An'thinal cried out again and picked up her skirts and ran down after it. The dark form fell in a heap at the bottom of the stairs clutching a book to its chest. It gasp in a low voice. An'thinal fell upon it crying out, "Give me my book you fiend!!! " She landed on the form and it made a sound like "Oof!"
Suddenly the dark shroud fell from it revealing the face of a male youth with very dark skin, pale hair and pointed ears.
"Ah..." An'thinal gasped as she looked at him. He couldn't be a...?
Lore: The ravages of summer
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Vairah
In an instant Vairah was on her knees next to the young man An'thinal had just tackled, scrutinizing his face. Dark elf or drow? Had she ever met him before? She couldn't remember. Had she been away from home that long? No, that was no excuse. She ought to know these things...
All but forgetting her hostess's presence, Vairah leaned in close to the youth and said in a half-snarl, "Explanations. Now."
All but forgetting her hostess's presence, Vairah leaned in close to the youth and said in a half-snarl, "Explanations. Now."
-
Mizuki
The dark youth groaned under the weight of An'thinal's body. She was holding him down hard against the floor. He opened his eyes slowly and seeing the two women hovering over him made him start fighting to get up.
"No! I have to! I have no time!" he cried out as he struggled against An'thinal who held him fast by throwing all her weight on him. An'thinal snapped her fingers and suddenly his entire body went still, and felt as heavy as lead. "No please!"
"Give me my book!" An'thinal demanded, glaring at him. The boy looked at them both with watery eyes, he was crying.
"Please...I need this.."
"No! I have to! I have no time!" he cried out as he struggled against An'thinal who held him fast by throwing all her weight on him. An'thinal snapped her fingers and suddenly his entire body went still, and felt as heavy as lead. "No please!"
"Give me my book!" An'thinal demanded, glaring at him. The boy looked at them both with watery eyes, he was crying.
"Please...I need this.."
-
Vairah
((25.8 million apologies.))
Vairah raised an eyebrow, examining An'thinal as much as the boy. To think that, if she'd tried to pull anything she could be the one her hostess had pinned to the floor! Although maybe if she was discreet enough about it...
"You need it?" she repeated skeptically, then looked to An'thinal again. "I think you've got him pretty well in hand there. What do we have to lose by hearing the brat out?"
Vairah raised an eyebrow, examining An'thinal as much as the boy. To think that, if she'd tried to pull anything she could be the one her hostess had pinned to the floor! Although maybe if she was discreet enough about it...
"You need it?" she repeated skeptically, then looked to An'thinal again. "I think you've got him pretty well in hand there. What do we have to lose by hearing the brat out?"
-
Mizuki
An'thinal glared at the boy. When it came to her books, she was highly protective. Like they were her children. But she slackened her hold on him and let him go, but she held his shoulders down firmly.
"I need it!" the boy cried out again. "No time, they'll all die!" Like a broken record he repeated this, chilling An'thinal's spine. What was he talking about? Who was going to die?
"Lad," she talked to him calmly, like she hadn't just thrown her weight on him, "What do you mean?"
The boy began to break out into sobs and said, "My family, a disease spread. They need magic to cure them!"
"I need it!" the boy cried out again. "No time, they'll all die!" Like a broken record he repeated this, chilling An'thinal's spine. What was he talking about? Who was going to die?
"Lad," she talked to him calmly, like she hadn't just thrown her weight on him, "What do you mean?"
The boy began to break out into sobs and said, "My family, a disease spread. They need magic to cure them!"
-
Vairah
Well, wasn't this turning out to be an interesting day. The situation was so intriguing that Vairah was almost glad she'd come here. It was probably dangerous to think like that.
"They need a magical hallucinogen to cure them? Some disease," she said sardonically, unaffected by the boy's tears. In fact, she rather wished he'd stop it.
"They need a magical hallucinogen to cure them? Some disease," she said sardonically, unaffected by the boy's tears. In fact, she rather wished he'd stop it.
-
Mizuki
Sniffling, the boy lay limply under An'thinal's force. He nodded solemnly. "Yes, at least it's what the oracle said to me." he told them. An'thinal narrowed her eyes at him. Oracle? Strange...
"She told you to steal one of my books to cure your family?" An'thinal asked him unsure of what to make of his explanation. It seemed rather odd. The boy nodded sheepishly, blushing in embarassment but the tears still rolled from his eyes. He couldn't be more than a kid.
"She told you to steal one of my books to cure your family?" An'thinal asked him unsure of what to make of his explanation. It seemed rather odd. The boy nodded sheepishly, blushing in embarassment but the tears still rolled from his eyes. He couldn't be more than a kid.
-
Vairah
Vairah was feeling very third-wheel right about now. She hated it when people had confrontations right in front of her and didn't think to include her. Not that she was at all conflict-seeking, of course not, but. The fact remained that it was time to do something decisive. "I'm going to go see how much damage that brat caused up there," she said, then ran upstairs and began piling books into her recently purloined bag - careful not to damage them in any way, but still rather hastily and not very neatly. It wasn't subtle, but she was too irritated to be subtle. It was too blasted hot around here.
-
Mizuki
An'thinal casted her eyes to where Vairah had fled. She pursed her lips. 'Up to no good,' she thought, a bit irritated. Did EVERYONE want to steal her books? Seeing An'thinal distracted gave the youth the initiative to roll out from under his female captor. He darted to the door so fast An'thinal had hardly blinked.
"Did he just...?" Today was an odd day, and now An'thinal was so interested and felt quite warned of danger that she forgot about her anger towards her attempted book snatcher and hiked up her spiral staircase. "I believe you're packing away my books..." she had a testy tone, and one that suggested the theif was going to pay for it.
"Did he just...?" Today was an odd day, and now An'thinal was so interested and felt quite warned of danger that she forgot about her anger towards her attempted book snatcher and hiked up her spiral staircase. "I believe you're packing away my books..." she had a testy tone, and one that suggested the theif was going to pay for it.
-
Vairah
"Well, you know. Thought I'd jump on the bandwagon. That urchin nearly got away with it. Someone of my intelligence should've fared infinitely better. Ah, well. Ta-ta." Vairah reached down into the bag and secured a quick illusion spell. The previous contents of the bag - mostly towels - ought to look exactly like the tomes in question and the books like towels. Of course they wouldn't feel anything like books, but if handled carefully... She pulled out all of the towel-"books" and put them back on the shelf.
"It's been lovely chatting with you." She dropped a mocking curtsy, all the more ridiculous because she wore loose-fitting trousers, and brushed past An'thinal on her way to the stairs. Halfway down she began to see spots and had to clutch at the banister for support. Surely that trick on the beach couldn't have taken that much out of her? But it was hot and she hadn't been eating a lot lately, so maybe... blast. In that brief moment of disorientation, the illusion had disintegrated. She threw the bag down and ran.
"It's been lovely chatting with you." She dropped a mocking curtsy, all the more ridiculous because she wore loose-fitting trousers, and brushed past An'thinal on her way to the stairs. Halfway down she began to see spots and had to clutch at the banister for support. Surely that trick on the beach couldn't have taken that much out of her? But it was hot and she hadn't been eating a lot lately, so maybe... blast. In that brief moment of disorientation, the illusion had disintegrated. She threw the bag down and ran.
-
Mizuki
An'thinal followed after her, but stopped to find her books abandoned on the stairway. Brooding about everyone trying to take her books, An'thinal picked up her violin on the table in the parlor room they had originally sat in and went outside. She saw the girl's retreating form grow smaller. Sighing to herself, An'thinal brought her bow to the strings and began playing a soft melody that slowly enchanted a few who were around to hear it.
Not stopping her enchanting music, An'thinal barked quick orders to the few who had fallen under her spell and they followed after the would-be theif.
Not stopping her enchanting music, An'thinal barked quick orders to the few who had fallen under her spell and they followed after the would-be theif.
-
Vairah
Vairah cursed herself for an addle-pated fool, still running but rapidly losing speed as she floundered through the dunes under an unforgiving sun. "Why would I need to run fast? I can just make a diversion..." I am a rutting genius. She'd always been disposed somewhat against physical exertion and of course now that was coming back to haunt her.
Her vision skewed suddenly and it seemed she was looking straight at the sun... then sand... oh, hell. She'd tripped, hadn't she? Brilliant. A throbbing had begun somewhere between her eyes and her skull. She knew what was coming and she ought to have more sense than this. Recoiling from the hot sand, she managed to push herself up onto her knees and stare vaguely back at An'thinal's drones. Whatever.
Her vision skewed suddenly and it seemed she was looking straight at the sun... then sand... oh, hell. She'd tripped, hadn't she? Brilliant. A throbbing had begun somewhere between her eyes and her skull. She knew what was coming and she ought to have more sense than this. Recoiling from the hot sand, she managed to push herself up onto her knees and stare vaguely back at An'thinal's drones. Whatever.
-
Mizuki
An'thinal's music sped up, and so did her zombie-like drones. The three were falling upon the half-drow with inhuman speed that was part of An'thinal's magic. It was simple really, in An'thinal's mind, don't steal or attempt to steal her books, and she wont capture you and try to beat out your explanation for it. Of course there was the matter of the boy... she'd have to find him later with deeper magic.
-
Vairah
Vairah could feel her pulse in her eyes. This was going to be a bad one. And that violin... bloody discourteous, that, didn't they know her brain was melting? She was always dreadfully oversensitive to sound during one of these episodes. The tune scarcely seemed to matter, as the notes lingered so long in her head that they all trampled all over each other in a confused cacophany. Probably she shouldn't be able to hear it at all. She'd gotten a fair way from An'thinal's house, but she could feel the compulsion under the flow of the song.
And she was about to be attacked by a bunch of idiot humans, now even more literally mindless than they were on a day-to-day basis. She struggled to stand up, maybe throw some sand in their faces. Something, some half-hearted attempt to go down fighting. Suddenly she was grappling with the boy she'd robbed earlier and there was no way she could do anything but lose. She tried to bring her knees up to her chin and cover her ears to minimize the damage, since there was no question that this was going to hurt. Plenty. Then inspiration struck and she instead jammed her fingers into her assailant's ears, hoping to cut him off from the violin's instructions. She really should've asked more questions about the nature of An'thinal's ability while she'd had the chance...
And she was about to be attacked by a bunch of idiot humans, now even more literally mindless than they were on a day-to-day basis. She struggled to stand up, maybe throw some sand in their faces. Something, some half-hearted attempt to go down fighting. Suddenly she was grappling with the boy she'd robbed earlier and there was no way she could do anything but lose. She tried to bring her knees up to her chin and cover her ears to minimize the damage, since there was no question that this was going to hurt. Plenty. Then inspiration struck and she instead jammed her fingers into her assailant's ears, hoping to cut him off from the violin's instructions. She really should've asked more questions about the nature of An'thinal's ability while she'd had the chance...
-
Mizuki
An'thinal's song still played in the boy's head. Having Vairah's fingers in his ears just gave him the closer edge the bidding drone needed to grab onto her. He grabbed onto her collar with the strength given to him by An'thinal's bidding, and had an iron grip attached to her arm.
An'thinal played her song faster, hoping they'd return soon with the would-be-theif, she was getting annoyed by the delay. She must be a good fighter if it was taking this long to resist.
An'thinal played her song faster, hoping they'd return soon with the would-be-theif, she was getting annoyed by the delay. She must be a good fighter if it was taking this long to resist.