The town of the Crimson lilies.

  • Thread starter The Fox and The Spider
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With grin now flattering her finer features; she would watch as the attack connected. Paralyzing both Noir and the worm which plagued her from within. Whether or not this was an apparition trying to assume control or an entity which her terrible experiences birthed remained unseen. However Zaida had no interest in analyzing such trivial details. For there were bigger fish to fry. And if need be after this endeavor she would take Noir under her wing as a pupil...teaching her how to control her demonic little parasite. Utilizing it as a weapon that she alone could control.


Many might wonder why such a frigid woman would take kindly to one weaker then herself? The answer would remain unanswered for now. However it was party due to the fact she saw much potential in this one. And that Noir reminded her of herself when she was first birthed into this plane of existence. Lost, burden, filled with blood lust and suffered from a blightful past. Most might find such a person to be without hope or even a needless anchor to carry around. However most folk are fools; and Zaida was not.


"Do not thank me. I did what I felt necessary nothing more..." She spoke as her eye lids shut. As usual she spoke with a sense of blunt honesty. Yet it wasn't void of affection. Oddly her tone carried a rather fair balance of all the above.

Slowly her eyes would open, those expressionless amethyst hues watching Noir closely. Heeding little credence or acknowledgement toward the manipulation of shadows. Even as the brute of an apparition of sorts manifested itself. Her eyes never drifted from Noir...her sweet young Noir. Whatever this being was reeked of vain arrogance. Conceived from a sense of self importance and pride. A coward which preyed on a young lady yet could not exist in the desired form without Noir. At least not for the moment anyways.


It spoke; It's voice fallen on deafen ears. Though most of what it said would be a blur. Only one phrase warranted registration. So this Cait Sith....this thing was more of a fool then she could of imagined. It spoke as if this was her "true" form. What a presumptuous asshole. In fact she took such a notion as insulting. This form was far blander then her true form. It served one purpose alone. A middle ground to gauge one's power as well as to slay those unworthy to see her full glory. In fact it has been sometime since she had to open up Pandora's box. Sadly this shadow didn't warrant such a gift. A tragedy...

"Who said this is my true form? Begone shadow; your blood is not worthy to stain my blade." Frigidly stated as her hand motioned for it move on.


"Nor are you worth the calories or energy to dispose of. Trust me if I wanted to strike you down then I would of by now. However that chore is not my own to claim. Rather Noir's..." Such strongly woven thoughts.


If it attempted to attack her she would regrettably dispose of it. However she wanted to refrain from doing so as long as possible. But before the shadow could retort with a witty response Zaida would melt from his line of sight. Like a ghost; she simply vanished with little trace. Reappearing behind Noir. Lifting her up as she cradled her in her arms. If she could see her lip's she'd see a delicate smile. As if she had no worries in the world.

"Still bound I see..." Sincerity and compassion lingered on each word as they both vanishes. appearing across the room. in Noirs mind she would feel her body being condensed as if squished for a fraction of a second. Only to find herself across the scene. Her thumb now caressing her soft cheek.


"Let me free you." With a snap of the fingers the chains which still weighed her down would dissipate. allowing free movement. "Shall we continue?" A simple statement which served as the ultimate insult and dismissal for this Cait Sith. yet if Noir desired Zaida would wait for her to finish off this cait sith here and now. Regardless of her decision the choice was her's alone to make.
 
It smiled. Amused. Even beneath the mask concealing its face, one could feel its excitement. How arrogant this woman-like creature was! Truly, her arrogance could only be matched by his.

Another scream. A scream so terrifying it numbed the mind of unfaithful. Yet one could understand what it meant, words forming in one's mind unrelated to how the screams sounded.

「Think of me however you like, woman. That thing you associated with, however, is mine」

Noir's vision distorted each time she set her eyes toward the blackness. Zaida stood unfazed...no, one could say that her "master" didn't give much thought about it at all. Noir couldn't do that. Fear already slipped in, and once its fang had torn your soul, nothing could erase it.

She closed her eyes. She mentally blocked everything. Even words and screams exchanged between the two beings couldn't reach her. She didn't want to know anything. She just wanted to disappear.

A moment later she felt as if she was lifted off the ground. She felt warmth, as well as soothing voice breaking through her mental barrier. Giving her peace. With a snap, she found that that which bound her dissipated. Even so, she stayed still.

Even for a second, she wanted the warmth to stay.

She opened her eyes, seeing Zaida firsthand rather than the numbing blackness. Strength returned to her. Strength enough to suppress fear.

"...yes...master..." she answered her call to go forward.

From behind its mask, it watched the entire events. How strange of this woman to take interest at its vessel. Why, indeed, it was interesting.

It screamed again. It didn't fail to sense her mockery, her insult toward its existence. It was simply amused. No, more like it couldn't feel anything except that.

「Well, I shall lend you that thing for now. As for us, we will meet again. Soon」

It retracted back into the looming darkness, and then shrunk until it took shape of Noir's shadow, just like before.
 
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Arrogance often came with power; an over sense of confidence with one's ability. Like everything in life confidence was a double sided blade. And more times then often it sinks it's teeth into you like a serpentine. Filling the soul with venomous toxins before one's fall. Zaida was knew fool; she understood her attitude would one day get her burned. However ultimately like all living beings she will falter and perish. In this regard even those which thought of themselves as immortals were living on borrowed time. Like all beings the creature which plagued Noir could be killed. A man can kill a mountain lion with just a glass bottle; he need only know when and where to strike.


This was the difference between Zaida and this cait sith. She understood the frailty of existence; including her own. And parasites are the utmost physical manifestation of all that is vile and pathetic. For they are dependent on a single host for their own survival and evolution. This sin was something she could not dismiss lightly. For being truly helpless was a crime beyond redemption. This is where she differed from moth when it came to her mindset. Despite all this she would harbor no grudge toward the entity within Noir. For at the moment they had more pressing matters to attend to.


Silently she would watch as it faded from sight. Creeping back into it's host under the guise of a lack of interest. However she knew the true reason for it's withdrawal...it understood one fact. One truth that though it may find ugly it could not deny. There were more pressing matters to attend to. And if Noir should be claimed by the evil they sought; then it to would dissipate under the grasp that is oblivion.


"It seems your friend is backing down for now. Though I suspect soon you'll have to face it yourself Noir. Though none of that matters at the moment. Let us continue from where we left off before this unwanted distraction manifested itself shall we?" Without so much as a pause she would make her way forward. Approaching a large wooden door at the back of the room.


Cautiously she'd run her hands up and down it. As her eye lids closed shut...though she could not see the entity or pin point it's location to a specific point. She could sense it lurked somewhere beyond this point. No doubt guarded by the shadows which attacked them earlier.


"It won't be long now..." She whispered to herself as she grasped the knob of brass firmly. Opening the door as she pushed it open.


As the door creaked open a stone and dusty stair case appeared before them. spiraling downward deep into the belly of the earth. A frigid breeze could be felt greeting their skin as the atmosphere seem to thicken on it's own accord. The faint whispers of footsteps of armored foes reverberated off of the walls and echoed to the surface.


"It seems that we will soon have company. However I doubt they'll tunnel themselves. Not even these shadows are that foolish. We best not keep them waiting." She proclaimed with a twisted sense of amusement.

Turning to face Noir as her gaze seemed to convey reassurance that all will be well. Though like most things in life there were no guarantee's that this would be the case. But gamble's a chances were the spices which enriched life. With haste she would turn facing the mouth of the stair well before making her way down it's narrow, moss ridden path. despite the lack of light Zaida still manage to navigate the worn stone steps well. With each step the sense of dread which engulfed the town and swallowed it hole would become more potent. as if issuing a warning to those brave enough to come this far.

A warning which would rest on deafen ears. For she had no intent on backing down now...and something told Zaida that Noir and her shared this mutual feeling of determination. Which meant they were either truly brave, or really stupid and hard headed.
 
As its presence faded, so did her fear. Soon, she was able to breath normally. She found Zaida's ability to face it head-on as something beyond her imagination. Normal people would fell to their knees just by hearing its scream. Just as what it had done to her, it spreaded terror and fear into one's mind.

With her, though, Noir didn't feel as intimated as she usually was. Zaida's presence calmed her. If it was with her...she felt that she could face anything.

She stood to her feet, following Zaida's steps deeper into the building. She squinted a little when Zaida mentioned that she would have to face it again soon. She didn't know if she could do anything against its presence.

...why? Fragment of memories returned, but they quickly went away as soon as they surfaced. They contained answers she'd been looking for, but could not grasp.

She didn't have time to think about it now. Zaida had led her into a wooden door.

"It won't be long now..."

Her words brought anxiety into Noir. Something was surely here. She could hear footsteps in the darkness, luring them to go deeper.

She understood that her master was determined to see this to the end, and so did she. Zaida had looked back at her, by which she nodded as a reply. They descended deeper and deeper, Noir trying her best to stay with her master.

Zaida was the one who gave her warmth she'd been looking for since long. She'll fight for her, with her life if she must.