Act II
Act II~
A cemetery was no different a place to Adi than a park. The bodies in the ground just objects, their souls long gone, and the head stones a reminder of people who no longer matter. However, unlike a park, Adi experienced a peaceful feeling from the silence of respect that anyone who came to visit held. That was one reason she had asked to stay here, instead of a more lively place. That, and such an interesting person was the keeper of these grounds. From around the building came Adi, methodically placing white candle pillars down and lighting them with a thin piece of wood with a small flame at the end that didn’t seem to be put out easily. Without looking up she spoke to Hana as she worked, a large paper bag that held the remaining candles rolled up under her arm. “Ah, good afternoon, Hana-dear~ Are you feeling well enough today~?”
Honestly, she was completely at a loss as to what to make of this. She was thoroughly unfamiliar with witchcraft... or whatever the hell this was. She was rather indifferent, as long as this was settled one and for all. But her mood was considerably cheerier today, and the smile she met Adipocere with was a genuine one. "I'm much better, thank you!" She wouldn't bother to ask Adi how she herself was feeling. That was a lost cause in and of itself. She stared at the lit candles before glancing back up the house. "It's... how do we get this started?" Hasty was an understatement.
“Well~” She stood up from lighting a candle and took a few steps to another spot, opening the paper bag to reach for another one. “When I’m done here, which I’m just about finished with, we’ll head inside and you can take the medication. I don’t know how your body would react to it, so I’ll give you a very small dosage. We’ll have to wait about fifteen minutes to see if there’s any change.” She paused her speaking to move to the next spot, making an obvious circle around the enormous house with the way she was placing them. She spoke up again after a moment. “Monte is not here at the moment, by the way.” Thought he manner in which she spoke was the same as always, in that sentence there seemed to be an underlying emotion there. Whether it was negative or positive, it wasn’t clear.
Medicine... Nothing had been said before about medicine. Or maybe there had. It was probably just her fuzzy memory. Monte's absence was... disconcerting as well. "Do you want me to... come back another time, maybe? Is now not a good time?" Her question was sprung out of nowhere, but she was getting a little nervous about this. "Er... that is." Shut up. "Nevermind..." She advanced closer to the house. It was of a size complementing its resident's, to say the least.
In mid-lighting Adipocere stood to speak to Hana properly. She wasn’t angry. After all, there was not a lot to trust when it came to Adi. She was a Gravekraft, she knew spells, and there was very little else known about her. It was only natural to feel uncomfortable around such a person… especially when you had a bad run-in with someone related. “I would not mind if you came back at another time. If you want, we can wait until Monte returns, or we can simply set a new date to meet.” Friendly smile. No worries~
Her conscience groaned. Why postpone this...? "No, no... sorry." She was growing rather irritated with herself. There was no reason to distrust Adi. She'd never done anything wrong to her. "I'm just getting cold feet, that's all." Hana took a deep breath. Level your heart rate, it's okay. You can trust her. She didn't know who to trust anymore. But she had to trust Adipocere. She was her only hope as of now.
Oh, how trusting Hana could be. “Alright, then~” She finished with two more candles, and, with the empty bag under her arm, dusted her hands. Adi stepped quietly to the doorway and pulled it open for the both of them. “I really shouldn’t be letting anyone into someone else’s home while they’re not there, but I feel that he would not mind if it were just you.” She tapped a finger on her lip in consideration, a hand still on the door frame.
Far too trusting. How had Adi just wondered this now? Hadn't she planned ahead at all? Hana was getting anxious. "I'm sure he won't mind. We're good friends." No, she wasn't sure. But for now all she could do was hope, and assume.
Though she expressed a ‘thinking’ look, the truth was that she had known Monte would not be here at this particular time. The less witnesses the better, for now. “Well, if you really are ready, please have a seat on the couch within. I’ll just need to grab what I brought~” With that, she tip toed her way inside, straight for her suit case, which lay beside a massive table. There wasn't much in the main room, sadly, big as it was. Well...except for the table. Much was on it, but how much could be deciphered was another story entirely.. A large fireplace was supposed to be the focus of the main room, it seemed, with a couch nearby it.
"All right!" Hana took advantage of this opportunity to just let everything sink in with a heavy albeit relieved sigh. It would all be over soon enough. She just had to keep telling herself that, yes. Maybe it wasn't so hard to relax after all. Try and perpetuate that optimism.
After clicking the case shut, she returned to Hana. Here eyes were on a metallic bottle in one hand, and they shifted to a small, clear plastic cup in her other as she stopped before the girl. “Now, let’s see… I think…” She poured a very small amount into the cup and thought if over. “…This should be alright~” With a smile, she handed over to Hana. “It’ll taste a little odd, but please bear with me~” It’ll be fine~
"..." She took it hesitantly with one calloused hand, bringing it first to her nose to sniff it, then back again to observe its contents. Taste a little odd...? Oh, she'd manage. But... something didn't quite feel right... It was just her imagination getting to her, certainly. Slowly she brought the edge of the cup to her lips. Should I drink this? Should I drink this? Oh, get it over with already. With a quick gesture the strange liquid was down her throat. Done.
Yes, it would taste a little metallic. However, I wonder if you’re able to sense the spell infused in it~? Adi sealed the bottle with a cork and took the cup from Hana.
“There, now~ We’ll see how the curse responds to that after the medicine has run through you in fifteen minutes. If nothing happens I may need you to take a slightly larger dose, but, let’s just see if this works before we plan ahead~” Smile.
Adi knew exactly what this liquid was, despite acting as if she had never dealt with it before. It was a sort of drug to keep Harken’s undead things alive. It ran through their bodies, spreading his magic and supporting their body functions, if they still had any.
The very first thing Harken did to create one of his undead was to cast a curse on the body. A very similar type to what lie in Hana. It allowed him to control the remains, though only after this ‘medicine’ was running through them, thus making them functional. A body with a soul, however, had it’s own will and could not be controlled so easily.
So what was Harken planning by using that spell on Hana…? It was Adipocere’s intention to find out by making it as simple as possible for Harken to go through with whatever he may be intending. As it were, one side effect of having his magic run through you was that you were invited into his realm of souls, which was a network of all his creations, while you sleep. Adi never slept, so was not able to communicate with him as any of the others could.
Would someone who was already living be able to communicate with him, now that his magic was within them? This is what she intended to find out. She was sure Harken would be interested in this, too.
She wiped her mouth. What a weird taste, though it seemed more than just a taste. More than medicine. Whatever it was, she couldn't put her finger on it, nodding in response to Adi's instructions. "I'm... feeling better already." Whether or not this was a placebo, taking the medicine had affected her. Chances were it was an amalgamation of both.
“Ah, that’s good~!” She smiled. Being as she was, she was able to sense the curse put on Hana. As the time passed, she noted that it was, in fact, spreading. Adi paced slowly, back and forth, fingertips touching her cheek in thought. It seemed to be working. Her body wasn’t rejecting it. Could it even be the curse allowed a body to function with it? Either way, the next step… was the most important. Adi stopped her pacing, and looked ahead of her, beyond the walls at something only she could see. She began to move her fingers in a manner almost as if she were conducting a symphony, though the motions she made suggested letters. She hummed a tune to the music she was making in her mind.
Hana was a little taken aback by this. Adi had always been obviously very strange to her, but things were just getting... bizarre now. Still... there was nothing harmful about... whatever she was doing. Keep trusting her, it'll be okay. She felt like Adi was looking right through her.
Her arms spread apart as she dotted and crossed these imaginary letters until she had written in a circle around her. Her tune came to an end as soon as she had closed the circle, and with a final “There we are~” the letters she had traced out lit up in flame, now visible to Hana, for just a moment before burning up but an instant later. Under her breath spoke Adi. “Soul Protect, Gauge One.” They were unrecognizable letters, but Adi seemed satisfied as she turned to face the girl. “I promise this won’t hurt a bit~” She gave a final smile before the spell she had cast started to take effect. “It’s quite difficult to cast magic when you have soul protect on, you see~” The spell she had cast was meant to bring a haziness to Hana’s mind. “Fortunately for myself, those candles I placed outside earlier are magic items and allow me to release a certain gauge of said protection without having anyone outside the circle be able to detect a difference~ It’s really quite useful~” Adi continued talking as the magic would bring drowsiness to the girl, and in the end put her to sleep. How much Hana would hear before she was out wouldn’t matter, in the end. “I, myself, will be able to use something similar to soul resonating, which I’m afraid I’m not skilled enough to do without magic. If you have another nightmare, don’t fear~ I’ll be there with you~ So, sleep well~”
--A Witch!! She should have known. Her lips parted to bellow out the accusation, but nothing came of it. In its stead, she only felt her body weakening, her eyelids growing heavy. Just like her feet had been against the pavement. She wasn't hurting, just... tired. Terribly so. How had she fallen for this so easily?! It had been obvious, looking back! And now she was drifting off. Was this sleeping, or death? Or both? It seemed impossible for her to fall into such a seemingly peaceful sleep, what with all these thoughts and worries buzzing through her mind. But she did.
A cemetery was no different a place to Adi than a park. The bodies in the ground just objects, their souls long gone, and the head stones a reminder of people who no longer matter. However, unlike a park, Adi experienced a peaceful feeling from the silence of respect that anyone who came to visit held. That was one reason she had asked to stay here, instead of a more lively place. That, and such an interesting person was the keeper of these grounds. From around the building came Adi, methodically placing white candle pillars down and lighting them with a thin piece of wood with a small flame at the end that didn’t seem to be put out easily. Without looking up she spoke to Hana as she worked, a large paper bag that held the remaining candles rolled up under her arm. “Ah, good afternoon, Hana-dear~ Are you feeling well enough today~?”
Honestly, she was completely at a loss as to what to make of this. She was thoroughly unfamiliar with witchcraft... or whatever the hell this was. She was rather indifferent, as long as this was settled one and for all. But her mood was considerably cheerier today, and the smile she met Adipocere with was a genuine one. "I'm much better, thank you!" She wouldn't bother to ask Adi how she herself was feeling. That was a lost cause in and of itself. She stared at the lit candles before glancing back up the house. "It's... how do we get this started?" Hasty was an understatement.
“Well~” She stood up from lighting a candle and took a few steps to another spot, opening the paper bag to reach for another one. “When I’m done here, which I’m just about finished with, we’ll head inside and you can take the medication. I don’t know how your body would react to it, so I’ll give you a very small dosage. We’ll have to wait about fifteen minutes to see if there’s any change.” She paused her speaking to move to the next spot, making an obvious circle around the enormous house with the way she was placing them. She spoke up again after a moment. “Monte is not here at the moment, by the way.” Thought he manner in which she spoke was the same as always, in that sentence there seemed to be an underlying emotion there. Whether it was negative or positive, it wasn’t clear.
Medicine... Nothing had been said before about medicine. Or maybe there had. It was probably just her fuzzy memory. Monte's absence was... disconcerting as well. "Do you want me to... come back another time, maybe? Is now not a good time?" Her question was sprung out of nowhere, but she was getting a little nervous about this. "Er... that is." Shut up. "Nevermind..." She advanced closer to the house. It was of a size complementing its resident's, to say the least.
In mid-lighting Adipocere stood to speak to Hana properly. She wasn’t angry. After all, there was not a lot to trust when it came to Adi. She was a Gravekraft, she knew spells, and there was very little else known about her. It was only natural to feel uncomfortable around such a person… especially when you had a bad run-in with someone related. “I would not mind if you came back at another time. If you want, we can wait until Monte returns, or we can simply set a new date to meet.” Friendly smile. No worries~
Her conscience groaned. Why postpone this...? "No, no... sorry." She was growing rather irritated with herself. There was no reason to distrust Adi. She'd never done anything wrong to her. "I'm just getting cold feet, that's all." Hana took a deep breath. Level your heart rate, it's okay. You can trust her. She didn't know who to trust anymore. But she had to trust Adipocere. She was her only hope as of now.
Oh, how trusting Hana could be. “Alright, then~” She finished with two more candles, and, with the empty bag under her arm, dusted her hands. Adi stepped quietly to the doorway and pulled it open for the both of them. “I really shouldn’t be letting anyone into someone else’s home while they’re not there, but I feel that he would not mind if it were just you.” She tapped a finger on her lip in consideration, a hand still on the door frame.
Far too trusting. How had Adi just wondered this now? Hadn't she planned ahead at all? Hana was getting anxious. "I'm sure he won't mind. We're good friends." No, she wasn't sure. But for now all she could do was hope, and assume.
Though she expressed a ‘thinking’ look, the truth was that she had known Monte would not be here at this particular time. The less witnesses the better, for now. “Well, if you really are ready, please have a seat on the couch within. I’ll just need to grab what I brought~” With that, she tip toed her way inside, straight for her suit case, which lay beside a massive table. There wasn't much in the main room, sadly, big as it was. Well...except for the table. Much was on it, but how much could be deciphered was another story entirely.. A large fireplace was supposed to be the focus of the main room, it seemed, with a couch nearby it.
"All right!" Hana took advantage of this opportunity to just let everything sink in with a heavy albeit relieved sigh. It would all be over soon enough. She just had to keep telling herself that, yes. Maybe it wasn't so hard to relax after all. Try and perpetuate that optimism.
After clicking the case shut, she returned to Hana. Here eyes were on a metallic bottle in one hand, and they shifted to a small, clear plastic cup in her other as she stopped before the girl. “Now, let’s see… I think…” She poured a very small amount into the cup and thought if over. “…This should be alright~” With a smile, she handed over to Hana. “It’ll taste a little odd, but please bear with me~” It’ll be fine~
"..." She took it hesitantly with one calloused hand, bringing it first to her nose to sniff it, then back again to observe its contents. Taste a little odd...? Oh, she'd manage. But... something didn't quite feel right... It was just her imagination getting to her, certainly. Slowly she brought the edge of the cup to her lips. Should I drink this? Should I drink this? Oh, get it over with already. With a quick gesture the strange liquid was down her throat. Done.
Yes, it would taste a little metallic. However, I wonder if you’re able to sense the spell infused in it~? Adi sealed the bottle with a cork and took the cup from Hana.
“There, now~ We’ll see how the curse responds to that after the medicine has run through you in fifteen minutes. If nothing happens I may need you to take a slightly larger dose, but, let’s just see if this works before we plan ahead~” Smile.
Adi knew exactly what this liquid was, despite acting as if she had never dealt with it before. It was a sort of drug to keep Harken’s undead things alive. It ran through their bodies, spreading his magic and supporting their body functions, if they still had any.
The very first thing Harken did to create one of his undead was to cast a curse on the body. A very similar type to what lie in Hana. It allowed him to control the remains, though only after this ‘medicine’ was running through them, thus making them functional. A body with a soul, however, had it’s own will and could not be controlled so easily.
So what was Harken planning by using that spell on Hana…? It was Adipocere’s intention to find out by making it as simple as possible for Harken to go through with whatever he may be intending. As it were, one side effect of having his magic run through you was that you were invited into his realm of souls, which was a network of all his creations, while you sleep. Adi never slept, so was not able to communicate with him as any of the others could.
Would someone who was already living be able to communicate with him, now that his magic was within them? This is what she intended to find out. She was sure Harken would be interested in this, too.
She wiped her mouth. What a weird taste, though it seemed more than just a taste. More than medicine. Whatever it was, she couldn't put her finger on it, nodding in response to Adi's instructions. "I'm... feeling better already." Whether or not this was a placebo, taking the medicine had affected her. Chances were it was an amalgamation of both.
“Ah, that’s good~!” She smiled. Being as she was, she was able to sense the curse put on Hana. As the time passed, she noted that it was, in fact, spreading. Adi paced slowly, back and forth, fingertips touching her cheek in thought. It seemed to be working. Her body wasn’t rejecting it. Could it even be the curse allowed a body to function with it? Either way, the next step… was the most important. Adi stopped her pacing, and looked ahead of her, beyond the walls at something only she could see. She began to move her fingers in a manner almost as if she were conducting a symphony, though the motions she made suggested letters. She hummed a tune to the music she was making in her mind.
Hana was a little taken aback by this. Adi had always been obviously very strange to her, but things were just getting... bizarre now. Still... there was nothing harmful about... whatever she was doing. Keep trusting her, it'll be okay. She felt like Adi was looking right through her.
Her arms spread apart as she dotted and crossed these imaginary letters until she had written in a circle around her. Her tune came to an end as soon as she had closed the circle, and with a final “There we are~” the letters she had traced out lit up in flame, now visible to Hana, for just a moment before burning up but an instant later. Under her breath spoke Adi. “Soul Protect, Gauge One.” They were unrecognizable letters, but Adi seemed satisfied as she turned to face the girl. “I promise this won’t hurt a bit~” She gave a final smile before the spell she had cast started to take effect. “It’s quite difficult to cast magic when you have soul protect on, you see~” The spell she had cast was meant to bring a haziness to Hana’s mind. “Fortunately for myself, those candles I placed outside earlier are magic items and allow me to release a certain gauge of said protection without having anyone outside the circle be able to detect a difference~ It’s really quite useful~” Adi continued talking as the magic would bring drowsiness to the girl, and in the end put her to sleep. How much Hana would hear before she was out wouldn’t matter, in the end. “I, myself, will be able to use something similar to soul resonating, which I’m afraid I’m not skilled enough to do without magic. If you have another nightmare, don’t fear~ I’ll be there with you~ So, sleep well~”
--A Witch!! She should have known. Her lips parted to bellow out the accusation, but nothing came of it. In its stead, she only felt her body weakening, her eyelids growing heavy. Just like her feet had been against the pavement. She wasn't hurting, just... tired. Terribly so. How had she fallen for this so easily?! It had been obvious, looking back! And now she was drifting off. Was this sleeping, or death? Or both? It seemed impossible for her to fall into such a seemingly peaceful sleep, what with all these thoughts and worries buzzing through her mind. But she did.