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 Posted: Wed Feb 22, 2012 2:24 am
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Posted: Wed Feb 22, 2012 2:25 am
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Posted: Wed Feb 22, 2012 2:25 am
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Posted: Wed Feb 22, 2012 2:26 am
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Posted: Wed Feb 22, 2012 2:27 am
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Posted: Wed Feb 22, 2012 2:28 am
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Posted: Fri Mar 23, 2012 5:18 am
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Posted: Fri Mar 23, 2012 5:37 am
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Posted: Tue Mar 27, 2012 12:43 am
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Posted: Tue Mar 27, 2012 12:44 am
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Posted: Wed Apr 25, 2012 10:08 pm
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Posted: Wed Apr 25, 2012 10:21 pm
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The door opened a creak, but as far as Andeon could see, nobody entered. He had been sitting on the floor, in lotus position, when the creak made him stir. Both eyes flickered open at once, but they remained foggy and disinterested as he used only an ounce of his subconscious to see. The rest was still firmly integrated into the hive, downloading the latest in news, gossip, and most importantly, orders. But the splash of color that caught his attention near his feet made him slowly pull away, choosing to focus more on what was in front of him than the hive. There was a cthulhu at his feet, wrapping it's face tentacles around his exposed flesh. Andeon bent forward, lifted one hand, and slapped Cam away - leaving the minipet to splatter noisily against the adjacent wall.
She's not here, you hornball. Andeon muttered quietly. She went out hunting. If you hurry, you could -
Cam peeled itself off the wall, and returned to slobbering all over Andeon's foot. The Illithid growled in annoyance, but the noise cut off rather abruptly. He glared at the creature for a moment, before kicking it away and standing in one fluid motion. He left his dorm quickly, wiping his wet foot on the carpet on his way out.
Cam followed.
When he reached the main hall, the window at the end looked out into the dark night, with a perfect view of the grounds. The students returned from that trip to the Horseman Isles that he'd declined to have anything to do with, and they were all being ushered forcefully into the gym. Leaving the opposite way was a group of bogeymen, rolling off a bright white statue.
Cam returned to marking Andeon as it's owner-pet, slobbering disgustingly against his ankle. This time, Andeon ignored the creature, and stood at the window to watch as she was taken away.
You stupid, stupid child. Andeon's brow arched deeply as he focused every ounce of his power into finding her subconscious, and virtually stabbing it with his thought. What have you let them do to you now?
He waited.
Aen'ryliis.
He waited once more.
Aen'ryliis, you vile, putrid betrayer, I demand you answer me at once, or I will tell them everything.
The only thing that answered his threats was the chill of silence. His brow smoothed out, and a spark of something unnatural panged within.
Annie. He whispered. Please.
Cam let out a low, mournful keen, once he was done marking Andeon as his own.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"I love it when you make me hit you."
Riley wiped the blood off her tentacles, and continued to pace the mindflayer in front of her. He'd just landed a blow that forced one of her eyes closed with the swelling, and the hole of her mouth underneath her tentacles dripped with blood. She looked an absolute wreck, but it only made her seem more dangerous. And yet, Andeon didn't seem very worried.
"Are you going to dance around me all day or -"
A tentacle stopped him from speaking as it choked him, sliding right through his mouth, past his teeth too fast for them to bite down, and up the cavity of his nose. It stopped a mere inch before his brain, and poked his skull before pulling back out again.
"You're dead." She announced smugly. "And I love it when you give me an opening." She was rewarded with a vicious pounce, a twist and roll, until she was flat on her back and pinned to the ground. She didn't fight; she didn't have to. She'd won the spar, and he was just taking out his frustration in aggression as usual. She just laughed up at him, those eyes bending up into crescents as he considered strangling her there on the ground. His hands itched to reach up, wrap around that slender, perfect neck, and just squeeze..
"Andy." Her voice broke him out of his reverie of staring at her neck, and he looked up at her eyes. They were no longer crescented, and she was no longer laughing. He rolled off of her and up to his feet in the same move, brushing himself off in disgust. "You can't always go for the easy kill. I could have bitten your tentacle off."
"But you didn't."
"But I didn't."
"So what makes you think -"
He stopped her with just a look, piercing her deep. "But I didn't."
She rolled her eyes, and sauntered by him, smacking him on the forehead as she passed. "You think you're something special, don't you, Andy." She deadpanned, not even waiting for an answer as she headed back to training.
"And you think you're untouchable." He hissed after her, taking a few quick strides to catch up. He slowed just before he caught her, however, remaining a few steps behind, and his eyes slid to the side, thinning as they glared at the crowd that had eagerly watched their fight. Those eyes were filled with praise, pride, perhaps a bit of longing. But he saw through the lies, and more often than not, all he could see in them was jealousy. Anger. And bitter contempt.
"But you're not."
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Don't do this." The dragon's voice was filled with such worry, that for a single second, Riley reconsidered.
Why not?
"Because." He tried to sound serious, but there was a definite whine coming through his voice. "I won't be there to catch you when you fall. Please?" Jericho's claws tightened, tensing and relaxing, as he waited through the long moments of silence for her answer. She reached out, and patted her hand affectionately down the length of his neck, and he relaxed. Just as suddenly as he released that single breath he was holding, she released him. The weight on his back disappeared, and he tilted his head down to watch her body fall down past the clouds as they swallowed her whole; and she disappeared from view.
"RILEY!" The dragon roared as he snapped his wings tight against his body, and streamlined himself into a dive. The wind whipped around him as he fell, but as soon as he passed through the clouds, he could tell he would never catch up with her. She fell like a stone, getting smaller and smaller even as he struggled to get closer. The ground came at them quite suddenly, and before he could react, he squinted away from the flash of light.
Jericho's wings flared around him, and he grimaced with the strain of trying to pull out of his dive. Even as he tried to save himself, he looked for her, and saw the glow of iridescence almost a half a mile away, as she struggled to right herself. She'd blown her wings out, and they were fluttering awkwardly in the wind as she struggled. Finally, she swiveled in the air after a spectacular failure, and slammed into the leaves of a tree. It sent her head over heels, and she let out a yelp as she fell through the tree, hovered past it upside down, zipped up into the air several feet like a frightened bug, and then came crashing down headfirst. It was by sheer luck that her head met with the freezing cold water of a lake, rather than the ground nearby.
Jericho met with several trees on his way down, but their fate was worse than his, and he finally picked up the wind again and flew to the lake. He landed with a loud splash, diving in and searching immediately, but when his head ducked under the water, all he could see was her kicking legs.
That was amazing. An exhilarated thought entered his head, and he lifted it up out of the lake to stare at the mindflayer treading water. Her tentacles were cut and bruised, her arms were shredded with nicks from the tree, and her clothing looked absolutely ruined. If she could have smiled, it was clear her face would be split with one.
"Are you INSANE?" Jericho asked, treading until he reached solid ground, and shaking the water off his body. She dipped back under the water as the sheet of droplets he expelled came for her, and then swam for shore herself. A little. Aren't we both? She answered as she climbed to shore, inspecting the scraps of cloth that tore open, revealing a body almost completely covered in grey. He huffed, little swirls of smoke coming from his nostrils, and waited until she walked up to him, before nuzzling his muzzle against her body. The Insanity did not make him sad, anymore. It was just one more thing they shared, together. Even if it meant they were in a lot of trouble, he knew they'd handle it together.
"You know what I mean." He grumbled with reluctant affection, a low purr in his voice. "You weren't ready for that. We haven't practiced, and your wings! You can't just go jumping off dragons whenever you want to, Riley."
And why is that?
"Well." He hesitated, trying to think of a good response. "I'd rather be best friends with someone alive, for one. And not some splatter on the floor."
She chuckled, and a warm, comforted feeling passed over him. All right. I will attempt to remain in one piece. That is all I can promise. Though, for the record.. Jericho?
His eyes had closed, so when she spoke his name, it was for his attention. He blinked open his eyes and lifted his giant head, bumping it against her body. "Yeah?"
Her eyes turned up in crescents, and she scritched under his muzzle. You were wrong. She whispered. I know you'll always catch me when I fall.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"At times, I must wonder if perhaps everything you think about yourself is a lie."
Riley had to stop when she heard Malodore say that to her, and she turned away from the list she'd been writing for Junko, and stared openly at the plague doctor behind her. It took her a minute to really accept that it had just called her a liar, but after the minute had passed, she simply questioned it.
What?
It chuckled at the surprise in her face, and reached out to squeeze her hand as it rested frozen on the desk. "Calma, mia cara. I only meant that there is so much more to you than I think you can see for yourself. Here you sit, spending all of your time and resources to create this entire event for others, and to celebrate a day of love, and yet you tell me you knew nothing of the emotion. It strikes me as amusing, that is all."
She put her pen down and pushed her seat back, standing so she could face Malodore. Her arms slid around it's lithe body, settling it firmly against her, and her eyes lidded heavily. Then it should be easy for you to realize that I do not lie. I knew nothing of love, friendship, camaradrie, before this place. It may be unfamiliar to me, but if you see a change in me, that is only because of what others have done to me while I was here. Her face leaned in, brushing the flat plane of her skin down against the length of it's beak. If I know love, it is only because you have loved me so much, that I am loathe to live without it. My desire for you is fueled directly by the influence of your irresistability. She pulled away, and faced it eye to eye. Can't you see that?
Malodore shook it's head, and it's beak opened just slightly in amusement. "And that is where I think you are wrong, mia cara." It had to pause as she let out a mock gasp and tickled her hands against it's sides, whispering empty threats of how dare it say she was wrong about anything, but soon it continued. "There could not have been any chance for us, if there was no spark ready to ignite in your heart from birth. You wanted to love, you simply did not have the chance yet."
She pondered it's words for a moment, a vague flickering of sadness passing across her eyes before it disappeared. Malodore saw it, but said nothing. There could be no telling what mysteries lied buried deep within Riley's conscious, even for it. Besides, she was already smiling again, her eyes lifted up like half moons as she gazed upon the plague doctor with open affection. I'm glad you were the only one to ignite that spark. She whispered, as her hands lifted up to play along the length of it's neck. Malodore reached up as well, but it's claws wrapped around her hands, pulling them away. It shook it's head in disagreement, and her heart panged with sudden worry.
"You are wrong again, mia cara." Malodore whispered, very carefully, as it leaned in and pressed it's beak against her ear. "So many others have ignited that spark in you. Jericho, Junko, Christof, Amrita, countless others have shown you for what you are, and there is no denying the truth."
Her head tilted just slightly away, as she stared down at the wall, unseeing. There was a fear in her eyes, but it could not see them, positioned as it was. And that is? She hated to even ask, but Malodore nipped her ear with it's beak and chuckled.
"Loved." It replied. "And loving, in return."
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The bogeymen had left, the grounds had been cleared of students, the horsemen had left to find their new homes, and the sky was a dark, dark blue. Even the moon seemed to dull in the wake of so much tragedy, suffering, and loss. But Andeon had remained at the window, glaring hatefully out at the school, disgusted with all that he saw. He hadn't noticed when Idjit had returned from her hunt, but when she did, she merely took his other side, as if somehow she already knew. There was a shadow cast on his face, unnatural in presence, and growing darker by the second. This pitiful school had once been in her sights, her main focus, her area of conquest. It was nothing compared to the true goal, and yet, it had consumed her.
You did this. His voice, his thoughts, reached out to no one, and everyone at once. Though no one could hear it, the feeling would remain etched in the hearts of mourners. The blame would remain with them.
You killed her. The dragon with his pompous stupidity. The doctor with it's intellectual allure. The slave, the child, even the little whelps that simply followed her word for no reason other than some sickening bond they labeled as friendship. He spat, an audible sound that came from his tentacles, before his eyes thinned in bubbling hate. Is this what you wanted, Aen'ryliis? Did you want to become one of them? To die like a pawn, ready to be placed on your chess board? Are you happy now, Aen'ryliis?
Cam looked up at the mindflayer, making a tiny sound of discontent. Dead she might be, but it did not appreciate the callousness of its new owner as he spoke of the old. Andeon ignored it, and he ignored his own hatred, as well. He turned away from the window, and headed back to his room to pack up what little he had of belongings. There was no reason to stay, anymore. His job here was done, and he couldn't even bother to stay angry at the mindless drones that continued to mill about the school. He might have blamed them all for this, but the truth was, he knew it didn't really matter.
His Annie had died a long, long time ago. |
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Posted: Wed Apr 25, 2012 10:23 pm
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You are everything to me. She countered. Despite the thousands of voices I have lived with in my head, yours is the only one that has taken my loneliness. Before you, there was nothing. And without you, there would be nothing.
She pressed her head back on the pillow, and closed her eyes. The only thing in this world with the power to hurt me now, is you. She opened one eye, and eyed it impishly. So don't.
"I shall make it my life's work," Malodore said, solemnly, pressing its forehead against hers. "E mi fido di te, tresorina. We will have our way, and no one will tell us no. Have we not already come this far?" There was a smile in its voice.
Malodore's words were exactly what she wanted to hear. We have. She murmured, snuggling it against her as she returned to it's mind, settling there happily once more. Together, we are unstoppable.
"Then let us not stop," Malodore said, simply, and pulled her as close as she could possibly be.
It was enough.
-Fin-
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Posted: Sat Jun 23, 2012 12:46 pm
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Posted: Sat Jun 23, 2012 12:48 pm
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