Knight x Monstergirl IC (Traveller's Guide x :Cosmic:)

[:Cosmic:]

|| OOC ||​

So far, it had been quite a normal day. Only one person had died, which was somewhat of a relief to Lilith. Sophia Jane, she remembered the woman's name being. She thought it was a pretty name, and as the Dullahan meandered through the forest tiredly, she came across a rabbit. After they had shared a moment of staring at each other blankly, Lily smiled slightly and picked it up. "Sophia Jane." She repeated the woman's name in her soft, raspy voice, deciding that would be the rabbit's name. Its little pink nose twitched and it lifted its head up to the sky, as if approving the name it had been given.

Heading off now with Sophia Jane, Lilith hummed quietly. The sun was setting and it was peaceful in the forest. Suddenly, as she was distracted by the birds fluttering about in the trees, the female stumbled over a rock. Her head had flown off of her neck, now some distance away. "Oh, no." Lily said in a monotone voice, looking at her body which was standing a few feet away from her. "This way!" She called to it, glancing at Sophia Jane. Her body began to walk on it's own towards the sound of Lilith's voice.

Once it reached her, Lily's head was picked up and put under her arm. She looked over at Sophia Jane, who was staring at the head curiously, and chuckled. Something that looked like white smoke was coming from the body's neck, but it didn't seem to bother anything. Lilith's body just kept walking.

 

[Traveller's Guide]

Once upon a time...

The rustling of leaves, the tearing of nutritious soil, plated boots pacing forth the statuesque steel-encased figure that fulfilled each motion with just the right amount of energy, allowing for no waste. A knight was marching through the forest.

A melodious plucking of strings intoned, originating from a withered violin held in the knight's grasp. A jarring sight, such a fragile, weather-worn instrument clutched in plated claws, while the other hand rythmically worked the fiddle's bow. It was a simple melody, the knight's sole companion on his lone walk.

So it was that the knight came upon a blue-skinned figure, ethereal fog emanating from a headless neck, while a visage peeked up from the grasp of her arm.

The knight's melody stopped. With his helmeted gaze, Helbronn incredulousely inspected the picture before him, of a female humanoid dressed in black and carrying her own head in her hand. The knight, frozen in the motion of operating the fiddlestick with the violin pressed to the crook of his armored neck, asked "Why is your head not on your shoulders?"

 

[:Cosmic:]

The being had stopped abruptly as she heard the crunching of leaves and a noncomplex tune, which sounded like it was coming from a violin, but Lilith couldn't be sure as she didn't have very much experience with instruments. Her body turned to face the knight that had come across her. Sophia Jane jumped out of her arms, but didn't go far. Lilith stared at the knight blankly, pausing for what seemed to be a long time after he had questioned her.

"I don't want to re-attach it at the moment." The Dullahan replied in her soft, ghostly voice. Her expression hadn't changed; she still looked tired and eerie, but then again she always did.

"Why have you come here, into my place of peace? Do you have some sort of death wish?" Lily's voice remained even. She took a few steps forward, her eyes drilling through the man who was covered in metal from head to toe. "And what are you holding? And why?"

 

[Traveller's Guide]

Quest!

The knight remained frozen in place, helmeted gaze staring down at the Dullahan "Maiden, I know not where I am going till I get there. I have no desire for death. I simply march." he tilted his head, unseen view shifting onto the girl's detached visage "What place this is I can not tell, for all places are alike to me."

"As to what I am holding..." The knight presented the instrument in his claw-like hand. An old, withered thing, wood well-worn through years and weather, but obviousely kept intact through effort and dedication. But beyond the signs of age, it was nothing beyond mediocre. "... a violin, a fiddle, gifted to me by a thankful soul for past service rendered." He paused for a moment, steel-veiled stare slowly swerving back onto the wooden construct in his claw "... I hold it, because I play it. I play it, because I am bored."

Throughout the entire 'conversation', the knight's voice never wavered from its harsh tone, even though he exhibited no malice either.

He lowered his violin "I apologize if I intrude, maiden. I am Helbronn, knight-errant of the Lady. If I offended you, then I must atone." he tilted his helmeted head, straightening his form as if to puff out his chest "I can save any feline creature from any tree and I can slay any dragon. Give me a quest, maiden, for whatever you require!"

 

[:Cosmic:]

It seemed as if Lilith wasn't paying much attention to Helbronn as he spoke. Her eyes looked heavy and her brows were furrowed slightly, as if she was irritated. But, in reality, she wasn't at all. Her resting face was quite misleading.

The Dullahan nodded to herself as the knight confirmed her thoughts that he had been playing a violin. "You are... forgiven, Helbronn." Lilith replied, not knowing how to 'properly' react as she had never experienced intrusion. "Well, now that you've given me your name, I suppose I might as well give you mine. It's Lilith, Lilith Gallagher."

Lilith fixed her head back onto her neck, stopping the smoke that had been constantly rising. She paused briefly. "Find my rabbit then, if you want a quest. My little brown rabbit, which I was holding minutes ago." Sophia Jane shouldn't have been very far away, but Lily had no idea about what other quest he could be given. That, and she was too lazy to look for the dusty-furred rodent herself.

 

[Traveller's Guide]

Quest accepted!

"Then this I shall do, maiden Lillith!" The knight called, before striking an exact ninety-degree turn and running off into the woods. The rustling of leaves, tearing of twigs and heavy boot-steps ceased quickly as the armored form went in pursuit of his quarrel. From the direction of his chase, veiled by the forest, Lillith would hear the sounds of wood splintering, cracking and pounding of earth, the crushing of stone and the impact of heavy metal.

After several minutes, the sounds abruptly ceased, allowing for the quiet of the parish to once again reign. With the sounds of heavy steel-boots heralding his return, the knight strode from the foliage, armor covered in dirt and sporting several small dents. In his claw, he grasped the furred form of the recently-christened Sophia Jane, sharp-tipped fingers awkwardly gripping the rabbit around the rib-cage in what seemed an uncomfortable hold, though the animal bore no wounds of any sort.

"Maiden Lillith, I have returned. I bring you the rodent-beast." the knight stated the obvious as he approached Lillith, stretching out one arm to offer her the rabbit. The creature was wide-eyed, ears held close to the head, all signs of having suffered a minor shock and it was all too eager to get away from the steel-clad figure.

The knight, for his part, seemed unmoved as he simply stared down at the Dullahan, just like before. Now only with more grime clinging to his armor.

"Say, Maiden, have you seen the Lady by any chance? It is my Quest to find my Lady!"

 

[:Cosmic:]

Lilith waited silently for Helbronn to return with Sophia Jane, looking off in the direction of the snapping wood. She still held the same dreary expression. A few crows cawed in the trees, as if holding conversation with each other, before flying off to other areas.

"Oh, thank you." the Dullahan said plainly, carefully taking the rabbit back. She gently stroked the top of Sophia Jane's head with one finger, attempting to calm the small animal.

"I haven't seen anyone for a long time. What is her name? Could she have died?" Lilith tilted her head to the right slightly. Finally, her expression changed to one that was more questioning.

 

[Traveller's Guide]

Dreams do not die.

"The Lady can not die." the knight spoke as if it was the most natural thing in the world "Just as the stars can not lapse, just as the skies can not fall." His stature betrayed no doubt, the armored frame remained in place without the slightest movement "Her hallowed name I can not tell, for a knight without Lady can not bear Her name."

The knight raised a claw-like hand, opening the sharp-tipped fingers to show an empty hand covered by plate as his gaze shifted upwards as if addressing some sort of celestial "I know only, She is the fairest of them all, the wisest under the sky, the brightest in the sun, the bravest in the dark." With a light snap, the knight's helmeted head craned down to look at Lillith again "Have you seen Her ever in your time?"

 

[:Cosmic:]

Lilith blinked at him, the dull expression she had worn previously returning. "That isn't much of a description." The Dullahan answered dryly, shifting her weight to the right and tilting her head as she watched him.

Still gently stroking Sophia Jane, the creature shrugged. "In any case, I don't think I've ever come across someone so... great. Ever." Lilith didn't know how else to describe this lady Helbronn was looking for. "She your wife or something?"

 

[Traveller's Guide]

Search. Always search.

The knight's helmeted head tilted from side to side in jerky motions, as if to try and make sense of Lillith's question. After several moments he finally settled on "I am not bound to the Lady by oaths of marriage. A knight must love, pure and chaste from afar." A feeling of dejection, the knight's shoulders slumped slightly "I can not describe Her more accurately. The Lady is the Lady, and a knight must search for the Lady."

Silence reigned for several moments, the knight looking forlorn at the ground. Slowly he leveled his gaze at Lillith again, his voice taking on a melancholic tone "Say, maiden. Why are you here alone? Woodland-critters aside, should you not frolick with your peers? Enjoy jolly cooperation with like-minded individuals?"

 

[:Cosmic:]

Lilith sighed, shaking her head at the knight's response. "Oookay then..." She thought right then to just leave, but then realized Helbronn might just end up curiously following her. Lily stayed put instead, listening to the knight's following question.

"Peers? No one wants to be around me. I bring death." The Dullahan said casually, shrugging her shoulders as if it were no big deal. "Why? Does it bother you that I'm alone? It doesn't bother me."

 

[Traveller's Guide]

Grasp...

"It does bother me if it does not bother you, as I seek to grasp: Why does it not bother you to be alone?" The knight asked innocuousely "I have been walking the Long March for so long, and after decades I have decided I dislike being alone. To go without ever succeeding, without ever changing, how would that not be bothersome?" Helbronn's steel-veiled gaze wavered slightly in uncertainty. Whether his latter-most question was directed towards Lillith or himself was for the listener to decide.

With that same innocous tone as before, the knight questioned: "Are you happy being alone?"

 

[:Cosmic:]

Lilith thought for a long moment, staring up at Helbronn. Though her resting face was already quite miserable, her features seemed to carry even more sadness when he asked those questions.

"Well... no, I don't like being alone." The Dullahan replied, shrugging and looking towards the ground. "But it seems most would rather be alone than with me, and therefore I have no company."

 

[Traveller's Guide]

Lone...

"I am not adept at categorising social approachability, but besides your skin coloration and voluntary detaching of the own cranium, I believe your facial features are well-grown. Your high-set cheekbones give you a noble appearance, though you carry apathy as an expression. The tautness of your frame is well-balanced, giving way to the assumption that you are a healthy individual without lasting damage to your nervous system." The knight looked the Dullahan up and down, apparently having little superficial qualms as he inspected her body from afar.

"You bear a beauty in bleakness. But you appear resigned. Tired." Helbronn concluded "What are you that you think you should be alone?"