Fantasy Immortuos

[AccioProphecy]

"It looks good, but either way, hair down or up you still look like a Calvin Klein model," she stops chopping for a second and adds "It's funnier cause you don't know what Calvin Klein is," she grins and finishes off the chopping. Passing it over to him, moving back a bit to give him more space to do his thing in the kitchen.

"Huh," she let's out an amused sound at the mention of him not being familiar with the act of pouncing. "You should see the vampire movies from my world," Isla guessed all that talk about using garlic and the cross to keep vampires away was a bunch of bull too. Apparently a goat would do, for this particular one.

"I see..." she surprisingly follows all his explanations today. "Then, it's legal to hunt humans in Sigrid and Vesuvia, is what you're saying?" once again she pulls from her experience in her world "and if they feed from humans, does it kill them or they get turned...?" She suddenly laughs a little at herself and the amount of questions she's asking. "I'm sorry, I'll shut up when we're eating,"

"And that sounds great, a place where I can get fresh air without worrying about getting mauled," She said when she hears about the gardens but adds as a second thought "Hopefully it's not as confusing as the house," She doesn't say anything when his hand touches his mask. It didn't take a rocket scientist to add up his words and actions together.

So his mask and the red plague...

She trails off on her thought but claps her hands together with a small smile. "Anything else I can help with?" Finally something that she was familiar with, cooking. The few tiny, familiar things started to make her feel like she was definitely in a safe space. Something as simple as wearing shorts and a shirt to sleep, chopping vegetables and having this sort of small-talk with someone was doing wonders for her mood.

 

[Kaya]

"Is this Calvin Klein some kind of stonemason?", Diavel asked curiously, immediately thinking of the man who had created his gargoyles. That actually made him remember how Isla had mentioned this ruler called Internet. She sure sounded like this Sir Klein was a famous luminary in his field of artwork... Maybe he had even created a statue for their majesty, the Internet?
It all sounded very intriguing indeed.

"And what are movies?"
It sounded very much like 'move', so maybe it was some kind of dance? Vampire dances? As his didn't seem to exist in her world, at least not as more than the stuff of scary stories, he supposed they'd all dress up as vampires, or something?
"Oh, they are some kind of balls, I suppose? Like a masquerade?" He just hoepd he wasn't making a complete fool of himself right now...

While he was grilling the vegetables and finally arranging everything on two plates, Isla asked her next question, making him smile. Her curiosity about this world was endearing. And necessary, he knew. Knowledge could make the difference between life and death here, especially when it came to cryptids. Knowing things like 'stay away from fae', 'don't walk through clouds of mist' or 'never approach a werewolf during a full moon' were lifesavers. So he logically wouldn't deny her any answers regarding this world and the people who lived in it.
"In Sigrid and Vesuvia, humans aren't more than the occasional deer to hunt", he said sinisterly. "Here children learn to calculate, read and write. They don't trust us fully, but we live peacefully among each other. Over there they learn how to fight vampires and hate us with a passion."
Gaining a hint of sadness, Diavel's gaze wandered towards the window for just a moment. Somewhere out there were the descendants of his siblings, his family, more or less, but he'd probably never see them.

At her question if she could help with something else, he shook his head and set the plates on the table. "All ready. What would you like to drink? Got various juices, wine, mead, water, tea..."

 

[AccioProphecy]

Isla had been trying to hold it in but she couldn't help the burst of laughter that escaped her mouth. Calvin Klein. A Stonemason. Sure. "No, let's just say he's... a tailor of some sorts, specializing in undergarments," She stifles a laugh at the extra information. She whips her head in surprise towards him though when he says he didn't know what movies are. "Wait, you don't have movies here too? Not even the black and white ones?"

She mulls it over a bit on how to explain movies. "It's like a moving picture that you can watch over and over again... Like a painting? But it moves, and tells a story," On the receiving side of questions, she finally understood how it felt like explaining things that were normal to herself but not to others. Diavel and Sol must have been having a bit of a hard time explaining the mysteries of this world to her too.

"A ball and masquerades... Those aren't very popular in my world anymore... Maybe in grand and special occasions? At least I've never been to one," She gains a mischievous glint in her eyes "If we're talking about festivals and events, I think you would LOVE Halloween," Perhaps there was a different kind of Halloween here, but the one she knew of consisted of dressing up and trick or treating. A smile plays on her lips at the image of Diavel trying to understand why everyone was pretending to be ghosts and demons and other cryptids and creatures of their choice. To top it off they would go house to house asking for candy.

As he places the plates on the table Isla gets herself comfortable on the chair across from him. She replies to his comment about how he took care of the humans here. "They're very lucky to have you," she wasn't sure if what she was saying made sense, but at least to her, it seemed as if Diavel had saved these people from a miserable life. "You gave them reasonable terms in return for a good life, I think that's incredible, compared to what you say happens in the other areas,"

She looks around her when he mentions something to drink. "Come to think of it... Where's your fridge?" Her head tilts in slight confusion at the lack of it. "Wait... that doesn't exist either? I'll have water for now..." She thanks him for the meal, but waits for him to settle down in front of her before starting to eat.

 

[Kaya]

Now, making a vampire blush already was an art in itself. Usually, they were pale and stayed that way in 99.9% of occasions, partly because of the fact that their blood pressure was so low that it just didn't work, but first and foremost because they just barely ever felt emotions intense enough to make them blush.
A vampire's most common emotion probably was boredom, followed by anger, but feeling flustered or embarrassed was way down at the bottom of the list of vampiric emotions.
The more of an accomplishment it was when Diavel's face slowly gained the color of strawberry ice cream while he was stuttering something along the lines of "B-bu-but I-... Undergarments...?"
Way to go, now you made an utter fool of yourself...

He just tried to push it aside and focus in being fascinated by Isla's description of what a movie was, but his face was still red.
Moving paintings?
His mind was reeling as he was trying to remember whether he'd ever heard of a spell or rune that would make that possible. There was a rune that could give a solid floor the properties of quicksand, but nothing about making painting move, as far as he could recall.
If he'd ever get the chance to see her world and return home whenever he wanted he'd definitely take it. To see all those curious things she told him about...
Like this Halloween thing!
She had made it sound like a festival similar to a masquerade, and while he wasn't exactly someone to enjoy social gatherings all too much, it did sound intriguing; just to see how the people of her world celebrated.

"Speaking of masquerades", he tried to change the topic, still pretty helpless because of what she had said about him looking like a model... For undergarments.
"A count of my Coven will be hosting one at the next half moon. I'll have to go, it'd be disrespectful not to, but if you'd like to come, you're very welcome to join me. And... Thank you."

He bashfully looked down at the table when he took a seat across from Isla,after he'd fetched her a glass of water. She just...
Basically invited him with every word to be just a person for a while, not a Duke or a vampire or anything; but just him.
And he was thankful for it. He hadn't taken any time to be someone instead of something in far too long. It really felt good.
"I don't know, it's just- you see, we all were humans at some point. My parents, siblings, they were human. Their descendants, my family, however distantly related- human. Blood is vital to me, of course, I have no choice but to drink it, but I don't want to hunt them like they're nothing but prey. They deserve better.
... Cheers."
He took another sup of blood from his glass before raising one eyebrow.
" Fridge?"

 

[AccioProphecy]

The thought of Diavel drinking blood was quite strange, to actually see him drinking it was even weirder. It didn't quite process in Isla's mind how it worked but when he took out a glass filled with red liquid she couldn't help but stare at it. She really was in another world. Sometimes the fact just hit her differently. She thought the drink would be more viscous though, but it mostly looked like tomato juice, just a bit thicker.

"It's amusing to see your face turn into the colour of your drink," she teases, pointing her fork at his glass of blood. Recalling how flustered he had been just to hear he had a face fit to model undergarments. Well, she wasn't lying.

She pokes at the vegetables on her plate a bit while she listens to the idea of a masquerade. "Me??" she repeats for him. "You want me to come?" Isla was surprised only because of the fact that she would be going there with him. As a companion. She wondered how other people would see that, but it's not like she ever cared about what strangers thought about her. She shrugs, "If you want me to come then sure, sounds kinda fun. You'll have to tell me what to wear though, I'm no good with the fashion in this world,"

Ah, so he probably did get turned into a vampire at some point... Wonder how he felt about that...

Thought Isla as he listened to him talk about being a human. She picks up her fork and finally stabs a vegetable, and popping it into her mouth. She was delighted at how flavourful it actually was. "Mm!" She hums a bit and takes a bite of the fish too. Turns out Diavel's a good cook. "I haven't had a meal like this in a while, thank you," she recalls all her takeaway and drive through runs. Sometimes she just got that busy, unable to even spare time to cook. She chuckled again at Diavel asking about a fridge. "In my world we have this big rectangular box. It's super cold inside. We store food in it so that it doesn't spoil. And also to keep drinks cold," she taps her glass of water.

As they ate and talked it came to her that it would be a process learning all about this world. It wasn't something she could just ask about and know right away. In a sense it was like being reborn and not knowing anything. It scared her at first, navigating a place that she couldn't say was a 100% safe--not that New York was the safest place either but at least she knew what to avoid-- she took comfort in the fact that, at least, Diavel would be nice enough to warn her if she was in imminent danger or going towards it.

She didn't know how to handle the dishes, perhaps there was some type of magic that took care of them but if not she was willing to help with it. A slight shiver ran up her spine though, indicating that night was falling upon them. The nights here were frigid, she didn't know what seasons existed here but it seems as if the cold was a little more biting here, no wonder the dresses were all long-sleeved with long skirts.

Isla was actually pretty eager to see the garden, it seemed like a nice place to hang out, granted that she could find her way to it first.

 

[Kaya]

"What? I'm not blushing!", Diavel protested just a little too insistently. "... Am I...?"
It normally wasn't something he did, but the heat that spread on his face when Isla had made that comment made it hard to deny.
Whether that was because compliments like that were seen here as extremely straightforward and something you'd most likely only say in a relationship, maybe even marriage, or because it had flustered him on a personal level because normally no one said something like that to him, he couldn't really tell. But telling a Duke who was feared for being able to unleash the force of hell on a battlefield just wasn't something that happened... Ever.

Her reaction to his invitation made him smile though. She made it sound like wanting her to attend a festival with him was some kind of symptom of insanity or something. "I mean, why shouldn't I want you to come?", he said with a chuckle. "You see, I don't have many friends", he admitted. "Most people fear me. So do most vampires. Well, except Carden, maybe... His hate towards me probably is stronger than any fear I could ever wake in him. But that's besides the point."
He waved his hand dismissively, not wanting to go deeper into that topic.
"Rain is like a little brother for me. And Duke Lucian, well, he's my descendant after all, he's probably the most trustworthy vampire you'll ever encounter. But while I enjoy their company and trust them both blindly, it's something different... With you."

Diavel's eye searched her face like he himself didn't really understand it, and honestly, it was true. But he couldn't deny that he enjoyed the way she brought out his human self, even though it also scared him.
"I don't know, you remind me that I'm someone who I thought had died long ago. I mean, you scolded me for having scared you. Like I couldn't kill you with a flick of my hand. Makes me feel like I'm a person to you, not just a vampire, and that's... It means a lot."
Okay, if he hadn't been blushing till now, now he definitely was. Talking about things like this was just so unfamiliar to him... Normally he only opened up like this to Rain.
"Oh and... Don't worry. Tell me your favorite color and whether you prefer it simple and elegant or extravagant and I'll make sure to get it tailored for you by the best tailor in Irewood."

While had added the last part, he had sent his gargoyle to go get him some paper and a quill and drawn the rune he used to freeze time inside his pantry, just on a much smaller scale.
As soon as it was complete, the ink caught fire and burned into the paper with blue flames.
Smirking conspirationally, he picked up her glass of water and poured a couple of drops over the paper. A couple of inches about the paper, however, they stopped falling and floated in mid-air, still as frozen lake.
"Rune magic", he explained. "Everyone with a bit of an affinity for the arcane arts can learn it. This particular rune freezes the time in a sphere as big as the area it covers. That's what I use to keep my food fresh. It doesn't cool drinks, though..."

He got up to put his empty plate and glass on the counter; the gargoyles would take care of them later.
His mood seemed to take a turn towards discomfort... No wonder, he knew what he had promised Isla... And talking about the red plague, well... Not especially pleasant.
"Okay", he sighed silently. "I promised you some answers, didn't I?"

 

[AccioProphecy]

"But while I enjoy their company and trust them both blindly, it's something different... With you."

Before she could ask what he meant he continues to explain that he felt like a person to her, not just a vampire. She lets that thought float back and forth in her head. She wasn't quite sure what to say, it was nice to hear but at the same time... It's not like she did anything special this was just... her. Whether it be him, her work friends, new found friends, if she was comfortable enough... She would talk and react the same way towards them. "That's good... I guess," She says, lacking the right words to utter.

"Hm... Maybe... Royal blue... and... I don't know. Silver?" Silver wasn't really her favourite colour. She just thought it would match his hair and his eyes. "Err... let's go with simple, I don't think I can handle extravagant. Arghhh, I don't know? What do people usually wear? I don't wanna be the odd one out and be stared at," Being the centre of attention was always a fear for her. She'd always been bad at things like public speaking or presentations due to that.

When the gargoyle fetched Diavel some ink and parchment she was again reminded by the fact that she was not in her world. Seeing ink and parchment was so weird to her. But when Diavel did a little magic to stop time, she was beyond astounded, "Holy crap," She stares at the water droplets, moving her head to look at all angles. It was really frozen in time. "Arcane runes...? Do you think I could do it?" She smirks, it would be cool.

Isla follows his example when he takes his plate and glass to the counter. She stacks her plate and notices his change in demeanor. Just a while ago he was relaxed and happy to talk about the masquerade and now... There was a grim look on his face. His sigh was the thing that moved Isla to touch his arm and look up at him, like a child tugging at her brother's sleeve. "...If you don't want to talk about it, we can leave it till later..." She suggested. But she knew that perhaps talking about it would actually bring him a little bit of peace. At the same time, she didn't want to put him under pressure too much. But perhaps time was already running out for them, who knew where the plague was coming from and where it was going?

 

[Kaya]

"Royal blue and silver. Consider it done", Diavel said with a nod and a small smile. "Allister Black is one of the best tailors I've met in my life, I'll have him take care of your dress. Crowley."
The little gargoyle scurried over towards him hastily, stumbled over its own oversized paws and fought to come to a slithering halt, just to be stopped by Diavel's outstretched hand. "Careful, if you crash into a human like that they could be seriously hurt. Listen, I want you to set up a letter to Mister Black and deliver it tomorrow morning at the latest. Tell him we need a dress and a suit for Count Devorak's annual masquerade and ask him for an appointment to take measures."
The Gargoyle took a deep bow before it hurried off, leaving Diavel to watch it with an amused expression.

Turning back to Isla he led her out of the kitchen and across entrance hall, towards the backdoor.
He wasn't exactly hurrying to get there, in fact his pace was rather slow... He just hoped Isla wouldn't notice how uncomfortable that topic made him.
He'd never talked about it, not even Rain, all he'd ever said was that it was in the past and that there was no need to bring it up again.
Well... Seems like the past had just become the future.
The thought of being infected again, or Isla being infected, or the people of his duchie... It sent cold shivers down his spine.

When they stood in front of the door leading into the garden, he took a last, deep breath and pushed it open.

The scenery unfolding was... Beautiful. And sad, both equally.
Gravel paths were leading through a park of hedges, enormous flower beds and small pavilions that must have looked like paradise at some point, if it wasn't for the fact that it looked like no one had taken care of it in ages.
Now it was more of a small jungle, save for the centerpiece of the whole big garden: A Pavillion with ornate glass walls, standing right next to a big fountain, sheltered from sight by the branches of a weeping willow with silver leaves.
"... Maybe... The grass needs some mowing...", Diavel admitted a little awkwardly as he headed down the gravel path towards the pavilion.

"You know, I think it would be possible. You learning rune magic, I mean. Basically these runes just focus the arcane energy inside their creator and transform it into a certain effect. I bet your travel between our worlds has left some traces of arcane power."

With a silent sigh, he sat on the edge of the fountain, elbows resting on his thighs as he watched the leaves of the willow.
"Look at me, once a feared warlord... Now a scaredy cat procrastinating to talk about that topic", he chuckled bitterly.
He remained silent for a long time afterwards, staring at nothing in particular before finally, his trembling hands slowly removed the mask.
"But that's the point. I can't wait till later to talk about this. I'm responsible for my coven, for the people under my protection. What kind of man would I be if I'd let them bear the burden of my own problems?"
He didn't look her in the eye when he turned to Isla, instead his gaze was locked to the mask he was holding in his hands.
"Well, examine it, ask away, whatever you think will help you..."

 

[AccioProphecy]

The whole mansion situation had reminded Isla about the book and the movie The Great Gatsby. A large, castle-like, classical-looking mansion with a nice, luscious and well-cared for garden. So far the mansion matched her expectations but when she strolled into the garden, she would be lying if she said there wasn't even a hint of disappointment in her.

It was grand but also quite neglected. She could see where it could have gotten more care, but none the less, the pavillion and the fountain were beautiful. She curiously looked up at the large willow as they passed by it, reaching a hand up to brush the leaves cascading downwards.

It's so beautiful... Maybe I could work on the gardens while I'm here...

She keeps the thought to herself for now, knowing that more pressing matter were at hand. She follows Diavel towards the fountain, but chooses to remain standing as he sits down, it was easier to look at his face at that height. She doesn't say anything to his own ramblings, knowing that it was just him possibly trying to give himself some courage to just push through and talk about it. He was silent for quite a while and Isla had thought that perhaps he wasn't going to talk about it after all. A brief wind passed by them, ruffling the leaves and bushes, the noise a welcome distraction to her.

She picks up her hand at an attempt to give him some type of comfort, to pat his shoulder, but he had beaten her to it by taking off his mask. She was stunned for a few seconds, not expecting him to take it off. She thought that he merely wanted to talk but she was now presented with the sight that she caught of him this morning. Completely bare and open to her.

The way he didn't pick his head up when he took off his mask told her that he may have been struggling internally. He couldn't even meet her eyes and it just didn't feel right to her to be asking him insensitive questions while he was... she didn't know what he felt and she didn't want to assume how he felt.

She did take the chance to look at his face clearly. The hard grey lines on the left. The way the scars were littered around his mostly red eye. The first thing her mouth uttered was "Does it hurt?" Did it work like a chronic disease? Was it just plastered on his face like some kind of twisted decoration or was it on his face and making its presence known every day by causing him pain? That was the first thought that swirled around her mind.

She went silent for a few seconds, not knowing what to ask but then she sighs and bridges the gap between them. Diavel was incredibly tall--or she was just incredibly short--even when he was sitting and she was standing. She wonders how to approach him and talk to him, how to give him some kind of comfort aside from her words. She wasn't built to handle emotional or awkward situations like this. A lot of the times she handled them with humor but she didn't know how to go about doing that right now.

She didn't dare touch his hand, it seemed far too intimate, and instead her hand automatically lands on his wrist, wrapping around it. "...You talk about being responsible for your coven and your people... Which is really great, I'm glad you think about them all the time. Specially since I've heard about Sigrid and Vesuvia," She pauses for a while, fingers slightly tightening around his wrist, "...and we will help them, I promise--" she cuts off at that, suddenly thinking about the weight of her promise, but she continues, "but I wanna help you too. I mean..."

What about you? If you're always thinking about others... I wonder if you ever think about yourself.

She was unable to convey the rest of her thoughts and does a complete restructure of her statement. "What I'm saying is... I mean, we're friends, right? You're taking me to the masquerade and everything and I don't want you thinking that the person you're taking to the masquerade is some sort of... insensitive dolt," she defaults to her humorous defense mechanism, not knowing if it was appropriate. "So, I just wanted to say, before I start asking questions... Whatever you say to me will always be kept between us, unless it's okay to divulge. Whatever problem you have, you can always tell me, I can't guarantee I can always help though... And whatever... imperfection you have, physically or personality-wise, because we both know you have a big temper--" this morning flashes in her mind, although she makes sure to roll her eyes and add the humour and sarcasm in her voice. "I'll take it. All of it... Cause that's what friends are for... Really cliche right?"

She takes her hand back from his wrist and hides it behind her back, it was her turn to move her gaze away from him. Embarrassed at the whole bit of rambling that she did. She was feeling incredibly awkward but pushes it down by clearing her throat and stepping away from him. "Instead of me asking questions... Maybe it's better if you tell me what you can, from the beginning. How it happened, how did you know you had the red plague, what did it feel like, and how you somehow managed to survive it,"

 

[Kaya]

Diavel was momentarily left speechless by what Isla told him. He noticed how sometimes, when she seemed to be unsure of what to say or how to handle the situation, she seemed to resort to humor, something he rarely ever did. He generally was a rather serious person, so when he was facing a difficult situation, he mostly either responded with silence or anger. He wondered if she saw him as a humorless crank sometimes...

It took him a lot of courage to look up at her with his mask not hiding his scars, but after everything she'd just told him and seeing how her own words seemed to embarrass her, he felt like he owed her this much.
The insecurity was written clearly in his eyes when he reached out to rest his fingers on her arm, just above her elbow.
"Wow... Isla... honestly I'm a little speechless", he finally admitted silently. "I-... There's no one I'd rather go to that masquerade with... You know?"
It was just a small part of what he wanted to say, but nothing he could think of seemed good enough. Normally, he was eloquent, but right now it all seemed to collapse. How to tell someone that they mean a lot to you without it sounding like a love confession?
"A vampire never changes. I looked like I do now seven hundred years ago and I'll still look the same in seven hundred more. Our whole nature contradicts the concept of letting go and moving on, so when you're forced to let go of everything that defined you, your family, your life, even your name... Well, the harder it gets to let go ever again. The past is all we dare to hold on to because it's familiar- it never changes, like us. But... I think with you here... The future seems a little less scary."

Pulling his hand back, Diavel got up. Thinking was easier while walking around, at least to him.

Where to begin?
His fingers were still playing around with the mask, he clearly was nervous, and a little helpless. It wasn't like he had much of a choice, though; the only alternative would've been to say nothing and risk the lives of thousands of people for his own comfort. It was a price he could never let them pay.

"Well", he sighed tensely and set the mask down on the edge of the fountain. "To answer your question: yeah. It does hurt, every second of the day. I'm using a serum that helps prevent the scars from hardening, but it doesn't really help with the pain."
The same white fire as this morning sparked to life from the palm of his hand and cast a softly flickering, silvery light across his face and made the leaves of the willow sparkle like stars.
Watching the flame, he took a deep breath.

"Well, where to start... As I said, my family lived in Sigrid. The red plague had been spreading for while, many people didn't dare to leave their houses out of fear of being infected. I could see that my mother was scared, too, and she wanted nothing more than to leave Sigrid and move back to Ascain, the land my parents came from, to hopefully leave this cursed land behind. We were preparing for months. Saved up as much money as we could, until we could afford a second horse. Father was out in the woods cutting trees to build a carriage, my younger siblings, Noah and Heather, helped our mother sell everything we wouldn't take with us and I sewed and sewed, a stock of clothes of all kinds we hoped to sell on our travel back to Ascain."

He silently cleared his throat, a bit of an apologetic, awkward smile on his face."Oh, that... isn't really important, sorry. I'll get to the point...
One evening... Father came home later than usual. Normally we never went outside when it was dark, but when he returned that day it was close to midnight. He looked pale, his nose was bleeding. When his eyes turned red a couple of days later we knew what was going on. He retreated into the basement, told us he didn't want to risk infecting us... And hung himself.

The white flame on his palm was starting to grow and flicker wildly, until he took a long, deep breath and continued with a slight quiver to his voice,

"We cremated him the next morning.
Mother was broken, but she didn't show it. We pushed on, we had to. I think if it wouldn't have been for my siblings and me she would've just given up.
A couple of weeks later, mother started to cough. While I didn't think much of it at first, well... When she started to cough blood and constantly had nosebleeds... It was pretty clear what was going on.
So I sold everything we had left and brought my siblings away to live in Paravel with a family friend. Back then the city had been the safest place to hide from the constant attacks of Duke Daxtens vampires. I told them I'd come join them soon, I just didn't want to leave mother to die all alone. But then I started to have symptoms, too.
She died quite quickly, if I'm being honest I think she poisoned herself. I tried to fight it, but-..."

His gaze was stubbornly locked on the white flame in his hands, like he would lose his composure the second he'd stop focusing on it, but the way it started to spread over his arms gave his mental state away.

" It could've come straight out of a horror novel. My skin turned white as snow, my hair fell out. One day I thought my eye was watering, but when I wiped that 'tear' away it was blood. My veins, especially around my eye, turned red, too. It looked like I was weeping blood, and, well, sometimes I was. My skin... Started to turn black and die, I could peel it off and it didn't hurt. I could literally feel how my blood was poisoning my body, destroying me from the inside out. Breathing was almost impossible, I've lost count of how often I almost suffocated on my own blood. At some point my bones became fragile as glass."

Shaking the flames out Diavel reached out to take Isla's hand and pushed it against his ribs, where every single one seemed crooked, like they all had been broken several times.
"Just coughing caused my ribs to break."

Apparently he was so lost in his memories that he just kept holding on to her hand, his grip tight.

"I was dying when Duke Daxten found me. He saw something in me, knew that my ability to manifest my arcane energy and emotions into fire would be useful for him, so he offered me a place among his kind. I was so scared... So I agreed, and he turned me. As a vampire, you can heal from almost everything, so I survived, the sickness left my body but the scars remained. I changed my name, knowing that if my siblings would ever find out that I had become one of the monsters they'd been afraid of all their life they'd be so ashamed... They buried their brother Mason, while Daxten created Diavel, his personal devil. And...thazs about it, I guess..."

 

[AccioProphecy]

Isla's gaze snaps back to him when she feels his fingers on her arm. Her gaze softens and she smiles at him as he bravely meets her gaze, though still having a hint of doubt in his eyes. She shakes her head a little at his statement about the future not being so scary, "That's my line..."

When he stood, leaving his mask by the fountain and started hesitantly to speak about his past. Her eyes followed him and noted the erratic behaviour of his white flames. She didn't interrupt him, not even once as he went through the events and the motions. The way he sounded and the way he talked about it suffocated her, if it was hard for her to hear this, she couldn't imagine how difficult it had been for him. She had no idea whatsoever if he had told this story to someone else before, or if she had been the only one to hear it, but there were no words to describe how her heart broke for him.

To lose his father, his mother, to leave his siblings and to become deathly sick himself. He must have been so scared. If it was her, she would've been terrified--even though her parents were not the sweetest-- and she would've lost her mind early on.

Isla was startled out of the horrific tale when he suddenly pulled on her hand and pushed it against his ribs, letting her feel how exactly broken his body was. He kept her hand and didn't give it back as he finished off his story. Silence fell around them. Isla knew there was nothing she could say that would make it better for him. This was a memory that he had to live with and face and she now completely understood why he had gone off the rails this morning.

It's not so much as the physical deformity than it is the emotional trauma it must have been...and still is...

To see one's self in the mirror every day for centuries like that, he must have been reminded about it all the time.

Isla picks up her other hand and clasps his that were wound around hers, giving it what she hoped was a reassuring squeeze, but she still had no idea what to say. She takes a shaky breath in and sighs it out just as shaky, closing her eyes. Truth be told there were so many things she actually wanted to say. That he was strong. That he made himself his own person. He pulled through and continues to pull through for his people. That his parents were so lucky to have a son like him. But she didn't know which one to say, didn't know how to say it, and a couple of seconds of silence passes them by again. The only comfort he gave her was her hand.

"...I don't think there's anything I can say that will make it better for you... but thank you," She softly mutters squeezing his hands in hers even tighter. "Thank you for trusting me with it and for telling me," she repeated and adds, "I can't actually possibly understand how difficult that was for you, and still is... but I'm glad you shared it with me," A hint of a smile crosses her features as she opens her eyes back and looks up at him. She knows that he doesn't like the scars on his face. Yesterday she herself had been self-conscious about her measurements and her weight--which made her feel stupid now, in hindsight--of course he would feel the same way about his scars and it came with such an emotional burden as well.

"...In some ways this garden reminds me of you... It's big and beautiful... a little run down in places, a little chaotic in some areas but the fact is... it's still beautiful. I'm sorry to compare you to your collections of trees and shrubs but..." She had really wanted to kick herself at that moment for just running her mouth and trying to say something meaningful, ending up talking about his garden. "...despite everything that's happened to you I think you came out of it rather beautifully. I'm sure it was chaotic and difficult and everything in between but somehow, you pulled through and you still manage to think about others so that's why... I still very much like what I see," She gives him a bigger smile at the statement.

Perhaps even more... I can't even put into words how much I admire and respect his resilience...

"So... what do you say we try to investigate this whole red plague situation and see what we can do about it and stop it from spreading? And please don't tell me you don't want to get me into any kind of trouble, I'm already stuck here, so let me be useful, hm?"

After hearing of how terrible it was, she was that much more determined to do something about it. There was no way she could just sit there while it existed out there, possibly slowly spreading.

 

[Kaya]

The way Isla helplessly rambled about his garden actually made Diavel smile a little, and her statement about very much liking what she saw just made that smile widen. He'd always been afraid of what it would feel like, to talk about all this, and yes, it hurt like hell. All those memories would haunt him in his sleep, but right here and now, there wasn't just pain and fear, against everything he had expected.
Much to his surprise, there was warmth, care... Trust.
How had she managed to gain his trust in this short time they had known each other?
Well, he thought to himself, she sees me.
She looked right past the Duke of Irewood, past the White Lord, even past the vampire, and saw the person behind the legend.
"I'm sure that there will be moments when I will regret talking about this. Mainly because it'll most likely send me into a dark spiral of brooding at some point. But I'll gladly take it, because somehow... I'm sure with you here, I can. Believe me, Isla... I very much like what I see, too", he said, eyes beaming with warmth. "I-I-I mean, not that way, of course you are beautiful that way, too, but I meant your personality."

Groaning, he buried his face in his hands, rubbing his forehead like he only did when he would love to slap himself across the face. He'd just been talking about his entire horrible past, he couldn't just go on to ramble about her looks and personality!

The headaches from yesterday night were back, pounding in his temples and reminding him that this emotional forth and back was everything but easy for his head. If he'd go on like this he'd drive nuts at some point, though he couldn't deny that he enjoyed how Isla lifted the veil of sister brooding that had surrounded him for so long.

He was smirking knowingly when he finally removed his hands from his face and raised one eyebrow. "And I wouldn't even dare to tell you to stay out of all that trouble. I know the kind of person you are, hell I've been married to the kind of person you are. I know that there's no stopping you once you've set your mind on something. So, instead of trying to stop you, I'll support you in any way I possibly can. Let's save this world together. But-"

He turned around to look at the overgrown and unkempt garden all around while a feeling of peace washed over him. He knew it wouldn't last, at some point the memories would weigh him down again, but right here and now he felt free.
"no one can save the world every second of the day. I've neglected this place because it reminded me of everything I had lost, but maybe it's time to start over and restore its beauty. Will you help me?"

He bumped her hip with his the way she had done in the kitchen, eyes still wandering across the garden.
"Thank you, Issie. You truly are one of a kind."

 

[AccioProphecy]

Isla couldn't help but laugh more at the way he gets flustered at his own words. It seems that there were certain things that actually made him more flustered than usual, even more so than Isla did. She got embarrassed sure, but not nearly as flustered as he did. "I'll take all your compliments about me. Looks, personality and all," she winks at him and steps back a bit to give themselves more space.

A spark of curiosity stirs in her when he mentions that he was actually married, but the way he said it made her think that it was in the past already. Isla tilts her head a little in wonder.

and he says "the kind of person you are..." Curious.

She wasn't exactly sure what he meant by that, but before she could ask he had asked her help to tend to the garden. "...I know I said I wanted to help you but I'm not much of a green thumb so don't blame me if this place looks worse than how it started..." She scratches her cheek sheepishly with a nervous laugh. She was interested in tending to the garden, but quickly realized she didn't even know how to keep a plant alive except by watering it... and then eventually overwatering it until it died.

She stumbles a little at the sudden hip bump he gives but laughs as she recognizes his intent. "We're using nicknames now are we?" She challenges and hums in thought a little, "Dia seems pretty unoriginal," she thinks out loud then shrugs. "It'll come to me later on," She looks around the garden as well and nods.

"Well, you'll have to teach me how to do things... I'll practice and I'm sure I can tend to it by myself, specially if you're busy," She glances at him sideways, "Were you the one who tended to the gardens before? I thought your little pets could do it for you," by that she meant the gargoyles but judging from what Isla has seen of them so far they seemed to be slightly clumsy creatures. She was sure they would still come in handy for things like fetching water and other basic things though.

"Oh!" She suddenly remembers something and it puts a slight trace of dread in her face. "Another thing... about the masquerade... Do we have to...dance?" When she thinks about this world she wouldn't be surprised to hear that dances were customary here, and she was sure as hell that the "dance" they did here was not the type of dances you would see in proms or clubs. "If we do... I think it's best if I at least practice a little..." She felt slightly sorry for Diavel, having someone with two left feet as his companion.

 

[Kaya]

The hedges need to be trimmed, the grass needs to be mowed, the trees need a cut and the ponds need to be cleaned. The flower beds need to be replanted from scratch and it should somehow look different, not just like what it was before, this place needs a change. Lilies would be nice, I think, and maybe -

Isla's comment that she'd take all his compliments but didn't exactly have a green thumb woke him from his thoughts. Neither did he, but maybe they'd get this place back into shape together. It couldn't look much worse than it did now anyway, right?
And maybe taking care of the garden would help them get their minds off all the research they'd have to do on the red plague when it would get a little too much.

He noticed that she was looking at him curiously, but just when he wanted to ask what she was thinking about she beat him to it and asked if he had used to take care of the garden.
"You do know I don't want you to feel like you have to take care of the garden, do you?", he clarified with a smile, just to make sure she wouldn't feel obliged to do it when she didn't want to. "My wife, Alice. She's done most of the work here. The hedges, the flower beds... The only times when she would let me help was when the grass needed to be mowed or some roses needed to fixed higher up in the trellis."

He suspiciously watched Isla's reaction from the corner of his eye, curious if the name Alice would spark anything.
But if it doesn't, it's perfectly fine. She's not some kind of replacement, he reminded himself.
"See the Laburnum in the corner over there? The small tree with the cascading, golden flowers? It just grew there, a couple of months after she died, like even death couldn't stop her from planting one last tree. Unbelievable that it's been almost four hundred years."

There actually was a faint smile on his lips as he watched the flowers of the tree sway in a soft breeze. It felt like she was waving at him. Waving goodbye? Telling him that Isla wasn't Alice and her time was long over?
He knew he was probably over interpreting what was a normal thing that happened all the time, but it somehow felt good. He should've faced her death long ago, accepted it, instead of trying a million and one things to bring her back.
And if she actually was giving him a sign like that... Maybe she didn't even blame him for her death.
She'd always been so strong and independent. The decisions she'd made had always been just hers... Getting into her thick skull was impossible anyway.

He just smiled when Isla admitted that she didn't know how to dance and gently tugged on her hand to take her into the Pavillion.
The moonlight was casting the intricate patterns of the ceiling as shadows on the white marble ground as he took a bow and indicated a kiss on her hand. "This is the opening. If you accept the offer to dance, you do a small curtsey.
As the man, I take the lead", he explained. "Your left hand rests on my shoulder. Feel free to squeeze it if you're nervous", he added with a small chuckle.
"My right hand holds your waist, your right hand rests in mine."
Guiding her into the right position, he gave an encouraging smile.
"Now, I'd recommend you get a feeling for the movements first, makes it easier to follow the steps on your own later on. So come on here, step on my toes."

Grinning slightly, he winked at her.
"Bet you haven't expected to learn how to waltz from a vampire before you landed here, eh?", he chuckled. He could only image how confusing all of this must have been to her... And probably sometimes still was. The more he hoped she felt safe with him, a little less alone. He knew from experience that being alone in such difficult moments could hurt so bad. The imagine of her teary eyes from a couple of hours ago flashed before his eyes and made his cheeky expression soften.
I hope you know that you don't need to take all this in a stride. If you need a friend, I'll be there, no matter if you're feeling good or bad..., he wanted to tell her, but remained silent out of fear to cross any lines.

 

[AccioProphecy]

So even his wife is long gone...

She wondered about the intricacies of having long life or being immortal. In her world people would always say 'Oh! It must be great to live forever!' but she wasn't so sure anymore. If you had to live that long, it meant having people outlive you.

Unless his wife was a vampire or some sort of otherworldly creature... In which case... I wonder what took her away...

"She did everything by herself?" Isla asks in amazement. There were so many things to do here but she smiles at Diavel when he mentions that she doesn't have to stress out about it too much. She shakes her head "I'll do it, I just need to learn a few things. Might take longer than expected,"

Her eyes fall over to the laburnum tree as Diavel points it out. In some ways it was a very elegant-looking tree. "... I see," For some reason she had wanted to put her hands up in prayer, but refrains to do so and instead observes the tree.

I hope you don't mind if I make a few changes here...

Then getting whisked away by Diavel over to the pavilion. She wasn't sure what was happening until she feels his lips on her hand, that somehow got her feeling a bit of heat on her cheeks. She was always all talk but once someone pulled those kinds of moves on her, the chances of her turning into a flustered fool was high. She knew it was probably customary here but it felt slightly intimate to her, only because guys in her world wouldn't go for the hand first, it was a rather gentlemanly thing to do. "Wait, we're doing this now??" she asks in slight panic but still reluctantly curtsies. Following after his instructions.

"Okay...left hand on your shoulder... In that case I might shatter your clavicle," she responds when he says she could squeeze it if she was nervous. The right hand on her waist made her nervous in another sense. This was definitely not the type of dance she knew. It was like one of those Disney movies that Diavel probably wouldn't know about. Stuff that only happened in Cinderella or Beauty and the Beast.

For the first minute she was staring down at her feet until she figured out that she should probably be looking at her partner. So she picks her head up and is face to face with him. They weren't exactly in close proximity to each other but everything added up, plus the possibility of her stepping on him made her slightly anxious. She scoffed though when he remarks that she probably didn't expect waltz lessons from a vampire. "This is one of the more normal things that has happened, I'm sure you know," Between waking up to three vampires wanting to feed on her and learning how to waltz. She'd take the waltz anytime.

The moonlight illuminating them was comforting though and the patterns on the floor served to slightly distract Isla... But also made her that much more clumsy. Just when she thought she got the feel of the whole thing her left foot moves a little too much and ends up slightly tapping, bordering on stepping on his foot. Her hand tightens over his shoulder and hand at her attempt not to full on squash his foot but lets out a slight squeak at her misstep "Soorrryyyyy!!" Her face full on flushes in embarrassment as she dips her head a bit but picks it up after a few seconds with a slight pout and aggravated look on her face, grumbling. "Honestly this requires a lot of mental preparation too..."

 

[Kaya]

Isla's flushed face made Diavel involuntarily smile. Humans. They lived such short lives and compared to his kind they were fragile as glass. Just a little fall from four story building or a simple, small knife could already kill them, and yet, unlike vampires, they were so very much alive.
They couldn't just shut their emotions off or fall into a deep slumber to skip a couple of decades.
Whether they were victims of their own emotions or lucky to experience them like that surely was in the eye of the beholder, but he liked it.
Maybe he'd really spent too much time among his kind. After all, compared to the others, he almost had the heart of a human, according to them. Again, whether or not that was a good thing probably was debatable.

"Shatter my clavicle", he chuckled, momentarily tempted to tease her a little. But after everything that had happened today he didn't want to go overboard. Having to apologize once was enough for a day in his book, especially if it was for lashing out on her like he had done.
"Believe me, you can't hurt me. Not physically, at least. But I'm curious what's making you so nervous. The fact that you're slow dancing with me? Or the fear of doing it wrong?"

He stumbled slightly when Isla's foot hit his, made a quick step back to avoid losing his balance, but just playfully raised one eyebrow at her. He couldn't really understand her nervosity, in fact he felt quite calm and actually enjoyed to dance again after not having done so for about four hundred years.
His step back however had made him stumble over a tall vase containing some shriveled, dead flowers, which started to dangerously tip sidewards, causing Diavel to let go of Isla's hand to catch it...
And, ultimately, full on losing his balance when he tripped over the edge of his coat.
With the vase in his arms he landed flat on his back, earth and parts of dead plants scattered across the floor and his clothes.

A little dumbfoundedly, he blinked a couple of times...
And broke into laughter, still basically hugging the vase. His hair was spread out on the floor around him like rays of moonlight...
Or, well, moonlight speckled with leaves.

He still had a wide grin on his face when he crossed his arms behind his head and just closed his eyes, sighing contently; a picture perfect scene of happiness.
Maybe he'd just really needed this wake up call. After four hundred years of locking himself up in his mansion, he finally realized how much he had missed.
"I really feel like I haven't thanked you enough. It's like I'm finally waking up from a far too long time of sleepwalking my way through life", he said upon finally sitting up and looking up at Isla.

When he was back on his feet he held one hand out to her, beaming with an enthusiasm that he had last showed, well, centuries ago.
"Wanna keep practising? Ah, by the way, what did you mean by 'it takes mental preparation'?"

 

[AccioProphecy]

Isla accidentally hitting his foot was what set off the domino of events. Diavel falling, hugging a vase and her gasping and half-crouching next to him with an "Oh my God!" in some kind of futile attempt to help him but breaking into a wide grin when she realizes just how silly the whole thing was. When he started laughing she couldn't help but laugh along too, wiping her laughter-induced watery eyes by the end of it.

She straightens up and watches as he somewhat relaxes on the floor, a genuine smile on his face. Something about it made her feel at ease. She raises an eyebrow at his gratitude yet again, really not seeing anything special in what she did. She understood though, perhaps he had been alone for far too long with only the companionship of a few people or creatures. Rain, mainly.

"Yeah, I might have slapped you awake too hard and now you've gone crazy," she replies teasingly at his remark about getting woken up from sleepwalking. When he offers his hand again asking if she wanted to practice more, she most definitely did not want to, but had a very strong urge to take his hand anyway. When he offered it so openly like that and with such radiance it was hard to resist.

She takes his hand, forces it up and does one twirl around, before releasing his hand, and doing a curtsy "Thank you for the lesson, sir, but I'll pass for today," she stands straight and explains "Just exactly what you said, it does make me nervous both to be dancing with you and to get the steps wrong," She props her elbow on her hand and cups her cheek in thought, "There's going to be a lot of people, right? I just get anxious in those type of settings, I suppose. I always feel like someone's judging my moves. Don't get me wrong though, I'll still go. I'll work hard and practice on being a decent plus one," She always thought too much and stressed out about big functions like that. Back home she wouldn't go to a company party or some type of reunion unless she was 1000% sure that someone she knew was going to be there. Even then, she still worried about things like what she should wear and if she could even socialize properly with others.

"Anyway!" she starts with a clap of her hands. "I'm excited about the garden, actually. Maybe we should start with flowers? Anything in particular you wanna plant? Can I go out tomorrow to get some supplies of some sort? Or have you got some of those lying around?"

 

[Kaya]

"If I'm going crazy I don't wanna go back to normal, honestly", Diavel admitted with a grin as Isla did a twirl.
He was momentarily prompted to pull her in with another twirl as the dance normally would require him to do, but she had already let go of his hand and was explaining why exactly the whole masquerade thing was making her so nervous.
He curiously tilted his head, eye scanning her face like he could find the answer to his questions there.
To him those masquerades had long lost their thrill, they'd always been more of an annoying chore rather than an exciting event.

He slightly rolled his eyes, however with a small understanding smile on his face that showed that he didn't mean it negatively in any way.
"Listen, I don't know if you're more scared to embarrass me or yourself, but I didn't ask you to accompany me there to act as some kind of... Decoration, or whatever, but because I enjoy your company and was just hoping for us to have a good time together. I'm not looking for perfection or some... pretty bird. Okay?"

Her sudden change of topic took him a moment to catch up with, but she was right:
If they wanted to get this garden back into shape they'd need tools and at least a bit of a plan.
He certainly didn't want to tell Isla what exactly to do with the garden, in fact, he'd prefer to leave her as much freedom at shaping it as she liked, but one thing did come to his mind...
"What about fire lilies?", he suggested as he let his gaze wander, before giving Isla a bit of a sheepish smile.
"About the tools... I might have... Burned the shed down after Alice's death. ...Didn't take it well back then."
Blushing slightly he awkwardly ran one hand through his hair.
"But if you'd like I could ask Sol to accompany you to the city tomorrow, help you carry everything and maybe dig up the flowerbeds?"

 

[AccioProphecy]

"Listen, I don't know if you're more scared to embarrass me or yourself, but I didn't ask you to accompany me there to act as some kind of... Decoration, or whatever, but because I enjoy your company and was just hoping for us to have a good time together. I'm not looking for perfection or some... pretty bird. Okay?"

Isla considers his response and slowly nods her head, understanding his sentiments. She knew in the end she'd still be nervous when the time came anyway, but at least... she could try and enjoy it rather than treat it like a mission of some sort.

"Fire...lilies?" The colour of those were really vibrant, not the kind of flowers she was thinking of, but it was interesting. At the mention of his wife again and burning down the shed after her death she chuckles a little at his sheepish way of answering. "I mean... That's the normal response. I think I'd be a lot more scared if you didn't react strongly to it..." Isla straightens up at the mention of Sol. She had been wondering for half the day if he was okay, she thought that she would at least see him today, but today was already eventful enough. "Oh! That'd be nice. I did wanna check on him, see if he was okay..."

The rest of the night passed by in normalcy. They talked a bit more about what to plant and where to place things, up until she realized how tired she was and got escorted back to her room. The next day, she'd gotten up with another start. Still getting a mini heart attack when she remembers that she's not home, taking seconds to realize that she was again, in another world. However, she was pretty happy that yesterday had been a mostly normal day, except for the fact that Diavel had gotten angry at her in the morning... for reasons she understood.

...I still can't get over the fact that he's lived with that for years.

She thinks to herself, and appreciates the side that she'd seen of Diavel yesterday. She guessed that it wasn't usual for him to be like that, him being a feared duke. To her though, Diavel was just Diavel. His duke persona was just something he had to do, not who he really was, or so she thinks. There's a little bit of doubt in her mind that perhaps...he has done a lot of things that she herself couldn't imagine. Not impossible, seeing that he's been alive for so long.

After reflecting on her thoughts, she freshened up, ate some breakfast and found out that Sol was already in the mansion by the time she finished breakfast. Apparently Diavel told Sol last night to look for Isla early in the morning. He was in his wolf form when she approached, briefly exchanging pleasantries and that was how they ended up back in the town square. This only being Isla's second time there, but it did feel really good to get fresh air and see other people out and about. She turns to Sol and finally, properly asks him, "How are you? Is everything ok?"

 

[Kaya]

*Wham bam*
It was early morning, a couple of hours after he'd showed Isla the way back to her room, when an unexpected knocking at the door made Diavel open one eye, sighing as he got up and quickly covered himself with a dressing gown.
"Come in, I hope you have a good reason for waking me up at a time like this", he grumbled.
What he had absolutely not expected was the werewolf blocking most of the entrance with its massive shoulders, glaring daggers at him. He could almost feel the whiff of hot air against his naturally cool skin, coming from the angry predator as it scoffed disdainfully.
"What kind of sick charade are you playing here?", Sol snarled, something he normally would've never dared. Diavel just questioning raised one eyebrow at him.
Even when he was standing the wolf was tall enough to stare straight ahead into his eyes, which admittedly did make him feel a little uncomfortable.
"What are you talking about?", he just asked back, honestly confused.
"When you told us to move into the guest wing you didn't mention the room with the enormous portrait of you and someone who looks disturbingly much like Isla. What's going on, have you developed some sick fixation?!"
"That's not Isla, that's Alice, my dead wife", Diavel clarified with a warning snarl to his uncomfortably gentle voice. In any other situation he probably would've just thrown Sol out of the room and threatened him to sell him away, but right now he still was half asleep.
That explanation however only seemed to fuel the wolf's rage.
"Yeah, I know, it's written on the frame. And the diary. I was a little surprised by the dress on the bed, drenched in dried blood, though. But the ultimate surprise was the Soulbinding rune circle on the floor. Are you trying to summon your dead wife's soul into Isla's body or what?!"
At that moment Diavel's cool demeanor actually faltered. All that came from him as a response was awkward silence as his eyes followed the patterns in Sol's fur." So you are", the werewolf exclaimed hatefully.
"I... Did.",Diavel admitted, sounding surprisingly regretful for someone who was being confronted by his slave. "But that's in the past. Isla is... She isn't Alice, and she doesn't have to be." The smallest of smiles crossed his face. "She's great. Just the way she is."
Sol's eyes narrowed in distrust. "You and I, we both know what you and the Athera Coven owe Akeela. You know your end of the contract. Don't try him."
Diavel just stared back at Sol with the same, grim expression. "If you don't want me to glamour you into telling me his location you'll better get going."

Just a few hours later, Sol found himself in the town square with Isla, with a grin brighter than the sun on his face as he lifted both hands above his head and bent backwards in a good, big stretch, as always not giving a fuck about the disapproving glances of passersbies who apparently didn't like his choice of clothing. As always, just some fraying pants that would've been called 'used look' if that was a thing here, the dark gray vest with a collar lined with fur and no shoes or shirt. Every werewolf knew- less clothes meant easier morphing.

"Oh I've slept in a bed bigger than my entire room tonight" he exclaimed, almost sounding proud. "I couldn't be feeling any better. Sure, the whole red plague is a problem. Well, for you guys at least; our immune system is stronger by nature, plus, if that sickness really is some sort of curse, well, we're off the hook. We're all cursed anyway, and as far as I know you can't bear two curses at the same time."

He took a deep breath, looking like the incarnation of contentment.
If he'd tell anyone about it they'd probably all call j crazy, but the confrontation with Diavel just this morning only boosted his good mood;
He'd seen the flicker of distress in the vampire's eyes at the mention of the contract between the werewolf leader and his Coven, and it just felt so good.
He'd be dragged down to earth soon enough, so right now he was just enjoying how he'd been on a par with Diavel for a moment.

"What about you, though?", he asked, head tilted as he turned to at her. "You're still here. So I guess the visit at the alchemist's didn't bring the solution for your problem?"


"Breakfast!", he finally exclaimed after a moment with the grin still on his face.
"I haven't had any breakfast yet. Did you? There are some great food stalls by the docks where we could go grab a bite, if you'd like. And you wanted to buy some tools and flowers for the garden, I've been told?"

 

[AccioProphecy]

Isla smiles at his sunny positivity. Sol had the capacity to make people feel good just by saying a few sentences, she realized. Not that she had talked to a lot of people here, just Diavel, and Diavel was... They were different. She found that she'd liked his company, he could be carefree if he wanted to be but Sol was a different kind of carefree.

If she really had to compare the two they were like the sun and moon to her. Diavel was the moon. Having a certain amount of poise and elegance, and having his moods in wanes but somehow... just like the moonlight his presence was rather comforting. As if she was sure that nothing would go wrong with him around. As for Sol, well, as his name states, to Isla, he was just like the sun. Bright disposition and warm. A kind of personality that welcomed almost anyone.

"Yeah I'm still getting used to that..." Isla replies when he talks about the big bed in the rooms. Hers was too, sometimes hauntingly so, like a reminder that she was alone in the room, and her paranoid mind would start running too wild in the middle of the night, thinking about what could be out there...quietly slinking into her room.

Isla was relieved to hear that at least the wolves were immune to the red plague, that was one less group to worry about, but it was still quite alarming to her. She tilts her head though, at the mention of Sol being cursed. "What do you mean? Do you mean... your werewolf thing is a curse?"

She sighs a little at the mention of the alchemist but nods her head, "He's a little... weird, so to speak. I'm still thinking about if I really want his help... In the meantime, I'll look for other options," She shrugs though and replies teasingly, "Aren't you glad I'm still here though?"

She enthusiastically thinks about the stuff she was going to buy today--Diavel had given her enough money, a bit much actually--but also perks up at the mention of breakfast. The gargoyle cooked this morning and it was...edible. Nothing like what Diavel prepared for her though, but that was expected. "I ate already but I don't mind having a bit more..." She hoped that she didn't seem like a glutton. "Yeah! Diavel says I can fix up the garden, kinda exciting. Wonder how much of a disaster I can make of it,"

When she had caught up with all her questions and answers, not having seen Sol for a seemingly long time, it was only then that she really took a good look at him. The day before... was rough. She wasn't in the kind of mindset that she was now or yesterday. Sure she still felt lost on random times of the day but at least now, she knew that she could turn to someone. In the back of her mind she was still slightly concerned about being a burden to Diavel, but... she told herself she was going to do her fair share of work and at least try to be helpful to him.

Sol just had a lot of things going on, the tribal tattoos, the fur lined vest and most importantly his bright grin. It just kind of took a lot of attention away from his actual outfit, at least to Isla. Plus, getting attacked by fae and being helpless and new in another world was not really the time to be admiring his...physique. He was basically half naked.

"W-Wait, were you always wearing that?" Her eyes makes a quick sweep up and down, landing on his arms. The tribal tattoos on it made it seem like sleeves but in fact, on closer inspection she could see how toned he was. Not to mention the V line on his lower torso, his pants cutting off her view of it. Her eyes snaps up back to his face, definitely feeling a slight heat on her cheeks when she realizes just what she was looking at and right in front of him too, her reaction was way more intense compared to that of when she saw Diavel with his hair up for the first time.

Sol was half naked. No. That was not a normal sight in her world. You'd probably be called crazy if you walked around half-naked but if you had the kind of physique that Sol did, perhaps not a lot of people--women, particularly--would mind. She doesn't quite know how to react but was worried she had offended him. "I mean, it doesn't look bad!"

Looks good actually...

"...Let's just go get food," Isla says, half embarrassed. She was getting embarrassed a lot these days. She tells herself it isn't her fault that her recent companions were handsome and fit. She sighs a little at the things she needs to get used to, this was just one of them--not that she was complaining--she just didn't want to keep on being a bumbling idiot whenever she saw something or someone unusual.

Why do they both have to be so distracting?

 

[Kaya]

Sol's roaring laughter was basically echoing off the walls like the chimes of church bells before he bit his knuckle to suppress it. His wolf nature was showing in the way his grin was accompanied by a wrinkled nose; looking a little like a dog about to sneeze.
"When you're done checking me out, just follow me, the docs are this way", he snickered as he walked backwards a couple of steps into the mentioned direction, pointing over his shoulder with a tumb.
"But I am happy to see you're still here! Who else would I risk my life with, eh?"

Honestly he didn't mind Isla looking at him like that, he knew he could afford to go shirtless, plus he surely had more pressing matters to worry about than anyone's opinion regarding his choice of clothing.
It wasn't like he didn't care about what she thought of him, they'd gotten along great and he liked her, so he of course wanted to be on her good side. But clothes just were a topic he barely ever thought about.

"Well, we are all born as Wolven, um, wolf-people.", he explained to answer Isla's question about the curse. "But our beast forms, what we turn into when there's no other way out, are the result of a curse we've been put under by the gods of our ancestors. Or so goes the legend."

At the docks, where the ocean was glittering in the sunlight and the sound of the waves breaking against the shore mixed with the chatter of vendors, fishermen and adventurers, Sol pointed out a small food stall, selling a wide variety of snacks, from grilled fish to freshly baked pancakes and fruit coated in chocolate.
The old lady behind the counter was almost disappearing in her wild mop of gray hair and layers over layers of clothing that have off a certain pirate-y vibe.

"Mazelinka!", Sol called upon approaching, and the old woman came rushing at him at an impressive speed.
She was only about half as tall as Sol, reaching up to his elbow at best, but effortlessly lifted him off the ground as she squeezed him in a tight hug.
" Maz-... Need... Air...!", he wheeze as he struggled out of her grasp.
"You! Ya gon tell ya father that I'll come crawlin' straight into whate'er hole he's hidin' in if he ain't gonna come'n visit me 'ere!"
"Aye Captain, noted and understood", Sol chuckled, giving a small salute. Just when the old lady (though lady really wasn't the right word for her) opened her mouth to greet Isla, something in the corner of her eye caught her attention and she went running to scold a merchant for dropping off a crate of fruit rather roughly, wielding a wooden spoon thaz looked remarkably dangerous in her hand.

Sol just watched with a lopsided smirk. "If there's one human who'd never catch the red plague it's her", he commented amusedly. "She'd just scare the sickness off with her spoon."

While he was waiting for Mazelinla to return to her food stall, he took a moment to think about what Isla had told him about the alchemist. It didn't surprise him, honestly, all those fumes were bound to get your brain hazy at some point.
"You know, about your... Problem; remember I told you our ancestors were Soul Travellers, too? I could ask some elders, see if they know anything about the matter."

 

[AccioProphecy]

Sol's reactions were the kind of reactions that made Isla want to slap or punch him on the arm, in a good natured way, the way you would do it to a mischievous brother or an annoying close friend. Instead of doing that though she just pointedly glares at him with a denial. "I was NOT checking you out, my eyes were just... wandering,"

She begrudgingly follows behind him, listening to his explanation about the curse, recalling the moment he had started to transform into a completely different being. So the red plague was a curse? If so did someone bring it upon others this time around or was it just a curse that just suddenly resurfaced every few centuries?

Her thoughts are cut off when he got enthusiastically greeted by an old lady, she watches the exchange in wonder. "You know a lot of people," she said, her tone amazed. The other day he had greeted the pub owner by name. Whilst he seemed to be a social butterfly Isla couldn't say the same for herself. She envied that a little bit.

"Could you really? That'd be great. I haven't really asked Dia about other options," the nickname just came out. She did say it was unoriginal yesterday but somehow it was the easiest thing to call him. She smiles at Sol gratefully and walks closer to the food stall, eyeing the pancakes while the old lady was off reprimanding some sailors.

She takes the string coin pouch from her pocket, even the money looked different here and rattled it around in her hands, peeking through the hole of the pouch. She blinks and didn't think about the fact that she didn't know what coin was how much and how to calculate the currency. She lifts the pouch up to Sol, "Since you got me a drink last time are you gunna let me pay this time?" technically it wasn't her money.

"And then after, can we go get garden stuff? Oh, do you like flowers Sol? You can enjoy the garden once in a while too, let's get something you would like," Yesterday she was rather intimidated by the thought of fixing up the whole garden but just by thinking of the whole variety of colours and flowers she could plant, it made her look forward to it.

 

[Kaya]

"Well, I'm basically an enormous dog, It's just natural for me", Sol said happily when Isla commented on him knowing a lot of people. He could never live the withdrawn and lonely life of a vampire. How did they not drive insane from sheer loneliness?!

Dia.
That nickname almost made him swallow up on his fried banana sandwich. They used nicknames already?
Generally speaking it of course wasn't a problem, but 'Dia' being Diavel was one!
The picture of that disturbing room flashed back into his mind, along with the vampire's statement that Isla was great just the way she is.
That didn't make it better in any way, at least in his book. Even if he wasn't planning to cast her soul into the depths of oblivion to bring his long deceased wife back to life- getting into vampire business rarely ever ended well.
"Dia?", he exclaimed with a bit of a laugh. "I didn't know he lets anyone but Rain call him like that. He must really like you."
I'll just have to keep an eye on him.
"But sure, I bet some of us know more about soul traveling."

He'd just wanted to tell Isla that Mazelinka most likely wouldn't accept money from them when said old lady waltzed back behind her counter and warningly pointed the spoon at Isla and her pouch.
"Will ya put that 'way, dear!"
"Mazelinka and my father are close friends", Sol added as an explanation for her absolute unwillingness to accept any money from him or Isla.
"She practically raised me."
"That boy was a handful, I'm tellin' ya! One mornin' I wake up an' lil' Sol's chewin' on my peg leg."

Right there and then he wished for the ground to open up and swallow him. She wasn't seriously telling embarrassing childhood stories of him now!
His healthy tan made space for a deep red blush while he edged closer to Isla and slightly nudged her shoulder with his to hopefully make her understand that it was high time for a quick exit.

"Hah, wow, it's already so late, we need to get going, garden's waiting, right?", he chuckled, desperately, but it only caused a wide, mischievous grin to cross Mazelinka's face as she waved them goodbye. Sol just exhaled slowly, half relieved, fully embarrassed, but with a delicious fried banana sandwich for breakfast.
"Let's go find your wandering eyes some flowers to look at", he suggested with a grin. Honestly he was just hoping to distract her from Mazelinka's assassination attempt on his dignity right now, so the flowers were a welcome topic to resort to. "Personally I like sunflowers. What about you?"

 

[AccioProphecy]

"Well... " Isla tilts her head a bit in wonder at Sol's reaction to her calling Diavel "Dia". "He hasn't let me call him that, I just kinda assumed he'd be ok with it... Doesn't seem like it would be a big deal to him though..." After last night's events and him calling her Issie, she just returned the favor. "Is it unusual that he likes me?" She asks rather innocently. Come to think of it people did kind of avoid Diavel, from what she's seen so far.

Isla jumps a little as she sees the wooden spoon pointed at her. She laughs nervously and withdraws the coin pouch back into her pocket. "Ahaha... Ok.. I'll just... Help myself then," Isla grabs one of the waffle looking things, small enough to fit in her hand and starts munching on it, relishing in the slight sugary taste. She listens attentively as the old lady relays a story about little Sol. All too fast Sol had suddenly said that they had to get going, "Wha? But I wanted to hear more," she still followed behind Sol though, not wanting to be by herself, gobbling the last of her waffle.

She glares at him again and counters "My wandering eyes will come back here some other day when you're not around and ask for more childhood stories about you," She beams at him, proud of her invisible accomplishment. "Sunflowers are so you, Sol, I'll make sure to have plenty,"

The two of them walk and talk, arriving at a nearby shop that seemed to sell everything gardening related. The owner yet again went off to greet Sol, Isla wasn't even surprised anymore. She walked around the small store, checking off her mental list of things to buy. Shovels, new soil, pots, seeds, watering cans, basins, garden scissors, it seemed as if she was quite prepared for it. By the end of it, she didn't realize how much she had bought. All of the smaller things, seeds and shovels and the like had been put into the larger basin. "...Are you gunna be ok carrying all of these Sol?" She turned to him, concerned, and possibly largely underestimating his strength... She thinks for a while before breaking into a grin, "Those abs and arms aren't for nothing right?"