Port in a Storm: Searching for Golben

Port in a Storm: Searching for Golben

Postby Guppy » Sat Oct 19, 2013 7:29 am

The creature had gleaned what little information she could from the rapidly dwindling resources available. Gloria had been less than helpful, throwing vitriol at the demon until her violent urges could not be cowed. Cherny and Gloria alike had suffered for the girl's barbed tongue in the face of the mingled frustration and grief assailing her at every turn. The seamstress could not help but tug upon the tiger's tail at every available opportunity. It would get her killed, sooner rather than later. Especially given the fact that the creature's current host felt no friendship towards her, either. The Marshall had been moderately friendly, but no more information was given forth in terms of Golben and what to expect there.

The number of friends, of allies, that she could trust was very few. Desperation nipped at her heels. She barely knew the Councillor that called The Gilded Lily his home, but their interaction had been cordial enough, last time. Besides, the man clearly knew things, given his position of power. It was with far humbler demeanor that the creature knocked upon the door and awaited the employees that the man held. Last time, she had demanded his presence, his attention. This time...

Coal-black eyes set inside a pale-skinned face - Niall's face - would peer at the one who came to investigate the source. A tentative smile spawned, however briefly, before it disregarded attempting to be polite altogether. It would fool no one and time was of the essence. "Councillor Berdini," she requested. "Please," added in after a moment's consideration.
User avatar
Guppy
Member
 
Posts: 327
Joined: Sun Mar 24, 2013 7:41 am

Re: Port in a Storm: Searching for Golben

Postby Dulcie » Tue Oct 22, 2013 11:22 am

The creature was beconed to wait as she had the last time before Berdini was consulted and then she was beconed up to the door of the apartment that she had visited previously.

"Greetings Nial.." He began. He had met the scarred girl before of course, but he hadn't even finished his sentence when he noticed those coal black eyes.

"Shetani. You have a new face." He commented simply, pulling the door open further and beconing her inside. "I rather liked the spirit that used to live in that body. Fiery, impatient. Wonderful qualities in a young woman. I do hope she's survived in there somehow."

He paused again, and let his eyes wander along the youthful form that the creature possessed. "Your old body was far more shapely, I rather miss it too. Perhaps you should take a teahouse girl next time." He teased, motioning for her to sit on one of those oversized cushions or the chaise.

"Drink?" He asked as he went to the bar and began fixing himself one.
User avatar
Dulcie
Member
 
Posts: 806
Joined: Sun May 18, 2008 4:00 am

Re: Port in a Storm: Searching for Golben

Postby Guppy » Tue Oct 22, 2013 12:11 pm

The demon was allowed within the establishment and a pleased, coy smile was gifted as she crossed the threshold. Invitations were not a common occurrence, these days. A cold breeze, one that seeped into the bones, emanated from her form as she passed them and moved further inward. Her steps carried her towards the apartment in question and there was honest delight on her features as he addressed her as the scarred young woman. It was her eyes that stopped him and the grin she gave in response was both wild and wicked. He adjusted the name without missing a beat, making mention of Niall's good qualities. His name. Shetani.

"Fear not. She lives. Buried somewhere," she assured, tapping at her temple. She stood just inside the doorway and watched him with an amused expression. "The whelp is alone, for the time being. I'm not certain if I will go back." Admitted freely as she turned around for his pleasure, allowing him that much. "This form has far more magical prowess, but she is so selfish with it. She won't teach me a thing, I'm afraid. The whelp is much more malleable, I've found." As if they were discussing favorite scarves.

His mention of a teahouse girl was met with that grin, again. "Oh? Any in particular?," as if she were actually considering such a thing. "That might be a little cruel. I would be far too tempting for you, then."

He offered her a drink and she nodded. "Alas, I'm afraid this is not entirely a social call, though I do need to make time. Your company is exquisitely entertaining," she granted him, freely. Her expression shifted as she tossed herself carelessly in the pile of plush pillows he kept as seating for his guests. It became brooding, distant. "Giuseppe was last seen in Golben. I need to verify his death for myself." The fluctuating emotions that darted across her face were lovely to watch. Anger. Pain. Grief. Confusion. Remembered affection. This was... complicated, then.
User avatar
Guppy
Member
 
Posts: 327
Joined: Sun Mar 24, 2013 7:41 am

Re: Port in a Storm: Searching for Golben

Postby Dulcie » Tue Oct 22, 2013 12:24 pm

"A shame that she isn't teaching you." He commented as amber liquid swirled into his glass, the bottle set aside after he had filled one for her as well. "You could be of such use to me if she would just give a little." He offered her a smile and moved to sit on one of the cushions himself, looking oddly comfortable there despite his fancy clothing.

He laughed when she asked about the teahouse girls. "Oh they are all about the same, but if temptation is the problem maybe just a pretty barmaid would do? Or a nurse. There's one at the Rememdium who won't even look my way when I offer her a walk home. It's quite disheartening really. It's almost as if she doesn't like me."

He handed her the second glass. "It never is a social call is it Shetani? I long for such and yet you dangle it just there before my nose. You're quite a temptress, you do know that don't you?

The joking stopped when a death was mentioned, and he shook his head lightly. "I'm not sure what I can do to help you. I barely knew the man, nor am I aware of the cirumstances surrounding his death. Perhaps the doctor could give better confirmation."
User avatar
Dulcie
Member
 
Posts: 806
Joined: Sun May 18, 2008 4:00 am

Re: Port in a Storm: Searching for Golben

Postby Guppy » Tue Oct 22, 2013 12:39 pm

Lips quirked as he mentioned her usefulness. "Ah, that is what I enjoy most about you, Berdini. Everyone is looking for something they want in others. Trying to glean what they can get out of each interaction. Your honesty is refreshing," she mused, accepting the drink as he descended upon the pillow and giving a short nod of thanks. The amber liquid swirled, fingers curled around the rim as she watched the patterns the light cast through it.

His laugh yielded a rare honest grin from the creature before him. "Easy, now. I do have to live in here with that other person. You could at least choose someone more entertaining than a barmaid, a teahouse girl, or a nurse." The scorn on her features was obvious. "I am astonished that she might not like you. There must be some other logical explanation," she teased.

A low chortle sounded when he called her a temptation. "Were I not, your attention would waver." Well, she had him there.

He misunderstood her and she very nearly smiled into her drink, despite her mood. "No, dear. I simply need to know the way to Golben and if there is anything I need bring with me." The creature meant to walk into hell. Readily.
User avatar
Guppy
Member
 
Posts: 327
Joined: Sun Mar 24, 2013 7:41 am

Re: Port in a Storm: Searching for Golben

Postby Dulcie » Tue Oct 22, 2013 12:53 pm

He enjoyed the teasing, the little bits of banter. There was indeed honesty between the pair of them, the two both dark creatures that semed to serve their own purpose and little else.

"Well I shall keep my eyes out for a useful, lovely and docile host for your next choice hmm? You have such tall orders you know Shetani."

He listened carefully to her request then, and nodded his head slightly. "Golben is not hard to find, it's a giant crater in the earth. But I can sketch you a map there if you like. As far as what to bring, well that all depends on how vulnerable that body is. Golben could very well hold your end if you're not careful." He'd get up, setting his glass aside before he went to fetch a paper and his quill and ink. At a low table he'd sit and carefully sketch a map of the town and the direction of Golben from it's location.

"Why do you need to verify his death if I might ask?"
User avatar
Dulcie
Member
 
Posts: 806
Joined: Sun May 18, 2008 4:00 am

Re: Port in a Storm: Searching for Golben

Postby Guppy » Tue Oct 22, 2013 1:07 pm

"Yes, well. She must be perfect to hold your straying attentions," she remarked, pointedly. "A girl could get jealous, you know." They bantered, there were honest. It was a satisfying companionship they held with one another and after such a short period of time. They could recognize something similar in the other. Something worthwhile.

Then, the matter at hand was broached and he rose to sketch her a map to the crater that served as prison for the darkest of souls. "That would be greatly appreciated," she admitted, rising as he did. He began to draw upon that table and she moved over to peer over his shoulder. "I assume that I will need something to scale down into the crater, then?," she hazarded, her mind whirling with plans and the details to come.

His question seemed to derail her for a moment and those blackened eyes came again to rest upon his. There was a long moment of silence as she carefully considered him. "I'm not sure what he would leave behind. I suppose a lack of him would do. It's something. He is not allowed to leave. He is mine, whether he likes it or not." The words were honest - it is uncertain if the creature's possessive nature was an honest sentiment or if it were simply the closest thing to affection she knew how to express. Perhaps it was a ruse to hide honest feelings. Nothing could be certain, where It was concerned.
User avatar
Guppy
Member
 
Posts: 327
Joined: Sun Mar 24, 2013 7:41 am

Re: Port in a Storm: Searching for Golben

Postby Dulcie » Tue Oct 22, 2013 1:14 pm

"You, jealous? I doubt such a thing is possible. Who else would keep my attention so readily?" He smiled as he turned the map around urging it in her direction.

"Unless the scarred girl can fly then yes, I suppose you do need something to scale down with. I would avoid the west edge however, I believe that may be where the tiger has built it's home, though I could be wrong. One never knows how wild beasts will choose to behave."

He paused and listened to her rationale for needing to go to the bottom of the crater. "If I were in his shoes I'm sure I'd be quite grateful to have you coming for me. I hadn't realized the two of you were close, or that the man was anything beyond an extension of Governor Burnie's limbs. Have we heard from him yet? I've been rather hesitant to follow political affairs since Treadwell assumed control of things. That man and I just don't seem to get along for some reason. I believe he's biased against me."
User avatar
Dulcie
Member
 
Posts: 806
Joined: Sun May 18, 2008 4:00 am

Re: Port in a Storm: Searching for Golben

Postby Guppy » Fri Oct 25, 2013 3:26 am

Her grin was infectious. "I assure you, I can be quite jealous at times. It is not something you would wish to see," she remarked, delicately placing her index finger upon the map to slide it over towards her as if it were not freely given. Her half-lidded gaze remained, ever so coyly, upon his own. "Actually, I've heard a rumor that you are uncommonly distracted by the feminine form," she added. She leaned forward, in towards him, but she did not dare to touch him. The chill of her skin clashed against him, however, and her eyes seemed to swallow every scrap of light. "Though, I am sorely tempted to test the theory," she mused, a playful quirk to lips so very close to his own. The wink she gave was cheeky and soon, she withdrew to peer down at the map with great interest.

"Flight isn't a talent that I'm aware of," she agreed, distractedly, eyes ghosting over the paper he'd given her. She had her back to him, now and there was a low chortle at something unsaid. The scarred girl making comments in her own head. "She fancies the tiger dead. Perhaps we will enter just there." A tap of that finger against the paper upon its western edge. "Its pelt would be a handsome gift." Maybe thinking of her waifish, lonely charge with the doe-eyes he found so pleasing. The creature's mind was an enigma, though, and belonged to itself and its prisoner. "No, one ever truly knows a beast." Amusement dawned, but was unshared.

It seemed that his words cut a little too close to the truth, because she withdrew and she sneered. "We were not close, but I told him that I would be the one to chew on his bones. He can not be allowed to simply die. His death should be vicious and violent. Something worthy." They had a strange sort of relationship, but she was a strange sort of creature. It was uncertain if she meant to save him or kill him, should she find him. "Gloria was with him. She proclaims him dead, though I am not certain how she knows, given the lost hour." Mention of Treadwell made her sneer again. "Useless man." At least, where she was concerned. "I do not know anything of the former Governor, I'm afraid." She lifted the map after carefully rolling it into a tight bundle. "I thank you for this. I suppose that I owe you a favor. Do make it something interesting," said as she tucked it under an arm. The words were, curiously, honest.
User avatar
Guppy
Member
 
Posts: 327
Joined: Sun Mar 24, 2013 7:41 am

Re: Port in a Storm: Searching for Golben

Postby Dulcie » Fri Oct 25, 2013 12:03 pm

She was very close, oh so close, talking about her jealousy, assessing his view on the female form. He smiled a little and moved to lift a finger, trying to tap her on the lips with it lightly. "Perhaps if you had not chosen a child's form I might have been able to show you how very distracted by the female form I can be." That glimmer in his eyes showed how very much he wished she had come to him in another shape. A scarred child wasn't a pleasure to look over, but the body of a teahouse girl, or a barmaid, or really any decent looking adult would have had him taking their conversation in a much different direction.

"Oh by all means, let your host kill the tiger if you like. The beast cost me little, though I do say it's served me greatly since it's arrival to Golben. I imagine it's quite well fed." Allusions, but never admissions to the crimes that he has likely committed. "It was the past Governor that asked me to create Golben you know. I never could have predicted quite what would come of it, or that it would indeed be his own undoing, but the tragedy of it is somewhat ironic don't you think?"

She mentioned the lost hour and he paused a moment and looked at her curiously. "So we all lost an hour? How interesting. I had thought perhaps it was just me, I haven't bothered to ask others about it." He hadn't really even attended to the whispers. He'd been spending his time making sure that a particular teahouse girl didn't have any pesky memories returning to her.

"A favor you say? Perhaps I have one in mind, one I would like to mull over if such a thing is a possibility. But I wonder, have you ever had a willing host? I find my mind wondering as to what we could accomplish if we were much, much closer." It was this time that he would step in close to her, a hair's breadth away as he looked into those deep black eyes. "Do you think such a thing would be possible Shetani?" He whispered in her ear, letting her feel the closeness of his lips. Almost there but never quite touching.
User avatar
Dulcie
Member
 
Posts: 806
Joined: Sun May 18, 2008 4:00 am

Re: Port in a Storm: Searching for Golben

Postby Guppy » Sat Oct 26, 2013 9:06 am

Her laughter was delighted. Her expression grew more bold upon his revelation that he would not cross that line with her, given her current age. "Oh, promises, promises," she teased him. Her teeth would snap at the finger that tapped her lips, making certain that it was slightly delayed so as to not actually visit violence upon the offending digit. "It is good to know your limits. Oh the things we are learning about one another." Her eyes danced. The two of them allowed the conversation between them to turn to banter all too often.

He granted them his magnanimous permission to kill the beast that he had placed in Golben. The look on her face informed him that she had not thought to ask his authorization on the matter. This was news, however. "You? You built Golben for the Governor? But then you must know its every secret. Do you have any other information to gift me on the place? As I understand, it is not called a prison for nothing. Escaping it might turn out to be laborious. I suppose it is too much to hope that there is a back entrance?," she hazarded, hopefully. Sweet as pie as she attempted to finagle the man's knowledge from him. She even attempted to run an index finger down the length of his nose to serve as pleasant distraction. "Though, again, I have heard that is your preference," she almost purred. Tongue in cheek.

His mention of the lost hour made her shoulders lift casually. "Everyone that I have spoken to seems to have lost that time. The very time that Lady Burnie lost her head," she clasped hands at the small of the back and rocked on her heels with glee. "Where did you awaken, darling? Do tell." She offered nothing of herself, though.

Her head canted to the side as he spoke of the favor. "Every host is willing, I'm afraid. Every host lingered upon the doorway of death before accepting me. They were desperate and I took advantage." He stepped closer and the action brought a smile to her face. "You would give that amount of trust to me? That seems somewhat foolish, Berdini. You understand my penchant for power, do you not? Niall has not granted me continued access to her form out of the goodness of her heart, you do realize," she gazed at him, thoroughly amused. He murmured into her ear and she shifted, seeking to press her hip against his own. There was only chill, where there should have been warmth. "What did you have in mind, dear Councillor?" Despite herself, she was interested. Captivated.
User avatar
Guppy
Member
 
Posts: 327
Joined: Sun Mar 24, 2013 7:41 am

Re: Port in a Storm: Searching for Golben

Postby Dulcie » Sun Oct 27, 2013 9:41 am

"Oh I have very few limits Shetani, but yes, there are some lines that even I do not cross." He eyed her form. So close to being a woman's age, and yet there was an overall lack of appeal in the scarred girl's body. He arched a brow at her surprise.

"Well I thought you knew? I presumed that was the reason you came here to ask me about it. My involvement in the project was no secret of course. Although Governor Burnie didn't want people to know it was a prison while it was being built, but yes, I do indeed know it's every secret." He smiled and moved to trace a finger down her jaw, along her neck before he'd tap at her shoulder. "But the question is, what secrets do I wish to share with you Shetani. I do so enjoy your company, but I feel as if you would miss the challenge of such a beautiful creation."

He laughed at the comment about back entrances. "Take the form of a handsome young man and perhaps I'll show you exactly what I think of them hmm?" He chuckled some more. "No, it's a prison, it isn't meant to be escaped. There is no front, nor rear entrance. There is not much in the labyrinth that is meant to help you survive. The plants are often poisonous, the mirrors mystical, and traps of the most brutal variety wait at many of the corners and turns. And then of course there is that pesky tiger you mentioned." He continued then. "Burnie wanted Golben to be a human place to keep the troubles of Myrkenwood. We wouldn't have to kill the imprisoned, merely lock them away. It was never intended that anyone should get out once they've been placed in. It is a place for the damned."

There were other things to talk about then. "Oh I awakened in bed with a teahouse girl, nothing too scandalous I'm afraid." He said with a smile. "But about this body inhabitation. It seems to me that desperation and willingness are two very different things. Niall won't even let you access all of what she can do. She might have let you revive her body, but she doesn't truly let you share it." He let his hand continue to linger upon her shoulder if she allowed it. "With us on the other hand, I could see it be a willing exchange. I know many things that could help you. I have no magical powers, that is true, but I do have oh so many talents. I'd let you access them, all of them, as you liked just for the taste of your powers, and the promise of my own return to my body."

He paused then and withdrew his hand, chuckling. "That's the key though isn't it? How do I ensure that you will return me to myself? I too have a penchant for power, and my dear Shetani, were I inside of you, I think I would struggle very, very hard to let you go." A double entendre, clearly intended. "So I would need something, a contract of sorts that would bind you to an agreement, one that would return me to myself once the agreed upon time had expired. Now you being what you are, I think that contract would have to be very special indeed."
User avatar
Dulcie
Member
 
Posts: 806
Joined: Sun May 18, 2008 4:00 am

Re: Port in a Storm: Searching for Golben

Postby Guppy » Sun Oct 27, 2013 2:55 pm

Her surprise was noted and for a moment, she looked cross with herself for revealing her hand. "I am afraid not," she muttered. And then, recovering quickly, "Happy coincidence," she admitted with a wane smile. His finger was warm as it dragged down her jawline, ghosted along her neck, and settled upon her shoulder. "Preferably all of them," she offered with half lidded eyes and a coaxing expression. "Do you mean to test my mettle, then, venturing into your dark and dangerous prison? I am certain that I will emerge in time. Absence is supposed to make the heart grow fonder, but what if it becomes steeped in hatred instead? My aim is not to test myself, but to glean what information I can from the place. I hope to dissolve the mystery surrounding Giuseppe's disappearance and, if possible, to bring him back with me. Surely there are other ways to test me. Far more interesting ways." Her honeyed, silver tongue rivaled his own.

She listened as he explained the horrors of the place he had built with all the pride of a father. He told her that it was a place only for the damned and she smiled. "Ah, well. It will surely suit me nicely then. Do you know all of the turns, all of the answers to the riddles?"

Then, their conversation turned again to the mentioned favor and arms crossed her chest as she watched him with unabashed curiosity. What could he want out of this? She very much doubted that he was revealing everything he would gain from their bonding. She did not bother to shrug off his hand. The touch was accepted. Relished. "What do you stand to gain, then?" He would lie to her, but it would not hurt to ask. His hand slipped away and he purred his innuendo, which made her grin again. "It would not be a lasting bond, certainly. While you are a good conversationalist and charming to boot, you are far too willful to remain my puppet. I have molded the whelp to a perfect supplicant. Her taste for darkness remains unrivaled, even with that pesky kindness she manages to hold on to." There was a moment of honesty, then. His allegiance was well-worth the trouble of truth. "It would have to be a contract forged in magic, of course. To protect the both of us from ourselves and each other." She reached out, seeking to cradle his cheek in her palm. "I have a feeling it will be difficult to let go for the both of us."
User avatar
Guppy
Member
 
Posts: 327
Joined: Sun Mar 24, 2013 7:41 am

Re: Port in a Storm: Searching for Golben

Postby Dulcie » Tue Oct 29, 2013 11:20 am

"I shall take that as a promise. I fully intend to test your mettle in every manner possible." He grinned at that and would nod a second, reluctantly stepping away from the closeness that they shared. He took the map from her and moved to the side table. Notations were made in places here and there, denoting locations of some of the poisonous plants, and the less obvious traps. He'd take the map and step back into that close distance between them, letting the map linger there between the pair of them.

"A favor for the opportunity to see what you are made of Shetani, and I do promise to be very thorough in all of my tests."

He would lean into the touch of her palm against his cheek, his own hand moving to try to touch lightly at her hip. "Oh Shetani, how can you not see what I have to gain? You are a creature of great power. A mere taste of that would be reason enough, however I'm quite sure that were we joined I might learn from you just as you would be learning from me. I relish the ideas of what I could pull from your many experiences." He'd gaze back at her then, seeing her begin to consider the idea. "I have a witch in my employ. I imagine it might be something she could accomplish if she got to know you and what you are. I'm sure she could work a time of termination into her spell, she's quite talented." And completely in his service. It was difficult to deny one's employer when they owned you. "How long do you need to think about it?" He queried as he watched her. "Because I can't wait to feel us joined."
User avatar
Dulcie
Member
 
Posts: 806
Joined: Sun May 18, 2008 4:00 am

Re: Port in a Storm: Searching for Golben

Postby Guppy » Fri Nov 01, 2013 8:28 am

He vowed to test her mettle, his voice dipping down into innuendo again. The two of them circled around the other in conversation, even without making a physical movement. She wondered how Giuseppe could find the man trying - for she found him nothing but charming. Then again, they were little more than strangers, despite the apparent familiarity they held with one another. "I am looking forward to it," she assured, with a wink directed his way. He took the map and left her to scrawl notations on the once-barren piece of paper. She smiled and trailed after him, hands clasped behind her back. He turned, stepping closer, when he was finished, and held the hastily drawn map out towards her. Reverent hands accepted the scrap of paper. Her fingertips would likely brush against his, not shying away from his touch. Far beyond that point.

There was a moment between them when her palm lay gently upon his cheek and his own settled on the curve of a hip. Dark eyes gazed into his as they watched one another. "Then may it be an enlightening experience for the both of us, dear Berdini," she murmured through barely parted lips. Eyelids fluttered closed and she leaned in to try to press a chilled kiss against his cheek. They both, quite willingly, were playing with flame. Which would prove the most dangerous, in the end? "Have your girl draw it up. We will make our dealings after I return from Golben." The creature stepped back, her business concluded, and rolled the map into a thin scroll. She tucked it away into an inner pocket. "Make peace with your solitude, for you will no doubt find it lacking when I return," she called over a shoulder as she made her sultry way towards the door.
User avatar
Guppy
Member
 
Posts: 327
Joined: Sun Mar 24, 2013 7:41 am

Next

Return to Myrkentown



Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 7 guests

cron