Dark Light [Closed]

[Lucia]

Lucia showed nothing less than what she was. She smiled and dipped and spun around prettily, a visceral pleasure in the way her dress whirled around her. She chose white today, a pure white that matched her hair, the scalloped edged hem falling just above her knees like a whisper-soft sigh as it brushed against her skin. The dress was gathered underneath her breasts and flowed out in pleats, a little bow on the side. The two, thin, spaghetti straps on her shoulders completed the almost innocent look, crowned by the glowing smile on Lucia's face.

The picture was, perhaps, a bit ruined by the large ax Lucia was dragging behind her with one hand, the gleaming tip scoring into the ground. She hardly seemed to notice the halberd as she walked (or skipped) in the Unseelie Court, too enraptured by her surroundings as she peered about. Glorious Unseelie Court! Her tree swallow tattoo rippled and seemed to fly from her shoulder to the other, like it too was caught up in her excitement. If both her hands were free she may have clasped them to her chest as she gazed at the high cavern ceiling and the obsidian rock that seemed to absorb her inner glow and throw it back out coldly.

This was to be home if the king accepted her, and Lucia shivered at the thought. Anticipation. Excitement. The two emotions swelled within her, beating a quick rhythm. Her short heels made fast staccato sounds on the ground as she flitted from one area to the other, a low, grumbling underscore coming from the halberd blade that protested against the rock as she continued to drag it with no signs of notice, let alone fatigue.

[Tok]

Drawn by the clicking of heels and the grating of steel against the rocky cavern, Tok fluttered her way towards the ear-grating noise. The pixie was going to cut whoever was inconsiderate enough to disturb the whole of the Unseelie caverns. She rounded the corner quickly, making herself in plain view of the other fae. She suspended herself a few inches in the air, flapping her wings lightly. She wanted to tower over the offender and giver a piece of her mind.

Tok took a quick moment to analyze the other, and upon noticing the glowing figure, immediately landed on her feet. Tok thought it was ironic that she and the woman were complete opposites in nearly every aspect, from bloodline, to stature, to dress. The pixie was donning a black, strapless, short babydoll dress paired with knee-high black boots. A giant black bow held Tok's hair in a high ponytail.

The pixie quickly suppressed her anger, choosing to bow instead of cut and speak politely instead of chastise. "Please be careful with that ax, m'lady. I would be terribly sad if you hurt the trees."

[Lucia]

"Oh, a pixie," Lucia breathed out, cocking her head to the side like a bird as her eyes fastened to the pixie's wings, which were a lovely, lovely color and perhaps would be made lovelier if she just--the sidhe blinked hard, and smiled prettily at the pixie. She gently tugged up the head of her halberd and had her wrist go slack, letting the tip of the blade thunk that much harder against the ground. "See?" she said, her voice sweet and cheerful, "I'm only mangling rock right now. The trees are safe."

Trees didn't bleed lovely colors that Lucia liked to dip her fingers in and swirl around--they were nice in their own way, but low on her list of preferences.

"When you cut them," she said conversationally, "they don't do anything. Nothing falls out and they don't move and it's boring. Frightfully boring." Lucia smiled. "So trees are safe."

"You are a good pixie though," Lucia praised as one would a favored pet. "Attempting to protect your plants." Large red eyes studied the pixie before she started. "Oh, where are my manners?" Even if it was just a pixie this was to be her first introduction to the Unseelie Court and the thought drummed up a flush of pleasure. Lucia did a tiny (it was just a pixie), picture perfect curtsy, the shaft of the halberd bobbing along with her.

"Princess Lucia, Seeker." No need for long titles as of yet. She yanked up the halberd, twirling it easily in her hands so that the blade stood up. She leaned over and kissed the flat of the blade, lips curving secretly next to the sharp edge. "I have forgotten his name, though I am sure he would have been pleased to meet you as well." She rubbed her cheek on halberd, like a pleased cat. The halberd who had once been a man gleamed dully in the light.

[Tok]

Tok listened as though she were some sort of attentive dog, drawn in by the sidhe's choice of words. She was glad to hear that Lucia's intended targets were not her precious trees, for the pixie had spent hours twisting their branches so that they might cast sinister shadows upon the cavern walls. Tok drew closer towards the sidhe, attracted by the implications of her words. When she realized that she stood nearly half a foot taller than the sidhe, she quickly sat down upon the floor, her legs curled under her. Height was a good indicator of superiority, after all.

Tok basked in the sidhe's praise. Were she a lycanthrope with a tail, it would have wagged profusely. Her eyes lit up, and she craned her neck up slightly, as if she were begging for a pat on the head or a scratch behind her ears. She barely heard the sidhe introduce herself, her own thoughts still caught up with the remarks about how cutting up trees was simply boring. Tok agreed with Lucia's stance on the topic, and personally preferred it when her target writhed.

She smiled at the sidhe, looking upwards at her. "Ah, but m'lady, as boring as trees are, they're perhaps the best decorations! Can't you see it? An animal bleeding at the roots of the tree, while, the a flowering tree showers the earth with its petals. How symbolic! Cliche as it may be, life and death are contrasting each other before your very eyes!" She giggled excitedly at the thoughts, wondering if Lucia would share in the pixie's glee as she brushed her cheek against her weapon.

Tok quickly reminded herself that she was running her mouth, and had forgotten to introduce herself. She bowed at the sidhe again, this time throwing her body and hands forward as if she were revering a god. "It is a pleasure to meet you, Princess. I go by Tok, Seeker of the Unseelie Court, Pixie Garlanger. I feel that we will get along well."[/b] She beamed at the sidhe, feeling completely at ease with the other. "I hope I'm not being too bold, but do tell me how you acquired your halberd? I love stories."

[Lucia]

Lucia didn't bat an eye at how abruptly the pixie sat, instead taking it as her due, a touch of an approving smile curving her lips in response though she didn't say a word. And then those words. Lucia beamed at the pixie and couldn't help but let her hand drift to the other's hair, patting it. What a charming pixie! What a charming place! Lucia had arrived at what would be the best home for her, hadn't she? If others were as like minded as this pixie then she would fit in so well and perhaps throw several parties and it would be glorious. Her eyes shone at the thought and she gave the pixie a meltingly sweet smile.

"Let the creature hang by the branches," she said, voice warm, inspired by the pixie's words, "freshly killed or, better yet, just alive, enough so that they can move, but not take themselves down. Think of the way the blood would shower on those standing underneath the trees! So much better if the creature is alive, the droplets would fly everywhere like a sprinkling of rain, and arc so beautifully in the air. The low, pained cries that sing the most mournful melody in accompaniment and it would be so lovely." The last was said in a hush, almost reverent voice.

Oh, but she liked this pixie, who supplied her with wonderful ideas and asked for her stories! Lucia let the halberd clatter on the ground as she caught the other's hands as they were thrown forward, sliding to her own knees as she laughed. "You please me, Tok!" She grasped Tok's hands and leaned forward, acting as if they were suddenly the best of friends. "We shall get along well, won't we?" Never mind that Tok was only a pixie--her first encounter, her first like minded compatriot, the way the pixie abased herself so pleasantly, it all made satisfaction wash through her.

She squeezed Tok's hands and let go, arranging her dress around her so that it would not crumple unbecomingly. Lucia dragged the head of the halberd to her lap and stroked at the metal. "I have forgotten his name, though I have not forgotten the way he screamed for me." She giggled. "Before his voice gave out he still pleaded for my love and my absolution. I kept him alive for nearly a year before his voice vanished and I grew tired of his silent writhing."

[Tok]

Shock and awe described Tok's reaction best to Lucia's ability to take a small, simple idea and turn it into a beautiful, polished, work of art. But that was to be expected of the purer fae, and the pixie was simply delighted that she had the opportunity to have such an open and honest conversation with Lucia. She laughed and giggled at every other sentence, her voice echoing throughout the cavern. It had been ages since she had found someone who shared her love of bloodshed as an art form.

Where Lucia had touched the pixie, a tingling sensation lingered upon the pixie's skin long after the contact broke. When Lucia had reciprocated Tok's proposition of a lasting friendship, the pixie felt as if she should find a baby, steal its candy, and give said candy to Lucia as if to seal some sort of a bond. Tok was undoubtedly developing a platonic crush on the sidhe, and decided that this sidhe would be the first of the many who would be allowed to order the garlanger around as she pleased.

The story about Lucia's halberd sent chills down her spine, and yet her eyes glistened more than ever. A fit of laughter struck the pixie at the end of Lucia's story, rendering Tok unable to speak for a while. "Oh, m'lady! Your storytelling abilities are absolutely enchanting! Had I been in your shoes, I would have lost my patience within weeks, cut him up into a million pieces, and scattered him to the winds! But, you, Princess. Your methods are far more grandiose and admirable! The pixie had said that last bit as genuinely as possible, for she was not attempting to flatter the sidhe -- she had meant every word.

There was a brief pause, before the most wonderful thought came to the pixie's mind. "Ah, Princess, if you ever have some time to spare, perhaps we can hunt in the Mists? I hear there are lots of animals that roam there, and I've always wanted to litter it with bodies! But one person can only do so much damage before all the animals run away..."[/b] Her voice trailed off, her eyes suddenly downcast as if she were upset that the other animals wanted to run away as fast as they could from the murderous pixie.

[Lucia]

[OOC. I am sorry that Lucia talks so much. Holy crap.]

What a darling! Tok made for an avid audience and Lucia had always loved playing for the crowd. She visibly preened and her fingers wandered the edge of the halberd, eyes misty with memories. Playing with the man--a year could be so short and yet so long at the same time!--had been beautiful. The man had begged for the longest time--first to be let go, second to die, and third for her attentions, his mind so broken and warped that he craved every touch, every knife slice. Lucia shivered in pleasure. She could hardly bear to let go of the memories, and so had transformed the man's body into her halberd.

She blinked out of her thoughts at Tok's words and smiled warmly at the pixie, feeling a surge of affection. The pixie adored her as she should be adored and how can she help feeling magnanimous because of that? "Patience can be learned! It was difficult, yes, even for me," she bowed her head the slightest bit, just the tiniest hint of self-deprecation in her voice, "but once mastered the experience is enhanced by at least two fold!" A dreamy quality touched her face.

"As for your idea..." Lucia shook her head once, as if to clear her thoughts. She flashed purely mischievous smile, staring kindly at the pixie. "It sounds marvelous!" She reached out to tilt Tok's head up, eyes bright with delight. "Don't fret, dear Tok! With the two of us, we'd be able to pull down more than twice the amount one of us would be able to obtain!" Suddenly a thought struck her and Lucia nearly swayed with the force of it.

"I was going to present myself to the king soon!" Instead of sounding glad, Lucia sounded horrified, though at herself. Her mood had switched as easily as flipping a coin. "And yet, I do not have a suitable offering!" she lamented, and fussed with the hem of her dress with worrying fingers. "How can we meet without the perfect gift? What horrible manners I have!" Lucia stilled, thoughts racing, before a brilliant smile appeared, like the sun coming out from behind dark clouds. "Tok, my darling, darling Tok, without you, I would have been set adrift!"

The glow around Lucia seemed to brighten at her glee. "Shall we go a'hunting? Perhaps I shall find something suitable there. What a wonderful idea you had, Tok!"

[Tok]

Could this sidhe be any more magnificent? Approval of an idea that came from the simple-minded Tok, and the showers of praise that shortly followed led the pixie to beam at Lucia with the biggest grin she could muster. When the white-haired fae reassured her that there would be many bloody adventures through the Mists, Tok tried to stretch the muscles about her mouth past their limit. The edges of her eyes had the slightest crinkles, dimples appeared upon her cheeks, her face was starting to numb from all the smiling and laughing. A reservoir of happiness building inside the pixie, and it was probably large enough to keep her smiling like an idiot for days.

Tok gasped slightly at the mention of the king, the thought of acceptance into the Unseelie court would be a close second for the ‘Most Wonderful Thing To Ever Happen To Me’ title. ”A present for the king? A splendid idea! It is an honor to help select the gift! Perhaps a rhinoceros? Or a bear? Or even a dozen mice, trained to perform various circus acts!”[/b] The pixie quickly stopped, not wanting to bombard Lucia with her near infinite supply of silly ideas. Tok paused for a minute to set her mind back onto the right track, before adding, ”No matter what the gift, I have a feeling that the King will adore you!”[/b]

She rose, a sign to show that she was ready to go adventuring; however, she refused to step forward, deferring the right to be leader to Lucia. ”My skills are yours to use freely: I can either scout in the form of my mantel, or shred their limbs with my wires. Or, if you'd like, I can be bait. Although, I'd much rather hunt.”[/b] As she spoke, a tattoo of a gold-capped fruit bat fluttered over to Tok’s collar bone, resting parallel with Tok’s sternum. The wings stretched upwards towards her neck, making itself look as though it should have been a necklace. Both pixie and mantel looked on with eagerness in their eyes as they waited for Lucia’s orders.

[OOC: Nonsense! She's beyond adorable! =P]

[Lucia]

[OOC. I'm supposing that you didn't get my PM at all, huh? :D;; Also, I had been a bit busy, so I'm so sorry about this late reply.]

Lucia beamed at Tok, warm acceptance fluttering in her chest as she gracefully got to her feet, halberd in hand. Her eyes narrowed at the thought of the present, mulling over possibilities and discarding others. It had to be magnificent. Anything less wouldn't be fit for the king, nor would she allow herself to be associated with inferior gifts. The mere thought of it made something within her cold with anger, though that was washed away in a second by the happy thought of hunting with Tok.

Tok. Her darling, darling little pixie, never mind that Tok was taller than she was.

"We have no need for bait now, isn't that right, Tok?" Lucia smoothed out the slight creases in her dress before stepping forward, taking Tok's deference as if it was her due. "Bait would be too easy and not nearly as fun." A sharp smile flashed on Lucia's face and her fingers clenched, like she could imagine them soaked in blood, curling in fading warmth. "Oh," she whispered, "a'hunting we will go."

"Come, Tok," she said imperiously, tossing her head as she moved with liquid eagerness, expecting Tok to fall right in line with her. "We shall scout together." Her tree swallow tattoo rippled and flitted to the Lucia's shoulder, head turned in Tok's directly, as if it was peering at the tattoo at Tok's collar bone. "A worthy prey must be selected, all others should be dispatched immediately." No sense in letting the weak survive, after all. But the strong--the strong deserved to be played with until they were run down. Ragged. To the point of exhaustion, where all that was left was acceptance of their death and the acknowledging the futility of trying to escape.

Lucia licked her lips and moved off.

[Tok]

Tok breathed a slight sigh of relief when Lucia outright told the pixie that she would not need to be bait. Everything that the sidhe said just made so much sense! It was an attribute that that Tok hoped she could one day obtain. She watched as the tree swallow peered at her, noting how fitting Lucia's mantel was -- a bird that appeared so delicate, fragile and beautiful, but could be territorial, terrifying, and an absolute manic if need be. The sidhe was, in Tok's eyes, as close to perfection as a fae could be.

Tok responded immediately to Lucia's order faster and more eager than even the most loyal servants would. The pixie had been anticipating Lucia's command to follow, and when combined with her excitement, it was no surprise that her reflex was so quick. Tok did not simply walk behind the sidhe. In fact, the pixie did nearly everything other than place one foot in front of the other like a normal person. She skipped, hopped, and occasionally hovered, all to a specific beat. Tok's inability to contain her excitement (after all, Lucia had basically given her permission to slaughter anything that moved as long as it wasn't the present itself) manifested itself with song, though she tried to keep her voice down in case Lucia would find her singing bothersome. "Off with your head. Dance 'til you're dead. Heads will roll, heads will roll, heads will roll, heads will roll, on the floor..."

-END-

[OOC: It's all good. RL comes first. =) I thought I replied to your PM, though. I'll send another one just in case it got lost or something.]