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Post by Gabriel Jhaedaes Os Tar on Jul 13, 2010 21:49:24 GMT -8
Gabriel had been about to start off in the same direction as Calandra when he was promptly blocked by her annoying little slave. Did he have a deathwish? They were minutes away from being overwhelmed by another wave of the Thief King's guards and he wanted to chat? Well, not so much chat as insult, apparantly. Maybe he did have a deathwish.
The Daemon could have let it go at first. In fact it was more amusing than anything - like being ranted at by a tempermental child. The fact that he already had very little respect for Shapeshifters in general didn't start Auspice in good stead, and add to that the height difference and his general disdain for almost anyone that hadn't proven themselves and you had a Daemon who found no insult in the word 'bigot'. especially since Gabriel hadn't said anything about the soldiers families. No doubt some of them had them. No, his disbelief had been directed at Auspice caring about anyone but himself. And despite the tirade his opinion remained unchanged.
So yeah, he could have let it go. The Shifter was nothing, an insignificance - a slave, in fact. Until Auspice spit on him.
Gabriel was so shocked that he didn't even react immediately. Normally he'd have lashed out so fast and so furiously that Auspice's head would have been neatly disconnected from his body before he'd even blinked. But he couldn't quite believe that anyone would be that stupid. Auspice didn't know that Gabriel was the Daemon Lord of course but even so, disrespecting almost any Daemon in that way was a fast track to a messy death. So Gabriel stood dumbfounded for a moment, allowing Auspice to turn and head off after Calandra.
"Not so fast, Shifter." He refrained from letting rip with a truly terrifying snarl like he wanted to; it would have echoed through the empty streets and pinpointed them exactly. Anyway he was far, far angrier than that; his voice was little more than a whisper, the velvet honey completely gone - it could only be described as dangerous. In one movement, far to fast for the human eye to follow, far faster than Auspice's casual jog, the Daemon caught up to the Shifter and halted his progress by grabbing his shoulder and forcibly spinning him around. He was far to pissed off to bother being careful - his grip would likely leave bruises and his claws were still fully extended. Hopefully the little weasel would get a few nasty scratches, too.
"Insulting the Daemon Lord is particularly stupid, even for a Shifter. Spitting on him is downright suicidal. If I'd known you had a death wish I would have let the soldiers kill you. Doing it myself will be far more painful - for you, that is." His voice never rose from a deadly whisper and all the colour had drained from his eyes, leaving them a furious and frightening black. How to do it? Disembowelling was suitably messy and, if done carelessly, painful and slow. Yes, that should do the trick. Gabriel eyed Auspice's midsection, one had raised, aiming.[/font]
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Calandra
Daemon
Sleeper
Game Over.
Posts: 77
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Post by Calandra on Jul 14, 2010 1:46:47 GMT -8
It only took a moment to take in the scene. Looks like Auspice had done something stupid, and now Gabriel was pissed. In a flash Calandra was at the shifter's side, simutaneously wrenching Gabriel's clawed hand off of Auspice's arm and stopping the other hand from slicing him to bits. "Enough Gabriel." The daemon hissed, her golden eyes flickering dangerously. "We need to get out of here, and I am not killing more random people just so you can gut my slave over something stupid." She pushed in front of the shifter and dropped Gabriel's hands, her expression softening just a bit into a less angry and more stubborn expression.
Already the sounds of the backup guards were drawing near. If they wasted any more time then they would have to fight again. Th daemon looked over her leader's shoulder for just a moment, and instead of seeing the guards she expected, all that was in sight was a gaseous ball of light the size of a curled up cat.
With a start Calandra realized what it was. At about the same time it reverted to it's true form. Right on top of the Daemon Lord's head. Without moving Calandra spoke, "Auspice, run now. Follow Loki, he will show you how to get out." The will-o'-the-wisp's devilish smile widened just a fraction as it nodded, springing lightly to the ground. "Can do Cal," he spoke in a smooth, purring voice. The cat-like creature bounded off, glancing back every now and then to make sure his charge was still behind him.
Loki the will-o'-the-wisp. Clever little thing he was. A strange creature that had more or less adopted Calandra the same year she became Gabriel's lieutenant. He wandered on his own for the most part, but showed up at the most unlikely of times, and almost always when he was needed. After that he would stay for a few weeks and then leave to do whatever wisps did when not with their companions.
But he definitely came in handy.
Calandra did not check to see if Auspice left, she just looked up at her leader, mouth set in a firm line. "Will you drop this? We have bigger problems right now. Soon enough the whole city will be after us." She paused, frowning, "Please?"
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Auspice
Shapeshifter
Awakened
Posts: 100
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Post by Auspice on Jul 14, 2010 17:28:28 GMT -8
Auspice decided it wouldn't hurt his pride too much to follow orders, just this once. It would actually hurt very little to follow orders, whereas ignoring them would involve painful disembowelment, and Auspice knew quite a lot about what disembowelment did to a person. He'd done it himself to a few people in the past, and none of them had seemed to like it. Actually, he'd done it quite well enough to listen to them go on and on about just how much they didn't like it. He assumed he wouldn't actually last that long if Gabriel was the one doing the disemboweling.
Taking all of this into consideration, he had no trouble ducking after the will-o-wisp thing. He wasn't entirely sure if running was going to help very much, but he was going to do it anyways. That Gabriel was fast. Faster than he'd expected. Fast enough to catch and kill Auspice before he ever got the chance to shift into a pigeon.
Auspice hadn't spent much time with Daemons. His targets were usually Shifters or Fae these days, and he'd always had special help with the Daemons. Daemons were not to be trifled with lightly. He'd need to keep that in mind. They were dangerous. Not walking down the street in the City of Thieves dangerous. Not breaking into a castle dangerous. Not even breaking out of prison dangerous. Daemons were in a class of their own. At least their leaders were, and Auspice was pretty much stuck around the leaders, so it didn't make much of a difference toward the rest of them.
He was a little worried about Cal, at least for a moment. The concept of freedom was clouded a little by the thought that, if she died, Gabriel would almost certainly find him and see to it that his corpse covered several blocks before they cleaned it up.
Why had he done that? Why had he freaked out like that? Men like his father were always being killed over trivial things. He was lucky to have died by the hangman after a proper trial.
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Post by Gabriel Jhaedaes Os Tar on Jul 14, 2010 18:21:55 GMT -8
If it had been just about anyone but Cal who had stopped him, Gabriel would have quite happily torn through them too in order to get to Auspice. He'd have done it with a smile, in fact, enraged enough not to care about collateral damage. It would have been an impressive and horrific show of sheer strength too - no messing around with his customary single, fatal blows but more leaning towards the forcible removal of limbs from their proper place.
Fortunately it was Cal that stopped him and not some other hapless bystander. As it was it took the Daemon nearly half a minute to regain any measure of sanity. He flexed for a moment against his deputy's hold, barely holding off on an attempt to overpower her and sprint after the Shifter, who was now being led away by Calandra's companion. Only her comforting familiarity and the sense of loyalty he retained for her stopped him inflicting some kind of instinctive injury; that, and her use of the word please, alongside the unmistakable sounds of approaching soldiers. It was almost comical as Gabriel's gaze whipped from the direction of the noises, Calandra, and Auspice's retreating back but finally, after a deep breath and a show of self control that was quite impressive for a Daemon, the blackness drained abruptly from Gabriel's eyes and he frowned - irritated but no longer murderous.
"Fine," The Daemon snapped, wrenching his hands free from Calandra's grip. "I won't murder the weasel. But you'd better talk to him about refraining from insulting and spitting on Daemons, or I can promise I will think up a delightfully torturous death for the rat." Gabriel, it seemed, was currently not Auspice's biggest fan. The Daemon turned and stalked off down the street, hands clenched as he worked on dimming the anger even further. He'd promised not to kill Auspice for now, which was a shame, so it was no good brooding on it. He broke into a light jog instead, forcibly redirecting his thoughts to escaping.[/font]
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Calandra
Daemon
Sleeper
Game Over.
Posts: 77
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Post by Calandra on Jul 14, 2010 20:21:38 GMT -8
Spitting? Calandra turned so that Gabriel wouldn't see her amused smile. Apparently Auspice was far crazier than she had originally guessed. "I'll make sure of it Gabriel, don't worry."
The daemon beckoned for her leader to follow and set off at a run so that she would reach her slave before Gabriel. While the shifter had the advantage of a head start, it did not take long to catch up. Calandra pulled up alongside Auspice and slowed down to match his pace, a wry smile playing cross her features. "You spit on him?" Her voice held a shade of disbelief, but she laughed pretty hard. "You are one crazy son of a bitch, Auspice. I knew there was a reason I got you out of there."
At this time Loki glanced back with a decidedly condescending smile. "You got a death wish, Bucko?" The will-o'-the-wisp asked without breaking stride. "Eating a bomb would probably be more fun and worlds less painful than playing with old Gabey over there."
Calandra gave him a stern glare as she fought back laughter; Loki, who obviously didn't know when to shut up, continued to chatter on," I mean holy hell! What possessed you to spit of the Daemon Lord of all people?" The cat-like creature looked back curiously, "I don't think I''ve ever seen him that angry, or surpised. I mean seriously, did you see the look on his face?" The creature let out a bark of laughter, "Priceless. I like this one Cal, he's got balls. Where'd you pick him up?"
"The Drunken Bunny." The daemon replied, glancing over at Auspice. Loki smirked and raised an eyebrow, but fell silent as the exit came into view, for this, Calandra was thankful. While the will-o'-the-wisp was very helpful, he was something of a bastard. He was the most aggravating creature she knew, but in the same right, also the most entertaining. He could only be described as an acquired taste, and if Auspice's stricken expression was anything to go by, Loki's evil comments were not needed. Later perhaps, when the guards weren't so close and the exit wasn't twenty feet away.
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Auspice
Shapeshifter
Awakened
Posts: 100
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Post by Auspice on Jul 15, 2010 16:08:57 GMT -8
There was something about this Will-O-Wisp creature... It was so annoying, crass, noisy, rude... Totally insensitive. Didn't seem to give a damn what came out of it's mouth. Clearly it was storing it's thoughts on some alternate plane where they couldn't show up and start complaining about the noise.
Auspice loved it. He didn't even care that he was the target of the insults. This was great. Auspice wasn't one for cats, but this thing was his number one exception. Actually, he liked it more than most people he'd met. Which was saying something.
His facial expressions took the long route around from depressed to absolutely hilarious in about a quarter of the time it should have taken. "I spit on all sorts of people. I didn't know he was the Daemon Lord at the time. And, like you said, I've got balls. Might've spit on him anyways." He glanced around his shoulder to make sure Gabriel wasn't standing right behind him at that point, which would have been extremely awkward.
And his spine wouldn't have liked it much either, he assumed. "So, this Gabriel guy, you'll, uh, keep him from taking my spleen out without my permission, I guess? Because... You know, I like to have my spleen in place, and he doesn't."
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Post by Gabriel Jhaedaes Os Tar on Jul 15, 2010 16:24:16 GMT -8
Gabriel could have done with another month or so away from Auspice to fully contain his anger, but unfortunately the rapidly approaching soldiers made that desire impossible. He rather reluctantly followed Calandra because, once they caught sight of his retreating back through the gloom, shouts and sounds of pursuit rippled through the streets and it became really, really important that they leave. Gabriel caught up to the unlikely trio just in time to hear Auspice's nervous question regarding the location of vital organs.
"Count yourself lucky that you're enslaved to Calandra and not just about anybody else in Litharia, or permanent rearrangement of several organs would be happening right now - soldiers or not." Gabriel managed to keep the snarl out of his voice but it took some effort. It was obvious the Daemon was still seriously pissed off, although murderous rage no longer burned blackly in his eyes. For now.
"But you are enslaved to Calandra and, for some inexplicable reason, she wants to keep you around. Out of loyalty to her I'll refrain from murdering you this time...but don't take that as a blank check. One more stunt like that and I will not be responsible for my actions." Gabriel glared at the Shifter for a moment. Daemons were good - very good - at holding grudges and it would probably take some time before Gabriel let it entirely go. And whether he would ever like Auspice after that...well, it remained to be seen, but it was not looking too likely in his mind.
"Nice to see you again, Loki. It's been a while." Abruptly Gabriel changed the subject, probably to avoid having the anger bubble up all over again. Good at holding grudges, yes, but better at hiding his true emotions, Gabriel was suddenly the charming, striking Daemon that he most often appeared once more. He was fond of Calandra's companion, had spent plenty of time in his company by extension of spending plenty of time with Calandra.[/font]
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Calandra
Daemon
Sleeper
Game Over.
Posts: 77
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Post by Calandra on Jul 15, 2010 17:58:52 GMT -8
Calandra smirked, and did not bother concealing her laughter at this point. “Don’t worry Auspice, you get to keep your spleen.” Gabriel was obviously pissed, something that didn’t actually happen often. It was kind of interesting to see how well he controlled it, though the daemon lord was obviously sulking.
“I want to keep him around because he’s entertaining. And because he reminds me of Loki. Scarily so.” Calandra glanced over at her companion, who shrugged and nodded. She hadn’t really realized it until she had said it aloud, but the two of them were strikingly similar in personality. Which was really just a nice way of saying they wouldn’t live long.
Loki flicked his ears back as Gabriel spoke. It seemed that no matter how many times the Wisp put him down it just didn’t work. The daemon lord still seemed to like him. Freak.
The little creature put on an entirely fake smile and looked behind him as he made it into tree cover. “Well helloo there Gabey, sure been a while, huh?” Not long enough. “You seem awfully pissy today, what’s the matter, can’t take a little pigeon-spit?” Loki swarmed up a tree, squirrel-style and looked down in a very self-satisfied way.
“I remember the last time I played with a birdy shifter,” The will-o’-the-wisp trailed off, “Yeah, he fell, well honestly, jumped off a cliff, and kinda forgot he could fly.” Loki gave an evil little giggle. “Travelers are fun.”
Still following along in the trees the wisp added, “Don’t worry Auspice, I find you more entertaining alive. And sane, to whatever degree of sanity you posess.”
Calandra raised an eyebrow. Loki kind of had a point there, even if it was phrased in a suicidal way. The daemon wasn’t actually sure that Gabriel could catch up to the will-o’-the-wisp, even if there was murdurous intent. Nonetheless it was probably a good idea to stop him. “Loki. Shut up.”
The wisp gave a mad little giggle and shifted into his other form. His purring voice came from nowhere in particular as the light floated away. “Whatever you say, dear Calandra. I shall lead those daft little thieves away. Do you mind if I have a little fun while I’m at it?” The voice paused thoughtfully, the light now almost out of sight, “Do keep in mind I’m going to do as I wish. Probably drive them just a little crazy.”
The voice faded and Calandra swore. “Damn crazy little pest.” The daemon shook her head. “Whatever, let’s just move, Loki will keep them away.”
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Auspice
Shapeshifter
Awakened
Posts: 100
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Post by Auspice on Jul 15, 2010 18:32:47 GMT -8
Auspice was supposed to count himself lucky? He shouldn't have been in this situation at all, let alone with two bloodthirsty, psychotic Daemons. Instead of responding with the typical thread of conversation he reserved for people like Gabriel, Auspice went with a simple "Yes, M'lord. I'll keep quiet M'lord." Gods. That was NOT the sort of crap that came out of his mouth very often. Not in a serious tone, at least. He was getting beat down, whether he admitted it or not. Submitting like a damn dog.
Inside his head he was already running the full reel of insults, of course. Daemon Lord, I'll see your stomach's contents strewn all the way from the Wall to the Tangle if I get a chance. And I will get the chance. Because I'm not sitting around waiting for you to decide I'm too annoying. I'm going to plan it all out. A dark room... Midnight, moonlight... You'll scream, Daemon. I don't care who you're in charge of, you'll scream.
What did it matter what he was thinking, though? He'd still have to lay down and do what the Daemons told him. Auspice would be playing the part for a good long time. He would have a little more freedom with Cal, but not around Gabriel. Never around Gabriel.
Shivering just a bit, he turned his attention back to the Will-O-Wisp. So it liked driving people mad, did it? Well, no stretch really. Auspice would have done the same thing if he had the power. "It's not so hard to trick bird shifters, I've been told we're very absentminded." He coughed and glanced back at Gabriel before staring with extreme intent at the path ahead. The Daemon may have started acting a little more laid-back, but Auspice wasn't going to buy it for a minute.
Cal and Loki were busy planning out the rest of the escape from the sound of things. Loki was already fading off into the night, which meant he wouldn't be hanging around all that much.That was actually rather disappointing. "He's coming back, isn't he?"
No matter. Auspice had personal survival to worry about. "M'lady, what exactly DO you want with me? Surely you don't need an assassin or a thief, do you?" If she didn't need him for any of that, of course, it might not be fun to learn what she DID need out of him. She was a Daemon and all...
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Post by Gabriel Jhaedaes Os Tar on Jul 15, 2010 19:08:36 GMT -8
Gabriel watched Loki turn into a floating ball of light and drift off through the dark streets, shaking his head. Creature was certainly odd, but he didn't bother replying to the smart-ass comments. As if he'd had a chance anyway - Loki was his usual chatty self, and getting a word in edgeways was not something Gabriel tended to bother trying when conversing with the creature. He could hardly get angry about a lack of respect from Cal's companion. For a start, he wasn't humanoid. And secondly Gabriel was bound to have a soft spot for a creature that chose Daemons exclusively as companions - perhaps if he had the freedom, Gabriel might have done the same. Of course he found the Fae rather fascinating too, but Shifters...not so much. Not seeing another one of those after his short experience with Auspice would not be a bad thing.
Of course, Auspice probably wasn't a good representative of his race. It was interesting to learn that he was a bird shifter. Gabriel briefly wondered what kind of bird - Calandra showed obvious outward signs of her avian lineage but Auspice was harder to guess. It did go some way to explaining their odd connection, though. Both avian influenced individuals.
Gabriel pondered all this in silence as they wound through the dark streets of the City of Thieves and finally came to the gate, as poorly guarded as ever. He smiled at the single sentient, a smile that instantly shut off any protest the man might have made since he'd left his fangs extended. You know, just in case. But his self-absorbed thinking was abruptly interrupted by Auspice's words.
Wait, what? Gabriel stared at the Shifter for a moment, trying to decide whether he actually meant those strangely respectful words (they seemed beyond strange coming from Auspice), which would make him certifiably insane, or whether he was just a good actor. Frankly either possibility seemed likely. Gabriel wouldn't be trusting him anytime soon, but it didn't worry him. Aside from that aforementioned grudge Gabriel had no connection to the Shifter - he was Calandra's slave, and Calandra could do with him whatever she pleased. His main feeling, once the anger was tucked away in a nice dark corner, was indifference. Once he had neatly compartmentalised this (saving the anger for any future instance where Auspice might slip up) it was easier to slip once more into his calmer, more natural state. He allowed his claws and fangs to retract, trusting Loki would do as he'd said. "I don't know about you, Cal, but I need to get rid of the evidence of that little altercation. You frequent this area more than I do; is there a stream or river nearby?"[/font]
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Calandra
Daemon
Sleeper
Game Over.
Posts: 77
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Post by Calandra on Jul 15, 2010 19:56:45 GMT -8
Calandra frowned as Auspice called Gabriel “M’lord”. While the daemon was sure it worked sufficiently to stroke her leader’s ego, she didn’t like seeing Auspice so…defeated. It was just too strange to see a pest like the shifter being subservient, almost as much of a shock as getting Loki to actually shut up would be.
The man shivered, strangely enough, as he turned to chat at Loki before the creature left. Then he turned and stared ahead with frightening intensity. Hm, had Gabriel really scared him that badly? It did seem quite likely, given the blank rage the other daemon had demonstrated, but why did he seem more afraid now that Gabriel was calm?
Calandra glanced over at the shifter as he spoke, before nodding, face unreadable. “Loki will lead the guards far away, have his ‘fun’, whatever it may be, and he will return. Most likely he’ll stay for about a month and then vanish for a while. Popping up whenever the mood strikes him.”
She walked again in silence for a few moments, wincing almost imperceptibly at the far-off scream of some unfortunate guard. Loki was obviously enjoying himself. Then Auspice spoke, causing her to let out a surprised, choking laugh. “M’lady?” She repeated after him, almost disbelieving, “Please Auspice, if you’re going to follow me around for a year, just call me Cal or Calandra or something. No titles are necessary, especially one as formal as that. I’m your slave driver, not royalty.” The daemon smirked, and gestured to Gabriel. “Him too, even if he does scare the shit out of you.”
Calandra paused to collect her thoughts before continuing to speak, “Listen, as long as you hang with me, I’ll not allow you to die without good reason, and that means I’ll keep Gabriel away as well. But if you try to harm one of us or betray me, that protection will be revoked. Clear?”
The daemon eyed Auspice, trying to determine his reaction, when she remembered his original question. “And the reason I want you around?” She chuckled, “There actually isn’t one. I need none of your services, as I am perfectly able of doing things for myself.” Calandra shrugged, turning a calm eye to her shifter companion. “I simply like you and your smart-ass comments. I mean gods! Why do you think I keep Loki around? It’s because he makes me laugh, and not a lot of things can do that.”
With that last comment the daemon wordlessly beckoned Gabriel after her, heading in the direction of a small river not too far ahead. The sound of rushing water grew louder, quickly turning into the full roar of an enormous waterfall that fed into a slow-moving river. "This work?"
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Auspice
Shapeshifter
Awakened
Posts: 100
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Post by Auspice on Jul 16, 2010 13:42:49 GMT -8
So her first name was Calandra. It wasn't Cala'cal, but Auspice had figured that. He had to keep in mind that Calandra also wasn't her full name. She wasn't a Shifter, she was a Daemon, and knowing 'Calandra' wasn't going to get him anywhere. Daemons had infamously long names, probably a defense thing. Still, Auspice was a step closer to learning her full name, and he was going to keep a death grip on it.
"So you like to keep pets?" He didn't like the sound of that. He wouldn't mind spying or killing for her, but getting dragged around by a Daemon for no particular reason seemed boring. Assassination payed the bills, but that wasn't the only reason he was willing to do it. Auspice had a few... base needs... that needed dealt with. "You know, I've got no problem with killing people for you. Spying, that sort of thing. I mean, you can give me work if you want. I won't mind. It's fine. Really."
Now that they mentioned it, Auspice needed to wash off too. Once he'd gotten his mind on cleaning, it was difficult to get his mind OFF cleaning. He didn't like seeing blood on his skin, really. Not after he had gotten a chance to think about it properly. Blood belonged inside people or on the walls and floor, not on Auspice. And of course, once he'd started cleaning blood he had to get the dirt and grime. It came right back in the slums, as it was, but he didn't stop cleaning until he was actually clean. It was probably a bird thing. He preened like crazy in his pigeon form as well. Considering how easy it was to get caught if covered in blood, his cleaning habit was rather helpful.
He sat down by the stream and very carefully set to cleaning. It was a ritual process, the kind of thing that he didn't want to share with two Daemons. They could wash off however they wanted, but he was busy.
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Post by Gabriel Jhaedaes Os Tar on Jul 16, 2010 14:20:53 GMT -8
Yes, definitely a connection there. Gabriel smirked as Calandra shook off the unfamiliar title, and also his own. And true - Human leadership was entirely different to Daemon leadership. Subservience was earned, not expected, and Gabriel had never been called M'Lord before in his life. Similarly he didn't use his official title unless introducing himself for the first time, preferring his first name for simplicity. Leader of Chaos in the native Daemon tongue was, like most things spoken in the strange and poetic language of Daemons, a ridiculous mouthful. Pretty, but impractical. But right now, like Auspice, his priorities were less directed towards anything outside of getting rid of the blood. "Yes, this is fine." The Daemon smiled, good humour returning despite the approaching ordeal. His hurry was motivated by something entirely different to the Shifter - as a Daemon, the sight of blood was more familiar and comforting than it was unsettling. No, he just needed to get it off before it dried hard and required scrubbing because, as a half Fire Elemental, extended stays in water were painful and dangerous. Even the short time he'd need now wouldn't be pleasant but Daemons tended to be scrupulously hygenic, and Gabriel was no different.
So the Daemon gritted his teeth and dived reluctantly into the slow river. Instant shivering set in at the abrupt change in his body temperature, sapping it down a good twenty or so degrees. He didn't linger, obviously, hauling himself back out and shaking to remove as much as the hated stuff as possible. Horrible routine, though obviously necessary. Full bred Fire Elementals must find it almost unbearable - water, though it weakened Gabriel, could kill a full Fire Elemental. No doubt they went more for Auspice's technique, but as Gabriel had been in the thick of the fighting he didn't want to spend several hours cleaning up.
Nope, he chose the 'over and done with' method, thanks very much, even if it meant spending the next hour waiting for his body temperature to return to normal. Unless... Auspice seemed set to do things thoroughly, and Calandra hadn't mentioned anything about getting somewhere in a hurry. Plenty of time to light a fire, then? The Daemon gathered a small pile of fallen wood and used his claws and a piece of flint worked cleverly into one of his many necklaces to start the fire - the trade off of half breeding showing once more. Gabriel was weakened by water yet not killed by it, and on the flip side was invulnerable to fire but couldn't start one spontaneously. As the flames caught Gabriel allowed his fingers to trail through them, let them flicker over pale moonstone skin. Much better. He was getting warmer already. Settling into a cross legged position on the ground, the Daemon waited for Auspice and Calandra to finish their own routines.[/font]
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Calandra
Daemon
Sleeper
Game Over.
Posts: 77
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Post by Calandra on Jul 16, 2010 16:51:58 GMT -8
Calandra watched the two wash away the blood for a moment before walking to a part of the river only deep enough to reach her waist. The daemon removed the red sash around her waist, her sword, and her boots before dropping down into the icy stream.
The water was cold, causing the avian to give a tiny gasp as it splashed up around her. Calandra set to work rinsing the blood from her clothes and hair, soaking her wings in the process. The daemon emerged from the stream cold and waterlogged, and went to join her leader by the small fire.
She watched without much interest as Gabriel ran his hands through the flames, only then noticing that the forest ad fallen quiet save the roar of the waterfall. Calandra glanced to the daemon lord with a small smile, “Sounds like Loki’s finished playing with the guards. He’ll probably be back in a little while.”
The daemon stood and retrieved her sash, boots, and blade, and began using the cloth sash as a make-shift towel. The fire would deal with the rest of the left-over water, mainly in her wings and clothes. Calandra pulled her damp hair over one shoulder and used her fingers to comb it straight. She stared into the fire contentedly. That was before Loki showed up of course.
The will-o’-the-wisp launched itself out of the branches, landing light as a feather on Auspice’s head, where he promptly curled into a ball, looking rather comfortable. “Hello my soggy chums, did you miss me?” He purred before realizing there was a fire on the other side of the tiny clearing. “Sorry mister bird, but your most likely flea-ridden scalp is nowhere near as appealing as a fire pit.”
With that insulting comment Loki hopped down and headed for the flames, settling himself as close as he could get without singeing his fur. “The guards are now sufficiently addled. Half of them don’t remember what they were looking for in the first place, the other half want their mommies.” The wisp chuckled, showing off a sinister smile, and naturally not elaborating on how he had pulled this feat off.
“Now, which one of you is going to feed me? I just saved your asses,” The wisp stopped, looking thoughtful, “Well actually, I saved their asses, but that’s not important right now. What’s important is that you are not being chased by a small army, and that I’m hungry.” Loki closed his eyes and stretched leisurely, yawning wide. “What would you silly kids do without me? No, wait, don’t answer that, I don’t care.”
The will-o’-the-wisp opened one amethyst eye lazily, letting it focus on Auspice. “You got any booze? You look like the type to carry something. Doesn’t matter what, I just want something that’s not sweaty or water.”
Calandra frowned down at her furry companion. Sweaty? The daemon was on the brink of asking what he was talking about before she shook her head. She did not want to know.
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Auspice
Shapeshifter
Awakened
Posts: 100
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Post by Auspice on Jul 16, 2010 19:38:01 GMT -8
"It's not fleas, it's lice. The kind that bite. I'm not a dog, I'm a bird." Auspice hardly had time to register Loki before the thing had drifted off to join the rest of them at the fire Gabriel had set. Inviting as it was, Auspice still wasn't ready to retreat to the warmth of the fire. His feet were still all dirty, and his fingernails were disgusting, and he'd probably end up sitting alone frostbitten and naked before he ever got to make use of the fire. Shame, but he was used to it.
"Calandra lent me a flask, you can have it. The stuff's a bit strong. I haven't had the chance to get anything since the whole breakout, you know." He produced the flask, tested another sip, and instantly remembered why he wasn't going to drink it. "Don't get it on your skin, I think it would burn it all off..." Properly capped, he tossed the stuff over and hoped the Will-O-Wisp could catch.
Once Auspice had started on his feet, there were ankles to attend to, which led to shins and knees, and the cleaning proceeded from there quite naturally. The lice he would have to deal with at some point, but he'd had them for a while and there wasn't any use in trying to get rid of them at a time like this. It wasn't like they were causing trouble crawling around like that. Besides, they always came back eventually.
"Where are we going from here, exactly? Is there a plan? Or are we just stumbling around until something decides it wants to kill us?" Was that too much mouth? Maybe just a little. He'd have to watch it, he wasn't used to pissing off Daemon Lords. "I hear Spirit's nice this time of year..." Yes, just lovely. Because it wasn't the Daemon Tunnels. Auspice couldn't say he was interested in getting involved with the Daemon tunnels.
Auspice didn't hear much about what the Daemons did crawling around in their tunnels, but what he did hear was always rather nasty. Auspice wasn't about to rely on Calandra to protect him completely, not in a place with blood thirsty monsters waiting around every corner, waiting to do all sorts of bad things to the first Shifter to stumble on by. Daemons were scary bastards, and he had every right to avoid them when possible.
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Post by Gabriel Jhaedaes Os Tar on Jul 19, 2010 3:07:17 GMT -8
The forest was indeed eerily quiet as Gabriel trailed both hands through the flames, fire unable to harm him but rather injecting him with a nice little energy boost. Being part fire elemental had its perks - and its downsides. Gabriel couldn't survive solely on fire but did need it every week or so to live. It was all about balance for a half-breed. "Odd creature, but useful I must admit. His kind have fantastic taste, too. Fascinating things." Sure enough Calandra's companion was back before long, and promptly began behaving like his usual self.
By now Gabriel was steaming slightly, or rather his clothing was. His body temperature had returned rapidly to normal once he gained access to the fire now searing harmlessly over his hands and then it had kept on going, rising to meet the heat of the fire. He was dry within minutes much to his relief and the uncomfortable energy drain that was contact with water soon ceased to be a problem. Before long he was radiating heat far more effectively than the small fire he'd built. Nice and toasty. More comfortable now, the Daemon considered Auspice's question.
"Obviously Calandra is free to drag you wherever she likes...it's been decades since I bothered with a slave, but I hear free will is still a distant dream. Personally I do actually have some business in Spirit and my contact should be there within two or three days." He didn't elaborate on said contact. Suffice to say he was probably not a friendly character if he was in regular communication with the Daemon Lord.
"You're welcome to come along, of course," Gabriel added to Calandra. "It's not secretive and I always enjoy your company, as you well know." Auspice's less so, but he supposed he should probably get used to Calandra's slave. She seemed intent on keeping him around and she was his deputy. And naturally, very little of Gabriel's business was a secret from Calandra - although rather more might be from Auspice. He'd have to consider that. It had been such a along time since either of them had kept slaves.[/font]
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Calandra
Daemon
Sleeper
Game Over.
Posts: 77
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Post by Calandra on Jul 22, 2010 22:38:31 GMT -8
Calandra glanced over as Loki pushed himself onto his hind legs to catch the flask. The wisp quickly set to opening and draining the thing before he toppled over and landed contentedly on his rear. With Loki out of her hair she could talk business. And while the daemon was unsure whether or not the little cat could get drunk, he usually seemed to be slightly less rude with alcohol in his system.
Calandra brushed back her damp hair, letting it fall limply against her wings. She hated being wet; it was just so…heavy. Thankfully the fire and Gabriel’s added body temperature were serving well to dry her off quite quickly. The daemon glanced lazily up at her leader, wondering who his contact was, and more importantly, why he had one. “That sounds fine. I had planned on moving on today or tomorrow anyway, didn’t have any particular destination in mind. ” Calandra shrugged, a small smile playing across her lips. “Besides, I like Spirit; it is one of my favorite cities. What say you, you little pest?”
Loki opened one purple eye and yawned. “Might as well. I’ve got nothing better to do at the moment. ” The tiny cat smirked, glancing around the campsite. “Who wants to bet that those two will try to kill each other, or at least want to really, really bad, at least four to ten more times?” He rolled, barely avoiding being swatted by Calandra and shrugged. “What? It’s true!”
The will-o’-the-wisp glared over at the daemon lord, who he had rolled into in his escape. “Why the hell are you smoking? It feels like the bloody Southern Boil next to you!” He made a sound of disgust and trotted away, choosing a new place closer to the stream where it was cool. The wisp actually knew exactly why the daemon was smoking, mostly didn’t care beyond the fact that it was an entirely uncomfortable temperature next to him.
“So, Spirit it is? Great, they have some of the best restaurants in Litharia! And nobody seems to care when I screw people over, especially food vendors.” Loki grinned lazily, “Actually they care a lot. I just have a… Hmm, how should I say, unfavorable reputation there. It’s all they can do not to close up shop right there and run for their mother’s grave, just so they can trade places.” The will-o’-the-wisp giggled somewhat insanely, “I love humans! They’ll believe just about anything and most are about as brave as my lunch.”
Calandra gave her companion an exasperated stare but said nothing. Best not to encourage him, especially because what he said was true. The daemon actually had no idea why Loki was so good at terrifying people, she actually found him quite cute, though he would kill her if she said so aloud. Maybe Wisps had some kind of illusion power? Or maybe he was just that good.
One thing was definite about Loki: If he wanted to get inside your head, he would do so. That was the main thing that made Calandra happy the will-o’-the-wisp enjoyed her company. Even as his species went, Loki was dangerous.
Maybe it would be a good idea to keep an eye on him in Spirit, lest he start some kind of mad riot.
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Auspice
Shapeshifter
Awakened
Posts: 100
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Post by Auspice on Jul 24, 2010 15:31:04 GMT -8
"Spirit? Yah. Spirit. Spirit is wonderful." Auspice didn't even try to hide his sigh of relief. He NEEDED to go to Spirit. He needed to go somewhere that didn't have Daemons all over the place. Plus, he loved Spirit. Who didn't? Spirit was just a lovely place. It had plenty of wretched hives of scum and villainy to enjoy.
And... the Daemon was catching fire. Auspice was encouraged for a few seconds, but the Daemon seemed to be enjoying it. Good to know that he was immune to heat, but annoying.
The needles, though. The stupid cold needles. On one hand Gabriel was setting himself on fire, on the other, Auspice was freezing himself. He gave up and retreated to the fire for all of ten seconds before he noticed he was, in fact, still covered in dirt and grime. Back to cleaning. He stalked back to the stupid river and started scrubbing again.
''So... Yah, I've got no place in saying when we ought to move, so I'll just hang around while the two of you discuss things.''
Shit. Was he supposed to be finding firewood or something? Tending the fire? Asking what they wanted? Worst job ever. Worst... unjob, rather. ''Need anything?''
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Post by Gabriel Jhaedaes Os Tar on Jul 25, 2010 19:24:55 GMT -8
Gabriel was enjoying his energy boost far too much to care that Loki wasn't appreciating the added heat. Cold was bad. Cold pretty much sucked, in fact. Gabriel was, unless exposed to water, perpetually toasty and liked to remain that way, thanks. Hence the general lack of clothing, apart from the now dry black cotton pants and excess jewellery (Daemons generally didn't covet precious metals or gems - Gabriel was an exception, being fond of both silver and shiny stones). "Fire Elemental perk, as you well know Loki," Gabriel replied, shrugging, answering Calandra's companion despite the fact that he knew perfectly well. Hell, he hung around with Calandra enough for the will-o-the-wisp to have to spend time with him despite not seeming overly fond of Gabriel. Tough cookies. Calandra was his deputy, after all.
Gabriel grinned once the issue of going to Spirit was settled. Technically he was going there for business but that didn't mean he wouldn't thoroughly enjoy himself. He's had all of thirty seconds in The Drunken Bunny, not nearly long enough to even order a drink let alone get acquainted with patrons, and although his thirst for bloodshed had been well satisfied his thirst for alcohol and interesting company had not been. Until his contact showed up, Gabriel would be enjoying himself in the taverns of Spirit. And, of course, company was much preferred to making his way there alone.
"I'm ready to go when you are, love," Gabriel added to Calandra, though he was in no hurry. Three days was more than enough time to get there and enjoy himself before said associate turned up.
"Need anything?" Gabriel glanced at Auspice though didn't answer. Not his slave and, anyway, why should he need anything? Daemons were independent, resourceful. They didn't actually need slaves at all, and most often kept them simply for company. Calandra was probably of the same opinion so Auspice had landed a fairly cushy position as far as slavery went, really. Aside from the dangerous bits obviously. Daemons were good at attracting that.[/font]
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Calandra
Daemon
Sleeper
Game Over.
Posts: 77
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Post by Calandra on Jul 25, 2010 21:41:17 GMT -8
Calandra sat back against her wings and pursed her lips. “Spirit isn’t necessarily that far, and you don’t seem to be in much of a hurry. Perhaps we stay the night and set off in the morning? I wouldn’t mind the chance to go find some food I suppose.”
The daemon turned to look at Loki to see if he had any opinion only to find him curled into a tidy ball and snoring away soundly. Calandra rolled her eyes in exasperation as she noticed the self-satisfied smile pervading his almost innocent expression.
It seemed Loki was an arrogant little thing even when asleep, a discovery that did not particularly surprise the daemon at all. He probably dreamed of eviscerating baby rabbits or something else of equal sadistic value. Few things gave him a smile that happy, none of them what the public considered “Nice”.
She turned to Gabriel and spoke straight-faced, “The cat has spoken,” she intoned, “Waking him would not be wise.” A lazy, sideways smile found its way onto her features as she turned to Auspice. “I personally don’t need anything, but I plan to hunt for myself. You are free to do the same if you are so inclined.”
Calandra stood and brushed dust off the back of her short dress-tunic and retrieved her boots, which she put on. She left her sword and gloves where they rested before dropping down to sit by the fire again. She had plenty of time to rest, and her hunger was still a far-off thought. Right now just sitting there by the flames and chatting for a bit sounded heavenly.
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