Solo [Palsa Hydrasa] Tampering with the Dead

[Volanaro]

81st Fall, 217 A.V.

The citadel. Sahova was an island rife with dangers, Nuits sharing space with the most insane (or commited, Volanaro couldn't tell) of sorts. The boy Nuit was allowed passage within the place, if only for his condition finding him acceptance (of a sort) among others of the same kind. His utility to them was limited, his lack of integral knowledge regarding any sort of magic besides Reimancy marking him as both a novice and a being of little interest. But, in truth, the learning of magic was not the reason for his visitation of the island at this time. Reimancy was of interest, to be sure, as were... other sorts of magical disciplines, but as of yet, the exploration of magic was not his primary concern.

It was... preservation. Learning how to extend the length of his time within each body, so that he could fit into mortal society far more easily. The way things stood now, with his body radiating the stench of the dead, his face showing the occasional signs of rot, his hands cut up with only rudimentary bandaging to stop the ichor from fleeing his body completely... It was not enough. He needed a more permanent way of preserving himself, other than simply stitching up the mess that rot left behind. Six months... a year. It was not enough. Simply traveling from one place to another required him to stop and take the first body he saw in any desolate location. The ritual was extremely unsafe to do in the wild. And traveling had its... appeal. A resolute nod moved the boy Nuit's features as he traversed the pathways leading to the embalming facility, following directives given to him earlier.

He had been scoffed at, even laughed at for wishing to learn the ways of preservation, but Volanaro knew better. He knew that the majority of the Nuit never wished to leave Sahova, not because they were not allowed to, but because they would not survive. The world changed, altered, shifted, the seasons switching the control of the climate over their actions. In Sahova, they were not in danger, but in the world beyond? The dangers were limitless. A Master Reimancer could be killed by something as simple as time.

Those who live in Un-Death should forever seek the means to preserving each body. For immortality is the purpose, is it not? This is not immortality. This is kneeling to the mercy of Uldr. The Nuit are free from Uldr's pull, we have every right to expand our boundaries.

This was Volanaro's only true ambition in this world. To expand the sheer amount of time he could possess a single body. Eventually, in a new age, he would wish to expand upon this, but he was, for the moment, content with his current directive. Vibrant, gray eyes cast their gaze upwards, the Nuit allowing himself to admire the intricate architecture of a past time. Noting each, intricately decorated wall, a tapestry of Alahean beauty plastered upon the surface, Volanaro felt an odd sense of wonder, attributing it to both the scenery at hand and the validity of his cause.

Eyes widened at the sheer beauty of the interior of the place, his stare cast in every given direction as Volanaro struggled to grasp the stark differences between this area and the rest of the citadel. Then, his eyes lowered to the pool, noting the silvery reflection of what looked, to him, to be water reflecting the glowing orbs of light. It painted an environment of benevolent welcome, a grin stretching the boy Nuit's features as he walked around the pool, intent on visiting... Amaryllis, correct? Yes, that was it. Amaryllis and offer himself up for service in the pursuit of short-term learning while on the island of Sahova. As of now, there was no plan to stay in the citadel forever. He was here for a singular purpose. Extension.

[Volanaro]

The sheer beauty of Amaryllis' domain within Sahova was stunning, and it made Volanaro, in his current, rare state of filth, feel inadequate. Usually, his body, chosen to be that of a teenager both out of habit and choice, was in pristine condition, but the arduous travel that was his way of life hindered his ability to be in full repair. His body was not as mangled as it had been in certain points of his current existence, and he had taken to limiting his traveling experiences (at least, for the most part) to the Autumn and Winter months, but this was not always possible, and he paid the price. He pulled up the hood of his robe, which was, tragically, the best kept aspect of his appearance. It was made of black linen, a sash worn over his waist to keep the material held tightly to his body so as to allow better range of motion. He had made sure to wash it before meeting with this Nuit, who was, by all manner of reputation, to be a lover of all things beautiful.

Never before had he underestimated someone so... completely.

The Nuit had expected a rather well-kept individual, perhaps enhanced with a bit of cosmetics and colour, and with robes that perhaps exceeded the norm in exuberance. A tinge of purple, silver, perhaps even a vibrant gold. But, no.

Again, he was wrong.

When he entered the office, Volanaro's gaze could not help but to fixate upon what he had assumed to be a 'female'I've identified the body as male, but for all intents and purposes, given the female name, I will use the female pronoun to describe Amaryllis' actions Nuit. He was wrong. The body that Amaryllis inhabited at this time was that of a male human. Tall and thin, the Nuit would not have been able to tell if it weren't for broad, square shoulders and the lack of a smooth jaw. They were very prominent features, for the rest of the Nuit's body was shrouded with peacock quills and colours. Vibrant green and blue reflected the glowing orbs of light. There were a large quantity of sparkles and feathers along her face, the colours forcing Volanaro to look away for a moment, but there was no reprieve. The cones within his eyes were overwhelmed by the invasion of green and blue, and would have, if the Nuit was alive, forced him to blink several times to adjust. Luckily, the need to do so was not there, as it would have been portrayed as rude.

"Who is there?"

The words flowed from the Nuit's lips, though she did not look up from her... meal... The being was eating, yet another oddity to add to the list of what strange, almost universally cast aside habits that humans employed. Volanaro, however, saw it as merely another thing to learn about the Embalmer. She clung to her mortal lifestyle despite being surrounded by the multitude of corpses. She lived a luxurious, garish life. One that, if Volanaro was privy to her particular tastes, would mirror. But, no. Volanaro's own quirks and habits, a result of insolence in regards to accepting Undeath as a reason to change everything, were distinct. He envisioned the office as if it were his own, feathers replaced by furs. It was present upon the material of his robes, the base trimmed with the furs of a bear, dyed black to suit the consistency of his robes.

The boy Nuit's lips parted as he sought to answer her question, his voice reverberating through the office with a pubescent tone. His own preference, to keep the illusion of adolescence even in the presence of those who knew his identity. Of course, this changed with the implementation of favour or hatred into the equation, but for the moment, neither were present.

"I am Volanaro, Lady Amaryl-"

"Amaryllis, or Miss Amaryllis will do nicely. Titles that imply a sense of respect remind me of my age."

The boy Nuit quirked an eyebrow, but heeded her indication, "My apologies, Amaryllis."

The woman nodded, still not looking up until she wiped her mouth with a rather posh movement of a handkerchief, "Better. Now, what do you want, boy?" The last word was enunciated just slightly as she looked up from her meal. A smirk materialized upon Volanaro's expression for just a moment before the expression shifted to a bright smile.

"I am asking permission to utilize your facilities. I wish to learn how to better preserve the bodies our kind inhabits. As you can see... this one is suffering from the arduous nature of travel, and I wish to prevent such a malady from occurring when I switch to another."

The 'female' nodded, looking upon the boy once again before rising to her feet, the male adult body she was inhabiting showing the extent of its height over Volanaro's. The woman stared down at the boy Nuit, a smirk gracing her features as she said, "That is fine. So long as you do not muck anything up, feel free to perform as you will. Now leave."

Volanaro smiled once more as his request was accepted, inclining his head just slightly before turning to exit her office, making haste towards the Rubellum Chamber. Before doing anything, he wanted to see how the work was in its final stage.