cryptic ink: quatre
For the first time in many months, in what felt like an eternity and beyond she could look in the mirror and really see. Not the way her hallowed eyes once drifted blankly and registering nothing. Wincing softly as she moved to the vanity, she peered down at her arm, freckled with swollen red pinpricks where the needles had once been taped there. But she was grateful, because for once they weren't anchoring her down, hindering her motions, her freedom. Gazing in the mirror, she had to admit that her subdued tresses were matted, making them seem more auburn than red, and that the pale colorless face and lips cut a rather wan, washed out complexion. Her hair hung around her face, oily and unkempt, but Erisse knew there was something different this time. Some desperate undercurrent that burned like a subtle fire. Erisse was convinced that she wasn't dead, not anymore, and never would be. She knew because she would never allow it to happen again. This time was different, because as ashy, long fingers brushed her hair out of her eyes, they were bright viridian, glittering with something, anything. Maybe a purpose as clairvoyant as the unveiling of crystals set aflame from the sun, or a purpose like slow simmering lava.
Erisse blinked. There was a slow pulse of heat bursting and thrumming and she knew it was the gate. A flare of heat and then it was gone, but she knew they'd all felt it. From here to the Princess Queen's castle. It was a better heralding than trumpets or parades would ever be, and a slow small smile fluttered about her lips like an unsettled bird. It was as if she had forgotten how. But it didn't matter, because as clumsy and stpid as she looked, the important thing, the only thing was that the smile was genuine. That alone was a cause for joy.
"Now," She huffed heavily, hiding a look of prim disdain. "Let's see what we can do about my hair." she hummed a broken tune, and soon tufts of brown floated to the flooor, revealing comfortably short red hair again.
It seemed like today was a day for firsts.
•·.·´¯`·.·•
Severon sat on a plush red chair, utterly bored and near moved to tears - well, if he did that sort of thing. He was fingering the golden tassels on his velvety chair, unbeknownst to him, it was an amusing mimicry to something his younger sibling often did. Despite the breaktimes he often took at his leisure, playing shadow king to the elven nation was no easy task. There seemed an endless amount of things he had to sign, people to be polite to. And he was ever wary of Serica, he wouldn't put it past her to plot against him. She didn't seem like the kind to submit with such ease, but he found it less amusing and tolerable than another certain little elf. Heaving a sigh, something in his gut wrenched. He missed her, he would admit with wine loosened lips. He had always been a supporter of the idea 'the end justifies the means', and yet he hadn't wanted this for her. He'd wanted to keep her out of the cross fire, not the hurt she'd surely have to endure now that the plan was in motion - whatever it was. Jabari's wiped memories wouldn't be easy for her.
That was one of the things he'd had to grit his teeth against. They had been friends, all of them, genuine. Despite the glares or the challenges, or the hurt, wasn't the amicability still there? How could any amount of memory eradication wipe it clear? Could it erase what was in the heart? Severon wanted to spit, of course it couldn't. Jabari was still Jabari, no matter how many ploys were hatched. What he felt were still his feelings, no matter how buried under manipulation and conniving.
And Severon could ruefully still remember how Erisse had set about befriending the younger halfling.
•·.·´¯`·.·•
"I met with the Overlord's Brigadier General today." Erisse said, her chirp faltering only slightly, and Severon found it endearing, her determination. Jabari should have intimidated even her, modified memory or no.
"And how did it go?" he inquired smoothly, betraying nothing. His eyes however shone with amusement, and expectation when she turned away, chewing her lip uncertainly. Severon supposed that as long as he defended Erisse and that she was of great importance, Jabari couldn't do anything anyway, even if he did have the motives to do so.
"He was very cold." she frowned, perplexed. "He didn't want to be friends at all!" she exclaimed looking quite small. 'That's unexpected. He's normally quite cocky, hot tempered. But the hostility is the same as ever.' Severon resisted a derisive snort.
"I've something to show you, Erisse. To take your mind off of things." he said with an alluring smirk. Long pale fingers beckoned to her as he stood next to a large window. Her eyes brightened with delight as she scrambled to his side, gasping and giggling as she saw her servants carry in flowers by the basketful. Vibrant colors, teal, cyan, yellow and crimson were being unloaded into her garden. Squealing, she threw her arms around his neck.
"Oh thank you, thank you, thank you!" she gushed, pulling back to smile at him.
Severon cleared his throat as he detached himself from her b oa constrictor like grasp. "I just thought it would make you happy." he said quietly, pulling one of the flowers out from seemingly nowhere. He bowed slightly. "For you. It is a special of the bunch, the only one. It has not yet bloomed."
Erisse studied it, taking the delicate stem into her small grasp. The bud was a bland white color. 'But it can't be just that,' she thought. 'If it hasn't bloomed yet then it's waiting, and has something special to behold.' she knew for sure.
And Erisse was dying to know how it looked on the inside.
----
"How was he?" asked Severon, deciding not to interfere. Her determined look spoke volumes.
"He'll come around." she answered, her tone bordering on a stubborn take he knew better than to underestimate.
"The flower hasn't bloomed yet," Severon informed, barely able to keep from tacking on an 'either' to the end of his intonation.
"I"ll just have to be patient."
----
"Any lufck?" he asked again, looking up to a glum face. She didn't answer and instead looked at a completely unchanged bud in a dainty blue vase.
"Still nothing huh?" she sighed.
"Maybe you should just give up."
She thought of Jabari. He looked cold, he looked mean, he looked like he wouldn't be moved, he looked-
He looked lonely.
"But maybe it's worth it."
----
Today he didn't have to ask. She burst in, sweaty, bruised and disheveled but she was all smiles, elated. "We sparred todaySeveron! I mean, he didn't say anything but at least he's stopped glaring!"
Almost instinctively they both looked to the flower, which showed the first signs of a satin petal.
•·.·´¯`·.·•
And Severon remembered how it started to unravel, the first time Jabari slipped up and called her by her name, the brief flicker of respect when she'd trapped him completely in a spar, and when he'd first smiled at her. And Severon tagging along had been sucked into their games. He remembered the flollowing spring when Jabari aoke to a special day - one he claimed held no significance - and was knee deep in white flowers, with beautiful ruby ceters, stark and vivid on the offwhite.
"You're spaced out today," came a smooth voice, interrupting his thoughts. "Perhaps you should visit your harem?" the voice mused aloud. severon glared at the creature before him, who was currently draped over his couch, occupying the shape of a young slate haired, blue eyed boy.
"Thierry." Severon remarked cooly. The boy in question ignored him and continued. "YOu do so have a taste for redheads, I wonder why." a sly look was sent in his direction, and Severon scowled. "Enough. What do you want?" He demanded darkly as the shape shifter stood up and bowed, changing into the form of a tall ruby eyed, black haired man.
"Jabari and Klavier have been identified entering the elven nation, along with three unkown individuals."
Severon merely looked supremely unimpressed. "Is that all?"
Thierry smirked, handing him a letter which Severon narrowed his eyes at and opened.
-
She's here.
- AS
-
Severon's breath hlated in his chest, warm golden eyes wide with shock before he stood abruptly.
"Have six rooms prepared and those documents sent to the coordinates supplied in the letter," he stood up abruptly. "Have one of those rooms..." he trailed off, contemplating hard. 'Placed next to mine?' he wondered, before shaking his head. "Placed in the next most luxurious room." the first being the Woodland Deities, but he could hardly kick Serica out.
Severon left in quick strides, leaving Thierry to stare after him.
"Yes, my lord."
•·.·´¯`·.·•
"You do know why I made them stop, don't you?" mused a cruel voice, ruby eyes cutting with dark promise. "This freedom comes with a price, and you'd better believe I'm going to collect my dues." Adair whispered, slithering closer to the smaller elf. She wasn't surprised to find the elf didn't flinch, Adair hadn't expected her to. But instilling fear in other people was what she did.
A calm cool voice washed over the smaller elf. "Careful." delving into Erisse's mind, she invoked images, thoughts, threats.
It wasn't a surprise when the elf crumpled in on herself. "Look, I get it." she forced out, groaning. A triumphant smirk stretched across her face as she withdrew with a snap.
"Good. Pack your things, you're going to surprise him."
Erisse glared hotly and left, shutting the door with a loud slam, jarring the glass frames on the wall.
"The both of them."
•·.·´¯`·.·•
Sophie smiled at the man sitting in front of her, the putrid scent of urine and fear stale in the air. She nearly leaned in for the kill before the circle in her palm flared white hot, causing her to lean back and gasp with pain.
Spreading her palm open she looked at her glove and frowned.
"Something's different..."
•·.·´¯`·.·•
"Is the plan in action?" inquired a smooth voice, laced with charisma, but there was a deceptive undercurrent.
"It's already started."
Erisse blinked. There was a slow pulse of heat bursting and thrumming and she knew it was the gate. A flare of heat and then it was gone, but she knew they'd all felt it. From here to the Princess Queen's castle. It was a better heralding than trumpets or parades would ever be, and a slow small smile fluttered about her lips like an unsettled bird. It was as if she had forgotten how. But it didn't matter, because as clumsy and stpid as she looked, the important thing, the only thing was that the smile was genuine. That alone was a cause for joy.
"Now," She huffed heavily, hiding a look of prim disdain. "Let's see what we can do about my hair." she hummed a broken tune, and soon tufts of brown floated to the flooor, revealing comfortably short red hair again.
It seemed like today was a day for firsts.
•·.·´¯`·.·•
Severon sat on a plush red chair, utterly bored and near moved to tears - well, if he did that sort of thing. He was fingering the golden tassels on his velvety chair, unbeknownst to him, it was an amusing mimicry to something his younger sibling often did. Despite the breaktimes he often took at his leisure, playing shadow king to the elven nation was no easy task. There seemed an endless amount of things he had to sign, people to be polite to. And he was ever wary of Serica, he wouldn't put it past her to plot against him. She didn't seem like the kind to submit with such ease, but he found it less amusing and tolerable than another certain little elf. Heaving a sigh, something in his gut wrenched. He missed her, he would admit with wine loosened lips. He had always been a supporter of the idea 'the end justifies the means', and yet he hadn't wanted this for her. He'd wanted to keep her out of the cross fire, not the hurt she'd surely have to endure now that the plan was in motion - whatever it was. Jabari's wiped memories wouldn't be easy for her.
That was one of the things he'd had to grit his teeth against. They had been friends, all of them, genuine. Despite the glares or the challenges, or the hurt, wasn't the amicability still there? How could any amount of memory eradication wipe it clear? Could it erase what was in the heart? Severon wanted to spit, of course it couldn't. Jabari was still Jabari, no matter how many ploys were hatched. What he felt were still his feelings, no matter how buried under manipulation and conniving.
And Severon could ruefully still remember how Erisse had set about befriending the younger halfling.
•·.·´¯`·.·•
"I met with the Overlord's Brigadier General today." Erisse said, her chirp faltering only slightly, and Severon found it endearing, her determination. Jabari should have intimidated even her, modified memory or no.
"And how did it go?" he inquired smoothly, betraying nothing. His eyes however shone with amusement, and expectation when she turned away, chewing her lip uncertainly. Severon supposed that as long as he defended Erisse and that she was of great importance, Jabari couldn't do anything anyway, even if he did have the motives to do so.
"He was very cold." she frowned, perplexed. "He didn't want to be friends at all!" she exclaimed looking quite small. 'That's unexpected. He's normally quite cocky, hot tempered. But the hostility is the same as ever.' Severon resisted a derisive snort.
"I've something to show you, Erisse. To take your mind off of things." he said with an alluring smirk. Long pale fingers beckoned to her as he stood next to a large window. Her eyes brightened with delight as she scrambled to his side, gasping and giggling as she saw her servants carry in flowers by the basketful. Vibrant colors, teal, cyan, yellow and crimson were being unloaded into her garden. Squealing, she threw her arms around his neck.
"Oh thank you, thank you, thank you!" she gushed, pulling back to smile at him.
Severon cleared his throat as he detached himself from her b oa constrictor like grasp. "I just thought it would make you happy." he said quietly, pulling one of the flowers out from seemingly nowhere. He bowed slightly. "For you. It is a special of the bunch, the only one. It has not yet bloomed."
Erisse studied it, taking the delicate stem into her small grasp. The bud was a bland white color. 'But it can't be just that,' she thought. 'If it hasn't bloomed yet then it's waiting, and has something special to behold.' she knew for sure.
And Erisse was dying to know how it looked on the inside.
----
"How was he?" asked Severon, deciding not to interfere. Her determined look spoke volumes.
"He'll come around." she answered, her tone bordering on a stubborn take he knew better than to underestimate.
"The flower hasn't bloomed yet," Severon informed, barely able to keep from tacking on an 'either' to the end of his intonation.
"I"ll just have to be patient."
----
"Any lufck?" he asked again, looking up to a glum face. She didn't answer and instead looked at a completely unchanged bud in a dainty blue vase.
"Still nothing huh?" she sighed.
"Maybe you should just give up."
She thought of Jabari. He looked cold, he looked mean, he looked like he wouldn't be moved, he looked-
He looked lonely.
"But maybe it's worth it."
----
Today he didn't have to ask. She burst in, sweaty, bruised and disheveled but she was all smiles, elated. "We sparred todaySeveron! I mean, he didn't say anything but at least he's stopped glaring!"
Almost instinctively they both looked to the flower, which showed the first signs of a satin petal.
•·.·´¯`·.·•
And Severon remembered how it started to unravel, the first time Jabari slipped up and called her by her name, the brief flicker of respect when she'd trapped him completely in a spar, and when he'd first smiled at her. And Severon tagging along had been sucked into their games. He remembered the flollowing spring when Jabari aoke to a special day - one he claimed held no significance - and was knee deep in white flowers, with beautiful ruby ceters, stark and vivid on the offwhite.
"You're spaced out today," came a smooth voice, interrupting his thoughts. "Perhaps you should visit your harem?" the voice mused aloud. severon glared at the creature before him, who was currently draped over his couch, occupying the shape of a young slate haired, blue eyed boy.
"Thierry." Severon remarked cooly. The boy in question ignored him and continued. "YOu do so have a taste for redheads, I wonder why." a sly look was sent in his direction, and Severon scowled. "Enough. What do you want?" He demanded darkly as the shape shifter stood up and bowed, changing into the form of a tall ruby eyed, black haired man.
"Jabari and Klavier have been identified entering the elven nation, along with three unkown individuals."
Severon merely looked supremely unimpressed. "Is that all?"
Thierry smirked, handing him a letter which Severon narrowed his eyes at and opened.
-
She's here.
- AS
-
Severon's breath hlated in his chest, warm golden eyes wide with shock before he stood abruptly.
"Have six rooms prepared and those documents sent to the coordinates supplied in the letter," he stood up abruptly. "Have one of those rooms..." he trailed off, contemplating hard. 'Placed next to mine?' he wondered, before shaking his head. "Placed in the next most luxurious room." the first being the Woodland Deities, but he could hardly kick Serica out.
Severon left in quick strides, leaving Thierry to stare after him.
"Yes, my lord."
•·.·´¯`·.·•
"You do know why I made them stop, don't you?" mused a cruel voice, ruby eyes cutting with dark promise. "This freedom comes with a price, and you'd better believe I'm going to collect my dues." Adair whispered, slithering closer to the smaller elf. She wasn't surprised to find the elf didn't flinch, Adair hadn't expected her to. But instilling fear in other people was what she did.
A calm cool voice washed over the smaller elf. "Careful." delving into Erisse's mind, she invoked images, thoughts, threats.
It wasn't a surprise when the elf crumpled in on herself. "Look, I get it." she forced out, groaning. A triumphant smirk stretched across her face as she withdrew with a snap.
"Good. Pack your things, you're going to surprise him."
Erisse glared hotly and left, shutting the door with a loud slam, jarring the glass frames on the wall.
"The both of them."
•·.·´¯`·.·•
Sophie smiled at the man sitting in front of her, the putrid scent of urine and fear stale in the air. She nearly leaned in for the kill before the circle in her palm flared white hot, causing her to lean back and gasp with pain.
Spreading her palm open she looked at her glove and frowned.
"Something's different..."
•·.·´¯`·.·•
"Is the plan in action?" inquired a smooth voice, laced with charisma, but there was a deceptive undercurrent.
"It's already started."