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Interesting Conversationalist
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 Posted: Sun Feb 03, 2013 9:19 pm
The click of heels along the tiled hallway was slow and unhurried, as if the owner of the footsteps were lazily meandering the hallway with no real destination. That could not be farther from the truth. But she was in no hurry; the sound was as a heartbeat, soft at first and growing louder as she grew closer, until finally it stopped, eerily, a shadow settling outside a certain door.
There was a moment of silence, and then the soft 'click' of a latch, the metallic sound of a doorknob, and then Riley's door was swinging slowly, silently open, delicate blackened fingers pushing it with no real urgency out of her way. Light from the hallway spilled into the room, illuminating a wide arc just past the threshold, but the room was dark; even with the candlelight flickering, it was far darker than the hallway itself, granting the visitor no hint as to what was inside. Stepping just past the doorway, War's Protector moved inside just enough to close the door behind her with the same gentleness she had exhibited in coming inside, relocking it before she turned her eyes back deeper into the undeniably luxurious room, allowing her eyes to adjust.
It was beautiful, of course. She expected nothing less of the exquisite creature she had taken such a liking to, the mindflayer always oozing elegance and mystery. Naturally, she approved of the candlelight, although the bound paper in the bookshelves was just begging to be burned, her fingers itching to be the ones who committed the arson. Still, the horsewoman resisted, the only evidence of anything but self-control being the softest of sighs as she looked away, molten gold eyes glowing a little in the dimness of the room. Instead, Eris stepped deeper into the room, her hips swaying as she meandered through the living room, soft, blood-red material and rich sorrel hair brushing the floor behind her. She paused a moment at the archways, taking a few breaths of time to peer into the kitchen with an idle curiosity, sweeping over every inch of the dorm's setup as if discovering something interesting. But it was the heavy black satin covering the other archway which really caught her attention. It was, without any doubt, a boundary, intended to act as a doorway would, discouraging entrance without permission.
Eris, however, had never had much respect for personal boundaries, evidenced enough by the fact that she was in someone else's dorm without an invitation. Lips curling into an amused little smirk, the Protector of War sashayed a little closer to the curtain, extending one arm and, in a slow sweeping gesture, lifted it enough for her to slip inside, ducking her head a little as she moved beneath it.
As expected, the room inside was, indeed, far more personal. Here, Eris' expression was devious but guarded, gleeful intrigue glittering in her eyes. Flicking over the den-like room, her gaze fell almost immediately to the second archway, behind the large oak desk. Instinctively, she began to move towards it, knowing it would be Riley's bedroom which lay behind it, a room which she had quite a bit of interest in seeing. But as she reached the center of the study the horsewoman paused, her expression turning thoughtful. Lifting her fingers, she rested them against her lips, eyebrows furrowing a bit before she reached a conclusion, seeming a tad bit disappointed but none the less turning away from the archway, instead making her way back towards the solid oak desk. Or, more importantly, the ornate, antique wing-back chair beside it.
Sliding into it smoothly, Eris lounged in the plush chair with the elegance and power of a tiger, relaxed but alert, legs crossed delicately at the knee where they hooked over the arm of the chair as she settled in to wait.
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Posted: Tue Feb 05, 2013 8:58 pm
Tonight had been the first night Riley felt comfortable leaving Jericho alone. He was no longer much of a little person at all - his growth rate was alarming. He came and went as he pleased, and she had taken to giving him more privacy when possible. He had a lot to get used to.. not just her. The life laid out before him was new and filled with the unknown. She had to stop coddling him.
It was hard, at first. All she'd wanted to do was keep him locked away, protected in her arms. But now, she knew better. Jericho needed his space. And Riley was getting used to having a little space of her own, too.
She dropped her keys quietly on the counter when she returned from her night out. She left the light off, maneuvering easily through the living room and around the couch where Jericho slumbered. She pushed away the curtain to enter her den, a quick movement to let as little light into the living room as possible before it was shut again. Then, with swift steps, she sauntered into her bedroom, sliding past the curtain and letting it fall away.
Three seconds later, the curtain was pulled up again, very slowly, and Riley's eyes glowed vibrantly from the doorway, taking in the sight of the woman that sat at her desk. The Heir of War, she remembered clearly. Eris. She had memories of her own from the woman, now. Both of her eyebrows rose up, very curiously.
Good evening. Riley's head ducked in a small, polite nod, and her eyes sparkled with intrigue. To what do I owe the honor of your presence, mmm?
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Interesting Conversationalist
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Posted: Sun Feb 17, 2013 12:16 pm
How long she waited was irrelevant. Time had little meaning to the horsewoman -- their kind aged slowly, and could live for centuries, aeons, the full extent of their lives remaining forever untested. She had seen the rise of civilizations, beautiful and magnificent, and had taken great pleasure in contributing to their downfall. And while patience was not a virtue she could boast, in this instance, she had it in abundance. Rolling her shoulders lazily, Eris stretched her legs a little further over the arm of the chair, tilting her chin down to eye the skull pendant at her throat, delicate fingers reaching to pluck at it idly. She could easily wait a few hours for Riley's return.
She could have easily waited weeks for Riley's return.
The pair of glowing eyes were met by a second pair, the Protector flicking her molten-amber regard to meet the clouded white of the Mindflayer's, both appraising the other with a certain amount of interested. This was part of what drew Eris to the demon; although there was a certain amount of curiosity etched into Riley's elegant expression, if there was anything more to it, it was well hidden. She had long since come to the conclusion that reading her was impossible, deceit and manipulation so ingrained into Riley's repertoire, she was sure it came as second nature. It thrilled her. There was a reason she had sought so intently to make the Mindflayer her protege. It wasn't just the power and strength which the demon so clearly exhibited, placing her at the top of her class. Those attributes could be found and cultivated easily. It was her duplicitous guile, the effortless manipulation she used to guide any situation to her advantage. It was her leadership, her control; she tasted of War, and just being near her reminded her of the greatness which had been her clan, reminded her of who she used to be.
Eris politely made no move to speak until Riley had addressed her, waiting with the same uncharacteristic patience until she had been greeted. Only then did she allow her lips to curl a little into a flirtatious smirk, matching the glittering in her own regard.
"I am here to inquire after my protege," she replied, her tone smooth and even. Even so, something devious flickered in her eyes, as if not all was quite as it seemed. Sliding her legs off the arm of the wing-back chair, she moved at a leisurely pace to stand, her dress cascading back down over her thighs. "It's been a long time since we've spoke. How have you been?"
And there it was, what had seemed so odd, the mischief in her smile. Although her lips had spoken the words 'how have you been,' at the same moment she had sent a far more private message, the tone far more interested and amused than that she had used verbally.
'How is your memory faring?'
Clearly, the conversation was meant to be clandestine. It would have been suspicious for the room to have been silent, should any have been listening or watching.
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Posted: Sun Feb 17, 2013 6:11 pm
Protege.
If Eris had come to Riley, used that word with her, in the past - the mindflayer would have gone to great lengths to disprove the idea that she could be anyone's protege. After all, even the heir to War was beneath her plans for ultimate conquest. By her old standards, even Conquest was beneath her plans for conquest. This was the Riley of her past. The one that woke up in the dark, emerging from the pits to spend grueling hours training, and lengthy nights studying. Riley had not even been a protege when she was a youngling, still fresh and new and weak. She had taken her place then, easily luring the tiny little masses to follow her. To die for her. To keep her from lifting a finger in defense.
Death had stolen away the woman who'd worked so hard to assure she would never be beneath anothers sole as long as she lived. Cut off from her entire world, left shattered and alone, Riley had only just begun to start again.
But the word still left a sour taste in her metaphorical mouth.
Not much has changed, and yet nothing is the same. Her enigmatic answer left the air charged with wanting, desiring nothing but honesty and getting nothing but lies. Her expression had not moved since she'd first spoken, but her eyes followed Eris' moves intently. But it was the only answer she had left to give, anymore. Nothing has returned to me. And yet, I find that nothing remains. My footing is unsteady, on this dangerous path. And perhaps this was why she refused to publically dispute the mere idea of being someone's protege. She enjoyed Eris with a ferocity that hummed deep in her core. She did not learn how to be anything, or anyone, but herself, and yet..
She didn't know who that was, anymore.
If Eris had answers, she would be remiss to turn them away.
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Interesting Conversationalist
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Posted: Sun Feb 17, 2013 8:13 pm
Eris listened politely, remaining just as unmoved as the Mindflayer standing mirrored before her. It was a delicate situation, one which hummed with a tension, like a slow, deep breath held, lingering in the air. If the vagueness of the answer irritated her, for once the horsewoman kept it masked, kept herself absolutely calm, the burning fire subdued to a gentle flicker.
"I'm sorry to hear it. I'm sure your friends have all been showering you with affection, now that you've returned."
'You remember nothing? Nothing of who you used to be, who you wanted to be?'
While her voice was easy and light, her mind-speak was curious, intrigue evident in her tone. This new piece of information shifted her expression slightly, from sly to thoughtful, clearly processing this new information and altering her behavior accordingly. Eris cocked her head, eyeing the Mindflayer for a moment more before her expression softened. There was the slightest sense there, lingering in the corners of her eyes, regret and pity, not only for Riley, but for something else entirely... maybe her friends, maybe her lover. Perhaps for plans unfulfilled. Taking a few steps closer, the Protector lifted the backs of her fingers, hovering them near the demon's cheek, as if she were considering stroking it. '... would you like me to tell you?' she asked, quietly... but she allowed her hand to drop, the question left rhetorical. Instead, she turned back to face the windows, crossing the room towards them, gently lifting the curtain away and peering out idly for another moment, contemplating, before turning again to face the Mindflayer. Again, her eyes were laced with intrigue, her tone amused once more.
"I apologize for my intrusion; it's been difficult to find you alone, I thought it would be easiest for me to find you here. Now I think it was rude of me."
'What are your ambitions, Riley? What do you seek, now that you have the opportunity to start again? Do you want to be the person you were?'
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Posted: Wed Feb 20, 2013 8:25 pm
Eris was playing an odd game, speaking one thing out loud, and another in her mind. It almost amused Riley to feel the tension, the care to which she took with thoughts she wanted to keep private. It was endearing, in an odd way. Her eyes crinkled at the edges, but she made no mention of it - she enjoyed it for what it was, a game of secrets.
I remember who I wanted to be. Once. I remember everything about my own world, where I was born, and raised, and what I was raised to do. What I do not remember, and will never remember, is all that happened to me when I stepped foot inside these walls. Amityville, and all those within, are a slate that has been blanked out completely. Riley's eyes wandered, taking in every feature of Eris' face. But I don't consider that a bad thing, anymore. A little frightening, perhaps, to be so lost without a clear heading. But not bad. Just difficult.
She put her hand on Eris' arm, and patted it gently. Come and sit down. I'd rather discuss things with you more comfortably.
She held out the curtain for Eris to return to the living room, and followed in to sit on the couch.
My connection with my hive is severed. I am dead to them, and with me die all the aspirations they placed upon my shoulders. That isn't to say I don't want aspirations of my own, of course. Her expression turned sly. It might just take some time to figure out exactly what those aspirations are. For example, I don't think I want to enslave the entire world simply to have a neverending food source, anymore.
Eating brains was so last year.
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Interesting Conversationalist
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Posted: Fri Mar 08, 2013 9:38 pm
When the heir stopped speaking, there was silence in the room. And yet at the same time, there wasn't. It was a strange phenomena, one which Eris herself had never experienced outside of the mindflayer she spoke with now, but it was one she also found fascinating. The ability to project ones thoughts, so that while the ear heard nothing, the minds of all who were within a certain radius were privy to the voice. But at this moment, that was precisely what bothered her. From where she stood completely motionless by the elegantly-draped window, she listened politely, but it was with obvious disappointment, the emotion bleeding into her eyes, into the slightest little frown which set her luscious, full lips into a straight line. Overall, it was clear this meeting was not going as she had hoped it would. Especially since Riley seemed disinterested in speaking as privately as she would have liked. She had matters of great importance to discussed, matters which might have been interesting to other parties, but as time went on, it seemed Riley was less and less likely to be the person she thought would be perfect for the role she had hoped to cast her in.
The touch to her arm was not unwelcome, but as she stepped out into the mindflayer's lavish living area, she did not move to sit, coming instead to stand in the middle of the room, as if contemplating taking her leave. Turning around to face her host, she gave a deep, graceful bow, spreading her wings wide for balance, her eyes re-focusing on Ridley's as she straightened. "Oh, there is no need sweetling, thank you. I really just came to check up on you, see how you've been doing. I'm pleased to hear you are making progress; it must be difficult, being in such a transitional time of your life," she replied with a touch of a smile, her lie flowing effortlessly off a silver tongue. There was no malice there, but she didn't extend any more information that what she already had -- if there was no future in the endeavors she wished Riley to partake, specifically her previous interest in gathering an army and obtaining power as she had before, sharing anymore than she already had could have dire consequences.
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Posted: Fri Mar 08, 2013 10:23 pm
The Heir to War did not check up on her to see how she was doing.
Nowhere in Eris' fluent cordial sensibilities were there any words Riley believed to actually be true. But she played the pretense, for the moment, leaning back with her arms stretched out against the back of the couch, and regarded the woman with curious, dimly glowing eyes.
That is truly kind of you to worry over my well being so. Riley's words, while an obvious play to the ruse, were equal parts serious and respectful on every level. They simply fell hollow to the reality they were both well aware of.
It is very difficult, in fact. She leaned in, her expression darkening with tense purpose. Where once I knew exactly where I was headed, now I find the paths ahead of me to be many, and varied. She pushed back off the couch and stood, her movements slow and careful as she met Eris toe to toe while she spoke. All the voices in my head have stilled, both from my hive, and from the Insanity. And yet, I find I am still hearing voices, calling me to new directions.
Her hands folded behind her back, and her pose turned purposeful, thoughtful.
I wonder. The quiet whisper began. Which path will call loudest.
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Interesting Conversationalist
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Posted: Sat Mar 09, 2013 5:20 pm
There was a pause, the slightest hesitation in the heir's expression, a lightly veiled curiosity washing over the disappointment she had worn, the pretty frown vanishing in favor of the subtlest of smiles. Interest rekindled in her eyes as Riley spoke, the heir's lashes lowering a little in amusement as she listened, this little game of sincere lies they both knew they were spinning more than a little entertaining. Cupping her elbows, Eris tilted her head a little to rest her cheek in the crook of her shoulder, lifting it a little coyly, her eyes focusing side-long on the mindflayer. But while she didn't quite move to take a seat beside Riley, the horsewoman didn't move to leave either, lingering where she stood, as if considering the possibility. But while the game was fun, it was the tone the tentacled demon took next that really caught her attention. Lifting her fingers to the backs of her fingers to her lips, she lifted her head again to refocus squarely on Riley, her eyebrows rising just a hair, kindling turning to a burning in her eyes once more. And when the ghoul stood, coming to stand toe-to-toe with her, the heir finally allowed her arm to drop to her side again, the feigned coyness gone.
Well played. Just when she had been ready to walk away, Riley had coaxed her back, like a cat with a bowl of cream. Now it was the mindflayer's turn to play coy, hands clasped behind her back as if she weren't proposing what she was, not quite inviting War's heir to be that path.
Taking a few breathes to consider her answer, Eris answered smoothly, although there was an air of caution to her tone, their dance continuing onward. "I imagine it will be the one that sounds most enticing."
She knew she had to be careful. Jumping in too hastily could yield disastrous results, and she had always known Riley to be sly. It would not do to be impulsive, despite how she wished to extend her proposition and be done with it. These things had to be handled delicately, which had never been her strong suit; it burned in her, the potential of what could come of this encounter, the possibilities enough to make the volatile horsewoman patient for this night.
"I would also imagine it will come from the one who has the most to offer," she continued, voice equally as quietly, her tone soft and warm.
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Posted: Sat Mar 09, 2013 5:47 pm
Playful little games. As much as Riley loved to manipulate others, she herself actually attempted not to toy with others when it wasn't necessary. Eris, on the other hand, seemed to thrive on the act. It was her comfort zone, and for that, she had the upper hand. Riley barely managed to keep herself from demanding flat out that Eris spoke her mind. It would get them nowhere, but oh, how she wanted to hear the woman speak frankly. It was like staring at the most delicate, delicious pastry, through a thin sheet of glass. She could almost smell it from here.
The most enticing. Riley repeated, only after the Heir to War had finished speaking a second time. The most to offer. Tricky phrases, you know. Riley's expression slowly lifted, the muscles of her face working under the skin, in a way that indicated a smile would have occurred on lips that did not exist. It's hard to say what kinds of temptations will call to me, in this new day. I can't even pinpoint them, yet. I don't really like mysteries, did you know that? Her head tilted, just slightly. That's why I'm not particularly fond of the position I'm in, right now. My future feels more and more like a mystery to me. I prefer knowing everything. The phrase made her expression lift once more. But I guess that much must be obvious.
With a sudden movement, she finally pulled away, choosing instead to turn and face the bookcase to the left of them. Her hands remained as they were, bound behind her back, and she studied the spines of each book, as if to look for an answer there. People can be a mystery to me, as well. She murmured, her voice just barely softer. I don't like that, either. I'm used to being on the other side of that coin. Not quite sure how to flip it.
She reached up, and pulled out one of her books; Napoleon; the edges were worn with use. But I do know one thing. I've been recently made aware that the option to abandon this place entirely and start over from scratch somewhere else.. that's the only path I cannot take. So. Her fingers followed the trim of the worn book, and flipped open the cover. Whatever I decide.. it looks like I'm stuck here. Her head tilted just slightly, sideglancing at the woman behind her. I'd like to make the best of what I've got.
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Interesting Conversationalist
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Posted: Sat Mar 09, 2013 8:38 pm
There was something endearing about the way Riley smiled, purple skin wrinkling a little under eyes bowed into crescent moons. Eris had always found a smile to be an especially attractive feature; it was far more a deceitful expression than even an untelling blank mask. For while an even expression expressed the hesitation to be truthful, a smile was versatile enough to effortlessly hide or simultaneously express any other emotion. She couldn't tell, now, which it was supposed to be, a ruse for some other hidden emotion or a sincerity of contentment or happiness in her company and the conversation at hand. And the horsewoman did not try. Instead, she listened quietly, intrigued by the story spun so eloquently, Riley's life opening for her like the book the demon held in her hands. That, too, was curious; what reason did she have to tell her such private matters so casually?
Perhaps the mindflayer no longer had anything left to lose. With her own untimely death and resurrection, she had effectively slipped the surely bonds of earth. Perhaps there were no longer enemies who wished to see her failure. And for that moment, not for the first time, Eris envied her.
Riley went to the book case, but the heir's eyes had drifted, no longer following her. There was another moment of quiet, where only the soft rustle of pages broke the silence. When she spoke, she did privately once more, but did not bother to echo it with false spoken speech.
'My own future is a mystery as well,' she began slowly, mental tone stiff, her eyes turning back to the demon, 'The members of my clan have dwindled, our influence stolen away by impertinent humans who think they can master us, make us slaves to them.'
Forgetting herself momentarily, Eris snarled softly aloud, her eyes flicking to the window, unadulterated hatred burning in the glowing amber Insanity had given her gaze. As she fell silent again, the voices rose to fill it, projected unintentionally from the horsewoman's mind to the mindflayer's. The hunters had stolen everything from her. Her home, clan, her sanity. And while she kept her life, every day was another hell she lived, frustration mounting by the second of all the potential they had lost, of the mockery which had been made of them. They had been reduced to this, refugees at the edge of someone else's world, no longer able to provoke even the simplest of wars, while the human world teetered at the brink of it! It was killing her slowly, to admit her own clan's weakness. Her own failure was reflected in them, a group only as strong as its leader. What did it matter now, the trials she had overcome to be the best of her clan?
Seating herself on the arm of the couch, she heaved a slow, thin sigh, the voices slowly quieting as her rage dimmed, glowing amber eyes returning to the mindflayer.
'We have fallen, perhaps due to our own pride, and now the Clans of the Apocalypse are Lost and wander aimlessly, searching for purpose and the influence we once possessed.'
Rising again, she slowly crossed the room to stand behind Riley, their bodies close, nearly touching.
"Do not think, then, that I do not empathize with you. What is life without purpose?" she murmured in an undertone, inaudible to any but them two.
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Posted: Sun Mar 10, 2013 9:53 pm
Wherever Riley might have thought this conversation was going, seemed left far behind in the wake of what she suddenly realized was a startling common ground tread upon by both women. She'd never assumed that the loss of the Isles had left the Heirs with anything other than a dark and dangerous determination to claw their way back up to their rightful place. What she heard, instead, spoken in words more honest than she ever could have hoped to hear from Eris, was the true feeling of a tremendous loss. A world swept away, leaving behind lost souls with the drive to succeed, but not the steady balance of their land at their feet to keep them up. Their past now untouchable, and no longer the constant in their lives.
Just like her.
She felt the warmth of Eris' body close behind her, and her head turned, just enough to see the woman with her peripherals. There was no weakness in admitting loss. She knew the Heirs, all of them, intended to return their clans to glory at whatever cost. But in this one moment, spent in the quiet silence, as one woman regarded the other, they were just people. This moment was not spent struggling. It was just spent.
I'm glad you came to me today, Eris. Riley broke the silence, and the moment, with a very quiet and chillingly honest whisper. Even if you don't get what you hoped for. I'm glad you came.
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Interesting Conversationalist
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Posted: Sun Mar 24, 2013 3:47 pm
She heard rather than saw Riley tilt her head slightly to stare at her side-long, deep violet tentacles brushing the cascading material of her skirt. In the silence, it was impossible not to. And in turn, the Heir of War leaned in just a little closer, bent a little over her shoulder, her chin cocked a little to the side to face the mindflayer. She wasn't quite face to face with her, but that didn't matter. From this angle, their foreheads nearly touched, the sort of gesture that was a universally accepted symbol of understanding between two individuals. They didn't touch, but it was enough.
"...I am too," she replied in a low tone, equally as honest.
It was frightening, the path this encounter had taken into startling honesty. They could both feel it, the transition their conversation had gone from a subtle, winding dance to a connection neither of them had ever expected to share with the other. And the more Eris thought about it, the more she mourned this change. Not for what was said -- it was an invaluable opportunity, one that at any other time she would have gleefully snatched up with devilish intentions -- but for what she felt. Because the honesty was real. Everything she had said, from the point where the conversation had shifted to the very moment she admitted she was happy... happy... that she had come, she had meant. So how could she now? How could she do what she came to do, how could she try to manipulate her now?
But the truth was... she could.
And she would.
Because all was fair in love and War.
There was an undeniable ache in her tone as she spoke again, mentally reaching out to Riley, a tense agony in her tone which spoke volumes more than her words did of the shame she felt in exposing her own weakness.
'Would you stand with me?'
And there it was. The beginning of the end. The moment where their relationship could no longer balance on the blade of a knife. From this moment on, everything would change. She took a slow, deep breath, allowing her eyes to slide closed as she formulated in the words in her mind before she offered them to Riley, pulling back on the emotion in her tone to leave it smooth as silk once more.
'If I promised myself to you, all the power and influence I possessed, would you do the same?'
Shifting a little further, Eris rested her hand just below the demon's shoulder on her arm, her touch feathery soft and warm, no more than the flicker of a candle. And then it was gone, and the horsewoman was turning away in a slow, sweeping motion, ruby and onyx in stark contrast as the hem of her own skirt brushed the Mindflayer's as she recrossed the room, sitting again with a heavy sigh on the arm of the couch.
'I asked you these questions because I have always felt a certain... unprecedented... kinship with you. Before you started your life anew, you burned with the power and leadership of War, a drive to stop at nothing to get what you yearned for. And I mourn that void in you. I sought to help you, pledge myself to you, to assist you, blindly so, in whatever quest you followed, whatever trail you blazed. Because I knew that my clan would thrive in the wake of turmoil you brought upon whatever world you sought to control.' Lowering her eyes, War's Heir allowed her gaze to follow the path her fingertips took over the soft extravagance of the couch. 'And now that I know that life is gone, I admit... I find myself feeling a different sort of kinship.'
Eris' hand stilled, her eyes sliding closed again before she looked up, watching Riley from across the room.
'Understand, this is not natural for my kind. We are elitist; our interaction with you is limited, and shallow at best. But I feel you and I are not so different. And I find myself compelled still to assist you... perhaps because I see my own turmoil reflected back at me like a mirror.'
It sounded like the perfect lie. Because it wasn't a lie at all.
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Posted: Sat Apr 20, 2013 5:52 pm
Would you stand with me?
She'd uttered the words so many times. Eris couldn't have known - or perhaps she knew too well - that Riley had been in her position a hundred times before, with that same offer outstretched. That same hand, gently caressing. Those same promises, gentle and seductive, whispered into someone's mind. She remembered every single time, except for those she'd convinced here at Amity. And yet, she even thought she could remember one, then. Just one. The most important one.
Her own hand lifted, and her fingers rubbed against one another, aching with a memory once forgotten. The sweep of their fingers across taut, tanned skin. The darkness that followed her touch.
Jericho.
Eris promised her power, influence, everything that she'd worked her entire life to build up on her own. They fed her like Fear; they mingled in the air with every breath she took. To promise her these things was futile, because she already had them. And yet.. now..
It felt so good to just give in for a moment. To be the one seduced, instead of the one seducing. For as hard as she'd always worked to convince others to follow her, there was that soft little tingle of jealousy that came when she watched them give in. That moment when a stubborn and lonely soul found purpose and meaning in being led. She gave them what they always wanted, and she saw, in their hearts and eyes and bodies, just how good it felt to give in.
So she took advantage of thise one, rare moment, when it was her being given the choice.
Eris' presence surrounded her. She moved away, but Riley still felt her everywhere, as if the voice in her mind had cocooned her body as well. Kinship, the woman said. Riley was awake, and aware, for each moment of Eris' attempt. Each word spoken was one she'd used before. But she wanted to feel like those she'd conquered, for once. She wanted to know what it felt like to be filled with the yearning, and crawl, willingly, to anothers side. She wanted to feel.
It was a wicked, terrible twist. She felt naughty for wanting it. If her hive could see her now, craving such terrible desires, her place would have been destroyed, and her along with it. She was ruining everything, just for her own pleasure. Oh, it was only for a moment, but a moment was enough.
Riley turned around, and walked the length of the room, until she was standing in front of Eris. Would the woman have ever expected such a response? She had to believe the answer was no. After so much time spent devoted to conquering, Eris couldn't have expected it to be this easy.
And she was right. Nothing was ever this easy.
One long fingered hand reached out, held in front of her. She waited for Eris to take it. The game was ready. But the pieces were in the wrong position. So Riley knocked down the queen.
By bending down to one knee in front of her.
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