44 posts
PLAYED BY Bellarix
Echoes
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Post by Bellamortix Vipera on Jan 21, 2015 10:42:15 GMT -5
A land of lava made it difficult to traverse the earth and find a cave, or rather a hole that led to a cave housing one of the world's oldest echos. Inside that warm cavern was a surprising sight. Books! There were books of all kinds, children's books, novels, how-to guides and phone books, books of poetry, encyclopedias, dictionaries, text books on all subjects and picture books, every book that could be found in every language she could find, even comic books were hidden among the tomes. The Bellamortix kept them, they were not organized, simply stacked and placed in any available space all around. She kept a few other things, shiny jewels both plastic and authentic, these too were scattered in and among the books. Some of the stacks had pearls spilling from the pages where she'd sandwiched a necklace and stacked another twelve books on top.
She could see just fine, in spite of the dark and pulled a bloodstained book from a tie at her waist, a survival handbook, a gift from her fellow echo. She opened to the first page, scanning the words, writhing against herself for comfort. However her reading binge cut short as she licked the dried blood on the page. She made a sound like a cat spitting and hucked the book away. Why? She didn't want to eat it of course.
She retrieved her clothing, as she had recently been quite nude due to shedding her skin a day ago and put on the sad "armor" if one could call it that, it was still revealing and slipped back outside. Marking her cave like a flag grew a lone Sakura tree, surrounded by the soft glow of red and ashen black of old lava flow. She wrapped herself up in it's branches and lounged, looking out over the cliffside. There was nothing but smoke, as if she were looking off the edge of the world. She imagined the tale of Sinbad, taking his ship off the side of the world to get to the layer of a goddess.
Her missing eye, which had been a gaping and knotted socket yesterday was now an eye indeed, still closed, as the muscles had not yet grown enough to pull it open, and her other stared out. She would lay like this four hours, watching the way the mists swirled off the edge of the world, ash falling softly around her. This place was timeless, she could lay here for a hundred years and it would never change, it was like a different reality. Her very own realm, the realm of the Bellus Mortus, the beautful death.
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33 posts
PLAYED BY trancehime
Civillians
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Post by Celeste Farina on Jan 21, 2015 22:40:51 GMT -5
"Lava! Flipping lava! Sir, let go of me!" Celeste said as soon his mouth was forcefully covered by a hand. Celeste was put up to this by some nutters from the military who wanted to run some investigations regarding something, or someone, that had been reported to stay in this area. Of course, they wanted to scout for intelligence first. Yet these guys were too scared to do it themselves, so they thought if they could get an attractive bait to lure out whatever was there first, it would be strategically sound. Of course, they grabbed Celeste, he was talk of the military for his services. So of course he would be seen as potentially food. The only things Celeste were given were a small combat knife and a diary which contained writings about the area. Celeste was unceremoniously dumped at the foot of a rising cliffside where a cherry blossom tree stood at the top. Sighing, the military folks stepped back and grinned as all the young boy could do - dressed in his usual attire - was slowly make his way up the cliffside and eventually made it, but he was rather exhausted after the ordeal, he was not built for this.
He was standing still and noticed there was someone... something, at the tree, it was a very nice tree, but there was some manner of creature or being coiled up in its branches. Someone... with the lower half of a snake and the upper half of a mature woman. Of course, you would have to be some certain kind of nuts to be attracted to such a being, though Celeste couldn't help but observe that her human features were quite attractive. Still, all he could do was stare, he looked very scared. He dropped his piddly knife which made a loud sound and he kept the diary he was given tightly against his chest. "I just... I just want to go home..." he whimpered. He was pretty much in clear sight.
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44 posts
PLAYED BY Bellarix
Echoes
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Post by Bellamortix Vipera on Jan 21, 2015 22:57:46 GMT -5
Her eye rolled around at the sound, she didn't move at first, but then she pushed herself up and turned. Was that urine? She thought she smelled urine, mixed with the sweet scent of fear. Still wrapped around the tree she looked at it, a human? Why...if only she hadn't just ate, this one looked crunchy.
She tilted her head to the side, arms hanging slack as if she wasn't quite all there. She sniffed, and sniffed again, male? Is this what human males looked like these days? She almost laughed and slithered closer, just a little, still hanging from the tree.
What was that it so timidly clung to? She squinted her one eye at it. A book?
"Shaaaboook!" she said, accidentally slurring the words falling around her tongue. "Nahh a book, you bring me a book?" she repeated, trying to get the words to come out more clearly. This human looked like he would faint or wet himself if she got any closer. Good, as long as he didn't run away. Now that she had seen the tome, she wanted it.
She looked past him, was anyone watching? Was this a trap? (HAH!) It didn't seem as such, this was just a lone teenager with a book and a knife, as useless at his feet as it was in his hands. "Mmmm book, you let me see it yes? I see book and you want something yes? What do you want? What will make this book mine?"
She asked this with an accent that sounded like maybe it was once Russian. She approached, and paused maybe two meters from the boy and crossed her arms. "Speak then, and stop your shaking or I will be forced to crush you and make you stop myself."
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33 posts
PLAYED BY trancehime
Civillians
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Post by Celeste Farina on Jan 21, 2015 23:08:51 GMT -5
Celeste seemed to grab the snake-lady's attention, who seemed to try and discern his stature, looks like she laughed and approached. Celeste wanted to run, but realized that it would probably be a bad idea to run. Before he could say or do anything, it was told to him that she wanted the book. Oh, the diary that he was holding. Right. She wanted the book, it seemed. Yes, Celeste would be more than happy to give her this stupid book if he could just go home. Surprisingly, Celeste had not processed the fact he was talking to what was most likely an echo, he was more concerned for his own safety than anything. She asked him, what would make that book her's? And she told him to stop shaking, and to speak properly. Celeste, fearful for his life, tried to compose himself, and with deep breaths, managed to maintain a state of... reasonable outward calm in front of this... creature. "The book... Um, er... Right. Yes, this book. You want to see it? Um... Hell, you can have this book for free. I just want to get out of here. The assholes who put me up to this gave the book to me," Celeste said, he was no longer trembling, as he was told to, yet there was a certain sorrow in his eyes, like he didn't want to be here, like he was forced to be here, thrown out in the wilds as a tool.
"Here, take it," Celeste said as he extended the book out forward to the person before him. Well, 'person.' "It's better off with you than it is with me, anyway. I shouldn't be here. I'd be easy prey for you, or for any other... Thing which lurks here. As long as you let me go, you can keep that thing."
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44 posts
PLAYED BY Bellarix
Echoes
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Post by Bellamortix Vipera on Jan 21, 2015 23:32:44 GMT -5
"Ahh your life, your life is what you want. Fine, keep it then." She spat as if it were a silly request. She slithered close enough to take it, at this proximity he'd be able to smell her, rotting meat and flowers. Rather than back away, she came close and stayed close, taking it and opening it as if she were perfectly comfortable, entirely unafraid.
she flipped through it, "This is nice, a hand written one, these are rare. Hm. I like it." Suddenly it occurred to her this thing hadn't come to see her for the express purpose of giving her this, it was insulting.
"What?" she said suddenly snapping the book closed and looking off at nothing, "You brought yourself here without thinking of the Bella? You are lucky then, human. These...assholes want you to what? Die? For them? For their generals? Puh."
She wrinkled her nose, "You come. You see that Bella is worth a visit." She clutched the human's forearm and pulled. If she wanted to she could either pull the creature along or simply pick him up and take him dangling by an arm, either way he was coming. She slithered right over the knife he dropped and took him toward the cave/ (powerplay, sorry I will change it if this is unacceptable)
She plopped him down, or released him just inside, it reeked in here.
"Saaah, light!" She cursed and fumbled for a torch which she managed to light so the human could see.
"Look, look at my collection, my books, my jewels. Bellarix is worth visiting. You will ne'er come here as asshole fodder again yes? You come, you bring books for this." She stacked the journal on a stack of other miscellaneous tomes. Did it occur to her that the next time this thing came, it might bring backup? Big men with guns to kill her with? Of course it did. She didn't care. Besides, in her twisted mind, she was willing to bet that wouldn't happen.
On the humid cave floor was a very clearly plastic pink gem, maybe at one point, it had once had a sticker baring the likeness of a cartoon princess that was long faded. Not far from that was a marvelous and very real looking emerald. "This is worth coming to." she said, pride in her voice and she slithered deeper into the cave among the books that towered around them.
"What are you standing there for, you keep your life human, you paid me for today already, I will not kill you now. Come, look, see what you have found."
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33 posts
PLAYED BY trancehime
Civillians
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Post by Celeste Farina on Jan 21, 2015 23:46:46 GMT -5
It looked like Celeste would be living today after all. As the lady came over to take the book, Celeste could smell an absolutely putrid scent of rotting meat and flowers. It was only then and there that Celeste realized what exactly he had been sent here to find. Any sane person would inform the authorities about this discovery. But secretly, Celeste wanted nothing to do with those assholes who threw him out here to potentially get killed. Then, the lady looked angry, almost in a scathing manner she told him, that he was lucky. After all, Celeste had no clue that there would be anyone even here. He was also able to discern the name of this person, a Bella. Well, Celeste would never forget that at this rate. And no matter how hard he tried to forget, he couldn't help but think that Bella looked fairly pretty like that up close. She seemed indignant that Celeste had been forced here, and told him that he should go with her to see that she was worth seeing of someone's own volition. Without a word, though Celeste had intended to leave, his forearm was grabbed and he had little choice but to follow. Not that he would disobey - he was confidently sure had he struggled, Bella would not be as generous as she was mere moments ago.
Celeste was forced into a cave, the cave where Bella most undoubtedly lived. It smelled utterly rancid in here. The boy was not, however, puking - he had smelt worse before, to be honest. It was also really flipping dark in here. Celeste could not see anything, until Bella had procured a torch which she promptly lit. Then she explained that she had a collection. A large collection of things. Books, jewels, amongst other trinkets, perhaps - Celeste could not see from where he was released. Regardless, he stared at the various objects around as Bella said that Celeste should bring things to her to keep.
Whenever the next time was that Celeste tried to come out here anyway. And with the way Bella had said she would not kill him now, the young boy was not sure when that next time would be, if it would ever come. On the floor, there was a plastic pink gem. Around the time Bella had told Celeste to 'see what he had found,' the boy was already kneeling and inspecting the pink trinket. "I see. So you are collecting lots of things," he put it down and then stared at the emerald. It was a real thing. While he was no longer obviously afraid, the way his voice wavered as he spoke still suggested he was not a hundred percent comfortable with this whole arrangement. But if this Bella was more concerned about her own sustenance and the expansion of her collection than anything, then perhaps Celeste would have little to worry about. On top of that, he could probably fool those military bastards that he had been killed. A positive outcome all-in-all, provided Celeste survived these current events.
"I... uh... I'm actually curious... er... Why do you have such a big collection of books and things?" Celeste had fancied himself asking an innocent question, but did not consider if his question might have come across as nosy.
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44 posts
PLAYED BY Bellarix
Echoes
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Post by Bellamortix Vipera on Jan 22, 2015 0:02:14 GMT -5
"Ahhh," there was a smile audible in the sound, "Curiosity. That is exactly it. Why? Why all this? Why is that? They say so, all of them, they know." She thrust the torch at the human for him to take, "Careful, do not burn them." She instructed, and gestured to the books.
"This one, you see, what is this?" she pulled a book free and pointed at the cover, it was a human wearing a riding helmet seated on a horse with braided mane, "I read it and I know. Or this," She lifted a thick and ancient looking phone book, "these numbers, these names...plumbers...dentists...the cleaners, these are value." She turned around to look for something else and her tail knocked over a stack sending a black copy of the King James Bible and a book a fairy tale bedtime stories sliding toward the human's feet. Her voice sounded farther away, but not too far, "Books, they are lives and living instruction and story. They amuse me, how is it one can care for those who never were? The books work this magic. And you ask me 'Bella? what is this CPR?' and I know, 'Bella, what is this allen wrench?' and I know, 'Bella who is Frankenstein or this Doctor Stange?', 'Bella, what is this man or this time or this thing,' and I know." She paused,
"Knowledge, you see, is strong, it lasts longer than human life, like me. It is always there, and unlike me it can be consumed. I hunger for it like your tasty skin. It is flowing and filling and it is enough to satisfy for a time, yes."
Satisfied, she paused quietly slithering about in the dark before she returned into the realm of the torch's light.
"And these, she said, returning with yards of beads, perhaps that once belonged on a Christmas Tree, "Well I like them." she wrapped them around herself and amused herself with watching them sparkle in the light of the torch. |
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33 posts
PLAYED BY trancehime
Civillians
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Post by Celeste Farina on Jan 22, 2015 1:21:32 GMT -5
Celeste listened to Bella speak, explaining her rationale behind why she kept so many books. Looks like she was a reader. The boy vaguely recalled such things were capable of certain human behaviors. Yet for some reason, this one seemed quite similar to a human... At least, the rational aspect. Her tail knocked over a stack of books which sent a copy of the King James translation of the Bible and an anthology of fairy tale bedtime stories by his feet. He looked at the Bible while he listened to Bella, who seemed to collect these things for knowledge. And as he was coming to this realization, Bella had confirmed it. Yet, there was a chill which ran down his spine as Bella compared the sweet taste of knowledge to the would-be tastiness of his skin, had he been consumed by her by now. Which he hadn't, which must have accounted for something. All this time, Celeste had been holding the torch, careful not to wave it around so he wouldn't accidentally burn any of the books. At last, Bella had gotten a few yards of string with Christmas lights on them.
Bella had fancied them as accessories, as she wrapped them around herself and let them glow along the illuminating light of the torch. "Well, I can't argue with that." Celeste said, sighing and nodding. He agreed, but something about this whole thing just disturbed him a little bit. "Knowledge is strong. Yes. But only as strong as the person which possesses it." Celeste interjected, looking down, rather upset.
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44 posts
PLAYED BY Bellarix
Echoes
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Post by Bellamortix Vipera on Jan 22, 2015 9:14:20 GMT -5
"If that is true human, then Bella is invincible. Though my brain rots in my very skull, it perhaps carries more strength than even your human leaders." She was bragging and looked at the human, thinking she would see him looking at her with admiration, instead he looked at the ground. The words then, were not merely a statement, but a sideways insult to himself.
"There now," she purred, slithering close enough touch the humans shoulder. She could feel his bones through his skin, what a skinny thing he was, "even if you possessed all this, what good is it if you cannot use it. The Bella does not ride horses or fly these air planes, this is true. You are just a human, all of you are just humans. You grow old and die the same no matter how much you know, no matter how kind or cruel you were, no matter how strong, the ending is the same yes?"
She came down in front of him, resting her weight on her palms, the position of her arms pressed her cleavage together. "Tell me child, you are small, and weak, and puny, what power has kept you alive this long eh?" Yellow eyes fell to the book in his hands, "you like this one? Has the Christian God kept you alive? Or was it something you did? Or maybe you are not living at all, just breathing. There is a difference." Her mouth started to water, being this close to the thing, so she distracted herself with the book of fairy tales, rolling onto her back and holding it over her head to read a few lines.
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33 posts
PLAYED BY trancehime
Civillians
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Post by Celeste Farina on Jan 22, 2015 20:45:45 GMT -5
Celeste wasn't really insulted, to be fair. He could not really see this Bella as a figure to admire, not just yet, anyways. If anything, he was still somewhat afraid, afraid of her capacity to just consume him right then and there. And of course, she was unnaturally different, most would call her a monster. And yet, before him, here she stood, engaging in conversation, as morbid and morose as it was. He felt the creature's hand touch his shoulder. It was a chilling sensation. Of course, the harsh reality did set in. Celeste was 'just a human.' Death was the only real ending a human could have. Well, when that ending came varied, of course. But Celeste had thought that he was doomed to an existence of nothingness anyway.
The creature's mouth began to water. She was starting to get hungry, though she had opted to read a book as if trying to distract herself. But Celeste didn't care anymore. He was worthless anyways. He only continued toiling and suffering because of a misguided hope that someone might save him from his misery. "None of those. It's not really a power, honestly. Just a stupid thought that there might be a light at the end of the tunnel. Someone who will save me, help me to learn how to become strong." Celeste said. "It's my fate to be the slave of others, anyway."
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44 posts
PLAYED BY Bellarix
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Post by Bellamortix Vipera on Jan 22, 2015 22:47:00 GMT -5
She grinned, showing her pointed teeth, "Yes it is all better for me than for them." Understanding his humor. She "stood" as in she lifted herself from the ground in an upright position and set the book upright in a craggy shelf in the stone wall. She didn't really care what the human did, if he made it back or died trying, if he never came back, she'd likely forget him quickly. With the new link connecting this human to her books via some fairy tale, she felt a little sentimental.
What should she do? Feed him? Give him something? She squinted, human ettiquite required offering assistance, but she didn't have to adhere. "You do not wish to return no? You cannot remain here in the dark with Bella. I offer you this, You bring Bella books or things Bella likes and you may return. Each time, I will not eat you. One day you earn to keep your life for each trinket yes? Three books, three days, and so on yes? We have an agreement?" It was her way of inviting him back, he certainly couldn't stay, a human living in her midst like a pet? It was laughable, and dangerous for him too lest she wake up in a fit and easy him without realizing. The invitation was the best she could do, some place to go away from his own life. She would let him leave, might even shadow him back to the limits to make sure he made it, though she wouldn't admit she'd do such a thing even to him.
If he even went back, maybe he'd choose to live out here as a vagabond, living off the wastes. Bella scoffed at that imagining a buzzard picking at him while he tried to cut a tree with his tiny blade hoping for water or something ridiculous to come out. "Chih," she said to herself and held out her hand for the torch, "what do you want to do? The weapon you left outside is valuable to you now maybe?"
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33 posts
PLAYED BY trancehime
Civillians
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Post by Celeste Farina on Jan 22, 2015 23:11:45 GMT -5
Bella returned the book as Celeste simply looked down again for a moment. Soon it seemed the creature had a proposition, to which Celeste this time looked at her face-to-face. It was certainly true, he could not stay here, it was a certain suicide to do so. Besides, Celeste wasn't sure if he could live outside the city walls anyways. He was too weak for that. As he had admitted moments before, he had literally nowhere else to go. "I suppose it is a good settlement," Celeste simply said. "If you'd like, I can bring some things for you regardless." he continued, fidgeting. Perhaps if he worked on appeasing this Bella then something good might happen to him in the future. She was merciful towards him in all her capacity, this was the least he could do for her in return. After some time the woman asked him what he wanted to do.
"That knife outside? I guess. I don't know what good it'll do me. But it's something," he responded, sighing. "I don't know how to fight, but you probably figured that out already, it is as you say, I am weak, feeble. But I don't really have much choice but to keep going. That said, I'm completely lost..."
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44 posts
PLAYED BY Bellarix
Echoes
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Post by Bellamortix Vipera on Jan 22, 2015 23:42:53 GMT -5
She crossed her arms and rocked her head from one side to the other thinking,
"Yes, I can agree to this." Then the child mentioned he was lost. She was still rocking her head the same way when she sighed. "Fine, you follow Bella,"
She noticed the bi colored gaze of the human and took the torch, snuffing it out. "You have unusual eyes for a human," she said, as if it were a period on a sentence, and made her way back out into the sunlight. The air smelled of sulpher and cherry blossoms, and she snaked past the knife toward a safer decent from the cave. In places too perilous for the human, she aided him with a reluctant hand, arm, or tail for him to grip and keep from slipping.
They reached a road and she pointed "Your dome is that way" she pointed, "if something tries to eat you, you kill it with that knife yes? Come and see Bella again." She said it as if it were as easy as just that. She crossed her arms again, something in her guts twisted at letting the human walk off alone, she silently decided she would follow him back, though hidden from him. After all, she reasoned, he promised to bring her something and refused to let him break such a promise just because he died, no that wouldn't do at all. "I take you as far as the watch towers, then we part," she held up a finger from each hand beside each other and then pulled them away. he would return stinking of her cave and the sulpher, but with the head full of new things to think about.
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33 posts
PLAYED BY trancehime
Civillians
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Post by Celeste Farina on Jan 22, 2015 23:54:17 GMT -5
Celeste began to follow Bella when he was told to. As the lady snaked past the knife, the boy picked it up. There was a comment from her regarding his eyes; of course, he had heterochromia, but that was not something he knew much about. He silently nodded and did not really respond. His eyes were quite unusual, after all. Celeste made sure that for the more dangerous parts he held onto Bella for stability so he wouldn't slip like an idiot. Eventually they came across a road where Bella pointed him the way. 'If something tries to eat you, kill it with that knife' she said. Celeste looked at the knife before looking at the path. His eyes widened a little bit but Bella would not notice as he was no longer looking at her. After some moments, as he was about to go off on his own, Bella spoke again and his attention was grabbed. She'd take him as far as the watch towers and then go. Looks like she was being extra merciful this time, but it was most likely because of the promise that Celeste had made. A promise of new shinies for the woman. Perfectly reasonable to keep a living caravan alive, after all. Celeste was not complaining.
The woman even made the gesture with her fingers as if to drive home the point. "U... Understood, and thank you for your generosity" he said. Truthfully speaking, Celeste would smell uncharacteristically rancid, but at least he was alive. That was all that really mattered. Plus, he was thinking...
Just how could a creature like that come to exist?
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