|
Post by DJ Merenth on Jul 9, 2020 21:04:53 GMT -5
As he moved towards the blanket, Koren rotated his upper body, popping and adjusting his body to its smaller stature again. It was the only nuisance that he faced when shifting since each form was literally his own flesh and blood. Loud, audible cracks could be heard as he moved, his bones and cartilage popping and shifting into the proper spot. When he grabbed the blanket, he wrapped his waist once more, tying it off and settled back down on the bench. When she moved down the ladder, he was amused by how light she was on her feet, but not surprised.
He could sense she was slightly uncomfortable, but not in a way he had control of. And it was also not in a bad way. So he shrugged a bit and noted it was more than likely because of her succubi nature. When she offered a drink, he nodded lightly to it. "A drink does sound nice. Though, i have a question. Have you ever had Aether wine before? Or is this the only bottle youve been in possession of?"
|
|
|
Post by Sidian SaDiablo on Jul 9, 2020 21:21:09 GMT -5
"A drink does sound nice. Though, i have a question. Have you ever had Aether wine before? Or is this the only bottle youve been in possession of?"
She smiled brightly and laughed lightly as he finished asking his question. Her face lit up when she laughed and she turned to start walking back to the kitchen, her hips swinging. "I have owned several bottles, this is just the last one I happen to possess as I haven't exactly been willing to deal with the people I would have to to get more" she explained with another light chuckle. It would be far too easy for one like her to have become one of the drunken ancients but she wouldn't have survived long getting drunk constantly.
In these rare moments it was as if she remembered herself, the strong being she had been once and it manifested in a roll to her hips and confident set to her shoulders as she moved effortlessly across the gleaming floors. Rising to her tiptoes she brought down a couple decently sized crystal wine glasses that threw small rainbows from where the light caught them and set them on the counter. Next was a slightly dusty bottle, the light bringing out the gold shimmer that ran through the rich red liquid. Gathering her supplies in her arms she quickly made her way back to him, pouring the wine and handing him one of the glasses. Noticing the fire dying down she went over there before beginning to drink her own glass, bending over to make quick work of stacking wood back in the dancing flames. The fire soon roared back to life and she smiled as she turned away from it, her fingertips trailing slightly over the gleaming wood of the violin that sat close to the fireplace but not so close as to damage the wood with the heat.
Joining Koren on the bench again she folded herself comfortably up in her spot again, raising her glass in a slight toast with a smile. "To new friends, and the fates that like to meddle to bring them together" she said with a grin before bringing the rim to her lips.
The wine was smooth, spiced and reminiscent of nights spent flying free on summer nights. Of snowy winters bundled up in front of the fire and of the feel of another's arms holding you. As she lowered the glass a drop escaped and rolled down her lip, where her tongue quickly flicked out to catch it. This was one of life's pleasures that you certainly didn't waste.
|
|
|
Post by DJ Merenth on Jul 9, 2020 21:39:56 GMT -5
Koren heard her really laugh for the first time and he smiled wide. It was a very large step in the right direction. With the laugh, he saw her swaying hips and he could tell she was becoming much more comfortable in his presence and more confident in her own presence. When she answered his question, he nodded as he thought about things. He kept an eye on her as he thought, feeling that he was becoming more invested with her than he really should have. But it had been hundreds if not thousands of years since he felt things like that. It was fine to release those inhibitions once in awhile, right?
When she returned with the glasses and wine, he took his glass when she had filled it and continued to watch her, not wanting to start without her. When she made her way to the fire, he had to look away when she bent over to deal with it. Releasing the inhibitions was one thing. Acting on it even in the sense of sight was much harder. Hearing the fire start to crack and sizzle again, he looked back at her and saw her admire a violin that was sitting close by. The admiration he saw from her for the instrument was admirable, and comparable to him with anything in his own abode.
After she had returned to her spot and raised her glass, he raised his own in acceptance of the toast. "To new friends." He spoke before taking a sip of his own glass. The smoothness and crisp taste of the spice was still of good quality, even after all the years they have spent making it. He looked down at the wine before looking up at her and catching her tongue snag a drop of wine from leaving its fate. He smiled and thought to himself that it was certainly a waste to let it escape. He took another sip of the wine before looking at her and speaking. "So if you've owned many bottles, then i assume you know the secret behind why the elders choose this wine over much else to get drunk on?"
|
|
|
Post by Sidian SaDiablo on Jul 9, 2020 22:01:34 GMT -5
She sipped her wine again, feeling its warmth spread through her slowly as she nodded and leaned back against the pillows stacked against the bookcase. "Of course I do...I may not be nearly as old as you but I am no fledgling either. They drink it to relive old memories, depending on the magic used in the bottle." she paused, looking out the window at the weather raging outside. "This one was created to simulate the feelings from companionship, since I knew I was going into isolation" she commented, her eyes distant and sad as she continued to look away. The feelings were too raw still even after all this time. The first few weeks like withdrawing from a drug, the feeling of going insane from the silence and lack of voices. Music had been her salvation in those times, and she had managed to avoid the bottle or she probably would have never put it down herself.
A moment, and she gave her head a little shake, looking at him apologetically. "Sorry, I tend to get a little lost in thought, I didn't mean to be rude" she said, her eyes still sad though she smiled at him.
|
|
|
Post by DJ Merenth on Jul 9, 2020 22:12:43 GMT -5
Koren chuckled lightly as she answered him. He downed the rest of his drink quickly and sat there a moment, enjoying the taste of it, but not feeling the same effects she probably was. He then examined the glass she had and smiled some. It was the same crystal he used before. He looked up at her and saw the sadness in her eyes, even if she was smiling. It was time to fix that a bit. He took the bottle and poured just enough for one decent sip, then put the bottle down. "No need to be sorry. I can understand the pain."
Koren flicked the glass lightly and a dim light shown thru it and the wine. It was only for a moment, but once the light was gone, he gave a confident nod. The wine was now back to its truest form, with no magic imbued in it. The taste was rather harsh to some, but had a very distinct flavor of the devil berries it was made from. He looked at her after he had changed it, and offered her to sip what was in the glass. "I want you to try this, and one other."
|
|
|
Post by Sidian SaDiablo on Jul 9, 2020 22:25:30 GMT -5
She accepted the glass, noting the lack of magic the original had been imbued with. She took a sip, enjoying the bite of the pure form of the berries before the harsh burn of the alcohol warmed her body in an entirely different way than before. She coughed very slightly, not used to the harsh alcohol taste. She handed the glass tilting her head a little in acknowledgement. "It's not bad, but certainly different" she commented, setting her own glass to the side. Actual companionship was better than the bottle anyways and at least for the moment she had it. Even if it didn't last she could enjoy it for now.
|
|
|
Post by DJ Merenth on Jul 9, 2020 22:33:13 GMT -5
Seeing her reaction to the pure form, he smiled softly. He nodded at what she commented on and took the glass from her, pouring once again just enough for a single decent sip. He flicked the glass again and it glowed a dull light again before dissipating and then he looked at her. "Your special order is of companionship. The pure is of harsh pain to most. Now...Try this one." He flicked the glass once more, and now, the light was a dull forest green and when it imbued with the wine, the entire color of the wine changed. It had also almost doubled in quantity to what he put into it. He offered her the glass once more in hopes that this one would give her some semblance of peace.
|
|
|
Post by Sidian SaDiablo on Jul 9, 2020 23:59:27 GMT -5
Anaya watched him change the second glass, noting that it took on the same color and feel as his magic. She watched him curiously and took the glass, observing the color and change in the wine up close. She looked back at him for a moment, trying to figure out why didn't think twice about drinking something he obviously used his magic on. She gave a mental shrug and took a deep sip.
Immediately she found herself in an open field, a gentle breeze wafting over her as the full moon shone its gentle light down on her. A silver tint from the moon's glow graced the edge of every blade of grass. It was familiar yet nowhere she had ever been. A feeling of absolute peace washed over her and enveloped her, along with the sensation of being embraced by one who actually loved and cared for her. A light breeze caressed her cheek and brought with it the scent of aged wood, of rosin and dusty pages of books long forgotten from the world, the things that had saved her sanity. It only lasted a few seconds, but it brought on the most pure and complete sense of peace to her, ending with the taste of freshly baked bread and raspberries lingering on her tongue. A few tears sparkled on her cheeks as the vision faded but left behind a lingering sense of peace. Setting the glass down she wiped the tears away with her sleeve over her hand, smiling softly without sadness. "Thank you... I don't know how you did it but thank you.." she said quietly before reaching out to touch his hand in gratefulness.
|
|
|
Post by DJ Merenth on Jul 10, 2020 15:26:30 GMT -5
As he watched her sip the wine, Koren smiled lightly as he saw her entire expression blanket over from the magic he had infused in the drink. He simply watched her calm down much more and feel the enchantment that she wanted. As she experienced her moment of bliss and peace, words rang out in the back of his head from an old time. "Koren... You have a gift for giving people peace from the world... Even with what you are truly capable of doing to us, you choose to help instead... Never lose that, my friend..." The words rang deep in his heart and he smiled some more when he saw a few tears roll down her cheeks.
When she finally came to and set the glass down, he heard her thank him and felt her hand touch his. He smiled softly at her as he spoke, his voice oddly soft for how deep it was. "To know peace from books and stories can only give you a glimpse of what someone else perceives as peace. But now, even if for only a moment, you got to experience what it truly means to be at peace. All i did was give you a little nudge in the direction of your choice. Now it falls onto you to decide where you take that path." He gently set his other hand on top of hers.
|
|
|
Post by Sidian SaDiablo on Jul 21, 2020 21:16:40 GMT -5
"To know peace from books and stories can only give you a glimpse of what someone else perceives as peace. But now, even if for only a moment, you got to experience what it truly means to be at peace. All i did was give you a little nudge in the direction of your choice. Now it falls onto you to decide where you take that path."
The touch of his hand on hers was nice. It was warm and it felt right for once to have contact with someone. Shifting her weight slightly she leaned forward and rested her forehead against his shoulder, closing her eyes and just taking in the smell of him and the fire behind him. Anaya knew that trusting the wrong person would get her killed but she wanted to trust him so badly, wanted to actually have a meaningful connection with someone. Not just someone, with him. He was interesting, well read and she wanted to learn all the could from him. But he was also very, very dangerous. Her freedom was there...no longer just outside of her reach but being offered to her with no strings attached to it, no leash. "I want to...I want to be free" she whispered.
After a moment she sat back up, her gaze thoughtful. She wanted to give something to him for all he had already done and offered to her. Her eyes flicked to her violin and she smiled softly with a small nod. "Let me share with you what peace has meant to me until you shared that with me" she said quietly. Standing from her spot, she stumbled slightly as her legs protested after being folded. She snagged a remote from by her seat, hitting a button that had the lights in the loft fading down to almost nothing until the main source of light was from the large fireplace. Padding over to the violin she raised the instrument to her shoulder, the wood gleaming in the soft lighting. She seemed to forget he was even there as she looked into the flames before closing her eyes. As she drew the bow across the strings, the music that danced out showed the centuries of experience and a soft glow of a silvery white began to shine around her. She looked utterly serene as she began to sing while playing, a skill that had taken decades to perfect. The song combined ancient gaelic with English, an old, powerful feeling to it.
|
|
|
Post by DJ Merenth on Jul 21, 2020 21:37:14 GMT -5
Koren simply sat there and watched her as she reacted to his words and was slightly taken aback when she leaned forward and put her forehead on his shoulder. He didnt expect her to do such a thing, but didnt think of stopping or refusing her. When he finally heard her whisper, he wanted to announce again the offer he had given her before. But he felt that she was already thinking of it as she spoke.
Instead of saying anything, he simply sat there and watched her try to figure out her own emotions. He wanted to help, but could do nothing unless she asked for it. When she sat back and looked up at him, he gave a soft smile when she decided something and got up. He nodded to what she said and just sat back on the bench, watching her head to the violin on the wall. The lights dimmed to near nothing, and the only light playing in the room was the fire behind her. As she slowly started to play the violin and sing, he listened closely to the words and melody she played. When the silvery hue began to shine a bit around her, he couldnt help but smile. She was talented in her own ways and it just made him want to help her all that much more.
|
|
|
Post by Sidian SaDiablo on Jul 21, 2020 22:01:29 GMT -5
As the last note faded out, the glow around her faded then pulsed again. The sound of other instruments began softly from the very air around them as she joined in with the violin, completely lost to the world around her as the colors around her shifted between a silver and gold. This one was a favorite of hers, one from when she was younger and memories of dancing around a fire with other young women and singing. Phantom voices joined to harmonize with her as she swayed to the memory, hints of colors playing off of her strings as the bow danced across them. Her heart beat strongly with the drums around her, a rapturous smile on her face as she lost herself in the music.
Once the song was done, the instruments and voices faded back to silence and the glow around her faded as well though she looked flushed rather than weak. Losing herself in the music like that was something she couldn't do often, but it always felt like it filled a part of her soul when she could. Gently she sat the violin back on its stand, brushing a kiss of gratitude on the wood as she did. Facing him again she blushed heavily; she hadn't shown anyone before what it was like when she lost herself to her music. It was private, but for some reason she had wanted to share that part of her with him. Taking a deep breath, she stood tall and looked him in the eyes. "I will accept your help and your contract, if you are sure you still wish to help" she said steadily, decisively.
|
|
|
Post by DJ Merenth on Jul 21, 2020 22:39:35 GMT -5
He had known some succubi far and few between who could do such a thing, and he couldnt help but smile at the knowledge of yet another who could. When he saw her unabashed smile, he started swaying to the music. The song itself was very nostalgic and he knew it word for word since its beginning, but to hear it from her was something a bit more special. He continued to sway a bit to the beat before it slowly came to an end, where he slowly calmed down and stood, clapping a little after she had finished.
The respect she showed for the instrument and everything around her resonated and he honestly couldnt have had a larger smile. He felt right in his decision to offer her what he did and when she met his eyes with her own and spoke with certainty, he nodded lightly as he offered his hand once more. "Honestly, my decision hasnt changed. Or rather, it has become more determined to give you after that performance." He chuckled lightly as he pointed out matter of factly.
"Actually, I was there when that song was written. One of the succubi that had come after Lilith incidentally fell in love with a human. And when the human had faded to the lifespan he had, she wrote the song in memory of him. Amusingly enough, the tune and ambiance of the song was the same as then. She wanted him to smile down on her with a song so upbeat that no one would think it was of a man long passed. She wanted people to smile while singing. And i can say with certainty, she succeeded."
|
|
|
Post by Sidian SaDiablo on Jul 21, 2020 23:28:58 GMT -5
Anaya smiled and flushed at seeing him clap slightly, her eyes widening a little at seeing him smile broadly. It was the first time tonight he had smiled so much, and it was warm and inviting and she couldn't help smiling in return. She stepped forward, placing her hand into his and moving to stand right in front of him. Despite being in his company all night she was still amazed at how much larger than her he was. Her head barely came up to his chest and she tilted her head up to look at him as he told her the origin of the song. She tilted her head a little, soaking in the tale behind her favorite song. Her expression was one of wonder and joy, always happy to learn new things. "I never knew that" she said softly. "It just always made my heart so happy to hear it or play it"
|
|
|
Post by DJ Merenth on Jul 21, 2020 23:45:16 GMT -5
When he felt her hand in his, he watched her move to stand in front of him. He could tell she was happier now and much more comfortable with him being around. It felt nice to see that she was letting her guard down little by little to this point. He looked down at her and smiled some more when she had the look of wonder and joy written across her face from his little back story to her song. When she explained why she liked it, he nodded lightly.
"That was the reason she made it that way. She wanted everyone who sang it to feel joy and happiness for whatever they were thinking of at the time." He stared down at her and for a moment, only the barest of moments, he felt the urge to lean down and kiss her. She reminded him so much of his younger years and the things he experienced and got the honor of seeing that he wanted to give her the affection he had bottled up from them. But he caught himself quickly and leaned down to kiss the back of her hand instead.
|
|