Ending the Cycle [Aello]

[Cayenne]

Who: Aello
Time Stamp: 7th of Summer, 511 AV [Grandfathered]

It was late afternoon, and the day was fading fast. Common sense normally dictated that one left the forests at night, because while what came about in the day was dangerous enough, the night held its own dangers for a loner who could not see in the dark. One heard sounds out there that they didn’t know the source of - and if you were smart, you didn’t want to know the source. It was warm, as it normally was this early in the summer, even up north, outside of Ravok, but it was cooling down quickly as Leth prepared to take his turn in the sky. Soon it would be cold, and with the wind howling through the trees, competing with her own hearing, heading back into the confines of the city would be wise.

A storm must be coming - when cold fronts rolled in like that, they clashed with the warmer air currents, and the result was fog. There didn’t seem to be anything unnatural about it. It was simply the basics of weather. There were few boats waiting for the last of the stragglers to come to cross, and all but one of them already had someone heading their way. Upon approaching the boat, she might well have stopped to pause - this boater didn’t look like the usual sailors who ran the boats to the city, and that could have been a good thing or a bad thing. After all, everything in Ravok was starkly regulated by the Black Sun and the Ebonstryfe. And yet... they were going unmolested by the guards or the other sailers.

The boat was different, as black as night, though it seemed to be made of stained wood - grey lines stood out, displaying the grain, and the person standing at the back of the gondola carried not a normal, simple straight pole, or oars, but a shepherd’s crook that couldn’t possibly be long enough to propel them across the water. But the end was submerged, so who knew? Maybe. Maybe not. But either way, the gondolier was cloaked in black, though their gloves were blood red. With the hood, it was impossible to see who or what ther boatsperson was. Humanoid, certainly, but that... that wasn’t terribly helpful. Nor could she discern if they were male or female. They didn’t speak or address her, just waited. Through the fog, she couldn’t see any other boats coming back, and this one might have been her only chance to get back to the city for the night.

The choice was hers.

[Aello]

Aello stared at the lone gondolier, her eyes settling on his gloves, the color of blood. Her grip tightened around her father's old bow as her long black cloak fluttered in the wind. She had the hood pulled up over her head, casting her face in shadow; concealing her features much as the gondolier seemed to be. After a few moments of staring in awkward silence, Aello pulled her dark brown eyes off the gloves, and cast them out to sea, wishing there was so much as a rowboat crossing Lake Ravok, which she could wave towards the shore. But there was nothing. Just a thick, impenetrable fog, boats sailing away, in the opposite direction she wanted them too. A strangely still expanse of blackened water, the occasional head or corpse popping above the surface like a buoy suspended in space. Aello sighed as she turned back to the gondolier, he really was her only hope. At least, if she wanted to get back tonight. But there was something about those blood red gloves that kept on catching Aello's eye, but not in a good way. There was something about them that unnerved her. Perhaps it was simply the color; something that seemed out of place considering the usual dress of the gondoliers, or perhaps it was simply the stature of the one wearing them. How he, like she, seemed lost in shadow. Causing her nerves to gnaw at the edges of her mind, telling her that perhaps, this boatsman should not be trusted. But even so, there was a way for light to be found even in the darkest of times, if only one remembered to turn on the light. The girl stood silently, simply breathing in through her mouth, and out through her nose as she willed her magic to awaken, to course through her veins and fill her with a power that allowed her to see. Within a few seconds, her pupils had dilated to let in the light. The gondolier's aura was a murky one. Seemingly thick in texture, unlike many of the other auras she had seen, which tended to appear as though they were a colored mist, nearly see through. This aura appeared as though Aello were trying to see through mud. It was dark, the color of the night sky, the color of the water his boat rested upon. It seemed to wind around his body, taking on the properties of water, flowing around him as though it were some sort of shield from her gaze. She could hear it trickling, producing a sound similar to water falling from a tap into a sink, or a small stream running over rock. Perhaps something in-between the two, similar to each, but not truly one or the other. The aura smelled faintly of the sea- like salt. Like something had washed up upon the shore, and was slowly dying, fighting for its breath. It was as though the aura had absorbed the essence of a low tide. Or at least, it reminded Aello of her time in Zeltiva, when she used to walk along the docks at low tide. There isn't much to be said about this one, Aello's mind whispered. Who it is, or what that gondolier is, is shrouded in shadow. Although, it appears human, enough. Whether or not it is a pure blooded one, such as yourself, is uncertain. The words seemed to whistle in and out of Aello's ears, flowing through the center of her head like a wind. They were soft, spoken in a soothing voice. But even so, they still sent shivers down the woman's spine. The only thing that remains certain, is simply, that he is a gondolier. That he has traveled upon the dark waters before, and should be able to get you back into the city, safely. Aello sighed as she watched the gondolier's aura pool around his feet, making it appear as though he were standing in a pool of muddy water that lapped up angrily around his ankles. Even her magic didn't seem to be shedding any light; chasing away the dark... Aello turned and glanced over her shoulder, listening to the wind as it rustled the leaves in the top of the trees. Listened to wolves calling to one another off in the distance. She could see the thick grey fog settling itself across the woods, and sighed. She had no choice but to trust in the mysterious gondolier, in his abilities. Slowly, she wound her head back around as she tightened her grip on her father's old bow. The bony knuckles that lined her left hand turning white with the pressure she was exerting upon them. She took in one last, deep breath as she strode over to the last boat, and eased herself inside. She settled herself onto a wooden plank, which served as a seat, in its center, and lay her bag down at her feet. She leaned her bow up against it, as she glanced up at the gondolier, and willed her power away. Instantly, everything went dark; even more so than before, as the murky aura faded away into the summer air. When she had finished settling in, Aello's eyes rose to meet the gondolier's red gloves once more. Her stomach lurched. "Please guide this boat safely back to the city," Aello called. "If you require payment for your services, we can settle on a price once we are safely moored at the dock... it would probably be best if we left sooner rather than later. So we don't get stuck in the storm that seems to be brewing," she finished, with a nervous glance up at the darkening sky. OOCA few things: -Sorry for the HP reference. -Also, I revert to using the masculine when I don't know someone or something's gender. -At the beginning, with the boats sailing away, I figured she could see the ones that had just left, even through the fog -I hope you don't mind her getting into the boat and what not... -Please PM me if I need to edit anything

[Cayenne]

It was confusing and troublesome, and it was something that made her gut instincts prickle, even though they didn’t prickle easily. The aura, and her inability to read it, even basic facts, was disconcerting, to say the least. She had never, in her life, seen anything like it. She knew that a master Aurist could manipulate their own aura, but she didn’t know of anything else that could. The gondolier didn’t speak at her words, didn’t nod, didn’t give any reaction to her words - they just merely lifted the lengthy shepherd’s crook and effortlessly pushed them off of the bank now that the young woman was settled across from them. Despite the churning waters and the wind that sprayed a fine mist from the lake on her exposed skin, the boat moved slowly, smoothly, forward as if it was sliding over glass.

Around her, the winds moaned their pain, every gust threatening to blow the elegant-looking gondola off course. And through it, the gondolier was unflappable. Their black cloak revealed nothing, no face nor features under the hood, nor defining gender features in their torso or body shape. For all intents and purposes, her guide seemed to be an it. The crook that they used to steer the boat was clearly too short, and Aello knew it because at one point, she saw the tip above the water. But still, whatever her benefactor was, it seemed that it was going to remain anonymous and mysterious. She could no longer hear or see the other boats, and attempts to find the auras of their passengers and sailors would yield no results.

It seemed like it had taken seasons when she had been maybe a quarter of a bell on the water. At long last, though, the gondola docked. It came to a smooth stop, the faint bump that should have signaled the end of the journey nonexistent as the gondolier stopped the boat just before it collided with the stone wall. But it wasn’t at the southernmost area, which was the most popular of the landing spots, but rather, at the much quieter and much emptier north. It seemed to have been reduced to a ghost town. There was nobody on the streets, no activity in the misty fog. But when she stepped off of the gondola and onto the street, she realized she was not alone. In fact, there was a woman in a black robe, carrying a massive-looking, many-notched scythe, the curved blade arched over her shoulder. Her face was like marble, pale and ageless, and her eyes were dark, and sharp. At her feet, two strange-looking beasts stood, one on each side. One of them was pure white, and the other was pure black. They were predatory dogs, she realized, slim and streamlined with pointed features.

Jackals.

“Good evening, Aello,” the woman smiled at her. She spoke well, but her accent was like nothing the young woman had ever heard. She was not local. But Aello’s gut told her that she wasn’t even mortal. She was being addressed by the Goddess of Death herself. “I believe we have much to discuss.”

[Aello]

Aello's muscles seemed to ripple beneath her pale flesh as the gondolier held out his hand to her. As she lifted her things onto her back, and retrieved her bow before taking it. His flesh sent tiny tremors from the tips of her fingers into her palms, and then up the length of her arm, and down her spine. The girl shivered as she stepped on to the street. "Thanks for the ride," she whispered, as she handed the man a few coins for his troubles. "Thanks for seeing us back to shore safely. Although, it's strange you settled us down here. Usually, the boats take us to a more active portion of the docks," she commented. "Although perhaps that's for the best... a quiet entry back into the city after a long day's work, met with an inevitable failure," she went on as she stepped forward, and finally caught sight of the woman and her two canine companions. Another shiver shot up the length of Aello's spine as her grip tightened around her father's old bow once more, and her right hand shot towards her neck. Her fingers curled around the soft cloth of the two ribbons- one white, and one black. Her fingers trailed down the length of the material, the tips of her fingers overcome by a gentle, tickling sensation as they made their way lower and lower, to the two wolf claws that hung from the bottom of the ribbon. Once her fingers met with the cold, smooth surface of the black nail, Aello ran her thumb against the gentle curve of one. Following the length of the crescent it formed, as she wound her fingers around each. Circling it like a constrictor would its prey, choking the life out of the delicate form. She could feel it pressing into the center of her palm; tighter and tighter, causing the sharp point to make her flesh sting. Causing it to grow red, and then as pale as the woman's skin. Aello gulped, as she peered back at the gondolier, and then at the woman and her jackals. She vaguely remembered reading that Dira kept two, the colors of the ones before her. Can it be? the girl wondered. Would the goddess herself truly visit someone the likes of me? In a place such as this? her brain whispered, believing that her dark brown eyes must have been deceiving her. Unless of course, she were already dead. Although, she didn't recall the pain of death. Or any sort of situation that may have led to one. Unless she had been poisoned the last time she ate. Surely she was still too young to die of natural causes, of old age? It cannot be, Aello's mind whispered again, as she shut her eyes tightly, attempting to get the spectre within her vision to disappear. Yet, when she opened her eyes once more, the woman and her jackals were still standing there. Another shiver shot up and down the length of Aello's spine, as her flesh was overcome by a cool air. The goddess is truly here. Your eyes must not be deceiving you, Aello's mind whispered. Which means, that either you are dead, or the goddess has come to grace you with your presence... you should be honored. Aello smiled weakly, suddenly intimidated by the presence of the one she had devoted her life to. "Good evening, my goddess," Aello whispered, as she bowed her head as if to show her respect. "It is an honor to be in your presence," she continued, as she slowly raised her head, and settled her gaze upon her pale form. "Although, I fear that I have done something to displease you, and fall from your grace. From my ability to serve you... surely I must be dead now. To have come into your presence. To have met with yourself and your companions." Aello swallowed the clump of saliva that had gathered in her throat, as her right hand dropped both wolf claws, and trailed down the length of her chest, to her right leg. It settled upon the hilt of her cursed blade, which still lingered beneath her simple dress, chilling her to the bone. Even so, it was strangely comforting to feel it again. To know that it was only a moment away from being pulled out of concealment. Although, it was unlikely it could do much against a goddess, let alone her two jackals. "Although... I don't remember passing from the old world to the next. The one you reign over," Aello whispered, as she glanced nervously down at her feet. "I don't remember becoming that which I used to aide in life..." she whispered, her voice trailing off as the last of her color drained from her face. She fell silent for a long time after that. "Is that what you have come to tell me, my goddess? That I have displeased you... failed?" Aello gulped. OOCSorry... Aello, although nuts, would revert to her lack of confidence. Her "confidence" having been borrowed partially from the cursed blade and her magic. Since she has seen Dira... I am pretty darn sure she'd be convinced she had somehow died... somehow being the key word.

[Cayenne]

“You do not remember such an event because it has not yet happened,” the Goddess was unperturbed. She was calm, and where some might have rushed to assure her that she had not passed on, nor was she hallucinating, Dira did not act with haste. She spoke, however, with an absolute finality. Before and After lifted their heads, looking at her, but otherwise, they did not move. They stood as still as corpses on either side of the Goddess. Were they even alive, Dira’s timeless companions? The ones who walked between the worlds with her, of Mizahar and Ukalas, and everywhere and nowhere? They didn’t seem to draw breath, after all. And what but the living did?

“Come. Walk with me,” it was not a suggestion, but a command, as she inclined her head, nodding slightly, and began to walk away from the water. She didn’t seem to be heading for the more populous, active side of the city. The black silk of her robe, like a funeral shroud, was as silent as the grave, even as it moved in the wind. But the effect of the wind on the scythe was different from the oh-so-silent silk. As the wind rattled along the scythe’s blade, the massive weapon emitted a quiet scream, eerily similar to a moan of agony, that did nothing but intensify the shivers along Aello’s spine. The fog did not clear up - around them, it seemed as though the colour, the vibrancy of the island city had been sucked dry by the inclement weather.

The chimes ticked by before the Dead Queen spoke again. “You have not disappointed me, Aello. I am here for another reason. I have come to offer you a chance to join the Great Hunt.” She let the young woman take that in. “As you know... the unnatural ones that lurk beyond Lhex’s cycle attempt to cheat the system. You know what I am talking about. Nuit. Uldr’s undead children. They do not live.” Dira did not speak with any vehemence. In many things, all things, even, she had to remain neutral. But it was difficult to argue with this cold, calmly uttered logic. “This world is not meant for them. They must be brought back in, one by one. Kicking and screaming, if necessary. Among Harbingers, it is known as the Great Hunt.” She let Aello process this information as they walked, the jackals padding silently before the Goddess. “There are Nuit here, hiding amongst the living. One of which is old, and I have taken the personal pleasure, shall I say, of hunting it down myself. Their time has come to rejoin the cycle. You will take up the Hunt tonight.”

Dira directed her gaze down at the young woman, her face a perfect mask. There would be no hints coming from there. “Do you accept?”

[Aello]

Aello nodded politely as she eased into Dira's step, striding beside her, as though she were an equal, or a friend, as opposed to her superior, who may have chosen to walk ahead, or her lesser, who may have chosen to trail slightly behind. She waited, wondering if the goddess would admonish her, or perhaps, choose to speak now that she had done what she wanted, but Dira seemed a woman who had at least made Tanroa's acquaintance, for she was one to take her time. One who seemed to think about what she said, and her companions said, long before she came up with any sort of voice-able reply. The aurist was just about to break the silence that stretched between them, when the goddess spoke again. "Great hunt?" Aello whispered, her words voicing both her mounting level of confusion, and her growing curiosity. As though the goddess could sense her inability to understand long before she uttered the words, Dira eased into an explanation, which left Aello simply nodding her head in understanding, as several gears began to turn in her head. She had known of the nuit for quite some time now, and encountered a few in her travels. She saw them as cold, and heartless. Ironically, her perception had both to do with the reality of their tainted existence, and their very nature. Their personalty, or profile as a race. As she thought, Aello couldn't help but wonder what made them that way. What the nuits did to become as they were. Did they trade a piece of their soul? Serve Uldr in some way in exchange for semi-eternal life? Was it magic? Or something else entirely? A fit of madness perhaps, that drove them into a state between living and death? Sighing, and shaking her head lightly at her own foolishness, Aello could only nod. "There are a number living among us," Aello replied, her voice little more than a whisper. "Supposedly, their numbers are concentrated mainly on an Island known as Sahova, off the coast of Sylira, but, I couldn't be certain never having traveled there myself." Aello paused. "Although, it can be said that their lot is spreading out all over the place. Within every town, every settlement, every city, one of them lurks in the shadows, waiting to pluck a new vessel out of the crowd when theirs no longer suits them." Aello paused again, as she ran her right hand through her long brown hair, and angrily tore apart the knots her fingers met. "They bring imbalance to this world, by disrupting the natural cycle of life and death," Aello went on. "By ending life when it shouldn't be taken. By stealing the very life out of those who have not wandered into your arms." Again the girl paused as she fought to maintain her pace alongside her goddess. "It is time their numbers were brought down. It is time they were all returned to the cycle; where they belong, so that they may no longer bring chaos and disharmony to this realm." Aello took a deep breath, in through the nose, and out through the mouth, as her grip tightened around her bow. "I accept your offer Dira. I accept the nuit's challenge. Tonight, I join the hunt, and fight alongside you." The girl smiled, her eyes sparkling like Zintila's silver stars in the night sky. "Just point the way," Aello finished, her voice little more than a whisper, now that they had come to the end of the street, a fork in the road, she was waiting. She knew her goddess had, after all, said something about knowing where one of the undead lay in wait.

[Cayenne]

She didn’t seem inclined to comment on the way that Aello fell into place beside her. Doubtless she had noticed, doubtless she was aware of that air, but Dira did not address it. You could say plenty, after all, without saying a word. “Yes,” she inclined her head slightly at Aello’s words. “There are many of them. Thousands, in fact, but you are right. Some of them inhabit Sahova. Some of them old, some of them young... all of them needing to be returned to the cycle, their parasitic existence expunged from the world. Sahova is something that will be dealt with eventually... preferably sooner rather than later, lest they ever succeed. But in time.” Good things came to those who waited, perhaps. “It is not that those whose bodies they steal do not come to me. They do. It is the perpetrators themselves that we are after. They who slip beyond their natural cycle...”

As if she was reading Aello’s mind, the Goddess glanced down at her, a faint smile on her lips. It didn’t reach her eyes. “Do you know what they are? How they came to be?” She looked on ahead. It was strange, almost, how nobody was out and about on what should have been a fine evening. But in the company of the Goddess, perhaps that made sense. “They are a twisted product of Animation. They are a blight. An infection. They take over the bodies of others, and once they have used it up, or they think that something better has come along, they take over yet another. They can also turn the living into one of their number by encouraging them to ingest their bodily fluids...ichor. Interestingly enough, if you chop them into pieces and cause them to bleed out... that is another way of killing them. Messy. But effective. In that sense, they are much like the mortals they hide in. Once you’ve bled them dry... they can go no further.”

“You will hunt tonight,” Dira said once they stopped after Aello pledged herself to the Hunt. “An audition, so to speak. Parts of you sing for release. Parts of you hold back. Parts of you want to fight. Parts of you want to hide. We will see which parts are stronger, no? We will see. We will see.” She looked from Aello into the distance. They had made it, the young woman realized, from the edge all the way to the docks. This late in the evening, most shops were either closed or in the process of closing. Lights were either turned down or none at all, but the fog seemed to be clearing up somewhat. People shuffled on their way home, paying them no mind. They didn’t even seem to be listening, or taking note of the woman with the long, black cloak with the scythe and jackals.

“Your mark is in this area, for now. It, for Nuit have no true gender, has been quietly selling ichor in the Plaza of Dark Delights, near these docks, by day, and gaining influence with the Ebonstryfe at night. Whether it is its own ichor or crafted, it does not matter. Your task is to destroy them and their wares. Utterly.” She looked beyond the bridge. “The flesh suit that it is wearing right now is a human male. Fitting in and what have you.” The Goddess looked down at the jackals as the white one rose from its seated position, standing up before the jet black one, staring intently in the distance. “Brown hair, green eyes. A head taller than yourself. It goes by the name of Johan Saika. It has no facial hair. The body is older, so that will lend you some assistance. Somewhat pudgy. Too many comestibles and no proper working functions,” Dira said dryly. “This is where we part ways, for now. Whether or not you succeed at your task, I will see you when you are done.”

Whether she lived or she died, she would meet the Goddess at the end of it.

[Aello]

Aello bowed her head, "of course my lady Dira," she whispered, as she slowly raised her head once more. "Consider this monstrosity good and dead. You, and the rest of the world may sleep soundly tonight, knowing that there is one less entity obscuring the natural path that is this life. This singular life, for we can have no more; nor can we extend it as they do." The girl paused, as if waiting for the lady to take her leave, before taking her own. Within an instant, she had turned down the right fork, weaving her way into the gathering darkness, the shadows, so best to hide herself and her intentions. She moved swiftly past those buildings which still shone with a golden light, those still closing down for the night, and all the more cautiously past those still shrouded in night's blanket. Those that had turned in already. The girl's steps came high as she moved, quieting her descent into the dark. Her body trembled, frightened by her task. Invigorated by it too. Excitement seemed to course through her veins, as did a sense of trepidation, for, after all, this man could be dangerous, especially if he had it in with the Ebonstryfe. Breathing as silently as she could manage, the girl crept along, keeping the colors close to her. Other tendrils of her magic prying open doors, slipping through the narrow spaces at the end of windows. It scouted for her, looking for any signs of life, any signs of unlife. But there seemed to be nothing, awake still. Nothing that stirred, save for her. Frustrated by the extension of her search, Aello tried not to lose heart as her eyes grew heavy, and her heart thundered all the more heavily in her chest, pounding angrily against its confines. A thin sheen of sweat seemed to glisten atop her forehead as she reached for her cursed dagger, pulling it into her left hand, and clutching it as though it were the last thing in the world to hold onto. Her skin seemed to grow just as pale as her goddess' from the exertion. As the fur of one of her jackals. "Where are you?" she whispered to herself, as her magic crawled back to her, hanging their heads, disappointed in their inability to bring their mistress some good news. "Surely, you must be lost somewhere in this sector? A slave to your misguided ways..." There was a pause as she stepped past a pool of gathering light, her magic slinking away again, into the nearby buildings. Several with windows boarded up, and several lost in shadow. For you must gravitate towards the dark, Aello thought to herself as her thumb danced over the hilt of her dagger, there was but one thought within her mind: she could not fail. This was her chance to satisfy her goddess. To prove herself to the lady of death herself; Dira. This was her chance to be something special. To belong to something. She could not fail; she had to destroy the nuit before it could do her in. Dira, watch over me, Aello thought, as she stopped outside a small, wooden building, with a door covered in peeling black paint. She needed to catch her breath a moment, as her magic looked around. This was all too much, such a rush. And yet, how long could she expect herself to stop. Did she have time to stop? To think before she took to action? Or was she expected to keep plowing on? Sighing to herself, she took a single, deep breath, in through the nose, and out through the mouth before taking a step forward, and then stopping, her magic had detected something. Something small, with only a shred of life. Or at least, that's what she thought, considering how the red was overcoming the green. A smokey thread now, within the bloodied mess. OOCSorry this is a bit short, and clipped, I wasn't so sure how "easy" you wanted this to be for her. But if it's a problem I can edit.

[Cayenne]

Dira merely nodded at Aello’s solemn vow. She had heard others say similar things before. She would see how it would play out this time. Before and After looked at Her, and She them, and the three of them watched the girl go, melting into the bleak darkness of the night. It was assistance She could give, obscuring and assisting one who would join the Great Hunt tonight, and with her Auristics, it wouldn’t hopefully disrupt her efforts. She would need to be resourceful.

There was something certainly off about the creature that revealed himself to her djed-enhanced gaze. Its aura was nothing like the other humans she had studied before. To the naked eye, a Nuit may have been plain and nothing out of the ordinary, but when you really looked... Auristics revealed a great deal. This one revealed to her that the body was in a less than optimal state of health, and the djed, the life force that should have been there... really wasn’t. This may have been the one she was looking for, but at this distance, it was hard to tell. He was leaving, though, briskly walking away from her. He did fit Dira’s description, at least, from the back. Tall. Slightly pudgy. There were none others out, not this late at night, with the lousy weather. Even if it wasn’t her mark, it may have been another target.

Extra collateral.

She had choices to consider and a decision to make. Confront, follow, or ignore. How she proceeded next could be crucial. Dira stood for balance - death came to all eventually, but the trick was not to cull the healthy herd ahead of its time. If, on the other hand, that was her target, her window of opportunity may be closing if he continued to stretch the distance between them, and especially if he got into a more populated area. Because despite the bad weather, there were always Ebonstryfe patrols out and about, and they would not be helpful to run into.

[Aello]

Aello's gaze fell from the strange flickering light she had discovered on the other side of the wall, to that newly discovered by her magic. That which trailed just ahead. It seemed strange to her, that a being should be without djed. But that was what her magic had detected, so who was she to question it? But then again, the aurist thought she had heard it said that the living often turned to an existence between life and death not only to extend themselves, but to take in more of the magical arts. To have the ability to master several different fields solely because they had the time to practice. And if they overgave... Did it matter anymore, when they could simply steal another body, another soul and begin anew? Throwing flesh marred by withering crevice into the heap? Aello sighed, as far as she knew, ghosts were the only beings that had no true djed. That's why they needed to posses in order to keep on growing stronger, to keep on practicing. They needed a mortal soul to procure their expenditures. Whereas a nuit, as far as she could tell, had some sort of djed to work with, although it was tainted in a way she couldn't quite put into words. As though the ichor had corrupted it somehow. The aurist sighed again. She didn't know what to do. Ignore the nausea rising in her stomach, the sinking feeling that coursed through her veins? The gentle prod at the edges of her mind? At what cost? What if that stranger was it? The one she was looking for, and she let him slip through her fingers, betraying Dira's faith in her? But what if he were only what she thought? A powerful ghost, masquerading in a man's skin? It wouldn't be the first time. But what if it were a trick, lain out for the readers? A sort of trap designed by one who could wield magic far more artfully than she? "Ahh petch it," Aello grumbled under her breath as she darted after the figure. Making a point to catch up enough to keep him within her line of sight, before she slowed. Slipping into the shadows so as to keep herself concealed, lest he turn and stare directly into her eyes. "Dira guide my blade this night," Aello whispered as she followed behind, as quietly as she could. But know I will not strike until I see the whites of his eyes. Until it is known without a shadow of a doubt, that this man is our mark.