What We Do

[Automatic Dread]

(Closed to those who signed up here (http://www.althanas.com/world/showthread.php?t=263))

The stench was so strong it was palatable; sweat and lavender and stale sex mangled together in a cocktail of depravity, wormed its way into Nemesio’s airway, stirring him awake and etching a grimace into his features. Silently, he lay there, contemplative and cold above the sticky bed sheets, the memory of the night before slowly dawning on his mind as the last rays of twilight retreated into blackness.

Ugh. Why had he…?

She’d approached, his mind helpfully supplied, but then, it wasn’t as if he’d turned her down.

She was everything he didn’t like in a lover. Cute, sweet and innocent with that ever-desired sulphur yellow hair and doe-eyes the colour of overcast clouds. By most people’s standards, she would have been considered attractive but to Nemesio she was something he shouldn’t touch and nothing like the sultry, experienced creatures that usually inspired his lust. Honestly, he hadn’t been that attracted to her at all and considering it, ‘Sio doubted that she’d found him any better, aesthetically. Tall and hard and frightening by most people’s standards, he carried a look of danger and the redhead doubted she leant towards his type. She’d seemed too much like someone running from the kind of trouble he adored yet for fifteen straight minutes, she’d done nothing but stare at him. She’d looked so broken, so unhappy, and for those fifteen minutes, she’d shoved every ounce of that depression into her gaze, had shared everything with him in silence. Then, she’d approached.

For a reason he couldn’t quite fathom, Nemesio hadn’t refused.

Without pleasantries, with barely a word, she had led him to this room and there- here, he had taken her without mercy. Over and over he’d ravished her, violently, and he couldn’t help feel that he was killing them both with this. They’d come together from mutual depression, from need and from loneliness; all of which were deadly on the conscience. It had felt more like a sin than anything else he’d ever done. Just hot breath, hot limbs, raw friction and a lack of love- or even desire for the thing he’d pinned down with such ease. Again and again he had savaged her, until neither of them could take any more and had collapsed, exhausted, atop the bedcovers.

Now, in the aftermath, he felt that cancer of a feeling press into his thoughts.

Guilt.

It was time to leave.

Mechanically, Nemesio pushed himself upright and swung his legs over the side of the bed, paying no heed to the noise the movement caused his jewellery to make. If she awoke, he was still going but so deep in slumber, so worn out was she that she didn’t even twitch. The redhead snorted bitterly and stood, stretching his hands to the ceiling to ease his aching body back into its familiar state.

It was when he turned to grab his pants from the end of the bed that he noticed it.

Dimly flickering against the swell of her breasts, was the most enchanting necklace Nemesio had seen in a long while. Suspended by a long, golden chain was a gemstone the shade of dark, freshly spilt blood, the kind of colour associated with vampires and imminent death. It was so pretty, the size of a large coin and it called to him, knowing he would never be able to resist. Taking care to suppress what sound he could, Nemesio cautiously clambered back onto the bed, held himself over her skinny frame. Gods, it was so unlike her, so unrestrained and vibrant and with a wary glance to her features, he took the pendant into his hand, raising it and twisting it over in his grasp. He wanted it, far more than he had her and with a sharp, swift tug, the pendant came loose.

Even through that, the tiny blonde still remained sleeping and for a split second, the redhead honestly believed she was dead yet the subtle rise and fall of her chest rapidly dispelled that idea.

With his pants in one hand, his new trinket in the other, ‘Sio drew back, dressed, seized the rest of his belongings and exited the room.

Half-way down the corridor, the teenager caught his reflection and stopped, staring into the glass. He definitely looked like he’d been having sex, smelt like it too, but that failed to bother him yet there was indeed something missing and ‘Sio knew exactly what it was. Grinning, the redhead clipped the pendant around his neck, adding a little red to the wealth of black and gold in his attire but he wasn’t given the time he would have liked to study it.

The loudest, most piercing scream powered through the building. Echoing against the walls and silencing the background chatter that hadn’t even registered with Nemesio until it was gone.

Ha, so sleeping beauty does wake up.

Nemesio recklessly abandoned stealth for speed and sprinted down the stairs, the ‘click-slam’ of a door resonating behind him. Carelessly, he pushed one of the inn’s returning inhabitants into the wall, out of his way and into hers but the footsteps behind him didn’t stop. ‘Sio quickened his pace. His velocity now so overbearing that time itself seemed to slow for him. The few seconds it took for the teenager to complete his journey stretching into eternity, until, at last, he barged out of the front door and lurched into the darkness. Madly, he cackled in his success for a second before dropping dead silent, smirking. After all, he certainly didn’t want her following him.

[Ran]

The warm sunrays lit up the whole town in a lovely glow that just made everyone happier. Who could not enjoy the sights and sounds of Radasanth in the morning when the ray hit just right to warm the heart of any being to feel the glow? A fox in heat that was fighting with pure will and was winning, mostly because she had tainted her mood that it scared away most males that either caught a pretty site or the scent of rut.

Sakura was this fox and she sat on the rim of the public fountain, thinking only of the falling water to calm her mind. Not to say that she couldn’t be happy while listening to the waters while in her own world. The heart and body did keep it coming while sneaking romantic thoughts of a hansom Byakko. In a sunny meadow far removed from the city next to a stream and under the tree that was Sakura’s namesake, the dream fox would cuddle caress and kiss her. The vixen smiled in real life showing weakness.

“Hey Foxy!” The voice was sweet and feminine, with a touch of hyperactivity and perkiness. Sakura had these traits at times but not now, they were more common in Neko girls. The vixen looked up and saw the catgirl smiling a sweet smile at her. The cat was a female so Sakura sighed a breath of relief. No more men please! Sakura begged in her mind as she smiled back and said “hi.” Swishing her tail so that it made ripples in the water behind her. Company that doesn’t want to bed me, at last !

“I see you’re having a bit of a problem.” The cat girl chimed in with a bit too much perkiness but what would one expect of a cat girl. She was a pretty neko with pale skin and lovely brown hair while the ears and tail had chocolate fur. The Thin build left little to the imagination thanks to a tight red dress.

Sakura nodded and smiled glad that there was finally a girl to talk to. “Yeah things just haven’t been going that well.” Sakura thought that it was just her luck to end up in heat while on her search for her sister and in a city full of strangers and not one of them was a fox, not to mention that if she gave in to the heat there was a good chance of having Kits and there was no way she could afford kits until Aiko was safe.

“Well that’s because you’re in heat. I can smell it. Don’t worry I can help you out. I don’t charge extra to pleasure girls. Other women only do guys but not me. I’ll even give a discount.”

Sakura’s jaw dropped open that a girl was in on it too. While a part of the vixen knew it was a good way to ease the sensations without risk of having kits, her mind was steeled to the point of over defensiveness that said no sex. The surprised look went feral as Sakura bared fangs, something she rarely did. “I’m not in Heat!” She yelled out in a harsh fashion.

“Fine have fun with yourself!” The catgirl yelled out with other more obscene comments on a fitting punishment for acting in such a way while starting off in a pouting manner that.

Sakura went back to normal, blushing in her fur for the outbreak while many people stared at her. “Uh I’m sorry.” Sakura said a bit too late as she patted down her ruffled fur. What a bad day this has been and it was still only morning.

[Blue]

The sunny day held little in common with the disgusted mood Abrahm was in. He had been thrown out of two pubs already and was currently lost. Quite frankly, things had been going poorly. After three trips to taverns, he found that while his gifts were appreciated, his poverty was not. Although he had recently received some money from a man in the town of Underwood, things were much more expensive in the big city. The few expensive wines he’d felt obliged to purchase were quite a bit of his price range. The bard had realized making a name for himself was not as hard as he thought- the only challenge was making sure it was a good name and not one that should be run through the mud.

So there he stood, lute in hand as he trotted slowly down the street. He found that getting lost in a large town was almost as easy as being thrown from a bar. People jostled by merrily, the sunny weather leaving a cheerful demeanor on their faces while Abrahm felt mocked by it. A small boy hustled past with his mother, speaking about some sort of new toy he wanted. The mother did not seem too pleased with the boy and informed him that if he continued to do well with his studies, perhaps they would return later in the year. The boy’s mood turned foul, and Abrahm couldn’t help but grin, sympathizing with the child.

"Ah…you’d think people would be more amiable around here!" he said to himself with a stretch as he entered an opening that his twisted pathway had lead to. A fountain sat in the middle and a few elderly woman sat on the lip of it, tossing out bread crumbs to the occasional bird that would swoop down. A few other people walked by, paying him no heed as he found himself wondering whether or not a crowd could be drawn.

Stepping towards the fountain- which seemed to be the focal point of the square- Abrahm brushed his gentle fingers against the chords and listened to it’s soothing melody being released. His mood increased with each string he plucked. The melody slowly picked up, then slowed, before once again picking up in a furious sound of harmonic grace. He grinned and found himself to be enjoying the music. It characterized the day well, expressing his various feelings.

Music was the one thing Blue loved, more than anything else. It allowed him to truly express himself in ways that he could not. While he could weave a tale or two, his singing skills left a bit to be desired and there was no chance of being a skillful dancer. So instead he played his lute, occasionally doing something to spice the act up, be it spinning the loot or kicking his heels up to stir the small crowd that had formed. His teeth glinted proudly through his casual boyish grin.

Before he knew it, there were close to twenty people standing in front of his as he worked his ‘magic.’ Small beads of sweat had begun to form on his head, and soon his fingers slipped slightly. Realizing that the quality might have been steadily decreasing, he ended his song quickly and gave a few words of encouragement.

"Thank you all kindly for listening to my songs. Times are occasionally hard, and if you wish to donate some coin or food, I would greatly appreciate it." Though he did not support the idea of begging for money, Abrahm did like the thought of a fair trade. His entertainment services for their money seemed like a good enough deal to him.

As the crowd lingered, Abrahm found himself shifting uncomfortably. He leaned down and- while realizing it was not the most sanitary thing to do- splashed some of the fountain water on his face, drying the droplets on his arm. The mass of people stared at him, as if expecting his performance to continue. Chewing his lip softly, he wiped his hands and lifted his lute, preparing to continue when a second thought crossed his mind.

"Perhaps I would be better off telling you one of my famous stories!" he said loudly, smiling widely as the crowd gave a minute burst of excitement.

"Hm…alright friends, I’ve determined one. Have any of you heard the tale of Sir Kaosi?" A few raised their hands, but not enough to be noticeable. Abrahm grinned slightly, realizing how much of a treat it was for him to pass on the stories of one of his favorite childhood legends.

"Well, this Kaosi fellow…his true name is spoken only in whispers or in the presence of the undead. Few of the dark challenged this being’s power…" and the story continued. The bard told the tale of the man’s ancient trek through Raiaera that made his story memorable.

As the story concluded, Abrahm added his own little twist to make sure that things worked out the way he’d always imagined them. "The soothsayer’s tell stories of how this man hides now deep within the sands of Eluriand and only rises up when the need of the Great Schools is dire. One day, perhaps you will be saved by this man…but until then, I will continue to pass on his legend."

The songster finished his story with a small, calm smile. He seated himself and began to play his lute once more, only very quiet. A small murmur enveloped the crowd so that he could just barely hear himself play the lute over them. That was a way to get some attention.

Before long, however, the bard found himself up on his feet once more, entertaining via his swift fingers and old lute. The crowd clapped in unison and it didn’t take Abrahm long to realize the day was already improving.

[BlackPorcelain]

Sitting down by one of the many ponds spread across Radasanth, Alexander watched with boredom as waves wandered over the water. Thrusted onward by the stale wind coming from the slums, it was hardly a pleasure. Though the water inevitably made the sailor feel at home. It reminded him of his mother, his father… Their happy trips at sea, and those moments they had cherished so long ago.

Sniffing for a mere second, Alex lifted himself onto his feet and with a slight suggestive move he altered the wind’s direction. Now blowing in the opposite direction, fresh odours were coming in from all across town, making the pond seem not so bad after all.

Slowly strolling into the blue tinted liquid, the black haired man kept on moving ‘til he was almost entirely underwater, bar for his head. “Now all the scenery needs is a peaceful orchestra playing in the back. It would be so much better than this…” Twitching his lips in an odd fashion, he raised his brow and laid back in the water, causing him to go under with his head included.

Letting his mind drift off, he closed his eyes and breathed at a slower rate than usual. The two DragonLord hearts had begun to lower their pace, though remained in perfect balance as the young mage met up with the soft soil at the bottom. Fish were moving all around, unhindered by this new stranger, yet ready to dart away just in case.


“Where am I? Did I fall asleep? What is this place?” Alex thought as he walked through a long hall. Torches were spun against the wall with their fires lit, enveloping the darkness that would otherwise be there. The place would have appeared peaceful, were it not for the walls that looked like those of an ancient castle’s dungeon.

“Fire? Underwater?” He continued to think; walking passed a couple of the torches as his feet carried him across the hallway towards a big fortified wooden door. Pushing softly against it in an attempt to budge the entrance open, Alex caused the door to open practically entirely. Behind it was a large chamber, filled with all sorts of devices. There a dome made out of glass at the end of it, through which stunning scenery could be seen – Fish swimming around at the coral reef and beautifully tainted sharks chasing their own shadows of death. Other than this there was the occasional merman, lingering around with a set of dolphins while frolicking in the kelp leaves.

“Intriguing, yet deeply disturbing. Is this Haltimeran?” Checking the room out more, Alex walked up to one of the many devices. It looked like a casual bench, though there were handcuffs attached to both the bottom and the top half. Immediately imagery of a person being pleased appeared to the sailor’s mind, a fantasy that would become a nightmare as a man with a mask on his head came into view.

Carrying a double bladed axe with him in one hand and a piece of rope in his other hand, he walked up to the person on the bench. As the young boy was tied up with the use of the handcuffs, the masked person wrapped the linen rope around the guy’s neck while pulling tightly on it. Within seconds the poor fellow’s head grew red as a tomato, yet he could still feel every cubicle inch of water around him. His red hair was waving through the movement of the ocean, his dark brown eyes carefully watching the man who stood beside him – Axe raised up into the air, now falling down with rapid speeds as the blade met up with the boy’s neck.

Blood spatters could be seen flying around everywhere, bubbles of air releasing themselves as they escaped from his lungs through the hole in his décolletage. A sigh of relief came from the murderer, possibly a brute who’s mere task was to execute – Innocent or guilty, it mattered not for it was his duty to rid the victims of all life sources prior to their final demise.


Twitching his eyes in disgust, Alex woke up to a Bard’s song. Drifting to the surface again, while his nausea took the best of him, the half merman found himself feeling soothed by the sound of music. Turning his head in the direction it came from, he noticed a small crowd gathered at the fountain at the centre of a square less than half a street away from him. Staring and listening in the delight, he slowly raised himself out of the water – His clothes drenched as could be expected, though he wasn’t wearing more than his usual outfit and weaponry.

[Automatic Dread]

It was a beautiful morning; the young sun cast its rays across the city unobstructed as busy people hustled and bustled through the crowded streets, all hurrying to complete the day’s tasks. Radasanth had awakened and the city was in full flow. Youths stood and gossiped in the alleyways, stall owners’ cried out advertisements for their best bargains and stout wives dragged their children from store to store. Yes, the city had awakened to a day exactly like any other, so normal that it was perfect and amidst it all, a teenaged redhead wove through the rush of the masses, unable to keep the grin from his face even as he swiped an apple from a nearby display.

Of all the cities Nemesio Delgado had visited in the past year, Radasanth was easily his favourite. It had everything everywhere else had and more; the smooth, curved elegance of the elves, the strength of the dwarves, the simple brilliance of the humans and other, more outlandish influences. All of it entranced the young redhead. And the people! Oh, the people! No two were the same, each one more spectacular and so unlike the last in every possible variation, skin, eyes, hair, ears, tails, scales, wings, everything, yet all moved as if exactly the same, paying no mind to the vast assortment of racial differences. ‘Sio hadn’t known even half the city’s numerous breeds before he’d come here and found himself surrounded by this most exotic culmination of the rest of the world.

If Nemesio ever decided to ‘settle down’ and rear a family, he would do it in Radasanth. Its cosmopolitan society was something that he couldn’t imaging ever tiring of, something that every child, hell, that every living being, deserved to experience. Though in truth, Nemesio couldn’t imagine himself with kids, not kids of his own and didn’t desire the restraints of marriage. He’d probably commit adultery before the honeymoon was out. The whimsical fantasy dissolved, leaving the redhead to muse over what to do now. He bit into his stolen apple. In a place like Radasanth, there were just so many options.

A shrill cry pierced the air, jolting the teenager out of his contemplation and along with the rest of the crowd, he turned to see the cause of the commotion.

There, rushing amongst the people like a beast possessed was a tall and slender male. He was frantic and paid no regard to the people around him, knocking them over and shoving them into things mercilessly. Yet there was no sign of a motive. There was no sign of a pursuer or pursuee, just the one, wild man running alone as if leading a charge into battle.

“OUTTA MY WAY!” He bellowed, and before Nemesio’s mind could process the words, the redhead found himself flat on his back with an angry, snarling creature sprawled on top of him.

Mmm, he was gorgeous. The other male couldn’t have been much older than ‘Sio though he was still a few inches shorter and had the most violently purple hair that the redhead could have imagined. In the day’s illumination it glowed, so brightly luminous that Nemesio feared the loss of his eyesight. Yet the pretty man was still snarling. Nemesio blinked, his teenage mind full of wicked and scandalous thoughts. With no amount of delicacy, the redhead shamelessly ground his hips upwards.

The savage man jumped off him as if scalded and Nemesio laughed but that ceased the instant the other youth lunged for him.

His evasion was clumsy; a swift roll to the side and a lucky twist that landed him on his feet. The other didn’t need fortune. With such skill, he ceased his would-be unsuccessful (unsuccessful and painful) assault and speedily came at the redhead again. Nemesio’s luck barely lasted a single swipe before he felt the wild man’s fist connect with his stomach, causing him to double over. Seizing the opening, his opponent smashed his knee into ‘Sio’s face, sending the redhead skittering backwards.

Nemesio barely had time to secure his balance before he lost it again, the other upon him so quickly he hadn’t had a chance to see him move. A brutal right hook sent him to the floor, his head slamming into the cobblestone hard enough to rip a startled wail from his throat.

His adversary smiled and grasped the hilt of the scimitar at his belt. He left Nemesio just enough time to think: ‘oh shit’ before sweeping the sword down upon the lecherous thief’s head.

In a movement that left them both astonished beyond words, ‘Sio blocked the attack. Somehow, in the millisecond between his adversary drawing his sword and imminent death, the redhead had managed to pull his axe into his grasp. Neither of them could fathom how.

Growling, the violet haired youth gripped the hilt of his weapon with both hands and pushed, seeking to drive Nemesio’s own blade into his throat. The redhead was stronger, however, and kicked at the other man’s legs. His attack was avoided but had the desired effect of forcing his assailant back, giving Nemesio enough time to stagger back upright.

‘Sio’s posture dropped dead serious and he clutched his axe, preparing to meet a fresh round of attacks.

He wasn’t kept waiting.

In an instant, his opponent was upon him again, unleashing a flurry of quick, accurate blows targeted for every vital point imaginable. Nemesio dodged what he could, weaving through the more deadly lunges. Yet he couldn’t evade or parry everything. Nearly every other slice of the scimitar raked into his skin, driving him further and further backwards through the parting mass of people that had gathered to watch.

Morbid fuckers. Nemesio smirked. And then it hit.

He was enjoying this!

The realisation shocked Nemesio to distraction and his attacker took the initiative, sending the hilt of his blade crashing into the other’s sternum.

Nemesio felt the force wretch all air from his lungs. He dropped his weapon and gasped. All the while frantically trying to regain his battered equilibrium but it was no use. It might have been, were it not for the cleverly positioned fountain behind him yet inevitably, the back of his leg connected with the rim, tripping the redhead into the pit of water with about the same about of courtesy with which his mad assailant had approached.

The impact was immeasurable, the 6’5” Nemesio hitting the water like a bomb, scattering the liquid over the sides and over a good majority of the people that surrounded it. ‘Sio hauled his form into a sturdy kneeling position, his stinging lacerations burning now in the bastard sun. He groaned and reached for his head.

Then he noticed everybody was staring at him.

But… where was the violet haired man? The teenager couldn’t see a trace of him. He’d probably just stalked off into the crowd. Yeah, that seemed his style; he hadn’t wanted to kill Nemesio, he’d been willing, sure, but that wasn’t his aim; he just wanted to deal with the redhead and be on his way. Thank god. ‘Sio knew that he’d been outmatched. He could have been killed yet the shallow gashes in his skin and clothing didn’t hurt nearly as much as the blow to his pride. That had been downright heartless.

The eyes of the crowd followed him to his feet, gossipy chatter and jeers; all for him. Nemesio glanced around. The people closest to him glared accusingly. Drenched to the bone and with an apologetic glance to the bard opposite and the fox lady beside him amongst others, ‘Sio muttered an almost inaudible:

“Sorry.”

[Ran]

Sakura felt pretty bad for her reaction to the cat girl, even if that neko was a whore. It was so unlike her to snap like that but this was the time that Sakura just wasn’t her self. The morning went on normally as Sakura took her seat and tried to think without fuming or daydreaming. It meant playing weird mind games or thinking about life and philosophy but that tended to end up as some self criticism for some peccadillo she had done in the past, a dreadful state to be in.

Thankfully Sakura was not the only person in the street, though part of her wanted no one near her. But the Bard was just as well since he was more interesting to the people than a fuming fox girl who was teetering between the wants of body and mind and the inner battle’s rage gave rage to the kiko. But Music could sooth the savage beast and it could also sooth the severely irritated one. Also having the bard there kept the people away and gave Sakura some solitude.

But every time the bard ceased his lovely music a thunder of colliding hands and murmurs of appreciation would come forth, rocking the vixen’s senses. It only took a couple of songs and a story before Sakura started to stand up and look at the crowd, almost tempted to yell at them to shut up but she didn’t as one side of fear took over. That would attract attention and angry attention at that. Sakura closed her mouth and turn around, looking at the other people moving about there business, and in walked the most hansom man she had ever seen.

He seemed to be a bit damp but that was his only flaw. His face was strong and supple as was much of his body. Something told her he was a man of the sea, the guy that would sail off into the unknown. Most women would wait for that kind of guy and for his return with the most faith… But not Sakura, she’d go sailing with him.

They’d Sail together with the wind at their backs and whipping her hair and tail while her fur and kimono would give her curvy form a new complexity that furless woman lacked, they’d be together and they would kiss with only the waves as company. The sounds of a fight erupted yet Sakura almost thought that they were part of the dream. He’d fight for her valiantly and with victory… he’d soak her from head to tail to toe.

“W, What?” Sakura asked the question out loud before silence. What was I thinking? Sakura found herself standing, the fur matted and clinging to her feminine form. The cold water had taken the edge of her heat. Sakura’s soaking form was met with another, another hansom man who might have been another victim of her Daydream if he didn’t give her a great plash of water.

“Why, why did you do that?” Sakura asked, having missed the fight while lost in dream world but she came back to reality to remember some of the fighting was with the youth and some purple haired guy, who she didn’t get a good enough look to see if he was hansom or not. “Er well… um could you be a little bit more careful. I mean you didn’t have to get me wet like that, I just wanted to sit here.” Sakura’s voice seemed to have been building up venom as she went on then guilt snapped her muzzle closed. She was going to embarrass her self like with the cat girl. If things kept going like this at he rate they were going then Sakura probably wouldn’t be able to show her face in this city for quite a long while.

[Letho]

This thread has been closed due to inactivity and moved to the Archives. If you wish to reactivate this thread, please PM me or one of the administrators.