Irell Starling

Escape from Syrae (Irell Starling)

In case you're wondering. I'm still typing. :)

Restraint (my Lalia & Starling)

Right. But how do they know each other exist? I suppose they could accidental meet at Enrick's hotdog stand or Gabriel could go to the club Enrick works at??

Restraint (MST3K 4ever & Starling)

”Why not. –Charles Plygaurd

I looked down and checked the message when my watch chimed. Under most circumstances I’d be gloating, but currently I was too angry to be relieved at my roommates response. I’d been wandering around hallways for what felt like hours although the digital clocks above the doorways claimed it had only been twenty minutes.

The situation reminded me of the time I’d thrown my first dinner party when I moved out of my family's house. Charles hadn’t moved into the place just yet so I didn’t feel bad inviting over my four closest girlfriends. I’d spent twenty minutes running around the nearest grocery store trying to find lemon juice for the marinade. Was it a condiment? A salad dressing? A mixer? A canned product? A juice product? Was it with the lemons? Eventually, feeling annoyed and frustrated I gave up looking. But I wasn’t going to give up on this. Claudette was one of my closest friends and if I needed to wander around this rat's maze of an office for days, I would.

Fortunately it didn’t take that long. Through the benevolence of a few of the office staff, I finally found my way to the Domestic Crimes Unit. Like the front secretary had stated, its door was in fact brown, but it was only three doors down from the main entrance I’d first come through. I ground my teeth together. If I ever ran into that woman in a dark alley…

As luck would have it, Wanda was on a smoking break. When she finally returned seven minutes later, a cloud of the fumes hovered around her body. ”Can I help you?”

Wanda was clearly upset that I managed to find my way to her office. I offered up my best smile, and sent a silent pray to whoever was in charge up there that I hadn’t ended up in this congregation of jerks. ”I certainly hope so.”

---

Wanda was, as I’d begun to expect well into my adventure, not incredibly helpful but short of combing the streets for Claudette I didn’t know what else I could do. I knew I was being paranoid. Chances are she’d met someone at the club and had run off with them on some momentary fling. She’d come back, she always did. Still, while that explained why her husband hasn’t seen her lately, it didn’t explain why she wasn’t picking up her phone. Sure we’d had a tiny spat but there was no way she was that angry with me. Yes, it was a bit clingy but we’d chatted on the phone almost daily since our school days.

I was so engulfed in my thoughts that I wasn’t entirely paying attention to my feet. This, usually wasn’t a problem in my building’s corridor, but today someone decided it would be a good idea to stack boxes out in the hallway by their door. The toe of my black heel caught the edge of one such box enough to scuff it. I easily caught my balance. ”Who…?” I said, my voice not hiding my annoyance. That’s when I realized the apartment door next to me was open. Apparently Charles and I had a new neighbor. It was really only a matter of time since the McKenzie’s moved out a few days back.

I couldn’t avoid looking inside even though I knew it was rude, door open or not. A woman was sitting on the floor, unpacking on of the boxes she’d brought inside. She looked to be about my age with medium brown hair and pale eyes. ”Uh, hi,” I said, waving awkwardly. ”I guess you’re our new neighbor. I live there.” I said pointing to the unit directly across the hallway. ”My name is Nym Yurigei.”

Restraint (my Lalia & Starling)

So... how to get the guys to meet?

Restraint (my Lalia & Starling)

Wednesday: 1227 am
Enrick Valdea

It had been a long day. It was hard to believe that about 12 hours ago I was serving a hotdog to Kassie and joking about obtaining the fingerprints for tonight’s bomb. Now she was gone, taken away, not by the explosion but by the bastards it was intended for. At least the Rebels tried to limit the amount of civilian casualties. I clenched my fists again. Despite having short, thin nails, crescents had formed on my palms from the frequent action.

Even after the doors to the bar had been unlocked, the rest of the evening had been slow. Apparently people did not feel like going out for a round after the Section had been attacked. I couldn’t understand why. I felt like downing an entire liter. But the night’s tempo affected both my pocket strings and my mind which had ample time to take in the situation. Every minute that passed I wondered what they were doing with her. Every hour felt like another slice had been cut into my heart. I replayed the scene over and over again in my head. I’d known I’d done what I needed to do… but I still felt like such a coward.

The bus was agonizingly slow and, just like my bar, almost completely empty. No one spoke and the only noise, besides the grinding gears and squealing breaks came as the driver announced the stops. People were afraid to speak to each other and no one made eye contact. ”Havender’s Square” he announced. I got off early and walked the rest of the way. Even now, as my mind flashed with countless things that could be happening to Kassie, countless ways I could have stopped her abduction, I still remembered my training. I paused only a moment before heading through a side door.

The hallway inside our headquarters was dark and cramped. I almost stepped on someone who’d been sleeping, curled up in one of the many doorways. I didn’t pause as I passed the room I knew belonged to Kassie. I couldn’t bring myself to think about it. I simply buried the pain deep, a talent I’d perfected over the years, and knocked on the Bosses office door. As I expected, he was in.

A man I couldn’t remember the name of was speaking to him. Their heads bowed together, their voices so low I couldn’t make out a word. I waited in the doorway until the boss looked up and beckoned me closer.

” Enrick Valdea? he says, pausing only briefly as he tried to remember my name. Unlike Kassie, I don’t have frequent contact with the Rebel leadership. Just like in the rest of Restraint, my role is to be at the fringe of society. ”This is… unusual.” From the way he says the last word, I can tell he’s annoyed. It’s not good to do unusual things especially on an unusual night.

”I have important news.” I said, trying to check my temper.

”You couldn’t have found a runner?” the other man states. This time I don’t bother to hide my annoyance. Then I suddenly remember the asshole’s name. Ven. He outranks me, but just barely. I chose to ignore his comment for now and turn my attention back to our Boss.

”They took her. They took Kassie.”

---

???: ??? am/pm
Louisa Essair

A moan escapes my lips. Without opening my eyes I can tell I’m lying on something cold and hard. My arm is at an awkward angel under my body. The hem of my dress is wedged higher up my legs than I would have liked.

”I think she’s finally awake.” The voice is female. Unfamiliar.

”Where am I?” my voice is hoarse, like I’m coming down with a cold. My eyes slowly adjust to the inadequate light around me. Dim, blue fluorescent lights cast shadows on my surroundings. I’m in a 6-sided cement box with a large metal door. There are two other women besides me. The one who spoke and the one who didn’t.

”Never been in a cell before, huh?” This is the same person as before.

I shake my head and slowly sit up. I decide not to stand. There’s nowhere to go and nothing to do. In fact there’s nothing in this space at all besides me and my fellow inmates. ”So what you in for?”

”What are you in for?” I try to sound firm as I echo her question and study her reaction. A frown crosses her face. This woman isn’t attractive by any sense of the word. Her light hair is tied high in a bun and her grey eyes scan greedily over my dress. It’s not the way the men in my office do, but mirrors the look I saw on Barbara’s face. She has on ripped jeans and a dirty black t-shirt over her busty frame. Subconsciously I scoot back a few inches and eye my other companion looking to get support from her corner. Like me she looks dressed up to go out albeit to a much more casual place. Tattoos peak out from under her shirt. Her face is pretty, but it’s obvious she’s been wearing her make-up for too long. Nevertheless, her mascara isn’t runny a sure sign that either she’s a tough one or she can afford the water proof stuff.

The light haired one speaks up again bringing my attention back to her. ”I was at the wrong place and the wrong time.” she points to the other woman, ”I heard the guards say something about missing papers when they dropped her off. You got a name, Angel?”

”Louisa,” I say correcting her. She doesn’t seem so bad but I can’t help the growing suspicion that I’m playing with a viper.

”I like Angel better. Mine’s Zorah.” We don’t shake hands. Silence resumes. There’s no sense of time in this box. My mind begins to wander. I wonder how Gabriel’s doing. I wonder if my mom’s been told. I wonder who will take care of my cat. What will happen to my clothes? The fact that I need to cancel my movie date with Samantha. How long I’ve been here. How long I’ll be here.

Then I just can’t take being in my head anymore.

”They think I caused the explosion in Section 8.” I confess to the room.

Restraint (my Lalia & Starling)

Tuesday: 729 pm
Enrick Valdea

I was on a rollercoaster and the higher I went meant the further down I had to go to reach the ground. Thinking back I should have known, should have known the second her lips were on my mouth again. They were soft and sweet like the grapes Parcheck loved so much. She tasted of spiced rum and smelled of summer rain. How could I have guessed deceit also lingered on her mouth? My hands rested on her shoulders, feeling the heat and smoothness of her skin. I couldn’t help myself when I wondered if she felt like that everywhere. I felt her head against my chest. I nuzzled my face in her curly hair and breathed in her feminine scent. And with that the cart crested the hill and I was given only a second to revel in the sensation. Before I even knew what was happening, I plunged. My breath was stolen from me, my heart was ripped from, my eyes stung with tears. She was gone. No. More importantly, she chose to go. Love. Hate. Sometimes it’s one, sometimes it’s the other. Sometimes it’s both.

I watched her crumple to the hard cement floor. There was nothing I could do to stop her fall. The bar had been in between us and before I could get around it, they were on her. Lying her flat on her back, I watched in horror as they searched her pockets, looking for her identification papers. They wouldn’t find them.

”Who is this woman?” an officer asked. He searched the small group of people in the bar. His gaze stopped on my obviously pained face. ”You there,” he said beckoning me over, ”Do you know her?”

”She’s come by a few times,” I said and shrugged. The lie made me hurt even more but I willed my voice to be steady. ”Said her name was Lyssa.” If Kassie ever made it out again, the last thing we needed was the government linking our names together. This was what the Rebels drilled into your head from day one. When shit hit the fan, all you had left to do was damage control.

”Why doesn’t she have any papers? Didn’t you check her ID?”

I shrugged again. Forcing myself to look away from her paled face and into the eyes of the enemy. ”Why? She looks plenty old enough to drink. Plus I just started serving her when the alarms went off.”

”Bet it also didn’t hurt that her tongue was down your throat.” This came from the band’s singer. I wanted to smash his face in but bit back the urge.

”Stressful situations make people to weird things,” I stated and gave him a bored look. ”But she was a good kisser. I hope she’ll alright.” After being assured that Kassie was fine although she might have a few bumps from the fall, the police went around and scanned everyone’s ID. After resetting the bar’s alarm system they headed out, Kassie in toe, like a limp sack strewn over on of their shoulders.

I’d have to let the boss know what had happened. There had to be a way to get her out. Maybe we had someone in the system that would get her free or maybe an officer could be bribed. I just prayed they wouldn’t do anything with her right away.

The singer came over to me and slapped a hand down hard on my shoulder, ”Tough luck, huh mate? You could have gotten laid tonight.” This time I didn’t bother trying to resist as my elbow slammed into his gut.

---

Tuesday: 735 pm

Louissa Essair

I almost protested in disappointment as his mouth left mine. Then I felt his mouth move lower as his hot breath caressed my chin and fell to the base of my neck. Before I knew what was happening my other hand was bunching the fabric of his shirt on his back.

"I always wanted this...... To be with you."

I marveled briefly at his words. Gabrielle was a highly sought after man. Dozens of single and many married women fawned over him constantly. And here he was attracted to me? Louisa Essaire, the girl who came from a no-nothing family? I didn’t have long to think because his lips started to caress the skin on my neck again. My breathing deepened as tingles of pleasure raced down my spine. I lowered my head and nibbled on his upper earlobe.

"I don't want to let you go." He whispered.

”Go?” my mind fumbled with the word. ”Go where?” And I suddenly remembered where we were and what we were supposed to be doing. I willed myself to sit back, apology written all over my face.

”We have a meeting,” I said, took the hand on my hip and sneezed it gently. ”They’re waiting on us. I’m worried if we take too long…” My words died as I reached for the handle and opened the door. ”Later?” I said, hoping he could forgive me for breaking up our fun. ”Please?”

***

I didn’t have long to wonder what would have happened if I hadn’t stopped us. The truth of the matter was that if Gabriel was willing, more than likely I would have let him. I knew, there were tons of reasons why I shouldn’t, like the fact that we had hardly been on a first date or that he was my boss, or that we were in a car... But I couldn’t help it. I’d found him immensely attractive since I’d first been introduced and since I’d gotten to know him as a person, my attraction had only grown. Mine and the rest of the female office staff, of course. I wondered what they’d say when they saw us walking in to the meeting room together.

Unfortunately I never found out. As soon as we entered the lobby, the police were on us. ”Is this Miss Essaire?”

”Yes, that’s her. That’s the one. Oh! Gabriel… I mean Mr. Lockheart. They just started the meeting up stairs, sir. Room 7B.” I barely had time to look up and see Barbra, another technician who also worked under Gabriel. I was still looking at her face, a sneer I didn’t understand planted on it when I felt my arms being jerked behind my back. I was so surprised I began to struggle and before I knew it my knees were kicked out from under me. I let out a cry as I hit the floor. I’d seen enough security footage that I should have been prepared for what was coming next. Darkness enveloped me as the smell of sweat and dust assaulted my nose. Something scratchy secured against my neck in the same place Gabriel had planted his kissed only minutes before. Someone nearby was telling me not to struggle. I couldn’t help it. The bag over my head made me feel claustrophobic. In a panic I began to squirm against arm locks. Someone in the distance was pleading desperately. Was it me? A sharp pain laced through my upper arm. I felt my body being lifted up. I wanted to fight, tell them I was innocent but my mouth wouldn’t form the words.

Restraint (MST3K 4ever & Starling)

Sorry, I didn’t want to ignore Charles for too long. In my next post can have Nym come back to the apartment early and meet Ellen.

Restraint (MST3K 4ever & Starling)

”Please.”

Nym’s response came so late that I half expected her to ignore my question. There were a lot of things I didn’t understand about my roommate anymore. Like why her behavior started to change just when I’d join up with the Rebels. I was a bit paranoid about her being on to me. Like something I said or did have somehow given me away. But I kept thinking back to our brief encounters and nothing came up. Besides, her behavior between the borrowed computer, spaghetti dinner, and questionable note the morning on the kitchen counter was far more suspicious.

I put down my magnifying glass and sighed. I’d spent the entire morning pouring over a ruined copy of Twenty Years After by Alexandre Dumas. It was the only copy the library had owned and it had gotten on the wrong side of raid. Whatever parts of the book hadn’t been smoke damaged had been tinkled on by the fire sprinklers. For reasons I couldn’t even begin to imagine, no one had bothered to digitize it unlike the more popular books in the trilogy “The Three Musketeers” or “Man in the Iron Mask”. Because either fate or Gracie had in for me, here I was. The scanner had gotten a good bit of the print but some of the words were too smudged to recognize, hence the magnifying glass.

Finally at one, I showed my face. ”I can’t take it anymore.” I said, feeling like a creature emerging from a cavern and into the light for the first time in years. ”I need a break.”

Gracie waved me over. ”Why don’t you grab a cup of Joe. Stretch your legs a bit. You look like you could use it.” She reached out and grabbed something out of my hair. ”Piece of paper lint.” she said, wiping it off on her shirt.

”Thanks,” I said, my brain feeling like much as I headed to the elevator and out to the street.

---

The smell of coffee beans, steamed cream, and sweet peppermint wafted through the air. The doorbell chimed merrily behind me as I stepped inside. As expected at 1:30 during the week day, there wasn’t much of a crowd and no one was behind the counter. Coffee Thyme was one of the more popular drink shops in Restraint. It’s brews were fantastic but were a costly habit I couldn’t afford. I thought fleetingly of the hot dog vendor I’d met yesterday. I was certain that after chatting with him I’d receive some sort of note, but nothing ever came. Where Ellen and Martin up to business as usual? I wanted to ask them but I’d realized too late that I didn’t have their contact, plus I didn’t want to draw attention to them or myself. There weren’t a lot of reasons why a middle-class librarian would consort with an upper-class business woman and I could only think of one reason why I’d have any sort of relationship with an officer of the law.

”You need anything?”. A woman appeared behind the counter. She looked younger than me, just out of school, I’d guess.

”I haven’t decided yet,” I said, glancing over the menu board again. I knew I was dawdling but I wasn’t in a hurry to get back to the cramped restorative room. ”Any suggestions?”

”Whipped mocha on ice. It’s refreshing, plus I earn extra points for selling the today.” she tapped the button on her shirt which featured the drink.

”Uh, sure,” I said, caving in way to easily to her pretty face.

She began scrawling something down on a paper pad. ”Name for the order?” I looked around. The place was relatively empty and no one else was in line. She shrugged. ”The manager’s old fashion.”

”Yeah, I guess. It’s Charles Plygaurd.”

”Charles Plygaurd.” She giggled but I didn’t see what was funny. Without further ado she began working behind the counter and I browsed the rest of the shop examining small mugs and plush bears all embellished with the words It’s time, for Coffee Thyme. I wondered if either Ellen or Nym were the type of girls to collect stuffed animals. I doubted it.

”Whipped mocha on ice ready at the bar for Charles Plygaurd.” she announced and I headed over to grab my drink.

”Thanks. How much?”

She just gave me a goofy smile. ”It’s on the house this time,” she said. I started to protest but she cut me off. ”Just make sure you come back and visit sometime. Oh, and pay it forward.”

The Fourth Blight {Irell Starling x Reaper}

The fact that Thea showed bravado to the Templar guards meant the mage still had some fight in her. Good. She’d need a little spunk to brave what was coming next. Like it or not, she’s just stepped into a lion’s den and the trials were only just beginning. Kaitlyn wished the relationships between the Templars and Mages were better but she knew they weren’t. The mages saw the Templars as jailers instead of peacekeepers as the Nevarran Accordhad tried to establish them to be. The Templars, in turn, saw the mages as loose cannons, powder kegs ready and willing to go off should the need ever arise. Some things never changed.

”Yes,” Kaitlyn said to the guard who’d just addressed them. ”This is Thea…” she paused trying to remember if the mage had ever given her surname. Kaitlyn couldn’t remember. ”…of the Dallish. Please let First Enchanter Corynn known we’ve arrived. We’ll be waiting in the antechamber.”

Without further ado, Kaitlyn pushed passed them and headed through the open, giant white doors which were tall enough and wide enough to let a dragon fit through comfortably. Looking back briefly she made sure Thea was following close behind her.

”I’d rather not leave you just yet.” said in response to Thea’s voice concerns.

Inside millions of tiny balls of mage fire hung suspended in the air like stars, filling the darkness high into the steepled ceiling. Like the outside, the antechamber walls were carved white rock that shown despite its age. Kaitlyn took a seat on one of the many white wood benches. It was age worn but still beautiful. Sitting down felt like a God send. The walk tired her out more than she wanted to admit but there were plenty of things to take care of.

”My arm’s waited this long. It can wait a little longer. I won’t leave you alone. It’s not that I don’t trust you, it’s that I don’t trust some of them.” She didn’t have to specify who them was. Kaitlyn had done a tour in a Circle and she didn’t care to repeat the experience. Any Templar who was half decent was either on the battle field fighting darkspawn or, like Kaitlyn, helping to protect refugees and villages. Mind you, Kaitlyn wasn’t about to admit she’d brought Thea to a place where Kaitlyn felt the soldiers fell into three categories: those too dumb, those too old, or those who didn’t play well with others. ”It’s as I’ve said before. You’re a lot older than everyone expected. Every Templar here has probably already labeled you as an apostate or perhaps even a maleficar. No. I’ll stay by your side at least until the First Enchanter Collects you. She should be here any moment.”

Restraint (my Lalia & Starling)

Works for me.