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Weary Bones; Tag: Goth (Blair/Krakatoa)
Topic Started: Mar 4 2017, 05:09 PM (295 Views)
Boospookum
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Egg
Just keep walking.

It was the mental mantra that the woman walked to, plodding one foot in front of the other with single-minded emptiness. That's all that Loma could do, really - she didn't have the energy for anything else.

Sleepless nights weren't new to her, but they seemed longer now - this was a different, bone-deep sort of exhaustion that settled into her every movement - where days and nights stretched thin like pulled taffy, sagging together into an unidentified mess of time. Confounding as it was, it wasn't as though she wanted to sleep.

The noise that came with the sleep was enough for her to strive to stay awake.

Sleeping meant meeting with the screeching and sharp teeth she kept locked in the back of her mind; gnawing memories, worries, and fantasies alike vivid and raw enough to terrify her into tears. Loma wasn't particularly keen to be caught looking as scared as she actually was, mostly because there was no point in making her child feel afraid as a reflection of her own anxiety. It was easier and kinder to simply be tired.

The young mother had bags under her eyes so dark they could have been bruises, and intermittent jaw-cracking yawns, but she kept walking on... But there was only so many days a person could go without rest.

Sleep was tugging at her eyes, softly pulling them shut every few paces before she's hastily try to open them again and blink away the soft cotton feel of the need of rest. There was also the part where the ground swayed at her feet - or perhaps more that her feet were swaying over the ground - that led her to stumble.

Before she could fall, she would be lifted and placed back down gently by the fabric crossed over her back, Effinex's nasal sigh creating a gust of warm air around her.
«Our destination is close.» Her voice was calm to the extent of being nearly toneless, lowering her rounded head closer to the ground and swiveling her cat-like pinions forward to study her rider. «You can sleep safely on my back.»
"No, Effie," Was Loma's whispered reply, "That might wake the baby." An apologetic and stubborn smile was followed by tucking a stray hair behind her ear, making an effort to stand steady as her partner sized her up.
«... As you wish.» The she-beast gave a curt nod of her blunted head, again rising as the small ensemble continued their way through the heavily wooded forest.

Ensemble because it was not merely a dragon and her rider, but another being as well.

Wrapped in a blanket, Loma walked haunched over in the early morning light with the smaller lump of her child visibly resting on her back piggyback style; the kid's golden blond curls spilled into and over her mother's broad shoulders, her arms subconsciously wrapped around her mother's neck in a gentle hug with deep and easy breathing.

At least one of them deserved sleep.

They'd be there at the rumored mansion soon enough, and they'd ask for asylum - but until then they just needed to keep walking. Unless, of course, their query found them first.
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Gothic Thylacine
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So sayeth the Spider
Well, it was an unexpected thing to happen.

A couple days ago, Krakatoa had spotted a faint heat signature in the far distance on one of his flight patrols. Quickly he backed off and reported to everyone and put everyone on observation. He himself sadly could not get too close without being spotted, but others could. It was high altitude Aerial surveillance at first, but that was risky. Though it did give them some needed information. It seemed a water dragon had traveled within the territory and seemed to have a human with them.

As they got closer, ground trackers were sent. Primarily on Cerberus, with Yorek heading the task as Barbas was not only the best tracker, but the most obedient of the pack. Today was the day Blair accompanied him despite Krakatoa's usual fretting over his rider and Wakhan spouting how his own rider was being a fool. They had retraced the trail upon the tall three headed hound with Blair's own Ayaina flying ahead.

Sure enough, Barbas became alert as the trail was fresher and the Flora phoenix flew back towards them calling out a song indicating the target had been spotted. Yorek had Barbas pause before going into full on stealth mode. When they heard the movement of their target, Blair signaled for stillness and hopped off Barbas to creep as close as possible with Yorek following a bit behind.

She froze when she had visual. Blair took in every detail she could including scents and spoken words. It only took a few moments to get a clear picture. A water dragon, a woman, likely the rider and....a child. At first, Blair was angry. Why the hell would anyone bring a child so young to this area? It was hardly safe even with a dragon! The second question came immediately, were they Tainted? Academy? Were they any sort fo threat? Blair did not exactly want to kill a child if it could be avoided. And right now they needed draconic forces to deal with the Water dragon if needed.

Slinking back a bit, she updated Yorek and asked his opinion on what was the best course of action. This was a tricky one.

"Well, we can get away swiftly enough on Barbas. But we have no idea what they are doing here and I can think of only one way to find that out" Yorek said.

"Ask them" Was Blair's sighed answer. Yorek nodded.

"We have this advantage," He continued "If they pose any threat, we can retreat and quickly send in reinforcements. There is only one dragon so they can be overpowered. And I think it's safe to assume we know the forests better than they do" He looked at her and knew what she was thinking then "It likely won't come to that, but if it does, I am sure there is a way to spare the child"

Blair growled. She hated feeling soft spots, but it was part of her nature. She had killed children before, but it was never an enjoyable kill, unlike all the others. She avoided it whenever possible and, as was known, she often showed them kindness and protection. She sat a moment more before responding. "You're right. We best just approach them, but have Barbas ready. I will go first" Yorek went to his canine and Blair cautiously began forward. Careful as a deer, silent as a mouse, she took her final hiding place in a shadow by the clearing watching the woman but keeping her senses tuned onto the dragon, who may well know she was there.

The child was asleep, for some reason this affected Blair enough that the young Viral gave a gentle clearing of her throat to get the woman's attention before speaking softly. "Hello" She waited for them to look to her before stepping out from the shadows "Don't fret, I am just here to ask why you're here. You've actually wandered into my family's lands you see. So I wanted to inquire is all" She did not give her name yet, best to keep that under a lid for now. She could sense Barbas and Yorek close by, no matter what this would be an interesting day.
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Boospookum
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Egg
It was, predictably, the elegant form of the Water Dragon that stilled first.

The she-beast's triangular ears swiveled forwards, head lifting and pivoting to stare in the direction of the search party - her attention absolute, not unlike a deer though utterly without fright - the predatory gleam to her red eyes would quell any question that she could be dangerous.
«We have company, my Loma.» she said, her voice softer than the last her bonded had heard it to comply with the request to stay quiet for the child, but still stale in tone. Opalescent brows furrowed as the Water was just wary at this point, not angry - any sort of white hot feelings had dissolved weeks ago when their journey began.

It was the human half of the pair whose emotions were more subject to question, anyhow, but on first blush she seemed harmless enough.

"... Hmm?" The woman slowed to a stop gradually, rubbing at her eyes as she made an attempt to focus on the brown-haired young woman approaching them. It wasn't long until the woman began to speak.
"O- oh, um, yes."She inclined her head gently, bending slightly at her knees in a weak echo of a curtsy or bow. "Hello. Terribly sorry if we've b-bothered you." Loma greeted the stranger of course, her eyes glancing away and her voice still not lifting above a soft whisper. "We are looking for the D-Desil residence... um, if you know the way, that is..." Hesitantly, her eyes trailed back over towards Blair's and she forced herself to stand up a little straighter from her slump, daring herself to steel herself for the sake of the precious weight on her back.

«She knows the way.» The Water's icily blunt assessment rang true, «She is neither afraid of nor impressed by me.»
Effinex moved from her posture of simple alert, a fluid and simple gesture of standing above her bonded and the flax-haired child, lowering her head in a maneuver both defensive of her human and politely courteous to show respect to Blair. «I am Water Effinex. We seek asylum from The Academy.»

That was the bare bones truth of it, and reflexively one of Loma's hands lifted to touch the spider-cracked teardrop opal she wore below her neck - the action was self-conscious, nearly a flinch that she didn't seem entirely aware of.
"P-please, if you can take us... I n-need to keep my child safe." The curly-haired young woman shifted her weight, and spoke just as quietly though with perhaps a bit more steel behind stutter; this was something that mattered to her, something she was willing to fight for.

While neither rider nor dragon knew they made an appeal to the Blair Desil herself, their appeal was not out of place and nature seemed keen to respond to their revelation by a change of it's own.

Though their solemn walk had been lit by the bizarre twilight of time neither quite morning nor night of the early dawn when the world was settling into itself, it was beginning to bloom into life. The night sky was finally dwindling into the first true signs of morning as the sun rose it's first perceptible degree in the east over the wall of trees and craggy mountains, the woods still dark and picking up the last of the chill from the night before's wind.

The moon was beginning to tilt towards the opposite horizon, the bright sun slowly shifting the colors of the sky as it neared the trees. One would almost think the golden light was going to burn through the lines of bark or ignite top of the trees, but every day it missed the leaves and rose up behind them, providing threads of early morning light for the new acquaintances to better size each other up.
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Gothic Thylacine
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So sayeth the Spider
Blair stood calm but observing with all her senses. She could tell they were all tired, but of course, the Water dragon was ready to protect her bonded. Which, of course, Blair respected. She almost smirked when the dragoness noted that she was not afraid or impressed. Well, she still had plenty of time to impress her. Still, Blair kept her emotions unreadable. She was interested in everything they said, though. Even in the dim light, Blair caught a glimpse of the woman's crystal as she touched it.

Well, that Lightning pair seemed to be fairing alright. These ones were most definitely worth a shot. Even with her pity aside. She could hear Yorek hold back a chuckle in the wood behind her. Blair nodded at them, her eyes expressing interest. "Well, greetings to you" She paused and bowed politely back to the water "Water Effinex. I can help you there, yes I do know the way. Although I must admit I have not heard our establishment called the Desil residence" A note of amusement in her tone.

She motioned with her hand and Barbas careful appeared with Yorek from the Forest shadows. "Don't be afraid. They are friends, in fact, Barbas is the most docile Cerberus I know. This is Yorek" Blair introduced and the young man nodded his head in greeting. "We can lead you on foot but our dragons can also meet us at a certain point as well if you need. Though they may frighten your little one....not intentionally"

"Well, I dunno about Wakhan" Yorek joked but Blair sighed. She knew Aiyana was observing but she did not want to call to her yet and risk waking the child.

"Anyway, come along then. We can give you a place to rest your heads and recover from travels and then we can see if you do wish to stay" With that, they began to move out slowly with Barbas and the hidden Aiyana acting as extra senses for any possible threats. After a few moments, Blair knew she had t dig a bit deeper.

"May I ask, if you are not too tired, how you came to hear of the Desils? And what prompted you to seek them out? I only ask so we can better accommodate you when we get there. One member of the group is a tad less friendly than the others but don't worry, I can deal with him" She meant Byrn of course. She knew he would scowl at more newcomers especially ones from the Academy, but she also knew he knew well enough to never harm anyone Blair declared was under her care. She still did not mention her own identity yet. Either they'd ask or they'd figure it out soon enough depending on how much they knew.
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Boospookum
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Egg
The water's ears twitched lightly, silently making note that the woman had failed to introduce herself - listening intently and with rapt interest as the human woman revealed her company. The human woman commanded subordinates, interesting. It was a simple gesture, but it was enough to allow the she-beast's shoulders to drop slightly, holding her head high and proud in a more default manner of expression. Her expression, however, had shifted little.
Not called the Desil residence? «Propriety is invaluable in addressing equals or superiors.» The cat-like water responded by way of explanation, «Disrespect is unacceptable.» The dragon was silent and calm as the introductions began, nodding where appropriate and sparing little else.

Loma's reactions were a little more human. Blair's word of affirmation about the Cerebus seemed pertinent - when the creature had stalked out of the forest shadows, the woman had jolted somewhat, eyes widened with that flash of fear usually found in the host of terrible memories. She held fast, although she could not resist a cautious step backwards, adjusting the little one on her back with a hesitant nod.
"Yorek, umm, hello... a- and Barbas, too." She looked the Cerebus up and down, more concerned about the four-legged one than any of the two-leggeds present. "He ce- certainly is a big b-boy, isn't h-he?" A rhetorical question. It was with caution that she started moving forward with the new group, letting the new information settle before opening her mouth to say something before snapping it shut again. Any questions or comments she had really could wait until later.

"O- oh... Yeah." The young woman swallowed audibly, turning the focus of her gaze simply forward - although she had known that what lead her here was something that she'd have to bring up, actually being confronted with the need to vocalize it left her tongue-tied.
«Our first mission outside of The Academy was to investigate unusual activity in Barul, a struggling township south of Vien. It turned out the citizens there had been overridden and were being manipulated by Abyssal Xeneca and Mycotic Gaa, partnered with a pair of brothers.» Effinex, as efficient as ever, was the first to speak; her voice was impartial to the matter, although the weighty pause that followed it was clearly intended for Loma to pick it up - the query was for her, after all.

For a moment, Loma simply turned into herself; this was something she had to will herself to do, and she suddenly seemed so much more tired, with the edge of something sharper behind those uncertain eyes. At first the only thing that came out was a shaky sigh, but that seemed to be enough to get her started.
"T- T'el and K'el." Names that gave her pause, also names that didn't have to have a power over her, pushed her back into using her words. "We were d- drugged and c-captured." Enslaved. She didn't have to say it, not by the red-hot shame that burned her cheeks and ears like a brand, or the slump that made the tall young woman seem so much smaller. The story wasn't over, however.

"I ha- had twins. They... They killed my daughter Kiessa, and K'el was... hurting m- my little Lanatha." The hurt was raw in her voice, tears and anger held back to make the quiet rasp of her voice tremble all the more, and the moment she took to keep herself together debatably heartbreaking.
When she spoke again, there was a gravelly clarity to the low rasp of her voice. "I killed him. K'el. Br҉oth̀e̢r k͞ill̴er̡." The last two words were almost sang, an unsteady inhale of breath was partnered by an uncanny smile best described as bloodlust contained only by her exhaustion and the determination to march forward.

«My Loma freed me, strengthened me. Even so, we are not the same.» Even with the emphasis on that word of partnership, the implication that it was the Rider who had changed most was an unspoken truth. «We cannot and will not return to The Academy.» This was not to be questioned.
"We need a safe home for Lanatha." A grounding statement, enough to pull the rider back into herself. Loma sounded so tired when she said it, but it was the statement that made her lift her chin - hazarding a shy, ghost of a smile at the other girl and her male companion. "They w-were afraid of this family. The Desil's. Called them hunters, Jaegers." A breathy nerve-wracked attempt at a laugh that went no farther than a 'heh'. The subject was too important. "I wan- want to be strong like that, too. For her." Perfect until the last word, a making a horrible high-pitched screech of a sound. At this, Loma came to a stop - color flooding her face. "A-ah... I- I'm sorry, I- I didn't mean to sound- sorry!"
«You spoke well.» Effinex rumbled, a low thrum clearly intended as reassurance. Perhaps she was not as warm or reassuring as she could be (no other solace was given for what was very clearly a difficult thing for her human to do), but it was enough to visibly relieve Loma's nerves somewhat.

«Now,» The she-dragon's attention shifted to Blair, «Is there anything else you would like to know, Ms. Desil?»
Loma squeaked. "M- Ms. D-Desil?"
«Presumably, almost certainly, yes.» The water dragon responded without preamble, and most would be a fool not to be amused by the unabashedly struck expression on the young woman's face.
"B- but she, I... oh, my. I wasn't ready." With a flurry of looking from Effie and Blair and back again a few times and her hands preoccupied with holding up her child, her expression was unguarded and terribly sheepish. "I- I'm sorry if that wasn't very professi- professional, Ms. Desil, I... um. I'm sorry."
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Gothic Thylacine
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So sayeth the Spider
Barbas, naturally, could sense the uneasiness of the newcomer. He gave a soft whimper and wagged his tails. Yorek had urged him to be quiet so he refrained from barking. Blair chuckled softly "The tallest I have seen. But again, also the friendliest. But if Cerberi make you uncomfortable, we can keep a distance from you and our pack back home. But they are well trained" She patted the canine as they walked.

Both rider and dragon began to tell their story. Yorek casually wrote down a few with a quill and parchment. He had a hunch it was needed and indeed he was right. As Loma and Effinex went into the darker details, Blair stopped walking. Yorek made note of the names provided but as Blair stood still yet gave ever so subtle signs of internal fire of rage at hearing what was done to the children, Barbas had to swing his closest head over and lick her face to calm her.

Hmm. So one of them was dead. Good. If the other was live, he was bumped high on Blair's shopping list. She breathed deeply a moment to calm herself further before speaking "I am deeply sorry and disgusted that that happened to you. I can offer you safety to the best of my ability. I assure you that ability is fairly high" She smirked, as did Yorek when it was said that the scum she spoke of feared the Desil name. But now she was very curious why it was her last name and not Trio. But then again, they knew of the Shell. So she was thrilled the influence was indeed taking effect.

When Effinex addressed her, Blair looked up at the Water dragoness and gave a soft laugh "I think you and I are gonna get along well" She meant it too. She liked the Water's spunk. Looking to the stammering Loma, Blair put up a hand in dismissal "There is no need to apologize. You have been nothing but polite. But yes, I am Blair Desil. I actually should apologize myself. I and some of my Shell members were keeping an eye on you just to see who you were and to ensure there was not danger to the little one" She said indicating the sleeping girl.

"I'll fill you in as we go. You see, there are only two Desils. Me and my brother, Byrn. He's the more...temperamental of the bunch. But we started out with Bolrock Vage. Who is Yorek's brother by the way"

"They saved me from slavery they did" Yorek nodded "Didn't even know I had a brother until then"

"Yeah, a long story there, but you will learn that in time too. Anyway, Byrn, Bolrock and I formed what people called 'The Trio" After some fun in Hellman's Well we fled to the Desolation and we all bonded. After that, I was promoted to Viral after some interesting trials and formed the Jaeger Shell. We're heading to the homestead but we also have a Headquarters for whenever we have to endure Shell business. So far all members are either friends we've made or even a few members who sought us out like you"

"We actually have a fairly good thing going. We farm and hunt and take care of our own. Far as Shells go, we're pretty chill" Yorek chimed in.

"Well, I wouldn't say 'chill', but yes we tend to like to enjoy life. But I may as well warn you now, we are still a Shell of Tainted soldiers. And as you have probably heard from the beasts that you dealt with, we are capable of things most others would see as monstrous. Though, I tend to only do it to figures many would not mind seeing torn apart. My brother does not have such guidelines, he specializes in physical and psychological torture. But again, under the Shell, he is no danger to you. Though I always recommend others stay out of his way all the same"

"He's more charming than he want's to admit" Yorek whispered.

"We're getting closer. We're located by the river not too far from the coast. So Effinex, you may be quite comfortable. And we can set you up in one of the cottages surrounding the Fort for starters" Blair added. She looked at Loma and the sleeping Lanatha "Soon we will reach a clearing where my dragon can meet us. Effinex, are you feeling well enough to fly? If not, you can swim in the river. I'm afraid on foot it 's still a bit far, but a short flight away"


((I can bring in Toa and get them there in my next post if you like))
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