The Aftermath ... {Open, but please read prologue}

by Venis Jordianthan Sat Apr 17, 2010 4:16 am

((Ok, this post is open, as stated above, but there are rules to the Keep. And I would like them to be observed please. The biggest rule is that anyone who does not have Venis' blood flowing through their veins cannot portal into or within the Keep or the castle. Not even her adopted children could do so. The main gate to the Keep is closed, but there is a man who will peek out a window and say hi then let anyone in who doesn't seem to pose a threat. He is an empath. Please keep that in mind.

The trip from the gate, on foot, would take several hours. Almost a complete day. But, a Transylvanian Thoroughbred could be borrowed just inside the gate. It can get a visitor to the castle in about four hours. You don't have to post that you were walking and walking and walking so many times that it seems like it took all day, but please make it sound like it was later when you got to the castle than it was when you entered the gates.

The drawbridge to the castle is also closed. There is a call box that was newly installed that sits off the road to the right. A visitor could pick up the phone receiver and press the button to ring the castle guard. The guard will then go to see if Venis is accepting visitors. If she allows you to enter, the guard will return and lower the drawbridge. If not, he will ring the phone back and give his apologies. Just because you get turned away once or twice does not mean that you will get turned away again. You're more than welcome to make more than one or two attempts.

If you think you are sly, and can get over the moat, into the castle, and find Venis, without using the drawbridge or portals then please feel free to try. But tread lightly, any hint of moding and you will be ignored. For those who are unsure, moding is anything where you power game. Ie ... "He waved his hand in a circle and she floated away." Try instead ... "He waved his hand in a circle, the desired effect was for her to float away." Just a few words makes the difference, thanks.

When your charrie is inside the Keep, please remember that there are hundreds of people living within the Keep. There is the ward that protects against the portals being used. There is a climate bubble so it is almost always temperate and nice. It takes a severe storm outside of the Keep to make it rain inside. And for those who would have a familiar relationship with the residents of the Keep, or those who just know things because of their special abilities, Ernesto is working at the gate, Robert is working the drawbridge, Mrs. Purkle delivers breads and baked goods from the bakery to the houses and apartments twice a day, early morning and early afternoon, and there are hundreds of nameless faces along the way.

Ok, I've rambled on long enough. If I missed any details, or you want to know anything else, feel free to ask. Have fun and good luck.))

The Aftermath ... {Open, but please read prologue} VenisKeep

The Aftermath ... {Open, but please read prologue} VenisKeep

by Venis Jordianthan Sat Apr 17, 2010 5:46 am

When Venis collapsed through the portal that formed in the floor of the Inn she was supposed to end up in her bed. So she did. Except, that the bed she landed in was not her bed on the fifth floor of the Inn. It was her bed in her third story room at her castle. Before she closed her eyes, she saw where she had landed and sighed. She figured that if she wasn't going to end up at the Inn, she would have at least ended up at the house with her husband and younger children. But before she could think more on that, she passed out.

It was seventy-five hours before she regained consciousness. It was a long time for her to be knocked out. As she pushed herself up onto her knees on the bed, she almost felt as if she were hung over. She had a vague memory of hung over from her days as a mortal. She shook her head to try and clear it as she turned to sit on the bed. Her right arm kept her upright as her left hand came to her forehead. She rubbed her temples a few times as she squinted. Then she remembered that she had left the portal open back at the Starry Myst.

She groaned as she got up off the bed and headed into her bathroom. She freshened up and then headed back out to her bed. she stood at the foot of the bed and flopped backwards onto it. She was laying there staring at the ceiling. The curtains over her windows were slightly opened. She closed them with a brush of her hand. That darkened her room more to her liking. She closed her eyes again, not so much going back to sleep as trying to rid herself of the headache. It was so quiet up on the third floor, the world seemed muted.

The day had passed her by before she knew it. She had been so relaxed that her headache was gone. Suddenly her eyes flew open. She arched her back like she was being pulled by an invisible string that was attached to her belly button. She screamed out in agony. She was quickly levitated off the bed, back still arched like a bow. Something very serious was wrong. Flashes of images filled her mind and she saw them like a movie before her eyes. Several images at once. It was as if her mind was searching for what was so terribly wrong.

Then one image flashed and lingered. Seeing what was going on as if she were right there with those involved caused her temperature to rise. She was getting very angry, very fast. And as she laid there, suspended above her bed, she combusted. The flames consumed her almost to the point of her becoming the flames. She tried to move, but was being held in place. She was stranded above her bed to watch the show. When the parties involved changed, she was able to calm slightly. But it was only enough to move slightly.

she was able to sit upright, a relief for her back. But she remained levitating above her bed to keep from setting it ablaze. She moved so that she was no longer above her bed, of her own power. She uncrossed her legs and lowered herself to stand on the floor beside her bed. She was very thankful for the stone floors of the castle. She was also thankful that she had chosen to not dress already. Though, dressing at this point wouldn't exactly be plausible. She moved towards the bedroom door. She opened it and walked into the hall.

She sighed as she headed for the stairs in the tower. As she headed down the first set of stairs she was glad that she didn't have to touch doors to open them. She would have burnt down the wooden doors she had already passed through. She made her way down the hall on the second floor to the other tower so she could go down the next flight of stairs. Half way down those stairs, she gave more merit to Tasha's suggestion of an elevator. At the bottom of those stairs was the door to her throne room. So she went inside.

She walked over to the double doors that lead from her throne room to the courtyard in the center of the castle. All this time, she was still a walking fireball. Some of the employees had never seen her like this and they headed inside the castle through on of the other doors in the courtyard. Marvin, a grounds keeper who had a room on the first floor of the castle, saw her and stopped. "Can I help you with something Goddess?" He was surprised to see her in such a state. He knew this was not the time for familiarity, he opted for formal greetings.

Venis looked over at Marvin. She blinked slowly before she spoke. It was almost as if she were trying to calm herself more before she spoke. When she looked at him again she spoke in a very measured voice. "Yes Marvin, you can. I require someone to retrieve my metal bikini that Dre made for me. It is on the top of my vanity at the Starry Myst Inn. Room five oh one. Immediately. I will be in my throne room. I do not wish to be disturbed." She turned her back to the man and sauntered with her usual sway, into her throne room again.

When the doors slammed behind Venis, Marvin grabbed his cell phone. His first call was to Manny to let him know that she was at the Keep and that she wanted her bikini. His second call was to Isah. He sent Isah to the Inn to retrieve the bikini from Manny. Isah was the obvious choice as he had been to the Inn before and knew the fastest route. When he hung up with Isah he headed into the kitchen. He informed Gretchen that Venis was there and awake. She sent Rosie down to the wine cellar to bring up some bottles of blood wine.

Venis walked over and sat down on the stone steps that lead up to her throne and Kahn's. She sighed as she crossed her right leg over her left. She put her right elbow on her knee and rested her head in her palm. A few drops of flame dropped to the floor at her feet. She was crying. But it only lasted a few moments. She knew of the danger that had but her into this condition. But it wasn't a situation were she could run to the rescue. And someone else was taking care of things the best they could. She had to trust in their abilities.

There was a knock upon the door and she looked up. "What?" She knew it was too soon for her bikini to be delivered. So she had to ask as to why someone was disturbing her after she said she did not want to be disturbed. The door creaked open and a tray was slid inside. She shook her head as Gretchen pulled her hand back quickly and closed the door. The tray held a bottle of blood wine and a goblet. No one else knocked upon the door for several hours. Venis was left alone with her thoughts just as she had asked to be.

The next knock to come upon the door was Isah. She knew it was. "Come on in." And he entered the throne room. He walked over and silently placed the bikini on the steps beside her. He stood there long enough to give her a look that could only mean that he was available if she needed to talk. Then he left the room without saying a word. She sighed and put the bikini on despite the flames. Her wonderful son had made sure that it would never melt, no matter how hot she could get. And she was left alone once again.

by RusDring Wed Apr 21, 2010 9:10 pm

.... The journey had been a long one and as the horse continued to move it's front and back legs to bring forth forward progression the rider wished that the walls of the Keep were that much closer. He could be a rider when he wanted to be but now was not the time. Five days of riding in the saddle could make any horseman veer away from riding a steed and pick another transportation option, but he had not felt like walking then and that method would have made the trip double in length. He ignored the idly breeze as it played with his black strings of hair and tossed it about, moving the strands from their natural gravitational rest to push upward. That didn't matter right now, he had to focus on his reason for being here.

.... When he stumbled upon this realm he took an interest in its deities and had found himself a listing keep in a hall of records. Looking it over was defiantly interesting (good or bad) and he had taken an active interest to see what they were all about. All powerful beings who looked down on high or like some Olympian Gods that involved themselves in mortal affairs or used them as their own dolls for play. Call it a hobby but he had gained a few personal affects in his lifetime of interest in gods. Three of them being the rings on his right hand. Silver in color and each serving a particular function.

.... Now he found out about the goddess of protection and to see what her angle was. Everyone had one.

.... As he suspected it was Noon - or just a little after - when he reached the Keeps gate. Pushing up on his horse’s stirrups to elevate his position before the left leg swung back and blossomed out the skirt of his black brocaded coat. The subtle leather of his left boot hit the ground without a loud declaration of sound and was soon after joined by the right. His coat settled back into its normal state until it was put unto motion by his approaching the gate. The horse’s reign was held in his left hand and a once-over was given to the gate as he looked for someone to left him in. The place looked fortified but he saw signs of a window and his head lifted to it to speak.

.... Lips parted and his tongue clicked upon the roof of his mouth. "Anyone there?"

by Employees of the Goddess Fri Apr 23, 2010 5:07 am

Ernesto was sitting in the little room that was just inside of the gate. He was on his phone calling in a lunch order. He became distracted from his task when he felt the approach of another towards the gates. He finished his lunch order and then put his special abilities to good use.

The man who was headed to the gate seemed to be tired. Perhaps it could have been because he had traveled far. Ernesto couldn't sense any malice from the man. Of course, he could usually read someone better if he touched them. Was there something else there though, below the tired?

The man had a sense of curiosity about him. He seemed to have a mission in mind. But in Ernesto's opinion, what seemed to be tired was what took precedence. As the man got closer, he still didn't sense any malice in his heart. That wasn't to say that there wasn't any there, buried deep?

When the man brought his mount to a stop, Ernesto noticed that he dismounted on the right rather than the left. Some preferred to do that. Then the man walked towards the gates and spoke. His voice almost sounded tired. The best Ernesto could tell was that this man was a tired, curious traveler.

Of course, he had been wrong before. But that was neither here nor there. So he rose to his feet and walked closer to the window. From where he had been seated, across the room, he had a good view. But it was rude to talk to someone from a distance like that. So he moved closer to speak.

The short, portly man smiled as he put his head closer to the window. "Welcome friend. Come on in. We have yet to rebuild our Inn, but the second apartment building on the right offers free room and board for three nights." The gates were starting to slowly part as Ernesto continued on.

"Lunch is currently being delivered around the Keep. Fresh baked goods are to be delivered within an hour there after. We can board your mount as well. If you wish to travel a distance within the Keep I caution it could take a while. Boarding your mount is dealt with just inside and to the left."

The gates were far enough for the man to fit through with his mount at this point, but Ernesto wasn't quite finished. "While your mount rests we can loan you some faster transportation. Another mount, or even a carriage if you prefer. Even a driver if you wish. I hope you enjoy your visit friend."

That ended Ernesto's speech. But he didn't leave the window. He waited to see what reactions the man had to the information that had been provided him. The gates came to a stop once they were fully opened. And the inside of the keep could be seen, or at least the main road to the castle.

The castle itself couldn't be seen unless one strained their eyes and focused on the dot in the distance. The smell of fresh baked goods would be permeating the air within as they were being prepared for afternoon deliveries. And there was a slight temperature difference within the gates as well.

by RusDring Sun Apr 25, 2010 8:18 pm

.... He knew there had to be something sooner or later as he doubted that window was for show. The man listened and dragged his empty had along the side of his face, the very short nails on his fingers moved along perfectly smooth skin that was bereft of any sign of hair. There wasn't a single imperfection to be seen there. These fingers tapped on his chin in a steady and silent beat while he listened to the one at the window. If this man was a guard then he certainly was a friendly sort who didn't mind passing around information.

.... It was wondered why he was being told all of this as fingers gave a singular brush against his hair and attention was given to the opening gate. Watching as it gave him a view of the Keep and what was inside. His horse gave a snort and a pat of his hoove against the ground making the hand with the reigns to pull away from his body. The horse was restless, even after such a long travel. No doubt it was hungry. And no wonder, it probably smelled those baked goods that the man was talking about.

.... "Thanks." the word came slowly from his mouth and he tugged the horses reigns in close to him again. "But I will keep my horse if it's all the same to you." That main road was seen. His eyes narrowed a small increment, the lashes of his eyes coming together nearly completely as he looked. This position lasted moments before his face was smooth once more.

.... "A bit of food and then I would continue on my way." nothing against housing his horse while he eat as that would ensure that the horse ate as well. "I am curious. I hears rumor that the Goddess of Protection resides within. Venis. I would have council with her." The reason why he was keeping to himself as he didn't see it to be any of the man’s business. "So if you'd point me in the right direction."

.... The one at the window would be right about this man, there were no cruel intentions about him, only a bit of curiosity mixed with a sense of purpose and drive. The three of them being needed in his mind for without them a person would be lost. Wouldn't they. Another look was given to the one at the window that caused his hair to tip in gravities direction before another turn of his head made it turn about his head and settle back to it's original place. The way was open so his feet moved to make the progression forward, pushing the dirt underfoot. There was a certain level of peace in walking, especially after so long in the saddle, but the muscles were in protest. The start of movement caused them to feel pains of pulling as they worked themselves loose from temporary lethargy. It was a feeling that wouldn’t last long.

.... As for himself the travel forward was not long. He had posed the man a question and an answer would be needed to decide if he stayed for more than a meal.

by Employees of the Goddess Tue Apr 27, 2010 6:06 am

The man made a move towards the gates. But he stopped to ask a couple of questions of Ernesto. So he replied to him with a smile. He rubbed his temple as he began to speak. "Oh yea, I felt her arrive about three days ago." She had been exhausted when she arrived. Now she seemed to be rather angry about something. He had no idea what though.

He stopped rubbing his temple as he continued. "She's somewhere within her castle. It's straight back at the end of the main road. If you leave now, you might get there sometime tomorrow morning. We have pick nick tables in various places along the road side. They're good places to stop and eat." After all, the man did say he wanted something to eat, right?

Ernesto felt one last tidbit of information could help the man. "The people in the light blue shirts take orders from everyone within the keep who isn't cooking for themselves in their own homes. The first bench is just over there, and there should be a woman along in about five minutes." Give or take. After all, they were supposed to be bringing Ernesto's lunch to him.

Ernesto felt satisfied that he had done all he could to help the man. So being the ever polite gentleman he chose to say good bye to the man. "Enjoy your stay with us sir." He figured that the guy seemed smart enough to figure out the call box when he got to the castle. If not, he could ask someone. His smile widened when he realized his lunch was almost there.

by RusDring Fri Apr 30, 2010 11:02 am

.... A picnic table was also a good place to stop for the night, this is what he thought when the man at the window told him that by the time he traveled to the castle it would be morning. By how things looked from the view at the gate it was assumed that it would take him six to eight hours at most to make it to the castle on foot, however, according to the man travel would take double that amount. Must be why they had their Inn (or apartment building) available for travelers use. It almost would not be worth it - the thought of possibly turning back even started to drift into his mind - but the man in the window had said something to make this traveler stay: she's here. Not only that, but she had been here for a few days.

.... His interest was perked. "Thanks again," the man said as he gave another tug to his horses’ reigns to begin walking once more.

.... There were more questions that he wanted to ask the man since he admitted actually being able to feel when she arrived but that may wait until later. What was important now was that she was here. With the information that had been said there were a lot of people in the Keep that were her servants. "Good thing we're not wearing blue shirts."

.... The nodded his head as though he understood the one pulling on his bridal, motion causing for his mane to bounce against his head. They came upon the place where he could have boarded his horse and passed it, instead continuing to the table that the man had mentioned and waited for the lady to come by and bring the food. While they waited he opened his saddlebag, a soft click was heard, and he began to brush down his mount. In a city run by the goddess of protection he wondered how safe the place really was. Who was it that she was protecting? Everyone? Or perhaps only those that asked for it. Heh. Questions for later.

.... When the food was delivered the bringer was thanked. He ate, as well as his horse, and then they were off. During the travel the pair of them kept to themselves, looking out and observing the people they saw in passing and taking note of those that were in the blue shirts. If along the way they were asked if they needed anything the man would only shake his head or offer a simple ‘no’ in response. He didn’t see the need to bother anyone.

…. As the day began to turn into night, the pair traveled until the sun was starting to set. That was when he looked for one of the people in blue to barter water with a bit of coin that he had and used it for himself and his horse. With it in hand they settled at one of the picnic tables that were along the path to the Castle and, unless someone had a problem with it, he and his horse would camp out under the stars that night.

…. The next day they got up and continued their trek to the Castle, by the time they reached the outside and faced the drawbridge it was, once again, around the noontime hour. He briefly wondered how a person was to get the bridge to come down, but then he saw the call box. “Interesting.”

…. Leaving his horse to graze he went to the box and picked up the receiver. Seeing the button he gave it a push. What would happen now.

by Employees of the Goddess Sun May 09, 2010 3:32 am

When the traveler tried to barter coin for water, he was informed that the coin was not required. But the employees had been told when they were hired that they were to maintain a proper tone with guests and not get insulting. So the offered coin was taken, and it was later given to the baker's wife for supplies that she had to shop for at the nearby town.

Aside from the employees in the blue shirts, who's sole duties for the day were the delivery of food and drink, there were several hundred others out and about. Though not all were to be found along the main road. There had never been a census taken within the keep, but there were close to a thousand or more people who resided within the Keep.

About seventy-five percent or more of the people within the Keep worked for Venis. So no matter what the traveler had need of, there would have been someone who could have helped him. And no one bothered him when he chose to sleep under the stars. Several people saw him, but they left him to sleep in peace, there was no reason to not.

The next day when he got to the call box and pressed the button Robert had just gotten his lunch from the kitchen within the castle. He looked out the window as he picked up the receiver on the other end. "Welcome guest, how can I help you?" He had never seen the man before, so he presumed he was a guest. "Would you care for some lunch?" He had to ask.

by RusDring Fri May 14, 2010 2:21 pm

.... The box could have been there for show but with how he saw operations of this City-within he had his doubts. He was about to examine more of the outside of the Castle walls when he heard a voice on the other end of the receiver. Just as he thought - this city's operations were smooth. This was the second time where lunch was being served at the noon hour. He had to wonder if everyone at in city ate and was served all their meals at the same time, every day. Maybe this place was more of a collective hive all under the control and influence of it's goddesss.

... A forward lean to the box caused his hair to sway. A roll of his lips before they parted and allowed him the means to speak. "I am here to see the Goddess of Protection," was said in a clear and clean voice. The name of who he was here to see was almost said but was retracted in the thought of it being too formal. "To my knowledge I am not expected."

.... When a person was dealing in the arena of immortals what was expected was unknown. It was a damn good reason why he never took off the three rings that he acquired in his dealing with them.

.... "I am a traveler. No thank you on the lunch." His words were true and he said that in place of giving a name, even if he was never asked for one, the reason for being in case he was asked. With that done he leaned back from the box.

by Employees of the Goddess Fri May 21, 2010 5:03 am

Robert listened to the guest. He noticed the lack of a name being offered up. Which was fine. Some people came to seek sanctuary and preferred to remain nameless. Bony fingers rose to scratch at the base of short blonde hair. He was asking for an audience with the Goddess, who was in a very grouchy mood. He pressed his lips together and moved his mouth to the side before speaking again. This had given the guest a chance to finish what he was saying.

After the man had finished speaking, Robert bit his bottom lip. The man had refused lunch, which was not a big deal, not everyone ate at the same time. So he cleared his throat and then spoke, a hint of a German accent coming through in his voice. "If you will wait one moment, I will see if the Goddess is taking visitors." He set the phone down on the table and turned to leave the gate room. Fingers wrapped around the handle to the door and he took a deep breath.

Once the door was open he stepped out into the courtyard. Another deep breath as he crossed the courtyard to knock upon the doors of the Throne Room. But before he knocked he stood outside to listen. He could hear her pacing, the flames made a sound as she moved. He could hear her mumbling, it almost sounded like a language other than English, but it wasn't German either. One more deep breath and he knocked upon the door five times then opened it.

She knew Robert was outside of the door, but she was ignoring him. She slid her index finger downward in front of her again, her long nail slicing the air. Then she began to put her hand through as a sliver of silver appeared. And just as she got her fingertips into the portal, it snapped shut. "Damnit!" She pulled her hand back just in time. She was shaking her hand, drops of flames falling to the floor at her feet. "What Robert?!" Her voice held a lot of anger.

Robert placed his face in the crack between the doors. Not quite in the room, but he could see some of it. And the Goddess was still fully engulfed in flames and was pacing again. He felt a little more comfortable seeing that she had her bikini on now. Her nudity always had an effect on him. After all, he was only human. He spoke with a quiver in his voice and his accent thicker. "A traveler Goddess, at the bridge, he requests an audience." Lip bitten again.

Venis stopped pacing and turned her head towards the door. She placed one hand on her hip and leaned to the side. Her other foot sliding away from her center and her toe pointing outward. "Well? Who is it?" She tapped the toes of her protruded foot impatiently. She had left specific instructions that she did not want to be disturbed and yet that door was constantly being knocked upon for one reason or another. Her patience was wearing rather thin.

Robert could hear the irritation and anger in her voice. He looked towards the floor, averting his eyes from her. This was for two reasons, one was the shame of the answer he was to give, the other being that he was damaging his retinas by looking at her in such a state. So with a heavy sigh he answered her. "Forgive me Goddess, but he did not give a name" It was the truth, so how else could he answer? He cringed and raised his shoulders defensively.

Venis shook her head and looked down for a moment. Then she looked back up at the door, she could barely make out the profile of his face. "So what exactly is it that he wants?" Her voice was a little softer with this question. It really wasn't Robert's fault that the traveler was choosing to remain anonymous. Nor was it his fault that the man had even come to see her to begin with. But she was still hoping that he had a better answer to her current question.

Again Robert was going to have to answer her with bad news. "I am sorry, but he only asked to see you, no reason was given. Shall I turn him away?" He was starting to think that she was never going to see anyone ever again. She had already turned away several employees who had wished to see her. Some of them had come up with rather well planned excuses too. But she was turning everyone away. So he had a feeling that the traveler would be refused as well.

Venis sighed rather heavily herself. Then she shook her head. "No, no, let him in. Have one of the arm chairs brought in for him to sit in and tell the cook to bring in refreshments. I will grant him audience. I am rather curious as to why he is here. Most just go to the church or the apartments until they can talk to Manny." She let Manny and his management team deal with people who came to live within the Keep for whatever reason. But this time she was there.

Robert nodded as he backed out of the doorway. "Yes ma'am, right away." The door was pulled closed and he pulled out his cell phone. He called to the kitchen, it was more polite than shouting or leaving their guest on hold while he detoured to go into the kitchen. "We need an armchair, small table, and refreshments in the throne room right away." He closed his phone cutting off the call. He returned to the gate room as quickly as he could to tell the guest.

While Robert was heading back to the gate room to let the traveler in, Venis extinguished her flames. She leaned her head forward and placed her forehead in the palm of her hand. She shook her head and sighed. Then she used her long bony finger to slice the air again. This time, her destination was within the castle. And surprisingly, it worked. She reached through and grabbed a cloak from her bedroom. She pulled the cloak through and put it on.

Robert picked up the phone off the table and put it back to his ear. "Forgive me the delay sir. The Goddess has granted you audience. You can bring your mount inside with you and we will brush him down and feed and water him for you." There was a loud clink as Robert unlocked the wheel and began to crank it slowly. If the man looked up, he would see the drawbridge starting to lower slowly. The chain creaked under the weight of the solid wood panel.

While the drawbridge was lowering, a man came out of the kitchen carrying a padded arm chair. A second man had a small round end table. They headed to the Throne Room. The chair was placed before Venis' throne, facing it. Shortly there after, a short portly woman carried in a tray of hors d'oeuvre and bottle of water. She also added a cup of ice and a can of soda just in case it was preferred. She was ill prepared due to a serious lack of warning.

When the drawbridge only had another couple of inches to go before it hit the ground Robert let it go. There was a loud thud and the ground shook slightly. The chains that ran from the bridge to the castle were slightly sagging and swayed gently. There were ripples in the water of the mote. But it had been cleaned recently and was a lovely clear blue. The traveler had a clear path into the castle proper. The sunlight lit the courtyard and showed it clear of people.

by RusDring Tue Jun 01, 2010 6:27 pm

He was accepted. Wonderful. That fact put him that much closer to the current goal he had of meeting this particular goddess. "Thanks" Was said to the man who addressed him and now he stood aside to get his horse. They said he could bring him and even if they hadn't said anything he would have brought him in anyway and kept him until someone said something. A couple clicks of his tongue and a pull of the reigns and the horse stopped grazing to pick up its head and follow. The man watched as he saw the activity on the other side of the drawbridge and when it was lowered all the way for him to cross he did so, the bottom of his shoes almost clicking in time to the horse's hooves After the bridge he looked for the stable man, or someone that would take his horse. He had seen the man in the chair head off and thought of that way once this was taken care of. First the horse.

A tall slender man stepped out of one of the numerous doors that were in the four walls that made up the area. He reached a hand for the reins of the horse. "The Goddess is through that door sir." He motioned with his other hand towards the North wall. It had only one set of double doors. The area was sparsly decorated as it served more as an area to cut across rather than an outdoor relaxation area. But there was a hitching post along the East wall, and there was already a water bucket in place with fresh water added and a feed bag was being brought out for the equine as well. A female centaur was coming out of a doorway in the south wall with a bucket of brushes and picks and other various tact.

That was amusing. A centaur managing the horses. He may have even smirked a bit. He didn't say much to the man who gave him the directions but two fingers came up and he gave the guy a salute that way before heading to the post. The workers here, they were helpful in their own way and he had to wonder how much traffic they saw. More questions to either ask or file away. He went about handing over his horse but before he left the animal he patted his hand on the side of his mounts head and pulled it down to whisper words into it's ear, then he was on his way. His walk was smooth and his clothing moved only a little, the natural turn and creases without much stray. Whether or not the area was highly decorated or not he took it all in for it was important for him to remember. When he reached the door his fingers wrapped around whatever handle there was. Should he simply try to open the door? With his other hand his thumb played with the underside of the three rings first before he knocked and gave the door a pull.

Hearing the knock and seeing the door handle move Venis spoke. "Come in." She waited for the traveler to enter. She stopped pacing and watched the door to see who entered. She would speak again once he was inside she would speak again. "Welcome to Le loup est protégé Conserver. Please, have a seat. How can I help you today?" She would motion to the cushioned arm chair with her left hand. Her right hand moving some of her hair away from her face. She moved to her throne to sit down. She moved her long crimson spirals out of the way before sitting. The black cloak that covered her had a fully closing front, as well as some slits in the side seems for her arms to go through. Once she was seated, she crossed her left leg over her righ, which gave away that she was unusually barefoot. She moved her cloak so that it hung over her legs more properly. She waited for the man to speak before saying anything else, after all, she didn't want to be rude.

Once he entered in the man stayed by the door to watch her move about the room she had chosen. Though his eyes didn't look around the room he was watching. Needed to watch. He moved forward a step or two when she gave the greeting of where he was, luckily he was not in need of translation. Though he wasn't fluent, if you were going to travel it was well to have a basic knowledge in many things so you could get by. "Rather odd, isn't it, to be protected by wolves being what you are." He spook with a steady voice and it wasn't rushed. Speaking this way helped to push down any accent that might enter into his voice. He looked to the chair and slowly went towards it.

With a slow blink her head bowed in acknowledgment of his observation. "I was a shape shifting vampire ... I shift into a white wolf, wolves also happen to be my beast to call. Some of the first people who came to live here named the place for me. I usually refer to it simply as the Keep or my Keep." She watched him as he watched. Her voice was steady and level, she was trying to mask the irritation in her voice because it was in no way because of him. Therefore she had no desire to direct it towards him. Her accent was long gone unless she was speaking in a 'foreign tongue'.

"So you are the Goddess." When he reached the chair he did not sit down, finger tips brushed along the back to dust it and travel along the length of it. "I've been visiting your.... churches?" the question was ask and his fingers moved more on the chairs back, scooting upwards and tapping the rings on the against the chair. "Who exactly do you protect?" It was one of the questions that he had in mind to ask. Head tipped downward and he looked at the seat a moment before drifting his eyes over to look at her. Or her knees. That's where the angle of his eyes were first and they traveled up her covered torso as they made their way up to her own eyes once more.

The corners of her lips barely moved upward at the mention of her churches. "My churches ... Yes, how interesting that is. I never asked for them to be erected, nor did I wish for them. I would rather people warship some other God or Goddess." She saw how he seemed leery of sitting in the chair. Perhaps it was because she was in her throne and it would place him below her, even if only by about a foot. But there was a question on the table, and before she figured out how to remedy the chair issue, she would answer him first. "I protect everyone. Which I know sounds odd. I became a God to save humans on Earth, where I am from. But as time wore on I found that I could feel the pain and suffering of other beings as well. Almost like an empath, only a whole lot stronger. So I started spreading my protection to others. The only ones that I do not protect are those who are doing harm to those who ask for my protection at the time that it is asked for, and those who have asked me to not worry for them as they have another who acts as thier protector." It could get confusing to people sometimes, because one moment a person could be doing harm to another, and she would act out against them. Then they could end up with someone doing them harm and she would protect them against said harm. It was very much dependant on the situation. But she tried to protect everyone as much as she could.

by Venis Jordianthan Sat Jun 26, 2010 12:38 am

...."To say that you wish they would worship someone else is to hint on the fact that you don't want to -be- a goddess at all." Unless it was humility. But if it were that, then she certainly lived lavishly, that people could not help but pay attention. "Must be hard. Trying to protect everyone. I mean." A deliberate pause. "Only those that ask. Because you can't protect everyone if you can't be everywhere. Or is that a skill of yours not preached about?"

She rose from her throne and stepped down the two steps to the floor as she began to speak. "When I did what I did, to become a God that is, it was for purely selfish reasons." She moved past him with about two foot of space between them. Some people had issue with physical contact. "When the wrong people found out, that was when the rumors started. People started acting like I did it because I was the savior of the human race. Out to save humanity from the wrath of my own kind." Her bare feet made no sound as she moved across the stone floor. Were it not for the always present sway of her hips, she would almost seem to be floating across the room.

She was moving towards the door, where a tray had been placed the day before. Her eyes seemed to be staring off into the distance as she remembered things from a time long forgotten. "After a while, the side effects became unbearable. I had to give in and start being the great protector that people thought I was." She knelt down and picked up the tray. It held a bottle of blood wine and a crystal goblet. She began to move back towards the thrones. "I thought when I fled to Rhy'Din that it wouldn't be as bad. Of course, I was wrong." A slow blink to force back the memories she didn't want to see.

She moved past him again, still with that two foot space between them. "I try to protect everyone I can. And I can be in more than one place at a time if I need to. Though, I prefer to not do so if I can avoid it." Rather than stepping up the two steps to sit back on her throne, she bent over and placed the tray on the top step. Then she turned and sat down on the step beside it. She put her legs out in front of her and crossed her ankles.

She looked at him as she continued. "But the churches are part of the problem. Some of them forget to teach who and what I really am. And people see me as something I'm not, and they forget, or were never taught, that I am an apex predator. Those are the ones I wish would worship someone else." She looked around the throne room and its lack of decoration. "When I was left these lands in someone's will, I chose to make it a safe haven for those who sought such." She looked back at her guest. "I try to be everywhere all the time. But sometimes." She turned her attention to the bottle as she uncorked it and poured herself a glass of the red liquid. "Sometimes I miss. And I pay dearly for it. Having so many here, under my protection, that helps." She brought the glass to her lips and sipped as she returned her gaze to him.

....It was a lot of information to take in at one time though he listened to it all. He was slightly surprised that she was revealing so much about herself to a guy that she didn't know. Trust? Or faith that nothing would happen that she couldn't handle on her own. It was one of the two. He turned in his position, a pivot on his foot to bring his hands back to rest on the back of the chair he was given to sit in. Fingers drummed on the back of it. "There's always a choice, you said you didn't have one, but you could have said no." Even if she thought that she couldn't or that she had an obligation. A person was always free to say no. A languid shrug of his shoulders. "The churches that are wrong you should get rid of. You must not be that busy if you can hole up in here and eat. Shouldn't you be out and about?" His left brow rose up in question. "But then, maybe that is where I can do something for you..."

She did feel safe where she was, though that hadn't always been the case. "Yes, I had a choice. But I didn't like the alternative. It was worse than what I live with now." Self preservation was a powerful force. She watched him as he moved, little bits here and there. The fire's along the far walls lit the room with a hint of a amber glow. It gave just enough light for one to see another. She had made sure to light all the scones. And the light reflected off his rings enough to catch her eye. "I agree that I should rid my perish of those churches that get it wrong. Though, I hadn't put much thought to that exact way of dealing with it before. So thank you for that." She closed her eyes and lowered her head. He thought she was holed up in the castle by choice. She wasn't sure what she wanted to share about why she was at the Keep at this time. A time when her family and friends were fighting for their lives, without her. She looked back up at him. "What is it that you think you can do for me Mr ..." Had he mentioned his name and she missed it, or forgotten it, with her mind racing the way it was? She tilted her head slightly. Her own eyebrow raising curiously.

....A pat of his hands against the back of the chair and he removed his hand. "Simple man, don't boast of much, but what you need.. ahh." Pausing in his words to spread out his hands before him, palms up to hide the tops of his rings he caught her looking at. He wasn't looking at his hands but he was watching her. A smile upon his face that didn't quite reach the eyes and his hair shook just so with the soft shaking of his head. "I most likely can provide." He was careful of his word choosing. Even if he could, didn't mean he would. And even if he would do it, he may not be able, but when you went with 'likely' it was all up to possibility. He even bypassed the fact of his name. "Everyone wants something, whether small or great, they only have to let it be known."

The heel of her foot that touched the floor was dragged towards the base of the steps. Her knees bending as she pulled her legs into herself. She crossed her legs at the knees now, rather than the ankles. She adjusted her cloak again, with the hand that was not holding her goblet. Her eyebrow raised more as she leaned forward. She laid her torso across her lap and put her arm over her knees so she wasn't laying flat. Her head still watched him. "What makes you think that I have need of anything?" He had made her slightly suspicious with his last comment. Her goblet again came to her lips with the aid of the arm that wasn't across her knees.

by RusDring Mon Jul 12, 2010 8:50 pm

---- Her question asked his fingers curved around the back of the chair even as he leaned into it and the forward movement causing the slightest movement in his jacket and hair. The expression on his face turned vaguely smug as though a person with a victory close at hand. "I -know- that you need something because you are here."

---- He relaxed his hands but they were not removed from the chair and he was watching her with steady eyes. They were non-telling as the only thing to tell was already told in the smile that was partially displayed. His head turned from the right to the left in a slow visual sweep of the room, his next words were spoken during this time. "You have all of this and yet you have nothing." His words may have been bold but they were said anyway. Let her take offense to them if that was how they translated in her ears. "Your town full of people doing their job, even your household here does their job but the feel. The -feel- of it all." Left hands fingers lifted and piano-ed in the air when he spoke of the 'feel'.

---- Every place had a feel: contentment, static, sorrow, joy, ectera and it could change at variable times however, since he had arrived, he had felt helpfulness and duty, but the other feelings that were generally running through a city -or even a small town- was missing. It could be due to the fact that everyone who worked here had all their needs cared. What could be expected of a place that had the guardianship of a protection goddess?

by Venis Jordianthan Tue Jul 13, 2010 5:07 am

Venis watched the man before her. His every movement was noticed, from the slight shift in his jacket and hair, to his curling of his fingers over the back of the chair and the slight smugness of the look upon his face. Once he had caused a shift in her posture with his comments, she watched him a lot closer. A suspicious mind was a terrible thing to waste. And it was with this new watchfulness that she listened to him speak to her more about what exactly it was that he had meant.

First he told her that he knew she needed something because she was there. By there she was guessing that he meant the Keep, not existing in general. So how was it that her presence at the Keep told him that she had need of something? Had he not just accused her, only moments before, of hanging out at the Keep eating rather than being out and about doing her job? So which was it? Did he presume her there lazing about, or did he presume her there out of a need for something?

She would wait to ask those questions of him as he seemed to have more to say. Again, she watched his every movement as he spoke. He was looking around her throne room while speaking. But his next comment struck her as odd as well. He said that she had all of this, referring to her lands and those within them presumably, and yet she had nothing? What could this stranger possibly know about what she did or did not have? There was more to her life than her Keep.

He wouldn’t be able to see, at a passing glance, that she had a wonderful husband and eight delightful children, and a Granddaughter who hung the moon. A Granddaughter that she would most assuredly spoil rotten if only she would let her. She had beloved friends, and long time companions. All of those things, she would trade the world for if she ever needed to. They were the most precious and treasured things in her life, and she would do anything for any one of them.

But she could understand how he might think that she had nothing. After all, she was alone out at the Keep for now. Her husband and her four youngest children were at her house. That location wasn’t within the Keep. Her four older children were not with her at the moment either, each being in a different place for a different reason. And her friends were not there to visit at the moment, they each having their own lives to live. And her Granddaughter, well, she was there, sort of.

So she remained quiet for the moment, allowing him to continue. He had not offended her yet, and she wasn’t sure he would be able to either. His previous movements, especially that smug grin, had led her to think that he might have something to say that would either confuse her or piss her off. She usually put her money on the latter of the two, but so far he had done neither. Which was curious in and of itself. So she would wait, and continue to listen, for there was more.

He began to speak of the ‘feel’ of her Keep. When speaking of the ‘feel’ of a place in that manor, one was usually referring to the general mood of a place. Something that she found no problem with at the moment. But his words, the way of which he spoke of the ‘feel’ of the Keep, they gave the implication that he did find something wrong with it. Which was a cause of concern for her, because if something was wrong and she had somehow missed it, that could be dangerous.

The fact that he had spoken of everyone within the Keep doing their jobs had not fallen on deaf ears. There was the slightest hint of a curl at the corners of her lips in regards to that. It pleased her that everyone was busying themselves with work and being helpful to a visitor. It meant that things were running smoothly within the Keep. And that was always something that she liked to hear. But the hint of a smile only lasted a mere moment, as the rest of his comment had troubled her.

So having this new found troublement on her mind, she took a moment to get a ‘feel’ for the Keep. She wouldn’t take the time to ‘touch’ each and every person within the Keep. That could take days, even for her. But she wanted a generalized ‘feel’ so she could find out what it was that he felt and perhaps find out what it was that he found wrong with it. Not that he said it was wrong mind you, but the implication was there, and she wanted to find out exactly why that was.

Normally, she would close her eyes to concentrate on a specific area. But for some reason, she had no desire to do so at that moment. So she searched, while her eyes remained on the man before her. Within the Keep, the general ‘feel’ was one of duty and helpfulness, and it was rather strong. So perhaps that was what he had felt. She didn’t see a problem with that. So she chose to dig just a little deeper and find out what else was going on, or was possibly missing.

She found that there were some feelings of concern, and in touching upon those she found the source to be that a construction project that she had commissioned had yet to be started. She would speak with the construction crew later to alleviate their worries over that issue. There was still plenty of time to complete that project without there being an emergency. She hoped that she hadn’t placed undo strain on them when she asked them to complete it as soon as possible.

Her search continued. She was probably better able to pick up on the smaller clusters of emotion within the Keep because these people were not strangers to her, none of them. She knew each and every person within the Keep personally. And that was saying a lot given the population of the place. There was joy over the birth of a child, it ran over a small section of the Keep. It was a Catholic birth, and the Catholics liked to keep pretty much to themselves for the most part.

There was a lack of sorrow or sadness within the Keep. A fact that she was rather pleased about. There had been no recent deaths, there were no pending deaths either. Which meant that her husband had no needed to come out to the Keep for work purposes. She always liked that, she wanted his visits to be for pleasure, not business. Pleasure was a precious commodity when one was married to the God of Ice and Death. So she worked to hang on to every ounce of it that she could.

She chose to end her analysis there. To delve deeper into the various emotions would take up more time. She had already caused a few minutes of silence. It was time to move forward with the discussion. After all, she had questions, and he had answers. It was just a matter of getting them from him. And to do that, her posture would have to once again change. And do so without completely giving away that she had been slightly unsettled by his previous words of an offer to help.

Her goblet would once again be raised to her crimson lips, a sip of the warm liquid passing over them to be swallowed down slowly. She was attempting to maintain an air of casualness so as to avoid passing along any unnecessary information. Once the goblet left her lips she sat up from her semi-hunched over position. The sip of blood wine having been a delay tactic as she weighed her options on how to respond to him and his implied accusations as well as his offer of help.

She uncrossed her legs and with one foot on the floor and the other on the bottom step she rose. The movement was fluid and graceful. A cross step carried her the rest of the way up to the top of the pedestal for the thrones as she began to speak. “First of all, thank you, I am pleased to hear that my home runs smoothly. It is supposed to.” Her steps turned her back to him for a brief moment. Though, this time, while her back was to him, she listened for movement.

She stepped around her throne to the back of it, where she again faced him. The pair of thrones were solid 24k gold, and very ornately decorated. Her throne was cushioned in blood red velvet with diamonds, rubies, citrines, garnets, and amethysts set into it. Kahn’s throne was cushioned in dark blue velvet with diamonds, emeralds, sapphires, peridots, and topazes set into it. They had come from a jeweler who used them to pay for an extremely grandiose order of diamonds.

She carefully leaned upon the back of the throne, not wanting to cause herself undo pain by leaning upon some of the design along the top, her hands hanging over the front. Her gaze set upon the young man again, she continued to speak. “I see nothing wrong with the ‘feel’ of the Keep. It seems to me that everyone is either happy, or simply without complaint. That isn’t always the case around here, but it seems to be right now. How exactly is that a problem?” His implication.

Another sip of her blood wine told her that it had started to drop in temperature and so her hand began to glow red as she heated it again. She continued with what she had to say. “Luke warm emotions tend to suite me just fine. Not that I make any attempts to control the emotions of anyone. But I do have an adverse reaction to extreme emotions. So I would never complain over a lack of them.” She moved from the back of her throne to the back of Kahn’s throne.

As her hand ran over the velvet on the back of the seat, she spared a split second for a pleasant thought of her beloved, one that he was sure to feel given their bond. Her ice blue orbs never leaving the young man as she continued again. “You see, extreme emotions, be they good or bad, tend to make me violently physically ill. As does the presence of too many emotions at once. Hence the need for these.” Pointing to the package of saltine crackers on the table between the thrones.

She moved around to be in front of her husbands throne as she continued. “So while I do not work to alter the state of anyone’s emotions, or moods, I am always thankful when they are not running too hot or too cold. I am sure you can understand that. Not many would like to get so sick over someone else‘s emotions and mood swings.” A simple statement of fact. She followed her statement with a slight tilt of her head. After all, she did have more to add on the subject.

She walked slowly across the pedestal in front of the thrones as she continued to speak. “So I am not quite sure what it is that you apparently find fault with in regards to the ‘feel’ of the Keep. It seems fine to me. Which brings us back to my previous question. One which you answered quite vaguely as a matter of fact.” She was, of course, referring to her question in which she asked him what it was that he thought she had need of. After all, she technically wanted for nothing.

Long fingers with long red nails moved a stray strand of her crimson locks back from her face as she spoke. “You say that you know I need something because I am here, here being my Keep? A comment that had strangely followed an accusation that I was here eating rather than out working. And you think that whatever it is that I need, you might be able to help me with?” Said questioningly, though perhaps more rhetorical than anything. She wasn’t waiting for an answer.

She turned and began to slowly walk soundlessly back in the other direction, bare feet were quiet. The beginnings of a bout of pacing. Her eyes mostly remaining upon him. “So perhaps I am here simply because I choose to be. Perhaps I have a lover here, or maybe even a pomme de sang. I could be here for him … or her. Or maybe I have neither and came to choose one of either or even both. So would you be willing to be either of those? Perhaps feed my ardeur?”

She gave a moments pause in her words, but not her motion. “Perhaps I am here to await a particular visitor, a friend or a family member maybe. What help could you be to me then? Maybe I have a being upon which I choose to snack. Perhaps I am looking for a volunteer for such. That could be something you could help me with, though I doubt you would.” Most beings had a tendency to choose no when asked if they wanted that job. It wasn’t exactly a desirable job to have.

Another turn taken as she was again moving towards her throne. She paused in her movement long enough to set the goblet upon the table by the crackers. “So if you are not here to feed my ardeur, or to feed my hunger, perhaps you are here as a savior to those within my Keep? You might find them lacking a desire to be saved. They are free here, and safe. A combination rarely found” Both of which being the reason behind a good number of them living there to begin with.

And in the blink of an eye, she was no longer upon the pedestal. She had moved to stand within a space of less than twelve inches from him. She wanted to move quickly, and she had. So quickly in fact, that the average human eye would more than likely have missed it. With her entire six foot two frame close enough to him to touch, the smell of strawberries and raspberries would fill the air. All of her soaps and shampoos were of that scent, and it was rather strong indeed.

She measured her words carefully as she spoke, barely above a whisper, almost right into his ear. “Or perhaps, just maybe, you are here as a test. Sent by one of those priests of The Church of the Protective Flame. Perhaps you are to find out if I am still an apex predator, or if time has tamed me.” She quickly moved back from him by approximately two feet. After all, there was no reason to remain that close if she was not going to strike out at his neck, right?

A tilt of her head caused a cracking within her next. Her next words had returned to her previous volume. “I can assure you, that I will not harm you without just cause. But heed my words and make no mistake, the desire for the hunt and the kill still burn within my belly. I was, am, and always will be, a vampire. So if that is why you are here, go now, and tell them what you have learned.” She knew that somewhere, some priest would have a heart attack if he had heard her words.

She moved back to the steps of the pedestal. She lowered herself back into a sitting position and fixed her cloak once again. With her legs stretched out before her, and her ankles crossed, she spoke again. “If not, then I ask you again. What exactly is it that you think I need monsieur?” She had returned to her original question. After all, he had never truly answered it. And she was simply itching to know what it was that he thought he could do for her, or what he thought she needed.

As she waited, she thought about how this whole meeting had gone so far. Upon his arrival, she thought him to perhaps be a student writing a paper, or maybe someone desiring more information on a God that they had heard about in a church. Maybe even a reporter, though she wasn’t sure Rhy’Din had too many of those running around. But now, now this seemed less like an interview and more like a set up of some sort. Like perhaps he had something wicked up his sleeve.

by RusDring Sat Jul 17, 2010 9:56 pm

---- Not a man to flinch he stayed his ground when she came near. In his dealings one learned early on that flinching could end your life. As for how she smelled he wouldn't know. She could be drenched in the sweetest aroma or the stinkiest scent and he wouldn't know because currently he had no sense of smell thanks to one of the rings he wore on his hand. That particular ring did more but now was not the time to get into such matters. He kept his eyes on her as she moved about the room and continued to talk.

---- "Safety and freedom are both things thought dependent on the person to whom it's being referred." That is what he believed and it didn't matter if anyone else felt that way or not. The man was full of personal opinions and many of them went without voice.

---- The Traveler watched her just as she did while she spoke and there wasn't much change in his features. From all that he heard she was only here, at her Keep, but not here to do anything specifically. She was there if she was needed but he didn't hear anything about a goal or purpose. It was true that he didn't specially ask for one - and he wouldn't do so now - though usually it was said.

---- A push of his arms to begin backward movement and his fingers let loose of the chairs back he had been holding. One step back and then another was taken as his hands spread out in front of him to the width of his shoulders. It was a symbol of washing his hands clean of the matter. "If you see nothing wrong with anything then you are not ready to be helped."

---- She had given him good information about herself that he would be sure to remember and he would not make any comment on her suggestions on why he was here. He told her that he was here to help her but, as she admitted, she needed no help and there was nothing wrong with how things were.

---- His hands lowered and the one adorned with the rings went behind his back as he gave a nod. "I shall be on my way then. Thank you for your time." He did have his manners and she didn't have to see him.

---- Pivot of his foot and he faced the direction of the door to head out. Slight wonder if it was locked or not before his way was towards it.

by Venis Jordianthan Tue Jul 20, 2010 5:52 am

It had not gone unnoticed that the traveler had not flinched when Venis approached, not that she would have killed him if he had. But there was a chance that physical contact would have resulted, with possible injury to him. But they had moved past that. And here he was saying that she wasn't ready to be helped. Helped with what? She had asked him a question twice already, and neither time did she get a straight answer. Which was a bad thing.

There was only so much cute and coy and aloof Venis could handle, in her normal state of being. But Venis wasn't in her normal state of being, so her tolerance of such things was even smaller. Venis was irritated, cranky and frustrated. So coy was just not the thing to be. Which would be why, if he made it to the door, he would find it not locked, but sealed. Nobody in, nobody out. Not until she was ready for that to change. She had more to say.

Without even so much as a bend of her knee, she rose from her sitting position to one of standing, ankles uncrossing to rest her feet upon the floor. The room would get warmer as her cloak rose up off her and to her throne of its own accord. A slight breeze, maybe only felt by her, began to blow her hair back from her face. The slightest trickle of flames ran up her arms from her fingertips. Her metal bikini being her only cover at this point.

With a clearing of her throat she spoke. "Monsieur, I would like to request that you give me a straight answer to my question." Her accent becoming rather thick as she strained to keep the anger from her tone. "I asked you, what it was that you thought I needed your help with. I said that I did not see anything wrong with the 'feel' of my Keep, I did not say that I saw nothing wrong with anything. Please do bear that in mind." She was not done yet.

She moved forward and slightly to the right the space of seven steps. With the cloak now gone, one could see the way that one foot pressed to the floor in front of the other as she walked. The gentle sway of her hips as she moved now became obvious. Once vampiric tricks to catch the eye of prey, now they were as natural to her as breathing was to mortals. Slightly up on her toes as she walked, one might be able to tell that she was used to high heels.

When she came to a stop, she placed her right hand on her hip. Her left side was in his direction, her left arm placid at her side. Small flames still dancing up her arms to dissipate at her shoulders. Her spiraled crimson locks spilled down her back and out behind her feet by over twenty-four inches at this point.Her head lowered and slightly turned to the left, she looked towards, but not at him. It was all in an attempt to remain calm and not loose control.

When she spoke, her voice was thick with a French accent, and was an octave lower than previous. "Now, I have been very calm, and very patient with you up to this point. I answered your questions for you, I took no offense to your implications that my Keep and it's residents were somehow lacking something. Nor did I take offense when you came right out and said that I had nothing, when you know nothing of what I do have." All of these being facts.

Her voice rose in volume slightly. Perhaps one decibel, or maybe two, if one was in tune to such things. "This little ... Interview has become quite accusatory and is bordering on insulting. I know not if you were hoping to flare my temper or not, but rest assured, you have done exactly that. I was in the middle of something when you knocked upon my door. I granted you an audience that I did not have to. And for that, you choose to play coy with me?"

A slight shift in her weight was made, resting more on her right leg. Her head rose to make eye contact with him. "I will tell you this. I did not come out here for any reason, I am not usually needed here. And perhaps that is because I spoil my employees and their families. But they are safe here. And they are free to come and go as they please, free to worship any God, Deity, or Idol they choose, free to speak their minds and be heard. No one is bound here."

Though that last sentence might not have held the usual ring of truth at that moment, given she had sealed the room, she continued. "So think what you will of the safety and freedom of those within these walls, for I know the truth, as do they all." Her anger making itself known through her tone. "And as far as not seeing anything wrong with anything, as I just stated, I did not come out here for a reason. So feel free to presume it was not by choice."

Now was the time to watch her tongue. "So what I find wrong, monsieur, is the fact that I am here at all. I was, just days ago, at an Inn. I was in the company of friends and family and was dealing with the things that I needed to deal with. Which happened to include a certain amount of gaiety and child's play for a moment. And when I thought it time to retire for the eve, I found myself here, instead of my intended destination." A pause to think.

The dated terminology of what she was using wasn't even registering to her ears as she spoke. That was how upset she had become. "And given that I ended up here, rather than where I had intended, I have been trying to leave. But so far, my efforts have failed. I have other idea's on how to accomplish my task, but they were postponed in order to grant you your requested audience. So since I have given you time, you can give me a straight answer."

The conversation had veered. A slight turn of her body as she now faced him straight on, wherever he had been standing. She was headed back to her original question. "So, what I need is to know why I was brought here, and why I cannot portal out when I am needed elsewhere." She had left that part out up to that point. A Freudian slip. "Neither of which you could help me with I am sure." Not that she would ask a stranger to help with such anyway.

She took a deep cleansing breath in an attempt to calm herself. Her flames had been growing little bits at a time. "So, I would like an answer to my question so that we may both move on with our lives. After all, I need to see if I can't get back to work, and I am sure you have other worshiped beings to harass." She chose a new way to phrase her question. "What need is it, exactly, that you believe you could likely help me with, monsieur?" Asked again.

by RusDring Tue Jul 20, 2010 5:53 pm

---- If he was going to take anything from this meeting, something that he had learned is that this goddess liked to talk. A lot. He never fully understood why people used so many words to relay a simple message. Why they felt the need to tell their tale to people who asked how they were doing or any other simple questions.

---- Simplicity. Perhaps people like her - for she was not the only one he has encountered who liked to talk, did so because they needed someone to share with. Needed to hear themselves talk so that they can sort out the things that were jostling around in their own heads. Or maybe they only wanted people to know everything about them that they could tell at that moment. She didn't tell him her life story but she had told him alot about her self that he hadn't even asked for. There is an old saying about loose lips . . .

---- Unfortunately, because he had turned in the direction of the door he missed the motion of her movement. There was a slight twitch of his ear as he heard the clothing fall from her form and take its rest upon the floor but he did not turn from the door. His own posture was relaxed but the emotion in his eyes that was hidden from her was slightly repeated. If she felt as though she had been repeating herself then he was feeling that she didn't hear a word that he said and that this trip had been wasted in general. She had all these excuses - there was no other word for him to call them - but nothing was relevant. Still, he would have a bit of patience. "I cannot tell you what you need, that was for you to do." Perhaps it would be clearer this time around.

---- "I said I can help you, in what? That is why I asked what you needed. If you need no help then you do not need me."

---- His words were said without a turn from the door. His left hand lifted, a finger in the air as a symbol of pause. "However, you said you don't know how to get back to where you were. The answer to that, unless it's on another plane of existence, is to walk." Ride a horse, take a carriage, whatever suited her fancy. Trying to leave, that was a laugh that would be made funnier if she was physically unable to leave her own home by any means other than the use of her abilities. Sometimes those with wealth or power forgot how to do the simple things.

---- "I'll show you. Open the door and we'll both walk out." She wanted him to leave, his time here was over, he told her why he couldn't answer her question, there was nothing else to be done but leave.

by Venis Jordianthan Thu Jul 22, 2010 3:43 am

It was fine that he had missed the walk. Venis wasn’t trying to use it against him. It really had just become her walk over the hundreds of years. And she did like to talk. Especially when she had too much on her mind, like she did now. By putting a voice to her thoughts, she was forcing herself to make them make sense. So it might have been unfortunate for this traveler that he was on the receiving end of her ranting, then again, maybe he learned something he might have wanted to know. Or something that could come in handy at a later time. She had been careful, nothing she had said was anything that people couldn’t easily find out from her or about her.

As she stood there listening to his responses to her latest rant, things did start to make more sense to her. Things in regards to him at least. So he was basically saying that he was there to help her, and wanted to know what she needed help with. Which sounded rather suspicious to her. But she was supposed to tell him what she needed and if he could help, he would consider doing so. She got that now. And she might have gotten it earlier had she not been so frustrated and irritated with other things and had been thinking clearer. So her distractions made her a little dense. She needed to be more careful of those things. It could become rather dangerous.

So as he was nearing the end of what he had to say, which was far less than she, as it had been throughout the entire ‘visit’, she found her posture changing again. She turned her side to him. Her left arm crossed her stomach, her right hand covered her mouth. All traces of anger left her face and her body was less stiffened. Though she still stood with her back straight. Too many years of doing just that. She was almost ready to correct him in that she did not say she didn’t know how to get back, just that she didn’t know why she couldn’t get back. But his answer to her problem caused her to bust out in a fit of laughter. True laughter with a twinkle to her ice blues.

It actually took her a moment to regain her composure. She could not remember the last time that she had laughed that hard. The blood tears were welling up in her eyes and threatening to fall. But she somehow managed to speak, eventually. “I am truly sorry. I mean no offence. It honestly isn’t that I was laughing at you. It’s just that … Well, I had been thinking that in order to leave, I might just have to physically walk out the front gates. And as that thought was starting to take shape in my thoughts, I was informed of your arrival. It just stuck me as funny. Please don’t think that I was laughing at you. Just the timing of it all.” She faced him once again.

The flames that had been dancing up her arms flickered out. She reached her right hand up over her head and snapped her fingers. There was a twinkling and sparkling effect that rained down from her fingers to cover her and swirl around her. As it ran down her body, clothes began to form. Her hair went up into a ponytail atop her head, and an off the shoulder black gown with short puffy sleeves and a belled skirt covered her frame. Six inch high stiletto heeled pumps formed on her feet as well. If he happened to look, that would have been what he saw. But once again, it wasn’t something she was trying to use against him, she was just getting dressed.

Once she was dressed, she waved her hand in the direction of the main door. Had she sealed all three? Of course she had. But it was irrelevant as the other two were obscured by the shadows and he might not have even noticed them. “After you.” The doors would open easily now, if he cared to try them. She moved towards them, and if she reached them first, she would open them. And she would then step out into the courtyard. She had no worries of the time of day, her Godhood caused her to no longer be allergic to sunlight. She still preferred the darkness, but she could survive the day. And once outside she would face the day, what was left of it.

She saw that there was a horse tied to the hitching post along the East wall. Without looking to see how close to him she was she spoke. “Beautiful animal. Yours I presume.” After all, he had gotten here somehow, yes? And the equine wasn’t hers. So unless someone else had come, it made sense that it was his. “I can portal within the Keep. I can get you back to the gate in seconds if you wish.” If he agreed to such, she would open the portal once they were across the drawbridge. If he chose to ride along at the pace that had brought him here then she would choose to simply walk. If he stayed with her, she would walk all the way to the front gate with him.

by RusDring Wed Jul 28, 2010 2:40 pm

---- Right.

---- She was just getting dressed the same as he was just an ordinary man. In his experience a person didn't stand in a person view to get dressed unless they wanted to be noticed and the way she went about dressing with the flash and sparkly light show was attention getting. He had felt the heat of the flames die down - how could he not when she was standing next to him - and turned his eyes only a little to catch a glimpse of the effects of her finger snap before attention was directed back to the door. She was a goddess and part of that package deal may have been that she couldn't do anything without there being a type of show. He had seen others go about without so perhaps she was bored and the flash helped to amuse herself.

---- No offense was taken with the laughter - she could laugh if she wanted to and think as she would about him - and her asking of apology got a little more than a shrug of his shoulders. "There's nothing to be sorry for." Once the door was unlocked his opened it so she wouldn't have to and held it for her to step through. The light outside caused the usual reactionary effect it would when it was brighter than the place a person came from. A small squint of the eyes coupled with a fractional turn of his head before everything returned to normal. Nothing else was said from him as they progressed.

---- Once he reached his horse he took up the animals head in his hands as it gave a huff or two before settling down. The traveler's hand moved across his horses face and neck in long and even strokes, his mouth moving closely to the animal, the horses ear even down shifted and its head lowered as thought it was getting in better position to listen to the unspoken words.

---- Unhitching his horse as he listened to her words and question. A hand was on the reigns to give the horse a pull, he wasn't going to get on and ride. Now was when he looked at her again though his eyes stayed on her face and didn't look her over or anywhere else. "My legs are not broken and I am not lazy. I will walk just as I have been." He had no need for flashy shows or extravagant ways of travel. If she wanted to shorten her time then she had no need to be slowed by him.

---- "As you were already leaving do not let me hold you up." Putting a voice to the thought in his head before he started to walk with his horse. "Thank you for your time."

by Venis Jordianthan Thu Jul 29, 2010 3:44 am

But she was just getting dressed. She had already been standing there in nothing more than a metal bikini, so to add clothes over it was less than actually changing clothes in front of the man. As far as the little show went, her bedroom was on the second floor. It was a combination of laziness and not wanting to hold him up that caused her to add her clothing in such a way.

But now they were making forward progress towards the drawbridge. It had been left down during his visit, so there was no need to wait for it to fall. Her heels would click as she walked across the stones of the courtyard floor. Because, despite what some may or may not think of her, she did actually walk. And that gentle, smooth, sway of her hips was even more present.

As she moved slowly across the courtyard, and he got reacquainted with his mount, she heard his answer to her question of a portal. A smile tugged at the corners of her crimson lips. “Actually, I was more worried of slowing you down. I tend to move rather leisurely in heels.” The roads in the Keep weren’t paved and her heels sank into the ground when she walked across it.

He added a thank you. Something he didn’t have to do, it was pure politeness. As was his earlier holding of the door for her. She had an appreciation for such chivalry. “No need to thank me. But you are welcome.” She had been the one thanking him before, for the door, and now he had thanked her. Such civility between strangers. Something which was usually hard to find.

She felt the need to put voice to an offer that she didn’t usually make to someone who had made her unsettled, even if it was only for a moment. “You are welcome back any time.” It was a bona fide offer. After all, even though he had made her uneasy, he had not harmed her or any within her Keep. So there was no legitimate reason to ask him politely to never return.

The sound of her heels changed when she walked across the wood of the downed drawbridge. It became more of a clunk than a click. And once off the drawbridge on the other side, it would become muted by the soil road. If he was near her, or even along side her, she would discover such if he spoke or if she caught glimpse of him out of the corner of her ice blue eyes.

If he chose to keep pace with her, she figured that they could either travel in silence, or find something to talk about. Perhaps he had more questions of her, or maybe he had a tale of his own to tell. She was rather curious of the rings as he had hid them from her view the moment he saw her catch glimpse of them. Maybe the lovely silver adornments would be discussed?

by RusDring Sat Jul 31, 2010 9:43 am

---- When he had thanked her for her time he was meaning that she did not have to bother herself with him anymore. He had come her with a purpose in mind but he wasn't needed so therefore he had no more business there in her Keep. With that done he was on his way to other things outside of here. Perhaps he would find a place to stay for a while. He had no doubt that the people here would take care of him if he stayed here for another night but the place was such a Utopian society that it was unreal.

---- How the people here did not go crazy was a testament and he had the innate urge to kill someone just to break the monotony of peace. However, even if he moved to make such an attempt the deed would be stopped and handled before anything got to serious Venis, this goddess of protection, would ensure that. Therein lay the problem and it was one that she couldn't, wouldn't, or simply didn't want to see or find fault with. She had said so herself: emotions of that kind made her sick.

---- As he was holding on to the reigns he was not hiding the three rings on his fingers and if she were walking on his right side then she would clearly see them. If not...

---- He nodded at her invitation to come back whenever he wanted and nearly sighed. Of course he was welcome back, why wouldn't he be? She didn't know anything about him and yet she was inviting him back whenever he wanted. Yes, he would only nod. If they were walking at the same pace then it wasn't his purposeful doing. He was walking leisurely with his horse and she said that her walk was faster. Technically if she was true to what she said then she would be ahead of him.

---- This traveler wasn't a talker as he was use to spending long periods of time alone and he had asked of her all that he wished to know. Unless he was interrupted he would continue until it was night; if he hadn't reached the gates by then he would rest on the side of the road.

by Venis Jordianthan Tue Aug 03, 2010 12:29 am

She walked along in silence. She was in stiletto heels on a dirt road, so she wasn't moving at her usual pace. No reason to tear up a nice pair of shoes. Besides, it was getting close to dusk. And she so loved watching sunsets. It stemmed from so many years of not seeing them.

She was on his left side, and not his right, so she had no view of his rings. Not that she would have asked of them if she did. She was busying herself with looking around and taking things in. She wanted the residents to think she was out for a leisurely stroll to enjoy the evening.

If they suspected something was wrong, they would all be clamoring to try and help. She didn't want to worry anyone. If the traveler could read minds, he would have known that it wasn't just extreme sadness and pain that made her sick, but extreme joy, pleasure and happiness as well.

So she walked along and just took in the sights. A look to her left reassured her that the fires were still burning at the Forge. By her son's order, they were to never be allowed to go out. She smiled seeing that someone had been keeping up with them. Dre would be happy to know that.

Life was going on around her as if all was right with the world. And she aimed to keep it that way. She stopped at one point to take off a shoe and dump a small stone out of it. This allowed for the traveler to pull ahead of her. When she slipped the shoe back on, she continued on.

She had no reason to try to catch up with the traveler, it wasn't like they had been wrapped up in a conversation or anything. So she continued on her way. She watched the sun drop behind some mountains that were off in the West. They were barely visible over the Keep's walls.

It wasn't quite night time yet, the sun wasn't truly down, just out of sight because of the mountains. There were still children out playing and people running around doing their various jobs. She even stopped to help a little girl, Tracy was her name, tie her little pink tennis shoe.

She could still see the traveler up ahead. Though he was moving farther and farther ahead of her. She paid him no mind as the sky grew darker. He was on his way, and she on hers. If he chose to stop somewhere it was up to him. He would be offered food and drink once again.

Venis wouldn't be as bothered by the people in the Keep as the traveler would. Most of them simply said hello or nodded as they passed her. Of course, she didn't need to eat or drink. Not regular food anyway. So they had no reason to bother her unless they needed her help.

It was dark out, and he had no idea if the traveler had stopped for the night or not. If she had passed him somewhere, she didn't notice. That was due simply because she wasn't looking for him. She could still feel his presence in the Keep though. Everyone had a presence to them.

She was coming up on the second cross road. She was thinking that maybe she should give the streets names. And then a scent caught her attention. A glance to her left would reveal the source of the smell. She saw sparks of light above the houses to the South East of her.

She stood there for a moment and watched. It took her a moment to realize that the little sparks of light were fireworks. The scent was sulfur and gun powder. She continued forward. Some kids were playing with fireworks out at the South East public pool. It wasn't a problem.

Or at least not at first. Another hours worth of travel told her that fuel had been delivered earlier in the day. The fuel was stored in the barns until the next day. Then it was distributed to those who needed it. It was all sitting in trailers in and around the barn, down near the fireworks.

Almost as if she could smell catastrophe on the horizon, Venis began to run. There was only about ninety to a hundred yards between the pool and the barn. And in that space was any number of living beings and creatures. It was mostly pasture. And it was all very dry and flammable.

The teenagers were shooting mostly aerial fireworks. They had 500 gram cakes, repeaters, artillery shells, festival balls, mortars, tubes, fountains, rockets, roman candles, smoke bombs, missiles, parachutes, novelty fireworks, Saturn missiles and many more. Not all of them went high.

The rockets and the roman candles only went so far up. And they were usually still hot when they came back down. This was what worried Venis. Any one of those fireworks could ignite the fumes from the fuel trailers. Which was why Venis ran, as fast as she could, headed for the pool.

But she was too far away, or had smelt the fumes too late. Either way, that one spark did exactly what she was afraid it was going to do. She didn't see it happen, but later she found out that a roman candle ball fell too close to the barn. She did hear the explosion and see the flames.

As she ran, she slit a portal into the air. She ran through it not even bothering to close it behind her. Given that she left it open, anyone, within the Keep, could follow her through it. Which was completely fine with her, because she could use all the extra hands she could get.

She came out of the portal just inside of the fence that surrounded the pasture. She looked over to the kids at the pool. There was a panel in the ground at the side of the pool. It held hoses and a wheel to turn on the water flow. It pulled water from the pool to clean it or whatever.

Each of the four pools had this set up. And the water was needed now. She looked to the teenagers as she yelled. "Get those hoses out and spray down the houses and yards. Now!" No time for pleasantries. She wanted to make sure that they flying sparks didn't spread the fire.

There were already men and women pulling the trailers of fuel away from the flames. They were moving them towards the gates of the Keep, the other end of the pasture. Venis kicked off her shoes and began to move quickly towards the burning barn. She opened her arms to the flames.

The flames were answering her. They bent and danced towards her as she walked into them with open arms. The animals that had been around the barn were running to the other end of the pasture as well. Meanwhile, Venis began to absorb the flames. Taking in the accelerant and all.

There were heartbeats within the barn. And they were frantic ones at this point. Venis began to look for the sources of the heartbeats as she continued to draw the fire into herself. There was a goat that had been tied to a post. A milk bucket was beside it. A touch of the rope freed it.

There were still more living things in the barn. Venis was absorbing the flames as fast as she could. She hoped that none of the kids turned the water towards the barn because the water would spread the fuel and the fire both. Beings were running in to try and get animals out as well.

by Employees of the Goddess Wed Aug 11, 2010 4:38 am

Hearing the explosion, Carol, the dry cleaner, ran out of her shop and saw the Goddess running through a portal. Others were coming out to help as well. The walls of the Keep worked as a sort of valley when it came to sound. Something as loud as an explosion would be heard throughout.

Carol ran over an put her hand through the portal. She wanted to mark it and keep it open so that the others who were running out to help could get through it. In total, seven men and two women took advantage of the portal being open. They came out of the portal to find the chaos at the barn.

Some of the men went to get the hoses from the teenagers. They hopped the fence that was around the pasture and then ran through the gate to the pool. Taking over, they were hosing down houses and yards to protect them from flying sparks from the fire and the falling hot ashes.

The other men, and the women, went to helping the animals escape. No one stood around asking questions or took the time to try to figure out what to do. They just got in there and did what needed to be done. Two sheep came running out of the barn fast with their wool on fire.

Some people came running out of the houses that were nearest the barn. They carried blankets and some even had actual fire extinguishers. Two blankets were thrown over the sheep to put out their flames. They couldn't use water on them because of the fuel that was feeding the flames.

As the flames died down on the barn, Venis could be seen standing there. Her dress and shoes had burned away. She had her hands out to her sides and her head tilted back. She was absorbing the flames as fast as she could. That was when one woman screamed. Someone else was in there.

When the flames were completely out, Venis lowered her arms and bowed her head. Then she dropped to her knees and collapsed on the ground. Employees rushed in to asses the damages. They began to remove the charred remains of the animals that were closer to the edges of the barn.

One man, Greg, went to the Goddess' side and knelt down beside her. He reached out to touch her arm to try and wake her. Her flesh was so hot to the touch that it burnt his fingertips. Taking in a sharp breath through gritted teeth he pulled his hand back. "Goddess, are you ... Alive?"

Everyone was still busy trying to get the animals out. It took four men to remove the remains of a horse. Another four to remove the two cows that had been caught inside. The carcasses were being laid out near the remains of the barn so they could be buried. But there were still more in there.

The middle of the barn was still too hot to go and get animals from. So they worked their way inward, letting the area cool as much as they could first. No one wanted to get burnt trying to remove a dead animal. And the remains of the equipment were all too hot to touch, they were left for now.

With all the shards of metal from the equipment, it made it that much more difficult to remove animals. But that didn't stop anyone from trying. And now people were bringing out water bottles and wet cloths for those who were trying to clean up the mess of charred death that remained.

by Venis Jordianthan Wed Aug 11, 2010 6:00 am

Venis saw the other being within the barn. Unfortunately, she saw them too late. They had already passed on. It was their passing that had drawn her attention to them in the first place. Because the fuel within the flames was making her ill, but she nearly vomited the moment that the life of the being in the barn left his body.

She could see everyone coming and getting animals, and then animal carcasses. Her stomach was in turmoil. She wasn't even sure she could hold on long enough to absorb all the fire. There was far too much fuel in it, and with lives ending around her on top of it. It was a miracle that she held her stomach long enough at all.

When the flames were out she barely had a chance to focus her vision. In fact, it didn't focus. Her arms fell heavy to her sides and her head bobbed forward. With her chin upon her chest she felt her legs give out from under her. She crashed to her knees with a resounding thud. Then she toppled to her side and passed out.

She felt the touch of the one who dared to heat to come to her side. When she heard his words, her eyes fluttered open. They weren't their usual blue. They were completely darkened with a smoke so gray it was nearly black. The fact that it was smoke could be seen with closer examination. If anyone dared that was.

She turned her head and saw the man. He was hopping from one foot to the other as the ground was so hot that it was heating him through his boots. She saw him holding his wrist with his opposite hand. "I am, thank you. Go and get that burn treated. I shall be fine. Sorry to put a scare into you." And she pushed herself up.

As the man ran off to get his burnt fingers treated, Venis moved so that she was back upon her knees. Then she slowly rose to her feet. Her equilibrium was off and she swayed as she regained her feet. She shook her head and blinked a few times. She could still see, but everything seemed to be shaded. She looked around.

When she saw the lifeless body laying upon the floor approximately ten feet away from her, she moved towards it slowly. She didn't want to loose her balance and stumble. She knelt down and scooped the body up, cradled in her arms. Then barefooted and clad in only her metal bikini, she carried the body out of the barn.

She took the charred remains of what had once been someones loved one, and laid them gently in the back of a cart. She spoke not another word to anyone before she went over behind the burnt remains of the barn. Once there she doubled over and threw up. It was loud and there was a lot. But she had to expel the nasty fuel.

She was back there, mostly hidden from view, for nearly five minutes. Between the death and the fuel, she was surprised she wasn't back there longer. When she finally came out from behind the barn, she wiped her mouth with the back of one hand, the other was laid across her abdomen. She walked smoothly, but slowly.

She dared not sit as her flesh was still as hot as it had been when Greg had been burnt. But she did look to the teenagers and motioned for them with her finger. When they came to her, their heads were hung in shame. "You five children will rebuild my barn. And you will care for the burns on all the animals that survived."

She looked down at them, not a one of them being over five foot ten. They were so young. "And that is just your punishment from me. Your parents will still wish to deal with you I would presume. Speak with Ivan about when you are to rebuild. Joshua about the animals." Joshua was the vet for the livestock throughout the Keep.

She dismissed them with the wave of her hand and the clutching of her stomach. They ran off to check on the animals that were all at the end of the pasture. She turned around and looked at the area to survey the damages. It brought a weary sigh from her lips. Just when she was headed out to the main gate, a catastrophe struck.

She shook her head and moved towards the animals that were injured. She chose to not touch anything or anyone as her flesh was still too hot. But she looked over the animals and took stock of their wounds. Joshua had already arrived on the scene and he was starting to care for burn wounds. He was treating humans as well.

She made note that she needed a physician or a healer on call for the Keep. She had never thought about it before, because Tasha had always been able to come when she was needed, or Venis herself. After all, she had attended medical school more than once. Boredom for Venis usually meant going back to college for a while.

She sighed and shook her head. She was so upset over the loss of life. Both animal and human. To her it had seemed needless. But she couldn't simply undo what had happened. For one, she couldn't turn back time. For two, she didn't resurrect animals. And for three, she didn't have the soul gem of the human to resurrect them either.

She walked over to Greg, given he had been the one willing to brave the heat to check on her. "Let me know when the funeral is. I have to go burn off this fuel and settle my stomach. If anyone needs me, I will be in my throne room." She smiled wearily at him and turned to walk back to the castle. She was too sick to leave.

It was a shame that such an innocent act as lighting off fireworks had to end in such a tragedy. The children should have been supervised, and she thought to punish the parents as well. She would decided that later. As well as posting a sign disallowing fireworks at the Southern pools. Now, she just wanted to feel better.

by Venis Jordianthan Fri Sep 24, 2010 3:04 am

Eros had finally had enough of waiting for Venis, he knew that she needed some space, but normally it was only for a day or so. Now it was going on day 5 … Well that was a different story. So he closed his eyes looking for her. When he finally sensed her she was still at her keep. So he got dressed and disappeared, reappearing at the front gate. It was there that he waited for someone to speak to him.

Ernesto sensed someone popping up outside of the gate. He went to the window to see who it was. Shock and a slight bit of fear consumed him when he looked out the window and saw the God Eros standing there. He immediately started to open the doors. "Good day to you Lord Eros." He moved from the window to yell out the door. "Ready Spartan for Lord Eros." The mount was pulled from the pasture and saddled. While the horse was being prepared to ride, the huge doors were opening to let Eros in. Ernesto was back at his window quickly. "Pleasure to see you M'Lord. I have ordered a mount for you so you may have a speedy trip to the castle." He wanted to make sure that Eros got to the castle quickly.

God's had wraths that were far worse than those of man. Ernesto didn't want anyone to feel Eros' wrath if he got irritated taking almost twenty-four hours to get to the castle. So he would be offered one of the fastest Transylvanian Thoroughbreds within the Keep to get him there in about one forth the time.

He just raised his eye brow a little and he gave a little chuckle. It was funny when humans saw him and they got a look of fear in them. He was the God of Love not the God of Stare At Me Wrong and Die. But none the less, he just nodded at the man and walked into the gated area. "Thank you, and it was not needed to rush for me, I am here as a guest nothing more." He walked up to the horse looking at him and smiled. He put his hand on the horn of the saddle and lifted himself up. "There we go." He smiled a little as he moved the horse around for a moment. "Well you all have a good day. And take it easy.“

Ernesto sighed with relief and sank down into his chair. Then he realized that the gates were still open. So he got up and cranked them closed again. Then he peeked his head out of the door to talk to the man who had prepared the horse. "I know he wasn't mad, but I didn't want us to be the ones who made him angry. Ya know?" The other guy nodded and began to put things away. Ernesto resumed his position in his gate room.

He walked his horse on the road just taking in the sights. It was then that he looked down speaking to the horse. "Well we have two options, the first one being that you run up to the castle to get me off your back or we can go at this pace and get there when we get there. I am in no rush." He patted the side of the horses neck. He saw the remains of a barn off to the East. It looked like it had burned down. And from the smell of it, it hadn’t been too long ago. He spoke to the mount again. “Well, she’s going to be in a lovely mood. Either she did it, or she’s going to be mad that it even happened.” He chuckled about that.

The horse just continued to move at the leisurely pace. He was in no hurry either. The horses were bred for the purpose of speed, but sometimes it was nice to just move along at a nice leisurely canter. So unless the God upon his back was going to hurry him along, canter he would do. Even taking time to pause for employees crossing the road. He did move a little faster though when he saw a woman with a basket of fruits, plenty of big red apples on top.

He felt the horse move a little bit faster so he scanned the area. He saw the woman with the apples and saw how the horse was darting over to her. He chuckled and smiled. "I see what you are after, just give me a few and I will get a few for you." He waited until they got closer. "Excuse me miss."

The woman stopped and looked up at the man who was addressing her. Turned out, it wasn't a man at all, at least not a mortal one. It was the God Eros. Everyone, or at least almost everyone, within the Keep knew him. As well as a few other God’s who frequented the region. "Yes, how may I help you Lord Eros?" She smiled brightly at him. He was so handsome. She straightened her back a little as she looked up at him. The roundness that was already straining against her bodice looked ready to overflow.

He smiled as he looked at her. If it wasn’t for the fact that he was on a mission, granted a slow moving one, he would have seen about having his way with this fair lass, but now was not the time. "Would it be possible to get a few of those apples that you have there to give to this horse?" He just smiled again at her.

His smile made her legs quiver. She smiled even more. "But of course sir." She took two apples in her free hand and reached up to give them to him. His scent was intoxicating. She closed her eyes as she breathed him in. Once he had the two apples, she took a third one and fed it to the horse from the palm of her hand. As the horse ate the apple she looked up to him again. "My name is Janice, Lord. If you require anything else, please feel free to let me know." She pulled a slip of paper from the pocket of her apron and a pencil. She wrote her name and number down and handed it to him. "Have a lovely day sir." She smiled at him again, and there was a whole lot of flirtation in that smile.

He smirked as he moved his hand over to reach for her number, yes he would keep it in mind and just to let her know about his interest, as soon as his fingers touched her hand a small burst of lust and pleasure coursed through her body. And since she was holding the basket, his other hand made it lift into the air, that way the apples and things inside would not spill from her almost sitting down right there on the road. "Thank you very much and I will keep that in mind." With that he moved his fingers away and smiled at the lady. "You have a good day, ok?" With that he would start to trot away on the horse.

There was no almost to it. That burst of lust and pleasure dropped the woman to her knees with a sigh. A very content sigh. She didn't even notice her basket levitating or lowering to the ground slowly. "Ok." Spoken in a very soft and breathy voice. Then she cleared her throat. "Um, I mean yes, yes sir. You too." She sighed again as he rode away and fell to her side on the ground.

He just smiled as he looked around. "Man do I love my title." He chuckled again. Yes being the God of Love really had its advantages. But there was here nor there so he just kept on going down the road, every once ina while he would give the horse a piece of the apples that he had with him.

The horse was appreciative of the apples. He even made sure that he moved at a decent pace. That way it would only take about twelve hours to get to the drawbridge rather than almost a full twenty-four.

Here and there he saw many people, some running from him others getting closer to talk to him. There were even more women who gave him their numbers and names. He was polite and took the papers and put them into one of his pockets. Yes this happened everywhere that he went. And he did not care one bit.

When they arrived at the mote, Spartan stopped. He was close enough to the call box for Eros to simply dismount and use the box. And of course, being a well trained mount, he would stand there waiting patiently.

He smiled as he patted the horse. "Thanks for the ride." He gave the horse the rest of the apple. He got off the horse and smiled. "Go ahead and head back, I should be good here." He patted the horse again before he went to he box, picked up the receiver, and pressed the button.

Spartan took the rest of the apple and munched on it. When Eros told him to head back he shook his head. If Eros didn't want to take him into the castle, that was fine, but he was going to hang out here in case he needed a ride back to the gates later.

When the buzz of the call box was heard in the gate room, Robert shook his head. "Another guest." He picked up the phone. "Yes, may I help you?" He sounded perfectly polite on the phone, even though he was having a bad day.

He just smiled as he looked the horse before looking back at the speaker. "Hi.....my name is Eros and I am here to speak with Venis." He was waiting for the response that came next.

Robert's eyes widened and he was silent for a brief moment. "Um, forgive me Lord Eros, but uh, I fear her wrath more than I fear yours. So if you could be so kind as to give me a moment? I will check with her and see if she will receive you." He waited for permission before setting the phone down.

He gave a light chuckle. "That is fine by all means. I can wait here." He was not going to say ‘let me in or else‘. So he just waited until he was allowed to enter.

Robert set the phone down and ran, as fast as he could, to the throne room. He knocked as he pushed the door open. "Um, Goddess, ummm. Eros is here." Again he tried to sink his head into his shoulders like a turtle.

Venis stopped pacing and sighed. She shook her head no as she spoke. "Let him in." And she waited for the door to close. "Damn, I'm never going to figure this out with all these distractions." And she started pacing again.

Robert ran back to his gate room and snatched up the receiver as he cranked the drawbridge so it would start to lower. "You're in luck sir, as am I, given I lived long enough to tell you that she has granted you audience." The drawbridge was slowly coming down, chains creaking against the weight of the heavy wood. When they were finally down, there would be a thud and the ground would shake slightly.

He smiled, "Thank you, and get some sleep ok?" He walked over the bridge and got half way. He then turned around a looked at the horse. "Well are you coming or you are going to stay outside the castle?" He just smiled waiting for the horses reply.

The horse looked up at him and turned so he could run over to him. He would have stayed outside grazing, but inside he would get attention from employees. So he followed him in. Robert on the other hand. He spoke to himself after he hung up. "Sleep? I wasn't aware I needed sleep." He chuckled. When he saw out the window that Eros and the horse had made it across the drawbridge, he began to pull it up.

As the employees came out of the various doors to start tending to the horse, one of them pointed towards the double doors in the North wall across the courtyard. "The Goddess is in her throne room sir." They brought out a feed bag for the horse and began to brush him down.

He smiled and nodded at them. "Thank you very much." With that he started to walk over to the double doors. Then he moved his hands a little making the double doors open in front of him and close behind him. He was seeing her pace around as he leaned up against the door seal. The smile never leaving his face.

She looked over at the doors when they opened, still pacing. When the doors closed behind him and he leaned against them she spoke. "Hello dear. What can I do for you?" Emphasis on the you. She kept pacing. Her voice was calmer than she had thought it would be.

He pushed off the door and walked over to her. "Actually, I came here for you." He made sure to get as close as he could to her.

Which wouldn't be too close as she was a ball of flames. But here was another man who was here to help her. Which was rather frustrating to her. "Ok, what can you do for me then dear?" Her voice still calm and level. Surprisingly.

He put his hands down and looked at her. " Dear......something is bothering you. What is it?" He walked closer to her.

She kept pacing as she shook her head. "I honestly don't know." She reached up and sliced at the air in front of her. When the little silver line appeared she started to put her hand though it. There was a pop as it snapped shut on her fingers again. "It's been like that for two days now. And no one else can open one for me, well, save for Dre or Kyra." But she wasn't even sure if one of their portals would work at this point.

He just looked at her. "Hm.....that normally does not happen huh?" He closed his eyes as he felt around Venis. "Well from what I see you are unstable for some reason." He put his hands down and looked at her. "Come here dear."

She shook her head. "I can move within the keep, the instability is my frustration. And the fuel from last night when I absorbed that barn fire." She shook her head again. She wasn't willing to extinguish her flames right at that moment. "I was headed out to use the gate when the barn blew up." People had not even bothered to wonder about why she had poofed in but tried to walk out. There hadn’t been time for all that.

His eyes washed over Venis as he looked at her. "I saw the remains of the barn, it looks like it's completely gone. And I am sorry that you are going through this love. Did it have something to do with your family?" He knew that he felt a few people in the Inn for a few moments that were her family. As far as the barn went, he didn't have to ask about the possible loss of life, he could feel the sorrow and sadness throughout the Keep when he was headed to the castle.

She shook her head. "I have no idea. One moment I was hanging out with Dre, Gawain, and Madeline, the next I was here and couldn't portal out." She looked towards the bottle of blood wine that was left unfinished and chose to keep trying to get out. She wasn't exactly hungry at the moment. She was too stressed to eat. Not to mention still nauseous from the fuel and the death that resulted from the fire.

"What exactly happened when they were at the Inn?" He just stood there waiting for her to cool down.

His question caused her to sigh. And that sigh caused her flames to shoot up from her almost all the way to the ceiling. "Well, I popped in to say hi to Gawain when I felt him show up. Then Dre showed up as well, cause you know he and Kyra had rented a cottage. So then Madeline came down, I'm guessing from seeing Andrew, though after Valentine's he probably didn't want to see her. Gawain had turned Dre pink, Madeline turned Gawain into a rainbow Chihuahua, Gawain turned me into a goat and Madeline into a cheerleader, Dre turned Madeline into Paris Hilton, I made Gawain's rainbow colors start to swirl, Gawain turned the lower half of me back to human. I painstakingly undid the rest while they all stood around shooting the breeze with Kyra when she arrived, and I opened a portal to head to bed and ended up here. So see, nothing that would cause me to be trapped." Whatever had her trapped was an outside force that had nothing to do with her playing games with her family.

He listened to the whole thing and the thought of the Adam's family came to mind, but would he say that out loud? Nope. And Inion had told them that it had felt to her like harmless playing. So after taking everything in, he walked around for a few moments coming up with ideas and what not before he looked back at her. "Could it be that you are trapping yourself within the keep?"

She shook her head. "I doubt it. After all, why would I?" This was only her third or fourth trip to the Keep ever. She had avoided it for so many years that she just wasn't in the habit of coming out here, let alone, sticking around.

"Well, with everything that is going on, could it be your subconscious putting the barrier up?" He may not look smart at times, but he had his moments. Hey, after living for so long things due tend to go missing.

She shook her head, pacing again. "I don't think I would trap myself somewhere where I don't really want to be. It wouldn't make sense for me to do so." The thought that she had done this to herself had never crossed her mind. But she was pondering it now.

"Our minds do odd things love, There have been times when people have not gone outside because in their mind something is happening or is going to happen. It is the minds way of protecting its body."

She nodded as she paced, looking like she was lost in thought. But she was still there, she was listening, she was just thinking at the same time. "I know, I've dealt with agoraphobic people before. I don't think that this is agoraphobia though love." She didn't think that she would have that problem. She had no fear of things that could or would happen if she left the Keep. There was so little in the universe that she feared in any way.

He sighed. "Well I do not know love. I am just giving out ideas." With that he took a few more steps closer to her. Granted he could feel the heat coming off of her flames but he did not care. "Love, stop for a moment and come here, ok?"

She shook her head again. "I don't want to burn you hon." She kept pacing. "I know you're just throwing idea's out there. I appreciate it. Honestly, I do." He was giving her food for thought. After all, he was coming up with idea's that she hadn't come up with herself.

"Then why don’t you turn the flames off." He chuckled a little as he waited for her response.

She chuckled. "I guess. For now. I‘m still burning off the fuel from last night‘s fire." She closed her eyes and the flames slowly died down and dissipated. She was left standing there in her metal bikini and her bare feet. The bare feet were unusual for her to say the least. And when the flames were out, the nausea was worse because she was no longer burning the fuel from her system.

He chuckled as he walked over her and he smiled as he put his arms around her. "There, that is much better."

She leaned against him and closed her eyes slowly. That was followed by a soft sigh. "I just don't know what to do." She was so frustrated.

He chuckled a little. "Well, you know I am here for you love." He gave her forehead a little kiss.

She pulled back from the hug and offered a half hearted hug before walking away. "I know, and it means a lot to me that you are." She just wasn't sure what he could do exactly. He couldn't open a portal within the walls of the Keep. And the enchantment used to make that so was not something she could reverse. She always accounted for all possibilities If it could be reversed, someone could potentially find a way to force her to reverse it and then they would have access to her Keep and all those who lived within. Never going to happen. So she was, for now, stuck. Maybe she would find an excuse to try for the front gates again, if she got pissed enough. But for now, she fired up her flames again as she started to pace more.

He just looked at her and smiled. "Is there really a need for the flames love?" He looked at her again.

She had her back to him as she was walking away in her pacing. "They're comforting, which helps me keep a clear head, for the most part at least. And like I said, I‘m burning the fuel from my system." She turned towards him in her pacing again, walking with her head down. She was going through a thousand and one reasons for this problem in her mind.

He took a look at her. He had never seen her this way in all the time that he had known her. He was trying to figure out what was going on in her head and why this was happening to her. Granted, there was only so much that he could do at the moment since she would not let him near her.

What could he do if she let him near her anyway? Even if she let him near, he still wouldn't be able to portal her out, she would still be stuck, and he would be a bit of a distraction as well. It wasn't Eros' fault that he emitted waves of lust and pleasure by simply being present. Venis was never completely unaffected by his presence. She stood a better chance than most other beings, but she wasn't one hundred percent unaffected.

He just smiled as he walked over to the door of the throne room, opened it, and pointed to the nearest servant. "Hey, you there." He pointed to someone walking in the courtyard. "Come here for a minute please."

The man looked over to see who had called for him. Seeing Lord Eros he walked over rather quickly. "Yes Lord Eros, how may I be of service to you?" He stood with his hands clasped behind his back and awaited his instructions.

He smiled as he looked at the man. "Relax, I am not going to do anything to you, I just need to you get Venis and I some food. Would you be able to do that?" He put his hand in his pocket and pulled out a platinum piece, He put it next to his thumb and flicked it at the man. "That is for you, don’t tell anyone ok?" He chuckled a little.

The man, who was probably the most relaxed of Venis' employees as of yet, reached his hand up and snatched the platinum as it flew towards him. "Payment is not necessary sir." He offered him the platinum back in his open palm. "I would be more than happy to fetch you some food from the kitchen. What would you like?" He had no way of knowing that Venis had never finished the bottle of blood wine that they had brought for her the day she went into the throne room. So he would bring her another.

"Keep it. It’s not like I have any other use for it." He chuckled a little. "And just bring anything that is ready at the moment." Venis nor Eros were really picky about what to eat so he would just wait until the man was back with the food.

The man closed his hand over the coin and put his hands back behind his back. "Very well sir." He listened to what was said about the food and he gave a bow of his head. "Right away Lord Eros." With that having been said, he turned on his heels and headed across the courtyard and slightly to the left to the kitchen door. Once inside he told the cook that Lord Eros was hungry. Then he went to retrieve a bottle of blood wine for Venis. He put it on a tray with a clean crystal goblet.

The cook added a plate with a steak, baked potato, and an ear of corn. She set out utensils and napkins. She added a bottle of wine and a matching goblet. Then she set some small bowls of things to add to the potato. She put some salt and pepper shakers on the tray and motioned to the man that it was ready. He lifted the tray with both hands and carried it back to the throne room. He used his foot to knock on the door five times.

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