Waking up on the floor of a damned rainforest was not exactly what Dalanesca had planned on doing. When she had accepted a contract from a strange young woman who said she was from Silvas, she assumed it might have something to do with entering the rainforest, but she didn’t think she would end up this way. She had entered the rainforest, and something had come up from behind and hit her with a blunt object (or at least with blunt force) to the back of her head, which had knocked her out cold.

Eventually, she woke up, disoriented and mildly confused. She had no clue as to where she was, but as soon as her legs would allow it, she stood, intent on finding her way out of this mess. She could tell where she was straight off, as it was warm and humid, and lush foliage surrounded her. As she wandered, she could make something bright white out through the leaves. The closer she got, the sooner she realized it was a vast marble wall, blocking something in.

”This is certainly out of place,” she said, though she knew that no one could hear her. She followed the expanse of the wall, unsure of where it was going to lead her, until she found the entrance. It seemed to lead her into the grounds of… a palace? A temple? She wasn’t entirely sure.

”Time to figure my way out of here,” she muttered, trudging onwards. She stepped through the entrance to the spacious structure and immediately wondered if she had made a mistake. It seemed as though she were in an antechamber of sorts, surrounded by silk drapes.  A few people milled about the area, but she shied away from them – were they servants?  Was she in some sort of palace?  She was beginning to feel quite confused.

In an attempt to evade the servants, or whatever they were, Dalanesca darted through the first door she could find, intent on getting through this place and back out into the jungle as quickly as she could.  This place was not where she wanted to be.  Where she wanted to be was back in a city, back in a tavern, looking for work of some sort, whether it be mercenary related or assassin related – either way, she was running low on coin, and running low on coin meant that she would soon be without a place to stay.  Innkeepers were not so keen on letting a person stay for free.  Mercenary work had become a good supplement – but there wasn’t much of that to be found in the middle of a rainforest.

She found herself in a hallway, lit brightly with exotic fire.  She could see several different archways leading to different areas, but none of them seemed to be a way out for her.  With an exasperated sigh, she leaned against one of the walls, eyes looking about to see if any of those servants had followed her into the hallway.  Maybe one of them would be able to help her find a way out – or at least tell her where she was.  She looked around, deciding to give her a mind a moment to clear.  Closing her eyes, she once more leaned against the wall, trying to remember what direction the city would have been in from where she was to begin with.

The day was uneventful, Rhylana had been gardening and working with Alairia on her spell work as well as sending scouts out to find any and all tomes on magic's that they could. Coin had finally started coming in from the local peoples to keep plagues from their lands, a bribery of sort to ensure that nothing disastrous would render the local populace into the depths of sorrows. The thought made her smile as she came from her coffers, blinking, a new person had come. Though this new person…seemed…felt, familiar. Dressed all in black in her white marble palace, Rhylana made her way from the coffers into the main hallways leading to her private wing. How had this woman gotten this far into the palace without Damon or her guards taking note? Ember was off napping somewhere, so that was little help…. she tapped her index finger to the fullness of the bottom lip and thought for a time.

The woman was leaning against the warded door to her private wing, resting there as if she were the queen of this lands. Rhylana paused for a moment, sweeping back her raven hair and smoothing the black velvet of her gown before sweeping her hand over the sigil allowing the heavy stone doors to swing open. The young goddess cocked her head and watched as the assassin fell arse first into her hallway. “Oh, I am most certain you have a very good reason for being here.” Her voice was tri-toned, one her natural voice, one the voice of fire, and one of destruction, her eyes glowed with power. While she was beautiful and near lyrical, the power she held was neither masked nor shied away from.

And she was not happy. ‘Damon, you will be punished for allowing a trespasser this far into my home she said to her guards mind as she picked the woman up by the forearm and moved her out of her private quarters, the door slamming tight. “Who are you, trespasser, and why should I not end you here and now?” She looked like a killer, and here she was at the private door of the temple- her home, her quarters, and her son lay sleeping just beyond these doors. The human was lucky Rhylana didn’t kill her outright and consume her soul, no afterlife at all. Lest she was a follower of Dimitre, she had promised not to eat his faithful.


Dammit.

Sometimes, things happened that one did not expect.  One of those things happened to Dalanesca.  She didn’t realize, but she had actually been leaning on a door, not a wall, and the door had opened, causing her to fall painfully backwards and land on the ground with a loud thud.  She was immediately met with a voice that was most definitely not human, questioning her presence at her current location.  Her eyes snapped up to see what appeared to be a young girl, very beautiful – but her eyes – it seemed as though her eyes were almost on fire.  It was clear to her now that she had stumbled into the abode of a powerful being – she just wasn’t sure who.

She opened her mouth to respond, but found herself at a loss for words – she was actually genuinely terrified of this… woman?  Girl?  Being?  She couldn’t decide, even in her mind.  ”I…”  She only managed to get out one word before her voice caught in her throat.  The woman looked absolutely enraged that she was there.  

She winced as the being grabbed her forearm and dragged her out onto her feet, dragging her back out into the hallway that she had originally been standing in. She jumped slightly as the door slammed shut, the sound echoing through the hall.   She was questioned as to who she was and what her intentions of being there were – and she did not know how to answer the later.  ”My name is Dalanesca,” she said, steadying the tone of her voice.  

She took a deep breath, and began her explanation, barring the woman before her did not stop her halfway through.  ”I actually wasn’t attempting to trespass – I didn’t even know this place was here, to be frank,” she said, in a tone that truly showed she did not mean to disrespect her.  ”I was… well, I was supposed to be working a contract,” she continued, gesturing to her clothing.  She assumed that would be enough to explain to the woman what sort of contract.  ”Not on you,” she added, as an afterthought.  ”The client had me meet her in the rainforest, then, boom.  Blunt force trauma to the back of the head and I woke up in the middle of the forest.  I was trying to find my way out and I found my way here, instead… I guess I was hoping someone would be able to steer me in the right direction,” she said.

”I meant no disrespect for entering your abode,” she said.  ”If I had known it was someone’s home, I would not have entered,” she added.  ”Please, I can leave this instant and never speak of this place to another,” she added.  She wanted to know who this woman was, and she wasn’t sure if she would lose her tongue if she could not hold it.  After a moment’s hesitation, the words came out of her mouth without warning.

”Who are you?  What is this place?  It’s beautiful,” she said, the awe apparent in her voice.  It was quite obvious that she meant no disrespect, and she continued to be hopeful that the being was feeling merciful this day.  She had, as of late, been contemplating abandoning the assassin way of life… but she had not hoped to do so by being murdered for trespassing.

Rhylana let her power search this being for deception, looking her over and searching her for dishonesty. She loved her home, her people and to find a very obvious assassin in her midst was not something she was amused at. Dropping the magic from her being and delivering it back to the node beneath her home leaving just ‘plain old Rhylana’ standing before her. She stood there, ivory complexion, hair as dark as raven feathers, eyes of sapphire and emerald. She was every bit a Knight, and her eyes bore down into the other as she weighed the options before her.

“You are not a good mercenary,” the words were blunt as she walked down the hallway, knowing the woman would follow her. “You find yourself in an interesting predicament, Dalanesca the lost mercenary.” She was a blunt woman, shrewd, and as she turned in the antechamber, looking to the woman, she crossed her arms under her breasts. The black velvet gown hugging her for a moment, pursing her lips as she considered the situation…she did not taste of a lie. “This is the Ivory Court, I and The goddess who burns and consumes all, Rhylana Knight.” Since the perceived death of her husband, she had taken up her fathers surname once more. An act that made her feel as if she were a child.

“This is my temple, my home, and it is crawling with tigers and lions as well as archers and terrible beasts that are very protective of their queen.” Once more her tone was severe, but there was something…off about this woman. Something, though not a lie, was not quite right. Rhylana flicked her wrist, two chairs appearing next to them. “Sit.” The words were not a request, they were an order, and as Rhylana sat, she expected the other to as well. “You are wounded, and lost, and in a terribly dangerous place. I do not think you would survive if I were to let you go. It would be a waste of a good meal.” Power flashed once more behind the blue and green orbs, just a glimpse of her power. She offered a smile, a wicked slick grin that flashed petite fangs on her rose lips.

“You are fascinated with my home,” she said looking at her intently, “How do i know you have not come here with intent on me and mine? I am awfully out of the way, and you managed to get past my guards and beasts…” she leaned forward, looking to the clad assassin “If you are a mercenary, and you are here, in a remote spot.” She stood, gesturing for the other to stay sitting to take a look at the back of her head, weighing the truth of her story. “Hm, you are injured, and with such an injury, you’ll hardly be able to get past the perils of these grounds let alone my forest.”

She somehow knew that the woman was searching her for any sort of lie – as though she were peering into her very soul.  She could see a change as whatever magic had been shielding the being’s visage dropped, and she now appeared to be nothing more than a very beautiful young woman.  Her eyes and face seemed oddly familiar to Dalanesca, as though she had seen someone with very similar features in her past – but she was having trouble remembering things from before her arrival to the world as it was today.  At times, she would have fleeting memories or quick glimpses into the past, triggered by something or someone, but she had yet to pin anything down.

The woman’s words pierced her mind.  She followed Rhylana closely as she walked off, attempting to explain herself.  ”I’m a horrible mercenary.  I’m not even supposed to be a mercenary… I’m not supposed to be an assassin.  I don’t even want to be one, to be honest,” she said, surprised that the words had found their way out of her mouth.  Taken aback, she was silent for a moment, before continuing once more.  ”I mean… I don’t know how I came to be one.  I don’t think I was, you know, before,” she concluded, trailing off.  ”And I am lost,” she said, frustration apparent in her voice.  ”I told you, I have no clue how I found this place.”  Again, the truth was very apparent in both her face and her voice.  

She listened closely as the woman explained who she was.  A Goddess.  That made sense.  But her name… that sounded so familiar to her.  The surname – Knight?  Where had she heard it before?  She knew it from somewhere, it coupled with Rhylana’s appearance in a manner that made her somewhat uncomfortable.  She cast her eyes down, in a bow to show her respect.  ”Forgive me for being so intrusive,” she apologized, hoping she had not offended the deity.  That was the last thing she needed – a pissed off Goddess on her case.

She continued to listen intently,  sitting down in the chair that had appeared near her, not even hesitating as she was commanded to do so.  She nodded as Rhylana mentioned her wound, remembering the throbbing pain in the back of her head.    She swallowed uncomfortably at the mention of ‘wasting a good meal’ – was this woman going to eat her?  The smile that she offered immediately after such did nothing to relive her of that thought.   Were those fangs?

”Your home is very beautiful,” she agreed, when her fascination with the dwelling was mentioned.  She looked confused when Rhylana mentioned guards, and beasts – the only living things she had seen when she entered the area had been the servants (or at least that was what she assumed them to be) in the entrance, right after she had come into the temple.  ”I told you, I was in the rainforest to meet a client for a contract,” she said, the truth continuing to pour out of her.  ”I don’t even know who the hit was going to be on, but it didn’t matter,” she said, at which point the Goddess gestured for her to stay seated while she examined her injury.

”I don’t want to be any trouble, I promise,” she said, worry apparent in her voice.  ”I can just uh… I can just leave, you know,” she said – but for some reason, she didn’t think that was what was going to be happening.  This woman had a strange familiarity to her, but she couldn’t quite place it.

Rhylana was amused, hopelessly so at causing such obvious discomfort in the woman, though knowing it wasn’t polite to tighten the guests, she rose her hand and smiled softly. Yes, she had fangs, but they were a genetic trait more than anything else, like her pointed ears, they were for appearance. “Dalanesca, you are nervous of me,” There was no hiding her amusement, it causing the goddess’s voice to lilt with the restrained laughter. Power danced behind her green and sapphire eyes, small flashes of flame causing the orbs to near glow for half a breath. Rhylana took a seat upon the chair, looking at the other. It would do her no good to have a wounded being here, not with enough predators here to ensure she never woke from slumber should she have blood upon her.

“If I were going to kill you, I would have done it already Dalanesca. I do not play with such things, I was an assassin, foreplay is hardly a reliable way to do it, this would be why I know you are a poor one. Outside of apparent reasons.” The smile was wicked, but it was there, painting itself across her lips and into her eyes. With a wave of her hand, a warmth spread over Dalanesca, healing the injury and creating a sense of calm. The woman was too wound up to think properly, let alone treat this situation with the severity that it needed.

“My fangs are a genetic gift from my sire, not truly what they appear to be, I do not need to touch you to be deadly.” She rose her hand to shush her, for she was not in the mood to kill an inept assassin, it hardly boded well for a good meal. “Thank you for complimenting my home, it is a temple as well. Had you stopped out in the gardens, I would not have been angry, but my life is behind the doors you managed to find. A life that is not for the likes of mortals, let alone those that give the first impression you do.” While the injury was not completely gone, she was at least not useless now.

The goddess lounged back lightly and smiled as a large liger came to her side, the white main fluffy as she ran her hands through it. “This is Shivara, he has friends from one corner of my home to the other, I could not let you risk blood and then death by a big cat,” She said it so matter of factly that perhaps it would not have bothered her should it have come to pass. Save for the mess that it would have left behind, a mental note to ask her father how to make the floor deal with the fallout from her feeding expeditions. “What is it you want to do with your life Dalanesca, because you took eh contract for a reason, the odds are that you are floundering and thought it easy money, but is that the case?

She leaned forward, elbows on her knees as her brightly coloured eyes bored into the other. This girl could be trained, could be useful, and could remove some complications from her life without compromising the safety of her home. There might be hope for her yet.

She nodded slowly as the Goddess stated the obvious – Dalanesca was indeed nervous of Rhylana.  Who wouldn’t be nervous after stumbling into a deity’s home accidentally and offending them?  The amusement in her voice caught her off guard and made her feel uneasy about the situation as a whole.  She felt as though the intense stare that the Goddess gave her was nearly tangible, as though she could reach out and touch the line of sight.  It made her uncomfortable, and she shifted awkwardly in her seat as a result of such.

She blinked a few times at the mention of Rhylana killing her.  She nodded again, dumbly.  A wince crossed her visage as Rhylana seemed to refer to her as incapable of being able to fulfill a job in her field of employment.  It was not that she was inept, it was more that she was beginning to doubt herself, and doubt bred incompetence.  She opened her mouth to comment, but snapped it shut after having decided that she did not want to lose her tongue – she was not entirely sure how Rhylana would react to being told off for calling her a failure.  

As Rhylana cast whatever magic it was that she was capable of, warmth encompassed Dalanesca and she could tell that the wound on the back of her head was no longer there, and the dizzy feeling had left her body.  ”Thank you,” she said quietly, reaching a hand up to feel where her injury had been previously.  Only a faint twinge of pain remained,  a reminder of what had happened.

As Rhylana gave an explanation of her fangs, Dalanesca’s  eyes wandered to the deity’s mouth again, looking for a glimpse of the canines that she spoke of.  Silence befell her at the raising of her hand, and she listened to the Goddess as she spoke in response to what she had already said.  She wanted to apologize to her, and explain that she had not tried to offend – but she gathered that the Goddess already knew everything she wanted to say.

She was ever appreciative that the Goddess had not cast her off into the wilds, which in her condition would have most likely ended in her demise – but the devilish glint to Rhylana’s powerful eyes gave her a bit of worry.  What did she want to do with her life?  It was such a loaded question.  She took the question in stride, and as a sign that she was in fact allowed to answer.  ”I want to have a purpose,” she answered, choosing not to comment on her misappropriations.  ”I just don’t know what my purpose is supposed to be.”  

Her eyes held a glint of sadness, as though she truly regretted the fact that she didn’t know what to do with her life anymore.