Closed [Flashback]Thwarting Tanroa(Evalin)

[Ignotus Everto]

What pleasure Ignotus would have gotten from Evalin's touch was shunted to the sidelines as Ignotus tried to puzzle out what was making her hand so cold. It felt... Clammy. Dead, even. The thought occurred to him that she really was dead, but he pushed it down... For the moment. "So bold of you to lay hands upon a woman whom you have only just met, yet... I cannot say I do not find it charming in a way."
"Lhex rewards the daring." he replied.

His heart wasn't the only thing that jolted into overdrive as Evalin's hand clamped down on his wrist. Djed began concentrating in his stomach in anticipation of battle. Should she have attacked, a torrent of fire would have greeted her in a few ticks. Quite a few ticks indeed, however. Fortunate for her then, as it allowed the Nuit plenty time to make it obvious that attacking him was the last thing on her mind.

An almost imperceptible spasm rippled over Ignotus' brow when he saw what was in her eyes. A spasm that turned into a deep furrow when he heard the words she whispered into his ear. "However... I care not to be toyed with. Speak you your mind without your subtle manipulations, and what you seek may come to be within your grasp."

Ignotus chuckled, a carefree sound that masked the spark of panic that was festering inside of him. She knew what he was. If he couldn't convince her otherwise, then, regrettably, once she had given him what he wanted, she would have to die. Seeing her smile and lay a hand on his chest certainly gave the man some confidence as to his ability. "What are you talking about?" he asked, allowing a sort of complacency to seep into his words and drip into his companion. Him? Manipulative? Ridiculous. Chipping away at the foundations of her suspicion was just the first step, though.

His free hand glided over Evalin's leg, lending some of its heat to her dead flesh as it ran over her hip and across the curve of her waist. "Really, you worry too much..." Ignotus said in an amused tone, taking advantage of the eye contact the undead was so readily giving him. A much more powerful pulse of Djed passed between them, this one carrying something more substantial than a vague feeling.

The Summoner's own mind took Ignotus' side, saying in a dismissive tone, "I must be getting paranoid." Really, it was silly to get so worked up. Why didn't she just relax? It was a cut above anything Rayage could ever have managed, though the Hypnotist in front of her hadn't the slightest idea that another had been bumbling around her head first. The situation simply demanded a slightly more forceful hand, in his view.

Ignotus' splayed fingers traced their way up Evalin's back, the first digit winding a lock of her hair around itself. "Dear me, people are starting to watch." he remarked with a somewhat embarrassed laugh. Indeed, a small handful of people glanced up at what they were assuming was a slightly odd, and slightly overeager couple. "Perhaps we should continue this conversation somewhere more... Private?"

His own smile took on a more flirtatious tone as he let the last word roll off his tongue. With so many avenues of contact, slipping suggestions into Evalin's subconscious was growing very easy indeed. Silly suspicions weren't worth her time. There were much more pressing matters to attend to. "Any ideas?"

[Evalin]

I must be getting paranoid.

This thought sent ripples of unease coursing through the woman's body and mind yet... Could it be true? Was it that she was placing fears long since past upon this man before her? Evalin could not be sure but...

It IS unlikely that he holds sway over my mind. Surely the ages past have brought to my mind more fears than need be examined. Yet even as she thought this the feeling of uncertainty remained in the back of her mind, though ignored for the time being.

Instead her mind focused upon the toying hands of the man whom she pressed against, following every lingering trace of pressure even as her eyes remained locked on Ignotus'. When his fingers found her hair she smiled softly. If this had been a mere few centuries before she might have blushed at the interaction, yet the creature she was now saw this as an... opportunity of sorts. The hand that once held his wrist moved to take ahold of the playful digits tangled in her hair, while the fingers of her other hand traced upward along the man's jawline.

"Let them stare my dear mortal, for they gaze upon something which they might never achieve. Look upon me now and what do you see?" Evalin would wait for Ignotus to answer before continuing, "What you see, my child, is a being who stands at the edge of all things. Within these halls I see every person as a point of light. Some burn brighter than others, but all resemble the stars in the night sky in that each, no matter how long or brightly they burn will eventually dim and fade." Evalin trailed a finger across the man's cheek, her eyes gazing up and down him as she continued, "I, however, am the darkness between those stars. I am eternal, I do not fade nor do I dim. I... am the consumer of those lights, and with each that fades my darkness grows stronger still..." Evalin would allow her words to settle upon the man's mind for a few moments before stirling, pulling back from his figure to stand and take up her staff. Turning she would pull her hood back over her features, looking over her shoulder as she spoke, "If what you seek be what I believe it to be, then follow me into the shadows of this world..."

Then, without waiting to see if Ignotus would follow, Evalin began walking, heading for the Library's exit.

[Ignotus Everto]

"Let them stare my dear mortal, for they gaze upon something which they might never achieve." She certainly was interesting. Ignotus rarely did things without a purpose, physical or otherwise, and Evalin was no exception to the rule. He may have attempted to test how well his Hypnotism worked on immortals, if the Nuit hadn't asked him a question.
"Look upon me now and what do you see?"
"A lovely lady who has freed herself from death." Ignotus replied.

"What you see, my child, is a being who stands at the edge of all things. Within these halls I see every person as a point of light. Some burn brighter than others, but all resemble the stars in the night sky in that each, no matter how long or brightly they burn will eventually dim and fade." Evalin trailed a finger across the man's cheek, her eyes gazing up and down him as she continued, "I, however, am the darkness between those stars. I am eternal, I do not fade nor do I dim. I... and the consumer of those lights, and with each that fades my darkness grows stronger still..."

The wizard couldn't help but feel as if he were being surveyed, even if there was a (seemingly) young thing hanging on his every word. He wasn't sure how he felt about being appraised. Before he could mull on it for too long, however, Evalin had risen and was beginning to walk. "If what you seek be what I believe it to be, then follow me into the shadows of this world..."

It was hardly even a decision. Ignotus rose, his stack of books forgotten. He hadn't dreamed that fate would simply throw what he was searching for quite literally onto his lap, but here he was. He was thwarting Tanroa. Without pause or hesitation, Ignotus followed Evalin to wherever she chose to take him.

[Evalin]

From that hall of ancient knowledge Evalin strode, entering the maze like corridors of the university itself. Her steps were quick, and the sound of her staff upon the stones echoed through the silence. She spoke not a word, did not turn to see if Ignotus had followed her. The cloak and cowl covered all features, making her a mere vague image almost engulfed by the shadows of the growing night.

They would pass many closed doors, portals to classrooms and studies that held little interested to the immortal at the moment. From time to time she would turn down one corridor or the next, seemingly at random intervals. How long they walked could not be certain. It might have been but a chime, or perhaps more than a bell, but what did it matter to Evalin? Time was no longer important. The ticking of the seconds meant nothing to her now, and so soon would it be the same for the one who followed...

Finally after some time Evalin would stop at a door half hidden down a near forgotten passage. From within her folds of her cloak she withdrew a key, unlocking the door and pushing it open upon its squeaky hinges. Beyond the door was a room covered in dust and home to more cobwebs than anything else. it was small, only a bit larger than a broom closet. Against the very back wall there was a simple wooden desk with forgotten papers strewn across it. Scribbled in faded ink were archaic glyphs and indecipherable words that seemed to date back quite a long time, yet nothing could be made out other than a space drawing or two.

Without pause Evalin ventured into the darkness, brushing aside the dust and papers upon the desk and retrieving a single candle from one of its drawers. Within her she summoned that power to swell and inch toward her extended finger, pressing out against her cutical to become a small ball of res no bigger than a marble. Hissing softly she whispered, "Hakin," and the res ignited. Fueled by her power the flame flickered a moment before Evalin let it leap to the which of the candle, extinguishing the flame on her finger with a careless wave of her hand as she turned, holding the lit candle in her hand.

The light cast by the flickering flame caused the shadows to dance about the woman's face, twisting and distorting her features beneath the hood. Her red eyes shown dark as freshly spilt blood, set deep into her sockets as the shadows pooled around her eyes and cheeks. In this light, masked and covered in the shadows of the world this girl looked more demon than human... but then this might not be far from the truth.

Perhaps it was the pressing darkness and the flickering candle that caused certain features of the woman to grow more noticeable, but here and now it would become ever more evident that Evalin was more than just a woman. Those eyes, lit by the flame, were cold and unfeeling, staring at Ignotus but not actually seeing him. Pale fingers that curled about the candle were noticeably thin and bony, and the chill from her... Perhaps it was the mark of Uldr working to increase that sense of unease one often gets when facing the undead, or perhaps it was simply a cause of the atmosphere in which the two found themselves.

Evalin would look over Ignotus for a time longer, refusing to break the silence even if Ignotus spoke. For a chime, and then two, she would simply stare at the man, but then when she moved she would approach very close, maybe uncomfrtably so, to place a chilled hand over the man's heart. Those eyes filled with death itself would look at Ignotus' before whispering a hiss into the darkness, "What is it you seek...?"

[Ignotus Everto]

A dungeon? That's what the room looked like. Evidently, the key to everlasting life was less than savory. His eyebrow twitched when he saw the Nuit light the candle without a match. So she was also a Reimancer. He would have to remember that...

Though Ignotus prided himself on being able to stomach, and indeed commit, actions that would make most others cringe, he still felt a chill run up his spine as Evalin's burning red eyes swept over him once more. The thought occurred to him to flee, to turn back before things grew worse, but he stamped his scruples out. This was what he was searching so furiously for. When else would he get an opportunity such as this? The silence in the room felt almost alive, and Ignotus' skin prickled uncomfortably. If this examination lasted much longer, he thought he was going to set the room alight just to release tension. Thankfully Evalin chose that moment to speak. A hand as cold as marble in winter laid over his hammering heart, as she asked, "What is it you seek..?"

Forcing his easy smile back onto his face, the Hypnotist traced his fingers over Evalin's icy cheek, explored the contours of her neck for a tick... Before suddenly seizing the collar of her cloak and jerking her within an inch of his face. "Your immortality. I want it." he growled, the orange light of the candle glinting off his teeth as a grin cracked across his face. "And you're going to give it to me."

[Evalin]

Evalin's features did not change as she was yanked almost bodily from the floor. Her eyes remained cool, her chilled expression never faltering nor giving away to such petty things as emotions. What matter it that the man use force? She was immortal. She was the darkness that consumed the light of mortals, so what have she to fear from an infant such as this?

The man's hands grasped tightly about her collar, his hold was strong yet Evalin did not struggle. If she had been living Evalin might have gasped for breath, yet as she was now she needed not such things. Perhaps Ignotus would notice as well this lack of caring, or bothering to free herself?

Closing her eyes Evalin allowed her mind to go black, to become the emptiness that voided her soul and filled her being with darkness. In the emptiness the girl began to trace with white light a circle, perfectly round with 16 smaller circles. Her mind was all focus, clear and concise concentration written on her brow as she drew within the 16 smaller circles the coordinates to Fyrden, the barren planet of the Familars. Finally her mind drew four lines connecting to a very inner most circle, and the mental drawing was completed. Evalin held this picture in her mind, forced her mental energies to keep it fixed perfectly in her mind's eye until it was engrained upon the backs of her eye lids. The hand about her staff tightened, and Evalin sent a wave of her own energy coursing into it. Lifting it up she slammed the end upon the ground, the sound echoing in the tiny space. Flames licked across the ground, forming the drawing affixed in Evalin's mind in scorch marks on the ground. The center of the circle was at the base where her staff touched the ground, right between the two figures.

Evalin's eyes would snap open, and taking advantage of Ignotus' momentary distraction she would wrench her collar free of his grip. Suddenly she moved fast, faster than should be possible for one of her size, ducking under Ignotus' arms to press her hand against his back. With a his the girl summoned the power within her to well, flow and press against her skin, res forming and expelling from every pour until it covered her like an extra cloak. The res that poured from her hands also inched up Ignotus' back, "Be you more wary my dear mortal, for your next actions shall either open the door to your greatest desires, or close shut forever more." Evalin's voice whispered to be heard by Ignotus, "If you attempt to do as you just did once more I shall set myself and you ablaze with the power we both hold. You may survive, but I shall be singed and burned utterly. With me would go the secrets of immortality." She did not bother to mention that the flames would not kill her before she escaped, but then again there was no point in revealing all of her cards before the time was right.

Evalin gripped her staff tighter, cutting her thumb upon a sharp edge and letting a drop of black ichor fall upon the circles edge. A sound like a thousand waterfalls filled the room as a current of energy began to flow from the circles edge, powered by the drop from Evain's hand. With a smile Evalin continued, "I have just opened a portal to a barren and inhospitable land which no living creature can survive. This portal shall engulf us both in a matter of moments, and if you kill me it will swallow you whole. Now then my dear mortal I shall ask again, and if you answer correctly I will open your eyes to a world you have always longed for." She had to lean in close to speak over the quickly opening portal, "What is it that you seek?"

[Ignotus Everto]

To say Ignotus was shocked by the sudden, violent downturn in his luck was a mild understatement. By the time he had summoned enough Djed to any point in his body to be transmuted, Evalin was already threatening mutual suicide. A clever move, he had to admit. Whether or not he survived the portal, he wouldn't get what he wanted, and he would likely die. He would have to remember to do the same when he was presented with an insurmountable threat.

His hands balled into fists, and though his voice was (relatively) even, it was still obvious to the observant person that he was frustrated. Very frustrated.
"... I want to live forever." he mumbled. "Can you help me? I apologize if I got a little overeager. There's no need to kill us both, now is there? Of course there isn't. Besides, it would be such a shame to ruin what seems to be such a delightful relationship... I think there's quite a bit of chemistry between us, no?"

The Hypnotist leaned back slightly at that point, though it wasn't entirely for altruistic reasons. He'd be able to bowl them both over, hopefully breaking Evalin's concentration if she decided to kill him anyways. Though his throat was starting to feel sore, he forced Djed into his larynx in a manner that felt much more natural to him; the air soon grew thick with laziness. A sort of carefree complacency. Hopefully, one that would soothe her.

Otherwise, there was something much less subtle that could assist him.

[Evalin]

Evalin allowed a small sense of pleasure slip within the cold darkness of her mind. Tapping her staff twice upon the ground the woman severed the connection of her djed with the opening portal, and the sounds of rushing water slowed and died away. The very outer perimeter of the circle was now smudged and half erased.

Though the immortal felt a sense of relaxation falling over her at the man's words, she none the less kept her guard up. She spun and twirled the res that she had created around her, forming it into 5 round spheres that floated carelessly around her, like orbiting moons about a planet. They would appear to be like heat waves, points in the air where things became distorted when seen through them. Stepping back out of arms reach Evalin would smile, leaning on her staff as she spoke, "I see within you a flame that is wild and unrefined. A fire hot and liable to burn yourself as much as those around you, though I believe you realize this yourself." She would pause a moment before continuing, "I have little need of an untempered flame, and I hold little regard for those who act so brashly in their ambitions. For those who wish to learn the secrets hidden within the darkness it is, patients and caution are lessons to be well learned. Remember this..."

Straightening Evalin moved to stand in front of the desk once more, turning so that she faced Ignotus. Sitting herself upon the old wood she would fold her legs, resting her staff across them as the orbs of res continued to float about her. Those eyes of red would close momentarily before opening to look at Ignotus, "Show me what you would do for this... gift, I offer. A single hand moved to grace the woman's forehead, a strange expression crossing her features, "I require a certain craving to be quenched. Bring to me a woman both young and strong. Use whatever means you have to do this, but do not halt the flood of blood within her... Do this, and you will have earned the chalice of immortality."

Lowering her hand Evalin smiled a grim, ghoulish smile from beneath her hood.

[Ignotus Everto]

Ignotus nodded slowly, his brow furrowing further. He may have attempted to "persuade" Evalin of his innate superiority further, if it weren't for the fact that she was already prepared for battle, and he still needed something from her. Besides, for all her lectures on fire, she still hadn't discovered him for a Hypnotist... Or at the very least, he had convinced her he wasn't. That counted for something, no?

Still, she had a point. He had grown brash. If he wanted to succeed as a wizard, he had to be much more careful in the future. Much more careful indeed. Soon enough, she was bold enough to give him a task. This however, was much easier to swallow.

"Show me what you would do for this... gift, I offer." An expression Ignotus couldn't read flitted over Evalin's face as she touched a hand to her forehead. He really would have to learn Auristics to be able to divine such things in the future. "I require a certain craving to be quenched. Bring to me a woman both young and strong. Use whatever means you have to do this, but do not halt the flood of blood within her... Do this, and you will have earned the chalice of immortality."

While her smile was certainly eerie, the grin that was coming back to Ignotus' face was... Well, it wasn't an expression any normal human being should have at the thought of kidnapping and murdering an innocent girl. It wasn't that he was willing to do something truly heinous to get what he wanted. It simply wasn't heinous at all in Ignotus' mind. There was nothing. No trepidation, doubt, worry, remorse for what he was about to do. Only macabre joy. Evalin may as well have asked him to fetch her an apple at a market, and it showed on his face.

"My dear, here I was thinking you only had beauty and brains! Yet you show such delightful tastes as well! Once we both have the leisure of eternity, we simply must get to know each other better." Flattery was good, but why stop there? Forcing another ration of Djed up from his belly, he laced his words with magic once more. Pulses of pride emanated from the Hypnotist, while subliminal strings worked to associate the pleasant feeling to him. A little insurance, so to speak. People were so much more apt to help if they did so out of affection, after all.

With a slight dip of his head, he began to back out of the room. "I'll return in six bells with your treat." A treat. A toy. An object. That was all the girl was to Ignotus. That was all Evalin was to Ignotus. The world existed to please him, and if someone had to die for his pleasure, so be it. "Ta!" he chirped, and with an ironic blown kiss and a wave, the wizard turned and shut the door behind him.

[Evalin]

A man who smiles so at my request is a man to be interested in indeed. Evalin mused to herself as she watched Ignotus turn and close the door behind him. At the sound of the latch clicking Evalin visibly slumped, the weight of exhaustion from her early actions weighing heavily upon her brow.

Might I be thankful that this had gone on no longer, for a bluff such as mine could not have held sway for long... Evalin slowly unfolded her legs, using her staff to help her ease herself back onto her shaking feet. The balls of res still orbited her, revolving slowly. Straightening Evalin extended one hand before her eyes, squinting at the grayed fingers she saw, "Be I the fool now... Taking such a risk? Who be this man after all? A scholar? A professor? A dear grandfather?" Evalin couldn't suppress her grin at that last thought, but the smile quickly faded as she began to ponder the man's actions, "It is not often that I meat one who would dare to raise hand against me, and yet he did it with little fear..."

Her mind drifted to that strange feeling of unease in the back of her mind. Something about him, this Ignotus, did not settle well with her soul, and yet she could not bring herself to think on this long before other, more pressing thoughts surged forth. Tilting her head Evalin pulled the res about her into a long, cylindrical trail that she then curved around her entire body like a snake. Using her fingers she shaped one end to resemble the head of a serpent with a gaping mouth and long fangers, and then with a breath she whispered, "Hakin", igniting the outer layer of res, yet keeping the inner the same so as to feed the flame.

The flaming creation of reimancy twisted and coiled around Evalin, keeping just far enough away so as not to catch her clothing on fire. Evalin observed her creation as it moved, feeling the pull on her strength and concentration as she did, "He speaks so brashly... So openly for what he wants, and wishes to take from me..." Evalin's eyebrows knitted together as she felt that bubbling hatred well within her, hatred for the man who shattered her views of teh world. The serpent responded in kind, feeding upon the flooding emotions, growing in size and twisting into more fantastic loops, opening its mouth wide to his sparks and smoke, "But I am Evalin... The Witch of Fire and Shadow... I am she who shall consume the lights of this world, she who shall defy Fate himself and free this world from his cruelty."

Evalin threw out her left arm, willing the fiery monster to coil about her outstretched appendage. Those points of red filled with such loathing and hate that could not be fathomed by any mortal, "I shall sever the hands of that being, and never more shall he rule over the lives of others..." Evalin's eyes cooled to a chilling degree, falling once more into pits of nothingness as Evalin turned to look at the door. Her mind wandered over the thoughts of Ignotus once more, and she gave a half smile as she tugged at the res creature with her mind, unwinding it from her arm so that it coiled about her body once more, "Poor child... He truly believes he holds sway over any of this. Well, if he survives what is to come, I shall make him understand how insignificant he truly is." Evalin chuckled, the sound from deep in her chest, hollow and cold as a grave. With a snap of her finger the serpent hissed and vanished as the rest of its res was was eaten away, transformed into fire and allowed to fade from existence.

Weary from the exertion and bluffs of the day, Evalin returned to the desk, walking around to sit in the chair behind it. With a sigh she closed her eyes, her mind flooded with a sense of euphoria as she felt the need to pull upon her powers once more... but she resisted this, ignoring the sweet whispers and driving them from her mind with a shake of her head, "Though it would be best to avoid such confrontations any time soon... I feel that I might not hold so strong a second time around..." Evalin whispered to herself.

Thus she waited, waited for the 6 bells to tick by, though her mind did not falter in its quiet musings of what had happened, and what was still to come.