a convincing edge

[Firynmara]

i am the mosquito; your wound will be sucked like a mosquito. Love me, love me, love me, love me, somehow my body gets hotter and hotter

Yes, she had come here with a purpose. Her gaze settled on the line in between countries, as if the line was calling to her. Surely, those on the border would be good recipients? Although she assumed that tensions were high, the blonde was not one to simply show cruelty. No, her cruelty was soft, like a gentle pillow. It was the knowledge of knowing you handed yourself over to her impulses and desires, and it was only how happy with you that she didn't throw you under. A sort of subtle feeling, one that men felt first. Girls and women already had some mercy, but not much if they pushed their luck. Firynmara was Grimleal, through and through and those that would not come to Grima, would have to go to him.

The woman with lavender eyes stared at the border, but then let out a soft breath. She had summons to go back to do her work. Wandering time was over, as the heavily robed woman gently extended a hand, noting a small butterfly float to her fingers. ''Lost aren't you?'' she said clearly. Cared she for intruders? None what so ever. Simply because she wore the robes of a tactician, and she supposed that it gave her leeway. After all, wasn't it a mere tactician that helped gather the forces to slay Grima? Perhaps, she wanted to laugh at such pathetic ideals of the peasantry. But she did not for they could believe what they would, no matter how wrong it was.

Firynmara was not one to force you see, she rather you joined of your own free will. Leaving, however, was quite more difficult once she had her hands on you. Perhaps she should invest in a physical weapon, she's heard of the manaketes roaming now, and the taguel beasts coming out of the woodwork. Once more, she stared longingly at the Plegian and Ylissean border. If she could cross, she could go and try to convert more followers into the Grimleal. And even beyond that, there was Feroxi, and their Khans. So many delicious, tempting targets, all shoved away for she was needed. Playing with the thoughts, the child simply smiled, and then turned her attention to whatever, or perhaps whomever, was approaching her.

(C) ELLIE @ GANGNAM STYLE

[Scorpius]

Medon. A world between worlds. On one side, there was the symbol of good and light and purity known as Ylisse. On the other, there was the symbol of death and destruction and taint known as Plegia. Then there were the souls trapped between the two, raised on a lifetime of hatred and distrust, taught that good was bad and bad was good until the two ideas had blurred together so deeply that it was impossible to separate one from the other.

Perhaps that was why Scorpius adored it so much. Either way, the man leaned up against the pale brick of what had once been a beautiful sandstone guardhouse, time having long since worn away the smooth outside into a rugged surface barely even fit to touch. A cigarette perched between his lips, and after a few failed attempts with a match that left him muttering soft curses as he burnt the very tips of his fingers, he had managed to light the end of it, allowing for the thinnest trail of smoke to snake up from the end, losing itself into the wind that playfully ran its fingers through his tangled mess of pale blond hair. To most, he appeared to be a more peaceful soul at first glance, bearing a soft stature and slender figure that seemed to speak more for a lifetime of gentleness rather than cruelty. But of course, to peel back the layers, they would find that he was just as rotten as Medon, his soul withered and shriveled from the burdens he carried with him.

Ah, the curse of being an atheist in Plegia.

He pushed off the wall, padding through the sand without a second thought, and though he saw the form of the woman in the tactician's cloak, he didn't give her a second glance as he strode past her. And why should he? Everyone was trying to be special in Medon now, trying to appeal to one side or the other. They weren't like him. They didn't care for either. They just wanted to hate. And he was just going to let them.

Words. -- Tags. Firynmara and others Notes. Scorpius decided to work, even if it's only to be poetic, so I decided to indulge him for a while with that. It works, so yay, time for the two Plegian extremes to meet.

[Firynmara]

i am the mosquito; your wound will be sucked like a mosquito. Love me, love me, love me, love me, somehow my body gets hotter and hotter

Indeed, what a longing she felt. The girl had turned her head a bit, purple eyes catching sight of the similar blonde haired male, and a soft smile touched her lips. Striding past her? What a silly little one, as the girl was tempted to reach out and grab him. Perhaps to pull him into her sphere, and then feed him to the Risen for so carelessly disregarding her. Perhaps play the game of 'how long does this go on for' with his insides. Or simply just snuff him out like one would a weed. But Firynmara, despite these thoughts, simply smiled. No, she didn't even need to do that work, she could tell. Perhaps it was a sixth sense, perhaps she just liked to think it, but there was something.

Darkness.

Well not necessarily, since the girl did not think of things like that. Kindred? Perhaps. The blonde smiled, and then turned on her heel, following the male in his path. It was like a game. Follow him however long it took until he got annoyed and finally spoke to her. Oh it would be fun, to see how long the soft looking male would take before he acknowledged her. Of course, it helped that he wasn't going towards Ylisse, but away. She needed to be wrenched away from the border, before she was tempted to cross it. And perhaps she just a bit forgot about that companion... well who cared in the end? The childish woman had found herself a new toy and she wanted to see where playing with it would end up.

So she hummed a little melody, one she heard a nursemaid hum when she was but a child. It was a common lullaby for those of the grimleal... and those that healed amongst them.

(C) ELLIE @ GANGNAM STYLE

[Scorpius]

Scorpius knew that someone was following him the instant that someone began to echo his footsteps. It wasn't the recognition of a face that gave it away, or the familiarity of a step... but instead the feeling that prickled on the back of his neck. Darkness. There was darkness nearby. Something dark and evil, the sort that frightened the children on the other side of that border. It was a familiar sensation, one that he wrapped around himself often. Dark magic. Or at least evil intentions. How often had they pushed forward a spell, beyond what he thought he should use when pouring the energy down into it? Too often for him to count, really.

But then, if she thought that it would bother him, she was wrong. Let her follow him. She wasn't the soul that he was searching for. The dark mage cared little about life and death in the traditional sense - if someone came down from the sky and threw spells at him, he would fire right back, but as far as actually caring went, he really couldn't give too much less than what he already had, perfectly content to close his eyes and let his blood leave his body. He merely breathed out a puff of smoke from his cigarette before replacing it again, allowing the steady pull to soothe his physical responses once again.

Though he couldn't help but tense at the familiar melody, turning slightly so that his sapphire eyes flashed. It was a song that his father had often hummed to him when he was younger. Which meant the Grimleal was nearby.

Oh joy.

Words. -- Tags. Firynmara and others Notes. Scorpius decided to work, even if it's only to be poetic, so I decided to indulge him for a while with that. It works, so yay, time for the two Plegian extremes to meet.

[Firynmara]

i am the mosquito; your wound will be sucked like a mosquito. Love me, love me, love me, love me, somehow my body gets hotter and hotter

Oh? The male didn't seem disturbed by her antics. Sure, she didn't feel like it would, but the lullaby caught him. Ah, she saw that, the turn and sapphire eyes flashing at her, and then he was met with a Cheshire cat grin. Yes she found that little spike into his brain, as she started even humming some of the hymns that people would chant. Depending on what, she would find the thing that made him twitch the most, because she would not stop until she had his attention. Part of her wanted to simply steal this man and make him bow to them, but no, no. Firynmara knew she wouldn't convert him, considering... his reaction. Perhaps at best, she could offer him a deal, as the girl felt the plan form in her mind.

But careful, she had to set him on the edge quite quietly, as she moved through several small melodies, picking out those of the mages, the healers, and of the scholars. Would would affect the man more? What would drive him to the edge? The woman was curious yes, she was curious to see how far it would take to push him. But they hadn't yet spoken, which was probably what most would be baffled at. Sometimes you didn't have to speak, sometimes just being or doing was enough. But perhaps, as she felt the male try to shove her away from his reactions in a way. She wasn't stupid, but her eyes narrowed for a moment, before another smile touched her lips.

After all, he had made her even more determined to see what was held inside that cracked shell of his. She wanted to crack it open fully and utterly, and once she had her fill, discard him to do as he wished.

(C) ELLIE @ GANGNAM STYLE

[Scorpius]

Scorpius could place each of the hymns that came from the woman behind him. Why shouldn't he, after all, since even if he refused to bend a knee for the Grimleal, his father had been a fanatic worshipper, though thankfully he had been a rather peaceful man and only fought when he had few other alternatives left. Though what a load of good that had done the man - he was dead and buried now, long gone as he wasted away, and the dark mage was the one living, even if the term didn't encompass the half-life he followed. He resisted the urge to roll his eyes as she kept humming though. Honestly, he already knew she was Grimleal, she didn't need to go through all of the hymns. He wasn't stupid, even if he didn't fear the Grimleal. The reaction was simply one of identification and marking a potential thread: Most Grimleal, after all, did not take kindly to atheists in their territory.

If he were a pettier man, he might have hummed something in return. The national anthem for the Queen, perhaps, or maybe even one of the little hymns that he'd heard for Naga in his travels. Naga-worshippers were common to the area, even if the dark mage himself wasn't, and a more childish man would have taken pleasure in winding someone up in return. But not Scorpius. He really couldn't care less. If the crazy Grimleal woman wanted to follow him, then so be it. He wasn't doing anything particularly interesting, and sure he wasn't as devout to Grima in his usual day as some of the other Plegians, but so what? He was no less remarkable than several others here in Medon, where Naga's influence occasionally bled over and where the people distrusted anyone claiming to improve their lives. Loss tended to do that to people.

Another trail of smoke left his lips as he exhaled, blowing it up into the air. Medon had been a bad idea, apparently. The person he was searching for wasn't here... and the dark mage had a feeling it didn't make sense for him to be. He would probably have more success outside of Plegia, hence why he'd come to Medon in the first place rather than not bothering much at all. But then that meant figuring out how to get across the border, and right now, he wasn't in the mood to deal with that hassle. He'd have to wait for a merchant caravan in all likelihood.

After he got rid of his little stalker friend, of course. Most merchants didn't take kindly to Grimleal followers, after all...

Words. -- Tags. Firynmara and others Notes. Scorpius decided to work, even if it's only to be poetic, so I decided to indulge him for a while with that. It works, so yay, time for the two Plegian extremes to meet.

[Firynmara]

i am the mosquito; your wound will be sucked like a mosquito. Love me, love me, love me, love me, somehow my body gets hotter and hotter

Scorpius

Perhaps she would have to switch her strategy. Well it seemed like she didn't really disturb him what so ever. So with a gear switch, the girl began to sing some royal hymns. Yeah, the woman knew some of those too. After all she traveled a lot, and to her, learning of the other side was quite interesting as a hobby. Never mind that, if it was shocking, but she also knew Naga Hymns to boot. So it'd be fun to cycle through all of them in their cute little game of ignore the stalker, stalk the target that the two were playing. But the woman was starting to crave something more, she wanted to know about this boy, as she left off into silence after the hymn.

Then, she moved, wrapping her arms around one of his with an innocent shit eating grin. ''So, I'm getting quite tired of this, despite that I could continue this for a while yet. Let's not bother with names, yes? You're restless, looking for something. I'll take a bet and say it's not in Plegia anymore perhaps, that's why you were at the border.'' she said, her voice a soft whisper that only he could hear. She was done observing and now was sliding in. The looks around, the gaze that swept over anyone they had passed, the motion of trying to lose her, but still close to the border as she was... it was not random, and the blonde priestess knew this.

She accepted that nothing in this world was random, even with or without faith. There was something moving them all, motivations and goals. ''The faster you can cross the better right? I know of a way. I've had a lot of time to think... if I wasn't called back, I'dve gone myself. But I have to go back, and well nobody gets to use the opening I made, how sad. I don't want anything in return, except maybe a few letters here and there. Progress, or just the environment.'' she then added. I wanted to go, I wanted to see myself, she basically was telling him, as she then smiled again. Not going was something she would regret, but she was called to by the sect.

She had a job to do and she couldn't shirk it, as she would wait for the male's answer, reactions and little tibits of... fun information she was sure to receive from him. Ah... she was excited you see, it wasn't often she made such bold plays like this. The Tactician felt that excitement, and most of all, perhaps she truly did want him to agree, for her own sake. Not for the Grimleal, not for her job, but for herself. After all, she wanted to bring Inessa all over... but she needed to know things before leaving Plegia, it wouldn't do to be unprepared. So why not send out a man that wouldn't care about lines? Part of her wondered if that's what he felt.

Or perhaps he was hiding something else? She was excited to know, excited to hear yes, and most of all, excited because perhaps, for once, she had done something purely for her own intentions, rather then thinking of the overall picture.

(C) ELLIE @ GANGNAM STYLE