the girl was following. Finoewae
She didn't expect such a helpful response. Hesitantly, quietly, she started to follow.
"I'm Anna.." Teagan lied. Wherever she was, she didn't want her reputation to follow her here.
"A pleasure, Blakely." God, I wonder if he's given me the same treatment and told me an alias. I'll need to confirm his name soon, somehow...
Her foot hit a crack in the stone and she tripped a bit. She grunted, disappointed in how clumsy she'd been. Suddenly, a thought flashed in her mind. It was fuzzy but...she remembered falling down not too long ago. It was dark, slippery. Where had that happened? Her head hurt, trying to paint clearer details.
As curious as she was to look ahead, Teagan kept watch over this Blakely fellow. Unbeknownst to her, a look of despair had already covered her face. She'd felt like this before- ignorant, helpless...
"Thank you..." she muttered, wondering if he could even hear her cracking voice over the echoes of footsteps.Luna_et_Noctis
"John Tyler. A pleasure to make your acquaintance; My name is Lamia." Smiling, she turned to lead him back to the group, relaxing slightly, finding comfort in the shadows of the street. While the man behind her was quite gigantic, especially when compared to her small frame, she felt reasonably confident in her ability to disappear into the night-as long as she wasn't set on fire first.
However, when Pahkakino flew off in pursuit of an unknown agent, all of her tension came rushing back. The large gust of wind, barely noticeable to the large man behind her, almost blew Lamia off of her feet and sent the thin piece of fabric about her face twisting up into the night air.Turning her face away from the dust and debris blown up from the street, she threw out her hands to steady herself, before turning to look up after him. "Drat," she thought. "Not quick enough to see-" Her thoughts were cut off by shouting from the remains of her small group. Looking back, she swore in her head.
The young girl was hovering a distance over the man's head, yelling at him for being a freak and to get out of her head. Lamia hissed in concern for the human Mandy was towering over, and ran as fast as she could to get between him and the girl. While she was unsure and concerned about what the girl would do, Lamia was certain she would weather it better than he would. WoefulInfinity
| Rivek Ailinar |
He noticed her intense reaction to the portion in the story. Admittedly, his peoples' myths were gruesome, but that level of disgust meant personal experience. He figured he'd stay off of the topic. Odd, though, that if she held such unbridled hate that she was still talking to him.
"It's a name handed down son to son in line for four hundred years. Damn right, it's a strong name," he laughed. But honestly, he didn't care. "But in my opinion, it's led to more trouble than it's worth."
"Unfortunately, I can't say what happens if you die here... never done it myself." He rubbed his bandaged forearm. "I mean, it sucked pretty bad the first time around, so why would I go off and do it again? Trying the same thing twice and expecting a different result is insanity."
"I suppose, if you ask anyone else here what I do... " he grinned. "I make trouble. I tell people to look backwards to who they were and then look beyond what options they see immediately in front of them. And then they tell me something. What it is depends, but what you tell me... well... Help me, help you, help me. Not saying to go and off yourself, though. I'd feel bad."
"In all honesty... My job.... I'm a man at a bar who clearly has had too much to drink." He knew he never had much tolerance to begin with, and he was pretty sure his nose and cheeks would be flushed pink. Actually, he was completely sure of it because he could feel that familiar, warm tingle on his forehead.
"But hey, I mean - you got big ears. I'm sure you've overheard a decent bit already."
He stirred the inside of his empty glass with his finger. "I think I gave you a pretty good story, so one day, you'll owe me one."
* quote from Albert Einstein. ;Drhyn crenham A burly man had joined the group. Apart from a disfiguring scar that covered a considerably large portion of his face and and interesting hair style, Rhyn daresay he looked like a normal human being. Rather advantageous, Rhyn figured, as most- if not all of the humans he knew were all relatively small in comparison to many of the more prominent species back home.
The girl he had searched for, suddenly let out a yell, breaking his observation of the newcomer most abruptly. Her stream of words came out forcefully, flaring with anger. Saying something pertaining to him being inside her head. What is she implying? The statement left him quite perplexed when, without warning, another scream shot out penetrating him to the core. Rhyn's eyes widened in horror at the sudden pain that surged through his being. His body contorted unnaturally, causing him to lose balance as more alarmed voices poured in. Letting out a cry he fell to the hard ground, clawing at his head in an unsuccessful effort to silence the maddening screaming.
The girl was now high in the air and the taller of the females had moved between him and the girl, however, his surroundings had been muted into a blurry chaos as Rhyn's mind continued to spiral out of control. Make it stop. His thoughts were swallowed up instantly, becoming indistinguishable from the other voices; his struggle to stay within the realm of consciousness, waning. LadyMatrona
"Not here!" The other cried out. "You don't know what these people are capable of! Stop now before you..."
"Shut up!" Mandy spat back, starring down at the man but speaking directly to herself. "Just look at him." What a coward. The tiny man now sat, fallen to the ground and holding his head. "tsk." she hissed. "He can't even stand up to a little girl."
Mandy's attention turned to others near by. Glancing over her shoulder she noticed that the large, demon-ish man had joined the group. He was now locked on her and watching very carefully. Mandy judged that they would be close to eye level with each other should he decide to come closer. Though he seemed to be taken back by her sudden display, there was no telling what a man of his size really thought. But it was clear he was not afraid. "Best to watch him as well" Mandy thought to herself, turning to where she could see everyone but maintaining her distance from the giant.
The woman in the mask was now visible without it and had thrown herself between Mandy and the cowering man on the ground. She stood as if ready for impact. She wore a worried look on her face, perhaps because she was more afraid then the giant, but she had chosen to place herself closely none the less. What could this lady do? "Only one way to find out I suppose." Mandy thought to herself, as an eerie smile widened across her face.
"Well what do you think?" She laughed loudly, switching her gaze between her two new opponents, watching for any sudden movements. She loved a challenge. Perhaps she had gotten in a little two deep here, but she still had a few tricks up her sleeve.DXSciz  Lamia, his mind repeated. Since he assumed none of these people were his fellow Garcans (due to their odd powers and relatively small frames) he would take that as her first name. He just attributed this to them seeing as the people his continent constantly warred with went by a first name basis with most.
It seemed Lamia was as confused about the flight of that red demon man as he'd been. He would push that aside and assume it was nothing important however since Lamia didn't seemed concerned about it. After all, she should know more about the creature seeing as she'd been talkign to him previously.
Seeing as the fight between the man and the little (now floating) girl was not one of John Tyler's, he did not quicken his pace toward the group. He simply kept his pace. If he was needed, he'd do what he could. But seeing as the little girl could fly, he doubted much could be done. John Tyler shook his head slightly. This day was getting stranger as time passed. He just hoped it would return to a fairly normal state. Though with everyone being so strange, this was probably as normal as it would get...
He noticed the observations he was receiving from the man standing by the little girl. Nothing too alarming. He assumed that others would analyse him just as he did them. Was only natural to size up others. Least for a Garcan. Most of what his race did was war with others. Especially the Arians to the north. Arians....hmmmm. This man dressed properly reminded John Tyler of an Arian. This realization made him slightly suspicious of the other man. Arians and Garcans mixed about as well as oil and water. But this reflection upon the normality of his previous life were crushed as he now saw the man crumple and clawed at his head. Dear god these people were insane...He would stay back for a moment and see where this went. He wasn't one for stepping into other's fights as he would prefer them to stay out of his. But there was no way he could watch another being crumple like that. Especially since he was beginning to place the blame on the little girl who was speaking eerily. He didn't like this....not at all.
If Lamia did nothing and this fight didn't defuse itself, he would be forced to step in and at least stop the small one's hold on the properly dressed man. There seemed something unfair about this 'argument'. That made him glare in the direction of the girl. He stood a bit of a distance from the action. Though he felt ready to grab for the small one if he needed. Though he wondered what he could really do to stop her if she didn't quit herself.LadyFox
"It's my... mate" Lurp explained. "At least that's the closest word in the human tongue for him." Human words, in every language she'd found, were so inadequate to express the concept of the one you were joined with, the one who was the other half of your whole.
"It's... it's not the dying I mind. So much.Will and I... our time was short, we knew that already. His people don't live past 40 or 45. So we knew that it would happen sooner or later, that we would be...separated." Lurp cringed at the term "My people have many different beliefs about dying... that you become a star, that you rejoin the sun, that you are reborn as a plant... that you just dissipate into nothingness..." Lurp was aware she was beginning to sound a little drunk herself in trying to explain "I never knew what I believed, I didn't care, I planned to steer clear of death for as long as I could... I was terrified of it." She turned, looking into the distance up the street.
"Now that it's happened, it doesn't seem like such a big deal... but... but Will and I were supposed to be together! Er not right away" she hastily explained. "We hadn't planned to kill ourselves when the other died... but eventually, when we were both dead that we would be together." She slipped a small pendant on a golden chain out from under her shirt, and held it out, still bound to her, for Rivek to examine. It was a small golden rood, clearly a religious symbol. "Will gave it to me," she explained. "When I learned of the... brevity of his people's existence, I converted to his religion in the hopes that we..."
"But this--" she flung out her other arm to encompass the entirety of the city, of the island. "This is not his heaven! From everything I have heard today, this is not what MOST people expected when they arrived, but also... it sounds like not everyone who dies comes here. Like it's... some cosmic roll of the dice, a joke of universe who winds up here." She tucked the necklace back in her shirt and looked down. "If this isn't where Will will be when he dies... I can't stay. I'm not asking for my life back again. All things have their time and I met mine. I wouldn't take it back if I could." That would mean Will would be dead instead of her. No, as much as she had always feared death, she couldn't regret anything that added a few more years to his meager allotment. "But I need to be with Will. Eventually. Wherever and whenever that is. I can't stay here if he won't be here with me."
She paused a moment more. And then looked up again, though still not meeting Rivek's eyes. "He made me see things differently, changed everything I was, everything I believed..." Then she was quiet.
Rivek was flushed and she was rambling to much, had given away too much, she knew. But she couldn't help it. Rivek was charming in a way that Will had been. Maybe that and how much she already missed Will compelled her to trust him when she shouldn't, but for a brief moment she didn't care. "Sounds like an interesting job," she said, a false lightness in her voice. She nodded. "You are right on both accounts," she admitted "I did hear a fair amount, and you did tell me a good story. I have lots of stories. You could collect on the debt now if you wanted to, but will you remember it in the morning?"Luna_et_Noctis "I think it is quite impressive, Mandy. I had no idea you were so powerful. But, I do not understand what is going on. I see you are hurting the man behind me. Did he offend you? I am certain he would be more than willing to apologize, if you let him get up, Mandy." Lamia said delicately, feigning calmness. Secretly, she was buying herself a little time. As she spoke, she summoned her snake. Willing the vitae in her body to surface and run down the line of her back, it congealed and, hardening, took the form of a cobra.
With movement hidden by Lamia's cloak, it fell into the space between the cloth and her belt before nosing its way down her leg."Don't let her see you, and don't bite her, unless I directly order you to." Lamia thought urgently. WoefulInfinity | Rivek Ailinar |
"Well, now that's an interesting co-incidence." Rivek laughed. "My - ehr, what term did you use? - 'mate'... her name was Will, too. Yours sounds a bit like mine. Wonderful girl she was. Was? Is? Not sure." Quickly, he pushed back the more sensitive areas of his past and turned to focus on Lily.
He examined the pendant with care. He never quite understood why - when you appeared on this plane - you still had all your clothes. But that meant he still wore his own military dogtags under his shirt. They clicked a little as he put his hand on the girl's shoulder. Religion was, of course, something you had to abandon on Serendipity. "I wouldn't put too much stock into a piece of gold if I was you."
"This may just be me, but I think everyone has a different reason for coming here. There's no heaven if you've still got problems on earth, " he muttered.
"Maybe you're just waiting. Or..."
This would probably make her upset.
"Maybe you need to learn to live without him."
In either case, Lily would much harder to help than Shun. Maybe it wasn't worth the effort. He scratched at the bandages around his neck, the drunk flush having made its way down his throat.
"Hey, I know my limits. Complete blacking out and loss of memory requires at least another drink, thank you very much. So, I think this is a perfect opportunity for story time. I want to here more about your Will."rhyn crenham Adrenaline was coursing speedily though his body causing Rhyn's heart to beat even faster, pumping blood around at a ridiculous rate. Sweat beaded at his forehead and his breath was starting to sound labored. He blinked stupidly, as he tried to will away the black spots that were crowding his vision. No movement had been made as far as he could tell, but the air was thick with anticipation. It wasn't helping matters. There was no quelling the relentless tumult of anger and frustration he was swimming in.
Looking up toward the girl now meters off the ground, she seemed as though she was looking for a fight- ready to take them all on. She certainly was confident, for good reason, based off of what she had displayed already. This couldn't end well though. The girl was tiny. Regardless of her powers, this was a strange place full of odd people from very different places. The others surrounding them were more than likely capable of all sorts of power.
Rhyn made to regain a standing position. Reeling, he managed to put his hands down as his knees hit the ground once more. Breathing heavily, he looked up again, wiping sweat from his eyes. "Wait," he forced, sharply inhaling. "Wait," he repeated, "she is not at fault..." His voice failed him as another wave of voices, followed by nausea, washed over him. She hadn't done anything, but at the time she must have appeared to the others as a carnivore bearing down on her prey with him being in his current state. LadyMatrona
"Hurting him?" Mandy scoffed, holding her pose but feeling rather taken back by the comment. "I haven't done anything to hurt that guy. He's just a coward!"
"Or have I?" she thought silently to herself. There had been times before when Mandy had done something expectantly. It always had something to do with her feelings and things that she wanted to do, though it wasn't as simple as just wanting it. If that were the case, she could just do anything.
"And why should you think I'd harm him over a simple offense anyway?" She questioned irritably, starting again at the woman. "If anything, it's him who's hurting me... I'm going nuts with him around!"
Her head continued buzzing and it seemed to only get worse the longer she stayed. She would ask what he were doing, but he was clearly helpless right now and wouldn't give her any answers. She might have tried to beat it out of him, but his new girlfriend was looking to defend him and this buzzing made it hard to concentrate.
"Enough." She huffed angrily. "I don't know what you're doing," she started, bearing down on the man one last time, "but you stay away from me!" She moved quickly, pulling his face up to meet hers, pressing their foreheads together. "You're lucky you have your friends with you." She she whispered harshly, her eyes narrowing. "Come near me again, and you'll pay."
Releasing the man's thin face from between her hands, Mandy turned quickly and shot into the sky, leaving behind the incessant buzzing and fallowing after the direction of the demon. By now, she'd lost him, but anywhere was better then here.DXSciz Lamia was being much nicer than John Tyler would have been. Though his culture was one of aggression so it was only natural that his reactions be more straightforward and dominant. He figured that it was better that Lamia be handling this her way then. All he did was stand back and examine the scene. If he was needed, he'd move, but he felt like for now, the pale woman had it under control.
For a moment, John Tyler thought he saw something move under Lamia's cloak. But he attributed it to the wind or something else. There was much else here now that deserved his attention. Due to this, he missed the fact a snake was coming down her leg. Of course, the fact that it was night made that animal disappear to his small eyes.
The girl's posture bothered him. The only thing it did to him was make him weary of her. He hadn't really settled down since he'd gotten to this place. But his adrenaline was close to filling his body. John Tyler was on edge and he figured he would continue to be so for the rest of the night. Not that he wasn't used to being on edge, being a captain on active duty. However, he'd never dealt with red demon men or flying little girls either...
John Tyler's eyes moved to the man as he began to attempt standing. With his eyes on the little girl, he moved closer to the man. The captain intended to help if it was needed but he didn't move too closely to the other. Garcans didn't believe in 'babying' others or being unnecessarily helpful. So instead, he stood near to Rhyn. Not too close in case the man needed space. His attention went from the kneeling man to the girl and back. He didn't want to miss a motion that could give him a chance to understand what was going on. He still assumed the girl was doing something to this person. What, he had no clue. But she had to be doing something to him. Once the other man spoke however, John Tyler began to question if she was indeed the cause of the 'fit' the properly dressed man was influenced by.
He watched as the girl moved closer to the man, but he stood back. He felt this wasn't his fight and until it proved that it was worthy of his interference, he would let them do as they wished. Though he was even more ready to act as she spoke to the man. His glare worsened as he looked at her. If she were to attack the helpless man, then, and only then, would he make a move in this. And then she left, much like the red demon man. John Tyler watched her leave and grumbled quietly to himself. Maybe the two left would be a little more...normal.
It was true, Mandy had seemed like she was a predator and inflicting something upon the mind of this man. Seeing as she might not have been the cause, John Tyler stuck out his right arm in a gesture to help Rhyn up if he wished to accept it. Seeing as his left arm was missing from just above the elbow, it was all but useless in most instances.
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