LovelyAnastasia

Samhain Intrigues

Bodil Bera

Inside the Library

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Bodil flinched when Falk snapped the book he was reading closed. She blinked and looked back at him as he fixed storm-colored eyes on her. He looked irritated, but then again his weirdly handsome face always sort of looked like that. Well, so as long as he wasn't reading. Though a stoic face could always been seen as angry. Especially on this guy.

"Ancient enemy..." She murmured softly, but then just shook her head a bit, "Yeah, not touching that one." But she did get the bit about their leaders going bye bye. No wonder all these childish Fae were running around like violent, destructive children. It was sort of like this Fowl King was the eldest kid trying to keep all the younger kids in line.

"Beneficial thing, huh?" She crossed her arms and tilted her head, "So all the kids got bored with being good and behaving and decided to do whatever they want. Yeah, I can see that." The human rubbed the back of her neck and murmured a sound of wondering. He really was like the elder kid whom no one would listen to. She glanced at him with a hint of pity.

T King had made a noise. An odd muffled huff of air that whispered through the library like the rustle of dead leaves in trees. He shook his head at her and it was her turn to get irritated. "You could still give the cattle some carts, no matter the path," she frowned and glanced at the passing images in his palm. Bodil's frown turned to a frustrated scowl. "Who cares about that old monster?" She grumbled, "A cart ride on that long trip doesn't mean a run in with her."

"But I get it, it is too much trouble," she grumbled, "Can't keep tabs on all of the monsters in a place that has no police... Or compassion for that matter." Bodil looked up at the king, hands on her hips. Ticking up her chin, she met his eyes. "There is always a better way."

The human female looked at the Fae King as if they were equals. She looked around the library once it returned. He gestured for her to come with him and surprisingly enough, she followed without so much as a question. The map on the coffee table shimmered with dark shadows and she rubbed her eyes. Another illusion. Fae Magic sure did mess with the eyes.

Peering with cautious curiosity, she tipped her head to the side. It was like a little world had grown on the coffee table. Freaky. But...sort of...cool. The human female's sharp eyes measured the map and tried to absorb as much information as possible. Looking up at the king when he mentioned an odd but somehow familiar word, she peered at him curiously then too. The ever stoic and stormy dark King almost seemed sad and lonely.

"Hm..." She leaned down to get a closer look to the sparkling land of fertility. "Your...partner, right?" Bodil looked over the strange land. "You guys must get lonely since you can't get together often." She let her face soften some. "Loneliness and despair seem pretty common no matter if it's here or in the human world."

Samhain Intrigues

Thank you for letting me know! Get some sleep! And I hope you sleep well!

Hunt for the Wild Dakota (ONL & LovelyAnastasia)

I'm sorry darlin' but with how my workplace has been going lately I can't give you the attention our rp deserves. I need to let this rp go. I am really sorry TT^TT

Samhain Intrigues

@LadyRunic Ah I see! I assumed it was an ancient complying of the centuries with modern furniture, like a great old room that only gets added to and hardly anything taken away. When t said the armchair had an arm that was almost falling off, I pictured more of a neglected place than something visited often.

But either way Bodil is a bit of a neat freak, so she'd probably have the same opinion, if backtrack a bit and say "oh but I mean... it's...nice... in a lived-in sort of way... heh..."

I hope it gets better for you. December is a hectic time with all those holidays crammed into it.

Samhain Intrigues

Bodil Bera

Inside the Library

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The unpredictable monarch glanced at her. It was almost like watching a statue move its eyes for a moment. Like he had seen everything, done everything and life held no surprises and was utterly boring. That was Bodil's impression anyway. After all how long could life be interesting when you were as old as the wind? Or t least... wasn't he? She guessed so. He certainly wasn't human, so his life must be very very long to look so bored with everything all the time. And he did as old people do, reminisce about times gone by between the pages of books. And some of these books looked so forgotten they were rotting to dust on the shelves.

Bodil didn't touch anything. She was too distrustful. Who knew what was in the corners of those shelves or hidden under them? Spiders with a hundred eyes or mice that acted like pirana... Who knew! And she didn't want to find out. Testing her limits was reserved for the areas that she knew, like kicking out at your kidnapper or irritating him till he left you alone. She wasn't feeling lucky enough to brave the shadows of this odd library.

When the fae king spoke again, his voice seemed like it was barely there at all. Like he too was turning to dust and his voice was the first thing to go. Bodil hugged her arms and watched him. "Uh...no...they stopped schooling for girls after sixth grade," she murmured absently, looking curiously at the book from afar. Standing on her tiptoes she tried to get a glimpse but was too far away to see anything telling or interesting. Looking at the condition of some of his books and his furniture, she shook her head a bit. "You really should get it cleaned in here some time," she flicked her eyes over the dust covered floor, "Your things would last long if you took care of them."

The monarch said something about her kind being unable to perform magic. She shrugged. "Humans don't need magic to do hard work," she offered, "Though from the state of your Fae buildings you probably do need it." She sighed a bit and looked around up at the ceiling. "...I meant what I said," she huffed softly, "If you Fae took care of the things you were given, you wouldn't have to struggle so much to keep it or repair it." He reached a lean arm up to grab for another book, looking through it. What it was about, only he and the library knew. The Falkon King spoke about 'infrastructure' and 'economy' which Bodil had trouble keeping up with. 'Infrastructure' sounded like 'structure' so it must be some sort of important structure, which was probably the buildings and whatever. 'Economy' had 'eco' in it which the Englisher...er, landlady had complained about being bad if Bodil didn't re-cycle. Re-cycle learning had been weird too, but she had never thought about the little things she threw away as hurting the entire human planet.

Speaking of...were...they even on Earth? The question was dizzying and felt like washing ice water through her veins. Maybe... She might be able to find a map in here. Maybe it would help her get her bearings and be useful for any escaping. Slowly she moved, hand folded behind her back, eyes scanning the shelves like she was just looking over every poor, abused book in his collection. "I don't quite understand," she offered slowly as if thinking, "If the land is what gives you energy and needs to be restored, why didn't you keep up with it while you had it?" Another question as to why the Fae didn't take care of what they had. Oddly enough...a lot of this was sounding similar to the humans and Global Warming... Not taking care of the planet while it was still healthy and trying to backtrack to keep it from dying.

But Global Warming, a state in which all weather patterns were thrown into chaos, summer days in the middle of winter, affecting plants and animals and thereby effecting humans as necessary food dwindled down to nothing... Global Warming was a crisis. Did that mean the Fae were in a crisis? If so they were acting a lot like humans. Some partying it up and being entirely useless. Other struggling to the point of emotion breaking to fix what was extremely difficult to fix. Either way you looked at it, the Fae had very humanlike traits. And it was starting to creep Bodil out. She almost felt...sorry for them.

"So you are trying to fix multiple big problems that not everyone sees as problems," she murmured looking over a big book that might look kind of like an atlas book or be a big beast encyclopedia, "Now that is familiar." She peeked over at him as he talked about the bloody politics of the Fae. Reminded her of that tv show about the dueling lords and ladies of a land where sheer wit and cunning meant you could be a ruler...if you were willing to kill for it. Scary. Bodil had stopped watching that channel after seeing only part of an episode. She had been in the Englisher...er, real world for about a week. Even after a month, the sheer number of shows on the tv had overwhelmed her because she had been afraid of getting another scary show or learning about how little she really knew the world.

"So as you secretly fight your rival Fae in politics...you also have to fix all the buildings, heal the land, restore magic, and keep order of this chaotic kingdom of freaked up Fae," Bodil shook her head and crouched down a bit to look at another book. She jumped a bit when it looked back. "Your job s-storta sucks, huh?" For some reason, it felt like he had looked at her, but she hadn't been paying enough attention to read into it. "Sooo if I understand right," she tapped her chin looking at another shelf, "the Fae," she gestured absently to him, "got so overwhelmed that they brought humans," she gestured to herself, "like me, here to do..." Bodil let her hand circle in the air for a moment. "Grunt work? Stuff easy for humans to do while Fae did big stuff."

Bodil felt heat creeping up her neck. Part of her was still ticked that they thought slavery was the best plan of attack for all their issues. Why hadn't they just asked for help and been the good fairies of the Englisher tales? Well... Bodil thought about it, almost reaching for a book, but thinking better of it. Humans would never help anyone, especially Fae. Human refused to even help themselves. Sighing, the dark-haired woman let her head tip forward a bit. Why why why was she starting to understand the Fae? It made it hard to purely hate them, though it didn't make up for their kidnapping ways. Well, best to try to make due...

"You know, if the humans were treated better, you'd not only get better work out of them but they," she actually gestured to herself again, "wouldn't be so scared and act up all the time." Bodil scrunched up her face a bit. "I mean the auction? Terrifying. The month-long march? Awful. The jerk shepherd who kills and maims people all the time for the hell of it? Nightmare inducing." She held open her arm and looked up at the library ceiling. "Explaining the issues to the captured humans would take out a lot of the fear, give them stuff to think about," she let her arms drop down, "Like, I dunno, 'you're going to work till you repay your wish' or something."

"And I am sure you guys have carts right? Docile animals to haul carts too?" she seemed to be getting more energetic, flicking a hand at him like it was some great revelation and she had to keep going, "That would make transporting faster and easier. We humans are pretty fragile, you know? I've got blisters on my blisters!" Bodil picked up her foot and shook it about.

"And couldn't the guy in charge of the human herd," she winced at the analogy but kept going, "Couldn't he be I dunno, I nice lady who points out landmarks instead? You know, someone who doesn't kill and maim for the fun of it? Desperate humans get anxious and more rebellious the more they are antagonized. Well, I mean normal ones do. The group I came with was full of cow-eyed weirdos..."

Bodil waved the comment off like it didn't really matter. "Anyway, anyway, just some stuff like that could probably make it easier," she peered at a purple book spine, going back to her 'contemplative' stance, "I mean it sounds like you Fae are in a bit of bind... Humans like me only get more awful when treated bad, ya know? I mean, I probably still would have been upset, but I probably wouldn't have gotten into a fight with the Fox had things been a bit different... Maybe."

Samhain Intrigues

Sorry I lied I forgot I have to get up at 5:30am for work and am lil tip to the sea atm

I post morrow

Samhain Intrigues

Posting tomorrow

Samhain Intrigues

@LadyRunic I'll drink to that.

No seriously, make mine a double.

Samhain Intrigues

My 8 hour part time just got boosted to 12 hours full time at the hospital because a college decided to schedule her major surgery during the holiday season, so she could have time off (she did it on purpose and i know becuase she told me so quite proudly). Annnd since I work second shift I come home in the middle of the night and sleep during the day. All the Xmas parties at work are this week too, so all of catering clean up is this week, meaning extra work with less staff.

Samhain Intrigues

Bodil winced a bit at the echo of her voice. After all who knew what ghastly things were standing guard in the shadows of this place. Not that this particular monarch looked like he needed much protecting. Heck, people probably needing guarding from him. He made a motion for her to follow and so she did, more with worry about what could happen should she fall behind. Who knew what was lurking about. After all, it wasn't as if she were particularly obedient, as was previously established. Her actions stemmed more from her gut instincts and emotions, rather than logic and reasoning.

The silver clasp holding the king's hair winked at her ominously, drawing her from her contemplations. 'Be of use' what did that even mean? She wasn't going to 'be of use' to anyone, especially not Fox and most certainly not even King. A bit suspicious, Bodil wrapped her arms around herself as she followed him three paces behind. Not too close, not too far away. She might have touched the Fox on accident, letting her guard down enough to mistake him for fractionally human-like, but she wasn't going to give her self even the slightest hint of chance around this king. Touching him probably turned humans into stone or ash or shadows or fall leaves or something.

"Ah, 'burdensome tasks'..." she scoffed under her breath, mumbling like a rebellious adolescent on a school trip, "So 'burdensome' to drink, make merry, and torment humans all day..." He probably heard it, but she could have said worse. If anything, she at least didn't interrupt. She was too wary of him to be overtly rude or ostentatious. She watched the odd firefly-like orb lights that glowed like faint heartbeats in the walls.

He said he didn't need to make an example of her. Small mercies. Not that she let her hopes up. Something equal awful was probably in store for her. A dance in white hot iron shoes to entertain Fae, a nightly dream date of torture from a Fox with a grudge, or even being handed to Fae kitchens to place some hint of order on a messy and disastrous cooking area. The list went on and on in her head. Each more horrible than the last. After all, these Fae didn't seem to do much work at all. At least not any she had seen. The reconstruction of the ruins was as fruitful as trying to fist fight the ocean.

Bodil decided it probably wise not to comment on the fox bit of information to his grand dasterly's sentences. She had enough common sense to hold her tongue for the king of horrors at least. Instead, she continued to look around, following three paces behind him, glancing at him warily from time to time. Each room that passed was as odd and alien as the last. A gothic bedroom littered with shining weaponry, some of which she couldn't even name. A dressing room with gems and jewels and silks and finery messily slumped and forgot in piles on every surface. A room of just curtains hiding who knew what. Odder and odder it all got. Crystal decor with ruby and diamond eyes inside blinking about. Feathers of all kind of birds that couldn't possibly exist, like purple and black peacocks' feathers or yellow and red-spotted owls' feathers. Ribbons that weren't ribbons, connecting from one solid surface through the other, like glimmering wires or vines that just ghostly pasted through soild stone. It was all beautiful yet very odd. And very, very messy. Didn't they have maids in this place? Honestly, there was no way anyone would ever be able to find anything at all in a magical fantasy-object slopheap like these rooms.

Following the Falk up a spiral walking-way, they entered a library. Bodil watched as the dark king sauntered through the still room, dust swirling like silk tresses behind him. Even the library was a mess. She didn't dare touch anything, lest it fall apart or have tiny alien crawly-things skitter out from it. Not to mention, she'd never stop sneezing if she ever got started in a place like this. Though much like the other rooms she had seen glimpses of, this one had an otherworldly beauty to it too. There was so much to look at. The multicolored covers the glowed in the soft living light. The sheen of the desk as it huddled away in its alcove, papers and jewel-feathered quills littering its surface. The slouching furniture, of exquisite craftsmanship, lazing about. The clamor of ages came to a disjointed pinnacle in this too-still room. Strange music haunted about as Bodil frowned in confusion. It was all lovely yes, sure, but why were they here? And where was a dust rag when you needed it? Whoever the maids were they were doing a horrible job. Probably just Fae work ethic.

"Looking for anything in particular?" she asked a bit confused but still as softly bristled and suspicious as ever. Maybe a magic book to make her mute or a summoning alarm to ward her with so she couldn't ever run away. Though she was still a bit unclear on whether she was valuable or worthless in this world (she was betting on worthless), the Fae seemed to do plenty of unnecessary things no matter the worth of the object. Kill one human, save the other. Bodil rubbed her forehead and looked around again, watching for creep-crawlies and any shadwos big enough to hide beastly torture guards.