To the Forest of Death (Kouri, Celeste)

[Mirage]

OOCI am going to be trying something new with this Modded thread, so please bear with me

Celeste

9th of Winter, 513 AV
Location: Riyanna's Lab

Celeste had been told to simply meet Riyanna in her lab that evening, no word of explanation given in the slightest. Celeste would find the lab empty when she arrived, and then more than a bell later the door would finally open to reveal Riyanna smiling happily at her apprentice, "Hello sweetie, I hope you haven't waited too long."

There was something strange about Riyanna this evening, something not quite right. Perhaps it was her clothing, for she was dressed in the finest robes she had available. Black silk falling over her substantial figure, dark blues and purples hidden in the folds of black and within the wide sleeves. Perhaps it was that her hair was long and well combed, and instead of the usual fantastic it was a simple dirty blond, tied back with black lace. Maybe it was that her teeth were not sharp points, her eyes not thin slitted pupils and instead of exaggerated colors they were a light blue, the color of the sky. There was a fragrance from her as well, like rose petals and peaches. Perfume of some form surely, but it was not something Riyanna had ever worn before.

Smiling wide, showing perfect teeth, Riyanna would move to stand in front of Celeste, her robes swishing around her whenever she moved, "I have some very good news. After talking with a few of my own contacts, I have managed to get your name out to a few of my associates. One of these has requested your aid in an important task within the Testing Grounds, and she has said she would be happy to offer her recommendation to the Council of Five to be made a full Wizard! When the time comes of course." The Warden laughed and clapped her hands together, "Oh this is so exciting! Your very first step to achieving Wizard! What do you think? Are you excited?" She looked eagerly at her apprentice, waiting a reply.

*****

Kouri

10th of Winter, 513 AV
Location: The Courtyard

The call had come suddenly in the form of a bouncing Mia, tugging at Fubuki's ghostly clothes. The girl had very eagerly informed Fubuki that Wanda wished to see her, urgently, right that second! After allowing Kouri to retrieve the soulmist she needed to walk freely in the Courtyard, Mia would bring her into this ghostly habitat, depositing the girl in front of a large stone with words written in an ancient tongue. Wanda was there, tending to a strange weed that grew at the base of this stone, her attention focused entirely on it at the moment.

Mia nudged Fubuki gently, motioning with a hand, "Go on, ask her!" She giggled, smiling encouragingly at Fubuki.

OOCOK this is a slow start for you Fubuki, but it is to just help things come together in future posts. Like I said I am trying out something new so bear with me ^.^

[Celeste Arumen]

Celeste sat upon the Warden’s bed, swinging her legs to and fro. Riyanna’s lateness was peculiar; in fact, it was borderline alarming. As she sat, she considered going out to look for the woman a hundred times or more, though she thought better of it, again and again. Her Master was a big girl. She could take care of herself. So instead, she simply chatted quietly with Illia, who was desperate to ease her anxiety.

”Don’t worry,” her voice sang. ”She is your Master! Just like you’re mine. Everything will be a-okay! Isn’t that how you say that?” The familiar puzzled it over. ”I wonder why humans don’t use other letters, like b or c. But I suppose it rhymes, right? The letter a and the word okay?”

Celeste grumbled in silence. ”Yes, Illia. They rhyme, together.” It was just odd, dealing with a being that came to know the world very recently. And occasionally, it was also annoying. ”Do you have any other observations?” The familiar puzzled it over. ”Mmm, maybe, but I can’t think of them right now. Say, do you want to try and find her diary? I’ve heard you think of the word. It's where someone keeps their thoughts, right?”

The girl sighed. ”Yes. But not everyone has a diary, Illia. It isn’t required that we write down our thoughts.” The familiar seemed confused by that. ”Not required? But why not? Why wouldn’t everyone write them down? Everyone could know what you’re thinking! And no one would have to fight.”

Ah, human conventions. It must be so nice, inhabiting the sky, being a semi-translucent sphere of mist. ”Remember what I told you. It can be dangerous. Not everyone wants to be your friend. Think of Pascid or Gordios. You wouldn’t want them to know what you’re thinking, would you?” And then, she realized the supposition. ”We’re not all the same, you know.”

Illia flicked her tail from side to side in mock feline agitation. ”But you all look the same.” She gave a plaintive whine. Celeste fought a smile. Of course – that made sense. All gaseous spheres looked the same to her, too. ”You have to learn to tell the difference. It isn’t like being around say, other Avavali. Everyone is different here.”

The door opened. Her heart lurched, then stilled. She looked over her Master in disbelief. The scent of roses stirred in the air and rather than her usual eccentric appearance, Riyanna was dressed in flowing robes, accented by dark, rich colors. She beamed, relief washing over her. Illia danced over to the Warden, happily. ”Hi! Celeste was worried about you. You were gone forever!”

Celeste couldn’t believe what she was hearing. Riyanna had gotten her a job, one that could potentially mean the difference between apprentice and wizard. The girl sprang up and hugged the woman immediately, robes clouding around her legs. ”Oh thank you!” She cried happily. ”Thank you, thank you!”

And then, she leaned back to look at her. ”Wow,” she said suddenly, really seeing her Master’s true face. ”You’re so pretty!”

[Fubuki Kouri]

"Uhm..." The older ghost girl fidgeted with one of her hair ribbons, nervous and fearful at the same time. Just a few chimes ago, Mia, a smaller ghost girl who was also her friend and 'little sister' during her stay in Sahova, called her. Mia's small form literally bounced up and down as she floated towards Kouri. The Vantha ghost expected for Mia to ask her for another playtime, involving the torture of prisoners or slaughtering a few failbeasts here and there, but no... Mia informed her than Mistress Wanda herself wanted to see her. This widened Kouri's eyes and made her small body froze, but before she knew it, Mia's even smaller hand pulled on her clothes, cheerfully dragging her to the Courtyard.

"M-mia, I..." Kouri hesitated, her ghostly form tried to stay put by countering Mia's tug. The ghost wasn't exactly fond of meeting with the Master Spiritist on a regular basis, Wanda was an very intimidating figure, she was the one who dusted Rena, but she was also the one who warned her about the dangers of Sahova, mainly about those malevolent spirits that literally preyed on the essence of ghosts like her.

Kouri's relationship with Wanda was shaky at best, she didn't like the old hag, but she was bound to the island and Wanda literally held her little sister's (un)life in a jar. She also found out about Wanda's power the hard way after being trounced with a single strike of her souldarts. "D-do we really have to see her?" The child ghost's echoing high-pitched voice was trembling, but in the back of her mind, she knew disobeying Wanda would bring dire consequences not just to herself, but Rena and Kriemhild as well. In the end, she let herself be pulled, fidgeting with her ribbons to ease her nervousness.

After what felt like an eternity, they arrived at the Courtyard, the most cursed place in all of Mizahar... for ghosts. One step inside and she would be trapped for all eternity. Thankfully, Mia gave her some soulmist, allowing her to traverse inside for up to a bell before she had to request for more. She kept following Mia, her long white hair trailing behind her in tandem to Mia's long black hair. "Q-queen Morwen... uhm... i-if you are watching, uh... uhm... t-take care of me, okay?" She muttered under her breath, it had been some time since she last prayed to her patron Goddess. Kouri didn't care if she couldn't be called a 'Vantha' anymore. In her heart and soul, she was still one of the Aurora people.

Kouri's crimson eyes dilated when she saw Wanda... tending to a plant in front of an ominous stone written in a language she didn't recognize at all. It was not Common, it was not Vani, then it must be the native language of these walking corpses. "Ah... e-eh..." The floating swirling white wisps that always accompanied the girl stopped in mid-air then gradually disappeared in a sign of fear. Only Mia's presence and her knowledge about Wanda wanting to see her prevented her from bolting from the powerful old hag right then and there. "A-ask? O-okay... okay." Clenching her fists hard, Kouri steeled herself as she approached the Master Spiritist, she didn't realize she was talking in Vani, Mia wouldn't understand her verbally, but her physical gestures should be enough.

"U-uhm... Mistress Wanda, you want-..." Now she finally realized it, coughing nervously, Kouri reformed her sentence, translating them into Common in her mind. "You wanted to see me?" It took her every amount of courage she could grasp to speak that one coherent sentence.

[Mirage]

Celeste

"My little apprentice always worries too much about me. She should take a page out of your book Illia." The woman stuck her tongue out playfully at the Familiar. Arms folded around the apprentice as she was hugged, and she laughed at the girl's comment. Raising a hand to fiddle with a strand of blonde hair the Warden shrugged, "This is as close as I can get now to my original body. I've sort of forgotten some of the details of what I used to look like, but I am pretty sure I got the hair and eye color right at least."

Pulling back from Celeste the Warden swirled in place, the robes flowing around her. The she stopped, offered a slight curtsy and a flourish of her hand with a smile on her lips, "Well when going to colleges for favors it is best to appear your most presentable. Do you like? It's the best I have, though I have somehow gotten out of the habit of wearing any clothes at all. It's a bit strange having to watch where I step, and trying to keep from getting these blasted robes dirty." She straightened and fiddled with the material of one sleeve, inspecting it as she continued, "It's so easy to tear it, and tarnishes super easily as well. It's a pain to wash, and all together a huge pain in the butt."

Riyanna blinked, and flicked her own forehead as she giggled, looking at Celeste, "Oh but I keep forgetting, your job! As it turns out Mistress Wanda, you know the woman from the Courtyard, she needs someone to lead one of her aids to the Glannoch. Apparently she needs a few supplies from there. It is a good starter mission that will help build your reputation, plus you get to explore new areas of the Testing Grounds."

As she talked Riyanna was already begining to undress, carefully folding the robes as she did. She was actually wearing lace undergarments beneath, though they were more for show than function. Black lace, frills and the like. They seemed rather unnecessary given the reason Riyanna had dressed up form.

"You will leave tomorrow morning, first thing, and it should not take you more than a day or two to complete the task. I know it seems simple, but everyone has to begin somewhere! I think you will enjoy yourself. I've not even been to the Glannoch but on rare occasions. It's more than a little spooky." She then plopped down on the mat, patting the spot beside her for Celeste, "What do you think? Sound interesting enough for you?"

*****

Kouri

The Spiritist did not answer for a moment, tending to the plant, trimming a leaf or two before straightening her back, "Diractus Distius. A very special plant that only grows where corpses are found. They sprout inside of a dead body, bursting from the chest to deposite their blooms above ground. They feed off of the reminiscent djed within the corpse, and so they can be very useful in many fields of magic." She still did not look up, moving on to tend to another plant, "I have a task for you. I need supplies found only in the Testing Grounds, and these old bones are too brittle to make the journey themselves."

A few more leaves fell from the plant, and these Wanda scooped up and placed in a pouch at her side. Straightening, using the tomb stone to aid her standing, the Spiritist looked to Fubuki, "This is an important task, and one I hesitate to give to you. Your actions of last season, however, seem to tell me you have some level of control over yourself. Think of this as a test, and if you pass I will give you something special in return."

[Celeste Arumen]

Illia cooed happily and rubbed against Riyanna’s shins, though the motion was as insubstantial as the familiar herself. Meanwhile, the young apprentice smiled and sighed, watching the woman spin gracefully. She would never lose her admiration for the Warden, not even after she was gone. The thought elicited a small stab of heartbreak.

Celeste committed the name to memory. Mistress Wanda, of the Courtyard. ”The spiritist, right?” She suddenly thought of Kouri. It’d been a little while since she’d seen the mischievous little ghost. Irrationally, she worried for her health. If the apparition had wandered into the Testing Grounds without her, something bad might’ve happened. Brom said ghosts attracted beasts much like the one they’d fought before. She didn’t want Kouri to have to die, again. Once struck her as more than enough.

”Ooooh,” she said with delight, admiring the Warden’s lacy undergarments. ”Fancy.” Her shape was sublime, especially when covered up. In fact, there was something very alluring about her being covered, if only slightly – it left something to the imagination, despite the several thousand times she’d seen the woman naked. Perhaps that was a woman’s secret. Men wanted to be enticed by possibility? Still, Celeste had no desire whatsoever to entice a man, let alone anyone. She was still a thirteen year-old, on the cusp of adulthood.

”What do I think?” She echoed. ”I love it, that’s what I think! I’m so grateful. Thank you!” She again, flew into the woman’s arms, absently admiring the stitching of her smallclothes. ”So, why are you wearing fancy underwear? I’m the only one that’s gonna see them.” She adopted a cat-like grin. ”Unless they’re for Brom…”

It was a long shot, but then again, anything was possible in Sahova.

[Fubuki Kouri]

"Eh..." Awkward silence began filling the Courtyard as the Spiritist didn't seem to regard Kouri's question. She instinctively took a step back in worry, looking to her side and embracing Mia to calm herself. There had to be a reason for Wanda's silence, the little girl began concocting assumptions in her mind based on what she knew about Nuits. Maybe... she's just slow? From what she saw, almost every Nuit she encountered in Sahova were slow and sluggish. This extended to their social activities as well, compare to humans, it took them a long time to react when someone was speaking to them. As powerful as Wanda was, she was still a Nuit, and she also looked very old to boot, her old brain needed a couple of extra ticks to process information.

After what felt like an eternity - being pressured by Wanda's presence made even a chime felt like a century - the Nuit Spiritist finally spoke. Her old voice echoing in the Courtyard as she straightened her back. "Dirac... what?" The little girl's basic fluency in Common didn't allow her to fully comprehend the strange plant's name, Kouri decided to call it 'Disty' instead, it sounded eerily cute for a plant that grew inside corpses. The plants' life cycle was gruesome at best, at least it didn't kill the corpse it inhabited. The ghost girl could predict what Wanda wanted of her, of course she would ask her to gather those corpse-eating plants. This was a twisted reminiscent of her job as a flower girl back in Syliras, if she gathered normal flowers in the Bronze Woods before, she was now gathering corpse-plants.

Ah, the location, it just had to be in the Testing Grounds of all places. "T-testing Grounds... b-but..." Kouri wanted to object. The last time she was there, she almost got literally eaten by a soulmist-consuming giant scorpion thing with a cobra as its tail. If it weren't for Celeste and Brom, she wouldn't even be here. Maybe, I can ask Celeste to help me. Refusing Wanda's request was out of the question, but travelling alone in the Testing Grounds after meeting a monster that utterly disabled her ghostly powers was suicide. If she was going to do this, she needed assistance and Celeste was the only person she knew and willing to talk to. Brom was a major pain in the butt. "O-okay..." Kouri held the compulsion to raise her eyebrow, Wanda was too weak to travel there? Utter polar bearshyke, with her guardians, Kouri bet even a horde of those scorpion things would be easy. However, again, questioning Wanda would be pointless and, frankly, stupid. The ghost girl just nodded, fidgeting with one of her hair ribbons.

Important huh... If this task was so important, why did Wanda ask her of all people to do it? Because she literally held her little sister's life in a jar that was why. The little girl lowered her head, she didn't want to do this. Rena was the only reason she obeyed this scary old hag. When the woman spoke about a 'test' and 'reward', that got Kouri's attention. Her crimson eyes perked up as a small smile curled at her lips. Truly like a child, the notion of a special reward lured her in. "Oh! W-what is it? Uhm... a doll? A toy? Hehe~ I want!" She grinned wide, with this task, she could please Wanda and get something special in return. Imagine! A 'special' stuff. However, her smile disappeared after a few ticks, in her spur, she had forgotten about Rena. "I-if I do this, c-can you release Rena instead? P... p-please." Stuttering, she hoped Wanda would take pity on her. "I've been a good girl, right? Rena can go free, right?" She embraced Mia tighter, her large eyes looking at the smaller ghost for assistance. "Mia also want to meet Rena again, right? We can play together."

[Mirage]

Celeste

Riyanna nodded, "Yep thats the one. Mistress Wanda, Master Spiritist of the Courtyard. She helped me with something a while back, so I thought I would speak with her on a whim and as it turned out she needed help with some kind of gathering mission. She will be a good contact to have. She actually has a lot of influence over the higher ups, even though she doesn't have a ranking herself."

The Warden smiled and laughed, stretching out her legs and wiggling her toes, "Brom is a bit young for my taste, and besides I would hate to step on Tierra's toes in anyway. She can be pretty scary when she wants to be." She stuck her tongue out at Celeste before falling sideways, laying her head in Celeste's lap to look up at the girl, "I may not be a hypnotist, but there are things that I can do to be very persuasive. For a woman sometimes the greatest armor is made of lace, not steel." She chuckled and put her hand to cover her eyes, though her lips still smiled, "I do not have much to offer Sahova but my body... So there are times that I have to use it to the fullest. Men will always be men after all. One day I will teach you a few of my other secrets... but not until you are older of course." She peaked through her fingers and laughed, "No matter how much you improve, I have to remember you're still a growing girl. You'll knock the socks off the boys soon I just know it."

Reaching up Riyanna would absently play with a strand of Celeste's hair, her expression more thoughtful now, "This is the first step. I know it seems like I am taking things slow, but I do have a reason for it. Don't try to rush to grow up too fast, ok sweetie? There will be plenty of time for you to grow... Though for now you should get some rest you do have a big day tomorrow!" She sat up and stood, stretching her arms over her head and smiled down at Celeste, her hair changing to a dark blue color as she did, "You will do great I know it, and I'll be here if you ever need anything. Sleep now, and get ready! Wanda wants you in the courtyard early."

*****

Wanda raised one eyebrow, giving her a lopsided expression that seemed annoyed and curious at the same time. Mia pulled at Fubuki's hand, eye's big, "B-but big sister, if you get Rena back with you not want to play anymore? I don't want you to not be my big sister anymore, it's lonely!" The little girl looked worried, uncertain and somewhat hurt that Kouri was so insistent on getting Rena back when she already had Mia.

"Hmmm..." Wanda stroked her chin, wiping off a bit of dirt that was there, "Is that what you really desire...? Very well. If you accomplish this task I will release the child to you once more."

Grunting the Spiritist walked back to the path, leaning on one of the rods for support once there, "I have arranged for one of the Initiates in the Testing Ground to accompany you. When she arrives I will give you the details of what I require. I expect she shall be along shortly."

OOCOK! Now you two should be on the same page (or day) with your next posts ^.^

[Celeste Arumen]

”Oooh, really?” Now that was interesting. She didn’t realize that Brom and Tierra had that kind of relationship. They had always been so discreet. Celeste nodded, soaking up the information. She knew on an abstract level that sex appeal was an effective strategy when it came to diplomacy. But she frowned – wasn’t the Citadel primarily full of corpses? She had a difficult time imagining Riyanna seducing a Nuit, that was for sure. Maybe it was in reference to other Wardens, like Eli Brent. Now there was an interesting thought.

”If you find any boys around here, let me know,” she teased back at her, though the statement lacked any real enthusiasm. Celeste never really cared for boys, aside from Anton, and even then it was only because he could make her laugh. Maybe there was something wrong with her. Then again, maybe she was a late bloomer, otherwise consumed by the pursuit of success.

”Okay,” she said, admiring the woman’s hair. Her overgiving had long since faded, yet she had still kept the long red locks. It only then occurred to her that she might shift it to whatever she liked, just as Riyanna did. It was something to contemplate in the future. For the moment however, it was wiser to simply conserve her djed. Better safe than sorry, the old adage went.

She was becoming ever the adult.

The next morning, she rose at daybreak as always, pulling on her clothes and running an idle hand through her mussed hair. Of course, she bore the usual arcane robe, purple velvet, trimmed with golden brocade. Perhaps she could attempt to recover those tawny locks she had from when she’d first arrived at the island. Off-hand, she reached forth to pluck at the zagging strands of crimson djed, pulling them toward the spectrum of aureate with practiced hands. She managed to get a nice, even shade of cornsilk blonde, lighter perhaps than she might’ve liked. But it was something, anyway.

For a little flourish, she decided to curl the threads about in spirals, resulting in loose corkscrew curls that delicately framed her face. They were not too sharp, either. With just a little bit of tweaking, she achieved that nice soft consistency, as if she’d taken a brush to it.

Ah, the advantages of Morphing.

It wasn’t long before she found herself in the Courtyard, though she wasn’t sure where to go from there. ”Hello?” She called out. ”Mistress Wanda? It’s Celeste Arumen, at your service.”

[Fubuki Kouri]

"..." Kouri looked at Mia silently when she heard the younger-looking ghost's protest regarding Rena. She slowly shook her head, offering Mia a gentle sisterly smile. "No, Mia, we can play together..." She hugged the girl tighter then leaned down to whisper in Mia's hear. "...Forever." The ghost girl didn't realize the weight of her statement. She just wanted to convince Mia, it wouldn't do for the smaller ghost to reject Rena's presence. Her little sister was a weak ghost compared to her and Mia, she would be in great danger if Mia attacked her. Then again, spending an eternity with Mia and Rena didn't sound so bad, once she and Anna destroyed those spirits, kill Daren, and got Rena back, all would be good. They could play everyday, reliving the childhood that was so cruelly torn from them. Three phantom children in the undead island, a great potential for bards to tell the tale.

While still hugging Mia, the Vantha ghost turned her attention back to the Spiritist who was responsible for dusting her sister. Of course she would desire it, getting Rena back was better than all toys in the world. "Un, that's what I want." With a firm nod, she answered confidently to the Spiritist. Knowing how important the 'reward' of this task became, Kouri would do all in her power to succeed, even if she had to fight a nest full of those giant soulmist-eating scorpion monsters. The ghost girl's crimson eyes perked up at the mention of 'initiates'. "Uhm... who is it?" She was curious, the ghost girl was relieved to have a companion, but she needed to know their identity. Her mind immediately recalled Celeste. "Is it Celeste, Mistress Wanda?" She assumed the Spiritist knew of the morphing girl. It could be Celeste or... Brom or someone new, Kouri would really appreciate it if it wasn't Brom, the man was a pompous bastard.

There was only one thing she could do at the moment, wait. Kouri picked a spot near a gravestone to sit down, motioning for Mia to sit beside her. Then she would just sit there, absently playing with Mia's long strands of black hair. After a few moments, Kouri heard the familiar voice of her new friend, Celeste. "Aaaah~ it's her after all!" She giggled happily as she shifted to a standing position, her head facing to the direction where Celestes's voice came. "Celesteeeeeeee~ Here here!" She shouted, putting both of her hands near her mouth in an 'amplifying voice' gesture.

Eh... It was then she remembered about the appearance of 'Mia' when she first met Celeste, it was just a strange mirage similar to the smaller ghost. Kouri freaked out back then, her stance about Mia still that of caution and hostility, but it was different now. With Mia here, Celeste could finally meet the girl, assuming she didn't yet know about Mia. Celeste would probably be confused on Kouri's change in attitude, she was hugging Mia, absolutely different from the primal fear she showed in the past. She needed an explanation... but what?

[Mirage]

The little ghost girl hugged Fubuki tightly, hiding her face in the other girl's skirts. Kouri's words seemed to calm her fears, if only slightly, and so she let herself be guided without a fight. Behind her she dragged her always present ghostly doll, hugging it close as she was urged to sit next to her 'big sister', leaning on Kouri and sucking on her thumb.

As Celeste approached Wanda waved a hand at the Initiate, "Aye, I'm here girl. Come closer, and I will tell you what I need retrieved from the Glannoch." The Spiritist turned, walking over to a larger grave stone and sitting herself upon it.

When Celeste drew closer Mia slowly stood, her completely white eyes following Celeste wherever she went. She didn't smile. Just tilted her head as her image flickered at the edges. She tugged at Fubuki's arm, not looking away, "Is she your new toy?"

Grunting in impatients, Wanda cleared her throat to bring attention back to the moment at hand, "You two will be running a little errand for me to the Glannoch. I need a fresh supply of Soul Snails, little see through snails that make tasty soulmist, do not eat it girl. I need it for my work." She stared right at Fubuki, pausing a moment to let the warning sink in before lookin at Celeste and continuing, "Your master said you wanted some experience, sink your teeth into something new and dangerous." She smiled a lopsided smile, her teeth were yellowed and cracked and gums were green in tint, "Well now you get your wish. Do this job well and I might ask for your assistance in more interesting tasks."

She was about to stand, but she stopped and raised a finger, looking at Celeste, "Stay near the outer edge of the forest, and always keep the treeline in sight. If you go too deep you may never find your way out again." Standing with a heave the Spiritist shuffled past the girls, bending down over a new patch of flowers that sprouted over a fresh grave.