Dreadlords Cordial Affairs

[Saderzaine Vult]

If there was anything Sader knew indicated someone did not see their mistake, it was gravely saying "I see my mistake". "That's unfortunate...poor misguided fool." "Fuck this sod! Who the hells does he think he is?" The voices were his, but undeniably different. One seemed a bit tired and sad and the other angry. Sader looked side to side for a split moment before registering a grab to his shirt and shaking off the thought, figuring he must be going mad.

Kael swung at his stomach the next moment and he blocked by catching the stone fist one hand in front of the the other. Still, the hit stung and he was launched backwards from where he stood, just managing to catch his balance. "Like a child..." "Try harder next time, motherfucker." There they were again! Who the heck was that? He did find himself in agreement, though, and felt compelled to offer his own commentary. "This is hardly the time or place for a tantrum, Kael." He spoke sharply, looking unimpressed.

Finally, he looked around once more and spotted very near him an exact copy of himself, but something was wrong. "Surprise. Anger is on your other side..." The Sader that spoke simply sounded a bit defeated, as though an extinguished candle given life. Sader flipped around in what must have been very silly fashion for those not currently seeing his clones and spotted a significantly more pissed off version of himself. "What are you looking at? Eyes on the immature bitch you're fighting, idiot!" They shouted, shocking the boy so much he snapped back to Kael.

In that moment, Sader decided he had enough. Whatever was happening to him had a real inconvenient way of happening now. "Damn the color commentary, would ya? I think he really does want to hurt me." He snapped, head going from side to side like a crazy man as he addressed both of his duplicates. Gritting his teeth, he would continue looking forward. "Kael, if you want to do this here, bring it on. I'm unsure why my intervention has you so angry, but I'll ensure our second fight goes about as well as the first."

 

[Kael]

The thing about internal monologues, even with hallucinated co-conspirators, was that the external world was still in play. Kael was by trade an assassin, not a showman, and took every moment of speech as an opportunity to be seized against his enemy. By the time Saderzaine Vult had said

"This is hardly the time or place for a tantrum, Kael." He spoke sharply, looking unimpressed.

Kael had closed the distance between them. In fact, unless Sader moved Kael's stone fist would have collided right with his nose at about the time Sader said Kael's name. If in fact,

Sader flipped around in what must have been very silly fashion for those not currently seeing his clones and spotted a significantly more pissed off version of himself. "What are you looking at? Eyes on the immature bitch you're fighting, idiot!"

Then Kael would have taken another blow at the man's back, aiming to knock him to the ground. Had the man been knocked prone he would felt first the stony hand, then perhaps a second later what appeared to be the claw of a giant crab crushing at his neck. Around the time of

"Damn the color commentary, would ya? I think he really does want to hurt me." He snapped, head going from side to side like a crazy man as he addressed both of his duplicates. Gritting his teeth, he would continue looking forward. "Kael, if you want to do this here, bring it on. I'm unsure why my intervention has you so angry, but I'll ensure our second fight goes about as well as the first."

It would be getting very difficult for Saderzaine to breathe. Kael would continue to apply the vice until, but not after Sader was knocked out. Assuming of course, Sader, or anyone else at the very public Natalis celebration, hadn't stopped Kael first.

 

[Kilien Basmarc]

How Vittoria Larrainth's face turned warm, smiling as Kilien Basmarc whispered at her ear.

She had become so entranced by him that she entirely missed the scene of a Proctor shoving Avery Cathaoir into King's arms to dance.

"Well... Now that I know there is someone of significant skill in dance, perhaps I may change my mind on the thought."

Strange... here arms felt weightless. In fact, she was so focused on the oddness that she brought them up slowly before dropping them onto Kilien's shoulders with a love drunk grin. "You are not going to refuse me a dance, are you, Kilien?"

Her cup, now unattended on a nearby table, was only left with a quarter of what she had been served, but unbeknownst to her, it was strong enough to effect her thoughts. Of course, she would blame it all on the newfound feelings uncovered by spending time with Kilien, and despite the stares they would receive, Vittoria leaned forward to kiss the tip of his nose.

Well this was all playing out quite a bit better than he'd imagined it would. Sure they'd been somewhat open about PDA in the halls between classes, but this was a bit more... official? Not that he particularly cared one way or another, Kil was happy to take whatever this was at whatever pace she wanted.

And by the Gods good and wretched, if she wanted to dance then he would happily oblige.

Kilien smiled back at her, face warming as she kissed him on the nose and placed his hands at her waist, "Not even Harkenov could keep me from dancing with you."

Though she actually could, but most men liked to make obscene declarations in the throes of such whimsical feelings and Kilien was no exception. So without any further ado, he escorted her with a guiding hand at the small of her back to the open dance floor, gave Colt a short and impressed glance at his skillful playing, and swept into one of the few slow dances he could remember from childhood. Rovani didn't exactly teach ballroom dancing, but they had their own variations of such.

 

[Vittoria Larrainth]

Of course, her cohorts would be surprised to see Vittoria smiling and staring at Kilien with said smile. The Proctors stared and blinked, and varying thoughts of how strange it was to see her be so openly happy would cross their tampered minds.

Vittoria, however, smiled so much that her cheeks twitched from having to hold it. Within a few rotations of the slow dance, she was able to pick up the movements Kilien had lead them into. "This is not quite like the dance we did in Orean, is it?" The very thought of anyone trying to attempt it here at Natalis tickled her, and a series of giggles left her.

She thought about that, the giggles, but found nothing too out of the ordinary to truly notice. In fact, Kilien had made her giggle plenty of times in the past!

"What is this dance we are doing now?"

 

[Fabien 'King' D'Amour]

"If you're going to conjure anything upon me it would be in both our best interests if you made it quick and painless," he hissed, quite uncomfortable with even the idea of holding Avery's hand as he began to guide her across the dance floor, much less the act of it.

The blond drew attention once more to Vittoria and Basmarc, and the sight unfolding before him forced King to suppress a wretch.

"Truly I have no idea what she's thinking. She's wasting her time, her energy, and her potential on that scruffy Rovani mongrel. Gods, and the nerve of that cur..."

For the moment, the anger he felt almost made him forget whom he was being forced to dance with. Almost.

 

[Avery]

Avery stifled a smile, but so rare of an occasion would she be standing opposite on of the worst people she knew here at the Academy. A young man that prided on his looks, to be meticulous and put together well, there was no denying that King made himself look every bit of perfect for Natalis night, but the expression he wore soured plenty about him. For his scowl was amusing to the blonde Initiate, and she had to look away to keep herself from snorting aloud and remind him of just who was currently his dance partner.

Except, she hadn't taken into consideration what sort of person she was when consuming wine. It had crept up on her, and perhaps one more glass would have her become a stumbling, giggling mess of a drunk. Instead, two glasses of wine had made her bold.

"Jealous that of all people, Larrainth found someone. No girls here to take your fancy, then, D'Amour?" She clicked her tongue, and Avery tried to recall the last time anyone had seen a girl latched onto his disinterested arm.

This orchestrated dance did not count. She loathed him.

 

[Kilien Basmarc]

Of course, her cohorts would be surprised to see Vittoria smiling and staring at Kilien with said smile. The Proctors stared and blinked, and varying thoughts of how strange it was to see her be so openly happy would cross their tampered minds.

Vittoria, however, smiled so much that her cheeks twitched from having to hold it. Within a few rotations of the slow dance, she was able to pick up the movements Kilien had lead them into. "This is not quite like the dance we did in Orean, is it?" The very thought of anyone trying to attempt it here at Natalis tickled her, and a series of giggles left her.

She thought about that, the giggles, but found nothing too out of the ordinary to truly notice. In fact, Kilien had made her giggle plenty of times in the past!

"What is this dance we are doing now?"

"Aha," Kilien smiled broadly over a chuckle as she compared this slow three-step to the frantic, twirling, spinning, jumping, and swinging dance in Orean, "apples to lemons, I think."

This dance was much slower. Much gentler and more intimate. Definitely a dance for a couple and not for strangers. Kil's left hand rested against the small of her back while his right held her left up and in the air. They moved in tandem to a stilted 1, 2-3 that after three repeats turned in a half counter-clockwise circle.

"This dance?" he echoed, brows arched as he hummed in thought, "...you know I actually don't remember. I learned it when I was just a kid. Guess the name isn't so important when you can remember the steps."

On the third half-circle he guided Vittoria out and away from him for a controlled twirl before gently tugging her back in a bit more snug. The scruff of his jaw tickled at the side of her face as he felt a smirk pressing up into his cheeks, "Don't look now-" he murmured into her ear, "but King looks like he's about to implode."

 

[Norah]

There was a flutter of fabric and something swiped and hidden within her inner pockets. Proctors were sipping the cordial. Norah was lucky enough to be nearby as they started blabbing about things she didn't think they should be talking about. She scooped up one of the drinks and headed over to a particular initiate. Some were dancing. Others were looking jealous they weren't dancing. Some were fighting.

Norah slid smoothly next to Marcia's side.

Just in time to hear her talking to herself in the cordial cup.

A delicate brown brow arched on her ordinary face. "Marci...you okay?" What was the most surprising was the very real notes of concern in Norah's voice.

 

[Marcia]

Marcia stared at the cordial.

And Marcia stared back.

Throughout her time at the Academy, there were many discussions about the nature of her magic, often ending with infuriated open-ended questions that never scratched the surface of a proper answer. What is a reflection? When light bounces off a surface? On paper, it made sense to everybody else; no matter what angle they came from, it was sound.

H o n k ?

Not to her.

Her mirror image held up both hands and shrugged, and in doing so, it was paradoxically no longer a mirror image as Marcia sat in her corner clutching the cup, watching, thinking, and sweating.

It couldn't be a reflection; it was no longer born from the original light source. The Marcia in her cup was no longer a construct she created, but something else entirely, no, someone. She knew because she could see through her eyes, hear through her ears, smell through her nose—another girl in another world.

Did she exist when she was not perceived?

...H-honk?!

What did she see when she looked back? If she was Marcia, and Marcia was she? Did she hold the same arcane ability, gazing into the mirrored surfaces of her own world to connect with a Marcia within her realm? Was it an infinite loop of MarciaMarciaMarciaMarciaMarciaMarcia? What if she, herself, was an extension of M A R C I A?! If unbeknownst to her, there was a M A R C I A through the looking glass, puppeteering her flesh, this world just as much of an illusion?!

HONK!?

A voice cut through the confusing miasma of thoughts, entirely too loud and startling Marcia, so much so that she dropped her cup with a clatter and yelp hidden by the music, breaking her concentration on the other world. Saucer-like pupils stared at Norah, a sheen of sweat glimmering on the girl's forehead as she attempted to perceive the other girl, a glorious beacon of light and splendour, every inch of her face the masterstroke of a genius brush.

Marcia wanted to open her mouth and calmly tell the other Initiate, 'We need to stop Natalis; I think the drinks have been spiked.'

She did not.

Instead, Marcia's hands uncharacteristically fumbled at Norah, trying to clutch the girl's cheeks and pull her close before a barrage of words left her at a panicked rate of knots, "NorahwhatifI'mnottherealme!?"

 

[Fabien 'King' D'Amour]

"I am not jealous," King hissed, planting a death glare firmly on Avery. "She and I are good friends, nothing more. And I aim to keep it that way."

The colors within the room just kept on getting brighter, such that it was starting to give the boy a bit of a headache. And who the hell was blowing bubbles? That just felt tacky. The proctors ought to have known better. King sighed his disgust.

"And not that it's any of your business, but no. Too many vapid driggle-draggles for my taste. I prefer class and wit, not the sycophantic trollops that keep throwing themselves at my feet..." he let the words hang for a long moment as he glanced to the hands he presently held in his own, then regarded Avery once more, unimpressed. "...or, you know...you."

And lah-dee-dah, on they danced.

 

[Avery]

She gave a loud, derisive laugh. In fact, that glare he regarded her with only fueled her. The shared hatred between them was a spark of an old version of her, the Initiate that wanted to be one of the greatest in their class, and yet her attempt at turning King and Vittoria against one another with the use of her magic had gone south as soon as she had tried to plant the seeds in their minds.

Avery looked around, "Believe me, D'Amour, I would be rather dancing with anyone but you."

She could not wait to get away at the end of this song, and perhaps it was a little desperate of her to try and get Colt Pirian 's attention so that she could motion to him to speed up the song and hurry up the end of this awful dance.

"A sad reality you must live with. Why, I could have the pick of this whole room to dance with, and yet it was you a Proctor wanted me to dance with." She could have asked Kael to collect on his promise to dance with her, as a good friend should try and save her from this dance now. Hells, Avery would even ask Naser if she didn't think he would make some comment just to spite her.

Takoda would have been a better dance partner, as would Marcia or Norah at that. Even Lux or Blake would have been a better prospect if the two weren't currently seeing how many berries Lux could fit in his mouth before he could no longer speak.

"You shouldn't even be here. Natalis is for those of us that do not know our days of birth. It is our day, and you're here ruining it. Vittoria at least has an excuse to be here, since she is here for Kilien, clearly." And not Fabien 'King' D'Amour for that matter.

 

[Vittoria Larrainth]

"but King looks like he's about to implode."

She could not help but look despite Kilien telling her not to do so. King was her friend, the brother she had lost out on when she had consumed her twin while in the womb. Harm to him would always catch her attention, but after watching King dance with Avery, she began to see the comedy in all of this.

Vittoria giggled.

"Goodness, someone ought to tell him to stop glaring like that lest the winds change and his face is stuck like that."

After saying those words, the giggling erupted into something fierce. Her hands held and grasped Kilien's biceps strongly, her laughter keeping her from making the correct footwork to the dance. There were too many distractions to keep her focused on dancing. First, the handsome face before her that possessed a smile that drew her in. Vittoria leaned into him, the fit of giggles unable to release her.

Second, the idea of Fabien King dancing with Scaredy Cat Avery. It was his misfortunes she was laughing at, and the guilt threatened to bubble over, but the laughter won out.

Within a moment, the halls of Natalis' celebration was filled with her deathly rare laughter. For someone of her reputation, the laugh was oddly childlike and made her more human.

 

[Colt Pirian]

Colt looked up at just the right time to see Avery plead with her eyes. Colt was a bit of a sucker for a pretty face, but Avery's held far more blue to it then was just in her eyes. Colt didn't know all the drama behind the blonde and Fabien, nor did he really care to, but he knew the two did not mix well. Luckily for her the song was nearly complete, so Colt picked just a few more notes and began to speak.

"Hey everybody, that's a great slow start to the night. We've got a lot more songs for the night and this next one is quite a bit faster, so find a partner and get ready to move."

The tone took a decided shift from slow and methodical instrumental to quick and peppy dance music as Colt sang.