Having returned to dust.

[Asila]

Malevolos listens to her with interest. She is very well spoken for one so young, and no doubt very intelligent as well. This meant that he had to play his cards carefully. She would not be as easy to string along as some. However, she did seem rather naive. Her failing in that area would prove his greatest advantage. It was more than enough for him to pull of this charade

"Please, do not concern yourself on my behalf." He says graciously, appearing touched by her consideration. "I am all right, though I fear that the creatures of darkness have gained a frightful amount of power. The one who managed to sink it's claws into me made his move before the sun had even set!" He shook his head, looking as though he could not believe his ill-fortune.

"I knew enough of the healing magics repair the damage, however. I am very fortunate" He smiles, infinitely grateful that he had been bestowed with such a gift. While he was at his best, his acting abilities could compete even with Lief's.

But suddenly, the smile fades and is replaced by a troubled expression. Outside, on his cue, a terrible chorus of howls and screams had risen to a piercing crescendo. If the girl were to step outside now, she would come face to face with dozens of predatory shadow creatures. They were manifestations of the dark energy he could control, but he doubted she would realise this. A human would know nothing of magic at all.

"You are lucky you reached this haven in time. They are at full power now that the sun has set. There is no telling what could have happened to you if you'd still been wandering out there alone. What were you thinking?" He looks grave at first, though the expression changes to horror, as though he could not imagine what he would do if he had found anything had happened to her.

It was a very convincing performance. Perhaps even his old rival would have recognized it for such, despite their competitive reluctance to acknowledge the talent of the other.

[Asila]

Sparkfyre:

Frost went over and stood next to the door; "Reaper states that I must guard here so that they don't get in. I humbly accept this task." Standing near the door, he seemed to go into a dormant mode, where he looked completely stiff and shut down, if he had been a robot. If possible, even less signs of life were in his eyes.

(it might be easy for Serena to mistake him as a "manmade" machine or something like that....)

[Asila]

Seven:

"Powers of darkness?" she began to question when the horrible shrieks echoed inside, causing her to suddenly jump a bit with fright and pale slightly. Her eyes widened as her head turned to the source of the sound--outside.

Despite her fright, she was curious as to what the creatures were and why they would attack something (such as Malevolos) on sight. She didn't mean to patronize him (for he surely WAS injured, as she could see) and it's not that she didn't believe hi, she just noticed that something seemed as though it were missing....

After all, it was Nathien's job to 'protect students' (supposedly) and if such terrors really had been real, would he have not told her so? Furthermore, during her roomming experience with Pan, there had been an occassion or two between movings *ahem--evictions* that the two were forced to 'camp,' and they had never been bothered by such frightful monsters! But then again, that WAS in Youthen, and perhaps Nathien meant only the school grounds were safe....she had wandered off rather far.

Furthermore, she was only a human--up until today, she had been COMPLETELY oblivious to all magical things. Still, all this new information, possiblities of being torn to shreads by shadow monsters, it was all so terrifying!

Malevolos would see her taking this all in, thinking silently to herself and shuddering towards the end.

She looked up at him again, lips just slightly parted as if frozen a moment before speaking. He had managed to shake the poor thing. She finally responds to him, "I didn't realise Malevolos...as you can probably tell, I am only a human. Why, it was just by chance that I came to know about this 'hidden' world, and it was only this morning...." she was reluctant to tell him how she and her friend were about to be homeless, so she just carefully worded her way around it, "Yes....my friend and I were looking for a school to attend when a man named Nathien approached us. We eventually enrolled in Deviant School, and that's how I came to know of this...." she shifts her gaze downwards and slightly to the left.

She finally turns to meet his gaze again, continuing her explanation, "I lived in Youthen up until today--I really had no idea that Elden was such a dangerous place! Furthermore I told that man I would be going for a walk and he never said anything about monsters lurking about!" The girl sighs, wondering if she somehow manages to attract bad luck. It seems that Trouble himself iwas deeply enamoured to her. "No, he just told me the nice things about how we'd have a dorm and be taught magic and how he was some sort of member of something that's supposed protect students..." she pauses for a moment, "I think he said it was called the trinity..." oh dear. If only she knew how foolish she was being right now.

She sighs, pretty much thinking outloud, "Now that I think of it, following a complete stranger to a random location was a very foolish thing to do. But I felt like I was responsible for making sure my friend and roommate was alright and we had just been evicited that morni--" she abruptly stops. Oops. She flushes, retracting her head a little and bringing up her shoulders with a nervous grin, "Apparently we disturbed the peace too much..." she says almost apologetically. Her smile weakens, a bit of hardship wearing down the youth, "But it seems like I can only make foolish decisions nowadays...." she says, perfectly aware that entering a strange man's home is not also too wise. He may even be able to pick that up, though he can tell it's more of the idea of the action, as he can sense that despite this knowledge, she does have faith in him.

She looks up at him with an attritional smile, "I'm so sorry--here you are injured and weary from your day and I'm being so thoughtless as to just ramble nonsense you probably dont' want to hear. I really didn't mean to impose myself on you, but now I have no idea how to make my way back home," she says momentarily glancing at the window.

She wasn't sure how to express her sorrow for hearing the man was attacked, but she tried her best to communicate her feelings, "I am so sorry that you were harmed, is there something, anything I can help you with? You probably need rest," she says as though she doesn't believe he could have FULLY healed in such a short span, "and I can cook or...something," at this point she was feeling completely incompetent.

She hung her head slightly in shame. When she heard Frost's voice, eyes went bright for a second. She had a question she'd been meaning to ask. Abruptly at Frost's side (as she was vastly engaged by anything she could learn) she suddenly asked, "By the way, I've been dying of curiousity since I arrived--what is he?" she askes sparatically out of the blue. She was still so innocent, filled with childish curiousity and wonder--it was almost cute.

[Asila]

(If it weren't for your posts, Seven, I never would have pulled this one off. I'm beginning to understand my charming villain so much better now.)

Malevolos chuckles, as though charmed by her curiosity. "He is only an artificial servant, constructed of ice. He knows only what I tell him, does only what I ask. He does not make for lively conversation." He bestows a fond gaze upon the girl, as though she would make for the most fascinating conversations and he could hardly contain his joy at her arrival.

However, he too is thinking. He had watched her while she thought his words over, his interest peaking. She was oddly perceptive for a human, and though he would have to work that much harder at deceiving her, he appreciated such intelligence. As well as the challenge of fooling her. Had she been any other being besides human, he would have tried to convert her to his cause, but alas, she was useless to him as an ally. She simply had no power.

As a hostage, however, she would serve his purpose well. He was pleased to find that Nathien had invited her here. Though he had suspected that she was part of his father's school, there had always been the slight possibility that she was not connected to the Trinity after all. True, she had been far too tolerant of magic to have wandered here fresh from any ignorant human society, but there were humans out there that had managed to stumble across the truth. Independent of any magical community, they nonetheless knew of it's existence, understood it's lore. There had been a nagging sense of doubt at the back of his mind, a voice that had warned him that this could very well be such a case and that the girl was useless to him after all. But no, she had been invited here by a Trinity member and was therefor under their protection. It was all too perfect. He could not believe his luck. Here he had been thinking of the influence a hostage would grant him over the rival group when one arrives on his doorstep! It was far too perfect. He was pleased.

Oh, there were so many ways that he could set up the Trinity's misfortune through her! It would be easy, it always was when it came to people who considered themselves good. But he would have all night to make his plans. Right now, he had to get his...guest situated. He must dispel her doubts and arrange her stay here. It would be easy enough to convince her that a night spent in his mansion was in her best interests. Convincing her to partake in a lengthy stay without suspecting him would no doubt prove impossible, though he could always result to simple imprisonment. It made no difference to him.

Hmm, perhaps he overdid the fearful display of the shadow creatures, he thinks, watching her shudder. Yet it was good that she was afraid. She would be more likely to believe him.

He begins his acknowledgment of her doubts with a flawlessly executed weary sigh. "Nathien should have been right. It was safe here once, but dark things have been gathering within these past few days. While your benefactor was right to tell you that the Trinity would do it's best to protect you, he failed to inform you of their rival group, the Thirteen, who have just begun to gather again. These are dark and dangerous times. It is bad luck that you have stumbled upon the school now. Things were better here not so long ago..." He trails off, assuming a pensive expression. He seems to be remembering sunnier days and more innocent times.

He shakes his head, as though just emerging from a nostalgic reverie and tactfully changes the subject. "It strikes me as odd, though, that anyone should evict a girl as charming as you are. Surely those charges of disturbing the peace were exaggerated?" He smiles at her, his expression teasing.

Oh, this was too easy. Even as she vocally acknowledges the foolishness of entering a strangers home she does not really seem to consider the danger! How easy it had been to earn her trust.

"Once again, you need not worry over me. You are hardly imposing, and I am perfectly fit. I appreciate your kind offer, but there is no need to feel obliged to aid me. I only ask that you spend at least this night here. I can have my servant," He gestures to Frost, "notify your friends of your location and well-being. The monsters of the night pose no threat to him. He cannot be harmed." A lie, but a believable one. She thought him to be as artificial as her gargoyles, which, as false beings, generally fell beneath the notice of anything capable of attacking them.

He gives her his most brilliant and charming smile, the one he had used to win over a dragoness not so long ago, and says, "I implore you to accept my invitation. I would be most honored. I would only ask one thing of you. Would you, fair maiden, bestow upon me the treasure of your name?" His eyes sparkled flirtatiously. When he seemed so perfect, eloquent, and well-mannered, what female could deny him the answer?

[Asila]

Seven:

"Wow..." Serena looks up and down around him in awe, quite under the impression he isn't real. She marvels at it--wondering if something so delicately fine tuned and masterfully made must have been very difficult to make. She'd like to ask more questions, but she fears that it would be very rude to randomly go off on a tangent on something that is probably very trival to him. 'Maybe I can ask a little later...' she thinks to herself. When Malevolos brings up notifying her friends, she looks up at him, "I could always just call! It's no big deal, and besides, I wouldn't want to see your servant damaged on my behalf! Any phone would do..."

She takes a few steps away from Frost, heading back towards Malevolos. She then says thoughtfully, thinking once again about the whole situation of today. "I suppose Nathien didn't want to scare me and my friend off....magic is a lot to take in for one day---had he told us there were dangers as well, we would have surely left. But how terrible it was of him to lead us into danger without even telling us the truth!" she seems a little upset about this.

She sighs emptily, starting to feel a little downcast. She says with a melancholic, but sardonic short chuckle, "Can nothing ever work out for me?" She glances up at him, smiling a bit, " Perhaps you too or only trying to charm me into some trap," she teases him, unaware of how correct her statement is. "After all, I don't believe there are any real people who are as kind or charming. So it's either that or you are simply a figment of my imagination. Yes--that would make sense. I'm probably actually outside right now, the shadows just finishing mauling me, and I have entered a tramu-enduced coma...." she giggles a little. The girl was slightly eccentric, and her own unusal way of percieving and anaylzing the world.

"Thank you for your kindness and compliments, though I'm afraid I don't think I'll be able to withstand any more of it!" she giggled humbly and bashfully. She might even be flushing just slightly; she was indeed very modest and not used to such flattery. "My name is Serena, I'm very pleased to meet you. Thank you for the invitation," she said in acceptance, "it is my honor to be the guest of such a fascinating person," she smiled sincerely at him.

She gazed up at him--he had such crimson eyes that it struck her curiousity again. She didn't mean to pry, but she couldn't help herself. In the least, she tried to sound at least conversational, "And what about you, Malevolos? I don't mean to pry, but would you do me the honor of telling me a bit about yourself? What species are you?" she asked innocently, only after realizing that this may or may not be offensive, "Please forgive me..." she syas sheepishly, "I'm still new to all this and you are surely to distinguished to be human..."

[Asila]

Sparkfyre:

At that moment something that WASN'T one of Mavelous's creatures broke through the door and without a second thought Frost tackled it in midair, as it was leaping. Crashing to the floor, Frost covered his arms in icicles and began punching the crap out of it; surprised at first, but snarling, it bit Frost and, spinning him, slammed him into the wall, where he dropped like a rock to the floor. Jumping upwards, Frost ran at it and, grabbing one of its ears (it looked rather like a wolf), tore it off and used it as a knife, curled up, to throw it by jumping backwards and launching it suddenly, where it went straight through its tail, leaving a hole, as Frost smashed his icy fist into its jaw. The creature getting up and leaping at Frost's throat, he kicked it backwards by jumping and doing a spin kick, followed by pouncing on it, where he and it fought madly, Frost recieving many cuts and slashes while slamming his fists into its stomach, to where it coughed up blood that splattered about on Frost each time, to where Frost, apparently "sick" of the feet, grabbed them and tore them off as well (the front ones) and started beating the wolf-like creature senseless with them. When it eventually managed to break free and tried running away withs its severely injured back legs, frost grabbed it by its gored tail and flipped it over his own head, slamming its back into the ground with a very painful crunch of a spine breaking and, turning his fist into one big icicle, stabbed it through its throat with a roar and thrust upwards, cleaving its head in two.

Satisfied, Frost got up and went over to the door, resuming the same position he had been in, the same state of life he had been in. As if nothing happened, he said, in a monotone robotic kind of voice, "Crisis averted. Please resume your usual activities."

( XD oh man. i HAD to do it; there was nothing else I could think of saying. by the way, the beast was one Nathien set to trail Serena to protect her.)

[Asila]

Seven:

(XD--that was great Sparky! Now I get to show Serena's unique way of handling issues...)

She obviously flinches, frozen in her place by the sudden 'attack.' Was no place safe anymore? What sort of mess had she gotten herself into anyways? why, perhaps being homeless along with the possible risk of being mugged was better than constantly having to worry about shadows and sentient beings attacking left and right!

Serena has an unusual way of dealing with problems. She doesn't sceam or cry or panic or become upset; instead she isthe type to hold everything inside, letting her exterior become blank and almost monotone. It is sort of like serenity taken to a dangerous extreme, a self-defense she unwittingly developed. Of course, this is usually misinterpreted when people see the display. She gulps, feverously trying to clam herself. She closes eyes and says drably," tell me Malevolos, is it common to be attacked periodically around here?" Apparently, this incident has pushed her to this mode.

[Asila]

(Oh yeah, that was fun. I was laughing at Frost's comment. I know that his mind is kind of...gone, but it's still comical to me. *grins*)

Malevolos cursed and paced forward, lifting his hand and sending forth a barrage of ice to barricade the now open doorway. The original door had splintered and would have to be replaced. "That should stop anything else from breaking in here," He growled in a low voice. The words were fabricated to play off the implied threat of the dark creatures that still roamed outside, as he had commanded them. He doubted that anything else would actually break through, though even he could not be sure. The monster that Frost had dispatched of so dramatically had been a surprise, even to him. And so the look of disbelief and shock he wore was genuine.

In the company of anyone else, he would have disguised the expression, but with only Serena and Frost he was free to use it to his advantage.

He studied the ice door that stood in place of the old one, sparkling like cut crystal in the soft golden glow of the flickering candelabra. It would serve just as well as the original for the moment. It was only a temporary fix, however. It was too warm for it to last on it's own, and unless he wanted to squander his energy on maintaining it he would have to find a replacement first chance he got.

He looked at Frost, tempted to ask him just who had sent the damned monster to his home, but, being unsure of the answer, held back. It could very well be a Trinity member, and such a revelation would no doubt cause Serena to suspect his supposed good will. He would have to demand his answers later.

For it seemed that the human girl was already unsure of the situation. From her earlier joke to her behavior now, it seemed that she was very uneasy with the situation and about to realize the true state of things here.

He looked at her when she spoke and assumed the sad, nostalgic air he had spoken with earlier. "It wasn't, but it seems conditions here have clearly changed for the worst. I am sorry you must endure this, Serena. I wish you could have seen this place as it was before. It was beautiful once." He sighed and shook his head, aggrieved. "But decades change much, and the long-lived must endure the ceaseless decay of what they know. In answer to your earlier question, I am a dragon spirit." He tactfully fails to tell her of the demon blood that accounts for half his heritage. "Quite harmless, really, unless you believe in the distasteful representation the west has cursed us with."

He did not acknowledge her suggestion that she use a phone rather than 'his' servant to inform her friends of her abscence. Of course, considering the interruption, this would seem perfectly understandable.

Now, if he could only use the brief reprieve to decide how best to handle this. Should he claim that the phone lines are no longer hooked up? That would be easy to believe, considering the state of the place. Or should he risk allowing her to call? Definately not. If she mentioned his name to the wrong person, the Trinity could be on his doorstep in minutes. And he had not yet decided how he would recieve them...

[Asila]

Sparkfyre:

Frost's eyes glazed over for a second, and then went back to normal. "Reaper says he is on his way; the winds have carried to him news of trouble."

(He'll be here my next post.)

[Asila]

Malevolos glanced at Frost, frowning. "Trouble?" He repeated, and then, so that Serena did not become anymore alarmed than absolutely necessary, he added yet another misleading embellishment to his next statement. "What ill fortune has my colleague stumbled upon this time? I have never met a man who has worse luck..." He trailed off, looking aggrieved.

[Asila]

Sparkfyre:

Frost continued, "He alerts us that the attack here was nothing copared to what is coming."

(Hmm... maybe a couple posts on.....)

[Asila]

Seven:

Serena's monotone persona was always more cynical, skeptical, and logical than she was on average. After all, the strange almost MPD like symptom was a result of the need to shield her 'nicer' and more innocent self from the world. She took in the new information rather apathetically, watching Malevolos make a new door from ice magic. Seeing him make it so easily more or less cast away any doubts of Frost having not been made by the man.

Even so, a slight quizzical look came just barely over her features. First some unknown monster attack Malevolos, then shadows creatures appear RIGHT outside the house, and now this? Would the barrage ever stop? But more importantly, was there a reason as too why this person was being attacked at practically an hourly rate? It struck her as quite unusual and perhaps reflected on her face. Though it wasn't necessarily a bad thing. After all, the shadows DID look quite menacingly evil--and if one discarded the belief in shades of gray, that would mean that Malevolos was in fact a good person, perhaps too modest to tell her that he was constantly attacked by monsters because he was like some stereotypical 'do-gooder' of 1950s comic strips....except more gothic looking in general.

"Trouble?" she gives a little dark chuckle, seemingly like another person than the sweet thing she was moments earlier, "If he has trouble following him, I don't even know what you classifer you're own bad luck as. My dear friend, are you always attacked on an hourly interval? It seems quite unfortunate, I must say."

She abruptly sighs, realizing she was becoming shrewd and cynical--hardly how she wanted to make her first impression. She was indeed an eccentric, though sometimes she preferred people to not know that right off the bat.

"Yes...it does seem like things were quite wondrous years ago. Please forgive me for my earlier comment," she says politely, but still in her deeper, darker (and slightly bland) tone. "I hope that I haven't offended you, but I imagine that we have both been through a lot today....it is indeed a shock to me that so many dangers lay so close to the ordinary human city from which I came..." she reflected. Indeed, it was VERY strange...even if this only began days earlier, wouldn't there have been SOME sort of indication of trouble in Youthen. Or was she and the rest of the human population that blind?

She smiles a little, though it seems a little unnatural for this persona, "A dragon spirit? That's very fascinating. I had always wondered how dragons, being supposedly nothing but 'mythology' occurred in every culture globally. It always made me wonder if your kind really might have existed--and now I see that I was correct....

No, I never did believe the dark portrayals--I preferred the lore that spoke of wise and ancient beings. I am so glad to see that those renditions are correct," she says politely again, complementing him.

"So who is this Reaper fellow, may I ask?"

[Asila]

Malevolos stared at Frost. Everything was about to degenerate into something worse? Just when he thought the day had been long enough... Of course, bad luck seldom presented itself when one was well-rested.

He sighed, and this time his weary expression was not an act. Though his strength had returned to him when night had fallen, he had grown tired of these events. It was agitating, to have to weather such things in an ungainly clump.

He looked at Serena when she began to speak again. She seemed very calm and rational, which came as a surprise to him. She seemed far too young to have developed the necessary skills needed to handle crisis in such a way. However, he could sense something fragile about the persona. It seemed almost as though she had erected a wall to guard herself. Could she be upset? It would be perfectly understandable, considering the circumstances.

"I am glad to hear that you host a charitable opinion of my race, my lady. However, as far as such things as bad luck and Reaper go..." He shook his head, looking faintly bemused. The act had been renewed. "I can assure you that this much bad luck is not a common occurrence. I haven't endured so much ill fortune in decades. I had never imagined that affairs here had degenerated to such a degree." This was true. He had not expected to meet so much conflict so soon. He had thought he'd receive a certain grace period, a week or two to make his preparations against the Trinity in relative peace. Except for his lucky acquisition of a hostage, nothing was proceeding as he had planned.

"Reaper is an old friend of mine, though saying that his luck is worse than mine is untrue." He smiled at her, an effort to assure her that everything would be fine. It would be better for both of them if she didn't panic. "We seem to be evenly matched in that regard."

He glanced back at Frost. "Let me know when he arrives. That door can no longer be opened by conventional means. I'd rather he not display his impatience by blasting through it." He winked at Serena, as though there were a very funny story behind this. In a way, there was. A tendency toward impatience was a common flaw among Thirteen members.

[Asila]

Seven:

Serena quietly nodded with the same, semi-blank expression, her gaze shifting and not moving from a single tile on the floor, as if she were fixated upon it. Despite how charming Malevolos could act, she was beginning to feel very uncomfortable in the stranger's home. It was like a vast wasteland, a void, and she was starting to feel the prescence of a sort of emptiness.

She knew it was only her imagination, but she couldn't help the feeling. She did, after all, have a strange way of seeing the world, and currently, the room felt as though it expanded and extended away from everything. Perhaps it was only the delayed shock of everything from magic to terror hitting her in one singular moment that made her suddenly feel so entirely detached from her body, as if she had fallen asleep and was wondering through a hazy dream. Or rather, having just woken up knowing you had a dream, and frantically trying to scramble together whatever you could remember before it suddenly vanished.

In any case, she blinked and looked up again once Malevolos spoke up to continue his act. Despite the fact that he had spoken to her, she wasn't entirely sure what to respond with. The way Serena's small group of friends had always described her, she had a 'versatile' personality, going from grinning like a Cheshire cat and spouting all sorts of nonsense, to acting very cynical, to being very kind, understanding and good-natured (with the occasional innocence), to being like this. Though she realized her own strangeness, the problem with this setup is that from time to time, she forgets how a normal person would behave. And thus, she cannot think of what to say or do.

"So he's impatient then?" she randomly asks, though it seems she inwardly winces, already chewing herself out thinking this is an inappropriate or stupid thing to say. It has always been easier to be quiet and just let people think she's shy.

[Asila]

Sparkfyre:

Frost's voice rose. "Reaper says you do not understand. Nihu the Slayer is awakened."