Happy Halloween
Who: Open, please tag yourselves
What: Hallows Eve Celebration
When: Forward-dated to the 31st of October
Where: Starts in the Keep's Great Hall ( Read more... )
What: Hallows Eve Celebration
When: Forward-dated to the 31st of October
Where: Starts in the Keep's Great Hall ( Read more... )
"You honor me..." She said the words quietly, her heart pounding as she tried to make heads or tails of this stranger. She had never been in a situation such as this before. Then she is smiling again, eyes sparking with interest as she scrutinized the man holding her in dance. She wished to know more about him, and gasped not a moment later as his body brushed against her--his voice in her ear.
Her eyes widened in shock. When she turned to look at him again, there was awe on her face. Not for what he was--but because he freely admitted it. A grin touches Aara's lips, and a light and happy laugh escapes.
"You trust me with this? It is no great secret?" She tilts her head to the other side, lips pursing slightly in considered thought. "What is it you can do?" Her eyes widen briefly, and Aara finds she's leaning toward him, her left hand clutching the material of his costume. "Can you fly?"
Reply
"With most people, some of them don't believe me." He replied with a small chuckle, his breath most likely tickling her ear. "I can do a lot of things, but I have lost my wings since I have arrived here."
Although, he was still unsure of how much the Keep had hindered him. Using sigils was out of the question and his senses were messed with.
Reply
Then Aara loses her graceful footing, a horrified pressure welling up in her chest as she gasps. Her mind is far away from the Great Hall, however, on memories of frozen wings snapping cruelly from her form as if they were made of brittle clay.
"Lost your wings?"
Her whole body is trembling. Bile formed in her throat, and she quickly swallowed it down. Deep breaths.
"That's horrible."
Reply
He notices the flinch and moves to catch her. Perhaps it was a bad idea to state the false condition of his 'wings'. Instead, he directs her off the dance floor and to a table. If need be, carry her if she could not walk on her own.
"Yes. It is, but I learned to live with it."
Reply
"I am so sorry."
Still in a daze, Aara cannot imagine the possibility of living without her wings. Soulfully sad eyes look up at Sandrath.
"If you want..." Her offer came quietly, with only the slightest bit of hesitance. "I could take you up some time." Her lips curl up into a somewhat mischevious grin. "I am angha. I could more than carry your weight. If my wings were gone, I fear I would lose a part of myself. You must miss the wind--and flying--terribly."
Reply
As they walked, he listened to her offer. It took a moment for him to scan through his knowledge for the word known as 'angha', but came up with nothing.
"I do." He commented before pausing. "I'm afraid I do not know what an 'angha' is. It is a foreign word to me."
Reply
She was alive.
"Did you know, if you die here, you come back from the dead?" Aara chances a glance at him as they walked, trying to smile, but her smile quickly fades. "There are many unnerving things that happen here, but the people..." A content sigh. "The people here are worth it."
Turning inquisitive eyes Sandrath's way, Aara cocks her head to one side. She bit her lip, the only tell-tale sign of her hesitation and worry. Then her muscles tense as she follows through with her offer.
"Angha. Most humans have another word for our other form: dragon." She watched him now, holding her breath as she waited for his reaction. He was the same as she, though, wasn't he? Surely he would take the news well.
Reply
There wasn't one and that was bizarre, from what he remembered anyway. But, Aara distracts him with her next set of words.
"Really?" He sounded very surprised. "Well, you're the first one I've met. I bet your vessel feels very small to your actual form."
Reply
So how was it he died? Cold worry began to gnaw at her insides, and Aara wondered if she would have to worry about this man, or if perhaps she aught to worry about his attacker.
"How... did you die if it was not from the sickness?"
She had to know.
Then, despite her slight unease, he has her grinning. "Actually, that is not the case at all. My kind do not complete their first transformation until adulthood, so I am very used to this form. Even then, the open skies allow one all the freedom she could need in angha form." Her expression suddenly clouds over. "Unless you are a woman, and a foundling at that." A light shrug. "I was never meant to survive my transformation. Few women rarely do."
Reply
How amusing that his assumed cause of death was by the one they were just talking about. Although the question about how he died caused him to frown.
"There was a bit of a misunderstanding and I somehow ended up bleeding out. Its a giant mystery, really."
He stepped away to pull out a chair for her before leading her to it.
"Sounds like a very male dominate place." He commented idly. "I'm assuming that foundling is some kind of term for half-breed or traitor?"
Please correct him on that, since the word was another that fell under the foreign catergory.
Reply
Then she was gaping. "Misunderstanding? You bled out... from a misunderstanding?" It shouldn't be a giant mystery, should it? Something wasn't quite adding up here. Aara felt she didn't have all the pieces to the whole.
"Someone hurt you? Or did you harm someone else?" Her tone is taking on something darker, as her eyes narrow. She doesn't know if she should feel protective, or alarmed, and she didn't like it. He led her to a chair, but she refused to sit just yet. Not until all her questions were answered. Not until she knew she was safe. That the people here were safe.
Her expression stays guarded as he speaks, but she gasps, thoroughly appalled by his question.
"No! Never! I would never betray my clan." For all they had betrayed her. "I do not know if a half-breed even exists. I am angha, just the same as they are. I was not born of their clan, though. I was found, injured, on a mountain top when I was a child. They Angharad--clan leader--took me in. He saved my life. Our race is usually very cloistered. The Elders do not like outsiders. Even though I am also of their blood, that is what I was. An outsider. Someone found. Perhaps, to them, someone who did not belong."
Her vehemence ebbs until her shoulders slump in defeat. Her head turns to one side, looking out over the dancers and not truly seeing them. She still does not sit.
Reply
Her sudden change in tone made him look to the side for a moment before returning his focus to her. This would be a bit weird to explain.
"Yes, I did. An argument that turned sour and I was on receiving end of it." Even he was surprised at how much his 'attacker' managed to dish out. "I don't hold a grudge against what was done though."
...Maybe just a little.
"I'm sorry, those were the first two things that came to mind. I did not mean to offend you." He considered placing a hand on her shoulder, but she looked like she would shrug it off. "...If its any condolence, I'm a bit of an outsider to my kind as well."
He was telling the truth with his last sentence. The other angels were wary of him because of his war history of torture and demon blood.
Reply
"It was an accident..." She murmured out finally. "Even if Kloe was the reason for the sickness... she never meant for that to happen. That... is something, is it not?" Another sigh. She was tired of fighting. Arguing. It took a lot out of her, and she was still relatively new to such strong emotions.
"I suppose, whatever argument you speak of, it is between the two of you." There were more words on the edge of her tongue, but she didn't know which ones to say, so she remained silent instead.
"I am sorry for my earlier behavior. This place... can show both the best and worst of people fairly quickly." She actually made a slight grimace at that, and he gaze finally lifts to seek his at his last comment.
"You... were an outsider?" Her head tilted to one side, as she tried to comprehend.
Reply
His words were cold as his gaze turned towards the crowd once more. He was still listening to Aara as she spoke about the secret arguement and her behavior. It didn't take long for him to refocus on her beside him.
"There's no harm in showing some excitement every once in a while. Besides, you are rather stunning." He complimented with a grin. "I thought you would reject my offer to dance."
Noticing her confusion, he chuckled slightly and let his eyes switch to their black state. Making sure that only Aara could see it.
"Eventually, once I was exposed to a certain substance. It was a for an undercover mission and once I was done, my kind refused to take me back."
Reply
"You are wise, Sandrath." Aara offers a warm smile up at him. "Very wise."
Then her pale eyes widen again for a completely different reason. Flustered, she gasps, cheeks taking on a darkened hue as she quickly shakes her head.
"No! I mean... I was honored you would even approach me, let alone ask for a dance." Her smile is shy, but a hint of happy mischief blooms across her face. "It would please me greatly to dance with you again, if you do not have too many partners for the evening. We were never able to finish our dance, after all."
She was being bold, and for once she didn't mind it. San had already seen a handful of her flaws, and he had yet to leave her side. Then, when he turned to her fully she stared curiously into his eyes, gasping lightly when they changed to a darker shade. Rising slowly from her seat, Aara means to lean closer--see if their was a hint of color among all the black in his gaze--whether she would be able to detect his pupil. Her hand lifts to his face of its own accord, and with a quick indrawn breath of air she tries to pull her hand down before he realizes she almost touched his face.
Light blush still covering her cheeks, Aara listened with rapt attention.
"A substance? Did it make you sick?" Perhaps she is standing a little closer to him than should be, but she's still trying to search his dark eyes. "When your eyes change, like this, does it change you? Are you able to see more clearly or... does it enable you to do anything differently?" Then her lips are pursing together in a frown. "I am sorry. That is the worst kind of betrayal. It must have hurt... and angered you deeply." For Aara knew it would have hurt and angered her.
Reply
Once again, he couldn't help but smile at her reaction. How adorable, getting so flustered over his words. In response to her question about dancing again, he gave a small nod.
"I would like that and I doubt I'll have many other dance partners tonight." He gave a small shrug with his words.
Ever since he revealed his darker eye color, thanks to the demon blood he had consumed; he watched Aara intently and made no sudden movements. Both of his eyes were completely black, as if the pupil had swallowed the color whole. A part of him was amused that she had nearly touched his face, but he wouldn't have minded.
"It did and it could have nearly killed me." He informed. "It allows me to figure out what is around me, but ever since I've arrived here... Let's just say I'm having a hard time classifying those who fall under the 'supernatural' category." He briefly paused to add. "Although, these eyes of mine tend to scare people off and they accuse me of being a demon."
He couldn't help but chuckle a little, it sounded slightly bitter than his usual chuckles.
"It did and they have a good reason to be worried." He commented, letting his eyes turn back to normal. "Because they're afraid I might snap and go crazy due to that substance I mentioned earlier."
Reply
Leave a comment