Eleanora

The place scared her. Everything in here felt deeply wrong and strange, even the lighting itself was unnatural. But the woman didn't look like she minded very much. She did, of course, but she was so close now. What her beloved was doing in here...she had no idea. But the trace was here and was was going to find it.

She remembered the day she'd first felt it again. She'd woken up with it one day, no warning, no change in her own life. A long-lost connection she had resigned herself never to feel again. Yet she felt it, distant, but there. At first, she'd pushed it off as yearning for those ancient days again, or a panging of loss that she felt every so often when she remembered her. It would go away in time. Maybe a few hours or days, and everything would be normal.

It didn't go away.

It'd stayed with her, a constant latch to her heart. It took her time to realize how real it was. How she was still alive. Far away, far beyond her reach, but still alive. Those days had been some of the most emotional days in centuries. Moving from the thrill of knowing her beloved's life still touching the moon, excitement to see her again, and sadness, for she was too far away, deep within the earth. She cried, from tears of joy to misery, Arden there for her all the time, holding her. He missed her too, but he'd been young. He did not fully understand the deep pull in Eleanora's heart.

It took her a while to come to the decision to follow it. She would miss the villagers, she would miss her son, but even without her there, life would go on. The years since she'd lost her beloved had been empty, her heart torn apart, a piece missing to the endless void. And now, with a chance to get it back, she'd chased it, no matter the consequences.

She had a new life now - as long as Lily was there, she was suffer any change. She would leave everything behind, which is exactly what she'd done.

And now, the pull was strong. She was here. This cursed cave had been where she'd been for over two centuries. The guards had questioned her, watched her enter, but for once she took no notice of their outrageous shapes. Ever since she'd gotten so much closer, she'd been on a one track mind. Even the breathing Aperture couldn't stall her. However, there was a feeling of dread in the back of her mind, a warning, but she pushed it away. Lilith was here! She could feel her!

Her walk soon broke into a run as she skirted away from the Black Spire that she took little to no notice of, heading towards the wall where the pull was strongest. In her haste she tripped over stones and cracks, but she kept pushing forward, heart beating out of her chest. She couldn't see her yet, although it was strangely dark in here, the light stung her eyes. It was hard to see into the shadows. Yet her beloved hadn't seen her yet...

No, she's here. She has to be.

She eventually stopped, the pull almost tugging her heart right out of her chest. She panted, staring forward, confused. There was nobody here. Was there a room behind the wall that she was trapped in? Maybe the magic in here was messing it up - the air did feel strangely charged with a weird energy. Maybe she was invisible. A hand reached out, swiping through the air, but feeling nothing. Not invisible. Then where was she?

And then Eleanora looked down. A crystal. A large black crystal. And all senses lead right to it.

At first she didn't process what she was looking at. It was just a rock. A beautiful rock, yes, but a rock all the same. But then she remembered how she'd broken out of a similar rock before Lyn and Meissa. It had protected her when she'd come here. She'd slept in it, recovered in it from her journey. These rocks held people. And now that she was thinking of it, this rock was big enough to fit a witch within.

There was some kind of emotion settling in her chest. She didn't know what it was, too numb on the outside to feel anything coming from within. She reached out a hand and touched the smooth surface of the stone and she knew in that moment, for sure, that Lilith was inside of it. Asleep, as she had been.

A small smile tugged onto her face, even though that sense of dread was returning. She fought through it, staying optimistic. She was just asleep, is all. She'd wake up soon. And Eleanora would stay with her until she did.

Moving back to give herself room, she sat herself down, cross legged on the floor, and reached a hand back to touch the stone. "Don't worry," she whispered. "I'm here. I'll be with you when you wake up." She'd waited over 200 years to see her again. She could wait a little longer.

I wanna visit that place
blow the dust from the bones
Off a body of years that I leave all alone

@Vargas
This is primarily a thread for Vargas but any other chaos forge members in the area are welcome to join!

- THE LEVIATHAN -

Vargas had heard one of the Aperture's guards call his name. He wasn't sure why, but on the way there he'd seen the figure darting across distant stone, and had veered off to follow. A visitor--probably for her, then. He'd noted she looked humanoid, eyes narrowing, but now that he was catching up-?

As he swung around a boulder and came in sight of her, he stopped dead.

Even his breathing ceased for a moment, as an old memory snapped through his mind like an overstretched rope.

A woman--a woman from the surface--stood before him, dirty and afraid, blonde hair hanging tangled around thin shoulders. A child, a mere toddler, half-covered in pale fur, stood beside her. And a voice, cold and malevolent--"I do expect you'll dispose of them once their purpose is served."

He blinked. "What are you doing here?" he demanded, as much out of surprise as anything else. If Lord Dhracia had wanted those creatures dead--then this one, too--surely it was not meant to be here? Urgency rose in him. He was uncertain--if she was not natural, not born of this cave, then he might have to chase her off at once. Pretend, even, that he hadn't ever seen her.

Because otherwise-?

Otherwise, he might have to kill her.

He waited, agitation thrumming through his veins.

vargas just thinks eleanora's illegal for a second sorry-

@Eleanora

Eleanora

She heard them approaching before she heard his voice and just as Vargas rounded the corner to meet her, she turned around. For a moment, there was silence as they both stared at each other, both shocked by the other. Vargas, from seeing another human in the caves, Eleanora from seeing such a creature before her. She hadn't seen someone quite as large since Lyn and he was far more intimidating, all spikes and quills, monstrous, many-eyed.

Fear ran up her spine again, but it wasn't as powerful as it had been before. She was growing used to this now, seeing a creature that terrified her, but finding out that they were okay. Still, this felt different. She couldn't tell what he was thinking, completely out of touch with monster body language, but his snarling voice and quick demand told her that he was different then Meissa or Faceless or the guards at the door. He had some importance. What the importance was, she didn't know, but still she scrambled to her feet anyways, back now to the chrysalis, standing between it and Vargas.

"Sorry, I was just. I was looking for this." She laid a hand on the top of the crystal. "I hope I'm not intruding or anything. The guards let me in, I told them I didn't mean any trouble - I don't. Mean any trouble, that is." Hopefully that was enough, and hopefully he would believe her. It would be...cruel for her to endure this journey, wait so long to see her love again, only to be killed just before they meet once more.

I wanna visit that place
blow the dust from the bones
Off a body of years that I leave all alone

@Vargas

- THE LEVIATHAN -

The Leviathan's eyes shot to the stone behind the woman, and he studied it only briefly before his gaze returned to her face.

There hadn't, he thought, been any more chrysalises back here. Had this one escaped his notice-? Where had it come from? But some part of him calmed, at least; she could speak, she was here looking for something-... meaning, she wasn't simply lost. And this--hopefully--was not some trick of Dhracia's (though why she would do such a thing he could not fathom).

He took a breath to fill his massive lungs and exhaled slowly, steeling himself. Either this was fine, and she was allowed--or he would kill her.

No need to panic over that. So he told himself.

"And who," he asked, at length, "are you?" It was asked more calmly, at least. And it was followed by a nod to the chrysalis, and a follow-up question: "And what is that?" A correction: "Who is that?"

He cast out his magic, a brief glimmer; he should be able to sense the element of the stone, but now he hoped to sense the shape--if any--inside. Just what was going on, here..?

@Eleanora

Eleanora

She hesitated for a moment, unsure how to answer the question. Would he know? Tamulus had said it was a one-way trip, that there was no way out. So then nobody that lived down here would be able to make it out, without the help of someone of equal power. Would he know of the wtiches, of the villages, of the Verinen Empire? Would he even know that there was a surface at all?

And how much was she even willing to tell him? About herself and the person within the chrysalis behind her? Well, she didn't really have anything to hide. It wasn't bad, she didn't think the information would put her or Lily in danger. She took her own breath and looked into the many eyes of the alien before her. "My name is Eleanora. This," she touched the stone again, "Is Lilith, my beloved. She went missing a long time ago, but we have...a special bond. I sensed her again for the first time about a year and a half ago so I came to find her." She hoped that it was enough for him, but she had her own burning questions and couldn't help but blurt it out. "Who are you?"

As for Vargas, he would have already sensed the pulsing chaos that echoed from within the chrysalis, although Eleanora didn't seem to pick up on it. The magic revealed the form of another woman, not too unlike Eleanora herself, curled up and suspended within the chrysalis.

I wanna visit that place
blow the dust from the bones
Off a body of years that I leave all alone

@Vargas

- THE LEVIATHAN -

A dozen questions ran through his mind as he looked from the chrysalis back to the women standing before him. He studied her, listened to her question, then took a breath.

He tried to steady his mind, to compartmentalize: first things first.
"I am Master Vargas," he began, speaking slowly, his thoughts still being sorted into neat lines. There was no point, first off, in explaining what a Master was--not until he had more information. "Where did you come from-? You are not from here," he added, but it was half a question. His eyes cut to the chrysalis. "Nor is she."

Claws braced against the ground, an idle movement as he considered. "The last time there were those here of your kind, you were... deemed to be of great importance. I was ordered to kill you," he added carefully, with slow emphasis--the 'you' apparently meaning others of Eleanora's kind. "And so I did." He nodded to her, staring. "Do those who run these caves--the Hands--are they aware of your presence..? Have you been--allowed, here?" He cut himself off before speaking the rest--before warning her that if she were not 'allowed' here, she should run, and he would pretend he'd never seen her.

Because if she were allowed, well--it was hardly good to hint that he might be in any way disloyal.

@Eleanora

Eleanora

At the word "Master", Eleanora's eyes widened. Tamulus had never mentioned any Master Vargas but she supposed, if Masters went away or died, maybe new ones would take their place. She wondered, then, who Master Vargas replaced. Enki? Or perhaps if Jupiter was really dead, he took her place.

But it was obvious that she understood the word, as she bowed her head with respect, although she was unsure how to act, how he would act. She hadnt been warned about this Master. "Oh, please excuse me. I didn't know you were a Master. But you are right, I'm not from the caves. I come from Let." She looked back up, but this time did not look directly into his eyes, instead focused on the middle of his face. "Both of us do. It was Tamulus who sent me here."

She felt her heart skip a beat atthe word 'kill' and put her hands back against the stone behind her, as if she could possibly protect the chrysalis if the master attacked. She didn't speak at first, waiting for him to finish and then chose her words carefully, now all too aware of the danger she, and Lilith, could be in if Vargas deemed them illegal.

She took a shaky breath. "I'm not sure if the Hands know I'm here, but Tamulus did not make it sound like I wasn't allowed to be here. If I'm not..." she stopped herself and swallowed the lump in her throat and tried to hide the tiniest shake in her hands that would give away her fear. "I won't get in the way, I promise. I'm just here for her."

I wanna visit that place
blow the dust from the bones
Off a body of years that I leave all alone

@Vargas

- THE LEVIATHAN -

Tamulus.

Vargas was very, very careful not to betray his inner monologue. He even took a moment to clear his mind, to check his breathing. So much could go terribly wrong. He tipped his head a little back, affecting an air of cool appraisal as he trailed eyes back up and down Eleanora's form, as if examining her afresh.

In reality, he was trying to figure out what the hell to do.

The part of him that wondered what he'd be ordered to do, what he was meant to do, was waging one war: Tamulus was a traitor to the caves. Had fled them. Left them to rot. Lord Dhracia had killed him--did this one know that..? How long ago had he sent her here?

And some other part wondered what he should do; but realistically this part was smaller.

Master Vargas considered all possible angles--all that he could think of--and decided to work backward.

I will go from what I want to do, and justify it, he decided. And so his behavior, his tone and his body language, were very carefully chosen: curated, plucked from a long archive of things that he had done. The Leviathan was almost always honest but for once, now, he lied. Not with words, exactly, but by omission, by situation; even the empty, sneering sigh that escaped him was false.

She didn't need to know that.

"Then until I am given other orders," he said, almost flippant, almost disinterested, "you are free to roam. Do not harass my people and do not interfere, here. And I suggest you make yourself scarce... just in case I am given other orders," he added, six eyes narrowing. Of course, that would be up to her. He considered--tail flicking--and then leaned forward, leaned down. His voice dropped into a very, very quiet growl, and he ensured hot sulfurous breath would waft toward the poor woman. Vargas did not often bother to threaten, but he did so now, malice and savagery rumbling in his chest. "We are meant to kill those of your shape. Should you find others like you... halfbreeds, perhaps. Other missing spawn of your dead, wayward Master. Keep that to yourself, as well. Or I will kill them, too."

Of course, he had a specific someone in mind.

A someone he'd been ordered to kill.

A someone he'd hidden, instead.

A someone that could get him killed, should Lord Dhracia ever find out.

And if Eleanora happened upon her, and happily brought her into the light-? All of them would die. But he couldn't simply tell her that; he had no idea if she might be a plant, here, sent by someone else, spying on him in turn. Hence the half-shrouded threats.

He sat back, predatory demeanor settling back slowly into professional aloofness, into his typical less demanding level of authority. "You will, of course, be expected to follow the structure of these caves, as much as we have structure," he went on, though truth be told he didn't give a shit about any of this right now. His mind was on Two, on the blinded, cloudy golden eyes of a twisted hybrid child, and he could never have explained why he felt so (faintly, he told himself) frantic for her well-being. So he was changing the topic, switching as smoothly as he could to something else entirely. He could only hope that his front of 'merciless monster' was enough to forestall any problems for Two's future. "And to that end: do you have any questions?" he asked harshly, and his mind was a thousand miles from his words.

@Eleanora

Eleanora

There was silence, for a moment, as Vargas thought to himself and Eleanora held her breath, terrified of what decision he would come to. Why did she come here? How could she be so foolish?! Tamulus had warned her it would be dangerous, that she would be a stranger here, but still she'd insisted! She refused to rest until she'd been reunited with her beloved. And now she was going to get herself killed, and Lilith along with her.

She fought through the agonized thoughts, reassuring herself over and over again I made the right choice. I made the right choice. because there was only one choice for her, and that was Lilith. If she was alive, she'd walk to the ends of the earth to be with her again. She'd learn to fly and soar through the stars, she'd bring down the sun if it meant seeing her again. She'd cut out her own heart if it would bring her back to life. No price was too great. Not even this.

Even if Master Vargas killed her now, at least she'd been close to her, one last time.

She listened, intensely, as he gave his verdict, nodding respectfully with his orders. Do not interfere, make herself scarce. She could do that...she could keep away for now. She glanced back at Lilith's chrysalis. Now that she could feel her energy up close, she remembered that it felt similar to how she'd always felt when she was sleeping. She must have been like this ever since she'd felt her magic reawaken again. As long as nothing happened to her, now that Vargas knew she was here, she could leave and return when she felt her fully awaken. And then they could leave this cursed cave and live in peace.

It was a good plan, she thought.

But when she turned back to Vargas, he was crouching down before her, hot rancid breath wafting across her face. She wanted to pinch her nose to avoid smelling it, but she knew how incredibly disrespectful that would be, so she held her breath as Master Vargas threatened her. Again, that fear returned, heart beating fast, nerves alight and ready to run, but she held steady, a protective wall between Vargas and Lily, as if a puny witch like her could do anything.

It took her a moment to process what Vargas was saying. But as she realized what he'd said to her, her eyes went as round as saucers. Tamulus - dead?! "But that's impossible! Tamulus can't be dead!" she yelped without thinking. Her heart missed a beat as she realized she may have stepped out of line there, but it just couldn't be possible! He'd sent her down here not long ago...right? He'd said it would take time, but no more then a month for her to recover. Had he really died in that time? Or...been killed?!

She shook her head. No one could just kill Tamulus. She couldn't believe it, wouldn't believe it! Vargas was just trying to scare her or something. He was threatening her - she was alone. Well, she already knew that! Anger was starting to reach up through her throat and it took all her willpower to keep it down. Tears collected at the corner of her eyes - were they tears of sadness, for Tamulus, for Lilith, for her loneliness, or tears of anger for how unfair this all was? how much she hated Vargas for lying to her about Tamulus and making her leave her beloved here, alone? - but she blinked them back, determined not to show anymore weakness in front of this Master. "Respect them, even if you don't like them." His words echoed in her mind and she steeled herself, taking a deep, shaky breath.

Her eyes flicked back up to Master Vargas and she nodded along, again. Agreeing to behave herself. She had not intended to do anything otherwise.

And then - questions. Oh, the questions she had. She had so many to ask, too many. Some would insult him ("Why are you such an asshole?") and some would be pointless ("Why do you have so many eyes?"). She took a moment to carefully collect the questions she had before answering. "I do have questions. If I leave here, will Lilith be safe? Do you promise to let her sleep in peace until she awakens? I only wish to be reunited with her when the time comes. I'll wait as long as I need to, but may I return here when she is awake? We will leave then, and you will never have to see either of us again." She took a moment to breathe and then asked her final question for the Master. "And, if its not too much to ask...why are witches so hated here?" It reminded her uncomfortably of the Empire's hatred of those with stones and their relentless hunts of them in the Vaa. Was there no place on Let, inside or out, where her kind could be safe?!

I wanna visit that place
blow the dust from the bones
Off a body of years that I leave all alone

@Vargas

- THE LEVIATHAN -

Vargas listened, and the sheer strength of emotion (fear, he thought; mostly fear) in the woman's eyes was... reassuring.

If she feared--as she must--then if she ever stumbled across Two she would hide her as one of her own.

If she cares for such things, he corrected himself. Perhaps she would not; he did not know, for sure.

It steadied him, some, so that by the time she asked her questions, he was more the calm, attentive dictator than the raving lunatic one. He glanced to the stone. "I do not know who or what she is, nor who put her here," he added, and managed to somehow be puzzled, indifferent and a little affronted all in one. "I have no plans for her, and if you are the same sort of creature then the same warnings I give you, are for her, as well!" He shook his massive head. "I do not care if you come here to be beside this stone, but know that if you are, I will know where to find you should I receive orders to destroy you." Let her make of that what she would; it was perhaps a bit of an admission of his dubious mercy but so be it.

As for the rest? He gave a low grumble of thought. "'Witches?'" he repeated, head tilting to one side as he studied Eleanora afresh. He gave a short exhale, and shook his head. "I do not know, in truth. I do not know if you are hated. I know that I was given orders to kill the last; it may be a matter of practicality." He'd assumed that they were rare enough, somehow, that Lord Dhracia had wanted them kept secret, or the like--a secret weapons, whose blueprints weren't meant to be discovered. "Are you not powerful-?" he asked, and his tone held accidental demand. "Not a weapon, of some kind? If you are not, then I do not know."

It held a whisper of almost... apology, in that guttural thread of hot speech. Pity, even. Vargas wasn't particularly torn up about threatening Eleanora--it was necessary--but he did recognize a creature lost, one alone, if her behavior was not an act. She had the air of one taken from her home, that much was true, and he huffed as he observed her. "Tamulus was killed, I think, for his betrayal of his purpose here. I do not know if he remained dead," Vargas admitted, and nodded to her: "When did you last see him?" Perhaps he'd get a little bit of information, now, too.

@Eleanora