February 14, 2016 Issue
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
A Note from the Editor
UPDATES FROM THE STAFF:
Game Updates
Calendar of Events
Friendly Reminder
PLAYER NEWS:
XP Achievements
Valentine's Day Submissions
Player Submissions:
The Origin of Soki
Southern Dreams
Lost & Found
Contingency Plan
Mother Always Said I Was a Tactician
Everyone Grows Old
An Unexpected Visitor
Nice to Meet You
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
A NOTE FROM THE EDITOR
Hello, it's me
I was wondering if after all these months you'd like another LT
To know everything
They say that time's supposed to give you more submissions
but I didn't know it'd be this many.
Anyway, yeah. There are literally bunches of submissions in this LT. Be sure
to check the Valentine's Day section for some poems & love notes, as well as
the articles themselves further down.
Be sure to pop in and visit with us, too! We had several events going on this
week in celebration of Legend's 22nd birthday, including triple XP (going
through February 16th). There's rumor that people are trying to get some
midbie PK going on, too, so that should be super exciting. Maybe take
advantage of the XP to level up a newbie and jump on in to kick some serious
midbie character butt!
-Lamia
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
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/__| Updates from the Staff |__\
'-------------------------------------------------------------------'
Code & Builder Updates
Game Updates:
+ Addition of a Resurrection NPC. She can be found in a Mausoleum.
+ Tweak to Aleera's AUX item rent cost.
+ Elf-Hunt Update (Summer 2015)
+ Haunted House prize tweaks
+ Behind the Scenes File/Vnum Shifting
+ A new skill teacher is in Melbourne. He's a bit different than others out
there, but if you're able to learn from him, you're rewarded more than just
knowledge of said skill.
+ Sana will be less spammy on channels.
+ Elf Hunt Update (Winter 2015)
+ A few housing tweaks in various areas (some construction limitations removed, etc)
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
***** Important Notice About Housing *****
We are temporarily re-enabling the build command; there may still be housing
issues. As a note of warning - any money, housing, rooms, etc or gear lost
during this testing period due to a housing glitch will NOT be reimbursed.
Build and store at your own risk.
-Mertjai & Lamia
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
A Friendly Reminder
We've recently received a number of requests for hints or tips concerning
various gear and quest aspects in-game. This is just a reminder that:
- Immortals are not allowed by code of conduct to reveal in-game information.
- Some EQ is impossible to get and will not be mundaned. This type of gear is
designed to be for NPCs only.
- Immortals cannot verify what equipment is unobtainable - that's for you to
discover!
- Some quests are meant to be more difficult than others. If you think it's a
bug, send a message over the bug channel or a mudmail to Lamia or Mertjai.
If it's a bug issue, we'll be more than glad to help. If it isn't, we won't
give you a hint towards the next objective.
- If it seems too good to be true, it's possible it is. Best practice is to
send in a comment using the bug command.
-Lamia, Mertjai, & Staff
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
LegendMUD Calendar of Events
Triple XP has been extended through Tuesday, February 16th!
Join us for a Leap Year Bunny Hunt on Monday, February 29th!
Be sure to check in with us in March for details concerning St. Patrick's Day
and Easter events!
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
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/__| Player News |__\
'--------------------------------------------------------------------'
XP ACHIEVEMENTS
SheThing has reached 100 million experience!
Discord has reached 200 million experience!
Varik has reached 400 million experience!
Luffy has reached 600 million experience!
Soki has reached 700 million experience!
Soki has reached 800 million experience!
Soki has reached 900 million experience!
Soki has reached 1000 million experience!
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Valentine's Day Submissions
Roses are red,
Violets are blue.
Teela is a girl...
and He-man is too!
By Skeletor
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Ger, my love, my heart,
she's doing it again,
she's gonna tear us apart,
please explain to your mother
for the 5,000th time that
we're not having kids,
not ever.
-A
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
February is slushy and short. Only 28 days to play.
Some of them sunny, most of them gray.
Then every four years there is Leap Year, with 29 days.
The best one of all is Valentine's Day.
February, by Patricia Scarry, as read by Gavrilo
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Ari,
Roses are red,
Violets are blue,
Valdryth gives me tribute,
and I never share with you.
<3 Naeva
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Ransom,
The most beautiful words ever uttered by man were by you, comforting me after
I'd broken your heart. I had said it was a mystery as to why you would still
love me, would forgive me for the terrible things I said and did. Your reply?
'It is no mystery,' you said, holding me. 'I was created to. What other reason
do I need?'
If my spirit could have shattered from the shame I felt then, it surely would
have, yet your words would have been right there to knit everything together.
Those words soothed my soul. My aching heart. My tears left me at the beauty
of your love.
I didn't deserve such kindness, such forgiveness, and yet it was given. No
earthly being has any right to deny that sort of love. So deny it I didn't. I
embraced it. And here we are, so many years later, happy and whole with a
family all our own.
I love you, Ransom. Thank you for loving me when I couldn't even stand myself.
-Kezia
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__|_____|_____|_____|_____|__PLAYER SUBMISSIONS___|_____|_____|_____|_____|
The Origin of Soki
Soki's childhood was far from ordinary. His father was a powerful Daimyo; his
mother, a Gaijin merchant of relative unimportance, from whom Soki inherited
his western appearance and blonde hair, making him quite the oddity in Japan.
However, as he was born an illegitimate son, he was forced into exile along
with his mother, who would succumb to illness shortly thereafter.
Before she died, she entrusted Soki with her bloodline's heirloom: a golden
pendant set with turquoise, a symbol of protection from unnatural death. She
also wished for him to leave Japan and travel the world; though he was still
too young to understand, he would never forget those words.
Soki, understandably lacking any love for the country's Daimyo, grew up as a
Ronin, using a mask to conceal his identity. Between the demonic horns on this
mask, his fiery blonde hair and his sheer martial prowess he became known as
'the Oni of the Ash' by the country's panicked populace.
Soki would eventually leave Japan and embark on adventures around the world,
though these are tales for another time. Here concludes the opening chapter of
Soki's life - though his story is only just beginning.
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Southern Dreams
'The weather is unusually hot, for October...' he thought. Normally the
temperatures should flirt with the low 70s, but today it had climbed into the
90s. He wondered how long the 'workers' would be able to continue at the
gruelling pace that the owners wanted them to maintain. It had been bad
enough when the crops needed to be harvested in half the normal allotted time,
but due to a storm that some of the captains said was working its way toward
the Chesapeake from the Indies, stronger storage buildings needed to be built.
Already, he had needed to try to keep three of the older men from collapsing
from the heat, dehydration, and added strain of not getting enough sleep. If
his brother was here, he was here, he would want to resort to violence.
Perhaps it was good that he was helping 'Moses' move the people north.
"Doctor!" someone yelled. He turned around and saw a man fall. He rushed
over and knelt beside the man. He was not breathing, and, upon feeling for a
pulse, found nothing. He began pounding on the man's chest, and giving him
breaths, in an attempt to revive the man, but it did not work. He kept
working, yelling at the man to not give up, to live! The longer he worked on
the man, the more voices he heard yelling for a doctor, the more panicked he
felt himself becoming.
"Doctor?" He felt a hand on his shoulder. He glanced around and found
himself hunched over a desk, not a slave. Looking up, he saw concern in the
soft, brown eyes of Necahual, a young Liman woman who was studying medicine at
the Valentine Clinic under Doctor Jaina Valentine-Aurion and himself. "Doctor
McCabe? Are you... alright?" she asked.
"Oh, uhm, yes. I seem to have dozed off..."
"You were yelling, Doctor..."
"Was I?"
"Yes. Jai... Doctor Jaina was in the middle of a procedure, but was so
concerned that she sent me to check on you."
"That's very kind. Apparently, my subconscious mind has decided that I have
not yet dealt effectively with some traumatic experiences from my past..."
"Uhm..."
"I was having a nightmare."
"Oh. Is there anything I can do to help?"
"Not unless you have found H.G. Wells' machine..."
Necahual looked almost sad. "No, Sir, I have not. I am sorry."
Asher laughed. "I was only joking... and you can call me Asher when there are
no patients present, Necahual. We have discussed this."
"I know, Si... Asher. I just still have trouble doing that. You and Doctor
Jaina are so skilled, that I sometimes feel as if I will never be able to
learn enough to be helpful here."
"Nonsense. You are coming along quite nicely. Believe it or not, Jaina was
once in the same situation that you find yourself in, with some of the same
doubts."
"But not you?" she asked, her eyes holding a gleam of amusement.
"Of course not," Asher snorted teasingly, "I was born this skilled." He
winked at Necahual as her straightened up his desk. "Now, let's go see if
Doctor Jaina needs the help of the two most skilled physicians in this room,
shall we?"
"But we are the only..." Necahual stopped, as she realized what she was about
to point out, and slapped Asher playfully on the arm.
"Off we go, then?"
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Lost and Found
"What are you doing so far from home, Miss Trinstadt?" Naeva didn't answer,
her eyes closed as she leaned her head back against the old oak she had
settled in front of. She felt the man crouch next to her, and though his voice
sounded familiar, she couldn't place who he was. "Naeva?" he said, snapping
his fingers next to her ear. She groaned, turning her head to look at him. Her
eyelids felt heavy as she struggled to keep them open.
She moved to reach for the man's hand, intent on stopping the obnoxious
snapping sound. Instead, her hand fell heavily from her lap to the ground.
"Stoppit," she finally managed. The man frowned - as did she because she knew
him. Who was he? - and pushed auburn curls from her face.
"Here," he said, his other hand holding something to her lips as he continued
to keep her face cleared. "It's only water, so don't think of objecting." She
glared at him tiredly, but drank. "Now," he said, pulling the canteen away,
"What happened to you?"
She thought for a moment, silent, trying to piece together her thoughts. "I
was walking. No. A lead. There was a lead in the Black Forest." Naeva
grimaced, her throat sore. "Is that where I am?"
The man nodded. "You are. When did you decide to "follow the lead"?" Naeva
leaned her head back again and snorted softly.
"I wish I could remember." She watched the man closely. "Wanna say there was
a full moon." The man grimaced, once again brushing hair from Naeva's face.
"Why do you keep doing that?"
He smiled tightly. "You have new scars since I've last seen you. Here," his
thumb grazed over the small mark on her lip. "And here." She felt his hand
move to her neck, his fingers brushing over what she knew were two small pin
prick marks on her neck.
"Valdryth," she said, still watching him. "That's who you are." He laughed
softly and nodded, removing his hand from her neck.
"I thought I was more memorable," he teased, offering her more water. She
shook her head, batting heavily at the canteen.
"You are," she said. "I'm just having trouble remembering. When was the full
moon?"
Valdryth sat next to her, leaning his own head back. "Almost two days ago."
She made an irritated sound. "Not last night, but the one before."
"Gotta tell Ari." She moved to stand, only to topple on to Valdryth as pain
flashed across her side. "Son of a --," the redhead hissed, trying to
squirm off of him. "Sorry. I can't... Sorry." Valdryth shook his head and helped
her sit on the ground properly, situated between his legs with her back to
him. "I don't know what happened."
A short, wry laugh came from the hunter. "I've come to realize this. We need
to check the extent of your injuries." She made a sound of objection but he
just tugged at the collar of her long coat. "Ari knows you're missing, Miss
Trinstadt. Now, let's find out what made you find your way to my lap, though
I must state that I don't normally object to such a thing." She laughed, the
sound a little strangled, but it was a laugh all the same.
"Fine," she conceded, shrugging out of the coat. It was a tedious ordeal, the
fabric moving a couple of inches before she found herself stopping, all her
muscles fighting against her. Valdryth helped when she allowed it: a tug over
her shoulders, reaching forward to help her move her arms from the sleeves.
"I'm thinking it's just a lot of bruising," she said as he set the jacket
aside. "I've just got some dirt stains up here so nothing too big."
His silence didn't help Naeva's nerves one bit. "What?" she asked quietly
after several seconds. "I swear to God, Valdryth, if you don't tell me, I will
find Ari and tell him this was all your doing." She felt his hands on her
sides, gently moving the fabric of her shirt up. "HEY," she said, starting,
trying to pull away from him. The wave of pain that hit her made her fall back
against the hunter instead.
"There are spots of blood on your back," he said, his tone more serious than
she'd noticed it being before. "I had been trying to move your shirt without
re-opening any wounds. I see now that I have to walk you through each step."
Naeva leaned back against him and tilted her head just so, trying to glare at
him.
"Look here, asshat, I'm still a bit foggy about what happened to me over the
past 48 hours, so freaking when somebody tries to undress me doesn't seem like
that big of an issue." He merely raised an eyebrow, looking unperturbed by her
outburst. The redhead huffed at him, blue gaze still narrowed in a glare.
"Alright," she said after a moment. "I'm done. Now, you're going to very
carefully lift the shirt up and I swear to God, if I catch you copping a feel
I will crawl back home and find my lupara."
Valdryth just stared at her, an eyebrow raised. "Really done, now?" he asked.
After several more seconds of pouting from Naeva, she nodded, gingerly sitting
up. He moved quickly yet carefully, wetting with the canteen where blood had
crusted on to the shirt, holding it in place. Naeva had hissed at the cold
water, but hadn't jerked. After a few moments that Naeva was certain actually
lasted forever, Valdryth hooked the fabric of the shirt over her shoulders,
one hand pressing against the left side of her back.
"What's wrong? Just some scratches or what?--"
"Naeva, be quiet."
"-- I know I didn't get stabbed. What's going on? - "
"Naeva, be quiet. I need to think."
She huffed, trying to turn to look at him, only for his hands to stop her. He
held her in place, exposing her whole back to his view. "Look, I know I'm
pretty hot and my skin is milky white, all pale-princess-like that everyone
loves and wants and loves to want, but I need you to stop being a
kind-of-super-hot creeper and tell me what's going on."
Valdryth moved his hand up her back, over her shoulder blades to grip Naeva's
left shoulder. He then placed his other hand over her ribcage, palm pressing
firmly. She cried out, trying to jerk away, though the hunter held her steady.
"You've been bitten," he said quietly, ignoring her loud protests. At this she
grew silent, her entire body tense.
"What?"
"Bitten," he reiterated, his jaw clenched. "You remember nothing from two
nights ago until now?"
She shook her head. "Nothing. Just walking, looking for a contact, then a...
a blank span of time. Flashes of light? I dunno if those are real. The brain
is weird and it might be making stuff up to help me cope. I do remember
finding this tree. Well, not finding-finding it, but settling against it. Then
you were there." Naeva sniffled and Valdryth tightened his hold on her
shoulder. "Is it wolf-like?" He opened his mouth but before he could even
begin to reply, she continued, "Don't answer that. You wouldn't have to think
if it didn't look like it." She took a deep breath and Valdryth removed his
hand from the mark. "Just singular, like done with purpose?"
"Yes. It isn't... normal."
"Normal in the sense that if there's one bite there should be a million and I
should be eight shades of dead, right?"
"Basically." She felt his fingers touching the skin around the bite, poking
and prodding lightly. "It was small, the animal that did this. An old wolf or
a young were."
Naeva laughed, it turning into a cry a second later. "Ari's gonna kill me."
"It's very possible," Valdryth said. They sat in silence for a moment while
she tried to compose herself and Valdryth examined the bite more closely. "If
it is from a were, I don't know that a silver test would show anything this
soon."
Naeva blinked, a hand reaching up to her face. "My nose ring is gone." She
looked at the hand. "Rings, a bracelet, too. All of it would have been silver.
And the bracelet was from my dad. Jerks. Gonna use the lupara on them." She
tried to glance over her shoulder. "You're in luck. The buckshot is destined
for somebody else, now."
"Every time you open your mouth, I find myself wondering how Leonte hasn't
killed you already." Valdryth eased her shirt down, covering the wound, and
reached for her coat. "I'll take you home."
"NO." Naeva managed to scrambled about four feet from him before falling
forward, face-first into the forest floor. "No, no, no. Not yet." She rolled
on to her left side, looking back at Valdryth. "Not until I know what's going
on."
Valdryth stood, her coat in his hand. "You were bitten, possibly by a were,
and I am to take you to Leonte. That's what's going on."
She shook her head, trying to move away a few more feet. "No. Not yet." She
stared up at him, terrified, her fingers digging into the dirt beneath her.
"Please, take me to... to Moris. Yeah. Take me to him."
The hunter raised an eyebrow, crouching next to her. "Moris?"
She nodded. "Yeah. Moris Ravenswick. We're total bros. Well, I consider him my
b-f-f, but I'm fairly certain he just tolerates me. That might have a lot to
do with how I tried to convince him and Ari that a foursome is the best idea
ever or how I constantly break into his house but I think he loves me and I
need you to take me to Moris, please. I know you used to work for Ari and
still have some weird, unresolved sexual tension slash work issues with him,
but I need you to do this for me. I'll totally pay you or whatever. What Ari's
giving you? I'll double it. Triple it. I'll find you a bangin' hot date or
I'll totally tell you where those vampires that almost got me were or
anything. Just please take me to Moris and don't tell Ari. He'll end up there
sooner or later, if he isn't already there." She took a deep breath, tears
streaming down her cheeks as she looked up at the man.
"Are you finished?"
She nodded, sniffling.
"I'm going to pick you up, you won't fight me, you will stop babbling
nonsensically, and you will tell me where this Moris Ravenswick lives. From
there I will decide whether or not to contact Leonte. In return, I expect a
very large, important favor to be owed to me." Valdryth smirked and held out a
hand and Naeva was fairly certain it was a trap. "Do we have a deal?"
"I'll tell you where and you'll take me there. To Moris." She eyed him warily,
still crying a bit.
Valdryth nodded. "I will take you to your Ravenswick and then I will decide
concerning Leonte. And my favor?"
She placed her hand in his still-extended one. "Whatever you want. Whenever.
Sure. Just get me to Moris."
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Contingency Plan
Moris Ravenswick paced, looking out of place in a small, modern kitchen. He
glanced at the redhead sitting at three-piece dining table Tessa had insisted
they put in the kitchen. "You are in danger - possibly are dangerous --"
"Moris, I'm always dangerous," Naeva said, wriggling under Tessa's
ministrations. This wasn't the first time Tessa had to clean up her messes,
and Naeva wouldn't have anyone else do it. The woman's touch was always soft,
yet firm, and the best part was that she knew what she was doing without any
coaching from Naeva. Tessa was just a natural healer and Naeva appreciated
that. "Just ask your kitchen windows."
"Are possibly dangerous and yet you come here."
Naeva flashed her most charming smile at the man. It was more of a grimace,
really, as Tessa had just touched peroxide to the bite on Naeva's back. "You
know, it's probably nothing. Just a Yorkie bite or something." Moris and
Tessa shared a look. "Shut up. No. Don't. Your looks are adorable. I want that
cuteness to be the last thing I see before I die."
Moris pressed a hand to his face, pinching the bridge of his nose. "You are
not going to die, Naeva," Tessa said, her tone soothing. "If you truly were a
danger, my love would not have let you through the door." She set a blood and
alcohol stained cloth on the table and picked up a jar of some greenish salve.
"Unless, of course, he was distracted by how it was Mr Blackheart carrying you
rather than Ari." She smirked at Moris, rubbing some of the salve between her
fingers to warm it. "Or did you think I would appreciate Mr Blackheart's
presence? I must admit, love, he was delightful to look at."
"You have cost me not just peace of mind but my lady love," Moris said to
Naeva, his hand falling from his face. "Why here, Miss Trinstadt?"
Naeva whined, both from the application of the salve and Moris' words. "Needed
to clear my head and your banter with Tessa always helps with that." She
shifted in her seat, whining some more as Tessa applied more of the salve.
"That, and I figure if I make Ari come out all this way, I'd have a few more
minutes to plot a solution." The redhead huffed, her blue gaze narrowing as
she stared at Moris. "And why do you hate me? You know what my name is."
"Your name, for all intents and purposes, is Miss Trinstadt. I would rather
not find myself attached to a named French terror when she is very likely
going to, what was it you cried when you first arrived? Oh, yes, 'die before
dawn because of a damned dog'."
Tessa chuckled softly as she wiped the salve from her hands. "I was
impressed with your alliteration mid-hysterics, Naeva. It's truly a gift."
Moris turned his attention to Tessa, his expression pained. "Et tu, Brute?"
She laughed and reached for a fresh cotton square.
"Dorogaya, you needn't put on such a show," she said, pressing the cloth
against Naeva's wound. "I doubt Mr Blackheart would have left the pair of us
utterly alone with the terrifying, dangerous Naeva Trinstadt if she were to
be, or become, a threat to us any time soon." Moris snorted and rolled his
eyes.
"Perhaps he and Leonte are working together to be rid of me."
Naeva laughed, the action full-bodied, her slight form quaking with each
breath. "Ari probably likes Tessa too much to go about it this route." She
started as Tessa pinched her side, quietly telling the redhead to sit still.
"I mean, I can't speak for his thoughts on you. He's probably still sore about
that time I thought you were the better kisser--"
"Will you never learn when to be silent?" Moris sat across from Naeva, his
forearms resting on the table. "Especially when you are rambling. Which you
are, and have been for the past hour."
Naeva sat up a bit, only to receive another pinch from Tessa. "It's already
been an hour?" Moris nodded, looking torn between being irritated and bored.
"Ari'll be here soon. So. My contingency plan."
Moris raised a silvery brow. "Do you mean the solution you came all this way
to, ah, plot?" Naeva nodded and reached a hand out towards Moris'. He merely
stared at her, his expression neutral, and she made a face at him.
"Yeah," she said, shifting slightly to make rolling a bandage around her
stomach easier for Tessa. "That one. So. Remember ages ago I was curious about
your blood and trying to convince you to do things? Well, convince you to let
me do things because everyone needs a contingency plan?" She stared at Moris,
who merely returned her gaze with a steady one of his own. After a few
seconds, he nodded, the movement slight. "Still willing to talk about that?"
"Not particularly."
Naeva whined, reaching for his hand once again. "He's so mean to me, Tessa.
He's not this mean to you, is he? I'll kill him for you if he is." Tessa
laughed, shaking her head as she worked.
"I have only seen him behave in this fashion around you, milaya," the woman
said. "I believe it is the only way his highborn sensibilities can handle your
brash nature." Naeva made a soft squeeing sound, a smile brightening her face.
"Awe, so you do love me!" Moris was silent, his eyes closed. He still hadn't
let Naeva trap one of his hands with hers. "So, can I have your blood?"
Moris stood quickly, leaving the room. "I didn't mean to make him so mad,"
Naeva pouted. Tessa chuckled softly and carefully righted Naeva's shirt, her
work done.
"My love is in rare form tonight, it's true." Tessa moved about the kitchen,
cleaning up the dirtied supplies. "He is worried for you, and rightfully so.
When Ari arrives, he will possibly be something even you have not seen
before." Tessa looked over her shoulder at Naeva as she washed her hands.
"Nothing frightens a man more than the thought of losing his reason for
living."
"You're a romantic," Naeva said flatly, her arms crossed over her chest. Tessa
shrugged and turned her head to look back to her hands.
"So are you," Tessa said quietly a moment later. She patted her hands dry with
a brightly colored towel, a tight smile gracing her lips. "Otherwise you would
have asked Mr Blackheart to end you when he found you, or if not that, you
would have gone to Ari right away. Instead you are hopeful, playing with so
many ideas, so many ways to salvage the situation."
The redhead looked away, her gaze lowered. Tessa chuckled to herself and set
about straightening up the remaining first-aid supplies: gauze rolls stacked
in a small pyramid; peroxide, salve, and cotton squares next to it; and a
small pair of scissors rounding out the group. Once done, she silently moved
about the kitchen, more amused with Naeva's petulance with each passing
minute. "You will want to drink as much water as possible to flush out
whatever drug they used," she said, setting a full glass on the table. "If you
need anything, milaya, just shout," Tessa said, kissing the top of Naeva's
head before leaving the kitchen.
Naeva huffed and leaned forward, resting her arms on the tabletop. She stared
at the glass of water, irritated by how it reminded her that she had been
caught off-guard. That sort of thing wasn't supposed to happen, she thought.
Naeva Trinstadt didn't get trapped or anything, unless one counted the whole
thing with the vampires which one didn't because vampires are stupid. Her
brow furrowed and she reached out for the glass, finally deciding maybe she
should drink some. Maybe just think on getting hydrated and a clear system so
she could figure out where things went wrong. Where she went wrong.
"This is so dumb," she muttered, setting the glass down after draining half of
it. "Everything about this is dumb. Everything's dumb. That stupid mission is
dumb," She huffed again and looked around the kitchen. "Valdryth's dumb, that
peroxide is dumb, waiting is dumb, I'm dumb." Naeva put her hands over her
face, taking a deep breath as she pressed against her eyes. "I'm dumb for
complaining about all of this, though. Dumb for just not going home." With a
heavy sigh, she dropped her hands to the table and fidgeted before lowering
her head, using her forearms as pillows.
She started when she felt a hand between her shoulder blades and tried to
stand, only to be held in place. "You should have just come home," Ari said,
his voice quiet, an iciness to it that Naeva hadn't heard before. She stilled,
lowering her head to her arms once again. "It would have made everything easier."
"I was--"
"Hush." Ari removed his hand from her back and worked at lifting her shirt,
much like Tessa had earlier to treat the bite. "Hold," he said, the material
bunched near her neck. Naeva obeyed, lifting a hand over her head to grip the
shirt. Ari touched various spots on her back before picking up the scissors
from the table. He lifted the gauze away from her skin as he cut through it,
his movements quick and precise. Naeva flinched as he tossed the scissors
back to the table once he was finished.
"I'd have told her to wait if I knew you were-- well, I knew you were going
to look at it." Naeva swallowed and pressed her forehead against the tabletop.
"I should have had her not bother. We just- I just didn't know how long..."
"Hush, Naeva." She did as she was told, for once, and was silent as he
carefully pulled the salve-covered cotton square from her back. Both were
silent for several moments - Ari's touch light around the area of the bite,
Naeva's breath becoming more erratic from worry - before Ari picked up the jar
of salve and began re-applying it to her. Unlike Tessa, however, he didn't
bother to warm it. "It's not from a were," he said, his voice still quiet, and
Naeva let out a quiet sob of relief. "It is still an issue, Belle. You cannot
be alone. You can't... work alone."
"This was something for that girl--"
"I know what you were working on," Ari said sharply and he set the salve
aside. "I know. I had men watching you and this still happened. It could have
been a were, Naeva. By all rights, with who we're dealing with, it should have
been a were. When I began my trip out here, I was preparing myself for the
possibility that I may have to kill you." He swallowed, his jaw clenching as
he worked in silence, re-wrapping the gauze around Naeva's body. "I never
thought I would have to think such a thing again."
"That's why I had him bring me here," Naeva said quietly. Ari's movement
slowed, though he kept binding the wound. "I thought maybe I could think of
something. Find a solution before you found out. Before you had to worry even
more. It was stupid of me."
"It was."
She whined softly, her eyes closing against tears. "I was trying to fix
things, Ari." He said nothing as he tugged at her shirt, and Naeva released
her hold. She felt him fix it about her body, smoothing wrinkles from it in
some spots. "I'm so sorry," Naeva cried, trying to bury her face against her
forearms, trying to disappear all together.
Ari moved swiftly, picking Naeva up from the chair and setting her atop the
table. Stepping between her legs as they dangled over the edge, Ari hugged her
to him, one hand lacing through her hair. She sobbed harder and he let her,
only able to look down at her while she clutched at him.
"We're going to find someplace safe for you," he said after a while. Her
crying had slowed and she nodded against him. "Blackheart told me you remember
nothing, but there is only one monster who would do this. I'm going to kill
him, this time. Do you understand, Naeva?" She nodded again. "Do you have a
preference as to how?" Naeva shook her head.
"No," she sniffled. "Just destroy him down to the very last memory of him."
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Mother Always Said I Was a Tactician
Tessa watched the pair from the kitchen doorway. Ari was sitting at the table,
Naeva curled up on his lap. She could tell that the redhead was asleep, her
grip on Ari's shirt relaxed. "I've made up a bed for her," Tessa said, moving
from the doorway and into the kitchen.
"Thank you, Theresa, but we'll be going home shortly," Ari said, looking down
at Naeva's sleeping form. "We've imposed long enough." Tessa laughed, a hand
quickly moving to cover her mouth.
Ari turned his gaze to Tessa as she placed a hand on his shoulder. "Oh, Ari,"
she said, smiling. "You can stop this behavior." She held up a finger to
silence the hunter as he opened his mouth to object. "You have every right to
be angry, worried, frustrated, and every terrifying emotion in between.
I - nor anyone else - will ever deny you that." She moved her hand from his
shoulder to brush some hair from his face. "But you need to clear your mind
and she needs to sleep, and comfortably at that. We still don't know what
toxin they used to sedate her, nor do we know if that bite is the only damage
done to her person." Ari looked away, frowning. "Come, let us settle her in
Vidar's room, then I will help you clear your mind."
Ari scoffed, though he rose from his seat, carrying Naeva princess-style. "I
am not sure I want to know how you plan on helping me do that." Tessa just
smiled and led him from the kitchen, through the house, silent until they
reached a spartanly decorated bedroom. "I'll leave you to help her settle in.
Come to the dining room when you've finished, will you?" Ari gave her a hard
look but nodded before making his way in to the room.
Tessa left the pair and went to the dining area, picking up a thin box from
beside the sofa in the living room on the way. She set the box on the table,
leaving the room for a moment to clean any remaining mess in the kitchen. Once
she returned, a small cloth in hand, she carefully opened the box, smiling to
herself as she began to remove various chess pieces from within. They were
beautiful - the board one of her favorite possessions - and she was always in
awe of the craftsmanship used to carve sapphires and obsidian into delightful
Staunton pieces. The set had been a gift from Moris - Christmas or her
birthday or some other event she truly couldn't remember, for Moris gifted her
so many wondrous things - and it was something she used frequently. With the
pieces set aside, Theresa withdrew the board from the box. It was sturdy, made
of ebony and silver ash, small floral designs dusted in silver along the
border. She smiled and set about cleaning it, carefully wiping fingerprints
from the board, then the pieces.
That was how Ari found her, so happy to be engrossed with polishing and
cleaning, he seemed loathe to interrupt her motions. But she had asked him to
come to her, and he had promised he would, so she would surely forgive him for
such an interruption. He cleared his throat, lingering in the doorway. Tessa
hummed softly before motioning to a seat across from her, not bothering to
look at him, or acknowledge him in any other way. With a frown, Ari did as he
was told, the hunter's movements stiff as he took his seat.
Tessa took her time setting the chessboard; Sapphire pieces were set before
Ari with great care, the woman taking the time to tweak them ever so slightly,
ensuring they faced forward. She did the same with the obsidian ones set on
the opposing side. "Here is your army, Ari," she said quietly once everything
was situated perfectly and she had taken her seat. "Name them." He looked at
her strangely, a frown still marring his features.
"Theresa..."
She smiled tightly, her hands clasped together as they rested on the table.
"Name your pieces."
"The row of pawns, my Rook, Bishop--" Theresa shook her head, causing Ari to
fall into silence for several seconds. "How should I name these, then?"
"I am unsure," the woman replied. She placed a finger atop her King. "This
one's name is Vittorio. His pawns are the wolves you so vehemently hunt. I
must assume your King's name is Ari. Who is your Queen? Who are your Pawns,
your Knights?" She removed her hand. "Tell me their names, Ari."
Tessa was unphased by the soft growl sounding from Ari's throat. "The Pawns
are my men-" She tutted and he raised an eyebrow.
"A single Pawn shall be your men, perhaps. Otherwise we would run out of
pieces before names, no?" The Russian smiled at him, the expression gentle.
"Though, the fact that men can be bought... perhaps you do not want even a
Pawn represented by them?"
He stared at the pawns and nodded, the movement slight, easy to miss. "Naeva
is my Queen." Ari missed how Tessa wrinkled her nose, his gaze still on the
sapphire pieces. "Ravenswick - A Bishop, perhaps. Kezia would be the other."
He moved his finger to each piece as they were named. "Her husband would be a
Rook. Setheus, for the other Rook. Blackheart would be one of the Knights, if
only for his actions concerning Naeva." A pause as the hunter glanced at Tessa
who merely raised an eyebrow. "The young Ravenswick could be a pawn, her
father overseeing the actions. The twins as pawns, Seraphina, the others
living with the Kirvels - Alayne and Alessa? They've ties to... that." He
motioned to Tessa's King. "Kefira and... and Faa. Not that I trust them more
than my men, but you don't trust them..."
"This is your army, Ari. Name them how you see fit. I just offer insight."
He leaned forward slightly, putting his weight on his left elbow. "This one is
unnamed," he said, tapping a Knight. "I have no others, unless you wish to
take that title."
She laughed and shook her head. "God, no. I'm not even pawn material, Ari. You
were right to not name me. I would not agree with some of your choices, but
we'll see how they do, shall we? Remember their names and begin."
And so they played, Tessa moving quickly in response to Ari's sometimes
drawn-out moves, or sometimes Ari responded quickly to her drawn-out moves.
She beat him within five minutes their first round. She said nothing as he
grumbled and growled, instead resetting the board and having him name his
pieces each time. They remained the same and she said nothing, though by the
third round, she didn't refrain from wrinkling her nose or raising an eyebrow.
By the fifth round, it'd been a little over an hour since they began their
game, but Tessa could see that Ari was improving. Only a little. She smiled at
Naeva when she entered the dining room, Tessa and Ari still battling through
the fifth round.
"Go to bed," Naeva mumbled before she yawned. Ari raised an eyebrow at the
redhead, a bit surprised upon seeing her wearing a pair of drawstring pants
and a button down far too large for her. He hadn't heard her nor Moris move
about, so engrossed was he in his game against Theresa. "Oh. Chess," she
said with another yawn. "Who's blue?"
"I am, Belle," Ari said, moving one of his Knights. Theresa had him on the run
for a short while, but he was beginning to feel a bit more confident about
this round. He'd taken two Pawns and a Bishop, so things were surely turning
to his favor.
Naeva reached to the board and moved an obsidian Rook. "Check," she said with
a shrug, taking the Knight the hunter had just moved. Ari stared at the board,
his jaw clenching slightly, and Tessa swallowed, a small frown gracing her
lips. Naeva didn't notice and wandered into the kitchen without another word.
The pair sat in silence, staring at the board for several moments. During that
time Naeva had entered the dining area again, glass of water in-hand. Upon
seeing the board as she left it, she shrugged again and returned to the
bedroom.
"That is why she isn't your Queen," Theresa said after another moment. "She is
too reckless."
"This is just a game," Ari replied tersely. "She wouldn't actually help
Yonescu. She thought she was helping you."
Tessa sighed. "Exactly," she said, picking up the Knight Naeva had cost Ari.
"She thought she was helping. She didn't care about the context, she didn't
think to ask of it. Naeva is too reckless to be your Queen." Ari stared at the
woman, his jaw clenching once again. "She jumps around, a method to her
madness, but one only she knows at times. This." She set the Knight back down.
"This is Naeva. Mr Blackheart is your other Knight. Not a Bishop, or a Rook.
It is easy to follow where those pieces may go. Can you say the same of Naeva
and Mr Blackheart? No."
"These Knights, Ari, these Knights will be your undoing unless you have a
Queen, a good Queen, to keep them in line. To fix their mistakes. A Queen who
is powerful, can move fluidly, a Queen you needn't worry about, you needn't
micromanage."
"Micromanaging is all Chess is, Theresa."
"Details," she replied, knocking the sapphire King over. "As you are so
insistent upon keeping her as your Queen. You protect her too much. Look at
the board, Ari. She's kept away, the most powerful piece on this board and you
kept her hidden away. You cannot do that."
Ari raised a shoulder in a shrug. "Do not dismiss my words, Ari Leonte. Had
you moved your Queen four turns ago, you could have removed that Rook and
protected your King all at once. You would still be alive if you hadn't tried
to shelter her so."
"There is no other Queen."
Theresa sighed again and began to re-set the board. "I am not asking you to
forsake Naeva, to send her away, to change her place in your life. You cannot
strategize while thinking of her as the most important piece, however. Your
Queen must be somebody who can move without you fearing for her safety every
moment of every day. Your Queen cannot be your lover."
"So you would have me risk another."
"We are all at risk, Ari. I would have you utilize the skill of another more
capable than Naeva. Someone who would not be as easily harmed as her. Look at
your Pawns. Not a single one of them would make it to the opposing side to
become Queen, and even if they did, it would be a brief victory. Addyson is
more unpredictable than Naeva. Eitri would make a fine Rook. Constant. Steady.
Not a Queen. He lacks the cunning, sweet, smart boy that he is. Neither Lady
Kirvel would manage. I am sure they would try, though Kezia would fall shortly
after assuming the position of Queen. She has fallen before, has she not? And
Arianne... Bold, yes. Perhaps a Bishop in place of her mother, where together
with her brother they would be nearly unstoppable, but alone? Alone she will
get herself killed, or worse."
Ari stood suddenly, knocking the table in the process. "You say this like you
think I don't know already," he said, "I can't protect her, I can't get her to
listen to me. If I could, she wouldn't be curled up in your clothes right now.
If I could we would be at home, sleeping, completely and thoroughly sated."
"She's a distraction as your Queen," Tessa said, standing as well. She moved
around the table, standing next to Ari, looking up at him. "Pick a new Queen.
One suited for the task."
He bristled slightly but did nothing other than reach forward to re-set
Tessa's board. "There isn't..." She scoffed, a hand resting on his forearm.
"Sit down, Ari. I'll help you name your pieces." And he did. He sat, trying so
hard to not look defeated. He wasn't, he told himself. Not in the slightest
bit. He was just tired - exhausted - after the past couple of days. Tessa took
his hand in hers once she had finished facing the pieces. "Your pawns, Ari.
Addyson, she can certainly become a Queen if you need it. Or anything else,
but on her own terms, of course. Most of the others you mentioned work very
well. Kefira?, Faa? I don't know these people, so I leave them. Alessa and
Alayne I have heard of, both from Eitri and Setheus, so they will remain
pawns, too. Setheus is a pawn, not a Rook, just as Kezia is a pawn, not a
Bishop. That puts us at seven... might I suggest Jaina Aurion? She could...
prove most useful to you. Plus she's a wonderful young woman, who has a past
with Vittorio Yonescu already."
She gave his hand a squeeze and he didn't return it, instead keeping his gaze
trained on the pieces. Tessa knew he was seeing what she had done, what her
point was going to be. "As I said earlier, Eitri and Arianne as a Rook and
Bishop, respectively, would be... they'd be incredible. Mr Blackheart as a
Knight, just as Naeva would be that other Knight. Sir Kirvel would remain a
Rook and my love would remain a Bishop. Who does that leave for your Queen?"
"That's ridiculous, Theresa," Ari said, his voice low, quiet. "She's hardly
fit to be a pawn, let alone Queen."
Theresa tutted softly and squeezed Ari's hand once more before removing hers.
"I'm told Seraphina was once married to Lethe Aurion. Not that I knew the man,
but I was told what came from that union." Ari raised an eyebrow. "Setheus is
a gossip." She pressed a soft kiss to the top of Ari's head. "She's also a
werewolf," she added as she moved to the other side of the table to take her
seat. "Someone with traits like those.... Why don't we play one more round,
with your pieces as I named them."
Ari took a deep breath and ran a hand over his face. "One," he said, the hand
still against his face, fingers pinching the bridge of his nose. "One and you
promise I will never be tricked into playing Chess with you again."
She smiled. "Of course, Ari. Begin when you are ready."
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Everyone Grows Old
Naeva sat crosslegged on the deck of the houseboat, her back against the
cabin's wall. She smiled at the Irish Wolfhound that had half-crawled on to
her lap and ran a hand through his graying, rough fur. "You old bastard," she
said quietly. The dog grunted and wriggled his way a bit further on Naeva's
lap. "Oh my God, Gunari," she groaned, "You're gonna crush me." He grunted
again and rolled, his head almost knocking into Naeva's as he sprawled out on
his back.
"Seriously. Feeling a bit squished here," she mumbled, trying to push Gunari
off of her. He didn't budge, so she tried harder, and so he squirmed, pressing
against her in an attempt to stop her removal of him. The pair carried on
their push-and-shove game for several moments before Naeva gave up, her head
leaning back to rest against the wall. "Fine, you win. I should have known
anyway. You're like three feet bigger than me and... what... like 75 in dog
years?" She looked at the wolfhound with a raised eyebrow and he squirmed ever
so slightly. She took that to be a shrug.
"Don't be so passive about this. You're old. I was trying to say you were more
wise than me. You know, with age comes wisdom and all of that." They were both
silent as she gently scratched at his side. "Though, Fifi'd be like 65. I
wouldn't exactly say she's teeming with wisdom, huh?" He grunted and she
laughed, gently wrapping her arms around his ribcage in a hug. "Seriously
though, I need you to get off me. My legs are falling asleep and Ari's not
gonna be happy if he comes home to find me crippled, especially if it's by
you."
Gunari sighed, and Naeva would have sworn it was her patented 'sigh of the
long suffering' sigh, and rolled off of her, gingerly standing and taking a
few steps away. Naeva watched him for a moment, his movements slow and almost
delicate as he wandered around the deck. She stood and dusted some of dog hair
from her clothes before moving over to the wolfhound. "Sore again?" she asked,
resting a hand on his head, lightly rubbing just behind his ears. He sighed
again and she pursed her lips, nodding. "Let's go down to the pool at the
dunes. All of us. The water will do you some good. Fifi, too. Her hip's been
pretty bad lately." Gunari grumbled softly and Naeva rolled her eyes. "You
know as well as I do that if we take Fifi and Viggo, Sasha has to come along,
too." Another grumble and Naeva sighed. "No, he can't stay here and guard the
empty house."
A moment of silence passed between the two before Gunari sighed again and
began walking towards the docking ramp of the houseboat. Naeva smiled brightly
then whistled, the sound loud and shrill. Sasha was the first to show up,
Viggo following at a distance with Fifi slowly trotting next to him. Naeva
wrinkled her nose and carefully picked the Chow Chow up. "Oh my God, Fifi, you
weigh like 80 thousand pounds." Fifi just licked at Naeva's hair, trying to
nibble on the ends. "Oh, you brat." She looked down at Viggo as she walked off
the boat and onto the docks, well on their way to catching up with Gunari.
"Does she do this to you, too?" Viggo yipped once before trotting ahead to
walk along side Gunari. Sasha, not to be left behind, ran to play with the two
dogs, half-tackling Viggo in his haste.
Fifi made an irritated sound and Naeva nodded. "Boys, am I right?" The Chow
nipped at Naeva's hair again and the woman sighed. "Dogs," she said as they
approached the cool pool. "Bigger drama queens than cats, I swear."
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
An Unexpected Visitor
"Miss Illieva," a man called from outside Seraphina's front door. "Miss
Illieva, please open the door. I told you I would come for you, and that I'd
be counting the minutes." A pause and she curled up on the settee in the
entryway, her arms wrapped around her legs as she hugged them to her chest.
"It's been a little over 150,000 minutes. I am a man of my word, see?"
"Go away!" the woman shouted before hiding her face against her knees.
She started when a loud crash sounded from the door. "Your wards are
terrible," Vittorio yelled and there was another crash, the door shaking
violently.
"Shut up!" she cried, her face still buried against her legs. "Go away..."
A third crash and she whimpered loudly as the door was blasted open.
Vittorio tutted, pausing to dust plaster and sawdust from his jacket just
inside the foyer. "You are terribly impolite, Miss Illieva." She chanced a
look at him, raising her head just slightly. "However, you are young, still,
so there is plenty of time to break you of these terrible habits." He smiled
at her, friendliness nowhere to be found on his features. He was the predator
and she was the prey and she had made this so easy, just sitting on that silly
little settee.
She smelled his wickedness, his sense of tainted triumph, and she hid her face
again. The full moon was three days away and she could smell everything, from
what he'd had for breakfast to the blood of the last person he'd killed. She
could smell the hatred he felt towards her, the lust, the irritation, all of
it. He smelled of everything except happiness and it was too much for her.
"I don't want to work for you," she half-sobbed, still hiding. "Please go
away." The man scoffed as he walked to her, stopping once he stood before her
small form.
"Impolite and you don't listen?" He sighed heavily. "Your father chose to
spare the rod, I see." He reached for her, though his hand never met her
flesh. A flash of heat swept through his body and he yelled, jerking away from
Seraphina. "You little wretch!" he yelled at her, cradling his arm with his
uninjured hand.
"I told you to go away!" Seraphina said, looking up at him again. "Obviously
I'm not the only one who doesn't listen, so maybe somebody should have beat
/you/ some more." He snapped something at her in Romanian, his words harsh,
full of malice. "My magic is better than yours," she said, her voice breaking.
"You can't beat this magic."
He scoffed at her. "It's just a stupid little protection spell from a stupid
little girl."
"Yeah, one that's coming from /my/ heart and soul to protect /my/self," she
countered. "It's like you forget what magic I really have, /who/ I got a lot
of it from. Looks like /you're/ the stupid one, now." Seraphina glared at him
as he did the same to her.
"I'll return, and next time your magic won't save you," he said quietly and
she stuck her tongue out at him. Vittorio sneered at her and turned away,
still cradling his arm, and left through the destroyed doorway.
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Nice to Meet You
"Who are you, exactly?" the woman asked, giving Vittorio a very obvious
once-over. He chuckled, a small smile gracing his features. Arianne couldn't
deny that he was a handsome man, though a bit old. Crowsfeet were fairly
evident, though the brightness of the blue of his eyes certainly pulled her
attention away from the wrinkles. She couldn't say she appreciated the
salt-and-pepper color of his hair and beard, but she didn't find it
unattractive, either. This man existed, look-wise, but the sound of his
laugher changed her opinion of him from passive-allowance to mild-appreciation.
"Sorry if that came off a bit rude," she continued, her gray gaze trained on
his face. "I'm not too good when it comes to filters, especially when I'm a
bit distracted."
He continued to smile, the chuckle now more of a true laugh. "How delightful,"
he said, his voice low, yet warm. "A woman who speaks her mind. After all,
filters merely hinder the human experience, wouldn't you agree?"
She shrugged, her arms crossed over her belly and looked around, taking in the
way the sky was fading to a soft purple as the sun set. "Maybe," she admitted,
turning her gaze from the sky, to the nearby apartment buildings, then to him.
"Maybe I'd have more of an answer if I knew your name." Arianne raised a
shoulder in another shrug, her arms squeezing her bosom just so and she
couldn't help the smirk that followed as she saw his gaze shift to her breasts
for the briefest of seconds.
"What's in a name?" Vittorio asked, angling his body towards her, his stance
relaxed. "A rose by any other name would smell as sweet, though not as sweet
as you." Arianne pressed her lips together, trying to keep her smirk from
breaking into a true smile. The blush that colored her cheeks couldn't be
helped, though. She turned her gaze back to Vittorio as he gently touched a
curled finger to the underside of her chin. "Did I say something to upset you,
dear?"
Arianne shook her head and stood a bit straighter. "I'd have let you know if
you had, luv," she countered with a wink. "Does this aura of mystery of yours
have something to do with your expectations of the human experience?"
"Aura of mystery?" he asked, closing the distance between the pair. "I can't
say I've heard that one before. But to answer your question, perhaps. Why can
we not enjoy this meeting, and the company of each other, without any sort of
preconceived notions getting in the way?"
"Are there any that would?"
He chuckled softly, his finger moving from her chin to trace along her jaw.
"How am I to know, since I do not know your name nor do you know mine? For all
I know, however, you could merely have had a bad experience with somebody who
shares my name. I would hate for us to miss out on something beautiful because
of some whelp from your past."
Her eyelids fluttered and she closed her eyes, sighing softly as she felt his
hand rest fully on her neck, the other having found its way to her hip. "They
say power is in a name. Perhaps if I've had poor experiences with one, I will
all..."
"Do you believe that?" he asked, pulling her close so his breath was hot
against her flesh. "Do you believe that with your very soul?" His voice was
quiet and held a tone of danger, or promise, and some part deep within Arianne
loved it.
"Maybe," she purred, tilting her head to expose her neck to him. "What's your
name?"
Vittorio laughed softly. "David," he said as he moved his hand from her neck
to her shoulder. "Or perhaps it is Benjamin." She chuckled as she felt a soft
kiss on her neck. "How about Raymond?" he asked, pressing a kiss to her collar
bone. "Charles?" Another kiss.
"Hmm," she moaned softly, her hands resting on his waist. "Not Charles. I know
of one and he's terrible."
Vittorio kissed along the other side of her neck, now. "Tell me of your
terrible Charles," he whispered against her.
"A wicked man," she answered, a bit breathless. "Tormented my family, but he-"
A soft gasp as he took both of her wrists in hand and held them behind her
back. "--he went by so many names. Wainwright. Yonescu, that was ano--" A
groan as he nipped her skin. "--another. Vittorio Yonescu."
He laughed softly, kissing over the bite. "I wouldn't say that man is wicked,"
he said, kissing along her jaw. "I would never call myself wicked. Nor did I
torment your family." Arianne tried to pull back, confusion evident. "You
could say that it was I who was tormented by them." Disgust graced her
features, now, and she struggled against him. It wouldn't help her any,
however. Vittorio had angled himself against her, legs of no use to fight
against him, nor could she free her wrists from his hold. She screamed against
his hand as it covered her mouth and squirmed more fervently, and it only made
Vittorio chuckle once more.
"Perhaps I should have introduced myself as Raymond," he said, pushing her
back until she hit a rough stone wall. "That was what the whores always knew
me as. I dare say you'd fit in well with their little routine." Arianne
ignored him and continued her struggles, trying to twist her body from his.
"Stop that, you little wretch," he hissed against her ear as he backed her
against the cobbled wall of the apartments. His hold on her hands shifted,
releasing them long enough to hold them over her head, the stone scraping
roughly against the delicate flesh of her wrists.
He whispered many things to her, of how he was going to take his time with
her, destroy her slowly, until she was begging him to save her before he
finished completely. She screamed against his hand, but it helped none. He
just continued with his onslaught of words, his voice more gentle with each
syllable. If she hadn't been so frightened and the words hadn't been so
hateful, she would have sworn he was reading her poetry about love. Arianne
was about to bite down on his hand - rather, attempt to for the umpteenth
time - when he started, a pained grunt passing from his lips. "What..." he
said, turning his head to look behind him, only to start again.
"G-get a-away from her," Kezia said, a couple of rocks in her hands. Arianne's
eyes widened and her breath caught. She tried to shake her head as Vittorio
chuckled.
"Hello, Kezia," he purred, pulling Arianne from the wall and holding her in
front of him. Her wrists were still held firm, once again behind her back, and
Vittorio's other arm was tight across her neck. "What a pleasure seeing you
again. I've missed you, you know. You never wrote. Haven't found another love,
have you?"
The gypsy threw another rock, this one passing by his head. "Let- let her go,"
she said, her voice loud, though it wavered. She took a couple of steps
forward, a rock still in hand, and Vittorio tightened his grip on Arianne,
causing the woman to gasp. "This isn't ab-about her. It isn't about a-anyone
but you and m-me."
He chuckled lowly and pulled his arm from Arianne's neck, dragging his hand
across her flesh until he was able to wrap it around her neck. "I love it when
you talk about us, Kezia," he said, his tone mocking. "But maybe this is about
your lovely daughter. She seems much more receptive to my attentions than you
ever were." Arianne whined softly and tried to slip down and away, which
caused Vittorio to tighten his hold.
"Please," she begged. "Let go."
"Do you hear that, Kezia? She sounds just like you did." He laughed again,
though he pushed Arianne from him and she stumbled, falling to her hands and
knees on the road. "Put that stone down, love. You won't hurt anyone with it
except yourself," he taunted, opening his arms as though to embrace Kezia as
he took a couple of steps towards her.
She threw the stone instead and it whipped past Vittorio's head. He snarled at
her and moved to close the distance between himself and Kezia. "Run!" she
yelled, ducking to pick up another loose stone. "I said run, girl!" Vittorio
was on her, now, and Kezia held the stone tight, twisting to get out of
Vittorio's hold, only to swing at him. He grunted as the stone struck the back
of his head, but her actions allowed him to grab at her arms and the pair
struggled, she to be free and he to hold her close.
Arianne watched from her place on the ground, and though she felt that her
voice was raw from shouting and screaming, she didn't know what she had said
or was currently saying. The rock fell from Kezia's grasp and Arianne finally
moved, scrambling to her feet. She had no intention on running, though. Eitri
wouldn't run, nor would Ransom, or Mikkel. They'd help, and though she had
every intention of doing just that, she'd never get the chance. Before she
could take her first step toward them, Vittorio cried out and both he and
Kezia ceased all movement.
"You sly thing," he said softly, smirking at the gypsy as she stared in horror
at the bloody dagger she held. "Using my own blade against me." A hand went to
his stomach, blood quickly staining his skin.
"I..." Kezia choked out, slowly backing away, the blade still held tightly in
blood-covered hands of her own. Vittorio laughed weakly and swallowed, his
skin pale.
"You..." he smiled at her and he fell to his knees. "It's deep. Deadly little
Kezia." His voice was barely audible, now, and Kezia fell to her knees as
well. "Wouldn't... wouldn't have figured you had it... had it in you..." He
sank back, legs still folded beneath him as his back hit the ground.
Both women watched as his chest heaved for several seconds before he ceased
moving at all. "Go," Kezia whispered, finally letting go of the dagger as she
stared at Vittorio's still form. "Get your father, Arianne."
"Mom, you nee--"
"Now, Arianne!"
And Arianne ran, hating herself for leaving her mother behind without a
backwards glance.
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