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| − | * - Back to [[GoldenCat/SecondMovement|Second Movement]]
| + | #REDIRECT ADanceOfAngels |
| − | * - Back to [[GoldenCat/DanceOfAngels|A Dance of Angels]]
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| − | == Nurturing Darkness ==
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| − | <b>Selina de Windia:</b> She'd left Spire as soon as possible -- sneaking out over the wall with the still unconscious Moon in her arms. Well, perhaps sneaking wasn't the best word: she flew over and no one noticed her. After that, it was fairly smooth going into the wilds outside of the city, past the occupied farmlands and into the forests and meadows.
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| − | <i>And now...</i>
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| − | He was still out. She had to do something about that. Except she didn't have the ability to heal others -- one thing she never developed. Or maybe deathknights couldn't get it? Now wasn't the time she was going to find out, in any case. They were in a forest at the moment -- a nice evergreen forest that looked like it'd never seen the touch of death before, and she wasn't going to cast <i>anything</i> until she had someone to be on lookout for her.
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| − | Thinking for a moment, Selina sighs and opens her greatcoat, checking the small pockets until she finds an odd tube...which she forgot about earlier. Actually, she had forgotten about it for a long time -- who knew if it was still potent. Some paste derived from some plant she'd never heard about till the vendor hawked it to her in Nexus. It was magical, though, she'd verified that much. And it was some sort of curative. She'd forgotten if she'd ever used it before though...
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| − | <i>Well, one way to find out what it cures.</i>
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| − | It's not as if he was infected or anything, she figured as she took off one of her gloves and then applied some of the paste to the wound. And then stepped back, closing the little tube again. If it worked, she was going to have to get more. If she could find the vendor again.
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| − | <b>Seventh Moon:</b> "Mmm" The small sigh is the first sound he's made in a while. It's a small sound, gravely from his dry throat. He passed his tongue across his lips and pulled them painfully apart. It was hard to breath, now that he was aware that he was doing it. Every time he sucked air in, pain rippled through his body as his torn fleshed moved and rubbed against itself. Scorching tightness filled his throat. Everything seemed to be moving, if moving slowly. Prying open eyes that had been glued closed with tears and dirt, he stared up at the blurred canopy of shadowy branches above him.
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| − | That was new. Last time he had been counting cracks in the ceiling plaster.
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| − | He was half-aware of the warmth of someone near him and familiar enough now with her scent that he didn't have to look.
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| − | "Sheeaah" his head lulled to the side to bring Selina into full view, though even staring at her she seemed to blur at the edges. "Th-the fuck happened?"
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| − | <b>Selina de Windia:</b> <i>Well...that worked.</i> She thinks, putting the tube back into her greatcoat pocket. She'd really have to get more of this stuff at some point.
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| − | "A few things." Selina replies neutrally, looking Moon over critically. He did look better than before -- not by much, but the wound was outwardly lessened to a degree. Of course, he'd have to heal the rest himself...unless she applied more of the paste.
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| − | "We're out of Spire now. No point in being there now that I have the information I came for. You going to be ok?"
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| − | <b>Seventh Moon:</b> He grunted an answer and closed his eyes again. It was slowly coming back to him. The shack. Making love. Getting jumped by those whatever they were. And then
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| − | Seventh Moon groaned and turned his head away. Agony lanced out of a shallow cut along his neck, driving the thought deeper into his heart.
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| − | <i>I fucked up.</i>
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| − | There wasn't any other way to put it. He'd fucked up and badly at that. Embarrassed himself in front of Selina. Left her alone to save his ass and finish what they went there for. Well, she'd done it, now he was laying like a fucking hump in the grass.
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| − | Inwardly, he reached out towards the animal within him, calling to it for help. Like the loyal hound it was, it came to him, stirring the sleek tattoos across his body into gleaming life. All along the scrapes and slashes in his body, cool specks of silver light twinkled and slid across the broken flesh. Strands of muscle, tubular veins, paled webs of skin all began to slowly undergo the process of kitting themselves together.
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| − | "What what did you find out?" he asked once the tingling, squirming sensation had spread to every wound.
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| − | <b>Selina de Windia:</b> "They're waiting for everyone to do what they want. Heard of the Bull of the North? He's factored in." Selina snorts, thinking on how he'll be another problem to deal with once he realizes a rival Solar could be raised in the north. "The Bishop's deathknights are trying to get the rest to dance to their tune, so they can sweep up the pieces."
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| − | Sitting down on an old log, Selina sighs and looks up into the night sky -- early morning sky, more like. "They're dispersed hunting us, though. Don't worry about what happened in Spire, it was just bad luck."
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| − | <b>Seventh Moon:</b> Color was already starting to return to his cheeks as Moon opened his eyes again, looking out onto an empty landscape. Shadow on shadow. Impossible to see anything hiding out there, especially if it was anything like those other things. But she said they were safe, for now.
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| − | He tried to think about what Selina had said, about making the world dance for them. Father of Crows had told him about the Bull and Moon tried to remember what he knew, but every time he tried he could only recall all the lessons he had slacked off on, all the training the old crazy had tried to give him that he blew to smoke and drink and screw around with Sarah.
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| − | "It's... it's been a long time, y'know?" he started quietly, staring into the night. "Since anything hurt me like that... Didn't think didn't think it could happen anymore, y'know? After the change"
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| − | <b>Selina de Windia:</b> The Windian looks down from the sky, back to Moon, and shakes her head knowingly. "No other Chosen in the Boil, I guess? Spirits never want to challenge an Exalt unless they've got no other choice -- not how they work, I've learned. But no, we ain't invincible." She pats her chest over the half-open greatcoat, just under her breasts, as if indicating something. "Got nearly killed a few times. You learn...that's how it is."
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| − | "Sorry it had to be with those things."
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| − | <b>Seventh Moon:</b> The Lunar rolled his head back to Selina, his softly glowing eyes detached and empty as he listened to her.
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| − | <i>Almost got killed.</i>
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| − | Her too, hmm? Did she fuck up like this once too? She had said she came from Nexus and that was supposed to be every bit as bad as home. He wanted to her ask her if her heart hurt afterwards too. If she suddenly felt small and insignificant again. But he couldn't bring himself to say that to her, to let that sort of feeling out.
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| − | Breathing was starting to become a little easier. At least, it didn't hurt anymore. Moving might have been pushing things, but he was already getting tired of sitting still. Gritting his teeth, Moon forced himself up into a sitting position.
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| − | "It ain't gonna happen again..." he swore to her, a fever dancing in his eyes. He didn't know why, but it was suddenly very important he told her that. "You hear? It ain't. I ain't never letting anything slap me around like that again."
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| − | <b>Selina de Windia:</b> Selina stops at the last sentence of his, and looks at him for awhile. Then, finally, she breaks the silence, slowly. "That may be true...I said it my first time. But...you can't be sure. Ever."
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| − | She shrugs helplessly and then sighs. "There are things in this world better than us. Take my word for it."
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| − | <b>Seventh Moon:</b> Somehow, her answer made the sinking feeling in his chest abait a little. "Yeah... I know," he smiled a little, rubbing the edges of a rapidly healing gash across his shoulder. "Kinda learned that one the hard way."
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| − | He sighed again, but the sound was one of relief and he was still smiling as he slumped a bit and rubbed at a stiff spot on the back of his neck. "Just gotta watch out for what we pick fights with, huh? And when we pick 'um... and where..."
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| − | <b>Selina de Windia:</b> Smiling lightly at him, she rocks back and forth on the log a bit, wings opening to their full spans as she stretches them. "Exactly. Especially now, since we're going to play bandit and put them off balance. They're gonna be wide open when the rest come down north. Busy looking for the thorn in their side."
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| − | <b>Seventh Moon:</b> "Thorn, huh?" he grinned a little more, passing a hand through his hair and shaking some of the grass and muck out of it. "I kinda like the sound of that."
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| − | The flare of pain was already down to a duller, deeper ache as he picked himself up off the ground. Looking down, the specks of light were all so close together now that it looked almost like his body was covered with cracks where something that glowed in a cold light peeked out of him. It felt good to move again though. The pin-prick tingle of blood flow moved through his legs and arms as he twisted and rolled his joints slowly.
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| − | "Y'know..." he stopped suddenly and looked down at Selina, watching her uncertainly. After what happened in the Spire, he felt hesitant to say much of anything. "The old creep I work for, he's got quite an operation goin' from what he's said of it. Got people all over the place, doin' all sorts'a low life shit. Racketeers, thugs, bandits Maybe even bandits around here, too."
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| − | <b>Selina de Windia:</b> "Does he?" Selina asks, stopping her rocking motions and folding her wings up. "I think we'd better work alone, though. What we're gonna do...we need to get in and out fast. And what we'll go against...those poor bastards probably wouldn't survive."
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| − | Rocking forward and then hopping to her feet, Selina dusts off her hair and greatcoat, angling her wings out behind her. "You never know if they'll be useful -- they could -- but unless you got a contact for his networks, it's all moot anyway."
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| − | <b>Seventh Moon:</b> "Naw," he shook his head, rubbing the bridge of his nose to hide the embarrassed blush. "Wouldn't wanna hang out with the lot he keeps anyway. Just" Moon shrugged a little. "You said be bandits. Was thinkin' that if I could get a message to him, he'd have them start causing trouble on their own. Y'know, make 'um start having to run around all over, give 'um something else to chase than us. Guess there ain't really much way ta do that, though"
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| − | The more he spoke, the more he was glad for the dark to keep the ever rising color of his face hidden. He had embarrassed himself enough back in town, but this was just getting painful. Hard thing to admit after all he'd been through and done back home, but he was out of his league here.
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| − | <b>Selina de Windia:</b> Raising an eyebrow at Moon, Selina smirks. "Worse than us? Well, if this Father of Crows is what I think he is, best I don't intrude in his business anyway."
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| − | <i>Either an old Wyld God, or some kind of Deathknight...money's on the former.</i>
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| − | Looking around the area -- it's pretty heavily forested, although she chose a slight clearing where she could use her magic without stray sparks catching anything on fire -- Selina nods to herself, then goes back to Moon. "Nor you, I bet. Pale Angel and the rest is enough for us, right now."
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| − | <b>Seventh Moon:</b> Bruised pride grows thick in his throat, but he swallows it back down and just nods silently and looks back into the darkness. The old bastard would help, if they made him think it was somehow for the sake of capturing the red haired bitch. That was all he cared about in this whole mess, just like all Moon wanted to do was grab Sarah and go home and start trying to make things normal again from there. But, he keeps that to himself. Brushed off twice was enough.
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| − | "What were you plannin' on having us do, then?" Shoving his hands into the pockets of his torn pants, he shakes the dirt off them. "There's only two of us and like you said, there's stuff a lot bigger'n we are."
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| − | <b>Selina de Windia:</b> "Well..." She trails off, thinking for a moment, then continues. Almost beginning to go into a pace -- but she stops herself. "I guess we should raid a bit. Not Spire, but maybe some of their companies if we catch them out in the field. Just annoy them enough to send out one or two deathknights to come after us. Maybe even the blasted redhead. She seems to want me now. And you, I imagine, for managing to hurt her. Then we get Alex and the rest to come down and blindside them."
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| − | <b>Seventh Moon:</b> He listens to her, watches, then answers her plan with a shrug of mute acceptance. Pulling a hand from his pocket and plucked a leaf from a near by branch, rubbing it between his fingers. There wasn't anything he could think to say or add. Not that she just wouldn't dismiss again. For now he'd just follow her lead, let her do the thinking, and try not to screw up again.
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| − | Only a handful of silver threads remained on his body, thin streaks of light where malleable skin was still sealing itself together, but of the wounds that had threatened to take his life earlier that night, there was no real sign. "Guess we can go, then," he told her, sounding more resigned than resolute, tossing the leaf aside. "When you're ready."
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| − | <b>Selina de Windia:</b> "Well, first I have to cast a spell to tell the others..." She trails off again, then looks at him straight, searchingly. "I don't want the kind of friction that happens between the Pale Angel and you. She's more military than I am, but I'm born and bred to command, just like her. Doesn't mean I want to throw it around like she does." The last sentence is a bit softer. Not threateningly, just...softer.
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| − | <b>Seventh Moon:</b> "Look..." his voice lowers as he turns back to her. Their gaze meets only for a moment, but he puts up no contest of wills. Instead, he stares at her like a stranger across an empty street before he falters and shakes his head, looking down. Not bitterness or anger, just a soft undertone of resignation in his voice when in finally continues. "Just do what you gotta do and tell me what you want me ta do, and I'll get it done. Ain't gonna fight ya on anything, if that's what you're worried about."
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| − | <b>Selina de Windia:</b> This, was why she worked alone. Had always been why. If she wasn't fighting with someone, it was something like this. And it bothered her.
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| − | <i>Not so much during other times, did it?</i>
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| − | <i>Not when you went to get Named.</i>
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| − | It wasn't the time for angst or doubt. She had to be stronger than that. "And I'm not going to act like the Pale Angel." Selina says in a somewhat weary reply, then moves to the center of the clearing. She'd already cleared away anything that might flare up from her anima. Turning her head to Moon, she says "Alright, cover me while I do this, won't take long."
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| − | And then she begins to chant, anima banner slowly coming to a low burn, occasional strokes of lightning playing over her body as essence swirls about her independant of the aura. Some of it coalesces into a little spirit creature, which she begins whispering to as the symbols of her incantations appear in the air about her.
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| − | <b>Seventh Moon:</b> "Sure."
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| − | Is all he answers with, then quietly slips into the shadows of the tree line. Turning his senses outward, the Lunar begins to silently stalk around the clearing, testing the air and burning his ears for any sign. Maybe not exactly what she meant for him to do, but he didn't know what she was going to do, beyond somehow send a message to the kid and the others, and wasn't interested enough in how it was done to watch. He wanted a moment alone anyway.
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| − | Slipping through the underbrush, he let the beast ride his senses for him and be ready to alert him to trouble while his mind drifted else where. Selina; he could hear her chanting and caught glimpses of the glow through the trees, her tone that moment haunted him.
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| − | Maybe she thought he was sulking. Maybe he was. Moon would have thought higher of himself before yesterday, but a lot had changed and smiling hadn't fixed that like it use to. But his world, or at least his perception of it, had just been shattered more than he cared to think about.
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| − | There was a lot that was going to have to change, he could feel that as surely as the scratch of the brush across his arms or the chill in the wind that carried the death-scent of the Spire near-by. Change was something he could handle, but the last change in his life had been making him a living god who could handle anything and now the next one was proving him only still too mortal and horridly out of depths in the situation he was trust into.
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| − | But he'd survive. No matter what, he always survived.
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| − | Pacing the clearing grew boring almost before it began. Stopping at the foot of large tree with thick branches, Seventh Moon made certain the immediate area was clear again, then dug his fingers into the bark and cat-crawled up the trunk, nestling himself between the branches overlooking the clearing and settled in to watch over the Windian as long as it took.
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| − | ----
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| − | * - Back to [[GoldenCat/SecondMovement|Second Movement]]
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| − | * - Back to [[GoldenCat/DanceOfAngels|A Dance of Angels]]
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