Topic: Angels and Demons

VikiChylde

Date: 2007-02-28 19:04 EST
( Author's Note: Follow the bouncing ball....The Seer's Tower, The List of Names, and Cousin-Caller. )

I need a respite from this noise The distant roar of static oceans Give me a haven from this bedlam And let my senses rust away - Assemblage 23

Red Dragon Inn: Out Front Day One

Cobble paved the way through busy city streets, until at last the seer came upon the Inn. Lantern light illuminated her soft features, wrapped in layers to keep out the cold. Slipper shoes lasted better than expected in such weather, proving their dexterity as well as her own as she leapt from stone to stone, skipping over threes and fours and fives, humming as she did.

They spoke.

"Mm?" Her game of skip-that-cobble was cut short by the sudden stopping of those feet. She stiffened, then glanced down, large off-blue eyes falling to one stone in particular. Hesitant, she gave a look around, then ducked. Squatting, then sitting on her heels, she murmured to the pavement.

She leaned forward, an easy motion, save for the shifting overcoat. It fell over her shoulders and bunched at her neck as she lowered herself, until at last her mouth was just inches from the stone. Then, she turned, one elegant ear placed just at its center, and there, she listened.

Cigar smoke tainted the air. The seer gave no notice.

"Slither, you say?" Seconds ticked by, measured by the clucking of her tongue.

Instantly, she withdrew, settling back onto her heels in the dirt. Aqua eyes lifted, filled with secrets though obscured by fog. They sought answers in the sky, but the sky was silent, for the most part.

Not all was silent.

"Psst' Girly, girl, what?s the rock saying?"

The inquiry belonged to one Mr. Howe, of the law firm DCH. Alerted, and perhaps slightly shaken, she turned toward him. He had stepped out of the shadows and settled down in front of her without warning, and though his smile seemed charming, the venom was still there.

"The stones announce your name, Snakeskin." Her tone was singsong for the moment, but sharp, each syllable short and sweet.

He blinked. "Oh, I see. So the stone thinks my name is snakeskin. I fear the stone has misled you sweet girl. I know your cousin, the Lady Tara Longden. She's a....friend of mine. And you would be...?"

The wind issued a warning, tossing two-toned curls atop her head. As if to answer, she rose. The drifting air rustled the coat at her knees.

"Friend of the Cousin?" That question bordered on blasphemy. She shots him a half-smile, painted quite perfectly on her pretty little face. "I am Victoria, and you are Snakeskin."

True name. Unwise. Might as well be Ultrinnan.

"Ahh, Victoria. What a pretty name indeed." The respectable bow of his head was matched with the offer of his hand. "It is a pleasure to be sure, dear Victoria. And alas, although your....friend the rock seems to think my name is such, it's Mister Howe. You can call me Mr. Howe."

"The stones rarely do lie, save for when the rain drowns their voices or when sets of heavy hooves trample all over. I do naut think it best to be a stone in the road. Your feet do naut threaten them so, because they are fake." Her chin lifted with some element of pride and she crossed her arms at her middle, thus avoiding the connection.

"But you are Mister Howe, as you like," she added.

"Why, thank you dear Victoria. Might I ask, how long have you been speaking to ah' Uh. Stones?"

Tense as his inquiries intensified, stress was building along her spine. She looked at him, square in the eyes, and then further, as if to peel back his secrets. Gelatinous tissue gave way to blood and their vessels, and the hordes of spiraling connective chords that linked back to his brain. There, she delved, little thief she was.

"Since the fog rolled in," she whispered, and even as those words were given breath and sound and body, she was there, standing very still, and stealing snippets of secrets.

But the seer's invasion was thwarted by Howe's sudden realization.

"What are you doing GIRL"!" Realization gave birth to shouting, and as he continued to glorify his outrage, he started for her, his intentions clear.

"HOW DARE YOU"!"

One second, she was just a strange girl, staring at him from her place along the road, her face marked by moonlight, her eyes marred by obvious madness. And then, the facade slipped, and she was found out! With a sharp and earth-shattering scream, she sidestepped and launched herself back upon the road, scrambling for higher ground.

"Stolen names! Stolen names!" She yelled back. There's a mockery to this latest fragmented exclamation. Half hoping to cause a distraction, she headed backwards, on knees and hands, toward the brush.

But he followed.

"WHAT GAMES Are These"! What Kind of Creature Are YOU"! Not Angel. Nor Demon!"

He has your scent!

Not angel, nor demon, and this was true. The girl looked strikingly Elvin, save for her taller stature, but at the mention of "Angel" she was frozen.

"Name-like-bells," she whispered.

But cue the cavalry. An audience was gathering just as the blood began to drain from all the fine features of her face. Alysia Skye, Lucien Mallorek (affectionately known as Lucky), Sylvia Nightshade, Guthorm Othinsson, and Erin Dunbridge were spilling into the street, one by one, two by two, some taking to the shadows, others, like Guthorm, moving toward Howe.

"WHO Owns YOU, GIRL?" He roared, nearing her hiding place. Fear was a small obstruction to her flight. On the move again, and ducking into the sanctuary alongside of the road, she vanished, lost beneath a spray of leaves, though every now and then there was a snapping of a twig.

"HOWE!" It was Guthorm. He was gaining speed.

Howe was frantic in his search, bearing down on the smallest sound. "Where did she GO"!"

Unfortunately, the seer was not dressed in camouflage. Far from it. Her loud display of color was an obvious hindrance to any attempt at hiding, though the overcoat shielded her somewhat. Caught between two bushes littered with bright red berries, she stayed put, the psychotic lawyer none too far.

"I WILL HAVE YOUR HIDE, CHILD! HOW DARE YOU"!" Fortunately for Viki, the forest gave her adequate protection. Her scent was lost with the thousand other smells, the dirt and the damp, flora and fauna. Nevertheless, he shouted for her. "WHAT ARE YOU?"

Luckily, Guthorm reached him at last and grabbed him by the shoulder. Surprised and glaring, Howe turned, then calmed and spoke his name.

The distraction came at the most beneficial time, as one Sylvia Nightshade dispatched one of her guards, and he moved toward the brush, dangerously close to Viki's hiding place. Sylvia's guard was like a spotlight on her sanctuary. Hissing a curse, the seer dodged, then crawled between a tree stump and a fallen log. In the moss, in the mud, she lay, counting the march of time with every loud heartbeat.

Guthorm continued to distract Howe before the others could move in.

"Away!" He ordered, pulling him out of the brush and back to the road.

"Yes, yes, of course. She took me by surprise," said the lawyer as Guthorm tugged him along. Together, the two slipped away, and though Viki couldn't get a visual on either, she did make out snippets of their conversation.

"What I have is??

But that was all. And since the shouting had stopped, she was content to lie in the muck of the undergrowth. As their footfalls became softer still, she waited, drawing symbols in the dirt, which, if ever examined, mirrored some distant constellation.

When at last the weeds whispered signs of safety, her head shot up.

VikiChylde

Date: 2007-02-28 21:34 EST
walking down the streets at night i see her stumbling through the rain a skinny figure in the dark her face a shade of grey - Wolfsheim

Red Dragon Inn Day One

Viki's eyes caught sight of Lucky in the distance. Relief washed over her slowly, then shattered when she heard a foreign voice.

"You okay?" It was Erin's voice from the road, in the light, soft and soothing. She drew closer as Viki revealed herself.

Aqua eyes took in Erin for an eon or so, then, as realization finally set in, the seer smiled. Her face was smeared with dirt. There were twigs wound into her hair.

"Oh, fine!"

"Good, good. Quite a racket out here, yeah?" The woman reached forward as if to grab a twig, but paused.

The seer, it seemed, was happy as a lark - the earliest bird with a worm still wriggling in its beak " and she kept on grinning. No malice nor distress was evident on her little face, she shook out her hair, sending debris just about everywhere.

"I have stolen from him, again!" She confided in Erin, though proudly, in a rush of words that offered little intake of breath.

"Have you now?" Erin's question came with an offered hand. "Would you like an escort into the inn" I was going the other way, but I could backtrack a little for some good company."

Good company, perhaps, but not necessarily clean. Grass stains and mud added to the swirl of color that made up the seer's ensemble. The overcoat she wore to keep out the weather was looking like it had better days, though, her days were often stretched and long winded. Needless to say, it weathered that wind.

"Xas, well, maybe. I mean, if your feet are for other pathways, I will be fine." In a whisper, she added, "My lover will have to eat his eyeses." Up and out of the brush, she moved to Erin, taking her hand.

"I think perhaps I am less than up for the walk at the moment." Slowly, the pair moved back toward the Inn, and Erin seemed unphased by that bit about Viki's lover. "It is a good evening for walking," said the lady to the seer.

"Xas, that's what the cobbles said before they warned me of the Snake." Her grin betrayed nothing, and as she walked with Erin, their fingers laced, she shot a smile to Lucky and Alysia. The two were on the porch, speaking to one another in hushed tones.

"Your opponents are making more enemies than allies," Alysia said to Lucky. "It would be a relief to have an open confronta.." Her word's ended sharply, just as Viki and Erin appeared.

"Viki seems no worse for wear," Lucky observed, nodding to the girl.

No worse for wear indeed, save for the bit of forest she took as a souvenir. But tonight, the seer was pleased with herself, and the secrets she stole swirled in a space five inches above her head, circling like an invisible halo.

Alysia met them with half smiles, but no words.

Erin offered the same sort of pleasantries before turning back to Viki, prodding just a bit.

"The snake, you say?"

"Xas and he would be slithering save for the feet he stole and the skin that covers it." With a half skip up the steps, as if in continuity with her prior game of skipping stones, she landed at the top with a twirl that carried Erin along.

Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted Lucky and Alysia mid-embrace.

"Goodnight Lady!" She snickered for the very visible kiss before tugging Erin inside.

Erin was laughing, even through her questions.

"Stole, you say?"

Viki took a moment before she could reply. New sights, new sounds, new scenery. She crossed the threshold with easy familiarity, and as she spilled into the Inn with Erin in tow, those bright eyes flickered here, there, and everywhere, spotting recognizable faces and waving in turn.

"Stolen names. Stolen secrets." She whispered and nodded like Erin had the faintest idea of what she was talking about, the continued to brush the dirt from her coat. "I do naut like to wear the woods so much as to walk through it," she murmured.

After a time, Erin excused herself, making for the direction Manon dubbed as "the ladies" and left the seer at the door. She lingered there for a time, perhaps watching for signs of Howe and his companion.

When Erin returned, Viki was still propped against the doorframe, her face turned toward the outside. Winter licked her face in earnest, though she didn't budge from her post. Erin's return went unrealized for the most part because of a new presence felt round the bend of brick and mortar. The spirits were restless tonight and did not include those lined up in bottles behind the bar. Bells and whistles were sounded from every height, and she pressed her cheek to the wood of the frame, frowning, slightly bewildered by what she heard.

Finally, Erin broke the silence. "Is all allright?"

Blinking back bits of Elsewhere, Viki turned her head, those pretty eyes full-blue on Erin.

"Oh, 'twas the wind, I s'pose," she said, though she didn't sound at all convinced.

" The wind." She repeated with a nod, and then, "Would you like something warm, Viki" All that running around outside may have chilled you..."

"Warm?" Grateful for that suggestion, the seer turned from the threshold and shuffled further in, slipper-shoes tracking in pieces of the forest floor. "Xas, maybe black-tar-cream-filled, you know...It is.." She chattered, searching for the appropriate terminology. Her teeth sunk into her lower lip. The paint was ruined anyway. "..in a goblet, with a saucer for a mate."

"I know." Already Erin was a master at Viki-speak and moved towards the bar, grabbing a cup and saucer, and proceeded to pour the coffee. "Sugar too?" She called out.

"Mounds and mounds of it!" She chimed, her walk changing to a sprint, bar-bound. She caught the end of a barstool and climbed up, claiming the perch as her own.

"Bel'la dos, Erin. Amvel. Thank You!" Exclaimed in all three tongues.

"Don't mention it. You were a bit of a help, with that information on snakes."

But Viki was busy with the cup and saucer, curling her fingers through the handle. "Ooh, good!" She savored the bitter-sweetness of that drink, letting the warmth fill her and flow throughout. "Mmpphh-better-than's-Tara's."

"Don't let her hear you say that, she'll have me killed." Giggling abound. Erin's input made her laugh out loud - symphonic sounds breaking the surface of her coffee, birthing bubbles in its wake.

"If that man, the snake you call him, took an interest in me, it would be safe to say it can be no good?" Erin asked when the laughter subsided.

"The cousin will naut kill you.." Viki promised. She replaced the cup and saucer on the counter, her eyes steering once more to the doorway, as if waiting on something, or someone. "..she might tear your eyeses from your face so that you cannaut see the beans or bear the drink into the cup, and might take your fingers so you might naut be able to pour.." But when Erin asked yet again of Howe, her eyes widened, and shifting uncomfortably in her seat, she looked back at her coffee companion. Off-blues memorized her outline, captured her condition, sought out any unsaid motives for the gathering of such information.

"Naut good. Beware. False skin." The seer warned her.

Smiling, but not saying anything on the mention of false skin, Erin returned to the topic of Tara. "Your cousin can be dangerous. She had her eye on my teeth last week,? she said.

But alas! Without warning, the fine hairs at the back of her neck suddenly stood to attention, and though she continued to face Erin, she took note of the advancing presence at the corner of her eye.

Gabriel. Name-Like-Bells.

Sixth-Sense style, Viki placed her hands on the countertop, her fingers spread and pressed with all the weight she could muster.

She sat frozen beside a steaming coffee cup and a roaring hearth.

VikiChylde

Date: 2007-02-28 21:38 EST
leaving home ... and God is on your side dividing sparrows from the nightingales watching all the time dividing water from the burning fire ....inside - Wolfsheim

Red Dragon Inn Day One

He moved slowly through the crowd, as if to savor the view of her.

"Vith," Viki cursed through the commingling of celestial light " his presence and that of her own - but light tends to play tricks. Her shining face became all the more radiant, and with it, the rest of her, though it was somewhat hindered by the obnoxious display of color in cloth.

Erin, poor thing, fidgeted in her confusion, sensing the tension but not the cause.

The angel stopped just behind her, whispering in tones so soft, if she had been entirely human, perhaps she wouldn't have heard. Then again, if she had been entirely human, she wouldn't have been much interest to him.

"Little thief, little thief, where have you been hiding, eh' I have sought for you high and low, from here to far away. Why do you hide from me Seer?"

She gave only one reply: "Manon-marked." The answer was a sure-fire warning that only he would understand, and though she did not look at him directly, she watched for pursed lips and kissing-fingers.

For that is how he takes you!

Instead of kissing air, they came to stroke her hair. In surprise, she lost her grip on the counter and faltered, nearly falling from her stool. Her eyes locked onto Erin's, a silent urging to run, but the woman seemed frozen in time.

Gabriel seemed amused by all this, even chuckling as he moved to capture her and hold her steady.

"Yes, you took a taste did you not' It swims with you, surrounds you, but do you rely upon it to keep me away' Care I what the abominations do' Ask me, little bird, ask me if I care."

Then he gave a look to Erin, and smiled.

"Ahh, a friend of my little bird." His eyes were a kaleidoscope of color, changing without any pattern she understood. It reminded her of the Tower, but she kept those thoughts in check, in spite of the building terror.

"Any friend of the seer's is worthy to be mine." He said to Erin, with charm that surpassed most men, but then, Gabriel was not a man " exactly.

But, meanwhile " about the touch, the physical connection between angel and seer. What exactly should happen when a celestial being lays his hands on another" Though they were not of the same sort of tribe, there was a reaction, nonetheless. It was a slight spark, as if static electricity could be so bold, and an immediate warmth rushed in to take its place. She was extraordinarily pale for the moment, though the dirt from the brush made up for the lack of color to her cheeks.

"Excuse me," said Erin, shaking her head, obviously oblivious to what was going on. "You gave me a start. Should I leave you to catch up" I wouldn't want to intrude."

Viki's mouth opened just wide enough for the passage of air. Unexplicably dry and unable to form words, she just stood there, doing one of her better impressions of a statue.

Gabriel, though feeling the consequences of their contact, showed no emotional reaction, yet he did move his hands from the girl's arms. In the wake of his touch, her spine connected to the counter. Propped up like a professional drunkard, and perhaps that's how this sensation could be properly classified, she waited. Her aqua eyes, clouded yet crystalline, finally decided to take in Gabriel's, maybe to pull the same stunt that she already did with Howe.

He seemed not to notice. "You are most kind, dear lady, but please do not depart on my account. You are no intrusion, truly. Nor would I wish to displease my little bird. My name is Gabriel, I am most pleased to meet you." He played the proper gentleman, bowing to Erin respectably.

"Erin." She smiled. "It's lovely to meet you Gabriel. You have a lovely name."

"Name-Like-Bells." Repeated whispers of the same old warning, she locked her wrists together and made wings of her hands, fluttering her fingers accordingly. The absence of her primary protectors made the situation all the more dire. She had to provide some distraction. Yet she did not tear her eyes away from his.

Distraction provided. He issued a warm laugh, his eyes, now green, locked onto hers, though soon enough, he turned back to Erin, his smile never faltering.

"My pleasure, Erin. I find your name quite lyrical myself. And what of you, little bird" Are you fearful because Sid is not here to run me away' Or perhaps you expect another?"

He means the Lover.

"The lover would eat your eyes, but yours do naut serve as windows," whispered the seer. The force of the threat was hampered some by the quivering of her lower lip. Finally, her eyes were on the move again, shooting Erin an I-told-you-to-run before sinking back into the being who wore an angel's rank.

"Trouble in the sky. Awkward brothers..." Her words were meant to steer his attention away from her fingers, which climbed up her dress, found the lapel pin, and pushed it accordingly. In a fraction of a second, she was gone, though the air was charged with her presence, taunting him with a repetitious buzz.

VikiChylde

Date: 2007-03-15 22:21 EST
I dream of the winter in my heart turning to spring While the ice gives way under my feet And so I drown with the sun -HIM

Red Dragon Inn Two Days Later

( Author's Note: I don't usually put color in posts, except when to keep it obvious to the reader who is talking. Because this was such a long log, and I had to sort through so many inconsequential actions, and rearrange actions, I realized it demanded color. I hope I didn't trample over anyone's character in the process, and I tried to use colors that were representative of your character, or colors you yourself have used. But, god dammit, why does everyone like green so much' )

"Kitty!!!! You're back!" Belial's voice breached the door.

"Back" Woman! I've been here for ages! I'm the bloody fricken Governor now. Where the hell have you been?" Kitty's voice echoed in turn.

"Wait, a second". Governor??"!"

The seer walked with a bit more care this night, neither leaping nor humming in her approach toward the Inn. The familiar structure was a comfort. She stepped around the spotlights each streetlight threw her way and scrambled up the porch steps, her hands only hovering the rails as she made it to the landing, and at last, inside. Off-blues quickly settled on one face in particular.

That particular face was Obsidian's. "'ello, guvnor". Shimmer!"

Slipper-shoes paved her path red, and the mock starlet strolled with purpose.

"Manon.." Singsong whisper as that term of endearment was given breath and sound.

Withdrawing a rolled parchment, the Ancient turned for Viki. " 'ello, li'l Shimmer."

"Hello Manon.." Her aqua eyes skipped over her head if only for a moment, settling on Belial, catching something too small to piece together - puzzles were coming in more and more parts, these days. "So many things to say..."

"Ye can be sayin' wha' ye needs, Shimmer. To me, if'n ye wan'. I listen well."

"Viki, sweets, how have you been?" Bel inquired, after a brief staring competition with Kitty, O Helston, the Governor.

Words in their stares, seer. Though you cannot hear them as well as us.

"I breathe," answered the seer, with a lopsided grin that held back more words with paint and afterthoughts. The Governor blew her a kiss as she passed. She matched Kitty's kiss almost immediately, laughing, before Sid's reply rang through.

"Ooh. Xas. Things." She twirled her hair with a single finger.

"Thin's, Shimmer?" As the Ancient posed the question, she crouched down, holding out a rolled parchment before the seer's face.

"I 'ave a belated Yule gift jus' for ye, sweetlin'."

"Yule. When the night eats up the day...Crowns of green, patches of red, kissing-plants." The girl grinned. Her eager little face was turned up to Sid.

Your winter hibernations keep you from holidays.

"Aye, the time when Spring can be felt to be on its way again. An', aye, this be for ye, sweet."

Sid gave up the parchment to her, an offering wrapped in love no doubt. The seer's shock was there, but not quite so evident as delight quickly swept across her pretty features - an open mouth, and open eyes, and greedy, yet careful fingers. She unrolled the paper slowly, smoothing it into place on the bar counter, then let out a short squeal.

"Jus' somethin' I worked up one night when I be thinkin' o' ye, sweet."

"Painted-girl wearing star parts.." Viki murmured to the empty space at her other side, for Sid was quite close to her. Looking up with glee still stitched to that smile, she threw both limbs around the Ancient's waist and hugged her tightly. The gift was just that: a lovely portrait of a girl looking quite like herself.

"Star parts, aye. Jus' like ye, Shimmer. All light and shiny," said Sid, hugging the small seer close and smoothing a hand over her chaotic hair.

Meanwhile, the exchange between Belial and Kitty O Helston continued, and while it was well within of the seer's range of hearing, the Ancient's presence was always so overwhelming, Viki had little energy or focus for other people. Manon and Chylde were bound to one another by a kind of celestial cement.

"The Helstons have basically left Rhydin. Larook was only around long enough to lend me his shotgun."

"My, my, but things have been changing in my absence..." A pause. "Noooooo! Lars can't leave us!"

"He has. He might come for a visit, but he doesn't show any intention of ever returning for good. So I've been left alone in the House."

"He will be back....He has to come back!"

"One can hope. In the meantime.."

"Well, Kitty, you know that if you ever need backup, I am here for you and the Helstons."

"I appreciate that Bel. Although right now my Governor duties have me more stressed than taking care of the House."

"Well, sweets....Happy to help you any way I can....as long as it's not as some form of lawman....Yes?"

"I would never ask such a thing from you Bel. I know better."

"I can hire you assassins should you have need of them..."

"I'm just glad you're back. I was truly worried.

"Ohhh....ah...Well....Yes, I'm back and don't plan on leaving again any time soon....Besides" Seems every time I leave" Something changes!"

Back to Viki and Sid. Though chaos ran rampant in her two-toned locks, there was something sacred, something akin to order, regarding the seer's proximity to the Ancient. The thermostat was on the rise all around them.

"Ooh. The things...Before I go losing myself here and there and everywhere..." Her little fingers fled Sid's sides and took up her Yule gift again, marveling at it once more before rolling it back into position and tucking it into one of the many crazy folds of her skirt.

"The Snakeskin has my scent. I am sorry, but I wanted to See his insides, and now he knows." Her tone seemed to scream guilt and defiance all at once.

"Snakeskin?" Belial interjected with a start.

"Mmhmm...you miss all the fun things.?

VikiChylde

Date: 2007-03-15 22:28 EST
Calling on your sins you're here in my dreams a desert place I'm not alone - Lacuna Coil

Red Dragon Inn ...continued...

"Uncle Lucky and the Lady Alysia were standing quite near. There was no danger. I covered myself in forest and he went wild in his search.." Viki tried to slow those syllables down. Storytelling was difficult for her. They had timelines. Structure.

Sid met her words with a low growl. "The leeches. Och, Shimmer. Nae apologize, sweetlin'. But, now ye be marked an' tha' worries me. Ye make sure ye always cover yeself, then, in wha' e'er ye 'ave at hand. Promise me."

Viki heard her, but nonetheless, continued, her story growing all the more wild and out of step.

"Then the one-whom-I-do-not-know came and tapped-tapped-tapped his shoulder shook him from his finding of me and fled. I think the guardian's secretary is well aware of his name.." She offered a light tap of her own chin in turn, though the gentle force of Sid's words were not lost on her.

"Ooh. And the other," the seer added, her aqua eyes catching sight of Erin Dunbridge across the commons, and locking onto her as she speaks. "Name-Like-Bells was here."

"Gabriel."

"This isn't good, Sid....I need to talk to you about the leeches, Sid..."

"The snakes have had me marked for some time. They just haven't had the guts to do anything about it."

"The one ye dun know" The guardian's secretary?"

Child, make sense. You speak of Guthorm and Glanhelmion's Taneth.

"Wait a minute....They are still here?" In Rhy-Din" We are talking about DCH, yes?"

"Yes...they are."

"Dee-See-Etch' Name-Like-Bells!"

"Aye, Bel. They be hangin' about."

"Blood thins. Name-Like-Bells was here. Likened me to a bird. I pressed the button. Gone-gone-gone."

"Ahhh....We have a problem....DCH has ah...Means to....Powers they can use against us."

"They put in appearances here and there. They came here the night I won the election. I'm sure they were none too pleased."

Enter Erin Dunbridge. She interrupted with a wave.

"Can I ask about this DCH?"

"Ahhh' Ok, clue me in here....Does everyone know them?"!"

"Wha' be ye wan' to know, sweet?"

"Have I really been gone that long?"

"Howe...has taken an interest in me....offered me things. I get the feeling he's....bad. But....could that be useful?"

"Oh, nonononononononononono! Stay away from them! Trust me in this."

There was a moment of awkward silence. Erin bit her lip.

"By the way, hi, I'm Belial, most just call me Bel."

"Erinalle Dunbridge: Erinalle. Erin. Good to meet you."

"Dewey be here in town, too, Bel. I be....Excuse me a mo'." The Ancient let her words trail as her thoughts drifted down the hall. The Governor's frown followed her, and all too soon, the seer spoke:

"Little poisons that slither are naut so fierce as those airborn." Her eyes bounced from Sid to Bel to Erin, and then, unable or unwilling to continue with further details, she started to hum - it was a soldier's song, had it any words.

"But' Wait' This can't be right! I can't have been gone that long"!"

"You have been...I've been back for a very long time."

"Ooo, my head is killing me! I have no idea where I've been!"

"Aye, Bel, at least three months or more." Sid offered this last bit of news before skirting down the bar towards the hallway, and out of the seer's sight.

Meanwhile, Viki kept a constant watch on Belial, even as her song took flight, and grew louder and louder still. Perhaps she was tracing the path of her feet.

So long, would you follow.

"Laaaaaa......thrice the death and birth of moons."

Whether it was the song or something quite else, Belial's focus shifted to the seer.

"I'm going to go check on someone. Will you see to...things?"

Things" Stop your singing. You are missing their words in the air!

"Up in the sky. Twinkle-twinkle. How I wonder."

Without warning, Bel reached out and took the girl by the wrist, making direct contact. Viki's eyes were large as saucers, and the connection of flesh caused them to fill to the brim with tears.

"Up in the sky forever and ever, or very close." She whispered to Belial. There was a sudden increase in temperature. The hearth blazed with envy.

"Viki, Oh, Viki, sweets....I'm sorry....I....I....I didn't mean to..." The connection was severed with soft words. The seer didn't know quite how to react to it all, but she needn't dwell for long. A steady fog had begun to roll in, halting the waterworks, and she simply stood there, statuesque for a time.

"Viki" Name-Like-Bells..."

"To the left,? said the girl, swaying in said direction, not completely made of stone.

VikiChylde

Date: 2007-03-15 22:34 EST
It's a war on war There's a war on You're gonna lose You have to lose You have to learn how to die - Wilco

Red Dragon Inn ...continued...

Bel sighed, but soon Sid slid back into view, breaking the silence.

"Miss me?"

The air was thick - saturated like Summer - and hot, though Viki showed no discomfort for the change in temperature, just a slight sparkle to the surface of her skin. And the fog was there too, clouding the color of her usually brilliant eyes. She was responsive, at least, for she looked at Sid when she inquired.

"Always."

"Hell, yes. You need to ask Viki something for me, ok" Ask her when she saw Gabriel last."

But Viki turned, and lifted herself onto an empty barstool, swinging legs to some distant rhythm of music - very distant. Think ages.

"An' ye be missed as well, sister." Sid planted a kiss upon the seer's head. "Ye be warm, Shimmer. Name-like-Bells, sweetlin'" When be las' ye felt him?"

"Name-Like-Bells." Viki repeated at the mention of his name, her index finger tapping at her chin, matching the swing of her legs. "The sun rose then set and rose all over. I like roses. And then maybe it set and did it one more time. I do naut know. I was picking roses on the way."

"Day before yesterday. Possibly two days hence." Sid nodded at bell, then turned to Viki with a grin and a shrug, as if brushing off her inability to correctly grasp time.

"Roses" Roses be pretty, sweetlin'. Where did ye find the roses?"

"In the garden. Well it will be. I had a garden when the earth sizzled noon-day but all the flowers crawled back into the earth." Happiness had stitched itself to her face again. She showed no cause for worry.

"Sid!" Kitty moved over to Sid and grabbed her wrist. "We need to talk."

"They be back soonest, Shimmer. Ye light be makin' them grow. Excuse me a mo'. Again." Sid smiled to the pair of Blood-kin and nodded to the Governor. "O' course, Kitty."

"Ah' Ahhh...Ah?" Belial stuttered, looking between Viki and Sid, her shock apparent.

But the girl only smiled, and sang. "Ah-Be-See-Dee-Ee-Eff-Geee. I learned that song from someone very small. It did naut make much sense."

Bel only glanced her way, a minimal acknowledgement to the stream of a song she couldn't place, then looked back to Sid and Kitty. "Sure, you two ah....Go ahead and chat." She shrugged. "I'll keep Viki company."

She turned to regard the seer in the softest of tones. "Where are you staying currently, sweets" Are you safe" Perhaps you'd be better off coming back to Sid and Scottie's" Or Sun's and my house" We have plenty of room...."

"Two. He said there would be always two of us," she said coolly, as if in passing. "With the Lover, in Unhome. We are deep in thicket. Secret way."

Bel nodded. "Oh, yes, Domikai will keep you safe.....And ah, Names-Like-Bells" He can't find you there in the Unhome, can he?"

The tilt of the seer's head causes her mismatched locks to shift over a shoulder, revealing more of the inkings that were written into her not two seasons ago. She said nothing of what Domikai would think about her being somewhere else for safety. Mainly, it would cause him shame, and she was very sensitive to his feelings.

"Nau. The Lover has shadow-shield things. Glanhelmion, the guardian, sent them too, but then his and his clashed and there were shadows all over and I had to mop up the survivors and the Lover's won."

This caused a chuckle in Bel. "Then I suppose I'd best keep my watchers away..." She teased.

"Heh! Xas, they might be in pieces, especially if they had real eyes, and naut shadow-ones," she said, and in a whisper, added, " Lover eats them."

"Hmm, eats them does he" Me" I am personally far too picky about what I munch on..."

"I like breads and chocolates and berries of straw, naut so much meat but then the Lover does so I eat it regardless." There was a nose twitch, and a slight though longing look to the door.

"Sid will be back soon, I'm sure....Viki, sweets, stay away from Name-Like-Bells, yes" He's not a good....ah' Soul."

"Angels," the seer spoke softly, though her stare was harsh. "Why the two-wars?"

"Two...Wars..." Belial's voice was broken with shock. "Ah..."

"Above-and-below, then below-and-below. I hear them bellow-ing."

"Well....ah' That would be more like three actually....Yes, they do like to howl, both Above and Below."

"Three" Hmm. I did naut see the other."

"Ok." Belial looked as if she hadn't an idea of what to say or how to say it.

"Hmm, I wonder what?s taking Sid so long?" She threw a longing glance at the door, then, finally"

"Um, yes, well....the third....It's been....ah' Recent."

"I would go to war with you, Belial," she said simply, like she had when she solicited Jodiah to kill off that pesky Travanix. He never did get around to doing it. She meant to take the matter up with him, but she kept getting lost between the commons and the staircase.

"And, ah....Viki, sweets, I am most uncomfortable speaking about such things here..."

"All well. I do see." Viki sat up, slowly, then eyed the Inn with suspicion - the actual Inn, mind you, the walls and the light fixtures and the support beams.

"Well, if I have to go to war Viki, I would want you on my side."

"Ooh good. I used to go marching, leading men, and then he stuck me with wires and I sparkled for the first time.."

"Who stuck you, Viki?"

"The Cousin has shortened his name and he hates it and he visited with her but the Cousin-In-Law threw him out. Travanix." That bit of 'x' was held for a moment longer than it should've been. She clicked her tongue.

"Hmm, I don't know, Viki, sweets....Maybe we should stick him back, eh?"

"Tried. Where is the Dark One" Have naut seen him in ages and ages. Not since the firefly came back, but we should naut tell her of the time in the ground."

Belial nodded. "As you like....I don't think we should mention it either..."

Affirmative. With a roll of her shoulders, the seer yawned, then stretched her limbs above her head.

Again, the lady nodded. "Yes, sweets, I am getting tried myself....Do you want me to see you home, Viki?"

"Ooh, xas. Well halfway' I cannaut bring you the full course.." With an awkward pose and coiling arms at her middle, she whispered, "Secret place."

"Yes, of course...I shall take you as far as I am allowed then..."

The seer's smile was genuine and warm, in part for the sharp increase in temperature she inflicted upon her surroundings, in part for, well, love and familial bonds. She slipped off her stool with slipper shoes making a near perfect landing, heals together, ballerina style.

VikiChylde

Date: 2007-03-15 22:42 EST
When I find out what went on We'll bring it back But it won't be easy They won't believe how a man He could drown In a starseed - Our Lady Peace

Red Dragon Inn ...end.

Belial turned to wave to Erin, calling out to her as she followed the seer to the door. "Good eve, hope to have a chance to speak with you another time!"

Erin returned the wave, then called back, but this time to Viki, who was busy counting bits of dust that had gathered on a nearby table. "Goodbye, Seer!"

Viki turned, blewing kisses on that pathway toward the door, her shadow receiving Belial's feet. "Goodnight Erin!"

As the pair neared the door, Belial turned to the girl, brows lifted. "Viki" Do you always heat up like this, or is this something you do special?"

"Heat' Ahhh....sometimes by touch, though the Lover is naut here." Obvious confusion. Then she slipped out, a little patchwork ball of color in the night, on the porch.

The Ancient and the Governor were already there, but not waiting, no. Their exchange was a private matter.

"Shimmer, me li'l furnace," said Sid, beaming as the girl appeared on the porch.

The seer's laughter was a chorus line. She giggled down the steps. "Manon of the moons and suns."

"Than' ye, Kitty." Sid leaned in to give the Governor a warm and genuine hug. "I mean tha'. Truly. I be 'avin' a lot to think on. Right now, though, I be needin' to hear wha' Bel be needin' to tell me."

Kitty nodded and returned the hug. "Of course. I expect to hear something as well...eventually."

Now what do you suppose that was about, hmm"

"Viki, we are going to wait down here at the bottom of the stairs for Mannon of the suns and moons, ok?"

S-P-I-C-E

Viki's fingers twirled at her sides, small semi-circles marked into spaces full of night air and fog and flies. They became letters, though no one was there to record the message. Perhaps it was simply the presence of all their psychic talk. She couldn't speak back, but perhaps in some small way, she picked up on it.

"Oohh. Xas!"

"Oh...and Bel" Lucky is doing fine. He'll be glad to hear you're back."

"Thanks Kitty! Let him know I am looking for him when you see him, please?"

"Of course. But...be prepared. He and Alysia have returned to each other."

"Kissing, they were!"

"Really' We'll have to throw them a party! Finally! Some good news."

"That might be a pleasant change. Now...all of you...Scoot! Governor's orders! Go home!"

"Home is Unhome," Viki corrected.

Down the stairs, the Ancient stopped next to the seer, a finger running the length of one shining arm. "Shimmer," she said softly, and then she did a curious thing. Looking up to the night sky, she pointed out a black, vacant spot and brought her lips close to the girl's ears. "There used to be a lights there, lon' an' lon' back. Sisters. They sang so sweetly."

"Twinning." She leaned into Sid, close as conspirators, and in part to breathe her in.

"Aye, Shimmer," Sid answered, taking in the seer as well. Then, she straightened, offering a wave to Kitty. "Be well, sweet!"

"G'night!"

Waves were passed among them. The seer mirrored Sid's wave to Kitty, then turned back to the Ancient, a small hand coming to rest upon her shoulder, knowledge apparent in those glazed eyes.

"Know what I am now."

"An' mayhaps one day soonest I can be sayin' the same with conviction, sweetlin'. Happy to know ye found ye way to tha'," Sid said, her hand in Viki's hair.

Bel looked antsy, standing in the open as they were, with the tree line suggesting both sanctuary and peril.

"Maybe we should get a move on, Ladies....hate to get caught out here by....ah....You know, folks intent on doing us harm...."

"I would ask him, but I do naut like him very much," said the star to the universe. Then, Viki nodded for Belial's warning, understanding perfectly. "This way!" She gestured to the path ahead, crooked with cobble.

"Bel be right, Shimmer." They fell into line, one sister beside the other, the seer taking the lead.

Then Viki, armed to the teeth with Drow genetics, heard the Ancient murmur the strangest thing: "Family do be a bitch."

VikiChylde

Date: 2007-03-16 19:33 EST
I adore the despair in your eyes I worship your lips once red as wine And I crave for your scent sending shivers down my spine I just love the way you're running out of life -HIM

( Author's Note: Thanks to everyone involved so far. I'm having a blast! )

The Road One day later

The patchwork skirt cried for color as she moved along ribbons of road, with cobble as far as aqua eyes could see - made for horses, no doubt, though metal beasts were sometimes seen rolling through these parts. Thankfully, the road was clear - just a speck of a girl with an overcoat flapping softly in the wind. She sang as she strolled - her voice a natural homing device.

She played superhero with her coat as a cape, fit her fingers over her eyes as a makeshift mask - thin knuckles and pale flesh framing her cheeks all upside-down and at odd angles. Sadly, the game ended just as it was begun. When she reached the porch of the Inn, she forgot herself again. Lantern light bore shadows into the timber. She climbed quickly, wanting to catch their names.

The Porch

"Follow-follow," the seer whispered, and when she moved, so did they. Physics, my dear Watson. Not only was she an obstruction to the lantern light - she was a source as well. Shadows fell in step with her instructions, then scattered at her whim.

Elijah Thorpe, an older sort of fellow whom the seer was vaguely familiar, paused at her appearance and tipped his head. This sort of greeting was commonplace, though the shadows swirled in confusion.

"Evening, Ma'am," he said, reaching for the door.

"He called me Ma'am!" Her exclamation rang with absolute amusement, then she tipped her own head in reply, upsetting the curls atop her two-toned head. She snapped at her side, urging the shadows to follow suit, but lacking three-dimensional space, they only wavered along the wall.

Elijah flashed a smile, kind, yet perplexed. Nonetheless, he held the door open for her. Etiquette wasn't lost on that one.

"Ooh. Nau thank you. The performance is naut yet complete. You must come back when we are well-practiced and...and..." Her words were lost midway, somewhere between thought and sound. Off-blues lifted and turned from Elijah to scour the street below.

Do you feel him"

Elijah only nodded, though his confusion was apparent, even in the smile he continuously wore. "Yessum. I'll be sure to bring Shylah along to if you don't mind, Ma'am."

Out Front

"I haven't seen you here before, babes." A woman's voice.

"Babes?" A low laugh followed another's voice. Male, not man. "Yes, well, one could say I am a new arrival."

The Porch

"Name-Like-Bells," the seer whispered unto the air. And what was that which came to light on her small face" A mix of intrigue, anger, and perhaps exhaustion. She sighed. The release of breath bore smoke into the air. She turned back to Elijah. "Ooh, bring the Lady of the North. Tell her the Lover sends his best."

"Yessum. I'll be right glad to pass the message along, Ma'am." He nodded.

Viki mirrored his nod and stepped off to the side, catching the rail with skillful fingers. She leaned forward, reminiscing perhaps, waiting too. It was inevitable.

Out Front

"Little bird, little bird there you are."

The Porch

"More like mouse," the seer whispered back as Gabriel stepped into the light. Her little hand hovered over the lapel pin, ready, though not altogether willing, to give it a go if it was needed. She didn't like the idea of herself so physically scattered and reassembled. That was not how Tasha had explained it to her, but it's what it felt like, and when one's mind exists in parallels not yet conceivable by most persons, one tends to wish one's body was...complete, and whole.

Out Front

"New is a relative terms, isn't it' You're not new....just....different." The woman again. The one called Kairee. She was speaking with the angel as if all were well and ordinary. She even threw him a wink. It caused Gabriel to pause.

"Something on your mind, Babes?" Kariee raised her brows as she raised her question.

The Porch

Meanwhile, the seer waited. The shadows twisted and turned in the background, the backdrop of a play about to unfold. The literal star stood quite still, the porch her stage, the evening her audience, watching, ready.

Out Front

It was then that a stranger approached. Her clothes hung in bunches around her body. She moved closer to the trio, in boots caked with wet earth. "Oi! Why' Why me?" She asked aloud, covering her face with her hands, so that she was nothing but boney knuckles and red hair.

The Porch

The seer's eyes, not quite blue and not quite green, side-slipped to that stranger, something about her being not quite right. With a bird-like tilt of her two-toned head, she watched her, nearly forgetting Gabriel's presence. Nearly.

Out Front

Gabriel turned from Kairee and toward the newly arrived woman. With a cruel smirk, he gathered her close, his hands resting at the small of her back. They drew closer to the porch.

The Porch

"Little Bird, let me introduce you to someone very special," he said, with all the benefit of mockery.

Then he pushed the woman forward. "Introduce yourself," he said coldly.

"Don't do tha-at!" She whined.

Viki's toes lifted in ballerina-formation with her hands still on the rail for support. It wasn't cheating - exactly. She turned with a pivot, becoming all the more entranced by the broken woman before Gabriel, like a child ready for a puppet-show.

"Signs of strings...Kissed at you with open fingers, did he?" The seer's slender limbs wrapped about one of the porch support beams. It wasn't much of a shield, but it would do.

The woman's eyes were wide. They moved from the sight of the seer, back to Gabriel. She didn't answer yet.

Gabriel took a lean against the railing of the porch steps, his charming smile painted on his face as he gazed at the seer.

"Why do you stink of Angels, little bird" Have you been playing with Sid again?"

"Are you naut angel?" Viki's question was worded quite carefully, each syllable placed in proper order, neither cold nor singsong. Then, her control shattered: "I am so very very tired of you always at my shadow. I do naut like disappearing and reappearing in flight from you. What do you want?"

The angel looked thrown by her directness. He paused for a moment, as if to gather his thoughts.

Finally: "I want a taste Little Bird. I want to know what you are. I want to know what you know. I want to feast on your essence."

Her slipper-shoes barely sounded as she withdrew, a hunter's grace, a prey's methodology - put more distance between yourself and danger. No longer clinging to the support beam, her arms fell into empty air, somewhat weakened by his reply. The Blood's pin seemed to grow all the more heavy, as if to say, I am here...Do it now!

"Those to get so close lose pieces of themselves," she warned him.

Suddenly, the very special woman spoke up. "Where have you brought me no-o-ow!" Her question hung as a whine in the air, as if the sight of the strange girl with the fairy ears was far too much to handle.

Gabriel looked at his companion with narrowed eyes. "Stop whining. Is that all you can do"!" He snapped.

The woman in turn looked back to the seer, as if to answer her prior question. "And yes, he," but her words were cut off by a choking fit. Gabriel ignored her distress.

The whimper from the woman was cause for a distraction, and indeed, the choking that followed. Viki's displeasure was obvious. "Angel-slaver you are," she hissed

"I have many pieces to lose, Little Bird."

Quicker than a human (or Drow, or starling, or whatever else claimed her bit of DNA) eye could follow, Gabriel reached out and snatched hold of Viki's wrist, reeling her in. The connection complicated things. The scenery swirled. Beads of sweat gathered at her forehead, and her flesh glimmered, even in the dark.

"Ptew!" The woman in the background spat at the ground near the angel's feet, helpless to do much else.

The angel only stepped closer, leaning his head down to brush a light but lingering kiss to the top of her head.

"Precious, so precious. I lay claim on you, Little Bird. You will be mine."

Her eyes rolled back, until blue was swallowed by white, and she half hung in the air, her legs threatening to buckle beneath her small weight. The touch of lips. The promise that poured through. She began to shake..

VikiChylde

Date: 2007-03-16 19:46 EST
I want a girl with lips like morphine, Blow a kiss that leaves me gasping. And I wanna feel that lightning strike me, And burn me down. - Kill Hannah

Red Dragon Inn

Erin Dunbridge was at the window, in the seer's periphery, but the girl couldn't cry out. Her face had the look of one horrified, though she seemed hesitant to intervene. A young man drifted to her side, in plane view of the windowpane.

Out Front

The red haired woman, obvious servant to Gabriel and unwilling at that, looked up, catching sight of Erin. She waved something frantic, wide-eyes and lifting brows. It was a call to arms.

Red Dragon Inn

The youth beside Erin crept ever closer, his hands set upon his hips, looking out, looking over her shoulders. Sharing her view, the lad looked dumbstruck, and then, quietly: "Erin," he said.

The Porch

Chryrie appeared quite suddenly, in a puff of smoke. "Leave the Blood alone!" She glowered, and by a sleight of hand, sent a lightening bolt spiraling toward Gabriel. The strange woman at his side shrieked and fled down the stairs.

"Maaaaannnn.." The seer cried, a fumbling for words, or just one in particular, just as lightning evidently lit up their proximity. Her fall was quick.

Out Front

"Eep!" The redhaired woman squealed. "Oi! Why me-ee" Why!?"

The attack tore the seer from the angel, and the latter was sent sailing backwards, landing some twenty feet from the porch. The girl, meanwhile, was quite safe on the porch, though obviously rattled.

The Porch

The flash of lightning was enough to send Erin into action. She took off for the door, then clung to its frame.

"Viki," Erin called softly, to a very startled seer.

"Leave the seer alone," Chryie called after Gabriel, as if the lightning wasn't enough to drive the point on home.

Erin reached for Viki, in an attempt to lure her inside. The seer was only happy to be received, her free hand seeking Erin's grip, while she peeled herself from the floor.

Out Front

Cassandra, who by no fault of her own, appeared in the middle of the madness, on route for the Inn via the main road. She stopped short, perhaps in shock, perhaps to watch further.

"You will pay for that wench," said Gabriel to Chryie, dusting himself off.

The Porch

"By doing what? Kill me" You cannot kill the elements unless you destroy the entire world." She returned fire, in words this time, with a lifted chin.

"Erin...get her out of here," Chryrie called over her shoulder.

Erin complied with strangely cold fingers, frozen as if by terror. She tugged Viki higher, drawing her further into the doorframe, teetering between outside and in. The youth in Erin's shadow, bespectacled and benign, kept the door from closing in on the women, watching all as if in a blur. The seer's limbs coiled around Erin's neck, and her feet were slow and sluggish to follow. Nonetheless, she staggered inside, much like a drunkard, but without the benefit of wine on her breath.

Out Front

"Ptew!" Gabriel's servant spat at him again, wearing a rather self-satisfied smirk on her face.

Gabriel spun, but did not charge her. Instead, he turned toward Cassandra.

"Ah, what a night this is proving to be. Must be free drinks for lady killers tonight. Am I right?"

"Ha!" Exclaimed his servant, with her arms folding beneath her chest.

"Now, now," chided the angel, "all I was doing is spending a little time with my little bird. Isn't that right Viki?"

Instead, Cassandra answered, all brightness and innocence, to his remark on the lady killers: "No, but I don't ever have to pay for my drinks anyway."

"Of course you wouldn't," Gabriel mused, staring at her. "Here in a town like this, I am sure you have plenty of offers."

"And you know...I don't like the way all of her actual friends are looking at you. So it'd be best if you left her be," Cassandra added with a nod, keeping to her bight smiles, even as she stepped closer, placing a hand to his celestial chest, her fingers traipsing down his torso. "You could say that."

Gabriel shrugged, and then, shied away. "You have a point. I shall leave. For now." He shot a glance to the seer, who was being collected by Erin. "But soon enough I will come to claim what is mine."

"I'd suggest you not attempt to claim what?s already claimed," Cassandra cheerfully advised.

The Porch

Erin frowned, watching Cassandra from the door, then struggled to drag the seer in.

She turned to her young companion, who was still holding the door.

"We need to get her to a couch, I think. And water, I think she needs water..."

Chryrie kept to the porch, between the angel, and Erin and the seer.

"You leeched from a Blood...family of my sibling. That's not acceptable," she explained, a shot of rage in her voice even still.

Our Front

"Blood" Perhaps. Leeching" I did nothing but touch the girl. Ask her," said the angel.

Red Dragon Inn

The seer was nearly dead weight, so she didn't much complain about her choice of protector for the evening. She muttered something about the eating of eyes before she began to slip down Erin's side. Gabriel's voice, though far off, was enough for Elvish ears to distinguish from the chaos.

The youth at Erin's side came to Viki's aid once gravity took hold of her. A familiar Arms Trade was in effect, and as Viki was exchanged from Erin to her friend, she opened a single eye.

"Get Cassie," he said to Erin, his words decisive and short.

Erin looked to the seer first. "Viki this is my dear friend Everett. He is going to get you some water." She pressed a kiss to the seer's forehead, light and airy before leaving her with the lad.

"Keep her away from the door," she called out to Everett, moving toward that very thing.

The Porch

The palaver between Chryrie and Gabriel continued.

"Her energy screamed out in agony. Even now, she cannot collect her pieces. Your simple touch is not so simply...one who has the energies of the divine," she scolded.

Out Front

"Why, thank you, dear lady. Had you not told me this, I would not have known."

The Porch

"You would only stop if she were dead?" Chryrie shook her head. "Such love for the creations of your maker." Her voice dripped with sarcasm.

Red Dragon Inn

"There is nau water in the desert," Viki whispered, beginning to ramble, but such a thing was common for her sort.

Everett only smiled. "Pleasure to meet you, Viki. Forgive the impropriety, but you do not look so well."

"Vendui'....I breathe," she assured him, the other eye to join its sister in the seeing of the new surroundings. The bar was a familiar comfort. The air of this place had a particular smell - old wood, leather, and spirits.

Everett tossed his head to the right, presumably to adjust his glasses. No longer blinded, he moved with her in his arms, crossing to the couch.

"Breathing is good. It will no doubt please Erin, who seems quite interested in your welfare."

"The floor is far," she whispered, her mind collecting itself. The realization of being lifted and carried finally dawning on her. She brought her eyes to the ceiling, counting the cracks. "Seven hundred forty-two."

"Fret not, I shall see that you do not become intimately acquainted with the floor," Everett continued, all boyish charm as he claimed the couch, dropping to one knee in order to settle her into the corner.

"There," he said, with hands into his pockets. "You rest, Mistress...Viki, yes" I can fetch water. Would that please you??

VikiChylde

Date: 2007-03-16 20:07 EST
I think I've got a feeling I've lost inside I think I'm gonna take me away and hide I'm thinking of things that I just can't abide - Oasis

The Porch

Erin spilled outside in seconds, taking in the scenery. Chryrie was still lingering on the porch, though Cassandra, Gabriel, and his servant were some distance off. Her eyes spiraled into Gabriel's, alight with recognition from prior days.

Out Front

The red haired woman was dragging her feet, positioning herself between Gabriel and the rest. Her ties to him were darker than the seer dared to ask. Though, by the look on her face, the woman wasn't enjoying herself.

The angel paused, meeting Erin's eyes with a sad lingering smile. "Ah, they have polluted you as well. Perhaps I shall one day have my side known. Until then" May you have a grand evening. I know I will."

He turned to look at Chryrie. "You speak as if you know what I am, or who I am. Yet you know nothing. You say I wish her harm' When you have no idea what motivation I have. I don't have to justify myself to you. Who are you to dare judge me"! You attacked me remember" Was I attacking the seer" Think hard, but don't let it hurt you."

It was then that Cassandra took up the final legs of her journey, finally advancing toward the lights of the Inn. But, the violet-haired lady moved once more close to Gabriel, so that she would smack her shoulder into him as she passed him by. He side-stepped, his superhuman speed being the culprit, and his servant received the brunt of the attack.

The Porch

"Your aura and energy speak volumes. And I am that which guards the balance...and I protect the family of my family. I judge nothing. I only speak what I see," Chryrie fumed.

"Polluted?" Erin stepped forward, lured by something only she could explain. "Gabriel, name like bells..." She pieced together the seer's puzzle, though with some difficulty. "I like your name?"

"Oh, by the way. The ah, "polluted," one, is mine too. Don't ever touch her without her express and uncoerced permission," said Cassandra as she reached the porch.

Out Front

Gabriel dismissed much of this, focusing on Chryrie. "Then you are blind. For what you think you see is not truth. Look harder."

Then, with a spin on his heels, he beckoned for his lackey. "Rachael, come."

The red haired one, Rachel, followed, though quite reluctantly, simpering and sniffling all the way. "Let me go-o. Ple-ease."

But Gabriel said nothing, and then, stepped out sight, his servant in tow.

The Porch

"Stay away from the family of Belial," Chryrie ordered, intent on getting one more warning in there.

"Bye now!" Cassandra called to Gabriel, mock brightness, even waving, before she turned for the door and slipped inside.

Erin turned to follow her, but called out once more to the angel in the road. "Someday we should talk without the Seer around. I do prefer talking."

"I just talked!" Cassandra exclaimed, and the pair pushed through the door.

Red Dragon Inn

The passage of time boded well for the seer, as every passing second seemed to nullify the effect of the intruder's connection. She even flashed Everett a lopsided smile - evidence of paint now gone from her lips. Then, quick laughter.

"Called me Mistress...Xas, I would take water. Bel'la dos, amvel, thank you Ev-er-ett," Thanks in three tongues, as was her habit.

With wrinkled brows and uneasy laughter, Everett posed his questions in careful tones. "You are not hurt, are you Mistress?"

Suddenly, Erin came in with a huff, chattering to Cassandra. Chryrie slipped in behind them. "I know how you talk, cousin."

"I wouldn't have knifed him without proper provocation..," Cassandra said, flopping onto the couch between Everett and Viki. "I was almost sure he'd turn around and try to swing at me after that landing.."

Viki laughed. The steady symphony of flowing sound threatened to bubble over the top of her. She titled to toward the floor. "Why?" Question for Everett's inquiry. The fog had rolled in. Her eyes had that glazed-over appeal. Bimbette at a social. Riddle-ramble. She flexed her toes, then pressed them into the cushions of the couch.

Everett flashed her an uneven smile, then looked to Cassandra. "Everyone is well, yes?"

"Quite well, thank you for asking Everett. And how about yourself?" Cassandra grinned, then glanced at Erin and added, "It's a shame he wasn't. I think he would have been fun."

"Perhaps not all people are looking for violence. I get the feeling he was avoiding it," Erin replied, rounding the couch and kneeling next to Viki.

"Tell me, Seer, what does he want from you? Should we be keeping him away?"

"Who?"

"Name like Bells," said Erin, using the seer's name for him.

Viki's eyes grew wide. She stole a glance at Everett, then looked back at Erin, terror crisscrossing the planes of her face. "Kisses with his fingers and steals your death. Puppetmaster, that one. Angel-naut."

"He touches you....and something happens...?" But exhaustion had washed over the seer, and her body welcomed it, reclining into the sofa, her back stretched, her arms lazy above her head. She pressed her cheek to the fabric, and murmured her reply. "Fire in the sky."

"Would you like me to get you a room, Viki?" Erin inquired.

Everett moved off to the side, turning for the bar. "I am perplexed, but have no cause for complaint. I am going to put on some tea. Please pardon..."

" Well. I certainly won't decline tea. If you need any help bringing everything over, give me a hollar." Cassandra waved as he withdrew.

"His eyes, an empty room," the seer continued, with off-blues flickering skyward, as if passing through ceiling and support beams to steal at glance at the floor above. "Too many thoughts up there. Number seven is full of mirrors."

Erin stood, frowning. "I don't understand. Would you like a bed...upstairs. Or..."

"She would probably prefer to go to her...unhome. But I doubt she could make it alone." Chryrie advised.

"Naut upstairs. I would Unhome, if I were naut so..." She focused her attention on the lifting of her legs. ?"jellied." Her smile returned when Everett appeared with the tea, and she half turned to see if any of the Harpies were in attendance.

They aren't here.

"If a bed is needed for the night, she may have mine. I can stay the night down here, writing," Everett offered, filling a waterglass and offering it to the seer. Viki's nose crinkled at the thought of borrowed beds, but she hid it beneath the waterglass, and took small sips.

"No need for that, Everett. We can get Viki her own room if necessary," Cassandra remarked between sips of tea. "Thank you for the tea. Have you had any interesting confrontations this evening?"

"Any interesting conversations?" Everett's question hung in the air, misheard, and thus, manufactured. "Not as of yet, though it would be false to call the evening dull in any way."

"Well, do tell what?s kept this evening from being terribly dull?" Cassandra asked.

"There was this....incident, and I find myself in the middle of something I am quite certain I have never seen before. Also, that strange and frightening fellow was very tall," Everett began.

"There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, than could be dreamt of in your philosophy," Cassandra quoted, and smiled kindly. "My father is about that tall as well."

"Can you take her, Chyr" Or should I take her in the carriage?" Erin interjected. "I need to go home....before I scare the daylights out of my husband. He thinks I'm dead when I come home late?"

"No...Kitty says where she lives is a secret. I can get her home...if she can focus."

"Tension in threefold," Viki rambled. What was that' Amusement' Eyes flashed between the pair of cousins and the male before she set the waterglass upon an end table and curled into the couch. Patchwork ball.

Chryrie crouched near Viki, patting her shoulder. "You are in so many pieces, my dear. Too many. Can you see your unhome in your mind" Can you feel it around you if you try?"

The girl sat near to sleep in the corner of the couch, half listening to Chryrie's words with strangely shaped ears. "Mm...Thicket. Skeletal building."

Erin broke in, first addressing Everett. "I am sory to jar your night so. It seems today was a bit more action oriented than you seem ready for. I need to leave....get home. I wish you all well," she said, collecting her things before turning to Viki with a smile. "Stay safe, Seer!"

"Have a good evening. Don't bash Sebastian into the ground just yet," Cassandra called after her.

"Good night, Erin. Sleep you well, sweet friend."

"I could take him in a fencing match." Erin said with a broad smile, then pressed a chase kiss to Everett's shoulder as she left. "Sleep well, yourself, Evvie. I promise you a calm tea and pleasant talk come morning."

"Watch for the falling...will do." The seer's sleepy singsong chased Erin out the door.

Chryrie paused as Erin departed, but quickly got back to business once she had Viki's focus again. "Perhaps not so much. Would you be in less pieces in the Blood House Onyx manor?"

The pin!

"Oooh. The button. Xas." Neither here nor there, it's no wonder Viki had forgotten her get-out-of-jail-free card. But she was near sick of using it, for Gabriel was tireless in his pursuit of her.

Chryrie chuckled. "Yes, the button. You must remember it when you wish to leave here." Then, she turned to Everett.

"Sorry...I'm Chryrie. My sister is very protective of this girl...and that makes me protective of her too."

"It is my folly that I have not introduced myself, Mistress Chryrie. I am Everett Ogden, of Warwick. I am protective of all women, though a lousy protector." He smiled.

"Some are not made for brutish activities. I myself prefer to stay in my books unless I'm otherwise needed," Chryrie quipped.

Meanwhile, Viki's fingertips charted a course for the Blood lapel pin. It continuously sat just above her right breast, lost in a wild pattern of multicolored fabrics.

"'Til the morrow, or the one after that, unless the moon destroys the sun in passing." She rolled over, casting a grateful glance to the trio. "But I am to Blood, now. Watch for Bells in my wake."

Chryrie smiled. "Rest, dear child. You deserve it."

Viki smiled back. She was shaken, and now she stirred, even on the cusp of sleep. A small pressure on the pin, and that was that. She hated this part. Dematerializing was a bother. Sometimes she found patches of color in the wrong place. Nevertheless, where there was once warmth and radiance, there was now a void - just a simple imprint of her curling lounge remained, fixed in cushions and cloth.