[PRP] Knives and Cleavers (Risti and Jezabelle)

[Faithofthefallen]

Belle chuckled a little, "Well, that's reassuring" she responded, eyes dancing with amusement.

"Hmm... Thats a tale to tell." she began slowly, "Well, as you know, I have a brother, Lucian, and a sister, Sangria. We grew up separately, Sangria was raised by our father, Relic. Lucian was given to a stallion named Karloff to raise, I don't know much about him other than that he was a good father, understanding of our families... peculiarities. I lived with our mother, Jessamine, for most of my childhood. I left before I was grown and didn't see her for a very long time, but when I met Sangria by chance, and through her my father, their enthusiasm to reunite brought us all back together into something resembling a family. We found my brother not too long ago, and now I've met you." She smiled, hoping that was what she had meant when she asked about herself.

"What about you Ri--Risti?" She inquired, quickly correcting herself. She said nothing about the small deception, her eyes patient, she knew how hard it could be to trust strangers. "What is your story?"

Baby Pandah

 

[Baby Pandah]

She listened with such intent and determination that it caused her skin to crack more than usual. Only this time, she ignored it. "Peculiarities..." she repeated. So the rest of her family was not all perfect either. She had known that much, but it meant more to know that it was true. "Can I meet him? Can you take me to the others?" she asked eagerly, looking at Belle with gleaming eyes and deciding to slow down a little bit. She didn't want her aunt to think she wasn't grateful for her company.

"I am so glad to have met you, Belle...I mean, Aunt Belle?" she blushed and wondered which was the proper name to call her now. Assuming Belle didn't like the "great" in the term, she probably might not like Aunt Belle. It sounded funny to Risti, she had never called anyone that. But she was glad she had met someone who was deserving of the title, it meant she was one step closer to discovering the rest of the family and in turn, herself.

"Well, I have two siblings, Gogol and Latcho Churi. I love them very much but I decided to leave home to...to find out more about my family and why I am, well, different," she looked down at herself, the cracks now moving freely on her body and imitating the excitement she was feeling inside. She shrugged and blushed again. It wasn't that she was ashamed of it, it wasn't that it was her family's fault. But she wanted to know. If she were normal she would still wander, she would still want to know more about her family.

Faithofthefallen

 

[Faithofthefallen]

"Yes of course!" she beamed, happy to be able to do something this meaningful for someone else, especially for someone of her own blood, "You have every right to know your own family." her eyes danced at Risti's confusion, she had never had anyone call her 'aunt' before either, but she rather liked it. It was a simple reminder of their connection, "You can call me 'Aunt' Risti, if you are comfortable with it."

Belle was engaged as Risti told her story, so she had another niece, and a nephew. She wondered if they also had the strange cracks but decided not to broach the subject, it didn't really matter and she would find out someday, for she hoped Risti would be willing to introduce her to her brother and sister. "It is hard to feel like you don't belong, but there's nothing wrong with being different, Ri. If everyone looked and acted the same, the world would lose a lot of its color and excitement. But I can understand why you want to know. I can tell you that many members of our family would be considered different. We have cravings that most feel are not normal with the way we look, some think we are evil. But I have to disagree, our family does have shadows, but there is also light that is all the more beautiful because of the darkness that lives in us."

She glanced down at the barely perceptible swell of her belly and smiled mysteriously, "I know I have found my light in this darkness.."

Baby Pandah

 

[Baby Pandah]

It is hard to feel like you don't belong, but there's nothing wrong with being different, Ri. If everyone looked and acted the same, the world would lose a lot of its color and excitement.

She didn't know how important that piece of advice was to Risti. Sure she had said it to herself, and had probably heard it before, but it meant so much more coming from a family member, a friend. "Thanks, Aunt Belle," was all she could muster to say, but as her flesh cracked slightly so did a grin upon her face. "I can't wait to meet them all," she said, wanting to get going right away.

But as the moon shifted from behind a cloud it showed a roundness in Belle's stomach that Risti had not noticed before. Perhaps she had been more nervous about protecting herself against strangers, perhaps she had been careless to more beautiful details. Either way, she had missed an important thing about Belle and a miracle of life that had been right before her eyes. She took the lesson and stored it in her memory along with Belle's advice: Don't overlook the little joys in life while you're finding yourself. She told herself and smiled at Belle.

"I can't wait to meet them," she said again, only this time lighter and more sensitive to what Belle was hinting towards. She knew that soon Belle would not have time to escort her to family member meetings as she would be busy with her own family, but she knew the mare had given her a sense of direction and that was all she could ask for.

Faithofthefallen

 

[Faithofthefallen]

"I know they will love you, the bonds of blood are very strong within this family. But, Risti, you must take care around some of our kin. We walk the delicate balance between darkness and light and occasionally we slip and give in to more disturbing instincts. It can be... unnerving, to say the least, being around some of us if you have never experienced similar urges, and difficult to understand if you have no experiences to relate it to. There are many mysteries about our heritage that even I can not explain to you for I do not understand them myself." Belle's eyes were grave, she loved her family dearly but she had very good reasons not to trust them at times. They were not a tame family, not entirely. There were shadows in all of them.

Her mood lifted and a tenderness filled her eyes as her mind shifted back to more cheerful topics. She felt wonder and terror at the life stirring inside of her. She knew who the father must be but it had been some time since she had spent time with him, their romance had been fleeting but her heart craved to give her children the stability she had never had growing up. So sometime soon, she would have to find him and tell him the news. "Me neither, I actually haven't told anyone else the news yet. I only just figured it out myself, it still feels surreal. I had given some thought to finding my sister, Sangria. She's been through this with her two sons, and I think I need all the advice I can get." She could not ask her own mother for parenting advice, Jessamine was more unstable than the rest of them, she wasn't sure she could trust her mother with the news, not yet.

Baby Pandah

 

[Baby Pandah]

She knew some of the family had tendencies towards bloodlust. She knew many of them took blood to survive. She had seen signs of it from her brother, signs that showed the lineage of blood had not forgotten their generation. She had never craved blood, had never needed it to survive. She thanked her father's side for that small gift. But hunting, that was something she had done as a foal as a game. She had never killed another being, she had never hunted to feed herself...but what if someday that game turned into reality? What if she grew to like the taste of blood someday? Her visions were already scary, sometimes violent...what if that turned into something darker? That was what worried her, that was one reason she needed to find her family.

"Can...Can I come with you?" she asked, her eyes falling once again upon Belle's expanding tummy. She was sure her aunt would need help, she saw no sign of a father around, but perhaps Belle had simply not mentioned him. She wished she could give her aunt the much needed advice she sought, but the thought of having children terrified Risti. She had never been a mother, she had no thoughts on the matter that could be helpful to Belle. But perhaps she could learn something more from her, if Belle allowed her to come along.

Faithofthefallen

 

[Faithofthefallen]

There were shadows in Risti's eyes, not for the first time Belle wondered what it was that plagued her young niece so, but a lifetime of privacy and secrecy had conditioned her not to broach such subjects without invitation. Someday, when she was ready, she hoped Ri would be comfortable enough to tell her more about herself. Until then, Jezabelle could wait. There were things she herself should tell Risti about herelf if the mare wanted to travel with her, things that she had learned from experience were best heard before seen. She hoped that Ri would be able to accept her regardless of what she wanted tell her, it would hurt much more to be rejected by her own kin than to be rejected by a stranger, who could never understand what it meant to be part of this family.

"I drink blood Risti. Always have." She stated simply and directly, turning her head to peer with mock intensity into the forest beyond her niece and at the same time preparing herself to spring into action should the younger mare decide to attack. It seemed out of character for Risti, but it had happened before. She was quick and strong for her size and would normally not flinch away from a fight but she felt responsible for protecting the lives blossoming in her midsection.

"I cannot abide the taste of meat but the smell, the sight, the scent of blood... It's intoxicating for me, always has been. If I deny the craving, eventually I loose myself, my control, I become a monster and my life morphs into a living hell. I cannot, will not allow that to happen, so I give in. Life is sweet and I will not torture my mind and my body in that way ever again, if you travel with me, I must hunt." And you must take care. she didn't say it, it would hurt to despite the truth of the words, she hoped it didn't need to be said. She loved Risti already, but Belle was who she was born to be. Beneath the deceptively innocent exterior beat the heart of something much more menacing than a regular mare. She didn't know where she fit in all of this, she didn't even know what she was, but she knew who. Jezabelle knew she would never willingly harm a member of her own family, and never casually harm another living creature. Nevertheless, Risti had to make this choice on her own, she had to trust Belle to control the bloodlust in her heart, without Belle interfering to influence the decision, otherwise her fear and mistrust would break this relationship before it could even begin. "I will wait a while to visit my sister, but if you wish, you may accompany me. But be warned, my siblings and I are cut from the same cloth, meeting any of us is not without its own risks. I will protect you, and I do not think she will try to harm you, but I can't be certain."

Baby Pandah

So, Kettyn and I started an rp here earlier, if you want to jump in we'd welcome you. Belle essentially had a panic attack and ran away from everybody to find Sangria on her own, she's not thinking clearly so she could have forgotten to bring Risti with her. But she doesn't travel very fast so Ri could track her to the meeting and reveal herself to both sisters. Could be dramatic and fun xD

 

[Baby Pandah]

She couldn't say she was surprised. Somehow she had known it in her heart, she had felt it. Perhaps that was why when she had first met Belle she had felt the need to protect herself. But the mention of her aunt's dependence upon blood had little effect on how Risti thought of Belle now. She was still family, she was still another living being that needed to be sustained somehow. The fact that Belle's way of life included blood was something that surprisingly did not bother Risti. She was even understanding of the ways of skin walkers and kalona at times. Though some of them were purely evil, unlike Belle, she did not hate them. It was their tactics she disliked, but she thought the curse was to blame for that.

She wondered if her family was cursed some how, it would surely explain the need for blood. But Belle seemed controlled, calm. There was no resemblance to a cursed skin walker or angry kalona anywhere in her soft and understanding eyes. She seemed perfectly fine with what she needed from life and gave back to it in her own way. Perhaps the family was just that: impulse and desire. Control was the question, and Risti knew not all possessed Belle's ability to handle desires. All the same, she wanted to find them and she was beginning to accept them in her own way.

"I want to come with you," she said with determination. Belle's warning was not unheard. She knew the risks of meeting the other members of her family, but she also knew it was something she had to do. There was nothing in Risti's mind that told her to shy away from her aunt because of who or what she was. And though the rest of her family was something she was unsure about, she was ready to find them no matter what the cost. She was ready to face them, ready to face her heritage and ready to find out more about it and herself. Because unlike Belle, Risti had no idea who she was.

Faithofthefallen

 

[Faithofthefallen]

Jezabelle saw fierce determination on her niece's face and felt pride swelling within her, she was happy her warning hadn't scared Risti off. She had meant it to, but that tactic was for the protection of both the rest of the family and Ri herself. She had hoped it wouldn't succeed and that faith had been rewarded. Sangria would be a good place to start with Risti, her other great aunt could be as ruthless as the rest of them but she also had a good heart. It wasn't that Belle didn't trust her brother, but she had never known him well, and her mother.... Well Jessamine was best saved for a later date, she had no doubt she would love Risti as much as the rest of them, but if they came upon her at the wrong moment the encounter could prove lethal. And Sangria had her son, Zacharael, she hadn't met the stallion yet, but she knew Ri and Zach were closer in age, it might be good for the two of them to get to know each other.

"If that's what you want, of course you can come. I will have to find my mate first, Laertes should know about his imminent fatherhood." Her voice warmed when she spoke of her lifemate but it was more reflex than actual emotion. Things had grown strained between Belle and her gallant stallion, part of her hoped that the birth would bring them closer together, but she thought it more likely the strain of raising children with such opposing worldviews would be the final straw that broke them. "That is a conversation I'm afraid I must undertake on my own, but If you wish you could accompany me to our home. I will seek you out after it is done and we can be on our way."

Baby Pandah

Shall we end this with your post and then jump forth to the Bonds of Blood rp? Also, if you want, I have rp rights to Jessamine so we could have them meet in the near future as well? (I don't mind if you want to still continue here, just thought we could end it smoothly at this point, but if there are still questions or things you want revealed let me know and we can keep going!)

 

[Baby Pandah]

Risti was already mentally prepping for the journey. Excitement sparked within her heart. The idea of traveling, meeting new faces and family members, it was enough to make her heart beat at an almost alarming rate. Although she had just traveled a long way, she was ready to officially begin her journey.

Despite all of her excitement, all that came out of her mouth was a polite, "Yes, that sounds perfect." She felt her knife bounce against her chest as she nodded. It was a foreign feeling, but she was sure she would become accustomed to it. She would have to, for her own safety throughout the journey. She drank in the moonlight around them as well as the dreamlike situation that enveloped the two mares. Fate had found her at last, and it seemed it was putting her on the correct course. Soon she would know more about herself, about her oddities and why her mother was plagued by nightmares. It would be hard to sleep tonight with all of the thoughts that were running through the young mare's mind. She was glad to have met Belle, and glad that Fate had finally caught up to her.

Faithofthefallen

I was going to suggest the same thing. Ending here sounds perfect. :3 I would love to RP Risti with Jessamine sometime soon!