Open - The Dark Lady

[Karona Isenbach]

Timestamp: Day 20, 509 AV, Winter The onset of the winter season gave the bustling city of Syliras much to love in spring; cold winds and heavy drifts of white made walking around somewhat hard, and the chill which draped each breath made sure to ground some of the frailer workers at home. But despite this hassle the more industrious ones carried on as if nothing was there to stop them from doing business, as hardy as ever to whatever dawns and beckons. The influx of activity in the lofty, comfortable innards of the castle however, did not diminish. Nay, for with the spacious and warm lodgings and establishments within the tide of humanity increased, as more and more tourists made it. It was a good time to be a travel guide, for the white wash the city had received gave it a distinctly romantic feel. The Syliran knights, always on guard, made sure to disturb their joys with routine inspections and their overly-hyped suspicions. The foreign races were particularly subjected to this, for even the women and children did not escape their perusing hands and raider eyes. Still, once the cleared sign had been given, the tidings of mirth continued. Within one of the apartments in Stormhold castle could be found none of the brighter hues of the holidays; lavish designs of impeccable artistry could be found in the statues, furniture and trappings, but there is no trace of happiness. What's more, the white backdrop which can be found sitting by the window mists up the panes, falling snow gently embedding itself on the glass. It all added up to give the room a more ghostly, ghastly look. An unusual smell could be found floating within the room. It should be nothing of the expected sort, for it was the greasy, rotten smell of aged meat that had been stored too long within a dank, damp place, mixed with the strong perfume of some despondently wasteful fashion guru. Every door and window was noticeably sealed by elaborate layers of foam in every cranny to keep the smell from spilling out into the more public corridors outside. It might have seemed like the perfect place to immure someone for a tortuous, solitary death, but the place was indeed inhabited. Sultry and lovely colors draped the figure of a woman within a dark corner of the room, an image as beautiful and worthy of admiration as a woman could be. The black dress she wore was of the finest quality, and yet there was something odd about her, something foul, something indescribable. Upon closer inspection one would see that her deep gray eyes were wide open with the terrible glow of depression, and her lips were polished with the brilliant crimson of spilt human life. An aura of inexplicable proportions fumed all about her, with only the pushing of her chair's feet into the mahogany flooring breaking the drowning silence she exuded. She was rocking back and forth in her strange endeavor, coddling what appears to be a grotesquely disfigured human being like a lover would a fallen husband. Calm words of endearment could be heard from each breath, all incantations with a black meaning. The years of vituperations rung loud and clear within her chaotic mind as they world continued to turn around her, unwary of the tragic evil which swirled within the panels of that great window high up in one of Stormhold's smaller towers. Famous as she was, only the howling winds, only the hollow ringing of expired mortality and memories knew.

[Nira Curare]

Nira clutch her cloak tighter around her as she heard the gruesome tales people concocted about the Symenestra. Who was she kidding? Most of them were true, Nira herself had tasted the flesh of human more than a few times, but they were those that deserved it, people that had tried to harm her. It woulds have just been wasteful to let their recently killed bodies rot, when she needed the food. Nira was not evil, though the families of the many drained villagers might think so.

She sat alone in an tavern called the Clucking Rabbit and the men told their horror stories behind her. Nira wondered what they would if she pulled down the hood of her cloak and smiled widely at them, revealing her pointed fangs. She smirked under the protection of the cloak, knowing they would probably run for the guard, they were no fighters, just big talkers. Paying the barkeep, she wondered if their were any other Symenestras in Syliras. It had been a very long time since she had seen another of her kind. They was just as well, they usually thought she was an oddity, practicing medicine on the same kind of people she feeds on. It was not hypocrisy, at least not in her eyes, but Nira's way of looking at the world was a bit jaded.

She was glad it was winter as she nodded to the guards she passed, if it were summer, they would probably find such a person with so much of themselves covered suspicious. Walking briskly she thought of the stories those men were telling, they were of a beautiful Symenestra woman who would seduce her pray and then kill them painfully, not putting them out of their misery has her poison works its way through their veins. All in all, it wasn't that unlikely, Nira herself may have been more humane, but she knew of many that liked to watch their food squirm. They said she haunted the Stormhold, haunted, like they were undead. Clearly these idiots didn't know what they were talking about, which surprised her, city folk were supposed to be more knowledgeable about the other races and how would they know how she killed her prey, clearly they were making things. Looking up into one of the towers, the wind blew the hood of her cloak off just as she saw a face back at her.

[Karona Isenbach]

It was a strange time in Syliras indeed, for the more alien races were given more freedom to roam around the city despite the unfair cruelty and rapaciousness which the knights were famous for. Whatever could be found outside would surely be of more interest than it would have been in spring indeed. As if drawn by this sweet rapture towards the windowsill, the marked lady of darkness pressed a kiss into the gruesome artifact in her arms, then divided her attention into the white winter outside. Her hands caressed the cold glass as her eyes ventured into the streets below, carefully observing each individual that came rolling back and forth. There was the baker across the street, his products somewhat unpopular today due to his selling them out of the shop, peddling them out in the open breeze instead. Small children holding hands were singing carols together as they jumped about and frolicked in the snow, creating angel marks into the soft ice. Then a man in a tight coat passed by, embracing himself against the wind. Karona's pursed lips broke into a smile; he had a handsome face and a large frame, perfect for entertainment. Her eyes trailing even lower into the pavements directly under her window, the looming hues of her grey widened into a more curious kind gaze as she beheld a woman in a cloak looking up at her. The white hair and pallid complexion would have passed for another race, perhaps the Konti, but those fangs in her lips were unmistakable. "A Symenestra." she said to herself, the smile on her own mouth concealing itself behind a thicker look from her lightless orbs. Even from the far depths from whence they came, her eyes bored into Nira's, as if her attention had settled for the younger girl from her race against the rest of the world. A silent call, an invitation to come up could be read in the vagueness of her actions and look, and slowly the half-Symenestra's shadowy smile returned in a more blooming, friendly and beautiful form. This she did in the span of a seemingly eternal few seconds, blackness overturning the rest of the world between the two women. Then she turned away, delving back into the depths of the corner, where she picked up the ragged, sordid figure she had been straddling earlier. The stench of the bile which coursed through its dead veins seeped into the carpet, and some parts of it hung loosely from its sides like the strappings of a horse, only the ornamentation was its own blasted skin. Seeing this, the lady's smile curled up into an unforgiving predatory snarl, her barbed fingers lashing out at the helpless abomination with fury. Some of its flesh stuck into her fingernails as the already contorted face was lacerated across the eyes and nose, yet she simply picked off the unsavory bits with a suddenly elongated fang. She whispered calm, yet obviously constrained words into the corpse doll's ear, her eyes and her smile glinting up into a very dubious brand of anticipation. "Behave, dear Drasche. Behave. We have a guest coming."

[Nira Curare]

Nira and the strange woman in the window held eye contact for a moment. She saw a ghost of a smile turn into a full look of pleasant surprise. Nira felt as though she were being summoned inside, but she was not sure why that was. None the less she turned toward the Stormhold Castle to walk inside. Even here she argued with herself about weather to continue. She knew which lonely tower the woman was in, and it had been so long since she had spoken to another of her kind, or really anyone, with no secrets and no hiding. Still, something told her she didn't want to meet the dark woman in the window, something seemed a bit off, but Nira dismissed this since she was so far away when they made their brief eye contact.

With slow steps she picture the imposing building to figure out where the stair would be to reach the specific tower she was seeking. It didn't take nearly long enough for Nira to quiet the uneasy voice in her head. The dark, winding staircase was well lit, and soon enough Nira was where she judged the womans room to be. She walked up to the door, fully pulling the hood of her cloak off to show her pale face, she was so sick of hiding. Again she hesitated before knocking, remembering she left her beautiful city because she didn't agree with most Symenestra's beliefs, but a larger part assured that it didn't matter, and that was enough for Nira to knock quietly on the door.

[Karona Isenbach]

The great door fronting the apartment entrance to the Isenbach residence was a very heavy one; made of solid oak and varnished to perfection, it looked more metallic in its gleaming polish than anything else. Two torches graced either side of the door, and above the stone portal was a curious coat of arms. On the shield was a great red rose, held up by a bloody hand. The door creaked open after the pure Symenestra knocked on it, the sound of great bolts unlocking emanating from the other side. What greeted her was a very dimly lit room, lit only by the faint snowy light which penetrated the middle one of three great windows, with the other two covered by a heavy drape of crimson. Despite the sealed-off atmosphere, a cool breeze blew inside, one laced by a rather peculiar smell. To the left could be found a large bronze mirror which made the reflection seem more like another identical room. A strange force seemed to emit from the mirror, like it is something that beckoned for NIra to touch it. The reflection which it cast upon her image and that of the room was picture perfect; all the furniture was arranged neatly, and the light curtain which played softly with the untraceable breeze stayed gentle. Still the silent calling was seemed to be very dark and ominous; as the saying goes, it was curiosity that killed the cat, and it would have been quite unwise to tempt fate at that time. A blink or two after, she would notice that there was a new addition to the reflection which wasn't there a second ago. It was that of a tall and statuesque woman with piercing gray eyes and a hauntingly lovely face. She was smiling, much as she was in the window before, and she curtsied politely to her from behind. "Welcome to my humble abode my dear. My name is Karona, and I am the mistress of this household." she greeted in a voice fit for an angel, bowing solemnly with her formal gesture. It wouldn't have been too hard to read that she was genuinely happy, in an off and somewhat detached manner. "I am happy you have come to accept my... Invitation earlier. Truly it is rare for me to encounter one of my own race here in the havens of Syliras. What is your name?"

[Nira Curare]

The first thing Nira noticed was the smell of meat going bad mixed heavily with perfume. Then she saw the beautiful, imposing room, and the scent was out of her mind. The mysterious woman from the window had to be rich, maybe even noble. Her caught the mirror out of the corner of her eye. A large part of her wanted to touch it, but her intuition begged her not to. While she was still making a decision, she saw the reflection of the woman.

She was gorgeous to say the least, much taller than Nira and dressed in clothes she could only dream of wearing. She suddenly felt quite plain in her dark wool dress. Nira could also tell she was not full Symenestra, but looking at her Nira was ashamed of her ever present fangs, exaggerated limbs, white hair, and purple eyes. She had not felt so small, so young, since leaving home. Suddenly nervous she was going to stammer, Nira smiled at the beautiful lady and said, "My name is Nira Curare." She mirrored the other womans bow and continued, "I am most pleased to find another Symenestra here in Syliras, you are the first I have seen, what is you name?" She looked up hopefully, worried that her time spent avoiding conversation would make her a poor acquaintance.

[Karona Isenbach]

Karona smiled sweetly at the girl's curious look. The darker Symenestra could smell her confidence growing smaller by the minute, and her unmoving gray orbs hinted at some hidden pleasure over her awkwardness, yet her voice and her actions were ones that seemed to wish to dispel this notion. It would have been in vain, however; she neither looked mean nor terrorizing, yet there was something about the slow and precise feathery movements of her body that begged to surrender this apparent fact to Nira. She moved closer to the snow-lit window, appearing as if she was floating in air rather than stepping on the rich red carpet that blanketed the entire room. Her eyes never left Nira's face the entire time. "My name is Karona Isenbach, dear Nira." Drawing a beautiful Glassbeak fan from the side of her dress, she unfurled it and started to employ its use in smooth, rhythmic movements. The strange mistress of the house then bent down and began to smooth the pillows in the silk-covered couch directly in front of the snowy window with her free hand. "Please, do not be so formal and take a seat here. Would you like to have some refreshments? I'm sure you could use something to sate the thaw of the ice from outside." After retracting back to her normal position, she stopped moving completely and froze in wait for a reply, her deep, entrancing eyes gleaming across to the guest the darkness of the room. The silence that radiated between them once she stopped talking seemed deafening, almost eternal.

[Kestrel Lancaster]

Ketrel Lancaster exited the Clucking Rabbit in a bright mood, with a belly full of food and pockets loaded with miza's. The innkeeper had been very generous that evening in return for the four quails she brought. Humming quietly to herself, she began walking through the snowy white streets at a leisurely place, hardly making any noise as she moved. She was dressed in the standard hunter garb: brown pants, a brown cloak, a white tunic, and well-worn brown leather boots. Kestrel snuggled further into her cloak, and stopped suddenly, noticing with the well-developed reflexes the figure of a woman in a nearby tower's window. She approached the structure and rapped on the door loudly. It was a chilly night, and Kestrel wasn't looking forward to spending it bundled up outside. She took a free night's rest where she could find it. She was practical, didn't like spending money when she could be saving it. It couldn't hurt to ask for a night's stay, at least. If the woman complied, she would even pay a little for her keep. She waited serenely, watching her breath frost on the cool afternoon air.

OOC: Hope you don't mind if I join you two.

[Karona Isenbach]

OOC: You're very much welcome Kestrel. however the time of this is in the afternoon.

As if by a stroke of luck, something outside called the lady's attention, dispelling the ensuing silence that rifted between them. Her eyes were the first to flutter to the left, trailing downwards slowly as if conducting some rigorous observation. Then her entire body broke into that fluid movement of hers "Mmm? What's this?" she exclaimed out of the blue, talking more to herself than to her guest, who was still standing on the far edge of the room. Her stationary smile did not cease, but widened in full bloom again. A woman was right below her window, exactly where Nira had been just a dozen minutes ago. The snow had started to fall, and she was looking up as if she was expecting something. Karona's inability to read what Kestrel desired or implied somewhat irked her, piquing her curiosity and nagging at her to see for herself. A smirk escaped her breath as she focused on the woman's eyes for a moment, closing out the rest of the world around her and settling on Kestrel. The gray in her pupils growing in darker shades for a split-second before she turned back to Nira with a smile. "Would you mind sharing our time with another friend, dear Nira?" she asked sweetly.

[Kestrel Lancaster]

OOC: Alrighty, I changed it. Thanks for letting me know! xD