Trade Secrets 2: Like Roses

[Skie and Avery]

This thread is closed to Rani and Moonlit Raven.




We are like roses that have never bothered to
bloom when we should have bloomed and
it is as if
the sun has become disgusted with
waiting

-Charles Bukowski "Finish"

"So what's your favorite color?" he asked, and Skie looked at him as if he were joking. He had to have been. Bless his soul, the boy on the boat had been trying for at least an hour to keep up a conversation with her. She sighed, letting her breath flow from her, taking her anger with it. With the illusions in place, her wing was absent, the bands of blue that signified her status of a slave were both gone. She was simply a young woman, staring out at the sea. He fidgeted beside her and she took pity.

"Anything but blue," Skie answered softly. He chuckled, and asked, "What, is it too masculine a color?" This time she let silence reign until he found the tact to simply wander away. Alone, she turned her gaze of hatred back to the great wide blue, and Concordia beyond. As her lips turned into a frown, pulling her expression into one of anything but peace, she could sense Griffin's displeasure with her through the rings. Her master had said that behaving as if nothing was wrong was of the utmost importance. Avery could know of nothing. She closed her eyes and reached out to her bond between she and her brother.

You are nearing! a baritone gasp of surprise and pleasure filled her mind. Her brother's voice was in her head now, using the link to welcome her back. Finally, you have tired of Raiaera?

The sounds of Moontae, the smell of the city of Beauty was invading her senses, earthen memories taking over the pitch and roll of the ocean beneath her feet and the salt that invaded on the cool breeze. She was sure that in Concordia, still hundreds of miles away, he would be smelling the ocean. Her lack of response, in any case, seemed to spur him on.

Come home. I know what I said. Come home and see Elena. And Netimrael. He has two wings. The joy in her brother's voice was like a wave that crashed against not only her mind, but also her soul. As children, there had been petty fights and rivalries as all siblings have. She had usually come out the victor, in all those times that they had stood glaring against one another.

Through it all, and even now, she had never wanted to bring him tears.

[Moonlit Raven]

I looked down into the laughing, happy eyes of my son as I bounced him on my knees. A peace like nothing I had ever felt before settled deep within my soul. For the first time since childhood, I felt complete and at peace. Near by, one of my constant guardians, one that I considered a friend stood near by and watched us. Netimrael cooed and bubbled at me as if calling me from the momentary lapse into thought.

Cuddling Netimrael to my breast, I kissed the top of his downy head and stood. Mansematiel took this as a signal and moved closer. I waited until Mansematiel stood next to me and thrust my son into his arms before the taller man could protest. The startled, near panicked look on the man’s face had me laughing.

“If you’ll scoop him in your arms, it will be easier. Let his head rest in the bend of your elbow.” I helped Mansematiel settle my son before I stepped back and smiled at the picture the two made.

“You are almost as bad as Avery, Mansematiel. I promise Netimrael will not break.’ I grinned up at Mansematiel mischievously. “Think of this as practice for when you have one of your own.” I shook my head at the mixed emotions that flashed in Mansematiel’s eyes and waved for him to follow me.

“Elena? Your child?” Mansematiel asked. Geez, you hand a guy a baby and he becomes timid on you. Too bad men can’t pop one out. I slowed my step so Mansematiel would walk beside me. As we walked in the cooling shadows, I pointed out things I had learned the hard way in the months since Netimrael’s birth.

We reached the hollow Avery and I lived in just as Netimrael decided to make his dislike of the bright light and the summer heat known to everyone. A light touch on the smooth bark of the tree and the portal appeared. I waved away Mansematiel’s attempt to hand Netimrael to me; at my denial, I received a pained look.

“You know, as my friend, I’ll be requesting your help often. Playing ‘Hand Baby’ is not the way to learn to how to deal with an infant.” I helped Mansematiel lay Netimrael down for his afternoon nap and walked away from the angry wails coming form the cradle.

“He is crying Elena. Should you not do something, soothe him?” I slanted a look up at the tall man and smiled at the worried expression. Lightly, I patted him on the shoulder.

“If I picked up Netimrael every time he cried I would holding him most of the time. I do not want him to become spoiled. I have the feeling Avery will do enough of that for the two of us. Besides, he will tire himself out soon and sleep for a few hours then it will be feeding time for him. I am trying to keep him on a schedule so he starts sleeping through the night.” I paused and listened to the wails; they were quieter and had gained a tired, fussy sound to them.

“I’m going to take a nap while Netimrael is down. You can play at being Uncle Mansematiel later with Illaniel and Serraphiel later.” Mansematiel balked as I pushed him towards the door.

“Uncle?”

“Yes, uncle. You got a problem with being Netimrael’s godparent?” I took Mansematiel’s silence as a good thing and shoved him out of the portal when he wasn’t expecting it. Padding over to the carved cradle, I looked down at my sleepy son touching his soft cheek and I smiled down at him.

“Hopefully you won’t turn out to be as much of a block head as most men can be at times.”

[Rani]

Coming home was supposed to be joyous not desolate. Stepping off the boat into the Outlander's Quarters instead of onto her father's private dock, looking around at the charred ruins and hesitant new construction rather than white washed buildings awash with colorful flowers and silks, hearing near silence instead of enchanting music and children's heady shouts, all of it was terribly out of place, and it made Rani more homesick than she'd ever been in her life. Father should be here greeting her, and congratulating her for finishing her final year at school, introducing her to an eligible young man. Nothing was right. And it never would be again.

Griff shoved at her back, urging her forward. He needn't even have done that, the glowing bands at her throat and wrists were enough to control even her slightest breath, and yet he seemed to enjoy the physical contact and the emotional torment that his touch caused her. Glaring up at him, Rani moved forward with the crowd, her skin crawling away from his heavy hand against her hip as he guided her away from the boat and toward the large building where she would help him gain an Exit Pass.

Somehow the building had withstood the ravaging of the Cultists, although the perfection of its facade had been marred and scorched, and the fountains outside it were dry and crumbling. Straightening, Rani marched onward, painfully aware that she was the only Fallien citizen who wore her brightly colored silks and beads. The other few who tended this portion of the capital city were dressed in rough fabrics of dull brown and grey, showing their proper mourning of a wounded city. They sneered at Rani as she walked past them, obviously thinking her a traitor - one of those greedy women who deserved to be tossed into the desert to the Karuku-tal - how dare a Fallien woman be seen with the soiled hands of an Outlander touching her skin?

It wouldn't be hard to get an Exit Pass for Griffin. She'd simply say he had come to see about purchasing what was left of her father's business, and they would be happy to help the daughter of Eltrio Kehyaka. It was humiliating though, and the thought of lying to her own people on behalf of an Outlander left her heart beating painfully in the pit of her stomach.

"I still don't understand why you need to come here," Rani questioned her master, flinching as his hand left her hip and tightened around her arm, jerking her around to face him. Instead of cowering, the Fallien girl lifted her chin defiantly toward him, awaiting his answer. Of course they both knew that he could force her with little effort at all to do his will, but she refused to let go of what little free will she had left, even if it meant punishment later.

[Skie and Avery]

Radasanthia loomed ahead, a great city filled with the hustle and bustle of everyday life. Through civil war and the rise, fall and change of regimes, it usually seemed unchanged. Certain districts acquired more grime as the days went by, some great estates fell into shambles while others rose to take their place, but for the most part the people were nearly oblivious to such political intrigues. The bazaar went on, though sometimes the popular wares changed, the Citadel still had it's offerings of blood and pain devoted daily. While the last year had turned everything on it's side, she was coming home.

When she left the ship, she was not the one who guided her footsteps. Instead, she felt Griffin's influence through the blue band around her neck, taking her down Harper street where just months earlier she'd been keeping surveillance on their targets, and into a small boarding house. Her room had been paid in advance, and as she settled in for the one night she would be staying in the city, her sense of loss was growing ever more powerful.

Tomorrow would be the beginning of the end.


..xoO|V|Oox..

Around the city of Beauty, a celebration was being prepared. In a place where every day was a celebration of life and vitality, this didn't take much from the normal day to day activities. Pots and cauldrons over fires, though, were bubbling with drink and food, soups and meades being prepared for the next days festivities. Through the boughs of the great trees wherein the Moontae resided, ribbons were laced. A Princess was returning home.

Avery stood in his own home, watching his sleeping son and wife. The sleepless nights were different than the ones that had conceived the babe, and he was content to have quiet in the room for what short time it would last. Netimrael was an angel in his eyes, the two perfect wings full of promise. A great king had been born, and Avery sat in wait for the day that he could be ready to die, secure in knowing his son would lead their nation to amazing things. As quietly as he could, he crept into the bed with Elena, slipping under the blankets. His arms slithered around her waist, his face buried in her hair and he breathed in the perfect scent.

The reunion of his sister, the presence of his wife and child. Finally, he felt as if his family was complete. Strength infused him, and he drifted to sleep happily. How could anything go wrong?


..xoO|V|Oox..

"Questions aren't for the likes of you to ask." Griffin had said solidly as he jerked her back around and they continued to move through the building. He got angry easily at Rani. Not as easily cowed into submission as the Coronian girl, she brought him no measure of frustration. Perhaps he would need to bring her to her knees while he had her to himself. A smile grew on his face as he mentally added, "several times".

By the time that they had gotten the exit pass, darkness had descended and Griffin checked them into a small hotel on the edges of the Outlander's Quarters. He was tempted, as he watched her collapse onto one of the beds, from grief or exhaustion he didn't know, to take her. A year had passed since he'd ordered her to display her body for him, and he'd never touched her beyond the pushing. She was a beautiful sight, though. Any man would be tempted. He decided to wait.

The morning brought an early start and a quiet one as well as they bathed and dressed for the day. Over breakfast, Griffin decided to sit Rani down on the side of the bed, his eyes out the window rather than on her.

“Before we leave this place for the Spicelands, we have a few houscalls to make here in the Quarters. Later, I’ll give you some money; I need you to buy some things, some new clothes and school supplies.” He dug through one of the small bags they’d brought with them, and tossed a small coinpurse towards her. Were she to count through it, there were several thousand in gold, all in larger pieces and rare platinum and jewels. He’d been unconcerned bringing Coronian currency, because in the Outlander’s Quarters, gold was gold. He stood, moving to the door.

“I’ve some personal errands to run. At noon, you may leave this place to do the shopping that needs to be done. Take any route and detours you like, make any purchases you want, but remember, my pet, to stay within the confines of this city. I will know if you try anything brave. You know that I am always watching.”

[Moonlit Raven]

I awoke to an much larger warmth behind me and the soft noises of my son fussing from his cradle. Careful to not wake Avery, I eased out from the cradle bed, holding onto the edge of the bed for a moment I made sure the rocking movements ceased. I moved silently to the cradle and smiled down at my son.

“You, my little love, wake up far too early. You need to give your mummy longer to sleep.” I chuckled quietly at the bubbling coos as Netimrael grabbed strands of my long hair and tried to shove them in his mouth with tiny fists.

“Hungry are we?” I asked as I picked him up and removed my hair from the chubby little hands. Gently bouncing him, I crossed the room trying to make as little noise as possible. Cuddling back into Avery’s warm body I opened the bodice of my gown a little and let my son feed while I drifted into a half sleep.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

An unknown time later I came out of the half sleep I had drifted into find Netimrael fast asleep. Lightly, I touched his plump cheeks and watched him sleep for a moment. My nose scrunched up slightly at the faint whiffs of milk breath I caught from the soft exhales.

Returning to the bed I shared with Avery after laying Netimrael back in his cradle, I pressed my face into Avery’s shoulder, seeking the sleep I knew would be elusive. Long minutes passed before I decided to give up the hunt. A small wicked grin formed as the thought to wake Avery in the manner I was often awakened in occurred to me. After all, if I’m awake so should Avery. I reasoned with myself as I pressed a light kiss to Avery’s chest. A sister for Netimrael would be nice.

[Rani]

When the sun turned the sky from pearlescent silver to palest rose over the city of Irrakam, its insistant rays prying their way behind Rani's lids through the sooty window of their room, she groaned and sat up in the bed. Gritty eyes and a pounding headache greeted her for the morning, and it took her a few moments to remember why. Her dreams had not been their normal homesick memories of growing up, or the terrifying memories of the shipwreck and her own enslavement a year before. Instead she'd been tormented by dreams of Griffin, in which he had his way with her. She wasn't certain if he'd been responsible for them, or if they were simply sparked by the way those green eyes would watch her, the desire in them more apparent than usual since they'd arrived at her home.

Rani glanced across the room at Griff - he sat in the same chair he'd been in last night, staring at her the same way he had when she'd fallen asleep, and she wondered once more if her master ever slept. It really made no sense to her why he hadn't claimed her body the way he'd claimed the rest of her as his own. She couldn't fight him, she couldn't even refrain from enjoying it. Just as when she'd been forced to couple with Skie, her every action and reaction were under his control. For some reason though, he abstained from taking her to his bed.

In her dream though, which was now becoming hazy in the light of day as dreams are wont to do, she had not fought Griff, or even minded what he did to her. Yes, he was a heartbreakingly handsome man, and if not for the cruel gleam that resided in his eyes, Rani might even have been more willing to be his "pet". That coldness had not been present in the realm of dreams though, and Rani rubbed her temples to send what cobwebs remained of the dream scurrying into the shadows of her memory.

They ate breakfast in silence, and afterward, in an oddly quiet manner he gave her the tasks he required of her for the day. Rani hefted the purse in her hand and nodded obediently, not wanting to anger him when she was not sure of his mood. He was rarely as pensive as this, and it frightened and intrigued her at the same time. After watching Griff slip out the door, she went to her own tasks. Dressing in a linen sari the color of cocoa, with charcoal colored glass jewelry to accentuate it, Rani hoped the colours of mourning would appease her people and show her own sorrow at the city's destruction and her father's death.

At noon she left the hotel, the purse tied to a belt at her waist, and enjoyed a leisurely shopping excursion through the Merchant's Walkway. Granted, many of the merchants that used to sell their wares here were gone, driven out by high prices or by the destruction of their own homes. She used to work in her father's shop just around the corner. Rani denied herself the urge to turn that corner though, knowing it would only drive her to tears to see what she already knew was there - a burnt out husk of the once beautiful building that sold fine paper and inks to scribes and merchants. Father was gone. She'd confirmed that from his oldest competitor, Chazel Brog'nys, who in spite of their enmity had revealed teary eyes when he spoke of the merchant Kehyaka's death.

The city seemed too confining from one moment to the next, and Rani found herself running. Running from what she did not know. From memories, or enslavement, or perhaps just running from what she'd become, it didn't matter. And she knew that Griff would catch her, any moment he'd be standing before her, demanding to know why she thought she could run away from him and where she thought she would go. There were no answers to be had for those questions, and until he stopped her, or she ran into the River Attireyi, she would not stop.

[Skie and Avery]

The Gates of the Beauty stretched only half as tall as the old trees of Concordia. Skie stood at them, staring up at the two guards who waited patiently. The forest was alive with sound and smell this morning, the birds singing gleefully. The happiness of the Moontae was the happiness of Concordia, and even the sun seemed to shine brighter as the scent of cookfires and the warm, nutty fragrance of pheremones floated around. Soema was in full bloom along the light pathway that lead up to gates, the bright red flowers that were part of the Moontae nation giving their pollen to the afternoon skies. Everything was alive, everything was joyous in existence.

When she finally managed to take a breath, bringing in and expelling all the glory of the forest, she could take a step forward on the lightly graveled pathway. Her footsteps crunched underfoot, her breath was calm only by the presence of Griffin's influence. The bands at her neck and wrists glowed lightly, keeping her calm, forcing her smile as she came into the gates, past the shiver that always came with passing through the portal between Concordia and the City of Beauty. The elegant fountain, rimmed with the trees of Avery and the other Council members stood before her. Water splashed playfully down the sides of the stone monument, cascading from statues of an incubi and succubi entwined together.

There was a crowd gathered, a blur to her of flesh and smiles, hands reaching out invitingly. Avery was the first among them. She stared upwards, her eyes scanning the clouds and the blue sky, trying to hold back tears as her brother embraced her, as her own hands feebly tried to clap him on the back or something that wouldn’t let him know just how numb she felt. Even as her bands were warm and glowing at her wrists, forcing her lips into a soft smile, letting her brother guide her away, she knew it failed.

“You look tired,” Avery said as he took her to her long-abandoned home, sat her at a table laden with fruits and drink. “You should rest, for tonight.” His grin spread along his features. “For seeing Netimrael tonight.” Long after Avery had left her quarters, she could still feel his pride, his enthusiasm beating around her like a a sweet rhythm. She closed her eyes and wept, for too soon she would have to sound the drums of war.


..xoO|V|Oox..

Griffin had been talking quietly to his contact when he felt it. At first, he just shrugged it off. Perhaps Rani was merely moving quickly to get to a carted merchant, but then he felt it. The sound of her heart, the screaming in her mind, they were all moving through him, and he could not allow her to panic like this, to harm herself or their mission. There was one more thing that they needed to do before moving into the Spicelands, and it was this purpose that he needed her for.

He motioned for the elven man before him to keep his silence for a moment as he extended his will into the rings. A tiny ring around his right thumb glowed and he held it to his lips, kissing it’s warm surface as he thought about what he wanted. When Rani was like this, paniced and scared and confused, she was more difficult to control, but he knew the doorways now. The past year he’d spent hour after hour getting into her mind, finding every nook and cranny he could use to insert his will, raping her of her movements. Her feet came to a stop, her breathing came down to a normal pace far more quickly than normal. Her pounding heart was calmed, and he forced her to stand in calm obedience for a moment before he began to murmur, his lips against the ring, his voice carrying through the bond into her mind.

That was foolish, pet. You have until the sun sets to return to our rooms. If I get there before you do, you will find yourself destroyed, hollowed out as much as this city.

As he turned his attention back to Suiauthon, he grimaced at the elf.

“Slaves. You know how it goes with the young ones.” Griffin said, half a joke, half an apology. The elf nodded, his thumb brushing against his nose as they exchanged laughs.

“Indeed, but you know my trade. The young ones are best for it. They are often so beautifully broken.” He paused, then, peering dark eyes through dirty locks of burnished gold, he gave Griffin a sly smile. “Tell me, what price would you sell her at?”


Jenn, on your post, the setting is the late evening. The sun is setting, fireflies are everywhere. A typical Moontae celebration with tons of food, exotic sweet spiced drinks and dancing and lovin’ going on en masse.

[Moonlit Raven]

I looked up from the messy task of caring for my son, in the doorway the familiar figure Mansematiel stood. I stared at him while he stared at me. Self-consciously I looked away after a moment; I smoothed down my ruffled slightly frizzy hair while I quickly finished cleaning Netimrael. I was slightly confused by my sudden nervousness around Mansematiel.

I handed Netimrael to his ‘Uncle’, I started to order him out while I change but stopped. For a moment I stared at the cradle bed and frowned.

“Elena?” I glanced up at Mansematiel questioningly for a moment then away, I drifted across the room to the chest that held all clothing I wore in the Moontae city. I dug through the chest, pulling out and discarding them. When Mansematiel stayed silent, I looked back at him. He still stood in the doorway holding a drooling Netimrael in the crook on one arm.

“What is it?” I finally asked, looking back at the sheer clothing that covered the only set clothing I ever felt truly comfortable in, my leather armor.

“Skie has returned, there is to be a celebration tonight.” I nodded. Well at least now I know what to wear.

“Okay, if you’ll wait outside. I’ll change be with you in a moment.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The swollen red orb that was the evening sun lay half-hidden below the horizon. I hovered near the older looking Moontae that was to watch over Netimrael while I stayed with Avery in the celebration of Skie’s homecoming.

“Once he gets fussy just lay him down for the night. He’ll sleep until early morning.” I tucked a stray lock of hair that escaped the blood red ribbon threaded through my hair to keep the unruly mass in check back behind my ear.

The spicy sweet scent of the Moontae pheromones floated through the air almost as thickly as the swarms of fireflies that danced in the trees, lighting up what the fires did not. I found a place where a constant breeze tickled my skin, swept away most of the pheromones, yet I was still close enough to participate in the celebration.

I smiled at the young Moontae that were nice enough to bring me foods, drink and the offers of dancing them. Once I finally relinquished and allowed myself to be pulled into the mass of Moontae, many of whom were doing more than mere dancing, I found myself having fun. When in Rome… I thought with a hint of abandonment as I reached out and stroked wings, cheeks and shoulders as I danced with my people. As if my touching them had given some invisible signal, the mostly polite dancing around me and accidental brushes against me disappeared.

I returned kisses with my own more chaste version, and teased those that reached out to touch me. I used my agile body to weave in my dance, pulling my body away from intimate touches or moving it closer to brush against another’s body. At one point, I found myself near Mansematiel and Illianiel. I retained enough of myself to give Mansematiel little more than a slightly too friendly caress of his wings, and pulled a ribbon from my hair to drape around his neck. I fought against the urge of my body and instead leaned into Illianiel, cuddling her for a moment. Near drunk, on pheromones and sheer adrenaline I called out to Avery to come join us.

[Rani]

Her heart thudded to a stop, her feet slowing until she found herself standing completely at peace in the center of an empty square near Jya's Keep. Rani gasped as her heart began beating once more, perfectly calm now, her thoughts stilled and her breathing not the ragged panting of long denied panic.

Griff's voice murmured threateningly, and she found herself nodding in acquiesence to his directions, knowing without doubt that his promise of destruction was not to be taken lightly. With no warning his presence was gone, and Rani breathed a shuddering sigh as she sat down limply on the edge of a dry fountain. Her emotions were slowly returning to her, the control of her mind and thoughts once more her own, and although the fear had lessened, she still felt the urge to run.

A wavering hand found the pulsing ring around her neck, and she swallowed the lump in her throat as she stood. The sun was low to the horizon - only a couple of hours before it set. There was a scribner's shop on the way back to the hotel in which they stayed, and she needed only stop there to purchase the remaining supplies Griff had instructed her to. She had purchased half a dozen tunicas, ten sari's of varied colors and styles, two new pair of sandles, a pair of boots, and a heavy fur cloak which she doubted she'd ever need. The cloak had been an impulse buy, it's lush white softness and vibrant red silk lining irresistable. Her purchases should have been delivered to their room by now, so she wouldn't be encumbered by them.

With a deliberate hand, she smoothed dark silk of her sari, adjusted her curls, and stood. Her heart beat only slightly faster when she looked back as she walked away to realize that this was the fountain she'd grown up playing at every day as a child clinging to her mother's skirts.

And it was crumbling and empty like everything else in her life.

[Skie and Avery]

Avery smiled proudly as he watched Elena dance. With every move his wife made, slinking through the crowd, more than his chest had risen. Still, he waited, looking for his sister out of the corner of his eye before he could go to Elena. Something had been tugging at Skie's attention, he could feel it over the entire city like a burgeoning raincloud, swollen with acidic rain. It wasn't the time for such thoughts, he knew, and try as he might to banish the bad feelings, there was something in the princess' haunted eyes that he couldn't just will away.

After a few moments, the crowd began to part, dancing away from a pathway as natural as if it were part of the dance. As bodies fluidly moved apart, he could see her walking towards where he stood, on an altar slightly above the rest of the dancing horde. Skie was nude, walking fluidly and as comfortably as if she were swaddled in all the clothes she kept. Avery himself had never understood it. She'd been born among the Moontae, just as he had, with the same upbringing. While he couldn't stand clothing himself in the fabrics that humans loved to cut up and use to cover their bodies, Skie seemed as at home in it as the people she now lived among did. She still wore the necklace and bracelets that she'd brought with her, the blue steel pretty against her pale skin. She was smiling, and he almost smiled back but he had long ago learned to judge her eyes. It was only a subtle difference between happy and sad, for as he could conceal the visible so easily her illusionist forte had always been merely herself.

She stopped short of the dais, turning instead to begin dancing with a pretty demoness who had stepped up to cup Skie's cheek. Sighing inwardly, Avery turned his gaze back to Elena, and the smile and call she was giving him. Grinning, he jumped into the fray, his feet and libido taking him to his wife.
As he danced, he forgot all but Elena. When he bent down to kiss his wife, he drank in her lips, feeling as if he would die without her.

They danced until exhaustion began to set in. As many of the Moontae left, moving some alone but most in pairs or groups to their homes and beds, Avery and Elena found themselves beside Skie. She danced alone, her eyes closed and her hands raised high as she moved and spun. Her prayers were whispered silently on her lips, as they moved as if seeking a plea from some unknown source. The band around her neck seemed to almost glow in the moonlight and the stopped, coming to a rest and opening her eyes to face her brother. She looked with her carefully guarded gaze back and forth between Avery and Elena. Finally, she smiled, and said softly.

"I would like to see Netimrael tonight after I dress, Elena."


..xoO|V|Oox..

When Griff returned to their rooms, his face aglow with a grin so sinfully good it had to be fattening, he looked through the bags that were sitting in the small side parlor. It had obviously once been a closet, barely big enough to hold the tiny tea table and two chairs but it did well enough to hold the things that she had purchased today. With an approving nod, he placed the bags back and returned to their rooms to find Rani laying on one of the beds, her gaze out the window. Instead of watching her as he had done this morning, he moved to the small pack where his own things were kept and began to root through them for a fresh pair of clothes. With the linen buttoned tunic he removed, he pulled a whalebone board and deep olive glass ball.

"I'd like you to wear one of your new saris tonight," he said quietly as he found a pair of dark trousers. "It won't take me long to smooth my clothes and dress, I expect that you will be dressed with similar punctuality."

Before he left the room, he turned to face her, the peace of his face tinged with something more.

"Tonight is important. I expect you to be on your best behavior."


A carriage waited for them outside the hotel. The streets were quiet as they made their way through the Quarters, the market life packing in quickly as the last lights of the sun faded away. The streets were left to be lit by lamplight, the flames shivering in their casings. Finally it arrived in front of a large house, made of fiery red stone. The bricks seemed to shimmer with pieces of glass, no doubt made from the sand of the deserts. Griffin helped Rani from the carriage and led her to the forefront of the mansion. The doors opened to the darkness inside, and hands reached out to rip Rani from her master's grasp.

As she was drug into the shadows, Griffin merely smiled and entered the house himself.

Vix, get a hold of me in AIM before you post. <3

[Moonlit Raven]

I was almost sorry that the celebration was winding down yet my tired body was grateful for a chance to stop and rest. I leaned lightly against Avery, smiling at the Moontae that paused on their way by to have a word with Avery or myself. I had never been so open, well never so Moontae-like open before and while there was a slight squirming in the back of my mind I was happy. It was obvious that many of Avery’s No, OUR people were pleased with me as well.

After giving one of the women I had danced with over the evening a light kiss the squirming in the back of my head protested. I shrugged the feeling away, I would deal with my actions and the minor freak out I knew was coming in the morning or later. For a moment I regretted being human, raised to think solely like one. It rendered me very rigid and made adapting hard, even after the years I had spent among the Moontae, first as a pet to the Chieftain then as wife. I poked Avery in the side and smiled at him playfully. Glad I’ve been upgraded. I think a cage, even a gilded one would kill me in the long run.

When at last it was just Avery and myself watching Skie dance, something tugged at my heart. A black feeling surfaced as I watched this woman so loved by Avery yet I knew next to nothing about her. Her request, innocent as it sounded, struck some cord in me. It was her eyes that set me on edge. The smile, the body language was friendly yet her eyes were harder, guarded and seemed to be a little sad. For a moment I thought I saw a desperate gleam in them.

“I would absolutely love for you to be able to see our son, Skie, but couldn’t it wait until morning? Netimrael is asleep still, and he a perfect little horror when he awoken. I have him on a schedule, it seems to be working as long as I don’t disrupt it.” I smiled at Skie praying that she would be reasonable, not press the issue and by that action make her look more suspicious to me. I didn’t want to be wary around my sister in law.

“I know I’ll be up at the morning meal. Neti has no pity for his mother’s late nights.” Skie bowed her head.

"I understand. It's something that could wait for.."

"I don't think that one night surprise will do too much harm. Elena, go on to bed, I'll rock him back to sleep before I bring him back to bed, it's no trouble. Skie has already been here long enough, avoiding being drowned in my pride."

My relief at Skie’s agreement to reason was short lived and Avery’s words that he would tend to our son did nothing to ease my mind. The pleased smile the flitted over Skie’s face never reached her eyes. I frowned up at Avery, telling him without words that he was in trouble. With a sigh I gave in and nodded. I couldn’t say anything more against this night visit without have to voice my doubts and suspicions.

“Avery, I’ll leave you to tend to Netimrael while Skie visits. I’m going to take a bath, the scent of sweat isn’t one I wish to breathe in as I’m trying to drift off. Skie, it was a pleasure meeting you once more. I shall have to have a chat with you some time and compare notes on how to deal with this peacock.” I prodded Avery offering Skie a genuinely amused smile before heading off towards the bathing pools. I resolved to have a long bath. I hoped by the time I got back Skie would be gone and Avery would be a sleep, I would mince words with him in the morning.

[Rani]

With painstaking care she made the pleats and wrapped the pale ivory silk of the sari around her waist, making each drape fall just so. Each glass bead twinkled in the lamplight, the silk rustling lightly as Rani turned to gaze at her image in the mirror. She looked like a bride preparing to meet her groom – dark curls cascading over her shoulders with elegant jewels nestled into the ringlets, satin slippers cushioning her every step – the only thing out of place was the sorrow in her kohl-rimmed eyes.

In silence she followed Griffin to the carriage, her hand resting lightly on his arm as was expected of her. The ride to their destination required no speaking and so she did nothing but stare at her hands folded in her lap. This was her best behavior: quiet, demure, and poised. When spoken to she would answer with the grace and charm she had been taught at all the best schools, and then she would dismiss herself politely and return to her master’s side.

As they emerged from the carriage Rani withheld a gasp. There were dark rumors of this house and those that lived within. Whispers always seemed to surround its owner and nobody was quite sure what to make of those that entered its doors never to step foot outside again. Raising her chin defiantly against her fears, Rani allowed Griffin to help her step down to the cobbled drive.

“Griff!” she cried out in sudden pain and horror as she was jerked violently from her master’s arm and taken into the dark interior of the mansion, “Griffin! No… take me back, take me back, take me b…”

The last scream was cut short by a rough fist in her gut knocking the air from her lungs. She crumpled around the blow and fell to her knees only to be roughly dragged back to her feet and pulled down the dim corridor. Struggling only made whoever had taken her that much more violent, and as Rani became more cooperative she also realized with a stab of pain that Griffin had known all along that this would happen – it was no coincidence.

Her assailant was a woman of middle age with deep creases in her forehead and around her mouth – a permanent scowl etched into her face by years of anger. Silvered hair was pulled severely back from her face and knotted at the nape of her long neck. Her hands were more like claws as she shoved Rani into a room furnished only with a tub, a mirror, and a cedar armoire.

“You will undress immediately,” the woman barked, “And then you will step into the tub. Your filth must be scrubbed from your body before you are made ready.”

Rani stared open mouthed at the woman until a rough slap across her face startled her back into awareness. Her captor angrily began pulling at the sari until the now crumpled silk fell to the floor at Rani’s feet. With a raised eyebrow, the woman waited for Rani to remove her undergarments on her own.

Shivering more with fear than with the chill in the room, Rani complied. Her face stung where she’d been hit, and her stomach hurt where the woman had driven her to her knees in the corridor. Numbly, she stepped into the scalding water that waited in the tub, the shock of the water painful on her feet after the icy cold of the tile floor. The water fumed with strange aromas, some not so pleasant that were obviously used only for their cleansing properties.

[Skie and Avery]

With Elena gone to bathe, Skie relaxed. Her brother's half-vampire wife was clever, and Skie liked her. It was hard to think about taking something precious from Elena, but she knew that her own inner struggle wouldn't be as difficult as trying to take the child while Elena was present. With Griffin controlling her actions, overseeing everything, she'd resigned herself. There was no fighting her master, not with his rings around her neck and wrists. It was as if she were dying little by little inside, the dead parts being taken over by a skillful marionette player.

She sat at the fountain outside of Avery's home. Though he'd invited her inside, she decided to decline. She'd dressed in her own small home, bare and empty. It had been a long time since she'd called this city home, yet she couldn't deny the peace that was waiting somewhere within the moment she'd stepped through the gates. Gone as long as she had been, it was still home. It was painful to wrap her belt around her waist, the weight of her sheathed sword pulling at the side. Now that she was ready to leave, the clothes on her back that she'd come with again in their place, she could face what must be done.

The cool stone under her had a way of anchoring her down, seeping through her skin and into her bones. It was like drinking a tall glass of cold water, but somehow better, like the relief through osmosis gave her something no liquid ever could. The city was going quiet as the festival was dying down, and when all the world was silence, except for the splash of the fountain's waters at her back, Avery emerged from his home.

As her brother walked up to her, his footsteps too loud on the stone, claw scraping softly, she smiled despite herself. Though she knew what was to come, the bundle in his arms was indeed so perfect. Avery handed him to her, sitting beside her on the edge of the fountain. The child wiggled, thrusting out his feet in the swaddling, grimacing and squirming as he was handed over. She could feel the press of two tiny wings struggling to flutter on his back, and grinned down at him. A child's glare, the light too dim to make out the color of his eyes, was leveled right on her.

"I know that look!" she laughed and leaned down to press a kiss against his tiny, furrowed brow. "He is his father's son. A beautiful son." She was close to tears, choking on her joyous cry when Avery leaned his head against her shoulder.

"Well," he started, his smirk felt in his aura, mischief filling the air. "He may have my charming disposition, but thank the stars he's got his mother's looks."

"Thank god," she murmured playfully, even though there were features of Avery's that she could see so plainly there in the face of her nephew. When his wiggling didn't bring him his father, Netimrael scrunched up his face, placing the first few plaintive cries that would begin a fit of wondrous proportion. Avery leaned forward, helping Skie to hold the baby against her chest, patting his back softly. At her brother's urgings, she stood, pacing around and rocking the baby. The cries died down, Netimrael listening to the low murmur of Skie's voice.

"Elena sings to him," Avery remarked, sitting back and viewing the scene with tangible pride. "The Council couldn't stop her if they wanted to. It's the most beautiful thing. You should teacher her the tunes you learned in Raiaera. I've heard the elves have the most magic song spells in the world."

At his words, Skie froze for a moment, turning. Avery caught it, his face turning to concern as he watched. His sister turned her face to the sky, blinking back tears. Around her throat, the blue necklace warmed and began to radiate a soft moon-lit glow. Netimrael stirred in her arms, but Skie held him tighter still. Finally, she turned her eyes to her brother; dark and flashing with the inner storm that raged at her emotions.

"Avery, I'm afraid I'm taking Netimrael."

"...What!?" Avery said, his jaw dropping open after he'd let the phrase sink in for a few minutes. "What do you mean?" His worry was washing over the both of them now, twisting his features into something between fear and annoyance. "I think you better give me back my son now."

Skie stepped backwards, her steps dancing towards the gate. She shook her head furiously, her hands shaking. The baby seemed to sense the change, and began to shift and cry again. Holding him firmly in the cradle of her left elbow, her hand moved to her sword, drawing it out. It was difficult to hold the longsword in one hand, but she had no intentions of putting it away. When she'd begun to back away, she could sense a change in Avery's demeanor, see the Moontae claws slip subtly from under his nails. He was ready to defend, and she should be too.

"I can't do that, love." she said, softly. "The baby isn't yours anymore. He goes to the Sea now."

"I don't understand what you're talking about," the King said, his words spat vehemently. "Give my child back to me and go. You aren't well. You need more rest."

"I go with the child!" she said. Her voice was strong, shoved out in panic and desperation. Avery paused, his face contorted in confusion. He didn't know the woman before him; she looked and smelt and sounded like his sister, but these actions and emotions were wholly alien. Where was the Skie that was so cool in the face of danger, so good and wise? "

"Give my son back, and I'll let you walk out of here alive," he said, emerald eyes cooling to jade. The bands around Skie's wrist glowed and where before she was holding her sword with a shaking hand, it steadied. The weapon swayed in a hand not used to brandishing it alone, but her resolve seemed to be made of steel now. She whispered, her words barely making it out of her lips before they died on the breeze, and she was moving. Lunging forward, her sword was bared to Avery's stomach. Skie was sure that he stood no chance against her.

Avery, on the other hand, bared his teeth. He moved to the side, sliding out of the path of the deadly steel. At the same time, he disappeared from view, cloaking himself in illusion. He knew Skie would still be able to tell where he was at; a Moontae couldn't fool another Moontae any better than conjoined twins could convince themselves they could one go east and one go west. But in an instant he flared other illusions to look like a hazy form of himself. He could read the confusion in Skie's eyes, and grinned.

The barely whispered, "Forgive me." fell on deaf ears.


..xoO|V|Oox..

<still working>

[Moonlit Raven]

“…thinks that everything will be dropped… outdoors for a week!” Under my breath I muttered to myself, annoyed at Avery. Not that that is any big surprise. I swear that man lives to try and turn me grey. My words rose and fell, only occasionally loud enough for me to actually hear.

By the time I reached the private bathing pool for Avery and myself, my annoyance had barely cooled. Beside the smooth grey stone, a silky length of drying cloth lay folded, waiting for me to bathe and dry off. In the pool, my favorite mix of herbs drifted through the water, lightly scenting the air with the sweet scent of jasmine, vervain and a tiny hint of soema blossoms. Despite myself, I smiled slightly, shaking my head. Someone is certainly kissing ass tonight. I just wonder if Avery ordered it or if someone doesn’t want Mr. High and Mighty in trouble. Again.

I slid into the warm, welcoming water and sat on the underwater shelf. Despite the muscle soothing warmth, I couldn’t relax. Leaning my head back against the worn stone, I stared up at the stars, not really seeing them, and went over my impressions of the night. Every time my thoughts circled round to Skie, a worrying feeling settled into the pit of my stomach, gnawing at me. Something about her seemed off.

“Yeah, I know I’ve met Skie only a few times, talked to her even less, but something was just wrong with her tonight. Why couldn’t Avery see that?” I whispered, asking the cold unfeeling stars scattered across the sky.

I wondered if my little Neti would take to Skie or if he would wail as he did with the odd person that held him. Despite the soft chuckle at the thought of Neti pitching a fit as Skie held him, the worrying sensation returned. I squirmed on my seat as if I sat on pins and needles, trying to dispel it. Avery wouldn’t let anything happen to our son, would he?

Never one to discount feelings too much, I scrambled up and out of the water, panic beating a rapid tattoo in the back of my throat. Something was wrong, I just knew it. The fact that I was naked as I ran down the hard packed paths towards the fountain seemed a distant worry. My goal was to see Avery and my son, safe and sound. To see Skie only as a proud, loving aunt and not as the figure that set alarm bells off in my mind. Instead, my mind brought up flashes of Skie’s eyes, one moment sad and fever bright, the next tepid and calm.

Skie and Avery stood near the fountain in a stand off, weapons both sword and claw readied. My heart sputtered and missed a beat when I spotted Netimrael held still in Skie’s arms, his wails unnoticed or not heeded by her.

“Skie!” I screamed as both of them seemed to explode into motion. My shriek still echoed off of the trees surrounding me as I threw myself forward once more, intent on taking my child back from Skie.


*Grovels* I am so sorry guys, I completely forgot about this thread until recently. I'll accept being flogged, but not tar and feathers.