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 Jul 27, 2009 23:41:47 GMT -5
Conall sat alone in the faculty lounge, long after everyone else had gone to bed. He stirred the embers of the dying fire, pulling his hand back sharply as the sparks flew up. He settled back down on the couch and watched the flames in silence.
Fire... how strange it was that this one thing could invoke both fear and fascination in him. It seemed to dance, almost seductively, but at the same time spat sparks of wrath. The cleansing flames of God's furnace and the infernal blaze of Hades were one and the same in substance, utterly different in essence. One of the universe's many eternal paradoxes.
A spark leapt out daringly and landed on his knee; he hissed and swatted it away, shifting back into the shadows. His other hand brushed the object of cloth and wood that lay beside him.
Ah, yes. His bagpipes.
He picked them up, and the firelight played upon the chanter and four drones, tinging the black wood with red. With a deep breath he filled the black cloth bag, tucking it gently under his arm and wrapping his fingers around the custom-made chanter. It was unique in that it sported eight finger-holes rather than the standard seven. He hadn't played with the eighth hole in a long, long time.
He put the chanter to his lips and began to play a slow, haunting, beautiful melody, the wavering notes echoing out into the darkness beyond the firelight. He closed his eyes, not needing to see to know what he was playing. He knew these bagpipes like he knew his own hands, and they were nearly as old. A smile rested on his lips as the worries of the day faded little by little with every note.
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Elliestraaeln Evans-Barros
Keme
Beloved School Healer
So many things I'd say if only I were able; but I just keep quiet.
Posts: 503
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Post by Elliestraaeln Evans-Barros on Jul 27, 2009 23:55:49 GMT -5
It was very late. Ellie knew that by staying up she was going to be hard-pressed to make it through the next day-- but she had heard the music in her room, and decided to investigate. It certainly seemed to be coming from the faculty lounge. That became increasingly evident as she walked closer to the door, running her fingers absentmindedly along the length of the braid in which she had bound back her hair.
She peeked in, leaning against the doorframe with her arms crossed. She had never heard bagpipes before-- it looked like such a strange instrument...
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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 Jul 28, 2009 0:08:29 GMT -5
Conall sat with his back to the door, still playing steadily on his pipes. Without missing a beat, he inhaled through his nose. The scent of curiosity drifted into his nostrils from behind him. He stopped playing, turning his head and seeing the silhouetted figure in the doorway.
"You're entirely welcome to come in," he remarked, laying his bagpipes down. "There's something to be said against lurking in doorways."
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Elliestraaeln Evans-Barros
Keme
Beloved School Healer
So many things I'd say if only I were able; but I just keep quiet.
Posts: 503
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Post by Elliestraaeln Evans-Barros on Jul 31, 2009 13:20:42 GMT -5
Ellie's eyebrows rose and her mouth slowly curled into a grin. "I'm sorry," she said, walking fully into the room. She took a seat on the end of a couch further from the fireplace. "I've never heard bagpipes before... I didn't recognize the sound when I heard it and came to investigate."
She folded her legs neatly and laced her fingers together over the higher knee. "I hope I'm not interrupting-- really, I can leave if you want, Professor Conall."
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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 Jul 31, 2009 13:28:33 GMT -5
"Not at all," Conall smiled as Ellie took a seat near him. "You're up awfully late. I hope I didn't wake you..."
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Elliestraaeln Evans-Barros
Keme
Beloved School Healer
So many things I'd say if only I were able; but I just keep quiet.
Posts: 503
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Post by Elliestraaeln Evans-Barros on Jul 31, 2009 14:07:59 GMT -5
Ellie flapped one hand in the air. "Oh, no. I was awake anyway... That's probably why I even heard the music in the first place." She tucked a stray strand of her behind her ear. "Where... did you learn to play those? Or, when, rather?"
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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 Jul 31, 2009 14:13:24 GMT -5
"Scotland, in the ninth century," Conall answered, running his hands over the smooth, dark wood of the drones which lay across his lap. "I had these made after I was sired, to my specifications. They were something of a legend among vampires for a while... it seemed everyone had a different story about where they came from and what they're made of. Each was more ghastly than the last."
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Elliestraaeln Evans-Barros
Keme
Beloved School Healer
So many things I'd say if only I were able; but I just keep quiet.
Posts: 503
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Post by Elliestraaeln Evans-Barros on Jul 31, 2009 14:27:17 GMT -5
Ellie looked at him and shrugged. "And what might some of these ghastly stories be?" she asked. "I'm curious."
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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 Jul 31, 2009 14:39:39 GMT -5
Conall grinned, his fangs glinting in the firelight. "Some say the cloth comes from the burial shroud of the man who betrayed me to my death, and the wood comes from the tree he was hanged on. Others say they're made from the bones of that same man, coupled with cloth made from his woven hair."
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Elliestraaeln Evans-Barros
Keme
Beloved School Healer
So many things I'd say if only I were able; but I just keep quiet.
Posts: 503
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Post by Elliestraaeln Evans-Barros on Jul 31, 2009 14:49:17 GMT -5
Up went Ellie's eyebrows again. "Are there any versions that are true?"
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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 Jul 31, 2009 14:58:36 GMT -5
A low laugh issued from Conall's throat. "The truth, I'm almost sorry to say, is nothing so macabre. Simple yew wood and dyed cloth, that's all... at least at first," he murmured under his breath.
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Elliestraaeln Evans-Barros
Keme
Beloved School Healer
So many things I'd say if only I were able; but I just keep quiet.
Posts: 503
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Post by Elliestraaeln Evans-Barros on Jul 31, 2009 15:00:39 GMT -5
Ellie heard it.
"At first?" She crossed her arms. "How did it change?" The thought crossed her mind that she should have learned by now not to ask, but she ignored it.
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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 Jul 31, 2009 15:05:26 GMT -5
Conall glanced sideways at her. "I had these pipes enchanted once they were completed. At one time there was a matched pair--one set of smallpipes, and this full-sized set. I gained quite a bit of notoriety among Scottish humans and vampires alike with the use of both of them. Unfortunately, the smaller set was stolen from me in the early fourteenth century, and I have been unable to reclaim them. Still..." He smiled to himself. "Perhaps these pipes work just as well as the others did, if your timely arrival here is any proof."
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Elliestraaeln Evans-Barros
Keme
Beloved School Healer
So many things I'd say if only I were able; but I just keep quiet.
Posts: 503
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Post by Elliestraaeln Evans-Barros on Jul 31, 2009 15:08:40 GMT -5
Ellie nodded. "So, those pipes," she indicated the set he held with her chin, "they summon things," she guessed. She wondered what the other set did. It was time, she felt, to listen to the nudging at the back of her mind, and not ask.
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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 Jul 31, 2009 15:15:12 GMT -5
Conall shook his head. "The other set had that power. But, as I said, they're lost to me. These pipes have a different magic altogether."
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Elliestraaeln Evans-Barros
Keme
Beloved School Healer
So many things I'd say if only I were able; but I just keep quiet.
Posts: 503
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Post by Elliestraaeln Evans-Barros on Jul 31, 2009 15:21:06 GMT -5
Ellie felt a mild chill go down her spine. She wasn't particularly frightened... some quality in Conall's voice made her uneasy. "And what do these pipes do?"
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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 Jul 31, 2009 15:24:51 GMT -5
Conall shifted closer to Ellie, out of the firelight. "These I use to get others to do what I want them to do."
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Elliestraaeln Evans-Barros
Keme
Beloved School Healer
So many things I'd say if only I were able; but I just keep quiet.
Posts: 503
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Post by Elliestraaeln Evans-Barros on Jul 31, 2009 15:38:20 GMT -5
Ellie frowned and craned away, standing up. So much for her image of Conall as a gentleman. She didn't appreciate his implications at all.
"I think I'll go now," she said as she turned and headed to the doorway.
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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 Jul 31, 2009 15:51:00 GMT -5
"Oh, won't you stay?" Conall stood up quickly and took Ellie's shoulder. "Just for a little while?" He pulled her gently back toward him, taking her waist in his other hand. "I do get terribly lonely when the nights start to grow longer..." His hand shifted slightly, fingers inching up her side, and his fangs glinted in the light of the dying fire as he smiled beguilingly.
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Elliestraaeln Evans-Barros
Keme
Beloved School Healer
So many things I'd say if only I were able; but I just keep quiet.
Posts: 503
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Post by Elliestraaeln Evans-Barros on Jul 31, 2009 16:05:04 GMT -5
Ellie's eyes narrowed. She tried to pull away from him-- but no, of course he would be stronger than her. She let anger build up inside her and willed it to concentrate into her hand. That hand was swiped across Conall's temple with as much force as Ellie could muster.
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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 Jul 31, 2009 17:28:10 GMT -5
Conall staggered sidways as Ellie's hand slammed into the side of his head. He didn't even have time to gasp in pain; he was comatose before he hit the couch.
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Elliestraaeln Evans-Barros
Keme
Beloved School Healer
So many things I'd say if only I were able; but I just keep quiet.
Posts: 503
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Post by Elliestraaeln Evans-Barros on Jul 31, 2009 17:35:24 GMT -5
Ellie brought both hands to her mouth in surprise. She hadn't put someone to sleep in a long while...
"Oh dear..." She approached the unconscious man tentatively. Really, caution was the least of her worries at the moment-- she knew for a fact that Conall would not be waking up any time soon. Not within the next few hours, at least.
She checked his breathing. Faint, but steady. His brainwaves were next. They resembled NREM waves. Ellie sighed. She'd no idea just how much she had put behind that slap as far as her powers were concerned. Conall had been thrown head-first into a comatose state.
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Post by Smoke on Jul 31, 2009 20:38:10 GMT -5
Michael had finally decided to go to sleep, and so Smoke had finished off the movie and decided to go find a snack. Why he wanted to head to the faculty kitchen rather than his own wasn't obvious, but he didn't tend to question this sort of thing. It was usually more fun just to go along with it.
He headed into the lounge to get to the kitchen and saw Ellie over by the couch.
"Hey there, you're a-" also Conall. "-oh shit. What happened?" His face immediately went from cheerful to serious.
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Elliestraaeln Evans-Barros
Keme
Beloved School Healer
So many things I'd say if only I were able; but I just keep quiet.
Posts: 503
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Post by Elliestraaeln Evans-Barros on Jul 31, 2009 20:49:07 GMT -5
Ellie blinked and crossed her arms. "I... put him to sleep." She looked at Smoke with wide eyes. "He...ah, well, my reaction kicked in before i could really stop it. I can truthfully say that I don't feel bad about it, though."
She glanced back down at the unconscious professor and sighed.
"I'd appreciate it if you'd help me drag him to the sick bay. I can't very well leave him here."
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Post by Smoke on Jul 31, 2009 21:34:09 GMT -5
He looked at Ellie, then down at Conall. "Okay. But you're going to explain what he did, I hope?" He considered for a moment what that might be. "Well, to somebody, if not me."
"You want front end or back end?"
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