04-09-2021, 02:06 AM
(This post was last modified: 04-09-2021, 03:08 AM by Rowan Finnegan.)
Rowan felt herself smirking at Vale’s boasting and nodded along with a smoldering side glance. Despite her own show of confidence, there was indeed a part of Rowan that had been humbled throughout this new path in life. She had often thought of herself as a great spiritual leader – she was to bring Vodou to the new heart of the world! That had all taken a backseat as of late.
Vale was right of course. Why shouldn’t she consider herself a great spiritual leader? She was, but Vale was not referring to Vodou. Rowan felt a pang of sorrow at the thought, but still held that seductive, knowing gaze. She knew what she had cast off, she knew what mantle she now had to wear. She was the White Eye of the Khylsty and that was all that had to matter. Rowan squeezed her sister’s arm tightly and smiled. The smile was genuine.
“He is a rarity, I will admit,” Rowan spoke half-teasingly and half-seriously to her sister, “Many of the other ‘powerful’ men on the surface are all lumpy and fat with horrible, stinking breath. You wouldn’t want to slap bellies with most of them… But him? I just might take you up on that offer.”
Rowan returned the kiss upon Vale’s own hand with fervor, allowing herself to draw in her sister’s scent. Whether Vale showered or not, whether she used perfumes and scented oils or not, there was always a particular smell that lingered under it all – something earthy and dark. Rowan was never quite able to put a finger on just what it was. She had relegated it to that individual smell all people had, she-
“What just happened?” Rowan asked Vale. Something felt… off. Something felt… wrong. She looked around, scanning the landscape for something, someone, but she saw nothing. Armande spoke up, affirming that strange feeling she had. “You felt that too?” Rowan asked him.
A uniformed man came up to the Holy Father and urged him to leave, but he resisted. Rowan held up her hand and opened herself to the-
Dirt and tall grass erupted ahead of them. Rowan’s head whipped around to see an enormous, demon-insect-hybrid… thing darting and flying around the newly made hole in the earth. She opened herself to the Light and felt as if a great, yawning void had opened. It was there! The Light was there! But she could not touch it no matter how desperately she tried. Serenity seemed to cut itself to ribbons as she spoke quickly and seriously to Armande, “I can’t harness it. Something is keeping me from working my magic, love.”
Rowan quietly cursed herself for relying solely on the Light. Stupid, stupid, she thought to herself. There had been a time when she had always kept a pistol on her, but those days were short-lived. She would rectify that in the future. But for now, the tall grass behind the hole in the ground was quivering violently.
Indeed, two more of those creatures erupted from the ground, and the grasses behind those new holes were also starting to quiver.
“I don’t suppose any of you has a gun or an extra knife?” Rowan asked the group with an air of disappointment. If she was going to die this day, she wouldn't do so because she was too busy panicking. She would at least take one of these bastards down with her.
Vale was right of course. Why shouldn’t she consider herself a great spiritual leader? She was, but Vale was not referring to Vodou. Rowan felt a pang of sorrow at the thought, but still held that seductive, knowing gaze. She knew what she had cast off, she knew what mantle she now had to wear. She was the White Eye of the Khylsty and that was all that had to matter. Rowan squeezed her sister’s arm tightly and smiled. The smile was genuine.
“He is a rarity, I will admit,” Rowan spoke half-teasingly and half-seriously to her sister, “Many of the other ‘powerful’ men on the surface are all lumpy and fat with horrible, stinking breath. You wouldn’t want to slap bellies with most of them… But him? I just might take you up on that offer.”
Rowan returned the kiss upon Vale’s own hand with fervor, allowing herself to draw in her sister’s scent. Whether Vale showered or not, whether she used perfumes and scented oils or not, there was always a particular smell that lingered under it all – something earthy and dark. Rowan was never quite able to put a finger on just what it was. She had relegated it to that individual smell all people had, she-
“What just happened?” Rowan asked Vale. Something felt… off. Something felt… wrong. She looked around, scanning the landscape for something, someone, but she saw nothing. Armande spoke up, affirming that strange feeling she had. “You felt that too?” Rowan asked him.
A uniformed man came up to the Holy Father and urged him to leave, but he resisted. Rowan held up her hand and opened herself to the-
Dirt and tall grass erupted ahead of them. Rowan’s head whipped around to see an enormous, demon-insect-hybrid… thing darting and flying around the newly made hole in the earth. She opened herself to the Light and felt as if a great, yawning void had opened. It was there! The Light was there! But she could not touch it no matter how desperately she tried. Serenity seemed to cut itself to ribbons as she spoke quickly and seriously to Armande, “I can’t harness it. Something is keeping me from working my magic, love.”
Rowan quietly cursed herself for relying solely on the Light. Stupid, stupid, she thought to herself. There had been a time when she had always kept a pistol on her, but those days were short-lived. She would rectify that in the future. But for now, the tall grass behind the hole in the ground was quivering violently.
Indeed, two more of those creatures erupted from the ground, and the grasses behind those new holes were also starting to quiver.
“I don’t suppose any of you has a gun or an extra knife?” Rowan asked the group with an air of disappointment. If she was going to die this day, she wouldn't do so because she was too busy panicking. She would at least take one of these bastards down with her.