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| − | * - Back to [[GoldenCat/SeventhMovement|Seventh Movement]]
| + | #REDIRECT [[ADanceOfAngels]] |
| − | * - Back to [[GoldenCat/DanceOfAngels|A Dance of Angels]]
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| − | == Murder in Spire ==
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| − | They are gone.
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| − | Cael has gone away, together with the Sidereals, the Angels...
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| − | To the Exalted,the Palace of Timeless Winters certainly feels... muted, now.
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| − | And in this silent place, Prince Alexander walks, talking with his Dragon-Blooded servant, trying to find the ever-elusive Child of Wyld Days... he was told she was somewhere in the building, and now that he could not talk to Cedric, Millia, Cael or his lady anymore... he finally remembered he had yet to formally ask that Faerie. And to tell her to not miss reunions if she wishes to be part of this!
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| − | And throughout its alabaster halls, he looked...
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| − | '''Child of Wyld Days: ''' He was doing what any monkey worth the title would do in such a time and place.
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| − | Snow Monkey (even though he actually did not need sleep) was busy taking a nap of sorts, sprawled out belly-up on the floor of the main meeting hall and looking to be quite content. Apparently, even the mighty beings of self-creation and false perfection can forget to remove something like the possibility of snoring from their bodies---Monkey's making enough noise to make certain someone knows he's there. His tail twitches, he shifts a little, and mutters something about how dull sleeping is before 'drifting' back off into the very dull act again.
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| − | '''Alexander: ''' "Soo... there he is." The prince says, as if wondering once again if this was a good idea...
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| − | "Hmmm, Kanti... you told me you had experience with those beings. How do we, you know, wake one up?"
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| − | '''Kanti: ''' Kanti looks down at the fairy.<br>
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| − | ''it's safe. ''<br>
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| − | ''it promised not to eat you. ''<br>
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| − | ''the prince is here. ''<br>
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| − | ''it's safe. ''<br>
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| − | ''it's safe. ''
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| − | Kanti glances across to her prince, then back down to the fairy.
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| − | "..I've never seen one asleep before. I think you tell him to stop pretending..."
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| − | '''Alexander: ''' "Alright... *ahem*" He coughs, getting his voice ready... before saying orders in a very harsh tone. He tried his best to emulate his private teachers. Sun only knows how well that came accross. "Would you stop pretending to be asleep, Child of Wyld Days? I have bussiness to talk to you about!"
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| − | '''Child of Wyld Days: '''"A bit less harsh, a bit more from the belly, Alex.... mgh...." Dragging himself up not unlike a zombie, the Child proceeds to stretch and wipe at his eyes. "This has to be one of the most pointless things I've ever done... that man doesn't know what the hell he's talking about.... so!" As if he'd not even been snoozing Days claps his hands together. "Whatever can I do for you today, Holysword, Red Dragon?"
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| − | '''Alexander: ''' "Been wanting to find you for four days now, Days! Well, alright, on and off, I had other things to do..." He corrects himself. Too many things had been going on... "I hope you heard about our meeting? Of how we got together, and some of the group decided to be together? A Circle of Exalted? A family of sorts?"
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| − | '''Child of Wyld Days: ''' "Aaaaah, yes, a Circle." ''Not as good as a Ring, but those things were functional enough. No gossamer out of them, though, none at all. ''
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| − | Trotting over to the duo, Snow Monkey bows deeply before first Alex and then Kanti, before taking a second to make sure he's relatively presentable. "I have heard of this meeting, and of your intentions, yes. The question is, however, why you have come to me regarding this!"
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| − | '''Alexander: ''' "We have been named the Shades of Eventide! And well..." He coughs once again, getting his voice to its most pleasant, a smile to fill the world... "I have come to you to ask you in. You have given me this halo, and helped keep me alive, Child. I returned the favor, what places you on the same chain as the others I called... it was fate we met. And I want you to be a part of this, a part of this family."
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| − | "Well, I also came to ask you to come eat some dessert and talk about the Wyld!"
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| − | '''Child of Wyld Days: ''' "... why, Alex! I am flattered! Stunned! But... really." He gets this curious look on his face and stares riiiiight into the Holysword's face. "After all that has transpised with this Rain character, with all the betrayals and traps and conflicts, and with all the times that I have warned each and every one of you to not trust meeting... after all of this, what had made you decide to ask me into this tight-knit circle when I could very well be a potential threat to all of you?"
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| − | He smiles, cryptically, waiting. This was a test, but of what.... perhaps only the monkey knew.
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| − | '''Alexander: ''' "You do not know, Days? It is because..." He thinks. Very hard. They would think he is crazy, but... "It is because I trust you. Why else? You helped save the Boil, helped me, helped Kanti, gave me this halo... Rain was a mistake... but I believe in you."
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| − | "And if you are a threat, well..."
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| − | '''Child of Wyld Days: ''' "Well, then that's a bridge you'll cross when you burn it, hm?" Days can only chuckle, softly. "Alex... you will need to learn how to take safety over loyalty one of these days, but I suppose you're young and hopeful... then again, you're older than me, so I could well be wrong! Nonetheless... I accept your offer, but on one condition."
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| − | '''Alexander: ''' "And what is that condition, oh Child of Wyld Days?"
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| − | He asks... truly curious. Why did everyone think he was too trusting? Those people saved his life!
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| − | '''Child of Wyld Days: ''' "I am going to need to start making use of people's dreams.... not eat them, mind! But, I make use of a miracle that lets me construct dreamstuff from mortal dreams... like you'd use an anvil to pound heated metal into shape. I'm going to need some sort of arrangement where I can find someone willing... my thralls are a bit... ah... they're starting to dry out some, and it's mostly my fault." He sounds almost apologetic. "So... do you think that would be possible?"
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| − | '''Kanti: ''' ''..he...he..it....wants to feed on people... ''<br>
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| − | ''....wants to feed on me.... ''<br>
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| − | ''...can't feed on me... ''<br>
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| − | ''...he.. he has ... thralls? ''
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| − | Next to the prince, Kanti shivers
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| − | '''Alexander: ''' "Would people be hurt? Would people be hurt at all? You have to promise they will not be."
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| − | He is treading dangerous waters here. For the first time, he realises his words might hurt others...
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| − | "Your... thralls?"
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| − | '''Child of Wyld Days: ''' "Not at all. It's not feeding, merely... using the dream like a crucible. No harm, no foul, although I may get a glimpse at the dreams I'm using, so that could be a concern. And there's no need for a promise because they do not. And... yes!" His mood lightens quickly. "A couple of mortal enemies I ran across during my adventures here... one was a messenger heading from the Boil, and another one of the assassins I met, and that gave me the information after I'd worked over her soul a bit. I took them as spoils of war, and they shouldn't be any trouble." He nods, as if that settles everything.
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| − | '''Alexander: ''' "... enemies? Still... I would like to see them, Days. But, if you oath yourself that you will not feed on mine in a way that would be hurtful... I would let you. If it is to make more wonders to help us, and is just innofensive... well..." He looks a little embarassed... "Pehaps you could tell me of what you find, as well..."
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| − | '''Child of Wyld Days: ''' Days has little choice but to sigh heavily, shoulders drooping. "Another oath... but I suppose it is neccessary to continue our relationship... although I may have to speak to Iron Tears to be released from my oath to him if we leave this place anytime soon." He looks to Kanti, and he looks... sad? Pitying? Uneasy? "And you may see them if you so choose, but I shall warn you that they may unsettle you some, for I have fed openly from them."
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| − | '''Alexander: ''' "... Yes, I would like to see them, really. And... I would best call someone who knows about the Wyld. Kanti, dear?" His hand runs down her hair as he asks... "Could you go call Fiona for me? I will need her opinion on this... she was in the lybrary, if I am not mistaken..."
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| − | '''Kanti: ''' Kanti looks up from her introspective consideration of the fate of the dream fed and nods to the prince.
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| − | "Of course my prince. I will be back shortly." she curtseys to him, and then to days and then leaves.
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| − | '''Child of Wyld Days: '''Monkey watches Kanti leave---his non-eyes are obviously following the bob and sway of her hips, but otherwise he still looks a touch worried about something. "Heh, Fiona... I think she's one of the few that actively likes me.... hehheh..." Memories return, and Days shakes his head once again. "Damn that dead woman..."
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| − | '''Narrator: ''' And she walks into the Library... door wide open...
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| − | And blood all around.
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| − | The librarians lay dead... over the tables... and a creature... a creature covered in shadow... with a maniacal grin.... long claws and teeth that seem to shine in this darkness... ears, whiskers and tail of a cat... and big shining golden feline eyes... is there. Crouching over the main table, blood dripping from her claws, turning pages of a book...
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| − | The feline monster, shrouded in shadows... she has fur, but the fur might be just in this sillhouette that covers her, like an aura... but under it... she has a green cloak... golden light drips from her claws together with blood.
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| − | It is Fiona.
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| − | '''Kanti: ''' Kanti has adopted the posture of the Saint, flaming scriptures dancing around her and spear in her hand before she even takes the fullest scene of the room into her hands.
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| − | | |
| − | ...and then she sees ....<br>
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| − | ...and then she sees Fiona....<br>
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| − | ...and then she sees Fiona as a monster...
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| − | ".....Fiona?" She asks, helplessly of the monster.
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| − | '''????: ''' Fiona looks.... and hisses, in that cat-like way... her face only that of an anthropomorphic feline, covered in shadows, the eyes dripping golden, the symbol of the sun appearing on her forehead... she snarls. And then picks her books... and jumps back. Back-flipping on the room, away from Kanti, towards the window... and breaking out of it.
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| − | They are on the seventh floor.
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| − | '''Kanti: ''' Kanti runs over to the window, looking out into the streets, looking for the mon-...for Fiona.
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| − | '''????: ''' Kanti looks down... and sees her dancing on the air, kicking little lines behind windows, jumping on one of the bridges to new 'branches' of the palace, stopping her inertia enough to fall, down there... like a cat. And then, after running a hand down her hair and ears, she runs away....
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| − | '''Kanti: ''' "....Fiona..."
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| − | "...Fiona...what have you done....what are you now?"
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| − | Kanti asks out of the window, after the girl, before she sinks slowly to her knees, and starts to cry.
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| − | '''Alexander: ''' "Well, I like you too, you know. We all do. And what woman...?"
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| − | '''Child of Wyld Days: ''' "Not all of you like me... you've seen how Kanti reacted before, Alex. It is natural to be wary of me, and I am fine with that. It keeps things honest. And... as for that woman, the Dark One. It's a long story, but I think I'll do best to not dabble with people she's taken an interest in. For reasons of courtesy, of course." Days smirks.
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| − | '''''Coward. '''''
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| − | ''Hush, you! ''
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| − | '''Alexander: ''' "The Dark Angel? Oh, she is possessive... she wanted to break me from Kanti. And I think she is still not happy with me and the Pale Angel..." The prince sighs. "She objected you being close to Fiona, eh? Well, not that I blame her. I am protective of Fiona too, and you are, well, um. She was there when Rain..."
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| − | '''Child of Wyld Days: ''' "Well, I admit I made the first move. We almost ended up having a bit of fun, but itweas not to be. That seems to be a trend around here.. the last good fling I've has was Iron Tears. Maybe I need to look him up again..." He rubs his chin, in thought. "Heh, I hope the little red dragon isn't that scared of coming back to see me..."
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| − | '''Alexander: '''"Hmmm, little red dragon? That sounds rather cute, you know!" He says, amused..."Speaking of, I was thinking... you two could train Fiona, and Hannah together... both could learn self-defense. Well, and Moon. We could find a large sparring room somewhere around here..."
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| − | '''Child of Wyld Days: ''' "Easily done, easily done. I know more on the basics that some sifu could even hope to comprehend! I would be honored to train the Chosen of Creation in the arts. And... well, think about it, Holysword. It is an honest description, when you think about it. The 'cuteness' is merely a side benefit, yes?"
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| − | '''Alexander: ''' "Moon does not fight in the same fashion as you, but I think he can help them in quite a bit as well... and yes. It is. But it is a good side benefit, is it not?" He smiles... "Say... Kanti is taking her time, isn't she? Let us go and remind the girls to come? They are probably gossiping...girls..."
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| − | '''Child of Wyld Days: ''' "Gossip... one thing borrowed from Creation that raksha do so love. Of course, fae tend to live and die because of it, but when death is but a dream it's only for dramatic effect. But yes, let's." Snow Monkey waits to be led, tail idly curling upwards.
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| − | '''Alexander: ''' After a few moments, they walk down a couple of floors.... and into the Library...
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| − | Seeing Kanti on the floor, in front of a broken window, crying...
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| − | "''Kanti''!" the prince cries, running to her, holding her... "What is going on? Where is Fiona? Who attacked those people?"
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| − | '''Kanti: ''' "Ale-...my prince...." she blinks up at him as she is held, wrapping around him tightly, pressing up to him.
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| − | "....Fiona....she....."
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| − | "....devil cat woman with bloody claws and shadows....."
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| − | "....shadows .... and gold...."
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| − | "...Fiona...did this..."
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| − | '''Child of Wyld Days: ''' "... artistic." He sees it all, wiping up a bit of blood from the floor... and tasting it. "But rather unlike her, if what you say is true. Where did she go?" He looks down at Kanti, smiling for some strange reason or another.
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| − | '''Kanti: ''' Kanti shivers as it addresses her, but finds her voice.
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| − | "She...she lept from the window....all the way down to below and then vanished...into the city."
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| − | '''Alexander: ''' "Fiona..." the young Zenith is... surprised. Scared. How...
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| − | ..why would she... claws... why... how...
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| − | He is shocked. And just stands there, looking at the window, puzzled...
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| − | '''Child of Wyld Days: ''' "I see. Alex, I'll talk with you later."
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| − | And where there was the Snow Monkey, there is only a small swirl of torn and bloodied pages. The raksha doesn't hesitate in bolting through the broken window, sailing out feather-light... and grinning the entire time.
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| − | ''A challenge! A hunt! A chance to make these mortals respect me all the more! All I have to do is bring poor Fiona back and all will be well... and if I find nothing, at least I tried! ''
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| − | Seven stories below is the Boil, and it is steadily rising to meet the Monkey as he flips and dances through the air, seemingly oblivious of the fact that he leapt so far. After all... he has danced atop dragons and fought off gods! No mere fall could hope to faze him.
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| − | ... so long as he landed well, of course.
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| − | '''Alexander: ''' "Days! Wait up damn yo..." He tries to call, but she disappears down the window...
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| − | "Ddddaaayyyysssss!!!!!" He calls... but it falls on deaf ears as he watches her plunge himself down...
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| − | '''Child of Wyld Days: ''' '''WHAM. '''
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| − | Crouched, arms spread, the raksha lands on the city streets. Below, cobbles are scattered and dust swirls about, but the monkey is fine... beyond fine, even. But he is also... curious. Down on hands and the balls of his feet, he takes a deep, deep inhale of the air... or what counts as air in the Boil, anyway, even while looking around and listening carefully. A beast moving through a town after having slain numerous men would have to have left some sort of tracks... not that tracking was his forte, but the raksha had to try!
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| − | '''Alexander: ''' The prince looks down... watching him run away.... and sighs.
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| − | ''Everyone vanishing... damnit. He should have heard, she should have... ''
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| − | After cursing himself for a few moments, he runs to the bodies... all bloodied, unable to be saved. "Damnit." Everyone was dead. No way to tell what happened... she simply...
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| − | No. He could not lose himself like that. Now was the time to be strong...
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| − | ... and he would be. He walks up to his servant, a hand landing on her shoulder... "Kanti. Calm down... whatever happened with Fiona, I am sure it was not the real her. I know Fiona... we know Fiona.... too well to believe that. Something turned her into a monster, and we will find it, and get her back. You understand me?"
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| − | "Now, get up."
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| − | "Who do we have left here? Iselsis and Seventh Moon, right?"
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| − | "I will go call Iselsis, you go call Moon, and do not let him run away too!"
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| − | '''Kanti: ''' ''fiona.... ''
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| − | ''fiona.... ''
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| − | ''...how could could you? ''
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| − | ''...why would you..do... ''
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| − | ''...are you like Her now....? ''
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| − | ''...only a killer.... ''
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| − | ''...like her? ''
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| − | ''...why can't that happen to me? ''
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| − | Then she heard his words, heard Alex's command to her, and nodded to him, forcing herself to stand, shakes her head and watching the tears dry away.
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| − | "..ye...yes, my prince." Kanti nods, and shakes herself, then runs off to find moon.
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| − | '''Child of Wyld Days: ''' ... nothing.
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| − | "Fuck all. I knew I should've focused on tracking more."
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| − | '''Seventh Moon: ''' And find Moon, Kanti does. Alone in the bedroom given to him in the tower, the Lunar engages in an activity ''far'' too long denied to him while he recovered from his injuries...
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| − | "I'm playin' the game!"<br>
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| − | ''Stomp! Stomp! ''<br>
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| − | "The one that'll take me to my end! I'm waitin' for the raaaa~in!"<br>
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| − | ''Stomp! Stomp! Clap! ''<br>
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| − | "Ta wash who I am!"
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| − | Clad only in boxer shorts, his tatooed gleaming with sweat, Moon moves his feet and rolls his shoulders as he hops and steps in rhythm to the song coming rough and ill-tuned from his lips. Between lines in the lyrics, where a musician should add their own part to the tune, he purses his lips and blurts out sounds to fill in for the missing band members.
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| − | "A'ite ladies, hold ya fuckin' panties on tight!" he shouted, speaking to an apparently invisible audience. "Cause here comes... ''THE WHITE TORNADO! ''"
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| − | Humming and blowing beats through his lips, Moon raised a fist into the air and rotated his wrist, other hand on his hip. He hopped on one foot while jerking the other leg up at the knee, spinning around in place!
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| − | Which is finally when he turned and saw the Terrestrial standing in the door. Moon froze, leg still up, eyes blinking in incomprehension at the actual presence of another person in the room. And then the false hope he was just seeing things was dispelled and he knew for certain that she was there. His leg slowly returned to the floor. His fist to his side. The White Tornado had been dispersed...
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| − | That, it would be remembered, was the day the music died.
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| − | '''Kanti: ''' Kanti just stops at the door to the room .... and stares.
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| − | And stares.
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| − | Put off balance by Fiona's ... exit as murderous catgirl Kanti Kanti just wasn't prepared for Moon's behaviour ... not... Moon.
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| − | "... Moon?"
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| − | '''Iselsis: ''' Ise is sitting in the big stone window of her room, attentively polishing her guns. Her wings were out for a change, mostly because she really didn't like the idea of being in a position where she's close to being air borne without wings.
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| − | '''Alexander: ''' The Prince barges in, opening the door with a bam in a flurry of movement, energy and feathers...
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| − | "'''''Iselsis! '''''"
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| − | He calls before he even realises where she is, by the window... striking a pose, his face showing all the urgency he feels... "We got problems. Big problems. How long until you can be ready?"
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| − | '''Iselsis: ''' She peers at the prince seriously. "Hang on, just a moment."
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| − | And then she does something neat indeed. She reaches into a pocket on her coat and fishes out a handfull of small casings, obviously the ammunition she fires from her weapons, and flicks them carelessly in the air.
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| − | Meanwhile the thumb of her other hand pushes the cylinder out and flings it through the air, somehow perfectly catching the six bullets in the holes.
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| − | Closes it, and gives it a spin for good measure.
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| − | "Okay, ready.", she grins.
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| − | '''Seventh Moon: ''' Moon, in turn, stares back.
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| − | And stares.
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| − | He doesn't quiet yet have sense enough to be flustered at the intrusion, mostly still mildly surprised at having anyone at all walk in on him.
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| − | "... Kanti." He answered numbly a moment, then finally looked off to the side, rubbing the back of his neck. "I... uh... don't dance too good, so... uh..."
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| − | He trailed off awkwardly, looking at the floor in silence...
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| − | ''Aw fuck it... ''
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| − | The Lunar snorted fiercely, putting a scowl back on his face as he lifted his eyes to the Terrestrial again. "The fuck this 'bout darlin'? Ain't ya supposed ta be with the prince?"
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| − | '''Child of Wyld Days: ''' Monkey is still below, stalking about. Although, considering that he completely lost the escaping Fiona's trail (or rather, could never find it in the first place!), he's left to frustratedly pace and bounce about, occasionally snuffling at the air like a hunting hound. What's going through his head happens to be the exact same thing that comes out of his mouth.
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| − | "Stupid slippery mortals... be easier to catch!"
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| − | '''Alexander: '''"Nice trick!" he moves out of the room, walking downstairs in a quickened pace... "Something happened with Fiona. She was turned into some sort of feline, killed everyone in the library, and ran away! We are going to try and find her."
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| − | "You said you are an exorcist, anything you can do against possessed people?"
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| − | '''Iselsis: ''' She follows him downstairs, meanwhile groaning about the quaintness of having to take stairs down at all. Such an unwindian thing to do.
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| − | "Sure, I can save their soul.", she states cryptically, "Which is usually the only thing you ''can'' do when it comes to possessions."
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| − | Obviously her usual methods of dealing with possessions and evil spirits didn't end too well for the possessee.
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| − | '''Alexander: ''' "Good!" The prince exclaims with his best matter-of-factly commanding voice. "With her soul saved from whatever is hitching a ride in it, she will be alright, and we will have the thing for questioning! It is good to have you around, Iselsis!" He nods as they walk into the library... the corpses of the librarians littered on the floor, the window opposite to the door broken from the inside, from where she jumped out.....
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| − | '''Iselsis: ''' And she instantly starts working on the corpses first, pulling a prayer necklace from inside her coat, her thumb flicking beads over to count the souls she's sent onwards. She kneels over each of them and mouths a prayer, to guide them on their path to Lethe.
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| − | | |
| − | "You don't understand. Saving someone's soul means sending it to Lethe."
| |
| − | | |
| − | She pauses.
| |
| − | | |
| − | "Of course there's always the slow old fashioned way, but that hardly gaurantees success."
| |
| − | | |
| − | '''Alexander: ''' He stops dead on his tracks. It takes a few moments for the understanding to sink in, watching she send them on their way as an icy snake coils around his heart. "You.... look. Look, Iselsis. We all love Fiona. She is our friend. And we will try every possible method to get her out of this alive before resorting to anything extreme, you hear me? And you better not forget this when push comes to shove...."
| |
| − | | |
| − | "... or I garantee we will all be very unhappy."
| |
| − | | |
| − | He closes his eyes, then, taking a deep breath. This was far too serious.
| |
| − | Fiona could die, if he let Iselsis Fiona would die...
| |
| − | | |
| − | '''Kanti: ''' Now that the spell is broken, Kanti suddenly feels everything that the moment before had stopped her from feeling, flinching from his scowl and looking to the floor herself.
| |
| − | | |
| − | "Sorry Moon ...I...I was ...he ... sent me to get her ... she was a cat...a shadow cat...with claws ... she'd killed them all .... then she ran away ... down out of the library....it...she..." Kanti starts to tear again.
| |
| − | | |
| − | '''Iselsis: ''' She finishes another librarian corpse, and swings around from a kneeled position to look at the Prince, and the look in her eye is something more than Izabella. It is something all exorcists have, it is the burden that gnaws on the very core of their soul. They are not saviours, they are not brilliant heroes. They are the ones you call when all hope is lost, they are the ones who kill them all, and let Lethe sort them out.
| |
| − | | |
| − | And this burden weighed more heavily on them than anyone but a fellow exorcist could ever understand. A yozi preyed on her soul, but this was a monster Izabella had to deal with every day of her life as an exorcist.
| |
| − | | |
| − | She speaks, a flat deadpan, completely serious, and there is no arrogance in her voice, although empathy is sorely lacking as well.
| |
| − | | |
| − | "Listen to me. And not just in one ear, and out the other. ''Listen to me'', and look at the burden that weighs heavy on every exorcist's heart. We have seen hosts and spirits and souls corrupted beyond repair. We send on those that have died, and force those that remain after they should have gone. Our role in this world is a horrible one, yes, but a necesary one."
| |
| − | | |
| − | She walks up to the boy now, only a boy in her eyes now she'd gone into full blown exorcist mode. A shadow seems to fall over her, and she seems to grow taller, almost towering over him.
| |
| − | | |
| − | "I will help you save your friend, but sometimes one has to see that what has been lost has been lost forever, and it is better to give peace than to selfishly cling to hope at the expense of a tortured soul."
| |
| − | | |
| − | She pauses for a moment. "If there is a way to save her, I will find it... but if there is ''not'', you ''shall not'' interfere with my appointed duties, and what must be done. Do you understand?"
| |
| − | | |
| − | '''Seventh Moon: ''' "Whoa, whoa! Ease up darlin'!" Moon said, holding up his hands and dropping the scowl. Or at least changing it's tone. His embarrassment forgotten in the ramble of disjointed words Kanti offered him, Moon steps closer and puts a steadying hand on the girls shoulder. The tears in her eyes troubled him and as much as he wanted to simply shake her and tell her to talk normal, he held back. Speaking as patiently as he could "''Who'' did all that? Kill ''who''? Are the dead fuckers back already?"
| |
| − | | |
| − | His hand came up under her chin, tilting her head back up so he could look into her eyes.<br> "Talk ta me darlin'. Tell me what the fuck's goin' on."
| |
| − |
| |
| − | '''Alexander: ''' He does. He listens to her, taken aback, wondering what to do, what to say...
| |
| − | | |
| − | But not for a second her words change what he thinks.<br>
| |
| − | "I am sorry. I understand it." He looks up at the shadow as he speaks. At the great exorcist.
| |
| − | | |
| − | "I understand it... but I will die before I let her be killed. If you are willing to go through my soul to save both of our souls... go ahead. But I will not stand by while Fiona is killed. I am trying to save people! Too many died already! Too many!"
| |
| − | | |
| − | '''Kanti: ''' Kanti looks in Moon's eyes, her eyes rimmed with tears and looking almost as hurt as he's ever seen them.
| |
| − | | |
| − | "...Fiona." She whispers. "It was Fiona."
| |
| − | | |
| − | "Only ... it wasn't her ... she was wrapped in shadow shaped like a cat with long whispers and claws ... and they dripped with blood ... and her eyes were big and golden and feline ... and she smiled ... she shouldn't smile like she did..." Kanti gets out, with several pauses to control herself.
| |
| − | | |
| − | "The ... prince sent me to get you ... we ...we're going to find her..."
| |
| − | | |
| − | '''Iselsis: ''' "And more will die, and more, and more. Will you stand in front of them all when they turn to darkness? When their souls are twisted and rotten from the very core by your enemies? When all they would want is to destroy, out of twisted hatred and envy of the living? How many, Alexander?"
| |
| − | | |
| − | She shakes her head ruefully.
| |
| − | | |
| − | "Will you let them destroy just because you cannot do what has to be done? If your friend cannot be saved, she ''cannot'', and you need to start thinking about what you'll do then, because I've made painfully clear what ''I'' intend to do when saving her becomes an impossibility."
| |
| − | | |
| − | '''Seventh Moon: ''' ''Fiona...? ''
| |
| − | | |
| − | It wasn't possible, ''shouldn't'' have been possible... but he knew it was. Kanti's pain made it only too clear what she'd seen.
| |
| − | | |
| − | A shadow passed across Moon's face as he leaned back from Kanti, his lips curling back as he bared fangs and rumbled out a low snarl. After all they'd gone through already, after all they had left to do... whoever or whatever had taken over that little girl was going to fucking ''pay''.
| |
| − | | |
| − | "A'ite, I'm comin' then." His snarled softly through grinding teeth. "Don't worry darlin', we'll get her back. And someone's gonna get fucked up royally for it too..."
| |
| − | | |
| − | "Now help me find my pants."
| |
| − | | |
| − | '''Alexander: ''' "I still believe. Who says when it becomes impossible, Iselsis? Who decides their life and death?"
| |
| − | | |
| − | The question comes, and his eyes plead her, baffled, "How can someone, anyone make that decision?!?"
| |
| − | | |
| − | '''Kanti: ''' Kanti looks at Moon in disbelief, some of the sadness and the hurt gone from her eyes.
| |
| − | | |
| − | "...They're um ... just behind you ... on the bed."
| |
| − |
| |
| − | '''Iselsis: ''' "You can because someone has to. We do because we have to, because someone has to step in and say '''enough! '''. Difficult decisions are always that, difficult, but you had better make them, and make them from the head, not the heart."
| |
| − | | |
| − | Her visage softens somewhat then, and the shadow seems to receed a bit. She puts a hand on his shoulder, almost like a teacher would a pupil, and like a teacher once had done to her.
| |
| − | | |
| − | "You'll learn how to do this, too. When you learn how to leave behind Alexander Holysword, because the King of Whiteshield is needed instead. You'll be able to make decisions like these, because when needed, you will no longer be the boy you are now. You will be the King your people and country needs. A figurehead for a task, with a job to do."
| |
| − | | |
| − | "Your job as the King is to protect your people, your country, and those who are left behind. Even if the threat used to be your friend, there is a turning point where hope turns into something counter productive, when holding out for a solution does more harm than good. You will learn to find that point, and you will learn how to say 'enough', yourself."
| |
| − | | |
| − | "It's unfortunate for anyone to be thrust into such a position when they're so young. I know, but under these circumstances, this war, if you are to be our leader, Alexander, you need to find the King within you soon. If you can't, we might all be lost."
| |
| − | | |
| − | She falls silent for a while, then more words come, as a whisper.
| |
| − | | |
| − | "I am sorry..."
| |
| − | | |
| − | '''Seventh Moon: ''' "... right."
| |
| − | | |
| − | It only takes Moon a few moments to wriggle back into his clothing and shove his feet into a pair of boots. Snatching Ebb and Flow off the top of his dresser as they leave, Moon herds Kanti out of his room. Still fixing his clothes and buckling his belt as they walk away, Moon nearly carries Kanti as he walks behind her and pushes her along. "Prince say ta meet him anywhere or we on our own?"
| |
| − | | |
| − | '''Kanti: ''' "...At the front gates.... Fiona...she vanished into the city."
| |
| − |
| |
| − | '''Seventh Moon: ''' "And where'd ya last see her?" he asked as he stuffed his hands into the smashfists, curling in his fingers and smacking the raised knuckles together for good messure.
| |
| − | | |
| − | '''Alexander: ''' It was easier to fight the angry, shadow. He learned it in little more than a month with the Angels how to fight the darkness. But it was much, much harder to face someone who was trying hard to be nice... "But... but that makes no sense! How can I become someone that will protect the people by learning when to murder them? That makes no sense..."
| |
| − | | |
| − | '''Kanti: ''' "...The library..." The Seventh Floor library.
| |
| − | | |
| − | "She lept through the window .... and into the city..."
| |
| − | | |
| − | '''Iselsis: ''' She looks demonstratively around the room, at the corpses of the librarians littered there.
| |
| − | | |
| − | "Is stopping her from repeating this, if you have to, not protecting your people?"
| |
| − | | |
| − | '''Seventh Moon: ''' "A'ite, thats where we're goin' first then. Can meet Alex after."
| |
| − | | |
| − | He knew Fiona's scent well enough, but fuck knew if it was still the same. After what Kanti told him, he doubted it...
| |
| − | | |
| − | '''Child of Wyld Days: ''' Monkey has... by now, halted his search. Instead, he's busy hanging upside-down from the edge of a building's roof, using his tail to hold onto an apple he got from... somewhere, while eating two more in his hands. Occasionally he looks towards the manse-tower, then goes back to eating, swinging and waiting. Better to make the mortals come to you, after all!
| |
| − | | |
| − | '''Alexander: ''' "No... then the people stop mattering. What am I protecting, then? Just... what?"
| |
| − | | |
| − | He asks, walking to the window... hearing the winds about them.
| |
| − | | |
| − | "Valencia is out, the army people spread around the city. Its on us, now...."
| |
| − | | |
| − | '''Seventh Moon: ''' A swift, determined stride had carried Moon through the manse to the library floor, but it falters and stops as he comes into the room. He doesn't even notice Alex or Iselsis at first, his gaze drawn instead to the tattered corpses flung about the room. Working back and forth, his jaw grinds together, nose wrinkling as it takes in the scent of death choking this place.
| |
| − | | |
| − | "... aw shit Fiona..." he mutters. A little bit despair. A little bit rage.
| |
| − | | |
| − | '''Iselsis: ''' "The greater good.", is all she says.
| |
| − | | |
| − | And that was what an exorcist served. The greater good. Or at least in her eyes.
| |
| − | | |
| − | And then Moon and Kanti come into the room, and she retracts her hand and straightens to face him.
| |
| − | | |
| − | "We have a situation."
| |
| − | | |
| − | '''Alexander: ''' He turns, seeing Moon... "Moon? Thankfully... Fiona, something took her over..."
| |
| − | | |
| − | "We need to go after her. Anyone has any ideas on where to begin?"
| |
| − | | |
| − | '''Seventh Moon: ''' Moon's eyes pulled up to Iselsis as she spoke, flicking back and forth between her and Alex for a moment, before he answered with a tight, humorless smile. "No fuckin' shit, Red. Fuckin' astute, that..."
| |
| − | | |
| − | He didn't mean to sound as snappish as he did, but he doubted any of them were much in the mood to care.
| |
| − | | |
| − | "How long ago?" he demanded, turning to the prince, nodding towards the nearest body.
| |
| − |
| |
| − | '''Alexander: ''' "She left... a few minutes ago. No more than fifteen minutes I go, I think!"
| |
| − | | |
| − | "The killings... I have no idea. They were like that when Kanti found them... right, Kanti?"
| |
| − | | |
| − | '''Iselsis: ''' All through her lecture, or lesson, to the young prince Izabella's mind had been working overtime. She had taken note of the patterns of the wounds on the corpses, she'd even cast spells that let her see and act beyond the boundaries of the normal world.
| |
| − | | |
| − | All the little traces, all the telltale signs, she'd noted and stored away until when she'd examined all of the room, she went down the list, matching all the signs to find a cause, and possibly a nature, just like a doctor would take note of symptoms and add them up to find the disease that most corresponded.
| |
| − | | |
| − | Not an exact science, but after so many years an Exorcist gets a feel for these things.
| |
| − |
| |
| − | '''Kanti: ''' Kanti looks towards the prince, and her eyes answer the question even before her lips do.
| |
| − | | |
| − | "Yes... they were ... like that when I got here ... she was licking her fingers...claws of their blood."
| |
| − |
| |
| − | '''Iselsis: ''' And then she does something uncharacteristic. She opens the coffin-case Days had given her, which now housed several new compartments she'd messed with herself. She takes out a shiny, perfectly rounded sphere of gossamer held by the most pristine tiny chain link. She holds it out in front of herself and closes her eyes, using her extension into the spirit realm to propel the lump of dreamstuff into it itself.
| |
| − | | |
| − | In the land of spirits there is no breeze, except currents generated by the passing of the spirits themselves.
| |
| − | | |
| − | She mouths an incantantion. Thaumaturgy. Over and over her lips move and the words drone, though almost inaudible to those in the room, in some amalgam of forgotten and non forgotten languages.
| |
| − | | |
| − | And the sphere that was hanging solidly in the air begins to move and sway in a direction.
| |
| − | | |
| − | How mortal tricks could come in handy even to the exalts.
| |
| − |
| |
| − | '''Seventh Moon: ''' Moon only heard half of Alex's sentence, the only half he needed. Fifteen minutes. Still time for the trail to be fresh, if he could find it.
| |
| − | | |
| − | Iselsis had her methods. Training, experience... Moon had something else though. Something better. ''Instinct''.
| |
| − | | |
| − | Body leaning forward, he stalked into the room and began to breath it in. Head swinging to and fro, lifting as he sniffed in deep breaths. Scents too blurred for others to separate. Scents to minute for others to even smell. Bellow sweat and blood and shit and vomit. Bellow the sweetness of human flesh and the foulness of spoiling innards. There was ''something'' there. There was ''always ''something there. His head swung towards the broken window, the one Fiona had made her escape through, and his body twisted to follow. His hands gripped the window ledge and he lowered his face closer, eyes narrowing until they were barely open slits. Denying the fallacy of vision. Accepting the truth of the trail.
| |
| − | | |
| − | If Fiona had left anything of herself behind, it was going to be there. And he was going to find it.
| |
| − |
| |
| − | '''Narrator: ''' Iselsis sees... she sees the pattern.
| |
| − | | |
| − | She can easily see where she turned. She went for the books. The men were a distraction..She picked some books with intent... and shredded some others to disguise it. But she stole books, a few volumes of the Spiral Encyclopedia... 3 to 5. And the last three, 9 to 12.
| |
| − | | |
| − | Moon concentrates... and feels it.
| |
| − | | |
| − | He feels her blood.<br>
| |
| − | Her fur.<bR>
| |
| − | Her magic.<br>
| |
| − | Her scent.
| |
| − | | |
| − | Through the room, on the dead bodies, slightly changed but still her, through the window... and down. Too far down, but if he could get down there, he could follow it through. He could not lose a trail.
| |
| − |
| |
| − | '''Seventh Moon: ''' "Gottcha..." he breathed softly, his opening again to peer out the window to the ground far bellow. How the fuck had she jumped that far down? Moon shook his head, twisting back around to the others. "Got her. Got her trail. Ain't gonna lose it, but ought'a move fast. More time we spend 'round here, more time she's got ta put some distance between us."
| |
| − | | |
| − | '''Child of Wyld Days: ''' Snow Monkey, catching what he thinks is someone looking out of the window... waves, happily, and offers a loud, hooting shout in greeting... before resuming his meal of apples with a quiet sort of glee.
| |
| − | | |
| − | '''Leonas: ''' A figure appears on the door, then, clad in an armor of black jade, shining black as he walks into the library, book in hand, looking at them... helmet open, a man with slightly dusky skin and white hair, turning around the corner and looking at... the scene "Wha... what happened here?"
| |
| − | | |
| − | '''Alexander: ''' "Great, so le..." He begins to speak before Leonas comes in, and he rushes to the door. "Leonas! Well... see.. we got a situation!" He echoes Iselsis' words... turning to Moon... "Iselsis? Can you get Moon down there while I explain...? We can't risk him losing the trail!"
| |
| − | | |
| − | '''Iselsis: ''' She finishes her little trick and opens her eyes, tucking the sphere away and closing the macabre coffin case again.
| |
| − | | |
| − | "The men were a distraction. She took some books, Spiral Encyclopedia three to five, and nine to twelve. She shredded some other books to cover up that she took them. Then she went out the window, in a general westward direction."
| |
| − | | |
| − | She glances at Alexander and nods, moving over to the window with a waiting arm to glide them both down to the street below. And meanwhile sticks her head out the window and glances down at the hanging fae.
| |
| − | | |
| − | "Hey you! We're going down to streetlevel and finding Fiona, you're coming!"
| |
| − |
| |
| − | '''Child of Wyld Days: ''' Days' reply is simple.
| |
| − | | |
| − | "Sure! Just bring more apples!"
| |
| − |
| |
| − | '''Seventh Moon: ''' Stepping into Ise's waiting arm, he eased one of his own around her waist, gauntleted fingers closing over her hip. A faint grin flashed across his face. "Ain't gonna cop a feel on me now, are ya?"
| |
| − |
| |
| − | '''Iselsis: ''' "My sister would hurt me if I did.", she says rather flatly. But then, she was currently all business.
| |
| − | | |
| − | And having said that she dives the both of them out of the window, passes the upside down Raksha, snatches the appel he was holding in his tail, and lands on the street below.
| |
| − | | |
| − | She holds up to the appel to him. "Another appel, as promised!"
| |
| − |
| |
| − | '''Child of Wyld Days: ''' "... clever!" Twin fangs sink into the apple, and Snow Monkey pulls it away before he flips back down to his feel, smoothing out his clothing. "Well, I hope you mortals have her trail... I couldn't find anything... and I know her scent most intimately, too! Such a pity, that I should fail her..."
| |
| − |
| |
| − | '''Iselsis: ''' "She's somewhere due west. She took... books, of all things."
| |
| − |
| |
| − | '''Narrator: ''' They land down on the ground, on the great park full of statues of first and second ages, all of great worksmanship, around the Palace... and all the waterways. Moon remembers when all the plants herre were withered... and all the waterways around the spire ran red. The vegetation was still new, short, and made harder to see where she has fallen.... but Moon can see the rustled leaves where she has, the scent of the librarians' blood.... and pick up her path from there... as Iselsis says, it is indeed due west.... but he can tell exactly where.
| |
| − | | |
| − | '''Seventh Moon: ''' "Just follow me," he calls back to the both with a touch of doggish disgust for ''inferior'' trackers, already moving as soon as his feet touch the ground. A stalk at first as he orients himself to the trail, then a bound, then finally breaking into a run, trusting that both would be able to keep pace easy enough.
| |
| − | | |
| − | He already decided they had to hurry more than they were. Whatever was going on, time favored Fiona, not them.
| |
| − | | |
| − | '''Child of Wyld Days: ''' "Phefh. Fine, fine, but remember who's teaching you, hellhound!" Monkey follows along at a brisk pace, smirking even thought he sounds just a touch annoyed at Moon's tone. "I'm certain we'll have her in our clutches and properly tamed before too long, my gfriends."
| |
| − | | |
| − | '''Narrator: ''' He had been on the move for a while, due West, turning a little towards the south.... into one of the ravaged neighborhoods. One of those taken by the rise of one of the beasts, in the middle of burnt buildings, and still-charred bodies.... and Moon felt the trail leading directly to its center, as Alex came swooping down, holding Kanti, Leonas with him. "We called the rest of the servants to clean up the place, Moon! Sorry about the delay, took a little while to find you..."
| |
| − | | |
| − | "Is she really... here?"
| |
| − | | |
| − | '''Narrator: ''' The scent of blood. Spirit blood.<br>
| |
| − | Small cuts on the windows. So small, but....<bR>
| |
| − | And the corpses. So many of them did not die on the fire and destruction.<br>
| |
| − | Murder, murder, murder. There were Bloody Hands in there. He did not feel the scent of any close...
| |
| − | | |
| − | But deeper inside... there were more than the Boil ever got, apparently.
| |
| − | | |
| − | '''Leonas: ''' Leonas lands close to them, the first book of the Spiral Encyclopedia on hand... "I checked he index, but it did not make too much sense for me. Except pehaps the last ones, which are heavy on Wards and high-scale borderline-sorcery witchcraft, but no idea about the first three. Such great knowledge lost, however. And such fine librarians we lose...." He offers the book, "Any of you know anything about spirits and the like? Maybe there is something I am missing. Well, not maybe. That is a certainty."
| |
| − |
| |
| − | '''Iselsis: ''' And Ise snatches it up and starts rifling through it.
| |
| − | | |
| − | "There wouldn't happen to be something I wasn't told about this city, or something that happened while I was out, would there?"
| |
| − | | |
| − | '''Seventh Moon: ''' ... Bloody Hands. Moon pulls up short at their scent, thrusting out an arm to stop any of the others from passing him by. He'd forgotten all about them, after his meeting with the Levana. But they were thick as flea's on a beggars ass here, skulking around in the shadows.
| |
| − | | |
| − | "She's here..." he nodded, answering Alex without looking back at him, staring intently at the window where Fiona's trail lead. "Somethin' ain't right here though. No fuckin' way she killed all these people this damn fast. And there's murder gods stompin' 'round near by too. Far too fuckin' many of 'um..."
| |
| − | | |
| − | '''Alexander: ''' "Murder gods? What are those foul things doing here? All this was a catastrophe, not murder..."
| |
| − |
| |
| − | '''Narrator: ''' Iselsis finds nothing on the later volumes worth of attention, but the former...
| |
| − | | |
| − | She sees of the Virdynn. The volumes stolen had many rites and all information relating to cats, Arjan, the god of cats, and the Virdynn. A type of feline spirit made of dead spirits in a Behemoth vessel, working as a kind of lesser trickster godlings, whose possessions turn people with pandemonium shells that makes them look like a cat's....
| |
| − | | |
| − | Iselsis had studied of them, being so close. And she knew how to exorcise them...
| |
| − | | |
| − | | |
| − | ----
| |
| − | | |
| − | * - Back to [[GoldenCat/SeventhMovement|Seventh Movement]]
| |
| − | * - Back to [[GoldenCat/DanceOfAngels|A Dance of Angels]]
| |
