The Cerulean Yesterday

[Eleazar]

((SOLO))

The Cerulean Yesterday: Chapter 1

Eleazar Lachrist followed the unclear dirt path that led out of the gloomy boughs of Brokenthorn Forest. The sun shone vibrantly, but its rays only dappled onto the forest ground, blocked by the protruding limbs of the tall trees. A cool sea breeze blew gently from the east, caressing Eleazar’s skin and the delicate tree leaves. Brokenthorn Forest seemed a much more peaceful place, with the birds chirping and singing fervently in the trees. Although the most dangerous giant spiders of the woodland were dead, Eleazar was more than happy to leave the dangerous place; he had had his fair share of danger and distress in the unpredictable forest. Fortino, the surprisingly powerful old man, had been thrilled to let him stay and recover in his humble abode, feeding him food that was... unconventional, at best. Amongst the “delectable” dishes the old man served him and the “comfortable” bed he awkwardly slept on, the young noble was pleased to see the bright sun, shining down on him clearly from the light blue sky. He brushed away a stray tree branch to reveal the picturesque sight of Scara Brae City, the young journeyman’s capital, engulfed in the sun’s happy rays.

The young noble stepped out of the woodland eagerly and sat down neatly on the lush green grass outside of the Brokenthorn Forest, pulling off his blue and white imperial coat in relief (Fortino had gratefully cleaned it of its blood and dirt stains). Thriving meadows stretched out as far as the eye could see, with Scara Brae as the focal point of the scenic horizon. A ways away from Eleazar was a simple patch of blooming red, white and pink roses. The young noble resisted the natural urge to defile God’s creations by plucking the flowers shoddily off the verdant grass. Instead, he lied down gently on the friendly earth where he sat, breathing in the fresh smell of greenery and the oceanic aroma of the sea. Eleazar could not help but smile, finally calming himself down and relaxing, forgetting about all his troubles, even just for a little while. He closed his eyes leisurely in respite, lulling himself to slumber.

Wake up, sleepy head!

A shrill female voice boomed in Eleazar’s head, startling him for his reverie. He sat up in aggravation, putting his weight on his right arm, as he grunted in disapproval at the cerebral presence of his pink-haired spirit guide. Why she always bothered him, the young noble did not know, but he was sure that something… interesting was going to happen yet again. She giggled pleasantly, innocently, which annoyed Eleazar even more.

“It’s you.” Eleazar replied blandly to his pink-haired spirit guide, speaking aloud freely, since nobody was around, unlike the last time.

Yeah, it’s me. How ya been?

“Well,” the young noble began sardonically as he numbered off the outrageous events that she had, apparently, missed. “I was captured by giant forest spiders, I rescued a two kids and a dad, I killed a spider queen, I got a Crest, I escaped an underground spider colony and I met a crazy old man who eats spider soup and has amazing water powers.”

Wow. I didn’t know He would make it turn out like that. She chuckled at the young noble’s misfortune. At least you’re alive.

Eleazar snorted in irritation. “You don’t have to make small chat. You obviously wanna talk about the Crests. So here: I don’t understand why I have to collect these Crest Pieces.” He glanced briefly at the luminous glowing jewel in his hand. He faintly wondered when it would stop glowing, even though the faint luminosity was not really a bother.

Didn’t Fortino explain it to you? she asked, and this time, she was the irritated one.

“Well, yeah, but…”

But what?

“… It’s so dangerous.”

Choosing her words very carefully so as to arouse the young noble’s motivations, she asked him. Well… do you wanna know more about Joseph Fluxengard or not?

The name stung more painfully than the giant spider’s drooling stinger and paralyzing poison. The name was the reason why Eleazar had left Moonglitter. The name was the reason why everyone had loved and cared about was gone. The name was a grudge, a group of letter peppered with resentment and hatred.

“I do. And I want him dead.” Eleazar said murderously through gritted teeth.

Good. Now this time, you have to go back into the city.

“Where to?” Eleazar brushed pieces of wandering grass stuck to his silky black clothes off as he stood up. He gazed intently at Scara Brae, waiting for the pink-haired spirit girl to tell him where to go. This time, he was determined to find where the other pieces of the Cerulean Destiny are.

Just follow my lead.

The young noble slipped his blue-white imperial coat on. He breathed in a deep breath of refreshing air and started towards the young journeyman’s capital. For a brief moment, he considered turning away from Scara Brae, from unreserved peril, from sweet revenge… from everything.

And then the moment passed, leaving the determined Eleazar Lachrist to walk unwaveringly towards his cerulean destiny.

[Eleazar]

The Cerulean Yesterday: Chapter 2

The pub Vanilla Horse was grand and rather… admirable (a pub was usually a place were unsanitary things occur). Smack-dab in the middle of Scara Brae City Square, the place could not really be called a “pub.” Rather, it looked more like a castle, exclusive only to the richest people of the area, with the less fortunate citizens shying away piteously from the impressively imposing structure. Inside, the place was packed with people – nobles – dressed elegantly in their flamboyant and colourful clothes. Waiters and chefs hollered daintily about, as the kitchen produced a heavenly gourmet smell, coalescing with the wealthy stink of the customers’ perfumes. Beautiful ivory wood covered the roof and the walls were of an ostentatious white and gold colour. Glimmering chandeliers hung over certain points in the wide ceiling, shining their revoltingly luminous artificial light on the prideful customers. The tables were made out of pearly marble instead of the usual worn-out wood. The chairs were lavishly covered in untainted cushions, warming the buttocks (known as "asses" outside pub walls) of the stuck-up customers (also known as “asses” outside pub walls). Everything about the Vanilla Horse was grandiose; even the mouse holes had extravagantly clothed mice, having their refreshing afternoon tea.

Eleazar smiled. He fit right in.

He walked calmly through the place, following a tall thin big-nosed waiter as the man showed him to his table for one. The young noble adjusted his blue and white imperial coat, and smoothed out his black shirt and pants. Being in the presence of nobles meant beauty, grace and poise, just like he was taught by his parents when he was yet a small child. “Embarrassing oneself in front of a group of nobles deflated the family’s social status,” Eleazar’s father always used to say. Eleazar inhaled nervously.

Nobody here knows you, stupid. And by the way, you can breathe out now.

Eleazar exhaled heavily, making the big-nosed waiter turn around questioningly. He waved his nose in the air like a fairy’s wand and extended his thin white-gloved hand towards a table in the far corner of the pub/castle. “Please take a seat, young sir.”

“Thank you very much.” Eleazar replied, never forgetting his manners. It was always handy to bring those around.

“What would like for today, sir?” The big-nosed waiter pulled out a pen and a small yet expensive-looking notepad from his black suit pocket. His nose wavered distractingly in the air.

To keep himself from laughing, he looked away from the nose and picked up the menu. The young noble skimmed it quickly, choosing anything that sounded delectable. “I’ll have a… hmmm… an order of Sizzling Sisig. That’s a delicacy.” He said with a dumb smile, sounding as smart and knowledgeable as he could manage.

“A very good choice, young sir. It will be ready in ten minutes. Would you like an order of rice with that?”

“Yes, please.”

“And what would you like to drink, sir?”

“Hmmm… I’ll have Scara Brae Crystal Water, please.” He said, glancing quickly at the Beverages section of the menu.

“Very well. I will be back shortly with your meal, young sir.”

“Thank you.”

The big-nosed waiter walked away towards the noisy steaming kitchen, his coat-tails swishing to and fro like agitated fish. Eleazar chuckled quietly in the corner. He was amused by the simplest things, like big fairy wand noses.

You’re so stupid, you know that? The pink-haired spirit guide sighed hopelessly.

What? It’s about time I had a laugh. The young noble brightly replied back in thought, not daring to embarrass himself again like last time.

It’s just a nose!

It’s a big fairy wand nose. Did you see the size of that thing? It looks like it can casts spells...

Oh my… She scratched her head in scepticism. The Cerulean Destiny Crest Bearer was like a child. Did she get the right person?

I wouldn’t be surprised… he continued on, not minding his pink-haired spirit guide. What kinda power do you think it has…?

The pink-haired spirit girl sighed in aggravation. God, this is what I have to go through. She knew He was listening, and she knew He would do something, but she didn’t know if that Something would be something she liked.

[Eleazar]

The Cerulean Yesterday: Chapter 3

The grand glass doors of the Vanilla Horse pub opened abruptly, catching the attention of many of the noble customers. Two tall men dressed in majestic golden armour, most likely bodyguard knights, held the two large doors open. Eleazar’s head jerked up in surprise from sipping his vanilla-tinged glass of crystal clear water. An awkward silence fell over the pretentious pub; everyone seemed to be on edge, afraid that they might do something horribly embarrassing. That is how it is with nobles, all thinking about their social status and how they can either climb the ladder to societal success, or fall down into oblivion. As the silence echoed through the crowd of nobles, a short gangly young man stepped forward carrying a little handheld trumpet. According to Scara Brae tradition, these little trumpets symbolize two things: an upcoming holiday event or arrest warrant.

The nobles shifted uncomfortably. There was no upcoming holiday.

The gangly servant straightened his colourful frilly clothes and blew the trumpet miserably. It produced a weak whiny sounded that reverberated through the restaurant. “Genis von Trumple, butler of the Gemslight Family.” The servant stepped aside as an automatic applause daintily erupted from the nobles, including Eleazar. Those manners come in handy, sometimes.

The young noble stared with his confused ice blue eyes, expecting somebody big and important-looking. Dumbfounded, he gawked (and almost laughed, yet again) at a pompously dressed old man, who looked to be about half Eleazar’s height. The other nobles watched on nervously, not seeing anything shocking, waiting for someone to be arrested. The old butler had a white moustache, much bushier than Fortino’s, and had a large nose pasted upon his face, covering almost half of it. He stepped forward authoritatively and unrolled a pasty white scroll.

“The renowned Gemslight family,” he began in a deep announcing voice. Looking around commandingly, he cleared his throat, just in case anybody in the pub was not paying attention. “The renowned Gemslight family would like to invite all of the most important nobles in Scara Brae to the “Masquerade Midnight Ball.” The attendees will wear a mask to the party, and without the mask, entrance will be forbidden. The party begins at dusk, and will end promptly at midnight. It will be held at the Gemslight Family Manor. There will be some food and drink provided. The Family would like to see everyone there.” Reading along the scroll, he sighed and shook his head very slightly in indistinct annoyance. “PS: That’s hot.”

A light chuckle escaped from the nobles. It was not an arrest warrant, some thought, it was a party invite from the Gemslight Family. Some of the female nobles squealed in sheer joy, excited to be invited by the rich and famous Gemslight Family. The customers sighed in relief, slowly turning back hungrily to their food. Soon enough, the Vanilla Horse pub was just as noisy as before, with the two bodyguard knights, the gangly servant and Genis von Trumple marching away to some other place to announce their festive news.

A party…, Eleazar thought curiously, considering his options. I couldn’t possibly go, I’m not from Scara Brae.

The pink-haired spirit girl sighed. Why do you think I brought you here?

Ummm… to eat…? He tried to come up with a better excuse than that. His mind swirled around, putting together a logical explanation. So I could get the... energy to find my Crest! he said proudly.

No! I brought you here for you to hear that!

Oh.

You have to go to that party. The pink-haired girl said.

Okay… it’ll be fun! Eleazar thought of all the mouth-watering food they might offer at the ball. He remembered how his mother and father brought him to balls when he was a child. He remembered how he went to his first nobles’ ball without his parents. He remembered how he had his first date with Hilary, his half-Fairy girlfriend, at a nobles’ ball. Confused at the chance his spirit guide was giving him to have fun, he asked, just in case. But why am I going, again?

The next piece of your Crest is there.

He nodded insightfully, knowing full well why he wanted his Crest complete. Formulating a daring plan on how to get into the Gemslight Family Manor, his eyes caught the fairy wand-nosed waiter coming towards his table out of the corner of his eye. The thin man was carrying a lavish tray with a cup of rice, a small pitcher of icy water and a sizzling stone plate of food. His blue eyes ate the meal up hungrily.

“Sizzling Sisig, Scara Brae Crystal Water and an order of rice. Enjoy.” The waiter carefully placed the food down on the table and walked away briskly, his coat-tails swaying as he went.

Saying a customary prayer before he ate, Eleazar stuffed himself with the food, shoving his mouth with the rice and the sizzling dish. The Sisig was crackling hot and spicy. It tasted of pork, sautéed in garlic, onions and soy sauce. It was a delicious meal, especially with steaming white rice. The water was refreshing and tasted much better than the regular water that restaurants served. He smiled in satisfaction, happy at the delicious meal he ordered.

By the way, the pink-haired girl interrupted his ravenous eating trance. The Sizzling Sisig. Do you know what it is?

No.

Sizzling Sisig is made from pig’s ears.

[Eleazar]

The Cerulean Yesterday: Chapter 4

The sanguine sunset captured Scara Brae in a red-orange fiery embrace, setting the young journeyman’s capital ablaze with beautiful colour. Shadows danced upon the stone walls of the buildings and the more unsavoury residents of the city slowed but surely trickled into the darkening alleyways, like unwanted rain on your perfect summer picnic day. The chilling sea breeze sent Eleazar Lachrist’s nerves on fire (or rather, on ice) as he walked along the still-bustling market of the city. The salespeople never seemed to sleep, selling their waiting goods patiently. A person could walk up and buy a pack of chewing gum in the middle of the night, only because the store would surely be open. The dusk slowly covered Scara Brae; the young noble took his sweet time in purchasing some necessary supplies for the Gemslight Family’s Masquerade Midnight Ball.

I just need a mask, right? Eleazar asked his pink-haired spirit guide in thought-speak.

Yes. Choose whichever one you want.

Randomly walking around the market area of Scara Brae was quite the interesting endeavour. There were shops for, literally, everything. Eleazar passed by an odd shrunken heads shop and he curiously browsed through the inventory of a reused chinaware store, perusing inquisitively at the chipped china glasses and plates, stained with peculiarly-coloured foods. There were pen stores, pet stores, junk metal stores, rain water stores and many other interesting shops scattered around the area. It was not very difficult to find a store that sold various types and styles of masks.

Eleazar leafed through the mask arrangement, choosing the cheapest, but most striking mask around, which was difficult. Most of the cheap ones were either, very unattractive or incomplete, their makers forgetting to finish them and sending them on their way to be sold. The expensive ones were definitely pretty and pompous, but their prices soured to the heavens, where only the most desperate collectors, or “maskers,” can find the money to pay for them. But amongst the assortments, there were the odd-masks-out, like the slimy-looking spaghetti mask or the disturbing demon feces mask.

There’s… a heck of a lot of variety, I can tell you that, the spirit guide quipped.

Digging through a carefully lined pile of masks, Eleazar picked up a lavish lavender mask, covered in allergy-instigating pink feathers. Pink and purple glitters rained down from the mask as it was being handled. Eleazar faced a mirror, conveniently hanging in front of him from the shop’s wooden ceiling, and found his reflection looking horribly at him. He grimaced.

You look very… promiscuous. The pink-haired spirit made a vomiting sound, annoying the young noble.

He threw the promiscuous mask back into the pile. He browsed through the masks, pulling out a wilder-looking tan brown mask. It had pointy little ears with brown streaks and a cute pink button nose. From the area around its mouth protruded thin catty whiskers. He tried it on, facing the mirror again. He did not grimace this time, but the pink-haired spirit girl’s comments made him rethink his choice.

A cat.

Yeah… nobody would suspect me of party-crashing.

Really?

Mmmmm…

He placed the cat mask back onto the pile and dug back into it one more time. This time he pulled a classy, tasteful but simple black mask. It was not promiscuous, nor catty, but it exuded an aura of mystery and invisibility. The simple mask was just a simple black band, with simple holes for the eyes. Eleazar tied it around his head and looked back in the conveniently-placed mirror. Although he looked quite striking, it was not a remarkably prominent mask.

Perfect. Eleazar smiled at his find. Three’s a charm, correct?

Very nice, came the answer. It should do.

The young noble walked up to the wrinkly old lady behind a wooden counter. She smiled widely, revealing her ugly toothless grin. “Is that everything, sir?”

“Yes.”

“That’ll be 7 gold, sir.”

Eleazar reached for his money pouch hidden in the blue-and-white imperial coat and pulled out seven shiny golden coins. He dropped them into the saleslady’s ancient hand with a smile. Taking the mask and putting it in his pocket, Eleazar walked briskly out of the store. The sky was red and dusk was almost at hand. He walked towards the biggest building in the city, which was not hard to recognize to be the Gemslight Family Manor. Nobles were like that; they always wanted the biggest establishment in the city to be theirs.

[Eleazar]

The Cerulean Yesterday: Chapter 5

Locating the Gemslight Manor was just as hard as Eleazar thought it would be, which was not hard at all. Located right in the heart of Scara Brae, just a few yards off of the Valeena Family Castle, the Manor was as magnificent as it was fabled to be. Even when the young noble lived in his hometown of Moonglitter, stories revolved around the Gemslights. They were quite the family, with rumours of their Manor being made completely out of gems and jewels, their eldest female child possessing psychic powers, and of a mysterious jewel they own.

Casting his icy blue eyes upon the Manor, Eleazar nodded, impressed. The Manor gleamed in the red dusk sky, reflecting the light into different colours. The Manor looked more like a castle, rivalling even the natural beauty of Valeena Castle’s pulsating plantation. Nobles of different shapes and sizes (predominantly short and fat) flooded into the Manor. Many other Scara Brae citizens just blankly stared at the structure, gaping in awe and wonder at the shining jewel-of-a-Manor. Taking a deep breath, Eleazar adjusted his simple black mask and walked inconspicuously into the Manor. Because of his noble attire and demeanour, the Gemslight bouncers paid him no attention at all.

Remember this, follow the silver tears.

A riddle, eh? Eleazar said in thought, expecting something clearer than a confusing conundrum.

And I leave you here, now.

Good spirit guides are hard to find these days…

Sighing irritably at the pink-haired spirit guide, Eleazar made his way through the crowd of giddy nobles into the large crystalline lobby, where everything was decorated in such a pompously stylish manner. The walls and the ceiling gleamed like ivory jewels, and in the middle of the room was a majestic red-carpeted staircase leading up to the second floor. All the chandelier lights shone happily, casting their bright gazes upon the ant-like nobles skittering around. Mouth-watering smells of the food wafted into the large room from the bustling kitchen; some physically-challenged nobles stood around the kitchen door area, waiting for the food to come walking out into their hungry mouths. Bouncy ragtime music played away in the background, performed by Scara Brae’s iPod. Nobody had any idea what an iPod was, but their name was well-known catchy, and a catchy name was all that the Gemslight Family needed.

Soon enough, the food is served. The hungry nobles at the door practically lunged at the waiter carrying a silver tray of goodies. Usually, in noble parties like this one, food is not served as dinner. Rather, the food is provided as appetizers, and catalysts for conversation for the socially-impaired. Nonetheless, food is always necessary and it is required (see Idiot’s Guide to Throwing a Noble Party) to be delicious. It was obvious that the Gemslights’ chef was a master chef. Eleazar picked up a golden yellow custard tart. Might as well eat while I’m hear, he thought. Flavour poured into his mouth, warming his whole body; the custard tart was THAT good. His tongue picked up a creamy golden taste and he munched happily on the soft crust of the little tart. Soon enough, Eleazar was ravenously trying out all the beautiful-looking appetizers, from the chewy escargot to the rich and sweet wine.

As he ravaged the endless supply of appetizers and beverages on the dinner table, a commotion at the top of the stairway caught his attention. Nobles began gathering at the bottom of the red-carpeted staircase as a stunning lithe young woman dressed in a glorious pink dress stood at the top. She climbed down the stairs gracefully as a polite applause erupted from the nobles. She had her right hand on the stairway railing and the other was waving proudly at her audience, very much like a model. She flipped her shoulder-length blonde hair, revealing a straight nose and a sharp jaw line, extenuating her beauty. Along the edges of her attractive face were red and silver tiger stripes, which made her look even more exotically appealing. From the bottom of the staircase came the booming voice of the short Genis von Trumple, her trustworthy bodyguard.

“Introducing the Mistress for tonight’s Midnight Masquerade Ball… Miss Paris Gemslight.”

[Eleazar]

The Cerulean Yesterday: Chapter 6

The room seemed to brighten when Paris Gemslight entered the foyer, casting her beautifully pompous gaze over her noble invitees. Also, Eleazar noticed, that there was a shift in the room. Not like a physical shift, like an earthquake. Her shift was more… mental, or even spiritual. The room became more… searching. Paris Gemslight’s aura, even though she was extremely attractive, was very intense.

As if she’s searching for something…, Eleazar thought curiously, as the young woman’s applause slowly died down. Even the weakest magicians would have felt that.

Taking a mental note of the power shift in the room, Eleazar continued on shoving his face with the delectable goodies on the red silk-covered table. He was just about to bite into a creamy glazed strawberry tart, when something from the corner of his eye caught his attention. He turned cautiously, and saw something staring inconspicuously at him.

Paris Gemslight’s carnation pink eyes stared at Eleazar, searchingly.

The young noble met the woman’s gaze, locking onto her pink eyes with his ice blue ones. Soon enough, she looked away, distracted by some random noble who was pleading her to dance with him. At the suggestion of dancing, Paris walked briskly up to the house band and whispered a few words to the front man. With just a few simple words, the party mistress turned the Masquerade Ball’s eating session into a heated dancing festivity. Moments later, jolly music commanded the noble invitees to get on the dance floor.

Paris Gemslight led the way.

Eleazar watched her closely, partly because she caused a powerful shift in the room and partly because she was just incredibly beautiful. She was a promiscuous dancer, switching from man to man to man. She teased one man, with her face being to close to his for comfort, and left him a second later. She flirted with another, grinding her body upon, and then she whisked away to another man. Oddly, Eleazar found himself making his way to the dance floor.

When he got there, Paris caught his eye, which meant only one thing.

Come dance with me.

Although she did not open her mouth, the words clearly came from her. She smiled mischievously. Purring softly, oblivious of the other nobles around her, she made her way towards Eleazar, shoving anyone in her way. The determination in his ice blue eyes were slowly melting away, letting passion take over. She gripped her hand, and he felt her heavenly skin upon his. She pulled him closer to her, and their bodies met; a sharp jolt seemed to crackle between them, but Eleazar was much too aroused to even notice anything. She had her hand upon his hand, on his Crest, which gleamed brightly. Soon, the two were wrapped in each other’s arms, dancing the night away. Eleazar lost track of time, and was not sure if midnight had come. But he did not care.

She pushed her head closer to his until their foreheads touched, intimately. Eleazar shivered, as if a mysterious searching beam passed through him. Paris smiled, gently and whispered to him.

“Let’s go up to my room.”

Eleazar nodded, almost immediately, and grinned. He had forgotten all of what he had to do. He had forgotten about the Crest Pieces. He had forgotten about why he was in Scara Brae. He had forgotten about his girlfriend, Hilary Fluxengard.

But for some reason, he remembered what the pink-haired spirit guide’s riddle.

Follow the silver tears.

Paris Gemslight had beautiful make-up on, but her most prominent one was a set of small silver tears, glistening in the light from the chandeliers.

[Eleazar]

The Cerulean Yesterday: Chapter 7

“Wine?”

Paris pulled out some expensive-looking wine bottle from a drawer in her oak wood closet. She shook suggestively to Eleazar, who was sitting observantly on the lavish bed. “I have,” she glanced at the bottle’s label. “Ricardi 1563... whatever that means.”

“Sure, thanks.” Eleazar said, eyeing her perfect form attentively. It was odd, but the moment that he stepped into the flawless room, it seemed that he was being forced to want Paris. Everything extenuated that. The white light from the chandelier was dim, and in the air was the light and creamy smell of vanilla. The bed was the focal point, with his pretentious pink sheets screaming at him. She gestured for him to sit down on the bed.

Setting down the wine bottle on a corner table, Paris took two glass goblets from a small cupboard in her closet, wiping them with a clean unused rag. She half-filled up the two goblets, and made her way towards her bed. Handing the wine to Eleazar, she sat down delicately beside him, with a beautifully mischievous smile. The party mistress, who had just abandoned her party, nudged the young noble lightly, with a glint of searching sensuality in her eyes.

“So,” she began. “Where are you from? I don’t think I’ve ever seen you around before.”

Eleazar smiled back at her, seeing the searching glint in her eye. He put up his charming defences; just enough to make it seem that he was very interested in what lay beneath her glorious velvet pink dress. “I’m from Moonglitter City.”

“The one east of Scara Brae?”

“Yes. I arrived here, in Scara Brae, just a few days ago. I had a few run-ins with old men and giant spiders.” He smiled, taking a sip from his wine. The beverage was extremely rich, and tasted extremely old, but was still exquisitely good. Also, he noticed she Paris seemed to be… invading his mind. But he did not notice, and if he did, he would not care. He desired Paris, but little did he know that she was working her powers on him.

Paris is hot.

“Giant spiders? How lucky of you to survive.” She said, faking surprise. “I’ve heard of them kidnapping kids.”

“They don’t really kidnap. It’s more… hunting and eating.”

“How dreadful!” Again, the feeling of searching came over Eleazar, as if his mind was being scanned. He shook his head lightly in suspicion. “Then you must be having such a great time at my party, after all that.”

“Yeah… it’s great. The food’s great, too.”

“Ah, you tasted Chef Greentoes’ recipes. They’re amazing, I tell you.”

He smiled at their common interest of food, which seemed to be also fake, which would not make it a common interest at all. “Yeah… the custard tarts are just so…”

“Custard-y?” she offered. The sense of desire passed through him yet again, and this time, Eleazar noted that his desires seemed… alien to himself. As if she was enforcing herself upon him.

“Exactly.” And then the searching feeling exploded in him again. This time, he tried fighting back with his own will. Paris seemed unaware of this searching feeling, which made Eleazar even more suspicious.

“So how did you hear about my Midnight Masquerade?”

“I was in the Vanilla Horse this morning.”

“Ah… so Genis von Trumple went there, too?” She gazed off into space, as if thinking about some reward or punishment to give her butler.

He nodded. The feeling of searching and desire overwhelmed him when it came. He rubbed his eyes, mainly to distract himself or Paris (whichever worked first), as he eyed the woman suspiciously. There’s something about her…, Eleazar thought to himself. He studied the red and black tiger stripe markings on her face. Somehow, they were very familiar to him, as if he had seen them before, but did not really pay any attention to them. Something… not right.

As if reading his mind, she grinned. “What’s… not right?” She sipped her dark red wine, not taking her pink eyes of Eleazar. She set down her glass on the bedside table and gently placed her hand on Eleazar, indicating for him to put his wine glass down.

“Am I not pretty enough?” she asked innocently, placing her hands on her lap like a little girl ashamed of herself. She frowned sadly, no… maliciously.

“No, no. Nothing like that...”

Eleazar inched slightly away from her, but Paris suddenly righted herself and began crawling on the bed, like a hungry cat hunting for its prey. She creeped towards Eleazar with a searching lust, her beautiful form tempting Eleazar to forget about his duties and his commitments. Her psychic mind overwhelmed Eleazar with lust, desire and searching, and he gave in, quite happily, too. She purred, almost inaudibly, as she shoved mouth onto Eleazar in a deep and passionate kiss. She groped for his crotch area, and began hastily unbuttoning his pants. There was a large hard bulge, and she grabbed for it teasingly. Their lips broke apart for a second, with Paris letting out a light girlish giggle. Eleazar took off his blue and white imperial coat, making himself more comfortable as his tongue wrestled with her tongue. She curved her back in pleasure as his lips made its way down to her neck. He pulled her tighter into their passionate and promiscuous embrace. He pulled her head down closer to his, as he began unzipping her dress in lust.

[Eleazar]

The Cerulean Yesterday: Chapter 8

Paris forced her hungry lustful mouth onto Eleazar’s, their tongues wrestling. The mistress of the party straddled the young noble, trapping him under her frame with her smooth exposed legs. His hands ran up and down her back, and occasionally into her beach-blonde mane, and her hands ran through his lustre black hair. Entwined in an embrace of passion, Eleazar’s mind could not help but think about someone…
__________________________________________________ _______________

Eleazar sat comfortably on the soft cream-coloured couch, his right arm around the green-haired girl’s shoulder. Her wings were folded back primly and she sat on them painlessly. She placed her hand on the young noble’s knees and laid her head down onto his chest, snuggling up to her beloved. Their eyes met, ice blue against carnation pink, and they smiled, knowing that they were there for each other, if not forever.

Just very slightly, Eleazar leaned down and whispered to his beloved’s ear.

“Hilary…, I love you, you know that, right?”

“I know…,” she said, and smiling lovingly she said back, “I do, too.”

Overcome by emotion, Eleazar pressed his lips against hers for the first time. They closed their eyes, stuck in the moment, stuck in their first time. A smiled formed along the half-Fairy girl’s mouth and she broke the kiss and giggled. He opened her eyes and smiled, too.

You will always be the one that I love.
__________________________________________________ _______________

Eleazar broke their passionate kiss, severing their covetous connection. He struggled out of her embrace and he righted himself up on the bed. He pulled away from Paris, forcing her to climb off him as she sat, frowning on the other side of the bed. He stood and zipped back his pants; fortunately, they had not gotten far as being totally naked. Paris held up her dress, concealing her round breasts and let out a weak sigh of wanting.

“What’s wrong…?” she asked, pleading him to come back to bed.

“I… I won’t… I can’t do this.” Eleazar fixed up his hair, running his hands through it.

“Why not?” She gestured for him to come back into her fiery embrace.

“I just… can’t… I have a girlfriend.”

“She’ll never know…,” Paris purred, tempting him into giving himself to her. For a second, he wanted to give in, and taste that beautiful flesh once again.

“No.”

Paris, smirking irritably, got up out of the now messy bed and strapped her dress back on. She headed to a door in the far corner of the room and waved to him, smiling maliciously, as if nothing happened between them. She opened the door and called out, “I’m just gonna freshen up, we’ll get back to this in a few minutes.” She winked at him and disappeared into the washroom.

The young noble sighed and headed for the door, when he remembered what he was supposed to do. Quickly and quietly, he walked towards Paris’ desk, filled with various make-up, jewels, photos, notes, books and other miscellaneous things. He looked back to the washroom door and went back to searching. He opened and closed different shaped jewel boxes, searching for the Cerulean Yesterday.

He had a feeling that it was here; he felt the shift in power when he entered the door. But the shift seemed... different, because it was like it was two power shifts combined into one. Searching desperately for the source of power, his eyes caught a blue glow in a beautifully hand-made jewel box, adorned with white and black pearls. He opened the case and found what seemed to be a head of a seahorse; he was sure that this was the Crest Piece he was looking for. He touched it with his right hand, where the other Crest Piece was embedded, and the cerulean jewel stood up and pressed itself into his hand, just like the other piece had done before. As the Cerulean Yesterday trickled its way into Eleazar’s skin, he felt a slight wave of energy pass through, stronger than the other searching feelings he had before. The washroom door burst open.

“Get your filthy hands off my Crest Piece!” Paris screamed, her pink eyes glaring at him with red rage.

[Eleazar]

The Cerulean Yesterday: Chapter 9

The Cerulean Yesterday embedded itself quite quickly into Eleazar’s skin, connecting with the other Crest Piece found inside his right hand. Now, the Crest looked more complete, with the head and the body of a glowing cerulean seahorse. Eleazar also noticed that the light that he thought permanently emitted from the jewel was now gone. He tried to force it back on, but to no avail. But he did not have to time to think about such little things.

Eleazar Lachrist only glanced at his right hand when Paris stretched out her right hand with force towards him. The young noble forcefully fell back in surprise, gasping at the revelation that Paris Gemslight, eldest daughter of the renowned Gemslight Family, was an extremely talented telekinetic. He stumbled into her messy desk, shaking the different make-up bottles and jewel cases. Desperate for any type of retaliation, his right gloved hand searched the table for any type of projectile. His hand closed around an amethyst bottle of expensive perfume and frantically threw it at her.

As the projectile flew closer towards Paris, who was wearing a wet midnight blue bathrobe, the perfume stopped in the air, as if somebody had caught it. Unfortunately, someone did. With her mind.

Not my stuff.

Her raging voice exploded in Eleazar’s head, and his jaw dropped open. Not only was she a telekinetic, she was a telepath.

She couldn’t possibly stop a lot of things, can she? Eleazar thought to himself blindly. His hands grabbed at any random bottle or casing from Paris’ desk, and he threw them at her, hoping that they will either hit her or distract her.

Every time he threw something at her, it stopped in midair, thwarting its otherwise painful collision with her.

Eleazar was at an extreme disadvantage. He couldn’t possibly defeat a psychic.

Gathering his bearings in the one second he bought with the random projectiles, the distressed young noble fumbled for his sword. Brushing his blue and white imperial coat aside, he pulled out Silver Beach from its sheath, raising the blade confidently in front of him, holding it as tight as he could. Paris let down the projectiles stuck in midair slowly to the side of the room, gathering all of them and pushing them delicately with her telekinetic powers. The young noble took the advantage of her distraction and rushed at her, sword flaring, willing to strike her.

As he dashed towards her, Paris’ evil pink eyes turned on him and the red and black silver tiger stripe markings glowed. She growled furiously and brought her hands up, flashing purple and pink from her power. A burning bolt of psychic energy struck the running Eleazar, electrifying his whole being. A brilliant purple and pink light detonated within the room, and the noise was as if a psychic grenade was thrown into war. The strong collision with the raw psychic force sent Eleazar flying to the other side of the room.

The young noble fell over the corner table, breaking it into wooden pieces and spilling out its contents. He fell right on the corner table, crushing it with the force from the psychic blow. He brought himself up, shaking his head from the powerful psychic shock, and saw that the young woman was agape at the destruction he caused her room furniture. She glared at him, seething with rage, and lifted all her belongings from the corner table and carefully placed them on her desk.

So she’s materialistic…, he thought, hoping that he did not catch that in his mind.

Following instinct rather than careful and logical planning, Eleazar raised his sword up high and brought it down hard into Paris’ desk. She screamed in horror and fury as Silver Beach chopped the middle down into a splintering ruin. Her jewel boxes and her perfume bottles jumped of the desk as if they had a life of their own as the small table shattered into fragments. With her powers, she tried to hold it up, preventing it from falling apart.

How DARE you!

Eleazar then lunged towards the bed, his sword held tightly in his hands, and swung it towards the nearest bedpost. Steel came in contact with oak wood as the bed post chipped and broke in two, sending the one portion of the bed’s pink-curtained boughs falling halfway down. Silver Beach then sliced towards the other bedpost and Eleazar pounced out of the way of the wooden wreckage. The boughs of the bed came crashing down to where a person is supposed to sleep, destroying any hope of anybody sleeping in that bed for awhile. Paris’ eyes almost fell out of their sockets in utter disbelief. Her telekinetic powers were straining from holding up her desk and she held up the bed too, not allowing it to collapse down destructively in on itself.

Taking advantage of her preoccupation, Eleazar attacked her, brandishing his sword in his right hand. His left hand reached out towards the stray wine glass on the bedside desk, and the beverage began pulsing out of the goblet, like a liquid alcoholic snake. It swam in the air, pulsing to the beat of an invisible drum, and charged at the oblivious Paris, striking her right in her eyes, splashing itself onto her beautiful and fuming face. She screamed in pain as the alcohol made its painful effect on her eyes. She brought her livid hands up to her face and her telekinetic hold on her furniture disconnected, sending them into caustic oblivion. The loud crashing sound muted out Eleazar’s war cry as he rushed forward.

Silver Beach met soft sultry skin and pierced in, stabbing the stunned Paris in the stomach.

[Eleazar]

The Cerulean Yesterday: Chapter 10

Eleazar shoved Silver Beach into Paris, heartlessly. In fact, he had never been this heartless before, but the woman triggered something in him that set him on fire. Maybe it was the temptation she presented herself as. Maybe it was the fact that she toyed with him with her mind. Maybe it was because she was an obstacle in his everlasting quest to find the true identity of his parents’ murderer. Nonetheless, the young noble forced his steel sword into her stomach, as she let out her final gasps for air.

Paris, her eyes calm and collected, looked up into Eleazar’s emotionless face. Her red and black tiger stripe markings were slowly fading away, dimming as her life essence escaped its dying vessel, returning from Whence it came. She gave him a weak smile as she whispered her final words.

“I had some fun tonight.”

And then she died, with her mischievous smile pasted upon her now clear face. Without the presence of the Crest Hunter markings, Paris was just another face in the crowd, indifferent from any other woman.

Slowly, Eleazar laid her down on the floor, giving the dead the respect they deserve by covering her lifeless corpse up with ruffled blanket from the bedside. He closed her eyes with his gloved fingers and lay her head down to rest, her blonde hair still damp from the shower she took while freshening up.

He stood up and sheathed Silver Beach as he looked around the destruction their vicious battle had caused. The bed had collapsed in on itself and the desk had a huge gash right in the middle, revealing unused garments. The perfume bottles and boxes Eleazar threw at Paris were still lined up perfectly along the wall. The room still smelt of vanilla but the coppery stench of blood filled Eleazar’s nose.

Walking calmly, soullessly towards the door, the young noble glanced back to the bed where him and Paris had their one night of passion. He would never forget the feeling of her body on his, grinding in the dark of the night. He would never forget her smell of light cologne and female sweat. Turning away, he picked up his black mask from the bedside table and put it back on.

Opening the door, Eleazar walked out into the hallway and heard people rushing up the majestic staircase. Apparently, the party was still going on, even though it was well past midnight. Without drawing any attention, the young noble slipped into the shadows of the corners of the hallways, waiting for the frantic crowd of people to dissipate. One curious older woman opened the door to Paris’ bedroom, wanting to know what the crashed and explosions were about.

The sight of Paris’ dead body brought about loud screams and wails. Soon, the party mistress’ bodyguard, Genis von Trumple, made his way up the stairs and through the distressed crowd of people. Raising his head up high as if he had some almighty duty to perform, he carried the dead body of Paris Gemslight out of the room.

Later, the police and the ambulance arrived, asking witnesses questions of the whereabouts of the murderer, or any clue or suspicion of any one. The nobles took the advantage of the interrogations and, just as always, told them that it was this family, or that family. Nobles were like that, seeking to gain social power by framing their rival family. Some even said that it was the Gemslight Family who plotted their own daughter’s death, which was absurd. The forensic police informed the nobles that Paris was definitely murdered and it surely was at least one person, maybe more. Some nobles panicked in fear, that there was a noble killer prancing around Scara Brae, seeking to slaughter all the nobles of the city. The police, in all their helpfulness, assured that this was not so.

Eleazar, sighing at his brutal act, walked away into the darkness, covering his shame with his simple black mask.

((SPOILS: The Cerulean Yesterday, another Crest Piece of the Cerulean Destiny. Eleazar's moonlight powers are, for now, turned off. Eleazar also spens 7 gold and gains a simple blask mask.))

[Osato]

[Score] 65

[Introduction] 6
It was a good way to explain where you came from, what you’ve done… but who are you? Make sure that you explain yourself a little more in the beginning. Though I’ve read the other two quests, I always look at it as if I have no clue who you are or what you are doing. It’s always good to describe where you are and who you are in the first opening couple of posts. In this case, because the quest is shorter, it would be good not to drag the introduction too much into the other posts.

[Setting] 7
The Vanilla Inn was well done. I especially loved the little quip about the mice even dawning elegant clothing and having an afternoon tea. However, in the other posts you seemed to leave out a bit of description here and there.

[Strategy] 5
Nothing extrodinary… however it was not bad either.

[Dialogue] 7
As always, it is a strong point in your writings. Not only do you add spoken dialogue and thoughts, but body language. That does a lot more for not only your character, but also for other portions of your score.

[Character] 8
Beautiful. I love the way you portray your character, your NPC’s, and especially enjoy that you kept to character for the spirit guide… though at one point her happy-go-lucky nature seemed to dim.

[Rising Action] 6
Good, though rather quick and unexpected. I knew that what he was up in her room to do, how she was invading, but why did she turn so quickly? I did not expect her to attack him like that, so quickly.

Also, rising action during the fight with her was rather… weak. It was not as interesting as it could have been.

[Climax] 6
Interesting, though why she would be so materialistic about perfumes when you had taken the vital piece of the crest…

[Conclusion] 6
Oh so very confused. I thought you hadn’t done anything with her, had stopped short at not even becoming fully nude. As in you had stopped yourself before intercourse. However, at the end, you recount as if you Had done it with her.

[Writing Style] 6
Changed POV once, just through me off a bit. And iPod? Heh. Other then that it just did not seem up to par with the other quests you wrote… it seems that you were in a rush to finish it.

[Wild Card] 8
It was extremely well done. I enjoy your sense of humor as well… but most especially this quote. “(see Idiot’s Guide to Throwing a Noble Party)”.

[b] [Rewards] [b]
EXP: 560
GOLD: 97 gold (due to the mask)
Other Rewards given as well. Congrats.

[Max Dirks]

Rewards added!