B
Boss Frost
Guest
Original poster
The Beasts of Civilization
Rinaldia After Dark
Rinaldia After Dark
The castle bell shook the tower it was in nine times. The sun had set an hour ago, and darkness blanketed the kingdom. The merchants, the farmers, and the other men and women who worked every day were in bed, or getting ready for bed.
The shadows moved below - it was now time for the nocturnal men and women to make their business. Weasels and rats, mice and bats, raccoons and cats... all came out of their nooks and crannies, ready to make light of the darkness.
Even the children knew - the real fun started after the sun went down.
The castle's black material loomed like some silent monstrosity ready to pounce on the small white houses of the village below. Carved from an inert volcano, the obsidian walls and oddly warm interior gave many a spooky feeling, which was it's intention. The spires of the caste twisted in obscene ways and otherworldly angles... a multitude of claws from the beast.
The air was thick and warm - a summer night. It had rained the previous night, and it had caused a muggy atmosphere to fall over the kingdom. The moon shone in it's full intensity, the wisps of gray clouds occasionally swept across it... that, or those that hunted in the night sky.
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One such individual had been awake for a while, hiding from the sun until it was fully safe to come down. Raised below ground, in the company of sun-fearing undead, had made him very nervous about the sunlight... enough that he figured that it would, indeed, kill him if he was caught directly in it.
Touching the warm stone by his window, he poked his head out... smiling and unlatching the hinge, allowing him to walk out onto the deck, arms positioned behind him as he looked up at the night sky... comforted, eyelids drooping serenely.
Shirtless to provide comfort in the castle's sweltering daylight heat, his ribcage and concave belly visible under tightly-stretched flesh - though he had attempted to bulk up or at least gain some weight, it was incredibly hard for a Repense to do. He took some solace in having broad shoulders and moderate arms - but that was merely an effect of his flight.
He places on hand in the pocket of his black pants, sighing softly. He doesn't bother glancing over his shoulder, stating aloud, "Azhka... vill oo be so kind as to breeng me my telescope... an' a glass ov zat grape juice ve 'ave bought... 'elp oo'self to a glass as vell, oui?" His Repense accent clear in the night sky. "An' my night vest, if oo would." He nods - somewhat conscious of having to stay shirtless for long in front of his most favored servant.
He wanted to plot the stars again - a ritual he had started since his visits to the above-ground areas. What happened below the skyline, in the village below, tended to have a lasting effect on his heart. He had to force himself, whatever the cost, not to look down at the city below...
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Below, the scurrying of many feet, likely many break-ins, and a few murders, can easily be seen from the castle. Many nobles considered it a great fun show, and a few watchers in the castle would take bets on how many or what disasters would be done in a single night. Of course, the caught perpetrators would be punished, but it was all in good fun for them. A soft-hearted individual could pity these people... a valiant heart might even be down there aiding the guard in quelling these dastardly acts. Without a unifying King - it was a bad time to be powerless.