Difference between revisions of "GoldenCat/LookingGlassAftermath"

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House of E

The Red Lantern District...

Broken, burnt, wasted.

Through the eerie echoes of the crows that gather on Avian's Fall, they arrive at the newborn Demesne... inside the circle of warmth, the Pyre of Nightmares. Within the circle, there is a building, a strange mixture... broken, and yet, held with earth. Broken windows, broken wood, but with a new skeleton of stone, twisted by the energies of a Demesne... which cannot be found anymore.

A completely provisory, holding for the moment the power of the Manse. And, as they step within... many statues, statues of lewd acts, of lovers, of orgies, of bondage. In each of the statues, rubies glisten, and at the center, a great yellow crystal lies surrounded by a miasma of essence...

Alexander: The prince looks around.... "This is an... interesting place, Opal."

You can never tell who is deeply perverted around here, can you?

She seemed so innocent...

Exceedingly Sublime Opal: "I cannot take sole credit for it, unfortunately. Child of Wyld Days leant her... unique spark to the conception of the statues. As well, the Essence of the Demanse demanded certain conduetes that I had to work into the postures."

She looked over at Alexander, and frowned a little bit. "And its not done yet. I have to rework the masonry of the structure to improve its underlying stability in order to ensure the ongoing durability of the architecture."

Vorpal: Walking close behind the Prince of Whiteshield, Vorpal rubs the back of her head, uncertain how to react. For all they knew, this could be classic Jadeborn architecture.

"I take it you will stay in Boil to finish this?"

Exceedingly Sublime Opal: "I was actually going to bequeth it to those courtisans that were displaced by the result tumult in the city. As long as certain considerations are made for the Hearthstone's holder. Besides, I could perhaps convince the Lover to lend some of her political weight in ensuring its survivability."

She looked over at Vorpal and arched an eyebrow, "So no, my plans are not to remain in Boil to ensure its completed."

Vorpal: The Pale Angel narrows her eyes. Pulling her gaze away from some of the... stranger statues, she turns her attention fully on Opal. "What are your plans?"

Alexander: "Oh, this looks like Days' alright..." The prince tries to focus on something that is not the statues...

Unfortunately, that is two ladies whose figures make those in the statues envious.

And it would not do to close his eyes...

... damnit. Why am am I even here?

"Leaving already? And we never got a chance to talk..."

Exceedingly Sublime Opal: She repeats the expression, it seems well rehersed for some reason, "It depends what my opportunities are," she replies, smoothly. "I'm sure, Mistress oh Pale, you do not expect me to have intricate course set out for my life in such turbulent times."

She looked over toward Alexander and merely shrugged a bit at him, "We'll have to see. My oath toward Gennadi allows me to stay Above, but it is perhaps a matter of the Dark Angel tolerating my presence."

Alexander: ... right, and she is oath-bound to the pimp. I suppose the glasses and cloak must be part of the fetish...

He remembers seeing her from one of the first times, she was caressing Kanti... he should ask her of it later...

"You have problems with the Dark Angel?"

Vorpal: "Rather, it is a matter of keeping this city alive", the Pale Angel responds. "As you heard earlier tonight, only some of us can go to help the army of Winlandia against the General. Others will need stay in Boil to ascertain we didn't save this city only to see it fall as soon as we leave. You have already proven your worth, so your presence here would be appreciated."

Exceedingly Sublime Opal: "More to the point, she perhaps has problems with me."

She turns her gaze toward Vorpal again, "Perhaps it would be best if I attended myself to my forge and left matters more involved to my... betters." There was a slight stressing on the last word. A barbed insult? A statement of fact? She could be damnably hard to read at times.

"But, come. You did not travel all this way to accertain my future goals. Ecstacy lies within."

Vorpal: "If you feel so", Vorpal responds coolly, feeling that she is beginning to understand what the Dark Angel so dislikes about this woman.

Striding past them, she moves further into the strange Manse, ignoring the statues frozen into their silent heights of writhing pleasure. "Let us get started."

Alexander: The Prince walks, walking to the yellow crystal covered in a mist of essence, waiting for Opal to tell them what to do with it...

Exceedingly Sublime Opal: "Those of you who wish to question her must touch the stone. The properties of Yasal facilitate communion with the entrapped entity." She gestured for Vorpal to step forwad. "Just don't break it. The crystal functions as the primary capstone. I must must inform you I detest explosions."

"Utterly."

Alexander: "Oh, only one of us can talk to her..."

Why am I even here again...?

Vorpal: "Hmm."

The Pale Angel does not seem to notice Alex's nervousness. She watches the strange stone for a moment, her mien unreadable. Then her serious red eyes move over to the beautiful Jadeborn once more. "Anything else I should know about? Now is the time to mention the bad side-effects."

Exceedingly Sublime Opal: "No, but it would perhaps be wiser if only one of you undertook such." She turned her eyes toward Vorpal, and smiled softly to her, "Do not be so distrusting. Essencially, she is trapped there. Granted, the Essence of this place is perhaps the most heady sensation this entity has ever experienced, but she cannot use her powers without your permission. The reason Yasal is so highly valued is because it can be used to entrap spirits and garner use of their power after predetermined ammounts after negociations. That being said, she might be misleading or outright ignore you. However, in this state, she cannot harm you in her current state."

Vorpal: "I see."

Well, it can't be anything worse than the dreams the Lover makes me go through.

This decided, she takes a step forward, extending her white hand...

Here goes.

...and placing it onto the fabled Yasal stone.

Ecstasy: Vorpal touches it...

And while she still feels the world around her in reality, she sees herself within a chamber... a desolate, desolate chamber.... a chamber where moans can be heard in the distance, but are never there when one tries to really hear, where silence encroaches threateningly.... empty, dark, with a ebon-skinned woman on its center, horns of onyx on her head, a purple mark glowing on her forehead... and crying. And crying...

Exceedingly Sublime Opal: Opal, remembering one other important detail, speaks up, "Remember, demons are creatures of lies and pain. She will, perhaps, say unclean things to you. Attempt to decieve you. Retain your resolve, and be not fooled."

Vorpal: ...oi.

The first few seconds are disorienting. She frowns, gazes about from under her brows.

Well, this certainly is interesting.

The moans remind her vaguely of the Fortress of Red Ice, of the souls of restless dead pounding its gates and walls with their ethereal fists, pleading in vain for the citadel's mistress to let them back in. Crying, too, reminds her of the Lover's lair, of the heartsick ghosts tossed away after the deathlord had grown weary of their ability to please her.

Tossed away, locked out, like a discarded toy, or an ignored pet.

"Oi", she says then, her voice loud enough to carry over the demoness' lament.

Ecstasy: She looks up... the tears running down her eyes, nearly invisible... "Yes?"

"Oh, it is you. The Pale... Angel, right?"

"Have you come to end all this? Or have you come to take me to Red Ice and set me free?"

Vorpal: Seemingly ignoring the demoness' inquiries, the Pale Angel sets her hands to her hips. "What would you pay in return for your freedom?"

Ecstasy: "Anything..." Her face moves around, as if trying to hear something... she gets up, walks to one side, to another...

"It is silent here. I can hear the silence..." She holds herself, tightly, as if trying to warm herself up.... "The silence tearing me apart..."

"I miss my sister... I miss her moans... I miss moans... I need them."

"Master is dead, my essence is gone, there is nothing else left..."

Vorpal: "You have knowledge left", Vorpal cuts in, her voice firm and sure. "Maybe it will buy you free. Tell me about the General."

Ecstasy: She lets her arms fall, hanging to her side... her dress of shadows writhin around her, as she watches the Pale Angel...

"The shadow of fire and steel. What do you wish to know about him, beautiful death?"

Vorpal: "Everything."

The word seems to drop onto the floor of the imaginary chamber like a globe of soulsteel.

Vorpal's mien hasn't changed, but there is... power behind it now, an unyielding, unforgiving force loud as a thunderstorm in all its silence. The redness of her eyes seems to stand all the more clearly out from her white face. The intensity of her gaze focuses on Ecstasy with its full weight.

The Pale Angel expects a reply, and she expects it now.

Ecstasy: She closes her eyes. Silence. So much silence.

"S... stop that... please. I can tell you. He is strong. He can command armies, and crush the will of those he fights. He rides in a giant behemoth. He has a group of Dragonlings with him. Iron Whisper, Brael Ir, Cathak Marr... and Lily... He has refused us. He disliked my Master. But he knew, he knew when he came to the Boil, that he would have to break it down, and burn it to the ground, to find the Angel and Moon... and so, he called for us. He called for us, in the prision, where we made them scream, where we made them moan, on the other side of the mountain... he called for my Master to take control of the Boil and use it to catch them."

"The man with the bone mask did not want the Boil burnt and broken, yet... but now it will be no use... then we came, after my Master helped break the little pretty Deathknght... and the General went away... away to Spire, to the people on the West..."

Vorpal: The Pale Angel's gaze does not waver. If anything, it seems to grow heavier with every passing second. She takes a single, ponderous step forward, her presence rolling ahead of her like a leaden wave.

"Where are the other deathknights?"

Ecstasy: She looks up at the Pale Angel... a little distracted, almost...

"You know Master knew everything, right? That is why you are asking...?"

She takes a step foward, trying to work her confidence... "You know how I probably know everything he did...."

"... that is as pure jade, Pale Angel... will you really set me free...?"

Vorpal: "Pay up" is the Pale Angel's only reply, spoken in forceful tones, an audio equivalent of a strong hand slowly pushing the demoness backwards, closer and closer to a wall. "The other deathknights?"

Ecstasy: "Please..." She takes that step back again... "I need... I need moans...I need the sound... please..."

Vorpal: Vorpal steps forward abruptly, pushing herself up against the demoness. She does not blink an eye. The icy mien still stays on her face as she thrusts her hand forth and down, her strong fingers quickly locating that certain spot between Ecstasy's shapely thighs.

She is not gentle, but she knows exactly how to do it.

Ecstasy: Pressed up against the wall, the demoness looks up... as Vorpal touches her, she can hear the moans coming from Ecstasy's dress. They feel... familiar. The voice. The Old Realm symbol in her forehead flares, as she looks at Vorpal, moaning, her eyes slitting...

"Not... mine..." "yours.. ."

Vorpal: "Make do", Vorpal responds, her voice like icicles in Ecstasy's ears. Her eyes grow narrow, yet their merciless gaze does not abate. Her fingers work their way deeper and deeper into Ecstasy's being. The most secret and best-guarded parts of the demoness' filthy soul, she locates and penetrates them all, filling them with her own undeniable presence, her Essence both freezing and burning at the same time.

Ecstasy: Tears come to her eyes from the pleasure, and she is held there, at the Pale Angel's mercy...

"I... if... if... mine could do.. I would... not ask..."

Vorpal: "Then pay up, and you will have your moans", the Pale Angel growls.

"Prisoners, you see..." She twists fingers suddenly, violently, causing a jolt of pain-mixed pleasure explode within Ecstasy's bowels. "...do not get rewarded in advance."

Ecstasy: The tears flow down her face, and she looks up... looks up at that beautiful, incredibly powerful being in front of her... just like her master, holding her, body, mind and soul... even with her onyx horns, and hairpins, she seems so... powerless... in agony and ecstasy, as she knew so well.... lips quivering... she tries to organize her thoughts..

And give the beautiful monster her due.

"The General... is in Spire. He has his Behemoth... his Dragon-Blooded... the Necromanceress... raising him armies. The great tree and the burning phoenix destroying all for him... the whisper killing for him... his army of blood and fire... and... and... the Acolyte... that beautiful, beautiful woman... is in the Boil, at my Master's orders.... the Prophet... he flies around, on his ship, or in the back of his dragon... making friends... like his silver-laced friends... like the sullen Boil-god... so many... he will raise armies... armies against you if you let him... but he does... stop at certain places..." She gasps for breath, her thighs moving against Vorpal's fingers...

"The Admiral... is on the White Sea... waiting to strike at Windia and Hanslanti... the Crusader... and the Vestal... are at Whiteshield... preparing for the ritual.... and the Disciple... not even my master know. He is a shadow... he comes and goes... as he wills...."

Vorpal: "There we are", the Pale Angel whispers, almost sisterly in all that cruel caring. She extends her other hand and places it against the demoness' back, then gently eases Ecstasy down onto the floor. "It wasn't so bad, was it? Now, the faster we move, sooner you'll have your moans. Where does the Prophet make his stops?"

Ecstasy: She kneels... looking up... hopeful... hopeful...

"N... N... Northcove..." She says, blinking tears out of her eyes, closing her thighs around the fingers.... "K... Karystia..." "Th... the Prision..." "Am... Amber... Post..." "W... White... Shield...."

"He navigated... with our... network. He probably still holds... the little he had of it..."

Vorpal: "Network?" She asks softly, her fingers resting lightly inside the demoness, her other hand sliding slowly up the ebony back.

Ecstasy: "Our... spies. All of our spies... Master... directed them... he did... he kept everyone informed... kept... the Prophet informed... I have no idea... how things look like now... now that master is... gone..." She looks up, ecstastic, sad, scared, needful, pleading... she looks at the Pale Angel, and waits.

Vorpal: "One more thing, then you will be rewarded", the Pale Angel whispers, her lips inches away from Ecstasy's alluring face. "Do you know what is Acolyte's purpose here? Where is she hiding?"

Ecstasy: She hears that question... and her eyes widen.

"She..."
"She... she..."
Her eyes close. Tears roll. Her thighs clenching around Vorpal's fingers...
Just knowing she will leave now, and leave Ecstasy cold... cold... silent...
"No... Master... did not tell us... she..."
"She can look like anything... anyone..."

"And the Hekatonkires... the Nemessaries... you are just looking at the Deathknights... and they have so much..."

Vorpal: Vorpal... smiles. Quickly bending down, she favors the demoness with a little peck to the cheek. "It won't take long", she says...

...and in a bass-rumbling rush of reality, Creation pressing in from all sides, lifts her hand from the Yasal stone.

"Done", she announces to the others, coolly. "And Opal, I have a request for you."

Exceedingly Sublime Opal: As the Pale Angel releases her death grip on the Yasal Crystal, breaking her reverie with the entraped Ecstacy, she arches a slender eyebrow toward the striking Abyssal, and gently arched an eyebrow, "A request? Everything when well, I trust?"

She didn't know this one. Was she like the Dark Angel? Her creature, perhaps? She frowned very faintly, for she hated having to guess on such things.

Immaculate in her pearlesent robes, she continues to calmly and coolly gaze on the similarly colorless woman with her large, wise eyes... the soft peach color of her irises convey the intensity of her scrutiny plainly.

Vorpal: "Mostly well", Vorpal responds slowly. "But it was not exactly what I would have liked to hear."

She has to admit, the scrutinity of this strange creature, this... Jadeborn feels oddly uncomfortable. The Pale Angel cannot help but to see the similarities in their shade and color theme - all white and pale and statuesque, except... Except, where the Pale Angel dresses in black colors, Exceedingly Sublime Opal prefers pure white colors. Where the Jadeborn's enchanting eyes have the soft, peaceful hue of a peach, the Ghost-Blooded has fierce and intense red. What a contrast.

Wasn't it once written in one book of philosophy or another that the eyes are mirrors of one's soul? Or that garments one wears often betray secrets of one's heart? If that is so, then wouldn't the contrast between the Ghost-Blooded and the Jadeborn mean a contrast in their spirits as well? One calm and serene and wise, the other moody and crude and turbulent and...

Ugh.

Vorpal pushes it firmly out of her mind.

"Yes, a request", the Pale Angel continues, careful not to betray the moment's hesitation. "I'd like you to alter her prison slightly."

Exceedingly Sublime Opal: She considers that for a very long moment, "Ah. I assume the sensory deprevation is becoming an emotional strain on her. Excellent. It is gratifying to know when one's projects are successful." She cants her head to the side slightly, "Since I assume by meaning an altering of her prison, you desire that ambient noises are allowed to permiate into her cage."

She turns a little, and gestures to the walls, "I was to give this place to Kanti, so that she might have a place of her Aspect where she could rest and recouperate, besides a furness or a forge. This... entity abused her. If she suffers, then I am unrepentant for that fact." She turned to look over her shoulder toward Vorpal, her hair sweeping like a great, glossy train as she did so, "Or have I mispredicted your request, mistress?"

Vorpal: "Not by much." Vorpal hides another pang of unease with an easy smile. "I ended up promising the demoness some moans in return for her co-operation. I don't really care what you do with her, but I like to stand behind my words." She gestures with her hand, dismissively. "Give her a few moans, if you will."

She falls silent, then glances at her raised hand. It was the same hand she had used to intrude Ecstasy, the same hand that had been stained by the fluids of the demoness' forced pleasure. There are no stains in her hand now, of course, no slippery substance between her fingers. But the memory of the sensation remains, of her fingers digging ever deeper...

Exceedingly Sublime Opal: "You wish me to debase myself to feed a creature of irredemable evil?" She said, her eyes gently narrowing. Yes, she was like the Dark Angel in that regard. She made demands of her that did not respect her virtue or her abilities.

"Besides, I have a better way to meet your promise," she stated simply, her eyes returning to normal as her good favor with the woman began to decline. "The courtisans of this city are homeless. I was going to allow them to stay on the premises and ply their trade. Ecstacy should be able to gain her fill of what she desires." She folds her hands before her, and looks away from Vorpal, to the far wall.

"So, you do not need to worry about your honor, dark one. Or making one of your allies, whom this creature deflied, kowtow to her whims."

Vorpal: Vorpal raises a mental eyebrow. So that's how it works, then?

And in an even deeper, darker place, she raises another eyebrow. So the wise, goddess-like figure is not without her own flaws after all?

"If I didn't know better", the Pale Angel sighs and folds her arms under her breasts, "I'd say you are just as keen at finding excuses to be offended about as someone else I know. I did not ask you to start masturbating on the floor, I asked you to let her hear some moans. While I was inside that thing -" She indicates the Yasal crystal with a nod of her head, "- I thought I heard something that resembled moans. Can't you make them louder for a while?"

Exceedingly Sublime Opal: "Exalts have a terrible habit of thinking their world view is the correct one. The moans you heard were Kanti's. That... creature was instrumental incausing her current state. So know, I will not increase the sound, Pale Angel, though you are correct in so far that I do seem to get rather... annoyed with the demands made of me."

She gestures toward the gem, "As I told you, she'll have all she desires within a week or two. That is true enough to the letter of your word that your sense of honor should not be impuned. However, I will humbly make mention of the fact that you should not make promises you expect others to keep for you."

She looks over her shoulder again, calmly, cooly, awaiting her rebuttle.

Vorpal: "You are being a bit of a hypocrite", Vorpal responds, matter-of-factly. Deep down, however, she finds herself enjoying this. Although the Jadeborn seems so very wise and detached, in the end, her convictions do not seem to be all that different from the usual Exalted stubborness. "If you are so unforgiving about what this demoness has done, then why let her glutton herself to her heart's content after a few weeks? You refuse to give her a few moments of relief, speaking as if she'd deserve hell, but in the end, you will give her a paradise."

Exceedingly Sublime Opal: "No, I will make of her a tool. She will never again be free of that place, free of her prison. Maybe its an ethical grey area, and perhaps you are right that it is a scotch hypocritical. In the battle, this one and her sister did everything they could possibly do to scream or moan for them. Yet, I did not. I swore to myself I would not. And now, your asking me to break that. You hold your oaths sacred? Well, so do I. I'm sorry, Pale Angel, but I must refuse."

Vorpal: "You didn't listen to a word of what I said, did you?" the Pale Angel counters, relentlessly. "I did not ask you to moan for her. You do not need to moan for her. Thus, your sacred oath still holds true."

"Do not accuse the Exalted for thinking that their view of the world is the correct one. You are just as bad as they are."

Exceedingly Sublime Opal: "You asked me to, 'Give her a few moans', if I would. I assumed that they be from my own lips." She does something now as she raises an eyebrow, "And your arguements do prove valid in some respects. Thus, I apologize."

Vorpal: "Apology accepted", Vorpal nods, proper and serious. "Now, let me rephrase my question: is there any way to let her hear a few moans without anyone being violated in the process?"

Ugh, now that dried up her tongue. As much as she dislikes schemers and diplomats, something must have rubbed off on her during the days with Cael Pattona.

Exceedingly Sublime Opal: "As I said, the Smiling Lover will be consulted about bringing some of her followers within these walls to fuel the new Demanse. If you mean a more immediate source?" She smiled faint and glanced over towards Alex.

Alexander: He blushes. A deep, deep red blush, quite noticeable in such pale, white features. "H... hey... "

Vorpal: No.

"No." She says it quietly, yet firmly, fighting down the blush that threatens to rise to her cheeks. "No. Never."

Blazes, what a dirty counter!

"If that is the only way, then we shall forget about it."

Exceedingly Sublime Opal: But she is perceptive. She had gotten the confirmation that she wanted. She moved toward Opal, and surprisingly, placed a kiss on either of her colorless cheeks. "I am happy for you," she whispers enigmatically, before moving toward the crystal.

There, she leans over it, and begins to moan, ever so softly, like a lover stroking the softness of her breast, and other such intimacies.

Alexander: Now, the question is...

... should he sigh in relief?

.... should he be disappointed?

Of course... that... that unearthly beautiful, that statue of beauty and glory... kissing his lady... making such sounds... stroking herself in such a way... right there... in front of them...

Vorpal: Holy f-u-

If there has ever been a time when the Pale Angel has been caught completely unprepared for an attack, then this is it. Her eyes widen, her back stiffens and a strange surge runs through her spine at the touch of the Jadeborn's cool lips against her cheeks.

Just as unexpected is Opal's next action, the voluntary breaking of her own oath. The perfection of what a woman should be debasing herself so, willingly, the sighs of her pleasure so intense that it instantly reminds Vorpal of the passion she had felt scant an hour or two ago. It tickles the bottom of her stomach, warmly, enticingly, but makes her feel terribly, terribly selfish and filthy at the same time...

Probably exactly what the Jadeborn had intended, the Ghost-Blooded realizes with grim humor.

She allows a slight smile to curl up her lips, then nods her head, silently, at Opal's turned back. Placing a gentle hand on Alex's shoulder, she turns soundlessly to leave.

Alexander: The prince watches... then looks up at the Pale Angel... walking with her, losing pace for a moment, then regaining it... trying hard not to look over his shoulder, to see Opal doing what he could still hear... he felt it too. That they could have helped... even though he would feel terribly inadequate in a place furnished like that....

"Milady... should we not have...?"

Vorpal: "Shut it", the Pale Angel mutters softly and keeps on walking. Her gaze downcast, her snowy brows in a sharp, brooding angle, she keeps on walking. "Shut it. Let her have her victory. She earned it fair and square, and proved that I'm a terrible woman."

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