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 Posted: Tue Jul 01, 2008 8:29 pm
|Overview|
This is an epic roleplay between Loki and Konstantin.
The setting is The Shrine of the Fallen.
Shrine of the Fallen - A large graveyard and shrine at the foot of the tree of the dead, most of the graves are the fallen warriors from epic wars of long ago.
 homg
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Posted: Tue Jul 01, 2008 9:34 pm
He knew nothing about the place, other than that it was a gravesite and shrine for the dead. The forest surrounding it was nearly devoid of light, and reeked of death. In the sky, the sun was burning, but it was not visible to anyone around the tree of the dead. Only darkness covered the forested landscape.
To aide the spirits who wandered the darkness were lanterns; lights, surrounded by balls of white paper, placed randomly around the shrine to offer some form of light. While it was certain that no human within their right mind would travel here, and thus, wouldn't need the light to see, many spirits still found themselves wandering there. Whether it was to see the grave of their former life, or out of curiosity, or even a lack of anywhere else to go, hauntings were certain there.
With that in mind, Loki wasn't sure what had drawn him there. He stood, now, staring at rows of graves with names carved into the stone faces. Names of deceased warriors. Despite the amount of possible perches for souls, the place was deserted. That, alone, would have made the Esprit a little uneasy, were he not distracted by the tug at the back of his mind. Something had brought him here, something unclear and compelling. Did he belong here?
The air was warm, especially for the hour. It wasn't unpleasant; a warm wind gently swept through, sending the lanterns all a'tither in merry swinging. With each breeze came a whisper, each one different from the next, but he tried not to be bothered by them. More than likely, they were spirits, trying to lure him deeper into the woods. Away from the sanctity of the shrine.
The Shrine of the Fallen... to Loki, it seemed to hold some form of protection. All the times he'd been here, he had never been harrassed or besieged by troublesome beings with the intent to harm him. It was peaceful. Perhaps there were warriors' souls who stayed behind, content in their graves, to watch over those who came to find their way or mourn. Or maybe he was just lucky. It was never a good idea to count on luck to save you in situations such as these, where monsters could be lying in wait to tear him limb from limb.
For that very reason, strapped securely to his back was Logue's katana. Polished black in sheath, it had had taken a lot of care to restore it to its former glory. The blade was sharpened to a fault, as Loki had discovered on his first use, and kept in very good condition after its discovery. If he ruined it, Logue had warned, she'd ruin him. Somehow.
The hilt was always interesting to him. It was ivory, and featured a scantily clad woman and a dragon. The woman held her arms raised above her head, holding either side of the dragon's head as its wings protected her from harm. That was how he liked to think of it. As Logue had confessed, despite being quite attached to the sword, she had yet to name it. She said a name would come to her, as it had with all of the other weaponry in the house. After all, a sword always came with a name. One simply had to wait until it was ready to tell them.
It couldn't fit normally, as it would on a human of average height, due to its length in comparison to his height, and so he hovered lazily above ground, legs and arms crossed, eyes closed. He had been practicing with the sword for a while now, and should the need arise, he could probably use it. How well was another story completely. If you didn't handle a sword properly, you might as well have been swinging around an iron bar.
Leaves tainted with a dark, dark hue fluttered by in the wisping breeze. Everything was dark, here; an eternal night. Somehow, Loki found himself feeling very comfortable here. He enjoyed the silence that enshrouded the shrine, and wanted to further investigate the pull he felt when he was away. What was it trying to tell him? Days of meditating hadn't told him. Days of thought had drawn only a blank. It frustrated him to no end.
Still. His chest swelled with a deep breath. Patience. He had to practice patience. If the answers were really going to jump out at him, then it wouldn't have been as important as he'd thought. He let the breath out in a big whoosh of air, relaxing as he did so. It was somehow impossible to be tense here. At least, for him.
Somewhere, deep in his gut, something told him that he was meant to be here. With a hesitant hand, he reached up and began to tug lightly on his bangs. He could never keep his hands off of his hair. Not only did the flaming bangs get in his face, always, it held some small form of comfort for himt to be able to tug on it as he wished. Logue had told him it would probably evolve into some sort of fetish... whatever that meant.
As a warrior, Loki thought that... maybe he could stay here, for a bit. Every day, if he could brave the forest and get here, then he would have earned the right to stay for a few hours. And every day he did, usually late in the day, and sat among those he wished could be his brothers and sisters. How he longed to be recognized as a true warrior.
That day would come. It was likely months - no, years off, but he would achieve it.
Allowing his eyes to drift closed, Loki let out another small sigh. He had at least another hour... at least one more hour.
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Posted: Tue Jul 01, 2008 10:29 pm
Slowly, the dark Skulling made his way through the trees, hovering only a foot or so in the air, not wanting to get caught on a branch. The slight warmth of this place was comforting. It felt more familiar and calm then the few places he had ventured before.
The slight, muggy breeze called forth something he hadn't had the pleasure of experiencing outside of seeing; rain. What did it feel like? Smell like? He recalled some speaking fondly of it, others not so well, but he could only float and watch. The body he was in, this wispy form, it was all numb.
In the distance he could make out what seemed to be faint whispers. The dark forest appeared to enjoy making sounds from nothing as he got deeper into it, but these seemed to actually have some sort of origin. They were different. If there was an origin, then logically there was something up ahead. Possibly a clearing, or so the young Ghostling hoped.
Light from the moon soon broke through the foliage, showing Konstantin the way. A large grave site was to be his destination, apparently, something he found strangely fitting. From his current standpoint, he was alone. Looking around caused him to see where the whispers were coming from; the swinging lamps. What a glorious sound and show of lights they were causing, making it difficult to look away-- until he heard something else.
Slinking low against the grass he moved between the headstones, gaze upturned to catch a glimpse of anything. He made sure not to jostle the grass in any way and inadvertently give off his position.
Konstantin stopped, sinking lower. What was this sudden feeling taking over him? The only word he could place was... familiar. Keeping his movement sluggish he began to press on again, sliding up the side of one grave to peek over the top. Yes, there. That was the source of familiarity.
Just a few yards away was a dark being covered in red splotches and mass of hair, hovering slightly with something Konstantin couldn't place attached to his back. He knew he had never seen this being before, and of course he had never come to his place until now, but the feeling of being previously acquainted with it refused to leave.
"You... what are you..." he couldn't help but think aloud, he only hoped he had been quiet enough not to draw attention.
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Posted: Thu Jul 03, 2008 12:40 pm
Like a bell in silence, something struck him; mentally, in any case. It was something akin to what had brought him here, to the gravesite. A strange pull. A feeling of familiarity, just like the kind he'd felt to the graves. No - he opened his eyes, sitting still - it wasn't the same. It was different, in some way, but he couldn't place it at all. Whatever it was had only recently appeared.
Eyes alert, he scanned them over the tombstones. Had something reacted in one of them to make him feel differently? Perhaps his hours of waiting had finally paid off...
Among the whispers, one stood out. It didn't come from the forest, nor did it have the seductive pull of a dark being. Somehow, it broke through every other serene, gentle noise and reached his ear. He turned his head and looked over his shoulder. It was a bad idea, as a break in concentration only made the sword seem heavier and harder to levitate with. Still, this required his immediate attention, whether he was floating or not.
Searching over his shoulder, he saw nothing out of the ordinary. The grass, the lanterns... nothing else. Aside from a light, pleasant drizzle, everything seemed fine. The nagging feeling still bit at his mind until he couldn't bear it anymore. He had to investigate.
Risking his own safety, Loki touched down to the ground, tiny hooves making a soft click as they hit something other than dirt. The sword didn't scrape the ground; he'd thought that over before sticking it to his back. It was a constant weight, and, at the moment, nothing more.
Softly, and with grace - that was the way he'd learned to search. Don't turn a stone over, don't trip, don't break a twig. One had to become one with their surroundings to properly remain hidden. That was probably what the owner of this new feeling was doing, to a T. Loki wasn't concerned with whether he was seen or not. He just had to find what he was looking for.
He began to cast his gaze over the grass, ignoring the increasing whispers and taunting that came with it. "They" knew where it was, whatever it was. They didn't plan to tell him, of course.
He shook his head and ignored it. He could feel the tug grow stronger in this direction, and so he followed it.
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Posted: Sat Aug 09, 2008 11:57 am
The Skulling stopped abruptly, feeling a pang of... something. He couldn't quite describe it, even if he had a dictionary at his disposal, but the closest thing would have to be... familiarity? That would have to do. The familiar feeling settled over him, getting stronger as he approached and, like wise, as the Spectre drew closer.
Konstantin slowed to a stop, flattening himself against the cold grass. He could feel the dew beginning to form along the blades and it made him shiver but he didn't let it give his position away.
No, he would do that himself.
The time for planning such things, however, had ended. The other spirit was quickly on the move, attempting to seek him out for the faux pa he had made in uttering speech amidst the calls of the woods about the shrine. He could sense the approach, the pang getting stronger and stronger. No, the time for waiting had long ended.
Drawing the equivalent of a long breath, Konstantin propelled himself up from the ground with a push from his stubby hands, if they could be called that. When he looked, he was floating directly in front of a purple-grey and red Spectre with something strapped to their back that he had never seen before. Never had he seen a Spectre, either, and this was the more intriguing thing to him. Against the darkness, only his eyes and markings would have stood out at all to Loki.
Forgoing all introductions, Konstantin decided to spit out the first question that came to his mind: "What are you?"
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Posted: Sat Aug 09, 2008 2:23 pm
Startled? Yes - by the sudden intrusion of his personal space, and by what had entered his field of vision: seemingly nothing but eyes and a few light marks in the air. He sustained a yelp and froze, arms forming a pathetic attempt at a block, before he realized the thing wasn't going to attack him.
Drawing his senses together, his brow furrowed. This thing wanted to know what he was? He was just as confused about it! He hastily grabbed a paper lantern from the row that hanged over them and held it up to the creature.
A skulling? One of them. He knew that his kind... and their kind... didn't seem to get along amongst the older spirits, but thus far, he had found no reason to dislike them, only reason to be jealous. Loki ignored the immediate rise in the pit of his stomach and shook his head, eyes widening.
"What am I...?" he asked in a low tone, looking the skulling up and down. "I am Loki."
He realized the spirit may have been asking for a more general response; frowning to himself, he added, "I have been called an Esprit. And you are a Skulling. You..." He lowered the lantern to his side and kept their eyes locked. This was the one; definitely, the one who had made his stomach turn in a strange feeling. What was it? Why did he feel so... like he somehow knew this one, and didn't...
Not liking that at all, his frown deepened and he tucked his chin in, averting his eyes and allowing his hair to fall in its familiar place in his face. Familiar... that was it! Yes, this one felt very familiar. He hissed out a breath and closed his eyes.
"Do I..." He paused, unsure of whether to go on, but decided against cowardice and did so. "Do I know you from somewhere?" He was certain he'd remember him if he did, but perhaps they hadn't met in this life? It was impossible for Loki to have met him in a past life, as he wasn't the reincarnation of a person, but rather, the feelings of one, but... maybe....
Growing annoyed, he brought the string of lanterns down with a hard tug and reattached the lantern he'd taken.
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Posted: Mon Aug 18, 2008 4:06 am
He took a short moment to repeat the name 'Loki'. Even that carried the familiar sense though he never recalled hearing the name, just as he never remembered seeing the one who carried it.
"I don't know you," was the curt response as he began a small circle around Loki, floating slowly and looking the Esprit up and down with his bi-colored eyes. The Skulling was scrutinizing his elder, as it were, and that sense of familiarity only strengthened, though he knew they had never met before.
"But I feel like I do..."
At last, some slight explanation.
So he was a Skulling, and this one was an Esprit? Knowing nothing of even this, the younger of the two also knew nothing of the general feud between their kind.
Konstantin could only assume that what this older spirit had meant by the question was that he was familiar, as well. In a short bolt of excitement he floated up quickly, totally ignoring spacial comforts and normal restrictions, getting right up into Loki's face, "You, too?" There was a slight pang of excitement to his tone, something he couldn't have hidden even if he tried.
Finding some one new, though familiar, was feeling strangely exhilarating to the Skulling, like some sense of adventure on the way.
He floated back, giving Loki some amount of space, before floating close again, this time to his arm, touching it with one of the tiny nubs he had to use for a hand. Kon proceeded to do this to several places; his cheek, his head, shoulder, back. He seemed to avoid the katana tied to the Esprit's back, not taking any interest in it as it just seemed to be a stick, as far as he was concerned, without looking any closer.
"How do we know each other, but never met?"
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Posted: Wed Aug 20, 2008 11:47 am
At first, he only grunted in response to Konstantin's intrusion of his personal space. He was certainly used to it - having Jihin as a companion meant you could not be stingy with your space. Huffing out a patient breath, he allowed the skulling to poke and prod what he would.
"How am I to know?" he asked, arms crossing over his chest. It was not his intention to appear impatient, or rude; having both feet firmly on the ground gave him balance, and he needed it to avoid toppling over at even the slightest pokes. The sword wasn't a light burden.
Eyes drifting closed, he began to ponder the possibility of knowing someone and not knowing them. It... really made no sense, either way. He made a note to ask Logue about it when first he got the chance.
However, she was very far away at the moment, and he still had a few good hours to spare in his usual hideout, as open and accessible as it was.
Rubbing the back of his head, he shrugged a shoulder. "I... I do not know. What did the humans call it.... there was a word for it," he mused, his hand drifting to toy with his hair. Looking quite absent now, he went on.
"You are... very excitable. Does this feeling plague you strongly?"
He didn't mind it, really. Many of the spirits he had met now were either very antisocial or very interactive. There were the exceptions, of course, but aside from the few who he had really spoken to, the world was full of new types of beings. Maybe it was possible for him to have known Konstantin, and yet, not know him now? Maybe he had hit his head and forgotten.
The possibilities made him grow anxious, and ever annoyed. He bit his knuckle and frowned against it.
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Posted: Mon Oct 13, 2008 8:02 pm
Yes, that was a good way to put it. The sense of familiarity was plaguing him like nothing he had experienced before, but he was still young.
Humans...* he had seen them around but never really listened to them. It was only a few days ago he was brought into this world, after all. But how? Why? All of these questions and more were cropping up now and not before.
It must have had something to do with Loki.
And it was then that he realized he hadn't introduced himself as Loki had, not with a race, but a name. "Konstantin." He hoped the random interjection made sense to the Spectre.
"Yes... I don't understand," he continued musing on the idea of familiarity and previous meetings, "I... came to be, just a few days ago. We couldn't have..."
Confusion was abundant, but where would there be answers?
It was a pity he knew no one that might have some insight. Anything at all would have been helpful but nothing was coming to his young mind. "Have you heard of this before...?" On the off chance something similar happened previously he was determined to use it to assist them in figuring this thing out.
Even this place was familiar, but in a different way. Not quite so dauntingly, more as though it were similar to something he had seen before or experienced. He would have to explore these mighty ruins soon...
(( * - I've totally revamped Kon's history and situation, as well as edited most [I may have missed] references to his previous owner. He no longer has one, just thought I'd clarify c: ))
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