Doubting [Rafaelle]

[Centari]

Summer 58th, 511 AV

Centari pondered. She reflected. She wandered in thought. She was contemplating the reasons she'd been doing what she had done for the past century. All the women she'd coerced into Kalinor, all the bones buried and left abandoned after death claimed men and women from poisoning. Children had been taken, and left half-dead for vultures to pick clean. Young pregnant women had their pregnancy cut out and their raw, deformed children fed to them forcefully.

To Centari, there was no remorse for the crimes she had committed, and in fact, she didn't view them as crimes. They were sacrifices for the sake of science, subjects for poisoning, surrogates for a race that was slowly dwindling into nothingness. Still, she wondered at the morals she went by. In Lhavit, at the beginning of her wretched existence, she had been demure, passing on knowledge of the Ukalas to young minds and watching them grow to provide more children for her lessons. But, as time had passed and memories stirred from long bouts of meditation, she had grown cruel. She had removed several girls and boys from Lhavit and brought them to Kalinor, claiming it was a field trip and they would examine another culture. Not one child, boy or girl, returned with her to Lhavit, and she continued this practice for some time, slowly growing more and more cruel.

Now, a century after she proclaimed herself the Harvester of Syna, she sat in a city rife with illusions, pondering the scruples she had given herself.

And that was when she saw him, her citrine eyes settling on a rather handsome human male, far more attractive than Seidaku, who was passing by in the street before her. She followed him, without thought, her doubts about herself discarded for a spell as she trailed along after a man she was sure hadn't seen her. Syna still shone above, marking the thirteenth bell with her position in the sky, and held Centari in her divine form. She dressed today in an average skirt, dark green and long, and a soft linen blouse. She could have said she looked normal, if it wasn't for the gold shimmer of her skin, or the flawless texture of her face, or the pale spirals that rose from her temples in graceful, glassy curves.

She kept after this man, following him by keeping her eyes on his dark hair while weaving through a crowd that most times afforded her a decent-sized space due to her appearance.

[Rafaelle]

Only recently did the bright rays of the sun call Rafaelle to rise. It was noon already... probably past noon... how carelessly had he wasted his nightly hours once more. The complexities of Alvadas continued to mislead and mistreat him. It conspired against him. He had to make up for the lost time.

Luckily, he managed to find his way to the inn last night... or early morning. Somewhere behind the not so aesthetically pleasing house there was a tap. He cleaned his face. The cold water felt unpleasant but at the same time, invigorating. It woke him up. The rogue had some dried meat for breakfast. Breakfast of champions indeed!

Finally, having settled himself, and having overheard another shouting competition between his unruly neighbours, he set his foot forth to embark on another journey through Alvadas. Perhaps on this day he would finally find a perfect job or some other opportunity.

Every alley and street was still bustling with crowd. Rafaelle did not feel particularly up to conversing with anybody though. Most of them just were not attractive enough or lacked manners. With his head in a cloud of his own thoughts, everything seemed like a blurry vision and all faces that passed by looked the same.

The eccentric young lad decided to waltz between many stalls of the market, sinuously maneuvering between the other buyers. His eyes travelled back and forth between the products put on sale. He was certainly not planning to buy anything, no. However, his hands were fast enough to snatch an apple without anybody noticing... except perhaps the figure of a woman that was following him like a shadow, unbeknownst to him.

Having hidden the treat in the confines of his vest, the rogue sought a quiet place to eat his second 'breakfast'. Perhaps deep in the recesses of his mind, the subconscious warned him of imminent danger but he dismissed everything and followed the lonelier roads where there were less denizens until the cries of merchants and the general turmoil was left behind.

He walked and walked until there was but an occasional citizen passing by. And then he came to an abrupt stop. There were two roads to choose from, left or right... which to choose? Absently, he took a nice juicy bite of the apple he had 'borrowed' while still trying to come to a final decision, still oblivious to anybody's presence but his own.

[Centari]

Centari found this man amusing. Wherever he weaved, she followed but a few seconds behind. As he picked an apple from a vendor with far too many to count, she smirked. Quick fingers. He was agile with his thievery. She wanted to see what other fun things he would do, but as he kept walking, she began to doubt he'd do anything of note. His feet led them both to a rather deserted area, a quiet place that Centari would have found boring had she not followed an interesting human. A male human at that. One far more alluring than any meek little man.

She waited for him when he stopped. She looked around, getting her bearings for she'd payed so little attention, and saw that he faced a fork in the road. She frowned. She had not caught on to Alvadas' secret yet, and so she had no idea which street would bring her where. She didn't even know where they were to start with.

Sighing, the Ethaefal considered what to do. Should she alert this oh so entrancing human to her presence? Or should she wait and see what he decided to do. Surely, he'd come to a decision soon enough. And if not, she'd have to find some way to make up his mind for him. She considered confronting him now, and having some fun with him. The street was deserted enough to afford them privacy.

The crunching of him eating brought a faint smile to curl her lips. She didn't require sustenance. Ethaefal were given sustenance by the light of their patron deity, and while Syna was out, she didn't need to eat, but if she did during the evening, she possessed a truly venomous bite that would kill fruit, or people, for consumption. So, the human eating brought her mild amusement. Her left hand lowered to stroke her Lash slowly as she waited, listening, and watching him to see what he'd do.

[Rafaelle]

Stolen fruit was particularly sweet and he decided to stand about and philosophise while consuming the apple. However, he had omitted a small detail that could spoil his meal. Whenever he was left alone, strange things happened. The hallucinations were completely out of control ever since he abused his raw talent for magic without any experience or knowledge to support his foolish endeavours.

With only half of the apple left, the rogue was about to turn around and walk back when a vision occurred. His crunching stopped and he froze on his spot. Suddenly, a black dot appeared in the wall in front of him and his eyes were instinctively drawn to it. The wizard could barely discern it at first but then it began to expand into something much... grander within mere seconds, big enough to swallow an average human. A strange sound emanated from within the dark cavern, as if it was completely hollow and wind blew through it.

Out of the said empty abyss, hopped out a small demon that Rafaelle often perceived. A small furry man with a bulbous belly, horns and hooves. It looked at the rogue right in the eye disdainfully, its small irises full of contempt as it brought a flute to its lips and blew into it, making the already plump cheeks swell even more. The melody was simply horrid, in fact it seemed to blare like a set of bagpipes, and Rafaelle could only cringe and frown.

The small thing giggled then, relishing in the fact that it could annoy its host. It's manner changed like a mood of a bipolar though and with a ferocious growl, it charged forth to claw Rafaelle's eyes out.

A tremor of anger shook the young mage. How dare that thing appear right after a fine meal? Already, had Rafaelle coated the remains of his apple in his on Res and as soon as he saw the small creature charge, he set the half-eaten fruit ablaze and flung it with all his might before it could burn his own hand. "Get away from me, you!" He cried. The apparition was gone as soon as the flaming object passed it, smashing against the wall instead and exploding into a myriad of little embers that smouldered faintly about the pavement of the forked street like candles for a some time before they were whisked away by the wind.

The rogue composed himself again and stared at the wall thoughtfully, trying to recover. The impetuous use of magic caused a slight sting of pain in his head and his vision to blur.

To somebody witnessing Rafaelle, it would have appeared as though he got angry at the wall int front of him. But it was, of course, impervious to his threats and attacks.

[Centari]

Centari had watched, in both amazement and utter shock as this man suddenly stopped everything and stared at a solid wall as though it were the most frightening, or entrancing, thing in this world. She watched him from behind, confused and with a sense of dawning amusement. She could have laughed! The man she was following seemed to be utterly mad!

She watched his body quiver, and honestly wondered what he was seeing or thinking. What would he do? The flaming apple most certainly was a great shock, sent through the air before being ignited and hitting the wall in a startling display of colours and embers. Citrine eyes widened, and she let a small chuckle past her lips. This human already proved he had great worth. She wouldn't kill him willingly unless he would try to kill her, or proved his use of magic was superficial and weak. She couldn't keep a weakling. His obvious insanity also could prove a little troubling, should bouts of his condition cause him to look at her as an enemy.

Centari pondered speaking now, and smiled as she came forward, very lightly putting a hand on his shoulder so she could broadcast calm to him. Her one hand never left the handle of her Lash, which was nestled among a few little vials of venom.

"What did you see?" She asked very softly. She didn't want to antagonize this fantastic specimen. She couldn't allow an important person to aggravate her enough to be killed. "Pardon my asking, of course." She was trying to speak pleasantly.

[Rafaelle]

A pleasant mellow voice made his muscles twitch. The question sounded as though it was issued forth through a thick glass, muffled. He turned his head gingerly, and his blurry vision sharpened again to perceive a feminine figure as she apologised for being so inquisitive.

For a moment, he looked at her with profound awe and intrigue. Such a beauty! Her clothes were casual but how well they complimented that figure which they hid. Her skin, her hair and eyes. He would have dismissed her as anoher vision from the Underworld but rarely did they appear before him as charming females. Perhaps this was an exception or perhaps she was real after all. Either way, he had no reason to act as hostile as he did with the small devil.

After a brief second of calculation and musing, he turned his whole body to face her and announced to the woman in a playfully formal tone. "As you could see, m'lady, this wall here did not concur with my previous points and conclusions that I had made after spending weeks confined between these many walls. It found my... confusion and misunderstanding of its mysterious ways inane and laughable. Thus, losing my wit for the briefest of moments, I decided to settle our differences with a duel. Alas, to my dismay, it was completely impregnable to my chosen weapon. A flaming apple, to be precise." He nodded to emphasise his point, while trying to keep a straight face. "And who might you be?"

Perhaps to a half-wit commoner his speech would have appeared rather grave and dire, but to a shrewd eye it would be more likely to be evident that he was simply pulling a silly act to entertain himself.

The hidden motive of the thief was to somehow fascinate the woman and lead her away from inquiring him about the true nature of his mental state or use of magic. It was something he was not willing to share with a mere stranger, regardless whether she was a mere figment of his own imagination or the most beautiful woman in all of Alvadas. Although during his walks among the many streets his eyes managed to spot quite a few unearthly beauties, there was certainly no competition for her around at the very moment, so he kept his eyes locked to hers.

At a closer inspection, the usually dull gray of his eyes shimmered faintly of silver after having spent some of his power to cast a spell. A side-effect. And his head still hummed but he suppressed it to try and focus.

[Centari]

As he turned to face her, she smiled. His eyes showed awe as they saw her, and she wondered if she was the first Ethaefal he'd seen. Surely, if another was here she had not met the elusive creature, and they had not approached her. Now, as her gem-coloured eyes sought to meet his, she felt a form of happiness. He'd taken notice of her, and had not shrugged her off nor set her on fire. All was well. For now.

As he faced her, she smiled even more. How lovely, to see a man more open to her than that Seidaku had been. How fickle she was, to change her attentions from one man to the first one that proved much more fun. She'd have to pay a visit to Seidaku. It was time they -discuss- a few things.

"Ah yes. I wondered at would insult a wall could make to a man of your stature. I have often pondered these walls myself, but alas, they have not spoken to me." She returned in a gravely playful tone, a little smirk tweaking the tips of her lips. Very good. Far better than that bumbling nitwit. May I make a suggestion, however? A flaming pear might be of more use." Her citrine eyes glowed, and she inclined her head so her gold-brushed hair fluttered about her face. "My name is Centari. And yours, m'lord?" She kept a mocking lilt out of her voice at the title. She had to flatter this man, not taunt him.

She saw the faint shimmer of silver in his eyes, and thought wistfully of an Ethaefal belonging to Leth. She had no idea why, and so she discarded it for another gracious smile at this most fascinating gentleman. Her citrine eyes remained on his. She wanted him to be hers, and while she held back on hypnotizing this man, she was tempted to seduce him right then and there. But she didn't. "We should depart from this wall before it chooses to make a mockery of you." She looked at the wall in question as though suspicious of its motives, before holding out a hand for him to take. She offered it as both necessity and test. Alvadas was a treacherous city, and could pull them apart in a moment's notice as they walked. She didn't want to lose this man. It would hardly be fun if she had to spend years scouring a city with no fixed design for someone who could die of illness in one season.

[Rafaelle]

A bewildered expression passed Rafaelle's countenance. Instead of giving him strange looks that he was usually bestowed with she actually found his spontaneous acting to her liking and even continued the joke. The girl had humor, and that made the rogue beam a sly smirk back at her while keeping eye contact with those tantalising citrine orbs. Furthermore, she refrained from questioning him about the delicate subjects he rather elude. Yes, humor was a universal tool when it came to women. And the fact that there was nobody around to judge and grade his behaviour, no 'comrades' behind his back nor any women giggling like little girls behind hers, made it easy to express himself the way he did. After all, even the bravest of men would find themselves slightly unnerved around such a sultry tempress.

And then she asked for his name without a hint of mockery, addressing him as a lord? But of course! She must be a courtesan with manners! "The name is Rafaelle, miss Centari." having said so, he payed her a light bow, some of his unwieldy hair hanging down like a curtain and his eyes were cast onto the ground for a second before they met hers again as a sign of respect.

Then the offer came and with it, great doubt. Despite the softening humor that accompanied her words, they still struck him as... strange. So straightforward. Was she truly an escort girl assigned to him? Did she mistake him for somebody else? Somebody richer? In fact, courtesans were infamous for often being used as assassins. All of these speculations seemed too far fetched though. Many pieces of the puzzle did not make sense. Her friendly demeanour and her hand offered to him so freely seemed to him like out of some fairy tale. Simply too good to be true. Was this a trap?

But as a man who always took risks and sought adventure by gambling with fate, the temptation was too much to bear. Gold and pretty women were his weak spot and this particular pretty woman was made out of gold! He had never spoken to an Ethaferal nor wondered of how they came to be. The rogue knew that even with his clandestine magic he could not always save him from a well-planned ambush or anything that this strange alien female had in store.

Taking her hand felt like sealing some deal... signing a contract written in a language he did not know. But he did it, he took hold of her warm hand wrapping his calloused fingers around the slender form of it, if reluctantly, and looked at her, questions and perplexity spelled all over his fair face.

"Alright... so where are we... heading?"

[Centari]

The expression on this man's countenance brought a smile to grace the Ethaefal's visage. She seemed to have caught him off guard. Yet, unlike Seidaku, he didn't start rambling. This human was becoming a very, very suitable replacement for the other man. Yet, she couldn't discard her game with Seidaku yet. He could still prove useful. Very useful indeed. As he bowed so graciously, introducing himself along with stating her name, she could have squirmed with glee. Quite honestly, at this point, it was "Seidaku who?". Rafaelle had a lovely ring to it, almost aristocratic. He matched his name. Very much so.

As Rafaelle took her hand, earning him another smile, she slid her fingers through his. Her hands were silk from the care she took in ensuring she always appeared her best, and his were rough and calloused from whatever work he did. It was good to touch a person. Their hands could often tell so much about them. Not once did she say anything about his brief moment of hesitancy. It almost didn't exist anyway. But now, the uncertainty in his voice as he spoke his question made her ponder why he was uncomfortable. The only openly displayed weapon she had was her Lash. Then, her voice followed, as well as her poisons. She didn't know what sort of weapon he hefted around on his form, but she wondered anyway.

"Well, I went to this lovely Garden with an acquaintance a few days back, and I'd like to go there. Do you wish to come with me, Rafaelle?" It was always polite to ask, right? To earn trust, she had to appear trustworthy. Not so hard, since at this point she was unsure about what she'd do with Rafaelle. He was certainly handsome and charming, and had a good humour about him, but was he worth claiming? She wanted to say yes, so she could get to work on the claiming part, but she knew so little about him. "It's a beautiful place, especially in the sunlight."

Whether he said yes or no, Centari would smile anyway. She was glad Rafaelle hadn't started inquiries about her race, or her horns. It seemed he was looking past that and viewing her as a normal woman. Well, minus the awe he'd expressed when he first looked at her. It just gave proof to the fact that he may not care if she had horns during the day or not.

Once again, her thoughts flitted to that painfully naïve Seidaku. What would she do about him? About Rafaelle? And about the Harvest?

[Rafaelle]

The warmth of her palm and the gentle grasp of her fingers felt undoubtedly comfortable against his own. The callouses formed due to his use of fire magic. It had somewhat dulled the sensitive fingertips and it always took time to recover but at the same time, granted him enough resistance to shrug off the slight stings of pain.

For the first time the rogue let his eyes rove over the curve of her horns. Initially, he had dismissed them as some kind of an eccentric headgear. Many people of Alvadas had funny tastes in apparel. But from such a close distance, he could tell those were most likely real... or professionally made. He would admit that they did compliment her face. Was she a succubus? What are the odds, they only appear in dreams or when their victim thinks he is safely tucked away under the sheets of his bed.

No to mention the strange consistency with which she was so eager to take him along somewhere. She noticed his hesitation with a tinge of confusion. But why wouldn't he be confused? It was as if though she deliberately walked up to him to take him away. As if they had a date planned already. He certainly did not remember anything of the sort but who knew? Perhaps what he was warned about came to pass. One of his visions finally 'possessed' him without his knowledge or consent. Or she was after something specific.

Was she following him all along? Were they going to walk off into the beautiful sunset now, to conquer the world? The sheer absurdity of that thought made him grin, almost cheekily. There was doubt, but it could not possibly commensurate with Rafaelle's thirst for adventure and the mysterious. And when it involved pretty women, all the better. He was simply impelled to tell her yes, whether she used magic or not.

He had questions to ask of her. What she was, why did she have horns. But they would have to wait. The rogue did not want to seem untactful for the moment was just too pleasant to be spoiled with scrutiny and suspicion. The time would come, he was sure.

With that grin still present on his lips, the young lad nodded. "Why, I would be a blind fool to reject such a tempting invitation, miss Centari. Of course, lead on. And while we are on our way, perhaps you could entertain me by telling something about yourself and in turn I shall speak of myself. What say you, mm? A fair trade?" He winked at her.

And just like that, his whole schedule was emptied to contribute his time to the Ethafeal. Not like he had anything specific on his mind anyway, a lazy and immethodical thief that he was.