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Lightbringer
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Alma shook her head lightly, leaning against the doorway. Of course it was Florence. The mouthy little--wait. "Renissa?" The woman echoed, stepping outside and pulling the door closed behind her. "She's... she's still here?" Alma's gaze slid over Florence for a moment, trying desperately to pick out any sort of familiarity she could but the woman did not recognize her at all. No wonder it felt home-y, it was Renissa's. "I should've known," she murmured dryly and shook her head, making sure the door was mostly shut behind her. "Now that we can have a... constructive conversation without any... interruptions... I need your help..." The woman didn't really wait for a confirmation. "Now, you said you knew how to get out of this realm. How... exactly do you do that?" She knew of godly powers being able to jump between one realm and the other. Did she have those powers? No. No she didn't. But ... perhaps Renissa did. It was a struggle though, for Alma to remember... the name that wasn't Alma. "Cressidae," she finally spoke, tone exhausted, "I was Cressidae." -- Finn looked back at Lily and then up to Xevon. "Florence?" He echoed quietly. "Her again?" "Shut up," Xevon reached one hand back, covering his mouth. "... ah, they've stepped outside--" he leaned back from the door and scowled.
"What do you mean witch?" Finn finally asked, his hands on his hips.
Xevon looked toward Callisto and then to Finn. "I don't know what kind of elixir she brewed but she is young now. Normal humans and mortals like us can not do that." |
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Lily scoffed at the harsh ‘shut up’ command that Xevon piped up with, the audacity, She scowled at him even as he turned around to reply to Finntello’s question. Rather disgruntled, Lily looked between the people gathered, only relenting her annoyance to speak. “I thought she looked different.” She commented idly, glancing towards the door. Just as she did so, her eyes widened and she looked back to Callisto as quick as she could. She met a look of surprise that matched her own, clearly he had heard what she had. She couldn’t hear very well, but she sure did hear the names being mumbled, what on earth were they talking about? Alma said she didn’t know anything about this place, that she was just as lost as them but she was talking to this strange Florence woman, using names and a familiar tone. – Florence resisted the urge to roll her eyes as the obviously unhappy reaction she received from the woman, she hadn’t gotten a very good look at this woman before so didn’t notice the change of youthfulness. Her eyes roamed over Alma, light with curiosity as she stepped out of the cottage and closed the door behind her. “Yes, Renaissa. She isn’t here now, obviously. None of them are here.” Florence spoke as though what she was saying was common knowledge, flicking a manicured hand at the cottage as she spoke. “Help? I thought you asked or rather demanded that before, I’m not too keen on working with arrogant men.” Florence narrowed her eyes sharply, giving a pointed look over to the front door before she looked back at Alma and let out a quick bark of surprised laughter. The tone was slightly mocking but it was a laugh none the less. “You’re one of them, huh?” She mused, crossing her arms over her midsection. “I hope you aren’t as entitled as the rest of them.” Immediately, it was clear that Florence didn’t hold a soft spot for the gods that had lived here. |
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Finn shook his head, pushing Xevon back and giving him a short glare. The man didn't return the glare, if anything his expression was worried. There was concern in his blood red gaze. He couldn't trust her now. "She's not a witch," Finn insisted shortly. "Alma--" "She doesn't have to be," Xevon said dryly, his tone flat. "She could look, age and be just like us... but without an inkling of godly essence... it would make sense. The way she took hits--fueled off of the lantern...?" Finn waved his hand. "Alma isn't--" "Shh," Xevon hissed, looking to the door again. --- Alma shook her head lightly. She shouldn't have expected much from the snippy brat. Good grief, she thought Xevon and Finn were bad--no, Florence took it to a whole new level. It twisted the anger in her stomach and she had to take a deep breath to quell the storm. "They are just worried, Florence. You did attack them instead of doing anything constructive like, oh, I don't know... talking to them? One of them is stung tighter than a bow string and the other... aye, Chico... bless his heart." She rubbed her forehead for a moment or two. "I was. I was one of them. I am nothing more than a husk of anything I could've possibly been," Alma's tone shifted from irritated to empty and grieved. None of them are here. The realm had been stuck in time then. With no one to turn the corner, it simply replayed the same loop until someone came to change it. "I was on earth when it happened," Alma relayed the information quietly. "I had no way of getting back, no way of knowing what had happened. Reluctantly, I joined with the only ones I could find. But that was a mistake." The woman exhaled. "Listen, you don't have to help at all. Just let us know how to get out of here. We just want to get home." This place was no longer a home, not to her. She had a home to return to. This wasn't it. It was a quaint trailer, tucked behind a museum. |
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Darkseeker
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Callisto glanced between the arguing pair and couldn’t help but roll his eyes as the useless rambling debate they were having with each other. With an annoyed look directed towards them he began to approach the door, muttering under his breath. – “Pinning me to the floor after I tossed a rock to make you back off of my stuff is more dramatic than giving them some sass.” Florence still didn’t accept the excuse, popping her hip out and putting all her weight on that leg as she observed this woman. Cressidae. That didn’t mean she was going to show her much more respect than what she was already dishing out. She waited for her to finish, carefully deciding on her next words. If she was stuck in this state, it didn’t bode well for herself. “Fun fact that. You can’t get out right now.” She offered with a simply unfazed shrug. “We’re stuck here until they’re brought back, and how I do that, I have no idea. They’re somewhere, but they’re not coming back anytime soon.” Florence tossed a careless glance over her shoulder towards the rolling hills. “That’s why I’ve been here since the 90s. I know times have moved on while I’ve been stuck here, but I came to visit and well..I found it like this. With the hotel being the only thing that seemed to have any life in it.” Florence scoffed, life isn’t what she wanted to call it. That hotel certainly wasn’t a place of life. – Callisto batted Xevon away from the door with a hushed word. “Why are you being so hush-hush.” It wasn’t a question meant to be answered. Instead he nudged Xevon out of the way, still taking the time to make sure he wasn’t crushing any feathers. With that, Callisto fixed his hand around the handle and pushed the heavy wooden door open. With a quick step, he walked outside, hand still on the handle as his pale eyes settled on the form of Florence. He was met with a scrutinous look from Florence, obviously she wasn’t impressed by his appearance. |
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Xevon shook his head lightly, more concerned for Finn than irritated with him. He wasn't listening! This frustrating feathered youth wasn't even giving it any time to listen or think about what Xevon was saying. He stepped from the door and took Finn's shoulders in both hands. "Alma isn't what you think she is," he said slowly. "Whatever she is, it isn't human." "She's my mother," Finn protested lightly, "maybe not by blood... but--" "Finn, listen to us--" by the time Xevon had turned to get Callisto to help him, the pale young man had already left the bedroom and had gone outside. "... I get that this is stressful for you," Finn said quietly. "But, it's going to be alright." --- Alma's brown eyes focused on Florence for a moment or two. "We have a former veteran and my unfortunate son. The man you pissed off is volatile at best," she responded dryly, though not without a tinge of sadness to her tone. "He is lost and confused, worried and fighting off his past memories. It is like poking a sleeping bear, Florence. It's foolish to attack someone without first talking to them." She shook her head, pulling thick dark hair back behind her shoulders. The woman tipped her head lightly. "That's how I got back in as well. Veles and his hotel of hell--" She paused and looked toward Callisto with a raised eyebrow before exhaling. "We're having a constructive conversation," she explained briefly, "if you can be civil, you can join us. If not, you can go back inside." |
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Florence still looked at Alma with all the disinterest in the world as she spoke, in all honesty she didn’t particularly care what they had been before they had come here. Mortals were mortals after all. At least this Cressidae was something else, something worth her time. “How about giving that advice to the flying ball of anger instead of me?” She scoffed, eyes snapping to the door as it crept open. Curiously watching the pale man as he stepped out from the cottage, pink eyes wide as he looked between the two women. Florence didn’t give him any hint towards warmth, keeping her gaze vaguely irritated as she surveyed him. Callisto blinked as Alma spoke, focusing on her before he shook his head and closed the door properly behind him. The audacity, he was always civil. It was Xevon that was unpredictable and a live wire, not him. “Alma, why is she here? I thought she did not wish to help us?” He pushed his questions forward as he stepped up beside her, looking down at her until he finished. Then he brought his eyes up to Florence and cocked an eyebrow at her scrutinising look. “And what are you looking at?” Florence barely controlled her scoffed laughed, her head tossing back, moving her hair with a swirl of motion before righting herself to look at the pair. “I’m looking at an idiot and a fallen god.” She mused, taking a short step towards them, her crossed arms unfolding as she threw a hand out towards them with a pointed finger. “You ought to be nice to me, I’m the only one that can get you out. At least, eventually.” With that she stepped past them and leaned to look into the front window where she could spot the three inside having their own disgruntled conversation. |
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"If you wished to survive, you wouldn't dare," Alma said dryly, looking toward the door briefly before her gaze softened. "They're mere children, Florence. But they've gone through so much already. I--I know. I know, it wasn't what I was. But... they are trying their best--" She let the words fall as Callisto brought up the questions that he had. "She has information that was particularly helpful. Most notably, the fact that... we are all trapped here. I wouldn't state that you're the only one that can get us out, Florence, don't get ahead of yourself," Alma chided and shook her head, tutting softly. "You ought to be kind first. That kind of behavior can and will get you killed," Alma crossed her arms over her chest. "Unfortunately, in order to get out of here... we have to find and reunite the fallen deities of the realm." One of which... included herself. Not that she had known. When that godly essence had been ripped from her, she had been stranded on earth. Alma had figured it was the council's decision... she hadn't realized that the entirety of the gods had fallen. Most of her memories faded away as she got lost in trying to find a way home. That was how she had ended up with the cult. Veles had been a familiar name... then it had become too much. "Xevon has a good heart," Alma spoke again, "but it is riddled with dark secrets. I would highly suggest you pick your words and actions carefully, Florence. Just because I *can* hold him off doesn't mean I will." A former fighter... but fighting was exhausting. |
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Callisto opened and closed his mouth a few times, rather bewildered by the situation as he looked between the two women. He was out of his depth here and all of a sudden he longed for Xevon to appear beside him and say the right thing, he often did say the right thing but he was insider bickering with Finn. “Fallen god, what are you talking about?” His words were drowned out by Alma’s explanation of how they were to get out of this place and he couldn’t help but mimic the disbelieving face of Florence as they both looked at her. “Reunite them? You have to be pulling my leg. They are so many of them, where on earth am I supposed to locate all those gods? There has to be another-” “There isn’t.” Florence interjected rather snottily before whipping away from the window to look at Callisto. “Without them, there is no power in this land now that Veles is gone. Good job by the way.” Callisto wasn’t sure if that was supposed to be genuine praise or a snide comment, he opted to stop talking and looked frantically over his shoulder at the cottage. “On that note, what’s you plan to get them all back? Do you even know where they are, Cressidae?” She spoke the name slowly as though talking to a child, for the time being she had no obligate reason to be kind to these people. They had showed up, ruined her plans of returning home and of finding her father. – Lily looked between the two men and let out a frustrated groan, striding forward and pushing a palm into both their chests. “Would you both stop jabbering for one second! I can’t hear anything with you both chirping away like fledglings.” Lily rolled her eyes as she stepped between them, dropping her hands from their torsos, maybe letting her hand linger of Finn’s chest for a fraction longer than Xevons. “They’re talking about some weird stuff out there, you two knuckleheads just can’t hear it.” She chuffed, eyebrows creasing together in concentration as she tried to focus on the muffled voices from outside. |
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Alma could feel the look from Callisto but she focused on Florence. It wasn't more than a few seconds after she had finished speaking that the woman had not one, but two looks staring back at her in disbelief. Reunite them? Well, there was only so much that Alma could do. She wasn't exactly anything special now. She was human with the faintest dash of vague fumes of godly essence. If that. Alma gave Florence a sharp eyed look in return. "I will put you over my knee just like I have with my son, don't you give me that tone young lady." The woman shook her head, brushing the thought away. "Renissa's cottage is finally turning to age. It means that because we are here and we bring some essence of godly... fumes, so to speak, the world is slowly trying to rebuild." The woman took in a breath and let it out. "Unfortunately, I don't know what happened to them when they fell. I was on earth when it happened." Her hands lifted up to her temples, rubbing along her forehead. She muttered under her breath, a short phrase in what was likely spanish. "We may have to keep traveling through the realm to see if we can't find them. Unlike me, they had alternate forms. They had patron animals as well." She did not. She had thought they were stupid and silly... which, she still did. But that wasn't her place to say anything. -- Finn gave Lily a small sheepish look. Xevon shook his head and rubbed his forehead. He glanced back toward Finn before huffing and whispering his words, mostly to himself. "Vincent would've at least believed me. You? You are just insufferable." "It's called stubborn, Xevon. I thought they had dictionaries back then--" Xevon gave him a sharper look and, as quietly as he could, took a step forward to wrap one arm around his mouth and used the other to ruffle his hair. It was the closest he could get to absolutely tanning his hide without getting in trouble. Most of Finn's protests were lost in the muffle of his dark sleeve. "Who's illiterate now?" Xevon hissed quietly. "Huh? Gonna keep yapping like a cheap parrot?" |
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Summer Month: 2 
Day 
Fog
