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Post by Raven on Jul 16, 2022 22:54:18 GMT -5
Lana peered around the room, moving objects and trying to find a way out. The clocked ticked menacingly, 25 seconds gone. They got to 20 seconds and Vaena found the key. They ushered to the door and Lana snapped her fingers in an anxious manner while Vaena fiddled the key into the door. It crept open with a creaking sound bite, and a creepy sheering sound emit from the ceiling.
The voice appeared again and she was tugged along by Vaena, who scared her more than anything. Lana yipped and followed swiftly along side her and they rushed into the next room. “Oh God – “ Lana shielded her head from the blaring fire. “Yeesh” Lana glanced around the room. The book case was a solid prop, the books built into its shelves. Lana lifted her gaze and peered around the room. The fire on the ceiling flickered toward the same direction, towards the book case. It meant there was suction – a draft of sorts. “The book case moves, we have to find something that triggers it” she followed along the book case, looking for a book that seemed out of place.
She saw nothing and quickly rushed to the desk in by the window. The window itself had a bright window, it was technically a framed television. Shaped to look like a rounded Victorian window, it looked to have a silhouette of a willow tree, creaking in the blowing wind played through a small speaker. Lana pressed her lips together and turned back to the desk. A few books, a stack of papers, pen and quill. There was a flickering tall wax candle, though it didn’t have a real flame… just a dimly lit lightbult mimicking the flickering of a candle. She glanced down and noticed a hinge at the base of it. She grasped the candle and turned it – it bent over in a 90 degree angle and a grinding sound emit.
The bookcase began to creek open, just barely wide enough for them to squeeze through. The grinding sound like clicked over and over – like the book case was broken and the gears were stuck in a loop of resetting. Lana glanced about and the door behind them, which they entered, opened suddenly. A gust of wind shot forward and a being stood in the door way. They had a shining giant butcher knife, painted with red blood. A spot light slammed on, the echoing sound of the dramatic effect through speakers once more. Lana jumped as she peered to phsychotic red head, wearing ripped overalls which were covered in blood. He had chains wrapped around his torso and thighs, and a crazy eye about him. He lifted the butcher knife and screeching a horrible sound and began to run forward.
Lana screeched and grabbed Vaena, she pulled her into the next room and grasped the bar on the back side of the bookcase. She pulled it close as fast as she could, locking the murderer on the other side. The room was pitch black…. “Oh shit” Lana’s heart was thudding in her chest.
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Post by Blindside Tex on Jul 16, 2022 23:09:24 GMT -5
“Lana!” Vaena was nervous as she shuffled around and searched for something anything. “I don’t see anything!” She cried out. She winced as she felt like the flames were getting closer. In reality it was just a heater that was cranked up on high in the room to give the illusion that they would be roasted alive. “You have to find it!!” Vaena’s heart pounded within her chest. When Lana discovered the candle was the lever Vaena rushed to her side. She glanced to the door that opened and to the blood drenched murderer. Vaena screamed as the man rushed forward. If it wasn’t for Lana she would have been frozen in place. Her legs felt heavy as she thudded forward.
As Lana locked them in and the room became pitch black Vaena’s breaths shuddered. “H-h-how do you l-l-l-like these?” She stuttered as her chest rose and fell quickly. She was clutching onto Lana’s hand as she timidly began to step forward. Her hand reached out in front of them. Vaena tried to focus her breathing as her heart seemed to steadily increase. Fear was not something she’d really felt. Other than when the man had attacked her in her apartment when Lana saved her.
She ran her fingertips along a wall as she pushed forward. Then suddenly the lights turned on. The murderer stood right in front of Vaena and Lana. Vaena screamed bloody murder. She nearly fell as she clutched onto Lana’s hand now. She tugged her along back down a hallway. They rushed along and soon enough they ended up in a room full of mirrors. A dark cackle could be heard as they wandered about. Vaena’s knuckles were white as she walked forward. She looked about frantically. Every now and again the murderer showed up in a mirror and Vaena would rush quickly away from it. Just as the haunted house intended. This went on for what felt like hours to Vaena until they stood in what looked like a garden. It was humid. The air was sticky.
Vaena finally released her sweaty grip from Lana as she looked around. “H-how do we get out?” She asked, she looked to Lana. “W-what’s next?”
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Post by Raven on Jul 16, 2022 23:31:59 GMT -5
“It’s more fun to be the scary axe murderer” Lana shouted over her own fear when Vaena questioned how she liked them. Truthfully she didn’t, really, well not this. Years ago they were all jump-scare and obnoxious chain saws, now it was psychologically terrifying. Lana gripped Vaena’s hand and followed as they felt their way through. When the person appeared once more – Lana fought every urge she had not to punch the person in the face. She was pulled along swiftly by a trembling Vaena, into the famous hall of mirrors.
At one point Lana found herself back to back with Vaena, trying to find a passage way through the glass room, which gave Lana a bit of confusion. She couldn’t figure out what way they had just gone, and what ways were actually real. They stumbled around, until the final door was revealed. The image of the murderer in the mirror infront of them, meaning the murderer was behind them. They passed through the door and they stepped on a weighted plate. As they rushed forward – iron bars fell way behind them, with a echo’d thud. Lana glanced over her shoulder and the crazed murderer smashed its metal knife against the bars. The clanging was bright and loud, he screamed and shouted at them – ‘I’m going to get you’ it screamed ravingly. ‘Im going to peel your eyes out!!!’ it smashed forward and shook the bars. The next words she couldn’t make out as they ran forward out of a door way, and right into a garden.
It seem safe for the moment – Lana placed her hands on her knees and breathed heavily. “God damn” she muttered and stood up right. She quickly found herself next to Vaena, and her hand clasped hers in a wave of goose bumps. She held their hands to her chest and pulled Vaena forward slowly, their shoulders rubbing with each step. The only way out was through a tall hedge maze, of course. There was a dusty smell from it, sort of swampy as smog traveled through it, misting over their face as well.
“Come on, almost out” she assured. They came to a few dead ends and continued back. They came to one dead end that had a grave at the end. It was partially unburied. The coffin’s door sprung open and a person sat upward. They were skin and bones – a zombie with rotting flesh and teased wild hair. It groaned to them and started to stand up.
Lana quickly turned around and pulled Vaena forward, to an arch way that lead to a gazebo, the middle. In the center of the gazebo was a the crazed murderer once again. It thrashed its arms wildly in the air, this time with two butcher knifes in each hand. The murderer then glanced down – and it screamed like a little girl. The murderer suddenly dropped and a sound bite played of a person falling down for a long while, and a cry out of pain as the body thudded to the ground. Though in reality the person only dropped down to their knees, hiding in the hidden hole…
Lana pulled Vaena towards the only way out and they rushed forward with hurried steps. She nearly tripped on a vine and glanced down – skulls were beginning to line the path forward, until eventually there was nothing but a thin path through the maze. The skulls lined the floors, and soon the skulls created walls of skulls, then into a tunnel. The skulls that made up the wall had glowing blue eyes – which gave a gentle light to guide them through the very long tunnel made of skeletons and bones. They came to a swinging rope that was over a pit of water. Animinatronic shark fins did circles in the water. In the window of the skeleton room – the crazed person grasped the metal bars. He shout into the room and fought against them. Suddenly in the 3 other windows of the room – 3 more murderers grabbed the bars. The room was loud with screaming and gurgling of odd zombie murderers.
“Vaena!” Lana pulled her across the shifting bridge until they came to a double door that read “exit”. Lana pushed the doors and they came out the side of the haunted house. There was a sign that said “You managed to escape…where many have perished before you. Consider yourself lucky….this time…”. There was spooky music playing as they followed the path to the front of the house, to exit they had to leave through the small metal front gate.
“Damn” Lana let out a held sigh. “I need like… an Ativan or something” she heaved and let out a breath, she chuckled slightly. “Whew, let’s not ever do that again huh?” she laughed and pointed to a dip n dots stand. “ooh, you gotta try one of these”.
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Post by Blindside Tex on Jul 16, 2022 23:52:56 GMT -5
“Fun?! How is that fun?!” Vaena cried. The whole situation, even though she told herself it wasn’t real. It terrified her. She couldn’t calm her breathing, her heart bounded within her chest. She stared back to the murderer as he clanged against the bars that protected them.
Vaena gazed to Lana as she placed her hands upon her knees. She quaked like a leaf in the wind as she fumbled with her hands. As Lana took her hand and hugged it to her chest she seemed to find some comfort in that. “Almost out.” Vaena repeated, though she didn’t sound so sure. As they approached the coffin Vaena gazed to it and just as the zombie burst out of it Vaena screamed and gripped onto Lana. She froze once again. Thankfully Lana tugged her along.
“Oh no….” Vaena whispered as she saw the murderer ahead of them. “How is he everywhere?” She questioned quickly. As the man fell into the abyss Vaena’s eyes widened. She kept pace with Lana as she led her forward. As the skulls mounted Vaena gazed to the glowing blue eyes. She was frozen with fear, Lana was the only thing keeping her moving.
As Lana called her name Vaena ripped her eyes from the zombies just before she was tugged forward again. “Gods...” Vaena spoke as they came to the exit. She looked to Lana as she spoke. “Oh no...not again...I don’t think I could handle that again.” She held her hand to her chest and shook her head. Her heart was beginning to slow now. As Lana pointed out a stand she walked over and looked to the strangely shaped ice cream.
“What is this?” She questioned as she grasped a cup and paid. She took a spoonful and then smiled. It was delicious. “Oh wow! Ice cream? I’ve never seen ice cream like this.” She exclaimed as she walked along. Vaena looked to the vendors as she moved about. “You know. I’m glad you were with me in that haunted house. I might have died.” She smirked slightly. She turned her attention ahead. “Oh I’ve heard of these games.” She spoke as she tossed her empty ice cream away.
Vaena walked up to the ring toss game. “You said you were good at this game. Right?” She scanned the code and paid for a few games. Vaena lifted the ring and tossed it forward. She missed horribly.
“Come on. Keep your eye right here. And toss it. Look.” The man spoke with a smirk. He knew that most couldn’t get the ring upon the bottle. “It’s easy. I promise. Loosen up a bit.”
Vaena drew in a breath as she tilted her head to the side and aimed the best she could. She tossed the ring forward and it swirled around the bottle before it fell to the side. She did this for all 5 of her rings before she sighed softly. “Let’s see what you can to Lana.” She grinned, excitement in her voice.
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Post by Raven on Jul 17, 2022 0:04:24 GMT -5
Lana lifted a spoon full of her cotton candy dip n dots to her lips and took a blissful bite. It was a great change of pace from the terror-house, more like. It still had a weird effect on her mind, which made her uncomfortable. “Mm, yeah these are a staple. We’ll have to get a churro and eat It on the ferris wheel, that is the best” she smirked and finished hers in several heaping spoon fulls. She chucked it into the trash and stepped towards the ring toss booth.
“Hmmmm, close one” Lana laughed as Vaena chucked her rings. She stepped up to the line and held the rings in her hand. She threw 3 of them, purposely missing. The operator encouraged her with his fake words, happy to take their money. She tossed one into the air and with a touch of magic – the ring landed upon the only bottle small enough to accept the ring. “Aha!” Lana grinned and then chucked the last one onto the same bottle. “Booyah” Lana pumped her fist. “Pick out one of the stuffed toys” Lana pointed to the row of toys. The entertainer was surprised but did not hesitate to allow Vaena to pick, despite his dumb founded ness. “beginners luck” he scoffed and watched them walk away with the toy.
“Hell yeah” Lana cheered and laughed “There is only ever 1-2 bottles that actually work, you look for the one with the smaller neck and aim for that one. Technically they the rest are too big for the ring to fit, but they had to make it winnable, at some rate. Like a scratch off” she scoffed. “screw the system, right? Thieves of joy!” she grasped the plushie and squeezed it. “Ooh – go carts, or bumper carts?” she questioned as the two stations were on either side of the road. “You pick!” she laughed and followed behind. They were making their way up the path of games until they came to the end of the cobbled road. The ferris wheel sat just before the large river, lit up and glowing as it slowly turned. She dreamt of pulling Vaena into the Ferris wheel, she dreamt of seeing the river sights from far above, and experiencing a moment… just a fragment of time where Vaena could be free.
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Post by Blindside Tex on Jul 17, 2022 4:46:12 GMT -5
“Oh yes we definitely need the churro!” Vaena laughed lightly. “I’ve wanted to try it since I researched it.” She winked to her before they had approached the ring toss booth. Vaena watched as Lana landed two of the rings on a bottle. She picked the silly stuffed animal, it was a plush dragon. She hugged it to her chest and laughed. “I’ve never had one of these.” She spoke truthfully. “Not even when I was little. My father didn’t believe in stuffed animals.” She looked it over with a smile. It was as if she was getting to enjoy a childhood she’d never had.
“Only ever 1 or 2 bottles huh?” Vaena questioned as she looked to Lana. “Are all the games a gimmick? That’s what you told me before. They make you think you can win, but they are rigged to be in the favor of the attendant?” She giggled again, “You used your magic didn’t you?” She smirked as Lana took the plush animal and squeezed it. As Lana posed her next question Vaena looked back and forth between the two. The go-karts were on a track that spiraled upward and then the track zig and zagged over people at one point. It looked to be a pretty large track for what it was. She then glanced to the bumper karts. She watched as the people slammed into one another and laughed, the smiles upon their faces.
Her brows furrowed slightly as she tried to find the point in the bumper karts. She found herself looking back to the go-karts. “Definitely this one.” She spoke as she walked over toward the line for the go-karts. “I’m not so certain I understand the purpose of the other one.” She grasped the plush animal back and hugged it to her chest. She smiled to Vaena like a young school girl. “This is a lot of fun, Vaena. Thank you. I wish I could have come sooner. I would have...if I could.” She shifted slightly and gazed to the carts. Her phone buzzed in her pocket. She pulled it out and looked to the name – Damien. She rolled her eyes slightly. “Can’t he ever just leave us alone? We are going to perform the damn spell for the Capitol.” She silenced the call. He called again. Silenced. Again. Vaena frowned as she lifted the phone to her ear. “I’m trying to enjoy one of the last nights I may have alive. What is it?” Her voice was full of aggression. Something that Vaena hadn’t had before all of this.
There was a pause on the other side of the phone. A sigh could be heard. “Vaena.” Damien spoke, his voice clear and deliberate. “Where are you?” He questioned. The sound of the carnival in the background was enough to give it away. “Are you at the carnival?” He questioned after another moment of silence.
“I’ve already drawn up the spell. We are going to do it tomorrow. We just have one more thing to wrap up.” Vaena spoke to him. “You can report that back to Marcus. But we won’t be returning to the tower. I needed a better space to perform the spell. We found it.” She was short and to the point with him.
“You know very well that Marcus doesn’t care about that. He wants you at the tower. You are the Magister. You are required to obey him. You signed the contract, Vaena.” His voice was almost robotic in a way.
“Does the contract really matter if the world ends? I know why he wants me to perform the spell so badly. Lana and I figured it out. So stop playing games. We will perform it tomorrow. That’s all you need to know.” She abruptly hung up her phone then. Vaena’s cheeks were hot from anger. Her eyes glistened slightly. She shoved her phone into her pocket. “I feel like their puppet.” She whispered softly. “I can only imagine what your father must have felt like.” She shook her head.
There was a crashing sound as someone took the go-karts a bit too seriously. One skidded to the side and slammed harshly into the wall. Vaena watched as the attendants rushed to the accident. Another attendant hastily walked up to the line. “This one is closed for now folks.” He said as he flipped the sign. Several people in line grumbled before they walked off.
Vaena sighed softy. Her eyes found the huge ferris wheel. “Can we ride that?” She questioned softly. She pointed to the giant light up wheel. She walked quietly through the crowds as she mulled over the anger that she felt. She shook it off by the time they made it to the ferris wheel. There wasn’t a line at this attraction. She smiled as she climbed into the cart and soon enough they were slowly lifted away. As they reached halfway up Vaena gazed over the carnival and grinned. “Oh wow!” She giggled. She glanced to Lana. She took her hand and squeezed it. “Would now be a good time to discover I am not so certain I like to be at such heights?” She laughed a bit uncomfortably. She hugged the plushie to her chest and then glanced to Lana. She was scared, but it wasn’t debilitating. She gave a grin as she kept her fingers laced with Lana’s.
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Post by Raven on Jul 18, 2022 0:23:28 GMT -5
Lana rolled her eyes "Your father is a thief of joy" she chuckled and peered to the animal she got, she smirked it as she held it close, like a little girl. "Oh you bet I used my magic, I dont see any signs that say: No using magic" she laughed and peered around from booth to booth, the place was bustling with life and happiness, it was infectious.
Lana tilted her head and she smirked "I told you - you'd love it, but hey. Better now than never, huh?" she glanced to a kid who lifted a hammer above his hand and slam it down with a grunt. She smirked to his attempt and turned back to Vaena, who's phone rang. She bit at her lower lip and stepped closer to listen in on the call. Lana grinned wildly when Vaena told him off "Thats my girl" she placed a soft hand on her forearm and lead her forward.
When the go-karts was a bust - Lana let out a scoff and she glanced to the Ferris Wheel. "As you wish" she held her hand up to the felt strip forward. When they stepped into the seat - the unit swished slightly until she sat down, on the same side of Vaena, faced towards the setting sun.
The Ferris wheel creaked slightly and started to go up. It went slowly and Lana let out a relaxed sigh. A break away from the crowd that had roared in her ears. They faced the sunset that crept over the distant mountains. It was every shade of pink and oranges, and stretched across the domed sky. Lana turned her gaze to Vaena as she spoke, uncomfortable with the height. She glanced down to their fingers that were intertwined, she gave a gentle squeeze of comfort.
"Well, even if we did fall - I wouldn't let a thing happen to you" she gave a cheeky grin and then her fingers slipped away from her. She raised her arms and wrapped it about her shoulder effortlessly, a practiced motion she had dreamt up for this very moment. Lana pulled her a little closer and leaned her head slightly to tap hers.
"So this is it huh?" they reached the top and the Ferrish wheel paused, letting someone on on the bottom. "We may see tomorrow, or we wont" she took in a breath and let it out slowly. "So, I'll confess something. A final truth" she glanced to her and then back out to the sunset. "I ended the last day of our known life in the best of ways, at least." she leaned forward and kissed Vaena's cheek and then chuckled.
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Post by Blindside Tex on Jul 18, 2022 10:52:28 GMT -5
“A thief of joy? Hm. Perhaps more of the king of order.” She had smirked to Lana. “He kept me in order, just as he keeps his desk and his filing cabinets with each student’s file within it. Neat and exactly where he wants it. That’s how he kept me.” A sigh came over her lips at the end. It was a terrible realization. But slowly Vaena was realizing just how horrible the things that her father did to her actually were. She knew nothing different, until she ventured out...and the more she saw of the world. The child that played a water gun game with his mother and father. The way they smiled. The laughter that they shared. The mother that handed a fresh skewer of meat to her young daughter. The way she placed a hand on the back of the child’s shoulders. That loving touch. The want to love and be loved. Vaena never experienced anything like that. She experienced what it was like to be pushed to become the best that there was. But there was no humanity behind it. She was nothing more than a prized possession. Her father could announce that his daughter was the Grand Magister. Because deep down, he wanted that titled and he’d lost it to Lana’s father. That was what her father truly had against Lana. She was the daughter of the man that beat him out of his throne so to speak.
Vaena smiled though, despite it all. She smiled as she watched the families enjoy themselves. She grinned as she watched a group of friends run about with loads of tickets in their arms. They screamed excitedly about what they would trade the tickets for at the sales booth. The energy of this place was as mystical as the temples of old. It brought a new sense of life to Vaena. A new longing for just...that much more.
When Damien attempted to call several times and Vaena finally had enough. When she told him exactly how it was and she didn’t hold back. She grinned to Lana as her friend cheered her on. That’s my girl. The words played over her as she gazed to Lana with a cheeky grin.
As they loaded onto the ferris wheel Vaena giggled slightly as the seat swayed back and forth to the sudden weight of the two women. Then it settled down. She watched with excited eyes as they raised higher into the skies. The sunset was absolutely awe inspiring from this view. There was no other view that could rival it. Her jade hues glanced to Lana as she spoke. “Even if we fell? You wouldn’t?” She questioned softly. She gazed down to their hands as Lana gave a comforting squeeze.
Then when Lana shifted Vaena gripped onto the metal of the cart that they were in. She felt Lana’s arm wrap around her and she was easily redirected to lean against the mage. Her hues gazed to her, a bit confused. She looked to the side of Lana’s face, her eyes played over her jaw, the way her hair fluttered in the gentle breeze at this height. “This is...it...” Vanea nearly whispered.
Lana was to confess something? Vaena watched her with curious eyes now, eager to uncover a truth that Lana had not shared with her. The words that spilled over Lana’s tongue caused a gentle smile to curve up upon her lips. She parted her own lips to speak when she felt the heat of Lana’s lips upon her cheek. Vaena froze. Her breath hitched in her chest, her eyes widened slightly. Her cheeks burned hot like that of a wildfire in a dry forest on a hot summer day. She was overwhelmed, she reached up and touched her cheek, her jade hues looked to Lana. A sweet smile curved up her lips. “The best of ways?” She questioned. She bit her lip slightly, Vaena fumbled with the dragon stuffed animal within her grasp. She fumbled and fumbled with it. She gazed to the setting sun. “Me too...this….me too.” She seemed to choke out the words as the ferris wheel began to move around gently once the final cart was filled.
Vaena leaned against Lana, her head pressed against the mage’s collar bone. She closed her eyes a moment. Though as she looked out over the carnival she saw something that caught her attention. The guard. The same uniforms of the guard of the Capitol. “Lana...” Vaena gripped onto Lana’s leg. The ferris wheel stopped as they were halfway to the top. She watched as the group moved through the crowd effortlessly.
A young child dropped the ice cream from the waffle cone and proceeded to sob in front of them. The four men did not seem to care. Vaena took in a quick breath, she could feel the eyes of one of the men upon her. Then she watched as he lifted something in his hand. “Lana they must have tracked my phone.” She spoke, her voice frightened.
There was a sharp sting in the side of her neck. Vaena reached up and tugged a dart from her flesh. “L...Lana...” She wrapped her arms around Lana and squeezed her eyes shut. She wanted nothing more in the world than to be back at the temple. She took in shaken breaths. The world around them became warm and a flash of white light enveloped them. Lightening crackled and shot around the two. It was as if they sat within the center of a great summer storm. Then a cool air descended upon them. Vaena gasped as she opened her eyes. They sat within the temple, on the floor in the middle of her great grandfather room. A laugh came over Vaena’s lips. She didn’t release her embrace on Lana. “We’re in the temple.” She whispered as her grip began to loosen. Her eyes fluttered slightly.
Vaena smiled almost drunkenly as she released Lana from her grasp. A giggle came over her lips. “We didn’t get the churro.” She spoke as her head lulled forward to rest against Lana’s collarbone. Her muscles grew limp as the sleeping dart took its hold of her.
The door pushed open and Ashlyn walked in. She looked to the two in the center of the floor and a smirk curved up her lips. “Is she asleep?” She asked in a whisper. “Are we...going to get me back in my body? Sometime soon I presume?” She helped Lana carry Vaena over to the bed. “Where did you two disappear to?” Ashlyn questioned, a devilish grin upon her lips. “Did you tell her? Hm?” She pressed playfully as she walked Lana from the room. “Tell me you told her. This is possibly our last night alive.” She laughed as if she didn’t believe it as she walked into her room where she’d carefully laid out the skeleton on the floor.
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Post by Raven on Jul 18, 2022 19:21:19 GMT -5
Lana grinned, her lip curving to just a single side as a signature cheek side grin that she had. Watching Vaena squirm was the most fun she’d have in her life, and now was the greatest moment of them all. It was as though she poked at Vaena’s feelings for fun, just to watch them stir over her. A sort of power that could not be replicated, a power she craved to succumb to herself. It was a toxic kind of pull that made her burn for more, a sort of flame she had been chasing for too long. Lana was not ever shy about her orientation, she had been seen many a times with men and women, but normally – women. She had a way at making them swoon, but no cauldron bubbled as hard for Vaena as now.
Lana brushed her head against the top of Vaena’s scalp as they snuggled close. She pressed her nose into her hair and drew in her scent, while a hand fell to her waist and pulled her closer. It was an end to all fantasies when guards showed up. “Your phone huh?” she questioned and reached for the phone that lingered in Vaena’s hand. She chucked it over the edge of the cart they rode in, she pulled her own out and chucked it too. “Let them have it” she turned and Vaena had a dart sticking in the flesh of her neck. “Those fuckers” she raged and pulled the dart out. She raised a hand over it – a spell flashing as it told her the mixture within, just a sedative. “that’s it?” she questioned and gripped the dart. It was then that Vaena had pulled them out with a silent spell.
The wave of power that flood from Vaena was stronger than anything Lana had felt from her before. She gazed to her and then smiled “You’re learning huh” she grasped Vaena closely and held her for a long moment. She brushed her lips atop Vaena’s forehead “Thanks for getting us out of there” she whispered and then helped her towards the bed. She lowered her and tucked her.
“Asleep, yes. We were enjoying our first official date, I’d say, and the Capitol decided to interfere… just a sleeping dart…” Lana turned towards Ashlyn and then sighed, annoyed of the perfectly great evening’s abrupt end. “I mean, I kinda told her. She squirmed a lot. I wanted her really bad” her fast paced words indicated a high level of irritation, but there was not much she could do. “Alas, she is asleep” she followed behind Ashlyn with a brisk step, Ashlyn was in a hurry for sure.
“So now is a good time… thanks for waiting, of course” she stood before the bones and she sucked in a breath through her nose. “Your presences has inspired the both of us, Vaena teleported us here without a word or sigil, pure magic.” She smirked and dug through her bag. She set two sigils down that she drew out and then she held her hands out.
One of the paper’s began to glow brightly and it lit aflame suddenly and burnt up. The ashes sat and smoldered for a moment – and then something began to grow out of it. It was not a body of mud, no it was of ash and molten. The figured hardened into a shell of burning metal, with cracked lines that glowed of red ember. “Okay, I must take the spirit shard within you, so – next you wake will be in your new flesh. Wish me luck” she smiled and held her hand out.
From the center of Ashlyn’s body came a purple crystal that float out to Lana’s hand upon her quiet command, not a uttered word. Lana focused in on the radiating energy from the crystal. Ashlyn’s old body turned to mud and crumbled to the floor in a pile of uncontrolled magic. Lana’s entire arm glow brightly – but not blue. It was a very dark purple, thick and tainted almost. Lana’s eyes were purple orbs that emit plenty of light, dark beams over her gaze. The crystal shifted colors to the same, a pulsing dark purple that nearly resembled black. It shifted into the new figure and rest in the center of the chest.
The second sigil sat over the skeleton body, and it lit suddenly. Every bone of the skeleton began to glow the same radiant purple, the power that emit from the spell was like a dark shroud over the room. Lana lifted her hand and each bone rose into the air, keeping its form and unity – the skeleton lined up with the new body and slowly sunk into the flesh of the figure, until the bones rest within the hardened case. The soul was in place, the skeleton was in place, the last bit of the spell is to bind them. The connection of the spirit to the body would act like a trigger to resume life, where it left off. This by no means was a spell to make someone eternal, no, simply to put back the life which was severed from the body. So, Ashlyn would resume her life the same age and health that she died.
Lana stepped forward and uncapped the vial of blood – which was Ashlyn’s blood of old. She poured it over the head of the molten figure, and Lana held her hand forward. A beam of purple light shot from her palm and into the glowing crystal. The body began to glow, a matrix of purple lines circled around Ashlyn’s body, emitting from the crystal. The ember lines healed over, the crusted surface began to smooth. Flesh formed over the body, then hair. The body became whole – the same it was the second Ashlyn died. Though, she was naked before them, Ample breasts and a perfect body, she had red hot blood and a beating heart. Alive.
Lana lowered her head and breathed heavily, large heaves of her chest as she tapped into this new source of magic for the first time. It felt different than Spirit magic, it felt darker – for sure. She could feel the whispers of the darkness in the back of her mind, something she would have to ignore. This sort of magic was one step away from Demonology, which was one of the most dangerous types of magic. To call upon the demons is to summon them, and that is an issue on its own. It made her chest quake slightly, a trembling she had never felt before. But – there was something about Necromancy that sat with Lana well, it resonated with her and it was easy for her. She didn’t think of the spell’s nature, the complexity, the dangers and issues – she simply cast it, and it she willed it, and it happened. They called it the Attunement, when a mage finds the school of magic that suits them the best. And so Lana became attuned – a Necromancer.
With opening the door to this school of magic – she felt a new sense of power within her. It pulsed between her fingers like electric power jolting from finger to finger. She felt it between each strand of hair, dancing in the tendrils of her mane. She tilted her head back and let out a slow deep sigh and Ashlyn’s eyes opened.
“It’s alive”
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Post by Blindside Tex on Jul 18, 2022 21:28:20 GMT -5
It was a feeling that Vaena had never had the luxury to experience. The bubbling feeling within her stomach that caused her to smile like a child on Christmas morning. She couldn’t stop the infectious feeling as it spread through her body. The warmth that seemed to touch her very soul. She was lost in the moment. Her senses hyper aware of Lana’s nose as it pressed into her hair. The cool woosh of air as Lana had drawn in a breath against her. Then there was Lana’s hand that slipped to her waist and tugged her closer, closing whatever distance there was left between their hips. But that all came to a staggering halt the moment that the Capitol’s dogs showed up. It seemed that they were not allowed to have a moment of bliss. The last moments of life were meant to be in servitude to the Capitol. Vaena would change that...she had to change it. The sedative took hold of Vaena swiftly. It was a wonder how she was capable of casting such a spell. But her soul burned on fire unlike it ever had before. She had to escape with Lana to the safety of the temple. It was the only safe haven that they shared. The power that flowed from Vaena was truly unlike anything that she’d felt before. Though if one asked her she would chock it up to the sedative that made her feel overwhelmed with power. But was it truly the sedative? As they appeared within the temple on the cool stone floor. Her body shuddered. She was cold, as cold as the stone floor that they sat upon. But Lana. She was warm. Everything about her was a bonfire in a field of snow. She tried to speak as she felt Lana’s lips press against her forehead. But the sedative had taken a hold on her and her body had grown limp. It was fast acting. The Capitol had clearly only cared about capturing her this time at least. Ashlyn stood with a playful smirk upon her lips as she helped Lana get Vaena into the bed. “Oh the Capitol interrupted? Figures.” She scoffed and rolled her eyes slightly. She could see the frustration in Lana’s expression, it made Ashlyn grin. That sort of frustration. It was a slow burn that took years to boil up. “She squirmed huh?” Ashlyn looked to Lana with a playful gaze. “Sounds like you’ll have to continue that date once we have set things straight.” She winked as they walked down the hallway. As Lana thanked her for waiting Ashlyn turned to her and smirked. “Well, I did drop you two off at the bath house. Didn’t I?” She had a knowing smile. “There was no trouble in waiting.” She shrugged. “So long as we do this before the world ends and well...Vaena loses her mind...there’s that.” She clicked her tongue before a laugh came from her lips. She gazed to Lana as she spoke of the magic. “Hm...” Ashlyn leaned against her desk and gazed to the bones upon the floor as Lana searched through her things. “I’m glad that I have inspired both of you. You’re truly both great mages in a time of oppression. You’ve known nothing but the life of the Capitol breathing down your neck. Perhaps this spell can aid us in abolishing that...I’ll kill Edgar myself if I have to. Before he even utters a word of the damn Capitol.” She watched as Lana began her work. Ashlyn grew quiet, her arms crossed over her chest loosely. She drew in a breath, a bit of fear showed in her eyes. “I’ll see you soon then, Lana.” She put her trust in the woman and closed her eyes just as the spirit crystal was removed and the body crumbled into nothing. Silence. Darkness. The whispers of those that had yet to pass on. Spirits trapped in the in-between. Ashlyn stood upon a dark ground that held a thick soup like fog that flowed over it freely. She gazed about to the endless expanse. Was this the spirit realm? A world of which she had never traveled. She’d only heard of such a thing. A few mages had gotten lost here. So sure of their power that they’d ventured into the depths of the unknown. Ashlyn walked forward, the ground was cold against her bare feet. The whispers. She glanced about. It was unnerving. The sound of the voices were right at her ears, yet if she turned her head she’d find nothing around her but the shadows. She closed her eyes and let out a slow controlled breath. “Easy.” She spoke to herself. There was a pull at her then. A strange warmth within the darkness. Ashlyn opened her eyes to see a glowing purple orb in the distance. She walked toward it as the whispers grew into a soft roar. Tendrils of shadows lapped at her arms and ankles. But she pressed on. She pulled from the grasp of the darkness as she quickened her pace into a jog. The voices were louder now. Deafening. She was close, yet so far from the purple orb. It seemed that every step she took toward it, she was one more step further away. “You were never meant to survive.” A voice whispered in her ear. Ashlyn turned her head sharply, her ocean hues stared to the darkness of a spirit. The eyes glowed slightly, the body was a heap of shaped shadows. She grit her teeth slightly just as a purple glow came from her chest. She felt the warmth, the tug of Lana’s magic. Her breath trembled. “What do you mean?” She asked the spirit. “If you survived. Everything that I was building would be lost. You were never meant to escape your prison.” The voice was garbled, laughter followed. Ashlyn was ripped backward into the darkness with a force. She let out a cry as she tried to fight it. Dark tendrils wrapped around her torso. The purple glow grew stronger from her chest and the lines began to crawl down her arms. It was then that she slammed harshly into something that was cold as a stone on a winter day. Darkness. The darkness was thick as molasses. Yet as thin as the air around her. There was a moment between the spirit realm and the feeling of her heartbeat within her chest. A moment that Ashlyn felt her soul attempt to scatter. It took great magic to perform what Lana accomplished. Greater magic than Ashlyn had ever seen in her time. As her eyes cracked open they held the vibrant deep purple glow that Lana’s arm held. Her chest rose and fell as she gained her bearings. She could feel. It had been so long since she’d felt anything at all. But she could feel her heart as it beat within her chest rapidly. She could feel the warmth of her blood as it pushed through her veins. The coolness in the air that she sucked into her lungs. Ashlyn sat up slowly, her long blonde hair filtered over her naked chest in gentle tassels. She let out a laugh. She’d trusted Lana. But deep down, she doubted her. It was a magic that didn’t exist. A capability that should not have been possible. She stood and walked across her room, the cool floor kissed her bare feet. “I’m impressed.” She spoke as she opened her wardrobe. She slipped into the clothing of her time. She pulled on a pair of black pants and a simple maroon tunic that hung from her shoulders. Next Ashlyn fastened a bodice upon her body that accented every curve of her body. She pulled on knee high leather boots and buckled them before she pulled the necklace that her mother gifted her around her neck. She grinned as she stepped to Lana, she grasped her hand and helped her to her feet. “Now, we drink.” She spoke with a mischievous smile. She looked like a model from one of the old pin-up posters that were passed around years ago. Ashlyn’s hues still held the purple color though, the ocean blue of her hues seemed to have disappeared. A side effect perhaps? She grinned as she led Lana from the room, she had an aura of chaotic bliss about her. She walked down the hall and into the grand library of the archives. She smirked to Lana as she stepped to a bookcase and she reached behind the books to tug upon a hidden lever. The bookcase groaned and tugged back to reveal a set of stairs that led down into a cellar. “Had to keep the alcohol safe.” She winked as she led Lana down into a gorgeous tasting room. Bottles upon bottles lined the walls. The stone was expertly crafted. Flames flickered to life upon torches as they entered. “This room and the baths I designed myself. The boys wouldn’t have come up with something to intricate. It needed a woman’s touch.” Ashlyn smiled as she stepped to the thick wooden table in the center of the room that held stools around it. “What are you drinking?” She questioned as she pulled a bottle from one of the slots. She grasped a wine glass for herself. Ashlyn placed a bourbon glass before Lana and a bottle of a deep caramel colored bourbon. “This.” She placed her finger on the top of it. “Is my favorite bourbon. It’s the last bottle.” She smirked before she opened her wine bottle and poured the rich cherry colored Cabernet into her glass. She swirled it slightly before she lifted her glass. “To the last night in this world.” She held her glass forward to Lana with a bright smile. |
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Post by Raven on Jul 18, 2022 22:04:12 GMT -5
When the spell ended – Lana was sent back to her rear, falling to the ground in the burst of power. She held her hands out as a massive wave of tingles and fires crept up her bones. She saw something then – something of her mind. Tendrils of black and purple hands were reaching out of her chest, grabbing forward in a frenzied motion. Lana took in a breath and blinked tightly, when her eyes opened once more she saw just a figure. The figure was completely black, a thick shadow of the darkest abyss to exist. It drained the life out of the air in its slight flickering motion. Upon its head was the top of a skull, with no jaw but a black flickering substance. It teleported several times until they were eye to eye. Lana drilled her hues into the darkness of the skull head. Then there was a flash – a feeling of being slammed against the ground.
Lana opened her eyes once more – she sat on the ground, peering to the new Ashlyn. She held her hand upward and accepted the aid to her feet. The images from before – all but gone, having never existed in the first place. But Lana saw it, that shadowy figure with its skeleton helm, who was he? She cleared her throat and chuckled awkwardly, like she didn’t mean it – or wasn’t listening. “A drink it is” she followed behind.
Lana focused to shake the creepy feelings under her flesh, and the darkness that lingered. She pushed it back and locked it away, a little bit of magic to help her out. She was good at doing that – having been captured and tortured for information… she could lock it away, the pain and suffering – to a point where she wouldn’t feel a thing. The torturing would go on, but it would pass as just a fragmented tv static, something she’d forget in just a moments passing.
The tasting room was stunning, she approached the bar and sat down on one of the stools. There was an old school radio player, who’s battery was likely melted through the device itself. Lana smirked and noticed a record player – she stepped over to it and tilted her head. She set the needle and it began to spin – ragtime playing through the horned speaker atop. She gave it a few more winds on the crank and it continued to play, no electricity needed. “That is highly collectible now, you know.” She smirked and sat back at the bar. “Bourbon on the rocks” she reached up to her pony tail and unraveled it, her hair falling about her shoulders it a shake of her head.
“The last night, hm?” she lifted the glass and clinked it with Ashlyn. “You finally get to enjoy a good buzz, don’t over do it, hmm?” she sipped on her glass and smacked her lips together in joy. “Shit!” she took another sip “That is real smooth” she peered to the glass, taking in the color as the flavor swirled in her mouth.
“It ages so well” she smirked “Im sure not many can say they’ve had a 200 year old bourbon” she took another heaping sip. After a moment she relaxed in her seat and rolled her head about her shoulders.
“Everything feels different” she spoke, her hand wrapped around the crystal glass of the small pour. “The way my body feels, the way I feel IN my body, like I am hyper aware of my the difference. I exist, my body exists, and then there is… the rest of it. The soul, the magic, the gray matter inbetween…” she motioned about her chest as she struggled to make sense of it. “I feel a presence within me, like it is not me, but it’s not a being, its just an energy.” She sighed defeatedly.
“I don’t fear it, but I don’t understand it. It’s not here to hurt me, but it isn’t here to help either” she chuckled She cleared her throat “Not ramblings of insanity, I’ve just broken the laws of life, and I can feel its effects” she wiggled her fingers. “I need more of this” she had finished her glass in a final huge gulp.
“But – what of you. Your body, how does it feel? I think you look stunning, a pity to think the world missed out on all that” she waved her hand up and down Ashlyn, chuckling to herself, a clear compliment of Ashlyn’s natural beauty. Lana wouldn’t lie if she asked just how hard she stared. In so many ways Ashlyn provoked a shameless beast within, the one who would seize the night with anyone that had lips. Not now, not when her heart beat for something different, a rhythm that she didn’t recognize, but one that she craved. One where Vaena sang the melody, and she the harmony.
Lana tilted her head back “200 years without feeling, and now” she reached forward and pinched Ashlyn “you can, eh?” she laughed and gulped another mouthful.
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Post by Blindside Tex on Jul 18, 2022 22:46:46 GMT -5
Ashlyn’s violet hues moved to the side and a playful smile twitched at the corner of her mouth before she embraced the smile. “Ah that is my favorite album.” She expressed as the lively beat of the ragtime band washed over the stone room. “Doesn’t it sound lovely in here? The way the music is able to reverberate.” She kissed her fingertips like a chef might when admiring their own creation. She grinned and a light chuckle came over her lips. “Collectable? I’d rather listen to the sweet tunes than sell it for money that cannot buy me that sound quality.” She was alive. Truly alive. She felt the music. She could smell the scent of the cellar. 200 years without any senses. 200 years of wandering within that prison that she had been magically locked into.
But why? Why did Edgar not just kill her? If he chose to kill her then her spirit would have moved on. She would have been gone forever. Yet. Here she was. Alive. Alive. It was a strange and unbelievable thought. The crackle of the album beneath the needle of the record player caused Ashlyn to gaze to the device.
A chuckle came from the woman as she clinked her glass to Lana’s. “I’ve wanted a good drink since I was locked away.” She took a drink of the wine and gave a content sigh. “That. Now that is delicious.” She licked her lips. She could taste everything. It was as if the world were reborn with her. Ashlyn smiled as Lana commented on the bourbon. “Isn’t it? It took me a good while to find a bourbon like that.” She grasped the bottle of bourbon and took a swig, straight from the bottle. Ashlyn seemed to melt in her seat. She hummed lightly as she set the bottle back down, another chuckle came from her lips. “Try 300 year. This bottle was a hundred years old when I bought it.” She cracked another smile.
Ashlyn’s violet hues settled in on Lana as she began to ramble. A smile creeped upon her lips. A knowing smile. She’d felt the same way when she became attuned to time magic. When she’d finally cast a powerful spell – she felt different. As if she had left her body and came crashing back into it. As if eyes watched her that did not exist. “You surprise even me.” Ashlyn spoke with a crooked smirk. “The power that you hold is unlike anything I have seen, Lana. But what you feel.” She took a long drink of her wine. Enjoying it. She let out a breath as she took in the flavor. “What you feel is normal. You have found your niche. You’ve carved out your own path and created something more beautiful than any magic before you.” She smiled as she watched Lana. She swirled the cherry red wine within her crystal glass before she took another sip. “You’ve defied so many laws.” She chuckled. “So have I.”
“I’m glad you aren’t afraid of it.” Ashlyn spoke, a brow raised slightly. “Fear is a terrible thing. When you give into it. It will eat away at your soul. Day by day until you are weak enough for it to break you.” She took another drink of wine to finish the glass. She poured Lana another glass, a heavier pour this time. She then poured herself another glass and smiled as Lana asked about her.
“I feel rejuvenated. I feel...” She paused to take a drink from her wine glass. “Hm...” She hummed lightly for a moment in thought. She chuckled as she gazed to Lana. “A shame that the world missed out huh?” She retorted as she leaned forward against the table. “But at least I’m here now. In this moment. Hm?” She licked her lips and then took another drink of her wine. As she felt the pinch Ashlyn chuckled and another smirk curved up her lips. “200 years of merely existing, Lana. I couldn’t smell, taste...touch...” She reached forward and cupped Lana’s cheek. Her thumb ran along Lana’s cheek bone. Another laugh came from her. “If you weren’t vying for that lovely white mage….well...” She took another long drink of her wine and poured herself another glass. She didn’t finish the sentence. She didn’t have to. Her violet hues gazed to Lana another long moment before she set her wine glass down. She walked over to the record player and gave it a few more cranks as the music had slowed down.
Ashlyn moved about the room, dancing her way back to the table. She let out a content sigh as she lifted her wine and swirled it once again. “I’ve never felt more alive.” She smirked. Though Ashlyn paused a moment as her eyes turned to the staircase. “Vaena, love.” She spoke as she saw the sleepy face of the white mage as she came down the stairs in search of the two.
Vaena was wrapped in her hoodie, her arms hugged around her body. She blinked a few times as she looked to Ashlyn and then her jade hues settled in on Lana. She gave a shy smile as she sat down at the raised table next to Lana. She gazed to Ashlyn whom pulled another glass. “Oh no. I don’t--...”
“Don’t give me that, Vaena. Live a little. Huh?” Ashlyn pulled another bottle of wine. “Don’t worry, I’ll pick something that I know you’ll like.” She opened the bottle and poured the champagne colored wine into the glass. “Riesling. They are quite easy to drink.” Ashlyn slid the glass across the thick wooden table to Vaena. “You deserve to enjoy the last night of this world as we know it.”
Vaena hesitated slightly, her fingertips curled around the stem of the wine glass. She glanced to Lana again, her cheeks blushed slightly before she looked back to the wine. She lifted the glass. “To better days ahead.” She spoke with a smile upon her lips.
“That’s the spirit.” Ashlyn clinked her glass and took a long drink.
Vaena brought her glass to her lips. She smelled the wine before she tilted her head back and she took a drink. Her nose wrinkled slightly as she set the glass back down. She glanced to Lana, “You did it huh?” She asked her eyes trailed to Ashlyn whom was more than happy to top of her own glass as well as Lana’s. “You’ve bent the laws of the world. I imagine the gods will be curious of our endeavors as we break more of the laws.” She smirked slightly. “This is all forbidden.” She smiled to Lana, a giggle came from her lips. “All of it. Who would have thought that I would be performing forbidden arts?” She questioned and shook her head slightly. She lifted the glass of wine and took a sip again. She settled into the flavor and took another drink.
Ashlyn smirked to Lana and nodded before she looked to Vaena whom gazed about the cellar curiously. Vaena had a since of naive gentle nature about it. One that was not nearly as assertive and chaotic as Ashlyn. It was soothing in a way to see someone so untouched by the hate of the world and alive with life that was so serene in nature. “I heard you went to the carnival finally.” Ashlyn commented with a grin.
Vaena’s cheeks immediately flushed pink. She lifted her glass to her lips again and took a long drink before she set the glass down a bit roughly. “Oh...yes we did.” She smiled, “It was very different. But it was a lot of fun. Until the Capitol ruined it.” She glanced to Lana, she bit her lip slightly. It was clear that Vaena was still very much thinking about that smooth kiss that Lana had planted upon her cheek. “The ferris wheel was my favorite part.” Vaena spoke before she swirled the wine about within her glass, her eyes focused in on that now.
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Post by Raven on Jul 18, 2022 23:07:08 GMT -5
Lana tilted her head as Ashlyn spoke of the sensation, it made her feel comfortable that she was not alone. For a moment she wondered if she had done something horrible, but perhaps that was just the attunement. To be reborn perhaps. She smirked – Ashlyn was a living testament of truly how powerful Lana was. It shook her for a moment, she just became the first to do something. Some day – she would be written in some book, some nerd would read in the library. Lana Highborn, daughter of The 6th Grand Magister, Master of Necromancy… what would come next? Shaker of world? What they were doing – this was the biggest thing that the world would ever come to see, and it was then.
It was that minute that it sunk in for her. Her eyes turned to see Vaena walking in, as fate would have it so. She wondered what her dad would think in this moment, would he be proud? She took a sip of her drink and peered to Vaena. The moments before were just a passing fog, the touch of Ashlyn’s finger about her chin, she saw past her. To the woman stepping down the stairs, hands gripping onto her hoodie. The sly words of the blood-queen just wind about.
“Cheers” Lana lifted her half full glass of bourbon and tipped it to Vaena. “I’d say the Carnival was one of the best nights that I’ve had in…. 5 years” she took a sip. “The last time was when we skipped the Ball to go bowling, and eat greasy pizza” she chuckled “Mm – the first time you got tipsy, you remember?” she leaned back and took another sip. “But the Ferris Wheel tops it” she was generously buzzed now, her tolerance a little high. “Something about that sunset…” she glanced to Vaena for a long moment and then finished her drink.
“Come on then, dance – you gotta dance on the last night ever, huh” she slammed her drink down, the entire glass. That would royally get her. She stepped over to Ashlyn and took one of her hands, she spun Ashlyn several times to the bepop, her boots moving as if they knew every move. She twirled and then took Vaena’s hands, both in each palm. She swayed them – and pulled Vaena inward, and dancing back outward, shuffling about the small space to dance in. Lana chuckled when their shoes collided, but she danced ever still. At one point she had a hand within Vaenas and another with Ashlyn, waving and twirling them both for a true moment of innocent joy.
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Post by Blindside Tex on Jul 18, 2022 23:45:00 GMT -5
Vaena’s hues played over Lana as she spoke of the ball. She had fought with Lana about going bowling. She was supposed to be at the ball. Her father expected that much of her. Yet, she’d allowed Lana to talk her into bowling. Something she’d never done. The beer had been the perfect compliment to the pizza that had cheese that was so thick it was stringy as each slice was pulled from the tray. Vaena remembered that feeling. That dizzy feeling of being tipsy. She’d let go and she had truly been herself. She let down the walls and she tossed the ball down the lane. She was horrible. Absolutely terrible at the game. She could have won an award for the most gutter balls. It was that bad. But Vaena didn’t care, for once she was not in a competition. Lana hadn’t made bowling about a competition. “My father locked me away in the library and my room for weeks after that.” Vaena laughed lightly. “He was so angry that I’d missed the awards ceremony. That I didn’t tell him where I was.” She shook her head and took a drink of her wine, she’d nearly finished the glass.
“That sunset?” Vaena spoke as she gazed to Lana. It wasn’t the sunset that she was thinking of. “It was beautiful.” She had a sweet smile upon her lips as she took another drink.
Ashlyn smirked to the two, she could feel the tension between them. So thick that a knife could slice through it. Yet, it was a playful thing. A game back and forth between Lana and Vaena. But Vaena didn’t seem to understand how to play the game. Ashlyn finished her glass as Lana finished hers. She was just beyond tipsy at this point. She had a delighted smile as Lana took her hands and they moved to dance in the open area of the gorgeous cellar. She matched every move that Lana made, laughter came from the woman as she enjoyed the moment.
“Oh no...no no no I don’t...” Vaena argued as Lana pulled her to her feet. “Lana I...” She bumped into Lana and her cheeks flushed bright pink. “I don’t dance Lana.” Vaena’s feet pushed against Lana’s and she stumbled slightly, but somehow Lana had kept her on her feet.
“Loosen up.” Ashlyn spoke as she danced to the lively music, a smile upon her lips. Her hips swayed from side to side as she threw her arms into the air. She took Lana’s hand and joined in on the dancing. “Just let your body flow.” Ashlyn offered the advice to the uncomfortable mage.
The full glass of wine was finally taking its hold on Vaena. A giggle came over her lips as she bumped into Lana once again. She allowed herself to be free in that moment. She released another laugh as she settled into the music. She by no means knew how to dance, but she followed the rhythm of the beat of the music. She smiled brightly as she moved about with Ashlyn and Lana.
It was a moment of bliss. A moment where nothing else mattered. Vaena gazed to Lana with a smile upon her lips. Nothing else existed in that moment. Not the dangerous horizon that would soon rise upon the world. Not the destruction that it would cause. The looming sense of responsibility of the spell...it was gone in that moment. This is what mattered. Lana mattered. For once Vaena let everything go and allowed herself to truly live in the moment.
Ashlyn stepped over to the record player and put on another album before she cranked it up. She poured herself another glass and came back with a glass for Vaena. A sly grin upon her lips, she winked to Lana. She knew exactly what she was doing. Vaena took the glass and sipped from it as she moved her hips about. She gave into the music, she gave into the joy of the moment. Vaena stumbled slightly and leaned heavily against Lana. Her eyes gazed up and she giggled as she straightened herself. “I think this is the best day I’ve ever had.” She spoke, her voice soft so that only Lana could hear. Ashlyn was happily dancing with herself, enjoying the moment as well. Enjoying the freedom of finally feeling alive again.
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Post by Raven on Jul 19, 2022 9:45:23 GMT -5
When Vaena stumbled into her arms – Lana chuckled. “Just get your feet at the dollar store?” she questioned and held both of her hands against her own chest. She ran her fingers up Vaena’s arms and settled them on her shoulders, all while dancing slightly. “Well good, a fitting way to end this chapter and begin a new one, hm?” she smirked and danced with Vaena. It was an innocent dance, though her body urged for more – her mind couldn’t settle with bewitching Vaena this way. They all were dancing, but it wasn’t out of joy. It was vulnerable moment for everyone, and Lana was determined to not abuse this moment. Like she might most people, take what she wanted to leave them be. Not with Vaena, she couldn’t bare to live with herself if that was the case. She peered to Vaena with soft hues and smiled to her “But if it was my last, it ended well” she whispered. Her eyes moved past Vaena’s face and she saw something in the corner of the room. The dark shadow, only existent to her. It watched her and then disappeared in a flicker of smoke.
Lana guided their dancing steps and swaying hips toward the bar and she reached out for half full glass. “Last sip for me” she downed the glass and set it down. She split away from Vaena and twirled. Though soon the high energy music came to an end. Lana turned the music down and cleared her throat. “Big day tomorrow, and I am spent. Enjoy the body, I think I’m headed to bed.” She chuckled, knowing that Ashlyn would argue. “I am tired – spent a lot of my energy today making you whole again…” she went for the stairs and climbed up it. Her foot steps carried her to her Great-Grandfathers room, and she sat on his dusty bed. Her fingers held open her journal – where she frantically wrote. She wrote of the energies she experienced, the magic that flowed through her. The breakthrough of the spell – she tried to detail its complexity out on the page but could hardly muster the right words. Then the final page was a sketch, an all black image with a white skull for its head. She fell asleep while filling in the image, scribbling her pen deep in the paper until it pressed onto the next page. The book on her lap, pen still sitting in her hand, she fell asleep leaning against the wall, head dangling to one shoulder…
She saw then the grasping hands of the Darkness, which grabbed ahold of Ashlyn. The same sequence that happened in the Spirit-Realm, or so she assumed this land. The spirits of the dead grasping and pulling. She watched the woman fight against them – and then loose. Just as her figure began to break away into pieces – a larger hand appeared. It was white, but not a holy white – it was pale as bone. It grasped the soul and pulled it forward, through an unknown veil. As it happened – the skeleton figure remained in its wake. It flickered and appeared closer. Just as she got a glimpse of it again – she felt a punch to her chest. The same pale hand became a fist and slammed her back.
Lana gasped awake and glanced to her book. There was a red X drawn over the figure that she drew. Not a red pen in sight. She shut her eyes and let out a slow breath. Her hands closed the book and she slipped it into her bag. She glanced at the clock and realized she had slept for some time. She slowly stood and made her way to the door, breakfast was cooking – she could smell it. Lana followed her nose, turning the corner into a dining hall. “Good morning” she held a hand to her head, a headache splitting her own skull. Too much to drink? Too much magic? Sleeping weird? Bad dreams? Who knew what caused this one. “Gotta get this hangover sorted before we cast some world altering spells.. huh?” she sat down and leaned back in the chair.
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