Open - The Dark Lady

[Nira Curare]

Nira did her best to not seem as nervous as she was. The woman was just so intimidating. She slowly walked to the plush couch and sat, declining any refreshment. A movement out of the corner of the older woman's eye seemed to catch her attention. Nira watched her curiously as she peered out the window, much like she had done to invite Nira up. With a sweet smile the woman asked, "Would you mind sharing our time with another friend, dear Nira?"

NIra would feel much more comfortable with someone else there, she recomposed herself to look as she normally did to strangers, confident and mysterious. She smiled just as sweetly back at Karona and said, "Not at all, another new friend would be simply lovely." Getting up she walked over to the window and peered down to see who the new guest would be. She was Nira's complete opposite, with dark hair and skin and looked to be quite a bit taller than her, but they were far away. She too smiled at the stranger, beckoning her with her eyes. True, she felt a little uncomfortable doing so, but she almost felt as though she needed to prove herself to the other Symenestra. So she put on her most charismatic front and waited.

[Kestrel Lancaster]

Kestrel hesitantly entered the tower, wrinkling her nose instinctively as soon as she shut the door on the cold, snow-flooded streets. A foul smell, a mixture of horribly rotten meat and thick, muggy perfume had filled her nostrils. She wiped the look of disgust from her face, however, for that wasn't something that got you an invitation to stay the night. Of course, she gave little thought to whether she would actually want to stay the night in a place that quite frankly reeked as this one did.

The room was elegantly furnished, with rich statues, paintings, and drapperies. This room in itself must have costed more than Kestrel made in a year. The two women before her were even more beautiful than the room, however. One was incredibly small and fair, with breathtaking amethyst eyes, the other dark and dangerous in appearance. There was something off about the woman, something that chilled the marrow of Kestrel's bones. However, she bowed her head respectfully to them. "Thank you for receiving me..." She paused momentarily, politefully awaiting their names.

[Karona Isenbach]

Karona was surprised that the lady had scaled the castle steps so quickly, but she was nonetheless pleased that she had come. Or at least, she seemed to be, for just as Kestrel had observed, there was indeed something off in the lady's demeanor. While her brilliant teeth beamed gloriously at her, her deep gray irises told a very different story. They were had no light in them, no warmth, no pity. They seemed more like an abysmal void than portals to the soul, or the eyes of a monster in ecstasy over a successful conquest. She curtsied politely to the new visitor in greeting, bowing her head solemnly. "Welcome to my humble abode, dear one. My name is Karona Isenbach, and this beautiful young lady here is Lady Nira Curare." she twisted her head towards Nira, that vaguely ominous expression on her face unmoving. "What is your name, my dear? Come, please do sit and join us for tea. I'm about to prepare a fresh batch." With these words she curtsied once more and then delved into the innards of the dark room, disappearing into a hidden door by the side of a large aquamarine curtain. After a silence which seemed to drag on forever, with only the ticking of a very ancient grandfather clock unwinding it every second, very faint and strange sounds started to come out of nowhere. It was only proof that the infamous dark lady of Syliras was preparing for her guests very, very well. Inside the room, which was lighted up by a very dim lamp, the figure of Karona was busily working by a very poorly kept kitchen sink, sitting on an obviously aged armchair in the process. The years of musk, dirt and soot which had accumulated within could have made anyone crack in nausea despite the aforementioned smell of flesh and perfume. In the deepest, darkest corner beside her sat that horrifyingly grotesque mass of woven flesh so dubiously dear to her. On its swollen face could be seen two bulging, bloody eyes and a horribly deformed mouth, filled with rows of yellow teeth. A large gash could be found on the top of its head, as well as the deep scratches of very long fingernails across its face. In her hands shone the makings of a large pair of scissors, which she was sharpening against a very much abused piece of bone. The gleam of her eyes and the moist of her lips too shone against the ubiquitous blackness around her, the faint light playing with her devilishly-lit features in a very macabre fashion. "Dear Drasche, please be quiet." her melodious voice said in a quiet, serene manner. "We wouldn't want to disturb our guests, would we?"

[Kestrel Lancaster]

"Welcome to my humble abode, dear one. My name is Karona Isenbach, and this beautiful young lady here is Lady Nira Curare. What is your name, my dear?"

"Kestrel Lancaster," the huntress answered simply, with a small, nervous smile. There was an instinctive tenseness to her figure. She felt as though she walking into something very dangerous- very dangerous, indeed. However, Kestrel dismissed this notion as silly and supersticious; neither woman had done anything worthy of such a judgement. In fact, Kestrel was lucky to have been allowed in, for often she had had the door slammed in her face.

"Come, please do sit and join us for tea. I'm about to prepare a fresh batch," Karona invited her.

"Thank you," she murmured. Kestrel lowered herself onto the couch, relaxing back with good posture and terrible nerves as Karona exited the room. She turned to Nira, opened her mouth, and then closed it, unsure of what to say. She had never been very good at small talk... or any social interaction, for that matter.

[Nira Curare]

Nira watched the human enter the room and saw her face full of disgust. She remembered the overwhelming smell, but had gotten used to it in the short time she had been in the room. She nodded a welcome to the newcomer as Karona introduced her. As the young woman introduced herself, Nira noticed a little unease in her expression. Mistaking it for shyness, Nira smiled warmly at her as Karona left the room.

"It's a pleasure to meet you Kestrel, please tell me what brings you to Syliras."

She was trying hard to mask her own discomfort, she was usually shy with strangers, but there was something else causing her unease, she just couldn't put her finger on what. She looked up at Kestrel with large luminous eyes, studying her with a small smile.

[Kestrel Lancaster]

"It's a pleasure to meet you Kestrel, please tell me what brings you to Syliras." Nira looked so very young, and sweet to Kestrel, especially when she smiled. She couldn't help smiling back.

"Well, I hunt outside of the city a lot, and most of the time I sell my catches here or in small villages," she explained. "So just business as usual, I suppose. And yourself?"

[Karona Isenbach]

Karona emerged from the darkness of the room a few moments later, carrying a n ornate silver tray with both hands. On the tray was a large teapot, with three clean porcelain cups already prepared with delicate subtlety. Some scones could also be seen, served with some purple and green jam. The smell was far more pleasant than the horrible smell which permeated the entire apartment, with rich fruit and fresh naturally boiled tea leaves somewhat dispelling the nauseating odor away. Laying the tray down on the table in the center of the living room, the lady in black sat down daintily beside the two guests, an eerie coldness emanating from her skin despite the sweeter demeanor she exuded. "Please, do not be shy and take some refreshments." she gently poked at them, giggling in a melodic manner at her own work. "I prepared these just for you." Behind her smile could still be read that very off sort delight; Syliras has always provided her with the best and most interesting kinds of visitors, especially when it comes to men. The smile grew deeper and more meaningful as she silently watched them, fully expecting that her two guests would not refuse her kind offer.

[Nira Curare]

Nira continued to smile, carefully hiding her fangs. She was not sure if Kestrel knew what she was or that some of her kind wouldn't hesitate to feed on her. With that thought, she wondered about Karona and her intentions with the two strangers. Never knowing of a Symenestra wanting to harm their own kind, she pushed that thought out of her mind and proceeded to answer Kestrel. Now her smile was beginning to look bittersweet.

"Ever since I left home, I've simply wandered. So I suppose I have no reason to be here, this is just where I am." She heard the trace of regret in her own voice, for what she was not so sure. Maybe it was simply the leaving of home, or her lack of purpose, or the things she had done that a younger version of herself would cringe at.

Karona walked into the room at that moment, sparing Nira from providing any further explanation. The silver tray she carried alone looked like it was worth more than everything Nira had on put together. Her smile turned warm again as the older woman put the tray down. NIra had just come from an inn so she was not particularly hungry or thirsty, but refusing would be rude.

"Thank you so much, Karona." Nira said in her high sweet voice. It was easy to forget she was nineteen with her small frame and doll-like features. She reached for a scone with a soft smile.