13 Days of Darkstar 5: Almost All Fall Down, Part 2
Aaaaaaand we are on to Part 2!
However, the Pandemic Explanation got bumped to Part 3 :)
Enjoy Part 2!
Almost All Fall Down, Part 2
The mana witch smiled, masking her mana signature as much as possible to conceal the giddiness she felt rising in her chest. It felt grossly inappropriate, given the circumstances, not that she had ever cared about such things. Still, she wasn’t sure if Darkstar’s attitudes were the same as when she had left or not.
Charmcaster tossed her short hair. With that motion, her glamour disguise flickered away. It was pointless to have, he could see right through it.
“Long time no see. Did you miss me?” she asked, a hand on her hip and eyelids batting impishly.
The doctor paused before answering.
“Looks like you missed me. There isn’t anything left of interest for you here,”
Charmcaster’s mouth fell slack before she burst out laughing. It was a deep, guttural laugh that made tears squeeze out the sides of her eyes.
“Y-You always know what to say, don’t you?” she sniffed, wiping her eye.
The doctor shrugged, masked face cocked to one side.
“Perhaps, though I am not known for my bedside manner,” he responded cryptically.
Charmcaster took a few decisive steps toward him.
“You never were, but that is what I always loved about you. It set you apart from the rest of the commoners here. Not that there are all that many left, mind you,”
She felt amusement radiate from his aura and she couldn’t help but grin.
“Perhaps we should continue this conversation in another, more hospitable location. I find the air here intolerable,”
Charmcaster closed the distance between them and linked her arm with his. She rubbed against his arm and purred.
“I bet you say that to all the girls, Doctor,” she whispered.
“Only the ones that matter,” he responded, taking her petite hand in his gloved one.
The mana witch looked up at him, she always had to look up at him, he was always so much taller than her. She stood on her toes and peered through the dark glass lenses of his mask. They completely obscured the pale blue eyes that were staring back at her.
Charmcaster’s eyes glowed pink as she looked through the bulky medical costume Darkstar was wearing. Reading his mana, she could make out an aural line drawing of him under his collection of cloaks, robes, and scarves. It was something familiar and she was grateful for it, not that she would ever tell him that. She just nodded and let him lead her to where he was living.
It was a large estate of some kind that had two or three distinct floors that could be seen from the outside. The architecture was classical, though a series of lanterns glowed in the branches of the trees outside, giving the place an eerie ambiance. Another series of the shrines she had seen earlier dotted the street leading to his home, though these were much larger, and had pictures of the patients inside them.
Darkstar unlocked a series of complicated locks and eased the door open. He gestured with a gloved hand.
“Ladies first,” he said invitingly.
Charmcaster bowed her head.
“You are too kind, Doctor,” she cooed as she stepped inside.
He followed her inside and closed the door and his collection of locks closed. Charmcaster looked around. His living arrangements were completely what she would have imagined him to have if his imagination were free to run rampant. The furniture was all lavish and the walls were decorated with original artworks from numerous museums. Elegant statues stood on the floor and the floors were covered with ornate Turkish rugs.
“Fancy place you have here,” Charmcaster commented.
“I try, Lovely, given the limited resources I have,” Darkstar said as he removed the dark scarf and capelet from his neck and shoulders.
“Well, this planet certainly went to Hell in a hand basket. Who would have thought civilization would come undone in three years?” Charmcaster asked.
“One and a half, actually. I have been quite comfortable for the other portion. Having access to technology is definitely a plus,” he explained as he unfastened his heavy overcoat.
“Well, well. Plague incarnate treats and cures another form of plague. You know, I never thought I’d see the day. Who knew you were such a humanitarian, Darkles?” Charmcaster asked playfully.
“Hardly. One has to make a living, Lovely. It is my experience that the living pay significantly more than the dead. One way or another, that is,”
A thrilling chill ran up her spine at the way he used inflection. She’d missed that about him. The witch crossed her arms and threw herself into a pout.
“I bet you do. Well, aren’t you glad to see me? I’ve been gone a full three years and you haven’t even tried to ravish me...even a little,”
Gloved hands reached up and turned some knobs on the peculiar mask. There was a hiss and a small puff of steam erupted from the collar of his shirt where the neckline met the strange, bird-like mask. He eased it off of his face, revealing a familiar sunken face and a pair of pale blue eyes.
“You’ll have to forgive me for being a gentleman, Charmcaster. I was going to have you sit down for tea and ask you how your journey was before all that ravishing,” he responded in his familiar tone of dry sarcasm that had not changed in the three years since she had left.
Charmcaster cocked her head.
“I always did appreciate a cup of good Darjeeling. We don’t have that back home,”
Darkstar’s thin lips pulled into a tight smile as he hung his bird-like mask on a special hook on the wall.
“Congratulations, by the way. I see you’ve been promoted to Master Magician,” he nodded towards her staff.
“What? This old thing? Yeah. I told you I had to go home on family business,” Charmcaster explained teasingly.
“I never would have left, otherwise” went unsaid.
“Well, you missed a pandemic, that’s about all,”
“And you becoming a healer. Irony, how sweet it is,” Charmcaster said, sitting down on a plush red couch without asking permission.
“Speaking of which, do you still take sugar in your tea, Lovely?” Darkstar asked innocently.
However, the Pandemic Explanation got bumped to Part 3 :)
Enjoy Part 2!
Almost All Fall Down, Part 2
The mana witch smiled, masking her mana signature as much as possible to conceal the giddiness she felt rising in her chest. It felt grossly inappropriate, given the circumstances, not that she had ever cared about such things. Still, she wasn’t sure if Darkstar’s attitudes were the same as when she had left or not.
Charmcaster tossed her short hair. With that motion, her glamour disguise flickered away. It was pointless to have, he could see right through it.
“Long time no see. Did you miss me?” she asked, a hand on her hip and eyelids batting impishly.
The doctor paused before answering.
“Looks like you missed me. There isn’t anything left of interest for you here,”
Charmcaster’s mouth fell slack before she burst out laughing. It was a deep, guttural laugh that made tears squeeze out the sides of her eyes.
“Y-You always know what to say, don’t you?” she sniffed, wiping her eye.
The doctor shrugged, masked face cocked to one side.
“Perhaps, though I am not known for my bedside manner,” he responded cryptically.
Charmcaster took a few decisive steps toward him.
“You never were, but that is what I always loved about you. It set you apart from the rest of the commoners here. Not that there are all that many left, mind you,”
She felt amusement radiate from his aura and she couldn’t help but grin.
“Perhaps we should continue this conversation in another, more hospitable location. I find the air here intolerable,”
Charmcaster closed the distance between them and linked her arm with his. She rubbed against his arm and purred.
“I bet you say that to all the girls, Doctor,” she whispered.
“Only the ones that matter,” he responded, taking her petite hand in his gloved one.
The mana witch looked up at him, she always had to look up at him, he was always so much taller than her. She stood on her toes and peered through the dark glass lenses of his mask. They completely obscured the pale blue eyes that were staring back at her.
Charmcaster’s eyes glowed pink as she looked through the bulky medical costume Darkstar was wearing. Reading his mana, she could make out an aural line drawing of him under his collection of cloaks, robes, and scarves. It was something familiar and she was grateful for it, not that she would ever tell him that. She just nodded and let him lead her to where he was living.
It was a large estate of some kind that had two or three distinct floors that could be seen from the outside. The architecture was classical, though a series of lanterns glowed in the branches of the trees outside, giving the place an eerie ambiance. Another series of the shrines she had seen earlier dotted the street leading to his home, though these were much larger, and had pictures of the patients inside them.
Darkstar unlocked a series of complicated locks and eased the door open. He gestured with a gloved hand.
“Ladies first,” he said invitingly.
Charmcaster bowed her head.
“You are too kind, Doctor,” she cooed as she stepped inside.
He followed her inside and closed the door and his collection of locks closed. Charmcaster looked around. His living arrangements were completely what she would have imagined him to have if his imagination were free to run rampant. The furniture was all lavish and the walls were decorated with original artworks from numerous museums. Elegant statues stood on the floor and the floors were covered with ornate Turkish rugs.
“Fancy place you have here,” Charmcaster commented.
“I try, Lovely, given the limited resources I have,” Darkstar said as he removed the dark scarf and capelet from his neck and shoulders.
“Well, this planet certainly went to Hell in a hand basket. Who would have thought civilization would come undone in three years?” Charmcaster asked.
“One and a half, actually. I have been quite comfortable for the other portion. Having access to technology is definitely a plus,” he explained as he unfastened his heavy overcoat.
“Well, well. Plague incarnate treats and cures another form of plague. You know, I never thought I’d see the day. Who knew you were such a humanitarian, Darkles?” Charmcaster asked playfully.
“Hardly. One has to make a living, Lovely. It is my experience that the living pay significantly more than the dead. One way or another, that is,”
A thrilling chill ran up her spine at the way he used inflection. She’d missed that about him. The witch crossed her arms and threw herself into a pout.
“I bet you do. Well, aren’t you glad to see me? I’ve been gone a full three years and you haven’t even tried to ravish me...even a little,”
Gloved hands reached up and turned some knobs on the peculiar mask. There was a hiss and a small puff of steam erupted from the collar of his shirt where the neckline met the strange, bird-like mask. He eased it off of his face, revealing a familiar sunken face and a pair of pale blue eyes.
“You’ll have to forgive me for being a gentleman, Charmcaster. I was going to have you sit down for tea and ask you how your journey was before all that ravishing,” he responded in his familiar tone of dry sarcasm that had not changed in the three years since she had left.
Charmcaster cocked her head.
“I always did appreciate a cup of good Darjeeling. We don’t have that back home,”
Darkstar’s thin lips pulled into a tight smile as he hung his bird-like mask on a special hook on the wall.
“Congratulations, by the way. I see you’ve been promoted to Master Magician,” he nodded towards her staff.
“What? This old thing? Yeah. I told you I had to go home on family business,” Charmcaster explained teasingly.
“I never would have left, otherwise” went unsaid.
“Well, you missed a pandemic, that’s about all,”
“And you becoming a healer. Irony, how sweet it is,” Charmcaster said, sitting down on a plush red couch without asking permission.
“Speaking of which, do you still take sugar in your tea, Lovely?” Darkstar asked innocently.