A diary entry left open upon a small white table:
I am fairly certain he wanted to kill me. Yes. Fairly certain of that fact. Perhaps it is good I am linked to Sanria and Colin no longer has black makou in him. Perhaps it is due to the fact thathe looked utterly exhausted. I know not. He was at the castle, easy enough to get into his room using arcane methods to bypass some of the defensive features. I simply couldn't keep the farce going any longer... the lie has been eating at my soul.
I went to Sanria first and she looked at me as though I were on fire. She asked me what was wrong with me, then looked at me with pity. Me! As though I am the one that is pitiful. ... Alas, perhaps even this is correct.
I no longer know. I realize doing this may jeopardize things for
Gilean and Sanria. Though after seeing Colin so dejected, perhaps this has broken him enough that he will not seek to recover Sanria.
I begged him to leave them alone - his only reply was to demand I leave. I know I have damned you, Lady Sune, but if you are out there, somewhere, take from me my apologies. I have reached the end of my meddling in love. I will remain here, in this room, my companions my books and studies until I wither and collapse into dust.
Shaping the Stone
Enmach sat at the fountain, waiting for Colin to show up. Ever since she'd given him the rabbit, Oliver, he'd been much more able to talk to others and communicate where he hadn't before. It pleased her that she was able to aid him. But this time, he needed to talk, though she already knew what the discussion would be. She'd heard it all from Sanria, the other side of the problem.
This time he was hurt over the fact that Kaliadra had roped him into a relationship of sorts, a pregnancy. He didn't want the child, a prospect not at all odd considering the fact that not many men who slept around wanted evidence of the encounter left behind. Enmach knew, however, that loneliness drove people to do far worse things.
She couldn't help feeling that he was looking at the situation all wrong. He was beside himself that he couldn't have Sanria back, but didn't seem to think about Gilean or Matinus or the fact that Sanria was going to bear a child by her husband. She tried to get him to see - by not acting on his desires, keeping himself resigned to the idea of having a baby elsewhere, he was doing Gilean's family a favor, and Kaliadra - for entrapping him unfairly - had done a service to children who would have otherwise lost a mother or a father or both.
Enmach brought him into the castle to sleep in the inn. He had requested to be put to sleep, dreamless sleep, and Enmach was obliging. Sanria was not there, nothing could accidentally happen if she was gone for the day and unable to be found in the halls of the castle.
Admittedly, it made Enmach feel bad, being on the side of the two ex-es staying ex-es, but there was nothing she could do other than help the man sleep and hope he came to his senses. She stepped out, leaving Colin for a few moments to go to the Tea Shop in the castle. Sandrine made fabulous chamomile tea, and coupled with a little dose of magic, the concoction would certainly give Colin a little peace in his slumbering hours.
This time he was hurt over the fact that Kaliadra had roped him into a relationship of sorts, a pregnancy. He didn't want the child, a prospect not at all odd considering the fact that not many men who slept around wanted evidence of the encounter left behind. Enmach knew, however, that loneliness drove people to do far worse things.
She couldn't help feeling that he was looking at the situation all wrong. He was beside himself that he couldn't have Sanria back, but didn't seem to think about Gilean or Matinus or the fact that Sanria was going to bear a child by her husband. She tried to get him to see - by not acting on his desires, keeping himself resigned to the idea of having a baby elsewhere, he was doing Gilean's family a favor, and Kaliadra - for entrapping him unfairly - had done a service to children who would have otherwise lost a mother or a father or both.
Enmach brought him into the castle to sleep in the inn. He had requested to be put to sleep, dreamless sleep, and Enmach was obliging. Sanria was not there, nothing could accidentally happen if she was gone for the day and unable to be found in the halls of the castle.
Admittedly, it made Enmach feel bad, being on the side of the two ex-es staying ex-es, but there was nothing she could do other than help the man sleep and hope he came to his senses. She stepped out, leaving Colin for a few moments to go to the Tea Shop in the castle. Sandrine made fabulous chamomile tea, and coupled with a little dose of magic, the concoction would certainly give Colin a little peace in his slumbering hours.
Current Character Description - Gwideon
The being before you stands tall and straight, but ever in shadows. Unfamiliar runes adorn his cape and robes, embroidered in threads of silver, gold, and ebony. The wind idly plays with silver locks of hair that tumble past the edges of his cowl, falling over his shoulders and down his chest. That cowl shrouds his face, its onyx darkness revealing only a fiercely burning burgundy eye peering forth, and a flash of ivory where his mouth might be. Where pale skin peeks past his wrappings, the Runes seem to flow from the velvet onto his skin, continuing in a maze of entwined and interlocking patterns, burned into the flesh. A wind of antiquity flows from this being, carried aloft by wisps of shadows that seem to cling to his legs as a child clinging to its parent for comfort. The manner in which he holds himself seems as if his whole being is scowling, standing rigid and silent, lost in a vision only he sees.
Current Character Description - Yota
Slipping quietly into the room, Heralded by a stench of things long dead, Is a shadow of a human man. Wearing dark armor, And hefting a huge axe. The light seems to shy away from him. He notices your attentive gaze and grins ferally, Stepping closer to you with a look that makes you think of a buthcher preparing for the slaughter.
Current Character Description - Nerlith Perditio
Before you stand a tall man. He's dressed in black dragonscale armor which is clearly enchanted as the scales seem to float around him. On his hand he bears the mark of Sephiroth. On his back a single bump is visible, mostly conceiled by his armor. His strongly featured face wears a scar no known weapon could create
Focusing on Materia
Aneh looked to her assistant and smiled at the young woman. 'Are you ready to see?' she asked the woman. A nod was the only response she got, and everything fell quiet as Aneh pushed the button to raise the glass lid on the single smooth stone that lay on a bed of velvety material in front of her. She bit her lip and studied the stone, searching for signs of life or energy that she could mentally latch on to. Her hand hovered above the stone, and her eyes followed the pattern of its colors. Light pink swirled through bright green, making the stone look cloudy. She felt a pull on her subconscious. A whisper of a deep laugh that wasn't really there. Aneh closed her eyes and followed the laugh, allowing herself to open to the solid form of lifestream before her. It was like uttering a spell, you just let that magical part of you flow, but instead of putting it into a spell, she let it flow right into the stone before her, filling the stone, echoing its magical properties, absorbing the waves of energy and sending it right back. Her assistant whispered words over and over, supporting Aneh with her own magic, feeding it into Aneh to allow her to continue. Aneh opened her eyes and looked around, seeing the room and all of her crew through clouded eyes, the edges distorted as if the vision wasn't hers, as if she was looking through a glass of clouded water.
A smile came to her face as she felt the laughter, more than saw it. She closed her fingers around the stone, hearing her assistant chant a bit louder. She knew this was taking a toll that she didn't quite feel yet, but the end result would be worth it. She pushed her energy into the stone, forcing it to take more than it would normally channel, expanding its limits more and more each minute. Her assistant chanted her magic words louder, and Aneh pushed just a bit harder, feeling the stone heat beneath her hand. The room filled with a soft green and glow with pink shimmers of light that all radiated out from the stone, escaping between Aneh's fingers and becoming so bright that most of her crew closed their eyes.
Aneh gave one final push to the stone, stretching its channeling limits and hers almost to the breaking point, and felt heat begin to stir in her belly. She gasped lightly and took a step back, her hand releasing the stone just as it began to shudder and moving protectively to her stomach. The stone crackled and shook, the pink light dancing through the green glow. Aneh closed her eyes, but in her mind she saw it all,the stone duplicating, crackling and shimmering as one became two. Energy flowed between the two stones as Aneh reined her own energy in. Her lich assistant, drained, held on to a nearby counter for support and Aneh vaguely wondered if it would have been wise to have more than just one. She would know better for future sessions. Hearing the laughter again, Aneh looked down upon the two stones, her eyes shining with pride and excitement. The stone, in its duplication had changed. There was a light blue swirl at the center of both stones, almost invisible in the clouded texture. Exhausted, Aneh closed the case. After a lengthy discussion on adjustments in the process to make it easier, walked out of the lab, leaving her assistant to shut it down.
A smile came to her face as she felt the laughter, more than saw it. She closed her fingers around the stone, hearing her assistant chant a bit louder. She knew this was taking a toll that she didn't quite feel yet, but the end result would be worth it. She pushed her energy into the stone, forcing it to take more than it would normally channel, expanding its limits more and more each minute. Her assistant chanted her magic words louder, and Aneh pushed just a bit harder, feeling the stone heat beneath her hand. The room filled with a soft green and glow with pink shimmers of light that all radiated out from the stone, escaping between Aneh's fingers and becoming so bright that most of her crew closed their eyes.
Aneh gave one final push to the stone, stretching its channeling limits and hers almost to the breaking point, and felt heat begin to stir in her belly. She gasped lightly and took a step back, her hand releasing the stone just as it began to shudder and moving protectively to her stomach. The stone crackled and shook, the pink light dancing through the green glow. Aneh closed her eyes, but in her mind she saw it all,the stone duplicating, crackling and shimmering as one became two. Energy flowed between the two stones as Aneh reined her own energy in. Her lich assistant, drained, held on to a nearby counter for support and Aneh vaguely wondered if it would have been wise to have more than just one. She would know better for future sessions. Hearing the laughter again, Aneh looked down upon the two stones, her eyes shining with pride and excitement. The stone, in its duplication had changed. There was a light blue swirl at the center of both stones, almost invisible in the clouded texture. Exhausted, Aneh closed the case. After a lengthy discussion on adjustments in the process to make it easier, walked out of the lab, leaving her assistant to shut it down.
Redirected Attention
Sanria settled herself in Sandrine's Tea Shop in the castle amongst the cushions and looked over at a man who appeared average and non-descript. Tenchi was his name, and it was a name that had crossed her desk several times, though she had not had the mental capacity to even begin to deal with the application. Now, however, she was desperate to give herself a little distance with which to think. She needed to raise her head above the woes of her family circumstances and really do some work.
They spoke for a time, teacups in hand, about his discovery of the island and the Keepers. His voice was gentle as he spoke, as though humble and a little unsure. He also seemed to start when a member of the Keepers would arrive, each new face catching him unawares, as though he had been somewhere for a long while where no people had been.
Vorcet came, then Kineada, then Orn (accompanied by two crying babies which gave Sanria pause to collect her grandchildren that she had not seen in many days). The questions were from all angles, the interview, which it had become, was a success. The few hours spent in conversation with Tenchi helped to refresh Sanria in ways nothing else had. In a unanimous agreement, they welcomed Tenchi into the Keepers of Balance.
Though she wondered about his past, Sanria could tell that he was a good soul. Moreover since Kineada knew him from a previous time. She excused herself, swapping infants to give a pacified Regina to Orn in exchange for a squalling Reggie, and went to her office. She calmed the baby boy with a warm smile and gentle squeezes, then held him in her arm as she looked through the other accumulated papers on her desk. Others wished to join, others needed to be reached.
Sanria gave a deep sigh as Orn walked in and pushed the work to the back of her mind. She could sense Tenchi roaming the castle and she smiled. The family on the island had grown and for the better, she felt. "We have more who wish to join us, Orn," she said, nodding to the papers. "Oh, really?" he replied, looking quite flustered, Regina having started crying anew. He patted the baby's back with a new parent exasperation. "Soon," Sanria chuckled, taking both babies into her arms to give Orn a moment's peace. "We'll get to them soon."
They spoke for a time, teacups in hand, about his discovery of the island and the Keepers. His voice was gentle as he spoke, as though humble and a little unsure. He also seemed to start when a member of the Keepers would arrive, each new face catching him unawares, as though he had been somewhere for a long while where no people had been.
Vorcet came, then Kineada, then Orn (accompanied by two crying babies which gave Sanria pause to collect her grandchildren that she had not seen in many days). The questions were from all angles, the interview, which it had become, was a success. The few hours spent in conversation with Tenchi helped to refresh Sanria in ways nothing else had. In a unanimous agreement, they welcomed Tenchi into the Keepers of Balance.
Though she wondered about his past, Sanria could tell that he was a good soul. Moreover since Kineada knew him from a previous time. She excused herself, swapping infants to give a pacified Regina to Orn in exchange for a squalling Reggie, and went to her office. She calmed the baby boy with a warm smile and gentle squeezes, then held him in her arm as she looked through the other accumulated papers on her desk. Others wished to join, others needed to be reached.
Sanria gave a deep sigh as Orn walked in and pushed the work to the back of her mind. She could sense Tenchi roaming the castle and she smiled. The family on the island had grown and for the better, she felt. "We have more who wish to join us, Orn," she said, nodding to the papers. "Oh, really?" he replied, looking quite flustered, Regina having started crying anew. He patted the baby's back with a new parent exasperation. "Soon," Sanria chuckled, taking both babies into her arms to give Orn a moment's peace. "We'll get to them soon."
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