[FIN PRP Yael] A Monster in the Basement (Jolanta x Ottolo)

[Kapoodles]

A soft, happy hum reverberated through the otherwise silent room that Ottolo sat in. It was a wonderful day, for after it's end, come the morning, he would no longer be trapped in the darkness. A room had finally been chosen for him to be moved into up on the ground floor, a room that had a window, where warm precious sunlight would finally filter in and warm his skin... How could he be upset, even in this faint candlelight, when such a sweet promise was before him?

The door to the basement room he occupied was no longer locked, and though he couldn't reach it, just the thought further lightened his mood. After his first trip beyond the room, he noticed just how awful he was viewed as by those who lived here. The door on the side facing the hall was all but covered in paper talismans and scribbled blessings and he felt hurt, but the soft explanations from Zekiel, and the hand that held his made him understand more and more what they saw. Ottolo was slowly starting to understand that he wasn't the monster they saw him as. He didn't deserve the cruelties that were set against him, nor was he any less human. He would have to show them, once he healed, that he could be just as kind and gentle as they could be. And the very thought made him smile.

So he sat, humming, sketching away at a little image of what he imagined the sun looked like... At how he imagined his dear Acolyte would look like in the sunlight, not here in the dark and the shadows. His book was all but filled with sketches of Zekiel. How could he not draw the other when his face was what he saw every day.

Ah... But that was a thought for another day. With a wider smile, he flipped the page of his sketch book, pulling the candle closer and beginning a new sketch, one of the sunflowers from his homeland... Maybe, when he saw the sunlight here in Yael, when he left this darkness for the light... Maybe they would have such beautiful flowers too.

Orpheus Solon

 

[Orpheus Solon]

Kapoodles

After his visit with Fallon the paladin Jolanta returned to the Sanctum to see if there was any work that needed to be done. Sure, there was a part of him that was a bit miffed by their slow reaction to the Priestess Fallon being missing but other then that he was devoted to them. He wanted to help out wherever he could and today it seemed that he would be escorting one of the older priestesses on a walk to gather some herbs. He'd of done it himself but she'd teasingly asked him what he knew about herbs and realized that his answer was 'very little'. As such she was going to be leading the way, with him following close behind to keep her safe. He didn't care for the idea of her going out alone after all, not given all of the recent events. If he knew anything about herbs at all he'd of done it himself to keep her from leaving town, but he didn't, so they would be going together.

It just wasn't something they would be doing straight away since the Priestess needed to get ready. He was waiting outside of the Sanctum while she went about getting ready, with her warning him that it would be 'a little bit' which meant he might be waiting a bit. She had as much time to get ready as she needed since he didn't mind waiting. Of course as he stood there, arms crossed over his chest, eyes closed, listening to what was going on around him he heard someone saying something about the mainlander that he'd been trying to get information on. So he was nearby, was he? A couple of inquiries later and he was heading for where it was that he was said to be being kept. He had some free time while he waited so it seemed as if it was time to look in on the stranger.

He didn't care for the idea that the guy was actually within the Sanctum's grounds. It was bad enough that some of those of the Sanctum were keeping the stray but to have him on the grounds? What if he was dangerous? What if he lashed out or tried to kill someone? As he headed toward where he was being kept he actually felt a bit better about it. At least they were keeping him in the basement, though it sounded like they were moving him soon. It would have been better if he was kept elsewhere, far from the Priests and Priestesses, which would assure that they could at least be safe while they slept. Well, save for the 'Possessed Priestess' but she was a special case.

Jolanta paused at the door to the room where the mainlander was being kept, his eyes going wide, nose wrinkling a bit. All the talismans and blessing on and around the door weren't a good sign. Just looking at them made his skin itch but he forced himself forward. Whatever horrible curse the mainlander had been taken by he wouldn't allow that to stop him. He had to look in, see what he was dealing with, and figure out exactly how he should be dealt with. Strangely though upon looking into the room he seemed a lot smaller and weaker then he'd been expecting, not that he was about to let his guard down.  

[Kapoodles]

Ottolo's humming stopped when he heard footsteps arrive outside of his door. At this point, during the preparations that were needed to move him, he was more and more familiar with new people coming in to check on him every now and again, so it wasn't so strange, but it did seem to take the individual a while to come through it. His eyes turned up to stare at it, beginning to get worried... If someone was lingering there, then maybe it was because they were unsure to come in... Maybe they were there to hurt him as Myuto had done before...

When they did finally arrive through his blood ran just a little colder as he saw a blade peek over his shoulder. Even worse, swung the door open wide. It felts suspicious and uncomfortable, but Ottolo couldn't exactly do anything... Maybe it was just another case of someone's curiosity getting the better of them, yet at the same time he really wished that his care takers locked him back in the room. It was a form of protection, even if they didn't see it like that for him.

"G-Good afternoon, did you require something of me sir...?" This man seemed so strong, even from where Ottolo laid. Then again, everyone seemed strong, compared to how thin he was. Hopefully, if the man held any ill will against him, that would be gone soon... There wasn't any way Ottolo could cry for help, not down here, if things were to go sour.

Orpheus Solon

 

[Orpheus Solon]

Kapoodles

So this was him he thought to himself as he stood for a moment in the doorway, filling it with his form, before he stepped inside and closed the door behind himself. This was the outsider that was sticking far too close to the Sanctum and its residents for Jolanta's liking. He'd expected... well, more. The rumors were about a monster, a cursed one, living in the basement of this place, and the various sigils on the door had spoke of him having a rather powerful curse about him, one that had likely etched itself on his very bones... and yet he looked to be a small and pathetic sort of stray. There was nothing about him that screamed danger, yet Jolanta refused to believe that he was harmless. There was no way that he could be given the way the door was decorated, as though everyone was doing their best to keep his curse in check. As one who carried within him a curse he knew that those that bore them might not look it on the outside.

One would be foolish to think that someone with such a powerful curse was harmless. As such he approached in a manner that was very cautious. The other was greeting him, his voice stuttering, but he wasn't sure if he should buy it. One could feign fear all they wanted and produce a blade a moment later... though he found himself debating if the one before him could cause much in the way of damage with his seemingly broken body. So many supplies being used on this one to heal his wounds while a Priestess lay injured within Doctor Tacrith's office. It seemed like foolishness to Jolanta. The tribe that this one belonged to should be taking care of him, not the Yaeli, they had enough problems to worry about.

After a moment of very close, narrow eyed study he started forward again toward the one with the strange golden hair, each step seemingly methodical. He didn't trust him, but there was no way to really get a feel for anything about him from across a room.  

[Kapoodles]

"Did... Did Zekiel send you...?" The man that had stood at his doorway looked much less than friendly. He was intimidating at his height, which reminded him of his assaulter, with a strong build. It made the small Windling wonder if he was, in fact, like Myuto, working for the church but not belonging to it. The stare that the man was giving seemed to bore right into him, making every scar that showed on his pale skin burn more and more. He was covered in them from head to to, with a particularly nasty one running from his hairline above his right eye, coming close to it's inner corner, then slicing down across the bridge of his nose. It made the young, fullness of his face seem alot older, but there was no disguising his youth and fear from his bright blue-green eyes. And the bruises he was covered in, particularly around his throat proved that he hadn't been treated kindly, and justified the slight retreating against the wall where he laid.

When the other stepped closer, Ottolo could not help but pull the blankets further over him, as if the thin fabric would keep the monsters and cruelty away from him. It had not work for Myuto, so such a childish though should have been banished from his mind immediately... Yet it lingered. Zekiel had said he should be safe being so close to the church, but what was this still proving to be false?

"Sir, please, I-" He paused, old habits keeping him from feeling any worth of himself in this situation. What right did he have to tell the other to leave? This wasn't even truly his room, it belonged to the church who had been caring for him thus far. Instead, his eyes turned downwards to the sketchpad in his lap, attempting to steady his breathing and not show the fear and panic that was beginning to creep up his spine.

"For what reason do you come...? I have... I have been hurt enough."

Orpheus Solon

 

[Orpheus Solon]

Kapoodles

Jolanta started forward toward the one that was sitting there on the bed, seemingly hiding behind the covers as though that would save him were Jolanta to actually engage him in a fight. Not that he meant to do so at the moment, he was just here to get a look at him, figure him out, what threats he might pose, and that was about it. As much as he felt that this guy didn't belong here it wasn't as though he would make a move while he was still all beat up. Once he reached the foot of the bed he found himself standing there in silence, watching him closely.

His eyes narrowed a little as the strange, golden haired outsider demanded to know what he'd come, telling him that he'd been 'hurt enough' and Jolanta said simple, "I don't care." He really didn't. While he knew it was hardhearted of him to say such a thing it was the true. He didn't really care about this one's woes or what injuries he had that brought him here, Jolanta cared for those that of the Sanctum that he'd devoted himself to. What really mattered in this particular moment was the fact that the outsider was here in the first place. If not for the fact that he was in such a state he would only be too happy to escort him out of the village, something to save for when he was healed up. If he was back on his feet then surely nobody would object to him ridding their people of a threat.

"I am here to assess the threat that you pose to those of the Sanctum." He said, his face never changing, ever serious as he crossed his arms over his chest, "Before you even claim that you aren't one I save the sigils on the door. Obviously someone thinks the curse you carry is bad enough to use every blessing there is to keep it contained. I doubt that is the only threat you could pose though."  

[Kapoodles]

The man creeped closer and closer, and by habit, Ottolo curled up closer to the wall, pressing against the corner of his head board and it as much as he could. Were he able to move his legs, he would have pulled them up as well, but they remained tightly bandaged and immovable. The Yaelian's words were sharp, sharper than the doctor's had been when he had come by to work on healing him, and he felt that same sting of tears reach his eyes. Fear was building up far too quickly for him to stay ontop of it, so the tears couldn't be held back, dripping slowly from his eyes as he pressed his forehead against the wall.

He was too close, he was there, at the foot of his bed, Ottolo could feel the heat from the other near his feet and it terrified him.

"Priest Zekiel is my friend..." He whispered, his eyes still screwed shut. "They put them up when they brought me here months ago.. They thought I was cursed because I appeared with many of my bones broken and skin falling off of my body. They thought me cursed because they pulled me from the sea like that... But I am not cursed. Not anymore. They are old and worn talismans, I swear... Please... Please, I am no threat... I cannot even walk on my own."

Orpheus Solon

 

[Orpheus Solon]

Kapoodles

Jolanta's ear gave a slight twitch as the other declared that 'Priest Zekiel' was his friend. He didn't much care for the fact that he was claiming to be a friend of one of the Priests and liked even more that it might be true, meaning that one of the Priests was in danger because of the outsider. Giving a little shake of his head he said, "The Priests and Priestesses have kind hearts, I am not the same as they are, I cannot afford to be any longer. Tt's my job to keep them safe no matter what... and you present a threat to them." That one of them might this the blond a friend was troubling because that would make it easier for the guy to stab the Priest in the back if he so wanted to.

As the other started to describe his curse, one of which that came along with broken bones and skin that was 'falling off' he could understand why so many talismans were required to contain such a thing. Were that to get out there would have been a panic. Whoever put such wards up on the door had been smart to do so, especially given that the outsider was being kept so close to the Sanctum instead of... well, anywhere else.

Reaching his hands out he rested them on the foot board of the bed, fingers curling tightly against it, "I will be the one to access if you are a threat to those under my protection or not. Of course you would claim otherwise or else you would appear even more suspicious then you already do." As the golden haired one claimed that he couldn't even walk on his own a part of Jolanta was... glad. It meant that he wouldn't be skulking about looking for an opening to cause trouble. He was confined here, to a bed, a room in the basement, but from what the whispers up stairs said it wasn't to last. For reasons that he didn't understand it seemed they were going to move him which would allow him to become more of a threat, which Jolanta didn't care for or approve of.  

[Kapoodles]

"I am a threat to them...?" He repeated this softly as it was said to him. Over and over it was said that he was a threat, that he was being judged by this man who hadn't even told him who he was.

"Have I no right to ask who you are? Am I any less human than you?" He murmured again against the wall, his eyes not opening once, not wanting to see any strikes towards him. If he was going to be killed in this moment where he finally thought freedom and the sunlight was going to be his, he did not want to see it end. "Is my body really that much of a reason to see me as a threat?"

Ottolo never was very big, but even he noticed that he began to grow taller once his diet changed. Maybe at this point he was even taller than Zekiel, but his arms and legs were thin, his ribs still jutting out awkwardly from under his skin as any food he ate went towards his body's non-stop work at repairing what was broken. But.. He didn't want to cower anymore; when he left Tumelo, he truly wanted to leave those feelings of fear to leave. So despite of what threat the other person was to himself, Ottolo slowly opened his eyes to gaze at the other from his place against the wall.

"Who are you to decide my worth, someone who has waited longer than the months and months I've been here to finally come see me...? Why am I a threat now? Why was I not a threat when I was still new and broken and near death? Did you not know? If you did not know, and I was not a threat then, and I've been in the company of Zekiel and Tacrith the doctor and few others, and have not harmed them, why am I threat now?"

Orpheus Solon

 

[Orpheus Solon]

Kapoodles

Jolanta gave a sharp nod as the other repeated what he said about being a threat. Of course he was a threat, how could he not know that? Outsiders were all threats, it was why they weren't supposed to associate with them and yet here this one was in the very heart of Pajore where he could do the most damage if chose to! This wasn't was Jolanta wanted, he wanted such threats to return to the mainland where they belonged instead of coming here to wage war against the Yaeli who had minded their own business until now!

As the other started to ask demanding questions of him Jolanta's body went taunt, his eyes narrowing behind his glasses, before he gave a snarl and slammed a fist against the wall hard enough that he split his knuckles, "I am here now because I am been foolish and soft until now! One of our Priestesses was already nearly killed at the hands of an outsider and I won't make that same mistake with you! I wasn't here before now because you were just a whisper spoken of behind the hands of only a few. Now those whispers are louder, they speak of you being let loose, and from there you will have access to far too much!"

Teeth gritting Jolanta spat out, "I will kill you myself before I allow you to harm anyone in the Sanctum, outsider."  

[Kapoodles]

Ottolo began to sob. He couldn't stop it once the hand slammed against his wall and he covered his face in shame of his tears. The hate towards himself began to bubble up again, hating how weak and defenseless he was alone here, and infront of a stranger nonetheless! How could he even have the briefest of dreams of being someone who could return Zekiel's kindness when he found himself terrified of even speaking his own mind for fear of being hurt or silenced.

"I do not know your priestess!" He forced himself to say between his sobbing, eyes screwing closed again. "If you are to kill me, then do it when I am free of this place! I don't want Zekiel to see my blood spilt again... I don't want him upset because someone cruel and single minded decided I was not worthy to live simply because I look different! He is far too kind for that!"

The very thought of Zekiel crying because of him hurt far worse than anything else this man could do to him. It hurt more than when his mother stabbed him. It hurt more than the fall from the cliffs or Myuto's filthy hands on his body. He didn't want to be the reason why Zekiel shed any tears.

"Please... Don't let him cry... He does not deserve to feel such sadness... Please... Please, I beg of you... "

Orpheus Solon

 

[Orpheus Solon]

Kapoodles

"No, you don't. Instead you know a Priest, you are an outsider that is at his side, a potential threat that could snuff out his life in an instant if you so felt like it." Jolanta said between clenched teeth. He was weak now but he would get stronger, then what? They were just supposed to let him wander around on his own? Trust that he wouldn't do as the other outsiders had done?

Giving a hiss between his teeth he said, "I am well aware that they tend to be too kind, that is why I can't be." He couldn't allow it any longer. He had to be strong to cover their kindness, protect it, so that they could remain ever kind. He'd always thought that he would one day die in the service of the Sanctum, his life for theirs, something that he was fine with... but what if it ended up being something else? What if he had to kill for them? What if they came to hate him because of it? It would still be worth it, right? Even if Priest Zekiel hated him, cursed him, wouldn't it be worth it if his life were spared? The life of an outsider for that of a Priest or Priestess, it shouldn't even be question.

"Someone has to be the cruel one. If that has to be me, then so be, if it means that they are all kept safe." There was that part of him that wanted nothing more then to grab the outsider by the scruff, to drag him out of this place, so that he could either leave him in the forest or toss him back into the ocean, an offering to Dafiel in hopes that she would cause him to be quickly forgotten by Priest Zekiel. It was tempting, to the point that his hands itched to grab hold of him, but he didn't move, remaining at his post at the foot of the bed. Giving a shake of his head he said, "None of them deserve to be in pain or in tears." And yet it seemed to keep happening, as though they were cursed themselves for the path they walked as Priests and Priestesses.  

[Kapoodles]

"I would never hurt him. He saved my life! He nursed me back to health even when I was praying for nothing more than death, and he... He made me want to live again, he made me want to see the sun, I never want to hurt him..." The sobs hardly settled, leaving the boy shaking and tired, praying that Zekiel's time to return to him would come sooner rather than later.

"You speak as if you know all of them! Do you know each priest or priestess? Do you know their hearts? Do you know how CRUEL some of them can be? You can never know anyone's heart unless you have spent time with them... So you would kill someone who is defenseless, who has done nothing but suffered by the hands of people like you, but still bears no ill-will towards you, but a priest who would be willing to hurt others for self gratification would be forgiven because they are 'blessed' or 'chosen' or some other self-imposed title they thrust upon themselves..." Ottolo didn't want to ruin the name of any priests, but they seemed, so far, to be just as human as he was. Just as human as Zekiel and his mother was, so there was the entire possibility of evil people to be hiding among them.

"They have existed hundreds of years before you... Have they not? They are not foolish enough to let themselves be hurt by the likes of me, you do not give them enough credit for their minds. Do you see them that weak and pathetic that you have to threaten someone bedridden and locked away? Perhaps I am not the monster here that everyone sees me to be. Maybe it's people like you..." Even now, his breaths came out shaky, and his grip on the blanket left his hands pale and he was sure that the ends of his nails were digging into his palms... But he would keep talking, even as scared as he was. Maybe if he were to keep speaking, a priest or one of his caretakers would come by, and they would shoo this offender away.

Orpheus Solon

 

[Orpheus Solon]

Kapoodles

Jolanta pushed up to his full height, eyes blazing, "Don't think to speak of matters that you don't understand, outsider. Dragging the names of those of the Sanctum through the mud as a means to protect yourself." He gritted his teeth, grinding them together a bit. How dare he speak ill of those of the Sanctum after it was their supplies that were used to safe his worthless life! Giving a snort he said, "Obviously you nothing of those that you are sponging off of if you think so ill of them." Which made him all that much more upset and disapproving of the fact that this one was a 'friend' to Priest Zekiel. That he could claim such a thing and then turn around and insult the other Priests and Priestesses was enough to hand his hands shake with anger and displeasure.

"How dare you. Thinking that I would think so poorly of those that I am in service to. I am a paladin of the Sanctum, a servant to the Priests and Priestesses, my life is theirs to use as they would see fit. I would never think of them as weak and pathetic." Moving around the bed he took a couple of stalking steps forward, "I'm the monster? Perhaps, I am well aware that my own curse is a dangerous one that needs upkeep to keep at bay." His curse wasn't as gruesome in nature as the one that the golden haired outsider carried but it was no less dangerous given its want to spread to others around him. Here was to hoping that, unlike his own curse, that the one this outsider carried wasn't the sort to try to infect others lest Priest Zekiel would find himself in danger.

"As I said, if I have to be 'cruel', if I have to be a 'monster' then so be it if it means that those of the Sanctum are kept safe. So feel free to keep spitting venom at me, any insults you hurl at me mean nothing, outsider."  

[Kapoodles]

"You are not the first to claim they are a servant to the church here and yet would still go around and do horrible things... How dare I? How dare I?!" Though meek and mild, Ottolo had enough. He was tired and worn out from this, but something inside of him snapped. Yes, he was used to being treated with a delicate and scared hand, but no one had talked so fiercely and angrily at him since his mother's murder attempt. And he was DONE with being weak, and DONE with crying.

He pulled away from the wall, his hands balling into fists tighter against his sheets, and his tear-stained face glared up at Jolanta.

"Do you know what else their servants do? They beat and assault the sick and the weak out of fascination! Tell me, is it a good thing for someone in your position to think of someone like me as just a toy to hit and beat? Is that maybe my curse, to be used as a target of aggression or sexual pleasure or just something someone can toss away because he isn't 'as human as the rest of us'. Gods be damned, I didn't ask to be here! Do you think I would have stayed if I had been given the chance to leave?! No, I was locked in here AGAINST my will. I was healed against my will, and when I begged and PLEADED to die in the very beginning, your kind Priests and Priestesses refused." A coughing fit began as Ottolo began to get worked up. In his anger, he forgot his badly his throat had been crushed just days before, and the sight raise in his voice triggered it's irritation. A hand came up quickly to rub at the bruises that were still there in an attempt to soothe the pain away.

"I am not cursed. It died along with the boy I used to be. Keep your sanctum safe against monsters like yourself. They exist in a much larger number than a single broken foreigner kept locked away in a basement."

Orpheus Solon