Roleplay City
Halflight => HALFLIGHT: Hiding In The Half Light => Library => Topic started by: highonlullabies on March 25, 2008, 07:48:44 AM
-
Kyhel sat by a window in the library, a large tome in front of him. The tome contained advanced healing spells, but they were all written in different languages, and so a few of them gave him difficulty.
His pet ermine, Tal, was curled up on his lap, and opened her mouth in a wide yawn, a look of bored disdain clearly visible in her eyes.
"Tal, I happen to find this very interesting. Would you rather be fighting in the Arena right now, possibly getting killed?" Tal gave him a look as if saying that fighting in the Arena would be her favorite thing to be doing at that moment. "You are incorrigible."
While trying to decipher a spell written in Drow, though, even Ky had to stifle a yawn. This wasn\'t his favorite way to spend his free time, but no one had been around to talk with. He knew all of the students, but wasn\'t on completely friendly terms with all of them, but it wasn\'t because of his lack of trying. But he was good friends with most of them, especially since he was a healer, and they figured that they better be on friendly terms with him, or he might not heal them. But Ky never thought that was why many of the people were his friends.
-
Serry walked into the library, feeling rather down actually. She couldn\'t believe she had just let that stupid coward walk away, she should have killed her right where she stood. But it didn\'t matter, she was no longer a problem of Serrian\'s. Only a disappiontment and a hate she would just carry around like all her others.
She slammed the door to the library, causing the few secluded people to glance up at her. One of her instructors said she had to spend more time in the library studying, and maybe that would help her advance to level 8. After all she had been in this damn place for over three years and was still only a level 9. She had wanted to be the youngest to graduate, that sight was quickly leaving her.
She looked around for an empty seat and finally picked one by somebody she thought she\'d seen before. Maybe a teacher or something-No! Wait, he\'s one of the healers. She thought, remembering. She sat next to him and picked up the book she was supposed to be reading, but she quickly got bored and looked over to see what the healer was reading.
"That any good?" She asked, looking at the Drow text on the front. "You read Drow?" SHe asked. Serry was a lot more interested in what he had to say than her work. At least she would stay awake to hear what he had to say, and he was a grey elf after all. Being only half grey she was always wanting to make friends with real grey elves.
-
Ky heard the door to the library slam, and jumped slightly, and looked at who it was who slammed the door, and saw a half-elf girl who he recognized. Serrian? He believed that was her name. When she sat down by him, he looked at her from beneath his long eyelashes, studying her. He had never spoken much with her, but he figured it was better late than never. He could never have too many friends.
When she asked him about the tome, he became elated. "Oh, it\'s incredibly fascinating, but it has so many different languages that it makes it somewhat a difficult read. It\'s a book that contains many advanced healing spells. I\'m not especially fluent in Drow, but I can read it well enough." He then glanced at the book that she had. "What is that book about? Is it interesting?"
Tal poked her head up to look at the person Ky was speaking to, and Ky laughed sheepishly. "Oh, this is Tal. And where are my manners, I\'m Ky!"
-
From between the pages of a leather-bound tome, amber-flecked eyes darted up toward the conversation, a wry smile stretching across his gaunt features as his fingers drummed across the table to herald the halt in his studies. Almost impatiently, his head tipped to one side.
The sound of beads clicking across the desk betrayed this movement of his, gaze quite firmly fixed upon the pair of them.
Assessing the situation for just a moment.
He didn\'t recognise the girl, but he had seen that healer passing to and fro during his many times in the Infirmary, be it as a victim or as an attacker...
Muttering the last sentence beneath his breath, he snapped the book shut, standing up to replace it in the shelf with a very deliberate flourish, allowing his purple sash to flutter in view.
Seniority always helped with manipulation...
Pushing back his flaxen hair, Nitor Quant settled his eyes upon the boy with a surprisingly warm smile. An invitation, no less...
...go ahead and ask for help...you trust everyone, don\'t you?
-
Magick. Serrian thought disgustingly. It didn\'t really make the person bad, only the magick. But if she were to get out of studying she would need to ignore that little fact. After all, he was a healer.
"No," she answered his question. "It\'s teaching me, in great detail how to do absolutely nothing!" It was a bit of an exageration, but it felt just like that. "It\'s about..." She paused to read the one sentence discreption of the book at the front page. "How to control your mind and think clearly in battle." She rolled her eyes. "I do control my mind, and it\'s not like I do magick or anything and I think I clearly I need to in battle, as if I\'d ever really get into one. I\'m an assassin not a warrior!" She sighed deeply.
"But... I need to read it to get by." She forced a light smile. "How long have you worked here?" She asked, glancing sideways at the man who had just shut his book. She watched him out of the corner of her eye as he put his book away, still keeping most of her focus on Ky. "I\'m Serrian, from the house of Cruori."
-
His attention switched on the mention of Cruori, smirking with a little less warmth as those same silvery eyes shuttled up and down this young student of his very own, most revered house.
Turning to face her after the dust had settled from the replacement of his tome, the two silver daggers emblazoned upon the bottom right corner of his jet black robes, "Not useless knowledge at all."
Striding over, he put his hand on the table in front of her, "Not only do you need to know the skills of battle to pass your tests, tell me - what will you do if your victim wakes up, if they have company, if there is a guard posted where you did not expect one?
You must learn to control your mind, to quell panic, to keep yourself calm in battle, but also to protect yourself against those who control your mind for you. There are many enemies of the Academy who would pull your mind apart to find us."
He glanced down at the book with his own light, amused smile, "However, you are unlikely to learn the skills you need for combat by reading about them...there is only so much that words can convey on such a physical subject."
-
Serrian turned her full glance as the man started to speak towards her. She looked down(enviously) at his purple sash, than back up at the face. "If I kill the man he can\'t get up. And if he has company I wait until he is alone. Nobody is with a person all the time, eventually my victim will be alone and then I will strike." She said matter-of-factly, though could see his argument, she still did not wish to read the book.
"Another reason I find it pointless." She agreed to his last statement. "It is awfully hard to learn how to do something through a book." She shrugged lightly. "But I\'m afraid I haven\'t a choice in the matter." And I\'m playing it good girl this year... She thought silently to herself.
"So, to whom am I speaking with?" She asked, rather politely for how she usually spoke with people. But she was playing it nice this year, plus it was good to be polite to those a lot more advanced than she was.
-
He extended a hand, long fingernails sharpened to a point.
With a still-amused glance down at the girl from his position of evident superiority, his smile stretched. Connections were useful...that, and she reminded him quite strongly of his own opinions when so young.
His laugh was not a belittling one, but a genuinely amused chuckle as he met her eyes again, quite conscious of the attractiveness of the young girl in front of him. After all, it was difficult not to notice.
"Nitor Quant of Cruori, the pleasure is mine, Serrian."
He assessed the glint in her eyes for just one more second before continuing, leaning closer to her, "Of course, if you were to have some hands-on teaching...excelling beyond the others in your class wouldn\'t be so difficult now, mmm?"
To get into Cruori, one had to have ambition, a drive to keep them going...and a passion for what they did. He was willing to bet that she had all three.
After all, it wasn\'t cheating to use the resources surrounding you. Especially if they were offered with a polite and willing smile.
Turning to the healer, his hand lingered, "...pleased to meet you both."
-
And just what do you find so funny? Serrian thought, but didn\'t say that aloud. It was bad enough getting into trouble with that magick-user the other day. She was glad she had after he had introduced himself, as a smile appeared on her face. Not the one of a happy child, but one of a thought of being trained, graduating and then killing all those who had annoyed her. That thought filled her with an evil kind of joy.
She reached over and shook his hand. "It\'s nice to meet you Nitor Quant." And it actually was, excelling quickly sounded very good to Serry indeed. She had hated to see some of them advance to level 8 when they had arrived after she had, she would have to kill them, too. Too embarrassing to let them live, plus it gave her an excuse to put someone else on her Death List as she liked to call it.
She did not answer his question, though, not in words at least. Though her facial expression gave the answer, especially her prideful eyes. "And are you offering said teaching, Nitor?" The young girl prayed he was, then she could easily best that stupid coward, Camie, if she ever saw her again. She would probably just end up hiding behind some master, she was a disgrace to the cruori house, and just the thought of her brought a lust for killing to Serrian. But she would deal with those matters later and deal with these matters now.
-
"Ah, well, that might not be useless. I\'ve worked here now, for... hmm... 36 years? Nice to meet you!"
A man came up to them, wearing a purple sash, and Ky remembered healing him quite a number of times... or healing his victims. What\'s his name.... Nitor? Yeah I think that is... Ky thought.
He was about to cut in a few times while the newcomer spoke with his new friend, but decided it would be better just to watch. Ky watched the two talk with excitement, his gaze darting from one to the other. The topic he found to be somewhat distasteful, but it was an assassin\'s academy, not like he could really get away from the talk of killing.
Finally, Nitor addressed him, well, sort of. Ky took the chance to speak.
"Good to meet you! I\'m Kyhel, and my ermine is Tal!" Ky held up Tal for a brief moment, before placing her back on his lap. "Well, what luck, you\'re both from Cruori! I\'m sure we\'ll all be great friends!"
He beamed, and then heard Serrian ask her question, and wondered if Nitor would help her.
"Well, that would be nice," Ky pointed out.
-
Serrian looked up at the older man with a little of disgust. "I\'m sure we\'ll all be great friends!"? She quoted to herself. Grow up. But it was almost as unwise to make a healer mad at you as it was to make somebody who could kill you mad at you, so she didn\'t comment aloud.
"Yes... It would." She smiled with a fake sweetness. But not for my victims I\'m afraid. She added silently. She looked down at her open book and closed it. She didn\'t bother trying to read any more of her book, it would be more interesting to try and hold a conversation with a spider than to read that book.
-
Ky felt Tal bristle, and frowned slightly. Why is she acting like this? Nitor and Serrian are really nice. They might be a little dark, but they\'re still nice. Ky thought, and Tal met his gaze with a look that said, \'Don\'t trust these people. They\'re not your friends.\' He shook his head, and she gazed into his eyes again. \'You must feel uncomfortable around them. Trust that feeling. They\'re not good people!\'
Folding his arms, he didn\'t want to argue with Tal around his new friends, because he didn\'t want them to know about the awful lies that Tal was saying about them.
But he did have an uncomfortable feeling around them, but he suppressed the feeling, positive that it didn\'t mean anything.
-
Nitor watched the expression changes carefully, the beaming smile of Ky dampened by his distaste for their subject of conversation. The girl, however...she was quite the opposite. Her distaste showed in the little twitches of facial expression.
Bowing his head just a little more, he replied with silken tones, "But of course I am willing. Furthering the abilities of those who will one day represent my House is a worthy task indeed."
The flash of a dangerous smile was directed at Serrian. Ambition was a powerful inhibitor of sense...
Waving a hand dismissively, he watched the ermine bristle and swayed the line of conversation back toward the healer, "But, let us not discuss the ways of violence in front of a healer...I\'m sure he finds it most objectionable."
With that, he settled a hand on Ky\'s shoulder.
-
"Thanks!" Ky told Nitor. How kind of him to think about my comfort. Ky mused, but didn\'t want to be the reason that they stopped their conversation. He didn\'t want to make anyone mad at him. "You can continue if want to. Don\'t mind me."
When he felt Nitor place his hand on his shoulder, he almost couldn\'t suppress the uneasy feeling. As if something wasn\'t right about Nitor. Or Serrian, for that matter. Tal... I should probably listen to you more... but... maybe I\'m just being paranoid? That\'s probably it. Ky convinced himself. Absentmindedly, he chewed on a strand of his strawberry-blond hair, which was a sure sign of his nervousness.
"Umm..." He realized that he was chewing on his hair, and removed the strand from his mouth before continuing. "Nice weather..." He looked outside, and saw and heard raindrops pitter-pattering against the window, and felt the sound relax him. Please, stop touching me... He thought, but then was ashamed of his thoughts. He\'s probably just trying to be nice... why am I so rude sometimes? Still, he almost wished for an emergency to happen so that he would be able to get away from those two without seeming rude.
He looked down at Tal, who bore a satisfied look on her little ermine face. \'Oh shut up, you.\'
-
Serrian was unable in her meager years of training, to hide her grin of joy, she was however able to make it an arrogant cruel grin, though. She turned to see the healer slightly nervous and wondered why, she didn\'t plan on hurting him.
"Okay, we can change the subject." She shrugged, that was extremely respectful for Serrian. At least she actually agreed to stop. She wouldn\'t start calling him "elder one" or some shit like that stupid bitch did. But, she forced her mind from the other day and came back to focus as Ky asked about the weather.
She cocked an eyebrow and replied: "I guess so, though I don\'t pay too much to the weather. I actually prefer a cloudy day, it makes it easier for my practicing." After all, she was practicing at being an assassin. She smiled at Tal, the animal looked nervous. "Does your pet not like me? He seems uncomfortable."
-
"Me too," Ky agreed when Serrian when she said that she preferred cloudy days. "But when it rains on a cloudy day, that\'s my favorite."
"Does your pet not like me? He seems uncomfortable."
Tal bristled angrily, and Ky grimaced.
"Tal is a she," Ky corrected. "And Tal doesn\'t like anyone when she first meets them. She is my protector," Ky announced, and knew that it wasn\'t a complete lie to say that Tal didn\'t like anyone at first, Tal was very distrusting of people, which helped balance out Ky. But she had liked at least one other person when she first met them... other than Ky.
Tal jumped onto the table, and looked at Serrian, then at Nitor. Ky knew that most of her dislike was targeted at Nitor, but that didn\'t mean that she liked Serrian. Especially after Serrian called Tal a he. Tal was generally more distrustful of men, and Ky was the only male she had ever liked, but then again, Ky wasn\'t the most manly of males.
Ky watched Tal sniff the air in front of Nitor, and then sneeze. She then ran back to Ky and curled up on his lap, shivering. She looked up at Ky with eyes of fear, not distrust, not dislike. Fear.
Tal never gets scared... She\'s fearless... Ky thought, and went to look over at Nitor, when Tal bit his hand. Not hard enough to draw blood, but enough to get his attention. \'Don\'t look into his eyes.\' Tal told him, and he looked questioningly down at her. \'He\'s not human.\'
Ky immediately feared for Serrian.
"Umm... Nitor? What are you? Are you human? Do you have some other race way back in your bloodline?" Ky inquired.
-
"It\'s easier for my... Practices." She replied. He could probably guessed what she practiced without her telling him, he didn\'t seem to like it when people spoke of death. She was playing it nice this year, she continued to remind herself. "Sorry," she said to Tal, not really sorry.
As Ky asked Nitor his question she looked up with curiosity. He actually might be, it would be useful bit of information if he wasn\'t. She didn\'t trust anyone completely, so she would learn as much about Nitor as she could.
-
Nitor\'s smirk widened, watching the animal\'s reaction to him as she skittered across the table to get closer to Ky. Of course the ermine was uneasy, at his very presence...let alone when she got close enough to sense the very corruption he brought to the air around him.
Chaos..
"A very bold, forward question, I must say," was his first reply, fingers drumming across the table where the ermine had just been.
His eyes fell to the animal, head cocked to one side with the slightest hint of accusation. Humans were rarely suspicious until it was too late...but this animal was getting in the way of his fun.
Although, he did admire one that couldn\'t be fooled...
"...and one that I can only answer with the assumption that I am. My parents were both human, as were their parents, thus it follows that I am, unfortunately, as mortal as they are."
His eyes shifted to Serrian, attempting to make eye contact with her. Time for gentle play was slipping away like sand. His real question was whether or not ambition conquered fear. Sometimes it did, sometimes it didn\'t...that game was the most interesting part...
"If you wish to be taught, Serrian, you may meet me under cover of tonight\'s moon at the doors to the South Wing. Now, if you\'ll both excuse me, I\'m afraid I have an appointment to meet."
"Farewell, Ky...and Tal."
Pulling his purple sash tight, the flaxen-haired assassin swept out of the library, the grin still stretched across his sunken features.
[I shall bow out for the moment - if Serrian wishes to be trained, Nitor can always make another appearance!]
-
((OOC: Oh, she\'ll show... She\'s too gullible not to, lol! The thought of getting a lot better faster than everyone else is too good to pass for her))
Serrian knew she should be suspicous of him, and that she probably shouldn\'t go, but how pleasant the images that filled her mind. Ones of beating all the idiots who advance so much faster than she, than looking down at their dead corpses, she bit her lip as she debated whether she should go or not. Though no matter how much she thought and dabated with herself, she knew she would show.
"Good day, Nitor." She replied politely, not giving him an answer. He probably already knew that she was going to show. After he had left she turned to Ky. "Interesting man, don\'t you agree?" She asked restarting their conversation, though her mind not entirely on it.
-
Ky listened to Nitor\'s response, taking it in, and knowing that it was in fact the truth, but feeling that something was missing. When he left, he felt lighter, as if Nitor\'s very presence added something to the air. Something... chaotic. Ky had no other way of describing it.
"Bye..." Ky replied.
"Interesting man, don\'t you agree?"
Ky turned back to Serrian. "Well... he was... interesting... But, Tal doesn\'t like him, and I don\'t think you should train from him. He seems dangerous... well, assassins are dangerous, but..."
Ky was at a loss of words to describe Nitor. And Ky was never at a loss of words. He knew that Serrian wouldn\'t listen to him, she wanted to learn, like any good assassin.
"Please, be careful when around him..." Ky told her gently.
-
"He\'s evil." Serrian said, trying to put a word to Ky\'s feeling. "And that\'s alright with me. I\'m not that good myself." She shrugged. She would meet with him wether it was dangerous or not, she knew this for certain. If she decided to not meet him, she would anyways. Why bother fighting it?
She smiled slightly, though it looked more like a smirk, but all her smiles did. It had something to do with her arrogance. "I\'m always careful, healer." She replied. "I\'m trained to be careful." She was not trying to be unkind or anything, though she might give off that impression, she was simply stating what she believed to be fact. "But I\'ll make double effort for your comfort." She said, not sure that she really would. BUt it was good to play it nice with the healers, after all she just might end up needing his help one day.
-
"He\'s evil."
That was true. Ky had never really believed that anyone was truly evil, but with Nitor, that belief wavered. Evil... Ky thought, the word almost not registering in his mind. He had just known the word, but he had never used it.
"Well... you\'re nicer than Nitor. You\'re my... friend," he told her, but then frowned slightly. "Thanks. I don\'t want to have to see my friends in the infirmary."
His inner clock said that his free time was almost up, and he didn\'t want to be late in getting back to the infirmary. Tal hopped up onto his shoulder, and he stood up, clutching the book to his chest. "It was nice to meet you!" He told her, immediately back to his normal, cheery self, so that no one would ever know that he had ever been anything other than happy. "I have to go, though. I\'ll see you around, though!"
Ky waved \'bye\' to Serrian, and then turned and left the library. How can anyone be... evil? He wondered as he left.
-
((OOC: Are you ending the roleplay or something?))
I\'m only nicer for now... Though I don\'t know how long that will last. Serrian thought to herself, but she looked up when he called her his friend. She never before had had a friend, or anybody who had wanted to be known as her friend.
"Thanks," She smiled and actual real smile. "I\'ll try my best." She stood up when he did, an automatic response. "It was nice to meet you to, Ky. I hope to you, too." SHe nodded her head in goodbye. After he had left she sat down on the chair. Maybe there\'s more to being nice than what I first thought... It\'s nice to have someone call you \'friend\'. She thought on that for awhile, than absently went back to studying her book, checking the time every now and then so that she wouldn\'t be late for her meeting with Nitor.
-
((OOC, yeah, but we can roleplay together again if you want to. It was fun.))