The three of them were at a brawling pit.
"Impulse, Wrath, we need to talk."
The male, Impulse, turned to the thin and gaunt woman, though her figure was mostly hidden under a cloak and a hood.
"Hello, Death. If we have to talk, then we're lucky that this is occurring." He gestured towards the pit. It was an event where the three of them would be present together with no other Persona involved. Wrath continued observing the fighters silently.
"Frankly, you two need to control Arrt. He is getting out of hand. This is the fourth time I've caught him so far."
Impulse smiled. "He is our progeny after all. He wouldn't be my son if he weren't rash."
"Nor my seed if he did not anger easily." Wrath spoke.
Death sighed. "But he cannot be so unrestrained. Or at least, not in that area. Being so rash, he'd probably exterminate the entire population of the town. You have to do something."
"What? I would give him a man-to-man talk, except that being who and what I am, I know that he's not gonna respond well to it. Besides, my son and your daughter seem to be getting along quite well..."
"I know full well what they are doing." Death snapped. "Which is why I do not wish to antagonise him. It would not make for a good relationship."
Wrath laughed softly. "And you think that parents antagonising their children is better than the child's future mother-in-law. You're a funny one, Death."
"I can see that talking to you two will be as productive as talking to a block of bone. The bone would probably respond better."
Death left the pit and warped home. She pulled out a chair and sat down, sighing. She really couldn't stand those Emotional Personas. So much better to be emotionally balanced. These days, nobody took her seriously. Time was when she could just wave her scythe about in a vaguely menacing sort of way and people would be tripping over themselves to fulfill her wishes. Death was tired and weary. Bone-weary, if she was feeling out of sorts enough to make a joke. She left that sort of thing to Evolution, her handmaiden and another of the Natural Personas. And there she was.
"Mistress, you look awfully tired. Dead tired."
"I don't know how I tolerate your horrid puns, Evvy."
"You love my deadpan." Evolution pulled back Death's hood and busied herself with tidying Death's hair up.
"Evvy, you remember Arrt?"
"Impulse and Wrath's child? What about him? Don't tell me you caught him in the act."
"As a matter of fact, yes."
"Tsk tsk, Mistress, you really should take care of your hair. It's all over the place."
"That's what I have you for."
"That, and to admonish you. So you caught Arrt in bed with D-"
"No, I did not!" She said crossly.
"Don't convulse so much, Mistress, I thought you'd be in rigor mortis. Now I have to redo that entire section."
"Evvy. Please. Not now. Enough with the jokes." She rubbed her face.
"Yes, Mistress. So, you caught Arrt killing some of those people."
"Three boys from the village."
"And why'd he do it?"
"He told me they made Del cry."
"Aw, that's so sweet of him. I wish Creation would kill someone for me if that person made me sad." She said dreamily.
"Evvy, you're missing the point."
"Right, yes. He shouldn't have killed those mortals. Of course."
"And I can hardly tell him not to. He wouldn't listen and if I tried to force him not to, it'd just sour our relationship."
"I'm sure you don't want to ruin your future son-in-law's feelings towards you."
"I don't like him, Evvy."
"Del does. And that's really what matters. Del doesn't need to like Life and you don't need to like Arrt."
"It's not just that. Which mother would approve of a son-in-law who is quick to anger and just as rash?"
"It's a good thing that you're so open-minded and you believe in free will then."
Death snorted. "The danger of being too open-minded, Evvy, is that your brains might fall out."
"Then it's just as well that you're just skin and bones, yes? Wait, did you just make a sarcastic remark? You must be more tired than I thought. Go and take a rest, Mistress. Tend to your snakes." Evolution remarked as she finished redoing Death's hair.
Death's hobby was snake-charming, though she wasn't particularly good at it. The fact that being bitten didn't bother her in the least helped. She didn't mind being bad at it. It just calmed her down and relaxed her. Personas do not sleep.
"Mistress! Your husband's here. May I?"
Death stood up from her snakes and nodded. "Go ahead. Have a good time with Creation."
Creation was Life's butler, Evvy's counterpart and it was rather fitting that they would be in love, the same way Death and Life were.
"If you say I look well, I will take my scythe and stick it in you."
"I was going to say that I expected you to be worse, considering the plagues and all down in mortal land. But you look better than I believed, so that's fine." He kissed her lightly.
"I wanted to go and find you."
"What's up?"
"Del. She misses you."
Life frowned slightly. "This is a very inopportune time, I have to say. All the mages down there experimenting and especially the artificers who are creating life. I have to manage them."
"And I have to deal with the millions of plague victims of Kylmir yet I manage to find time to visit Del. Such wonderful scheduling you have, my dear." She said dryly.
Life blinked owlishly. "You're learning humour. That's certainly unexpected."
"No, I'm just not myself recently. I'm being worn out by all the mass deaths that's going on. As if the plague wasn't bad enough, recently mass suicide cults have been sprouting around. Our daughter wants to see you again. Besides, I need your help in handling Arrt."
"Arrt? Impulse's son? You mean he did something to De-"
"No! He's been killing people just because of some minor thing they did that made Del cry. The relationship of Personas and mortals has never been very well and what he's doing isn't exactly helping."
"I see."
"And keep an eye on both of them too, I may let them sleep together, but I will not condone any of the sexual acts."
"Not until Del's older." Life agreed. "I wish we could meet more often. In those days when we were together all the time. Hospitals and all." He said wistfully.
"While Evvy and Creation had just started dating. Ah, happy times."
They sat together on the balconey of Death's home, watching the eternal sunset that would never pass. The sun never moved here, stuck in a perpetual sunset. But they would have to leave to their respective duties far too soon.
Sunday, January 30, 2011
The Family of Del
I turn the corner and bump into Mariko.
"Del!" Her doll-like face smiles happily. "Go to the hall, someone's waiting for you." Mariko continue skipping away.
Someone waiting for me? I run there quickly. And,
"Arrt!"
He's back! My big, strong Arrt! We hug and I breathe in the smell of him.
"Did you miss me while I was gone?" I love the sound of his deep voice, warm and enveloping. I respond by nuzzling closer against his chest. He rubs me there, just the way I like it and I inhale more of him as I moan a little. I have a fascination with smells and my Arrt's man-smell is gooood.
He freezes suddenly and I cringe slightly.
"You've been crying." He whispers softly into my ear.
"I.. I missed you." I lie. But he knows.
"Your veins surge even blacker when you lie." His hot breath on my face makes me shiver ever so slightly. "Who? Mariko?"
"No... Mariko's always nice to me. I play with her a lot." I reply nervously.
"Then who?" He holds me tight and stares into my eyes. Lightning dances in his eyes, so scary, so beautiful, my Arrt.
"Some.. some of the boys in the village." My voice is little more than a squeak. I know that I had just killed those boys with my words. "They only looked at me and Mariko and called us some names! Don't hurt them... Please..."
My words have no use, just as I knew they wouldn't. My Arrt's eyes blaze with unrestrained lightning and anger. I know that he would go through the village tonight and kill them.
My sweet Arrt pulls away from me and I take a few steps back. My dear Arrt is scary in this mood.
A clap of thunder sounds, rain falls, lightning flashes and my Arrt is gone. I walk away gloomily.
He comes back. Outside, a flash of lightning and my Arrt is back. He has three boys held tightly by the neck of their shirts. The same three who had called me bad, bad names. Lightning flickers and plays around my Arrt's brilliant white hair. The three boys are in their nightwear and one of them has a dull splotch spreading down his pants. One of them stammers, "Demon!", looking at my Arrt.
I can't help but giggle. My lovely Arrt is no demon, but that's the story we all use. We're all supposed to be demons, but they are just boys from the village who know nothing about us. I can just make out the slight hint of a smile on his face, but he forces it down.
"Are these the ones?" My Arrt asks softly. The boys stop their whimpering and crying and look at me.
"Tell it we didn't do anything!" One of them shouts out. They don't recognise me, I realise. Except one of them, the leader. The one who started jeering at me and Mariko when we went to the small village-town today. Mariko had responded in her usual way, smiling and blew a bright pink bubblegum till it burst. Everything about Mariko screams pink. Her hair is naturally pink, just like the bubblegum she so loves to chew. Her dresses are pink and white, her eye colour is even pink. I don't think I've ever seen her wear clothes of any other colour apart from pink and white. And she is pale. Mariko is very pale, until you feel that you can almost see through her skin. But then, that's what people say about me too. They say that my skin is even paler and that they can see my black veins running though me. And when I lie, you can see my veins surging even blacker. I don't lie well. Mariko lies much better than me. She always has that smile, then she'll blow her gum till it pops. Mariko likes pink, but I like black better. I always wear black.
"Del!" Her doll-like face smiles happily. "Go to the hall, someone's waiting for you." Mariko continue skipping away.
Someone waiting for me? I run there quickly. And,
"Arrt!"
He's back! My big, strong Arrt! We hug and I breathe in the smell of him.
"Did you miss me while I was gone?" I love the sound of his deep voice, warm and enveloping. I respond by nuzzling closer against his chest. He rubs me there, just the way I like it and I inhale more of him as I moan a little. I have a fascination with smells and my Arrt's man-smell is gooood.
He freezes suddenly and I cringe slightly.
"You've been crying." He whispers softly into my ear.
"I.. I missed you." I lie. But he knows.
"Your veins surge even blacker when you lie." His hot breath on my face makes me shiver ever so slightly. "Who? Mariko?"
"No... Mariko's always nice to me. I play with her a lot." I reply nervously.
"Then who?" He holds me tight and stares into my eyes. Lightning dances in his eyes, so scary, so beautiful, my Arrt.
"Some.. some of the boys in the village." My voice is little more than a squeak. I know that I had just killed those boys with my words. "They only looked at me and Mariko and called us some names! Don't hurt them... Please..."
My words have no use, just as I knew they wouldn't. My Arrt's eyes blaze with unrestrained lightning and anger. I know that he would go through the village tonight and kill them.
My sweet Arrt pulls away from me and I take a few steps back. My dear Arrt is scary in this mood.
A clap of thunder sounds, rain falls, lightning flashes and my Arrt is gone. I walk away gloomily.
He comes back. Outside, a flash of lightning and my Arrt is back. He has three boys held tightly by the neck of their shirts. The same three who had called me bad, bad names. Lightning flickers and plays around my Arrt's brilliant white hair. The three boys are in their nightwear and one of them has a dull splotch spreading down his pants. One of them stammers, "Demon!", looking at my Arrt.
I can't help but giggle. My lovely Arrt is no demon, but that's the story we all use. We're all supposed to be demons, but they are just boys from the village who know nothing about us. I can just make out the slight hint of a smile on his face, but he forces it down.
"Are these the ones?" My Arrt asks softly. The boys stop their whimpering and crying and look at me.
"Tell it we didn't do anything!" One of them shouts out. They don't recognise me, I realise. Except one of them, the leader. The one who started jeering at me and Mariko when we went to the small village-town today. Mariko had responded in her usual way, smiling and blew a bright pink bubblegum till it burst. Everything about Mariko screams pink. Her hair is naturally pink, just like the bubblegum she so loves to chew. Her dresses are pink and white, her eye colour is even pink. I don't think I've ever seen her wear clothes of any other colour apart from pink and white. And she is pale. Mariko is very pale, until you feel that you can almost see through her skin. But then, that's what people say about me too. They say that my skin is even paler and that they can see my black veins running though me. And when I lie, you can see my veins surging even blacker. I don't lie well. Mariko lies much better than me. She always has that smile, then she'll blow her gum till it pops. Mariko likes pink, but I like black better. I always wear black.
"Are these the ones?" My Arrt asks again and I stop daydreaming. (Is it daydreaming if it's at night but I'm not asleep?) I nod.
"Yes."
He nods slowly in return and more lightning courses around and about him. Pretty bolts dance between his fingers and the boys shrink back. The one who wet his pants even starts shouting for his mummy. Silly boy. The House of Del has none of the dead, especially not those bandaged mannequins.
My Arrt draws a bright blue finger across the boy's face and it tears. The face rips and tears, a broad gash on his visage and he dies screaming. The other two boys get up and try to run, but lightning crawls across the floor and chains them to the ground, burning them. The smell of burnt flesh is in the room. My Arrt's white hair is flaring upwards now, the sheer amount of electricity in the room causing things to fly. My Arrt grabs the second boy and forces him to stare into his eyes. My Arrt's eyes are a pure blue-white now, no iris, no pupil, just blue and white. The boy's eyes spark a little and suddenly the spark grows, consumed by an inner lightning. There's nothing left in those burnt and scoured eye sockets. Those screams are really starting to get annoying. My Arrt feels the same way and crushes his throat, killing him. My Arrt then draws some of the lightning around the dead boy's face and skins it off, a cohesive flap of skin. My considerate Arrt smiles.
"Mariko will like this." Mariko, when she can, likes taking the faces of people and weating them. She's got a huge collection of those face masks, but she tells me she can't blow bubblegums as well when she wears her masks.
My Arrt suddenly looks past me and I turn. Mariko! She serenely chews her gum and walks to the last boy.
"Arrt? May I?" She asks so politely and nicely.
My compromising Arrt reluctantly backs away and calls back his lightning to him. Mariko lifts her hands up and crackling pink with a few threads of black surrounds them and she claps her hands on the sides of the boy's head. The energy discharges into him, wounds bleed open and his orifices start pouring with blood. Mariko quickly takes her hands away before they get dirty. The death of these three touch me. They aren't the first that have died thanks to me. Sweet, protective Arrt. I remember what Mariko tells me. Dolls are always prettier when they're broken...
As if thinking about her summons her, my mom appears. My mom is wearing that same boring old cloak and hood and is carrying that long, sharp scythe that she always brings wherever she goes. Her gaunt, skeletal face is stern and I think she's going to scold us. People tell me that my mother is Death and my dad is Black, the Colour Persona. But that was a long time back, before mom broke up with him and fell in love with Life. So Life's my dad, but Black's my real dad. Life is very nice to me, always getting me things I want and playing with me even though I'm not really his daughter. But I love mom and Life and my Family.
"Arrt, this isn't the first time." My mom's voice is as stern as her face shows her to be, but I can tell that she's exasperated.
"I'm sorry, auntie."
"That's what you said the previous times."
"They made Del cry!"
My mom's expression softens and she walks to me, picking me up.
"Are you alright now, Del?"
"Yes, mom. I'm okay."
She turns back to Arrt after tousling my hair a little.
"Let's try not to let this sort of thing happen again. As it is, mortals don't really like me."
Arrt smirks a little. Only a few mortals actually like Death. According to mom, nobody welcomes her with open arms.
"Mom?"
"Yes, sweetheart?"
"When's dad coming?" I have to call Life dad even though he's not really my dad. It's kinda funny, but I guess it doesn't really matter.
"I'm not sure either, dear. I'll tell you when I know. I have to go now, take care of yourself, sweetheart."
"Yes, mom. Bye."
"Bye." She turns back to Arrt. "And do try not to kill or torture anymore people. Especially torture. Pain is a sterner matron than I. Take care of them for me." Mom disappears. Arrt's parents are two of the Emotional Personas, Impulse and Wrath. He got his pretty lightning from his godfather, Light, one of the Elemental Personas. Each group of Personas have seven, so there are seven Colours, seven Elements, seven Emotions and seven of the Natural Personas. Sometimes I get mixed up, but Arrt's always here to explain. I hug Arrt and he hugs me. We head to our bedroom. Mom knows we sleep in the same bed, but she doesn't say anything about it. Mariko has a separate bed, though in the same room. All the others of my Family have all been long asleep.
"Yes."
He nods slowly in return and more lightning courses around and about him. Pretty bolts dance between his fingers and the boys shrink back. The one who wet his pants even starts shouting for his mummy. Silly boy. The House of Del has none of the dead, especially not those bandaged mannequins.
My Arrt draws a bright blue finger across the boy's face and it tears. The face rips and tears, a broad gash on his visage and he dies screaming. The other two boys get up and try to run, but lightning crawls across the floor and chains them to the ground, burning them. The smell of burnt flesh is in the room. My Arrt's white hair is flaring upwards now, the sheer amount of electricity in the room causing things to fly. My Arrt grabs the second boy and forces him to stare into his eyes. My Arrt's eyes are a pure blue-white now, no iris, no pupil, just blue and white. The boy's eyes spark a little and suddenly the spark grows, consumed by an inner lightning. There's nothing left in those burnt and scoured eye sockets. Those screams are really starting to get annoying. My Arrt feels the same way and crushes his throat, killing him. My Arrt then draws some of the lightning around the dead boy's face and skins it off, a cohesive flap of skin. My considerate Arrt smiles.
"Mariko will like this." Mariko, when she can, likes taking the faces of people and weating them. She's got a huge collection of those face masks, but she tells me she can't blow bubblegums as well when she wears her masks.
My Arrt suddenly looks past me and I turn. Mariko! She serenely chews her gum and walks to the last boy.
"Arrt? May I?" She asks so politely and nicely.
My compromising Arrt reluctantly backs away and calls back his lightning to him. Mariko lifts her hands up and crackling pink with a few threads of black surrounds them and she claps her hands on the sides of the boy's head. The energy discharges into him, wounds bleed open and his orifices start pouring with blood. Mariko quickly takes her hands away before they get dirty. The death of these three touch me. They aren't the first that have died thanks to me. Sweet, protective Arrt. I remember what Mariko tells me. Dolls are always prettier when they're broken...
As if thinking about her summons her, my mom appears. My mom is wearing that same boring old cloak and hood and is carrying that long, sharp scythe that she always brings wherever she goes. Her gaunt, skeletal face is stern and I think she's going to scold us. People tell me that my mother is Death and my dad is Black, the Colour Persona. But that was a long time back, before mom broke up with him and fell in love with Life. So Life's my dad, but Black's my real dad. Life is very nice to me, always getting me things I want and playing with me even though I'm not really his daughter. But I love mom and Life and my Family.
"Arrt, this isn't the first time." My mom's voice is as stern as her face shows her to be, but I can tell that she's exasperated.
"I'm sorry, auntie."
"That's what you said the previous times."
"They made Del cry!"
My mom's expression softens and she walks to me, picking me up.
"Are you alright now, Del?"
"Yes, mom. I'm okay."
She turns back to Arrt after tousling my hair a little.
"Let's try not to let this sort of thing happen again. As it is, mortals don't really like me."
Arrt smirks a little. Only a few mortals actually like Death. According to mom, nobody welcomes her with open arms.
"Mom?"
"Yes, sweetheart?"
"When's dad coming?" I have to call Life dad even though he's not really my dad. It's kinda funny, but I guess it doesn't really matter.
"I'm not sure either, dear. I'll tell you when I know. I have to go now, take care of yourself, sweetheart."
"Yes, mom. Bye."
"Bye." She turns back to Arrt. "And do try not to kill or torture anymore people. Especially torture. Pain is a sterner matron than I. Take care of them for me." Mom disappears. Arrt's parents are two of the Emotional Personas, Impulse and Wrath. He got his pretty lightning from his godfather, Light, one of the Elemental Personas. Each group of Personas have seven, so there are seven Colours, seven Elements, seven Emotions and seven of the Natural Personas. Sometimes I get mixed up, but Arrt's always here to explain. I hug Arrt and he hugs me. We head to our bedroom. Mom knows we sleep in the same bed, but she doesn't say anything about it. Mariko has a separate bed, though in the same room. All the others of my Family have all been long asleep.
Saturday, January 29, 2011
Butterfly Flowers
"I would like to speak to the owner of this establishment."
"We're just a simple florist, m'lady, and I run it."
"Come on, do I have to prove that I know what goes on in here? Fine, I'd like to see one of your butterfly flowers. Now, can I or can I not see the owner of this establishment? I know his name, but it'd be best if it was not said."
"Of course, m'lady." The woman headed towards the inside of the flower shop and promptly returned with the man Raewyn was looking for.
"Wind! It's been a long time, girl."
"And you too, Snake."
Slanel could be described as a stereotypical businessman, with the suit, briefcase, tie, he was extremely out of place at the flower shop.
"Come on in, we'll go to my office, shall we?"
He led her in, through a corridor where she could hear the sounds of certain illicit activities occuring in the rooms along the corridor. She took a seat by him, lying back against the wall.
"I still can't believe you went into prostitution."
He smiled wickedly. "I suppose you understood the moment Mr. Necromancer told you I was running a flower shop."
"You enjoy that phrase too much."
"It's true. I run a business involving genital organs, and so do florists. It's just the organs of what, that truly matters."
"Of course."
"What are you doing here, though? I remember the day when you left. The Shifter was heartbroken."
"The Shifter doesn't even have a heart. I think."
"Oh, he does. And he wasn't the only one. Arguil was really disappointed. And so am I. You nearly brought Liryc to tears, remember?"
"She's fine now, right?"
"Not... really. She got even more depressed after you left and that's saying something. I never thought she could get even more depressed and suicidal. Your departure really hit her hard. Hit all of us hard. But Liryc got hurt the worst, girl."
"If there was some way to help her, I would. But it's too late for that. It's much too late. I left the guild fifteen months ago. I'm here for a different reason."
"Oh? And what might that be?"
Mirroring her previous encounter with Arguil, she pulled down her top garment.
"Nice colour. What did you do?"
"What I did is not the matter here. The matter here is that the salve I'm using to cure it is much too potent. I need a stalk of dreaming fern."
Slanel pursed his lips. He stood and strode about his office.
"You ask a lot, Wind. You leave us all negative fifteen months back, now you come back and you demand a stalk of dreaming fern."
"I can compensate you."
"The compensation isn't the most important thing. The most important thing is, never insult someone who might one day help you. You never seemed to grasp that. And now, it still seems like you haven't. Respect."
"On account of old time's sake, Slanel."
"Ah, don't you remember? I never do credit.""
"Slanel. Just... Look, if I don't get the dreaming fern, the salve will eventually burn my skin away and kill me. If I stop applyng it, the thing will cover my body and kill me."
"And that concerns me how?"
"Don't be so stubborn, will you! This is a matter of life and death."
"I refuse. I require greater incentives."
"I will come and visit the guild regularly."
"Not good enough."
"I'll pay you double the value of the dreaming fern."
"Triple."
"Fine." Raewyn grinned. "You always were a sucker for cold, filthy gold."
"Hey! I polish that gold everyday until it shines! Or at least," He amended, "I used to. Nowadays, I polish it when I can, the rest I leave to my servants to polish."
"You ain't afraid they'll steal it?"
"Why should I? They ain't kravlun." He said, using the term for the bottom-class, generally considered to be thieves and pickpockets. "But yes, there's a spell on my gold, bring it out of a certain range, bad things will happen."
"Mmm. I'm not too interested in what your household does."
"I can tell. I really think you should go and find Liryc. Try to get her to her previous state of depression."
"She's a dirge-singer, shouldn't the depression work in her favour?"
Slanel shrugged.
"As a dirge-singer, I guess it would help with the emotions and all that, but as a person? Not so much."
"I heard she's in Necropolis now?"
"Yes. She'll be back in Pero Diaz by next week earliest."
"Alright. I'll try to keep in touch with you guys. It's been a long time. The Shifter?"
"He's working as a bodyguard."
"How did he even get the contract? Don't tell me he finally got the hang of speaking?"
"Oh no, he hasn't and I don't expect him to anytime soon. I work as his agent too."
"And I assume you don't know where Necros is either."
"Our de facto leader tends to disappear quite regularly. This is no different."
"I'll be seeing you then, Snake."
"And you too, Wind." He kissed her on her forehead. "You may have been an irritance and a nuisance back in the day but I still missed you. Now take the fern and begone. You can pay later."
"I thought you said you didn't do credit?"
"Details, details, now go!"
You've forgotten about Alice, haven't you. Libys' voice echoed oddly in her mind.
"Hush."
You can't hide from her forever. Either you go and find her, or she comes and finds you.
Raewyn ignored him and slowly applied the salve. And the screams began once more.
"We're just a simple florist, m'lady, and I run it."
"Come on, do I have to prove that I know what goes on in here? Fine, I'd like to see one of your butterfly flowers. Now, can I or can I not see the owner of this establishment? I know his name, but it'd be best if it was not said."
"Of course, m'lady." The woman headed towards the inside of the flower shop and promptly returned with the man Raewyn was looking for.
"Wind! It's been a long time, girl."
"And you too, Snake."
Slanel could be described as a stereotypical businessman, with the suit, briefcase, tie, he was extremely out of place at the flower shop.
"Come on in, we'll go to my office, shall we?"
He led her in, through a corridor where she could hear the sounds of certain illicit activities occuring in the rooms along the corridor. She took a seat by him, lying back against the wall.
"I still can't believe you went into prostitution."
He smiled wickedly. "I suppose you understood the moment Mr. Necromancer told you I was running a flower shop."
"You enjoy that phrase too much."
"It's true. I run a business involving genital organs, and so do florists. It's just the organs of what, that truly matters."
"Of course."
"What are you doing here, though? I remember the day when you left. The Shifter was heartbroken."
"The Shifter doesn't even have a heart. I think."
"Oh, he does. And he wasn't the only one. Arguil was really disappointed. And so am I. You nearly brought Liryc to tears, remember?"
"She's fine now, right?"
"Not... really. She got even more depressed after you left and that's saying something. I never thought she could get even more depressed and suicidal. Your departure really hit her hard. Hit all of us hard. But Liryc got hurt the worst, girl."
"If there was some way to help her, I would. But it's too late for that. It's much too late. I left the guild fifteen months ago. I'm here for a different reason."
"Oh? And what might that be?"
Mirroring her previous encounter with Arguil, she pulled down her top garment.
"Nice colour. What did you do?"
"What I did is not the matter here. The matter here is that the salve I'm using to cure it is much too potent. I need a stalk of dreaming fern."
Slanel pursed his lips. He stood and strode about his office.
"You ask a lot, Wind. You leave us all negative fifteen months back, now you come back and you demand a stalk of dreaming fern."
"I can compensate you."
"The compensation isn't the most important thing. The most important thing is, never insult someone who might one day help you. You never seemed to grasp that. And now, it still seems like you haven't. Respect."
"On account of old time's sake, Slanel."
"Ah, don't you remember? I never do credit.""
"Slanel. Just... Look, if I don't get the dreaming fern, the salve will eventually burn my skin away and kill me. If I stop applyng it, the thing will cover my body and kill me."
"And that concerns me how?"
"Don't be so stubborn, will you! This is a matter of life and death."
"I refuse. I require greater incentives."
"I will come and visit the guild regularly."
"Not good enough."
"I'll pay you double the value of the dreaming fern."
"Triple."
"Fine." Raewyn grinned. "You always were a sucker for cold, filthy gold."
"Hey! I polish that gold everyday until it shines! Or at least," He amended, "I used to. Nowadays, I polish it when I can, the rest I leave to my servants to polish."
"You ain't afraid they'll steal it?"
"Why should I? They ain't kravlun." He said, using the term for the bottom-class, generally considered to be thieves and pickpockets. "But yes, there's a spell on my gold, bring it out of a certain range, bad things will happen."
"Mmm. I'm not too interested in what your household does."
"I can tell. I really think you should go and find Liryc. Try to get her to her previous state of depression."
"She's a dirge-singer, shouldn't the depression work in her favour?"
Slanel shrugged.
"As a dirge-singer, I guess it would help with the emotions and all that, but as a person? Not so much."
"I heard she's in Necropolis now?"
"Yes. She'll be back in Pero Diaz by next week earliest."
"Alright. I'll try to keep in touch with you guys. It's been a long time. The Shifter?"
"He's working as a bodyguard."
"How did he even get the contract? Don't tell me he finally got the hang of speaking?"
"Oh no, he hasn't and I don't expect him to anytime soon. I work as his agent too."
"And I assume you don't know where Necros is either."
"Our de facto leader tends to disappear quite regularly. This is no different."
"I'll be seeing you then, Snake."
"And you too, Wind." He kissed her on her forehead. "You may have been an irritance and a nuisance back in the day but I still missed you. Now take the fern and begone. You can pay later."
"I thought you said you didn't do credit?"
"Details, details, now go!"
You've forgotten about Alice, haven't you. Libys' voice echoed oddly in her mind.
"Hush."
You can't hide from her forever. Either you go and find her, or she comes and finds you.
Raewyn ignored him and slowly applied the salve. And the screams began once more.
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
Newspapers Are So Informative
Solciro whistled. "Hey guys, Delirious' been sent to the asylum."
"What? Why? He's always been somewhat mad, why send him there now?"
"Apparently he went crazy. Well, crazier. He started attacking people, it says here. And certain background information about him was revealed. Delirus was actually two people once. Siblings. Del and Irus. Who would have guessed. Some weird magical accident, they merged or something." He said, reading the newspaper.
"Wow. Where'd they get that information from?"
"His, uh, their other siblings. Iris and Iria."
"So, what's his real last name?"
"I don't know. It just says here The Family Of Del. I don't know, but it sounds quite sketchy to me. The Family Of Del. Maybe they were well-known somewhere else?"
Cocytus shrugged. "Anyway, I wonder who's gonna be the new Magics teacher."
They were sitting in a parlour sipping coffee and just lazing around, whiling away the time. The Terra parents had, as Solciro had predicted, expressed their sympathy and offered Grei a home. Grei had accepted and was still sleeping, not having slept in a proper bed ever before. It was a whole new world to her.
"So, Kestrel, what did you mean by those words yesterday?"
"Boredom strikes back. Shopping anyone?" Kestrel asked.
Cocytus stared at her. "Who are you and what have you done to my beloved Lady Kestrel?"
"I could do with a new hoodie." Lethe said.
They had been studiously avoiding the subject ever since Kestrel accidentally revealed it to the siblings. But they knew that they would have to tell them soon.
How long more before we tell them? It's starting to get annoying, hiding it from them. Styx sent.
Yeah. I think we might as well just tell them. I don't think I'd really want a boyfriend who doesn't accept me and my friends.
My friends and I. Phlegyas corrected. But, the grammar not withstanding, I agree with Lethe.
Then we might as well get it over and done with. Cocytus stated.
"Solciro, Lune, what you two heard yesterday was exactly that. As you already know, Lethe can absorb memories through touch and Styx is a telepath. But what you didn't know is that I can control blood and that Phlegyas here appears to be able to return from the dead without any outside intervention." Cocytus shrugged and deftly unbraided his veins. They dangled about his hands, far longer than his fingers. He lifted his hands up.
"See? Remember these? Watch." Blood started flowing from the veins and poured out into the air, forming a crimson globe. Cocytus became a shade paler, but continued concentrating.
"Blood control." He funneled the blood back into his veins and after he was done, started heaving heavily. He smiled weakly. "And it's tiring. Very very tiring."
It was a good thing that the parlour was empty save for them.
"But... How... I don't..." Solciro struggled futilely, trying to grasp what he had just been told. "Ah, you know what, never mind." He dropped the newspaper onto the table, slumped back onto his cushioned seat and closed his eyes, simply enjoying the cooled air and hot coffee.
"You're pretty accepting, aren't you?"
He opened an eye lazily. "You have to be accepting if you want to survive. You'll get nowhere with bigotry and calling other people freaks." Both his eyes then jolted awake as Lethe threw herself onto him.
"I am never going to get used to their extremely open displays of affection." Styx said, averting her face in mock embarrassment.
"I'm gonna have to get used to it, she's gonna be my sister-in-law!" Lunare exclaimed. "If they do this everyday..." She let the thought hang in the air.
"Besides, do your parents know about this?" Phlegyas gestured with a finger at the couple.
"Do you mean the fact that they're so intimate or the fact that they're together?"
"Um, both."
"Father and Mother only know that there's a relationship. They didn't inquire further. They think we know better. And I suppose we do."
The lovebirds finally broke their kiss and grinned somewhat breathlessly. Lethe sat on his lap, smiling in that Cheshire way that they had come to know recently.
"And I think I'm learning some manner of control over this. I can limit the experiences to just intellectual knowledge now, not actually reliving it all over again! But I guess it could be because I've touched him many times."
"Yeah, and in all the wrong places."
"I'm curious though." Cocytus cut in. "You and Lune don't act like nobles. Your speech, your actions, it seems more suited to the style of us regular commoners. The nobles I've seen apart from you two, they like to enunciate their words precisely, speaking in clipped sentences as if Common weren't their first language. And you two seem much more open."
Solciro shrugged. "We always resented the language, debate, court manners and politics lessons. We only put up a show of it in front of Father and Mother. Ah, you see, only we stuck-up nobles actually call our parents Father and Mother all the time, not Dad or Mum."
Lunare yawned. "Acherus, could we go and practise? Please? I'm really bored."
"We all are. I guess so then. Pickpocketing or lockpicking?"
The two made their way out, though Acheros opted to stay in the cool room. The weather recently had gone haywire, the weather mages unable to control the eco-dome they had erected over Pero Diaz. Pero Diaz, having the good luck to be located in the middle of a desert, had several high-ranking resident mages who created a dome over the entire city to control the weather. This meant that the weather was very monotonous, cool anytime around morning and evening, warm in the day. However, the dome had been fouling up recently and heatwaves that were more in tune with the desert had been passing through the city. No one knew why.
Lethe had taken up the newspaper. "Hey, slaughter of three kids in this little village."
"What's so amazing about people slaughtering three goats?"
"Sorry, I meant three boys."
Cocytus eyed her suspiciously. "Since when did you pick up street slang?"
She just rolled her eyes. "Since I touched her, remember?"
"Oh. Right. That."
"And anyway, what's interesting is that it says here something about a lightning demon is suspected. Family Of Del included in questioning."
"Let me see." He eyed the article. "So if this is the same Family Of Del, which is highly likely, then we know where Delirious came from."
"What, you wanna go check it out?"
He snorted.
"I'm not so bored. Besides," He slid a deck of playing cards out from his jeans pocket. "Cards anyone?"
"What? Why? He's always been somewhat mad, why send him there now?"
"Apparently he went crazy. Well, crazier. He started attacking people, it says here. And certain background information about him was revealed. Delirus was actually two people once. Siblings. Del and Irus. Who would have guessed. Some weird magical accident, they merged or something." He said, reading the newspaper.
"Wow. Where'd they get that information from?"
"His, uh, their other siblings. Iris and Iria."
"So, what's his real last name?"
"I don't know. It just says here The Family Of Del. I don't know, but it sounds quite sketchy to me. The Family Of Del. Maybe they were well-known somewhere else?"
Cocytus shrugged. "Anyway, I wonder who's gonna be the new Magics teacher."
They were sitting in a parlour sipping coffee and just lazing around, whiling away the time. The Terra parents had, as Solciro had predicted, expressed their sympathy and offered Grei a home. Grei had accepted and was still sleeping, not having slept in a proper bed ever before. It was a whole new world to her.
"So, Kestrel, what did you mean by those words yesterday?"
"Boredom strikes back. Shopping anyone?" Kestrel asked.
Cocytus stared at her. "Who are you and what have you done to my beloved Lady Kestrel?"
"I could do with a new hoodie." Lethe said.
They had been studiously avoiding the subject ever since Kestrel accidentally revealed it to the siblings. But they knew that they would have to tell them soon.
How long more before we tell them? It's starting to get annoying, hiding it from them. Styx sent.
Yeah. I think we might as well just tell them. I don't think I'd really want a boyfriend who doesn't accept me and my friends.
My friends and I. Phlegyas corrected. But, the grammar not withstanding, I agree with Lethe.
Then we might as well get it over and done with. Cocytus stated.
"Solciro, Lune, what you two heard yesterday was exactly that. As you already know, Lethe can absorb memories through touch and Styx is a telepath. But what you didn't know is that I can control blood and that Phlegyas here appears to be able to return from the dead without any outside intervention." Cocytus shrugged and deftly unbraided his veins. They dangled about his hands, far longer than his fingers. He lifted his hands up.
"See? Remember these? Watch." Blood started flowing from the veins and poured out into the air, forming a crimson globe. Cocytus became a shade paler, but continued concentrating.
"Blood control." He funneled the blood back into his veins and after he was done, started heaving heavily. He smiled weakly. "And it's tiring. Very very tiring."
It was a good thing that the parlour was empty save for them.
"But... How... I don't..." Solciro struggled futilely, trying to grasp what he had just been told. "Ah, you know what, never mind." He dropped the newspaper onto the table, slumped back onto his cushioned seat and closed his eyes, simply enjoying the cooled air and hot coffee.
"You're pretty accepting, aren't you?"
He opened an eye lazily. "You have to be accepting if you want to survive. You'll get nowhere with bigotry and calling other people freaks." Both his eyes then jolted awake as Lethe threw herself onto him.
"I am never going to get used to their extremely open displays of affection." Styx said, averting her face in mock embarrassment.
"I'm gonna have to get used to it, she's gonna be my sister-in-law!" Lunare exclaimed. "If they do this everyday..." She let the thought hang in the air.
"Besides, do your parents know about this?" Phlegyas gestured with a finger at the couple.
"Do you mean the fact that they're so intimate or the fact that they're together?"
"Um, both."
"Father and Mother only know that there's a relationship. They didn't inquire further. They think we know better. And I suppose we do."
The lovebirds finally broke their kiss and grinned somewhat breathlessly. Lethe sat on his lap, smiling in that Cheshire way that they had come to know recently.
"And I think I'm learning some manner of control over this. I can limit the experiences to just intellectual knowledge now, not actually reliving it all over again! But I guess it could be because I've touched him many times."
"Yeah, and in all the wrong places."
"I'm curious though." Cocytus cut in. "You and Lune don't act like nobles. Your speech, your actions, it seems more suited to the style of us regular commoners. The nobles I've seen apart from you two, they like to enunciate their words precisely, speaking in clipped sentences as if Common weren't their first language. And you two seem much more open."
Solciro shrugged. "We always resented the language, debate, court manners and politics lessons. We only put up a show of it in front of Father and Mother. Ah, you see, only we stuck-up nobles actually call our parents Father and Mother all the time, not Dad or Mum."
Lunare yawned. "Acherus, could we go and practise? Please? I'm really bored."
"We all are. I guess so then. Pickpocketing or lockpicking?"
The two made their way out, though Acheros opted to stay in the cool room. The weather recently had gone haywire, the weather mages unable to control the eco-dome they had erected over Pero Diaz. Pero Diaz, having the good luck to be located in the middle of a desert, had several high-ranking resident mages who created a dome over the entire city to control the weather. This meant that the weather was very monotonous, cool anytime around morning and evening, warm in the day. However, the dome had been fouling up recently and heatwaves that were more in tune with the desert had been passing through the city. No one knew why.
Lethe had taken up the newspaper. "Hey, slaughter of three kids in this little village."
"What's so amazing about people slaughtering three goats?"
"Sorry, I meant three boys."
Cocytus eyed her suspiciously. "Since when did you pick up street slang?"
She just rolled her eyes. "Since I touched her, remember?"
"Oh. Right. That."
"And anyway, what's interesting is that it says here something about a lightning demon is suspected. Family Of Del included in questioning."
"Let me see." He eyed the article. "So if this is the same Family Of Del, which is highly likely, then we know where Delirious came from."
"What, you wanna go check it out?"
He snorted.
"I'm not so bored. Besides," He slid a deck of playing cards out from his jeans pocket. "Cards anyone?"
Thursday, January 20, 2011
Am I The Only One Who Predicted That?
Now, we shall see if it works.
"I trust Nova."
The truth will set us free.
"You're being unusually obtuse."
I... have my doubts.
She had received a transmission from Nova earlier on, dictating further instructions. The ointment was to be applied lightly and only once a day, lest it burnt her skin as the ointment contained various powerful herbs, both acidic and those that were bane to demons. Raewyn used a small fluffy piece of cotton wool to wipe the ointment onto the taint. It had spread so far that she grew worried that the ointment might run out ahead of time. The salve seemed to have no effect at first, save that it was cooling and felt comfortable on her mutated skin.
"That's disappointing."
Don't be so quick to... judge. He hissed.
"What's wrong with you?"
He didn't have to reply. The coolness faded and was replaced by a comfortable warmth. The warmth then grew in intensity. It started to get uncomfortable, a burning sensation, not dissimilar to being splashed by hot water. And the heat grew further. It felt as though she was being attacked by swarms of fireants and she yelped as the heat could no longer be described as heat, but rather as fire. She started screaming, so great was the pain and quickly sprinted to wash the medicine away. Libys' mental shrieks merged with her own to form painful harmonics that she was surprised her head didn't burst.
"Damn, damn, damn, damn the cursed medicine!" She swore after she managed to wash it away. "That was horrible."
You're... not the only one... who feels that way. Libys' mental voice seemed frighteningly weak.
"You okay?"
I feel... like I just survived an incredibly... concentrated dose of anti-demonic substances... Do you really think I am okay?
"Sarcasm. You're fine."
I.. told you I had... my doubts.
"Any way I could help you?"
Yes... Commit something evil...
"Very funny."
Gasping slightly, she examined herself. The taint was... The scales were duller and corroded, in some places she could see her skin. Her hands were scorched, an inflamed red and they had a throbbing pain to support the sight. The same signs were around the areas where her bare skin had touched the strong medicine.
"Damn." She closed her eyes. "That was painful."
However much... I detest the... weakness of the flesh... of inhabiting the flesh... I can't... argue with its... potency.
"I think Nova just lumped a whole bunch of herbs that hurt demons and then mixed them."
No... It was not a random mix... It was extremely effective, to be sure... We have to ask Nova if there was some way to dilute it, if you can't handle the pain...
"I can. It's a matter of how well you handle the pain. Your screams were just as bad as mine."
Pride. You don't have to pretend to be strong. We have... known each other for a long time already, though it is a short time to me.
"I'm not pretending." She huffed and lay down, already dialing Nova's shop. It was night and she would be there.
"Hello?"
"Nova, this is Raewyn."
"Ah yes, Raewyn, how was it?"
"Curse you, Nova, it was effective. Too effective. And very very painful. Could you dilute the damn thing?"
"Well, I engineered this level of potency because you wanted it to go away quickly, yes?"
"It's much too painful."
"I suppose I could administer a local anaesthetic when you apply the salve."
"Libys isn't affected by anaesthetics. He'd be screaming in pain and that is more than enough to make me want to scream."
"Complications." November sighed. "I suggest you go and find your other friend, the one from your old guild, what's his name, the one who's dealing with drugs?"
"Slanel? Wait, how do you know so much about them anyway?"
"I am an Upyr, no one denies me information. Besides, Arguil didn't mind. He said that the whole group of them were going somewhat more legit, so it was okay. He was the one who told me everything."
"Weird guy. He never did appreciate the value of keeping certain bits under wraps. What should I get from Slanel?"
"A certain plant. A dreaming fern."
"Why would I be getting plants from him?"
"Firstly, the dreaming fern, dear friend, is the plant from which dreamglaze is extracted. What happened to common knowledge of expensive narcotics? I would have thought that you would have tried dreamglaze before."
"That's not the point. I'm not a drug person. What's the second point?"
"To use his words, he runs a quaint little flower shop."
Raewyn didn't respond for a few seconds. Then she started laughing.
"He's pimping?" She asked incredulously.
"Yes."
"And he's hiding it behind the cover of a florist?"
"Yes. Funny guy."
"I can't believe he carried out on that stupid bet."
"What bet?"
"Never you mind. So I've just got to get this dreaming fern from him? How much?"
"I should think a single mature stalk would be enough. Dreaming ferns are the top-grade stuff, very hard to grow and just as hard to find. He may want some compensation."
"I have way more than enough to compensate him if need be. But I doubt so. But, what's drugs got to do with diluting the salve?"
"Who's the alchemist, you or me?"
"You."
"Exactly. I've got a customer incoming, bye." Again, Nova terminated the connection before Raewyn could reply.
That is starting to get extremely irritating.
"Yes. She evades. Still, we have to find Slanel now. This is like some annoying treasure hunt."
"I trust Nova."
The truth will set us free.
"You're being unusually obtuse."
I... have my doubts.
She had received a transmission from Nova earlier on, dictating further instructions. The ointment was to be applied lightly and only once a day, lest it burnt her skin as the ointment contained various powerful herbs, both acidic and those that were bane to demons. Raewyn used a small fluffy piece of cotton wool to wipe the ointment onto the taint. It had spread so far that she grew worried that the ointment might run out ahead of time. The salve seemed to have no effect at first, save that it was cooling and felt comfortable on her mutated skin.
"That's disappointing."
Don't be so quick to... judge. He hissed.
"What's wrong with you?"
He didn't have to reply. The coolness faded and was replaced by a comfortable warmth. The warmth then grew in intensity. It started to get uncomfortable, a burning sensation, not dissimilar to being splashed by hot water. And the heat grew further. It felt as though she was being attacked by swarms of fireants and she yelped as the heat could no longer be described as heat, but rather as fire. She started screaming, so great was the pain and quickly sprinted to wash the medicine away. Libys' mental shrieks merged with her own to form painful harmonics that she was surprised her head didn't burst.
"Damn, damn, damn, damn the cursed medicine!" She swore after she managed to wash it away. "That was horrible."
You're... not the only one... who feels that way. Libys' mental voice seemed frighteningly weak.
"You okay?"
I feel... like I just survived an incredibly... concentrated dose of anti-demonic substances... Do you really think I am okay?
"Sarcasm. You're fine."
I.. told you I had... my doubts.
"Any way I could help you?"
Yes... Commit something evil...
"Very funny."
Gasping slightly, she examined herself. The taint was... The scales were duller and corroded, in some places she could see her skin. Her hands were scorched, an inflamed red and they had a throbbing pain to support the sight. The same signs were around the areas where her bare skin had touched the strong medicine.
"Damn." She closed her eyes. "That was painful."
However much... I detest the... weakness of the flesh... of inhabiting the flesh... I can't... argue with its... potency.
"I think Nova just lumped a whole bunch of herbs that hurt demons and then mixed them."
No... It was not a random mix... It was extremely effective, to be sure... We have to ask Nova if there was some way to dilute it, if you can't handle the pain...
"I can. It's a matter of how well you handle the pain. Your screams were just as bad as mine."
Pride. You don't have to pretend to be strong. We have... known each other for a long time already, though it is a short time to me.
"I'm not pretending." She huffed and lay down, already dialing Nova's shop. It was night and she would be there.
"Hello?"
"Nova, this is Raewyn."
"Ah yes, Raewyn, how was it?"
"Curse you, Nova, it was effective. Too effective. And very very painful. Could you dilute the damn thing?"
"Well, I engineered this level of potency because you wanted it to go away quickly, yes?"
"It's much too painful."
"I suppose I could administer a local anaesthetic when you apply the salve."
"Libys isn't affected by anaesthetics. He'd be screaming in pain and that is more than enough to make me want to scream."
"Complications." November sighed. "I suggest you go and find your other friend, the one from your old guild, what's his name, the one who's dealing with drugs?"
"Slanel? Wait, how do you know so much about them anyway?"
"I am an Upyr, no one denies me information. Besides, Arguil didn't mind. He said that the whole group of them were going somewhat more legit, so it was okay. He was the one who told me everything."
"Weird guy. He never did appreciate the value of keeping certain bits under wraps. What should I get from Slanel?"
"A certain plant. A dreaming fern."
"Why would I be getting plants from him?"
"Firstly, the dreaming fern, dear friend, is the plant from which dreamglaze is extracted. What happened to common knowledge of expensive narcotics? I would have thought that you would have tried dreamglaze before."
"That's not the point. I'm not a drug person. What's the second point?"
"To use his words, he runs a quaint little flower shop."
Raewyn didn't respond for a few seconds. Then she started laughing.
"He's pimping?" She asked incredulously.
"Yes."
"And he's hiding it behind the cover of a florist?"
"Yes. Funny guy."
"I can't believe he carried out on that stupid bet."
"What bet?"
"Never you mind. So I've just got to get this dreaming fern from him? How much?"
"I should think a single mature stalk would be enough. Dreaming ferns are the top-grade stuff, very hard to grow and just as hard to find. He may want some compensation."
"I have way more than enough to compensate him if need be. But I doubt so. But, what's drugs got to do with diluting the salve?"
"Who's the alchemist, you or me?"
"You."
"Exactly. I've got a customer incoming, bye." Again, Nova terminated the connection before Raewyn could reply.
That is starting to get extremely irritating.
"Yes. She evades. Still, we have to find Slanel now. This is like some annoying treasure hunt."
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