Oh, thine silver tongue..

[ShadowRose]

[[OOC: In reference to roleplay.]]

Finished with the newly-spun letter, the mercenary woman slipped it into the hand of one of her messengers, watching him leave immediately and quietly.

"Oh, Selenthis.. she is trying." Alessandra remarked as soon as the other had left, passing off a fleeting smile to him.

"That is good news." came the voice within the dark vaults of her mind, its mental speaker to the side utterly silent.

"It is, indeed. I am rather fond of the girl." she paused, thinking a slight, "But let us be wary. I do not trust the tricks of this one quite yet." the mercenary woman muttered as if she were playing chess against the most cunning of adversary.

"Be aware that, if she steps out of line, there are -things- we can do. Your darling Glenn, the mapmaker, has just recently bought her a rather precious, four-legged gift."

"But oh, let us not hope it comes to that, my dearest Selenthis. I am rather fond of those creatures." words said darkly, sickly, delighted at the newest revelation.

Yes, Rhaena, Calomel would say, "Mind how you go."

Mind how you go, indeed.

[ShadowRose]

[[OOC: In reference to roleplay.]]

"Do you feel guilty of the effortless ease from which you spew lies and sweet words, dear Sarayn?" came the sudden voice in her head.

Alessandra kept her eyes cast downward into the words of the book, the delicacy of one hand holding a blood-red apple of which soon found her mouth. She tore into it and chewed slowly, never once looking up, and never for a second did her expression shift as she said, "No."

"But that is always the name of the game. Who can spin words to the benefit of their intentions the best. You know that."

The solitary figure in the corner nodded, knowing all too well the games that needed to be played. For it was the very essence of survival that had deemed it so in -their- world; a lightless existence so very far away from the realities of these gentle surface folk.

[ShadowRose]

[[OOC: In reference to this post]]

"You have done well, Selenthis." Alessandra began, fluttering a gentle hand across his cheek.

He remained still, expression cold, the voice in her head even more glacial, "You expected otherwise?"

"Of course not." With liquid ease, she moved away from him to the door, half-stepping outward before glancing over her shoulder, "If there was one thing that I could grant you, what would it be?"

"Anything?"

"Anything." she cooed.

"My freedom." came the expected response.

"Oh, but my dear Selenthis, you know you cannot have that. Nor would you be able to survive without me. Not in this world, and surely not in ours. Not after you killed her. They know every fiber of your being, every line of your face. You would not last but seconds at home. And that is why you are safe, here, with me." With that, she closed the door softly behind her.

Leaving Selenthis, he known as Gabriel to some, to stew quietly, to revel in the -truth- of it all. The very saddening, and sicking truth. Ah, but he knew too, that she wouldn't be able to survive without him.

This he hoped.

[ShadowRose]

[[OOC: In reference to roleplay.]]

"Your assessment?" came the customary voice in her head after SinVraal had left her home.

Alessandra nonchalantly tossed the gold, wire-rimmed spectacles to the desk, extending forefinger and thumb to press against the bridge of her nose. "Disappointment. Are all of these surface dwellers so unintelligent? It amazes me that those of lighter skin color do not this like -us-."

"But, as always, we will adapt."

"Always, my darling Selenthis." She extended the ephemeral grace of a sigh, "Regardless.. prepare the final task. I want to be done with this."

"As you wish." Selenthis bowed and exited without even a sound.

"Oh, Myrken Wood.. how irritating you have become." the mercenary woman said at length, stretching languidly.

[ShadowRose]

[[OOC: In reference to roleplay.]]

The door swung open almost hurriedly, producing the thin and athletic build of Gabriel, expression cold and mind-link quick to report.

"We have a situation.." he began.

Alessandra flicked her eyes upward rather languidly, allowing a wide grin to capture the beauty of her face. "I know."

".. y-you know?" he asked incredulously with tilt of head.

"My darling little Glenn came through for me in the most -unexpected- of times and let me in on that Calomel Cinnabar has been checking in on us. And that Rhaena has been a very naughty little girl."

Gabriel grinned, "Ah. Then I was wrong about him. He is very useful."

The mercenary woman lifted the letter to her lips and kissed it, hugging it close to her chest, "Yes, he is. And he will no doubt be exponentially rewarded."

"And the lady Rhaena?"

The coldest of grins lifted her lips, doe-brown eyes glittering with deadly intent. "She will get her just due in time. For now, we lay low and behave."

"Behave? How boring." he grinned still.

"Yes, how boring, indeed." With the cherished letter being tucked in a safe place, she chuckled at the thought.

[ShadowRose]

[[OOC: In reference to roleplay.]]

"I am concerned.." Gabriel began in a cold tone upon entering the small hovel within the slums of Myrken Wood. He gazed on the reclining Alessandra, prismatic grey eyes chilled.

"Oh?" said the mercenary woman, not even bothering to peer at him. Oh, but she was growing near tired of him, of his doubts. Over the past days, the rift between them became apparent.

"I am concerned that you are not fit to lead us.."

Alessandra closed her eyes then, feeling the rage bubbling within her core, inhaling deeply to calm herself. In the society of the drow, -those- words had always followed a coup, a betrayal, and the sharp of blade.

"You continously threaten our stance here with your foolish actions.. this Glenn Burnie. Are you willing to sacrifice everything? For a -mapmaker-?"

"I do not suggest continuing your--"

"No. You will not silence me on this. Are you so filled with good now, that you cannot raise a blade against these.. filthy surface dwellers? So filled with truths and hope? You will -never- be accepted here. How could you be so foolish as to even think such a thing?"

It was then that the mercenary woman shot up from her reclined repose, slamming him hard against the door, her sneering face so close to his. "You will regret this moment.. regret doubting me and my ability to lead us to glory, Selenthis."

He stared into her face, "You do not have it within you to dispose of me."

"Is that so?" she said, grinning wide.

After the next hour had concluded, he known as Gabriel was lying on the floor in a puddle of his own blood, barely conscious, waves of agony shuttering over his frame. Oh, but it had been necessary. He had to let her see his own truth, feel the pleasure and glee when beating another so inferior. He had to have her regress into what she knew; into the hatred of their race.

Of her birth right.

[ShadowRose]

[[OOC: In reference to Sarayn's past.]]

Days on endless days, she scrubbed against the lifeless stone. When she had completed it, it was time to start over, because of filth of her presence was a sin against the expressionless likeness of their goddess. To start over meant hours and painful hours of work, only to be told to do it again.

Always, she could feel the cold glare at her back while she scrubbed, the unrelentless glare of hatred pierced through her and charred her bones. Her fingers bled from the constant work, eyes and body begging for a lapse, yearning for sleep. But she had to continue her work, had to complete it. So tired..

With the soaking rag in her hands, she could feel herself drift off, her mind screaming at her, telling her to keep awake even if it killed her. Still, her eyes closed and her head slipped forward. For a moment or two, she was asleep. And then, she heard it.

"Sarayn!"

Her head snapped upward, and she scrubbed as hard and as quickly as she could against the stone statue, as if to make up for her foolish mistake. But it wasn't enough. Behind her, she could feel the anger, the wrath, and now, the very -closeness- of the hells themselves.

Roughly, with nails biting deep into her shoulder, she was whirled around, slammed against the uneven edges of the statue, and made to stare into the cold, crimson eyes of -her-.

Mother.

With a child's voice, Sarayn cried, "I am sorry. I did not mean to fall asleep. Please forgive me."

"Your insolence will cost you dearly, you filthy child. How dare you defile the grace of Lloth wih your laziness!"

"Mother, I am--"

"Mother?! Mother! To you, it is Matron. To -you-, it is anything, but mother!"

The child fell into a fetal position, lashed savagely with the hissing heads over and over and over, merciless fangs biting so deeply into her flesh, leaving horrid scars forever.. until she bled, until she was so rigid with poison, even breathing felt like death itself. Then, hands came in and clasped her throat, squeezing the life out of her. Until..

.. she was finally able to sleep.

.. blackness.

Alessandra gasped and shot up from her bed into a sitting position, holding the covers to her pounding chest, body drowned in sweat. Even after three hundred years of life, she still dreamed, nightmarish visions of a woman who claimed to be mother.. who had only given birth to her, and then abused her endlessly. The scars on her body still ached with the real memory of such an experience, still felt as if they were fresh.

Ah, but such was the drow way of life--to punish, to beat until the lesson was a scar against the mind of children.. children who would have been innocent had their skin color been one of light.

[ShadowRose]

[[OOC: In reference to this post]]

Alessandra sat alone in the quiet of her home, mulling over a stationary game of chess, one that had sat still and without progress for several days. It was then that the mercenary woman moved the queen to jump the 'knight' and the 'rook', all pieces a metaphorical symbol for individuals within Myrken Wood. With a cold grin soon spreading, she placed both pieces on the surface of her office desk, each at a time.

"Calomel.." the piece of the rook resounded against the polished wood.

"Malaroth.." another, the knight, shared the same fate.

With that, she leaned closer, lips speaking damning words to a small pawn that lay in the queen's path. "Oh, dear Rhaena.. you are next. Be wary of the queen's wrath.."

The mercenary woman leaned back in her chair, leg resting on top of her other leg's knee, with elbow resting on the chair's arm, and slender fingers splayed neatly against her face. And she was smug.

[ShadowRose]

[[OOC: In reference to roleplay.]]

"With that revelation.. we are done here, Sarayn." came the voice, a deep intonation within her mind that she hadn't heard for days.

With a long, draw-out thought, Alessandra heaved a monumental sigh, "Unfortunately, Selenthis, you are right.. correct, if I may say, about many a thing--about my ability to lead."

"Perhaps, elsewhere, you can better lead, Sarayn. Not here.. The actions of others press our hands in this. We must leave Myrken Wood, and you know that."

Alessandra nodded, lifting a delicate finger to her features, "I simply cannot believe it has come to this.. I was so very fond of Myrken Wood, of the opportunities here."

"-That- chapter has been closed because of -her-. Because of this Elspeth, with her tricks. Now, that Calomel Cinnabar will undoubtedly hear of your follies, there is simply nothing left for us here. And surely, Matron Faeryl will come calling.. because of your... well, let us not say -that- word."

Alessandra nodded, "Then, let it be so. We move tonight. Away from Myrken Wood. To other places.. still innocent and ripe."

He known as Gabriel nodded and began the preparations and left Alessandra behind to think, of betrayal, of one who would say she would keep her word.

Never again will she trust those of the light.

Never.

[ShadowRose]

[[OOC: In reference to roleplay.]]

Alone.

Alessandra spent her light blue eyes over the length of her tiny cell--cold, damp.. insects--and cast a soft sigh from her lips. The gentle touch of her fingers traced over the tender skin of her cheek, remembering the rage in Calomel's eyes as he struck her down for the words she said. He spoke of promises, and had asked her if she had ever kept her word, even if it meant it would be an inconvenient to her. Never. Was that a bad thing? She contemplated that now, thought of her beginnings, her life in a world so dark.

Perhaps, it was time to change.

It had been unfortunate that the majority of the interrogation was laced in one lie or another.. was she even able to tell the truth? Just as Glenn had said, was she even capable of truth? Even after the truth serum.. a thing that had lasted only mere minutes due to the incredible innate magical resistances attributed to her race. The tears, the begging, the lies spilled from her lips in regards to Jirai--a lie for which she was not apologetic--and the untruth she told in regards to her ignorance to SinVraal's plans. She knew everything.. and yet, she lied.

Ah, but some things were uttered in truth; her harsh but true words against Glenn, her apology to him for all she had done, the filth she shouted at Calomel, and even the intonation of the Violet Dawn shipment.

And, so, she was here, in a cell and forgotten, because of the mercy of one man, because of a point he was trying to make--to make a promise, even if inconvenient. Promise her safety.. She felt so completely empty, near despaired, and with no one to care if she lived or died. But what was that like, truly? To have someone care? She didn't know. Perhaps, she never would.

She glanced about her cell again, cramped into a corner, and lowered her head, the silver curtain of her hair veiling the real tears that trickled from her eyes. And she whispered the only name that made her heart, however cold or emotionally dead, stir with life.

"Oh, Glenn.."

Had she lost him? So completely? A heavy sigh whispered from her lips and she spoke hushed words to whatever god that would listen, praying that she had not lost her chance. But her words would never convince him.. it would need to be actions. True actions with no sliver of untruth.. but how? what? Perhaps, Elspeth could help her. The little mouseling girl in her infinite wisdom.

As if to exemplify her thoughts, a tiny grey mouse popped out to investigate, stealing a tiny insect before dashing away, leaving the drowess alone in its wake.

So alone.

[ShadowRose]

[[OOC: In reference to Sarayn's past.]]

She closed her eyes, desperately trying to block out the sounds, the suffocating pressure. She could feel them watching her, their hard glares judging, fingers eagerly wrapping around the handle of those cruel-headed whips, ready to punish her. She had to act..

Her light blue eyes fell on the squirming babe in front of her on the alter, the third-born son of her house--an innocent destined to die. [I]'Lloth demands it', her Matron had said, 'for the glory of our house'. At a young age of only five years, she held the sacrificial blade in her hands, commanded to sacrifice her newest brother to an evil ideal of deity satisfaction.

Behind her, the Matron of her house, this mother figure, leaned in, whispering harsh words, "If I have to finish your sloppy mess, I will be sure to take it out on you.. perhaps, turn you into a drider, hm?"

Young and innocent eyes of prismatic blue snapped open in fear, the promised punishment even worse than death itself--to be contorted into a bloated, disguting creature with the legs of a spider. If that alone wasn't enough to inspire her to finish the deed, the tightening of cold hands on her little shoulders surely did.

Above her child form, her Matron, mother, reassured the gathering members of their house, that soon her little Sarayn--her most cherished and aspiring daughter--would soon sacrifice a nameless, male babe to the glory of Lloth, so that their House may rise in the hierarchy and be blessed. Around her, brothers and sisters cheered, glee in their eyes, waiting and savoring the babe's death.

With no choice, she raised the blade above her head, desperate not to pause nor falter--for surely death would await her then--and plunged the dagger into the small form below her.. a thing that quickly ceased to squirm.[/I]

Alessandra gasped loudly, sitting up in her bed abruptly, sweat on her body and tears streaming down her face. Ah, but it was not her own bed she had awoken in--no, but the bed of a cell.. where she was left to rot.

"Someone.. please help me."

So alone.

[ShadowRose]

[[OOC: In reference to roleplay.]]

The truth.

Sarayn rested her head against the cold, lifeless stone of the wall behind her, sipping deep of the Derry Red wine and nibbling on baked cookies; gifts from Elspeth von Drakken. Perhaps, she truly cared.. The mouseling girl had begged her to tell the truth, if only to save her life--"Calomel Cinnabar is a just, and fair man." she had said.

Ah, but as he left, the regret in his eyes, Sarayn knew he hoped, or thought it necessary, to hang her, regardless of the truths she uttered from her lips last night. Truths that will, quite possibly, save Myrken Wood from the clutches of SinVraal and his monster pet, Teron Ashfiend.

Sarayn Dala'vaesa chuckled at the thought, at the hypocrisy of it all--to tell the truth, but still face death. And she truly wondered then, were the surface races any better than her own in terms of morality?

Soon, she suspected, the answer would be revealed. Before then, she had hoped that Glenn would receive her message, carried on the lips of the mouseling girl, Elspeth von Drakken--one she had come to trust as much as her heritage allowed her.

[ShadowRose]

[[OOC: In reference to Sarayn's dreams.]]

The suffocating darkness clung to her skin, unseen hands and fingers digging into her flesh, hoping to rip apart her soul, her hope, and will to survive. Despair, self-loathing, fear.. she was drowning.

Suddenly, soft light broke through the veil of shadow, inviting her to come forward, to embrace its beauty. It filled her with hope, and warmth, the silver grace of that light washing over her face, freeing her from the torment. And, behind her, the hands fell away, releasing her skin and her heart from the nothingness she had felt for so long.

With a one last lingering glance behind her, into the depthless darkness of her home, she walked toward the light, snapping away from the remnants of her dark life, to see what awaited for her on the other side of the soft glow. Calm, serene was the moon-lit glade and within, dancing so elegantly, was the nude figure of a drow woman, with ankle-length silver hair. She held in her delicate hands a sword, and from her lips came forth a heavenly song..

"Sarayn.."

She looked up to the call of her name, and approached slowly, just near enough to ask. "Who are you..?"

The exquisite drowess smiled, and brushed her hand against the mercenary woman's face, whispering in a breath-taking voice, "Welcome home.."

Sarayn Aluna Dala'vaesa awoke from her slumber and took a deep breath, feeling calm, centered.. and hopeful--a thing so new to her..

She felt alive.

[ShadowRose]

[[OOC: In reference to Sarayn's dreams.]]

"Who are you..?" Sarayn whispered, near entranced in the presence of her, this dark elven female with long, ankle-length hair of shining silver.

"Ah, but that is not important, my dear Sarayn.." the beautiful visionary responded, the light fluttering of gentle fingers against her face, ".. only that you are on the correct path.. is that not more meaningful?"

"Correct path..? to.. what? -Where-?"

"To understanding, to truth... to good, to the -healing- of your soul." Gentle fingers coveted her own and a blinding light blurred the vision before her..

It was then that Sarayn Dala'vaesa awoke from her dream, sitting upward in her cot within the cell at the Myrken Wood Gaol. The mercenary woman near gripped her blankets tightly, soon to contort her features into an expression of surprise and gaze at her hand--the one she had slammed into the wall and broken after Glenn Burnie had left.

It had been healed.

[ShadowRose]

[[OOC: In reference to Sarayn's past.]]

"Where is the corpse?!" she screamed at his face while clutching her tiny little hand, ".. you would see that my daughter's first victory stolen from her?!"

The squirming babe.

"My Matron, I do not know where it is. Please. Believe me." the male begged, down on his face at her slippered feet.

"You will die for your insolence!"

Sarayn Aluna Dala'vaesa turned her innocent eyes away as her mother, Matron of her house, proceeded to beat the male until dead with the hissing cruelty of that snake-headed whip. And all she could think about, having seen this violence so many a time before and practically -used- to it, was the tiny squirming babe that she had sacrificed to Lloth--her brother.. and one she had saved from that cruel, disgusting fate.

And, at that, little girl Sarayn smiled.

Back within the present time, having drifted into past memories, Sarayn, near a century later, smiled at the same thought, just wondering how Selenthis was at this point in time and if she would ever see him again--that whisper of a question never nearing completion. She knew his was waiting for her beyond the bars of the gaol, waiting to be reunited with his cherished sister. And that day would be sweet indeed.