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Post by Xentus on Feb 12, 2020 15:43:01 GMT -6
The darkness didn't disturb him. Ominous laughter left him nonplussed. But the disappearance of his precious pet was what broke through the leopard's placid nature. Of all things in his care, his creatures were his most beloved. Even the thought of something happening to them was his weakness. Worst of all, he stood no chance against the mansion's whims. It felt as if the house was making it clear that he was a prisoner here after all. It chose the game that they played and all the rules that came with it. Xentus's increasing panic began to mix with agitation as his scour about the hallway for the ling-ling bear fruitless.
"Hiding..?", the leopard's gaze stared hard towards the knight as he turned to face them. It looked like his eyes pierced through the man, an unfocused glint still apparent through his scowl. An upturned palm gestured towards the remaining length of the hallway. It was plain to see there were very few hiding places here that wouldn't be made blatantly obvious from displaced objects shuffling or falling from the shelves. In an adage to that, the noodley serpent often chose shooting straight up into the air as its escape route over cowering in whatever cramped hole it could find. It wasn't hiding. Whatever happened had to be some kind of trick. This was the only explanation that he would accept. It was the only explanation that he could pass off and still claim he had no ability to prevent..
"Assist if you wish, knight. This one must find her", he muttered as turned away and started again down the carpeted hall. A growl bubbled in his throat, aimed at nothing aside from his feeling of helplessness. What could he even do? Moving forward aimlessly could end up getting him even further separated from his pet. But staying put offered no value either.
Feb - 18
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Post by Èdan on Feb 12, 2020 18:09:32 GMT -6
Many a person had been upset with him before and it tended to be as concerning to him as light rain on a sunny day - something to keep an eye on, but otherwise nothing to run under the shade for. The leopard's gaze, however, nails him to the spot. A sense of contention nearing exposure, the tension pluck-able like violin's strings. The knight remains still, warily watching the sudden shift of mood but resolute in neither leaving nor escalating it. What sweet irony, to find not just roses could grow thorns, after all.
The next words are measured carefully, slowly spoken to make sure each one lands just right, "I made a vow to keep you safe.. and this includes your company.. It shall be my duty to find your creature where ever it may have gone." The darkness, it went into the darkness. But that's not something he can simply say without a lick of explanation on how he'd know. And a simple human knight would not be able to. Instead, he says, "If it was the doing of this trick with the darkness, there may have been others in the room. The last sound I heard led towards the end of the hallway." He picks up pace to take step behind the leopard, feeling like perhaps standing beside him at present may not be good for anyone's health. "I suspect the owners of the voices may have taken the creature with them, as a test of our wills. They may expect us to be afraid. We must stay resolute and calm, or fall prey to their wishes."
. 20 . (counted)
February: 19
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Post by Xentus on Feb 12, 2020 20:27:51 GMT -6
Each second that passed increased his panic, agitation, and determination. Xentus chose a pace was fast, thought not quite a sprint. Running with nothing to directly chase after would be pointless. And keeping composed was difficult. The tip of his tail flicked out of tune with his step. The low growl persisted in his throat. It rumbled with each breath like some kind of perverse purr through grit teeth. It didn't take a knowledge person to tell that the feline was unhappy.
Even with his mind occluded by emotion, he still listened to whatever words the knight had to offer. A pointed eat flicked backwards to the catch their voice. Perhaps under different circumstances he would've been able to take some relief at the thought of help, but being subject to the whims of an unknown force drove him to ignore such comfort. And it almost made him angrier to consider the advice to calm. It was the right call of course, but that meant he had to be in control of his increasingly wild emotional state. Admittedly though, he had misplaced his aggression towards the knight. They weren't to blame for the event after all. Whether it was the result of their combined actions or pure happenstance, he didn't know. And it was that kind of uncertainty that fed into his aggravation further. His mind grasped at straws to explain and reason it all in some way as he pressed forward.
The leopard soon came upon the doors that capped the end of the hall. He had been staring at mahogany wood, eager to see what was kept beyond them. Was it too naive to hope to see his pet happily curled up atop a soft pillow? A clawed hand turned the knob, and he pushed the door open with a shoulder. It was as heavy, opening with a groan to reveal what seemed to be a library. Rows upon rows of bookshelves greeted his eyes, towering high up the raised ceiling. Xentus shrugged off the door and stepped in carefully. With complete aimlessness, he chose an aisle to wander, only hoping for some indicator of his lost pet.
Feb - 20
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Post by Renathan on Feb 12, 2020 20:31:05 GMT -6
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Post by Èdan on Feb 13, 2020 5:09:21 GMT -6
Right, not as helpful as he is hoping. The knight avoids making further chatter after that, letting the leopard be guided by whatever sense of vengeance was filling him at the moment (it had been worth a try). In his own mind, he has to wonder how on earth they would even fight something that was just 'shadow' to get the creature back, assuming it even would allow itself to be caught in the first place. A simple physical weapon might be laughable to it, but then, he didn't need to necessarily rely on just his own skills - at this point he could keep the leopard between himself and anything dangerous and it would probably turn out favourable. The mammalian had no weapon, sure, but burning fear-fuelled vengeance was a tool all on its own (and not entirely unfamiliar).
Breaking into the library, he pauses at the door beside the leopard, listening. It's deafly silent in the room, but there are plenty of aisles and rows to block sound from travelling. He almost raises a hand to motion for the leopard to take one side while he takes the other, only to realize the leopard is already gone. The eyes narrow a bit, close, he sighs and then turns towards the opposite rows of books, slowly and quietly making his way through them. Vengeance is all well and good, but recklessness and rushing into danger? Those are things to drag others down as well.
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Post by Xentus on Feb 16, 2020 8:23:42 GMT -6
There was little to no care for trap or trick, but the leopard did step with a slower gait to absorb the sheer scale of this library. The tall ceiling was met by equally tall book shelves, rows stretching further than what seemed necessary for someone's personal collection. The style of it all matched the new decor setting of the manor; elegantly carved wood lit by soft glowing lanterns on every aisle. It felt oddly homely? And yet, cold. The silence was only broken by his growl and footsteps, but even they felt very quiet in this room. A set of blue eyes flicked from row to row, searching for any kind of disturbance that might be some indicator of the lost ling-ling. So far, he had seen nothing but books upon endless books, neat and orderly upon the shelves. It only frustrated him further.
The leopard walked on, simmering in his own soup of emotions, until something intrudes upon it. A very faint pang of.. Curiosity? A wave of confusion passed him next, then a repeat of curiosity. The intrusive emotions were enough to pacify him. His precious pet had to be here... Somewhere. And presumably fine. But where? His blue eyes glance about the aisle, though there isn't much to see aside from much of the former.. Wait, was that a book on the floor? "Little ling?", he tentatively called out, disturbing the silence with something other than his growling. Sure, the creature didn't respond to her 'name', but it was always worth a try.
Somewhere else, the silvery white serpent bumbled about the library, attempting to climb the shelves, but only finding books to be too loose of a surface to grip. She made a mess, gave up her climb and tried again elsewhere, leaving a trail of books in her wake as she scampered about. What seemed to be a card was nestled in her lip-stick kiss-mark adorned jaws. It seemed like she was fine, pressing on fueled by wonderment of her new surroundings. Oh, what was over there? The reflection of herself drew her in to investigate a reading nook, dressed with a fine rug, a table, and lofty chairs. Cozy!
Feb - 22
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Post by Èdan on Feb 16, 2020 18:32:13 GMT -6
The City and its people with their creatures. It is an entirely different dynamic to what he has seen elsewhere. Sure, beasts of burden and farm existed in most all places, but dangerous things and especially powerful things such as dragons (and other assortments breathing fire) aren't generally considered a 'pet' in most places. He even knows places where such creatures had been explicitly and intentionally hunted to extinction because of that very same reason. And yet, here he was, sneaking down alleys of books while trying to keep his armour as quiet as possible, all to find one lost dragon.. And not even his dragon at that. Time had a sense of humour.
He turns a corner to switch over to another aisle, nearly stumbling on a book left laying in the middle of the floor. He pauses and picks it up, flipping the pages and inspecting the cover - blank, with more blankness inside. The eyes roll, as he places it back into the shelf (of course, so the mansion would tempt them so, after all). But in placing the book back, he spots another.. and then another.. and then another. The head tilts slowly and he sharpens his hearing - scrabbling, scratching, movement. Quickly he looks around to spot the leopard anywhere near, but seeing nothing but more books (probably still on the opposite side). A dilemma, then. Seek out the noises and face a shadow (and get snatched yourself)? Or seek the panther first for assistance (and lose the trail)?
The knight stands still in the aisle for several seconds. Then, the shoulders briefly slump, he sighs, and gathers himself to head towards the noise alone.
There will be favours to cash in for this. If he isn't snatched up first..
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Post by Xentus on Feb 16, 2020 20:40:29 GMT -6
No response.. As expected. The leopard sighed aloud, reminding himself again to take the time to teach the serpent some basic commands. His clawed hand reached out to take the book from the floor. Not too far from it did his eyes spy the empty slot where the book once resided. The dots connected. He flipped it open to a random page, but much like its exterior, it was blank. How odd. There was really no need to question the why or what for though. Nothing in this house made sense, after all. He simply raised his brow at it and returned it to its rightful place. Then, he continued down the aisle. Perhaps there were more? A trail? Which would hopefully lead somewhere.. To his pet? A trap? There was no way to be certain. But the hopes were it would be to the lost little ling. Thankfully, books on the floor was not as difficult a thing to look for. Xentus began following after few he found, and soon a faint feel of 'alert' passed over him. He perked up and surveyed his immediate surroundings, but there really wasn't much aside from the empty tomes. Now come to think of it.. The knight wasn't around either. He'd been too much in a huffed to notice.. Ah. Right. Resignation crept over him as he continued on.
Meanwhile; the ling-ling scampered up onto the table, scratching the wood and knocking a glass rose to the floor. It landed with a soft thump on the rug, the noise accompanied by a louder clank from the mirror tipping over. Caution and care was not her strong suit. A pair of wide, violet-y eyes peered curiously at the reflection beneath her. A soft chirrup emitted from the creature as it examined its new markings. Its face was stained with red lipstick, primarily around the cheek and muzzle. It seemed enamored with itself, until its attention is diverted by something else. A quick scramble under the coffee table it went, none too well hidden, but it seemed pleased with itself. Primed and ready to pounce..
Feb - 24
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Post by Èdan on Feb 17, 2020 5:30:56 GMT -6
What was it the panther keeps calling it.. Sling? Little ling? Close enough, he wagers. With a careful and quiet motion, he unlatches the faceplate of the helm and removes it, the better for the voice to carry unmuffled. "Little ling.." he more whispers at the air around the trail of books, the voice not one to exactly carry at the best of times, much less now with the intent to keep it more on the down-low. Now, under normal circumstances it would have been dumb to go about making your presence known - whoever (or whatever) did the snatching could very well still be around, and until they can parse out a reason for the dragon to have been taken, there is really no knowing what else said kidnappers could be planning.
But.. if anything, the dragon had shown itself to be.. very energetic. And easily startled. And the knight has had his feet attacked enough times in one day.
Rounding the aisle, he comes upon a space among the bookshelves, with a trail of semi-destruction and a table. The library itself is a general affair of dimness bordering on darkness in the corners, but that isn't something he has to concern himself with. The eyes search the space, piercing through the dimness with ease and finding they don't even really need to - the pale shape of a noodle underneath the table is visible even in this light. The knight slowly lowers himself into a crouch, placing the glaive flat on the ground and beckons with one hand, "Little ling.. come here.." At the back of his mind he realizes a second after that this hasn't necessarily worked with creatures in the past.
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Post by Renathan on Feb 18, 2020 2:55:23 GMT -6
Suddenly, you are struck with the intense urge to deliver a message of love! It takes some time for you to be able to gain your senses after trying to find someone to give this confession to, but it is soon enough gone as if it has never happened. Undoubtedly this could be embarrassing if anyone is around! At least your pet seems unaffected.
[Your next 5 posts yield no results.]
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Post by Xentus on Feb 18, 2020 7:34:22 GMT -6
Xentus took it upon himself to put away any dis-shelved books he happened upon while traversing the library. It was a quick enough task to do as he passed by the trail of them. Perhaps it was his way to make up for the few little trinkets he happened to fancy. All of the tomes were untitled and blank as far as he cared to check. Until he happened upon a rather peculiar thin notebook with a vibrant red cover. A cherub and some hearts were embossed on its surface, coupled with some weird looking runes he figured were funny filigree. Now, if there were one place someone decided to hide a book, a library would be fabulous choice. And if there was any lesson gleaned from previous oddities, it was that the house did not like its things being touched. But the distraught and distracted mind of the leopard failed to remember this. As soon as his clawed hand grazed the surface of the book, he felt a pulse course through him. Starting through his fingertip and running the length of his body to his tail.. The room seemed to turn rose-tinted in tandem, but perhaps it was only something seen through his own eyes. And.. For some uncontrollable reason, it was now the knight the he desired to seek. With a tightened throat and heavy gulp swallowed, the feline picked up a quickened pace to make his way between the bookshelves, leaving the tome behind.
Meanwhile. The ling-ling, primed and ready to go, launched forward in a faked pounce; rearing up and batting playfully at the knight's lowered hand. Whether or not this was it coming to the beckon or simply it being playful was hard to tell, but it likely was the latter. It seemed to take the knight as a plaything, oddly enough. The serpent chittered with glee and flopped onto its back with its little legs flailing in the air, looking like it was trying its best to impress someone with its cuteness.
Feb - 26
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Post by Èdan on Feb 18, 2020 7:56:59 GMT -6
The knight doesn't flinch this time, expecting something sudden and rash from the dragon and simply pulls his hand back with a solemn, "Hey, hey.. easy now, watch the fingers, you." Good, the dragon is out and reacquired, that completes step one of the rescue operation. Step two is to reunite dragon to owner.. who was here, somewhere. Sitting there with the noodle playfully sprawling about like an elongated cat (and about as fickle as one) he has to admit the thing carries some sense of endearment. "You put us through a lot of trouble, you know.." he grumbles, but does reach down to scratch the belly and let it nip and claw at the thick gloved hand.
Looking up at the table, the mess there is more than evident as well, and he stands to pick up a frame of something scattered to the ground. At first he imagines it to be a small mirror, but once flipped over, it becomes evident to be a picture frame instead. Empty, not surprising. He reaches to put it back when something.. changes. The hand pauses, then he lifts the frame back into view, staring at the face of something, someone, slowly swimming into focus (within a world of haze). There's no rose-coloured glasses to filter his view, but something pulls his attention to one of the scattered books on the floor (summer memories). To none but his eyes he sees.. strings.. finely woven webbing of gold-silver, drift from the pages of the book (sweetness). The man moves as if in a daze, picking up the book, running his hand across the cover almost tenderly (the shape of memories). The webbing moves and to his side, he hears a soft, melodic whisper of a familiar-yet-forgotten voice - The choice.
Èdan's head turns towards the empty aisle, towards the figment of something gold-silver disappearing just beyond the far corner and he begins to head straight for it, dragon and glaive gone from mind and memory.
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Post by Xentus on Feb 18, 2020 8:47:21 GMT -6
The world around Xentus seemed to swirl and warble before his very eyes. There was visual melody that played and reshaped the books and rows and shelves and light and so on. It was so rosey and pretty.. Whatever weighed on his mind felt lifted. His gait was light and free, prancing with the elegance of a deer. In reality though, he stumbled about and adjusted his footsteps with nearly every stride. Everything was so very warm and right. He could feel his face flushing along with a shy smile creeping up his muzzle. Most notably of all, was the throbbing in his chest. It inspired a sense of urgency. Desire. A feel not too unlike his natural rampant wanderlust, but amplified beyond control.
Now, where was he? No, not he himself; he had found himself looped back to the entry of the library. That man. The knight in shining armor. Where was he? The leopard would call out his name, but it was only at this point did he realize his failure to ask it. And somehow, that made the urge and desire strengthen. The pulsing in his chest ached. It urged him on, and so after a small moment of deliberation near the entryway, the leopard headed towards the wing of the library he hadn't yet wandered, rounding the aisle of bookshelves with a(n attempted) twirl.
Delighted to be pet and played with, the silvery white noodle almost took offense once it stopped. It felt so nice, especially coupled with these strange lovely waves stemming from her owner. Confused, it flipped back onto its feet, chirruping with a playful bow in its best effort to incite more playtime. But, to no avail. The serpent watched the distracted man curiously. Hey wait, where was he going? She wasn't done playing! Like an overgrown ferret, it bounded after the knight.
Feb - 28
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Post by Èdan on Feb 18, 2020 9:24:06 GMT -6
The man follows what he presumes to be a trace of memories given solid form, something uprooted from the depths, buried so deep as to seem forgotten (and yet clear to him as daylight once unearthed). There was a sweetness to it (a bitterness), a summer-like tang of scent and taste (a winter-esque bite of sour and cold). The world around grows hazier as the laced lines of silver and gold wind their way through the aisles and rows. Somewhere beyond the echo of the voice heard still repeating, enticing further. An entrance of an aisle becomes a doorway made from silver-gold strands. The bookcase-lined row becomes a corridor of a house (familiar and safe).
( The room (a black house) is summer-warm, the fire summer-bright. He knows (the noises outside), he feels (the thrumming on the door), but he hears (a voice). The choice, it says.
A pale figure stands opposite (in the room). Bright like summer, warm like summer. The floor a carpet, home (and safety). )
"I remember," the dazed man mutters and stops in his walk. ( Stay here, he feels himself say. ) "I remember.." A coldness starts within, chilling over the warmth. Remember what.. Remember who.. He glances down at the book in his hands, the picture frame placed over it. The face in the frame is hazy, the figure beginning to slowly fade. Somehow that seems sad, though he cannot place why. Somehow he begins to understand the figure is and remains out of reach. A dream once dreamt and forgotten, resurfacing only to fade once more. Slowly, the head rises to level on the pale shape at the end of the figment room ( The pale shape smiles (summer-sweet), the eyes soft but pained (bitter-sweet) ) and he makes the motion of a smile with no joy in it, "Not yet, I think.."
( Not yet. )
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Post by Xentus on Feb 18, 2020 10:40:08 GMT -6
Prancing and carefree, his fingertips grazed the wooden shelves as he passed by, fueled by a burning passion. What a wonderful feeling~ The leopard's misplaced steps and scratchings on fine wood were left unbeknownst to him in this strange, bewitched stupor. Past another one of these hall of books is where he finally spots them. That knight. The one he was longing for so deeply. They stood there, waiting for him! So perfectly placed there in the aisle. The throbbing within his chest threatened to pain him if he remained separated any longer. Xentus heard harmonic music teasing his ears and stars filled his eyes as he approached the man, ignoring the silvery white serpent that had excitedly come up to greet its master. A wave of dejection tried to pierce the thick veil of delusion of the leopard. The ling-ling would pout of it could as it watched as its owner stumble on. Wait. His ling-ling? Desire pulled him one way, while the creeping edge of reality began to take hold and pull him the other. What.. Was he doing? The knight, right. He'd lost the knight, and now they can be reunited..? No, that wasn't right. Was it? Where had his pet been? The darkness, then anger, and.. The mental turmoil is one that is not exactly one that passes in his thoughts, but rather his subconscious mind trying its best to snap him back into control of himself before he made a complete fool of himself.
It took but not a few moments for wayward steps to bring him before the knight. In the fleeting moments before his senses completely return to him, his arm reaches in attempt to caress the man's partly exposed cheek and his mouth slurs a phrase in the last second beyond his control,
"I looove you~"
Feb - 30
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