{cσιиcιםєитℓч cυяισυs} CLOSED

[Jaques Faizon]

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

Aurora smiled and put away her instruments. "I think I'll stay close to here. I want to go and begin my rounds in the village. People are expecting me," Aurora said to her companion.

Aurora bid good skill to the masons and approached the horned lion, wrapping her tightly in a brief hug, and then sauntered off through the actual gate of the ward and into the outskirts. People began to smile more and greet the bard warmly, the closer she got to town. She reached into her tunic and retrieved her piccolo, blowing short chords in response to the greetings. When she got to the market section of the village, she watched as people hurridly went about their business and the children ran up to Aurora begging for songs. Aurora obliged, and even gave each of the children an instrument to play along with. The free-style, off-sounding melody actually came together more when Aurora began to play louder than them all. The children laughed and played until the bard ended the song. They were applauded and Aurora took back her instruments. Happiness was the key feature in Aurora's life. Very rarely did she feel anything other than overjoyed and energetic. All she wanted to do was spread her emotions to everyone else.

Beyond the market, Aurora saw the medical tent where Kiara spent most of her time. It was good to have another healer in the village, and Aurora was willing to bet that Kiara liked the company, even if she didn't outwardly show it. Her stroll throughout the market yielded her complimentary loaves of bread, a small wheel of cheese, and a large filet of wild boar meat for the felines. Aurora was very gracious, and even tried pushing the gifts away. The people needed their own resources more than the bard did. In reality, her large cat companions were excellent hunters...if they were really in need of food.

Aurora came to a well in the middle of the village and sat on the edge, helping a pair of teenage girls heave the bucket from its depths. In return for the help, the one girl decided to stay and tell Aurora a story while the elder sibling carried the water back home.

"My papa told me about the demons," she began in a whisper, "and how aweful they truly are." The girl's English-accent intrigued Aurora, and the bard listened all the more intently. Aurora was, by trade, a storyteller of her own, and loved to gather new material from others. "Mama told me my brother Jamie went out into the woods one afternoon to gather the wild mushrooms for our stew. He didn't come back for three days. Papa called together a search party and went out looking for Jamie, and after all night searching, they finally found him. He was cold, beaten and starved, and his skin had been dyed black by the foul beasts. They took Jamie home and Miss Kiara healed him the next morn. He never spoke, save two words he kept repeating: 'tappa terry' was what he said. Do you know what 'tappa terry' is, Miss? Jamie never told us, and he died three nights ago, chanting this phrase as he left." The girl looked and sounded sorrowful the entire time. After a moment, she finally asked, "How is it possible creatures could scar somebody that horribly?"

Aurora shook her head, not knowing the answer, but wishing she did. The girl bowed respectfully and skipped off to find her sister. Tappa terry. Aurora was determined to find out the meaning of the phrase, if anything, to give the family some semblance of closure. Her mood had darkened slightly, so she whipped out her pan pipes once again and played herself a song to lighten back up.

Ostensibly Outspoken Creature:

 

[HandsomeStanly]

Lucia

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

Lucia looked a little worried about the idea of the demons getting through the wards, getting smart enough to break down even the horned lions complex, or at least, she imagened they were, complex spells. She bit her lip and thought about it for a moment, she thought about going home.... but no, she had come this far anyway, even if she was meak, she wouldn't let that stop her. She closed her eyes and took a breath reminding herself to stay calm and collected through this whole thing she walked behind the beautiful lioness and smiled timidly,
"I-I appreciate you letting me come with you." she said shyly smiling, now alone with the strange women, she was somewhat, like the rest of the villagers entranced by her horns, but what entranced her most was everything else beautiful about this women, her magic, her body. All of them seemed to have something especially intricate and wonderful about them. Lucia shook her head, getting her thoughts back into the moment,
"How do you think they got past the outer wards?"  

[Moonlight Jewelry Anon]

Sylvietta

☆═━┈┈━═☆

Nu

[}So sorry for the delay; ISP trouble one day, writer's block the next orz{]
Sylvietta chuckled softly, striding over towards the edge of the structure and leaning against it, letting out a soft sigh of pleasured confidence as the man stood on his crutch. Even if the healing wasn't hers, it always comforted her to see someone being pulled back into some semblance of their life before; after a few moments, though, she turned her sight from him, unable to watch the wound on his fester up, ridden with all kinds of nastiness any longer. She let out a soft huff and continued, her eyes glazed as she went about healing what she could without causing too much reliance on her powers; she bolstered the strength to fight back against their wounds, taking nothing but pure magic and cleaning them and healing them from the ground up. She stopped halfway through the hut, completely exhausted; her head seemed to be wavering slightly as she moved, her muscles aching from the power flowing through her body. For a moment, her legs seemed to waver; immediately, the chain around her waist slammed downwards into the floorboards, stiffening enough to keep her standing until she regained her footing and her consciousness, waking her back up so she could press on. She stood before Kiara and bowed low after her duty was done, nearly everyone in the tent having had atleast a taste of her power; the only ones that she hadn't attended to had been taken care of Kiara herself. Her fingers slid upwards and managed to trace the same long, crescent horn figure across her stomach, glowing lightly for a few moments before fading against her pallid skin "May Marala watch over you all." Her eyelids seemed to droop as the holy radiance left them, her pupils rolled back into her head; for the moment, she was completely blind, her sight robbed in exchange for the power to heal. She weakly reached out and gripped Kiara's wrist, the chain pulling out of the ground and winding around their arms to keep Sylvietta's balance "Ready to go, Shiftshaper?"

 

[RealSilverDragon]

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

Ӄɩɑɾɑ Ʌȿɦϵɳ
"Salutations, friend."

Kiara watched as the priestess' powers left her. "Ready to go, Shiftshaper?" Kiara simply nodded and gently, briefly, removed the healer's hand from her wrist.

"Close your eyes, healer." Kiara waited for Sylvietta to close her eyes. Kiara knew that her shapeshifting was an uncomfortable thing for the priestess to watch. When Kiara saw Sylvietta's eyes blink shut for a moment, she instantly changed her form back into her dire leopard form. Dire only meant that she was a lot larger than an ordinary-sized leopard. Large enough to, say, carry another human on her back.

Kiara spoke to the priestess. Well, not spoke, more used telepathy to communicate since she really couldn't speak in this form. "Come sit atop my back. I shall take you to a place where you can rest."

Kiara would take the priestess to the chapel. The chapel had a fallout shelter in the basement if the villagers needed to get away during a demon raid. The shelter held enough beds for half of the villagers and plenty of preserved foods. The priests at the chapel were always looking to take in travelers to house them for a few nights and share what they have to offer, both mentally, physically, and spiritually. Kiara wasn't sure how well Sylvietta's goddess would fit in with the other gods and goddesses they preach about in the chapel, but I'm sure everyone would love to learn about something new.  

[Moonlight Jewelry Anon]

Sylvietta

☆═━┈┈━═☆

Nu

Sylvietta merely stared onward as she was asked to close her eyes, blinking softly "I'm blind, madame, for the moment. Marala is kind, but she still demands." She leaned forward when she felt cool, soft fur, wrapping her arms around the leopard's neck and straddling her. Sylvietta's body was light, so she'd be easy to carry; over the next few minutes, her eyes seemed to swirl with color, eventually returning to the deep violet pupils beaming out to the world. She sighed and gently nuzzled into Kiara's back, noting how warm she was and immediately letting her body rest for a few moments. Her grip loosened slightly and the chains gently wrapped around them both, keeping Sylvietta mounted as she dozed off for a few moments; her eyes drooped shut and she let out a groan of ache, her body sore from the sudden power flowing through her. She clenched softly, whimpering underneath the layer of some dream, the warped version of reality she saw obviously continuing throughout her dreams and nightmares.

 

[RealSilverDragon]

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

Ӄɩɑɾɑ Ʌȿɦϵɳ
"Salutations, friend."

Kiara's feline muscles rippled as she walked, showing off more of her natural grace, power, and beauty. A low purr momentarily escaped the wild cat's throat as the chains looped around her underbelly. They were surprisingly warm to the touch, as if the heat traveled directly from Sylvietta's body and and through the metal.

Kiara walked the priestess to the inn where many travelers frequented on their journeys. She walked in and glanced at the inn-keeper, who immediately saw someone was in need of a place to lay. She was stout, and chubby, and waddled her way past big-booted bar-goers, and led Kiara to a vacant room.

She unlocked the door and said, "If there'n be anythin ya need, just com'n git me." She quickly stepped inside, dropped the room key on a table, and stepped out, allowing Kiara and her sleeping saddle into the room. Kiara thanked her with a nod of her head, and walked inside.

With one great, gentle leap, Kiara made it to the bed and laid on her side, letting Sylvietta slip off easily. The chains around her middle loosened and she was able to move herself from them. The healer was fast asleep, or so Kiara could tell. The dire leopard looked around the room.

It was dingy and must-smelling, with a cracked vase of wilted flowers inside. The bed was neatly made, even though the blanket was ripped in some areas. There was an empty wooden chest, a table with a barrel chair, and a bed within the entirety of the room.

Kiara padded over to the table with the dead flower. She stood on her hind legs and looked at it closer. She took a deep breath and blew onto the flower. Instantly, it began to grow, brighten, and develop into the most intricately beautiful flower Kiara had even thought up. The colors shown bright, bright enough to light up the entire room. To give the room life, that is, Kiara's essence--her healing magics, that equivilate to life. Kiara decided she would leave the priestess to rest, and made her way out of the room.

She headed out of the tavern and caught Aurora playing her pipes at the well. She jogged over and telepathically said hello to the bard as she sat on the ground next to her.  

[Moonlight Jewelry Anon]

Sylvietta

☆═━┈┈━═☆

Nu

Sylvietta let her mind wander as she dozed away for a few minutes, her body gently shuffling every so often as the chains kept her body pressed to Kiara's. She let out a soft groan as she was shuffled off of her carrier's back, rolling onto her own and groaning softly; her arm wrapped around her stomach as the chains unwound from Kiara and wrapped around her body, hugging her lightly. She slept through the display of magic, exhausted; when Kiara left, though, the slow creak of her bedroom door woke her up. Her eyes slowly cracked open and she hauled herself up, yawning and stretching out like she had taken a good night's sleep. She stood up after a few moments, covering her nose and letting out a small grumble of dissatisfaction from the smell of her current abode. She patted around at her waist, pulling her satchel to the front and taking out a small vial of oil and a brazier to burn it, already loaded with a small wick. She placed the burner on the small table in the center of the room, pouring in a few drops of oil and lighting it with flint and steel; immediately the smell of mint and lavender filled the room, and she sat down on the edge of the bed. Her eyes trailed around the room, stopping at the beautiful bud of Kiara's flower; she gulped softly, the rest of the room a squirming mass of chitin and remains, the flower the only thing she could see as it is. As if touched by its beauty, she gently reached out and stroked one of the petals; she let out a warm sigh and laid back down again, tired and sore. Her hands slid upwards along her body, teasing along her stomach and stroking along the edge of her navel; a soft blush grew over her cheeks, and for the moment she simply laid back on the bed, glad to be laying on clean feathers and fabric for once instead of the harsh wood and briar she was used to.

 

[Jaques Faizon]

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

Aurora stopped playing her pipes when she saw Kiara approach from the inn a few buildings over. When the huge leopard approached her, Aurora nuzzled the cat's face with her own and wrapped her in a hug.

"Hello to you too, you great big lug. I've had the most aweful story told to me just now. It really did a number on my mind. Let me tell you what I heard." Like the bard she was, Aurora told Kiara the teenager's story, and at the end, questioned Kiara as to what she may think tappa terry meant.

"Do you think maybe I should to ask the family more about this? I mean, if the demons hurt this man so much, what's to say they won't do it again? We are here to protect the people, and by gods and goddesses, I won't rest until they have some semblance of closure!"

Without waiting from any response from Kiara, Aurora made her way in the direction the teenager went and saw further out, the girl had entered a home at the opposite end of the footpath. Aurora adjusted her instruments so they didn't clang together as she walked, and headed towards the house.

Upon approach, Aurora could smell something very lovely that immediately lifted her spirits and almost made her forget why she had gone to the house. It was a warm pumpkin spice cake. The smell of it sent heat throughout the bard's body and for a moment she became paralyzed by the aroma. Shortly, though, she came to and raised a fist to knock on the door. Moments later, the door swung inwards and the bard was greeted by one of the girls from the fountain, the older sibling.

She was visibly shocked to see me again, and another unfamiliar woman's voice called out, "Who's there?" shortly before approaching the door herself. Upon seeing the bard, the woman, presumably the mother, invited Aurora inside. The sibling who had told me the story smiled when she saw me and ran over to embrace me.

"Charlotte! That's no way to treat a guest!" the mother said. The younger sibling, now known as Charlotte, released Aurora and apologetically bowed and scooted out of the way.

"Sorry, Miss," Charlotte said.

"Now then," the mother began, "I am Elise Damford. I see you have met my daughters Charlotte and Abigail. I must thank you for helping them at the well earlier. May I offer you a piece of cake? I've only just taken it from the oven." Aurora couldn't help but nod vigorously, catching herself and apologizing for her rude manners.

Ostensibly Outspoken Creature: To be continued... don't want to make a whole page long post ><