Author: Story, Posted: Wed Jan 18, 2017 11:22 AM, Post Subject: A Library Card[P/R]

Story chuckled softly. It sounded almost…sinister, if it were at all possible for his pleasant voice to carry such a tone. "It was not lost, or even taken. It was given freely, to whom it was meant for. Interesting to know it was so quarrelsome, even as far as blasphemous things go."

He nodded at Celeste's request, but was given pause by her words. Flickers of recognition flashed across his eyes, and he was twitching with something…was it agitation? One could almost imagine a tail or whiskers moving anxiously if the man possessed them. "Nemesis," Story mouthed the name, stooped in thought. "Your mate…was he always called by that title?"

Considering the moon elf for a long while, Story finally took her hand, and shook gently. "Indeed, we have an accord."

Author: Celeste, Posted: Tue Jan 17, 2017 11:07 PM, Post Subject: A Library Card[P/R]

Celeste looked a bit coy. “Remember it? My dear… I was there.” She was young but she had been there. “I don’t remember the sword. I remember them yelling about where it was. That it was taboo. Whatever it was that they were looking for was suddenly lost or taken. His father had been a grand man in his time. I courted Mesnda but alas my parents married me to another.” She ran her fingers through her long pink hair.

She handed him the book as he asked. The vaewolf liked a man with manners and that was why Nemesis was as delicious as he was. She pulled her leg up and laid her head on her knee as she watched him. “I agree, I feel like we could help each other out.”

She watched him below her as he thumbed the books. She held the book and thought about it. “I’ll help you find whatever you want. My suffering has been too long and it aggravates my mate to no end that he couldn’t fix it. We’re both quite fond of my Moon Elf status, though.” There was a hint of deep seduction in her tone. She did love the way her skin flecked in the moonlight. 

Graceful she hopped off the books and looked at the tower. “I need to take all these with me… I need them.” There was a destructive nature to her but the books… she was protective of them. “Can you help me take them back to Kurayo? My mate will want to meet the man that could help us. He is older than I am… You might find him of some interest. Just… stay away from Serafina. Bitch has talons.” She spoke of her sister wife and laughed. “Nemesis says he has the best of both worlds in his wives. I suppose he might.”

She offered her small pale hand up to Story. “We do have a deal, don’t we? Scratching each others’ backs will be most useful. Plus Nemesis might get over this absurd notion that I cannot leave Parvpora.”

Author: Story, Posted: Wed Jan 11, 2017 7:15 AM, Post Subject: A Library Card[P/R]

Flickers of amusement and interest danced through Story's otherwise convoluted and implacable gaze as he listened to the little elf speak. The corner of his mouth turned up slightly. "Tangled up in things he should not have been is putting it lightly, mon amie. Moi, for one. If you are old enough to remember that, you would also know it was one of a kind, and only ever had one wielder in its history. It is unfortunate to hear this news, however…I never did learn what became of him."

Story leaned forward in his chair with a slight bow, and extended his hand, wordlessly voicing a "may I". Once given the book, he fingered at the page the sword was on thoughtfully without losing Celeste's place. Looking up at her as she spoke, his expression became completely unreadable. "It is not my place to judge. My past is just as colored, painted with similar shades, but is altogether irrelevant to who I am now, in painting of the present. I might reveal more in due course. I sense that we may be able to help each other; thus, you may learn more later, if I feel it is necessary."

Thumbing back to Celeste's place in the book as he rose to his feet, Story handed it back to her with a wink, and idly paced about some more. He skimmed over the titles the elf had perused already with mild interest, soon to decide their reader would likely provide all of the leads he would ever need.

"For now," Story began, shooting her a sidelong glance. "Know that I am…cultured enough to possibly know the rituals you seek. You help me find my sword, I will be able to alleviate your suffering. Tit for tat. In fact, I could alleviate you of the blood that makes the moons burn altogether, if you so desired. Though, I get the impression you are content with your present condition."

Author: Celeste, Posted: Mon Jan 9, 2017 11:52 AM, Post Subject: A Library Card[P/R]

His voice came to her ears first and her elvish ears twitched at the sound that fell from his lips. Her red eyes looked up. “Such is life… indeed. It wasn’t entirely necessary but I was quite hungry.” She held herself with immense grace as she looked at the page with more interest. It wasn’t very often she came across something from her culture that was older than she was. That she didn’t know about. 

She listened to the stranger and she gave a smile. “It’s made from Moon Shard. It must have been crafted before I was old enough to remember it.” That only eluded to just how old she actually was. “Probably traded off as a gift. You need not fear my friend, it is the ritual, not the artifacts that I seek.” She patted the books under her. “It is just very rare for me to come across something that I haven’t seen. Aersiir wasn’t exactly a gifting homeland but they crafted this no doubt. The designs on the sword predate Mesnda, a stone worker who came up in renown when I was in my twenties. No… this design looks like Mesnda’s father. His father was the ultimate craftsman and he fell into a sudden illness…” She eyed the sword and smirked. “Messing with things he shouldn’t have.” It made a lot of sense.

“His illness got him tied to a pyre and sacrificed to the moon. I remember the screams the most. Their faces are mostly a blur but I do remember him paying for a crime of some sort. His father is left out of most of our history scrolls, texts, and other things. Must have been quite the crime. I envy him.” However, her crime was worse.

Celeste let a chuckle leave her lips. “My story ended a long time ago. At least Moon Elf wise.” She flipped the pages of the book. “Sold to a sex slave because I desired different things. Most women of my clan who refused marriage became Celestial Maidens for the temple to the moons.” There was a chuckle once more. “I’m the reason why no more Moon Elves exist from the culture that made your sword…” It was obvious she wasn’t about to let on too much else. She was a private person and she had said much. “However, I’ll trade you stories. I’m looking for the Moon Ritual. It is a rite that stops the pain during the Moon Festival’s anniversary. See I killed everyone but I forgot to ask about that.” She kicked her feet playfully now as she looked back down at the book. “Everywhere I look it’s not in the texts. I’ll be quite displeased if I have to live another two millennium without knowing how to do it.” 

Author: Story, Posted: Mon Jan 9, 2017 11:29 AM, Post Subject: A Library Card[P/R]

Story loved Hoja Mesto so, yet he didn't often have any reasons to hang about. He was an unknown on the whole in most locales. There were a few fleeting times that a history buff or two would have a glimmer of recognition. Rarer still were the times he would encounter a being old enough to realize his identity. These short acquaintances caused him no small amount of anxiety. Being one of the last of a sort that was hated and feared tends to do that to a…person.

Hoja Mesto was a place that almost anyone could blend into the woodwork, and to be a wallflower in the tapestry of life. The golem itself, and the original districts of the city were quite antediluvian. Much of it was fairly recent additions, in the grand scheme of time (for those that had an awful lot of it). The tasteful alchemy of things new and old, and constant changing of residents and visitors ensured the certainty of his anonymity.

Night life, social acquaintances, and even cuisine were of no interest to Story in any place he visited. Though he did find his curiosity of others getting the best of him from time to time, solitude and knowledge were what he treasured most. These things the city had in abundance if one stuck to the many old libraries scattered throughout. He tended to start with the newer libraries first. Their catalogs surprisingly had just as much relevant material for those delving into antiquated information as any other. It made Story imagine that there must be warehouses somewhere that the city owned, just stockpiled with books that they never initially had room for.

Hopes of a relatively uneventful evening were crushed when the tell-tale metallic odor of blood hit Story as he entered his first reading stop. Lowering the hood of his cloak to grant better peripheral vision, he paced carefully through the newly-crafted pine-floored establishment, causing not a single plank to creak, despite the weight of his boots. He saw the body first, in a drained and mangled state that would have been familiar to him many, many years ago. The flower in the hair was an odd touch. An eccentric, perhaps? Or…

"Now, now," Story lamented aloud, choosing to give himself away before seeing the victim's assailant. "Was this really necessary?"
He clicked his tongue as he rounded the corner, avoiding stacks of books littering the floor. His crimson-brown eyes lingered on the corpse a moment longer, before sizing the young woman up that was perched upon one of the many mountains of tomes. He stroked his salt-and-pepper beard thoughtfully. "Mm. C'est la vie."
The phrase Story used was a commonly borrowed one, but the entirety of his spoken words carried the tinge of the culture of its origin, among other, indistinguishable notes.

As fate would have it, the young lady currently held the one book of his interest, and was turned to a page with the object of interest that he sought. He was patient, however, and would make no demands. "Elven in design, but never intended for elven use," he said of the sword in the book as he paced around her. "One could argue it was never intended for use at all, save to punish the wicked or the masochistic, due to certain properties it was imbued with. The craftsman was quite mad, you see. I should hope it is not that thing you are after, or we shall find ourselves at a rather unpleasant impasse."

Story reclined in a sofa across from her, and crossed one leg over the other, arms splaying lazily across the furniture's back. "I suspect not, though. You are moon-scented, in more than once sense. You would have no use of something that would burn to the touch."
He chuckled lightly. "How rude of me. I have been called many things…but you may call me Story. A handle I have acquired in recent years from an unquenchable curiosity to know other's tales. I would very much like to hear yours."

Author: Celeste, Posted: Mon Jan 9, 2017 9:45 AM, Post Subject: A Library Card[P/R]

The city was always gently swaying. It wasn’t a noticeable sway for most people who were used to it but for the little vaewolf she noticed. Her pile of books, thirty high, had begun to move with the city. Her light body was seated on top of the last book she had read. She was flipping through the book on her lap and finally she stopped a map, it looked centuries out. It had to be. It was a map of her old home. It brought back bad memories for her. The only good thing about them was the bloodshed at the very end. It was when Nemesis came and saved her. She had half a mind to throw the book.

“Miss, you’ve been here for four days I would like to close up shop  for a while.” A glare left her red eyes as she turned to him. It was enough to shock the man and he backed up against the wall.

“You said I could stay until I was done. Are you taking back your word with me?” She jumped off the books and stared at him as she approached. He had a good foot on her. The woman’s long pink hair fluttered against the floor. The odd moon circlet around her crown and her little elvish ears sticking out of her hair. Her clothing was dark, more like a dark blue. A corset to hold what was hardly there and a knee length skirt. She lifted her arms up and smiled. “Do you take back what you said?” Her skin was flecked with veins of silver in this dull lighted library.

The man hit the back of the desk he had been at and books fell down. “You need to leave.” It was a pitiful attempt to regain the situation as Celeste preyed on the man completely. She left his corpse mangled on the floor and took the solitary flower in a vase on his desk and put it in his bloodied hair. 

“You look so much better. There’s work to be done.” She moved back over to her stack of books and pulled the next one out. There were so many books in this particular library that she would probably have killed the owner anyways. She wanted them all and nothing would have stopped her. A frown appeared on her face. She wasn’t allowed in Canelux for a while unless she took someone with her. Nemesis was protective of her. She lifted herself back up on the pile of books and flipped the page. A sword was what she stopped on and she fingered the page. She had never seen it before.