Till My Last Breath

"Denia   was   a   wonderful   person,   a   wonderful   friend   and   I   won't   let   anyone   badmouth   her.   --  Not  even   YOU,   Nivora..."

Stay   cool,   Sigrika   ....   stay   cool   ....   (she's   gritting   her   teeth)   "Her   name   is   DEN-IA   ....   -   surely   you   haven't   truly   forgotten   about   her?"

THAT SOUNDED RIGHT WHEN it came to them. There was a kind of patience the Rider had that was near eerie even to Ozymandias. It was as if was more than willing to watch the whole world itself burn if it meant that he could claim what he desired, an observation that was probably not too far off from the truth. ❝The celebration is in regards to my continued reign. It has been…❞ How long has it been since he had ruled? Hundreds of years? More? He had lost track of time, seeing it as meaningless when he was no longer able bound by the same rules as mortals were. ❝Mm, it does not matter. The people are free to do as they see fit. I merely observe from a distance.❞ After all, gods did not bring themselves down to linger among the masses. Thus, what reason did he have to do the same? ❝You are free to enjoy the celebrations if you so wish. Perhaps it will keep you from getting bored.❞

For a time, at least.

Eventually, those aggravating Chaldeans would act once more. Chances were, they may even integrate into the festival itself in hopes of getting closer to him. But that might have been a bit too obvious… He would like to think that they were smarter than this. ❝Besides, you seem to get along well with others – far more than I was expecting of you.❞ He saw who Conall was beneath that charming smile, but there was no denying that he knew how people worked. He knew how to earn their trust, earn their admiration, and most of all, how to make them lower their guard. These were things that Ozymandias had never learned, though, in his defense, how could he when he had lacked the interest to attempt? At least…he could not recall having one. There were many things that he could not longer remember with the passing of time. But that was fine.

"Your generosity never fails to amaze me, midsummer. I would be wasting it if I didn't enjoy it to the fullest now." But said generosity was wasted on wicked and greedy beings like him. "That's why I want to enjoy the celebrations with you. I look forward to bringing the sun down with me." Another petition? Not quite. Ozymandias allowed him to partake and enjoy the celebrations, so it would be blasphemous if he didn't enjoy them to the fullest. And how could he properly enjoy Ozymandias' generosity? With the tyrant's company obviously. To be expected of an old wolf like him.

Conall didn't seem like the one for empty threats and yet it still makes Iseul grin because he'd yet to be caught after all these eons, always a couple steps ahead of those who sought him harm. He senses no malice from Conall and yet, Iseul finds himself wondering just why Nikolai hadn't taken the guy's head off. But they all know why. ❝ ━ Ah, it seems I've found the source of my brother's ire. You have quite the way about you. ❞

Iseul seeing Conall's eye twitch shouldn't cause him to laugh, but it's amusing. Was he so archaic that such terms caused some discomfort? Ahh, truly, he had to get with the times. Oh. So he wasn't just a prick, but a massive one that the dokkaebi aches to bury right beneath their feet. And his laughter makes their brows rise, even more when the other lifted them to clean himself off. Lip curls and hand rises , fingers snapping so they're both cleaned off and he's out of the brute's grasp, a few feet away, fixing the cuffs to his shirt. ❝ ━ I suppose you can add me to that list, it's only right. Feels like I have this urge to just place you in my palm and slowly squish... ❞

In the blink of an eye, they were both clean, which was slightly disappointing. It would've been fun to see the inconvenience's brother hiss and try to push him away for getting them just as dirty as him. Well, at least he didn't have to worry about finding a new shirt while they waited. "Oh? You must really like me then, plum blossom." Not really, but at this point, he was usually getting threatened to a much worse fate than simply being squeezed to death. Seems like the inconvenience's brother wasn't the particularly vicious type. "Or would you prefer it if I called you a celestial maiden? Those are the popular ones, aren't they?" Didn't have nice ring to it tho. Hmm... he'll have to think of a better nickname for this one.

As for tolerating one another... After thinking about it for a while, the sides of his mouth curved upwards. "Actually, we only have to look like we tolerate each other in front of those lovebirds. As long as no one snitches, we can do whatever we want when they're not paying attention." Like killing one another in fun and creative or... no, maybe killing was pushing it. Inconveniencing was more fitting. It would be fun. For him at least. And serve as practice too. "Distress, huh?" He looked up at the sky for a moment as if he was searching for the answer in the clouds. That oversized fairy asked a good question. Was he capable of that emotion anyway? Besides hatred and rage, he must've felt distress when his older brothers were killed. But it's been 20 years since then.

She didn't answer him with words, but she took off her glove and caressed his face. Golden eyes closed as he leaned onto her touch, tempted to turn his head slightly so he could kiss her fingers and palm, but he knew better than to give in to his heart's desire. But, then again, Carlotta never failed to test him.

[ lupa, for raedric ] “What’s your fur routine like? The only other wolves I’ve seen with tails as fluffy and well-groomed as yours are the courtesans favored by the emperor.” In other words, very pretty! But, that aside, she noticed that Raedric didn’t try to cover his tail or restrain it in any way, which wasn’t a common sight around here. Mostly because wolves like them were expected to ‘behave’, but also because… Before she could even ask about it, a bird flew by at max speed and stole a chunk of the guy’s fur. “The birds in the city like to steal fur to build their nests around this time of the year.”

C-COURTESANS… RAEDRIC WASN’T QUITE sure how to feel about this description. Was that a…compliment? Hmm… ❝I just brush it in the morning when I get up and before I sleep. I especially give it attention after a battle since it might have blood caked on it and dust.❞ Being fluffy was normal where he was from. The thicker the fur, the better to handle the frigid weather during the colder months. Of course, he didn’t need it to be like this nowadays since the weather where the guild was situated was often mild and pleasant. Even so, old habits died hard. He had wondered if he should say more, or if that was enough to answer the question, though as soon as that thought came to mind, he winced slightly as a bird flew by quickly and snatched some of his fur. Glancing back, he sighed slightly.

Again?!

Head tilted slightly to the side and one of the gladiator's ears twitched. Did she say something wrong? People usually get all bashful or giddy being compared to the respected and favored meretrices of the city. But she quickly forgot about that when Raedric said his tail was that naturally fluffy as if it was the most normal thing in the world. "No special oils to keep it hydrated and shiny? Well, now I'm envious." How nice... except when being targeted by little flying thieves. She has had a few strands stolen before, but never a chunk. Did the birds think they won the grand prize when they saw the guy's tail?

He preferred listening to them talk about the dances they were learning and their patrons than having to admit the reason why he came to the city or why he wanted to hire the Troupe again, but staying silent wouldn't get him anywhere. He didn't wish to waste Lingyang's time either. "The past few weeks have been busy. You must've heard the news of prisoner Scar's escape and the capital's response to it. The situation in the Overwatch base is quite tense at the moment, so I wanted to request the Liondance Troupe's assistance in lifting morale." Tense was a kind way of wording it. Blood was spilled in the battle against Ovathrax, but that Fractsidus overseer was being treated just like any other runaway criminal instead of being handled like a top priority.

Of course, just like in Septimont, parts of Ragunna still were under construction after their showdown with Leviathan, but everything looked much better than when they sent off their fellow warrior. And with a festival approaching... the streets looked vibrant and the people appeared to be in a good mood. She expected to see a few familiar faces from their battle against Leviathan, but she wasn't expecting to cross paths with one of them so fast. "Likewise, acolyte Phoebe. It has been a while." The gladiator grinned wide, tail wagging gently from side to side. "I'm not humble enough to turn down a compliment so, please, don't hold back! If you have any requests, I'll try my best to fulfill them." But she had to admit that she had been under the impression that the members of the Order weren't particularly fond of gladiator matches since... well, that was all in the past now, wasn't it?

There’s a tall, blonde man facing the bookshelf when the door opens. It looked like he was caught. But the man doesn’t turn around, doesn’t attempt to run, he simply passes another page on Denia’s file. If a battle were to break out right next to the intensive care unit… how many will make it out alive? “That useless child lasted even less than she was supposed to. Disappointing, but unsurprising.” Denia’s file is closed and dropped on the desk. The pretender wearing the face of a long-deceased man shrugs. “You should be honored - Ichor's chosen one. You served a purpose. Unfortunately, I don’t have any candy to give you right now.”

HOW COMFORTABLE THE GRAND Architect was, that they decided they would appear to him like this. Despite being trained to read others and analyze motivations, sometimes it was hard to tell exactly what the other wanted. There was little to no reason to visit Luuk, and yet they had done so two times. In this case, though, he wondered if there was something in particular they were searching for, rather than here with the intent on poking and prodding. Eyes narrowed just slightly, but he kept his cool as the door was closed behind him. ❝You seem to be quite attached to this school. Surely the Grand Architect has other things to do besides wandering around here?❞ Their plans had all fallen by the wayside. There was no reason to even bother with this location anymore when they could spread their poison elsewhere.

So, why were they here?

Despite not seeing the other’s face, he knew whose current visage they wore like a mask. It angered him. Made his golden blood boil like a pot over an open flame, but showing weakness to one’s enemy never brought about good results. Denia… That poor girl. She had been much like himself: a tool that was discarded when it was deemed a failure or had served its purpose. The Grand Architect didn’t look at people like others did. They did so based on their usefulness – one what could be gained from them. If you were outside of that scope, then you might as well be no different from refuse. He didn’t say anything in regards to their words about himself. Instead, he focused on Denia. ❝Disappointing, and yet here you are, trying to dig around in my files about her. I was under the impression that you grew bored of ‘failures’ rather quickly.❞ After all, that was pattern of theirs that never seemed to change.

❝Perhaps you should move on.❞