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Post by Joliette Thorne on Jan 19, 2009 11:01:56 GMT -5
--Outside the Rynvale Pub--
Senka looks more then just a little uncomfortable. Back within the very town she’s been avoiding for a long time, so near to what once had been her territory, it’s no wonder really. The people of Rynvale have not forgotten the white ghost that had come from the forest, bringing another wolf and a bear with her, and brought tragedy on so many of their numbers. However, what’s standing in the intersection of the fishing town now is nothing more then what appears to be a somewhat lost homeless person. Long white strands embrace her pale form, bare feet stand awkwardly upon the tiles of the town and Tenebrae will have no problem recognising the green fabric of a dress given a long time ago. Only Senka’s obviously been places, for the dress is torn so that it ends above her knees rather around her ankles and is stained with mud and blood and other unidentifiable things so that the green of the dress has turned into something more similar to the bark of a tree. Red eyes seem to wide for her pale scarred face and they only become wider as they land upon the vampire. A few hesitant steps are taken but the lycan doesn’t reach out for the other. Instead a greeting is offered, in a husky voice that is so familiar though not to the ears, “Tenebrae,”
Tenebrae had always had a good singing voice. Not that you'd know it now, the way she slurred her words and was decidedly off-key as she fought to stay upright and sing a sea chantey at the same time. "OH.. what will I do wi'the drunk’n sailor... what will I doooooo..." She let out a fit of giggles, to which the tall man in seafaring clothing beside her laughed, scooping her back to her feet properly when she staggered a bit. "... with the drunk’n.... sailor… You have pretty eyes." Tene had stopped staggering, and was staring at the sailor's nostrils, but he didn't seem displeased. "Sho pretty. Not all scary and thing." The necromancer blinked. "You know. Diff'ren‘ .... thingy." Nodding, the man seemed to eager to hurry the obviously liquored up woman along through the pub door. Tene lurched in his arms, leaning back to shout through the door, "BYEBYE! Byebye, Shimon, thanks for th'rum!" The barkeep waved, shaking his head. His best customer, soused on only three shots? He was going to go broke, if she kept his up. With an impatient tug, the seaman yoinked her out onto the path. "So, lass," He rumbled, a leer on his lips. "You said tha' you own yerself a ship?" She nodded, which made the world spin a bit. "Sh'a pretty boat, with biiig..." Tene reached a hand up, standing on her tiptoes. ".. sailpoles. But HE has it." Her lower lip wobbled. "He dun love me, you know." The sailor licked his lips, and smiled. "'e's a fool, then, missus. Let's go and .. uh... take a look a’ this ship o'yourn, then." They'd almost bump into the pale girl that greeted her. "SENKY!" The necromancer grinned widely to see the lycaness and flapped her hand in greeting. "Thought yer name was 'Joli'.. " The sailor muttered it, not really caring-- he might get double lucky, if this one was as easy to get moving as the other. "Tha's Senkypup." Tene beamed. "She'sh reallllly nice."
Senka is a little…surprised, to say the least, at the sight of Tenebrae being not exactly sober. But surprisingly the wolf –has- seen a drunken person before, even was it herself on one fateful day, and she only needs one sniff to know what’s going on. Knowing what’s going on however doesn’t lessen the shock of being called ‘Senky’ in an enthusiastic way, followed by a much worse ‘Senkypup,’. Feeling more then a little awkward the albino merely offers a sort of grimace in response, not really knowing what to do with the ‘really nice’ part either, since she’s been called a lot of things except maybe for that… The sailor is noted then and as wide red eyes fix upon his face, they darken in a predatory kind of way before a scowl twists her features instead. Leaving it as a silent ‘go away’, the woman then turns to face Tenebrae instead, offering a hesitant hand out to the other; she’s still not fond of touches after all. “Wanna go somewhere else, Tenebrae? Somewhere less…smelly?” her voice is as awkward as her entire posture, the albino not exactly being used to being ‘really nice’ and the hand that has been offered is tensed, as if the lycan can’t wait to pull it back again.
"S'not smelly..." Tene sniffed loudly. Human senses, even sober, were no match for a lycan's though. "But orright. We were going to see th'Eternity, weren't we, Sam?" His name was actually Lawrence, but he didn't mind what she called him. "Aye, tha' we were, miss." He'd return Senka's glare with a leery, white grin. "How 'bou' y'bring yer pretty friend there, we'll make it threeso... er... a party?" Tene nodded enthusiastically, and took Senka's offered hand tightly, tugging a little on it, and jiggled. "Oooh a party!" Her eyes shone too brightly. The sailor had her other hand, and tried to pull her back his way. The woman giggled again, a bit nervously this time. "No need to be s'rough, Sam..."
Senka offers ‘Sam’ a glance as the vampire tells him they were going to see the ship. Fully sober and strong in human terms, the lycan is not too worried, and if worse comes to worse lovely ‘Sam’ here can always take a little slip…Of course, the sailor then decides to offer her a grin, one that makes the hairs on the back of her neck rise, along with an invitation so that the albino is even more set on giving him a little ‘accident’. Distracted as she is by her homicidal thoughts the lycan all but jumps as her hand is taken, hesitantly moving closer as it’s tugged on only to offer another pained grimace at the vampire’s exclamation. Smiling is a foreign thing for her, something which usually happens on accident, and so it’s no wonder that she’s unable to fake it. She doesn’t need to the moment the sailor tugs on her companion’s hand though, instead she settles on a vengeful glare that’s much better suited for her character. “Yes, don’t be rough, Sam,” her husky voice seems oddly low when the lycan repeats it, her eyes darkening again and her lips curving in a disturbing smirk, “Play nice now,”
Tenebrae was far too full of rum to see the warning signs. "YAY. Let's go, then." She'd keep hold of the two hands, 'Sam' on one side, Senka on the other, and tug them westward. "S'always lotta rum on the boat, too, an' whisky, an' ale, an‘..." She'd go on with a list that got rather random toward the end. "...an’ a rat, an' a big box of stuff..." The sailor swaggered, convinced his rugged Rynvalian charm had just scored him a good night's entertainment, even if the other girl was a bit skinny and sulky for his tastes. "So, Senky, wha' you doin' out i'the middle o'the night? Y'work the docks, lass?” He glanced over to the lycaness hopefully. "Bit short o'gold a' the moment." Tene snorted a laugh. "Dun be silly, Sammy, she look like a dockhand?" The woman flapped her hand dismissively. "Senkypie ish a ...." She bit her lip. "... hunner. She hunts .. things. Dontcha, Senka?" Sam wrapped one arm around the ex-vampiress' waist, and whispered something in her ear. Whether the lycaness' sharp ears caught it or not, whatever he'd said made Tene gasp, and screech to unsteady halt. By now, they were very close to the abandoned dock. The sound of the flat of her palm connecting sharply to the man's face would almost echo. "How dare you!" The woman was clearly outraged. "Shenky and I are not that sort of.. what you said! And no, you can't put your... thing... there... just no!" 'Sam' rubbed his bristled cheek, ad replied to the necromancer with a sharp left jab that had her jaw pop, and sent her flying back to land in a heap on the weatherworn boards. He'd wheel on Senka then. "Hope yer not as lippy as yer pal, there, miss. An' I'll be askin' fer some -compensation- fer her bad manners off'n ye." He looked around at the empty dock, grinned and flexed his fingers, and took a step toward the wolfess. "Never mind the bloody boat. Here'll do jus' fine, fer a little playin'."
Senka can’t help but be a little amused, listening to the ex-vampire listing the things that are, apparently, on her boat. She would’ve been content merely listening but instead she suddenly finds herself drawing the attention of the sailor. ‘Working the dock’ is an expression she’s heard of, but is unsure of what it is and so Sam only earns himself a confused kind of blink, her face suddenly blank with confusion. It’s odd enough to be called ‘Senky’ by the vampire, but to hear it from a sailor’s mouth is enough to make sure the blank look lingers even as Tenebrae so helpfully answers for her. “Yes, Tenebrae. I hunt things,” her voice is thick with amusement, even if it still sounds as if she’s just rolled out of bed, and her eyes show it too as they linger on the necromancer. The amusement is still there as the sailor whispers to the other and it even curves her lips as the woman responds like only a woman can. The slap finally earns a smirk but it wipes of her face cleanly as Tenebrae is hurt, her eyes following the path she makes. Her gaze lingers on the other even as the sailor speaks to her, taking in her befuddled and not exactly sober state. Cheeks soon flush a pretty pink and as her face snaps back to the sailor her hair flies over her shoulder so that he’ll see the dark marks on her neck. Love bites, both the dark bruising that comes from suckling as an actual impression of teeth are easy to see on her pale skin. It only draws the sailor closer, only making the wolf seem that much more experienced and the hungry smirk that then curves her lips does nothing to harm this picture. “I told you to play nice,” only those who know her, or those who have survived, know this tone of her voice. It’s the kind of tone she uses when she found herself a pretty prey to play with before eating. “I told you to play nice and then you had to go and hurt her anyway. I had some important things to tell her, you know,” A simple curve of her fingers make soft cracking sounds, a shift of her feet and she’s more then ready to dart in every direction. Eyes the colour of blood search the sailor’s face, unafraid and almost…playful? “Now I’m just going to hurt you instead,” Well, she gave her warning so it’s only fair for her to move then, isn’t it? Though her body may be as petite as that of Tenebrae is, Senka doesn’t suffer the weakness of being human even if she’s stuck in this form though she’s far weaker then she is in wolf’s form. Her feet move, her lips curve and then the palm of her hand is well on its way to finding contact with the chin of her little prey. She’ll have his tongue and give it to Tenebrae as a present before the night is over…
Tenebrae moaned softly, one hand clasped to her already swelling jaw. She could hear a low, husky voice murmuring something in the background, and the slap of the sea against the dock, even through the ringing in her ears. "Bastard." Abruptly a deal more sober than she had been a moment before, the necromancer muttered the cussword and clambered to her feet, holding on to the side of the boatshed she'd almost been thrown against by the sailor's punch. She'd break a nail as the board she clung to came free of its rusted moorings in her hand. Which gave her an idea... While Senka carried on 'playing' with the man, Joliette started to remember a little bit more about what life had been like as a human. She hadn't been as weak and pathetic as she'd felt since the Pool changed her, at all. She'd been tough and wily enough to survive, even as a child, on Vailkrin's dangerous streets-- and had faced more than one sleazeball of 'Sam's kind, and come out laughing. Less unsteady than she had been, Tene put her weight on the balls of her feet and tiptoed up behind the man. Hopefully Senka would see her coming, and the way she drew that board back like a wooden bat over one shoulder, with her eyes fixed on the back of the sailor's head. "Manners..." The word was grunted out as she swung the timber plank hard, thwacking 'Sam' hard before he could fully turn to the sound of her voice. "Are important, when speaking to lady." Yeah, they really looked like a couple of ladies, but that wasn't the point. The man swayed, clutching his head and if she'd still been a vampire, Tene would have scented the blood her attack had drawn. She glowered, and swung the 'bat' back over her shoulder, in case she hadn't hit him hard enough and he tried to deliver another punch.
Senka is having…fun. With the sailor being larger then she, slower then she and in general just less experienced at life, as far as she can tell anyway, she’s free to deliver crunching blows without getting harmed herself. Now that she’s not paying attention to how awkward she feels in this form, the albino actually moves with a light step that’s similar to her usual predatory ways. Her long hair is easy to grab, something which Sam has figured out as well but the woman is careful to keep it out of his reach and seems to be unconcerned when it finally is grabbed and she’s pulled closer. Large eyes fall away from the sneering face so close to her own now that she’s pulled closer by those long strands of white in the man’s hand, instead finding Tenebrae behind him. A smirk followed and with a tug that’s bound to hurt she frees herself just as the board makes contact with Sam’s skull. As the man sways and clenches his head, Senka’s eyes become that much darker for she can smell the delicious scent of blood. Already her mouth is watering and the woman finds herself lifting a pale hand to wipe away a trickle of drool while Tenebrae glowers at the man. “I don’t think he heard you, Tenebrae,” Lips curve even as she speaks, making the scar beneath her left cheekbone bend so that her face looks unnaturally fierce for a human even as her hungry eyes remain fixed upon the poor sailor, “Hit him again,”
Tenebrae was, as a human, somewhat more obliging than she'd been as a vampire. "My pleasure." The board connected a second time, with a sickly crunch that left the injured man flat on the dock, his head in a puddle of blood and.. she didn't look too closely. The smell of blood didn't hold the same delight for her, these days. "Ugh." The board was thrown down -- it was pretty certain 'Sam' wasn't getting up for third round, any time soon -- and Tene glanced to Senka, with an apologetic smile, and blew a stray strand of black hair from her mouth. "You okay?" The wolfess looked okay. "Sorry 'bout that."
Senka looks as delighted as her foul temper will allow, watching as the man is struck again and then left to lie in his own blood. Unlike Tenebrae, the wolf is more then happy to take in the details, especially the easy chewable bits but before she can move the other is catching her attention again. The disgust in the once vampire’s voice is enough to have the lycan blinking and edging closer, the albino takes her first proper sniff of the evening…trying to ignore the more unpleasant scents lingering in the area. Her eyes are fixed upon the other female in a way that shows her full attention is caught, unblinking. The action of hair being blown back in its proper place is enough to have the female pushing her own hair back without thinking about it, yet again showing the dark marks on her neck but far from noticing. “Of course,” her husky voice is thick with the amusement that’s in her eyes, “This was amusing,” Suddenly feeling uneasy however, the woman can’t help but glance around before edging closer to Tenebrae. “Can we move though? I’m pretty sure I ate the relatives of the people I can smell nearby.”
Tenebrae offered Senka a quick nod, her pale green eyes shifting toward the west again. "My tummy feels a bit off." Indeed she looked queasy, and the stench of the old fish mingled with blood wasn't helping. "Was on m'way to a place... got sort of sidetracked." The downed sailor was given a hasty look, and she rubbed a hand across her eyes. "Can't drink like I used to, it seems. Will you join me?"
Senka offers no words of sympathy or comfort but there’s an understanding in her gaze that softens her human face. It’s odd, how many emotions the female shows when not in possession of an unreadable head of a wolf. “I was looking for you,” A shrug and then her gaze is turning to the west as well, already wondering where they’re heading. “I’m not letting you hold my hand again though,”
Tenebrae couldn't help but snicker softly, even as she knelt by what she assumed to be the sailor's body. "Just a second.." Sam was given a shove that got his body rolling toward the dock's edge. Alive or dead, he was about to discover why swimming wasn't a favourite pastime of the sailors around these shores. Tales of the great grey-backed sharks frequenting these waters were common enough, in the pub... and leaving evidence behind was a mistake she'd learned not to make when she was still in pigtails. Tene couldn’t help but voice the slightly ironic ditty that sprang to her lips as the body hit the edge and teetered. “What shall we do with the drunken sailor…?“ As soon as the man hit the water with a 'splash', she stood and started pacing west, wiping her hands on the scarlet leather she wore. "Looking for me? Whys'at?"
Senka doesn’t answer the question so readily posed. She had looked amused enough when the sailor’s body had touched the water but the question had made her pale cheeks flush and her body take on that awkward pose again. It still lingers in the female’s movements as she follows Tenebrae, eyes carefully taking in the surroundings that at one time had been more then just familiar, so that the beast once again looks unsure of her human body. Her feet are wobbly, her arms swinging awkwardly and hair sticking to places it shouldn’t but her eyes are confident as they look for the ex-vampire again. “You’re human,” there’s no fooling the senses after all, even if the albino looks a bit confused at discovering this. “Why?”
Tenebrae allowed a pause in their journey once they'd reached the wildly-vegetated path leading upward into the cliffs. The trees overhead shaded them from the moon for a moment, so that all she saw of Senka was the dull red glow of the lycaness' eyes. "It was an accident..." She winced, remembering Leo saying those very same words, somewhat earlier. "Arysel was in trouble, so I took her to the Pool. It… gave me what I wanted. But it took something..." Tene blinked. What if she -hadn't- wanted this, deep in her heart of hearts, and her vampirism was the thing the Pool had taken for its pound of flesh-- what had she gained? Was Arysel’s safety really Tene’s own heart’s wish-- and if so, what did that mean, for Ary? It was all too confusing for her rum-soaked mind to grapple right now. She cleared her throat, and continued, "So it left me like this. And you didn’t say why you were looking for me." She'd narrow her eyes a little at the lycaness' evasion of the question, and hiccup softly.
Senka would’ve perked her ears had she been able to but instead there’s a sincere curious look on her face that makes her look young again. The lycan is weird that way and in possession of looks that are difficult to judge where age is concerned. White brows knit together and then the woman is frowning, not really understanding and liking the words but nevertheless accepting them as true. But the frown is wiped of her face as her lack of answer is brought to attention and again do her pale cheeks flush, as they do so easily. “I…” she had practised this, really, for how long it took her to track the other down after she had impulsively made her decision but now that she’s here she’s not sure what to say. Awkwardly reaching up Senka merely scratches her neck absently, the tips of her fingers lingering longer on one of the marks then it ought to before she tries again. “I just…need to speak to you,” But rather then actually say what’s on her mind, the albino then merely looks at Tenebrae as if expecting the other to tell a story of sorts. Though perhaps she’s merely wondering why they’ve stopped…
Tenebrae gave the lycaness a droll look, Senka's own expressions hidden from eyes that no longer saw well in the dark. "Well, speak to me then. But first..." She canted her head toward the northern fork in the path. "This way." Regretting her high heels as they sank into increasingly sandy soil, Tene made a jagged pace up the path, her head still reeling slightly from the booze-- and her stomach making some very unhappy noises.
-- The Leviathan’s Cave--
Tenebrae led the way into the caverns, where visibility was dim to the extreme. Stumbling over several rocks, she finally gave in to the limits of her human sight, and asked Senka, "There's an old tin lantern in here, somewhere, and a tinderbox by it. If you can see it, would you light it for me, please?" She'd grope about for a bit of rock to perch on while she waited. "Then you can tell me all about what's got you so flustered." The necromancer's stomach gurgled again. She wasn't used to having to eat more than once every few days, and the rum had hit her harder for her neglect of mortal needs.
Senka watches the other stumble with something akin to amusement. The wolf has accepted Tenebrae to be on her terms strength wise after all, and so it's odd to suddenly see her be all...human. The amusement lasts long enough for the albino to move without too much complaint, eyes having no trouble finding said tin lantern. However, once the creature has the lantern and tin in her hands, she's a bit...unsure as to what to do with them. So they're trusted in Tenebrae's hands with a little more force then necessary, the woman not bothering to explain that she has no idea how to light the thing. The human will figure it out, surely... "Who says I'm flustered," there's a bite in her voice that has the same hint to it as her moody growls, and human as Tene's ears may be, she'll have no difficulty hearing the other shift uncomfortably. "I'm not the one stumbling in the dark."
Tene's turn to smirk. She fumbled blindly with the lantern, shaking it to check for oil, then opening its glass cover to feel for the wick. "You're nervous as a mouse at a feline wedding. And the cat's got your tongue a bit, hasn't it? C'mon now..." The tinder was sparked, a taper lit, and soon the lantern's soft, yellow glow illuminated the albino and Tene both. "Spit it out."
Senka blinks several time, pale lashes doing little to help her eyes adjust to the sudden brightness. Soon she's scowling again though, not liking the comparison and not afraid to show it but she nevertheless complies...sort of. "You'd better be able to take care of yourself now that you're human. I won't accept a weakling for an alpha," Pale cheeks flush again and red eyes stubbornly refuse to meet Tenebrae's gaze. "And I'll need to meet the pack. Can't be walking around with your claim without knowing who I can't attack," Senka's jaw clenches then, her spine unnaturally straight, as she merely hopes her message will be clear enough for now. She doesn't exactly feel like repeating it. "And the pup's status won't change. He's no alpha in my eyes, not when I'm still teaching him," The thought is sudden and so is her voice as she finally, briefly, looks at Tenebrae before returning to studying the wall, "And I don't do nice,"
"A... alpha.. what? Oh..." Tene shook her head, her features creasing into a knot of mixed expression. "I'm not the lycan alpha. I think that black wolfess.. whatsername.. Mahri, is." But it dawned on her, then, what Senka might mean. "I am still leader of Cabal, though.." Her features further crumpled into a mien of sheer worry, and she drew her knees up on the rock, resting her arms on them. ".. and I'll gladly take you in, you've pretty much been one of us long enough already." A deep sigh was given, then. "Though I can't be sure how long I'll hold that position, now I'm mortal, and then there's the trouble with..." She swallowed, shook her head. But since they were opening cans of worms, and all.” I’m not... exactly sure I belong there anymore." Tene-the-vampire might've muttered something about Senka being free to beat 'the pup' up all she liked, but the human version wasn't quite so vengeful. Not quite.
Senka shakes her head as restlessly as she would’ve tossed it in her wolf’s form, her expression twisting again in raw anger, not hidden by two-walker subtleties. “I’m teaching Mahri. She might be alpha but she has no idea how to be one,” the admission is curt, and judging by the tone of the albino she’s not too happy with the word spreading. But she trusts Tenebrae to keep this to herself, apparently. Something in Senka relaxes as she’s accepted, a little of her gruff tone disappearing as she just listens instead. White hair shimmers in the light of the lantern as the wolf draws closer to the other, not touching but offering a comforting sort of presence anyway. “You can keep that position if you want to,” the surety of her words makes Senka’s voice gruff rather then husky but the confidence that she shows is firm and rarely given. It’s a side of the albino that draws ‘pups’ to her, a side that has her giving advice to several lycans at once; an older side. "You don't tolerate weakness," Her statement is firm again, showing the wolf's belief. When Senka makes up her mind, she makes up her mind after all, "What's with the uncertainty?"
Tenebrae hadn't always been the independent creature she was now. Once she'd had a teacher, a confidant, someone she looked up to. And alright, Garath had proven a pretty lousy choice for role model in the end, but something in Senka's tone and demeanour had her feeling like opening up a little, speaking all the silences she'd kept of late. That, or it was the rum talking. Either way, she fixed her peridot gaze on Senka, and shook her head slightly. "Can I? Can I really lead what amounts to a clan of immortals and warriors..." And not a few that pushed the boundaries of sane, she didn't add, "... in this weak shell? Knowing I can die at any moment from disease or accident, and bleed out from a wound in minutes?" She frowned. "And they'll know it, too. Only today..." The frown deepened, and she'd set the lantern on a rock. Her turn to be hesitant at spilling the beans.
Senka isn’t quite sure how she always ends up like this. Here she was, looking for a place to settle in so that she had an excuse to fend off the pups and now she’s turning confidant within moments. Well, if she’s sort of helping three lycans, surely she can help the one female who had sought her out in the past without wanting anything from her. So Senka listens, as patiently as she can expect from her, only to snort by the time the other trails off. “Do I look weak to you?” her husky voice is filled with challenge as she gestures impatiently to the ‘shell’ of her own, covered with scars and bruises but alive and kicking. “I’m not saying that I like being a two-walker, or that most humans aren’t easy meal for me, or that you can’t die of diseases but you’re Tenebrae, aren’t you?” Her nose wrinkles out of habit, making her seem silly rather then threatening. “You’re the one two-walker I accepted to be…equal,” The word comes out forced and sure enough the albino looks rather like she’s downed something particularly nasty, “And the Tenebrae I know wouldn’t lie down like a weak pup. If you don’t like what you are now then get back what you once were,” Her tone is impatient now, despite the husky quality of it, as is her look. Senka might be a lot of things, but she’s never been one to pull her punches and there never is pity in her gaze. Not even now, as she gazes at the once-vampire with something that can be anger, annoyance or a mixture of it all. “I’m not going to let you call me pack if you’re going to roll over like some pup, so get over it and get moving to take what you want,” An impatient snort escapes the albino, despite her fighting it. “Be the Tenebrae I know or I’ll slaughter you myself,” Big words, but the lycan means it. She won’t let the one female she actually kind of sort of maybe liked become some weaker version of herself. Even if it means killing to stop her, it’s the one thing the albino actually knows how to do after all.
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Post by Joliette Thorne on Jan 19, 2009 11:13:21 GMT -5
Tenebrae sat there quietly for a while, merely blinking at the wolfess. A long moment after Senka finished speaking, she tilted her head, as though listening to something, and her features set in a grim mien. Then Tene nodded. "Of course, you are right." That was all she'd say or need to say, on that topic. But then her stoic expression crumbled again, and a great, ragged sigh left her lungs over bruised lips. "And.... I left Leo."
Senka can't help but blink at that again, a moment of surprise crossing over her pale features. Then frowning thoughtfully the albino merely tilts her head to the side, and asks that simple question that is so obvious in the making, "Why?"
Tenebrae 's sore lips pressed together tightly, her eyes blazing as they had not in the Corpse, while she gathered herself. "He left me in the snow. And then kissed Terra." She'd sit up straight of a sudden, green eyes seeking about in the half-light. Lifting the lantern she frowned. "I could have sworn there was a rum barrel stashed in here..." The ship was not far away at all, and this cave was a haven for the wanted, so it was natural there'd be rum. Perhaps it was even more natural that Tene should want some.
Senka frowns again, but this time it's in a mixture of surprise and annoyance. There's no answer to that, at least, not one the impulsive creature can come up with but the human is already turning to more important manners anyway. Caught by curiosity the woman can't help but ask, "What's rum?" Funny, how her husky voice turns almost childishly light as curiosity lifts its head, something so very different compared to her usual dark ways.
Tenebrae raised a brow at that, slipping off her rock with the lantern held high, and teetering around the cave, peering into this niche and that while she spoke. "And it's not the first time I've had to hunt her off him. And I always find them alone together.. and she dashes off, very suspicious, if you ask me, but now..." The necromancer paused, behind a large rock shaped vaguely like a gorilla. "NOW he is lying there, after half killing the dimwitted bint, and admits to me that he kissed her. Said it was nothing, he doesn't love her..." The tirade was interrupted by the sound of tin cups clashing, and a steady trickle of liquid. "... that he loves me, but holy hell, Senka, what kind of man allows his mate to be so humiliated that way? So I walked out." The last was spoken as a petulant exclamation, and Tene appeared with two large mugs filled with a dark, sloshing liquid. "And rum is... a potion, that brings vast happiness. And a headache in the morning, but it's worth it."
Tenebrae spoke that in a mumble, because she had the lantern's handle in her mouth.
Senka almost automatically follows the other only to realise that she’s meant to stay where she is, doing so with obvious hesitation. She doesn’t like leaving the human on her own, not when the other is so good at finding trouble but she’ll behave, for now, and at least her eyes are still worth something in the darkness. The wolf has always been a good listener, if only because she’s not all that interested in talking, even if she doesn’t appear that way. For like always her gaze wanders, peering into the darkness to watch things the once-vampire can no longer see, and her ears twitch at every drip. But she’s listening, and it shows as she snorts at the appropriate moment, the moment where it is said that Leoxander doesn’t like this ‘Terra’ person. White hair is easily pushed back from her shoulder as wide eyes briefly seek out Tenebrae’s form again, snapped back there by the exclamation. The wolf takes a moment to study the mugs with open curiosity, her expression warmed by the yellow light of the lantern so that for once, the scar on her face looks less fierce. “Vast happiness?” the words are repeated with a fair share of confusion and for a few moments longer do her eyes linger on those mugs before looking to lock with Tene’s pair instead. “Mates aren’t supposed to take other mates on the side. Back in…” There’s a hesitant pause, as always when the albino talks of her past but they’ve been open so far, why ruin it now? “My pack…We’d always kill the mate or the bitch who seduced him,”
Tenebrae shoved the mug into Senka's hands-- that lantern was getting hot, and the handle in her mouth was hurting. "Really?" She regained her seat, setting the lamp on its perch closeby. Tene looked rather interested in this snippet, and would muse a while, watching the lycaness. She had questions but, like Leo, the lycaness was reticent, and Tene wouldn't push it too far. "How'd that work, then? Was there a .. procedure?" She waggled a finger at the liquor. "Sip it slowly."
Tenebrae sipped her own, after muttering, "Bitch is right."
Senka looks a little helpless with her pale fingers wrapped around the large mug, looking down on it as if she’s not sure what to do with it. Last time someone shoved a substance at her she ended up half-paralyzed but she’s just agreed to be in the human’s pack, so a little faith is required, right? Even if this little chat is getting a little too close for the albino’s comfort...what is it about her human form that makes her so approachable? Just as she’s beginning to rise the mug to her mouth does Tene’s warning come and the lycan obviously hesitates before taking a small sip. A cough soon escapes her and red turns watery as the wolf uneasily clears her throat a few times. Sure enough when she talks again her voice is hoarse again, rather than husky. “We’d rip his heart out,” the answer comes as if it’s obvious, and as always the lycan’s words do the brutality and slaughtering little justice, “And eat it if he cheated. The bitch usually got hunted and hunted until she either killed herself or just let you catch her. But that’s not why it didn’t happen often,” The stuff burns her throat but the albino can’t help but raise the mug again, sipping even more carefully this time. Red turns thoughtful and then delighted as warmth spreads down her neck and settles in her tummy. “Vast happiness,” her husky voice makes the words all the more odd, “I get it now,”
Tenebrae, though more serious thoughts weighed on her, couldn't at all help the snicker that shook her shoulders slightly, watching Senka's introduction to the joys of rum. Her words were more serious, when they came. "Well. I don't want Leo -dead- as much as... not so inclined to snogging bints, you know?" She took a long swig from her cup. "Must say, I'm rather partial to the hunt-the-bitch thing." Tene scuffed the heel of one boot against the rock, her leg swinging idly. "Problem is, she’s the kind of poisonous weed that winds its way into lots of hearts. Part of why I want her gone, she's ruined three or four men in her own clan. I don't much care about all the others, but to do it to her own..." Little bits of loose rock crumbled to the cave floor she kept kicking, as if the action was helping her think. "I must be smart about this, and calm. She's not worth my anger." Peridot eyes lifted to Senka, and she stopped the motion. "Sorry. It helps me to think aloud." There was a brief pause. "I should say sorry, too, for my assumption you were like her. You know.. back when we met."
Senka looks up at the snicker, her face blank since she’s not sure what the other is snickering at. But then words come and the albino simply shrugs as Tenebrae explains that she doesn’t want him dead as much. The beast wasn’t really suggesting that kind of thing, but the vampire asked her what they’d do in her pack and she answered. Suddenly restless the lycan is no longer content with merely standing and slowly, carefully with the mug in one hand, she soon crawls to join the other on the rock. Her feet are aching, so soft compared to her paws, and so the albino merely curls her toes to make the joints crack and pop. As always Senka doesn’t seem to appear to be listening until her gaze shifts and blood red meets peridot as the other apologises. The shrug that follows is awkward and the female is just raising her mug back to her lips and taking a sip when the second apology comes. The poor albino all but chokes in her drink then, pale cheeks flushing easily and eyes squeezing shut as cough after cough wrecks her frame. Finally she clears her throat, takes another sip, and speaks again, “You always catch me by surprise with that,” Somewhat rueful she shakes her head to get rid of the long, long strands of white that are beginning to tickle her skin where it’s exposed. There’s a clearance of her throat and the poor wolf looks rather embarrassed again, still not used to dealing with emotions after a lifetime of merely killing everyone who confused her. “And people generally run in terror, rather then…whatever it is you were thinking people did,” The moment feels uncomfortable to the female and so it’s no wonder that she raises the mug to her pink lips again, taking a larger sip that has her coughing once again. “Even if you wanted the pup dead, you know I won’t let you,” the words are sudden, her husky voice softening and warming as her eyes do. However the moment is brief and her voice is back to it’s normally wicked ways, along with her eyes as she can’t help but add, awkward again in her attempt of being nice, “I’ll help you hunt this weed-person though…if you want,”
Tenebrae was immune enough to the roughness of the liquor not to cough, but her newly mortal body was experiencing again the unfamiliar rush of warmth it provided. Her own cheeks flushed somewhat, making that fresh bruise stand out lividly. She'd watch Senka's discomfort with a polite blankness to her features, sensing that to show any amusement would be gravely insulting. Still, she risked an inward smile to see the dour wolfess flustered. Again. "Hm...." Senka's final comment had the necromancer purse her lips while she mused on it. "I don't really want her dead, either. She has her uses. Plus, you can't bite her, she's a vampire. But I -would- like her to be held accountable for her actions among the clan. Senka..." A wicked light flitted across her eyes then. "Wouldn't it be amusing, if all the men she's strung along, all the people she's hurt, were to be gathered in one place?" She'd let that scenario sink in a moment, adding, "Let's just watch her squirm a bit, before I throw her out. For good, this time." Tenebrae looked pretty pleased with that idea. She glanced sideways to the wolfess, and winked. "Bit more complicated, these two-leg ways. But sometimes, more satisfying. Tell me, were you born a lycan, or made one?"
Senka only gets flustered when two-walkers are being weird, really. Though of course, ‘weird’ has a different meaning in Senka’s world. Either way; the lycan seems to miss the other’s amusement at her predicament and though her cheeks remain slightly pink it’s merely the rum that keeps them warm this time. The mentioning of the other being a vampire has the lycan scowling, briefly, but the expression is soon replaced by curiosity as the other schemes like only a female can. The fact that her name is used is missed, something which the lycan usually always notes simply because it doesn’t happen often, as Tenebrae paints a picture that’s amusing enough to have her eyes darkening again. Malicious to a fault, it’s no wonder that Senka seems rather fond of the idea, nodding slowly even as most of her face disappears behind the mug again. She’s becoming fond of the stuff. Luckily she manages to hold the liquor down this time as another question takes her off guard, and as the mug is lowered it’s in a slow controlled way while the albino frowns ever so mildly, insulted. “Born,” The frown deepens, “Couldn’t you tell?”
Tenebrae nodded. "I guessed, but only lately. I haven't had all that much to do with your kind, until Leo..." She silenced herself on the topic of the rogue's introduction to lycanhood, quickly, with a swallow of rum. They both knew that story. Peering at Senka, then -- her vision was hazy, probably the flicker of that lamp -- Tene said, quietly, "So why are you all alone, as you are? If it's not too personal..." It probably was, knowing the reticent lycaness. But her curiosity was overwhelming. ".. don't your people usually run in packs?" Leo didn't. But then, he wasn't born to a pack, and had always been a loner-- even with Tene in his life. She scowled at the thought of him, then let the expression melt away , turning her attention back to the albino girl.
Senka merely stares at Tenebrae as she silences herself, catching the fact that it ought to be awkward but only feeling it mildly. In fact, it’s getting hard to feel anything at all...However she does still manage to lean back as the other peers at her, staring back with the blank face of someone who isn’t sure what is coming. It ends up being a blow to her gut, her face showing a raw kind of pain as packs are mentioned. It’s the kind of pain of someone who has lost too much, the kind of pain shown by a creature who doesn’t know how to mask her emotions. She averts her face then, realising somewhere that it’s already too late, and soon hides it behind the large mug, taking a larger gulp then is necessary. Coughing again wrecks her frame, but it lasts much shorter then before and at least it gives her an excuse for the flushed cheeks and suspiciously bright eyes. “I don’t play well with others,” her husky voice is trembling, but her eyes are fierce and the scowl that plays around her mouth is downright bitter. Needless to say, the newly turned human has touched a touchy subject. There’s a heavy pause as the beast looks down at her mug, contemplating whether she wants to tell more. It won’t be hard to imagine a wolf in her place then, with hackles raised and ears flattened. Well…she knows she doesn’t want to tell more, but Tenebrae is expecting an answer and she’s welcomed her to her pack, hasn’t she? “I…” even her tone is careful and hesitant as her eyes, suddenly restless, wander all over the cave but refuse to linger on the woman besides her, “I…used to be. In a pack, I mean,”
"I don't play well with others." --- "No shi..." Tene caught the thought before it had a chance to slip over her lips, or fully into a mind that she wasn't sure was entirely secure from a woman who was telepathic, in wolf form. She'd listen politely, wait politely through those long, silent pauses, the pained expressions, the coughing. No point pushing creature like Senka, she'd give up her secrets in her own time or not at all, so Tene merely shifted her legs up to cross in front of her and sipped the black rum the ruffians who frequented this forgotten cove were so fond of. At last, the albino spoke her terse revelation and Tene was almost casual in reply. Rather than try to meet the wolfess' fierce and pained gaze again, she preferred to leave her eyes fixed on the futility of a stray moth battering on the lamp's glass, apparently desperate to immolate itself in the guttering flame. "Oh? So what happened, then?"
Senka can’t help but let out a bitter kind of amused sound, not really a laugh. It’s more like the kind of growl she’d utter, closing her eyes as she does so and resting her head against the rock behind her with a dull thud that contains more force then it sounds and then the lycan feels. Slowly her eyes open again, the look pained but mostly far away. “They didn’t like me much,” her statement is curt, showing the fact that there’s more behind it. ‘Not liking’ doesn’t nearly cover the shunning, lowering of rank and generally just detesting that had been done in those days. Something about the warm fuzzy feeling currently in her belly makes her want to talk more, loosening her usually tight lipped state but the wolf still is far from eager. The red of her gaze is clearer, pale lashes slowly blinking until finally, forcefully, the woman shakes off the spell that has been woven over her. “You don’t want anything from me,” the statement is sudden, the impulsive creature caught by that thought and eager to shake the subject of her pack days. It’s enough to make her vision oddly hazy, telling her that if she doesn’t change it now she’ll end up behaving like a true two-walker. “Yet you still want me in your pack. Why?”
Their drinking binge was becoming a game of quid pro quo, which suited Tenebrae just fine. Perhaps because the necromancer had so many secrets of her own, she was appreciating this moment of confession, questions and honest answers. Her reply to Senka was just that: "You're tough, you're no idiot, you can take a sensible order - even if you grumble about it - and won't take a bad one. You have sharp senses and a good mind. And you love a bit of senseless slaughter." Tene took the opportunity to lighten the mood of the conversation briefly, once more flitting her gaze and a grin Senka's way. "Plus, we can feed our leftover kidnap evidence to you. Quite the package, aren't ya?" Tene peered down mournfully into her tin cup, then, which was dangerously low on rum. "And who said I don't want anything from you? I want your loyalty, and your teeth and claws at call. Also, somebody to help with the pack. Unruly lot." That said, she returned her attention to the idiotic moth and its now-ragged wings. "So who'd you piss off so badly, that your pack would throw you out?" The question was of interest to her as a leader, less so than her actually caring about Senka’s past. Or so Tene told herself.
Senka isn’t fishing for compliments but not complaining when honest words are uttered. Sure, it may make her feel a bit awkward but the wolf is not modest enough not to agree with what is said, even if she silently grumbles a bit about the order bit. The mentioning of senseless slaughter is enough to make the beast’s mood lift however, a grin curving her lips without her knowledge so that Tenebrae has free view on her slightly sharper canine teeth. The grin slips in favour of downing the rest of her drink however, followed by a softer but satisfied cough just as her companion is mourning the lack of her own. There’s amusement in her gaze, she can appreciate the ‘quite the package’ comment even if she doesn’t reply to it, but it dims as the other continues on. The question that is posed it another blow to her gut but that albino can’t say she wasn’t expecting it, not with the game they seem to be playing of question and answer. Instead of replying immediately however the woman reaches out to lightly tap the other’s shoulder, not even realising she’s voluntarily touched someone since the movement comes so impulsively and lightly hold out her mug. “Any chance that we can get more of this…stuff?” A little grin once again curves her pink lips without the beast realising it, curving the thin scar on her cheek so that she looks anything but innocent. “You two-walkers apparently do have some good habits,”
Tenebrae returned the grin, and curled her fingers around the handle of Senka's mug. "Sure." A short hop down had her feet hit the stony ground, with only a little twist to a boot-clad ankle. Did she -have- to have worn her six-inch heels out tonight? The answer, really, was yes; Tene had been dressed to kill for a reason-- knowing how sailors loved to talk about their exploits, and how it'd burn Leo like hellfire itself to get a taste of his own medicine. Oh, she hadn't planned to take it too far, just one very public kiss-- but then, she hadn't counted on how liquored up she'd get and how fast, on so very little. Tene would have good reason to thank Senka for the fact that her plan never reached culmination, but not for a day or so yet. Right now, the former vampiress was more concerned with simply staying upright. The action of walking made the rum stir in her mortal's bloodstream, and it was a wonder she found the barrel at all, let alone avoided breaking a leg. "Shtuppid.. rocks." The rocks didn't seem very offended by her cussing at them all the way back to Senka with two mugs of rum, of which at least three quarters had survived that rugged journey. "Take it easy wi' this stuff." Her cultured tones very often slipped into Vailkrin's gutter-dialect when she was drunk or excited about something. "Knock yer head off in the mornin', if you dun watch it." Both mugs were handed over to Senka while Tene clambered up on their perch again, managing to scrape only one of her knees. "Wha' were ye sayin'?"
Senka finds herself grinning back at Tenebrae’s grin, only to blink somewhat confused as the other moves away, not sure what kind of expression she just made. Suddenly finding herself alone on the cold rock, the beast shivers and only now realises that she misses the human’s body heat. Attempting to shift costs her scraped palms and several moments which all end in the albino finding herself in the very same spot and very same position since the moment she decided to shift. Happy with it, for some reason, the woman is only mildly surprised to find how hard it is to remain upright without swaying. The answer is found in leaning back, the cold of the stone easily filtering through her clothing but at least making sure the world is a somewhat solid place again. The other is watched through eyes that see all, even if her mind can’t process exactly –why- there’s a moth so close to her vision. It takes Senka several seconds to realise that another moth has found it’s way towards suicide but ended up caught in her light hair instead, dangling in front of her face as it struggles to meet the hypnotic light. Feeling merciful, as she never does when sober, Senka raises her pale hand to pluck it out of her hair and put it on the lantern it loves so much. Okay, so maybe she accidentally squashed it while doing so, so that only one wing flutters pitifully but hey, at least she tried. Tene’s return is met with an eager look, already big eyes widening and pale hands stretching to take the mugs as soon as they’re offered, already raising one to her lips. The other one is somewhat grudgingly handed over, the beast having completely missed the comment about her head, though her look soon turns mild again. “I was sayin’ somethin’?” not even noticing that she’s not finishing her words, the albino merely looks thoughtful before suddenly mournfully nodding. “Oh. You wanted to know why I was kicked out, right?” Another nod has the world tilting a bit until the albino suddenly finds herself leaning against Tenebrae, though it takes her several seconds to realise this. “I killed the beta,” the statement is made while the wolf is still pretty much hanging over the other, though after which she begins to pick herself up again to settle back in that spot against the rock. “Bu’ t’was his fault, anyway…”
Tene could think of a few reasons for it being a man's own fault if a woman killed him, and wondered which particular one had led to the demise of the beta. "What'd he do?" She was squinting a bit, to keep Senka in focus.
Senka isn’t even noticing the lack of reaction of her earlier lack of balance, instead focussed on keeping it now as the mug is lifted to her lips again. The question however soon has the albino turning her attention back to her current companion. “Tried ta mate me, thah fool. Even though I was already mated an’ already had a pup,” The statement more or less escapes the woman and a confused sort of blink is followed by the return of that pain in her eyes. It’s not the fact that the pack turned on her that hurts the most after all. A quick gulp of that wonderful burning liquor and the beast is ready to pretend she never mentioned the one creature that had her entire heart. “So I ripped out his guts. The pack wasn’ happy wi’ that,” A sigh and the wolf is almost back in the other’s lap, just barely managing to pick herself upright again before she actually touches Tenebrae. Her turn again. “You really loved…love…thingy…him, don’cha?”
Tenebrae had frowned at Senka's description of events, realising what 'tried to mate' could mean, in that situation. The lycaness' response to her erstwhile paramour sounded perfectly reasonable to the necromancer in general, and especially in light of what she’d been told about how the pack handled infidelity. But then-- she wasn't a lycan, and didn't fully understand how the complex system of relationships in a pack might work. Brows rising then, she filed Senka's mention of the pup away in her rum-soaked memory, for later consideration. The next comment threw her for something of loop, and there was no stopping the laugh that bubbled up over her lips. "Yes, I... thingy... him." The laughter faded, and she took nother sip of rum. "I suppose." The female moth Senka had 'rescued' from her hair had despite its sorry state drawn several males to the lamp, so that there was now a little squadron of the fluttering insects making small, glassy thuds against its cover. Tene reached her arm out, hand flapping to shoo the creatures away, resulting in her own near-fall off the rock. Once she'd recovered herself-- and not a drop of liquor spilled-- she sat upright, musing gaze directed toward the foamy waters that were trickling in to the cavern's lower reaches with the rising tide. "This is where I first loved him, you know. We killed a water dragon. It smelled awful." She smiled at the memory. "I bit him, Senka. The dragon'd hurt him, and I didn't want him to die. I couldn't know it, then, but that was when I loved him." Tene canted her head, semi-focussing her green gaze toward her new clansmate. "He was almost a vampire, did y'know? But I couldn't bear him being in thrall to me, not him, so fiercely free. 'sides, I was already engaged to be married..." That particular subject was cut off, hastily. "So I made 'im take the cure. And when it was done, he still followed me everywhere. He loved me back, really loved me." Her sigh was deep. "Passel o’ trouble, it caused." The necromancer's features crumpled as she willed herself not to cry. "... I don't know why he'd do that, why he lets these females bring my head down, as he does. Why he doesn't love me, like he used to."
Senka looks taken aback and even a little lost at the laughter bubbling forth so easily from her rum-drinking-companion. She’s not used to amusing people, and she really hadn’t meant it in a funny way but something about that laughter has her grinning anyway. The grin fades the moment the lycan catches herself doing it, not understanding what she’s doing and unable to really figure it out. Her head is oddly light after all…But listening is somewhat easy to do, as long as she keeps her attention on the other instead of the odd collection of moths they’ve gathered. The nodding and shaking her head go slowly but the beast nevertheless tries, her full attention on Tenebrae now that she’s a little too woozy to focus on other things while listening. She can practically see it, the one she’s been calling ‘pup’ for a while now, trailing after the then vampire with that stubborn determination that’s so typical for him. When it’s the other’s turn to look pained, the albino clumsily reaches out to pat her shoulder, not exactly being as skilful with the alcohol and sloshing it all over her hand. “My mate turned on me in a second,” the statement is casual, but there’s something within the woman’s eyes that shows she understands. She pauses in her story telling though, this time so that she can lick the precious rum that is currently covering her hand. Better not to waste it, after all. Once satisfied with this the albino turns back to the other again, her gaze somewhat unfocussed but sincere, “He thought I killed the beta, t’was his brother you see, and he turned on m’just like that. No hearin’ me out or anythin’. He was the one who ordered the pack after my tail an’ didn’ let me get my…” The lycan trails off, once again caught by her own emotions before suddenly turning back to the other. “Don’ cry now…” her statement is gruff, and another clumsy pat is offered, “Few are worth that, an’ males usually aren’ one of those…” Far from practised at comforting, the lycan instead chooses to fix Tene’s attention back to the mug in her hand with a gentle tap before taking another nice swallow of her own. The more she drinks it, the better the stuff seems to be… “Jus’ get ‘nother one to get you trouble or prove that you’re still strong ‘nough to handle the pup,”
“I'm not crying..." Tene swiped back of her hand across her eyes, and she'd pause a second to ponder the awkward pat bestowed on her. Who'da figured the albino for such a big ol'softy? "'S'just th' bloody moth... dust." After that no doubt truly convincing lie, Tene scowled. "It'd serve 'im bloody right if I did find another man, and left 'is wandering ass." But even as she spoke it, Tene realised that wasn't at all an option, and she made a small, disgruntled noise in the back of her throat. "But I s'pose 'm stuck with the bugger. Or he is, wi' me, at least. An' you're very, very, very, very right, Senky, I gotta be strong and not take his guff. I'll show 'im who's boss. I will." She nodded emphatically, and immediately regretted it when the cave started to spin. "I hope he's worth it." She'd heard her own pain echoed in the continuation of Senka's tale, and was hestitant to ask the next question that sprang to mind. A good swill of black rum cured her of that. "So... wha' happened to yer pup?"
Senka really is a softie. Really. If you overlook the slaughtering, malicious amusement, playing with her prey, shying away from touches, willingness to let others die, complete selfishness and her fondness for violence as a whole she’s just one big old softie. Or maybe it really is just the rum that makes her take on the role of comforter, if an awkward one. Either way; more rum is needed and more rum is downed as the lycan listens to the other. The moth dust comment earns Tene a snort but other then that the lycan doesn’t bother to point out the lie. Instead she merely nods along with the other only to end up bumping her head against the rock she’s leaning against. A slow blink follows as the albino waits for pain to set in, but when it ends up being only a dull throb she turns her attention back to her companion. She’s just in time to catch that question, and with a bitter scowl she again raises the rum to take a healthy swing. The fact that some of the black rum escapes the corner of her mouth, running down over her neck only to disappear in the fabric of her dress, seems to be lost on the beast as she turns back to Tenebrae instead, squinting in effort to see her without having the entire cave swirl behind the other’s head. “I don’t know,” her husky voice is thick with bitterness and unshed tears of her own as she gestures with her mug, dangerously swaying the contents within but they stay clear of her pale hand for now. “Had to run, didn’t I?” The beast leans closer, unnervingly so, with her scowl still set firmly in place as she hoarsely speaks, the slur in her voice that more obvious, “I’m a bad mother, Tenebrae, leavin’ ‘im like that…” It’s weird, how even when becoming all but sloshed with alcohol the female still refuses to shorten her companion’s name. But then, other when using nicknames, the beast never does shorten anyone’s name… “He should be fourteen winters by now. If they let ‘im live, which they probably didn’,” The statement is ended with another lift of her mug, one which has the lycan slowly tipping backwards until she’s dangerously close to the edge of the rock they’re sitting on.
"Pffffft." The necromancer flapped her hand dismissively, almost knocking both Senka and the lantern over, and finally dispersing the lovelorn moths from what was now the carcass causing their pheromone frenzy. The moths scattered, swooshing around the heads of the women, ebon and ivory alike. "Yer not a bad mother for savin’ yer own skin-- an' what'd have happened to y'both, if they'da caught you, eh? Better the lad stay put, less risk, innit? And watch yer 'ead." Being a good contender for the position of Hollow's least maternal female ever, Tene had nevertheless had to make few hard and/or desperate calls in her own time, and thus was able to comprehend what sort of dilemma -- and emotional consequences -- Senka might have faced. "The way you did it, there's a chance he lived, an' a far better one than if you'd dragged him along with you. Dun mean yer a lousy mother. D'y'know, I had a boy of me own, once. Sort of." This was muttered under her breath. "But not really. Turned out he wasn't real. Hurt all the same." She drained her second cup, shivered violently, and ogled the gorilla-shaped rock behind which the barrel sat. "Must be your turn for a round, I reckon." The woman was not going to admit that her legs felt as capable of walking as a pair of rubber chickens, nor that she actually feared for her life at the prospect of negotiating the cave in those heels. She'd set the mug in Senka's lap. "Off ye go, then."
Senka tilts back with a sudden hiccup, mournfully looking down at her now empty cup before slowly, almost lazilly looking up at the other woman as she begins speaking. The moths barely earn a blink from the otherwise so sharp lycan as she merely continues to stare at the other with an almost hungry look. She was hoping that Tenebrae would be on her side but she didn’t actually expect to feel her heart lift at those words. Less risk, right. The albino feels as if her head will fall off if she does more nodding yet she continues to do so until Tenebrae admits she had a boy of her own once. It’s enough to make Senka pause, another few blinks offered as curiosity slowly creeps over her face, mingling with the understanding there. Mindlessly the albino nods again only to realise that Tenebrae is referring to their lack of drinks rather then their lack of pups at the moment. Huffing, the lycan nevertheless takes the mug of the other in fingers that can’t feel it. Her hop would’ve been light an easy, really, had the albino not stumbled then but she recovers well with nothing more then an embarrassed kind of grimace. “I feel weird,” she admits to the other even as she stumbles neatly around the loose rocks that threaten to trip her, “Good. But weird,” The barrel is eyed once the woman actually is there, and there are several moments of silence where the beast tries to figure out how it works. She’s sure she’s seen it once, when she wandered near the docks for a change back in the days of her territory but it takes her surprisingly long to remember. Finally she returns, swaying and stumbling until both her pale hands are moist with their rum. But that’s okay, most of it should still be in it, the lycan is sure. A stumble almost makes her loose it all though, but with sheer luck Senka manages to stay upright on feet that don’t feel as natural as her paws. “Two-walker paws don’t suit me,” she mutters, an easy excuse for her almost slip and both the mugs are trusted towards Tenebrae with a little more force then necessary. It takes the wolf a few hops but then she’s back where she used to be, flushed cheeks and glazed eyes and lips curving in something that’s not yet a smile. “You are alright, you know that?” The wolf sways dangerously as she says so, tipping forward towards her companion but managing to pull back soon enough. “So what was yours called?” Her question is random after her earlier statement but it’s no surprise. It’s hard to keep up with a mind that’s weirdly foggy after all…
Tenebrae reached out a hand to help steady her new drinking buddy, without thinking about it-- proving her state of utter sousedness, as she'd never have touched Senka on purpose whilst sober, not without a better reason than simply avoidance of falling off a rock. In the end, the gesture was better put to use in handing Senka's drink back to her. "Lucien." The name came out slightly cracked, being a sound she had not uttered in a very long time. "Son of me and.. " The way her lips pressed firmly shut at that point might clue the lycan in to what a volatile topic that might be. "I raised him eight years, in the Obsidian Pool. And then the Pool took him back, and the years with it." To clear up any confusion, she added, "None of it were real, y'see. Just th'smoke and mirrors of that fecking place.. But m'boy had a life, to me, and a name of his own, all the same. What about yours? And they're feet." She bent over, to waggle hers. "We have feet, not paws."
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Post by Joliette Thorne on Jan 20, 2009 7:41:12 GMT -5
Senka barely notices Tenebrae’s reaching hands, something that says something about her lack of knowing how to handle a drink, and instead cheerfully takes the mug from the other. She wastes no time bringing it to her mouth, even if her large round eyes remain fixed upon the other like a child watching it’s story-telling-mom. “Lucien,” the name is repeated thoughtfully, awkward in the lycan’s mouth. And though she doesn’t know the power of the Obsidian Pool, or anything about it really, she merely assumes the human’s words to be true, nodding at the explanation after that and not questioning it. Just as she prepares to answer the question of her own does the other draw her attention to the waggling feet, earning them a blank blink. “Really?” her husky voice is lighter with her surprise as she wriggles her own toes, “Well…they’re still unsteady,” Another rising of that mug to her lips ends the lycan’s interest in the proper name for body parts, and almost her life as she again tips back dangerously. A hiccup that escapes her sets Senka straight again, miracles or miracles, and soon her somewhat glazed eyes turn to the moths that are drawn back to the light of the lantern. There’s no getting rid of those buggers apparently. “Mana,” the name tumbles from the albino’s lips with an ease and affection as if she’s still saying it every day, “Son of me and Jayant,” The next name holds similar affection but it’s buried under the bitter loathing she’s been developing for him instead. The betrayal is still raw in the lycan’s mind, despite the years that have passed. “He was real cute too,” her statement is sudden and the red of her eyes only continues to soften but the look is far away, as if she’s literally looking into her past. “With white curls and missing teeth and the clearest blue eyes of the pack. He gave his father a run for his money, my Mana did,” A bitter scowl ends the sweet reminiscing and soon the mug is returned to its proper place to get rid of the spell that seems to be woven over her. Even if it’s the alcohol that makes her so loose lipped…
Tenebrae murmured, after she'd done blowing bubbles in the rum from lip of her cup, "Luc had white hair, too. Like silk." She lowered her drink when Senka was done speaking, a thoughtful expression set on her features, and a little rum moustache staining her upper lip. "So, did'y'ever go lookin' for him?"
Senka offers Tenebrae a vague sort of smirk at hearing more about Lucien, interested but not sure how to respond. Soon the mug is almost to her lips before it pauses, the albino being caught off guard by the question. Her eyes show that for once the lycan is being careful with her words, not daring to approach such a dangerous thought as Tenebrae has just posed. “That’d mean lookin’ for my pack, right? And they aren’ exactly happy with me,” The lycan straightens then, or tries to anyway for she ends up falling straight back against the cold wall she's been leaning against. "Are you gonna try again? Get 'nother pup?"
Tene's lips paled at the question, and she swayed gently in silence for a long moment. "S'a shame, Senky... I wond'r if they coulda forgiven you by now? Or somethin'..." She was frowning again, mostly at the moth that'd dropped into her cup and was currently backstroking around the dark liquid in a panicked attempt to free itself. "Or y'could be sneaky. I'll come with y..." The frown turned to a deeper sadness, then. "Better I dun go with you, maybe. Fat lot of use I'd be, in this." She waved a hand up and down to indicate her body. "S'not even good for ... " Tene paused, slurring the next words. "Should I go back to 'im, Senka? Should I? Even if we're.. s'diff'rent, an' he.. y'know? I can never give him pups... and... " She was a picture of misery, then, a fat tear plopping into the cup, to make the moth's plight that much wetter.
Senka is close to panicking. She hadn’t expected the other female to become emotional, again, and she isn’t really prepared to do the comfort thing, again. But she tries, despite not wanting to, with another awkward pat on Tenebrae’s shoulder. “You’re good ‘nough for me, right? Alpha and all that,” An awkward move of her hand has Senka flapping it rather like she’s seen the other do earlier that evening, without really meaning to. But there is more that needs to be said, obviously, and the lycan raises her own moth-free-mug to her lips to buy herself some time. The burning feeling of the alcohol moving down is enough to have the lycan speaking again, anything to get those tears to go away. The wolf doesn’t deal with emotion well after all… “And you got an entire pack to look after, right? So…m’sure you’ll get a pup from somewhere even if t’isn’t your own an’ I didn’t hear ‘im complain or anythin’,” An confused frown makes its presence known on the albino’s face. “Not that we talked ‘bout that but…” Helpless the woman trails off, watching the other and looking as if she’s prepared to flinch at any time. More rum is needed, obviously, before Senka manages to slur out more words meant to ‘comfort’. Or at least make the awkwardness of those tears go away, “An’ I’d take you with me…Jus’ ‘cause you’re two-walker doesn’ mean you’re weak,” Or something.
Aramel appears from the east. Aramel sighs and asks, "Do either of you know how to get to Kelay from here? Aramel holds up his hands and says, "Sorry if I interrupted anything."
Tenebrae was distressed to see Senka's distress at her distress about Leo. Who, she was becoming increasingly convinced with every large mouthful of rum she swallowed while listening to Senka, couldn't possibly love her, now she was merely a human. Sniffling faintly, she said, "He cannot possibly love me, Senkypoodle, now I am a stupid humeing bean". The necromancer hiccupped. "No wonder he's snogging fangy tarts left and right." Her hand flipped right, and left, respectively. "But you, Senky." She smiled waterishly at the lycaness. "You're my bestest friend. In the whole world. And I'm telling you..." She'd breath rummy fumes on her companion, as she lened in conspiratorially. ".. I love that stupid pirate werewolf assassanassinn. I do." Tene nodded, clunking her head on the rim of her cup, which she'd raised in salut. "Llllllove 'im. A lot. And we’ll go find yer pup, an' we'll make him bite Leo in the arse for being such an...... " The woman blinked. "Arse. Alright?" She looked to both Senkas for their approval.
Tenebrae was, of course, oblivious to everything, because she was very drunk.
Aramel shakes his head and blushes a little. "I'll find my own way. I guess..." Aramel exits east.
Senka is vaguely aware of a third voice coming from somewhere behind her but the lycan fails to be as interested and fixed on her surroundings as usual. Instead the rum is thought to be much more interesting to the dangerously swaying lycan, another big gulp soon burning it’s way down the albino’s throat. She’s finished just to note a new appearance of yet another horrible nickname, one which normally would’ve made her to try and rip out the other’s throat, pack or no. But with her belly so wonderfully full and warm, the beast lacks the willpower to muster up the anger needed and so she merely frowns mildly. The frown slowly disappears as she listens though, the white of her eyebrows not meant to stay together when her face is a burning pink that spreads all the way to her ears. Being called a ‘bestest friend’ would’ve normally had the lycan running for the hills but now she’s content to merely down another reasonable amount of her rum, lowering the mug just in time to lean a bit in herself, swaying as they share rum-soaked-breaths. A soft grunt from the back of the woman’s throat is offered as the ‘secret’ is shared, her own mug raising in a blind copy of what the other does, having no idea what it means anyway. “Whatever you do with your mate’sss arsse,” the husky tone of her voice is surprisingly barely diminished, despite it developing a slur that’s the result of a tongue that feels like cotton, “Ish your business. But I think it’d be ‘musing..” A hiccup wrecks the albino’s frame then, making her all but tumble off the rock had she not caught Tenebrae’s arm out of a reflex that shouldn’t even have been there by now. Barely disturbed, the woman merely uses it to bring her closer, long white strands of hair making a gentle brushing noise over the wall of the rock as she does so. “Don’ think we shhhould go after my pup,” the ‘p’ at the end of that word escapes her with a gentle ‘pop’, making Senka blink, distracted. “Pup,” she thus repeats, a faint smile already curving her lips, “pup,” The ‘pops’ are enough to have the wolf then finally grinning, an expression that stays even as a hiccup dangerously shifts her balance again.
Tenebrae said, "Snrk!"
Tenebrae made an almost unattractive snorting sound as Senka enunciated her 'p's. Glancing down into her near-empty rum, she then slapped a hand over her mouth. "MO MO!" Well, it sounded like that, muffled by fingers. Dropping her hand, she started at Senka with horrified eyes. "Oh no, ohno, ohno, Shenky, I drank the poor moth." Tene looked vaguely ill. "Ugh. But yes. Yesyes, we will find your Manapup, and we will bring him home to share our wunnerful Cabal..ly..ness. So turn that..." Tene reached a forefinger out to poke the wolfess gently between the eyes. "... frown inside out, okay?" Her smile was far less watery now. "Did y'know, Senky, that Steadman is a horrible, horrible, horrible, horrible kisser?" More nodding, the imbibed moth apparently forgotten. "And that was just'n accident. I mean.. I didn't mean. You know wha'mean?" She was sure Senk would. "So maybe snogging whatserface was just ... a bit of nothing, like he said?" Her own frown returned. "I hope she had horrible breath, like Steadman. And falls in a well. Of fire." The frown faded gain, and she slipped off the rock, tearing a large hole in the seat of her pants, and not noticing. "More rum, methinks, and did you also know..." The woman binked again. "I forgot. But it was about Leo. And some goblins. Or something."
Senka is distracted from her own popping noises as a snort comes from the other, making her blink and turn her vivid red eyes to the other. She’s left to stare as the other slaps her hands over her mouth and makes the most interesting of sounds. Just when her own pale hands raise to copy it, perhaps it means the same as that raising of the mug thing?, she’s distracted again as she’s addressed. The mentioning of the poor moth’s demise barely even makes the wolf wrinkle her nose; she’s eaten nastier things after all. Luckily Tenebrae is already moving on and easily distracted even when sober, the wolf lets her without complaint. The poke comes unexpected, actually making her start a little but no real protest is made as red eyes instead are fixed on Tenebrae’s lips, her own pale pink ones twitching as she tries to copy the look. Sure, she can do it when not paying attention but to try it on purpose feels weird and unnatural, not to mention impossible, so her attempt is dropped along with the finger between her eyes. Of course Senka knows what the other means, even if she isn’t sure what it is, and so her enthusiastic nod is freely offered. She drowns the rest of her mug by the time the other begins about Leoxander again, not really knowing how to reply and settling for doing that instead. She’s just handing her, now empty, to the one about to get more rum when she pauses, listening as the other forgets. “Oh.” Really, she isn’t sure what else to say but luckily her lips are moving on their own accord again, anyway. “Kisses are nice though…” The beast has no trouble following the Tenebraes as they move through the cave, looking for that wonderful liquid, “Matin’ is besht when d’ne the two-walker,” A hiccup barely even disturbs the lycan, “…way,” A pause, “But Goblin’s aren’ very tashty, so what were you two,” Another hiccup, “ doin’ with those?”
"Smackin' 'em!" Tene had the two mugs in hand, and was leading Senka quite a long way away from the rum barrel, because suddenly there was more than one rock that resembled a gorilla. "Tha' was it. When we firs' met, we'd meet up, in Cenril, an' smack goblins." She sounded very satisfied with that. "An' it were a lot of fun. I miss those days, Shenky." Who wouldn't miss violence and streets awash with black blood? "So romantic. An' what'y'mean it's better, two-leg.... ohhhh!" Tene stopped walking, if what she was doing still be called that, and turned back to Senka, bumping into her. "You mean.. " Tene snickered. "... haha. Less chance of summun throwin' a bucket of water on you, I 'spose." They'd managed, by then to make a full circuit of the cave, and while there were several Tene-shaped indentations in the sand, and two more scrapes on her knees, she still managed to end up back at the barrel. "Gimme your.. oh." She already had both cups, "Turn the li'l tappy thing for me, will you? And you totally. Must." A soft burp interrupted her. "Get the clan tattoo."
Senka isn’t sure, at first, what Tenebrae means with ‘smackin’ but she nevertheless nods anyway, her agreement automatic by now. Rather like how she follows the other without really realising it. However as the other’s story continues it paints a clear picture in the albino’s mind and soon she’s agreeing while actually knowing what she’s agreeing to; no one appreciates violence like Senka does after all. She has managed to stay upright while following the other but as Tenebrae suddenly stops and smacks into her, Senka’s already abused balance can’t take it anymore. There’s a wave of white as her hair fans out, her entire body fluently moving as if she –means- to fall flat on her behind. Judging by her startled and somewhat confused look though, the albino is a little too surprised by finding herself on the floor to have done it on purpose. Barely bothered by new formed bruises she can’t feel anyway, she’s soon trying to stand on her always unsteady two-walker feet. The poor lycan ends up stumbling forward for several moments, ending back on her knees only to rise again. Finally she finds her balance as they reach the rum, swaying forward and backward but nevertheless reaching out to turn the ‘lil tappy thing’. “Two-walkers take longer,” the mumble more or less escapes her even as a dangerous amount of her weight ends up resting on the tap she’s twisting, “N’why would someone throw water a’ me?” A confused blink is offered to Tenebrae but the wolf is distracted too easily and too soon for the other to have room to answer. “Tat-toe?” Finally leaning back again, just as the tap is beginning to groan dangerously, the albino tries to figure out which of the two head’s is the right one, and which pair of eyes she’s supposed to be looking into, “Was’ a cl’n tat-toe? Ish it good?” Obviously the wolf’s thinking in terms of rum, judging by how her eyes are already fixing on said liquor. Senka takes a moment to process the whole 'Jack' thing. Where had she heard that name before? "You mean the mutt," A hiccup, "Why's 'e gone if he'sss the cl'n mutt?"
Tenebrae shrugged to the last question first, "Not the clan's, jus' Leo's. Not his, neither, really. Just Jack's. He's his own dog. He gives me kisses, you know, after eatin' old crabs and lickin 'is bum, ugh. But we love him, and he ran off, because Leo..." The tap finally gave way, and whether Senka ended up on her own bum again or not, a thick gush of the liquor came pouring out of the broken tap. The former vampiress filled both cups, swilling hers very quickly, and dipping it back under. The other was waggled at Senka. "Quick, Senky. Drink up, before it's gone. nd the clan tattoo is that thing on my shoulder there, the squiggly mark, shows who one of us is, so we know who is us and not, and can see it's another one. Of us. And we dun kill each other b'accident." Tene returned to her 'saving' of the rum, finally deciding, as the trickle waned, that lying on her back under the tap, with her mouth open, was a very good idea. She'd gurgle vaguely, trying to talk, and after a while realised that she must sit up. "I must sit up, Senka." She peered wildly about, not seeing anything. "Ohno. Ohno, ohno, Senky, ohno, I have drunk m'sef blind!" Maybe Senka was still sober enough to point out that the necromancer's long black hair had fallen over her eyes when she swung herself upward. "How'll we fetch Jack now, 'f I can' see 'im?"
Senka goes toppling over in a fury of limbs, hair and that ragged dress still wrapped around her form, ending in a rather ungraceful sprawl. She’s barely sat up and pulled the restricting strands of white hairs away from her neck when her mug is trusted back at her. Needing little more then that simple urging of ‘quick, Senky!” to have her raising that mug to her lips, the wolf still manages to listen with buzzing ears and a mouthful of rum. Her downing is less easy than that of the ex-vampire however, ending with a nasty choke and a coughing fit that spreads the flush of her face all the way to her neck. But the beast is hardly one who takes it easy and so she soon dips her mug back under that precious liquid that burns her so wonderfully, even if the occasional cough still escapes her. “I need to,” A hiccup is quickly smoothed over by another swallow of that lovely rum, “Watshj out for tha’ mark then,” She can’t be seen killing those of her own pack again, after all, even if she still thinks that beta deserved it. Another downing of her mug ends rather like the last one and results only in a half-empty mug, for the albino all but chokes halfway-through. Still coughing she refills just before the other decides to sprawl on her back besides where the albino is still sitting, since she never bothered to stand when the trickle of rum is right besides her. Senka’s just gulping eagerly again, though less slowly as before, when her real name is again used. The lack of nickname is enough to have the female pause, turning her unfocussed eyes on her companion, who apparently is panicking. Dully staring, she fails to understand at first what’s Tenebrae in a state of distress. Then finally she responds to that question asked, the renewed use of nicknames completely missed, “You got me, righ’?” Staring at the other, or her hair anyway, Senka completely fails to point out the placement of black strands, “N’I’m the oldest lycan on Hol,” A hiccup, “’lo. I can find your mutt,” Reaching out with curious fingers the wolf soon finds herself too distracted to search however. Her fingers curl around Tenebrae’s black hair, “S’funny,” She lifts the strand to dully stare with both red eyes at that one green eye that she has exposed, “Your colours are exactly the opozi…opositz of mine. M’white, you’re black,” A tug on the hair still in her grasp, meant to be gentle though the wolf isn’t sure how much strength she uses anymore, makes sure the other knows what she’s talking about. “An’ m’red an’ you’re green. M’not natural an’you kinda make sense,” A funny sound that’s a crossing between a hiccup and a chuckle escapes the albino just as she sways, releases Tenebrae’s hair, and raises the mug back to her lips. Just before opening her mouth to let in that dark liquid she repeats, mumbling, “S’funny,”
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Post by Joliette Thorne on Jan 20, 2009 7:45:13 GMT -5
-- Hanging Corpse--
Traye walked the quick path to his favourite tavern-- 'the Corpse' as it was affectionately called-- the one where idiots tended to loiter less. Leather boots stopped in their forward movement however, the moment that frail frame was sighted 'pon the steps leading downward to the cellar (good chance he looked about the establishment first, before eyeing Steadman for his whisky). It took several moments... "Terra?" Hoarse and full of despair at even the thought, that single word slipped warily between his lips crusted with blood until he could take the speculation no longer. Sure enough, once he came upon her mangled body in closer proximity, even through the tatters and wounds and blood, Jaidin was able to determine that it was indeed, his beloved. Unable to speak, only a moan of angst befell her seemingly unhearing ears. The undead dropped roughly to his knees, sliding down the stairs so he was by her head. On the verge of freaking out, it was all that he could do to place both hands amongst the blood-spattered curls and carefully hold her head gently, attempting to lift it off the cold stone steps. "Terra," he whispered in a choke. Jaidin knew he had to get his act together; be the rock she needs so he can try to do something to help her.
Tenebrae was in time to see.. was that... -- Traye? ---yes, Traye! -- disappearing down her stairwell. The woman was a sight better dressed than when she'd emerged from the cellar, and despite having earned herself what amounted to a roaring hangover, was sleek and elegant as ever she was when immortal. She'd even managed to stuff down a little breakfast. Pausing to tip up on her toes a bit, mid-stride, she craned her neck and tried to peer downward. Which never does work, so she just hurried to take the rest of the paces necessary to reach those stairs and look down them properly. "Why....Jaidin Traye, is that you?" He might hear the grin in her tone. "What are you doing skulking in my stairwell? Oughtta be careful, pet-- all kinds of nasty things..." And then her voice gathered an even more pleased tone, if that was at all possible. "...oh hello, Terra. You look a bit peaky, then." A sound from upstairs has her cant her head that way. "Oops, gotta run. You kids have fun, now...and Traye, we really must speak, and soon."
-- Upstairs, A Little Bit Later--
Leoxander hadn’t made it to the bed, and if a steak was ordered, he hadn’t touched that, either. Typically, Leo would have been gone naked right out the window by now, but something kept him on the floor, in the corner, wrapped up in that sheet. Head propped to the wall, eyes refusing to close, he stared half asleep in the general direction of the door, but spaced out to one side of it long ago.
Tenebrae was... brisk. Breezed in the door, sleek and sassy, heels ticking on stone, where rugs were not. All business, it seemed, and when a tavernful of wenches arrives bearing faintly steaming buckets of water, trays of food, most of it raw, and a variety of linen bags, she'd point and give them orders, the last being to go now, and close the door behind them. By the end of it all, the bath was full, the small table groaning with delicacies, and Tene at last stepped over to Leoxander. Whether or not he'd turned to see what the fuss was all about, she'd lay a gentle hand on his shoulder. "Bath-time, love. Trust me, you'll feel a new man after it." A delicious, subtle scent that was a bit like milous pipeweed mixed with the sea rose from the water. Tene had been a busy ex-vampire, even with her horrible, horrible hangover. But she wouldn't let Leo know how much her head hurt. "Come on, then. I got you a present."
Leoxander followed with his eyes, watching the commotion, without appearing to see, smell or register any of it at first. It wasn’t until sharp heels clicked his way, like pins falling through a perpetual silence, that his glassy, sleepless eyes blinked and he looked up at the Necromancer. Even if she didn’t want to be touched, his warm, rough hand was already closing on her wrist. If she wasn’t caught off guard by his reaction, then, she didn’t know her wolfish mate well enough at all. Leo didn’t apologize for murder, he didn’t do it to avoid trouble. Half the time, even when he should… he wouldn’t express any care. But his hoarse voice pleads with her then. “I’m sorry, Joli.” He sought her eyes like his daggers would seek a heart. “I’m sorry…” and he wasn’t going to move until she took note of it.
"Shhh." She'd let him keep hold of that wrist a moment, sweeping a fall of blond out of eyes that were more cracked than the dawn. "Shh, it's alright, love. I understand." Peridot peered down into heterochromatic eyes, and she'd let him study her own, if he wanted to, so he could see she meant it. "Can't promise I won't pry your lips off with pincers if you do it again, though." That was sincere, too, but she was smiling by then. "Come on, then. A bath really will help. Then we'll try to get some food into you, alright?" She'd pull back, just a little, on the hand attached to the wrist he held. "But first, a bath. And your present.""
Leoxander didn’t particularly care what happened from then on, so long as he kept hold of her wrist. It was a numbing experience, to know how dependent he’d become on her, to recall that crushing sensation in his chest each time he told himself she wasn‘t coming back. The rogue was left reeling, silent in his revelation, complying to her suggestion by crawling stiffly to his feet and abandoning the sheet. His mistake in biting a vampire had taken its toll - he was still limping and attempting not to lean, but failing when a minor dizzy spell washed over him. Recovering composure if not his dignity, he slid his arm around the back of her neck, fingers grazing across a silvery scar, to pull her face closer to his. Only to bump his brow against the side of her skull in an almost feral way, breathing deeply, close to her ear, rather than try to kiss her again. A few encouraging steps would eventually break him from clinging so tight.
Tenebrae wasn't in a hurry to break that hold. Her shoulder would steady him, and her voice soothe him as they made that short walk, perhaps, enough to get him closer to the tub which was foaming gently and did smell very good. The nudge of his forehead had her half-turn, brush his lips with hers, lightly, before she tried to pull away properly. One hand was digging in the pocket of her crisply-ironed, white apron -- yes, apron-- for something. "In you go, then." But her other hand was ready, poised to grab the crease of an elbow to help him, in case he was less than balanced in the process. A faint squeak came from her pocket, and she blinked widely. "The water's fine."
Leoxander was tempted to coax her into the bath with him, but honestly, he’d have to consider that first. Not that her sudsy and crowded into a confined space with him would be a terrible thing, but his reaction, his unpredictable behavior very well could be. As far as he could tell through his muddled senses, she still smelled like human… and fresh linen. One last suspicious look her way, because he would always be suspicious of abrupt changes of her mood, like that; the fact she’d decided to so easily forgive him, but this was what he had hoped for, from the start. Confident she’d remove no device from her pocket that might dissolve like acid in the water, he used the sides of the tub to crawl in, sinking down with a slight shiver (because even hot water is lukewarm to him) and doing his best to restrain the expression that would reveal his aches and pains, now and then. He didn’t want any ‘gifts’… he wasn’t sure why she thought he deserved one, but his eyes lifted warily once he was settled, because curiosity got the best of him. The fact that he was so quiet might also hint at that nervous knot wound up in his empty stomach.
Tenebrae rolled her shoulder once his weight was gone from it-- it was not the first time she had missed her vampire's strength in the past day -- and knelt beside the bath, the mysterious gift left in its hidey spot for now. She had to admit, his discomfort did give her a faint trace of a vaguely malicious satisfaction, but it was fleeting and soon replaced by a burning desire to wash the blood and filth from the rogue's hair. So her fingers were soon a-lather and massaging his scalp, her lips pressed together as she hummed the same tune she'd sung to Rhian's smelly infant in the cellar. Once she deemed that it was clean enough, she'd gather his mane of blond into a silly, soapy peak on top of his head. "Leave the shampoo in for a bit, you were quite filthy." An itch on her cheek had her rub at it with the back of her hand-- and the makeup she'd smoothed over it before she left Rynvale was rubbed away, revealing a dark welt on the smooth cream of her complexion. Not that Tene would notice the end of the disguise. She made a small, happy noise and dipped her hand into the pocket, drawing out... a rubber duck. Her fingers tightened on it, and the thing gave another wheezy squeak. "This is Trevor. He'll be your bath duck for today." The item was plopped into the water, where it bobbed a little. Tene studied Leo's face then, for his reaction, a faint smile on her lips.
Leoxander started to relax, again. She wasn’t out for revenge, and she’d meant every word she’d said. As much as he didn’t deserve treatment like that, it was exactly what he’d been craving, his only reason for being glad that he was a little under the weather. Just one afternoon, where he wasn’t chasing anything, anyone, avoiding trouble, dodging wounds… one afternoon where he could stare at her through exhausted eyes and try to smile. He didn’t interrupt her song until he needed to hold his breath and dunk himself in the water to remove the red tinted soap from his hair… grown so long now that it reached his jaw when wet. It covered almost all of his face until pushed back into damp spikes that stuck in any and every direction. Distracted by the squeak, he blinked water from his eyes and darted his attention to the sound, because strangely enough it made his heart lurch with excitement. Masking the expression, he followed it’s dive to the water, and lifted it with a handful of water spilling from his palm, where the toy settled. An experimental squeeze caused it to wheeze some fluid in it’s high-low cry, and the muscle of his arm twitched again, curiously enough. Good thing she hadn’t thrown it across the room, he might have erupted from his bubble bath to go chasing it…
Leoxander said to Tenebrae, "How about you get in the bath and the duck can prepare lunch?"
Tenebrae looked down at the now soap-spotted apron she wore, and back up to Leo, all sincerity in her eyes. "I'm not wearing anything under this, you know." And then the necromancer was on her feet, stepping to the table, where she took up a platter of meat - raw beef - and a small bottle of rum, carrying them back to the tub. "And Trevor can't be trusted with alcohol. I'm afraid..." She lowered her voice to a conspiratorial whisper, perching on the tub's wide edge. "...he's underage." The platter was on her knees, and she'd use the dagger set to one side of the plate the cut a very fine strip of the meat, so thin it was almost transparent. This was dangled in front of the rogue.
Leoxander felt the disappointment and promptly swallowed it down. Apparently he wasn’t so forgiven that she would do more than tease him with the facts he wanted proof for. Alcohol and food were a mild distraction, though she failed to realize how hungry he’d made himself. When she carelessly dangled a strip of raw meat in front of the rogue’s face, he turned his head and immediately leaned forward in the tub, water sloshing as his jaws snapped down aggressively on the piece. Barely missing her fingers, he snatched it just like a wolf might, and ducked his head as though to hide it as he chewed with his back teeth. Blood was licked from his lips before he realized what had happened, and risked a glance back up toward her… with faint yellow rings barely noticeable in the center of his different colored irises.
Leoxander had become all the more savage in their time spent apart. Though he tried to hide it, moments like that would shine through.
Tenebrae didn't seem all that perturbed by his wild look, though her fingers had made a very hasty retreat from the reach of those snapping jaws. She watched him devour the morsel, the while slicing off a thicker slab, more like a steak this time. This too was offered out like a limp and bloody rag to a bull. A .. carnivorous one. Anyhow, she appeared to be somewhat pleased about things so far. "Did you know your eyes have stars in them, Leo, when you change?" Tene's eyes remained intently focussed on the meat.
-- The Afterbath--
Tenebrae fed him strips of meat (if he didn't nip her fingers) and scrubbed dirt from his inked flesh for another hour or so, and may as well have wound up in that bath for all the water and soap on her. "You'll be a prune. And need a proper meal. Out you come." Out of the nearest of those linen sacks came four fluffy white towels. "Your clothes are over there..." she pointed to another bag, draped over the back of a sofa. "I had them mended as best I could." Tene bit her lip a little. "Found 'em outside. Some of it was pretty torn up." She gave him one of those looks. You know, the 'I'm going to listen to you now' kind.
Leoxander didn’t entirely avoid her fingers. He risked it to nudge his lip against her bloody print, savoring just a little more of that fresh meal taste. Doing his best to give her a hand, but also finding reasons and places for her to reach for a little more of that attention, she might also notice he had a hard time losing eye contact with her. Every time they fell away, he’d chance a look back to see if she was watching him, self conscious for the first time that he could remember. Not because he was scarred up, or naked, but more curious if she was still attracted to him at all. Or if it remained… strictly business. Distracted by her pointing out his clothes, it wasn’t until he stepped out of the tub soaking wet and gave an instinctive shake from his head and shoulders, to the base of his spine, that he looked over at the towel and bothered to grab it to dab his face dry. Just to be polite. The edge of his jaw, tense, revealed that now given the chance… he didn’t know exactly what to say. Was it too much to hope it just didn’t matter?
Tenebrae's jaw hung open little, set at a slight angle, the tip of her tongue in the corner of her mouth, while she just… made sure he was strong enough to dry himself, without passing out, or something. What was he looking at her like for? She'd quite forgotten the question, silent as it was. Right now, she had that look in her eyes. You know the one-- "Leo…”
Leoxander seemed to be in much better shape now that he’d had a bath, and a snack. Tired, yet, but that look hadn’t left his eyes for weeks. There was no spark of passion in her arctic vision that he could find, so he let it be. Let sleeping dogs lie, for lack of a more appropriate and pun filled term. He moved stiffly, with a slight limp in his slow stride, but still crossed the room toward his clean, folded clothing on his own. Forgetting to thank her for mending his armor, he let the white tunic fall open and thumbed the stitching across the side, where he’d apparently tried to rip it into two pieces. Her tone tugged his attention, against his will, and he witnessed an entirely different expression of excitement. He wasn’t the cause of it. “You bored of life already? I'm not draggin' you through fire and flames in an apron, Joli." But really, he meant as a human, and she'd likely know it.
She arced a perfectly manicured brow. "I don't plan on wearing my apron.. for the first part. Which may just be a little fun. I am in a mood, love." Tene crossed the room, peeling off the offending article smoothly as she went, and retrieved another linen sack. "It's been a long time." The black items stowed in the sack were donned with just as little haste, the last of it being a dark bandanna that she knotted around her neck. "Can't leave a girl high and dry, like that, for too long."
Leoxander just shook his head. Don’t look, No matter what she’d said about that apron, earlier. Biting his tongue to a witty retort, he pulled the tunic over his head, peeling it down over his chest and middle until it covered tribal ink, and fit him as well as his gloves would. A change, and a contrast to her own attire, the only black to exist would be the hilts of dragon forged blades, once he found out where they were. Fortunately that distinct scent always made it easy to dig them out of the trees. “I don’t like this. Most times we come home from trips like these bloody and bruised, and that aint exactly a laughin’ matter for you, these days.”
Tenebrae sidled over to her rogue, her eyes heavy-lidded, her voice a breathy whisper, and smoothed her palms across the taut smoothness of the shirt covering his chest. "But Leo... you know how happy it makes me." It was a soft purr, from pouted, rosy lips, which would then press gently against the dip of flesh at the base of his left ear, leaving it warmed with her breath. "How very... happy."
Leoxander knew by the sound of footsteps, the way her scent tortured him anew, that she approached. Tension rippled down his spine and he slightly arched his back at first, nervous like he’d never been from her touch before. A hand immediately grabbed her fingers against his sternum to keep it still, safe… while he took a breath into his lungs. Then she kissed a soft spot, and he looked away from her with a sharp curse in a whisper, under his breath. She already had her way, and she knew it. “If I gotta bloody save your arse…” then he would. Undoubtedly. He muttered as though there was more to that statement, a threat to follow, but he just fell quiet instead. Fingers grasped that hand to squeeze it against his heart before he remembered to push it aside, out of the way, to finish dressing. He didn’t feel used, yet. Maybe she’d owe him one, for a change.
Tenebrae coughed softly. "You'll likely be needing this, Cap'n." When he turned to her, she'd be dandling one of those dragon-forged blades by its hilt, the blade swinging slowly. Tene grinned. "I'll be alright, love. How'd you think I survived as a human around this place, all those years? I'm not going to get hurt, not if I'm careful."
Leoxander turned reluctantly, avoiding her eyes, now. A glance at the knife, and he reached to take it without the same hesitance, abruptly stabbing it into its place tucked against his ribs. A noticeable twitch of his nose, and he walked away from her grin and reassurance to collect the untouched bottle of alcohol she’d brought for his bath. Until she was ready to walk out that door, he’d kick some of the rum back, drinking in silence. He’d never missed Jack quite so much. It was as though the dog’s absence took something more from them. When really, that was his own damn fault.
She chewed her lip a bit as she followed him, less a shadow these days than she'd become -his- shadow. The haunted look he'd given, his sullen actions, before his departure were not something to address now, either to him out loud or to herself in her private thoughts. Soft-soled, reinforced boots made not a lot of sound on the stone below, as she practised becoming familiar again at being a different kind of predator.
-- Kelay Tavern--
Tenebrae slipped in after the rogue, innocuous black clothing and a quiet step making her less visible than other patrons. She'd keep her distance from Leo, for the moment. Couples draw more notice.
Leoxander had no real reason to hide, beyond Mesthak‘s nasty attitude. Even the dwarf would be conked out by that hour. He paused just a few feet in the doorway, acute vision scanning the inside of Kelay Tavern. Very slim pickings, and the rogue revealed his mood by crossing his arms over his leather covered chest.
Tenebrae was in better cheer, but kept herself less visible, her own attention keen on the burgeoning crowd-- what they wore, how strong they looked...
Luenetta yawns softly, stretching her arms as she does so. Forgetting the presence of others for a moment. She inhales through her nose, catching new scents. A familiar one of a vampire, and the lycan scent. Another she didn't know. She sighs softly, lost in thought.
Tene's eyes settled on Luenetta the way a wasp settles on a flower.
Scents often did linger. She must have been smelling Kenarious. Luenetta looks about, spotting eyes upon her she smiles politely in return.
Leoxander looked for very similar to that ‘pic’, as it were. Tundra lands permit cold weather clothing, the pale color curse turned to his advantage. His skull was tilted toward a shoulder as his militant posture relaxed, sleeved arms dropping casually near the hilt of either blade sheathed at his belt. The only sound made was that crack of bones and joints, while mismatched eyes settled upon the back of Luenetta.
Tenebrae gave the druid a faint -- and very genuine-seeming - smile. The necromancer slid from the wall she leant on, suddenly emerging from a dispersal of shadows in that dim corner. The woman yawned softly, blinked gently. And looked back toward Luenetta, with that same sweet expression in place. "Ello, pet."
Leoxander then appropriately cast a subtle glance toward the Necromancer, too brief to be noticed, concealed by the edge of his hood.
Tenebrae didn't turn her eyes Leo's way. She just rubbed the back of her neck, where the little hairs at her nape suddenly prickled. Luenetta rubbed her throat gently, looking about. Her gaze shoots to Tenebrae when she speaks. "Oh..Hello." She said softly. Her nostrils flared from the scents, the lycan scent became clearer. She didn't know it. Her wolven instinct was to run, or fight but she had worked hard at supressing the wolf. She ignored the scent for now.
Leoxander turned from Tenebrae and her find. He had a designated seat, third from the end of the bar… where the shot glass water rings and shallow claw marks exist. A normal routine that put him in range of hearing most of the conversation that took place, indoors. Nancy, recognizing the unwelcome criminal, would provide him whisky just to avoid trouble.
Tenebrae gave Luenatta a beatifically warm look. "Pardon, miss... I was wondering..." Tene slid to seat nearest the other female. "If you knew of a place in town that rented rooms? Expensive ones."
Luenetta rubbed her throat still, her voice always seemed so soft. When her hand moved to one side of her throat, one could see a long scar. It was fine, perfect even. "Umm...I live on the streets most nights. But, the inn in Craughmoyle...Its quite nice. Sorry I couldn't be of more assistance." She said meekly, looking down. Her clothes, her scepter, everything she had was given in charity.
Nemisis steps out of his trance to look about the room. Spotting someone he knew he says, "Oi, Tenebrae."
Tenebrae eyed the accoutrement of Luenetta appreciatively. "Lucky girl..." Her smile was a little lopsided then. "So, you are all alone in the world, then? " The ex-vampire sighed. "I know how that feels. Or..." She sat upright, raising her brows a little. "Are you lucky enough to have friends, or family?" She then gave Nemisis a poisonous look. "Sorry, -sir-", that last word being emphasised. "You've mistaken me for someone else. I am very sure of it."
Damonn raises his head, "Yeah I’m one of her friends."
Luenetta watched the woman. "My family...They..I don't know. My mother and father, they are dead..." She sighed softly, but she restrained any tears. "As for friends...I have plenty. I don't like asking for places to stay from them though. But, other than friends...I'm quite alone otherwise."
Tenebrae lifted her gaze languidly to Damonn, studying him a moment. "How nice for her."
Nemisis narrows his ruby eyes at Tenebrae at the expression he recieved. Almost automatically his brow raised up and his head tilted asking Tenebrae, "Huh? Oi, you calling yourself a new name now?"
Tenebrae turned her attention back to Luenetta. "You are fortunate indeed, pet. I, myself, am very tired of being alone. I'd kill for some female company, someone ...nice. To have a cup of tea with." The woman sighed sadly, her features shifting to slightly bereft mien.
Tenebrae snapped another look to Nemisis. "Mistaken. Am I clear?"
Luenetta smiles softly. "Me too. Kenarious...he's no fun for tea, he's just busy trying to suck my blood." She rolled her eyes. "But tea, that'd be nice." She smiled softly, glancing to Damonn. "If you see that draconian, will you give him my thanks? He saved my life that day."
Leoxander paid attention the hand that moved to her throat after indulging in a drink - liquid courage, as it was called. Even dreary light would glint on the diamonds of her collar, there. Yet her words were disheartening… not because he cared if another human was suffering on the streets, but because it almost seemed as though she didn’t have a friend who would miss her. Clever Necromancer, sing away. That lovely song brought up the details he’d been listening for. He took his second shot, belching loudly enough to start sounding like he was drunk, grinning wryly as he impressed himself by it.
Leoxander slid a hand to his ribs, watching the draconian carefully.
Nemisis for some reason was not threaten nor intimidated by the woman's action even though his nature knew the type of situation. Still he was always curious about the woman and so whether or not it meant him being attacked, he pushed the envelope and asked Tenebrae, "What happened to you?"
Damonn nods to Luenetta. "Of course."
Tenebrae grinned happily. "There's a rather nice little place..." She lowered her voice. "Just down the street a bit. And I hear the waiter is...." A subtle shift of gaze, while Luenetta was distracted by her friend, to a certain figure in the room. " I hear the waiter is.. very handsome. Blond." She winked. "I like a place with a good view."
Leoxander stood at that point, a bar stool screeching. A stumble for effect.
Luenetta frowned. "I don't really like other men. Someone has my heart." She said meekly. She wasn't certain about this. A stranger talking to her for tea? Something was wrong, she knew that from the beginning. Hence the rubbing of her throat.
Damonn said to Luenetta, "I’m okay, right."
Leoxander scratched his ribs roughly. Indigestion. Not every pirate could handle the tonic with ease, these days. Nemisis just so happened to be in the path of his stumble. Damn drunks, always ruining a perfectly good conversation with a pretty lady, weren’t they? He'd grip blindly for an arm or sleeve to prevent knocking the draconian over. If... that were possible.
Tenebrae nodded, her smile softening. "How darling. And good, all the more room for me to flirt a bit. Will you join me, then? I do crave a little company." She surely seemed genuine about it. Nemisis ws ignored, with a slight sniff, as though he was just another drunk trying to garner the attractive female's attention.
Tenebrae did, however, have a time of it supressing a smirk at the "stranger’s" awkwardness.
Luenetta frowned, taking off her collar. It was irritating her skin. Her skin around her throat was purple. She sighed softly, "I don't know...I think I'm supposed to wait for for.." She has to think, think of someone, anyone she knows who would come to meet her. "Arien. She's going to teach me some things." She felt awkward now. She trusted this woman, yet didn't trust her. Oh so complex.
Tenebrae really did, at that news, seem despondant. "Oh..." Her features crumpled into sadness. "It's just that I am so very new in town. And tea alone is hardly tea at all." She'd sniffle a little, into a handkerchief pulled from her cleavage.
Nemisis was keeping watch of Leoxander out the side of his eye. Not knowing how the situation could turn out with him and Tenebrae, he did know however there was the Cabal. Often accurate with his research he remained cautious nonetheless. There were times he would recall awkwardness around the woman and the secret was protected. Was this advance one? That he did not know, and so he acted accordingly. As Leoxander's arm reached out towards him, so did the demi's tail do vice versa. However it was an attempt to ensare the man just incase it was a disguised attack. Turning to look at him while the deadly tail blades yet to be revealed he stopped there with a would be tight grip.
Damonn said to Tenebrae, "I'll have tea with ya."
Luenetta couldn't handle people crying. She sighed softly, "Okay..."
Tenebrae gave the ensuing scuffle a mildly concerned glance, her hand fluttering to her chest, as if to still her heart. "Oh, how I crave to get away from such uncouth ruffians..."
Nemisis just had to blink at Tenebrae's language a minute and say to himself out loud, "Eww...."
Tenebrae glanced up happily at the two. "Fabulous! The place is... I believe.. just a little down the street. A restaurant, I think. Will you meet me there?"
Luenetta rises from her seat, leaving the establishment.
Tenebrae followed, and if she accidentally trod on Nemisis' tail on the way out... that'd be a shame.
-- Kelay Restaurant--
Tenebrae paced aside the girl and her friend, until they reached the charming little restaurant. She's swing the door for them, and usher the two toward a table by the window. "So nice of you to join me.."
Damonn goes over to the table and sits looking around "Huh, never been here before."
Tenebrae blinked a little. "Where's your friend?" The druid, perhaps wiser than her lycan associate, had slunk away suddenly.
Damonn thinks "I don't know."
Tenebrae shrugged a little and turned her full attention on Damonn. "So.. are you local, then? You're lucky to have friends."
Damonn twitches his ears. "Yeah I’m a local I guess, and yeah they’re sweet, very protective of me though."
Tenebrae raised her brows. "Oh? Is that so?" She peered about for a waiter. "Service here isn't what it used to be..." Glancing back to Damonn, she smiled sweetly. "I bet you have a lot of friends, too."
-- Meanwhile, Back in the Tavern--
Leo did his best not to scoff at Tenebrae during his brief and sloppy draconian fondle. There was no attack, honestly Leo had gripped sleeves and appropriate, non damaging places. He managed to restrain his surprise at being caught up, tangled really, by the creatures tail. So long as he wasn’t held in place, he’d upright them both, offering Nemisis a good natured thump on the shoulder that was rougher than necessary. The liquor on his breath was a good indication of why. And if he was in fact let go, assumed to be the alcoholic he truly is, then he stumbled his way right for the door, pausing in the entryway to regain his balance.
Nemisis gripes as his tail was stepped on by Tenebrae as she walked out. This gave Leoxander the chance to steal from the keen draconian while he was paying attention to Tenebrae, a rarity to the fullest. Not liking the unnecessary contact, the man reacts violently by tighting his tail grip around Leoxander and attempting to raise him in the air while saying coldly, "Back off..."
He was fairly lightweight, compact in this form. But if Nemisis wasn’t damn careful with his frisky tail, the rogue might very well not stay in that convenient size, or mood. Mismatched eyes flashed, catching candelabra light enough to wash out his pupils in a rusty glow that revealed behind a mess of blond hair, when his hood fell back. Grip thrown up defensively, already emptied with a sleight of hand, he stammered through his worried, drunken slur. “Right, buddy! Totally my fault. You wanna drink, man? C’mon. I’ll buy you a bloody… bleedin’ drink.” That indigestion came back up in a suppressed hiccup, another awful burp leaving him since he’d been… squeezed and all. Better hope that doesn’t kick up from the other end.
Nemisis face wrinkles as Leoxander lets out a disgusting burp in his direction. Not pleased, the demi turns face the other direction while unraveling Leoxander away from him saying, "Lay off the alcohol.
Leo stumbled his way into a balanced state, able to hide the grin at some point. “You got it, Boss..” came the low mumble as the thief finally made his escape, unscathed. The night was looking up.
-- Restaurant--
Damonn nods rubbing his head "Well yeah, but they’re mostly women."
Tenebrae's lips made a soft little 'o'. "I see. Good looking man like you... you'd have plenty of women falling over you, I bet." She was still seated at the table with Damonn, fluttering her eyelashes and now and then raising a hand to wave toward the kitchens. "Girl could die of thirst in here..."
Damonn shrugs "Good looking, um, thats not what they call me. They call me cute, I don't know why though."
Tenebrae giggled softly. "You -are- rather cute.." Then she blushed deeply, lowering her features. "Bet you like to..."
Leoxander was the silhouette that drifted passed the portholes in the dark, a sidelong glance glinting a dangerous, feral vision through glass. Moments after the line of windows ended, the door opened, and he blocked the only way out.
And there was her opportunity-- the place empty, the staff on break and her Leo standing sentinel at the door. "Now dear, " Tene slid her hand down her dress in sensuous slither, returning it with a wicked-looking black-bladed knife, which she'd point at Damonn. "Hands up. Turn around. Keep quiet, and you won't get hurt."
Tenebrae drew herself upright, her chair's legs scraping on the boards below.
Leoxander said to Tenebrae, "Make it quick."
Leoxander cast a glance back over his shoulder toward the street as he murmured this, his hand already attached to the hilt of a dagger that remained sheathed, for now.
Tenebrae nodded. “Got rope?”
Damonn stands up putting his hands up, hanging his head. "Damn, not again."
Tenebrae said to Damonn, "Quiet, you! Turn out your pockets."
Leoxander replied by reaching behind his belt, unhooking the coiled rope that was tossed in the general direction of the pair, more toward Tenebrae’s end of their table.
Leoxander returned his sharp, lycan eyes to Damonn, making certain he didn't pull any aggressive moves on the Lady.
Damonn looks over his shoulder. "But you told me to put my hands up."
Leoxander said to Damonn, "She means give up your gold or your life, kid. Make a choice."
Tenebrae snatched out her hand -- the one not holding the knife-- and deftly caught the flying cord, without ever taking her cold, peridot eyes off the hapless male she'd picked for a victim. And rolled her eyes. "Just... hurry up, empty your pockets and coinpouch. Your money-- or your life!" A wicked little smile twitched at her lips.
Tenebrae pouted toward Leoxander, "I wanted to say it this time. You get all the good lines.”
Leoxander took a breath, closed his mouth, and breathed a sigh. “I think you did plenty with your handkerchief tonight.”
Damonn pats his pockets. "Err, let’s see.. Ummm, I don't have ..uh ..much. really."
Tenebrae poked the dagger into the back of whatever Damon wore for a shirt, to encourage haste.
Leoxander was checking the freckles on the top of his wrist.
Damonn jumps a little. "Ow!" He uses his tail to rub his back while throwing some money on the floor.
Tenebrae's eyes went hasty to Leo.. she kinda had her hands full.
Tenebrae said to Damonn, "Thankyou, kind sir. Now, hands behind your back, make it snappy."
Damonn pins his ears back. "Yeah.." Then puts his hands behind his back.
Leoxander just started to stretch his unshaven jaw in a yawn when something happened. Coins hit the ground. "Good enough." It was profit, and he'd move to collect it. Not too close until Damonn's wrists were bound. After surveying the cost on the floor, he'd smirk the warrior's way. "Hardly worth it, aren't you?" Before Damonn could speak to reply, there was a bag coming over his head. Not really a bag, just an old furry vest that would keep his sense of smell and sight and the volume of a cry for help muffled.
Tenebrae was quick to bind the lycan's wrists together, the rope then leading down to his ankles, which were likewise bound, the whole pretty knotwork given a firm tug when she was done. She looked rather proud of her handiwork, before her eyes darted toward to door. "Best we scarper, love."
Damonn sighs.
Leoxander replied promptly. "Five ticks ago." to confirm their need for haste. Profit pocketed, he had Tenebrae by the arm, anxious to be on the other side of town.
-- The Mines--
Leoxander led Tenebrae through the darkness, for once. Careful steps over rock debris, that hand moving from hers to the top of her head to duck her down when necessary, avoiding what would have otherwise been a painful knot. He didn’t mean to drag her along so roughly, but their escape was much slower than he could have hoped for, given her diminished stamina and a need to breathe. Finally, with only a sliver of light offering his eyes that familiar gleam, he crouched in a corner and turned to her.
Tenebrae had missed this thrill... her eyes sparkled as she gazed into heterochromatic eyes. Oh, she'd missed robbing people as well. But the aftermath, the adrenaline, that was really what she loved best about being sidekick to a thief. She'd lean in to kiss the tip of his nose. "See?" The word was huffed out, nd she grinned. "Safe as houses."
Leoxander could see her so well in their dark hide out, and that was to his advantage. He could look her in the eyes now, and catch that rejuvenated expression bringing out the green in her irises. “It was a quiet night.” Argued lowly, but there was a certain relief to his tone that he couldn’t deny. She’d played her part perfectly and made no mistakes, no risks on her life. Different pockets were scrounged, until every coin had been collected into the largest pouch he’d snatched from the draconian’s armor. “Bloody shows, too. Coulda made more hacking at these mines…” The pouch was then tossed carelessly into her lap. It was never about money, for Leo. It was about sport, that thrill she was still reeling from, and he already missed.
Tenebrae took up his offering, stashing the pouch to her belt. "I love you, you know." The admission raised the colour in her cheeks again. "And I think we ought to see to Eternity. I was out there last eve-- she's in a bit of dishabille." Then her frame would lean against the rogue, in the tightest fit she coud make it, her tongue licking out to catch his lips. "I like it when you taste like salt."
Leoxander watched every movement she made, his wolf hungry eyes picking her apart in small, memorable details. Sunk back against the wall with his arms draped over his knees, he lifted his head to look her in the eyes when she spoke her affection. Usually he didn’t respond. He’d typically let the subject change and perhaps that’s why she was always so quick to speak on, after admitting it. But this time once she’d crawled closer, causing him to sit up a little in preparation, once he had his hands settled easily around her waist… when her nose was no more than an inch from his and her scent flooding his mind, he said, in a deep voice. “I love you, Joli.”
She avoided the act of blinking at his forthrightness, but barely. He might pick up on the way her breath caught, then quickened, but she knew him well enough not to make a big deal of what, to her, was one. "I'm no good for Vailkrin anymore, love. It's too big a fight for me, even with the clan. I'm giving it to Kasyr and.." Her eyes dropped. "I wish Diiroehn was here, I'd make sure he got a piece." Those eyes shifted their attention back to Leo, softening. "Our life should be a free one. Well, free for us." She grinned. "I think everyone else should have to pay."
Leoxander had never wanted cities, or recognition. That had been Tenebrae’s slice of their pie, and he had tolerated the crowds fairly well. Naturally, when she explained her plan, he’d be all for it, immediately, and offering suggestions that might not be so helpful. “You’re a Necromancer. Call ‘im.” Naïve to the ways of her gift, he only assumed as an Undead, she could forge some connection, some other worldly way of communicating. But that was shrugged off to move onto the focus of that conversation. Them. He admitted words he’d been holding back, for the good of the clan, mostly. “I can’t take it here, anymore. When I’m on that ship… At least I have -some- damn control over myself.” One look at his face, at the wince etched across it, would make it clear he was referring to those painful transformations. He wasn’t at peace in one place, with so many familiar faces all the damn time - too many of them his own, on wanted posters. How could anyone ever expect the pirate to be happy, stuck on land?
Tenebrae smacked her forehead. "Necromancer! I'm a dunce, sometimes..." To the rest, she simply nodded, having known or guessed it ll, already. "I have few thoughts on all this." Her brow creased, slightly. "But that can wait. You've had a time of it, love. Perhaps.." she gentled her tone, ".. some time on the ship would be good for us both."
Leoxander squinted an eye at her self abuse, easing back against the wall but keeping her stubbornly close, all the same. "If you'll bloody stay on the thing. You've gotta learn to settled yourself at sea, Love. We barely leave dock and you're already anxious to get foot on land and get business movin', but it ain't bat-travel. We're at the wind's mercy, out there." Enough lecturing... enough reminiscing. His stomach started to hurt like a man who got land sickness, rather than from motion. All he wanted was her and the ocean, and he finally had his arms back around her.
Tenebrae gave him that wide-eyed innocent look that many had seen, and fewer survived. "You'll have to teach me how to slide up and down those poles properly... and shiver your timbers... you know," she blinked. "All that seaman stuff." Snuggling into him moment, she sighed. "I'd love to rig your foc's'l."
Tenebrae snickered a bit, under her breath.
Leoxander nudged her up off his lap at that point, eyes rolling and a grin barely bit back with his teeth briefly clenched, words pushed through them. “A’right, you’re done. Bloody landlubber.” Only she could earn such a degrading title with such playful affection. Considering she complied, he’d crawl to his feet next to her. Otherwise, she’d just be lifted up with him.
Tenebrae said to Leoxander, "Take me home."
Leoxander said to Tenebrae, "Yes, Mistress."
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