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Post by Vyn on Jan 30, 2008 13:52:24 GMT -5
(Side Note:
This thread takes place a few days after 'New Toys' and Mephitisia has therefore arrived a few days prior with Pravus.)Mephitisia had finally received news that she could appear at the courts for her Jack Quest. She had promised Serafino that she would not return until she was able to join his Court and she had meant every word of that promise. Even better yet, she had not arrived on her own, but in the company of one of Serafino's very own Kings. Pravus had been...an odd pleasure. Very rarely could someone appeal to Mephitisia's 'good side' and somehow both Pravus and Fino had done it. It made her appreciate this Court, and her desire to be a part of it, all the more. Especially if she could make regular appearances in the dungeon. That had been an enjoyable use of her studies if she ever saw one. All of that, however, would be food for thought was she was officially accepted into the Court of Hearts. For now, she would focus on the task at hand: her meeting with the King Bernard. The doe would not be distracted from her goal, nor her eventual Jackhood. Reaching the door Pravus had directed her too, Mephit knocked soundly before taking a step back to wait.
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Post by Nathalia on Jan 30, 2008 15:26:00 GMT -5
 Bernard's head jerked up from his paperwork at the knock on the door. Who on earth could that be? He stood slowly, his back cracking a bit as he twisted, he then moved past the bookshelf, grateful that he was at least not in the midst of an experiment, and opened the door. He then blanched and preformed a double take. The doe at his door made for quite the interesting appearance, her eyes were what drew him though, almost glowing they were. "Ah, good afternoon...or is it evening by now? Ah, I am Bernard, I'm sorry but I don't believe I know you."He held out his hand and stepped forward a bit, the light in the hallway throwing brighter relief onto the scars on his face, making his left eye appear sunken. "How can I help you, Miss?" |
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Post by Vyn on Jan 31, 2008 9:13:54 GMT -5
Mephitisia smiled once the door was opened and, at last, Bernard stood before her. The smile in and of itself was mildly unnerving, as was Mephit in general often was, and although she had attempted -- as when meeting with Ichigo -- to make it at least cordial, those sharp fangs never really seemed to help much. Ah well, at least Bernard's expression showed interest rather than fear or the discomfort she got from so many.
She approved of that.
Lost in his work was he? After so many missed meals and lost days, Mephitisia could completely understand his lack of time. "Afternoon, Your Highness, but it is waning." Mephit's handshake was firm but brief, she didn't like hand on hand contact although she understood the importance of not being rude. "I am Mephitisia and, if I'm not interrupting you, I am here for my Jack Quest."
The serpentine doe eyed the man before her with a look of only faintly veiled interest. The scars that adorned his face were quite intriguing and were guaranteed to tell such tales. All scars typically did. Pravus's were a wonderful example of that.
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Post by Nathalia on Jan 31, 2008 17:01:03 GMT -5
Even though the Doe's face was somewhat haunting, he could see from her expression that she was at the very least, pleasantly calm. He smiled, feeling a bit better. Really now, after Miss Heilyn he should be fine with anything.
"Is it? Huh, so much for lunch then, I suppose." He joked, opening the door further and showing her in. "You're not interrupting anything important, Miss Mephitisia, if you'll just have a seat, I'll ask you a few questions and we'll get you stated, shall we?"
He could feel her eying him, wondering what she was thinking as he sat back down behind his desk and began stuffing a few papers into drawers, hoping she wouldn't look too closely at the bookcase...what with its haphazard bunch of papers and open books cluttering the place.
Looking at her again though stirred a slight suspicion. The Avington tree...and the black...the fangs...
"If you wouldn't mind humoring my curiosity, miss Mehitisia, my first question to you is this. Are you related to a man by the name of Severus?"
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Post by Vyn on Feb 1, 2008 7:02:20 GMT -5
Bernard's joke got a smirk from the dear, more from understanding than true humor. This expression was slightly worse than her proper smile, but she still radiated that unusual calm. Calm like a snake coiled and ready to strike.
"Very well."
While short, her words were not clipped or rude. Chilling yes, and ever reminiscent of ice dripping down your back, but carefully respectful. She had been fighting here for as long as she could remember, she didn't intend to be sent away due to forthright rudeness.
Mephitisia drifted in ahead of him, seeking an empty seat by his desk. If there was none, she would stand. It bothered her none as to whether she sat or stood, especially not in a room so full of interesting objects and material. What all had Bernard studied in here? How much more research did he have than she did? She focused a bit harder...only to pause as thoughts rushed to her mind. Once more her lip twitched into a smirk and then fell even, she knew what he was about to ask. Smartly, however, she held her tongue until he had asked it instead of stating it slightly before as she had the fine habit of doing.
"Yes, I am. We're of the same litter."
Severus... He was the only sibling of hers she could truly consider a sibling. Not like Vertumnus or even, sadly, Xylia. Even at their best times Xylia was a puppet and a pet, never a sister. Severus, however, he was someone she could be blood with without being entirely ashamed.
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Post by Nathalia on Feb 4, 2008 13:06:01 GMT -5
Bernard was oddly comforted by her cool and even responses. Her taut nerves also calmed him, made him feel more easy in her presence. She was just like his nephew, just like... Lin... Snake-like and much easier for him to deal with, he had been dealing with snakes ever since coming to the palace, the influx of needy mammals had been taking its tool on him earlier. So even while her expression grew grimly calm, his became slightly brighter. "Please, have a seat. So, siblings, are you? I should have guessed, really. Good to know, Severus is a hard worker, a valued member of the Court, it'll be nice to have another of Ophelia's children here."He watched her for a few moments, then pulled a paper out of his folder and handed it to her. "Now, onto the quest, Miss Mephitisia. Tell me, what would you do if this proclamation was delivered to you one morning in the Court?"The jack by the name of Mephitisia must attend Court ordinaces this morning to stand as an accomplice or state her innocence in the trial of the Jack, Severus. It has been seen that the Jack in question was accompany to the plot to murder Queen Shinrai and to thereby uproot any supporters of Queen Rai in the Court of Hearts.
Please report promptly and take your seat by the far wall under the mantle.
Signed,
Dymphna, Jack of Hearts, Court scribe. |
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Post by Vyn on Feb 4, 2008 14:10:37 GMT -5
Bernard's thoughts rose and fell in her mind thanks to the bracelet, a rather reassuring inner dialog that proved to the doe once again why this piece of jewelry was of any interest to her. He was comfortable around her, and that allowed her to be comfortable around him. She did not have to be paranoid or watch her back, because she could be certain that he wasn't about to stab it.
It made focusing on the test at hand that much easier.
"Severus is very dedicated, from what I hear." She took her seat before Bernard. There was no need to mention that for all of Ophelia's children's potential, she herself despised this place entirely. Irony, she supposed, but it wasn't her place to care.
On to more important things.
Her orange eyes scanned the paper briefly, an arch of her brow being the only display of emotion she offered in response. That was an interesting scenario, to be sure. "Without question, I would attend." Doing anything but would be terribly stupid. "And as for my innocence, I would defend it." She lowered the letter and raised her head, those intense eyes meeting Bernard's once more. "I have no inclination to support Severus in such a foolish endeavor against a Queen of the Court."
If Mephitisia had any loyalties, and she was slowly discovering that she did, they would not, or did not, lay with her family. There was a certain amount of respect for Severus within her, but she was not close to him and would not risk her life nor her position within the courts to assist him in such a futile pursuit.
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Post by Nathalia on Feb 5, 2008 12:45:22 GMT -5
Bernard found himself smiling genuinely, something he hadn't done for a new inductee since Miss Heilyn, this woman had a nice vibe about her, he sincerely hoped that her response would flow with what would fit with Court status.
Her response was direct and deliberate, she barely even had to think about it. Bernard was slightly startled, but at the same time...
He had tested Severus to see if the man even possessed any emotion, from the way this woman spoke and smiled, he could tell that she was at least a person....which was what he had feared from her brother. Her response was what he desired however. None of those extreme ties like the ones rumored to have such a hold in the Court of Diamonds...
"Well, I must admit that your answer was along the lines of what I was hoping for, now let's raise the stakes a bit."
He shifted in his chair, glad that he at least looked presentable for this woman, well...at least his hair was decent and his stomach wasn't growling so loudly that it was audible.
"Some Queens are especially fickle and we're going to play off of that supposition. Suppose that the Court did not believe your statement of innocence as Severus had been very convincing with his story that involved you. The Queen against which he meant the hard, Queen Rai, orders you to prove you innocence by killing Severus. How would you fare?"
He watched her. Her face may not have been the most expressive, but he was truly interested in what her response would be. Long ago, he remembered Queen Regina telling another Court member to do just this...he also remembered what she had done to him when he had refused to kill his own sister...
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Post by Vyn on Feb 5, 2008 14:34:57 GMT -5
Bernard's genuine smile caught Mephit off guard more than any of the questions he'd asked thus far. How often was it that someone felt genuinely comfortable around her? Not many, that was for sure. From her intense eyes to her chilling voice, Mephit was not someone that people felt 'comfortable' around.
Expect Pravus and now, it seemed, Bernard as well.
Above her confusion, nothing showed upon the canvas that was her expression expect that faintest hint of a pleased half-smile. His words grounded her to the topic at hand and kept her gaze from focusing too intently on his smile.
The moment she had been questioned about a hypothetical trial she had known this question was coming. She didn't have to think on her answer.
"I would kill him." Mephitisia's voice was chilling even in the most casual of conversations, like ice on your spine, but it took on a new shade of frigid as she answered this question. Nothing... Nothing would stand in her way. "If he had gone through the trouble of attempting to defile my image with his ploys, then he would deserve no less."
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Post by Nathalia on Feb 5, 2008 15:09:48 GMT -5
Bernard grinned. Her voice was icily decisive. Very fine and to the point, but not unnecessarily ruthless. She was no cold blooded killer. But, in her answer, a righteous murderess. Perfect.
She had her reasons, she had her methods, and she was logical without being...well...from what he could tell without being evil. He was fairly certain that his nephew would approve as well.
"Well, I'm happy to tell you that you would have faired better than poor Edward, and keeping a cool head in such a situation is also an incredibly necessary trait for the Courts."
He snapped the fingers of his left hand deftly, the sound was soft and the odd Doe would feel a slight burning sensation on her chest as he red ten changed to a "J".
"Welcome to the Court of Hearts, I hope you find the place to your liking, but judging from what you've said to me, it seems a fitting place for you somehow. Here."
He handed her a thin, gold key with a heart shaped ruby inn the top.
"This is the key to your room, sixth door down on the seventh floor. If you need anything, just give one of the servants a call."
He stood to open the door from her and inclined his head.
"It was good to meet you miss Mephitisia, I think you'll do an excellent job here. I would recommend that you look up a miss Heilyn though...I think you two would get along admirably. Good day."
He smiled again as he showed her out. Unable to repress the good feeling. The women joining this Court lately were of fantastic stock at least. They might be a little odd, but at least they seemed to be more bearable than the men.
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