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Post by Vyn on Jul 30, 2008 0:03:39 GMT -5
Lost in her thoughts, which was not at all that uncommon for her, Mephitisia wandered through the gardens. A messenger bag slung over her shoulder was filled with an assortment of paperwork that needed finishing and her own personal notes. She intended to complete one or the other by the end of her 'break' in the gardens. The Courts had slowly managed to work out the kinks of Serafino's death, as she knew they would, and everything had returned to a vague semblance of sanity... Well, almost. Pravus was still off and, Mephit hated to admit it, she honestly didn't think he'd be back to 'normal' anytime soon. Not to mention that the doe still couldn't figure out just what to believe about Pravus. His Queen had returned? Either he'd leapt off the deep end or... well, Mephitisia wasn't in the mood to contemplate the implications of life after death and all that. Turning the corner to locate one of her favorite benches, it wasn't the best spot in the garden but it was a little harder to get to and gave her a bit more privacy than the other spots. Or so she thought. Just as Mephit moved to slump down onto the bench she became aware of a shifting in a bush to her right and the muffled sound of...crying? |
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Post by The Jenn on Jul 30, 2008 7:20:59 GMT -5
It was a pretty day, especially in the gardens, and the scent of the roses was overpowering as they bloomed in full. Marie curled miserably beneath one of the bushes, right by the bench that had been her summoner's favorite place to sit. On the other side of the bush had been his favorite sunning rock. The garden was filled with memories for the girl, many of them good ones and all of them painful. She wasn't like a normal person. She couldn't just 'get over it' and move on like all of them seemed to be able to do. Even his uncle put a smile on his face and went about business as usual, though she knew it killed him inside. For all that she didn't really like the man, she'd been in Serafino's head for long enough to know something of how he worked. Every memory was like a knife, stabbing at an empty spot in her mind, one that had used to be the most important and vibrant part of her. She needed a summoner to be happy. She was beginning to think that she needed one to be sane. Certainly living in alternating states of grief, anger, and emptiness couldn't be good for her already-unusual psyche. She didn't know what to do about it, though. There was nothing to do. He was gone, and she wasn't, and she would have to find some way to live with that. Even though she didn't really think she could. |
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Post by Vyn on Jul 31, 2008 1:22:46 GMT -5
Mephitisia was quiet for a long time. Her hooves firmly planted in spot as she stared coldly in the direction of the quiet sniffling. She could almost say the sound was familiar -- it had been a consistent background noise in the garden for some time now -- and rumor would have it that they belonged to the 'orphaned' Marie, although she'd never been close enough to it to warrant investigation.
Now that she was, however, Mephitisia wasn't entirely sure if it was a wise idea. The young summoned axe was rather temperamental to begin with, but with the death of her summoner she had also become highly prone to fits of violence.
Sighing inwardly, Mephitisia gave up and drew ever so slightly closer to the bushes. Already she knew she was going to regret doing this, but there was no getting around it now. If it turned out to be Marie after all, then perhaps Mephitisia would stick around and see what she could do. If not...well, she was just as free to go find a more secluded bench.
"Hello?"
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Post by The Jenn on Aug 2, 2008 19:13:35 GMT -5
Marie was too wrapped up in herself and her grief to notice Mephitisia's presence at first. She only lashed out when people invaded her space or bothered her or, really, interacted with her at a 'bad' time. The questioning voice, however, made her head snap up and her tail uncurl from her body, lying flat on the ground. There was a little space cleared and shaped for her in the middle of this bush, but she couldn't move around too much without getting a face full of thorns.
"Who's there?" she hissed, trying to make her voice threatening but unable to stop the little hiccup-whimper that came out right afterwards. She squinted through the bush and could just see hints of black, though she was fairly well shielded from sight within. It was a large bush and had been growing for many years. Who was coming to bother her this time? She was honestly too depressed to muster the anger right then.
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Post by Vyn on Aug 2, 2008 21:47:33 GMT -5
The doe cursed herself once more, frustrated by her meddlesome Corvistownien nature and the curiosity it inspired. The little voice was definitely belonging to none other than Marie, especially with that little hiss and the hiccup of misery that followed the pathetic attempt at a threat. Mephitisia had no purpose sticking her muzzle in the unbalanced axe's space, but that subconscious affection for Fino held her in place despite the rationality of her thoughts.
"Mephitisia." The serpentine doe shifted slightly, moving back slightly with the hopes of getting a better view into the depths of the foliage. Nothing. The girl was in there good, and firmly out of sight. Well then, there was no point in looming over her next to the rose bush now was there? Mephitisia withdrew back a few more steps, settling down onto the bench that she'd been pursuing all along. "You're Marie, if I can judge properly from the voice?"
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Post by The Jenn on Aug 17, 2008 19:01:55 GMT -5
Mephitisia... the girl remembered that name. She was one of the titled Jacks, wasn't she, one of the siblings with snake in them? Most of her was deer, though, and she was all Corvistowne. She had neat fangs, though. Fino had liked her well enough. He'd thought she'd had a lot of potential. It hurt to think about, even after all this time, like a dull ache from a wound that had never closed.
Golden eyes opened and flicked upward to see a dark shape peering through the tightly meshed bush, then slowly receding. Good. She hated it when people crowded her, especially if she wasn't in a people mood. When was she ever, nowadays? "Yeah. It's Marie." Her voice sounded more sullen and cranky now that she knew who it was, but the slight waver was still there. "What do you want? Come to poke me with a stick? I'll bite you." One of the palace children had tried that once when she was barricaded in a bush. They hadn't tried it twice.
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Post by Vyn on Aug 17, 2008 19:31:16 GMT -5
Mephitisia hesitated for a moment as she moved away, catching the flood of recognition from Marie. So she recognized her? Even better than recognition, she liked her fangs. Mephit always appreciated that. Fino... Well, that actually brightened her day a little. No matter how much time passed, Mephit still held a place of fondness for the late Queen of Hearts. He was the only man that had ever gained her respect so completely.
It was the very thought of Serafino which made Marie's current state such a sad affair.
Wearing a vague smile, Mephitisia laughed a little at the cranky response she received. "Poke you with a stick? Why would I do such a thing? I merely came out here to do some work before I return to the dungeons. The solitude and sunlight suits me." It was very likely the serpent in her that thrived in the sunlight, soaking up the warmth. She might not have been coldblooded but maintaining body heat was never an easy task. "I imagine you're here for the same reason?"
The doe's voice was chilly as usual, but remained even and casual as she spoke; eyes never leaving her paperwork once she had begun. As much as she'd rather not be doing this, her perfectionism simply would not allow her room for error in her work.
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Post by The Jenn on Aug 17, 2008 19:42:17 GMT -5
Marie couldn't see the small smile or hear it in the woman's voice, but there wasn't any hostility. More importantly, there wasn't any pity. That made her want to bite people more than anything. She could sulk and indulge in self-pity all she wanted, but if anyone else dared to show it... boy did she get pissed.
"Um. Yeah, I'm just... out enjoying the weather." She certainly wasn't going to acknowledge the hitches in her voice if the other woman was being tactful enough to ignore them. "It smells better under the bush, and people don't usually find me here." Until she made some sort of noise. Grah. She gave herself a mental prod.
This used to be Fino's favorite spot to come and taken in the garden as well. Something in her was just a little bit curious. She continued to speak through the concealing leaves of the bush, content to remain unseen. "Have you ever used the big sunning rock on the other side of the rose wall? You've been here long enough to have seen it." Three generations of Queens had basked on that rock.
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Post by Vyn on Aug 18, 2008 23:30:05 GMT -5
Mephitisia brushed off those small hitches in Marie's voice without a second thought or even a flicker of the pity that Marie so despised. The girl's situation may have been sad, but Mephit had no desire to coddle the little summon. After all, if she were truly in need of pity then she wouldn't have survived without her summoner for so long.
No, if nothing else the girl was admirable for her tenacity.
"Does it?" Mephit asked absently, lifting her attention to peer toward the brush. She'd never attempted to crawl under the bushes, so she couldn't really judge. It didn't seem very comfortable to her, but she was also a considerable size larger than Marie as well. "I'm afraid it might be a bit too awkward for me to test myself."
Marie's question, however, caught Mephit's interest slightly more. Her ears perked slightly and she straightened, peering toward the rock. She had seen it a good many times but she'd never actually used it.
"I've seen it, yes, but I've never used it." The doe had leaned forward ever so slightly, peering in the direction of the sunning stone. Marie's serpent blood must have meant she was more than likely cold-blooded or partially so. "I imagine it would be a better than this bench, hm?" It would probably be a good idea to keep in mind for cooler days...
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Post by The Jenn on Aug 19, 2008 16:03:33 GMT -5
The large, almost flat rock could just barely be seen through the thinner rose cluster climbing the trellis. It had been there for as long as anyone alive could remember, installed nearly a century ago by Fino's grandmother not long after she'd taken the throne. Marie squirmed under her bush, less comfortable there now that she was talking to someone on the other side. She didn't like to have her vision so obscured for a conversation. Slowly, she wriggled her way out from under the thorny bush and slunk over to sit next to the far end of the bench but not on it, looking up at Mephit.
"It's a good rock," the girl agreed solemnly. She had always liked that rock, ever since her summoner and his mother had curled up on it and he'd summoned her to join them. He'd been about five at the time and Lin had thought it was cute. She'd always liked his summoned weapon, which Marie took as liking her, since they were one and the same. The axe had cried as hard as Fino the day she'd been murdered, in his head at least, though he hadn't been able to connect with her or tell at the time.
Sad memories. She hated and loved them at the same time. It made her even more sad to know that the rock would go unused for its original purpose. "You should use it sometime," she added in a small voice.
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