Post by Venus on Feb 9, 2008 17:27:20 GMT -5
Dusk had fallen over the green stretch that made up the Aatto Glade. Lines of pink, lilac and orange twirled across the sky like a large, bright tapestry. Burning dots of light were just beginning to flicker into existence; the stars, peeking out from behind a veil of early evening cloud.
A diminutive silhouette against the vastness of the heavens floated down towards the ground, wings stretched out almost lazily.
Venus landed with a light thud on the grass-dusted ground, dropping easily into a loose defensive stance.
She wasn't going to be surprised again. That lesson had been learnt well enough.
Senses both physical and mental thrown wide open but concealed, Venus sat back and waited for her impromptu visitor.
The dragoness wasn't disappointed.
From out of the trees at the far side of the glade, a figure in the now familiar black cloak moved slowly towards her. As the dragon stepped into the first rays of moonlight, he lifted the hood back.
Feathers and scales glinting dully against the white glare, the pitch dragon sat down; his gaze seared straight through her, and the air was heavy with tension and memories.
Voice clipped, Venus spoke.
"If you have anything to say to me, murderer, say it quickly."
The side of Rafael's mouth tilted into a smile, and those merciless purple eyes gleamed with mirth and challenge.
"Feisty as ever in this life, as the others little Venus. But the one I really want to talk to, much as I'd love to discuss the slaughter of your family, is the Lady Isandre."
Venus stiffened, eyes flashing and baring her teeth in a silent snarl. Voice low, the dragoness ground out:
"Well, she's ... asleep at the moment. Why the interest?"
Rafael picked up on the hesitation, and his brow quirked in interest. Speaking silkily and leaning forward slightly, he said,
"Asleep, you say? How so?"
Feeling on the defense too often for comfort, Venus snorted.
"You answer my question, and I'll answer yours."
Rafael inclined his head, eyes still glinting strangely. Stretching her senses out to probe the feelings surrounding him, Venus was puzzled to find that there was nothing coming from him at all. Like... he wasn't really there...
"I don't take kindly to people scanning my aura when they're supposed to be answering a question."
Locking eyes with her nemesis again, Venus noted his gaze was now carefully blank.
Deciding that it would be best to at least give some ground before she started trying to find out more about him, she grudgingly answered his question.
There was no harm in twisting the truth, just a little.
"At the moment, she's resting. She's been too active lately for her own good."
A raised eyebrow indicated his disbelief, but Rafael made no comment on her deception.
"My turn for the question then. The one I asked earlier can wait. What I want to know is why don't you feel like a living thing?"
Rafael laughed - a harsh noise, barking out through the otherwise still night air.
"Magical stasis does tend to do that to you after a while. After all, waiting all this time to catch up with a hellkite I killed centuries ago isn't an easy task."
Venus blinked, but hastily regained her composure. She was just about to speak again when she was cut off.
"When she 'wakes up', you will be seeing me again. And there is also the little matter of your clan to be dealt with. But that can be for later. For now, I will leave you in relative peace. Be on your guard, little Venus-"
That mad glint was back.
"-after all, I don't want anyone else to kill you before I can."
He stood, and was about to leave when the blue dragoness spoke.
"You didn't answer my other question, murderer. Why are you after Isandre?"
From where he stood, back to her, Venus saw the spine beneath the cloak stiffen.
In a tight voice, almost as an afterthought, Rafael murmured,
"She runs, I follow. Over and over, life after life. And each time the same. Love and death, pride before the fall."
Shaken, Venus took a deep breath. "Tell me the truth, not a riddle."
"Give me one good reason why I should tell you. New moon. Look sharp."
And he was gone.
Confused and shocked, the blue dragoness sat back, perplexed.
She just couldn't work out this Rafael. He was so... random, so unpredictable, that working out his motives or what his next move would be was nigh impossible.
And now, he had her totally thrown.
Or was that what he'd wanted?
The moon rose and had nearly fully crossed the sky before Venus moved from her spot in the grass.
She had some decisions to make after she'd found out what was going on with her and Isandre's link.
And that meant going back.
Venus winced. If her friends found out that she was planning to resolve this without their help, they'd not be best pleased.
Her safest bet was to sleep, and speak with Isandre the only way she could.
The dragoness dropped off into dreams.
~VENUS! What on earth were you doing speaking to that murderer???~
~Trying to find out more. Look, I'm not here to argue, we can do that later. Do you know anything about why we can't speak?~
There was a heavy silence.
~Yes. Rafael put some sort of time delay block on our link through your mind when he attacked you. It activated when you decided to leave your friends. I suspect it will short out if you return. But the question is, is he manipulating you? I remember nothing of the life where I was killed by him - it appears only Crimson knows exactly what went on, and I hope I can find out from him. I say you at least return to the forests around Black Claw mountain to get rid of this hemmed block, and we'll work from there.~
~M'kay Isandre.~
Reality returned.
Venus took to the wing.
A diminutive silhouette against the vastness of the heavens floated down towards the ground, wings stretched out almost lazily.
Venus landed with a light thud on the grass-dusted ground, dropping easily into a loose defensive stance.
She wasn't going to be surprised again. That lesson had been learnt well enough.
Senses both physical and mental thrown wide open but concealed, Venus sat back and waited for her impromptu visitor.
The dragoness wasn't disappointed.
From out of the trees at the far side of the glade, a figure in the now familiar black cloak moved slowly towards her. As the dragon stepped into the first rays of moonlight, he lifted the hood back.
Feathers and scales glinting dully against the white glare, the pitch dragon sat down; his gaze seared straight through her, and the air was heavy with tension and memories.
Voice clipped, Venus spoke.
"If you have anything to say to me, murderer, say it quickly."
The side of Rafael's mouth tilted into a smile, and those merciless purple eyes gleamed with mirth and challenge.
"Feisty as ever in this life, as the others little Venus. But the one I really want to talk to, much as I'd love to discuss the slaughter of your family, is the Lady Isandre."
Venus stiffened, eyes flashing and baring her teeth in a silent snarl. Voice low, the dragoness ground out:
"Well, she's ... asleep at the moment. Why the interest?"
Rafael picked up on the hesitation, and his brow quirked in interest. Speaking silkily and leaning forward slightly, he said,
"Asleep, you say? How so?"
Feeling on the defense too often for comfort, Venus snorted.
"You answer my question, and I'll answer yours."
Rafael inclined his head, eyes still glinting strangely. Stretching her senses out to probe the feelings surrounding him, Venus was puzzled to find that there was nothing coming from him at all. Like... he wasn't really there...
"I don't take kindly to people scanning my aura when they're supposed to be answering a question."
Locking eyes with her nemesis again, Venus noted his gaze was now carefully blank.
Deciding that it would be best to at least give some ground before she started trying to find out more about him, she grudgingly answered his question.
There was no harm in twisting the truth, just a little.
"At the moment, she's resting. She's been too active lately for her own good."
A raised eyebrow indicated his disbelief, but Rafael made no comment on her deception.
"My turn for the question then. The one I asked earlier can wait. What I want to know is why don't you feel like a living thing?"
Rafael laughed - a harsh noise, barking out through the otherwise still night air.
"Magical stasis does tend to do that to you after a while. After all, waiting all this time to catch up with a hellkite I killed centuries ago isn't an easy task."
Venus blinked, but hastily regained her composure. She was just about to speak again when she was cut off.
"When she 'wakes up', you will be seeing me again. And there is also the little matter of your clan to be dealt with. But that can be for later. For now, I will leave you in relative peace. Be on your guard, little Venus-"
That mad glint was back.
"-after all, I don't want anyone else to kill you before I can."
He stood, and was about to leave when the blue dragoness spoke.
"You didn't answer my other question, murderer. Why are you after Isandre?"
From where he stood, back to her, Venus saw the spine beneath the cloak stiffen.
In a tight voice, almost as an afterthought, Rafael murmured,
"She runs, I follow. Over and over, life after life. And each time the same. Love and death, pride before the fall."
Shaken, Venus took a deep breath. "Tell me the truth, not a riddle."
"Give me one good reason why I should tell you. New moon. Look sharp."
And he was gone.
Confused and shocked, the blue dragoness sat back, perplexed.
She just couldn't work out this Rafael. He was so... random, so unpredictable, that working out his motives or what his next move would be was nigh impossible.
And now, he had her totally thrown.
Or was that what he'd wanted?
The moon rose and had nearly fully crossed the sky before Venus moved from her spot in the grass.
She had some decisions to make after she'd found out what was going on with her and Isandre's link.
And that meant going back.
Venus winced. If her friends found out that she was planning to resolve this without their help, they'd not be best pleased.
Her safest bet was to sleep, and speak with Isandre the only way she could.
The dragoness dropped off into dreams.
~VENUS! What on earth were you doing speaking to that murderer???~
~Trying to find out more. Look, I'm not here to argue, we can do that later. Do you know anything about why we can't speak?~
There was a heavy silence.
~Yes. Rafael put some sort of time delay block on our link through your mind when he attacked you. It activated when you decided to leave your friends. I suspect it will short out if you return. But the question is, is he manipulating you? I remember nothing of the life where I was killed by him - it appears only Crimson knows exactly what went on, and I hope I can find out from him. I say you at least return to the forests around Black Claw mountain to get rid of this hemmed block, and we'll work from there.~
~M'kay Isandre.~
Reality returned.
Venus took to the wing.