Author: Sirona, Posted: Tue May 28, 2019 11:03 AM, Post Subject: The Heavens, The Hells, and The Tree [P]

Sirona smiled when Malati realized that they could have trouble finding each other. ”It might be easier then for me to find you in the city. I do wander the lands, coming from Onnen I am exploring Canelux at the moment and I plan to eventually travel to Parvpora and explore there as well. I don’t have any one place that I stay regularly, at least not in Canelux, I’ll have to come find you.” Sirona explained with a small smile.

Malati explained her story in detail and Sirona did what she could to help ease Malati. She felt Malati go rigid for a moment before that tension melted away. Sirona said her peace and she listened as Malati replied. Ah, that was where the guilt came from; from being tricked into believe in her mentor, unable to see the looming betrayal. Reaching out Sirona gently took Malati’s balled up fists into her own hands, even though she wore gauntlets, and looked to Malati’s eyes. ”But how could you have known? From what you told me she never displayed any signs of what was to come. You were sent to her to train with her, by others that you trusted, so it only follows that you would put your trust in her as well.” Sirona explained. ”It’s a tough learning experience, Malati, that’s for sure, and I can’t say I know how that kind of betrayal feels. But I can say that I believe you have grown because of it.”

She smiled. ”Don’t stop putting your trust in people, Malati, but do trust your instincts. They’ll keep you safe, keep your eyes and mind open. I’ve put my trust in you, Malati, I hope you can put your trust in me.”

Author: Malati, Posted: Wed May 1, 2019 11:39 PM, Post Subject: The Heavens, The Hells, and The Tree [P]

Malati beamed brightly when Sirona offered to be a sparring partner. Since her and Jyeir’s….falling out, Malati had only had a chance to use her hard earned talents with Windsong when life and death were on the line. Despite all the awful parts of her time with her old mentor, she had missed the quick training combat they’d had. So the angel’s offer to spar was a very welcome one, and Malati had never fought someone wearing full plate, it would be an interesting challenge.

Nodding enthusiastically, the Tiefling quickly responded, “Yes! That would be great! Not now…this place,” Malati gestured widely to the strange and beautiful scenery of Horae, “is too special to disrupt it, even with something as fun as a spar. But I will for sure take you up on that offer someday soon!” She continued on silently for a few moments, observing the way the magic of the island allowed for all four seasons to exist at once, when something occurred to her and a frown worked its way on to her face. “Though, now that I think of it, I don’t know how to find you for that spar,” she chuckled a bit. “I am traveling around right now, but usually you can find me in Mamlak. There are a few people around who know me, so shouldn’t be too hard to find me there once I get back. There aren’t that many one-horned Tieflings with light glaives,” she added with a smile.

Malati did not add that the reason she was known in Mamlak was her habit of getting into trouble. Not that anything she did was immoral, but some of it was certainly illegal. Since her discovery of Jyeir’s true motives, Malati found her eyes were opened in a way they hadn’t been before. People in power, like Jyeir, tended to abuse those whom they had power over, like herself. Seeing the world with new eyes, Malati found herself helping those without power, and sometimes that meant upsetting people with it, people who sometimes wrote laws or enforced them. So finding someone who at least knew of her in Mamlak should not be difficult.

“But where might I find you? I get the sense that you’re a bit of a traveler too. Or am I wrong?”

It wasn’t long after this that Malati’s story came out. It poured from her mouth in fits and starts, and then in a constant stream until it, mostly, lay between the Tiefling and the Angel. With the story out of her mouth, Malati took in a stuttering breath to steady herself as she felt the pain, anger, sadness, and, most of all, the shame flood over her as if Jyeir’s bloodied body lay at her feet this very moment. While she had to wipe away a single tear, and steady herself with a breath, Malati was overall happy with the level of control and calm she’d achieved. 

She was by no means calm in this moment, but she was calmer than she had ever expected to be after telling that story. As she contemplated this small bit of progress she was shocked to feel Sirona’s arms and wing envelop her in a hug. At first the Tiefling’s body went rigid with surprise at the sudden gesture, but after a moment every bit of tension loosened and she wrapped her own arms around the angel. 

As Sirona said her peace and they released each other from their hug, Malati could not help but smile appreciatively. She had not said anything that she, herself, did not already know, but hearing them come from someone else was meaningful in a way that hearing them from herself was not. Malati reached up to run her fingers along her broken horn; it was a gesture that was very familiar to her, but now that Sirona had done it as well, it felt different, like it was a remembrance of her kind words rather just a nervous habit she’d developed.

“Thank you, Sirona. I…I know, but it’s good to hear it from someone else,” she said sincerely. “But,” she continued, surprising herself somewhat, “the pain, sadness, anger, guilt, all of that I can…I have adjusted to. I hate having to have done what I did, but you’re right I did what I had to to survive. What gets me, what I haven’t…,” Malati gestured broadly, unsure of what she was looking to convey at first. “You said I should wear pride, not shame. But the shame I feel isn’t that I killed her. She didn’t leave me a choice, I did not want to but I had to survive. No, I’m ashamed that I believed her, that I trusted her, that I loved her. I feel,” Malati took a breath in through clenched teeth, her fingers balled into a tight fist. “I feel like a fool. I should have known, I should never have fallen for her lies and tricks, but I did, I couldn’t see her for what she was…I still can’t, not completely.” Malati’s voice heated as she spoke, angry at herself for allowing herself to be tricked. A small voice in the back of her mind, reminded her that that is not exactly how it worked, but it was quiet and distant. 

Author: Sirona, Posted: Thu Apr 25, 2019 2:23 PM, Post Subject: The Heavens, The Hells, and The Tree [P]

Ah, her mom taught her how to wield the weapon, that was rather beautiful in Sirona’s mind. To have a mother pass down something to her daughter was an amazing thing, and it kind of ached Sirona’s heart at the same time. But she kept that from her face. ”I have tried larger weapons as well, but I have always comes back to sword and shield, it’s what, I guess, I am best trained in using.” Sirona added and smiled at Malati’s saying of possibly starting the tradition of handing down the weapons to her kids, if she ever had them. ”I think that would be a wonderful tradition to start, Malati, keeps the history of your family alive, reminds the next generations where they came from.”

They agreed on fighting being their last resort if they could help it, that was good. ”Well, I can’t say I know of any tournaments right now, but, I can spar with you any time if you want, Malati.” Sirona offered, liking that idea and hoping that Malati would as well. To pit their different styles against each other would be fun and a good learning experience for both as well.

Malati went onto tell the story of her broken horn and, as a result, more of her past. Sirona listened in silence the whole time, Sirona was a great listener, patient and never let her mind wonder away, rarely interrupting. She never cut in as Malati spoke however. When Malati was finished, Sirona didn’t say anything for a few moments, instead she moved closer to Malati and went to wrap her arms around the tiefling and draw her in for a tight hug. If Malati didn’t push away Sirona would hold her close for a moment and even open her wings and wrap them around as well. ”Killing is never easy for those of us that use it as a last resort. You were defending yourself, Malati, it’s a hard memory, I know, but you made the only choice you could.” Sirona spoke softly. ”Betrayal is a horrible thing, she made her choice but you were stronger in the end.” Breaking the hug, a thing that Sirona wasn’t squirmy with in this context, it Malati didn’t break it before that, Sirona smiled to Malati. ”You are alive, you are with your family, the Gods are watching over you, Malati.” She thought a moment. ”Scars do not form on the dead, scars mean we survived. This scar,” She reached up and gently ran her fingers across the broken horn and smiled to Malati. ”is your proof of your survival. It’s a hard lesson and memory, but one that, I believe, you should still wear pride, not shame. There is no shame in surviving.” Sirona finished, hoping that her words would help.

Author: Malati, Posted: Sun Apr 14, 2019 12:13 PM, Post Subject: The Heavens, The Hells, and The Tree [P]

Malati smiled as she and the angel spoke of weapons and armor. It had been a long time since she’d gotten the chance to talk about these kinds of things. “My mom, she’s the one who taught me about weapons,” Malati said to explain why she was suddenly talking about her mother, “always used to lament that she couldn’t do a side draw. She loved the biggest weapons,” she explained as she spread out her hands as wide as they could go, as if trying to demonstrate their size. “And big weapons don’t do well with a side draw. They’ve gotta be worn on the back. Useful for keeping out of the way, but with a side draw you can draw and attack all at once.” Malati smiled and gave a shrug with sent her own stored weapon wiggling against her back again. “Or so she said. I never had much talent for longswords or the like.”

The tiefling turned the angel’s words over in her head as she finished the series of strikes and spins with her weapon and put it away again. Was Windsong passed down? “Probably not in the way that you mean, Sirona. My mom gave it to me, but I think she had it custom made. Or she bought it from someone…I know we had to go into town to get it, but I wasn’t with her when she picked it up so I don’t really know.” Now that she was thinking about it, she didn’t know much about who’d made Windsong or where it had come from. It was possible it had belonged to her mother all along, but if that was the case surely she would have said something about that when she’d given it to Malati? “Well, even if Windsong wasn’t passed down before, maybe I’ll start that tradition if I ever have a kid,” she said with a chuckle. Kids were not something she wanted any time soon, but she did like the idea of Windsong becoming a family heirloom with a storied history. And of course, a storied history would require good stories.

“My mom did give me this weapon though, and taught me how to use it. But she wasn’t the one who taught me how to treat fighting like meditation. That was….that was someone else.” Placing Windsong along her back once again, Malati frowned a bit. Would memories of Jyeir ever not cause her to frown? Probably not.

She nodded in complete agreement when Sirona said that violence was a last resort for her. “Yeah, I’m glad too. Like I said, I hate hurting people, I just like the fighting part. Maybe I need to find a tournament or sparring partner or something. That way I can fight, and not have to really hurt anyone.” That was something to think about, she’d have to keep an ear to the ground for that kind of thing.

With the conversation about tattoos coming to a close, Malati rolled her sleeves back up. She was glad that Sirona didn’t mind talking about this personal part of her life, but it did make her think about her own unwillingness to do the same. As soon as she offered to tell her story to the angel, Malati knew it was the right thing to do. The story still hurt her, and she was still ashamed of it though she knew she shouldn’t be. And while she was nervous about telling the story, she knew she had to do it. More than that, she wanted to. 

“I can’t say I’m comfortable telling this,” she said with a weak, but genuine chuckle. “But I know I want to do this. It’s tough because I haven’t told it to anyone yet, despite it happening….like, Gods, two years ago?” Malati took a breath and thought for a moment, covering the action by taking Windsong from her back again and using it as a walking stick, “So when I was 16 my mom and I went into the nearby….hmmmm wait, maybe that’s not the place to start? Sorry,” she laughed. “Like I said, I haven’t told this before, still trying to figure out where to start.” Then Malati did something she had not done in a long time, she ran through the events in her head.

She wiped away a tear before it could fall from her eye. Could be a worse start, she thought as she made sure no further tears would fall. None came. “So when I was 16 I was sent to train with a woman who lived near my mother and I…near relatively speaking. We lived in the Highlands, so near in this case was a full day’s hike. I won’t go into why right now, though I can later if you’d like, that’s a bit of a better story. But I was sent to train and live with her because it was decided that I needed more discipline, and this woman, Jyeir, was a monk. I don’t think she was a monk the way your monks were monks. She lived alone in the woods, and was really good at focusing and meditation, that sort of thing.”

In her mind’s eye Malati could still picture her old mentor’s face, always serene despite whatever was going on around her. “Anyways, she taught me discipline and meditation and focus, and how to apply those to fighting.” She couldn’t help but laugh at that. “Sorry, I got sent to her cuz, in short, I was fighting when I shouldn’t be, and then I got trained to fight better.” She smiled and shook her head, clearing the humorous irony from her mind so she could continue. “She was my mentor for those years, and taught me so much. She was….” Malati’s voice trailed off as she grasped for a word or phrase to explain. From the way Sirona had reacted to the idea of demons and humans having children, and her description of the giggling and touching trees, Malati suspected the angel wasn’t fond of discussions of sexuality, at least not with strangers. Malati didn't blame here there. So she was not going to tell Sirona that Jyeir and she had become romantic. But lying and saying she was like a sister or parent felt entirely inappropriate, they’d shared a bed after all.
She cleared her throat, “She was like family.” This was the truth, just not all of it. “And then she betrayed me. She was…I don’t know, it all happened so fast I still don’t have all the details. But she was…,” again, Malati grasped for a word, “bound to something. Something dark and evil, and she wanted to bind me to it so she might be free of its control. She was taking me to some, ritual I guess when I figured it out. We struggled and fought. She took Windsong from me, and tried to kill me.” Her eyes glanced to the weapon in her hand, the blade covered in two kinds of blood that she knew weren’t actually there anymore.

Malati reached up with her free hand to touch her horn. “She stuck me with it, right here. The blow should have killed me. Windsong is razor sharp and, despite the thin blade, incredibly strong. Maybe it’s because she’s lighter than most glaives, or maybe my horn took the brunt of the blow. But either way, I am sure the blow should have killed me. So I played dead, and when she came to check on me, I grabbed my weapon and took it back, surprising her. She wanted me dead, and I had a moment’s advantage. She was my mentor, so she was better than I was, stronger. I had to take advantage of the one thing I had, surprise. So I did, and I killed her.” 

Another tear fell from her eye, which she hastily wiped away as she watched the angel's face for any hint of what she might be thinking now that the story was told.

Author: Sirona, Posted: Fri Apr 12, 2019 12:46 PM, Post Subject: The Heavens, The Hells, and The Tree [P]

”I can to a point, it still has its own limitations in range of movement and they aren’t much more than my own really. It just makes it easier is all.” Sirona replied as she showed the shield and blade that were built into her armour for back up use. ”The shield can only take so much punishment before the magic fizzles and needs to recharge, and the blade is shorter than my normal blade. They’re handy back ups though, not things I’d want to fight with all the time, not without more training and a stronger gem for the shield.” She explained. ”I can see that about the glaive, it is a long weapon indeed, still, one I have no practice in using either. There are times I’d like to sheath my blade on my back, but alas, wings won’t let that happen, even the space between I need open so I can flap them.” Sirona shrugged, resigned to that issue at this point, she couldn’t change the facts about her body so she had to learn to live with them.

Sirona watched Malati handle her weapon and smiled. ”Is that was a weapon passed down, Malati?” Sirona asked carefully as she listened to Malati explain her love of fighting. ”I tend to use violence as a last resort if I can help it, but often I found people would rather fight then talk.” She sighed. ”So I am happy that you were one to talk, Malati.” Sirona smiled.

The talk of their respective tattoos came up and Sirona’s cheeks turned red since she didn’t know what hers meant. She praised Malati’s work first since the Tiefling had said she had done her own, and she had done well in Sirona’s opinion. She explained that she didn’t know what her work meant nor who did it and gave some of her background as well to Malati. ”No no, you don’t need to be sorry, Malati. And thank you.” The latter was for her compliment towards the work done itself.

Malati then surprised her by saying that she would indeed tell the story about her broken horn. Sirona would admit to curiosity, but she hadn’t forgotten the way Malati had reacted when first questioned about the subject. Sirona turned to face Malati fully. ”I won’t lie, I am curious. But only tell if you’re truly comfortable, Malati, ok?” She cautioned, but would listen closely if Malati ultimately decided to explain what had happened.

Author: Malati, Posted: Sun Apr 7, 2019 10:31 PM, Post Subject: The Heavens, The Hells, and The Tree [P]

"If her people are the ancestors of my people, I would certainly take some solace from that. It is something I will have have to investigate at some point."

The idea of demons with the ability to be good, or at least not forced by their nature to be evil, was certainly an interesting one, and one that had the potential to change a lot. But her mind was very quickly distracted by Sirona's explanation of her armor. Malati's eyes went as wide as saucers as the angel demonstrated how her magical armor worked. She nodded slowly as Sirona explained how the armor could move to better protect her, and would even repair itself. "That's amazing. You could even make it move so you have greater range of motion."

When Sirona summoned a blade and shield from her gauntlets, Malati gave a bit of a brief gasp, half in surprise and half from pure excitement. "That is amazing!" she exclaimed again. "Not only can you use that to surprise your enemies, but you also don't have to carry around a shield and sword if you don't want to." Malati chuckled a bit as she shrugged to wiggle Windsong slightly. "I have to admit, carrying around even a shorter version of a glaive can be cumbersome from time to time. But I know what you mean about 'coming in handy more than you care to admit.'"

Malati carefully unslung her weapon from where it lay strapped to her back. "I've had to put Windsong to her intended use far more times than I care to remember." She looked at the weapon her mother had given her, a mix of adoration and disappointment on her face for that brief moment. "The worst part is that I love to fight. The way I was trained, fighting is like meditation in a lot of ways. You drop into the correct mindset, and your weapon, and even your opponent, are almost extensions of yourself. Everything but you, your weapon, your opponent, and their weapon drops away. But most of the time when I get to fight with Windsong, it's because life and death are on the line." With one more look of adoration and disappointment, Malati placed her weapon back over her shoulder. "And when you're fighting for a life, it kinda ruins that meditative state…for me at least."

As Malati asked Sirona about her tattoos, she was surprised to see the angel's cheeks redden. She wondered if she had said something that she should not have, she really hadn't intended to embarrass her. Her tattoos were just so amazing! Is it embarrassing to have someone fawn over your tattoos? she thought, trying to puzzle it out. But before she could follow that train of thought for much longer, the angel complimented her work and the tiefling couldn't keep the huge grin from her face. "Thanks! I had to practice a lot," she chuckled a bit, "I have more than a couple other ones that did not come out nearly so well."

She smiled again as the angel moved her magical armor, that would never be anything less than interesting, to show off more of her tattoos, but the smile faded somewhat as Sirona explained some of her past. Waking up with only the barest memories of your past must have been extremely frustrating, to put it mildly. And here she was, asking about her past like it was nothing. Isn't that basically the same thing that had happened when Sirona asked about her horn? And Sirona was answering without any reservation.

"Oh, there's nothing to be sorry about Sirona! I didn't realize, I'm sorry if I brought up something too personal. If it is any consolation, whoever did them is really talented."  Malati thought for a moment as they continued their walk around the tree. Sirona had shared something really personal, and Malati had avoided sharing something really personal. Was that fair?

"Uh…so, Sirona," she said hesitantly, "I asked you something really personal, and you answered." As she spoke Malati could feel her voice growing steadier, and surer about this. "You asked about my horn and scar earlier, and I'd like to tell you what happened." She smiled, and surprised herself when she genuinely felt confident about this. "I want to tell you what happened. If you're still interested that is. Don't wanna bore you with a story you're not interested it."

Author: Sirona, Posted: Mon Apr 1, 2019 1:34 PM, Post Subject: The Heavens, The Hells, and The Tree [P]

Sirona nodded. ”I didn’t know there were non-evil demons either, so I learned something that day. She was nice, she was trying to make silver to help her parents too. I guess there is more free will among demons that I had assumed. Also, she wasn’t the horrible looking monstrosities that I’m used to either. She looked, well, to be honest, Malati, she didn’t overly different from you. Her horns were taller, she had a tail as well. Really, now that I think of it, she could be mistaken for a Tiefling if she wanted to.” Sirona had noticed that similarities before now. ”Perhaps it’s her kind of demon that are your ancestors are derived from?” She suggested, she’d have to find Veda again and speak with her about that at some point, perhaps have Malati and Veda meet to talk.

As the two of them inspected the tree Sirona looked to Malati when she asked about her armour, noting that it would be heavy and that she couldn’t get the idea of wearing it all the time as Sirona did. ”It’s not as heavy as it looks, but since I’m always wearing it I’m used to the weight by now I guess. This armour is also a bit, um, different than you might be used to seeing around here.” She thought for a moment on how to explain what she had meant. ”This armour is enchanted, or perhaps haunted, depends on how you want to look at it. Either way, it has an intelligence of its own, so when I’m attacked it will shift slightly to better protect in the area that’s about to be hit. I’ve had large gashes carved into it before and over the course of a week it will repair itself, somehow. Even I don’t fully understand how it works, but it does. Also.” She held up her hands, with a flick of her right hand a two foot blade snapped out from within the gauntlet and a hum sounded the forming of the magic buckler shield from the gem hidden in her left gauntlet. ”These have come in handy more times than I care to admit.” She grinned and sheathed the blade and undid the shield spell within the gem while lowering her arms. ”So, while it is heavy, since it can move on its own as well when I move it moves and takes some of the weight off of me.” She explained and figured that was probably the best explanation she could give for it.

After that Sirona suggested they explore together, which Malati liked the idea of and agreed to. Silence fell between them for a bit as they walked, which Sirona was ok with for that time if only because she was taking in the natural beauty of the island. But Malati broke that silence, and the topic she brought up made the angel blush slightly even while she looked over the tattoo work on Malati that Malati said she did herself. When Malati was finished Sirona managed a smile. ”Yours are beautiful, Malati, you should be proud of your work.” She praised with genuine sincerity in her voice.

However as she moved to her own tattoos she seemed a bit embarrassed, but spoke on anyway. ”I don’t know who did mine, let alone what they mean, sadly. All I do know is that they are angelic symbols of some kind.” She removed her gauntlet again and then made her armour move itself so that her arm from wrist to shoulder was visible showing that she was covered in black swirling ink. But it also showed that she was well built, there was nearly no fat on her muscles and they were tight from her training and wearing her armour all the time. ”See, I woke up in Onenn one day in a monastery that houses some monks. I don’t know how I got there or why I was there, nor did they. I stayed with them for over two years after waking up, learning everything I could. All I could remember of my past was my training with a sword and shield, and my armour was even on me when I was found.” She sighed and placed her armour back on. ”So, ya, sorry I can’t answer your question, Malati, I hope to one day, and when I know I’ll find you and tell you. Until then, it’s a mystery.” Sirona spread her hands out in a defeated manner.

Author: Malati, Posted: Sat Mar 30, 2019 12:12 AM, Post Subject: The Heavens, The Hells, and The Tree [P]

"I didn't kn-" Malati's voice cut off as she was about to respond to Sirona's revelation that she had met a good demon. While that was shocking in its own right, the reason Malati's voice caught in her throat was the sight of Sirona with her hood down. The angel had striking facial tattoos. They were unlike anything the young Tiefling had ever seen before. Malati had a few of her own tattoos, but her tattoos all looked like what they were. An eagle, a tree. She didn't have anything so abstract as the lines on Sirona's face. 

A dozen questions formed in Malati's mind, but before she could ask any of them the thought that it might be rude occurred to her. Besides, the angel might reveal it naturally over the course of their conversation. So instead, she finished her earlier thought, "I didn't know that there were non-evil demons," she said honestly. "I know they're my ancestors and all, but I figured we Tieflings were capable of choosing our own paths because of our human blood. I guess its nice to know that there is a chance my ancestors have a chance of not being terrible scourges on the world," she said trying to make light of the situation somewhat.

Malati turned to look and smiled to see the angel had followed her back to the tree. Even if they had almost come to blows, it was nice to be around other people for a change. She smiled as the angel began to speak of her own nature and relationship with the Gods. But most of what she had to say did not completely register, as her yellow eyes fell on Sirona's hand. Without her gauntlet, Malati could see that the angel's tattoos weren't just contained to her face, she had tattoos on her wrist, and from the look of it they probably extended up her arm as well, though her sleeves made that impossible to determine.

Again, she suppressed her desire to ask questions, not sure if it would be rude or inappropriate. Thankfully Sirona said something that caused Malati to raise a curious eyebrow. "I know some people like to fight with that armor on, which I guess I get. But the idea of always wearing it…" she shook her head in disbelief, "I can't imagine that. You've got to be very strong. It's heavy right?" Malati shook her head again as if trying to force some kind of understanding. "When I fight, I've got to be fast and flexible. I feel like I'd get hit constantly if I wore anything near that heavy."

She smiled broadly when Sirona asked if she'd like to join her in exploring the island. Malati quickly nodded her head enthusiastically. "Yeah, that sounds great." With one last look at the tree up close, Malati waved for Sirona to follow her as she headed towards the Glaciem section of the island. They walked in silence for a few seconds, the conversation having reached a natural lull. But as the quiet lingered, Malati's curiosity built within her. "Okay, I don't know if this is rude or anything. And if it is, I'm sorry, but I have to ask! Your tattoos, they're sooo…." her voice trailed off as she wasn't sure what word was appropriate. Cool? Pretty? Unique? All true. "Amazing," she finally settled on. "I've never seen anything like them before. Who did them?" 

Embarrassed by her own enthusiasm and curiosity, Malati quickly followed up before Sirona could respond, "Sorry, I just…I like tattoos." She rolled up her left sleeve, revealing the eagle silhouette, its head on the back of her hand, tail halfway up her forearm, and wings wrapping around her to her inner arm. "I did all of my own," she said as she rolled up her right sleeve revealing the flowering tree on the inside of that arm. "These are my favorite two," she said quietly, unsure of her work next to Sirona's tattoos, "but yours are so unlike anything I've ever seen."

Author: Sirona, Posted: Fri Mar 29, 2019 11:09 AM, Post Subject: The Heavens, The Hells, and The Tree [P]

Sirona nodded in understanding, or at least she thought she understood. ”Sometimes the physical wounds aren’t the worst ones.” She spoke as if she had a measure of first hand experience in that and to a degree Sirona did. Malati was her name, a pretty name if Sirona was any kind of judge in that area. As Malati spoke on Sirona took that time to remove the hood from her head and shake her black hair out, this also made it a bit easier to see the facial tattoos that she had as well over her cheeks, under her lower lips and a black bar in the middle of her bottom lip as well. ”Not too long ago I met a female demon, I attacked her on sight but she didn’t fight back, just ran away. When I realized that I stopped attacking and allowed her to talk. She was in fact a demon, but not the kind that I am used to dealing with as you may expect. She told me a bit of herself and I understood that not all demons were the evil beings I’m accustomed to fighting. Not only that but to not judge based on looks, which is why I asked you what you were, Malati.” Sirona explained in brief what had happened before with Veda.

The angel asked why Malati was here and she was correct in her thinking, Malati was out to see the island for herself. Malati explained it had been her mother who had informed her of the island and its beauty, but that she hadn’t mentioned the giggling trees that Sirona had encountered and rather swiftly got away from. As Malati continued to speak Sirona stepped up to the tree as well, she removed her right gauntlet to touch the bark gently with her skin. Skin that, just where her wrist was visible more tattoo work was visible, this starting at her wrists and worked its way up her arms to her throat, but all of that was still covered.

Malati then asked of Sirona and the angel removed her hand from the tree and put her gauntlet back on again. ”I am a full angel.” She started to explain. ”As for serving the Gods, well, I have met a few of them already, but I wish to meet the rest of them as well. It’s a feeling, a want that I have, to meet them all and pledge myself to them. I came to Canelux to explore the new land after I heard about the invasion from the insect tribes, the fools that were to try that. Savages.” She sighed. ”But once I heard about the Deities that lived in these lands I knew what I had to do, as an angel I’m a servant of the Divine.” She grinned at the comment about hunting a demon. ”So no, I didn’t come here specifically to hunt a demon of any kind. I’m always dressed like this, ready in case I need to destroy evil in some form or another.” She was well trained, but it was her conviction to cleanse evil from the lands that could make Sirona dangerous at times, as it blinded her when she wasn’t careful.

”I think I’m going to take a walk around the tree and see the other seasons closer up.” She looked to Malati. ”Care to join me, Malati?”

[OOC: Gm granted to have Sirona follow Malati if you want :)]

Author: Malati, Posted: Mon Mar 25, 2019 11:28 PM, Post Subject: The Heavens, The Hells, and The Tree [P]

With just a few simple words all of the tension in Malati's body drained from her. The muscles in her arms, legs, and tail all slowly uncoiled when it became clear that there was not going to be any fighting for the moment. And Malati couldn't help but feel a little disappointed. Not that there would be no fight, any day where she did not have to use Windsong to hurt someone was a good day, but with her reaction to all of this.

She left her self imposed isolation because she finally felt like she had a handle on herself and who she was, and yet at the mere mention of her horn and scar, and the memories she thought were behind her came flooding back. Was she really okay with who she was or was she still ashamed of how she was fooled and used? If she wanted to see the world she would have to get used to people asking questions about it. Wouldn't she? And yet, she also felt like she was well within her rights not to speak about it, about anything she did not want to talk about.

It was strange to find that both thoughts felt true and right to her when they were somewhat in opposition to each other. It was something Malati would need to think on more at some point.

"Thank you," she said as she slung the strap on her weapon over her shoulder so Windsong was carefully strapped to her back. Malati then gently raised a hand to tap the scar on the left side of her head, "This wound is old, but it cut a lot deeper than it looks. So while it's healed here it hasn't fully healed here yet," she said as she moved her hand to tap just above her sternum. The Tiefling gave a slight smile, that would be a good middle ground between her two mindsets. She wouldn't ignore it, but she didn't have to dwell on it more than that either.

"I'm Malati. It's nice to meet you, Sirona, misunderstanding aside and all," she said with a genuine chuckle. "I'm not surprised you haven't heard of our people. We aren't a very big group, and we mostly try to keep to ourselves. Most people who think we might be demons don't wait to make sure we are before trying to drive us off or worse." Malati had only experienced that once before she got sent off, but she had always been aware that it could happen. It was why she and her mother hadn't lived in the village as she was growing up. "I don't take any offense, so no worries there. But I can't say I'm disappointed that some humans and some demons had children thousands of years ago, otherwise I wouldn't exactly be here. I can say I'm not sure what would make that kind of union enticing to any human. I might be grateful to my ancestors for allowing me to exist, but I'm not sure I'd ever want to follow in their footsteps."

Malati slowly began to make her way back over to the Tree, it was why she'd come to this island in the first place after all. She listened as the angelic woman spoke about the Venti section of the island. "Yeah," she replied to Sirona's question about her presence on the island, "My mother used to tell me stories of her adventuring days, and she always made this island sound unlike any other place in Canelux. So far her stories haven't disappointed." She thought for a moment, "Though I don't think she ever mentioned trees that giggle, I feel like I would remember stories of those." She gave a bit of a shrug, "If they giggle maybe they talk to. Maybe I'll go there later, but this Tree is why I came. Nothing like it that I've ever heard or seen. But then I haven't seen much of Canelux yet, another reason I'm here."

Malati simply stood staring the the massive Tree for a few moments before she turned back to Sirona. "So, you know what I am. I'm guessing you're an angel or at least have one somewhere in your ancestry? Do you serve one of the Gods? What brings you all the way from Onnen?" she asked before a thought crossed her mind. Her eyes went wide at the possibility. "Are you here to hunt down a demon? That would explain the full battle gear and you being ready to fight with me and all."

Author: Sirona, Posted: Mon Mar 25, 2019 4:33 PM, Post Subject: The Heavens, The Hells, and The Tree [P]

Sirona watched the maybe-demon, her hand started to shake and she closed her eyes, that was an interesting reaction. As the maybe-demon thought Sirona could have attacked in that moment but she didn’t, Sirona was getting the idea that this was yet another demon looking being that she didn’t need to cleanse from the lands. A few deep breaths were taken and she started to speak in halting tones as she opened her eyes again.

Tiefling? Another being that Sirona hadn’t heard of before. Demons and humans having children?! Sirona shuddered at the idea of that and forced it from her mind as she listened more to what the Tiefling had to say. She didn’t know where her own lineage started and didn’t want to. She watched as the Tiefling lowered her weapon until the point touched the ground, asking not to have to explain her broken horn in a near whisper that Sirona wouldn’t have heard if there was any other noise around.

At the visible tears the angel relaxed and sheathed her blade while the Tiefling wiped her tears away. Sighing Sirona looked to the Tiefling. ”You don’t have to explain, I’m sorry for making you think of those memories.” She replied gently. ”My name is Sirona, I am sorry for assuming you were a demon, or at least an evil demon. I can’t be too careful, I hope you understand.” Sirona explained in short. ”Tiefling though, never heard if your kind. The idea of a demon and human… just makes my skin crawl though, no offence to you personally.” Sirona didn’t like any kind of talk that was sexual in nature and she was desperately trying to push the images from her mind.

The angel would admit she was still curious, more so now, about the broken horn. But demon blooded or not the tears had been enough for Sirona to not inquire further about the story behind it. Instead, she asked a bit more of a mundane but more personably question. ”Are you out here exploring the island as well? I haven’t been here until now, I’m from Onnen. This island is beautiful, to see all four seasons at the same time in such a way. Oh, if you haven’t been to the Venti section yet be careful, the trees are alive and will giggle if you touch them and try to touch you in turn.” She warned shuddering again at the soft and obviously sensual touch to her cheek she had felt.

Author: Malati, Posted: Sat Mar 23, 2019 2:16 PM, Post Subject: The Heavens, The Hells, and The Tree [P]

Of course I'm the one to escalate things, Malati thought as the angel drew her weapon. She hadn't had her weapon out when she landed, Malati now realized, but with Windsong up and ready to attack or defend, the angel obviously would want to have her own blade ready. At least she wasn't holding the blade in an attack posture. That was something. Thank the Gods for small victories.

Malati wanted to lower her own weapon in the hopes that that would deescalate the situation, but even as the thought crossed her mind she could hear her mother's voice in her mind. Yeah, lowering Windsong might makes things better, or the angel might take the opportunity to press the attack. The precious seconds it would take to bring it back up to defend herself could be the difference between life and death.

She eyed the angel intently as she took a few steps forward. Up until this point she'd only been walking to keep the same distance between them. Now that Malati had chosen her ground to fight on, the angel continued to walk, closing the gap between them. Every muscle in the Tiefling's body tensed as the swordswoman stepped closer. She studied her, waiting for the tell tale signs that the angel was preparing her body for a strike. But it did not come, she stopped just outside of Windsong's reach and Malati relaxed a touch.

Sadly, her somewhat relaxed state only lasted as long as it took the angel to speak. She had to ask about the horn and the scar. Malati could feel her hands beginning to tremble, and she squeezed her eyes shut. It was a stupid thing to do, the angel could kill her now without any real resistance if she had the mind to. But Malati couldn't help it, she had to try to keep the memories at bay. 

It did not work, and the memory of her weapon covered in her blood and Jyeir's flooded her mind.

Malati took a series of quick deep breaths, hoping to calm herself but only succeeding mildly. But she was calm enough to speak, and that was a start. She opened her eyes.

"I'm…I'm a Tiefling. We..uh, our people, I mean…" She took another breath and the memory of her fight with Jyeir began to fade. A little bit. "Our people started when humans and demons had children…I don't know why they did that, or who did it. But they did and," she let one hand free of her weapon to gesture to her self. "And we exist because of it. We're not de-…demons, we're mortals, we…we make our own choices. I don't know what demon started my pa…parents' lines, and I don't want to."

If the angel wanted to know about her nature, that probably was a good thing. In Malati's limited experience people did not tend to ask to learn more about the people they're preparing to kill. Taking a chance, fighting her mother's training, Malati lowered Windsong's point, so the blade touched the soft soil around the Tree's roots. "Please don't make me talk about the horn," she said in a near whisper as she raised a hand, which had thankfully stilled, to wipe away the tears that was forming in her eyes. "I don't like reliving that story."

Author: Sirona, Posted: Sat Mar 23, 2019 10:11 AM, Post Subject: The Heavens, The Hells, and The Tree [P]

Sirona watched the short looking glaive come up between them as the demon spoke. In response Sirona removed her sword from its sheath, she hadn’t drawn until now, but with the demon pointing her own weapon at the angel, Sirona now wanted to have her sword in hand. As the demon slowly started to walk backwards Sirona took equal steps closer to keep the distance the same, sword at her side though, not pointed at the demon.

The angel listened closely to what was being said, not a demon and not looking for trouble. But then she corrected herself and Sirona raised a brow in question. She could hear the anger in the female’s voice as she spoke, demon blood in her but she wasn’t doing anything here.

Sirona was silent for a bit as she contemplated what the situation looked like. A very young-looking female who looked like a demon, claimed to have demon blood but she wasn’t doing anything here and wasn’t looking for trouble. Sirona studied the shattered horn for a few moments as well as the scar that was likely the result of whatever trauma broke the horn in the first place.

Without immediate words, Sirona started to walk forward with intent in her footsteps, sword still at her side and shield in her hand but not raised. ”Explain to me this then; how have you come to have demon blood, but perhaps aren’t a demon? Can you tell me what kind of demon blood you have then?” Sirona asked slowly stepping forward, remembering back to her conversation with Veda Sirona had learned then that looks weren’t everything in these lands. ”And, your horn, what happened to it? And, please do tell the truth.” Sirona ended with stopping just outside of the range, or what she thought would be the range, of glaive the demon-blooded-not-demon was holding.

Author: Malati, Posted: Thu Mar 21, 2019 9:52 PM, Post Subject: The Heavens, The Hells, and The Tree [P]

With her palms pressed to the massive tree at the center of Horae Island, Malati couldn’t help but feel a little foolish. This was silly, she had hoped she would feel something, but all she felt was the rough bark beneath her palms. She squeezed her eyes shut and tried to close out the world. Everything dropped away from her except the tree. She wasn’t sure why she was doing this exactly, other than the tree was damned impressive and once upon a time her mother had been standing in this exactly spot. Well…maybe not this exact spot. The tree was insanely big, only her mother knew exactly where she’d stood. But this was close!

Despite spending some four odd years living away from civilization, in the wilds of the Highlands, Malati had never really gained the connection to nature that some people had. She appreciated the wilds, and was marveled by things like this massive tree. But she was not connected to nature, and really if she was going to be honest with herself, she preferred the quite din of a city to the peaceful sounds of a forest. Too much time spent alone…or with only one other person.

As she stood there with her eyes squeezed closed and palms pressed to trunk of the tree, an image came to her mind. In her mind’s eye she saw the vivid image of a tall, broad Tiefling woman, her great sword leaning against the tree, her eyes closed and both her palms pressed to the tree trunk. Malati had no idea if her mother had done what she was now doing when she came to the island, but it brought a smile to her face to imagine that she had.

A sudden, gentle breeze pushed against Malati’s hair, and for some reason every muscle in her body tensed. The hard won instincts Malati had been taught by the two women who had trained her kicked in before her conscious mind caught up to her subconscious. She dove to the side, rolling towards where her glaive lay on the ground, as the newcomer said something. As she came up, weapon in her hands ready to attack or defend, she grasped at the words which had already faded from the air. All she came back with was ‘demon.’

Well shit, she thought. When people called her a demon, nothing good came from it. Well shit! she thought again more desperately as she finally lay her yellow eyes on the newcomer. Taller than her, wearing a sword and heavy armor, was a woman with majestic avian wings. Standing there was an angel, or someone who could certainly claim angelic blood, with her hand on her sword, facing a young woman who knew all too well that demonic blood ran through her veins. Malati was not the type to believe that one’s blood defined their place or choices in the world, how could she be knowing her lineage, but that did not protect her from those who did think that way. And she really did not want to have to deal with an angel who thought it was her divine duty, or something, to purge the world of poor mortals who just happened to have some demon blood.

Was it her fault that one of her great great great grandparents (well two, both of her parents were Tieflings) thought it was a good idea to bed down with a demon?

No. The answer was no.

“Listen,” Malati said as she held Windsong between herself and the angel, “I’m not looking for any trouble here, okay?” She slowly began to try and put some distance between herself and the angel. Her yellow eyes darted back and forth, trying to take in the scenery around her again, this time in light of the fact that she might have to fight here in the near present.

“I’m not a demon,” she said a bit more defensively than she’d intended. “Well…I mean, not really. I…” She took a breath, calming herself as she realized this spot would be okay for a fight. Not great, she was edging into the Ignus section of the island and the vegetation was thicker around the edges, but right here was fairly clear and open. “Okay, yes!” she called out, a little bit of frustration, and maybe some anger at having to deal with this, leaking into her voice, “I have demon blood, but I’m not doing anything here.”

Did that make her sound guilty of something?

Well shit…

Author: Sirona, Posted: Tue Mar 19, 2019 3:53 PM, Post Subject: The Heavens, The Hells, and The Tree [P]

Having heard stories of the tree on this island the angel had been interested in visiting to see it for herself. Not that she didn’t trust the stories she had heard of an island with all four seasons in… season at the same time, but she felt like it was just something she should see with her own eyes. On top of that the idea of a tree that rivaled the World Tree was something to behold to be sure, more so for an angel like Sirona who was a follower of the Divine.

Sirona had taken it easier to get here than she could have. She could have flown across the waters to reach the island, but that was a long flight over a lot of deep and open water and she couldn’t swim. She was afraid of heavy winds coming off the island knocking her out of the air. To that end Sirona had saved up some coin to take an airship over from the mainland, once it had docked Sirona had take wing over to the island. She landed again within the Venti section of the island away from where the airship had docked.

Finding the cobblestone path the armoured and armed angel started up it when she noticed that the trees looked like women! Curiously Sirona stepped up to one and reached out to place her hand on its bark, only to jumped back a foot when it started to giggle and wiggle its ‘hips. That would have been enough to make Sirona never touch one again when she nearly jumped out of her skin when she felt a smooth barked branch gently caress her cheek with just enough sensual nature behind it to make Sirona jumped into the air.

Nope.

She wasn’t dealing with that!

Deciding she would just head to the tree, since it was huge and she had been able to see it ever since she arrived here, she started to fly in that direction. It didn’t take her long to get there and she stayed over top of the Venti section since the winds were calm there for her to fly easily. From the air before she landed Sirona spotted another figure down by the tree, and what she could see made her frown. It looked like a demon!

Thinking back to when she met another demon that ended up not being as evil as Sirona though, the angel dropped from the air and landed a few yards away from the… demon, since that’s what she thought it was by the way it, she, looked. Sirona wasn’t hiding herself as she landed either, as she placed a hand on her sword’s hilt as she looked at the female. Indeed it was female, and Sirona had noticed the sword laying on the ground nearby, not to mention that the female had one horn that was only a stump. Interesting.

For now everything else was being ignored as the angel studied the female for a moment before speaking up. ”What are you? Are you a demon?” The angel asked in an even voice, hand on the hilt of her sword but she hadn’t drawn any of it from the sheath at this time.

Author: Malati, Posted: Mon Mar 18, 2019 2:36 PM, Post Subject: The Heavens, The Hells, and The Tree [P]

After her daily training, and the variety of chores a self-sufficient household needed, Malati's mother would make a point to tell her daughter one of the many stories of her old adventuring days. It had often been one of the young Tiefling's favorite times of the day. And while most of Vasa's stories revolved around settling things right with the edge of one of her many weapons, there were a few that had been about the sheer wonder of the world around them. Of those stories of wonder, Malati had always latched on to the stories of Horae, the Island of All Seasons. And now that she was making a point to see the world outside of the Highlands, Horae was right near the top of the list.

She would have made it her first visit, but living alone in the wilds did not cost anything and it seemed like everything in Canelux cost coin. Malati glanced down to where her coin purse hung on her hip, nearly empty once again. When she had first arrived on the east coast of Canelux she had had a momentary daydream of hiring one of the airships that traveled to and from Horae. One look at the price quickly disabused her of that idea, so she took what meager coin she had and spent the vast majority on booking passage in a more mundane sea fairing ship. 

That voyage had been interesting, and even enjoyable, but all memory of it had fled from Malati as soon as the island came into view. Her hired ship set her down in the Terra section of the island, and at first this disappointed the young woman. Terra in her mother's stories had always sounded the most like their homelands. Bears, deer, rivers with fish, wildflowers. All things she knew well. But as the ship pulled into port Malati could immediately tell that while the comparison was not without merit, it did not do the island justice. Wildflowers spread out before her in a rainbow of colors as far as her eyes could see. The quite din of hundreds of happy insects filled her ears as she left the port and walked through the meadows.

Malati ran her free hand through the soft petals of the wildflowers as she walked, her right hand busy keeping a tight grip on Windsong. A part of her wanted to rush off into the rain forest, or up the icy steps into the tundra. She wanted to see everything the island had to offer. But she had a goal, the rest of the island could wait. In her mother's stories about Horae one feature always stood out to Malati. The Tree. If it had another name, Malati did not know it. Her mother had said it was so large that it rivaled even the World Tree which had once lived. And having caught her first glimpse of the Tree all the way from the port, Malati could believe it.

When she finally made it to the center of the island, Malati could only look up to its great canopy and gape, open mouthed, in wonder. Here all four seasons met and touched in a bizarrely beautiful ballet. She watched as an eddy of wind caught up a few snowflakes from Glaciem and brought them over to Ignus where they melted and fell as water, soaking into the soil. When the wind rushed around her from one direction, it was cool and crispy, but if blown from another it was frigid and chilled her to the bone. Malati considered pulling her cloak more tightly around herself, but one look at the Ignus portion of the island told her that it would only be a temporary fix.

Deciding to ignore the four seasons that swirled around the Tree, Malati took one hesitant step forward then paused. She subconsciously reached up to her left temple, and ran her hand across the soft purple stubble, where the hair on her left side was starting to grow back in, as her fingers searched for the old scar. Her fingers ran along the familiar mark as she considered. This was the Tree her mother had told her about, and it was as wonderful as her stories had made it out to be. Leaves of every color rustled in the breezes creating. Was it appropriate to approach it closer? The fingers of her left hand traced her scar, back to front, before moving next to the stump of her left horn. Was this place holy to someone? Would it be considered inappropriate to touch it?

Malati glanced around, her red tail suddenly swishing with anxiety, as she looked for someone to reprimand her. There was no one else around. A slight smile crept across her lips as she stepped forward, resting Windsong on the ground (placing a weapon against the Tree did seem inappropriate), and placed both her palms on the trunk of the tree. She closed her eyes, and let the feel of the Tree against her hands wash over her.