March 22, 2004
A Meeting at the Fountain
A wiry Tir makes his way through the square and to the fountain, his cloak tightly pulled about his body. He moves to the fountain's edge, reaching down with one hand and scooping up a handful of water. Drawing the water to his face, he drinks of it, tiny streams running down either side of his chin.
A youthful female Seari sits, kneeled upon the fountain's edge. In a position much like she had been in the day prior. She turns her head to follow the progress of a wiry Tir towards the fountain edge, long fae-like ears tilting down. "It is strange sometimes."
A wiry Tir runs his sleeve across his mouth, drying any remaining water and to noone in particular utters, "What is strange?"
"How things turn out. Life. All that fun stuff." a youthful female Seari's voice and tone fades towards the end till the last few words are just above a whisper.
"I don't try to understand it. I am not quite long enough in tooth to devote my life to philosophy and such," a wiry Tir says with a smile, looking up now from the fountain to the Seari.
"Not a desire to understand, but sometimes a desire to no longer be a part of it.. at times." a youthful female Seari drops her hand down from where it had rested upon her knee, her fingers trailing over the surface of the water.
A wiry Tir waves his hand, bringing it down to skim the top of the fountain's waters. "Life is what you make of it really, to desire to flee it is quite ridiculous. There is always tomorrow to take from its garden what you desire." His words are musical, far from condescending, more poetic than anything else.
A youthful female Seari gives her head a light shake, her curls unsettling from behind her shoulders to fall forward, a fair few of the russet locks falling over her brow. "No, like a leaf falling in the wind. Pulling it this way and that will little control over where you are going to fall. Just the certainty that you will eventually."
A wiry Tir laughs and says quietly to himself, "Our life is but vapour, drawn from the air by a celestial influence, made of smoke and the lighter parts of water, tossed by the wind and moved by the motion of a superior body, without virtue in itself and lifted up on high or left below, according as it pleases the demand of its foster fathers." His monologue concludes and he quickly rebuts himself, "Bullshit, authored by pathetic men who would just sit around and watch the world go by. Our life is our own, and to get what we want from it we must seek it with impunity, there can be no other way."
"My god has forsaken me. My family are almost all dead, and the very people that killed them seek equally to end my own life. I have little left. None that I trust. I get sick of fighting, and yet I do not have a choice." a youthful female Seari's ears orientate themselves further down towards the ground, a small wave of her hand across her cheek bones pulling her hair out of the way of her freckled face. "I failed and it is all my fault. If I had succeeded in killing him in the first place, then the whole war would not of restarted."
A wiry Tir rolls his shoulders, his neck popping silently. "Aye, perhaps all of those things are true, but they are also in the past. You must ask yourself what is it that you truly want," he says plainly.
A youthful female Seari places the palms of both her hands in front of her, and gracefully pushes herself up to a stand, her hands coming away to extend out vertical till she gets her balance. "The things I want I cannot have. And are already gone. And are they truly in the past when the effects of it are still felt now?"
A wiry Tir plays idly about the fountain's edge, making trails with water about its surface. "Such things are ashes cast to the wind, but indeed their repercussions remain. I am burdened with the knowledge that the whole of my family is dead and most likely my sister is gone too. This is a very painful reality for me, but it has already happened, there is nothing for me to do besides pay homage to their spirits daily and continue on as a man," His words are grim and deliberate, like a funeral song.
The sounds of combat ring down the short corridor that is Tradesman's Way. Sword against sword; the sound of metal clashing rises above the muted shouts and grunts of men thrown against each other.
A youthful female Seari lifts her right foot up, her toes pointing forward as she takes a step. "I want him back. I know the feeling is not me, and it is .. it is probably this bloody curse but it feels as real as anything--" She halts mid-pace and drops promptly down to a crouch. Her hand slides up the length of her calf, drawing her skirts along with it as she exposes both her thigh, and the sheath strapped to it.
A wiry Tir drops his hand to the hilt of his sword and leans heavily upon the fountain's rim, squinting as he scans the area. "What is this now," he asks, his attention drifting to the Seari as she moves to her weapon.
A loud cry, and then comparative silence reigns for all of a moment. The sounds of combat are now replaced by a chase- from the shouts it is clear that one man now chases another down Tradesman's Way.
A youthful female Seari drops her knee down to rest against the top of the stone wall, the other raised. She maintains a tight hold upon the hilt of her dagger, not yet withdrawing it from it's sheath.
A wiry Tir moves closer to the source of the sound, his gait one of grace and balance. Moving closer he seeks a better look at exactly what is going on.
As a wiry Tir draws near he is very narrowly missed by a man of average height as he speeds past at an almost impossible speed. Blood is smeared across his chin, hands and body. Not far behind him, though losing ground, is a single man of roughly the same build who wields a wickedly curved dagger.
a youthful female Seari slides her own dagger out of it's sheath, her eyes darting rapidly between the one running and the other doing the chasing. She lifts a fraction from her crouching position, enabling her a better angle as she draws the weapon back and readies it to be thrown. Her breath is held.
Falling back from the rushing men, a wiry Tir strikes a pose and readies himself to draw his weapon. Unsure of the circumstances of the chase, he appears to bide his time, hawk like in his observation of the two.
The sight of a youthful female Seari causes a flash of recognition to register across a man of average height's features; an expression closely followed by defiant anger at the sight of her readying her weapon. His assumption is clear and he comes to an almost skidding halt- ready to dodge from the path of the dagger. However the pause allows the man in pursuit to quickly close the gap between them with a lunge. The two men go crashing to the ground, a man of average height beneath his foe.
A youthful female Seari adjusts the angle of the blade held within her right palm. She seems about ready to release it when instead of doing so, she drops one of her legs down to the ground, the other shortly following suit. She begins to approach the pair of grappling men, coming at them from behind.
A wiry Tir circles the two men, taking a place behind the youthful Seari silently, right hand still firmly planted on the hilt of his blade. "What is going on here," he asks her back, still studying the men locked together in melee.
A wiry tir laughs as his force seem to grow as the worm strikes. "Fool, they don't die, they multiply," he hisses, the rounds pouring towards the worm from assault rifle and pistol alike. Somewhere in the background, a large man retrieves what looks to be a soviet-era rocket propelled grenade from the trunk of his car, drawing a bead with it upon the worm.
Bucking, writhing, flailing, a man of average height resists the attempts of the other man to pull his arms up at an impossible angle behind his back; several audible pops can be heard as his arms are pulled roughly about until they are made useless by the pain and trapped nerves caused by their awkward angle. a man of average height lets out a furious howl, words proving beyond him in this state. The collar about his throat has become an intense, vibrant red with flecks of white and yellow.
The dagger she hold is tossed into her left hand and the flat of a youthful female Seari's bare right foot comes down, firm between the shoulder blades of the man who pins a man of average height. She leans over her bent knee, aiming to yank his head up by grabbing a fistful of his hair.
A wiry Tir remains at the ready behind the Seari as she moves against the grappling men, fingers wrapping tightly around the sword's grip, several inches of steel now exposed as it begins slither from the charcoal sheath. The Tir's eyes become narrowed slits, observing closely the entirety of the matter with an intense focus, studying the moves of each involved.
"What da 'ell?!" Comes the startled cry from the man who's head it roughly pulled back. In that moment of confusion a man of average height manages to free one arm from the man's vice-like grip; the limb springs back to a more normal position with an elastic force.
A youthful female Seari slides her fingers up into a hard grip amongst the locks of the man, and now that she holds him such, it seems - at least at first - she is uncertain what to exactly do.
A wiry Tir edges around the Seari to stand at the head of both men, looking down at them. Realizing words at this juncture would be worthless, he slides fully his sword from its sheath.
The colours across the scaled collar about a man of average height's throat grow more vivid. a man of average height bucks viciously without warning, using his one free arm to amplify his movements. Coupled with the resistance force the man atop him had begun to use in efforts to free himself from a youthful female Seari's grip cause the man to suddenly fall forward, both pinning a man of average height again to the ground and slamming his head hard into the collar.
With her grip upon the back of the man's head suddenly relinquished, a youthful female Seari's light form topples backwards, a couple of staggering steps made before she manages to steady herself.
A wiry Tir looks to the female Seari as she staggers back, his eyes seemingly demanding something from her, his sword held before him defiantly.
Reacting to the pressure of the man's brow against its form, or perhaps to something else, the collar about a man of average height's neck suddenly relaxes its grip before snapping closed around the other man's bead, the thick scaled surface almost entirely concealing the man's face. Suddenly in a panic the man almost topples off a man of average height, his hands flying up to try and pull the collar from his head.
A youthful female Seari again approaches, though this time with her dagger held out, "I suggest you stop fighting it. She can kill you in under three seconds if she so desires. Hold still and I shall remove her.." She says, her words directed to the flailing man.
Reacting to the Seari's words, a wiry Tir takes a sweeping step backwards, his eyes still locked on the struggling men.
Free from his foe a man of average height rolls sharply to the right and up into a half crouch, glancing swiftly about him with angry eyes until he has marked the position of those nearest to him. His attention locks onto a youthful female Seari as she speaks; his expression grows only more furious and he growls in the man's direction: "Feed Tethis!" The muffled sound the man creates is a clear indication of a sudden panic stricken pain as his hands start to frantically claw at the creature's scales as it seems to coil tighter.
A youthful female Seari glances only briefly towards a wiry Tir, her face still showing uncertainty as to what action to take. She takes a step forward, and then another, approaching the struggling man from side on. She tucks the dagger within the waistband of her skirt and lifts her right hand up, aiming to grab his wrist.
A wiry Tir draws closer to the Seari, shadowing her movement but remaining an arms length from the two men.
A man of average height draws back up into a stand, his right hand reaching for the hilt of his sword as his gaze flicks between the three others; though largely his attention lingers on the man as his muffled cries grow more intense- the collar emitting sounds akin to old leather being twisted as its grip intensifies. "Should have fucking let me go!" a man of average height cries toward the man, though it's unlikely he would hear him.
A young teenage seari enters in from the northwest, a concerned look on his face, his direction is aimed at the fountain, his steps are slow, almost like he really isn't paying attention as to who is in his path.
A youthful female Seari slowly retracts her hand from the flailing man, two steps drawing her backwards and further towards a wiry Tir. "There is nothing I can do. It would be better now to put him out of his misery."
A wiry Tir levels his blade towards the two men. "What do you mean, what is that thing," he asks in a cool, quiet voice.
A lissom looking female tir seems to have been jogging or running, she slows up her pace dramatically as she passes through the square, her eyes dart quickly about the centre of the square as her breathing comes in and out in quick succession, her cheeks are flushed and her hair is wind blown, she comes to a complete stop as she nears the scene before her, staying close to the northeast side of the centre's square
A young teenage seari blinks, looking up to survey what's going on, his eyes darting to a man of average height, he begins to step backwards, trying to access the situation before getting too involved.
The man's hands are flung out to his sides as his body tenses in an agonised pose as one long, pained scream rises from beneath the scaled creature which has wrapped about his head- the scales now almost a ruby colour. The scales shift, and the man's scream is silenced; replaced by a series of grinding snaps before the crown of his head bulges and then bursts open to spray those near in blood and brain tissue as the skull is pulverised with ruthless efficiency. a man of average height simply watches, his breath calming though still showing signs of recently being ragged and laboured.
"For fuck's sake," a wiry Tir almost yells, stepping back from the remains of the man's exploded head laid across the cobbles of the square. Visibly stunned by the sheer extremity of the man's death, the Tir holds fast, though unable to summon any further words.
A young teenage seari lets out a small gasp as the man's head exploded, jumping back slightly to escape the bloody spray as he just watches on, murmuring "By Ylessa..."
A youthful female Seari brings her hand up to her face in an attempt to prevent it from being sprayed with the mass of blood and the like that spews forth from the man. Though despite this, her forearms and much of her face and hair become slick with the red substance. She swallows sharply and staggering back.
A lissom looking female tir involuntary takes a step backwards, nearly toppling over an uneven cobble stone, she lets out a faint curse, "~ki kash~" before side stepping to catch her balance, she forces her gaze elsewhere, as blood splatters in various directions and the body hits the ground.
A lithe man enters from the east his foot steps making a slight thumping sound as he walks. He pauses for a moment as he looks about the square at those gathered about.
A man of average height remains along the outskirts of the gathered crowd, and just beyond the reach of the spray of blood and gore. The man who had been killed falls forward to his knees and then down to the ground. Once prone, the creature that had so recently crushed the man's skull relaxes, slithering and twisting in the pool of blood, the scales slowly losing the vibrant colour and taking on a darker tone.
A young teenage seari looks down at the wriggling creature, staying his ground as he stares at the creature, his face is apparent with shock as he mutters "What the hell..."
Extending a hand to the female Seari's shoulder as she staggers back, a wiry Tir seeks to steady her. His eyes lock on to the thing now writing in the spilled blood. With a voice filled with disdain, he asks angrily, "What in the FUCK is that," gesturing towards the thing with his sword.
A lissom looking female tir lets out a slow shuddery sigh, as she allows her pale sea-green eyes flick around the square at the other people scattered about, she seems unsure whether to move backward, as a foot starts to move in that direction or stay, as she pauses in mid step, her brows begin to furrow as she drops her gaze, and stares at the oddity that now squirms about in the pool of blood, she says almost to herself, "I have seen it all...."
A youthful female Seari reaches up with her hand, and lightly pats the one upon her shoulder, perhaps intending reassurance. Her hand draws back to her side and her jaw clenches and she retakes the steps she had only recently taken backwards. She comes down to a crouch next to the scaled form of tethis, her fingers touching gently along the coils.
A wiry Tir seems almost appalled as the Seari bends down to touch the strange, scaled creature. His face masked with not fear but disgust, he says insistently, "Aye, perhaps it would be best if we did not touch that thing." His hand gestures to the overabundance of gore that marks the square, "I think it might be dangerous."
A man of average height seems to tense, his expression- while calming -betrays hints of anger as a youthful female Seari reaches out toward the creature which seems to be quite happy to wallow in the shallow pool of blood. Though at her touch, it stills, the colour of its scales impossible to tell due to the blood that now covers it.
A lithe man lofts a brow as he watches the scene of gore and the reactions of those people gathered about it. His eyes drift from one person to the next rather then towards the blood covered creature until a youthful female Seari touches the thing; when he takes a step forward towards the crowd.
A youthful female Seari scoops her hand up under the scaled creature, taking her up into the centre of her palm. "I wore her for the better half of a month, she won't... at least, I don't think.. she'd hurt me. Though, others cannot be so sure of."
A young teenage seari shakes his head, looking back towards a lissom looking female tir, his steps moving towards her, however he turns around, beginning to walk backwards to a lissom looking female tir as his eyes glance back to a youthful female Seari and the scaled creature as she picks it up, a expression of slight worry on his face. "You know what that is Korae?"
A lissom looking female tir pulls her cloak tighter about her shoulders, she watches in fascination as a youthful female Seari crouches down and picks up the creature, she tilts her head as a flicker of recognition flashes through her expression as if she has seen such thing before. She does not seem to notice a young teenage seari's approach however, an ear flicks his way and she utters the words, "not exactly... no.." her words are almost inaudible but loud enough for those close to her.
A wiry Tir backs away from the female Seari, his eyes searching the assembled crowd for someone, or something.
"That was long ago, Zarika Mao. Things change.." a man of average height states. His tone is angry, though the level of his voice is low; his expression doesn't share the anger of his tone, instead it hints at some curiosity as he takes a step forward. The hand that had rested upon the hilt of his sword is relaxed though not removed.
A young teenage seari nods, stopping as he hears a lissom looking female tir's words, standing about a yard away from her he begins to walk forward, but his movements are very slow and they seem to be cautious. His gaze directs itself to a man of average height, blinking slightly before moving back to a youthful female Seari.
A lithe man smirks slightly as he listens to the words of a youthful female Seari though after hearing them he turns his gaze towards a man of average height for a moment and then back towards a youthful female Seari, "What is it that you plan to do with that creature?" he asks more to himself than to those gathered about.
As the man of average height speaks, a wiry Tir turns his attention to him. His hands tighten about the hilt of his sword, lowering it from an offensive position to one of careful readiness.
"Long? If a week or two is long to you, I would hate to think what a year. No doubt she misses me. Or perhaps it is only my blood she misses hmm?" a youthful female Seari muses, her hands delicately cupping the creature as if it were crystal or a new born egg. Her teeth find grip upon her lower lip and she starts to approach a man of average height.
A lissom looking female tir her ears flicker forward then back in slow movements, as if capturing the words that scatter here and there about the squares centre. A hand reaches up and she brushes a few fingers across her lips, as her eyes dart about, making note of a lithe man's presence, though they shift to follow a man of average height's steps, and then finally towards a wiry Tir and his change in movement. She watches this all, with a faint expression of interest but her eyes betray a mild fear. Though as a youthful female Seari speaks she turns her attention to the woman.
"Who are you to say what she misses and what she doesn't? You wore her for a few weeks and a few days on occasion since then.." a man of average height protests, though it is offered in such a low voice that some might not catch his words. His brow slowly creases, his gaze hardening, though the curiosity seems to have faded- perhaps an answer has been found for whatever question he had.
A lithe man 's movement has brought him near a wiry Tir and he smirks as he looks at his readied sword, "Why don't you put that thing away? If anyone wanted to kill you I'm sure they could do it even if you are ready with your sword." as he speaks his gaze travels over towards a man of average height and a youthful female Seari.
A youthful female Seari halts her steps a single pace back from a man of average height. Her hand lifts up, slowly at first, towards the base of her neck. Her fingers halt just an inch away from placing the coiled creature around her throat and instead extend to a man of average height's.
A wiry Tir lets drop the blade further down, but makes no motion to sheath the weapon. He remains utterly silent, watching the man of average height closely.
A young teenage seari watches a youthful female Seari place the creature around her neck, a very worried expression appears across his face, his eyes dart to a man of average height, his body turning as he looks to a wiry Tir and a lithe man, but his attention upon them is short as he looks back to a youthful female Seari.
As a youthful female Seari rises the creature toward her neck its ends seem to blindly extend out- as if groping for contact against the woman's flesh before it is extended out toward a man of average height. The motions of the creature do not go unnoticed by a man of average height, and he seems to grow agitated by them. His hand comes up as if to snatch Tethis from a youthful female Seari's grasp, though his movements are more gentle than is characteristic. As soon as he has the creature in his hands he starts to draw back- already moving his hands to set Tethis about his own throat. "Not the place for such antics.." He mutters to himself along with a brief glance to the others present.
A lithe man moves his left hand up and begins stroking the inky black goatee at his chin, "That is a mighty interesting creature though." he shrugs his shoulders slightly as he looks over towards a lissom looking female tir a slight smile upon his face though it vanishes as soon as he returns his gaze to a man of average height and a youthful female Seari.
"No. It is not." a youthful female Seari turns, her long fae-like ears seeming to catch the muttered words of a man of average height. With the turn, she starts to walk back, a few stray by-standers drawing away from her blood coated form as she directs her steps towards where a wiry Tir stands. She brings the back of her hand up to her brow, wiping it hastily as she walks.
A wiry Tir looks to the female Seari and in a cool tone adds to her words, "Aye, quite the mess it made."
A lissom looking female tir has tilted her head to watch the return of the scaled creature, her brows furrow and she shakes her head as of to clear something from her mind, her head. Her ears perking forward then laying flat against her head, and she remains silent and motionless, simply becoming the observer.
"We miss our friends- not the enemies which try to sell our lives for a fistful of coins." a man of average height murmurs, the words barely a whisper above the sound of his boots as he begins to leave the square. The creature assuming a familiar position at the base of his throat.
A lithe man begins to chew on his lower lip for a moment as first he looks towards a youthful female Seari and then towards a man of average height. He shrugs his shoulders slightly before heading in the same direction that the man took a slight smirk can be seen upon his face.
A young teenage seari lets out a silent sigh of relief, his eyes following a youthful female Seari as she walks to a wiry Tir, his eyes do focus on a man of average height, taking in his form with a look of curiosity on his face, his eyes dart to a lithe man, another sigh escaping his lips as he just watches on.
A lissom looking female tir shifts her gaze and follows a man of average height's form as he begins to leave the square, though her head turns and she lofts her brows at a lithe man has he begins to follow. With a faint shift her of her shoulders she turns on her heels, and begins to head northeast, her soft boots almost inaudible upon the stones.
"Yes.. " The word drags upon her lips, a youthful female Seari's steps halting a good few paces back from a wiry Tir. "I need a bath.. and now so do you. Though I think I would prefer something a little more private than what the bathes North of here have to offer.. perhaps the boarding house..." She muses, the latter half of her words seeming to be more directed to herself. "If you will excuse me." Her head dips.
A wiry Tir nods courteously to the female Seari, "Of course," He frowns coldly, "I do believe I shall take a long walk." His icy words are completed with one further statement, "Very far from here."
A young teenage seari bites his lip, looking on at a youthful female Seari before he shakes his head, turning on his heel to only catch a glimpse of the lissom looking female tir's leaving, he sighs, just standing there, he attempts to look busy, though his face is masked with confusion.
A youthful female Seari's mouth drops open, seeming ready to say something further to a wiry Tir, before she clamps her lips firmly shut. Her arms come up to wrap around herself, her eyes suddenly finding great interest in the pattern of cobblestones at her feet. She again turns and begins to walk Westward.
Posted by ShadowSiege at March 22, 2004 03:47 AM