{cσιиcιםєитℓч cυяισυs} CLOSED

[HandsomeStanly]

Lucia

If I won't do the 'stupid' thing, who else will!?

Lucia was watching the two women and beast examine each other, she wondered what was meant by the priestess's sight. She didn't dwell on it though just intreaged by the building its self, it was so beautiful, but when she heard Aurora request her attenion, she jumped a little getting a little shy once more,
"L-Lucia." she blurted out and then started to blush more kneeding at the fabric of her robes, "I-I mean, My name, its Lucia miss," she sighed. She was doing it again, making a fool of herself, she hoped Aurora wouldn't remember the first time at least,
"I," she took a breath and looked up timidly, "I don't want to waste you or your companions time... b-but, ever since I was a child I found Magic fascinating..." she mumbled, "A-And, I've been practicing it on my own for quite some time to no avail, and you see I have very little money, to travel the world and learn these things," she was somewhat babbling now, "I-I don't want to waste your time," she repeated sighing, "b-but I was wondering if maybe... I could learn? A-And some day travel the world like you and your companions," she sounded a little more confident at the last part, because simply it was something she felt passionately about, even if she wasn't the best at addressing new situations, she always knew since she was a child, she longed for a bigger world.  

[Moonlight Jewelry Anon]

Sylvietta

☆═━┈┈━═☆

Nu

Sylvietta gave Kiara a once-over, eyeing her up and down; she could easily sense the sudden pulse of lust, and a soft gulp formed in her throat from it. Immediately she hugged herself, slightly uncomfortable already, but more than willing to push through the situation if it meant being oriented in the town. After all, this shapeshifting beauty could turn out to become a good friend, once she actually got her bearings. After another apprehensive gulp, she nodded and stepped close enough to take hold of Kiara's arm. "Thank you, Madame; It's been a pleasure to meet you all. Marala guide you." she turned after the well-wishing and walked alongside Kiara, keeping her arm grasped tight. As soon as they were outside the door, she gently closed it, bowing again so her head hung low before turning to the shapeshifter; now she was the only glowing beacon of something close to typical for as far as she could see, the world thrown into stark contrast as the murky wasteland she saw it as now that there was something so beautiful in it. She slid her fingers over her own stomach, tracing the shape of a horn in her own skin "Malara protect you, Kiara; you have far more bravery than I to go out looking the way you do, especially with the light of lust shining upon you." She spoke in soft tones, keeping the conversation hushed between the two women.

 

[Jaques Faizon]

♪ ♫ ♪ ♬ ♩ Aurora St. Cole ♪ ♫ ♪ ♬ ♩
Without music, life would be a mistake. --Nietzsche

"Lucia, hmm...that name sounds vaguely familiar...," Aurora pondered to herself.

Her vision momentarily traveled as the bard watched her companion leave the house arm-in-arm with the priestess. A heavy sigh creeped out, but Aurora supressed the urge by turning her attention back to Lucia. The second request of studying magic stunned the bard. Many people traveled to Rine in search of the legendary familiars, but few ever had the nerve to ask for an apprenticeship. Aurora smiled, but thought deep down that her own personal magics only came through music. If anything, the only other being with powers that Lucia spoke of was--

"Al'Kristen," the bard said. Aurora turned towards the well-aged heroine. Even though she was looking at Kristen, Aurora still spoke to Lucia. "Kristen is the only one among us all who is most in-tune with her powers. If you would request tutoring from any of us, you should consider inquiring to her. It's ultimately her decision, not mine." Aurora turned back to Lucia. "And you're not wasting anyone's time. The day is young, time is surplus now."

Aurora turned to face Kristen and sauntered up beside her, their arms rubbing briefly as the bard stood next to her. "Have fun," Aurora whispered into Kristen's ear. With that, Aurora traced her fingers across Kristen's lower back and headed back down the hallway after excusing herself from both women. She stepped over Kahlua who was still sleeping heavily and went to her stack of crates. She picked up her pan pipes and piccolo and sat on the edge of the bed to clean and polish them both. She felt happy today, and it called for happy-sounding music.

Ostensibly Outspoken Creature:

 

[RealSilverDragon]

"The greatest healing therapy is friendship and love."
- Hubert H. Humphrey

Ӄɩɑɾɑ Ʌȿɦϵɳ
"Salutations, friend."

The priestess grabbed her arm tight and didn't let go. She felt her nuzzle into her side too. "Malara protect you, Kiara; you have far more bravery than I to go out looking the way you do, especially with the light of lust shining upon you," Sylvietta said softly.

"The light of lust?" Kiara purred in amusement. "It's no more lustful than years ago when we were attired in lioncloths and leather throngs. Mine just happens to be...sheer."

They approached a narrow, dirt footpath that curved with the hills and slopes. All around them were fields of crops: corn, wheat, barley, a pumpkin patch, and wide open pastures for the grazing animals. Straight down the path ahead of them, some few hundred yards away, was the village outskirts. Inside of the outskirts were the wards, the open air market, and some houses. In the direct center of town were two water wells that many of the residents loiter during the light hours.

The walk down the path was relatively uneventful, aside from halting for a few moments so that a farmer could herd his cattle into a nearby pasture. Some of the cows moved by Kiara quickly, as they smelled her beastly pheremones and became frightened. When the two healers approached the wards, Kiara didn't see any damage at a first glance, but she was sure Kris would find something wrong with them. A few patrons bowed their heads respectfully as Kiara walked past, and once they approached the market, more people stopped, bowed their heads, then continued on with their daily goings-on.

"Praise Kiara," some of them had said.
"By Kiara's healing hand," others praised. But Kiara's face remained stoical.
"Welcome to town," Kiara said to the priestess.  

[Mort Faux]

‡ Al'Kristen 'Kris' Jelmoraine ‡
The Horned Lion

Al'Kristen held her soft smile for Kiara and the priestess as they left, though gave no other indication of their departure apart from a slow nod of farewell to them. When Aurora introduced the horned woman to Lucia, she held the bard's gaze for a moment before turning to the girl who had joined them, keeping her countenance set in her neutral, diplomatic smile, giving another small nod when Aurora mentioned her being the most in tune... "I would think it is your spells which are most 'in tune', Aurora the Bardess." Her lips turned up in a small flash of a grin before returning to her smile. When Aurora went to leave, Kristen's body more reacted then she did, her head leaning to brush her cheek more against the bard's, her hand managing a slight caress to Aurora's side, and her tail entwining around one of Aurora's legs as she turned to leave. "Very well..."

"Now..." After Aurora had left, Kris stood slowly from her chair, her height more than a little imposing with her bearing that of a strong queen, though her robes were simple and her surroundings homely. "I have no qualms about teaching the arcane nature of magic to those who seek it, but my spells are old, powerful, and unforgiving." Her expression had changed in a subtle way, though her eyes still remained half lidded, her lips in a small smile, but something in the nature of her words and stature was more pressing, akin to that of a schoolmaster reviewing a student's work, critical and slightly judgmental. "If you wish to learn the art from me, you cannot be of faint heart. Ye who are not afraid, speak, and show me that you will remain steadfast, or the arcane will devour you. The magics shown by wizards and sorcerers of today are petty and small. The speak of controlling and capturing magic, they do not know what it is truly capable of when loosed. Aurora." At the last word, speaking the name of the bard, Kris had taken a few steps around the table to call to Aurora from the table, speaking just loud enough to know she would be heard. "You would do well to be in on such lessons too, miss Aurora. And I will be able to demonstrate on the Wards, if you still wish to assist."



 

[Jaques Faizon]

♪ ♫ ♪ ♬ ♩ Aurora St. Cole ♪ ♫ ♪ ♬ ♩
Without music, life would be a mistake. --Nietzsche

Aurora had just brought the pan pipes to her lips when she heard Kristen call for her. It was so like the lioness to call for her the moment she leaves. She slips the piccolo into her tunic and carries the pipes back out to the main living area, once again stepping over the deep-sleeping Kahlua.

"Alright, alright. I'm here. Shall we all venture to the wards then? And there you can be our...demonstrator to magic." Aurora sashayed next to Kristen, swinging her hips seductively, subconsciously luring Kristen in with her womanly wiles. She blew a few high notes in her pipe in a staccato chord making everyone in the room feel a little more energetic.

Aurora took up her mandolin and slung it across her back. She also found her ocarina and tucked it into the other side of her tunic. The last thing she grabbed from a pulpit in the corner of the room was her grandmother's tambourine. With the pipes in one hand, and the tambourine in the other, pat-a-patting on her hip, Aurora made her way to the front door and stepped outside, playing happily and dancing about in circles like an entertaining gypsy.

"I'm ready to go out to town, my love. Shall we proceed?" Aurora called through the open doorway to Kristen. As she continued to play happy tunes, the bard herself began to feel ecstatic, energized, and ready to help in any way she could. It was going to be a good day.

Ostensibly Outspoken Creature: After awhile, I'm going to start thinking Kahlua is in a coma lol. We need someone to play her!

 

[Moonlight Jewelry Anon]

Sylvietta

☆═━┈┈━═☆

Nu

Her arms holding tight against her, Sylvietta kept her body pressed against Kiara's as they walked through the village; not so much out of affection, but because she was her island of regularity at the moment. She blushed lightly as the villagers bowed for Kiara, praising her, ignoring the occasional jealous stares she herself received for having the privilege of being so close to Kiara, much less touching her. She pulled away from her, relaxing for a moment in the open road; looking up, the clouds were stained through with red, the sun a dark pit in the sky casting brilliant light across the world. She hugged herself lightly, sighing after a few moments "What a morning. I'm sure it's beautiful, actually." She turned and bowed to Kiara "Please, forgive me. What is your duty around town, Madame; healing, correct?" She breathed lightly and let her mind start to focus, the world around her seeming to blur out of existence, her eyes hooding slightly. She calmed down and slipped into half-consciousness, her breath soft and even as she gave herself up to Marala. Immediately her eyes seemed to glow with inner strength, her mind sharpening back to a blade "I'm ready to demonstrate my prowess at your behest, Madame."

 

[HandsomeStanly]

Lucia

If I won't do the 'stupid' thing, who else will!?

Lucia gulped a little at the horned lions words, of course the most powerful and frightening would be her teacher, but she wouldn't let that pull her down, this was her dream. She clenched her fists a little and nodded looking the horned lion in the eye, her expression meek, but her eyes determind,
"I don't care how long or hard I have to work," she said soft but confident, "This has been my dream since I was a child," she bowed to the beautiful women wanting to be as polite as possible she was grinning just at the idea that she had a chance,
"I promise! I promise I'll train hard!" she grinned, hearing the bard and the lioness's discussion she tilted her head, and looked a little excited, her, she was going to get to see them create the wards? This was wonderful! Far greater then what she even imagened it, she thought she would just get afew pointers, or more likely a no. But an aprenticeship? it was to good to be true, so she knew she had to make sure she was worth the time, and she had to make sure that she did everything she could to learn this ancient art.
She followed Aurora to the front door looking excited she listened to the bards music and smiled as she looked back at Kristen, she of course didn't know much about 'womanly wiles' so she didn't notice the bards motions, she was too excited to notice even if she knew what it meant. She was happy beyond belief, this was going to be great.  

[RealSilverDragon]

"The greatest healing therapy is friendship and love."
- Hubert H. Humphrey

Ӄɩɑɾɑ Ʌȿɦϵɳ
"Salutations, friend."

Kiara nodded as she sensed the rush of power grow within the priestess. It was odd, the sudden gain of power. There wasn't any, then there was a surplus. Kiara fed from the energy, her own powers feeling more attuned and focused. Unlike Sylvietta though, Kiara's eyes didn't glow, her body didn't tingle with energy, nothing. She just appeared...normal.

She took the healer by the elbow and directed her into a small dwelling off to the side of the cobblestone path. The house windows were boarded up and there was no front door, just an off-white curtain that was tattered and torn. Kiara stepped inside and held the curtain for the priestess to walk in.

"This is the medical hut I established on one of the first demon raids we witnessed here in the village." Kiara stopped herself. Demons were an unknown thing to the traveling healer.

"The demons are ravenous creatures that raid this village almost weekly. When we arrived here, the devastation was horrible. There was not a single healthy, un-injured person in the village. I took up as many as I can in my maw and carried them here, where I performed my healings."

Kiara walked over to a nearby table where an elderly man lay, his head, arms, and one leg bandaged and bloodied. The other leg had been amputated. Kiara moved her hand over the man's knee and it was as if the very air pulsated around the kneecap making the air look hot and wavey. What was actually happening was Kiara was using her powers to mend the muscles and tendons deep within the knee, relieving pain and regrowing cells to expedite the body's natural healing process.

Kiara turned back to Sylvietta. "This man was beated, and nearly quartered during a raid. Fortunately for him, he lost only one limb. The phantom pain of his missing leg keeps him awake at night and he screams, feeling the pain of his leg being ripped off every moment. I have been helping him heal for a week now. There are plenty of other wounded and infected here for you to demonstrate your powers."

Kiara walked over to a young girl, no more than six years of age. "This girl broke her arm playing on the trees in the fields. This shall be your first demonstration. You don't need to completely heal her, but help her body naturally heal itself. Should you cure your patients completely, their body won't grow immunities and the next time it gets hurt, it wouldn't know how to repair itself."

Kiara smiled warmly at the priestess, and went back to the man, healing his other wounds and keeping her peripheral vision keen on watching the new healer. On the other, completely random hand, that was the most words Kiara had ever spoken in her entire life. She was very proud of herself.  

[Moonlight Jewelry Anon]

Sylvietta

☆═━┈┈━═☆

Nu

Sylvietta brushed aside the curtain and stifled a gasp, glancing around in the confines of the medical hut. There were several people here with varying wounds, the most shocking being the man with his leg amputated that Kiara was tending to; immediately a pang of righteous fury straightened her back, her arms crossing behind her for the moment. She snapped to attention and dutifully nodded as the little girl's condition was stated, her mind immediately going through what she'd need to do to help the girl along her path to recovery. She slid forward and knelt before her, her eyes softening seductively as she reached out and gently took hold of the weeping girl's arm. She slowly stroked it, her fingertips glowing lightly as she started to tease the bones back in place. The magic flowing from her fingers stopped any feeling in her nerves, making the girl relax as the bones moved inside of her arm, slowly setting themselves back into position. She gently reached out and stroked the child's cheek "It's okay, little one; Marala more than deems you worthy. You'll be fine, I promise." The girl sighed as Sylvietta backed away, the bones reset and the pain dulled away to nothing. She nodded in thanks, and the priestess stood back up and stretched out easily, back in her element. She stepped over to another villager, not so much seeing him as perceiving his need for medical attention. Her hands instinctively slid up his torso, the numbing magic flowing throughout his body and making him relax; he'd need a quick jolt of healing magic to his spine, otherwise he wouldn't be able to walk again. She let out a calm sigh, her body a conduit for the healing magic of her goddess; her eyes seemed to roll back in her head, glowing softly underneath the hood, seeping with holy radiance. Finally she pulled back and let out a cool sigh, her work done and the man's spine mended; she gently waved a hand to him, urging him to stand "Rise, child." He smirked, obviously a little chagrined at the fact that a girl that was probably nearly a decade younger than him had the nerve to call him child; he obeyed and slowly rolled onto his seat, his eyes widening in shock when he was able to stand up as effortlessly as if he'd never been wounded. She gently gripped his shoulder, a wide smile across her face, turning towards Kiara afterwards "I'll continue, Madame; I think this is atleast a decent display of my prowess, though."

 

[RealSilverDragon]

"The greatest healing therapy is friendship and love."
- Hubert H. Humphrey

Ӄɩɑɾɑ Ʌȿɦϵɳ
"Salutations, friend."

Kiara simply nodded, a comforting smile rested on her lips. The new healer was good. She seemed cocky too, arrogant, like no condition was too hard for her to reverse and heal. Kiara could just as easily heal the man with the amputated leg, but it was more that the man himself needed to heal. Kiara only guided the healing process, but left the actual recovery time to his body. Kiara kept this to herself though, and let the priestess make her first impression amongst the wounded.

When she had finished helping the man for the day, Kiara was impressed as he was able to sit up by himself and move one of his arms rather freely. Kiara went over to a corner of the swelling where make-shift canes, crutches, and splints were stored. She picked up a crutch about the man's height and brought it over to him.

She handed him the tool, and when he asked what it was for, Kiara replied, "Tomorrow you walk."

The man's face lit up with joy. It would be a very hard road ahead of him. His body will need to adapt to placing weight only one leg, his arm and shoulder will get stronger by constantly using the crutch, and his mind will go through rigorous obstacle courses. He has already suffered shock, the new feeling of not completely comprehending what exactly happened to him or why, and of the numbing pains that encompassed it all.

The man has been through denial and anger, wanting revenge on the demons who attacked him, but knowing too well that he would never stand a chance...stand, being the word that made him actually tear up. He is still in the midst of depression. This part of the grief cycle really affecting him. He lost his farm, half of his family, his leg. But to see the pure emotion of joy, knowing that in time he can once again walk across the floor, was an incomprehensible feeling that no other person could possibly understand. It made even Kiara, a woman of healing and light who has seen many healed wounds and happy reunitings with families, feel the utmost amount of happiness that any human could feel.  

[Mort Faux]

‡ Al'Kristen 'Kris' Jelmoraine ‡
The Horned Lion

Kris gave the bard a half smirk, folding an arm under her chest to support the opposite elbow, fingers splayed over half her face in consternation, a soft chuckle could almost be heard from her as she gives her head a small shake. "You shake well, miss Aurora, but I still think you could learn a thing or two from the concubines of Autaroch." Still, her composure slipped just lightly to run the tip of her tail up slowly along the back of Aurora's leg, chuckling as she slipped past them and exited the home, not moving swiftly, but still managing the odd speed of a cat in poise. "Now Lucia, I'm afraid that the old magics aren't about hard work. It is very simple; you perform them right, or you die. Though..." The horned lion stopped, standing a few paces past the bard and the odd girl, a look of concern on her face as she took in a deep breath, tilting her head back and looking... old. "The aether has faded... since the time I learned to weave it's ways. Perhaps it is not so dire as I make it out to be..." She almost seemed to sigh, though when she half turned back to see Aurora and Lucia, she had a thin smile on her face, even if it failed to touch her distant eyes. "Come, we will check the wards, and perhaps show you both how the world once was."

Al'Kristen had set out after telling her companions to follow, not turning back to watch for them though she knew they were there by the sense of their presence, and as such... she couldn't help but show off a little. As the woods thickened the further they got from the village, each step Kristen took, her feet bare, grass and dandelions grew up instantly, traces of each prime element, fire, earth, water, and wind, could be sensed from the flowers, if just fleeting, to anyone attuned to the arcane. Al'Kristen had let her arms fall to each side of her, idly brushing a branch of a tree, the long grasses, seemed to remain connected to the earth and moving ahead of Aurora and Lucia with her silent grace, very much a proud monarch among her kingdom. "We are coming to the first of the wards; it is not near to where the monsters of the mount come from, but it is still important..."



((OoC: Sorry for the delay, had a bit of system trouble.))
 

[Jaques Faizon]

♪ ♫ ♪ ♬ ♩ Aurora St. Cole ♪ ♫ ♪ ♬ ♩
Without music, life would be a mistake. --Nietzsche

Aurora knew little about natural magics, and only truly felt "magical" when she played her instruments. Lucia, the new mage, would probably find Kristen's teaching a bit more understandable than the bard. Aurora knew not to mess with the imbalance of energies, and that doing so would cause far too much turmoil than was needed. Still, in just the simple way she danced and played her music, the energies in the immediate are could change and alter.

At a celebration, where people would be dancing and singing and joyously entertaining themselves...if Aurora played a slow, depressing song, everyone in that area would feel sad and depressed. It was not what Aurora would have meant to do, only that she could do it. Sometimes, Aurora just thought that the instruments themselves held the magic, and not herself.

Upon the approach to the first ward, Aurora played on her pipes more, letting the onlookers know who was nearing. Some of the children ran up to the bard, dancing about with her and clapping in tune with the tambourine. The sheer laughter of children was magical enough. Aurora finished her song and was greeted with applause from the patrons around the first ward.

This ward was simple and somewhat effective: a large, twenty-foot stone wall. It stretched most of the circumference of the village, and where Aurora stood with Kristen and Lucia, there was a giant gap within the fortification. The wall was bashed in by something, or someone, strong enough to do so. Some demons were huge, towering in the sky where their feet were the size of the dwellings the villagers lived in. A thing that size could have easily broken the wall.

Village soldiers and masons were working to repair the wall with sticks, large stones, and a concoction called cement--a queer mixture of rocks and water that was developed by accident. Aurora slipped away from the mages and went over to a tent where there were masons examining a drawing of the wall.

"If we leave this gap and fortify the rest of the village, it will decrease the amount of raids!" one irritated worker said.

"If we don't repair this section first, more can crumble with it because it is not sturdy," another explained. People were arguing back and forth before anyone noticed Aurora arrive.

"Noble Bard," the irritated worker said to Aurora, "please help us settle this matter. Should we build more walls around the village first and fortify second? Or should we repair the gap and build more walls later?" The others turned silent and all eyes were on Aurora.

Aurora laid her pipes and tambourine on the table and examined the map of the wall and village. The village itself was rather small, and the wall surrounding it was almost completely complete. Meaning, there were very few areas around the village with no walls. Aurora nodded, and thought about the situation briefly.

"It seems to me that it's not the amount of wall barriers we have, but the quality of them. Building more walls won't solve the issue if they are just as easy to burst through. What we need to do first is in fact, repair this gap here. Then, we will double--no, triple the thickness of the walls with more wood, stones, and magic." There was a collective agreement, with some reluctance, but the workers left the map and headed in the direction of Al'Kristen and Lucia. Aurora smiled and picked up her instruments, quickly playing a high-pitched chord on the pipes.

Ostensibly Outspoken Creature:

 

[HandsomeStanly]

Lucia

If I won't do the 'stupid' thing, who else will!?

Lucia nodded listening closely to what the horned lion said again, she looked at her feet as the dandy lions grew at her toes she looked amazed, she looked up at the lion with the same deep curiosity, and wondered if she would be able to do little things like that ever, she kept close to the two, seeing the men bickering, the solution seemed almost to obvious, but people always bickered. She wasn't so concerned about it though, the raids had been almost completely stopped since Aurora and her company came.

((sorry for the shortness D: i have no idea what to say))  

[Mort Faux]

‡ Al'Kristen 'Kris' Jelmoraine ‡
The Horned Lion

Kris had simply stood by and waited as Aurora went to speak with the villagers; she was perfectly fine with not speaking directly to anyone, her arms folding across her chest as she watched with her neutral, diplomatic smile, betraying nothing of her feelings as she listened to the arguments about the physical wall. However, the defenses erected of stone and wood were not her direct concern, nor her intended target. "That the beasts reached this point, this far from where they originate and broke through the arcane wards... is worrisome." The horned lion's face did show a little of what she felt, her eyes drifting over the wall undergoing repairs, though she lifted a hand slowly as she stepped close to it; no one working on the wall interrupted her, they seemed to move out of her way, allowing her room to work. Placing her hand on an outcropping stone, she traced fingers in small circles on the rock, lowering her head in thought. They are becoming smarter... slowly, but they are.

Kris turned sharply, and suddenly, her expression having hardened a little as she crossed slowly back over to Aurora and Lucia, nodding her head once and hesitating just a moment before speaking. "I will need to go out to the source ward, outside the village walls. With the damage here, this far in, I fear some of the other defenses may have fallen that cannot be bolstered by the villagers here. I..." Kristen turned, her face almost showing worry through a stony countenance. "There is something not far from this wall. The earth speaks of something unnatural... more-so than myself. Lucia." Turning back to the girl, her face was set in one of command, her hands clasped into loose fists at her sides. "If there is something of fell intent, I do not think I can teach you to weave the arts until it is taken care of. If you still wish to accompany us, I will not turn you away. Miss Aurora." Again, Kris turned back to the bard, taking in a deep breath to relax, and managing a small smile to her long time companion. "You do not have to follow me on this, but I feel you will want to see for yourself if anything is truly amiss, yes?"