Sweetwater Kill [open]

[Alecto]

It wasn’t safe for her to wander beyond the walls of her court, now. Alecto was fully aware of this fact as she emerged from the cavern’s protective embrace, twin swords strapped across her back in Kobaalt’s fashion, daggers arranged severally on her thigh, leather armor cupping the almost imperceptible swell of her fatherless child like the pod around a seed. The Drow would no doubt fight for the opportunity to crack that little nut, would kill for the knowledge of Segwyn’s secret – but the Fury found that she feared them no more than her own people. No, not fear…Death did not know fear, the Erinyes were terror itself. This was something different: apprehension, perhaps, or uncertainty. She felt mingled rage and sadness for her violator, concern for the safety of the child, unease for the state of her loyalty, the value of her word. Had she not promised her sword, her life, to Cel? It may have been a preemptive vow, but there was no priest to absolve her, here – to annul the words that had bound her to her King. Alecto had avoided him since she had learned the truth, but she couldn’t hide forever. What would she think, what would she feel, when she looked again into her Lord’s hungering eyes?

Could she truly spit on his trust?

A heavy fog clung to the mountainsides around her court like a shroud, damp and glinting red in the eclipse: a haze of blood. Alecto thought of arteries, of the wonder net in the head of a Giraffe. She had seen it, once, hunting with her sisters in the savannah – a spongy thing shot through with blood, like a lung. Her strides were long and fluid as she ran. The bloodmist choked her, but she ignored the discomfort. Perhaps she was deserving of pain, today; the throbbing ache in her chest was a penance, then, though her downhill dash was easy running. She hit the forest wall around Exordium at speed, leaping over a thicket with the grace of a doe, then slowing to a prowl. Her senses were afire in the twilight glare, straining for every snatch of color, every scent and sound. She crouched low, drawing her sword and breathing in the loamy perfume of the woods. Spring shoots were pushing through the cool earth beneath her fingers. She remembered that strength existed even in the smallest things.

It was also there in the largest. The cat’s stark fur would have been invisible in the snow, white and shadow-spattered, but with the green of life seeping into the woods he was not so lucky anymore. Alecto met his pale gray stare just as he was coiling to spring. It was a fatal mistake. As the creature leapt from his place in the bushes, the Fury arced her sword over her head and spun on her heel, carrying her just out of his trajectory. The Tiger fell almost gracefully, catching himself just before collapsing to the ground, his throat open and pulsing red. His expression was surprised as he lay in an expanding pool of blood; his final attempts to breathe no more than shuddering hiccups. Alecto rose to her feet.

It was magnificent, even in Death. Alecto admired the size of the beast, the flawless white of its striped pelt, the clarity of its eyes. She would have preferred not to kill it, had it given her the option. Her thoughts drifted to the faerie that must possess such a mantel, wondering whether they were of her court, or Annette’s. Somehow she suspected the latter. Her brow knit, her hand drifted out to stroke the tiger’s fur, still so warm with recent life. She was not one to take a piece of her prey as a trophy, though this one was spectacular – killing was no sport, to her. Instead she reached to its face and gently pressed its eyelids closed, as she would a warrior’s, or a friend’s.

Death followed her wherever she went. It had always been so, as long as she could remember, and it had never bothered her before now. She scaled a boulder nearby her kill, crouched upon its top, and retrieved a strip of dried meat from her pocket. Her fingers brushed the vial of blood – the trinket never left her person. Shuddering, she took a tentative bite and chewed. The forest was silent in the wake of her skirmish with the cat; even the birds held their tongues, in reverent pause. The only sound was wind through the new leaves, slowly freeing the world from the bloodmist’s clutches. Alecto could see further, now. In the distance, it appeared some company had materialized from the fog.

She watched her approach with wild, sad eyes.

[Reika]

It was a long trek back, or perhaps it only seemed that way due to the extensive thought process running through her mind. Namiko had not shown, as a part of her expected, though a part of her felt unanticipated surprise. More than that, was the surprise at being surprised at all. This meeting had been on a whim, or so her surface thoughts would have her think. In reality, there was a deep-set worry eating away at her. How far would her pride make her go; how much would she sacrifice? Was the life of her sister really worth such a simple thing? Even she knew it was something she'd raised herself with, something she'd shaped herself into in order to fit into her parents plans. To be Seelie... it had meant a lot of things.

Now here she was, contemplating leaving her very flesh and blood sister to fend for herself against the terror that she knew to be running free amongst the Unseelie. Damn him. Damn him for not being dead, for not having left, for not disappearing in the sands of time as so many had before. Did he come back somehow with the intent of causing her further distress? Taunting her with his untouchable Sidhe powers? Or was this merely a coincidental crossing in his thirst for new victims? Nothing had ever gotten under her skin like this before- at least not that she could vividly remember. Furthermore, how much of this upset was for her own sake, and how much of it was for the fear of letting down Namiko?

If the woman came to harm, it would be her fault. It would be because she sent the flying fox to go find her, instead of something more reliable. It would be because she'd walked away from the place they were meant to meet, steps unhurried and posture lax and uncaring. It made her feel cold inside to know how cold she could be outside. Even knowing how much she was doing wrong, even that was not enough to make her burst into a run straight for the lands of the Unseelie. It would be reckless, but more than that, a part of her pride had been hurt by being ignored. Although there was the possibility that something was preventing the girl from coming-

Reika's heart skipped a beat as that particularly unpleasant thought was interrupted by the sound of conflict. At first the bestial sound of the Tiger grabbed her attention, clearly not a sound meant for hunting scuffle. Whatever or whoever it was up against, the Tiger was preparing for a showdown. In moments she heard the hard rustle of leaves underfoot, the ripping of skin, and the air started to smell coppery and sweet. Something had died, but it was too quiet for an animal to have made a kill. This was precise, and her morbid curiosity of the technique made her come closer.

It was easy to come to the conclusion that this person was, indeed, a person. As she came closer, the sound of chewing and the rustle of belongings seemed impossibly amplified. Every sound- no doubt including her own- seemed like it was being projected through a hidden sound system in the trees. The atmosphere held a tenseness, and as she made out the facial features of the other woman, she instantly felt a sense of unease. Her long black hair clung to her pale skin in the damp mist, sitting just above the bump of her hanging katana against the loose, black, vaguely harem-style pants she wore.

The warrioress couldn't have known the equal amounts of inner turmoil the other possessed, but her expression gave hint to the fact that something was just not right. Thinking of a way to excuse herself from the situation at hand, the awkward shift in her body movement stilled unexpectedly. Something about looking into Alecto's eyes for that moment made Reika's stomach feel tight. It wasn't in a bad way, it wasn't fear, it was perhaps something close to sympathy. Alecto's eyes looked the way Reika felt inside but didn't know how to show, and that pulled her in.

Startling out of a daze, her eyes finally found the corpse of the Tiger, and rose expressionlessly back to the woman on the rock. "Were you hurt?" She really didn't know what to say, more than usual.

[Alecto]

Alecto was grateful that this stranger was not a man, a sluagh, a drow, or a recognizable member of her court. Strange, that she could be less disturbed by Seelie company than Unseelie, considering her past distrust of the shining throng – but many things had changed, of late. Her fire-bright stare settled on the other woman’s face, unblinking, studying her as she chewed. It was a beautiful face, the kind that would make men helpless should it ever bear the glow of the pure-blooded fae. It was also a brave face – meeting her predatory gaze without quailing beneath it – and guarded, which piqued the Fury’s natural curiosity, though this impulse was tempered by the ache of her own unrest. When the nimbus spoke, her question possessing so little inflection as to bear hardly any resemblance to inquiry, Alecto tilted her head. She swallowed.

“By a tiger?” she replied, a faint smirk making an ephemeral appearance on her face. It was an ironic expression, as her smile almost always was. “No.” She paused, considering something, then took a long draught from her waterskin, never averting her gaze. “You are a fighter,” she observed, commenting as much on her demeanor as her possession of a blade, “have you ventured out, looking for a fight?” Her words were measured, containing no heat and therefore no perceivable threat; it was an honest question. The Fury was not particularly in the mood to scuffle with a Seelie nimbus. Nor was she precisely in the mood for idle chatter, but something about the other faerie stopped her from making a hasty exit. She doubted that her answer would be yes. Trusting that instinct, she extended the hand that bore the waterskin: a silent offer of drink and camaraderie in these neutral lands. Her blades were sheathed, and where caution should have been, Alecto exuded only vague fatigue and resignation.

“I might have taken you for a Goblin Blade, summoned from beyond the grave for the eclipse. You would not be the first one I had spotted…but you are not dirty enough, I think.” Her tone was so matter-of-fact, it was almost impossible to perceive the humor in it. “Which leaves the question of what brought you out, beyond the Seelie gates.” She took another bite of meat, chewing slowly and averting her eyes from the other woman briefly, to scour the area for her mantel. Her own serpent shifted lazily across her waterskin arm, as if half-asleep. When her search came up empty, she again met the other’s eyes; inquisitive, but restrained.

“I am Alecto,” she offered recklessly, her expression flickering with the thrill of danger. What did she care, if some unseen enemy heard – if Cel’s shadow-ears heard? Her life was forfeit, however the game played out.

[Reika]

Watching the other woman, her tiredness felt almost contagious. The Sidhe seemed delicate and shaken on the outside, but there was still something about her that told Reika her first impression should be a good one. Getting on her bad side would probably reveal a different aspect of her personality, and so far this one was much preferred. It was a horrible thing to think, but there was something about Alecto that made Reika care. She wasn't unusually cold to people, she'd help where it needed to be done, but she didn't actively seek to get involved in the lives of others... which just about seemed to be what she was doing at the moment.

Noting the ironic smile, she felt a little uncomfortable to have asked such an obvious question. This woman could obviously handle herself, how could a tiger fare well against that? She was fae, and a trained fae, the dangers of the average human just didn't apply to them. "I'm glad." She offered somewhat gently, sweeping her sticky hair off to one side and exhaling lightly. The air was a bother to breathe, thick and humid like most climates she had lived in. Reika took the comment in with a level stare which revealed nothing, though really the comment hadn't bothered her anyway. It wasn't the first time someone had made reference of her being interested in only fighting, she didn't present much more of herself beyond that after all.

"A fighter may do that. A warrior does not look for unnecessary conflict." She corrected idly, preferring not to be associated with some common joe-bob kickboxer or barfight champion. Her time spent honing her skills had made her proud in only that respect; she knew she deserved a title which accurately reflected who she was in battle. Although she would never demand it from another, a title was meant to be given and earned.

Her hand reached out almost automatically to grip the offered waterskin without much thought. Normally she didn't trust so lightly, but she'd seen the woman drink herself first, so it was fair to assume there was nothing laced in the water. She drank deeply for a moment before handing it back, stepping forward to take her own perch on the boulder alongside- but not too close to- the Fury.

"A Goblin Blade? I wouldn't have thought." It was safe to assume she hadn't gotten the humor and had taken the thought very literally. Had the woman seen many since the strange occurrence of the eclipse? She herself had seen nothing but monotone darkness and an unnerving quietness. It made her skin crawl, and could easily drive many fae into madness if it continued for too long. Night was comfortable to her, but she barely knew what night was anymore.

Reika's eyes had already found the woman's mantel when she'd accepted the waterskin back. Unseelie, though it didn't bother her the way it should have. Her 'Seelie morals' had seen brighter days, but then how could she hate a people on pure instinct that her sister was a part of? Her sister was a good person, so that should speak for the stupidity of the blind bigotry which ran rampant in both courts. Her own mantel would come in his own time, she could feel him closing in and wondered if he'd brought anything back from his search.

"I was seeking my sister." A slight darting of eyes displayed how strange she felt confessing her personal life to someone else, though she realized even that slight admission required a bit of explaining. "She is Unseelie." Which explained why her journey took her outside of the Seelie court, though not why she was currently here, alone. The name was not familiar to her, so Reika took it for the introduction that it was, completely unaware of what even that small gesture could mean for the other woman.

"I am Reika. Pleasure to meet you." She couldn't help her own curiosities the more she watched that... look in Alecto's eyes. "What brings you here?" It was a gentle way to start, but she didn't want to seem too suspicious. It wasn't really common for two fae of separate courts to have any sense of real kinship.

[Alecto]

There was something reassuring about Reika’s trust. Her acceptance of the waterskin, her new position beside her, even her corrections reminded Alecto that somehow, in spite of Alanor’s political climate, respect could be had based on one’s faerie dignity alone. She nodded to her as she moved, appreciating and understanding the difference between a fighter and a warrior. “There are many who have called themselves warriors and looked for just that, sadly. It is good to hear that worthy people also claim the moniker.” For herself, the Fury could not entirely say the same. She was taking on some of the stylings of a warrior now, in the Faerie realm, but on Earth she had been more of an assassin -- something vastly different. It had never been conflict she had sought; only death. Whether it had been unnecessary would likely depend on the judge.

“There is a ritual to summon the noble dead from their rest during an eclipse,” she affirmed with a slight gesture toward the heavens, little more than an extension of her already occupied fingers. “I dined with Prince Kobaalt only yesterday, and have heard rumors that Linden was spotted on your grounds. Though who summoned them remains a strange mystery,” to most, she might have added, but thought better of it. The dark prince she could have explained, in truth -- he had been called to unknowingly masquerade as her mate and the father of her traitorous offspring. Alecto had her suspicions about Linden as well, but they would have been impossible to prove, and to what end? Neither had incited a war against the opposing court, by the grace of Fate. And soon they would rest peacefully in their graves again. She took another sip.

The Fury’s fire-bright eyes settled on the other woman’s face as she confessed her purpose, their embers softening almost to a glow. So, this Seelie was a traitor too, and for the sake of family. Alecto doubted that the Red Queen would appreciate her warriors cavorting with the darkling throng, kin or no. She knew Cel had demanded a loosening of family ties from families within his own court in the past. It was striking, really, to see what high regard the regents had for themselves. How many could break their own bonds of blood, especially at a stranger’s behest? Not the noble, to be sure. Not a faerie you could trust.

“That must be difficult,” she noted, studying her with momentary intensity. Her mind provided a slideshow of faces, but none bore any resemblance to the woman before her -- if Alecto had met her sister, she had not known. “What is her name?” immediately she realized how her question could be misconstrued, and raised a hand to dismiss any suspicion that might arise. “I do not mean to pry, and only wonder if I have met her. I thought I knew every warrior at court.” Her words were an invitation for correction, though she did not wholly expect an answer. A faerie who guarded her blood, no matter how trusting she might seem, was unlikely to expose details that might endanger them.

Her smile reappeared as Reika introduced herself and posed her own question. How much could she divulge without risking her child’s life? “Open air, and solitude. Though your company is not unwelcome.” She brushed some dirt from her knees idly, eyes roving over the silent wood. “At times the politics at court quite overwhelm me.” It was the most explanation Alecto had -- even she was not entirely certain what had brought her to Exordium, though her choices were limited. Her last venture into the mists had left her without a taste for exploration, particularly since she knew what dangers lurked in those wastes. Segwyn was bad enough, and he had some semblance of nobility. The Fury shuddered to think what would happen if she encountered a Drow.