key and rose
#1
[html]

+3 Private

Sage’s idea had been one that Ezekiel found welcomed. Tensions between the clan had been riding high since Gabriel’s retirement, and a chance for them to simply behave as a group would do well. For the past two days he had forced his grumpy cousin Enkiel to go with him into the forest, and the pair had gathered dry branches and with Viggo’s help dragged bigger logs back to the mansion. They were traveling back from one of their trips when Ezekiel had spotted the gap in the fence and gone to investigate. Sure enough, under the mass of honeysuckle there was a large section of metal simply rusted away.

After unloading their cargo and gathering a collection of rope, Ezekiel had gone about constructing a harness for Viggo. The stallion had been more or less cooperative, and once they had the rope tied onto the fence, the hard part had begun. Enkiel was correct in his estimation of depth, and the pair had to contend with digging out the posts some before even attempting to pull it out.

With the jackal standing by and Viggo impatiently waiting, Ezekiel finally gave the signal. The horse pulled hard against the fence, but it stayed stuck into the earth. Frustrated, Viggo had let out a challenging whinny and reared up, pulling with all his might. With a rusty squeal the section of fence gave way. The horse dragged it to the treeline before snorting and stamping around triumphantly. Pleased, Ezekiel untied him and allowed him to trot off with his head high.

Enkiel made a face at the untidy remains of the vines destroyed in the process of removing the iron fence. The six foot long gap left in its wake was a nice rear entrance for the otherwise fenced in mansion.

<style type="text/css">
.zekelion b {font-weight:bold; color:#000000; letter-spacing:1px; }
.zekelion .ooc { font-style:italic; padding:0px; font-family:verdana, sans-serif; font-size:11px;}
.zekelion .wc {text-transform: uppercase; font-weight:bold;}
.zekelion p {text-indent:25px; padding:5px 10px; margin:0px;}
.zekelion {margin:0px auto; width:420px; background-color:none; background-image:url(http://bloodandfire.sleepyglow.net/publ ... kelion.png); background-position: bottom center; background-repeat:no-repeat; border:none; padding: 0px 0px 150px 0px; font-family: georgia, sans-serif; font-size:12px; color:#111111; line-height:16px; letter-spacing:.5px; text-align:justify;}
</style>[/html]
#2
[html]

Jackayote is not a word, but I used it anyways, since that is pretty much what he is.

mall-caps;text-variantConfusedmall-caps;">IT'S ONLY cript;">FOREVER, NOT LONG AT ALL

Her days were becoming longer as summer set in, and with each passing day she saw new changes in her body that lead her head to fill with foolish thoughts for the future. Her weight had increased significantly in the weeks that followed the death of Caillen Winters, once-thin body fleshing out into something more womanly; hard curves had turned to soft curves and below her vaguely malformed ribcage, her stomach rounded. The process was the same as she remembered. Food became more than mere necessity, but a desire, and her cold heart had warmed to the prospect of spending time amongst others. It was strange what her body had done to her mind, as if whatever undefined lifeforms that had begun to grow within her were forcing their mother to form bonds to cement her place in the world. With all of her public smiles, however, she was still somber when alone. Luck was not one of her strongest qualities — she did not want to repeat what she'd suffered last fall.

The mansion was her goal for the day, to get out into the fresh air and to socialize; more specifically, she wanted to see her cousin, the oddly quiet healer who had helped her broken bones before. Enkiel was an enigma to the frail-minded de le Poer. During her time of healing, she'd reported to him diligently to check the broken cage within her chest, and she had always been amazed at how easily he managed to simply know. Ezekiel knew, but it seemed to the dark princess that Enkiel's knowledge transcended that of the King. It was Enkiel she was determined to see, though she did not make common visits to the quiet hybrid — it was this ability to know that made him an asset in her current condition.

She was surprised to find the guest house empty, as it was the most common place she went to find the handsome jackayote. His possessions were in order, everything where it should be, with the key component of Enkiel Lykoi missing from the equation. Disappointment riddled her mind as she walked the empty corridor back into the sunlight; a fragile hand rose to shield her crimson eyes from the glare as the woman tried to take in her surroundings. It was an unfamiliar sound that drew her attention to the rear of the mansion — an unpleasant and rusted squeal that made her cringe as her eyes adjusted. Sure enough, there were people near the fence. It wasn't hard to see just who it was. Viggo was a monster of a horse, more so than the beast Maschine, and as he was Ezekiel's she knew it was the golden man who was working.

She didn't approach as Viggo dragged the remnants of the fence to the treeline, simply watching her brother and the much smaller cousin while they tended to whatever it was they were doing. It wasn't until the horse was allowed to go his merry way that she came away from the guest house and approached them. "Now, Ezekiel, you've ruined the aesthetic beauty of our garden." The words weren't accusatory; rather, they were taunting and playful, as if she were amused by the idea. In truth, she had never bothered to truly look at the fence, to study the wear of the metal pieces that had grown over with the beautiful scented honeysuckle. With a laugh, she allowed her hands to rest atop her hips, surveying the mess. The break in the fence offered a new route to enter the time-worn home of so many members, but it was truly ugly. Confusion clouded her gaze as it turned to Ezekiel. What was he planning to do now?


<style>
.ns01 {margin:0px auto;width:450px;background-color:none;background-image:none;background-position:top middle;background-repeat:no-repeat;border:none;padding:0px;font-family:times new roman, sans-serif;font-size:13px;line-height:16px;letter-spacing:.5px;text-align:justify;margin-top:15px;}
.ns01-ooc {font-style:italic;font-size:11px;margin:2px; padding:0px;text-align:left;}
.ns01 p {text-indent:25px;margin:0px;padding:5px 10px;}
.ns01 b {font-weight:bold;letter-spacing:1px;}
.ns01 i {font-style:italic;letter-spacing:1px;}
</style>
[/html]
#3
[html]

The iron fence was a large section, as were all parts of the fence. This one had unfortunately broken some years earlier, and bore a gaping hole within its center. A wolf could easily slip through such a thing, but it seemed silly to leave it when they could just as easily make something larger. Ezekiel was turning to speak when he spotted his sister’s approach. Oddly, her usually crude remarks were limited to a friendly one that he met with an honest smile. Advancing, for once unarmed, the coyote tossed his head in a fashion similar to his stallion.

“Oh, I suppose you like the fence. Look, this one is broken,” he gestured to the hole, amber eyes glimmering merrily. He closed the distance to his sister, and at her side, turned to inspect the damage. While the hole was full of loosened dirt and disturbed honeysuckle, the Aquila lacked an artistic eye. He found nothing wrong with the display and frowned at her comment as he observed the damage. “It doesn’t look that bad,” he added, folding his arms under his chest.

“It is quite ugly,” Enkiel added as he moved to join them. The smaller jackal’s deep voice always surprised his cousin, but today it simply made his face twist into an exaggerated frown.

<style type="text/css">
.zekelion b {font-weight:bold; color:#000000; letter-spacing:1px; }
.zekelion .ooc { font-style:italic; padding:0px; font-family:verdana, sans-serif; font-size:11px;}
.zekelion .wc {text-transform: uppercase; font-weight:bold;}
.zekelion p {text-indent:25px; padding:5px 10px; margin:0px;}
.zekelion {margin:0px auto; width:420px; background-color:none; background-image:url(http://bloodandfire.sleepyglow.net/publ ... kelion.png); background-position: bottom center; background-repeat:no-repeat; border:none; padding: 0px 0px 150px 0px; font-family: georgia, sans-serif; font-size:12px; color:#111111; line-height:16px; letter-spacing:.5px; text-align:justify;}
</style>[/html]
#4
[html]

O_O The words in this are weird. Sorry.

mall-caps;text-variantConfusedmall-caps;">IT'S ONLY cript;">FOREVER, NOT LONG AT ALL

Ezekiel noticed her approach first, and the merry glimmer in his golden gaze brought her smile to a new reach of cheer as he came to her side. She laughed at his words, tail cutting the air behind her while they surveyed the mess together. He believed it didn't look too bad; she scoffed. It looked horrible, truly. Perhaps not to his hunter's eyes, as she believed he didn't experience the world in the same artist's way as she, but to the Imaginifer, it was vile. Much to her surprise, Enkiel agreed — the healer's unusual baritone always caused his russet cousin's ears to twist in order to fully appreciate the voice. For someone so small, as seen upon his approach of the pair, it was surprising to hear a man's voice come from him.

Breaking away from their line of gazing eyes, she bounced forward toward the mess. A jubilant air formed around her. She was sure it could be fixed, made nicer and more appealing to the eye, with her artists' eyes and the mens' strong bodies. Silence overtook her for just a moment before she twisted to face the two. "It can be fixed, if you have nothing to do for now." She'd seen gardens in books before, beautiful expanses of land behind mansions, back when the humans held reign over the world. The picture that formed in her mind was one that offered a much nicer facade to the world of Inferni; something new for their clan.


<style>
.ns01 {margin:0px auto;width:450px;background-color:none;background-image:none;background-position:top middle;background-repeat:no-repeat;border:none;padding:0px;font-family:times new roman, sans-serif;font-size:13px;line-height:16px;letter-spacing:.5px;text-align:justify;margin-top:15px;}
.ns01-ooc {font-style:italic;font-size:11px;margin:2px; padding:0px;text-align:left;}
.ns01 p {text-indent:25px;margin:0px;padding:5px 10px;}
.ns01 b {font-weight:bold;letter-spacing:1px;}
.ns01 i {font-style:italic;letter-spacing:1px;}
</style>
[/html]
#5
[html]

The truth of the matter was that Ezekiel, while master archer and undoubtedly skilled in the ways of the wild, had absolutely no artistic vision. He recognized the difference between something being admirable to look at and not, but this was a view often based on how well it functioned. Siobhan had appealed to him because she was unique; Talitha was the same. Oddities were things he noticed. His horse, for example, while likely seen as handsome to some, was just the same as another horse to Ezekiel except ‘bigger’. People and animals fell into these stark classifications in his world.

So while he did not understand Talitha’s excitement over making something pretty, he was glad for her mood. With a glance to Enkiel, who only stared ahead with his deep gaze, Ezekiel let out an over-dramatic sigh and advanced towards his sister. “Tell me what to do. Enkiel will help too,” he added loudly, getting a slight reaction from the small jackal.

<style type="text/css">
.zekelion b {font-weight:bold; color:#000000; letter-spacing:1px; }
.zekelion .ooc { font-style:italic; padding:0px; font-family:verdana, sans-serif; font-size:11px;}
.zekelion .wc {text-transform: uppercase; font-weight:bold;}
.zekelion p {text-indent:25px; padding:5px 10px; margin:0px;}
.zekelion {margin:0px auto; width:420px; background-color:none; background-image:url(http://bloodandfire.sleepyglow.net/publ ... kelion.png); background-position: bottom center; background-repeat:no-repeat; border:none; padding: 0px 0px 150px 0px; font-family: georgia, sans-serif; font-size:12px; color:#111111; line-height:16px; letter-spacing:.5px; text-align:justify;}
</style>[/html]
#6
[html]
mall-caps;text-variantConfusedmall-caps;">IT'S ONLY cript;">FOREVER, NOT LONG AT ALL

There was no reason for her brother to understand the aesthetically pleasing aspects of the world, and there was even less reason for him to understand how to make the dreadful into something beautiful. Ezekiel would never really be expected to know; this was a useless skill appreciated only by his useless sister (and apparently Enkiel, though she was unsure what to make of his words on the appearance of the ruined fence). Her tail swayed contently as she surveyed the mess with careful eyes, knowing her vision for it would be done, for it was Ezekiel she spoke to — he'd severed ties with a mentor for her, so why not build something too?

As she expected he would, Ezekiel came forward with a dramatic sigh, 'offering' his help...and Enkiel's. Though Ezekiel received a smile, she turned her attention fully upon the briefly startled jackayote at the addition of his name: "Well, that's very considerate of you, Enkiel, thank you." Traces of affection and appreciation lingered on the words, dug up from beneath red irises that focused on the similarly shaded eyes of the medic. Though red eyes were not uncommon within Inferni itself, it offered some relief to the de le Poer harlot — no one would have her particular brand of horrific easy-read red, but at least she wasn't the only one to suffer under a crimson gaze.

With a faint grunt, she lowered herself to the ground off to the side, giving her menfolk ample space to handle the task. One slender finger drew the shape she hoped to achieve in the ground. "I've seen it in books; really fancy homes with pretty gardens, and a lot of them have this thing that covers an opening in their fences." Her words went on to detail the shape of the archways and how to best achieve it in reality.


<style>
.ns01 {margin:0px auto;width:450px;background-color:none;background-image:none;background-position:top middle;background-repeat:no-repeat;border:none;padding:0px;font-family:times new roman, sans-serif;font-size:13px;line-height:16px;letter-spacing:.5px;text-align:justify;margin-top:15px;}
.ns01-ooc {font-style:italic;font-size:11px;margin:2px; padding:0px;text-align:left;}
.ns01 p {text-indent:25px;margin:0px;padding:5px 10px;}
.ns01 b {font-weight:bold;letter-spacing:1px;}
.ns01 i {font-style:italic;letter-spacing:1px;}
</style>
[/html]
#7
[html]

The hold that Talitha had over her brother was a peculiar one at that. He would grant her things, humor her when he saw fit, but it was with poison in her claws that she forced him so. One word would destroy whatever remained of his façade to Alaine—and perhaps, depending on how loud the collie’s voice could rise, bring the Court down on his head. Talitha might never betray him in such a way, but he had learned she was unpredictable, and feared what a downward spiral might cause. She was nuclear, like the moon, and he feared not what she might do, but what he would do to stop her.

Ezekiel passed his sister and missed the look she gave to Enkiel, who only stared back at her silently. He did not seek to oust her from her brother’s affection despite being well aware of the fears the woman faced with a litter on the way. If it might keep her from doing anything foolish, he would lose face to help with a stupid decorative fence.

Both males looked down at her drawing, but it was Enkiel who recognized the design. He had seen it in some of the books left behind from Clover in the greenhouse. “Something like that could be fashioned from wood. The vines will make it strong,” he said, looking up to the hanging honeysuckle. Ezekiel made a face, but walked towards the new-entrance and began moving his hands in the air as to best guess the distance. “So what, we just get some sticks and put them together?”

<style type="text/css">
.zekelion b {font-weight:bold; color:#000000; letter-spacing:1px; }
.zekelion .ooc { font-style:italic; padding:0px; font-family:verdana, sans-serif; font-size:11px;}
.zekelion .wc {text-transform: uppercase; font-weight:bold;}
.zekelion p {text-indent:25px; padding:5px 10px; margin:0px;}
.zekelion {margin:0px auto; width:420px; background-color:none; background-image:url(http://bloodandfire.sleepyglow.net/publ ... kelion.png); background-position: bottom center; background-repeat:no-repeat; border:none; padding: 0px 0px 150px 0px; font-family: georgia, sans-serif; font-size:12px; color:#111111; line-height:16px; letter-spacing:.5px; text-align:justify;}
</style>[/html]
#8
[html]
mall-caps;text-variantConfusedmall-caps;">IT'S ONLY cript;">FOREVER, NOT LONG AT ALL

Unwilling to think of what it did to her brother's mind to bend to his sister's will, Talitha immersed herself in the concept of their new archway — with the help of the two men, she was sure it would transform into something pleasant for the clan that had suffered so much. As they looked down at what she had started, the woman continued to sketch out rudimentary models of the archways she'd laid eyes on, trying to better explain the process visually; while she trusted their abilities at taking direction, it was always so much simpler to have an image. Enkiel seemed to understand quickly the idea behind the task, and offered his ideas as to the construction. She smiled faintly as he spoke, nodding her head until Ezekiel pulled away to (presumably) study the hole in the fence.

She laughed at Ezekiel's question softly, closing her eyes for only a moment as she worked the idea over in her head. "I think we would need to do more than just get some sticks, Zekie. If you aren't careful, you could end up with something too square. Unless you want it square?" An inflection added to the end of her question caused her voice to seem unsure — what was it that Ezekiel wanted, what he saw for the land? And as suddenly as she was Queen of landscaping, she again became the devoted scion of the golden King, hanging on his every word and idea. "I'm sure we could make it work however you wanted it to."


<style>
.ns01 {margin:0px auto;width:450px;background-color:none;background-image:none;background-position:top middle;background-repeat:no-repeat;border:none;padding:0px;font-family:times new roman, sans-serif;font-size:13px;line-height:16px;letter-spacing:.5px;text-align:justify;margin-top:15px;}
.ns01-ooc {font-style:italic;font-size:11px;margin:2px; padding:0px;text-align:left;}
.ns01 p {text-indent:25px;margin:0px;padding:5px 10px;}
.ns01 b {font-weight:bold;letter-spacing:1px;}
.ns01 i {font-style:italic;letter-spacing:1px;}
</style>
[/html]
#9
[html]

Hardly a dreamer, Ezekiel had to try very hard to imagine the work that would need to go into making something curved. It was Enkiel that helped him, mentioning the very bow the Aquila carried. This made things clear to the golden King, who reassured his sister they would do it in her image and nothing less. She was, after all, the Imaginifer.

So Ezekiel gathered up branches with give, and Enkiel settled to lash them together as he might a wound. With Talitha’s aid, the trio formed a wooden base that would be able to hold the vines up. They used two thicker branches to settle in the ground, but the arch itself needed to be affixed to these. Ezekiel had to call Viggo back, and much to the horses’ dismay, use him for a ladder. This circus-balancing act went on while the Aquila affixed the arch to the poles, and with Talitha directing him from below, looped the vines he had ripped away from the fence onto the contraption.

It was still not very pretty, but Talitha reassured her brother that it would be long before the feast their cousin had planned. Entrusting her and the jackal to this, he went off on his way.

<style type="text/css">
.zekelion b {font-weight:bold; color:#000000; letter-spacing:1px; }
.zekelion .ooc { font-style:italic; padding:0px; font-family:verdana, sans-serif; font-size:11px;}
.zekelion .wc {text-transform: uppercase; font-weight:bold;}
.zekelion p {text-indent:25px; padding:5px 10px; margin:0px;}
.zekelion {margin:0px auto; width:420px; background-color:none; background-image:url(http://bloodandfire.sleepyglow.net/publ ... kelion.png); background-position: bottom center; background-repeat:no-repeat; border:none; padding: 0px 0px 150px 0px; font-family: georgia, sans-serif; font-size:12px; color:#111111; line-height:16px; letter-spacing:.5px; text-align:justify;}
</style>[/html]


Forum Jump: