[NG]

Things were getting busier at the temple lately. Isleen, however, could not have cared less. Compared to the other Champions, she was by far the least involved in her patron’s affairs. The dark haired girl did not desire such a title and thus had not sought it out. The wolf truly felt she already did her time as a God’s plaything. Regardless, one does not have the authority to question a deity. Raith granted her the role as an odd punishment as much as privilege. Isleen foresaw his ascension. To pretend as if he had not recognized the potential of manipulating her psychic abilities would have been foolish. The seer wondered if he also knew of her knack for blood bending and necromancy. She felt confident that this would not sway him but also did not feel the need to volunteer that information. What she did in her free time was between her and Ethan - no one else.

One evening she left her quarters to grab a snack from the pantry. Her ears perked up at the sound of outrageous shouting. She rolled her grey eyes, shook her head for a moment, and took a bite of apple. “I don’t know that I’ll ever get used to that,” she mused to herself. Isleen went back towards her quarters and sighed at the empty room. It was beautiful and perfect except for one crucial detail. It was empty. Ethan had been away on business for a few days. The girl considered attempting to connect with him, just to feel him for a moment, but decided she could wait just a little longer.

A ripple of energy hit her despite the fact her room blocked sound from the rest of the temple. “This is not my problem,” she growled. She took another bite of the apple before glancing at the door that served as a portal to her favorite forest. Raith now had an assistant who handled most of the temple needs now. A lesser woman might have felt threatened but this newcomer but Isleen didn’t really mind. It granted her more freedom. Isleen knew her role was that of a weapon of mass destruction. She was kept off to the side until necessary to unleash. A Champion with the amount of raw, untapped power that welled inside of her was best to keep under wraps until needed. Plus, she wasn’t particularly social. The day to day operations were better left to someone more hospitable.

The wolf scratched her forehead and glanced over at a mirror. Her mouth pursed and wiggled side to side as if literally chewing on a thought. Tossing the apple core in a waste bin, she meandered towards her reflection. Her head moved side to side slowly as her pale fingers pulled up the sides of her wild, dark curls. Her chin lifted as she arched her eyebrow and pouted slightly. Suddenly she released her hair and laughed, posture slouching slightly once more. “Who am I kidding?” she thought to herself. The wolf would always be more wilderness than anything else. The sight of pale tulle out of the corner of the mirror caught her eye. She pivoted around and looked at the most beautiful gown she ever had the pleasure of wearing. The bodice was comprised of translucent, jewels that varied between pale pinks, lavender, and periwinkle. The skirt had layers of different colors as well. Isleen approached the gown with longing eyes, wondering when she might wear it again. “Tonight - I’m going to wear it tonight,” she declared suddenly before quickly changing into it.

The dark haired girl managed to pin her hair up off her shoulders in some semblance of a style, taking the time to weave braids so the curls looked more intentional. She painted on a bit of rouge and wiped a balm across her lips. With a couple strokes of mascara, lacing up a pair of ballet flats, and a simple note just in case Ethan were to return while she was away, Isleen was ready to get out of the Observatory for a bit. The seer wasn’t quite sure where she wanted to go. She placed a hand on her portal and began to envision what she believed would be the most beautiful tavern in the land. The girl stepped through to a warm, open room with lush tapestries and sultry music. She pulled back her posture and settled into her alpha-like demeanor. Isleen managed to get dolled up beyond her comfort zone and try something new - the hard part was over. Now for a drink.

Patience had never been Syn’s strong suit, but the little she did have was being tested to its utter limits. Beautifully manicured nails clutched around a clipboard that had a stack of papers. Each one of those papers contained information on the newest pilgrims that had made their way through the maze. There were many times that Syn had hoped for more of these wayward travelers to get lost instead of becoming an annoyance in the throne room. Her patron god was certainly feeling the same, though she did know that he loved to be revered. It was a delicate balance.

The audiences were completed (to Syn’s delight), and she took little time to make it back to her quarters. A drink was in need after the day that the vixen just endured. It was ridiculous the idiocy that still had the capability to make it through the maze to be a bother to her Liege.

She felt the urge to toss her documents across the room, but knew that later she would be cussing at herself for the disorganization. A gentle moan escaped her as she walked over to her work desk to file away all the forms filled out for the day. Syn had created a system to keep track of all the Pilgrims that made it to the temple for an audience with Lord Raith, but also those that came for consultation with Lady Alairia. It was good to know who/what was coming to the temple…especially since there were more making their way to visit the lady of the home.

Once done with that task, Syn went to her walk in closet to pick out a rather daring outfit for the evening. Her new favorite spot to drink had outlandish tastes considering the tavern belonged to the goddess of death and debauchery. The vampiress was quite taken with the location as well as the selection of food & drink. If she had not been selected by lord Raith for a position, she was sure that the goddess Serafina would have been her other choice for dedication. To get a nice relaxed buzz, Syn selected a small black dress that barely covered her ample assets. Every curve was accentuated beyond necessity. She slipped on her signature black heels before fluffing up her flaming red hair that was still in a high pony-tail at the back of her head. Large silver hooped earrings dangled from her pointed ears. The woman looked over herself in a full length mirror, which the reflection smiled back with satisfaction.

Grabbing her clutch bag, her heels clicked quickly out the door for a portal formed for her use around her usual haunts. In an instant, the vampiress was in Vilpamolan City near the center. Small exchanges with familiar faces were made as she walked towards the Second Circle. As she opened the door a crimson lipped smile spread across her face. The bartender glanced up upon her entrance, which in turn made them both knowingly smile at the other. She bit her lower lip to indicate what they would be doing later that night.

What pulled her attention away was the new, yet familiar woman in the bar. There were always those that moved in and out of the tavern, and yet this woman was more than familiar; Champion for Wrath & Heavens. ”Oh, my dear, this is a new one,” she breathed while curling behind Isleen. ”What brings you out to this part of the world? Need a drink?”. Her brow lifted knowingly along with a smile. Isleen was not one for Syn to play with, she already knew her place when it came to the Champion with their god. Besides, she was the mate of Ethan Blackbird. The vampiress had already heard of the man’s capabilities upon his arrival to Revaliir. It was best to keep her nose clean when it came to the Family.

”Come, my dear. Join me at my table and we shall talk of things.”. Her slender fingers flicked up for indication of where their drinks could be delivered. Syn slipped into a booth in the corner while setting her clutch upon the table. Her head tilted to the side ever the slightest in hopes that Isleen would not be untrusting out the gate. The vixen wanted female friends; in fact she was in desperate need of them. She was always working along with that few women actually trusted the scantily clad woman as if she was out to steal all men. Their notions were typically correct, but Syn still didn’t enjoy having drinks alone all the time. ”What is bothering that overly burdened mind?” Drinks were placed upon the table by a rather attractive young man, whom the vampiress traced the outside of his arm before he left.

Isleen felt instantly out of her element. It wasn’t due to being alone considering the wolf spent the majority of her time by herself. However, the dark haired girl did not venture out to taverns terribly often and when she did, she certainly did not look so femine. She glanced down at her dress and smoothed down the top layer. She instantly missed Ethan. He would have placed his hand on the small of her back and ushered her forward. Instead, she was standing there feeling like an imposter in a dress. Surely everyone else could see she did not belong among such elegance and indulgence. She was a simple creature with simple needs.

A familiar voice pulled the seer out of her own thoughts. She let out a dry laugh. “Oh you know, just taking a break from the Observatory, though I’m not entirely sure where I’ve ended up,” she offered with a strained but cheery tone. . “I would love one.” Truthfully, she wasn’t much of a drinker. The girl had had alcohol at various social gatherings but to sip it casually didn’t necessarily intrigue her. The wolf didn’t know how others could sip wine or ale all day as if it were water.

The Champion followed the vampiress to the table indicated and took a seat across from her. Somehow having just one other person there that knew her gave Isleen some strength. She kept her shoulders back and chin slightly raised, a natural instinct for her, but clasped her fingers loosely together upon the table to indicate she was not armed or aggressive. Isleen and Syn had not shared many conversations before so she wasn’t really sure what to expect. Frankly, she had one friend that wasn’t family and he was from the old world. He too was a quiet wolf who didn’t care much for navigating society. Syn, however, clearly did not fit into that category. “Truly, I didn’t care to be at the temple and Ethan’s away serving the Apex,” the Champion explained. Then she glanced down at her dress. “And, well, I haven’t worn this in a very long time.” She then looked up at Syn and blushed. “Sounds even more ridiculous saying it out loud.” She felt foolish for sharing.

“Thank you,” Isleen offered with a nod to the gentleman who placed down their glasses. Then she shifted her grey gaze to the vampire and couldn’t help but smile. “What about you? This seems like the sort of place you might frequent when you’re not serving our Lord and Lady.” Isleen still couldn’t believe her niece was all but married to an angry god. Meanwhile, Kiba was a Champion to a goddess. How the Balatro family always seemed to get involved with deities never ceased to amaze the seer. “What brought you to Raith anyway?”