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Nothing Good Ever Happens on Holidays [Ander and I]{E?}

Postby Kallile » 02/19/2016 6:29 PM

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Madeline

Well, it was officially here. The worst possible day of every single year since it had been invented. The single most dreaded day in the young gothic woman's life.

Valentine's Day.

Oh sure, she'd enjoyed it maybe like...three years out of her life in total. But for the larger part of things the entire affair was barely even worth her time to hate on and that was saying something. She didn't even have anywhere safe to go--outside was full of lovesick idiots, inside was a mopey Kyrie. Even the television was against her--playing every romantic flick a girl could ever dream of. Even a trip out of town was out of the question--buses full of those going to see loved ones with boxes of chocolates and flowers in hand. She was stuck in hell. This must absolutely, undoubtedly be what hell was like.

"You're celebrating the violent death and beheading of a Saint, you brainless cogs in the societal machine..." she snarled as her finger tapped the remote again just as an infamous kissing scene was about to play. The pillow in her lap was wrung nastily as she heard yet another resident of the house leaving for their big 'night on the town' with their lover boy or girl. With each slam of the door, Kyrie's sobbing grew a little louder in the next room over.

"Gods, someone shoot me now..."
"I have been hidden, scorned, adored, worshiped, forsaken, coveted and banished more times than I care to count. But the one thing all those experiences cannot steal from me is the gentle soul I was born with, the kind heart I have molded, and the bright ideals for the future that have lit my way through the darkness of the past."




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Re: Nothing Good Ever Happens on Holidays [Ander and I]{E?}

Postby Ander » 02/20/2016 9:01 PM

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Echkanar

"When you're in black slacks with accentuating off-white pinstripes,
everything goes according to plan."

Echkanar couldn't quite remember where the tune had come from, but that didn't stop him from humming it as he sauntered through a certain Estate. It was pretty fitting, 'cept that his pinstripes were violet, thank you very much.

Everything had certainly gone according to plan so far, though. Step one had been just getting to Terrace Park, a trip accomplished comfortably and at leisure with several notable highlights. Simply the memories brought a grin to Echka's lips. Step two: stealthily infiltrate the Estates. That meant not-so-stealthily inviting his dear sister Devi out to lunch and promptly blackmailing her into the use of her key and utter silence. That led him here, to step three: find the window of a woman a little bird (read: more Devi) had informed him was in proper need of Valentine's Day cheer.

Echka adjusted his fedora, tucking it down against the light streaming from that exact window. Been a pretty busy afternoon, leading up to this very moment. But yeah. Everything going according to plan.

Readjusting the bottle of wine and picnic basket nestled in one arm, the man bent - with a grace that decreed he spent far too much time in suits like the one he wore today - and gathered some sizable pebbles from the earth at his feet. A smooth underhand cast sent them toward the window. He would have preferred a subtler calling card, sure, but one works with what one can.
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Re: Nothing Good Ever Happens on Holidays [Ander and I]{E?}

Postby Kallile » 02/21/2016 1:24 PM

The sound of momentary silence in between nonsensical blurbs as Maddie flipped through the station of the television was suddenly interrupted by the distinct tink of something  hitting glass. She hit mute, angling her head to listen to the hallway and into her sister's room. Kyrie seemed to be in the same place she'd been all day, and there was no one new stirring within the hall. She frowned, but with nothing else following immediately she...

Tink.

This time she sat up and looked around. Now that time she'd heard it clear as day, and it wasn't from her sister's room or the hallway or even the television. That was coming from the window. The hair on the back of her neck bristled a little and she snarled to herself as she tossed away the pillow she'd been holding to fly to the window and draw back the curtains just in time to be greeted with another tink of one hitting the window.

It was the man tossing them and what he was holding that caught the woman by surprise. She stared down at him from behind the glass before reluctantly opening the window to lean out of it. "You're tossing rocks at the wrong window, Kyrie's one more to the right," she sighed. She'd seen this guy plenty of times--Devi's brother with the weird name...started with an E she was pretty sure. Nice enough, had the same condescending tone that Madeline could instantly appreciate...and clearly he was dressed to go out. So, of course, he must be here for Kyrie. Because everyone just loved gorgeous, perfect Kyrie...
"I have been hidden, scorned, adored, worshiped, forsaken, coveted and banished more times than I care to count. But the one thing all those experiences cannot steal from me is the gentle soul I was born with, the kind heart I have molded, and the bright ideals for the future that have lit my way through the darkness of the past."




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Re: Nothing Good Ever Happens on Holidays [Ander and I]{E?}

Postby Ander » 02/21/2016 2:16 PM

Aha! Relief poured out of Echka in one swift exhale, followed by a tight smile. He didn't even mind getting awkwardly caught in mid-throw - although he quickly dropped the remaining stones and brushed the dust from his palm. "Is that right?" He replied, glancing over to the right for added effect. He was pretty sure he remembered Kyrie. She was, for lack of nicer words, the one he remembered as "the pretty one". Hit all the popular aesthetic boxes, but relatively few of his own. "I'm sure she's very nice, but no errors here, doll. I'm definitely here for you."

The man tipped his fedora with an artfulness that definitely hadn't been practiced in front of a mirror more times than he felt comfortable admitting. "See, a little bird told me that you tend to stick inside on holidays. And that's no fun, right? So consider me your personal Boredom Faerie for the evening. Here to relieve, reprieve and chase away any and all doldrums." The last bit was punctuated by a sweeping wave of the hat, offering a glimpse of the spiky mess of hair underneath. "I won't make you enjoy yourself, but you just might. What d'you say? Steal away with me and have a bit of a drink to the dead."
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Re: Nothing Good Ever Happens on Holidays [Ander and I]{E?}

Postby Kallile » 02/21/2016 2:33 PM

His exaggerations, while things that would usually amuse Madeline, were falling on numb humor points today. However, the prospect that he wasn't here for Kyrie and in fact had been told by some 'little bird' that she needed a day out of the house...well then. That did change things. If not only to get out of the house for a little mean-spirited picnicking and get the name his feathery friend went by. She's make a game of that later on.

"Oh, are you now? she drawled as she leaned against the windowsill a little. She wasn't one to be whisked away like a damsel in distress no matter how his silver tongue tried to spin it. His little chide of drinking to the dead, however, was enough to peek her interest to a willing level. She may be full of venom and angst but she'd be damned if she didn't appreciate a good jab in a date proposition.

"Alright, I'll play along. Meet me at the front door in five." And with that she closed the window and drew her blinds. He wanted a Valentine's Day 'date' complete with drinks? Fine then, he'd get more than he asked for.
"I have been hidden, scorned, adored, worshiped, forsaken, coveted and banished more times than I care to count. But the one thing all those experiences cannot steal from me is the gentle soul I was born with, the kind heart I have molded, and the bright ideals for the future that have lit my way through the darkness of the past."




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Re: Nothing Good Ever Happens on Holidays [Ander and I]{E?}

Postby Ander » 02/21/2016 3:25 PM

Well, that was easy. Too easy? Probably too easy. Echka reseated his hat, smile fading into a pensive expression as soon as the blinds closed. Steady on, boy. Although it was going to be hard to keep his confidence here, considering that he was absolutely looking the gift horse in the mouth on this one, and seeing nothing but fangs.

Still - she had said yes, and of all the things he wished his dad hadn't ingrained in him, foremost was not to keep a woman waiting. He made his way around the building to the door, free hand in a pocket and humming his mysterious tune. He'd just make sure keep an eye on her, that's all. There was reason he'd gone through all of this for Madeline, specifically. If taking her out meant passing whatever mean-spirited, probably baffling, potentially painful trial she had in mind - Echka swallowed - then he was just going to have to see it through. No big deal. Still all according to plan, just getting into the hard parts.
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Re: Nothing Good Ever Happens on Holidays [Ander and I]{E?}

Postby Kallile » 02/21/2016 7:06 PM

Too easily indeed. While she would have loved to have hung halfway out her window yelling down to a fedora and pinstripe clad gentleman all day, this boy had gone to new heights. Found an accomplice, gotten her window location, and in general planned to be there for the long haul. Well then, by Gods she was going to give him the long haul. But why waste so much time and investment on his part when there was so much more damage she could do face to face? So to the closet she went to find her most heartbreaking attire.

When the door was opened to Echka the woman on the other side was...shocking, to say the least. She wore the same black tank top she had been spotted wearing just minutes earlier, Though a plum corset with silver button holes and inlays now resided over top of it. Black satin ribbon was expertly woven with care through each silver-lined hole and tied at the bottom just above her navel in a dainty bow. The pants just below that were black with an almost satin sheen and knee high combat-style boots with numerous, and useless, buckets all the way up the length of them. Her black hair was pinned back with a plum and black paint dipped rose and a slender black choker embraced the lines of her neck. To finish off the look, a knuckle-length, fingerless lace glove graced each hand--one of which held a bottle of something decidedly stiffer than wine.

She grinned venomously at the man in the doorway. "Alright then, you asked for me...here I am. Impress me."
"I have been hidden, scorned, adored, worshiped, forsaken, coveted and banished more times than I care to count. But the one thing all those experiences cannot steal from me is the gentle soul I was born with, the kind heart I have molded, and the bright ideals for the future that have lit my way through the darkness of the past."




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Re: Nothing Good Ever Happens on Holidays [Ander and I]{E?}

Postby Ander » 02/21/2016 11:00 PM

It was boorish and improper. Definitely ill-mannered. But by the time he'd registered these thoughts, the whistle was already coasting past Echka's lips. "...Alright then. Shall we get going, O Mistress of the Night?" His tone was trying for 'playfully sarcastic', but the slight bulge in his eyes reflected a completely different line of thought. It was...probably way better to play it off than risk voicing any of the babbling incoherence that had taken over his head.

Instead, he gestured in front of him with one arm, indicating that they should get going. It was less grandiose a gesture, since those baby blues never left her. "Also nice to see that you're taking the holiday seriously," he said, mocking approval at the bottle in her hand. "Drunken insensibility is a much better sendoff for vicious ends than chocolate and flowers." Whether she began walking with him or not, his next motion would be a quick nip into the basket - and coming out with a single bloom. The flower was deep black at the center, fading out to a rich burgundy and finally red on the edges of velvety, spiked petals. He offered it to her. "On second thought, maybe not flowers. Flowers probably fit everything."
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Re: Nothing Good Ever Happens on Holidays [Ander and I]{E?}

Postby Kallile » 02/22/2016 9:34 PM

As he whistled at her, Madeline fought back the urge to punch him. It was, after all, what she was going for. The punching was just a knee-jerk reaction deeply seeded in her mind. Besides that she clearly had the upper hand in this moment and she wasn't going to let it slip through her fingers. "We shall, I take it you have the whole day planned."

She sneered a little at this comment, clearly planning to muddle up all of said plans he had premeditated. He had said before she didn't have to have fun but she might, right? Well she was going to make this little venture fun if for no one but herself.

"Oh, this is only for later. Consider opening this bottle your reward...if you make it through the day. And if not, then, I guess I'll have a very blacked out night. Alone." She was moving with him, slowly, with arms crossed delicately in front of her with the bottle of liquor twisting slowly in one hand. The gift he brought forth from the basket though...it caught her off guard. It wasn't a rose, it wasn't even 'pretty' by most standards of the Valentine-elite, but it was hand selected. For her.

"Oh, original Romeo. I bet you have chocolate dipped strawberries in that basket too," she quipped at him, though she did unfold her arms to take the flower from him and place it alongside the other in her hair. Hey, she wasn't carrying it all day.
"I have been hidden, scorned, adored, worshiped, forsaken, coveted and banished more times than I care to count. But the one thing all those experiences cannot steal from me is the gentle soul I was born with, the kind heart I have molded, and the bright ideals for the future that have lit my way through the darkness of the past."




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Re: Nothing Good Ever Happens on Holidays [Ander and I]{E?}

Postby Ander » 02/23/2016 1:59 AM

Checking his pace to match hers, Echkanar glanced briefly, but approvingly, at the way his blossom looked in her hands. He purposely avoided following it up to her hair, though. Couldn't look too much like the doting suitor. "Alas, fair Juliet, unfortunately I've nothing of the sort. I might have a poison in there that will sink the two of us into an almost deathlike sleep, though." He patted the basket, and the smirk on his lips was plainly evident in his tone. "Who can say?"

And oho, so that was how it was going to be. Even before she mentioned his "reward", Echka reckoned he knew that look on her face anywhere. That was the look of someone who was planning serious chicanery. "You could say that," he replied dryly, shrugging. "But it's more of an outline, really. I'm not a checklists-and-itineraries sort of guy." And guess who had placed himself squarely in the line of fire today?

Damned if he was going to let the lady get sloshed alone, though. What a lucky (if horrendously masochistic) dog he was.
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Re: Nothing Good Ever Happens on Holidays [Ander and I]{E?}

Postby Kallile » 02/24/2016 2:53 PM

"Oh, poison. Do tell," she said saucily, glancing at the basket as he patted at it. It did seem to be the vessel of all things whimsical today and judging by the first gift she had received from it Madeline was sure it was full of off-in-left-field items as far as Valentine's day went. But he'd done well with the flower even if she would never admit it--dark and sharp looking just like her. He was at least paying attention to his details like a good little suitor though.

At his reply she gave a short almost bark of laughter as she nodded her head. "Well thank the Gods then, that's all so...droll and predictable. A fake show to go through the motions, you know?" At least she was approving...wasn't she? "Besides, if you were going to drag me through some list to get a sense of accomplishment from completing everything on it, I might have had to waste this Vodka by breaking it over your head."

To assume she was joking would be a dangerous game to play, but one Echka might stand a chance at winning. Madeline was only about fifty percent convinced she's waste a good buzz on something like that just to prove a point. But, on the other hand, breaking that handsome face would probably make her feel better too.
"I have been hidden, scorned, adored, worshiped, forsaken, coveted and banished more times than I care to count. But the one thing all those experiences cannot steal from me is the gentle soul I was born with, the kind heart I have molded, and the bright ideals for the future that have lit my way through the darkness of the past."




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Re: Nothing Good Ever Happens on Holidays [Ander and I]{E?}

Postby Ander » 02/26/2016 11:11 AM

From the brow he'd arched at her suggestive tone, Echka's face fell. Eyes widened and jaws dropped in an obvious parody of shock. "You wouldn't dare," he gasped. "I could hardly enjoy the drink, what with the broken glass shards and blood tainting it all. What an absolutely horrible notion!" Whether the obvious jest was a sign of safety was up in the air, really: Echka tended to make light of just about everything, whether breath-taking, dangerous or interesting. Turns out that he could be particularly snarky when it came to the rare mixture of the three.

He appeared to be mostly serious now, however - in spite of the flippant hand-wave he dismissed her words with. "But really - I would fully expect you to hit me if I were actually planning anything that stupid. If I intended to treat this, to treat you like some list of video game achievements? Here's hoping I would come to my senses and bash myself." It had long been his opinion that if one's sense of satisfaction came from the date itself - rather than one's accompaniment on said date - one was doing it horribly wrong.

He didn't get the chance to continue along that line of thought, though. A gust of wind whipped up from behind the pair, forcing Echka to send his free hand clutching at his hat. After a moment's pause, the wind came again, seemingly stronger. Ramming the rogue fedora down atop his head, the man looked up. The sight brought a smile to his face. "Hey! Looks like our ride is here." He pointed up - mostly for Madeline's benefit - at the dark and circling shape of a four-winged Seraphent. It was still quite high, revealing only its silhouette and a fraction of its size, but was descending rapidly toward them.
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Re: Nothing Good Ever Happens on Holidays [Ander and I]{E?}

Postby Kallile » 02/26/2016 11:05 PM

Madeline rolled her eyes in an exaggerated manner at his reply, waving the bottle to and fro a little tauntingly as if she might take a swing at him at any moment. But of course she wouldn't (not yet) because he was right. "Oh, well you do have a point. Although I've heard that a little metallic tinge of blood can really help bring out the alcohol."

Though his references to video games were, ironically, wracking up points for the smooth suitor. Madeline could appreciate the references that would be more appealing to her siblings--of all the things he could have chosen to respond with, he'd at least stayed true to the quirky nature of this whole affair. "Oh, tone it down tiger. Referring to me as a video game achievement is strictly second date material. If you ever make it there."

The sudden gust nearly blew the flowers from her hair; Madeline reached up and tucked the stems more firmly into her hair. When the second gust hit and Echka turned to look, Madeline could only follow suit. The beast in the sky was something that, under normal circumstances, she would have scoffed at. But with his words accompanying the appearance of the winged monstrosity Maddie's eyes fell truly wide. "Our...ride...?" she asked rather breathlessly as she watched it loom closer. "Have you lost your mind?" She nearly yelled, now holding the flowers down against her head. Well she hadn't seen this coming because if she had, she never would have left the house.
"I have been hidden, scorned, adored, worshiped, forsaken, coveted and banished more times than I care to count. But the one thing all those experiences cannot steal from me is the gentle soul I was born with, the kind heart I have molded, and the bright ideals for the future that have lit my way through the darkness of the past."




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Re: Nothing Good Ever Happens on Holidays [Ander and I]{E?}

Postby Ander » 02/27/2016 2:14 AM

Echka glanced over to her, a smile almost, but not quite, pulling at the corners of his lips. "Have I?" The question was suspiciously innocent, but any more was lost as the man turned his head back to the sky. "Don't tell me you have a fear of flying, dearest and most exalted Lady of the Dark?"

Mentally, though, he was kicking himself. Fear of flying? Heights? Of Seraphents? He wouldn't have expected any of the above from a woman with a chip the size of Maddie's on her shoulder. It was a touch too late to do anything about that now, though: the Seraphent was here, and Echka was not going to be the one to tell her that her services were no longer needed. He was probably going to be in enough trouble with her as it was.

At his nod, the serpentine beast dipped two of her wings in recognition and glided a short distance away - likely looking for somewhere safe to land outside the living and working space of so many. Echka took the moment to  risk another glance at Madeline. She couldn't be too angry, right? What was a little fear? "If you have any serious concerns, might want to get them out of your system now. Not sure I'd advise airing many fears around her." A quick jerk of his head indicated the landing Seraphent, who appeared to be coiling her length around a sizable tree.
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Re: Nothing Good Ever Happens on Holidays [Ander and I]{E?}

Postby Kallile » 02/27/2016 9:33 AM

Madeline regained her composure quickly and snapped her slightly hanging jaw shut with an audible clack of teeth. The glare she sent to Echka could have held the sharpest daggers should she have been one of the many magic-users of the Estate. Luckily for the well-meaning man Madeline had no such inclination towards magic in her blood and thus the would-be dagger glare held no physical pain...yet. The woman quickly remedied that problem with a quick slug to his free arm not currently holding the basket. "Don't patronize me, Echka. Of course I'm not afraid of flying..."

She looked to the monstrous beast as it slowly tried to choke the life out of a nearby tree and gulped quietly. Oh no, she had no fears of flying. She had fears of flying on a free-thinking winged snake who could decide to be cute and do a loop-de-loop at any moment it pleased. Air her fears? To Echka? Well that was simply not going to happen. The man may look the part but this was no deadly spider she was facing--he didn't get to see her squirm. "Of course not. Come on, let's get this over with."
"I have been hidden, scorned, adored, worshiped, forsaken, coveted and banished more times than I care to count. But the one thing all those experiences cannot steal from me is the gentle soul I was born with, the kind heart I have molded, and the bright ideals for the future that have lit my way through the darkness of the past."




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