Topic: Viki Receives a Delivery.

Sid · Date: 2006-07-21 04:54 EST

Lord Erich Von Locke had sat near the hearth half the night. Regal in his posture in a high-back chair there, he had spoken cryptically to the Ancient earlier in the eve. Sid, having made her goodbyes to several, took a cup and bottle to a table when the Lord canted his head to the side and and held her gaze as she looked his way. As if in wondering who would speak first.

It was apparently going to be her. Asking him of his previous words that night, Lord Von Locke proceeded to speak on certain conflicts he had been observing. It appeared he was mulling over a choice on whether to involve himself and he wished the Trueblood's opinion on the feud of family and foe.

As the conversation wore on, Lord Erich asked Sid to name those he called her wards so he could make note of them. Presumedly, his instincts were telling him he would be a part of this conflict whether he liked it or not, and he thought it best to see who his potential allies might be and who they might not be.

Of those the Ancient named, Viki seemed to be the touchy subject for the Lord, but he only asked a favor regarding the Seer and Sid assured him it would be done. That over, she left the Lord to his ponderings, heading for home.

The following morning, the Trueblood made her way back to the Inn to grab a page. . .

How the page had found Viki, even he hasn't a clue. But, find her he did, or he knew there would be hell to pay from a very yotzed off tender if he hadn't. Having found her, he held out a small box tied with a long, dark ribbon that flickered with a rainbow of colors like a black opal. Attached to the ribbon was a card which read:

Dearest Viki,

This be a small snippet o' a conversation I be having this last night. Methinks ye be wanting and needing to see it.

I felt showing you the actual scene be better for ye than just telling ye. For now, I take him at his word.

Ever,
Sid

P.S. Enjoy the ribbon, sweet one. I found it and thought of you.

Inside the box rests a small sphere swirling with colors. It is an image orb of Blood design. The moment Viki touches the surface the images of Sid and another speaking by the hearth in the Red Dragon spring to life in 360 degree three dimension.

Who are ye wards, so that I may make note of them...

The Bloods be Family to me, I consider them charges o' a sort. Tina, Arts' daughter be fallin' to tha' end. Viki be a Blood now, like her cousin, so she comes under tha', as well.

Do ye accept my offer of alliance, M'lady?

I do, Lord Von Locke. An' I than' ye for it.

Viki.. ::He seemed distant there. A touchy subject.:: Now a blood. She sees much ..... :::he shook his head, banishing the thought.:: Far too much. Agreed.

Aye, she does. I mark her as mine. ::Leaving it at that.::

I would appreciate, for a smoother transition and less distraction on any field that should erupt unexpectedly, that if ye 'ave 'er ear... to tell 'er that she is on a clean slate as of this moment. The girl fears me ... she pried secrets that I did not wish delved into.

::The smile was enigmatic, but there, and she nods.:: I shall tell Viki. I be sure she be glad to hear such.

Once the orb finishes playing the scene, the images of the conversation in the Red Dragon fade like smoke. Touching it again will repeat the same scene over again for as many times as it is touched.

VikiChylde · Date: 2006-07-21 16:11 EST

In her world there are so many windows. Each opening shows her an existence that's fallen to her -- some only for moments, others for lifetimes.
-SANDMAN #41, by Neil Gaiman

The Unhome was on a hidden path, and the seer was well on her way there before she was abruptly intercepted. Viki stared at the page for quite some time. The lover, Domikai, was not around, and thankfully so. There would've been a scene, had he known the boy was so close to his home and had found his mate so easily. A big scene, Viki thought, with gnashing teeth and rolling eyeballs...

She shivered in the page's shadow. He stared back at her. Dumb luck? The trees whispered their amusement.

After the image orb had done its job, the girl then touched it again, and again, and again, all the while fingering the new ribbon, which shone so many pretty colors in the morning light.

The page blinked.

"Uhm, excuse me miss. But if you don't have a message in return, I'd probably better be going."

"How do you think she makes them? Did she swallow a star to birth more?"

"Huh?"

The seer shook her head and clutched the orb to her chest.

"Message-words. I think I will give you words."

"Words for who?"

"Manon." But for a moment, it almost sounded like Mother.

"Who?"

"The Lady who wished you here so very well."

"And what am I to tell her?"

"You tell her tha' he has dead teeth and his power is all stuck in his blood. And you tell her tha' I am naut afraid of him, but if it is a clean slate, then fine. Clean slates..." Her words began to wander, and the page looked dumbstruck, trying to take it all in.

"And you' tell her tha' he said these things to me.."

And in her best Von Locke impression, the girl made the dirt road a theater, and the page her happy audience. She played the two of them. Herself, and he. When she switched characters, she switched places on the ground. Left and right. Her voice deepened when it took his and rose when it was her own.

LordErichVonLocke: Viki, dah-liiing... ::He snapped his gaze toward the seer suddenly. He did not mute his theatrics this evening. A cant of his head and a nod to her profile side.:: I did nae see ye there. When was it ye came to grace us with your marvelous presence. I find it that Venus is outshined even more with every passing moment, every day, that ye live and breathe. Oh woe to the one who falls, love struck, by cupids arrow. ::He worried his lip slightly after that, the charming, yet dashing expression he rarely aired.::

VikiChylde: (talking to someone else) Okay. But perhaps you could... ::The words were swallowed by VonLocke's eyes, and then voice, and she shifted herself to stare, and her eyes wore violence.:: <w> I See. ::Quaint. Simply-said. But eyes were slits for his figure.::

LordErichVonLocke: I know, dear, I know. The lighting 'ere is atrocious. Shall I rise and come near to thee so that ye might see me better? Perhaps ye would care to take up a seat next to myself. I do so looooove ye witty reparte.... ::The cocky... nevermind. His chin lifted, lips parted to form a delicious "o" shape, small and.. the aformention quaint.::

VikiChylde: Why? ::She set both hands on the tops of bare knees, and legs, which swung softly in a habitual way, ceased movement all together, though she did not start for the floor, and she did not offer a place in her company. Sakura and Charna already occupied such.::

LordErichVonLocke: Why? So that I might feast upon ye beauty in close proximity. I do promise, I shall be tender. ::A wicked smirk forming his features. Eyes narrowed a fraction to match her peer.::

VikiChylde: <w> Dead teeth. ::Maybe there was a flinch there, but her movements were often so sporadic, it was hard to tell.:: The lover would not.. approve. ::Yes. And she armed this last sentence with a warning.::

LordErichVonLocke: I only jest. ::He cast her a wink, though his smile faded with his jovial attitude. His features turned grave, a brief display for the Seer's viewing. Silver flashed and blotted out the blue in that
gaze before it hooded again and he turned his face to the door.:: I would not presume myself amass such a mighty gravity that would lure ye from ye perch as well as ye company. ::Flippant wave.:: Another time, dear..
another time.

LordErichVonLocke: ::He was following the path of Magenta as she moved to exit.::

VikiChylde: ::There was some pressure given to Sakura's hand, and eyes were wide and wild things, following his steps to the door.:: <w> Nau time, I think.

And when she was done, she grabbed the sides of her skirt and curtsied full for the boy who stood slack jaw and stupefied.

"Now you tell her tha' he is tricksey and wrong, but if he keeps from me, I will naut tell my lover to eat his eyes."

The page nodded, and backed away, backwards first, unable to turn his eyes away from her. And then, perhaps in fear of said lover, he did turn, and ran.

He ran so fast, even the seer could not follow his steps with her eyes.

Sid · Date: 2006-07-22 21:28 EST

The poor page came barreling into the Red Dragon like all the demons of every plane of Hades were on his ass. Seeing Sid standing at the end of the bar going through her mail, he skidded to a stop and tried to turn before she could see.

Too late, though, the Trueblood was quick-fire fast and had a hold of the back of his shirt collar before you could say "Bob's yer uncle!" She didn't even turn from the mail reading to do it.

Standing there, panting with her holding his collar, he wondered how she did that, and then he wondered why he didn't get another damn job. Going on this last job and meeting that chick with the weird colored eyes was about the last straw!

"Ye got a message for me, lad?" She let loose his collar and he knew it would be foolish to book it for the door, so he just nodded.

"All right, first of all, don't send me back to her. I ain't going. Got it? I don't care who you are or what you do or where you work. I ain't going. That chick's got a lover she says who eats eyes, damn it! You can't make me go!"

It was an impressive display of bravado, the Ancient had to give the lad that much. Of course, the stink of fear ruined it for one that could sense such things, like she. Fear of her, fear of the lover, fear of Viki.

"Canna make ye, aye? Hmmm..." He blanched at the look in her eyes when she said that. Right down to the bone he went completely white, and he just knew it. His knees gave him away and he felt he might have some sort of fit or accident if he didn't get out from under that gaze. It was enough to make him lose his lunch from last Wednesday.

"All right, look!" The boy stepped back away from her and she cocked a hip against the bar, watching. "Well, she's a complete nu..." Deciding better against this tactic, he swallows the word and continues on. "She had message words for you. I think. Something about him having dead teeth and she's not afraid of him. And something about his power is in his blood, but if it's a clean slate then fine."

Taking a deep breath and putting a hand to chest, he thought he was going to have a heart attack. At 17! This just wasn't right!

"Then she got really weird, if that wasn't bad enough with how you sent me there!" Poor thing, he was near hysterics. She thought maybe it might be kinder to just put him to sleep and take it from his mind. But, they got to learn sometime, she figured, and let him babble on.

"At one point she asked if you'd eaten a star. I really don't know what she was going on about! Anyway... she started putting on this one person play, playing the parts of her and the guy on the ball thingy, that orb you sent. It was like I was her damn audience! I mean to tell you that she freaked me the hell right out! Sorry. But, she did."

The Ancient chuckled darkly as the page took another step back after saying that last, paused to pivot and scramble away for all his miserable little life was worth. And, at this point, he was considering it miserable. Yep, definitely time for a serious think on alternative career choices. He did not need this!

"And, so, yeah, then she said something like I was to tell you that he was tricksey and wrong, but if he kept from her she wouldn't tell her lover to... EAT HIS EYES!"

He had the lead and he was going for it. Ripping off the tunic of the Red Dragon Pages as he fled for the door, he tossed it to the wayside and turned back for one last try to save his dignity. "Eat his eyes! Lady, what are you doing to me!? Tell Des I quit!"

Watching as smoke came off his heels as he peeled from the porch, Sid laughed long and hard.

"Wha' a gran' way to start one's day. 'ave nae been so amused in some time. Probably shouldna send another out, though, just in case the sandwalker mayhaps does eat eyes. Howe'er be I explainin' to Des about another page I be losin'? Wha' be this one, four now?"

Snickering beneath her breath, she pulled forth parchment and pen and wrote a small note. She would leave it to the cubby for general tender mail and someone would surely see that Viki got it when she next came in.

Dearest Viki,

M'apologies for the page, sweet. I hope he be nae upsetting ye. I willna send another hoping you receive this note through a less invasive hand.

I didna think ye feared o' the Lord Von Locke, only that I thought ye should be seeing his words from his own mouth and that he, for his own motivations, be making alliances with me for the Bloods' sake.

Having said that, I do wish to speak to ye soonest. It be a personal matter and one which be having me at wit's end. I have spoken to all I can think to help me in this and I knew, as I thought o' ye, I should have come straight to ye in the first place.

I be working Saturday as usual, though ye know how often it be a time when the worms slither from they hidey places to taunt with poisoned barbs. Mayhaps we shall find a time to talk. If nae, then soonest.
Be well, Shimmer.

Ever,
Sid

Tucking to the cubby for all tenders, Viki's name on the folded and sealed parchment, she nodded and went back to mumbling over bills and skaven extermination costs.

VikiChylde · Date: 2006-07-23 20:34 EST

Are you pleased to see me? Maybe you are. I like to see you. But you're kind of scary.
- Delirium, Fables and Reflections, by Neil Gaiman

There was a note taped to the underbelly of the bar, placed happily between two bottles of blue and violet liqueurs. The writing was crude and often misplaced, and sometimes large letters in the middle of words towered over their smaller counterparts.

Dear Manon,Sid,Ancient, M..

We should be for words. I saw that Howe, and he still walks with nau legs. Tara counted and says he has two but she does not see. Then she carried on with Brother Luse - he told me to call him that, in his eyes I think.

I don't like writing these things because there are so many thoughts and so few words.

I don't like the letter W because it makes me think of them. You know. Names-Like-Bells. The not-nice ones.

If he kisses them at me I'll just press the pin. I haven't used it yet but this is what its for? It sings. And I like the colour.

I like Shimmer. You called me Shimmer - remember?

I missed the night. It slept right through me. I will look for you though, when the day dies all over. Sometimes I hear it die but its only a faint cry now.

- Viki/Shimmer/Oneofyours.