Each continent had its own scent, something that was unique to that body of land. For Parvpora, it was the overwhelming aroma of magic as it permeated everything. Jasumine Lake, with its clear waters and beautiful autumn cloak, glistened as a jewel in the mid afternoon sun. Lirin could also detect older scents, underlying ones that most have long since lost the ability to catch. Celsy had been there… Maybe a week ago, no more than ten days past. They had their reunion… Again. It seems that something happens to one of them, making the other search as a repeating loop.

Lirin Vendethiel was finally free from the void of no memories. She was tortured, beaten, then suddenly released with no memory of who or what she was. Now, the vampire was on a mission to find out why, to search for her lover before the amnesia. Her heart ached when she thought of him, how he will feel when she breaks the news to him that she had found another in their time apart. However, searching takes time, time takes energy, and energy requires sustenance. She knew just the place.

Down towards the lake sat a quaint roadside tavern, well known by travelers of the area. It had a splendid view of the crystalline waters and the atmosphere is what one would expect by a bar and inn unpoliced by city guards, on the happier side of the scale. Lirin had performed once or twice here before, the proprietor commenting on her being good for business. So when she walked in through the door, her dark indigo hair in bouncing curls down her back, the barkeep beamed at her. Her dress was teal, the sleeves stitched from elbow to wrist with split skirts. A fitted black bodice covered that with an opening to reveal her cleavage rather tastefully clasped gently at the neck with black leggings tucked neatly in knee high boots.

It did not take the vampire long to sweet talk her way into an impromptu performance for his guests. Lirin never asked for coin from the establishment, accepting tips from the clients as well as their generous donation of life giving liquid that courses through their veins. While minorly flirting with the proprietor, Lirin began to sing a soft, lovely tune. As her voice filled the room, so too did her spell. It snaked its way around each and every person already present and those entering the establishment as a gentle current of air, laced with her pheromones and a light charm to make the weak minded enthralled by her. She did not force her way into anyone's mind, merely offering a mouse some cheese to entice it out of its hole.

Without her student or an ability to study alchemy in hopes of infiltrating the guild. Lixue wondered throughout the world helping out those in need while taking on contracts to earn enough money to perhaps bribe her way into the guild. Today was no different, hunt down the target and bring proof of the kill. It was something she had been doing all her life ease simple no thought required as the targets crimes have already been documented.

As she entered the inn holding a square wooden box something was off. Looking around the client seemed to be fixated on the stage. She could hear the music fine though the more modern music that was song today was not to her tastes as they seem to try too much and forget that there is beauty and simplicity. Paying the song or the performer no mind as she went over to the barkeep placing the box down on the counter. Along with the contract upon it. "Masashimo Omaro former leader of the Omaro Bandits. Wanted for theft, kidnapping, extortion, numerous murders and arson". Looking at the barkeep as he appeared to be ignoring her as his focus was on the stage.

Turning her to the stage Lixue could see and feel the presence of magic that clawed at her mind and body all steaming from the elf that was currently in the middle of her song. The woman had a nice voice and like all elves she was beautiful. Though none of that interested the Priestess as she was well aware that more often than not the most beautiful rose held the sharpest thorns as the Elven woman use not only her looks but magical suggestion to assist her work.

Sliding off the top of the box revealing a cube of ice with Masashimo Omaro's head inside of it, Lixue would snap her fingers to release the barkeep from his infatuation with the Songstress. "Hmm, uh oh… Ahhaha! What is that"?! Jumping back slamming into the wall behind him as the sounds of bottles smashed against the stone floor. Ignoring that she now caught the attention of most of the patrons she spoke plainly. "Masashimo Omaro". Lixue would hold the bounty up showing the barkeep. "It's a simple contract. I know that you are affiliated with the guilds and have money aside for payment".

"..Um..mm, yea just let me get your pay".

With the Barkeep gathering her payment, Lixue made her way over to the board to look over the contracts available not bothering to apologize for her interruption as the bar was known to house criminals and the scum of society. No doubt they did not care for an apology or appreciate how the Priestess had gone after their fellow criminal. As she looked the coward whispered among themselves.

"You think she got Mas all by herself he had twenty boys with him"?

"No not a chance look at her she tiny"

"Yea, but Mas's head is in that block of ice over there how do you think it's still frozen"?

A few of the patrons went over to the head in a cube to poke at it to see if it was real and not just a trick.

She continued her song as she took the stage, taking the time to look each and every patron in the eye, lingering just long enough. It allowed them to imagine that maybe, just maybe, the song was meant for them. Sunlight flooded the tavern, yet she did not stumble in her acapella. Lirin followed the newcomer with her peripheral vision, curious as it seemed that the vampire was so easily dismissed. Still, she worked her magic on them, trying to find the one most susceptible.

Only when the barkeep gave a startled yelp followed immediately by disturbed wood and shattering glass did her voice die. Everyone, including Lirin, was raptly absorbed by the commotion. The woman was a bounty hunter, like Celsy, here to collect payment for a job completed. Her gaze scanned the startled patrons, knowing she had lost the efforts of her spell. Either she could try again, or she could try another approach. Although there was an unpleasant scent on the air, one she couldn’t quite place. It smelled sharp as ice, rigid and dangerous.

While the men seemed afraid of the bounty hunter, the vampire was now very curious, wondering if she had any affiliations with Celeste and Larka. Lirin made her way over to the bar, hips swaying, and dropped several gold coins on the worn surface. ”Let me cover your loss, Delvan.” Her eyes glanced over the box to see the glistening ice obscuring the shocked expression of the hunter’s victim. Whatever his crimes were, he probably deserved such a fate. The ice just increased her curiosity tenfold.

One of the patrons caught Lirin by the waist as she turned, her smile easy as he pulled her into him. She leaned in, to whisper in his ear. ”Maybe next time, sweet thing.” His scent was too sour, anyway, so it was not much of a loss on her part. After she extracted herself from his grasp, the vampire’s heels clicked against the stone floor as she walked up to the porcelain-skinned woman. Her ocean orbs took in the board that held the stranger’s attention, taking in the different wanted posters. ”Choices, choices. So many to collect, yet numbers never dwindle. Quite a lucrative line of work. Impressive skill, matched by only one other. Although…” Lirin paused as she glanced at the stranger from beneath her lashes. ”None has ever had quite disturbed a song as you have. Perhaps you prefer more… Traditional work?”

Skimming through the bounty board the Undead seemed to focus more on the slaying of beast than of man. While many of these men and women could be seen more as monster than man, Lixue's teachings and gifts were meant for the beings that threatened man not to be turned against them even if they did their utmost to rid themselves of their humanity.

Taking note of the more heinous acts done by the loud minority that did their very best to place the sting of hatred within the hearts and minds of others to those who merely share their race. as the music had stopped and many of the crowd took to the Priestess' or nature's work as the Elven Bard left the stage. Keeping an eye on the inn as a whole, but more importantly the Evlen Woman as she brushed off one of the man's advances. Feeling as if her lack of interest and antics may have caused more trouble than it was worth as the Undead's indifference toward the elf's music and her 'charms' seemed to have the opposite effect of what she had wanted.

As the Raven Haired Woman drew closer, Lixue focused her eyes on the board making sure to not to give any signs of interest to further provoke the woman's interest. With the click of the woman's heels inching ever closer it appeared as if the Elf was either offended by Lixue's lack of interest or curios by it.

Standing along in silence as the both of them looked over the bounties. That silence would soon be broken by the Elf's wisdom hidden in the woman's playful words. Turning to the Looking to the Bard the Priestess examined the woman more thoroughly now that she was closer. Adside from the Elf's exaggerated movements and clothing her body and hands were forged from battle. From such a life her mana was odd as it was neither light nor dark, but a muddied grey as in their work no side can walk the path of good. "I'd prefer it if there was none, but with all of the chaos surrounding the world it has made it easier for exploiters to roam free and do as they wish as the guard has been pushed to its limit". Looking back to the board as she tore off one of the bounties. "Dealing with untrained and undisciplined bandits is nothing to be impressed over as half of these groups are made up of displaced peoples that have been placed into the choice of die or steal. Perhaps if I was truly skilled I'd be able to stop the root of the issue, but unfortunately, I'm only good at destroying just like the men and women on this board".

Making his way over to the two women waxing philosophy, the barkeep or Delvan as how the Elf referred to him as handed Lixue a purse. "Here's your payment, count it if you wish". Looking to the man as she took the purse, "That will not be necessary as you would not be foolish enough to try and undercut myself or the guild". Letting out a nervous laugh as Delvan returned to his bar pushing the ice block aside as the dead man staring back at him was unsettling.

As Lixue was about to leave her unwanted company glanced towards her in an odd manner as she mentioned the Undead's unusual interruption as well as an attempt to pinpoint the Priestess' musical preference. "It was necessary as both your music and talents were far more captivating than my simple drudgery. As for my taste in music, it is fairly obvious that I would lean toward tradition by my appearance, however, I doubt your idea of traditional music is anything remotely close to my tastes". With her payment and new target decided it was best to live before she had to deal with the Woman anymore as Lixue could tell that the Elf was trouble.

Lirin inspected the priestess closer, at least the expression on her face, a feeling of sympathy, or perhaps empathy washing over her. Unlike her sister, Lirin did not destroy men and women. Instead, she helped bring in extra coin to the bars. Perhaps, when the men were done partaking of their drink, they stumbled into the brothels to release the tensions Lirin herself had stirred. ”Perhaps if one did not perceive it as destruction, you could see the good you do for others. Countless lives are saved, preserved because of the life you took.” Delvan seemed nervous as he paid the bounty hunter. This woman seemed as frigid as the frozen head on the bartop.

As the priestess began to explain her musical preference, Lirin gave a knowing smile. ”One cannot assume that the song at present is the musician’s favorite, nor their partial preference. The music of man is… dull if I am to be perfectly blunt. It just so happened to be Delvan’s favorite song. Personally, the timeless pieces of my ancestors are more to my tastes.” But the conversation did not appear to hold the woman’s interest, as she began to turn away. Lirin sighed, glancing again at the board which held no information to the vampire’s true hunt. Where was Tadgh hidden? ”Wait,” she called after her.

The vampire guarded her expression, keeping a formal business appearance. If the bounty hunter walked, the vampire would keep pace. ”Truth is, I’m looking for someone. A group of demons to be precise. Maybe you heard of them in your hunts?” If it wasn’t bad enough that memories of being bound and tortured, starved and abused flooded her mind, a gust of wind swirled around her chaotically. Her hand trembled for a long moment before Lirin clenched it into a fist and forced the wind to calm. ”They go by the name of Kurudisha and they took something quite precious to me.”

Lixue stopped for a moment as the Elf called out to her. Turning back around to face her steel grey eyes focused on the tonal shift in the Elf's voice and mannerisms. "You bardic talents betray you as a request would work better than a command". While she was well aware that this Elf Songstress was more than likely trouble she caught a hint of desperation in the Elf'd words.

Listening to the Woman's request would do nothing for either of them as she has never heard of any group or organization known as Kurudisha. Though what interested her the most was that it was a group of demons instead of one at the head of the group. It could be a gathering of lesser fiends joined together for a similar goal as it would be doubtful that they would appear to her in their true forms altogether. Running a finger through the rim of her hat to release some hair that got stuck, the Undead would look to the Elf more closely as there was something off about the Woman. Focusing on her mana the Priestess could see a curse and a surprising youthfulness to the Woman's no Child's age given that the age of maturity for elves is roughly around a hundred the Undead would be willing to bet that the Elf was not even fifty. With this new knowledge, her dislike of the patrons grew as while Girl may appear to be a mature woman she was but a child.

Holding back her disgust for the bar patron's lust for the Elf she focused back to the more pressing matter at hand. "No, I do not know of Kurudisha or the demons who fly under the banner". Moving to a nearby table and seating herself Lixue would motion for the Girl to sit as well as dealing with one demon would be a long conversation in itself a group could take far longer. Switching from Common to Sidhielian as the Undead did not want to give away the Elf's true age to the other patron or any who may be working with the current topic. "Before I go on why is someone so young away from home? Does it have to do with how you encounter these demons such as an attempt to make a pact that led to your banishment"? While Lixue was no Elf she had spent time among the high elves of Sidhiel as an unwilling guest due to her removal of a high elf official plagued with lycanthropy. With how long and tedious high elf bureaucracy is or was, it took a long time for her to prove her innocence. However, in that time Lixue managed to learn quite a lot about high elf culture and high magic. Though from the look of the Elf she seemed to be more of a wood elf than a high elf.

Lirin waited as the priestess pondered her words. If breathing was required, she was sure that it would be baited in anticipation. This woman had no reason to assist the vampire in any form. Yet, as the silence between them grew, she was sure that the priestess was taking a great amount of time appraising Lirin. However, she felt deflated by just the first word.

It would appear she was out of luck in pursuing the Kurudisha. She would have to go scrounge for clues elsewhere. The offer to sit was unexpected but taken with gratefully. She blinked when the huntress switched languages, the words familiar yet foreign to her ears simultaneously. ”My home is a greater distance than the elves whose language we use,” Lirin answered as best as she could. Sidhielian dialect was not quite as natural to her as her native language but was very similar in many aspects. ”While I care not to discuss whether or not I was banished, it would have nothing to do with the demons.”

She did not wish to relive the memories and unfair ruling of the elders. So, she attempted to keep the conversation about the demons. ”These demons are determined to set a virus upon surface dwellers. I am uncertain if it means to wipe us out, or merely weaken us. However, the demon they chose to unleash the virus was not committed to the cause. When it was discovered the demon grew to care for me, I became a pawn in their game, attempting to strong-arm him into compliance in return for my safety.” Lirin found her jaw clenching but managed to keep her magic from lashing out.

Even with the differences in dialect, the meaning could be parsed if something seemingly made no sense. Even though the child before her did not wish to discuss her banishment it was clear that she was as she did not outright deny the claim. If what she says is true then her banishment is rather pointless, however perhaps her curse and her banishment go hand in hand. Putting a pin in the Elf's past, for now, she listened to her further explanation on the demons and their no doubt nefarious plans.

Her brow furrowed at the mention of a virus as it narrowed down the type of demon quite drastically. "Demons would never wish to completely wipe out the source of their food if anything it is meant to weaken like you said or create vast amounts of pain and suffering to use for their true goal". Whatever their goal is the fact that the demons have already created the virus and a lack of an intent greatly worried the Undead. However, the next piece of information shocked her as the lover of the one chosen to enact such horrors sat right before her. Why is this child consorting with demons? She has magical potential.. did she create a pact with the one that she would grow to love? It is love or is she bewitched? Holding back her natural reflexes etched into her very being from her training as it was clear there was more to the story. Perhaps just like Fenriz and myself, this demon is not like most of it's kind, but why was it part of such a plan in the first place if it did not wish to go through with it? Was it because of this Elf?

Tapping her fingers against the table as she thought over all of the information. Looking back at the Raven haired Elf that sat before her as she knew that her silence would only cause suspicion and fear as it was clear that she was no friend of demons. " I don't know why you would ever do something as foolish as mention your relationship with a demon to a priestess, but such a foolish act is no doubt the truth". Pointing to the Elf directly, "It's clear that your body holds a curse and while I am unsure of what it is as my sight only tells me so much; I have an inkling that it is possibly the reason you were banished". Pursing her hands together as the Undead bore into the Girl with her cold steel eyes. " There is much I do not know, but what I know is that not everything of the dark is evil. However, I will help you and be honest about my actions. I do not trust you or your lover; perhaps that will change but as of now, you are merely the enemy of my enemy. If you can accept these terms I promise that I will not betray either of you unless your words prove to be false". Whether or not the Elf agreed or not did not matter to Lixue though she would rather form a temporary alliance with the one that would be the key to finding the demons.

Silence consumed them as the priestess mulled over the information presented, interrupted by the tapping of nails on wood rhythmically. Lirin merely kept her hands folded in her lap as she waited, back straight. She could sit there like hours, not moving a muscle, a living statue with regal restraint. Nothing was to be given away about the turmoil within the vampire as she waited for the woman before her to say something.

When she did start talking, a single brow rose. The priestess looked into the lack of information as to how the demon grew to care for the vampiress as a full relationship. While it was true, that was quite a leap in Lirin’s opinion. Then, full on surprise as the woman told her she was cursed. Typical first thoughts raced through her head. How was she cursed, when? Why? What was it? The priestess wanted to link it to her banishment, which brought Lirin’s face into an instant frown. Still, she kept her tongue in check as the priestess continued to speak.

Trust was not expected. While the priestess decided to help her, she gave the vampire an ultimatum. If Lirin’s words errored in any way, both her and Tadgh would be betrayed. If they even find him… ”If we are to work together, might as well have names to go by. I am Lirin Vendethiel. However, you seem hell bent on learning my past. So, let me clear that up for you. My clan goes by different standards than most elvish societies. We are considered adults when we take our place in contributing to our clan. Assigned as guard, my partner and I were attacked. When I returned alone, near death, they banished me for being weak because the elders are selfish bigots. I sought out a goddess and asked for a selfless boon. What she gave me saved my life, but took me far, far away.” She was driving her nails into her skin in an effort to keep her magic under control.

”As for my relationship with the demon, I never said we were lovers. I just said he grew to care for me. He was not summoned, I was not hexed or charmed. He was just there, a stranger in the midst of thieves. The conflicted demon was in the middle of the most important decision of our existence. Contrary to popular belief… It was I who charmed him, but not for any deal or some silly notion. And now, your drawn conclusions are made clear.” Just as Lirin finished that, about to ask about the curse that the priestess was sure she had, a young male burst into the tavern. He was out of breath, shaking like a leaf as he stumbled in. “Help! Demons… to the east. The farm…” the boy managed to convey between each gulp of air.

While the Undead meant no offense in her questioning and posturing she could see who dredging up the past could sour the chil.. Lirin's disposition as she herself would be on the defensive if the very same questions were posed to her. While the new developments gave way to further questions, Lixue pushed her questioning to the side momentarily as it was clear that she had overstepped her bounds as evident by not only Lirin's words but her actions as her emotions were beginning to make the Elf's mana erratic and dangerous to not only herself but to those within the current establishment. "I'm sorry for bringing up such a painful memory it was not my intent. However, now that I know that your past and the demons are no longer linked I will not make the same mistake again". Lowering her head to Lirin as her mind raced with questions about not only Lirin's clan and culture but the goddess who assisted her.

Locking her questions away for another time her steel eyes crept up to the Lirin's arms further revealing the self inflicted damage the woman has placed on herself possibly to hold her emotions back. Catching herself as her hand moved out to the Elf as while her body maybe be attuned to serving others the interactions leading up to everything did give way to any sort of comradery be the very own account. Slowly the Priestess raised her head as faced Lirin once again with a softer expression with pangs of guilt mixed in as she was well aware of how difficult it was to contain one's emotions all the time to not unnaturally harm others.

Inching a raised hand slightly toward the Elf though not enough to hover directly over the woman's hand as to not invade her space as that right is only given to those close to her something that was not earned or deserving of Lixue after her actions justified or not. Biting back a first attempt at speaking as her mouth inadvertently wished to rush back to the topic of how unlikely it was that the woman before her managed to bewitch a demon. With a minor pause and a nonsensical sound to break the silence that would no doubt have her lashed for her poor mannerisms her second attempt began. "If tha… I should thank yo… Let me heal those wounds as I am the cause of them".

Whether or not Lirin would have accepted the offer will never be known as while Lixue let out a minor pulse of healing magic to show that she meant her words a Boy barged through the tavern's entrance yelling about demons to a farm in the east. Quickly removing her hand as her attention was solely on the boy.

"Demons at a farm, how many and what did they look like"? Quickly moving to the boy as while it was unlikely that the demons at the farm were the Kurudisha they still needed to be dealt with, though if they are or know of them all the better. "So this farm is to the east how many work at this farm and is there anything we need to know about the farm that may be important"?