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Kara laughed openly and heartily, the first Kitara had heard since they arrived. She also noted Kitara's look of confusion.
"Yes. That was Anthony, my son; born unto me countless centuries ago. His twin, Rowen, is also here. They were the third and fourth child out of thirteen children, and you will meet them all gradually over time. They are not all here at the moment. Most of them are traveling far through The Realm to deliver messages and provide basic training and preparation for the various inhabitants within our reach. Anthony and Rowen are the only ones here right now out of that bunch. And of course the Greater Spirits..." |
"Just Valerie then. I will try to remember," Aideen replied. Rolgen had expressed the same sentiment. Just where was Rolgen, anyway? She hadn't seen him since they'd entered the mansion.
Meanwhile, the food revelation was comforting. She could eat, and taste what she was eating, though the idea of bloodlust disturbed her. There was nothing wrong with eating meat when one could get it -- she even enjoyed it -- but she was no hunter. The men took charge of that. And after all, that meat was cooked. And "demonesque." There was that word again, coupled with "chaos" this time. Aideen knew all too well that fire could be destructive, from the puzzle pieces of memory that came so sporadically. But it could also be a helpful ally, or a warm friend. She glanced at the hearth again. Was that a tame fire, or just a captive one? She crunched nervously into another biscuit, a little less daintily now that her appetite had been whetted. "If all fire elementals are like that, and I am one of them, what will this counsel do with me?" |
Valerie waved off the mention of Rolgen's name lightly.
"Not to worry dear. Rolgen is the head of the counsel. He's never really on time for it either..." she said in a sarcastic smug tone. "Oh well, it can't always be helped. He gets so caught up in his study that he would forget to breathe at times unless somebody bothered to remind him. That's a man for you I suppose." She paused between another biscuit. "The counsel will only want to have a look at you and ask you a few questions. Just simple things really, like where you came from, what your name is, what you can remember, etc... Don't be afraid if you don't know all the answers. They're not looking for anything suspicious exactly. All they want is honesty so that we'll have a better idea of what we could and should do to help you." Valerie said confidently. "Once you have completed your training here, we will present you to Lady Kara at the castle nearby for further instruction." |
Kitara felt a sense of warmth spread through her at the sound of Kara's laughter. It was such a pretty sound and of course she loved it when the people around her were happy. Every second she was starting to become more relaxed, just an effect of being safe for a while she guessed.
"Th-Thirteen children?" Kitara gasped. "I can't imagine having so many!" She then leaned forward in the chair, her curiously piqued. "Greater spirits? What is that?" |
Kara pointed at Nelo with an amused smile.
"SHE, my friend, is one of the Greater Spirits, despite her small size." Kara knew this didn't clarify things much, so she explained further. "Greater Spirits are beings within The Realm who have accumulated massive amounts of power and spiritual energy during their lifetime. Some are even born with it, such as in Nelo's case. Those usually end up becoming the most powerful of all, but their powers are equally difficult to control, as you have witnessed." She said rather apologetically. "The man you saw earlier, Michael, is one of the three Greater Spirits that dwell here at the castle. What you witnessed outside was probably only a fraction of his capabilities. The other two are called Leaowynne and Arnon, the adopted mother and father of Nelo. Their power could contest that of the strongest angels, and at times, even the gods themselves. The same goes for Michael, although his origins are more demonic in nature. Still, despite their overwhelming amount of power and the ability to use it, they are some of the kindest and most gracious beings you will ever come across." Kara started a moment before mentioning Michael. "Michael is too, once he gets used to you. He might seem very rough and cut around the edges, but once he is close to you, he is one of the most loyal and fierce allies you will ever gain." Kara said proudly. |
Kitara tried to absorb this new information and looked down at Nelo with a different eye. "Only a fraction of their power...?" she echoed. It was hard to believe, especially with what she'd seen today.
"So Greater spirits are just really powerful beings here?" Kitara asked for clarification. "That's really kinda amazing that there are so many dwelling in this castle." she said in awe...even if one of them was Micheal. |
Aideen frowned a little, disappointed. Rolgen had made himself her first friend in this place, and that meant a lot. She really had not been able to thank him formally. But if he was head of the counsel, then she'd see him again soon. Maybe he would even be on time for it.
"I can give them honesty, as I’ve been giving it to you. That doesn’t sound so difficult." She studied the last bite of her biscuit before slipping it into her mouth, wondering just how much training she would need if and when the counsel decided that she wasn’t an enemy. |
"It shouldn't be long now." Valerie said, interrupted at the very end of her sentence as a silvery sounding bell rang.
"Ah. That would be our dinner!" She exclaimed happily. She must have been pretty hungry and overworked herself. Valerie opened the door for her servant and gave the young maid the rest of the night off after she had deliverd their meal. She even told the girl to grab whatever she wanted from the kitchen to take home to her family, and to tell her father hello for Valerie. Valerie seemed to treat the "servants" more like courteous guests and was grateful for anything and everything they did for her. She brought the two laden trays to the table and set them in front of Aideen herself. When she removed the porcelain covers from the plates, two steamy stacks of buttery garlic basted bread and roasted potatoes complimented a rather large and juicy looking cut of browned meat on both saucers. It smelled delightful, but how Valerie was able to eat garlic was curious. |
Hollow immediatley stood up when she heard someone approaching. The fact that this guy scared her merchandise didnt make her to happy. He was also asking to many questions.
"Im looking for people with alot of money." She said harshly. Hollow took a quick glance at the onyx jewel and immediatly regretted her choice of words. "If you would help me sell these mares I would be grateful." her tone was a little less offensive, but still sharp. Hollow wasnt one to be nice to anyone. The girl took the horses by the reins and started moving along. She didnt get much of rest, but she didnt want to stay in one place if there were others about in the forest. She wasnt really sure as to where she was going, but now her only thought was to find a large establishment of people. For where there were people there were people with money. Her horses were special and she wasnt going to give them to just anyone that was wandering in the woods. Even if they were wearing the familiar Onyx jewel. |
Aideen softly thanked the servant as well. Whatever her own status in this world was, it was murky and apt to change. For all she knew she'd eventually become a servant, too, in some great house. The thought was not unappealing.
There was a lot to process, but first, there was the meal. It, too, was beautifully fragrant, and even if it didn’t really smell edible, Aideen now knew that it would at least taste, feel and act like food. She did not know why it worked that way, but there it was. She tried morsels of each dish, finding them both familiar (particularly the potatoes) and exotic. Any vampire lore she had heard in her previous life had not included anything about garlic, and so she didn't wonder at Valerie’s eating it. The meat, which she didn't shy away from in spite of what Valerie had told her, was more tender than she'd expected. Certainly this was the work of a master cook! While she continued to avoid the tea, she did find that a little moisture was desirable. If the food was dry, she realized, it gave her a quick burst of energy, but the moist variety slowly smoldered, giving her a steadier supply. Not to mention that feeling of fullness. "Thank you, Valerie. That was perfect." She dabbed at her lips with one of the cloth napkins, but did not sit back. Full or not, the counsel was soon, and she couldn't relax. |
Thalian reappeared right in front of Hollow without a sound. He wasn't threatening at all, but particularly playful, if not a little annoying. He hadn't meant to scare Hollow. In fact, it didn't look as if much would scare her anyway. He decided to cut to the chase and formally introduce himself so as to speed things up and maybe relax her a bit.
"I do apologize, Miss." Thalian said with a deep graceful bow. "My name is Thalian, son of Rolgen. My father is the lord of our people, the Valrae, who dwell in these woods. If it is people you seek, then it is there you will find them. We are always grateful to have a few horses on hand when flying and magic are a bit too obvious or flashy for situations that require a more... subtle approach. We are a comfortable and hospitable race, so I doubt you will have to inquire long to find a buyer for your mares." He failed to define exactly what type of situations his people would be involved in that would require a subtle approach, though in The Realm, subtlety was quite a handy trait to have when necessary. Though he had mentioned flying, he didn't seem to have any visible means of flying and his simple attire didn't look like the sort that would adorn a sorcerer either. He also noted that his onyx pendant had caught her attention, however briefly. "Ah, this old thing." He referred to the necklace casually. "Merely one of the old heirloom of my family we are required to wear when we travel. It is the symbol of my people and possesses special qualities that are unique to our race, so they are impossible to counterfeit... or steal" He eyed her warily for a moment, but then waved the notion away. "Anyway, you shouldn't be wandering about these woods on your own with such a tiresome load. If you were to wander off the path by mistake, there's no telling what would happen. If you like, I will take you to our city where you can rest and see about making your desired exchanges." He seemed honest enough. |
The lower levels were much as you'd expect them to be: dank, dark, wet. There was a clear smell of earth and soil, though heavily masked with the unmistakable stench of rot, a butchery of sorts. A butchery of souls. The ephemeral remains of spirit clung desperately to the persistent blood moss that grew stubbornly upon the old stone and mortar.
The little girl seemed soundly asleep with a porcelain doll dressed in a frilled sort of black and white dress, her white skin reflecting the candle light, her deep blue gaze fixed upon the prone body of the small cornflower haired girl. "You're late", said the doll. "Mind yourself, Olivia. I am here." "Let's just get this over with... I won't be able to hold her like this forever, you know", replied Olivia. "I am almost ready... is she well bound?" "As bound as can be, Mistress Alice." "Very good... then it is time to begin." "Finally." Alice rolled her eyes. Soon enough she would be able to deal with Olivia more actively, but... for the moment, her frail body relied on her and the sweet little Benvolio, who was now elsewhere chewing on the remains of a skeleton, his strong, sharp teeth indenting the ancient corpse. Olivia delicately climbed down from the table. And quite swiftly, Alice began the ritual that would give her a new body. |
Rolgen opened his eyes painfully. The room looked strange to him. He couldn't see where anything was.
"Oh...", he thought. "I must have fallen out of my chair." It was true, for as the room came into a sharper focus, Rolgen was clearly staring up at his painted ceiling depicting several dramatic scenes of ancient warfare. For the Lord of the Valrae, his study was actually no larger than the average bedroom; furnished with his large polished desk and comfortable chair, with several untidy bookshelves spotting the walls at random intervals. In the corner was a quaint little cot on which he would often fall asleep while delving into one of his many books. It had no windows, and was lit only by the few candelabra and wall sconces which accented what space was left between the bookshelves and the corners of the room. He tried to move. He felt like a board trying to bend and stand itself on end. He had to peel himself away from the polished wooden floor, and sat up dizzily. He felt very sticky, and then he remembered his arm. His good hand flew towards the wound to touch it and assess it for pain and damage. It only throbbed slightly, but there was a great deal of blood. Despite the severity of the injury, all he could think about was Valerie. "Once she sees this, she's going to finish that jackal's job when she finds out I didn't inform her about the accident or the injury sooner." He grimaced to himself in his mind. He gasped suddenly. "Aideen!" He said aloud. His desk and toppled chair didn't respond. "Oh no! She must think terribly of me now! I did not intend to leave her alone in the company of strangers for so long. I am certain Valerie would have attended to her, but still..." his thoughts trailed on; all of them following a similar suit in regards to his failure as a host. He was mentally flogging himself. "The counsel too! Damn it all! I have to get down there right now!" He put on some dark black suede gloves to cover his bloody hands, and tore the hem off the bottom of his shirt to wrap tightly around the wound in order to conceal it again. He tucked the torn shirt back into his pants with much grumbling, yet another thing to add to the list of blunders for which Valerie would scold him. He picked up a thick rumpled cloak from the edge of the cot where he had flung it a couple of nights before while reading. Wrapping it tightly around his shoulders and letting it fall down around his arms to the back of his heels, one would never know he had sustained an injury. When he was sure of his footing and felt quite normal again, he set off down the stairs and towards the chamber of the counsel in the back of the mansion, smoothing his hair and trying to rub the incriminating marks out of his forehead the wood had so kindly left him during his long nap on the floor. |
Hollow flinched back when the guy appeared so close to her face. She wasnt used to having people play around with her.
The girl smiled at the information that he just gave her. The little pendant would be useful to her, but she had no intent on stealing anything from the Valrae. He said that it was impossible to recopy, but there was nothing that Hollow wouldnt try. The girl was glad that the collar of her coat was hiding her mischevious smile. Hollow could all of a sudden feel the pain in her feet again. "I would greatly appreciate it if you took me out of here." Hollow tried to hide her pain, but she wasnt used to so much physical activity. The girl held on tight to her animals. She didnt want anyone to handle them unless they were buying one. She felt like she would colapse, but she wouldnt show any weakness if she could avoid it. "My name is Hollow." She said as she started to walk. Hollow got ready to fly out of there if the name ever struck a chord with Thalian. She was notorious and only a few in the underground knew her name. Perhaps it wouldnt even matter. There could be other Hollows in the realm kinda like there were a million Johns. "If you dont mind me asking." pried Hollow. "What are you doing out here in the forest alone?" He was strange enough, but acusing her of being out in the woods alone while he was doing the same thing was a bit hypocritical. |
(Removed: Accidental double post. My apologies)
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Thalian did not flinch at her question. In fact, his light-hearted face fell into a more stoic frown that left no room for accusations.
"It is part of the duty of our people to patrol our woods at all times. The trees are not... normal one might say. They act as guardians of this wood, and are quick to inform us of any travelers or stange creatures moving through their midst. In return, we exchange gifts of magic and knowledge with the forest and its inhabitants that better allow them to protect themselves and flourish. I've been following your for some time. Forgive me for not introducing myself sooner, but I was trying to establish your direction and purpose. You did not seem to be in a particular hurry, so I could not assume you were stealing the horses; but you did not exactly seem to know where you were going either." He gave Hollow a stern questioning look for the first time that actually made him look much more intimidating than he had orginally. Despite his simple appearance, Thalian was not one to be trifled with, and it was obvious he was more than prepared to drive her from the woods or cut her down entirely should she pose a real threat to his people. Hollow would have to provide him more thorough answers this time if she was to reach her destination any time soon, and it was clear that Thalian would not lead her on until she did. |
Kitara took the tea from Anthony with a smile. she looked at his new tail and waggled hers. She held the tea cup under her nose, smelling it before she decided to taste it. with just a tiny sip and her smile widened.
"Hello Anthony!" she said cheerily, already seeming to have forgotten his rudeness. "Its alright...and I'm glad to meet you!. I like milk." she just kept smiling because he looked so shy now, even though she blushed when he called her mam. she took another sip of her tea and nodded. "I like the tea very much." |
Anthony stuttered over some inaudible words and continued to look at his feet, clearly flattered by her compliments. Kara smiled, and her gray eyes glimmered. Her long bright white hair was curled neatly around one shoulder and fell in soft folds across her lap. Oddly enough, her strange wings were not there anymore. One could supposed they would be a little inconvenient for sitting in a chair...
"Alright Kitara. Now that you are comfortable and everything his quiet, I think now would be a good time for you to explain yourself a little better, as well as ask us all the questions you can think of. We would be more than happy to oblige. It's best that you be as informed as possible before we begin your training." |
Hollow stopped and was about to sigh. She wasnt even armed. The thought of it never crossed her mind...until just now of course. Hollow hated giving out information about herself.
"Im from a big town far from here and far from other castles. It's a town ridden with chaos, but not neccisarily evil." The town didnt have a ruler so it of course would be full of crime. "It's the only place I can afford to live right now," Which was sort of a lie. Hollow lived there cause there were alot of travelers with information and goodies to trade. "I need to sell these horses for money cause this is how i make my living." Hollow was raising her voice a little on purpose to show irritation. For once in her life she didnt come to rip people off. If she wanted to do that she would have brought a bunch of worthless trinkets to sell at a really high price. Hollow stepped over to one of the horses and patted its face. She put her face close to it and whispered something to it then she turned to Thalian. "I heard that sometimes these horses can talk to their owners if they end up loving them." Hollow took off her hood and unzipped her jacket to show her face. Like the Valrea she had fangs also, but their were three on each side of her mouth. Six on top and Six on bottom. Her eyes were a bright red that shone in the dark. She intended to show Thalian that she was a harmless girl. She didnt want to hurt anyone. The wind blew her intensly long hair and some of it flicked infront of her face. |
Kitara looked at Kara nervously, brushing brown hair back behind her shoulders. "What all should I explain? Where...should I start?" she asked because there seemed so much to talk about and she hardly knew where to start. same with the questions she had. There were always questions in her mind and she just wasn't sure how to organize her thoughts so that she could speak them clearly.
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Thalian looked at Hollow unabashed. She did not look a far cry from a Valrae, minus the wings and the addtion of the red eyes. She was quite pretty actually. Thalian still looked at her sternly, but with a touch of amusement. Clearly this girl was tired, and would not be of much use information-wise until she had rested a bit. He grinned at her, displaying his own duel set of handsome twin fangs on either side of his mouth.
"Alright Miss Hollow, I'll make you a deal. I will escort you and your wares to the city of the Valrae where you can relax for a little while. Your horses will be kept in the stables of my father's house in the meantime. Once you have refreshed yourself a bit, you will report to my father, Lord Rolgen, directly so that you may provide us more answers and we can feel more comfortable around each other. After all, in times of war, nobody can be trusted. And I'm sure someone of your type would be all too familiar with that concept." His tone was sharp, once again, leaving no room for argument. |
Kara continued to look on at Kitara patiently. Even Anthony finally looked up with curiousity. It was clear that they were more than willing to sit there and wait for as long as it took Kitara to deliver a response. It would be better, after all, if Kara knew exactly what she had to work with.
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ANNOUNCEMENT! ----- This is the only OOC announcement I will be delivering to you on this thread if I can help it. I just made a new thread specifically for that purpose in the OOC channel. Just search my name and you will find it. There, you can ask me all the questions you want and discuss the story with me and each other out of character without interrupting the plot with OOC inquiries or chasing each other with too many PM's. Lol. Visit the thread asap and post any questions you might have and I will do my best to answer them in a timely manner. Thank you.
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Hollow laughed a little. No one can be trusted in war. Of course she knew that. but of course your allies can also be your greatest enemy. Countless times Hollow retreived valuable information on what an enemy was doing from one of the soldiers. Most of them just want a mug of beer, but if you gave them enough they would slip.
Hollow made sure that her red eyes met with Thalian's harsh look. She wanted him to know that she wasnt some kind of frilly princess. She didnt want him to think she was the submissive type that would be nice at the snap of a finger. Hollow glanced back at her horses when Thalian explained what he was going to do. She jolted back when she heard that she would be reporting to Lord Rolan. "Report? Report What?!" Hollow was terrible at keeping her irritation to herself. Perhaps if she was selling him something she might have been more calm and in control, but that was not the case. "Why do I have to report anything to anyone. What I do is my business." The horses behind Hollow started to move about. "I already told you everything!" Hollow was about to take a step towards Thalian, but her ankle gave out. She started spewing curses as she attempted to get back up. In the long run all Hollow needed was some sleep and she would be fine. Traveling for so many days had made her uncomfortable and irratable. Hollow was definetly not someone that was easy to get along with. She knew perfectly well that she could be killed right there and then, but if worse came to worse she had a back up plan. |
After an hour of chanting, after the circle had been drawn, the candles lit, after the girl had screamed herself hoarse, after the blood was shed and consumed, after sky had fallen to dusk, the thin fabric that binds the soul together was finally ripped asunder!
It was the soul of Alice that first made its way from its body, of course, for she was the willing soul. The young girl's did not wish to leave, and, instead of traveling in a pleasant arc in a single pleasant arc like Alice's, it began to wisp away like smoke. This was no problem to the old witch who needed the body empty in the first place to inhabit. Benvolio watched, picking his teeth with a bit of bone as the ball of light floated slowly over to the glowing little girl. Pretty..., he thought, but then realized that the old woman's body was now quite dead. All that succulent tasty meat just begging for rending and tearing. Old meat was salty meet, yes, and stringy, perhaps, but the skin was like taffy, and he enjoyed pulling it from the muscle. Olivia did nothing to stop him as the ancient body fell to the floor, and was soon little more than a bloody sponge on the floor. She smiled cruelly. That revolting old woman's corpse on the floor was... entertaining and just what she wanted to see at that moment. But she was patient. She would not break her contract. No... she'd found a loophole... a loophole which she would be capitalizing on in a moment's time... |
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