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Post by Seya. on Jan 4, 2010 19:42:30 GMT -5
Her legs ached.
Lark had not stopped running since she left Salvation at the oceanside, fleeing from what could have ended rather badly. Taint, she thought. Centuries she had fought to keep the demon lady's spirit at bay so that between her and Nitchu, there would be no bloodshed. Centuries of fighting against the goddess-- and now, as not much more than a figment of memory, how was she able to break the mental barrier?
You're starting to see how I see, was the soundless reply. You want to hear me. You understand how I think.
"But I don't!" Lark wailed, coming to a complete stop, and tripping over her feet until her knees slapped painfully against the frigid, frost-hardened earth. She couldn't afford a gasp of pain through the heavy breathing. "It just.. wasn't right.."
It wasn't right for them to cast my sins away. Look around you.
Lark did so, obediently. At first her eyes set on the darkened, blackened trees, dead a long time ago, now covered with a soft blanket of snow. She frowned, shaking her head, until a sudden ripple of warmth spread from her fingers. A circle of melt expanded around her like a bubble, and as it touched the frost-covered landscape around her, she gasped.
The grass, dead as it was, was stained in places with deep red. Just beyond the trees she could see the faint outlines of stone, jutting out unnaturally from anything else. What would once have been a regal, strong gray now appeared little more than heaps of charred rock, broken off at every angle.
In awe and shock, the fire-haired human pushed herself back up to her feet. Dread swept over her with realization; the ruin and wreck went on for a great distance, as if it had formed a massive building once upon a time. This site was familiar. This site, though worn through seasons, is what she had woken up to three years ago.
"Your Empire..." she whispered. She knew Taint would have been able to hear her even if the train of thought hadn't been out loud; being able to hear it in her own voice just seemed to be a little more of a confirmation. "This was it?"
There was a few moments of silence where Lark could imagine her parallel spirit seeing her former home through these new eyes. As the idea crossed her mind, a stream of pictures flooded before her consciousness; the broken stone together again, a castle majestic and almost eerie in the way it was surrounded by a dim, calming light. Trees ages old towering up alongside the walls, protecting and hiding the sins' secret from the rest of the world. Those would be the same trees that now littered the ground on all sides of her.
Yes, Taint whispered, the mind-voice she spoke almost tired and pained. this was our home.
All at once Lark's awe drowned in despair, and then re-shaped itself as a vicious variant of rage. It wouldn't have been her own emotions that caused it, but she agreed with the goddess' view. It just wasn't fair. She had been trying to protect them! Images of two people jumped before her eyes; a brown-haired, beautiful female with downcast eyes, and a much taller man whose pale face was framed by a dark cloak. Her memories--or were they Taint's?--screamed to recall the names.
A rushed sob caught in Elarkashaye's throat, surprising her. She raised a hand to her face and found tears having tracked down her cheeks and neck. "I'm sorry," the girl said, both spirits talking in unison. The meanings crossed and intertwined, but both spoke freely of their pain.
Bring them back, Taint murmured. Bring me back. The voice went silent, and once again, Lark knew she was alone in her mind.
She remained standing, staring at the stones, mind blank.
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Post by Ariadne on Jan 7, 2010 18:38:48 GMT -5
The snow crunched beneath boot clad feet with every step. The wind raced by on its southward journey and the girl drew her fur-hemmed hood closer. She paused, her eyes searching the horizon. It was here. She knew it was here. But perhaps her mind had tricked her, it had been years after all, but... could she really not even remember where her home had once been? She'd spent hours in those grand halls of stone, bathed in moonlight, laughing in the darkness, waking her old friend. She dared not think about her friends as such, for friends did not betray each other the way they had done to her. And yet she came back.
Your eyes do not deceive you, Lust a rumbling purr voiced from behind her. The sleek black panther came to stand beside her where she'd stopped.
"It's just a bit further," she explained.
No. The deep male's voice paused to let the woman at his side take in what he was saying. "The Empire is right here."
The wind blew her hood from her face and whipped her cheeks with ice, and she blinked. She could see it. A stumbling step forward and she caught herself with her other foot. It couldn't be. It had been beautiful once, it had been magnificent. It had been all powerful and impenetrable. But whatever it was, it was no longer. The old halls she'd laughed in so many nights were nothing more than snow covered stones. The walls she'd known reduced to rubble and ash.
Lust, the voice persisted, They're not here. Come, we should move on. Dawn approaches.
She shook her head, refusing to believe what was before her eyes. "How could they have let this happen?" she wondered aloud. "She trusted you!" she screamed to the cold. "She trusted you with everything and this is how you repay her!"
Lust. The cat rubbed his back along her leg, comforting her. They've moved on, so must we.
"No, Jakara," she whispered. "There must be someone here. They would not have abandoned the Empire so freely."
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Post by Seya. on Jan 7, 2010 20:42:42 GMT -5
She tilted her head only slightly when she heard a female voice, somewhat angered, in the brush not far from where she quietly stood.
"No, Jakara. There must be someone here. They would not have abandoned the Empire so freely."[/i]
Blinking slightly, Lark registered the words. Only... a select few she remembered called this place the Empire as Taint did. Certainly no humans. And what would a virtue have business here for? The thought, for all it would do, angered the redheaded human slightly. She glanced in the direction of the voice, and started towards it, bristling.
What was she supposed to say? She wasn't Taint, and nothing here was hers. There wasn't really anything here left to be Taint's either, really... so what did she feel so goddamn protective for, really? Finally, the onlooker came into view; fiery hair even brighter than her own. Had Salvation chased her here?
No... no. The face, even from a distance, was clearly not her virtue acquaintance. Wrapped in a cloak with a pained expression, Lark found that this girl's face was vaguely stamped into her memory. No name came to mind. She gave off the same aura as the virtues... but why was she looking so forlorn at the ruins of the castle she helped to destroy?
"Hey," Lark snapped, possibly a bit more sharply than she had intended. If this lady had some kind of power, getting into a fight was the last thing she wanted. Nor was the human oblivious to the small, dark cat brushing along his master's leg. Surely an immortal. Elarkashaye stumbled in her anxiety. "Hey, what're you doin' here?"
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Post by Ariadne on Jan 7, 2010 20:53:37 GMT -5
A voice in the distance caught Lust's attention. A female figure emerged from the snow alone. Short hair swirled in the wind as she strode towards her. The voice was familiar, as was the silhouette. Could it possibly be? "Taint," she whispered and stepped towards the girl. But she stopped herself short. The girl had red hair, not silver, and was missing the marks of her deceased Empress. This was not the woman she had vowed to serve. And she was not a sin she recognized either.
Easy Jakara warned.
Lust stopped her approach. If nothing else this woman could serve to fill in the gaps. Like why the Empire was destroyed and abandoned. She folded her arms over her chest. "Who are you?" she demanded, despite Jakara's advice.
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Post by Seya. on Jan 7, 2010 21:03:31 GMT -5
Lark frowned, taken aback by the other female's hostility. "Tha's no way to answer a question. Didn't any'un ever teach ye to respond before asking one of your own?" She huffed slightly, mimicking the arms-over-chest look with a defiant sparkle in her green eyes. "I'm Lark, and you're a virtue. What the hell are you doing here? This place is sacred."
To me, anyways, she thought with a heart-wrenching sigh.
She stared at the other girl for a moment. She hadn't seen a virtue who acted this way since Tach's little outbursts now and then. And, really, who among them didn't know her? Lately she had been chained to Purity's side. She had met most of the newer ones, give or take a few. "Which one of 'em are you, anyways?" Surely she'd understand the question.
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Post by Ariadne on Jan 7, 2010 21:13:09 GMT -5
Lust smirked at the woman's ignorance, but was inwardly insulted. She was once one of the greatest Sins to grace these now deadened halls.
"Virtue," she sneered, spitting the word as though it were venom. "I take it they did this?" she gestered to the snow-covered wreckage around her. She focussed her eyes on the burning green irises of Lark. She did bare an eery resemblance to her Empress. Perhaps it was that resemblance that led her to divulge her identity. "I am no Virtue," she said her voice void of the hatred it had previously held. "I was a Sin, " when that meant anything, she mentally added. "They called me Lust."
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Post by Seya. on Jan 7, 2010 21:20:54 GMT -5
Lark didn't react for a moment as the words, once again, took a few moments to properly sink in. Then she inhaled. She had stopped breathing.
Taint, where are you?! she thought as vividly as she could.
"Lust..." she whispered, knowing the name had clearly been said by her own lips before. "You... why are you back now? It's... it's not safe, the war, I..." her eyes widened, and as the moonlight hit them they almost seemed to lighten into a vibrant, luminescent green. She took a step forwards into a patch of light given by the trees, and for a few precious moments, her hair shone white-silver. "You weren't there, were you?.." Lark's voice, soft and pained once again, trailed off. "You weren't at the war."
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Post by Ariadne on Jan 7, 2010 21:27:34 GMT -5
"You didn't choose me. You didn't want me." She cut herself off. Though this woman suddenly looked like Taint in the moonlight she knew it wasn't so. "I didn't know about...a war..."
Suddenly pieces began to fall together. With Taint gone, the Virtues would have surely seized the opportunity to attack the Sins at their weakest moment. They would have all come, and done... this. And she hadn't been there. The walls had been broken, her home burned, she wasn't even sure who survived...or where they went. She looked around her. This wasn't just ruins...it was a graveyard.
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Post by Seya. on Jan 7, 2010 21:37:43 GMT -5
As the other girl looked around, Lark could feel her realization dawning. From the look on Lust's face, even the slightest movements, she could pick out a thousand emotions. "The Sins," she murmured, "They escaped. There were only a small number of casualties on your side." How much should she really be telling this lady? Clearly she must have left before everything had happened.... but why?
"I dunno if'ya know... the new Emperor an' Empress. They're not really, y'know, on par with T-Tain.." she choked on the name, grabbing her throat. If something was preventing her words, it meant there were virtues around in the area. Her conscious trusted Lust's words--that was good, she supposed, although said conscious seemed a bit on edge lately. That could only mean another was approaching.
She stepped closer to Lust, eying the surrounding bushes suspiciously.ooc: Honesty and Restraint are supposed to be joining us soon, I believe. 
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Post by Ariadne on Jan 7, 2010 21:45:38 GMT -5
Lust eyed Lark suspiciously as she stepped closer to her. They escaped. In a way she was relieved. She wouldn't have been able to forgive herself for being angry for so long if they had died. But if Gea was alive and well, she could be as angry as wanted guilt-free. And as far as them not communicating directly with Taint - well, she had no trouble admitting that it greatly satisfied her to hear that.
Still, the other woman's proximity troubled her. Only a moment ago she had refused to trust her, accused her of being a Virtue, a philthy heretic, now she seemed almost to look to her for...something. Something else nagged at her as well - the woman's shifting speech and appearance, as if there were two people inside of her.
Lust scanned the bushes where Lark was looking. She could see something, but thought she felt Jakara tense beside her. She looked down at her consort, edgy as if before a battle.
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Post by Kal Skirata on Jan 7, 2010 21:56:53 GMT -5
Restraint had been looked around the ruins for about an hour when he hear voices coming from in front of him. He signaled for Nohar to stop. Restraint could hear the strangers talking
"I'm Lark, and you're a virtue. What the hell are you doing here? This place is sacred." the red slender red head responded to a question Restraint had not heard.
"Virtue," the other sneered "I take it they did this?."
Restraint thought that it was odd that a group such as the virtues would do this, but he remained open. For he had no idea of the past and knew it was best to learn more before acting
"I am no Virtue," the other continued "I was a Sin, they called me Lust."
Restraint was shocked. He had not expected to actually find one of the Sins this close to the Virtues home. Nohar could see the surprise on Restraints face and decided that he should offer some advice. Wait and listen friend. You will learn more by simply listening than revealing yourself now. Restraint knelt to the ground and waited for the conversation to continue.
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Post by Zee ♥ on Jan 7, 2010 22:58:58 GMT -5
Honesty came to an abrupt stop when he saw Restraint grow still. Voices drifted, and he heard two females conversing. One sounded suspiciously like Lark, whilst the other he could not recognize. He felt the other's aura, though. Sin. Fey grew still at his side, then tugged him to hide behind one of the crumbled ruins.
Why would a Sin be here?[/i] Fey wondered, sharing his own thoughts with Honesty. He shrugged, but listened anyway. They mentioned a war. It had happened here. With who? The Sins and Virtues? That can't be. I don't remember anything.. besides.. this. Honesty thought, grasping his right arm. He could still move it, but he had lost all dexterity and sense of feeling in his fingers. He grew quiet. Should he call Purity?
Not now.[/color]
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Post by Seya. on Jan 7, 2010 23:56:46 GMT -5
Immediately, Lark could feel the presence of others in the air. So close to the feeling she was getting from Lust... and yet yes, she could tell the difference. "Virtue," she called. She saw just barely through the snow, a goat.
"I see the goat," she pointed out dully. "You're one of the newer virtues. Come here, why don't you? I don't bite, just ask Purity."
She wasn't making any promises for Lust.ooc; short, I know, but it gets to the point.
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Post by Ariadne on Jan 8, 2010 8:36:28 GMT -5
Lust let her whip uncoil beside her, holding the handle tightly. Her knuckles whitened from the tension. Jakara poised himself ready to pounce. The Virtues had taken her home. They would repay their debt. She saw the goat that Lark had pointed out and saw a brush of body movement. Men.
The question of Lark's true identity would have to wait, for now at least she would be an ally. If nothing else the mysterious woman considered her home to be sacred.
She opened her mouth to speak, to draw them out, make them want her, but her voice faltered. The power she had been accustomed to controling flawlessly seemed to crack and falter. Something was terribly wrong, and whatever it was was preventing her from summoning her skills at will. Frustrated she attempted to feel the ebb of the magick that granted her her power. She felt it enter and leave her body. Then she spoke, not in control, but taking advantage of the timing.
"Come on out boys," it was all she could manage without losing her edge once more. Nervously she altered the whip's shape behind her back, at least that had gone unchanged. It coiled long and slender and black as ebony behind her back. No, she wouldn't bite.
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Post by Kal Skirata on Jan 8, 2010 18:07:17 GMT -5
OOC: Sorry if this is terrible. I'm kinda in the middle of some stuff.
Restraint froze. We have been seen, I would suggest setting down your weapon at the edge of the bushes and raising your hands. Restraint did as Nohar suggested and set the weapon down and came out of the bushes.
"Do not worry I do not come looking for a fight, only information." he said in a calm steady tone. He knelt to one knee and said in the same tone "My name is Restraint, I am of the Virtues but I am currently of uncertain allegiance. Depending on what I learn here today this may change".
OOC: For the record the plan for Restraint is for him to change sides. I didn't want to ruin the surprise but I figured it was best for his health to mention it.
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