Benzaiten

Pursuit of Power

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_{Interactions: @Aamaya • @Raylah}

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Her eyes kept drifting over the masses of people in the stunning garden, sipping on her whiskey, feeling the burning the alcoholic beverage left in her throat and then the warmth in her chest as she swallowed it. She wasn't fully aware of who she was looking for in the crowd, but she was searching for something. Eve stopped her gaze from wandering along the guests for a moment, trying to understand what exactly she was even looking for. Her parents perhaps? The next get-together with her mother would not be pleasant, giving her current attire, that was for sure. But no, she wasn't looking out for the inevitable trouble she had gotten herself into. She didn't feel threatened or unsafe, meaning she would not be needing the presence of guards - mostly she hated being guarded. She felt like she was getting babysitted, spied on even, to make sure she does not do anything her mother would disapprove of.

It was Laurel she was looking for in the crowd, Eve then realized. Her heart skipped a beat as she thought about spotting the woman in the crowd, how she would be looking for Eve and how her face would lit up when she would find her. That is silly, she scolded herself. Laurel was not lighting up when she saw Eve. There was no reason for that either. They had been friends for years. You're being absolutely unreasonable. Eve banished Laurel's beautiful face from her inner eye; she could not be so trapped inside her fantasies right now.

Her eyes wandered over the woman next to her again, just as she was licking her upper lip and Eve noticed the slit in her tongue. Her eyes widened for just a tiny moment as she had never seen such a thing before. To be fairly honest, it made her feel a tad bit uncomfortable. It was something new, strange to her, and she would have to get used to it first. She didn't know if she ever would.

"Mm, I suppose you could say that." Her voice cut through the loud environment with ease. "Earthica, yes? I am Aamaya, what is your name?"

Aamaya... Why did it feel like that name should be giving Eve any sort of information? She tried to recollect her memory about a name such as Aamaya, but she could not entirely grasp what it was about that name that felt off to her. If it was of any importance, she was sure Aamaya would have added that bit of information as well. Eve tossed the feeling aside. "It's Eve", she answered shortly, still quiet overpowered by the view of the split tongue and a little insecure around the confidence of the woman.

Before she could add anything else, Aamaya would examine Evangeline's appearance. Eve felt a little bit uncomfortable being looked up and down like that, unsure of how a lady dressed in a million stars would react to her improper plain attire. To her very surprise the woman let out a soft, short giggle. And even more surprisingly so, it warmed Eve's heart a little, the corners of her mouth would lift slightly. "Your attire.. is very interesting. Most would dress to impress, but you dress for comfort. I like that."

Now it was the red haired woman that let a short giggle be heard. "I appreciate that. I have to admit, this is not quiet my scene." Eve gave Aamaya a soft, sincere smile.

She wanted to add how surprised she was by the approval of a lady in a such light reflecting, shiny gown, but stopped herself from any more words when Aamaya's eyes met directly with hers. It felt intimidating, it feel intimate and yet Eve could not draw her eyes from looking back into hers. Hazel eyes, gorgeously bright with a certain curiosity in them, she could spot the golden and blue bits in them, mesmerized by the beauty of the intertwined colors. The broken iris of her right eye looking like a delicate drop of rain dominated Eve's attention. She felt trapped under the gaze and, what concerned her the most, she didn't even mind.

The stranger's hand rose towards her face, touching a ginger strand of hair and playing with it between fingers shortly. A visible blush appeared on Eve's cheeks. She had never met such behavior before - but once again, she didn't even mind. Something about the way Aamaya's hazel eyes had looked at hers, and were now examining her red mane, was raw, honest and she felt like Aamaya too was making her self vulnerable as she proceeded in those somewhat intimate forms of interaction.

"I have always been so intrigued by Levonian hair, it is as if someone lit ice ablaze. Contrasting beautifully against your people's pale complexions. Your skin is so youthful, do you bathe in blood?" Firstly feeling flattered by her words, Eve soon showed a moment of shock on her expression as the traditional blood-bathing was mentioned. She had completely forgotten about the odd, barbaric ritual while engaging so inappropriately with Aamaya, who after all was still a stranger to her. Evangeline felt slightly angered, mostly disgusted, that the woman would suggest such a thing about her.

Just then Aamaya repositioned herself. Withdrawing her gaze from Evangeline, she cleared her throat, blinked a couple of times and lifted her chin up high as though being above Eve. The Earthica princess frowned at the sudden change of behavior; it left a strangely heavy feeling in her heart she knew too well from her father. It was disappointment. What had she done this time to bring someone so quickly to change their attitude towards her? The bubble she now realized she had been in had burst.

Evangeline observed the woman's facial expression closely, trying to get behind the thoughts and struggles of her. As the heavy feeling in her chest disappeared, only lasting for a mere second, she was able to see that Aamaya was indeed struggling with something, she believed her behavior to be an act, and her previous interactions with Eve to having been sincere and upright. The intriguing curiosity was no more.

"My most sincere apologies, I've just realized you're the Princess of Earthica yes? My mind is cloudy, I am unfamiliar with such diversity, it must have slipped my mind completely... I hate to abandon this conversation so early, but I have somewhere I must be." - "Wait, -" But she had already slipped away gracefully. Eve wanted to tell her that it was just fine, she could be herself, she wanted to reassure her that she was not offended by her intrusive actions. Rather, it was a welcoming breakout of the strict environment they found themselves in currently. But she had been left standing at the bar, looking into the crowd that the strange woman had disappeared into.

Evangeline leaned her whole weight against the counter of the bar. Recollecting her thoughts, trying to process what had just happened. Much time for that she did not have. “You have to excuse my cousin, she has worked very hard to make sure that every tiny aspect of the festival is perfect, and she is a bit exhausted. You must be princess Evangeline Townsend. Welcome to Exodus.”

Evangeline's eyes gazed over the woman, like they had gazed over Aamaya minutes ago. If she did not know anything about this woman, she knew she was gorgeously beautiful. The women of Exodus seemed to have a standard of looking appealing to one's eye. The stranger, someone from so far away, who she surely had never met before, knowing her name felt odd and almost intruding to her. She realized that the guests and possibly the servants of the festival had done their required research about the other royal families, even though she hadn't.

There were two other things she made a mental note of. First, Aamaya had worked on the festival, which must mean she was working for the royal family. And second, she had a cousin, who seemed to also be working for the royal family.

“My name is Thyrri. I hope you are enjoying the festival.”

Eve took a long sip of her whiskey, which was coming dangerously close to being empty, before she answered. "Thyrri, that's a beautiful name. I have not yet come to enjoy much of it, to be entirely honest with you. It has not been so long since my arrival and I have so far only had time to indulge in a short-lived conversation with your cousin Aamaya. And please, call me Eve." Evangeline searched for similar oddities in Thyrri's appearance as she had spotted in Aamaya's, but she could not find a broken iris nor did she see a slit in the tongue. She was glad about the latter. The bronze-skinned Freyja woman also did not give away such a pompous appearance as her cousin had done, with a way more casual look than Aamaya, but still much more graceful and appropriate than Evangeline, she found the right balance between elegant and functional to impress Eve. The Earthica princess was somewhat intrigued.

Pursuit of Power

<Snipped quote by KahleenCuthald>

I wouldnt be able to tell either, your English seems great to me.
Do you have any plot plans for Eve in mind?

@Raylah

Thank you! :)
No, I currently don't have any certain plans for her. Do you have plots plans already?

Pursuit of Power

I just want to say that English isn't my first language and while I'm constantly trying to improve my vocabulary, I'm not always successful, so some of the sentences might come off a bit weird. But I do welcome constructive criticism, so if you do come across something that feels strange or is plain wrong, feel free to let me know :)

@Raylah

Your English is really amazing. English is not my first language either and I'm almost certain my English sounds off and is sometimes plain wrong, but I am trying to improve it as well.

Also, I really enjoyed reading your post and am looking forward to getting to know more about Thyrri.

Vinehurst High

I'm tempted to join. @Metronome your character looks really good!

Pursuit of Power

@Silence Sounds Oh no. I am sorry. I hope she'll recover quickly. Wishing her all the best.

Pursuit of Power

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_{Interactions: @Aamaya}

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The glaring lights of the glorious palace of Exodus dazzled the princess, but she didn’t ward off her eyes. Like an infinite amount of flashing stars they burst through the darkness of the night and lit up the facade. The astonishing ornaments of the building, the many details of the elaborately attached decorations, the enormous grandeur of the gates rising in front of her. Never before had she seen such luxury, such extravagance, such haughtiness.

As she stood there looking up to these impossibly high spires, fighting a slight giddiness which spooked through her head, her thoughts traveled (for what might have been the thousands time) back to this morning.

The morning, gleefully warm and inviting, began dreadfully horribly. Woken from one of her maids, still sleepy and already discontented, the princess got directed to an early morning bath, which she should, on behest of the Queen, give more of an effort than usually – the result smelled of some combination of flowers that Eve would not recognize. Perhaps a little mint, too? Yes, surely. Eve smelled of mint and other greenery. Luckily enough with a lot of persuasion - and much nagging – she was able to convince the maids to only add the oil in the very last few minutes of her bath; and so it happened that she only distinctly smelled of that nonsense.

Evangeline used the time at the fireplace (wich she got instructed to sit in front to dry her hair) with reading. She was reading quiet a lot these days. Whenever she did not get the chance to go out and get dirty, gain scrapes or bloody knees, she sat somewhere and read a book, sinking deeply into another, far away world.

But as soon as her red hair had dried, the Queen pulled her out of her fantasy world. Time was limited, she said, Eve should go get ready, the dress should be looking good. “Dress?!”, Eve exclaimed with soft panic.

A beautifully dark green gown with golden leaves and flowers draped over the chest to flow down to the waist sat in her room waiting for her, the maids ready to assist with dressing – something Eve absolutely couldn’t stand. The Queen firmly admonished her daughter to wear the gorgeous dress; it was important to appear presentable. Reluctantly, with much indecent muttering, the dress got pulled over Evangeline's head. But the torture didn’t come to an end there. Already in the tight, waisted dress, that pushed up her bosom uncomfortably, she got forced into shoes with heels. It had been a real act to get her to keep them on; five times she successfully slipped them off and put on her boots beneath the long gown – but five times the Queen caught her and put an end to it.

As departure was getting closer, the worst and last evil fell upon the nagging princess. With many pins and mild force her hair got pulled into a position, that Evangeline considered absolutely unnatural. Her hair, magnificently yet decently flaunted, ached at every root. After the red mane was handled, the princess came to notice that she was not left alone for one second anymore. Apparently her mother had, out of worry her daughter would pull the pins out shortly before their departure, instructed the maids to look out for her and hinder her from any attempts of sabotage.

When the time came to get seated in the carriage, the Queen admonished her daughter one last time to behave morally und like a lady of her status. She recited once more about the importance of an alliance with the Exodus Kingdom and that the princess should be fully aware of the impact her manners would have. She knew Evangeline all too well.

So a little later the princess sat in the carriage, taking her further and further away from home, towards Exodus, with her personal guard and friend sitting across from her. Laurel first had declined to join her, but after Eve’s agonizing begging she had given in and was now seated in the same carriage on the same uneven road. Hours of driving passed by, yet no end in sight. The dress hugged her waist and bosom in too tightly for Evangeline’s liking, it was too ostentatious, she could not move freely, her feet cramped in these unfamiliar shoes, her hair pulled at the roots in a way that felt like it was trying to lengthen her skin.

About two hours before arrival, the princess freed herself from that prison. She kicked the shoes away, hectically stripped her dress off, which got entangled with the hairpins and pulled them out halfway. She flung the gown to the floor and loosened her hair, dropped the pins onto the garment, shook her head and sighed with relief when she felt the familiar, soothing feeling of her hair against her cheeks. Half naked she sat in front of Laurel before fishing out shorts, t-shirt and boots hidden underneath the seat and dressing herself in clothing of her choice.

The carriage of the princess arrived a few minutes before the royal pair’s. Laurel decided to use some time to scout the city; she believed that in an emergency it was important to know their surroundings, she felt safer that way. As did the princess. Eve was glad that she had Laurel to count on. She gave her a feeling of security.

As soon as her friend was gone, Eve set off towards the entrance of the castle. The pompous lights dazzled her as she got closer.

Upon her entering the building, with dubious looks two guards helped Evangeline find her way towards the feast. The palace on the inside, even though she had considered it barely possible, was even more extravagant and intimidating. As she now found herself guided to the festive garden it became undeniable: She did not like Exodus. Everything was so big, exaggerated, brightly lit, like a poster child, like a boastful announcement, it was loud, crowded, seeming arrogant and overweening.

Eyes followed the barely dressed lady in her muddy calf-high boots, the very short khaki pants and that red, simple t-shirt while she slinked off to find a less crowded spot, hoping to not be seen or, worse, talked to. And foremost hoping she could flee from her parents for a little while longer.

The odor in the garden produced a certain unrest in her stomach. It smelled of so many different fragrance oils, she could not make out one scent explicitly, of alcoholic beverages, hot food, warm bodies, blooming plants and something else…

When a cool, fresh breeze blew in her face her stomach was more than welcoming it. Her head tilted into the direction of the soothing feeling. Relieved she breathed in the air, repressed the smell of superimposed oil on warm skin and enjoyed the chill of the evening.

After just a short moment the smell came back to her, alcoholic drinks and intensive oils dominating Eve’s senses, convincing her to move towards the bar, with the bold hope a drink underneath her nose would overpower the aroma of the night. Her feet moved over the ground with ease and precision until she reached the destination. She raised a hand to gain the attention of the barkeeper. “Whiskey, please.” The princess rested her forearms on the counter, her back against the bar, and only then did she notice the person next to her. In a conspicuous, luxurious, very glittery dress, the long black hair braided, with noble headdress and multiple bracelets the lady stood next to her. Eve knew exactly who she was… very obviously a citizen of Exodus. How had she missed this dress before, everything sparkled so intrusively?! She thought herself to be more inattentive than was doing her good.

Eve looked at the woman, she let her eyes gaze over her bronze skin for a short moment and became uncomfortably aware of her own pale skin. Quickly she shook the upcoming unpleasant feelings away. She looked directly into the face of the stranger – was that a broken iris? – before averting her eyes as to not stare. "Also escaping the masses?", she asked rhetorically.

She let her gaze drift over the guests, searching for a familiar face, people from her kingdom – guards or her parents. Laurel wouldn’t be here.

Her drink came quickly and she gratefully accepted it, long swallows burned in her throat and she repressed a cough. The alcohol spread warmth within her chest, a pleasant feeling she welcomed. The drink was different from back home. Maybe it was purer? Or maybe it was the environment and it was all in her head?

Pursuit of Power

@Aamaya I technically have my introduction post done, but it needs approval from Silence as I've wanted to mention a few bits about the Queen in connection with Eve getting ready for the festival, because she would have never gotten ready on her own. So far I haven't heard back from her.

Roleplay about being trapped inside a roleplay: Adventures from the Place Holder

This has piqued my interest, I'll be lurking around to see where this goes.

Was this Jumanji inspired ?

Prisoner's of Pandora. (Scrapped for now)

You really do come up with interesting world concepts.

Pursuit of Power

@Raylah I love your CS! Thyrri sounds very interesting. I can't wait to see what she'll be up to.