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 Posted: Tue Jan 01, 2008 6:18 pm
Pez Acquired
... and I don't mean the candy.She wasn't much of a primp and prime gal. In fact, Echo didn't like much jewelry or even 'rocks' for that matter. But it was for a friend that the woman found herself going to Twilight Designs, a jewelry store. No, it wasn't that kind of friend - she was currently and happily single - but it was one of those that you've been friends with forever but are seeing again now for the first time in years.
Echo did not know what exactly she wanted to get her friend, only that a necklace or bracelet or ring of some kind would have been ideal. And, she had heard that Twilight Designs was the place to go.
Without hesitation, the small woman walked into the shop and looked around. If she were a girl with a pretty-princess-complex, Echo would be in heaven. While she liked the occasional shiny, these things were simply not conventional in her life.
Echo walked over to the nearest case and peered through the glass. The person behind the desk didn't even register, she was too absorbed in her mission.
The aforementioned person behind the desk was quite happy to go unnoticed, though he thought better of it when Athan came bustling into the room with an interesting book grasped in his hands and a leather pouch in the other.
"Reyna would you mind sorting this for me..?" he stated without bothering to glance up from his book until he nearly ran directly into Echo. "Oh excuse me, dear. I was not at all paying attention to where I was going. Do you require assistance?"
Mystic's gaze darkened somewhat. 'Reyna went to lunch. It's just me,' he muttered before casting a sidelong glance towards the young woman who had ventured into the shop, 'And a customer.'
Being bumped into is a bit more difficult to ignore. Doesn't help the man pretty much towered over her - nothing new there. Echo turned to him with as much a charming smile as she could muster as she met his gaze. She called it her 'elf smile' - you know the one: gentle, easy going, with a bit of reserve, but always quick to deliver. That, and it tended to make her look younger, even though she didn't need any help in that department. Echo had learned early on that people would rather be taking with someone they thought was 'young', even though it did sometimes result in them trying to push her around. Nevertheless, it was always the smile she unconsciously gave to strangers.
"Actually, sir, I would. My friend's birthday is coming up, and I haven't seen her in years. I wanted to get her something special, but I am afraid jewelry is simply not in my personal expertise." Echo had another problem with strangers upon a first meeting... occasionally she'd give more information than asked.
"Do you have any suggestions?" She turned her eyes back to the display, but soon they were looking back to the tall man, searching for some kind of guidance.
Athan smiled charmingly and ushered the young lady with a gentle hand upon her shoulder to the other side of the shop. In passing, he dropped the leather pouch that sounded with a 'thunk' atop the desk along with his book that had absorbed his attention fully not but a few minutes prior.
"Well. I would perhaps suggest something simple, yet elegant," he replied as he placed one hand flat against one of the tops to the glass display cases. A circle of glowing green appeared before the case simply slid open.
"Do you know if she prefers a certain color?" he asked simply.
Mystic resisted the urge to roll his eyes. He found it rather revolting how... disgustingly charming Athan could make himself appear. He knew better. Or perhaps he was simply biased and wished not to see it. Either way, he was doing his very best to ignore both the man in question and the customer.
Instead he decided to poke through the leather bag that Athan had indicated Reyna ought to sort through. He tentatively opened it before simply spilling the contents out onto the table. Stones! Dozens of brilliant, brightly colored stones.
Echo allowed herself to be lead. Not even an eyebrow arched at the situation at the case. She simply peered in.
"Nothing too elegant," the woman chuckled a bit as her eyes sparkled impishly when she looked up at the man, "I don't want to outdo her boyfriend, he might get jealous!" And indeed, she knew him too, another good friend.
She looked back to the contents of the case. "She's a girl, so anything would do. I think she likes pinks and purples more, though...." Echo knew about rubies, but were there any other gems that were 'pink'?
The person at her desk still didn't catch her eye - there was something there before, she was sure of it.
"Very well, then," Athan replied as he retrieved a delicate looking sterling silver necklace. It had small, bright pink crystals dangling from it in varying lengths. "Simple, but not too elegant?" he smirked faintly as he held the necklace up for inspection.
His expression faded slightly about the edges as he felt a quiet something that he couldn't quite explain in words. He idly glanced back towards Mystic who had the same puzzled look on his face as he stared down at the piles of gems he had sorted into little sections by color, size, and type.
The shadow's head tilted curiously to the side before his bright violet eyes seemed to light up in recognition. One of the stones before him was attempting to awaken. But which one was it? He studied each gem with careful thought and tried to pinpoint exactly where that feeling was coming from.
"Hmmm..." Echo hummed quietly to herself as she looked at the necklace. The small woman leaned forward to get a better view. The lights reflected off the facets and her eyes twinkled along with the crystals.
She was thinking about her friend, going over conversations and subtle remarks from over the years. She didn't even notice that she no longer had the attention of her host. Echo liked how the small gems worked together with the thin wire. It gave the effect that the pink crystals floated instead of being interconnected.
Finally, she came to her conclusion and nodded. "Yes, I believe this would be perfect!" Echo exclaimed and took her eyes off the necklace. However, the man was not looking at her or even paying any attention. She thought she got single-minded at times. The woman cleared her throat to try again, and then followed his gaze to... the person at the desk.
He - she was sure it was a he - didn't have... a mouth! Echo stared in open shock and curiosity at the 'man' at the desk, who was also looked at something. Wow, that was quite a few gems in one spot.
Mystic's gaze flickered briefly towards Echo. Of course now she was intent on staring at him. A look that spoke of mischief was written across his face for the briefest of moments before it was gone and replaced with the same stoic, calm mask he usually had.
'Are you ready to purchase your gift?' he inquired in a quiet, soft telepathic voice.
Athan's face was largely unreadable. He seemed torn between trying to remain as the charming, pleasant shopkeeper and wanting to throttle Mystic for being as infuriating as his bond.
The corners of Echo's lips twitched up when she saw that flash of a look on that dark face. A small smile fully broke out when she heard the voice in her head. Under a different situation, she might have been offended, the telepathic voice might seem more offensive...but he had no mouth! It was rather endearing.
But she broke her gaze away, trying not to be rude, and looked back to the host. His once charming face had fallen to one that was difficult to read. Echo hoped at the back of her mind that it wasn't something she did. For some reason, she had a feeling that he was not a man you wanted to cross.
"Yes, I believe I would like to buy this. There wouldn't happen to be a matching bracelet, would there?" The woman cocked her head to the side as she looked up at him. Her eyes still smiled genuinely, for she was very glad to have found the perfect gift.
"Ah! Yes, there is," Athan answered as he focused once more upon the charming young lady before him. "There is also a set of earrings, should you be interested," he offered as he reached to retrieve the companion pieces that went with the necklace.
Mystic, however, turned his attention completely away from the both Athan and Echo. He could feel it more clearly now. It was like coming up for a breath of fresh air after being under water. It suddenly gasped, and then it was there.
A bright pink stone lifted itself in a dizzy little spin off of the desk as a frenzied swarm of shadow surrounded the gem. 'Well hello there, little one,' he murmured fondly. He always did enjoy witnessing an awakening.
Echo made a show to think over getting the whole set. Really, it was no contest - she was going to buy them all. What was it her mother was always trying to get her to do? Oh yes, bargain... well, Echo was a horrible bargainer. She could not do it to save her life if it ever depended on that ability.
All of a sudden, she was just so HAPPY to have found a full set. Just imagining how her friend's face will shine when she sees the the sparkling crystals that seem to float with silver accents made Echo's own face light up. In a flash her face had come from contemplation to joy.
"She would love that!" Echo grinned happily up at Athan, her smile stretching from ear to ear. No price was too much just to see the delight on her friend's own face.
The wisp of a Shadow hovered in place, emanating the relief and unfiltered bliss of release. It didn't want to move for a moment; instead chose to simply take in feeling the world. Ah, sweet sweet freedom!
Mystic chuckled quietly, a noise that was quite audible to both Echo and Athan. He moved to cradle the little wisp in one hand and idly glanced towards the woman. Had his new little friend awoken because of her? It was possible.
Athan's posture seemed to stiffen and he sighed as he retrieved the jewelry for his customer and all but trudged over to the desk. He scowled over at Mystic. Truly, it was not the older shadow's fault, but he was not helping the situation any. For all he knew, he encouraged the little stone to awaken without his bidding it to do so!
As if sensing this sudden animosity so close to him, Pez skittered away from Mystic and hovered midair before Echo.
Echo's mood would not be swayed, she was just too happy and did not care what the cause for this intense emotion was. She followed him to the desk like a loyal puppy, a bounce in her step. The man was dealing with the jewelry when a bright pink and black shadow cam to her, blocking her path.
The woman was not phased, "Hello, hello!" Echo eyed the wisp. She did not know it was this that was the origin of her happiness. The small woman reached up to touch it, her jewelry momentarily forgotten. A delicate finger rose up, but went right through the shadow. She cupped her hand to 'catch' it, as she might with a cloud.
"And what is your name?" she giggled childishly, as if the shadow might actually answer.
As she tried to direct the movements by making her hand go left, right, left, the shadow went with her. Echo squeaked, how delightful!
"Oh dear."
Mystic snickered quietly before phasing out of view entirely when Athan shot him a look that clearly indicated he was displeased. Of course, the other man would still know where he was exactly, but his chances at being swatted at and successfully hit, would by less likely if he were not visible.
"Er... if I am not mistaken," Athan spoke up as he packaged up the jewelry Echo was intent on purchasing in an elegant display box, "That is Pezzotaite. I am afraid he .. er.. got a bit mixed up with the other gems I brought in with me."
He paused for a moment as he made quick work of a bow to wrap the packaged jewelry up in along with a business card tucked discreetly in the back for future reference. "And.. it seems he is intent on making you his guardian.."
Echo was now 'playing' with the shadow, moving this way and that. She heard what she was being told, of course, but not paying much attention. "Pez-zo-ta-ite?" the woman watched the shadow. "Pez." Pezzo-whatever was far too much to say!
"Guardian?" The word broke her out of that intense emotion. She put her hand down, expecting the shadow to drop with it - but Pez just moved to the side a little while Echo peered over at the man with confusion mixed with catlike content written on her face. "What does that mean....?"
Looking that way, she also noticed he was done wrapping up the jewelry. She pulled out a rather large sum of money. "And, eh, how much do I owe you?" Echo looked at her hand blankly, as if she didn't know what to do with it.
The discrete exist of the darker being was once again not noticed.
Athan smiled faintly as he handed over the box of jewelry. "It means, that he is now bonded to your very soul. The uh... young man you saw sitting at this desk," he replied as he motioned one hand back behind him, "Was once a tiny wisp such as the one that is floating before you."
As an afterthought he added: "Take the jewelry as... a gift." He turned to retrieve another business card. The small card was jet black, and appeared blank, but once in the woman's hands a silver ink bled to the surface that clearly read in scripted lettering 'Twilight Designs.'
"I'm certain you'll have more questions in the future about him, but for now, he needs only your company to keep him alive."
Wow. That was a shock. "Are... are you sure?" Echo looked from Pez to the man, to where the darker man sat, back to Pez, and finally rested on the shopkeeper once more. "I think you picked the wrong person," she shook her head emphatically, "I cannot even keep my fish alive past a month.... or plants for that matter...."
She turned back to the wispy shadow, "I think you should pick someone you have a better chance of... survival with."
The woman heard that all he needed was her, or maybe more like her small little soul she might have... but still, surely he needed to eat later on, though if he wouldn't have a mouth like the other guy, that didn't make any sense.
Echo looked down at the jewelry gift made gifted - what an interesting start for the use life of the set. When the card words appeared like magic, the corners of her lip couldn't help but twitch just a little. "Er, um.... okay, Athan?" she looked back up at him again, still very uncertain on his words.
Pez, on the other hand, stuck close to her shoulder, hovering expectantly. He was not just not happy to be here, but to have someone to be bonded to as well. He glowed just a little more, as if to reaffirm what Athan was saying - he was with her and would not leave.
"It's not so much my choosing, as it is his," Athan explained. He appeared somewhat exasperated, but Pez seemed to all but radiate contentment so he was not about to begin complaining. A happy fiend was a good thing. A very good thing.
"But as I said. You'll no doubt have questions," he went on, "Feel free to return here when you do. This is a safe place for all guardians."
Echo nodded. The words went in one ear and out the other, but the meaning stuck at least. The change and Athan didn't even register on her scale or "weirdness" for the day. "All.... right." She couldn't do anything else but believe him.
She looked down at the card and nodded once again, committing to memory that if she needed anything, come here.
A loud sound echoed through the shop. Echo jumped, as well as the shadow-bound Pez (who 'jumped' behind her). After a bought of embarrassment, she pulled out her ringing cellphone. She usually forgot it but because she had a meeting today made the effort to remember. The woman looked to Athan apologetically and then answered, "Hello?"
A voice could be heard talking squeakily on the other side. The woman just listened, and seemed to pale as the minutes ticked off. Pez flickered in a twitchy manner behind her.
"Alright, be right there."
Echo turned back to Athan as she put the phone back into her pocket. "I have to go, but it was nice meeting you, sir." She offered her now empty hand out. "I am afraid I have another..." the woman sent a quick glance over her shoulder to Pez "...engagement to attend to. I appreciate the gift and - advice - as well."
Athan nodded and took her hand gently before waving goodbye as she exited the shop. Once she was gone he turned on his heel to scowl at the spot he knew Mystic was lurking within. "You..." he muttered.
Mystic phased into view with a smug expression as he leaned back into Reyna's chair with his hands propped up behind his head. 'I had nothing to do with that.'
"Perhaps not, but you could've... been more helpful, at least!"
The shadow's shoulders rose and fell as though he had sighed heavily. 'You say such things as though she had a choice in the matter. You know as well as I do, that once a bond is formed, regardless of what the guardians wants, there is nothing save for death that can change what is done.'
Athan folded his arms over his chest and glanced away. He had a point. He had to allow him that much.
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Posted: Tue Mar 18, 2008 4:20 pm
Of Trees and Stones
A strange dream turns into reality.Mystic was standing outside. The sun bore down upon him, and he lifted the hood of his cloak to shield him from it. Sometimes he wished that night was eternal, or at least lasted far longer. It frustrated him that he was limited by his need for darkness. Just the thought of the bright light from the outside world gave him a headache.
And yet, there he was. His brow furrowed. He didn't remember why he was outside. He turned his head and glanced behind him at the front door of the home he shared with his bond. He wanted to go back inside and to his room where it was cool and dark. But he couldn't. He.. just couldn't.
He needed to be here. Something was calling to him.
He tore his gaze away from the door and took a hesitant step forward before his form shifted and he abandoned his humanoid feet in favor of his long willowy tail. He continued forward towards that quiet, beckoning pull of something. He didn't know what he was looking for, but he knew that he would know it once he had found whatever 'it' was.
That thought propelled him forward and he travelled at a quicker pace, unhindered in his intangible form. He reached the edge of Reyna's front yard and then passed it directly into the swamp. He had not ever explored it before, not even as a child, and he could not recall way. His bond had never warned him not to, but for whatever reason it had never piqued his interest until now.
The voice, yes, it was definitely a voice now, was louder -- and more insistent. He quickened his pace and drifted through and past fallen trees, over thick bogs of mud, and under and about tangled, mossy vines before pausing before what was perhaps the most magnificent tree he had ever seen in recent memory.
It's trunk was wider around than he could reach with his arms, and its bark was gnarled and overgrown with moss in spots. Parts of it also appeared to have strange rune-like carvings. He floated closer curiously and reached forward hesitantly with one outstretched hand to trace the markings.
He pulled away with a startled noise as his feather light touch seemed to ignite something within the tree which caused the markings to take on a strange, eerie glow. He backed away a little further with strange will o'the' wisp lights appeared and darted towards the tree. For a moment he thought they were lightening bugs of some sort, but no, their glow was too bright, too ethereal.
They gathered at the center of the tree, at its very heart he realized, until the tree itself began to move. It's branches arched away and the bark peeled back. He stared, clearly puzzled by this turn of events. What... was it doing? He had not read about any tree like this. It was at least not attacking him, for which he was quite thankful.
The tree's rumbling and movement finally slowed to a stop, and at its center there appeared to be a stone. Mystic's bright eyes widened. That was it! That was what had been calling, begging for his attention. A stone.
And not just any stone.
He reached forward, without fear, and plucked the cross-shaped stone from its resting place. This prompted the tree to move restore itself to it's former state. He noticed, however, that the strange markings from before were now gone. The tree, was simply an impressive, old tree.
He trekked back towards the house, out of the dark gloom of the swamp, with the stone firmly clasped in one dark hand. He could feel its, no her presence now. There was no mistaking it. She was a Shadow, or at least was meant to become one when the time came for her to awaken. What she was doing trapped in a tree in amidst the swamp outside his home, however, was a mystery.
Mystic could honestly say that he had come across stranger things. His currently not being able to open the door to his home was one of those things. Worse still was his sudden inability to phase through the door entirely. He begin to panic and beat on the door in frustration before he phased through it, sending him tumbling inside.
He opened his eyes and found himself staring up at the ceiling of his room. Disturbed, he sat upright before glancing down at the cool object he had clutched in one hand. He had been dreaming? But somehow still had the stone. It made no sense, but it was real and left him with one very large predicament: What the hell was he going to do with a stone that was seemingly on the verge of awakening?
He'd deal with the how and why he had gotten it later.
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Posted: Tue Mar 18, 2008 4:22 pm
Cyborgs and Elves and Fiends, oh my!
Nothing quite a little chaos at Twilight Designs!Today was a nice, sunny day. It was warmer that it was a few days ago, and it seemed like spring was finally starting to drag itself in.
Zero was walking on with no end destination in mind, often sending look to make sure she was not going too fast for the elven woman following her. She was going to find a way to lift Eirnae's spirit, damnit ! As much as the elf's current heartache was understandable, it threatened to swallow her whole. And, of course, the blue-haired one had taken upon herself to be the proverbial knight in shining armor and at least does her best to cheer her friend up. It had taken her long enough to convince her to get out, but now ?
It was too early to stop and eat somewhere, so they wandered, eventually finding herself in a part of town she did not usually go in, and stopping in front of a sign. Twillight Designs... a jewelry store ? Oh, ho ho ho... Of course, a plan started to form itself. Eirnae loved jewelry, and what better to make someone happy than a surprise gift !
Oh, she was so smart sometimes. "Nae ! It looks pretty neat, let's take a look !" The cyborg beamed, hoping her own excitement would infect her friend sometime soon.
Accompanying Zero was enough to encourage the elf to leave the domicile that she's come to temporarily reside within along with her eldest daughter, Shina. It's proven to be a damn sight better than to be in or by the Haven right now.
She just can't handle thinking about Lenore and her current wife too much, or what will happen once she works up the nerve to tell their ... her children of the situation in great detail. Preparing for their onslaught of questions is a mental exercise unto itself, but it's their potential emotional reactions that tug at her insides and weave them into intricate knots.
She's trying to be a pleasant companion for the friend who's been so kind to her these past few weeks. With Zero having taken on the roles of being Eirnae's comforter and regular partner in conversation, she feels it's the least she can do. Yet she'd not counted on being guided out of her sanctuary from the big wide world and led into the shopping district. Still, if browsing is what Zero wants to do ... and she can't help but smile a little at how Zero reacts to the shops they encounter. The cyborg is far more human emotionally than she gives herself credit for, and the elf finds her friend to be very endearing. Without her, what would she be doing? "Probably training my body into the ground," she mentally mutters, then looking up sharply when Zero points out the jewelry shop. Blinking once, she attempts to fight her instinctual urge to take a closer look. Then she shrugs and gives in. Why worry? This could be a great distraction, and besides, Zero's interested already, right? "Sure, mellon. Let's have a closer look."
Unconsciously taking on the role she did while with Lenore, she goes to the shop's door and opens it, keeping it that way so Zero can slip inside the building with ease. "Please, after you."
Yet she's not about to send her friend into an as yet unexplored place, at least not alone. With little prompting, Alimus the shadowkin peels himself from Eirnae's shadow and flits to one past the doorway, peering about from the murky safety of a counter's castoff darkness.
Merci swung around the corner and walked with a little spring to her step. It was so nice to get out of the house and away from the squabbling snakes. Her seemingly perpetual stress headache had almost melted away. That morning had been an absolute killer, Dio had created the worst screaming match that house had seen in years.
The sugar bowl seemed to somehow get spiked with a fair amount of salt.
Seraph had been absolutely furious, which was hard to tell unless you knew him really really well.
Having all of that behind her was such a relief, and she didn't even notice the other two women as she slipped her way into the jewelry store.
He knew he had hurt Merci, but that hadn't been his aim. Vance was always so mean to him, he just wanted to show him that he wasn't going to be treated badly all the time without doing something about it.
The look on his that meanie's face had been absolutely priceless. Little Dio had curled up and laughed to himself in the corner while Vance spewed his coffee all over Seraph's nice shiny clean counters.
And to make everything even better, because he had stood up for himself Merci had needed to get out! A trip around town was always lots of fun, new things to see. He swooped in the store behind Merci, going through one of the walls instead of though the door.
Ooooo.. People!
Merci glanced back in time to see Dio do a complete about face and stare at the other visitors. Twilight Designs was usually pretty empty, Merci had gathered that the place catered to a more off beat crowd. The jewelry designs were beautiful, but a little more expensive then your average fair.
Dio couldn't stand it, he floated a little closer to Eirnae and reached out to touch her hair. He had no idea that his attentions might be unwelcome or in the least bit inappropriate as he started trying to touch her everywhere he could, face, hair, ears, and neck as his burgundy eyes studied her much like one would look through a microscope.
The shop for the most part was entirely empty, or at least appeared so. The silence that surrounded it was broken by a faint chime as the women entered. Athan strode into view as he nudged open the door to the back room and shuffled through with various packages to greet his customers.
"Well good afternoon, Miss Merci," he replied in a smooth, gentlemanly tone as he sat behind the desk that Reyna typically occupied after opening up one of the parcels. He had recently purchased an assortment of gems and beads for jewelry making and had not yet had the time to sort through them.
"And good afternoon to you both, ladies," he went on as he noticed the other two figures that were heading in towards the shop before adding: "Little Star, try not to harass my customers, hm?"
Unlike Eirnae, Zero's guard is completely down, and she looks almost akin to a kid inside a toystore as she started peering. She wasn't one of jewelry - not the expensive kind at the very least, but those necklace sure where pretty ! They also looked sturdy enough...
However, the blue haired woman's attention was derailed as she peered up to look at the man, a smile on her face. However, one eyebrow rose sharply as she caught the... what the heck was it ? Poking at her friend.
She tried to stifle in her laughter, but she quite obviously failed. "My, my, Nae, I think you're got an admirer!"
TBC.
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Posted: Tue Mar 18, 2008 4:23 pm
A Little Research
Mystic dares to understand the dreamrealm.Mystic sat before a growing stack of books at the library. The volume of the pile before him simply echoed his growing frustration. He hadn't exactly expected to find answers to his multitude of questions regarding his abilities or apparent lack thereof easily. All he wanted was perhaps a clue to something that would give him an idea of what direction to turn to for legitimate information.
His best clues so far, sadly, were horoscopes and dream interpretations. It kind of made him want to scream. His lack of a voice to do so properly only made his frustration worse as his chosen method in which to vent would do little to nothing save give him and his bond both a headache.
A cranky Reyna was not something he wanted to deal with on top of all of this.
He sighed and leaned his head atop the book he had before him, cheek resting against the surface as he covered the rest of his face with his hands. This was ridiculous and he was getting no where fast.
He had at least found a use for the fancy journal he had purchased some time ago. He had also purchased another in the interim which was far more decorative than his current one. But since he had already begun writing in his former journal, he stuck with it for the time being for notes. The other, fancier one he determined would be used for spells and pertinent, accurate information. He liked it too much to mess it up with random, scribbled, half-coherent thoughts.
Not that he had any coherent, decent notes worthy of it just yet.
He sighed as he shifted and rested his cheek atop his folded arms. He was growing weary of this, tired even, and he had just only started his research. His eyes drifted closed and he squirmed a bit to get more comfortable as he pondered his thoughts. Perhaps he was simply looking in the wrong places. A library was a rather obvious starting point, but by no means an exciting one. He would have thought a place of that sort on Gaia would have more information given the varied inhabitants of the realm.
'You are looking in the wrong place.'
Mystic's eyes snapped open and he sat up straight in his chair -- no, he was standing. He also was no longer at the library. His brow furrowed in worried lines. Where was he?
'In the very place you're so desperate to learn about.'
A strange figure appeared before him, but wait, no... not so strange. Familiar, even? It was a woman, but she was made of shadows. Shadows and light. She glowed softly. Her skin was darkness, but her eyes and shone with an inner light as did her mouth when she opened it to speak.
'M---k.'
"What?" he said with a frown before his eyes went impossibly wide. Was that his voice? It was low yet quiet, but still blatantly masculine with a bit of a dark edge to it. He... had a voice..?
The being -- no woman, it was definitely a woman -- laughed, a soft musical sound that was tinged by sadness. 'Your name. Have you found it yet? No. You have not. You cannot even hear me speak it. This saddens me.'
"My.. name? Why... why are you sad?"
She drifted forward and placed one dark hand on either side of his face. Her hands were warm. He could feel that they were warm. He exhaled before drawing in a startled breath that he could exhale. 'I am sad. It is because you cannot be here yet. You need your name to anchor you. Find it. Hurry,' she whispered before her voice became more insistent and almost angry. 'FIND IT,' she shrieked as her hands dug into his flesh.
He shoved her away and drew in a ragged breath before stumbling backwards. He fell and from there it felt as though he'd never stop falling. Until he woke.
Startled, Mystic grabbed onto the edge of the table for support almost as though he were afraid he were still falling. He scowled down at the books before him and at his surroundings in general. The only falling he had done was to fall asleep. He slammed the book before him shut and stomped off, not bothering to put away his books.
He felt angry now. His dream had felt real. He could still feel a phantom ache of fingertips pressing to his face -- of what it was like to breathe. He wanted that. He wanted to live. To really live. He needed it, he needed ... a name. He frowned and his hand came up to the stone that was set within his chest.
Mystic Topaz.
It wasn't a name. It was only a stone. Just like the ones sold in fancy pieces of jewelry to be worn and displayed. Just a thing. A pretty bauble. Nothing more.
It wasn't a name.
It was a stone.
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Posted: Tue Mar 18, 2008 4:24 pm
Reading in the Dark
Just a trip to the library.He was fond of libraries. They offered a sort of reverent quiet that could not be found anywhere else. There was always a subtle darkness to it, though well lit enough to not strain the eyes. There was also the scent of dust and frail, moth-wing pages. He was not certain exactly how he knew that part, but he simply did.
Perhaps it was a memory lost, or something he gleened from his bond with Reyna. Regardless, it was there and it was something he treasured. It also tickled him that he could very nearly always find a spot all his own that no one ventured into. That, and it seemed as though fewer people frequented the library he visited during the day.
While the trek in the midday sun proved to strain his senses, the quiet and the comfort of shadowed rows of books was a sweet, sweet balm that sheltered him from the light of day and calmed his nerves.
Trivii pushed into the library giving the gloom within a hesitant sweep with her opal eyes, startling at the thud as the heavy door fell shut behind her; and again at the harsh glare from the librarian. Quickening her pace to a ground eating stride as she spotted the card catalog, eager to leave the old woman to her labors.
The cat girl felt quite simply put, like a criminal fleeing from justice in her effort to find a bit of solitude amongst the shelves, Trivii hurriedly tugged out the drawer of the catalogs almost dislodging it from its rail. the sensation that someone was observing her actions left an ache between her shoulders, though Trivii knew that she was just being paranoid.
Carpentry....
Idiots Guide To,
Quick Tricks,
Do it Yourself,
Borrowing a slip of paper from the library Trivii quickly scribbled the section and author name after the title and thrust the drawer back into place, careful not to slam it, ever weary of the librarian. It would be an easy matter of cutting through row 36 to get to the back wall, increasing her stride she started to careen down the seemingly abandoned row, before jolting to a halt in an effort not to plow into the rows only occupant. Short silvery hair swishing over her shoulders, Trivii blinked in shock.
Mystic peered over at the woman for a moment. Surely if she was going to stare, he had a right to as well! His eyes brightened with a bit of mischief as he stooped to place a book back on the shelves before simply phasing completely through to the other side to find another to keep him company.
The Pixies.... It had to be the stupid Pixies from the house. They had at last successfully stollen her mind. Trivii exited the end of the row at a much more sedate pace, careful of the possibility that the shadows might have substance. She glanced up the next row and the bottom dropped out of her stomache.
"Hello there, I am terribly sorry about running you down." She smiled and turned to face the back wall she began looking for her books. "My name is Trivii." She felt so completely lame. She was talking to a phantom, a ghost, a spectre. She had finally well and trully lost her mind.
Mystic arched a brow and eyed the other woman a bit warily before inclining his head slightly in greeting. So much for quiet. 'I am Mystic,' he stated softly in his quiet, soft telepathic speech.
Biting her lip Trivii tried to dis-regard the odd feeling that came along with his introduction, and flicked her odd eyes up at him again. "Mystic... You look like you're familiar with the library..." She cringed inwardly, yeah, like a ghost wouldn't know his way around. Real smooth Triv.
"What I mean to say is... Would you by any chance know where I could find a... well... the section on carpentry?" Feeling her heart sink Trivii knew she was making a fool of herself... Mystic couldn't be a ghost... ghosts didn't exist.
Mystic chuckled quietly to himself. The woman fairly radiated unease. 'I .. don't exactly work here, but I could show you,' he answered as he gazed over at her intently. He paused for a moment to put away the book he held before rounding the corner of one of the long shelving units.
He paused from a moment before he peeked through the shelves entirely and peered down at the woman. '... are you coming?'
Swallowing Trivii nodded, eyeing the solid-seeming man, Mystic. "Ye-yeah. I'm hot on your heals.... and thanks... the Librarian is scary."
'She's rather pleasant, I think,' he replied as he led the woman towards another section of the library. He finally came to a stop and glanced up. 'Anything in particular you're looking for?' he asked quietly as his form seemed to dissolve somewhat and his feet merged into one long, willowy tail as he floated up towards the higher shelves.
Imaging the Librarian as a pleasant enough person, Trivii smiled slowly, a careful and chagrin expression. "I just bought an old cottage at the edge of town... there's a lot of water damage, both wet and dry rot. I need to clean it out so I thought I would look at maybe a few books on flooring."
She held out her list, "Something like these. Maybe a book on how to hire a contractor." She let out a purring trill of laughter, self deprecating. "I hope I didn't interrupt your perusal Mystic. It wasn't my intent." As always good manners were winning out over embarrassment.
He trailed his fingertips down the spines of a few books before selecting a few to hand down to the woman. She striked him as pleasant enough a young lady, but her nervousness gave her away. He seemed to smirk faintly as he settled back down upon human feet and glanced at her curiously.
'You seem a bit.. spooked,' he informed her with a certain playfulness in his tone of voice, 'Seen a ghost?'
Horrified and embarrassed Trivii blanched. "I uh... well..." She swallowed, Real articulate there Triv.
"That is to say... aren't you...a?" Wishing she could smack herself in the forehead, Trivii gave up and shut up.
Mystic laughed. Typically, he would have been highly offended, but the look that was written across her face..! Poor girl. 'No dear,' he replied as he once more regained control of himself, 'I am hardly a ghost, but don't feel too badly. You're not the first to confuse me for one. Doubtfully the last.'
"Can we blame exhaustion? I'm normally very perceptive." Slumping against the book shelf Trivii looked simply apologetic. "At the risk of sounding rude, if your not a ghost, then what exactly?" Her nerves were on fire with the need to fidget, but she knew that Mystic probably already thought she was daft, she didn't need to compound the situation.
He titled his head as he peered over at her thoughtfully as he crossed his arms over his chest. 'I could ask you the same,' he murmured as he idly motioned towards her ears. He settled himself back against one of the shelves as he contemplated answering.
'I am,' he started, pausing for a moment as he thought of the best way to explain, '.. well.. a Shadow.'
"Hrrmmmm well I see... I guess. Well I've never encountered a shadow quite as substantial as yourself." Looking him over she filed the information away for later reference, and presented her most charming smile.
"Like yourself, I am exactly as I appear, a cat girl. Bakaneko. Some might say that I'm a Cat Demon, but they would be wrong." Turning in a neat circle, Trivii presented a mock bow. "No demonic powers, just Trivii... And I am terribly sorry if I offended you."
Mystic snickered quietly to himself. 'I am of a rare breed, I suppose you could say.' He squinted over at the cat girl, but his eyes seemed to light up with amusement at her antics. He had met two other cat girls, so to speak, but both of them truly were demonic in nature. He would have felt that if she were. It pleased him to an extent that she wasn't.
'I don't suppose you like jewelry at all..?' he asked tentatively.
Unique she though almost purring with pleasure. Mystic certainly wouldn't be a demanding sort of acquaintance. But she gave his topic changing inquiry some thought as with an abashed look she nodded. "I've never been in a position to own beautiful things, but I have always enjoyed seeing jewels and bobbles on other people." Casting a glance about she cast a sly look at Mystic. "You could say that I've done a lot of window shopping."
'Window shopping, hm?' Mystic answered with a tone of voice that once more hinted at teasing. He tilted his head and regarded her for a long moment. 'Well then.' he began as he reached out towards her with one hand outstretched. He seemed to clasp at nothing at all between his thumb and forefingers, but then a jet black business card appeared.
The card was seemingly blank when he initially handed it over to her, but once in her hands and out of his, a silver ink rose to the surface with the name 'Twilight Designs' written in scrolling letter work across it.
'It's a jewelry shop.. I.. frequent it often, should you ever feel inclined to do some.. window shopping,' he informed her in his ever-quiet voice, 'Perhaps you could stop and say hello, as well?'
Accepting the business card Trivii smiled enjoying the teasing, "I think I can manage to poke my head in." She examined the card before tucking it in her back pocket. "I'm not apposed to saying hello either."
She contemplated asking another question, then deciding against it, she figured she could always find out later. "I should let you get back to your books." Her voice was reluctant and her eyes were friendly. "I need to get my books and head home, Its been nice meeting you Mystic. I'll definitely drop in at Twilight Designs."
Mystic's eyes seemed to upturn into a smile, however slightly, and shone brightly with both amusement and pleasure at her words. 'Then I look forward to when we meet again,' he answered, 'And good luck with your project.'
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Posted: Tue Mar 25, 2008 8:25 pm
Oh Those Burning Questions
RP with Merci and Dio. <3Dio had poured over the papers, read and reread them and gotten no where. He just didn't understand what a lot of it meant. He wanted to, but the only thing he could think of was turning to Mystic. He was older, wiser, and so nice to the little fiend he sorta though of Mystic as a big brother.
Mystic would know what it all meant.
He had pestered Merci the first overcast day he could find. Begging her to take him to the shop or to Reyna's home. Finally she had relented and bundled up in a sweat shirt and baggy scrub pants. Dio didn't care what she wore, all he cared about was she was going to take him to talk to Mystic!
Instead of the usual hour plus walk they enjoyed he got shoved into the car. His shoulder satchel was full of the precious scrolls and the notes Athan had sent along with it. His arms where wrapped tightly around it until the SUV pulled to a stop in front of the shop.
The water was careening down the gutters down the street, and Dio barely heard his guardian cussing when she slogged through the weather into Twilight Designs. Dio followed her through the door and hovered inside the doorway, scanning to see if Reyna or Mystic was behind the counter today.
Reyna glanced up from a bracelet she was piecing together and smile at Dio. "If you're looking for Athan today," she replied as she went back to her work, "He's out of the shop today dealing with vendors."
She offered a Merci a sympathetic smile. "There's coffee and tea in the back room," the demon offered, "You're more than welcome to it."
Merci shot Reyna a very thankful look. "Today, you are a god send." She tried to strip off everything that would drip as the traipsed through, she made a small pile next to the door. Her ears were flattened back against her head, an indicator of how unhappy she was to be out in this kind of weather. The hair on her tail was a little clumpy with water, even though she shook it out. She disappeared into the back to get something warm to drink.
Dio hovered for just another moment before he approached the counter. 'Miss Reyna? Is Mystic here? I really need to ask him some questions.' The little fiend moved over to the jewelry displays and put down the shoulder bag with his most prized possession.
"He's in the back room reading," Reyna replied smoothly as she glanced up at the child with an amused look on her face, "I'm sure he wouldn't mind if you interrupted."
True to her word, Mystic was lounging cross-legged on the couch with an assortment of books surrounding him. He idly glanced towards Merci, but ultimately paid her no mind and continued on with his scribbling notes and flipping through tattered old pages.
Merci got a steaming cup of coffee and took a long swig. Her eyes shut in sheer bliss. The woman turned around and leaned against the table, she didn't make much noise beyond that. She was simply happy to cuddle her warm cup until Dio was happy enough he wouldn't pester her the rest of the day.
Dio moved close and gave Reyna a one armed hug before he phased through the wall in the back room to molest Mystic. He didn't pay any mind to the fact that Mystic seemed to be busy, he invited himself to settle on the couch and poke the older shadow in the shoulder. 'I need you ask you something. I know your busy but it's important.' His burgundy eye shone behind the veil of bright multi colored hair.
The satchel was settled in his lap comfortably. Dio had both hands wrapped around the strap attached to the bag.
The elder shadow idly glanced towards the child that had settled near his side. 'You may ask,' he answered. He said nothing further, but by no means indicated that he was too busy or otherwise disinclined to answer. He did, however, appear rather distracted.
Dio watched him for a second and then he looked down and opened the flap on his bag. 'I asked Athan why I feel the way I do when I look up at night. He couldn't tell me, but he said that these would help.' He pulled the scrolls out, which were very carefully wrapped. Surprising for a child but true. The papers were in a binder, that Merci might have helped him put together. He unwrapped the scrolls and showed them to Mystic.
I want to know why I feel the way I do, but I don't know what these say. It's confusing and I don't understand.' He was obviously upset that he didn't get it.
Merci watched the two of them interact from over the rim of her coffee mug. She was content to allow them to continue unmolested. The guardian was willing to push this along if it looked like it was going to go long. She was tired, and she was cranky at having to go out so late in this weather.
Mystic arched a brow curiously before his eyes widened in shock. Those were scrolls. They were artifacts, and Athan had just handed them over to a child?! The color seemed to drain away from his face to a degree and he clenched one fist as he did his best to contain his irritation. At the same time there was something else inside of him, a voice he thought he had locked away for good some time ago, that was absolutely enraged.
It clawed at the inside of him and he truly felt as though something within his very being was being shredded apart. It was enough that it warranted a bit of concern thrown his way via his bond. He simply remained silent for a long moment before offering a bit of reassurance to Reyna so she wouldn't come running to see what was the matter.
He seemed to clear his throat as he once more found his voice and turned towards Dio. '... I don't quite understand what it is you're asking of me.'
Merci didn't see anything outwardly wrong, she just stayed where she was leaning back against the table. The bottoms of her scrub pants were soaked, and as she tapped her foot the fabric muffled the sound.
Dio tilted his head and he rubbed his hand over his face. 'I dunno how to explain it properly. I look up and the stars, they call to me somehow. I feel them in here,' his unsleeved hand moved down to put his hand against his chest. 'They are more then just lights, I just don't know what it means.' The frustration was back in his voice as he looked at Mystic. He wanted to know more, and Athan had said that Mystic could help.
'Please, help me?'
He remained silent, brow furrowed in lines of confusion. His shoulders rose and fell as though he had just drawn in a deep breath. His bright eyes closed and dark lashes fluttered against his cheeks. '... have you ever asked them?'
Mystic's eyes filtered back open slowly and he shifted so that he was facing Dio entirely. 'Have you ever asked the stars themselves?' he asked again before reaching for the scrolls. They were seemingly blank save for a few random illustrations and markings. '.. and these are meant to be read beneath moonlight. They will not be visible during the day at all.'
He reached for the notes that Dio had organized and instinctively recognized Athan's careful, script-like writing. It was how he wrote. He frowned for a moment before pouring over the notes, somewhat desperate for the knowledge himself. He knew himself to be a dreamwalker, but dreams and related magicks were obscure, not to mention difficult to find any sort of legitimate information on. The closest he'd come to had been that of the stars and other notes on metaphysical properties -- most of which was utterly useless to him.
'Next time the stars are bright and the moon is full,' Mystic informed him, 'Ask them why. They may answer for you, but you must listen carefully... it would also help if you had stardust.. perhaps even a Lemurian seed crystal, though they are rare. Your luck may be better with rutilated quartz, though be certain it is filled with gold rutiles, not black tourmaline.'
He stared at Mystic dumbfounded. It was so simple, and so easy. He hadn't thought of asking the stars, he's always felt that they could maybe talk to him but not sure how. He looked down at his hands and suddenly felt really silly, 'I tried to read them, but I didn't understand much of it. I wanted to so much.' his voice fell silent and he pulled the wrapping for the scrolls out flat over his lap. 'Thank you for your help, Athan said you would help me if I asked.'
He lifted his head back up from what he was doing and looked at Mystic. He was so much older then he was, so much smarter. Dio felt dwarfed for some reason, not physically, though he was much smaller. He curled his tail up around him and the hope that he would finally understand all this seemed to filter out of him.
Dio looked back up at Mystic, 'Do.. you want to read them?' he gestured at the scrolls.
Mystic hesitated for another long moment. He wanted to, of course, but Athan had gifted them upon Dio. He would not feel right taking them. Though you would feel vindicated, and it would serve the b*****d right. His eyes narrowed and he pressed a hand to his face. Those thoughts... he could not stop them.
He felt sick inside, and quietly hoped that they would stop on their own. Last time had not been good. Last time his temper, that voice, had pushed Reyna's buttons enough to trigger her more base tendencies, and well.. look where they were now. She was stuck in between her human form and true self. And it's alllllll your faaa~aault.
'I... perhaps another time. Perhaps you and your Merci can come over of an evening and stay the night so that we might view the scrolls themselves. Together,' he suggested.
Dio fidgeted with his sleeve and nodded slowly at Mystic's words. He knew the older shadow would likely understand the scrolls and what was in them much better then he had. Some of the words he had never heard before, or he didn't remember it. 'I would really like that.' His visible eye roved up from his sleeve to look at his Guardian, still watching carefully. 'We can go right Merci?' The hope in his voice was evident.
The woman flicked an ear toward Dio, even though there was no sound to hear. His voice spoke in her head, so the gesture was more habit then anything else. "Can we what? Go over there and spend the night with Mystic?" Merci heaved a deep sigh and nodded, "Sure I guess so. Probably not tonight though. I'll go talk to Reyna and arrange to do it sometime soon though."
She wasn't stupid, she knew that as long as Dio was fixated on something the house was relatively quiet. The empty coffee cup was placed on the table as Merci paced out of the back room to go make arrangements with Reyna.
The burgundy eye moved to look up at Mystic and he held out his hand for the scrolls again. He was very careful with them, they were a gift and really old. He knew that if he did something stupid they couldn't be replaced. 'Do you talk to the stars too?' Dio still wanted to know if he was alone, if he was the only one that felt the way he did.
'I have not readily tried, but I suppose it isn't a bad idea. I've not many options, and that is an avenue I've not explored as of yet,' Mystic replied quietly. His anger had cooled for the time being but it was still there, boiling beneath the surface. 'I am a dreamwalker, little Dio... not a stargazer, though the two go hand in hand at times,' he explained in a voice that had gone low, and soft in his reverie.
Dio was feeling a little braver, his fingers stopped plucking at his sleeve and he gave Mystic a sidelong glance. A dreamwalker sounded interesting, and his natural curiosity got the better of him, 'What is a dreamwalker? Can you see other peoples dreams? Do they have to be asleep? What about daydreams do they count?' If the Stars and Dreams were connected somehow, maybe understanding Mystic's abilities would help him understand his own obsession.
He curled his tail underneath himself, the charm hanging from the ring twinkling in the light. 'Do you have to use stones too? Like the one you told me to have with me when I tried to talk to the stars? Ooo, do Dreams talk to you?' He turned completely to look at Mystic and his eye twinkled with his childish curiousity. 'Will you show me when Merci and I come over?'
His brow lifted in surprise at the sudden overwhelming amount of questions the child had, but really it served more to amuse him than annoy. His expression softened somewhat as he tilted his head to the side and regarded Dio with a quiet seriousness.
'.. I... haven't gotten all the details of it worked out entirely. I'm still learning, much like yourself,' he offered in explanation, 'Generally, I can see people's dreams when they sleep as though they are my own. Daydreams aren't quite the same.' He paused for a moment, lost in thought before focusing once more on Dio.
'Sometimes I use stones. Crystals are more or less just a good way to focus your energy. It's what they do. Dreams do not speak to me so much as creatures within them do -- especially nightmares.'
His expression seemed to shift further away from the anger and lingering darkness from only moments before and headed towards more of an actual smile. 'I could show you.. or at least try to..? I've only intentionally ventured into a person's dreams.. well.. twice.'
Dio was suddenly very excited and he reached over and grabbed onto Mystic's arm, 'You could show me? That would be so amazing if you could. Will you show me now? I don't think I can fall asleep now, will you do it when I come over? Thats a lot of things to do in one night, but there are many hours when it's dark mm?' He slowly let go of Mystic to push the long bangs to the side, so he could look at him without the veil over one eye. He was obviously entirely to thrilled with the prospect of getting to see something like this firsthand.
He paused, and then the barrage of questions started again, 'Can you change what people are having dreams about? Can you talk to the person having the dream? What if you wanted to see what someone was dreaming, do you have to be in the same room with them, Or can you do it from far away? Is it hard? Does it make you tired?" Dio finally stopped and he blinked a couple times. Merci usually laughed when he started asking questions, but she told him that he could really bother someone if he wasn't careful. Truth is he didn't really care if he bothered them, he wanted to know. Occasionally that want would evolve into a need, like it had with the stars. He ducked his head and the hair fell back over his face as he stifled the urge to ask more. 'Merci says I pry, I dunno what that means really. Prying means your trying to pull something open, and I'm not doing anything like that.'
Mystic chuckled quietly, utterly amused by Dio's excitement. 'No, I don't think I could show you now, little one,' he replied with a faint laugh, 'We can try when you come over, as I would need you to be asleep. Only thing I could show you in the Waking World is perhaps summoning a nightmare beast and that could, well, easily backfire.'
He could hardly contain his own amusement when the little shadow continued with his barrage of questions. 'I can only alter the landscape of a dream, not so much the content and that.. is very difficult to influence. I am not so good at it yet. I do not necessarily have to be in the same room,' Mystic answered as he attempted to keep up with all the child's questions, 'It helps though, and makes it easier. It is fairly difficult, I suppose? I think it is more so because I am unpracticed. It is a talent that is still new to me.'
He paused for a moment before glancing over towards Dio and idly reached to fluff his hair. 'It is rather exhausting, because while my body appears to be sleeping while in the Dream Realm, my consciousness is still awake, it's just... elsewhere.' He seemed to smile again as he absently twined his fingers through Dio's multi-hued hair. 'I think she means you ask a lot of questions. I do not mind, though.'
The burgundy eye rolled back up to look at Mystic, and he practically beamed at the older shadow. He really didn't seem to mind all the questions. Dio had forgotten entirely that he had come to ask questions about his own abilities. Obsession took a backseat to childish curiosity, 'You can make nightmares come to life? Whose nightmare? Mine? Your's? Is it the same beasty every time or does that change too? Do you do those kinds of things often? Do you think I could learn to do something like that? What about stars do you think I could to do something like that with them? Walk through them or something like you do with dreams? He tilted his head into Mystic's hand. It felt good to get his hair played with, and it just seemed to add to his glee.
Mystic sighed, though not at all from exasperation. He had a feeling that Dio could go on like this for hours, or at least until his curiosity had reached it's limit. 'Well,' he began as he attempted to come up with an answer for him, 'I don't so much.. summon them, really, as I trap them from other people's dreams and lock them away. If I can. Some of them are too strong for me to do so. They're already alive, and.. it's anyone who is being plagued by one. I'm sure we can figure out your abilities in due time.'
He fell quiet for a moment and seemed to lazily smirk. 'Walking with the stars,' his head fell back against the couch and gazed up at the ceiling which was painted just like the heavens above, 'That .. would be pleasant.'
Dio nodded and he leaned against Mystic, his voice seemed oddly serene despite his obvious glee just moments before. 'When I look up at the stars, I can feel them somehow. Then I close my eyes, and I can call them in my mind. It feels like I am part of them, or maybe they are a part of me. I can see them around me, maybe thats sort of like walking with them? You think so? I don't think I can do all the neat things you can.'
The little shadow shut his eyes and squeezed Mystic's arm, 'I hope we can come over soon. It'll be nice to get away from Vance, he's mean.' Dio seemed perfectly happy to stay there, attached to the other fiend's arm forever.
The elder shadow's shoulders rose and fell with a phantom sigh as he wrapped an arm around Dio's shoulders in a brotherly fashion. 'I'm sure we can,' he answered quietly before snickering quietly as he continued to pet at the child's hair, 'Vance is that much of a pest, eh?'
He snuggled under Mystic's arm and grumbled quietly, 'Yes, He's so mean to me. He calls me a parasite, soul sucking monster, a whole bunch of nasty things. He thinks I am going to kill Merci and move on to one of them. I won't kill her, I love her.' Dio started fussing with his sleeve again, it was a nervous habit. 'What about your snake person, he seemed nice. I bet he doesn't call you names and stuff right? He didn't like me, I could tell.'
He looked down at the notebook and the scrolls still laid out and he pulled the notebook full of Athan's notes over. He opened it up, and idly turned the pages. Dio looked for something else to focus on, he didn't like thinking about Vance, or the fact that they didn't seem to like him very much. 'Only Maili is nice to me, she reads me stories and takes me up on the roof to look at the stars. She's the green one.' His fingers smoothed over one of the pages, Merci had tucked them all into sleeves so they would be protected.
'Charles.. er.. well... Die as he prefers to be called,' Mystic spoke up as he glanced over the pages Dio flipped through, 'Is.. okay. But he's rather odd and kinda... flamboyant, so to speak. I think he liked you just fine, he just doesn't deal well with strangers at first.'
He quietly radiated a sort of contentment to the child. 'He just isn't used to you yet. Perhaps you'll have to bring your Maili with you, she can have tea with Ch -- Die.'
Mystic fell silent for a long while, eyes sifting closed somewhat. He was always rather drowsy, something he correlated back to his abilities and ties to the Dream Realm. 'You're not a monster, Dio. Far from it. He sounds like the beast to me.'
Dio's fingers grazed one of the pages, it had some of the more confusing portions of what he was trying to understand. 'Do you think that your Reyna would be alright with all of us coming over? I like Miss Reyna, she's sweet.' He really did like Reyna, but Dio liked everyone. Athan, Mystic, Die, he even liked Vance in his own way. 'What if I am a monster? In all the story books that Maili reads to me people have mothers and fathers, I don't have any. I do lots of things no one else can do, like going through walls.'
He glanced up at Mystic and he leaned over to get a good look at his face. 'Are you tired? Am I keeping you up? Am I boring you and making you sleepy? I bet we aren't monsters cause we don't try to eat people. That means we aren't right? Monsters eat people, like in Little Red Riding Hood.'
'We are not monsters,' Mystic insisted as he squeezed Dio's shoulder lightly, 'We are creatures of a different nature altogether. A different race, hence our abilities and traits. Merci is your family as well as your Maili. Family is a term that is not meant to be strictly conventional, Little Star.'
He offered the child reassurance, and his eyes shone brightly in his earnest attempt to comfort him. 'I do not think Reyna would mind,' he began again. Idly he tugged at his bond, and the demon reaffirmed that yes, it was okay. At the same moment a faint giggling could be heard from the front end of the shop. Sweet? Reyna? How darling!
Mystic shoved her thoughts away from his own and once more focused his attentions upon Dio. 'I am often drowsy, though it is no fault of your own. It comes with the territory, so to speak.'
He did feel better, Mystic would know if he was a monster. After all he and Mystic were the same, not exactly the same but close enough. 'What about you? Aren't you my family too? We're the same thing right, doesn't that mean we're family? He turned that burgundy eye up to look at the older Shadow, and there was a bit of hope. Dio didn't know why but knowing that he had an older brother would make him feel better. 'I would like you to be my family, because your so smart. You'll help me with the scrolls, and understanding myself.'
His fingers started fussing with the him on the long sleeve that totally covered his arm. 'That would mean Miss Reyna would be like an aunt right? I would like an Aunt Reyna, she makes me smile.'
'We could be?' he offered, both amused and endeared by the very prospect, 'I do not think Reyna would protest to such a thing, either.' He beamed a sort of warm, contentment that easily replaced the broiling anger that still lingered there in the back of his mind.
Merci poked her head back into the back room and gave Dio a very meaningful look. "The storm isn't getting any better, and we are going to need to go home soon alright?" Her hair was still a bit damp and it was obviously affecting her mood.
Dio heaved what could be considered a sigh and shut the notebook in his lap. He didn't wanna go, he was happy where he was, but he knew that Merci was impatient to be gone. 'Alright, I'm coming.'
Merci nodded once and withdrew from the back room, allowing Dio to pack up in peace.
He pulled the scrolls over and gently rewrapped them so they wouldn't get wet outside. 'Thank you for talking to me Mystic. I feel alot better. I'm going to try and talk to the stars tonight. Oh, you don't happen to have one of those,' He rolled his eye up in thought, 'Stones you mentioned before? I can't remember what it was called.' If Mystic didn't have one it meant that he was going to have to go looking for one later.
The elder shadow remained silent for a long moment, eyes squinted slightly in thought before he stood. 'I should think so,' he replied. What sort of jewelry store would they be if they hadn't a simple piece of rutilated quartz? The Lemurian seed crystal, well, that was infinitely more rare and truth be told, he was looking for one himself.
He floated through the wall and appeared just behind Reyna. He settled his hands upon her shoulders and leaned in close to her. '... I don't suppose you might have a piece of quartz for your precious... nephew..?' he murmured, half teasing, half serious.
"As a matter of fact," she answered, voice dripping with just a touch of sarcasm but laced with sweetness in regards to Dio, "I do." She pulled open one of the drawers to her desk and retrieved a box that had even more drawers and compartments, each containing different types of stones.
"What sort of quartz?" she asked simply.
'Rutilated. Gold.'
The demon smiled and retrieved a stone that while not huge, was by no means tiny. "Will this do?"
The little shadow gathered up his stuff and restowed it in the satchel, he didn't know where Mystic went but he followed slowly. He glided through the door to the back room and made his way over to the counter to watch curiously as Reyna poked around the box. When she liberated the piece of quartz his visable eye widened considerably. 'For me? I can have this? Thank you so much!' He squealed in joy and threw himself on Reyna, giving her a huge hug.
Merci watched somewhat bemused. "Dio, honey. You might wanna let Reyna go. We need to make tracks, the wind is picking up and I wanna get home and snug before it gets to cold out." She gestured toward the door, trying to usher her ward out.
Dio nuzzled the side of her face in the imitation of a kiss before he gave Mystic the same enthusiastic treatment. When Merci cleared her throat he backed up and waved to them cheerfully, stone grasped in his hand like something infinately precious. 'Thank you. Thank you both for everything.' He swooped through the door that his Guardian held open for him, happy humming disappearing with him into the rain.
Merci grinned at Reyna, "Thanks for humoring him." She waved behind her as she headed out into the storm, smiling.
The demon appeared slightly taken aback by the sudden rush of attention and sweet adoration from the child, but took it in stride. It was impossible to lash out at him, not when his intentions were so pure. "Take care, kiddo," she replied with a grin as she waved goodbye to both Fiend and guardian.
Mystic waved as well, content for the time being yet still troubled to a degree. He turned to Reyna, face virtually expressionless. 'I don't suppose you know when Athan comes in next, hm?'
"Careful," she hissed, "I'd suffer for it as well if ... anything happened."
He fell silent and drifted to lean against her side. There was a truth to her words, but the issue at hand still needed to be addressed and he'd be damned if he wasn't going to confront Athan.
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Posted: Tue Mar 25, 2008 8:37 pm
...Doom You Say?
Mystic and Red go on an unexpected adventure.Attempt number two to actually get to Twilight Designs seemed to have been successful. And Zero was pleased to see that her theory seemed to have held some good - as much has it had startled the unholy crap out of her, Red, now that he could talk and overall harass in other ways, seemed less intent on projecting and overall scrambling her brain.
This was a good thing.
She opened the door, and footsteps much heavier than one could expected a woman of her stature to have would announce her arrival to those who where inside the shop. She no longer really had come to assault the first person she saw with questions, since the kind Merci had handled most of that, but there was still some jewelry
with her name on it in there...
At last ! The woman had barely taken two steps inside the building that one figure emerged from her shadow, with a final flick of his tail freeing the small red creature as he floated to eye-level of his guardian. "Honestly." Red couldn't help but snarl a bit, even if none of his displeasure was directed toward the woman. "This sun thing needs to die. In a fire."
"Stealing my expressions now are we ?" The cyborg seemed a bit amused.
"Hey, if the glove fits."
Mystic had felt the presence of another of his kind before either Fiend or guardian had stepped foot within the shop itself. He seemed to smirk faintly as he appeared behind his guardian and idly wrapped his arms about her shoulders and leaned against her back as he was often wont to do. ’… this will be entertaining.’
Reyna glanced up to ask what it was he was referring to before her lone visible eye widened slightly as Zero and Red came into view. “Good afternoon,” she replied smoothly, effectively hiding the surprise she felt. Red seemed to have grown rather quickly! At least once he had been bonded to his guardian.
She couldn’t help smirk faintly at his hair. It was… well, reminiscent of Athan’s, to say the least.
"Hello." Zero wasn't really good at this whole idle conversation things. At least one time out of the two. "I, erm... Well I did spot some lovely necklaces before doom descended upon me last time." The cyborg said with a grin, pointing at Red. "Mind if I take a look ?"
Red didn't seem to mind or care horribly about the lovely nicknames his bond was quickly finding for him, and, with a flick of a tail, darted to one of the jewel cases containing the jewelry and laid on top of it, peering at the designs inside. "Very lovely." His interest did seem to be piqued slightly, tail going back and forth. He'd planted himself right in front of the window and, really, it wasn't so uncomfortable if the sun didn't hit him directly. The little fiend looked oddly like a sunbathing snake, his trusty stick hanging to the side by the cord Zero had found so he wouldn't have to hold it all the time.
“You’re more than welcome to take a look around,” the demon replied with a smile as she idly shoved Mystic away. He was getting to be a bit too big to be constantly clinging to her. She shot him a look when he simply nuzzled over against her hair just because he knew it would irritate her.
“You,” she muttered as she turned to hiss at Mystic, “Are just looking to start trouble.”
“Nothing new there,” Athan spoke up as he entered the room, long robes swirling about his feet as he moved. “Oh! Hello Miss Zero.”
Mystic simply scowled with his bright eyes narrowed in irritation.
Well, someone was in a bad mood. But Zero did not speak out loud, of course - given that she'd only met them once, in a rather.... confusing moment.
"Hello there... Mister Athan, was it ? You'll have to forgive me, I am not the best with names." She offered him a shy smile.
Red hadn't even noticed when Athan came in - to be honest, in the time he'd spent with the man, he'd gotten to used to his voice that it was easy for it to be drowned by the others'. "Oh hey hey hey Z look at this ! If you look at that stone this way" The little fiend clung to the glass and let himself slide to the left. "It's yellow, then if you look at it this way--" Red darted and clung in a similar way to the other side. "It's green !"
Was it possible to the little fiend to stop more than 5 seconds ? Probably not.
Reyna looked like a cat that had caught a canary and was about to delightfully pick it apart with tooth and claw. “Nice hair, Red,” she smiled sweetly. It was a legitimate compliment as she did rather like his long, multi-colored braids. The faint hint of sarcasm that dripped from her voice was directed entirely towards Athan who simply frowned.
He instead turned his attention upon Zero. “Yes,” he replied with a polite incline of his head, “I am Athan. It is a pleasure to see you again, and.. I would ask your forgiveness once more for our .. prior meeting. You are fairing well, I hope..?”
Mystic rolled his eyes and languidly stood on human feet with a stretch. What a suck up.
"It could be worse." Zero pondered out loud. "...I think."
After all, she hadn't gotten to sit down with Eirnae yet. Damn. That would probably be..... interesting. Especially since she had what seemed to be the perfect little poster child of what came out of these things.
"Beside that, even since Red's stopped trying to shove my brain in a blender, pretty much. Do they all project that strongly ?" Zero was genuinely curious now, if it was all normal, or if she'd gotten the oddball. Mostly for the elf's sake.
"Why thank you." Red seemed blissfully unaware of any hair comparison that existed in between himself and the spellcaster. He was of course a bit amused - after almost a year of being bonded solely to him, he'd had one hell of an insight. Not that he had picked on his thought like he'd done to Zero, but he'd followed the other around...
"Operation SugarCoat all operatioooonal..." He projected this solely to Mystic, of course, and straightened himself to flutter toward the other fiend, pushing on the glass to straighten himself up for takeoff.
That was when it happened.
Craaacccckkk....
Both Zero and the small fiend made rather priceless faces in a split-second delay of each other.
"Red, what the hell did you..."
"Nothing !!!!" The fiend had darted upward, and was currently poking at the glass curiously, ready to dart and hide in his guardian's shadow at the first sign of a very angry spellcaster. Where his hand was, there was now a very distinct - and deep - crack.
Mystic was actually the first to respond to the situation, though what he had to say was rather garbled as it was interrupted by gales of laughter. Reyna was far too amused to scold him. It wasn’t so much what Red had done, but the look that was on Athan’s face.
“Awww… Athan, your mini-me has super-strength,” Reyna snickered which sent both herself and her Shadow into another fit of giggles.
The elder shadow seemed to hum with pleasure as he drifted over towards both the child and his guardian to examine the damage done. Athan remained silent, face twitching slightly about his left eye. He looked suspiciously as though he wanted to scream, but at who, it was hard to tell.
’Nice work, little brother,’ Mystic all but beamed as he reached to idly pet at the child’s hair, ’And lucky for you we tend to keep these cases in stock for just such an occasion.’
“Indeed,” Athan frowned.
It was incredibly hard not to laugh, really. After all, laughter was contagious, and the look on Athan's face was also priceless. It also spelled impending doom, and in the end impending doom won.
"I... Erm, ill pay for that." So much for jewelry. So Red -was- unusually strong, then ? That explained a few things...
Unlike his bond, Red couldn't resist - but his laugh was low and pretty easy to confuse with the sound of one clearing their throat. When Mystic went and started to pet at his braids the little fiend emitted some sort of sound, a cross in between a pleased hiss and some kind of odd, reptilian purr. His tail gave odd little nervous twitches still, but the rest of him was in bliss.
Athan sighed wearily. "No dear," he replied, "We truly do have several spare cases in stock. We, well, anticipate such things... most of the time." He looked genuinely put out, but his anger was quickly fading, replaced with an ever-present, deep-rooted irritation.
'It's true,' Mystic offered before he snickered quietly at how the other hissed and purred both at once. Little serpent! How curious.
"I... Well... okay." If he said so. But the cyborg still clearly felt a bit responsible about the incident.
...She would get used to it. Eventually.
On the complete opposite of that emotional spectrum, there was Red, apparently now somewhat proud of his little mishap. He'd gotten pettings and now he was a very happy one. He slid to coil loosely and rest his head on Mystic's shoulder. He quite liked this one - apparently they had a very similar sense of humor.
To say the very least, Mystic was amused. He reached to idly wrap one arm about the child's shoulders as though he would Sam if offering her comfort from some sort of bad dream. In this instance, it was not protection from a nightmare, but from Athan. Sure, his temper seemed to have cooled but he always knew when the man had something he really wanted to say, and if his presence was enough to keep that from happening, then so be it. He had no issues going toe to toe with his maker. He was no longer a child, and while he had to allow him some sort of begrudging respect, he held no fear for him. Not anymore.
Honestly, he wished he wasn't so... so... passive aggressive about it and would just do it. Be mad. Be angry. Who the ******** cares, anyway? Perhaps he'd have more respect for him, real respect. Regardless, his thoughts were interrupted when suddenly his guardian was standing near his side and was curiously reaching to tug at a few of Red's braids.
"He turned out so cute!" she grinned.
Vaguely, Mystic felt a twinge of jealousy. It seemed like all the recent children were, well, far more impressive than he. He grumbled that much to Reyna, but she paid him no mind and he more or less let it go. He wasn't that concerned.
She resisted the urge to pester the Fiend further and instead stood with her hands on her hips as she faced the other woman. "So what's this you were saying about a couple of necklaces calling your name..?"
"Oh ! Right..." Zero turned around, trying to locate what she had seen. "Where were they... ?"
Maybe it would make Mystic feel a bit better that, for all that he mattered, Red didn't seem to appreciate being cooed at all that much. He had made no movement when the demon reached for the braids, but he didn't especially look all that pleased.
Cute. Pff.
The whole matter wasn't that Red was afraid of Athan, really - the little fiend was simply smart enough not to go picking fights he couldn't win. For now, at any rate. Still, he relaxed slightly under Mystic's touch, by pure reflex.
"Something's on your mind, big brother ?" He'd noticed the other seemed to have grown pensive all of sudden, and he kept his "voice" hushed low enough that only Mystic could hear.
A quiet, throaty chuckle emitted from the elder shadow, though it was silent to all save for Red. 'I have never been especially fond of Athan,' he told him in a hushed voice, 'I cannot say we've ever managed to see eye to eye on.. well .. much of anything.' It wasn't a complete lie, though he was withholding information. He idly contented himself to pet at the child's hair and the tension from his shoulders and brow lessened.
Reyna was hardly concerned with anything going on save for Zero's interest in her handiwork. That always pleased the demon. She smiled charmingly and reached to loop an arm through Zero's as though to offer her a tour of the shop since her first visit hadn't exactly offered much other than, well, chaos.
"Most of the pendants are in this case, but sets can be found all over the place," she replied as she dragged the other woman towards a case at the opposite side of the room, "Most everything is sorted by gemstone color and type, so if there's a certain stone or color you like best, I can point you in the right direction."
"Hm-m." Red didn't pry any further, and if he had noticed he hadn't got all the information, he certainly didn't seem to care all that much. Red's tail waved back and forth lazily as he watched the two women go trough the store.
Zero allowed herself to be put on the tour, so to speak, watching everything with interest. "I love Lapis Lazuli, myself... mostly blue stones and, hm... Eirnae might like emerald..." She mused out loud.
"Always an excellent choice," Reyna replied smoothly as she let go of the woman and reached instead of one of the many cases. She tapped the glass with a single, silver coin and the glass faded away. "Lapis is one of my favorites. Finding good quality stones, though... usually a bit of a trick." she went on as she reached to lift a rather large pendant necklace that still somehow, despite the size of the lapis cabochon as its focal point, was rather delicate.
"Athan," Reyna called over her shoulder with a vague wave of her hand, "Perhaps you might find an emerald ... something, for her friend?"
The man in question merely nodded. He was in no mood to play Reyna's little games, though emerald was one of his favorites. He idly reached to touch the heavy stone that was draped across his chest. He shot Mystic a look that spoke of... distaste.
Mystic simply scowled right back and had to shove back his desire to growl in irritation. It seemed he was becoming more and more like his Reyna with each passing day. What next? Would he too, grow claws as she did when angered?
"It does look very lovely. Finding good quality stones must be a pain, since there seems to be a whole lot of knock offs and fakes stones. One of the reasons why I don't really wear a whole lot of jewelry." The cyborg admitted, one finger brushing the stone. "This one is very lovely, however. I think im gonna have to take it." She said with a small grin.
Red coiled a bit more loosely around Mystic's shoulders and let his head falls a bit downward toward the other's chest, as he just watched them exchange glares. That was a tiny bit worrying, but damnit, he hadn't even done that on purpose !
Those kind of glares would have gotten a rise out of Red a long time ago, if he hadn't quite known what exactly he was facing. So he contented himself to pretend stony indifference.
Mystic's anger was at least cooled somewhat by Red's presence as he coiled about him 'Little snake,' he murmured quietly, though his voice did not contain irritation nor was it condescending. Truly, he was more amused than annoyed where Red was concerned.
His head tilted to the side as he regarded the little shadow for a long moment. 'You remind me of Dio, both covered in stars,' he went on as he reached to idly toy with one of the silver trinkets that tied back Red's braids.
"It is quite a challenge," Athan voiced from across the room as he chose something a bit more delicate than what Reyna had offered up to Zero. His choice was an oval cut emerald that was surrounded by coils of sterling silver that slid along an equally intricate silver choker. "For your friend, perhaps?" he replied with a charming smile as he handed over to Zero.
Reyna grinned. She had designed that one, too! "You want this one wrapped up, or is it for you?" she asked as she indicated towards the lapis pendant with one hand.
"Ohhhhh, yes... I am quite sure she would love that." Zero said with a grin. Maybe this would work out ! Reyna's designs sure were very lovely, much more than most jewelry she had seen. "Im gonna keep that one, yes." She said, motioning to the one Reyna was holding.
"Dio..." Red sounded a bit pensive. "I met him... I feel like there's something, some kind of odd connection. I felt like I knew him already. It's something important, but I can't tell what it was all about..."
Mystic peered down at the child, curious. A connection, was it? They did have similar markings and similar stones to boot. Their being tied somehow didn't seem unlikely by any stretch of the imagination. 'Hm... have you had the oppurtunity to speak to him of it?' he asked.
"This," Athan spoke up, "I assume should be packaged as a gift, then?"
"Yes, please, if that isn't too much trouble." She said with a smile
"Not yet... I could not speak when we met." He remembered being a stone amazingly clearly - but that may fade a bit with time. "...I think he felt it too."
"It's no trouble at all," Athan answered as he strode over towards Reyna's desk to retrieve proper packaging for the trinket. He placed it in a black, square box which was then tied off with a black ribbon. A black business card with silver lettering was then tucked just behind the boy. "Also, I should think this piece will be a gift from the shop itself," he went on, "... for your troubles."
Mystic nodded in understanding. 'Mm... I see,' he replied smoothly, 'Discussing it with him would probably be best. He frequents the shop often to speak with me and sometimes Athan. Finding a time to speak with him should not be too daunting of a task.'
Zero seemed a bit surprised, but did not argue. Hey, who was she to b***h against that ?
"Yeah, probably." Red shrugged a bit, shifting to rest his head on Mystic's shoulder once more. "I feel... like I must protect him. I don't know why. It doesn't really bother me, but I do wonder..."
Mystic went back to absently petting at the child's hair. 'I would advise asking. Perhaps he shall know something you don't. He isn't the sort to withhold information, by any means, so if he knows... he'll share.'
"Anything else you'd like to take a peek at?" Reyna asked Zero with a fanged grin.
"Yeah, I know. Ill probably see him again soon. Z and Merci seemed to get along..." He hadn't particularly cared about that fact, but it was now proving itself useful to him, and so now he did care.
"Maybe later, I think I spent enough in one sitting." She replied with a friendly grin of her own. "Else I fear I might leave with half your lovely store, which would be bad for my credit card."
"Understandable," Reyna replied with a quiet chuckle as she headed towards the cash register to tally up her purchase. "But I think you didn't do too badly this time around," she murmured with one of her sweeter smiles, "It'll be 20k even."
Mystic moved away from the other shadow and offered him a slight bow. 'And I'm afraid I must be leaving now, myself,' he informed the child before reaching to fondly ruffle up his braids, 'I'm certain we will meet again soon.'
"Yeah, I figure I can live with that." She took her debit card instead, and paid - no need to use credit for money she actually had. Really.
"We should be going then. Come on, Red."
The little fiend muttered something that was thankfully mostly inaudible to both guardian and fiend. He didn't want to leave just yet, they'd just started to talk !
And he did find himself wondering where Mystic was going...
Mystic idly waved to Reyna as he left after drawing the hood of his cloak up over his head. He beamed quietly when she silently asked him to be careful and fretted over him. Athan, well, he didn't spare the man a second glance as she strode out of the shop like any other customer that was coming or going on solid, human feet.
He paused until he was but a few feet away from the shop, somewhat within an alleyway that separated Twilight Designs from the next row of shops before extending one hand. The air glimmered slightly as he called several runes forth which brightened and grew into a circle in which he could comfortably step through.
He was more or less on a bit of a quest, and had convinced his guardian to weasel information out of Athan earlier that day. He had spoken of a realm in which Lemurian crystals were not so scarce, and he was in desperate need of one to continue his studies of the Dream Realm.
Zero and Red where soon to follow, and the woman started heading the other way without giving a second thought about what Mystic was doing.
For Red, however, this was far from so. The sun made him recoil a bit but he watched with intense interest as his "big brother" stepped through.
Ohhhh, this looked fun !
The little fiend bolted, and crossed the portal quicker than his guardian could register it.
In fact, it was only when Zero felt an odd "tug" that she finally saw a red tail go through the portal.
And said portal start to close.
"RED ! DAMNIT !"
Instinct won out, and the cyborg ran, faster than an human her stature could ever manage, and leaped in at the last moment before it closed.
Mystic knew better than to look back or pause in amidst the portal, but he felt something and it felt as though whatever it was, was hot on his heels and following him through. To say the least, it was an unnerving feeling and the moment he was entirely through he slinked into the surrounding darkness, unseen for the time being as he waited for his would-be stalker to exit the portal as well.
A wide-eyed Red was probably the last thing Mystic expected to see pop from that portal, but that was what did pop-out. The little fiend glanced around himself in barely hidden wonder. Hey ! This was SO MUCH BETTER than that overly sunny place !
And, just before the portal closed, it spit a raving, screaming, and slightly ill-looking guardian out.
"...AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH !!!!"
Who then proceeded to have a not-so-lovely meeting with the ground. She did not move for a moment, but finally perked.
"RED ! YOU- nrrrgghhhh...." The woman flopped down again, still looking every bit as ill, much like a seasick person who was about to throw up. "You just wait until I can STAND !!!!!"
Mystic's form relaxed and he emerged fully from the surrounding darkness to help Zero to her feet with one arm slung about her waist to hold her upright. 'For future reference,' he replied smoothly, bright eyes glittering with amusement despite his serious tone of voice, 'It is not wise to follow through an open portal uninvited.'
He paused as he took a moment to glance around and gingerly removed the hood of his cloak. Where were they? It certainly did not look like the Gardens of Tulatha, and the massive, imposing buildings they seemed to be surrounded by could not possibly be temples full of the riddle-spouting monks Athan had mentioned in passing.
Mystic's form relaxed and he emerged fully from the surrounding darkness to help Zero to her feet with one arm slung about her waist to hold her upright. 'For future reference,' he replied smoothly, bright eyes glittering with amusement despite his serious tone of voice, 'It is not wise to follow through an open portal uninvited.'
He paused as he took a moment to glance around and gingerly removed the hood of his cloak. Where were they? It certainly did not look like the Gardens of Tulatha, and the massive, imposing buildings they seemed to be surrounded by could not possibly be temples full of the riddle-spouting monks Athan had mentioned in passing.
The only answer that came from the little fiend was a bit of a giggles, as he did a few loops in the air.
"Tell... HIM.... that." Zero somehow managed to mutter, as her stomach seemed to finally start to settle. "God damnit I haaatttteeeee..."
The woman, however, went silent when she finally seemed to figure out that there was a world beyond her portal sickness. She detached herself from Mystic and took a few shaky steps.
No way....
But there was no way she was wrong. She knew this specific location way too well for her to even think she might be wrong.
...I never thought I would come back here.
I'd never WANTED to come back HERE !
Red seemed to suddenly still, eyes fixed on his guardian, a look of both worry and guilt flashing though at that very moment. He'd all but stilled, with only a few twitches of the tail.
He'd felt it all very clearly. Zero just seemed like a bomb ready to explode.
"...Mystic." She spoke, barely even a whisper. "....Where... Where are we ?"
Please let me be wrong...
But, from the way her whole body seemed to shake, it seemed like the woman already had her own answer.
He squinted in confusion at his surroundings before moving to linger a bit closer to Zero as he would his own guardian out of habit. 'To be perfectly honest,' he replied slowly, 'I have no clue. I had intended to go to the EverGreen Gardens of the Tulatha and also pay a visit to a local monastery there rumored to have links to Lumeria.'
His brow furrowed in a frown as he glanced towards the woman at his side that seemed to be panicking. 'The .. ah... unannounced presence of the both of you seems to have... influenced my portal, so to speak.'
"...That'll be my fault." She announced. "This is Zonaria. Capital city of planet Xirian." She shook her head sightly, as if trying to clear some kind of daze away. "If you start to see the cement crack I subject you don't keep doing that direction. This is a floating city and im not fishing you guys from the ground."
There was only a split second of silence before Zero broke into a run, darting right in a specific direction. If she was here, then... Then she just had to know. She'd never realized that she'd forgotten to warn the two.
"Z ! Where are you going ?! WAIT !" Suddenly not so proud of his little mishap anymore, he was quick to dart after her.
'Quickly!' Mystic hissed as he grabbed a hold of Red and darted after Zero, all but abandoning his human form as he followed the woman as fast he could manage. Oh this was not going to be pleasant. He was far from his bond, and while yes, his age did allow him some freedom, he hadn't ever attempted to see just how much energy he could expend before succumbing to exhaustion.
That in itself was an issue. He somehow doubted that Zero or Red could cast circles and or otherwise somehow teleport them back to Gaia.
And Zero proved that she was one hell of a runner. Apparently on an afterthought, she ripped some of her t-shirt away, and used it to cover the upside down triangle mark on her forehead.
Better not to attract any trouble.
She slid through the sea of people, colliding with a few but not seeming to care much about it. The passerbys sent her glares, some yelled at her, but most did not seem to be phased. She was but one of the odd, ever so busy youths of Zonaria, probably late for her next party. If only it was so.
The woman only came to a stop once they had reached one of the few places which seemed to possess any greenery in the city - a small park, with a big, laboratory-like building able to be seen in the distance. There was a massive, old oak tree - and at it's base, two stones.
Two unmarked graves.
She let herself fall on her knees, and she stared at the stones for a moment.
So, she had been a coward, and she had fled... But her brother had found the courage to do what had needed to be done.
She was glad, but that wouldn't stop a few silent tears from sliding down her cheek.
Mystic's form seemed to shudder in relief as Zero finally came to a stop though he didn't dare waste his strength taking on a solid form. Instead, he remained as he was, lengthy tail curling around behind him in dark waves as he settled near Zero's side.
He frowned and reached to idly touch the woman's hair in so careful a manner it was as though he feared he might cause harm to her by simply offering comfort. He glanced idly towards Red and then back to the woman that was crouched on the ground.
He was at a loss of what to do. His Reyna did not cry, even when she should.
Red skidded to a stop and hovered close by, watching the two from a distance. Apparently he was not all that keen on going to deal with the whole can of mass suck he seemed to have opened, and given that he felt the woman's emotion quite clearly, who could blame him ?
"...Im sorry." Weither or not she was talking to Mystic, or to the unmarked stone, was probably up to debate. She reached one hand to touch the one on the left.
"...My father is buried here. At least the closest thing to a father that I've had. I.... I had to make sure..."
He remained silent, still caught entirely off guard by the situation he had found himself as a whole. Sure, he knew how to comfort Sam, but she was but a simple child. Zero, at least in appearance, seemed to be a grown woman. His expression softened and he reached to wrap an arm about the woman's shoulder's companionably.
Mystic appeared as though aching to say something but paused as he glanced towards Red and then at their surroundings. They were encompassed by masses of people, all headed in some direction but a few seemed to have stopped and taken a keen sort of interest in their merry group.
Red seemed to be getting increasingly nervous as the mass of people seemed to draw a bit closer, mostly to stare at him or Mystic. A few glances were toward Zero, but she seemed to go largely unnoticed compared to the two of them. The little fiend started to circle both the other and his guardian, narrow eyes fixed on the crowd.
The little snake did not like this.
Zero did not move for a moment, and had seemed to start trying to lean on Mystic slightly, but she had caught herself once she realized she was about to faceplant.
I know, father. I need to be strong.
She moved, slowly as to not throw the elder fiend off, to stand, eyes narrowing as she noticed the crowd. They where drawing way too much attention. This was not a good thing on Zonaria.
The crowd stared on, exchanging whispers. What where those things, who was that woman ? The crowd seemed mostly consisted by curious, but Zero had not been raised to trust the people here.
Far from it.
"We might wanna bail out now." She muttered.
'If it's attention you're concerned over,' he replied as he moved to stand and glanced cautiously around them, 'My casting a spell will not do well in aiding us.' Not to mention it could be traced and then potentially followed.
He clenched his fists at his side as he attempted to focus on their situation. He needed to find a way out and quickly. His eyes widened slightly as a figure in the crowd became a bit bolder and edged towards Red. Inwardly, Mystic was cursing. Why couldn't he be less.... shiny?
'Come along, little brother,' he murmured as he reached and wrapped one arm firmly about the child's shoulders and dragged him close, 'Let's not stir up any unwanted trouble, hm?'
Red let out a little displeased hiss as he was grabbed, but he didn't attempt to wriggle free. At least just yet.
"The people here are extremely distrustful of things that are not their own race." She tried to explain, eyes locked to the crowd. "They're not very likely to try to harm us directly, not the civilians, but they're very likely to..."
The crowd suddenly dispersed, as two huge, mecha-like humanoid, very heavily armored made their way. Zero hissed out a low curse, as if taking her cue from her little fiend.
"...Call the cops." This was NOT her day. "Two of them. We've created quite a commotion it seems. ...I hope you're ready to fight. You can't reason with machines."
Not THOSE, anyway. At least they'd cleared out the civilians as a standard procedure, so none of them would really get hurt. Or so she hoped.
'Oh joy,' Mystic laughed. It was a dark, maniacal sound that seemed harsh and quite different from his typical quiet, near-melodic alto. This was something darker, something more sinister that lurked beneath the surface but rarely had a chance to surface. It was a part of him he tried so desperately to deny and to hide away. Typically, that little voice had the tendency to mock him, but no, not this time. It was enthralled, and practically frothing over in bubbly excitement.
'Perhaps this will require some spell-casting after all,' he seemed to purr. His form flickered in a strange way as though he were some sort of holographic projection than living creature until he once more took a solid form. He moved to stand in front of both Zero and Red.
Oh wouldn't Reyna be proud! A part of him was saddened that she was too far away to feel his glee and that Athan couldn't rush in to stop whatever trouble he was about to stir up.
He cast one hand out before him but this time a silver coin like that which helped manifest his cloak of shadow appeared. It began to pulsate with a black glow before enveloping itself in a sickly, black sludge that lashed out with wispy arms as though desperately trying to escape its confines.
In truth, that was exactly what it was doing. One of the many nightmare beasts he had captured some months ago was locked within and now being unleashed.
'Let's play.'
Red seemed a bit startled, moreso by Mystic's sudden... shift than the two machines that where closing in on them. He moved to curl loosely around the elder's shoulder, letting a low warning hiss to the two tin cans, hands clutched on his staff. Oh damn right this was on.
Zero, honestly, had no time to worry.
She broke into a run soon after Mystic had started to cast, sliding out a long, silver stick from an hidden side-pocket of her cargo pants, snapping it in two where it bended before it could solidify again and projecting two long beams of plasma, crackling blue in the same shade of her glowing eyes.
There was no way she could take two of them at once. Even back then she couldn't take two of those things at once. All she could hope was that Mystic would be able to hold the second one on his own for a bit...
She charged straight for the first one, in what seemed to be a lightning of dancing blue blades.
The second one definitively had Mystic as a target, and it didn't take long before something Red couldn't really identify was shot their direction.
Listening only to his own instincts, Red bolted and, in a very painful hiss, took the hit. The small friend hit the ground, hissing in pain as some of his side seemed to have been nicked clean off by the blast, shadows swirling in a faint attempt to plug the hole.
"Damnit.... You.... You...."
Utter, seething rage boiled within the elder shadow. His bright, violet eyes reflected his hatred for the machine that thought it wise to harm his brethren and seemed to glow the same as his guardian's did when her demonic instincts were triggered. Fury fueled his movements and made them sharper and far more precise than they typically were when casting spells. He did not think. He simply reacted.
He didn't quite understand how it was he knew how to control the beast that was forming around that single, silver coin, he just did -- and he did so without a moment's hesitation.
The beast that revealed itself roared, fangs dripping and claws ripping at the ground beneath them as it mirrored its masters rage before attacking the massive robot that sought to destroy them. It leapt forward and latched onto the machine, massive paws tearing and shredding anything within reach. It's entire form seemed to ooze and cling to it's opponent, corroding through parts of the metal like toxic waste.
'Hideous creations!' Mystic shouted, addressing the robots before them, voice rough and abrasive as though he had spent a century screaming at the top of his lungs, 'I've faired far worse than you! I am far worse a monster than you could ever aspire to be!'
Pain.
That was summing up the fiend's world very accurately now. At least at first. It hadn't quite registered that a chunk of what would have been his hip if he had been human was missing. All that was registering was pain. It shocked through his system more deeply than it probably should. Kind of like if something hot and boiling was crawling inside his veins.
He could hear the sound of metal being battered, and he'd both heard and felt Mystic's nightmare beast brush past him as it began it's assault - yet it all seemed so far away. So distant.
So....
Gone.
Somehow, Red managed to work his way back to standing upright, but much like the elder fiend, it seemed different. As if something inside him had shifted. He'd stopped listening to pain, and started to listen to instinct. Instinct said to stand, and that was what he did. Some of his self still seemed to be breaking down, tendrils of shadow fleeing from him much akin flowing blood. But right now he didn't care. All he did was stare, blankly, at the robot and the shadow creature's direction. Instinct spoke again.
He would not be outmatched.
His tail gave one twitch, then another. Take it down, or else it will take you dow.
Don't wonder how.
You can.
You just can.
The child's slender arms were next to give a small twitch. The shadows of the tree and buildings, even the shadow of the enemies themselves seemed to twitch in response. Then it all rushed to him, like a smooth wave. The shadows twisted, locked with his hands... forming massive claws, razor sharp.
ATTACK !
With a loud, bloodthirsty scream, Red charged, zipping through the distance that separated himself from the object of his ire and madness in barely a few seconds, latching at the grillage which seemed to protect it's "eyes".
Weak points first.
The sounds of chipping metals did not stop. Because that was exactly what Zero was doing. Her agility was her advantage, not her strength - beside, she could not heat the blade high enough to melt. They'd been built against such things, after all. Her blades might have been quite rare in Gaia, but in Xirian they where common place.
A simple annoyance.
She was too locked in her own fight, in her own struggle not to wind up crushed or blown away into tiny little bits to check on the two fiends. Her left hip was stinging but she did not seem to notice it as of it, even less ponder where it came from. The burn marks were of a bigger worry - she'd gotten lucky and only gotten hits that grazed her and burnt some of the skin, but it did hurt like hell. The concept of pain, physical pain was once pretty foreign to her - not anymore.
She had too much left waiting for her at home to allow herself to fail here.
Mystic's form seemed to undulate in a strange way and his normal violet complexion had darkened and blackened about the edges in such a way that had nothing to do with laser fire or the onslaught of attacks he faced from the massive machines that seemed to be at least slowing down.
His own problem now was that the rage within him seemed to be cooling and with it his strength. He chanced a moment to settle his gaze upon Red. He was hurt! Something within him screamed, infuriated by that, but he was having a hard time focusing. He had thought he had had a hard time prior to their impromptu battle. Apparently he was going to be seeing just how far he could be pushed before... before what? He died? He passed out and left his comrades to whither away in this strange world?
'Oh I think not,' he hissed as he urged the nightmare onward and beamed in pleasure when the robot took a hit that had damaged one of its legs, disabling it entirely so that it fell clumsily to the ground.
He was quite content to continue on with the fight. A part of him took a sort of sick delight in the destruction that was being wrought all around them. Another part of him, however, was distinctly aware of his mortality and of Zero and Red's well-being.
'I don't suppose you think we could outrun these bastards before they send more?' he shouted to Zero. Oh by the gods if they sent more. That was something he knew he couldn't handle, though entertaining the prospect may have been.
But it seemed Red wasn't quite done yet. Even when the machine hit the ground, he kept at it, ripping the metal off and sending chunks flying.
It was just like if nothing else existed at the moment. And just like if nothing else mattered beside seeing the thing in multiple pieces on the ground.
However, it wouldn't take long before the blows started to slow down, lessen both in speed and in strength, and the little fiend gave in rather quickly, passing out.
"....Red !!!"
That was the split second of diversion that Zero had NOT needed - thankfully it was not a laser, but a metal fist that hit her, sending her flying and landing a few meters away. The woman worriedly did not move at first, but after a few seconds, she managed to work herself into a crouching position, her hand going to catch her weapon again by pure reflect.
"Bastards...."
Suddenly, however, her eyes went wide with the kind of shock that simply could not be good news.
"...We run. Like hell. NOW."
While Mystic did not see what she was talking about, it wouldn't be long before two other shapes would be apparent to the horizon. Two very unwanted shapes.
A thrill of panic raced down his spine at the woman's words and he darted forward in a mad rush to snatch up Red's prone form. He carried the unconscious boy in his arms as he ran after Zero before in a rush of strength and energy he hadn't been certain he had left, passed her.
He stopped a few feet in front of her and raise one arm while gingerly shifting the child in his arms to open a portal. His mind was a mantra of one thing: Oh please, oh please, oh please, don't let them be able to follow us through. The circle widened as it had before and he reached with his one free arm to grab Zero, perhaps a bit harder than he had truly intended to, and dragged her through.
After that point they once more found themselves in Gaia, but not at Twilight Designs. Mystic had had enough forethought to not take them there directly just in case. He stood dizzily as he held fast to his grip on the child that was in his arms. He skittered as best he could to the nearest alleyway to hide within the shadows. The sun was unbearable. Oh deities be damned. If they had had to do what they had just done in broad daylight..!
His eyes slid closed and he moaned a bit fuzzily as he leaned back against the brick wall as he was suddenly hit with a barrage of concern from Reyna and a tentative, yet highly annoying inquiry from Athan. 'Get ouuuut of my head boooth of you,' he muttered a bit deliriously before mentally tacking on: 'Reyna... I need you... find me.'
It all, in fact, happened so fast that Zero only registered that they where back in Gaia - no, hell back home - was when the portal sickness settled in again.
This time, she didn't just look sick - she actually was, through she had somehow had both the presence of mind and the decentcy to crawl a bit away from Mystic before being so.
"....Never been... so glad to let out my lunch in my life." She muttered, eyes shining in the darkness, through dimmed from their usual glow as she looked at Mystic, her weariness apparent.
"...Everyone's in one piece ? ...Red..."
'He's unconscious.' And oh did he wish he were. 'But he'll be okay,' he told her, voice slightly rasped from exhaustion and just barely there to begin with. He may not have sounded confident in his words, but he knew them to be true. So long as the shadow in his arms did not fade, he would be fine. Hawk had survived an attack by Doran as a child. Surely that had been far worse.
He shuddered at that thought. Worse than how he felt now was by no means a pleasant notion by any stretch of the imagination.
Mystic paid no mind to his surroundings or really to Zero as he slumped against the wall. He did glance up when he felt a familiar presence. His eyes snapped open wide and he glanced around suspiciously before he realized it was more than just a familiarity he felt -- it was Reyna.
Heavy footfalls could be heard and the rapid-fire clicking of high heeled boots. The thought made him want to smile, but he hadn't the strength to do so and lacked a proper mouth anyway. He looked up and sighed in relief as Reyna rounded the corner looking a bit rumpled and worse for wear. She wanted to demand what the hell had happened but one look at the three of them huddled there in the alleyway stopped her in her tracks.
Instead, she rushed forward to press a hand against Red's forehead and then to wrap an arm around Mystic to keep him upright. He sighed and leaned against her heavily before finally relinquishing his hold on the other shadow to his own guardian.
Zero cradled her own little fiend in her arms much like one would a newborn, unable to hide the worry as her free hand went to smooth out the disheveled little braids. He got her into such trouble, but even that did not stop the worry and obvious care. This woman was not the guardian of many by pure coincidence.
She managed to stand - a bit wobbingly, but standing nonetheless. Her hand left the braids to instinctively cover the wound at Red's side. It was still a hole, but nothing was sweeping out of it anymore. The guardian looked worse for the wear - shirt half ripped off, and various burn wounds, and much less cuts. The advantage of hot laser blasts meant that they closed almost instantaneously...
But what now ?
"Uh... That was my fault. I'm sorry." Well, her presence did throw off the portal, and without that, none of this would have happened.
"I find that hard to believe," Athan spoke up as he too came around the corner, though he stared disapprovingly down at Mystic who was doing his best to hide away within Reyna's arms. The shadow all but radiated magic from the spells he had cast.
The demon hissed at him, fangs bared as if daring him to step closer to Mystic or to cause him any further harm than what he had managed to do very well on his own.
'It was an accident,' Mystic emphasized. He sighed and leaned his head over against Reyna's shoulder. 'I was going to Talutha, but Red darted through the portal and Zero had no choice but to follow,' he explained, voice wavering slightly as it faded in spots as though he were much further away rather than within earshot.
Athan simply scowled before moving towards Red. He reached out and placed one hand over the boy's stone and allowed some of his own energy to bleed over into the little shadow so that the wounds he had suffered might heal faster.
Zero was about to speak, agree with Mystic's side of the story but.... really. At this point, it probably was better for her to shut up. She would be in more than enough trouble once she got herself back home. For quite a few residents probably felt their respective bonds thin a bit by sheer distance.
She was not looking forward to this. When Red seemed to start stirring a bit, she did her best to settle him and calm him back down.
She did not know what happened back there... But...
It was worrying.
"And all this for a damn crystal," Reyna muttered as she hugged Mystic tightly in a rare display of affection. She had felt the distance between them when he hopped into the other dimension, but she had expected that. She had not expected him to return so quickly and in so much pain. Typically, she was impervious to what the average individual considered to be painful, but there was so much strain. It wore on her nerves very quickly.
Athan glanced towards the demon as though to say something but before he could Reyna held out one hand in warning. "Shut it. Save whatever you've got up your sleeves for later when I give a s**t."
The man huffed in response and folded his arms over his chest with an irritated look. "Then I suggest we make our way best we can back to the shop," he replied as he wrapped an arm about Zero's waist to help support her and Red both. "A bit of rest before you venture home would do you good," he insisted as he peered down at Zero.
Zero's pride was a bit nicked by that, but there was no way she could pretend to be able to walk back home on her own two feet at the moment.
"Yeah... That doesn't really sound like a bad idea..." Hopefully she could get some water on the way. And some bandages. And disinfectant. Hell, throw in a whole first aid kit, she'd probably need it.
The aftertaste in her mouth was horribly foul, urgh.
Athan contemplated simply whisking them all there as a group with a spell, but by the looks of it, no one save for himself was really fit to endure such a thing. Thus, their trek back to the shop, which was in truth only a few blocks away, was both tedious and painful for those that had previously been in battle.
The stench of burns and old magic clung to them, the latter of which was most obvious from Mystic. What made him wonder was how exactly the elder shadow had managed to cast spells strong enough to leave such a residue behind even after traveling through a portal. It made him even more suspicious than he already was, but with Reyna on edge and snapping at every word he said, addressing the issue at hand was not so good an idea.
Once at the shop, the shadow in question all but collapsed into the cool darkness that it promised. He groaned inwardly when Reyna caught him and hauled him to the back room where it was even darker. She pushed him towards one of the couches forcibly and he gratefully stumbled towards one and curled up beneath his cloak with the hood covering his head.
The demon then went hunting through the cabinets for supplies. Zero's silent wish for a first aid kit was about to come true if only because the shop was legally required to keep such things around. That, and given the shop's tumultuous history, it was a damn good idea.
Zero took care of her burns and wounds easily enough - apparently this was far from the first time that she had to patch someone up, and the fact that said someone was herself did not seem to phase her most. If anything, she seemed more upset over ripped pants (which revealed glimmering metal, not burnt skin) than her actual burns. How many close calls did she get ? It looked like if those legs hadn't been cybernetic, she wouldn't have been able to walk.
She wasn't quite sure that it would do anything, but she took the time to bandage Red as well. Thanks to Athan's involvement, it seemed like the wound was starting to close up, but the shade was off. The first scar of many? That's what it seemed like.
She didn't dwell on this for long - it did not take long before she allowed herself to slip into sleep as well.
Mystic didn't move. It wasn't often he truly slept. More often than not, he was whisked off into someone else's dreams which meant no real rest for him. He didn't stir when Reyna moved to peel back part of his cloak and check for wounds. He was not hurt physically it seemed, just drained of his energy. His ghostly pallor and overall transparency was an affirmation of that.
"What was he needing a crystal for, Reyna?" Athan asked, arms folded over his chest and a dark, unreadable look on his face. "You asked me for information and I gave it to you on good faith. Lemurian crystals are powerful."
Reyna rolled her eyes and turned on her heel to face him. "He needed it to continue with his studies of his powers," she murmured in a hushed, but slightly angry whisper to avoid waking the trouble-making-trio nearby. She growled and cut him off before he could respond, "You have refused to help him. I am not going to deny him. He wishes only to understand himself and his abilities. He can't just go dancing through everyone's dreams at wild abandon every night, and he usually doesn't. Not on purpose. He's trying to learn how to control it."
"And control is the one thing he lacks," Athan muttered darkly, hands now fisted at his sides, "He has always been a loose cannon, much like you."
"Watch it, old man," Reyna growled, voice growing slightly in volume as she began to loose her temper, "We have a contract." She held one hand out and a bound document appeared within her grasp with both her and Athan's signature on it.
He laughed outright. "You can't be serious! That is your contract for employment within the shop! Oh don't tell me," he spat, still chuckling with bitter amusement, "You're going to take my soul as payment for your occupation as artist and shopkeeper? This is absolutely priceless!"
The demon scowled and a low, animalistic growl accompanied the venomous look. "Don't mock me. I wouldn't take your soul even if you offered it. Part of it is missing. I am not so lowly a creature to demand only partial payment."
Athan's face, typically unreadable and nearly expressionless save for the occasional charming smirk, melted into a mask of rage as he strode towards the woman to glare down at her. "You.. have NO idea... of what you speak of," he whispered, voice dark and full of contempt. "And you hardly have room to talk seeing as you are bound," he went on as he motioned towards her left eye that he knew very well was intact, but covered by the eyepatch due to an unfinished spell that had meant to enslave her.
It would not take long before a small figure would slide inside by the door, sliding along slowly but surely, as if each of his movements where painful. His eyes where distant, the glow a bit dimmed. Red was tired and, otherwise, very much so drained.
He'd been hit, and then... nothing. He remembered nothing, save for waking up with a sleeping guardian latched onto him as if he could fade away at any moment. Fade he would not, but he would probably manage to not cause anymore trouble for the rest of the day.
...Maybe.
He honestly did not care what the two where arguing about now. What he did care about was that they where getting louder and louder. It had been what woke him up, and if they didn't at least quiet down a bit soon, Mystic and Zero would probably be next.
He let out a small grunt of effort as he gave one last tail twitch to project himself in the air, sliding to nuzzle against Mystic and eye the demon and the spellcaster from his perch.
"If you two go around yelling your dirty laundry-" Was it how Zero said it ? No matter. He voice sounded detached - and drained. "-Then don't be surprised if people learn about it. The girl sleeps lightly, you know."
Really, he didn't care who was wrong, who was right, or all that. If they did not listen and Zero or Mystic woke up ? He would have warned them.
Reyna sighed heavily and with a wave of her hand the contract dissolved away into nothing back to where it came from. She turned to eye Red before reaching to gently touch his cheek. "Go get some rest, kiddo," she murmured softly before turning back to Athan with a scowl, "We'll continue this... discussion at a later date."
The man in question said nothing but instead turned to leave in a flurry of angry robes. He just had to find the one person in the entire universe that could actually make him angry as a business partner. "I'm leaving. I assume you can manage on your own for the time being," he muttered absently over his shoulder before he was simply gone.
Mystic didn't dare move or even open his eyes. '... you don't have to defend me, Reyna,' he managed.
The demon folded her arms across her chest moodily. "Well, he shouldn't be such a a** all the time."
"I am resting." Red answered, leaning into her touch without really noticing he was. Apparently not darting around and throwing off portals was the equivalent of resting in the little fiend's world. The yelling stopped, and that was all he wanted. "Ill... probably fall asleep again soon." He admitted after a pause. What exactly had he done to feel so drained.
He would have to ask Mystic.
Later.
"You've got an interesting definition of rest," she snickered quietly before she
moved to settle on the couch and allowed Mystic to curl half way across her. She idly petted at his hair, relatively unconcerned about much of anything else. She'd hear if someone entered the shop, so she wasn't that worried. What's more, one of the other employees would likely be on their way soon.
"I swear," she chuckled quietly, voice hushed, "You'll never grow out of stirring up trouble, will you?"
The elder shadow didn't respond vocally but he glanced up at her, eyes dancing with merriment and a hint of mischief. Of course he wouldn't! He was the epitome of what it meant to be a Fiend.
Red shifted as Mystic did, fluttering in the air for a moment before settling down in his "big brother"'s lap, and wriggling under the shadowy cape almost comically. It wouldn't take long before the little fiend felt asleep once more.
Reyna sat quietly and simply contented herself to watch the two boys sleep. She would have to pester Mystic for details about his little adventure, but for now, they all needed rest.
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Posted: Mon Mar 31, 2008 7:31 pm
Doom Worthy Aftermath
An exhausted Shadow tells of his travels."So."
Mystic glanced up from where he was curled in his bed to eye Reyna whom was leaning against the doorway leading to his room. There was a faint smirk on her face but that was hardly something new. She also had one hand on her hip and was, as a whole, looking expectant. 'So..?'
She grinned and trekked the rest of the way into his room. That was what was different. She normally didn't come into his room at all. She typically made it a point to respect his space as his, and he typically did the same. She settled herself on the corner of his bed, perched almost daintily with her legs crossed. That was cute. Dainty and Reyna usually did not go hand in hand.
"Oh hush, you."
Mystic flushed a bit. He hadn't meant for that thought to drift across. He definitely needed to do a better job at paying attention rather than, well, blatantly staring at his soul bond. 'Sooo~ooo..?' he prompted again to distract her attention and to hopefully keep her from teasing him further about his admiring her so openly.
"Tell me what happened. I want details, mister," she smirked.
The Shadow sighed and squirmed to get comfortable before settling with his hands folded behind his head. 'Well... I left the shop right? And opened a portal to do so. Reyna nodded and he continued his story. 'Red saw the portal and dashed through.'
"Oh ********> Mystic chuckled before groaning a bit as the effort sent a thrill of pain through him. By the gods, it ached about as bad as sunlight. He sighed and shot Reyna a thankful look when she got up and went to shut the door and turn off the lights. She could see him just fine, and he her, so it hardly mattered.
'Anyway...' he went on, 'I was headed to find the crystals, you know? And, well.. Zero followed after Red and it influenced my portal. Mass chaos erupted thereafter. There were definitely no gardens or riddle-spouting-monks, let me tell you. Just giant hulking... machine.... things. And maybe a nightmare beast..?'
Reyna snickered and poked him in the side teasingly before giving him an apologetic look when he shifted away and grumbled in pain at the touch. "So."
Mystic raised an eyebrow. Back to square one, was it? 'So.'
"How exactly did a nightmare beast show up?"
If the Shadow could have grinned, he'd have done so, and probably would have looked just as wolfish as Reyna when she bared her fangs with a smile. 'Well... we had to have something to combat the machines, right? They were bigger than us and we were .. more or less out numbered,' he went on before he began to snicker which turned into a fit of the giggles as he came to a certain realization. 'It.. hehehe... might.. uh... also be running rampant still?'
The demon laughed outright as she let herself fall backwards onto the bed. "Ohhh that's rich. We.. hee... probably shouldn't let Athan know that part, hm?"
Mystic nodded. Content. In a hell of a lot of pain from the strain he'd put himself through, but content. Reyna was amazing.
"Why thank you, sweetness!" she chirped as she sat up and then pulled herself to her feet, "But now I gotta take my awesome self and feed the kiddo some dinner. Rest up, kay? And no nightmare beasts in the house."
He chuckled quietly and nodded his head. He could agree to that.
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Posted: Sun Jun 08, 2008 8:10 pm
The Butterfly Emerges
Mystic meets a more grown up Labradorite.He had avoided visiting the shop for days. He didn't feel up to dealing with Athan's accusations, but he had left a few of his books and had fully intended on "borrowing" a few that were kept in stock for reference purposes. Reyna was working, however, which likely meant that Athan was scarce to avoid further arguments with the demon.
Either way, it worked out in his favor. He drew his cloak closer about his form before finally escaping the sun and skittering into the shop itself.
"Looking for trouble, hm?" Reyna teased, "Because if you are, you're s**t out of luck. Your maker just fled to another dimension to do some stone hunting."
She wanted to visit the only other familiar place besides her home that she knew... and she had spent most of the morning annoying her guardian, who finally relented and loped along behind her as she happily floated down the road, dark wings flapping casually behind her. Every now and again, Labradorite would stop and pick a flower (weed?) off the side of the road. She had amassed quite a bouquet during the journey as a matter of fact...
A shadow butterfly floated over one shoulder -- her constant companion. Though it was a creation of her own, it always seemed to be manifested, even though she didn't actually try to make it. There was something special about it, she knew.
She floated up to the door of the shop and peered curiously through the window, wondering if anyone was there. Perhaps there were others...
Elysia followed the little Fiend to the shop, feeling guilty about not coming back sooner. It had been QUITE a while, and she wondered if things had changed much since the last time she'd been there. She finally caught up to her at the door, and instead of peeking inside as Labbie was doing, she opened the door and went in, holding it for Labbie as she floated over the threshold.
Mystic paused near the desk and idly glanced back over his shoulder towards the door expectantly. He felt a familiar presence, though not one he had encountered in quite some time. His brow furrowed in thought as he attempted to pinpoint the feeling, but it was difficult to tell. Once both guardian and shadow were in the shop he recognized little Labradorite instantly.
'And so, the Little Bug became a Butterfly, hm? Interesting.'
Labbie floated toward the desk, examining the cases as she did so, bouquet of flowers gripped in her hands. When she heard her nickname, her eyes turned toward the voice that seemed familiar somehow. 'No one has called me that in a long time,' she replied softly.
"Hello!" Elysia said, attempting to be cheerful instead of guilty. "I remember you," she said to Mystic, thinking he'd looked younger the last time she saw him. "It's been a while. How've things been around here?" she asked, looking around the shop to see if perhaps Reyna was around.
Reyna seemed to have escaped to the back room briefly to obtain more supplies for one of her projects, but returned when she heard people enter the shop. Sure, Mystic was there, but he wasn't always pleasant to customers. In fact, he had the tendency to scare them away. "Oh! Hello there," the demon replied as she shuffled to set down a rather hefty box upon her desk, "Been a while, sugar! How are you holding up?"
The elder shadow simply looked rather smug. He reached out tentatively and traced one dark fingertip along one of her wings before drawing away to admire the butterfly that was floating about. 'Mm.. I believe I bestowed that nickname upon you, little one.'
Sugar? No one had called HER that in a long time, just as Labbie hadn't been called Bug in a while. "You're too cute," Elysia chuckled, greeting Reyna. "Life's pretty much the same I guess. The kids are keeping me busy, as always. But at least I'm no longer in charge of the Furies project. That frees up some time. How've you been?"
She allowed him to touch her wings, pleased that someone was admiring them. At her home, there were plenty of winged creatures... Labbie's weren't anything particularly special when her home was full of flying things. Munich even had wings made of cloth, which were probably just as amazing as her own shadow wings.
'I like that nickname,' she said, her voice growing a bit more confident as she continued to speak. 'I'm sad I couldn't come here more often... Have there been many others like us?'
She had been wondering the fate of the other stones. Had they all found guardians?
"Free time is generally a bonus," the demon replied with a smirk as she settled herself behind her desk. "Me? Same old, same old and generally as good as can be expected." She idly rested her chin in one hand as she glanced towards Labradorite. "Seems your little wisp has aged a bit..."
Mystic nodded as he absorbed the other's quiet words. 'We have many brethren, little sister, and surely more that awaken which each passing day,' he answered. That was doubly true if Reyna had been honest in saying Athan was off searching for stones.
"I have to agree," Elysia said with a satisfied smile. "I'm a big fan of free time. It's good things are going well for you. Time flies, I swear."
She looked over at Labbie, who seemed to have come out of her shell a bit. She looked as if she was enjoying speaking to Mystic. They needed to get out more, they really did. "Yeah, she sure has. She's so quiet though... it worries me sometimes. I'm used to flamboyant kids... But she's the furthest thing from flamboyant!"
'Many?' she asked, a hint of excitement coming to her soft voice as she began to flap her wings a little more quickly. 'What are they like? Have you met them all? I'd like to meet more of them... I think.' The last couple of words sounded slightly unsure, as if there was a small fear of others her age. Mystic she was familiar with. He was nice, and kind, and he'd given her a nickname! She could only hope the others were as nice as he was.
"It does," Reyna stated a bit wistfully as her gaze settled upon Mystic. It seemed like it hadn't been to long ago when he'd been but Labradorite's size. Now the b*****d was taller than her... at least when she wasn't wearing heels. "Though I can't say I've a lot of free time on my hands. I'm likely better off for it. Less time for me to get myself into trouble."
'Many,' he affirmed with a slight incline of his head. He beamed quietly, utterly pleased with himself for being rather knowledgeable on the subject of their... race? Breed? Did it really matter? Likely not. 'I have met very nearly everyone. They are... well.. each unique in their own way. I have recently become quite find of both Red and Black Star, though the latter typically is referred to as Dio."
"I'm sure trouble is the last thing you need," Elysia grinned. "I was worried Labbie was going to grow up and become rowdy. That's what I anticipated out of most of the Fiends I guess... But no, not so much."
Labbie saw the look that came over Mystic's face and she realized she'd asked about something he liked to talk about. She was rather amazed, as she'd been weary of conversation with anyone -- she barely spoke to her guardian, let alone anyone else. 'Each unique, and you've met them all? When do they come? Next time maybe I can see them too,' she suggested excitedly, feeling more comfortable around Mystic than any of her 'siblings' at home. 'Red and Dio,' she whispered, committing the names to memory. 'Black Star sounds like a lovely stone. What is this Dio like?'
"Mmm.. I suppose you lucked out." Mystic had been rowdy. Mystic had been mass chaos, and she honestly hadn't appreciated it one damn bit. He still had the tendency to stir up trouble, but he had calmed considerably. The sort of trouble he got into now didn't necessarily involve her directly and wasn't always intentional. She was alright with that.
'I cannot say for certain that I have met all of them, but I have met most. That is for certain,' he went on. 'Dio is... very kind. He seeks knowledge, especially that of the stars. They speak to him.'
"Yeah, I was expecting rowdy, I really was..." Instead, she had to check on Labbie every now and again to make sure that she was still in the house and near enough to her. "I wish she'd talk to me more, or something."
'Most is good. Do you get along with all of our siblings that you have met?' she asked, a sparkle in her eye. 'I'd like to meet Dio,' she said, ears perking at the sound of his powers. His supposed kindness and knowledge were appealing to her. 'Talking to the stars sounds very nice. What do they tell him?'
"Eh... I think you can count yourself lucky," Reyna snickered. Some of the other guardians certainly could not boast the same. "As for being quiet all the time.. could just be a phase?" she offered, "Or just flat out her personality..?"
A brief, dark look flashed across Mystic's face and he glanced away. 'No.' He definitely did not get along with everyone. 'Though I am fond of Dio. I am not so certain what the stars say to him, though I do not believe he has quite mastered the skill of doing so. He has just recently discovered the talent.'
Elysia chuckled. "I've yet to meet a Fiend that's really a troublemaker. But then again, I haven't been around much, have I?" she asked sheepishly. She felt guilty about not coming by the shop more often, and thought that perhaps Labbie was missing out on visiting with her peers. "Maybe next time we come there'll be others here. I'd like her to meet more of her own kind. It seems she's at least coming out of her shell a little bit around Mystic. I think she's comfortable with him."
Labbie was slightly surprised that Mystic didn't get along with the rest of the Fiends. He seemed to be so nice and kind.'Who vexes you?' she asked, using a word she'd heard her guardian say. She wanted to be prepared if she happened to meet a disagreeable Fiend. 'Aah,' she said understandingly. 'I am sure talking to the stars is quite difficult. They are far away, so it would take a lot of work to get them to hear you I think,' she pondered. 'Perhaps one day I can meet him myself and he can tell me what they say.'
The demon emitted a low, throaty sort of chuckle. "Honey, count yourself in as fortunate for having missed out on the rampant mischief that's afoot with this shop." She shook her head, a grin plastered across her face despite her best efforts. Even if most of the shadows' antics were troublesome, she find it highly amusing in retrospect. Athan didn't, but she did think his sense of humor was a bit lacking if not non-existent all together.
Mystic seemed to mirror that same, low laugh. 'Mm... Hawk did for a great while, though he seems to be missing, or at least has not made an effort to make his presence known in quite some time.' His brow furrowed into a frown. It was somewhat disturbing. Hawk was a Seer. Had he not foreseen whatever it was that had both he and his guardian trapped so far away?
His shoulders rose in fell in a mockery of what would've been a heavy sigh had he a proper set of lungs to do such a thing. He did not know that they were trapped per se, but the faint mutterings he had caught from Athan indicated that it was likely.
The elder shadow broke free of his reverie and returned his attentions back towards the other before him. 'I imagine he would be delighted to do so.' He fell silent for a moment more, floundering somewhat to find grounds in which to continue their conversation. He had never been particularly adept that particular art form. 'So... what is it that.. you do, Miss Labradorite? Any talents you have yet to master or are simply waiting to unleash upon the world at large?' he went on, in a somewhat serious, yet playfully teasing tone.
"I guess I should feel blessed for having a rather boring life. Sometimes I could use a bit more excitement I think..." Ever since she had stopped working in the lab, the chaos in her home had subsided. The Furies had a lot to do with her former stress. Thinking about the fae, she remembered that she had once given Reyna a couple of Furies stones. She was sure those hadn't added any peace to her life. "Did those stones I gave you ever do anything?" Elysia asked, one eyebrow quirking in interest.
Missing? That didn't sound good at all... And with the body language that Mystic presented, Labbie was certain that he hadn't simply gone on vacation.
How long has it been since you have seen Hawk? she asked. Perhaps he has had many things to do... she suggested, wishing that she could read his mind...
It was then that she had a stray thought.
Briefly closing her eyes, she copied what Rhea would do when she was trying to use her mental abilities -- she attempted to push at the doors of Mystic's mind. She wanted to get inside and understand what it was that was bothering him about Hawk. Unfortunately, the attempt failed, and though the doors appeared behind her closed eyelids, she could do little more than put a crack between them.
The Fiend reopened her eyes after the failed attempt, feeling a bit awkward. Had he noticed? Though it was not a very strong attempt, she had accomplished something. Feeling somewhat awkward herself, as she was a rather quiet one, she was glad that he had asked her a question and broken the silence.
I'm not sure what I can do, she said quietly. How would I figure it out? How did you find out what you could do? Slightly embarrassed, she wondered if the other Fiends her age all had powers they could use... Was she behind the curve?
Reyna squinted blearily over at the other woman as she rested her chin in one hand with a look on her face that was something along the lines of a confused pout. "Stones..?" she began slowly with a small frown. ********. Had she forgotten a commission or something? She knew Aki had brought in stones for trading and she still owed her a couple sets of jewelry, but otherwise did not recall any other sort of stones brought to the shop by a guardian.
The elder shadow's eyes seemed to widen slightly. How long had it been? His eyes fluttered closed for a moment. 'Mm... year or two now it seems.' A puzzled look crossed his face as he peered down at the child before recoiling slightly. His mind shut off to her entirely like a door being slammed shut and then hurriedly locked.
'... I discovered mine by accident,' he informed her a bit briskly, 'Just as you have, apparently.'
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Posted: Sun Jun 08, 2008 8:12 pm
A Night To Remember
Dio comes over to spend the night with Mystic.Merci shouldered the overnight bag as she slid out of the over sized black SUV. She'd had to trade in the old car after Vance destroyed it with his total disregard for the clutch after his last joyride. As such the ride through the swampy land had been actually fairly smooth as the large vehicles shocks handled the uneven terrain very well.
Merci shot Maili a sidelong glance. Ever since they had entered the swamp, Dio had been a total wreck. He was huddled close to Maili with his head tucked down low. Her fingers stroked through his hair gently and soothingly. "He doin' alright?" The red head leaned over and ruffled his hair, "It's alright Dio, nothing is going to hurt you."
Maili just stayed quiet and managed to shoulder one of the two overnight bags and hold Dio. She slithered over the ground and followed Merci's long fluid strides as she headed for Reyna's door. "He seemed alright the last time we were here." The medusa's voice was quiet and barely rose over the ambient noise of the swamp.
"Actually he wasn't all that happy the last time we came either now that memory serves. He seemed to relax once we were inside though. Once he is in there we can sit him down and give him a book or something to calm his nerves." Merci replied as she lifted her hand and knocked against the door.
It was Mystic who answered the door, though instead of opening it, he simply phased partially through to see who was knocking. 'Oh!' He had nearly forgotten. He skittered back inside and unlocked the door. 'Good to see you all. Please come inside.'
Charles could be heard flailing about in the background, most likely in the kitchen somewhere. Mystic may have forgotten that he had company, but he certainly had not! There would be tea and cookies and cake for all!
Merci grinned a bit at Mystic and sidled her way inside, dropping the bag inside the door before she turned to Maili and relieved her of the other one. "Sorry we brought so much stuff. I haven't been overnight anywhere in awhile and I think I might have slightly over packed." She shrugged a shoulder a bit ruefully.
Maili slithered over to one of the couches and sat down with Dio still curled into her chest. "Little Star, all is safe now. We are not in any danger here." She moved her face down so she could put her mouth next to his ear as she whispered, "You don't want to miss time with your friends now do you?"
The little fiend shook his head and turned it so his one burgundy eye peeked out from the safety of her arms. It rolled around, allowing his gaze to march over the room and take it all in.
Merci couldn't help a small smile, "He's been like that since the road got rough." She addressed Mystic quietly. "Think he's just a we bit scared of something."
Dio slowly pushed Maili's arms away and floated free, 'I am not.'The rather sullen look on his face contradicted the words entirely. He glided through the air and wrapped his arms around one of Mystic's 'Thank you for letting us come over!' The boy was obviously quickly forgetting the discomfort of only moments ago. 'It's going to be a big fat moon tonight so we can read the papers. Ooo and you can show me what it is you do!' The excitement was starting to kick in again.
'Indeed it is so. The full moon shall be pleasant, especially since the night is supposedly going to be clear. Not a cloud in the sky,' he answered as he playfully ruffled Dio's hair.
"Oh goodness me, our guests are here!" Die cheered as he slithered out of the kitchen. Perhaps the only thing that kept him from flailing about excitedly was the tray of pastries and iced tea he held in his hands.
He made his way towards the couch in the living room and set the tray down on the coffee table before both Maili and Merci. "Enjoy lovelies! And should you need anything at all, don't you hesitate to ask. I also cleaned up the guest room for you."
Merci looked up at Die and she snapped her fingers. "I got something for you. Just hold on a second." She moved over to the bags and rummaged through both of them before she came up with a tin of very nice gourmet white tea. "Here Die, this is for you." The redheaded woman moved over and put it in his hands. "I know the last time we were here you were less then comfortable. I wanted to try and make up for that. So here you go."
Maili reached over and picked up a teacup and saucer, settling back against the couch. "Are you going to stay and drink tea with us?" She addressed the other Medusa with a smile. "It's nice to see one of my own kind that isn't emotionless or a jerk."
Dio pulled on Mystic's arm and swooped around him to gather up the notes and scrolls. And you said you would show me how you do the dream things right? I can't wait to see, I am so excited about it. Where is Aunt Reyna? Is she here? Can I say hi to her?'
"Oh goodness me, how delightful!" Die cheered happily as he promptly sat down next to Merci and all but smothered her in a hug and kissed her cheek (but was very careful not to ruin his lipstick with any smudges). "You are too sweet, and oh I'd just love to join you two for a cup of tea."
He reached to pour them all a cup and handed over the steaming cups on dainty dishes before grabbing up a cup of his own. "You two are so sweet. I do so love having guests!"
Mystic turned away from the scene. Charles annoyed him to no end. He realized he should likely be thankful that he was nice even if he was a bit.. much at times. He instead beamed quietly over at Dio.
'Reyna is at work currently, so maybe later when she gets home? She usually stays late to finish her projects without being harassed by customers.' He chuckled quietly at the boy's excitement. 'And I shall certainly try to show you how the 'dream things' work. But first, lets get you settled in with your things, hm?'
Dio blinked up at Mystic and then in addition to the scrolls he snagged up a little bag of his own. 'I hope she gets home soon. I really like Auntie Reyna, I was excited about seeing her. More excited about you showing me the dream things, and the scrolls. Still was excited about seeing her. Oh! I have to ask you something!' Dio rambled idly as he arranged the things in his arms so he could carry it all with one hand. The sleeved arm hung at his side as if it was utterly useless. 'I have to ask you though when we're alone, it's kinda private.' He finally turned his attention away from his burden and beamed at Mystic. 'Ready!' He was obviously very excited.
Merci managed to stifle the squeak that threatened it's way out of her at the unexpected glomping. She put an arm around the medusa and patted his back as he snuggled her and kissed her cheek. "Well we weren't such good guests last time. I didn't get a chance to sample your tea."
Maili couldn't help but smirk at Die, but she hid it behind her teacup as she sipped the hot contents. A surprised sound escaped her, "This is really good!" It wasn't that she was expecting it to be bad tea, just average. This was definitely not average and she looked up curiously at the other medusa. "Do you do something special when you brew it?"
Mystic chuckled quietly, clearly bemused by the child's enthusiasm. 'She will be home soon enough, little star.' He turned to head down the hallway and motioned for Dio to follow. He did however give a brief nod to Merci and Maili before exiting the living room entirely.
"Not especially," Die replied with a bright smile as he sipped daintily at his own cup of tea, "I am rather old fashioned when it comes to my cooking and making of tea and the like. I do, however, ensure that the teas I purchase are of the finest quality. Makes for a better brew."
Dio followed the older shadow away from the chattering tea party, his arm wrapped tightly around his burden. He wasn't entirely sure how to ask what he was going to ask. Maybe Mystic could use his dream stuff on Merci to make her better. She had been waking up screaming every night since she had clawed Maili. When he couldn't hear them anymore he piped up, 'You said you can go into peoples dreams, and see what they see. Could you do it to Merci? She has been having horrible nightmares about something trying to swallow me...' He trailed off and then seemed to thing of something 'She said it was like a cloud, and that I was screaming. She does it every night. I mean obviously she has to be asleep so we can read my scrolls and stuff first.' Even though he was worried about Merci, he was obviously to excited about the stars to focus on it for to long. 'I brought the Quartz you and Auntie Reyna gave me too so maybe I can talk to the stars!'
TBC.
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Posted: Sun Jun 08, 2008 8:13 pm
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Posted: Sun Jun 08, 2008 8:14 pm
A Friendly Visit
Mystic encounters Trivii again!Trivii moved cautiously, eying the signs and doors and then the card Mystic had given her. A sinking feeling that she had gotten lost permeating through her she strolled further and further down an odd side street.
She was just about to double back and ask that odd old man at the corner for directions, when she spotted it, almost completely shrouded in early afternoon gloom she would have missed it if not for the shimmer off spotless windows.
Twilight Designs
Lengthening her stride the cat girl could do little enough to control her curiosity, what would a jewelry store frequented by a living shadow be like? Trivii smiled and double checked her purse for her wallet as she loped across the street, then straightening the sleeves or her harem like blouse, she coiled her tail tightly around her waist and ventured in.
She was careful, slow, and methodical as she took her first few steps into the shop, giving her eyes a chance to adjust.
"Welcome to Twilight Designs." Reyna offered the other woman a smile from where she sat at her desk busily tinkering away at her latest creation. Mystic was there as well, but unseen. He did, however, make his presence known and faded into view just behind his guardian when he recognized the woman that had tentatively entered the shop.
'Hello again, Miss Trivii.'
Reyna arched a brow and seemed to smirk slightly. Out making friends, hm? Who'd have thought..
Blinking her slit pupils focussed in on the duo as they became use to the lighting, and a relieved smile flashed across her face as she nodded to them. "Thank you... Hello again Mystic, I thought I could take a look at the shop."
Looking around her, she dug pointed teeth into the delicate flesh of her lower lip. "I have to say, its not what I was expecting." Walking over to the glass counter Trivii knelt to better peruse the merchandise. The cat girl didn't really know what she had been expecting, something with a more mysterious aura maybe.
'Well,' he began as he floated away from Reyna and over towards Trivii to linger near her side, 'It is a jewelry store.' His eyes glittered with a hint of mischief as he shifted slightly to stand on human feet and crossed his arms over his chest. 'But don't worry. We keep all the ghosts and other such monsters in the back room,' he teased.
Reyna stifled a quiet giggle and ducked her head, content for the time being to not interfere and simply observe. It was often she bore witness to her shadow willingly being social. She would certainly have to pester him later about the identity of his new lady friend.
Laughing at herself Trivii tossed Mystic a grin. "You caught me. I was half expecting to see a mummy propped in the corner or a selection of Heirloom Gypsy jewelry." Color touched her pale cheeks as she glanced around again.
"Much to my chagrin, even expecting all that I came planning on buying something." Moving to a small display of rings propped on a counter she looked at Mystic from the corner of her eye. "So... what would you suggest?"
Silently she added the reminder to herself. I'll also need a locking jewelry box before I go home.
'Hmm... well,' he began slowly as he gazed down at the case of rings, 'I rather like the ones that are carved entirely of gemstones, but getting them in the right size is always a trick.' He paused for a long moment as he considered the various pieces of jewelry on display for a moment more.
'.. what color is your favorite..?'
Nibbling at her lip she liked the idea of a gemstone ring, the cat girl looked down at her naked hands, long fingers with their claws retracted. "I like warm colors. Reds, Oranges, Copper is my favorite metal, even though its not really rare or precious." Laughing she slid her fingertip across a row of rings. "Basically anything that clashes with my natural coloring."
Looking carefully at the selection, Trivii liked that almost everything she saw varied in price from dirt cheap to ouch.
"What would you buy if you were me?" Trivii asked impulsively. Most people put her in blue and pewters, but the cat girl suspected Mystic might be different, she simply couldn't explain why she felt so comfortable with him.
This wasn't normal for her at all.
Mystic's expression softened into what seemed to be a charming smile. Despite his lack of a proper face, the sentiment was clear. He reached through the case entirely and unlocked it manually. He drew aside the glass and peered for a moment down at the selection.
'.. warm colors do suit you best, I should think,' he murmured in quiet thought before selecting a ring carved entirely of agate and one other that wasn't quite so delicate. It was of intricately wound gold wire and a smooth, bezel set cabochon of carnelian. 'Perhaps one of these..?' he offered as he extended the rings to her.
Trivii's breath caught and burned her lungs as her opaline eyes flitted from one jewel to the next. The agate ring, or the elaborate twist of gold and an odd red-orange stone. The sediment like layers of the agate glowed and made her fingers ache to try it on.
But the orange stone, was deep and reminded her of life, if a life could have a color that would be it. Carefully she accepted both rings from the Shadow, sliding the agate band onto her left thumb and then praying it would fit, she slid the larger orange stone onto her right ring finger. And Stared.
She wanted them both, but reluctantly she removed the agate band, and handed it back to Mystic. "What do you call this stone?" Looking at her hand the subtle throb that echoed up her arm. Even if it meant starving for a month, she wasn't leaving Twilight Designs without it.
Glancing rapidly up at Mystic a lock of hair half obstructed one eye while the other glittered up at him.
'Carnelian,' he replied before trailing off as he eyed the stone now that it was on her hand. It seemed out of place somehow. His eyes widened slightly as he glanced from the ring up to Trivii. Did she notice? Perhaps not yet, but he knew quiet suddenly that she certainly would. And soon.
'Ah.. perhaps not that one, maybe something more delicate?' he murmured as he pulled yet another ring from the display, though it was slightly smaller in size and boasted a multi-faceted, clear, red stone instead.
Trivii hesitated, and without relinquishing the carnelian, examined the delicate intricacies of the other ring. It was lovely, and any other day she might have leaped at the chance to buy it. But the deep red just didn't have the 'life' that the orange stone hinted at.
"It is lovely..." Trailing off and extending her other hand she caressed the faceted surface, prepared to let either Reyna or Mystic push for the better sale. "Tell me about it?"
Mystic looked as though he wanted to speak, but instead he found himself choking on his words which had stuttered to an awed silence. His brow furrowed something and he glanced away as the stone within the ring that Trivii still had her possession all but burst to life.
Black tendrils surrounded it, curling and coiling about in a fury of undulating movement until it finally freed itself from the confines of the setting of the jewelry it had been trapped within.
The Shadow was at a loss for words. He had by no means intended to burden his new found friend with such a gift.
"Well that was unexpected."
Mystic nearly jumped at the sound of his guardian's voice. He had nearly forgotten she was even there in the first place.
The black aura forcing the vibrant orange stone from golden trappings, caught Trivii's attention more than Mystics stuttering silence or Reyna's droll words. Reeling backwards she stared at the stone, swallowed as her opalesque eyes widened sharply, shifting over Mystic to the woman.
"What...?" Her voice barely a whisper terror radiated from the cat girl.
Reyna pushed away from her desk and made her way to where both Trivii and her own Shadow stood. "It's just a wisp. Nothing to be frightened of," she insisted. Idly she leaned over against Mystic's side in a casual sort of manner. "Aww... I remember when you were that tiny."
Mystic ducked his head and for a moment it looked almost as though he were blushing a bit.
"Like Mystic?" Her voice trilled off half purring. "A living shadow."
Trivii closed her eyes dazed.
"What does this mean?"
The demoness chuckled quietly as she reached to gently pat the other woman on the back as though to lend some sort of reassurance. "Pretty much means your stuck with it. Kinda the same way I'm stuck with Mystic."
The elder shadow looked rather perturbed and voiced his irritation. 'That is not an 'it' it's a 'she' and you're not .... stuck with me.'
If he had had a mouth, Reyna was quite certain that he would've been pouting. She smirked and leaned in close to kiss his cheek and ruffle his hair the way one would a small child. "Of course not, sweetness!"
Slowly anxiety began to fade from Trivii's silvery eyes, and she spared a look at the duo. "She..." Awe gradually overrode all else.
Giving Mystic a soft smile the cat like girl allowed curiosity to guide her as she extended a hand to the swirling darkness spilling from Carnelian.
"This is a hundred times better than jewelry... But, what do I do... with her?"
Reyna smirked and glanced towards Mystic in turn sighed. He was meant to explain. Of course. 'Just... keep her close. She really only requires your presence. Nothing more. We are a largely self reliant save for our need for a soul bond..'
"I can do that... Uhhh what do I owe you for her?"
It was awkward and she would no doubt have a hundred thousand questions for both Reyna and Mystic later but for now, her mind could only draw a blank.
Excitedly closing the distance to her new Guardian the slip of orange stone, glittered from the writhing mess of her own shadows.
Cupping her hand to pull the little one close to herself, Trivii felt a small portion of her reserve crumble.
Reyna shot the other woman a fanged grin. "My boss would pitch a fit if I sold her to you. We don't uh... collect payment on wayward stones that attach themselves to customers," she explained.
Thunderstruck. Trivii couldn't resist Reyna's smile and returned it shyly.
"Well then," tossing a sardonic look back to Mystic, "I guess I'll have to buy the agate band, won't I?" Gathering Carnelian closer she straightened. Not knowing what else to say, but in fact knowing that she would have little other business at Twilight Designs while she was still reeling from the awakening of her own wisp.
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Posted: Sun Jun 08, 2008 8:15 pm
Metaplot: Of Words and Stone
Athan and Reyna are turned to stone..!Honestly, it had been years since she'd been subjected to this kind of never-ending chaos. She had gotten used to her peace, damnit ! She had only just somewhat recovered from the battle (there where still burn marks and one bigger wound which hadn't fully closed yet) and there was another something rearing it's ugly head.
Zero was ticked and felt perfectly justified in such. The previous event where one thing - but now the matter had been brought on her doorstep. Whoever this was, it knew where she lived.
And if given half a chance, she would wring their sorry little neck for it.
The blue-haired woman entered Twilight Designs looking as if there was a massive thundercloud following her, as well as Red, who somehow looked a tad worried, and a piece of parchment in her hand, no longer pristine due to having to rip it off her door and having been held in a deathgrip the whole way.
"Oh for ******** sake," Reyna swore as she threw her hands up in exasperation and trudged back to her desk with a huff to glare moodily over at her employer.
"I simply do not believe it to be a good idea," Athan replied, voice calm and quiet as he folded his arms over his chest and gazed directly back at the demon. "He does not listen to me."
'I listen far more often than you believe,' Mystic informed him briskly as he faded into view just as he stepped through the wall of the back room into the shop front. He smirked faintly. Really, Athan ought to have been paying better attention. He had been listening in on the better part of their conversation about him for the last several minutes.
"Apparently so."
Reyna hissed in discontent and turned so that she had her back turned to the other man. She was insulted, that much was clear. It was also evident, that Zero was not alone in her general discontent.
Zero let the door close after her, and Red took place beside her, wondering just what was going on there.
His guardian, however, did not.
"Excuse me for breaking up your... discussion..." She took a few steps to the counter, where she let the note down. "...But I believe I have a problem."
Reyna swiveled around in her chair to frown at the crumpled note that was laid upon her desk. She frowned. It looked familiar. Her visible red eye widened and she jumped up quickly enough to send her chair teetering to the ground to crash against the floor carelessly.
"Athan!" she seemed to all but shout in her excited state, "It's a note.."
Her declaration seemed innocent enough if not a bit over exaggerated until Athan too took a step back from the desk and eyed the note warily. He glanced towards Zero with a small frown.
"Yes," he answered, "It seems you do." He paused for a long moment, not yet daring to venture closer to read the text. Instead he moved closer to Zero. "You've not been plagued by ... any... beasts or ... maladies since finding this note... have you?"
He did not sense that it was spelled as the others had been. It looked perfectly ordinary.
Uh ? What kind of question was that ? "Not... really... ?" Unless one counted Red, or Sei's damn katamari fandangle... "And im healing normally. There's still one slice that is being subborn but my friend says it's nothing too worrying at this point." She took a glance at the note.
"You don't mean to tell me this thing is spelled, is it ? Then I fear ill'd have to track down the little b*****d and hurt him. Her. It. Whatever."
There was way too many people in her house that had nothing to do with this.
Red had slid off to the side, winding in the trailing ends of Mystic's cape in a motion that might have been considered fright if not for the upset expression his face bore... or at least as much as he could with no mouth to turn it into a scorn, letting out a low hiss. He did not like this. Someone had used him for this and he did. not. like. this.
"Are you certain?" Athan asked again before he glanced away with a faint sigh. He did not know who or what it was that seemed to have a mind to cause them such pains. Especially with Doran gone. Who else would there be? He shook his head and moved towards the desk to glance warily down at the note.
"Eden," he whispered softly. His brow furrowed in a puzzled expression as he read further before rolling his eyes at the wording.
"What's it say?" Reyna asked from a few feet away. Like hell was she going near that damn note. She was not down with being poisoned or possessed, thanks.
"It says," Athan spoke up, "The snake did tempt dear Eve in Eden. The garden once green is now gray with death." His voice seemed to grow slightly in strength and he looked up, looking quite frantic as he continued. "Little Medusa, does your gaze still turn thy foe to rock and r-rubble?"
He swallowed thickly and gritted his teeth as though to force himself to stop. He could feel it now. It was a spell. The note in question did not contain magic, but the words he read aloud spoken by his voice did.
"Time is.. short. The time.. is.. n-nigh.." he managed, voice shaky yet still strong with evident power. He held one hand out before him as though to shield his gaze from the note itself so that he might not read further, but it did him little good. The words were already burned into his mind. "S-save your strength... little ... serpent."
"What in hell, Athan?" Reyna murmured, visible eye wide with confusion and the tiniest bit of fear that she had not managed to hide. She strode over towards him and placed a hand upon his shoulder only to find that she could not move it.
She opened her mouth to speak in warning to the others, but no sound came forth.
"B-be not.. made of... stone. It is your c-creator, your f-father, your maker who m-must atone."
Athan fell silent. Neither he nor the demon frozen at his side moved.
Mystic stared, wide-eyed with a look of sheer, utter panic. 'Reyna?' he murmured softly as he tried to reach out towards her mind only to be met by a wall of silence and stone. He choked back a quiet noise of pain. 'Reyna!' he called again.
Nothing. Only silence.
He glanced towards Zero and down at the child that was curling within his cloak. 'They're.... they...' he began in a choked voice. Not dead, that he was certain of. If Reyna were to die, he would as well.
'..... they've turned to stone.'
"Yes, I am-" Zero cut of. "A...Athan ?" Wait, something was wrong here. Something was very, very wrong. "...S-Stop reading that !"
It didn't do. She moved to rip it out of his hands, but it was much too late. The spell had been completed.
"Damnit... Athan ! Reyna ! Answer me !"
Red darted out of the cloak, in a mix of both anger and panic. "Athan ?! s**t, answer me, old man !"
That always pissed him off, but there was no reaction.
Suddenly, something burned. Zero recoiled, hissing in pain and staring at her fingers.
The fingers where pale as a statue. "...Oh... s**t."
"Zero ! Not you too !!!"
Mystic darted towards Zero, movements slightly stilted in his panic before he grasped her arm firmly with one dark hand to try and slow the effects. Quiet, softly spoken words came to mind and he whispered them softly, but the damage was already done. Most of her arm was slowly turning a pristine, pearly white and was entirely immobile. He had at least delayed the spell for the time being.
He took a steadying breath as he tore his gaze away from Zero and glanced towards his guardian with a sort of lost, forlorn look. '... there is always a way to undo what has been done. We must simply find out how to do so,' he stated quietly, gaze transfixed upon Reyna still. Her already pale skin was starting to take on the glossy, smooth look of well polished marble.
'Quickly,' he spoke up, voice less hesitant than moment prior and filled with a steely determination, 'The spell used is not of a mortal's making. We need demonic magic.'
And for that, they would simply need to head to his home. He brightened slightly at that thought. Home meant Reyna's personal library. Home meant a real life Medusa. Perhaps Charles would finally prove his worth. He doubted it, but still held onto that simple hope that the flamboyant snake would have know enough to be of some use.
Zero could do nothing but stare, her mind locked in panic. Stare as it spread, upward and upward, suddenly some dark across the black...
And finally stopped. "...Aaa..." The woman wobbled for a moment, but moved her legs to balance herself before she could fall back from the shock, which was slowly leaving her system. Her tanktop made it all the more apparent, as the line of white stopped just in line with her shoulder. Any further and...
She didn't want to think about it.
Red moved, swiftly, to cling on Zero's arm, careful not to put any pressure, as if somehow to shield what was left of his guardian against the spell with his own body.
"You mean, demons could have done this ?" His voice made something very clear.
Whoever it was, they would pay
Zero tried to move experientially, but her arm refused to budge. Apparently the spell had gotten to the joint in her shoulder. Her right arm, too... wonderful.
"...I must have a cosmic "kick me" sign." She muttered, before looking at Mystic. "We should probably lock the shop for now... just in case this s**t is still contagious." Reyna and Athan had frozen instantaneously. The fiend seemed all but unaffected. And she...
Well, perhaps being a mix of living and not-living had saved her butt. Somewhat.
"I'd rather not deal with any more statues...."
'It wasn't necessarily a demon that did it,' Mystic answered as he carefully ushered both Zero and her Fiend out the door. He locked it from the inside and stepped through the glass with a backwards glance and soft sigh. 'It's... how the spell was rendered by using Athan's will against him. That is not typical of a mortal,' he went on in explanation.
He held out his hand as though to call forth a portal before shifting his gaze over towards Zero. 'I'm sorry,' he replied, 'But this is the fastest way to get to my home. We haven't time to trudge through a swamp.'
Zero just... stared at the portal for a moment, with a mix of disgust and "you've got to be KIDDING me"... then shook her head and sighed. If only staying here was an option, but noooo, she had to play Red's landmark. Or something.
Really, she liked the swamp idea better, but time was the essence. "I really... really have a cosmic "kick me" sign. Hooked to my butt." She announced, before she stepped in, fiend in tow.
Once through they were thankfully not whisked to another world, but directly before Reyna's home deep within the swamp outside of Bass'ken Lake. Mystic turned before heading into his home to check on Zero. She had not fared well last time they had gone portal hopping.
'Are you okay?' he asked as he looped a arm about her waist just in case she required help. It also would not bode well if she were to fall and catch herself with her arm that had turned to stone without risking the chance of it shattering.
And, just as the elder fiend has expected, she had been heading straight to the ground, but thankfully he did in fact catch her before she could pummel down arm first, her usually pale skintone going more toward the green.
"Hate... those things..." The blue-haired woman muttered. "...Give me a minute or so..."
Red drew a few lazy circles around the pair, visibly a bit impatient. Really, this one... particularity of his guardian was somewhat bothersome.
Mystic simply nodded and waited a few moments before trying to haul her into the house. 'Come on. We'll get you inside and you can rest while we raid Reyna's library,' he told her quietly as she gingerly ushered her inside the house itself.
"You're home early! I was just making some cookies!" came a sing song voice from the kitchen. There then came a shrill noise of joy as a small child came skittering out of the kitchen with a ghostly little dog and a medusa slithering after.
"Oh," the medusa paused as he took in the appearance of Mystic and his .. friends..? "Silly! You didn't tell me you were brining home company! And here I thought it was just Reyna home early from work."
The elder shadow looked somewhat displeased at Die's presence, but at the same time was somewhat thankful. Perhaps he would know something they didn't. 'That's nice,' he interjected before the snake could ramble on further as he was often wont to do, '.. I don't suppose you know anything about turning people to stone? Or reversing the effects of such, rather.'
"OH NO!" the medusa wailed, "Did I accidentally turn Reyna to stone? Is that why she isn't with you? Oh nooo! I don't ever take my blind fold off just in case but oh noooooo!!"
"Mommy is to stone?" Sam chimed up from where she stood between the medusa and her brother looking confused before her gaze settled upon the other shadow that she hadn't noticed was there. "Mystic has brother!!" she cheered, momentarily distracted by the potential upsetting news that her mother may have been turned into a statue.
Zero managed to follow along, or at least she did her best to, and as the waves of nausea started to die down, it seemed to become much easier.
Yet... the last thing she expected was the house to be, well... full of people. ...Or maybe it was just the sight of the giant snake. Giant snake who was now freaking out.
"No, no no no ! You didn't do anything !" ...At least she was pretty sure he hadn't. But, telling them both that Reyna was in fact turned to stone... Especially the kid...
"I got myself in a bit of a pinch, you see." She did her best to waggle her arm around. "...We where wondering if you knew anything about it so I could get my arm back ? It's... kind of bothersome."
Ahhh, the ability to lie with a straight face. Years of perfection, folks.
Red was about to interject with something, but the DEATH GLARE that Zero sent him somehow stopped him. Instead, he took interest at the tiny little girl. He hadn't quite ever seen a girl so tiny, but yet she was bigger than Alden. And she could talk. Hm.
Humans where so odd.
..."Yeah, that exactly's it. And you would be ?" Hey, if he could amuse her...
"Goodness!" Die sighed, as he pressed one hand delicately to his face, "You gave me such a start! Here I was thinking I had somehow done something terrible when really you just needed help for your sweet friend. That is quite reassuring. Goodness. Who'd have thought such a thing was possible? How did you go about getting yourself into such a mess, dear? Would you like a cookie?"
Mystic's face darkened with a scowl before he reached out and snapped his fingers in front of the medusa's face. 'Focus, man, focus! Do you know anything about turning someone back to normal after having been turned to stone?'
Die frowned a bit and folded his arms over his chest as he thought. "Hmm.... Nooo. I don't think soo.. I do know of a good home remedy for dry scales..?"
The shadow heaved a heavy sigh. Not helpful at all. Figured, really.
Sam on the other hand was amused and she beamed brightly up at the other shadow. "Mystic's sister," she announced with obvious pride as she pointed up at her big brother.
"...Ill'd have to say no to the cookie, thanks." Really, her stomach was still running in circles and like hell she was gonna get sick again in the presence of the poor shadow. "It's... a long story, really..."
She broke off with a hiss, her valid hand going to her shoulder. The stone spread a bit more, but stopped as quickly as it started.
"...I don't think we have time for this." At least not if she didn't want to become a part of Reyna's home decor, that is.
"That's great~" The little shadow swirled around her, sending a worried glance at both his guardian and Mystic, but trying his best not to give in to the urge to dart straight to her, and thus scare off the child. If she was anything like Alden, she probably had the fearsome ability to shatter eardrums. "Does that mean I would be your brother too, hmm ?"
Sam's eyes went wide and she squealed with joy before announcing, "Yes!" She clapped her hands happily and even Fragments did a little jig midair. Her moment of rapture was interrupted however when Mystic swooped down and grabbed her up.
She beamed brightly and clung to him with a happy sigh. Typically it was he and not the overly flamboyant medusa that cared for her during the day. 'Little one... can you be a big girl and stay here to help Char-- Die bake? I have to help my friend fix her arm. It is very important.'
She managed to squirm and slip her way out of his arms and nodded with a grin. "Yus! Can help Uncle Die cook."
He reached to pat her lightly atop her head with a quiet look of adoration before hauling Zero and Red through the living room and down the hallway that led to all their rooms. Reyna's library, however, was well hidden and typically off limits.
He cast a small circle that seemed to burn itself into the end of the hallway which appeared to lead to a dead end. The wall burned away with a sort of inner light to reveal a door.
'Let's hurry,' he murmured before pausing to stop Red before he could simply skitter through. 'And just as a general FYI... try not to touch .. well... any jewelry, charms, paintings, or... well... much of anything save for the books.'
Really, Zero had no plan to really touch anything, even the books, since reading with one hand would really be kind of bothersome as is. No, she knew exactly who that warning was tailored for. "You heard that, Red ?" She couldn't help but glare a bit.
"Yeah yeaaahhhh...." Really, he quite liked Zero, but sometimes she was boring. And grumpy. Thought for once the reason was kind of easy to see and understand - he'd be pissed if one of his arms was stone too.
Mystic gazed levelly at all of the books, fingertips idly trailing down their spines as he carefully gazed at their titles. There were few he hadn't read. He had by no means mastered all of the spells, but he knew of them. For once the fairly useless amount of knowledge he possessed from the massive amount of books he had read seemed to be proving somewhat useful.
He paused for a moment, frozen mid movement as a thought struck him. The book of the dark arts. Had Athan taken it back after he had refused his lessons? Surely it would have a spell similar to it which had been cast upon his guardian. Surely it would also lead to some sort of remedy as well.
The elder shadow turned and with a flurry of movement scattered papers and stirred up the dust the had settled upon the desk within the study. He had not been back here. Not since that last "lesson" with Athan. He frowned and shoved those thoughts aside. Now was not the time for such reminiscing. He needed to focus.
Zero remained mostly silent, doing her best to bottle in the pain as she could quite clearly feel the spell work it's way and her flesh turning to stone, which was FAR from pleasant. It was pretty painful, in fact. She focused on watching Red as he darted around the room, peering at the books and reading the titles. So far the shadow was not touching anything, but Zero knew better than to leave him to his own devices.
'Yes!' Mystic declared as he found the book. It was there beneath all the junk that had accumulated atop the desk, still open on the page he had left it on. He pulled a face. Oh deities be damned. He had forgotten about just how grotesque the illustrations were.
He pulled a face and flipped through the pages quickly to find the index. Stone, stone, stone. He needed to find things about stone. He cursed inwardly. Stupid book was written mostly in some sort of archaic language. He sighed heavily as he cleared his thoughts and tried to relax. He could read it. He had done so before, plus there were Athan's translations tidily scribbled just under each passage.
'The Medusa's Gaze...' He had found it. He stared down at it, somewhat in awe. He had found it!
Zero perked a bit, gripping the curious fiend with her working arm and peering over Mystic's shoulder. What kind of language was that.... ?!? It didn't even look readable, to her at least. "You found it ?!"
Red hissed a bit as he was jerked away and settled beside Zero. "What do we need to do, then ?"
'I believe so... yes,' Mystic answered as he trailed one dark finger against the page as he read quietly. The casting of the actual spell was less than pleasant. It required the actual sacrifice of a live, still-beating cobra heart. The remedy, however, at least seemed somewhat simpler and required no sacrifices of still living creatures. For that he was infinitely thankful for as he wasn't certain he had the stomach for it.
'We need supplies... should have most of it here already.' He drew in a deep breath as he fumbled for a piece of paper and carefully scribbled down the supplies in his own neat, tidy handwriting so that they would not be forced to refer to the book itself while hunting down ingredients for the antidote.
'First we need sea salt. There should be some in the kitchen. Also, a copper pan or basin.'
Zero nodded and, after having read over the list with Red, both guardian and shadow set off to find the listed ingredients. In between the three of them, this didn't take too long at all, and soon everything was on the table.
Mystic peered down at the ingredients anxiously. He had not ever stirred a spell before. He had only practiced at casting circles. '... please let this work,' he muttered darkly as he deftly added all the ingredients together. At first it seemed to do nothing but create a mess, but it quickly formed a paste that then rapidly dissolved into a liquid form as it was stirred.
He paused for a moment and then cast the circle necessary to bind the ingredients together. It gave off a puff of a smoke which he waved away with one hand.
'... well. It seems okay,' Mystic stated as he peered down at the gel-like substance that now coated the bottom of the copper basin. He carried it over towards Zero and gingerly reached with one hand to smear a bit of it on her arm. It felt cool to the touch, almost like some sort of aloe.
Why did that not sound encouraging ? Red perched on top of one bookcase, a worried expression on his face. He was doing his best to hide it, but was failing quite epicly at that.
He would so have to track down the little b*****d and feed he.... she.... it's own damn liver.
Zero tried to stay as still as possible, but while the salve was supposed to feel cool, it felt like pure ice on her arm, which was almost as unpleasant as the stoning itself.
After a moment, however, the coldness seemed to dissipate a bit - and she was surprised to find one finger answering to her and starting to move. "I think it's working !"
'Yes,' Mystic replied slowly as he gazed over at her shoulder for a long, hard moment, 'The color to your skin is returning, and quickly.' He added more of the salve to her arm as he noticed that her skin was actually absorbing it.
His eyes narrowed in thought. That could've explained the pain Zero had been in. It had literally drained every bit of moisture within her as it turned her arm to stone.
'Oh.. no,' he managed as he gazed into the basin. '... we're nearly out of it, it seems.' That... did not bode well. They would need much more of everything and quickly. That in itself could prove troubling given that several of the items used in the spell were not the sort that one typically found in an average store.
He glanced from Red and then to Zero. '... we're going to need some help.'
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Posted: Sun Jun 08, 2008 8:16 pm
Metaplot: Melancholy and Minerals
Dio and Mystic witness the awakening of Mimetite! Mystic hurried along as quick as he could manage. He had reached an age where he more often than not kept to his more "human" form and walked about on two legs like everyone else. The time called for haste and he abandoned his solid form entirely as he rushed alongside Dio, leaving Merci a few blocks away at another store.
Please let us make it in time! Technically, there was time enough to reverse the effects of the spell that had been placed on both Reyna and Athan, but he couldn't help but feel anxious. He could feel his bond to her slipping about the edges. It made him panic.
'This should be the place,' Mystic informed the other shadow. It was a store mostly of nicknacks and the occasional antique or artifact. His eyes narrowed in thought as they both entered. It held a certain familiar darkness to it..
Dio followed Mystic in silence, his own burgundy eye wide. He hadn't really known how much danger his Auntie Reyna was in, but now that he did know he felt a certain nervousness too. It was easier for him to float along and he did so next to Mystic as they entered the small darkened shop. It was much more comfortable for him here, and his body almost visibly relaxed as he floated through the shelves.
He wrung his hands and brushed the long bangs out of his face so he could more easily scan the merchandise. 'Are you sure it's here Mystic? I don't see anything that looks like what you described.' The boy's voice was quiet as he spoke to the other fiend. He wanted to be a comfort for Mystic, and he desperately wanted to help Reyna and Athan.
Cheyna stared at the small, wooden box in front of her, delicate nose crinkled just enough to show her annoyed displeasure in it. She had come here in hopes of finding something good, something of value or something she could dub 'cool', and so far she had found nada. Random odds and ends, useless trinkets, old and decaying knick-knacks... she supposed this is what she got for coming to some random antique store. Or whatever this place even was.
Letting out a soft but audible growl, the young demoness tucked her wings in closer to her body and lightly padded further into the bowels of the small shop; small, tanned fingers touching things here and there as she went, trying to find something - anything, really - that would interest her, or rather, interest her brother. Cheylan was, after all, her reason for coming here, she wouldn't have ventured forth by herself for anyone but her twin, and she had recently felt an urge to acquire something unique for him. But her brother being her brother, it was hard to find something that would capture and hold his interest.
Ah well, she must be getting points for trying so hard, right?
'Mm.. I'm certain,' Mystic replied, 'The shopkeeper here owns various artifacts, or so I've been told. Athan ventures here sometimes. Usually for rare minerals, which is what we're after..' He sighed, somewhat exasperated as he simply floated entirely through shelves and tables. Everything was in his way.
In his haste he nearly phased through the little girl that was poking through the various wares that were on display. He paused for a moment as he peered down at her with unnaturally bright eyes. A little demon, was it? Her aura reminded him faintly of Reyna, and with that thought he did not linger a moment longer and instead went straight to the cash register where a bored looking employee stood.
'I need to speak with Kahn. It is of dire importance.'
The young man's eyes widened slightly at the sight of him and Dio both. The shopkeeper typically did not appreciate being disturbed, but he was willing to make an exception in this instance for fear of what such ghostly creatures might do if refused.
"I.. I'll... I'll go get her."
Mystic nodded curtly and folded his arms over his chest as he drew his cloak closer about his form.
Dio's brightly colored hair fell down over his eye again as he approached the counter. Normally most jewelry would be kept in a glass counter. Least that was what it was like over in Twilight designs. The place was a little musty and so he just stuck his head partially through the glass so he could see better. Things were sparkly, but beyond that didn't hold much interest. The things at Twilight Design were much better made, though the jewelry here seemed to be a little older.
He pulled his head back out and glanced up at Mystic 'There are some jewelry things in here. Could some of it be in one of these things?' He pointed at the glass and gazed curiously up at the older Shadow.
Cheyna trailed the tip of her index finger along the edge of one of the shelves, already being half-bored with what the store offered her. In ways of gifts for her brother, it wasn't a very good place to shop, she soon realized. She had seen a few things she herself might have liked to stop and look at, but even though she could probably afford just about anything in the store, she had come for her brother and refused to indulge herself in picking something up.
The girl halted abruptly as a figure seemingly materialized in front of her, giving her a small start. Turning crimson, cat-like eyes up to his, she couldn't help from feel slightly uneasy, as perhaps she did when in close proximity with anyone she didn’t know. Keeping her gaze on him, she watched as he turned and went about his way, not even uttering an 'excuse me' for almost plowing right into her.
How rude! She thought to herself briefly, but having better manners than most she met, she simply shrugged it off; sleek tail flicking underneath her long, dark blue skirt. Her bright eyes watched for just a moment longer, spying a smaller figure come up next to the other one, but shortly after she mimicked the stranger and turned her back on them, nearly done with surveying the shelves and feeling a bit disheartened at the thought of leaving yet another shop empty handed.
The elder shadow was quickly becoming rather impatient. He huffed a bit irritably and bent down to take a peek at what it was Dio was referring to. 'Mm... no, little one. What we're actually after is a powdery sort of substance. It's apparently rather rare... to be honest I don't know how to pronounce it properly, either.' He hoped the small scrap of paper he had with the name written down would be enough.
He moved to stand but paused. He felt it again. That familiar, yearning darkness. He scrubbed at the glass of the case with one hand with a look of distaste when it came away covered in grime. His eyes widened in surprise. For the moment his discontent at having been made to wait was brushed aside.
'Dio... look,' he whispered in a hushed tone as he pointed towards a clustered stone hidden away in the back. It was covered in tiny spikes and if he squinted at it just right, it almost seemed to be glowing.
While Mystic was talking to him Dio was looking around. The little demoness caught his attention until the older shadow said his name. His burgundy eye moved to where he gestured, and it took him a minute to see the clump of stone. He focused on it and leaned over the counter, 'What is it doing? Is it waking up?' He remembered what Staurolite had looked like when it woke up. 'We can't leave it here, not alone.'
Dio looked back up at Mystic and he was honestly anxious. Mystic was not in the mindset to really deal with anything but his Guardian at the moment. However leaving the little stone where it was would be bad. He didn't want anything to have to feel as lonely as he did, it was a bad memory for him.
Mystic's brow furrowed into a frown. They really didn't have time to deal with this, and seeing as they were both reliant on their own guardians, Dio especially given his age, neither could afford to keep the stone. They had no energy to spare for the little wisp to form properly, and if it were already beginning to take on its glow that meant only one thing...
He idly cast a glance back towards the little girl. Perhaps she could prove useful in that respect. He was typically adverse to handing a stone to a child, but she was no ordinary child, that much was clear. A demon would have the strength to withstand the bond regardless of age.
What's more, the look of desperation Dio shot him made it painfully clear that simply leaving the stone behind was not an option.
"An' what is so important ya need botherin' me..?" came a rather sassy response from an equally sassy looking woman.
'This...' Mystic replied as he handed the piece of paper to her.
She looked it over and rolled her eyes. "Wanna tell me why I might go as to feelin' inclined ta give you this..? Ain't handin' it over for nothin' that for sho'.."
Mystic seemed to smirk. 'I'll do you a favor and take that stone off your hands,' he murmured innocently as he pointed towards the glass case where it sat.
Dio's head turned when Mystic's did, and he followed the gaze to the little demon. Hearing the other fiend starting to barter for the stone he decided to indulge his curiosity. He peeled away from Mystic and passed through the bookshelves next to her so he could get in front the girl. The colorful hair hung low over his right eye as he waved at Cheyna Hello,' His voice floated through her head as he has no mouth. 'Whats your name? Are you here shopping for something in particular? Are you a demon like Aunty Reyna?'
Dio didn't even bother thinking that she might not like being assaulted with so many questions. He was honestly curious, and with the innocence of a child trusts that he is safe. He clasped his hands behind his back and trustingly watched Cheyna.
Third store, with same result, and the defeated youngster was just about ready to call it quits and head home. Though she did see a neat mug on one of the shelves, but that would have been something for her, not her brother, and that was a no-no. At least on this trip, perhaps another time.
Tucking a crimson-streaked lock of blonde hair behind a pointed ear, she turned around and was about to head to the front of the store when one of the two figures passed through the shelf to her left, coming to a standstill just before her. His initial appearance made her start, but that aside, nothing about him struck her as particularly odd or suspicious - being in a household full of random and extremely diverse beings, it was hard to faze the young demon.
"Hi," Cheyna smiled, blood-hued eyes glinting curiously as he spurted out - mentally, she noted, just like one of her mother's friends - a handful of questions all at once, but the demoness wasn't one to ignore or brush anyone off, and she happily responded to all of them.
"I'm Cheyna, I came in here to try and find something for my brother, but he's a really hard person to shop for, he kind of already has everything he wants..." The girl's smooth brow creased for a moment as she frowned at the thought of her brother, but the shadow quickly left her face and was replaced with a smile, "Yes, I am! Both my mom and my dad were demons, but I think they were different kinds, so I guess I'm two different types rolled into one." Her smiled widened a bit at her own comment, and she arched her slender brows, "How about you?"
Khan laughed. It was a low, throaty chuckle that ended in what sounded like a purr. "That be a lofty price, sugar."
Mystic leaned onto the counter and glanced down at its contents. He was somewhat thankful that Dio had skittered off, as the situation at hand had the potentially to turn ugly, and should it require a bit of spell work, he wouldn't want him in the way. Plus, he was doing an excellent job at keeping the potential host within the shop.
'Actually,' he replied as he straightened up a bit and tapped at the glass, 'I would be doing you a favor by taking this stone.'
As if on cue, the glow that was pulsating around the stone burst into life and the little wisp frantically skittered about its confines, clinking against the glass as it struggled to break free.
The woman's eyes widened. "You did tha' on purpose! You came here fo' that man... always comin' in for rare t'ings and want'n that damn stone."
'Ah.. Athan. You could say that is true, in a way. I prefer not to associate with him personally, but if you're wondering why he may have wanted the stone so badly.. well.. you can see why.'
She hissed irritably and took a step back away from the case and muttered something in a foreign language that sounded suspiciously like a curse. She made a sign with one hand and Mystic couldn't quite make up his mind if she was trying to ward off evil or was making some sort of rude gesture.
It hardly mattered to him. He just wanted the damn mineral he came for, and the rock-turned-wisp that was in the case. Once she had left he slipped through to the other side and opened the sliding door.
Once realizing it had a way out, the wisp zoomed out of the case entirely and made a bee-line for Cheyna.
Dio saw the movement out of the corner of his eye and turned his face toward the wisp. It was moving at a fairly high rate of speed. A feeling of relief swept through him as he realized that things were going to be alright for the little one. He just couldn't abide the thought of someone fading away like he almost did. He did answer Cheyna while he moved, 'I'm a Shadow. I don't think I have parents so to speak but I have a Merci. She takes care of me.' He reaches a hand up to touch the stone that was embedded under the hollow of his throat. 'We start out tiny, like that.'
He gestured at the little wisp and backed up a little more, happy to let the little thing accost her. 'Look a little bit like that when I was little.'
Cheyna was about to ask what it meant to be a shadow when her newly found acquaintance turned his attention elsewhere. Flicking her gaze in the same direction as his, her slitted eyes widened and she let out a small screech as the only thing she saw was a small orange rock flying straight at her. Tucking her head down, she threw her arms up to protect her temples, believing someone had actually thrown something at her, or at someone else and missed them.
After no more than a second or two of not being hit, she opened her eyes and lifted her head, hands poised just in front of her chest, and she couldn't help but frown, rosy lips parted. The stone seemed to be hovering in the air just beside her, small tendrils of a sheer, black substance - smoke, maybe? - rising from and curling about its spiked surface.
"What.." Her soft voice trailed off, not entirely sure what was going on and not really focusing on the words the being next to her had said; her bewilderment was reflected within her widened, red eyes as she continued to stare at the stone. Having seen many things, a floating rock was something new to her, especially one that randomly flew at peoples' heads and then stopped, and she didn't entirely trust it, or anyone else for that matter. Telekinesis was something she was very familiar with, herself being slightly gifted with it, and she knew the stone might simply be an object for anyone in the store.
'Forgive me, dear,' Mystic spoke up from where he now leaned casually against the counter as he waited on Khan to return, 'But I dare say our little friend there needs someone to watch over him. I believe he has taken to you.' Quite literally, he tacked on mentally.
He looked as though he wished to say more but was distracted by the reappearance of the shopkeeper. She scowled over at him as she gruffly tossed him a small pouch which he deftly caught in one hand. "You tell Athan that I expect proper payment, you got that, eh?" she hissed as she tried to poke him in the arm to emphasis her point only to have her hand phase entirely through him.
She skittered back with a startled gasp and Mystic all but radiated a sort of smug satisfaction.
'... I'll let him know.'
The little shadow slipped through the air back over to Mystic's side. 'Is that it, will that help the Athan man and Auntie Reyna?' He was entirely satisfied that the wisp was taken care of, after all he had a guardian now didn't he? Dio curled under the other fiend's cloak and tried to get a good look at the pouch in his hand. 'Thank you for getting him Mystic...'
"What.." Again, the young demon's voice trailed off as she stared at the stone as it hovered silently, almost a little foreboding, had it not been so small and bright of a color. She didn't quite comprehend what exactly was going on - it took a liking to her? That meant it was alive, right? Was this like those things her mother always used to tell her about, the couple things her mother had gotten a hold of, or the way Rhiannon had liked to put it, shoved into her hands?
Cheyna turned her head and watched the smaller one return the other's side, and a small well of abandonment opened up within her chest. Surely they weren't just going to leave her with this floating rock, were they? Turning her attention back to it, it still hovered, rivulets of that peculiar blackness running across its surface, and hesitantly, she reached out a small finger and poked one of the flat surfaces. Immediately, the black tendrils coiled and writhed over one another, clutching and twisting towards her finger, and slowly the smooth skin of her finger seemed to ripple. She recoiled her hand from it, a slight look of horror crossing her pretty face as an odd, cold feeling twisted itself into her breast, making her uneasy.
"Wait! I don't think I understand." Talking more to the smaller one, not the rude one, she padded quickly after him, her hand unconsciously scrubbing her finger. She stopped a few feet from them, suddenly feeling a little shy and wary, "What... what is it? Is it dangerous? I don't think I like it very much..."
Dio glanced over and he practically beamed at Cheyna. 'It's a wisp, of course HE isn't dangerous. He's going to be like me, with a little care. We need someone to help us, like my Merci, and Mystic's Reyna. You will be his guardian, cause without you he could die.' Dio moved from beneath the cloak and tilted his head at the little demon, 'Promise he isn't scary, he just likes you.' The little fiend tried to emit a soothing feeling at Cheyna, to make her feel a little more comfortable. Without her the little wisp would slowly fade away, and he didn't like the thought of that.
'Typically,' Mystic spoke up as he grabbed a firm hold of Dio to drag him away and towards the door, 'I would make it a point to stay and explain the situation, but we've a life or death situation to cope with, so to speak.'
He paused a brief moment to hand the child a card which seemed to materialize out of no where which boasted a elegantly penned logo in silver ink on smooth black paper. 'You'll no doubt have further questions that will need answering. I can promise you that the stone wishes you no ill harm. To harm you would be to in turn hurt itself. Visit the shop in Durem -- Twilight Designs.'
And with that, he turned to leave, all but abandoning the little demon to cope with her new ward on her own. It was not an easy decision to make, but he had other more pressing matters to attend to.
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Posted: Sun Jun 08, 2008 8:18 pm
Metaplot: A Little of This, A Little of That
Merci continues her hunt for items and retrieves Dio from the shop.Merci pursed her lips and blew up, trying to get some of the hair out of her face. She'd pounded the pavement and all she had gotten was a name. The nooks masquerading as shops she had managed to get were not only completely useless to her, but unable to tell her where she might be able to retrieve this odd chemical Mystic had blurted at her before whisking out the door with her little shadow in tow. The only useful thing they had told her was that if it was available anywhere a man named Doylin would have it.
What the hell kind of name was that anyway?
Merci parked the hulking truck on the street and swiped the back of her arm across her forehead. It had been a hot day, and of course her air conditioning needed to be charged and hadn't managed to cool the cab enough for her liking. Twilight Designs sat across the street, the storefront seemed to be a little less inviting then it usually was. True it could have been her own imagination, knowing that two statues sat inside that should be people, but it didn't matter in the short run.
The kitsune slid out of the machine and slammed the door as she stalked across the empty street. She was seriously not looking forward to telling Mystic that the whole thing had been a bust.
Mystic sat behind the desk, huddled close to the statue of his guardian and to the child that was trying so desperately to put him at ease. 'This will work out,' he insisted. It was more to convince himself than to convince Dio. He believed, while he.. held onto doubt.
He sighed heavily and propped his chin up in one hand. 'This has to work.' He would fade away otherwise.
Dio didn't know what to do, he felt so helpless. 'Don't worry Mystic, Auntie Reyna and the Athan man will be just fine. You'll see. Merci is helping find what you need and I will too. I bet Red is going to look too. Red can do anything so I know that everything is going to work out. You have to take heart, after all Auntie Reyna will be so happy to see you when she gets better. The Athan man will probably be happy too, he's nice. Bad things just don't happen to good people.' The little shadow was patting Mystic on the shoulder and babbling comfortingly. He really was trying his best. When he heard the door he fell silent and peeked around to try and see who had come in.
Merci could hear the little shadow trying desperately to keep Mystic in good cheer. It made her smile a little bit in spite of her failure. Normally in a situation like this he would just hide behind Maili or herself. It was nice to hear him actually talking openly. Mystic was one of the few that he would babble to like that. The multi hued head peeked at her and she heard the relieved sigh float through her mind. If only she had better news. "Mystic? Hey how are you holding up...?" She trailed off and put her hands behind her back, her tail flicking back and forth slowly as she gaged the older shadow's mood.
Mystic had no answer for her. He turned his head away and gazed down at the floor. 'I have not begun to fade.' Perhaps he wouldn't. Perhaps he would be trapped eternally without the comfort of his guardian's shadow ever again.
He sighed and shifted into his more transparent form if only because his restlessness wouldn't allow him to be comfortable sitting in a chair in a more solid state.
She grimaced and her eyes darted over to Dio and back to him. "I couldn't find what you wanted. I went to two of the shops you gave me and they both gave me the same name though. I am going to find him and get what you need. Why don't you give me a list, and I'll work my way down it alright?" She knew what she was getting herself into. Days of crawling through back alley gypsy wagons and dirty little second hand stores that had hunchbacks for salesclerks.
To be honest though, it didn't matter to her. Mystic was important to Dio, and Reyna had never been anything but kind to her boy. Merci knew that her little shadow would be heartbroken if anything happened to his adopted family.
All of her suspicions where confirmed when she looked into Dio's big burgundy eye locked on her, so full of hope.
He nodded as he scrambled for a loose piece of paper. He had already sent Red and Zero off for some of the items, but if Merci and Dio could also hunt for more items while he guarded his stone wards... all the better!
He hurriedly scribbled down lists and names, descriptions, and tiny scribbly drawings. 'Here.. I.. well... I'll be here if you have questions. I appreciate the help. Really I do.'
Merci took the paper and she looked it over. Some of the names didn't seem so outlandish, but she hadn't thought that a chemical would be so hard to track down either. "Alright I can do this. You gonna be okay on your own here? I kinda need to take Dio with me so I can go find this Doylin character."
Dio didn't even need prompting, he peeled away from Mystic and huddled behind Merci. It felt so good to be near her again, and it broke his heart to think that Mystic couldn't feel comfort in being near his Guardian. 'We'll come back soon. Hang in there alright?'
'I will be well,' he insisted, 'I need to stay to watch over them. I left the alone far too long earlier on today.' He offered a quiet, empathic pang of reassurance to both Dio and his guardian before he settled himself once more into the chair. He needed to organize his thoughts and what supplies he had.
Yes. That is what he would do to keep himself occupied.
Merci hesitated before she nodded to him once and gave him a half hearted little wave. She turned on her heel and headed for the door. "Come on Dio we're more help on the move. You can read the list for me while we walk." She pushed the door open and grimaced as she was hit by the heat. It was heading into the late afternoon hours but it was still uncomfortably hot.
Dio hit the bright light and cringed back into the doorway of the shop instinctively. He sunk down into Merci's shadow as she set off up the road, paper firmly in hand. He was more comfortable traveling that way during the daylight hours.
Merci left her car parked, some of the shops were close and she hated wasting time finding a parking place. After all, it seemed that now time was something she couldn't afford to waste.
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