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| − | * - Back to [[GoldenCat/SeventhMovement|Seventh Movement]]
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| − | * - Back to [[GoldenCat/DanceOfAngels|A Dance of Angels]]
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| − | == The Color of the Sea ==
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| − | Not too close to the Forbidding Manse of Ivy...
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| − | ... and not too far.
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| − | Gennadi approaches the ''Viridian Diamond'', and although it is no farther from here than any other division of the Lotus of Destiny, the Forbidding Manse of Ivy seemed to castle a shadow over the whole neighborhood. Something that made one wonder what was behind every closed door, every wall, every house, every mask. Something that seemed to make the Manse he headed to darker even though it was alight.
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| − | And as Gennadi approaches, he sees what appears to be... a white labrador whose fur is filled with green-lit stars, walking like a human, with the features of a woman and a face that brings the sense of a female. "Hello. Is there anything I can help you with?"
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| − | '''Gennadi: ''' "Certainly! But not many. Where's the lady of the house at the moment?"
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| − | '''Narrator: ''' "Oh, but of course. Do you have an appointment, good sir?"
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| − | '''Gennadi: ''' "No. That's roughly the point, you see. I'm here to surprise an old friend. Just give a description, add some various wounds, and I suspect she'll be right out." He lights up a cigarette with a match, blue flame curling up in the shape of a dragon to bite the end into glowing fire.
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| − | '''Narrator: ''' "It is in bad form to deceive my master with her compassion, you know. But I will humor you."
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| − | Of course, much like many dogs, the smile of its teeth betrayed almost an urge to growl...
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| − | A playfulness and care with the implicit threat if anything threatens her master.
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| − | And so, the Familiar walks in...
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| − | And a moment later, she comes out, looks at him.. up and down...<BR>
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| − | And jumps, glomping the fellow Sidereal!
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| − | "'''''Gennadi! ''''' Where have you been, you bastard?"
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| − | * Gennadi grins, spinning around with her to take out some of the force of the leap. "Creation, here and there. Down to the dirt, or at least I would have been if there hadn't been so much bloody snow. Can I come in?"
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| − | '''????: ''' "Not just yet!" She says with an emphatic nod and the sweetest smile...
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| − | ... before striking a most vigorous slap accross Gennadi's face!
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| − | "''Now'' you can!" She nods again, her smile as sweet and pure as it was, never changing.
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| − | And so she turns around to walk him in, her red hair falling down past her waist, a white cross dyed in the back of her hair visible to Gennadi now. Her Manse had the Aspect of Wood, he could feel it. A feeling of vigor, of life. Butterflies danced within it, free as in a forest, and he could swear he heard the singing of birds. "Snow? Ah, yes, the bloody mess up north?"
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| − | '''Gennadi: ''' "Right. I'd thought I might drag myself up here bloodied and beaten, but the behemoth wasn't as frightening as the legends were. Or at least it wasn't after I got done with it." He idly rubs at his cheek, feeling more at ease now that he's been hit
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| − | '''????: ''' She looks at Gennadi, as if trying to find out something... "Ah, Whiro the Blood Wolf? That was you? Alright, color me blue and have me impressed. That certainly takes guts... well, just being there, period, takes guts. Makes me wish I could try to heal others there... but I keep getting wounded from all five corners of Creation here..."
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| − | '''Gennadi: ''' "Yes, I expected business would be picking up. When it gets to the point even fools like me are on the ground, you know things are going to get worse." He chuckles and shakes his head. "You know, I'm surprised I haven't seen you. You'd get along so well with Alexsei's wife."
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| − | '''????: ''' "Oh, I heard of her. The Solar healer... I heard she even walked up here a few times. Got people ''mad'' at poor Alexsei, they did." She chuckles, walking into her office, steaming coffee there... "Expresso? And... I'm not sure. I think she will make me green with envy, really. Damned Dragon-Blooded do..."
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| − | '''Gennadi: ''' "You've got some similar traits. And envy's not so bad, really. A good reason to go forth and accomplish things. Yes, please." He nods to the coffee. "She's pleasant enough, but she really needs to be a bit more pro-active."
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| − | '''????: '''"Pro-Active? How so?" She asks, pouring the coffee for him and handling him, sitting down herself... "If we have similar traits, does that go for me, too? If the answer is just 'yes', I swear the coffee will burn your tongue!"
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| − | '''Gennadi: ''' "I sat in on one of their lovemakings and neither one even hit me. Her passive nature has made him soft." He just grins. "Come on, darling, when have I been known to complain you're not doing enough? Have I ever? It's more a similarity of drives and passion, and not so much in methods..."
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| − | '''????: ''' "Oh, so THAT is what made him soft? I wondered. Everyone know the Black Wing of Conclusion is not who he once was. Honestly, I never understood what is up with the college of Endings and the overdrawn names. Sometimes, they seem so much like Abyssals..." She sighs. "Oh, thank you so much. And I think I can spare some time to walk down with you and meet her, I guess. It will be interesting, at the very least!"
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| − | "But why do I owe your radiant presence, hmmm?"
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| − | '''Gennadi: ''' "Three things, really. I need some training, I need some assistance, and I potentially have some wonderful things to offer in return." He smiles again, genuine. "Also I thought I might spend the night with you before I go, for old time's sake."
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| − | '''????: ''' She joins her hands in front of her face, still smiling. "~Someone~Wants~Another~Slap~" She says, song-like. "I can do the rest, however. I am here to help, and I can never refuse requests for help from someone so charming!"
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| − | "Now, training..." Her hands split, and flowers appear in one hand, nurtured by her essence...
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| − | "... depends on what, of course."
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| − | '''Gennadi: ''' "Sorcery. Myself, and a sweet little Solar Twilight. I intend to get her in debt to me... well, I suppose to us before someone else gets the chance."
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| − | '''????: ''' "Oooh, a sweet little Solar? I want to see, I want to see!" She says with hands together close to her face, and a nearly insane smile! Then, her familiar comes in, handling her some papers with an emerald butterfly seal in them. 'Here they are, Mistress Spring'. She nods, picking them, and thanking her familiar....
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| − | "Now, I can do. Call her, and we can hold some classes together! I know just the place for great Sorcerous Practice..."
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| − | '''Gennadi: ''' "I'm glad you're interested. Now, a step down, there's two Blooded I'm going to want you to look at. One, of course, is Kanti, Damien's discarded pet. She's been interestingly scarred, some sort of necromantic ritual... and I'd like you to see what you can do. The other is one that CASTS necromancy, and I'm hunting her down for... retraining." He leaves the obvious implication of study open.
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| − | '''Spring Blossom: ''' "Scarred...? Poor thing..."
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| − | "What is it with you Blues, hmmm? You always need things broken, instead of simply nudged at..."
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| − | '''Gennadi: ''' "We bring joy, not mild happiness and contentment."
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| − | '''Spring Blossom: ''' "Well, Sunset's people are certainly... joyful, I will say this much, yes."
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| − | "But the way you treat Shaliya seems to be a much nicer way to do it..."
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| − | '''Gennadi: ''' "That is because at heart, I am a romantic. Also because in the end, I'm simply helping her out... I'm thee for her, and not the other way around." He shakes his head. "Finally, we need to discuss payment. I'm open to suggestions, of course, but I'm likely to be busy for the short term... training with Sifu Carmine again." He sighs.
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| − | '''Spring Blossom: ''' "What would I want, is it? Well, I am always looking out for new ways to heal... if you found some artifact or Manse that helps with it, would be much appretiated. But, if you do not have it already, I do not want just a faint promise.... so, what to ask, what to ask...?"
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| − | "Oh, so you ''also'' need intensive medical care?" She winks
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| − | '''Gennadi: ''' "Most likely. It depends on how upset she still is... Really, Petal, you know I'm good for it. This mess in the North is presenting nothing but business opportunities..."
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| − | "We bring joy, not mild happiness and contentment."
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| − | '''Spring Blossom: ''' "Well, Sunset's people are certainly... joyful, I will say this much, yes."
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| − | "But the way you treat Shaliya seems to be a much nicer way to do it..."
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| − | '''Gennadi: ''' "That is because at heart, I am a romantic. Also because in the end, I'm simply helping her out... I'm thee for her, and not the other way around." He shakes his head. "Finally, we need to discuss payment. I'm open to suggestions, of course, but I'm likely to be busy for the short term... training with Sifu Carmine again." He sighs.
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| − | '''Spring Blossom: ''' "What would I want, is it? Well, I am always looking out for new ways to heal... if you found some artifact or Manse that helps with it, would be much appretiated. But, if you do not have it already, I do not want just a faint promise.... so, what to ask, what to ask...?"
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| − | "Oh, so you ''also'' need intensive medical care?" She winks
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| − | '''Gennadi: ''' "Most likely. It depends on how upset she still is... Really, Petal, you know I'm good for it. This mess in the North is presenting nothing but business opportunities..."
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| − | '''Spring Blossom: ''' Brushing some fiery hair aside, the Blossom sighs, fiddling with a feather between her hands, one which changed color on different angles to the light, and adjusting her glasses... "... bussiness? How horrible, Genn. People are dying, you know. That is what we work to stop."
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| − | '''Gennadi: ''' "Endings, Battles. It is business, Petal, because the war only means people need distraction from it. It is business because there is profit to be made, and some bastard will make it. It might as well be the one with good intentions, hm?"
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| − | '''Spring Blossom: ''' "Quite right, better you than the Guild, for sure. Anyways... you said you will stay around tonight? When do we go meet the Cute Little Solar and The Lady Who Will Get Me Green With Envy?"
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| − | '''Gennadi: ''' "I suppose that's up to how busy they are... I could probably get a message sent if you like. A proper appointment, some place nice in Great Forks or the like."
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| − | '''Spring Blossom: ''' "That would be great! And I can do... let me just change a couple things for tonight." She says as she finishes her coffee, getting up and straightening her apron... "I will be right back, alright? Can you make yourself at home here while I am gone?"
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| − | * Gennadi quickly sets his feet up on the table. "Do you even need to ask?"
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| − | '''Spring Blossom: ''' "A good host ''always'' ask, you know!" She walks past the table, leaning close to him and kissing his forehead, where a caste mark would be. "I have never been a bad host to you, have I?"
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| − | '''Gennadi: ''' "Not yet, and I don't expect you to... Would you mind if I skip out on a bit of your shop talk with the girls?"
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| − | "I have a thought on payment I'd like to check up on, but it'll probably be dinner before I can get the books."
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| − | '''Spring Blossom: ''' "Not at all." She says, plucking a flower from the vines on a wall, a white, perfect one, and placing over on Gennadi's hair. "I will see you in a bit, then." She says with a most sweet smile, making everything bloom a little more on the room.
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| − | * Gennadi does indeed make himself at home, drawing up intricately calligraphed invitations in old realm and a small note in High just in case Ryshy doesn't speak it. He never asked... Ah, well. Whlie she gets ready, and he knows the surgical precision she often aims for, he sets the messages on their way, through various diplomatic and bureacratic channels till some small god down in creation gets a copy and a threat if they lose it. The originals are filed with the rest of the official messages sent as regards meetings of the deliberative, in an ancient and dusty file mostly untouched except for additions and the occasional nostalgic elder.
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| − | '''Gennadi: ''' After that, it's simply a matter of sprucing up his appearance, cufflinks and a single earring shaped like the crest of a wave. He takes each edge of his jacket and pops it, instantly shifting from the wrinkled, comfortable appearance to sharp and new, the same being accomplished with a quick kick that blurs the air for his pants. He checks his smile and his eyes, both as brilliant as always.
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| − | '''????: ''' He writes...writes... while the shadows all around him feel darker and darker. There is something strange with the paper, as well. It is like he sees lines within lines there, a fine print that whispers strange secrets to him. Strange connections between Regent Forkhuf and a group of flower-keepers in the Northwest come to mind. It comes, and then he looks at himself in the mirror... and behind him, all he sees is Veils.
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| − | "Gennadi Ilkov."
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| − | '''Gennadi: ''' "Last I checked... that was me. And you are a very unexpected guest. If you've the time, I'm sure the hostess will be back presently, but I can entertain you for the moment." He puts a bit more amperage into his smile, baring perfectly white teeth a bit more.
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| − | '''Nara-O: ''' The Veils swirl, always about to show something, but closing about it. Green eyes shine within The Hundred Veils of Nara-O. "I have come for you, planner of death and rebirth, Gennadi Who Moves The Stars, Fool In The Road of Silence. It is time we talk. You are trapped in Secrets, and see them as chains to escape from, but one may not escape from what he cannot see."
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| − | '''Gennadi: ''' "I had assumed you were not in the business of revelations, Nara-O." He loosens his fingers from the end of the chain he'd compulsively grabbed. "Especially about things kept from me supposedly for my own good. If it is time we talk, then I am willing to listen... but do not be offended if I try to hear between your words."
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| − | '''Nara-O: ''' "There is nothing in my words, only between them. You dedicated your life to puzzle out the mystery of your own existence, and left all around you to puzzle the mystery of your own devices to move the stars and reshape Creation. I would be insulted, mister Ilkov, truly insulted, if you would not read between my words." Gennadi is sure he sees something in those veils... images of diaries, of words, of war, of blood, of screams, of palaces. "Time is running out for your puzzle, and the pieces might go missing. The world runs colder, Gennadi."
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| − | '''Gennadi: ''' "My blood runs colder as well, Nara-O." It's like he has to keep reminding himself of the name. "I should have known better than to think it concealed from you, but it is shocking to hear you speak my own thoughts and feelings. I am working as fast as I can, with as light a touch as I can muster... tell me, Mistress of Mysteries. Do I have support in the halls of Heaven? Am I the only one walking this path?"
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| − | * Gennadi grips that chain tight again, and his eyes light from within. His grin is sharper, somehow slightly more dangerous as he allows himself to consider what leads his heart. "My former self was terribly poor at keeping appointments, after all. I despair of learning why I bothered with notes at all."
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| − | '''Nara-O: ''' The veils stop their swirl for a moment... and each and every one seems to conceal a smiling face "I see no harm in it, but others would, even if it echoed their own desires. And those that you least expect to will be at your side. You found many pieces of a Blessing in your jouney, but need to hurry to get the ones that threaten to fly away, Gennadi. You need to hurry, and to read the lines, and between the lines. The light has expurged all truth from Creation, but the one on a few lines from a few days. That is a Blessing Creation needs."
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| − | '''Gennadi: ''' "I am trying... but it is not as if one entrusts shards of a Shard to just anyone. How many can you trust with the future? Even a hundred cannot hold together..." He shrugs, unconcerned. "The puzzle proceeds apace, Nara-O. The frame is made, and slowly the pieces fall together... and the more I can see, the faster I can see more. I just need more TIME."
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| − | '''Nara-O: ''' "We ''all'' do. That is the luxury none of us ever had, Gennadi. The more you know, the more urgent ''everything'' feels. There is never enough time. Never. Never enough time to live, never enough time to act. But you ''must''. Otherwise, your path of sorrow and disappointment will be even longer."
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| − | '''Gennadi: ''' "The joybringer's road is long and hard, or soft and wet depending on who you ask." His smile flickers a bit, heart not in the entendre. " It is a luxury that my dream is shockingly resilient, but... I am not. Every moment spent training is a moment spent not fighting, every moment spent collecting leverage is a moment not using it. I must soon be taking risks, Nara-O. Unpleasant, large risks, and I cannot pay the price for failure and success all at once."
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| − | '''Nara-O: ''' "Yet, you will have to."
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| − | He turns, the Veils beggining to slither into the shadows...
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| − | "Now you see what all your kin have to go through. Including your most bitter enemies..."
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| − | * Gennadi can't help but laugh a bit. "That's the part that makes it sting the most. Kin."
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| − | ----
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| − | * - Back to [[GoldenCat/SeventhMovement|Seventh Movement]]
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| − | * - Back to [[GoldenCat/DanceOfAngels|A Dance of Angels]]
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