Korlian
Kitty Kat
Academy Freshman: Bound Fae
Close your eyes and surrender to your darkest dreams... Only then can you belong to me...
Posts: 942
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Post by Korlian on Jan 31, 2010 2:24:51 GMT -5
Korlian's head tilted to the side, then grinned widely at Conall. "Always with questions, little one. Curiosity is a dangerous thing." He grinned widely, "Just ask the cat."
He chuckled softly, moving to lean against a tree with his arms crossed as he had when he'd first met the man. Blond hair fell about his face, giving an innocent look to his otherwise mischievous expression.
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Conall
Ireth
Ding dong, the witch is dead~
"Please do as I say, or I'll rip your throat out. How does that sound?"
Posts: 576
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Post by Conall on Jan 31, 2010 2:31:17 GMT -5
Conall grinned to rival the Sidhe's. "Aye, but the cat came back when it was satisfied, did it not? 'Twasn't curiosity that killed me the first time." Foolishness, perhaps... blindness. But not curiosity. "In fact... a little more curiosity may have helped me to see what I was blind to." He spoke the last sentence only with great reluctance; it was obvious in his face.
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Korlian
Kitty Kat
Academy Freshman: Bound Fae
Close your eyes and surrender to your darkest dreams... Only then can you belong to me...
Posts: 942
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Post by Korlian on Jan 31, 2010 2:49:22 GMT -5
Korlian merely smiled, "And twas not satisfaction that brought thee back. Remember that as well, Conall."
His voice purred softly, his canines flashing a little. They were no match for Conall's, which continued to fascinate him. "But one does not expect those they trust to betray them..." he said softly, his face growing... almost sorrowful. He glanced at the moon with a sad, curious gaze. How was Lhachlhass?
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Conall
Ireth
Ding dong, the witch is dead~
"Please do as I say, or I'll rip your throat out. How does that sound?"
Posts: 576
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Post by Conall on Jan 31, 2010 3:02:29 GMT -5
"No," Conall murmured in reply. "Indeed they don't." He noticed the Sidhe's sorrowful expression... had Aimhirghin been betrayed as he had?
He sighed, following Aimhirghin's gaze to the moon for a moment. It hung lower in the sky now... dawn was fast approaching. He finished wringing, folding and re-packing the last of his clothes, then looked down at his ruined bagpipes. They'd be good for little more than kindling once they dried out.
He straightened and picked up his pack again, but did not shoulder it. He was uncertain of what to do, where to go from here... everything that mattered to him right now. Would he live wild in the woods like the Fae, perhaps, or find a home elsewhere, somewhere barren, where no humans lived? Aimhirghin might teach him the ways of the Fae, which were likely nearer to him now than the ways of mortals.
But he could not be certain, and he dared not ask. He had been helped enough already without having asked; to do so would be impertinent. Another trait the Sidhe had pointed out to him. Strange how it had not seemed to matter so much to him until one of the Fae had mentioned it.
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Korlian
Kitty Kat
Academy Freshman: Bound Fae
Close your eyes and surrender to your darkest dreams... Only then can you belong to me...
Posts: 942
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Post by Korlian on Feb 1, 2010 0:11:35 GMT -5
As the sky continued to grow lighter, Korlian shrugged and glanced around. As if he'd forgotten that Conall was even there, he turned and headed deeper into the forest. He started humming softly under his breath, a song somewhat haunting and yet rather intriguing. Pulling out his panpipes, he started playing it, the sound seeming almost to wrap around Conall and forcing him to follow the Fae.
Korlian paused for a moment at the path, then shrugged. The song changed, the compulsion vanished, and Korlian just leaned against a tree, still playing.
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Conall
Ireth
Ding dong, the witch is dead~
"Please do as I say, or I'll rip your throat out. How does that sound?"
Posts: 576
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Post by Conall on Feb 1, 2010 0:24:00 GMT -5
Conall blinked and started as Aimhirghin abruptly left without so much as a nod or farewell, then listened as a strange, haunting melody reached him through the trees. Something seemed to tug at his very heart, and he was drawn forward by the song like a dog on a leash, his pack still in his hands.
But suddenly the music changed, and the odd compulsion left him. He stood still for a moment, frowning, then shrugged and followed the path onward into the trees. He soon spotted Aimhirghin, leaning calmly against a tree some feet away, playing on a set of panpipes. He approached the Sidhe cautiously, his curiosity once again getting the better of him.
"What was that?" he asked. "That music?"
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Korlian
Kitty Kat
Academy Freshman: Bound Fae
Close your eyes and surrender to your darkest dreams... Only then can you belong to me...
Posts: 942
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Post by Korlian on Feb 1, 2010 0:35:09 GMT -5
Korlian looked at him, then laughed and started to play again. A deer came slowly, looking as though it felt the same way Conall had before. The song didn't change, but suddenly the deer looked at the two of them and bolted the other way. There was a light of amusement in the Sidhe's eye as he looked at the man, then put away his pipes. "Twas nothing," he said modestly, his voice full of amusement. "Thy pipes thou will have before the morrow. Fare thee well," he chuckled, then slipped into the trees and disappeared.
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Conall
Ireth
Ding dong, the witch is dead~
"Please do as I say, or I'll rip your throat out. How does that sound?"
Posts: 576
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Post by Conall on Feb 1, 2010 0:58:52 GMT -5
Conall had barely begun to thank Aimhirghin for his promise before the Sidhe vanished into the trees without a trace.
"Thank-- ...you," he said awkwardly to the empty twilight air.
Looking around him again, he slung his pack onto his shoulders, made sure he still had his sword, then realized he'd left his walking stick behind on the riverbank. He wasn't sure of the way back to retrieve it. At least he still had his sword, he thought to comfort himself. That would be of use against any Unseelie he might find... or who might find him.
Walking at a steady pace down the path, he began first to hum, then to sing to himself. He was a far better piper than a singer, he knew, but it gave him something to listen to other than his own thoughts or the nightly noises around him.
"As I was walking all alone, I heard two ravens cry and moan; The one unto the other did say oh, 'Where shall we go and dine today oh? Where shall we go and dine today?'
'Out beyond that old high dike, I ken there lies a murdered knight. And no one knows that he lies there oh, But his hawk and his hound and his lady fair oh...'"
He trailed off in mid-verse and shivered, falling silent. Maybe this wasn't the best song for him to be singing, alone and uneasy as he was. No one knew that he was here, except for Aimhirghin and the occasional bird or beast who took notice of him. Sighing, Conall trod the path before him in silence. Perhaps the daylight would lift his spirits, if any daylight came into this place.
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Korlian
Kitty Kat
Academy Freshman: Bound Fae
Close your eyes and surrender to your darkest dreams... Only then can you belong to me...
Posts: 942
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Post by Korlian on Feb 1, 2010 1:39:19 GMT -5
- - -
Stealing the bagpipes, even in broad daylight, had been child's play. He HAD left something of value behind in the instrument's place, mostly because he assumed Conall wouldn't accept them otherwise. The sun had set now, and Korlian found the... man, with ease, humming to himself again. "My promise is fulfilled. I heard the maker playing these before I purchased them, they are of very good quality."
He still technically owed the man his life, but... that debt was unlikely to be repaid in this man's... position. He held the bagpipes out carefully, though it was obvious he never really had learned how to properly hold them. At least he wasn't causing them damage.
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Conall
Ireth
Ding dong, the witch is dead~
"Please do as I say, or I'll rip your throat out. How does that sound?"
Posts: 576
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Post by Conall on Feb 1, 2010 1:54:07 GMT -5
Conall smiled and carefully took the pipes from Aimhirghin as the Sidhe held them out. "Thank ye very much, my lord." He admired them for a few moments before checking that the chanter and drones were tuned, tucking the bag under his arm and filling it with air.
He began to play a tune similar to the one he had been humming earlier. The notes wavered hauntingly in the air around them as Conall moved his hands dexterously up and down the length of the chanter. If there was one thing Conall prided himself on, it was his mastery of the pipes. He was a skilled piper by anyone's standards, and he enjoyed it greatly.
Finishing his tune, Conall smiled as he adjusted his hold slightly on the instrument. "A fine set of pipes indeed. I'll think of ye when I play them."
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Korlian
Kitty Kat
Academy Freshman: Bound Fae
Close your eyes and surrender to your darkest dreams... Only then can you belong to me...
Posts: 942
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Post by Korlian on Feb 1, 2010 2:07:26 GMT -5
Korlian just tilted his head to the side, then pulled out his panpipes and started to play softly, the sound still just as haunting as the night before, and seeming almost hollow, but strong. He smiled a little as he played, grey eyes watching the other closely. They narrowed a little, enhancing his feline appearance. The ring glinted on his finger, emerald gems turned silver by the moonlight.
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Conall
Ireth
Ding dong, the witch is dead~
"Please do as I say, or I'll rip your throat out. How does that sound?"
Posts: 576
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Post by Conall on Feb 1, 2010 2:21:08 GMT -5
Conall watched and listened in silence as Aimhirghin played his panpipes. The melody was quite eerie, as much as the night before. He couldn't help but shiver a little at the sound, as beautiful as it was.
"Those are lovely pipes ye have, yerself," he commented, watching them shine silver in the moonlight.
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Korlian
Kitty Kat
Academy Freshman: Bound Fae
Close your eyes and surrender to your darkest dreams... Only then can you belong to me...
Posts: 942
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Post by Korlian on Feb 1, 2010 2:31:16 GMT -5
"I would hope so, I made them," Korlian said cheerfully. He polished them carefully and put them away again, "So... at least as good as the ones thou had, yes?"
He grinned, "Because I have no idea."
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Conall
Ireth
Ding dong, the witch is dead~
"Please do as I say, or I'll rip your throat out. How does that sound?"
Posts: 576
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Post by Conall on Feb 1, 2010 2:55:44 GMT -5
Conall laughed and nodded. "Aye, every bit as good as them. My thanks again." He unslung his pack from his shoulders, carefully tucking the pipes away among his clothing before shouldering the pack again.
He looked around them, feeling an ache in the back of his mouth that could mean only one thing: his thirst -- and bloodlust -- was coming back with a vengeance.
Turning quickly away from Aimhirghin -- he had no idea what the blood of Fae would do to him if he were to dare drink it -- he moved a short distance down the path he was on, a predatory instinct rising in him. There were plenty of beasts in the wood, full of rich, hot blood for him to drink. It was all a matter of hunting them down.
He sniffed at the air, grinning and running his tongue over his lips. There was prey nearby. He could smell it: a doe, young and healthy. He slunk through the trees, creeping up on the deer, being careful to stay downwind. The doe hadn't noticed him. Good. He pounced, knocking the animal to the forest floor and pinning its thrashing legs underneath it, burying his fangs deep in its throat. The deer slowly went still as he drank deeply of its lifeblood.
Eventually lifting his head again, Conall licked a drop of blood from his chin as he climbed to his feet and turned away. The carrion birds would make short work of the carcass; no need for him to do anything more.
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Korlian
Kitty Kat
Academy Freshman: Bound Fae
Close your eyes and surrender to your darkest dreams... Only then can you belong to me...
Posts: 942
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Post by Korlian on Feb 1, 2010 13:42:45 GMT -5
Korlian followed Conall curiously, then grinned at him. "There was an easier way to do that," he purred, grinning. "Though, there is something.... visceral about hunting the normal way."
He lifted his pipes to his lips, the song similar to the one he played the night before. Several nightingales landed on his shoulders, though they flew away the moment he stopped playing. He grinned again, his canines flashing slightly. "Thou should find a better way to do that. Thou don't have to kill them... feed a little more often, but not as much... Thou waste so much blood that way," he said softly, still grinning.
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Conall
Ireth
Ding dong, the witch is dead~
"Please do as I say, or I'll rip your throat out. How does that sound?"
Posts: 576
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Post by Conall on Feb 1, 2010 13:50:57 GMT -5
Conall watched with interest as the nightingales flocked down to perch on Aimhirghin's shoulders as he played his panpipes. If I had an instrument like that, I wouldn't need to waste energy hunting... I could just summon my prey to me.
He nodded in response to the Sidhe's advice. "Aye... there's likely a better way to go about it. It's difficult to stop once I start drinking, though I imagine I could learn to control myself with time. I have all the time in the world," he said with a mirthless laugh.
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Korlian
Kitty Kat
Academy Freshman: Bound Fae
Close your eyes and surrender to your darkest dreams... Only then can you belong to me...
Posts: 942
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Post by Korlian on Feb 1, 2010 14:04:09 GMT -5
"Eternity is not as long as thou might think," Korlian said softly, grinning again. His eyes glittered slightly. "And control... well, if thou did not wait until thou were suffering raging thirst, thou might be better able."
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Conall
Ireth
Ding dong, the witch is dead~
"Please do as I say, or I'll rip your throat out. How does that sound?"
Posts: 576
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Post by Conall on Feb 1, 2010 14:13:41 GMT -5
Conall laughed again, this time with a hint of amusement. "Aye, fair point. I'll have to change that."
His eyes grew distant, thoughtful. Eternity as a blood-drinking creature might not be as terrible as it seemed... he could live on the blood of animals, easily. He didn't have to put any humans in danger. He would learn to survive in the wild. But alone? The thought unnerved him, deeply so.
In his old life he had always been surrounded by kith and kin, people who were like him. He had lost his only love, his mate -- it was because of his actions toward her that he now faced this strange half-life. Now he was in self-imposed exile, dead to the world, with no similar creature to share eternity with. There were the Fae, of course... but they were above him and everyone. They had no reason to even care about his existence, outside of sheer curiosity.
Unsettled, Conall began pacing back and forth, his eyes on the ground. Then he stopped abruptly and leaned with his back against the nearest tree, digging his fingers into the rough bark and looking straight ahead of him, his eyes despondent. A soft sigh escaped him, but he spoke not another word, lost in his own thoughts.
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Korlian
Kitty Kat
Academy Freshman: Bound Fae
Close your eyes and surrender to your darkest dreams... Only then can you belong to me...
Posts: 942
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Post by Korlian on Feb 2, 2010 0:47:48 GMT -5
"Such a heavy sigh," Korlian teased. "And whatever did the tree ever do to thee? What lingers in thy mind, to make thee so despairing?"
He circled the man again, with the almost predatory look he had the first night they had met.
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Conall
Ireth
Ding dong, the witch is dead~
"Please do as I say, or I'll rip your throat out. How does that sound?"
Posts: 576
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Post by Conall on Feb 2, 2010 1:00:46 GMT -5
Conall followed the Sidhe with his eyes as much as he was able. "The loss of a wife and sons, a home, and the life I knew. I haven't even a name for the manner of creature I've become. And I am to live out this cursed half-life alone, with no one to share in my sorrow, or bring me any respite from it. I would not wish this fate on anyone. Except, perhaps, one man."
He moved away from the tree, brushing bits of wood from his fingertips. Suddenly he clenched his hands into fists. "'Twas madness that brought me to this end -- madness brought by the fruits of betrayal. All for the love of a woman. What fate did Morrigan cast upon Dàire, I wonder? A fitting end, I hope." He laughed darkly. "He can have Aerona now, as he wanted. What remains of her."
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Korlian
Kitty Kat
Academy Freshman: Bound Fae
Close your eyes and surrender to your darkest dreams... Only then can you belong to me...
Posts: 942
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Post by Korlian on Feb 2, 2010 1:23:23 GMT -5
"Aye... Love is a dangerous thing. As is lust, which prompted thy betrayer," Korlian said, his expression suddenly serious. "Thou still has a body, and a body can be destroyed. The true kiss of eternity is not outside thy reach."
He touched the tree Conall had clawed gently. He'd murdered men for less, but this tree was unharmed, so he did not care. Not this time. Perhaps this man provoked sympathy from him... which alone irritated him. A weakness for a creature he'd met on impulse, and saved from a mistake for much the same reason. That and he'd wanted his ring back.
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Conall
Ireth
Ding dong, the witch is dead~
"Please do as I say, or I'll rip your throat out. How does that sound?"
Posts: 576
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Post by Conall on Feb 2, 2010 1:39:31 GMT -5
Conall frowned at Aimhirghin's words, slowly unclenching his hands. "'The true kiss of eternity'? What do ye mean by that?"
The words made him, if possible, even more unsettled. It sounded almost like a threat. He narrowed his eyes slightly, watching the Sidhe warily. He knew Aimhirghin had little reason -- outside of sheer curiosity -- to even keep him alive. It was lucky Aimhirghin seemed to take such an interest in him.
Then again... Conall had saved the Fae's life. That debt still stood unpaid. He took some comfort from that. But when, or if, the debt was paid, he might well need to be on his guard. He could have been killed that first night here in the wood. But Fate, it seemed, had kept him alive for some other strange design.
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Korlian
Kitty Kat
Academy Freshman: Bound Fae
Close your eyes and surrender to your darkest dreams... Only then can you belong to me...
Posts: 942
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Post by Korlian on Feb 2, 2010 2:00:18 GMT -5
"I mean even suicide might not be outside thy power," Korlian shrugged. He stayed back a little, noticing how nervous Conall looked. Shrugging again, he glanced at the moon.
"Well, fare thee well. The night grows old, and I have more mischief planned," he grinned, patting Conall lightly on the shoulder. Still grinning, he gave Conall a little wave and disappeared into the shadows.
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Conall
Ireth
Ding dong, the witch is dead~
"Please do as I say, or I'll rip your throat out. How does that sound?"
Posts: 576
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Post by Conall on Feb 2, 2010 2:26:57 GMT -5
Conall sighed as Aimhirghin vanished again, and wondered what the Sidhe was up to. The pat on his shoulder had tipped Conall off that there was mischief being planned. Glancing around him once more, he shrugged and continued on down his path, wherever it would lead him.
- - -
The hours passed slowly as the night wore on around him. Conall knew he should probably stop to get some rest, but sleep would be hard to come by in such a sinister place as this was. How he had managed to stay awake this long was beyond him; perhaps it too was a part of his curse.
He pushed his hair out of his face, then looked down at the back of his hand, which was glistening darkly with the same substance that had been coming off of his skin after his fight with the redcap. Ugh. He quickened his pace, listening for any sign of water nearby. He needed to wash again, and find a way to keep from ruining more of his clothes.
The sound of running water reached him, and he headed in that direction warily, one hand on his sword. He did not want a repeat of the redcap incident. Coming slowly down to the riverbank, he saw no redcap, much to his relief, nor any other creature.
He cast a wary eye upon the water as he shrugged off his pack and set it down, along with his cloak and sword. Pulling off his leine and laying it down next to his belongings, he stepped into the cold water, staying near the bank to keep his only weapon close to hand as he bathed. The water around him soon grew murky with the grime he washed off of himself.
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Korlian
Kitty Kat
Academy Freshman: Bound Fae
Close your eyes and surrender to your darkest dreams... Only then can you belong to me...
Posts: 942
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Post by Korlian on Feb 2, 2010 12:06:01 GMT -5
Cold hands wrapped tightly around his throat, a voice hissing in his ear, "And what do you think you're doing, fouling my water?"
The hands forced him under water, holding him tightly by the throat.
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