Dawn and Kouken
Unregistered User
(3/12/02 6:40 pm)
Reply Really fasionably late.. like REALLY! :Þ
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The carriage made it to the castle in what Dawn hoped was record time. She knew she'd already missed half of the ball and could only hope that Kirshna wasn't upset with her. After she was helped out of the carriage by the driver and Kouken stepped out she turned to Kouken.
"How do I look? Royal enough?" Dawn asked, straightening out her dress. It was a long midnight blue dress. The sleeves were very short, just going past her shoulders. The shoes matched, but Dawn hadn't worn high shoes in so long and stumbled a few times before, but she hoped she'd gotten the hang of it. She had matching gloves, too, that went to her elbows.
Magnificant. Kouken said in a fatherly tone. Now, I doubt they'll allow lions in so I'll be by the window if you need me. He said, going into the form of a black eagle. But he decided to watch Dawn go in until he went to the window.
Dawn smiled. She felt nervous. The first ball she would go to willfully and Kirshna had asked her to go with him. She hoped he wasn't upset at her for being really late, but then remembered that Kirshna wasn't like other guys. He was much sweeter and kind. She walked up the stairs and entered the main hall where she could see everyone. Caanan and Sachi were enjoying a slow dance, Cadmus was obviously looking around for Charumati, Prince Akkiel was being swormed by women--then her eyes landed on Kirshna. She saw the girl he was with, she was touching him, fiddling with his collar and clothes. Dawn's heart sank. She had been all ready to explain why she was so late to Kirshna, but seeing how easily he picked up another girl amde her think again.
Dawn turned around, hoping no one had seen her enter, and left. She couldn't walk too fast in the shoes she was wearing but she tried her hardest to get away from the castle.
Why hadn't she seen it? Why was she so blind? Kirshna and Akkiel were best friends, ofcourse they were alike. Kirshna was no better than Akkiel and Dawn felt like she had been too careless and just didn't regognize the signs. Kirshna was a player, any girl would do and she just didn't know it. She didn't live in Adela, she didn't know how he was like. But she had been so sure he was different when he'd helped ehr escape the ngiht she arrived..
Kirshna and Sandi
Unregistered User
(3/12/02 7:11 pm)
Reply ...
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Sandi is busy playing with Kirshna's hair and telling him a story about some guy she punched in the face. He has to give her credit for one thing at least: he's never met another noblewoman who could throw a punch hard enough to knock a grown man to the ground. He saw her sock a guy in the stomach once.
Scary.
He gasps when he sees Dawn come in a look right at him. The look on her face makes him cringe and he tries to disconnect himself from Sandi to go after her.
"Where are you going," Sandi purrs, still holding onto his arm. "Aren't you going to dance with me?"
At that moment, Dominica slips in between the two of them. "Oh, Sandi," she says, keeping her occupied so Kirshna can get away. "Have I told you how much I love that dress..."
Kirshna catches up with Dawn in the courtyard, which has been decorated top to bottom with flowers. "Wait!" he says, panting after running to catch up with her. "Wait, don't go! That was just Sandi! It didn't mean anything, she flirts with me like that all the time!" He stops and realizes that probably wasn't the best thing to say. "I mean...they all do. No, wait, I mean...well..." He just kind of trails off and decides to keep his mouth shut for awhile.
What does Akkiel call this? Oh yeah...damage control.
Dawn
Unregistered User
(3/12/02 7:20 pm)
Reply Well..
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Dawn turned around to face Kirshna, there was a hrut look in her eyes. "I don't care Kirshna!" She began, her voice was shaky, obviously close to tears. "I'm sure that all your courtesants flirt with you." She was about to turn around, but she had more to say, so stopped herself and looked at Kirshna again.
"I really thought that you were different, but you're no better than Akkiel... No, atleast the girls that Akkiel's with know what their getting into." She tried her best not to shed one tear, but she liked Kirshna alot and couldn't believe he was like that. "What was that nice guy act, then? What, you saw a vulnerable girl and decided that I'd be the new addition to your group?" She asked, then shook her head. But she really didn't want to know the gruling details that Kirshna was going to give her and she turned around and kept walking..
Kirshna and Akkiel
Unregistered User
(3/12/02 8:06 pm)
Reply Wait!
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Kirshna tries to find something to say, but all he can do is stare stupidly at Dawn as she walks away from him and toward the castle gates.
He looks at the ground, trying to think how he ended up in this place, when Akkiel comes up behind him and smacks him on the back of the head. "Ow! What was that for?!"
"Go after her!" Akkiel gives him a shove in that direction. "Didn't you hear her? She likes you, she wants you to run after her and prove that you're the guy she thought you were!"
"But I thought she said..."
Akkiel pushes him again. "Just go!"
Kirshna runs after Dawn again. He skids to a halt infront of her and kneels, grabbing her waist and looking up at her. "Dawn! I can't lie, I swore on the Rose to speak no word that is not truth and that oath is binding! And I've learned to twist my words so it works to my advantage, but I swear, ask me anything right now and I will give you a straight answer. Go ahead, ask me anything at all. About Sandi, about myself, about anything you want, even something you think I'd lie about. And you'll know that whatever I say is absolute truth!"
Dawn
Unregistered User
(3/12/02 8:15 pm)
Reply Six feet underground
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Dawn stopped. She wondered where Kouken was. When Kirshna was finished, she spoke. "You're lucky that my uncles or brother aren't around because if they were you'd be six feet underground by now."
All Dawn wanted to do was just cry in self pitty with Cadmus. "Can't lie? Then why'd you have some girl mauling you?" She asked hotly. "I ws late tonight because some freaky girl said that if I so much as touched you that you would get hurt and so would I, but I didn't care because I have Kouken and There are little things that can hurt my.. physically."
"I wanted to come here so much, Kirshna.." She said, acting as though she merely had something in her eye as she wiped away some tears. Why did she have to cry?! "Why did you do that to me?" She asked finally, her voice was softer.
Kouken walked over. He'd changed forms when he saw Akkiel come out and Kirshna run to Dawn. As he passed Akkiel, a growl errupted in Kouken's throught, but he kept walking, then stopped a few yards behind Dawn, watching Kirshna..
Kirshna
Unregistered User
(3/12/02 8:32 pm)
Reply don't cry
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"Oh no, no, don't do that," he says as he gets to his feet and wipes a tear from the corner of her eye. "I can't stand it when people cry."
The White Rose appears in his hand, and its fragrance is the rarest, sweetest perfume. It shines in the moonlight. "I'm young, I'm unmarried, and I'm friends with the prince. They look at me and see themselves closer to the throne. That's all." He reaches up and puts the Rose in her hair, slipping it into one of her barrets so it will stay. "So please be happy. Please don't cry."
Dawn
Unregistered User
(3/12/02 8:49 pm)
Reply Socute!
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Dawn couldn't help bu smile at Kirshna. The reason why Sandi was there sounded justifiedHer heart began to race now, though as she remembered about the girl and the reason why she hadn't come until now.
"Kirshna, why couldn't you just tell her to back off, then?" She asked. Why did she just give in so easily?! (lol) "And I'm sorry I wasn't here earlier but I was scared that the things that the girl said--and showed me would come true.."
Kouken sighed in relief when Kirshna and Dawn settled down and were alright. As much as he loved Dawn, sitting around crying instead of swimming or doing something fun wasn't his cup of tea.
Although it was hard to tell, Dawn was now worried about what might happen. Nothing happened so far, so it could have all been a joke. But that vision.. She remembered it being so real. "So you are the guy I thought you were.." She said, her voice bearly audible, but she was happy knowing that Kirshna was different.
Kirshna
Unregistered User
(3/13/02 4:53 pm)
Reply Huh?
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He rubs the back of his neck and can't meet Dawn's gaze. "Well...it's just not that easy for me. To stand up to people like that, I mean."
Now that everything has been cleared up, he really hears for the first time what she is saying about the warning. "What girl? What are you talking about?"
Dawn
Unregistered User
(3/13/02 6:42 pm)
Reply ..
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Dawn smiled. She didn't know if Kirshna was like Akkiel or if he wasn't, but he sounded so sincere and she couldn't help but end the argument right there.
"Me and Kouken were in the village in Serendipity and some little girl came up to me and told me to stay away from you or we'd both be hurt--like, she showed me some vision of you being hurt.. Kouken thinking there is some reality behind her threats." She said with a light sigh. "That's why I was so late, it took me hours before I made up my mind, then I had to convince Kouken." She said, turning her head to glace at Kouken.
She wondered what Kirshna would think, but right now she just wanted to go inside and dance.
Kirshna
Unregistered User
(3/13/02 7:23 pm)
Reply Dance?
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Kirshna searches his memory but can't for the life of him think of anyone who fits that description. "I don't know anyone like that. And it couldn't be my mother. She would never be so discreet."
He shrugs, smiling again. "But you're here, and nothing's happened so far, right? Don't let it get to you." He offers her his arm. "Care to accompany me while I embarrass myself on the dance floor? It'll make Sandi jealous..."
Dawn
Unregistered User
(3/13/02 7:37 pm)
Reply I guess
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The smile on Dawn's face didn't leave, but her voice was still a bit shaky. "When I walked away her voice was.. cold, like steel.." She said lightly, remembering that day...
Dawn hooked her arm with his. "I'm sure you're not that bad, Kirshna." Dawn said. She remembered those horrible days in Desmond, She was taught every dance--yet did she remember any--Hell no!
After surveying the courtyard, Kouken was satisfied that nothing would jump out and hurt Dawn. He went back intot he form of an eagle and perched himself on a balchony that was on the same floor yjat the party was being held.
When Dawn and Kirshna entered the main hall, Dawn smiled seeing Sachi and Caanan dancing, then she saw Cadmus and Charumati. "Have you seen Ravi?" She asked, wodnering where he was.
Kirshna
Unregistered User
(3/13/02 7:52 pm)
Reply Dancer by nature.
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When Dawn is finished talking to Cadmus and Charumati, Kirshna leads her out onto the dance floor. Akkiel has the band playing a waltz, and as they take their place on the floor, Kirshna is troubled by Dawn's apprehension. "Try not to let it spoil your evening," he says. "Whoever it is, you can't let her ruin the happy moments of your life."
It seems Kirshna sorely misjudged his own dancing skills. He moves with the liquid grace of one who has danced every day of his life. Since the day he could walk he has danced...around the gypsy bonfire every night, honoring nature and fire and life. He flows through the steps, elegance in motion, and as they dance many of the nobles stop to watch them.
Dawn
Unregistered User
(3/13/02 8:00 pm)
Reply ..
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Dawn tried to forgot about that girl, and at what Kirshna said she could tell he didn't see it the way she did. Her whole life someone was either trying to kill her or take her away from her family but she hit these things head-on because they were unavoidable. This threat was. She had gotten a warning, real or fake.
She was amazed at Kirshna's dancing and tried to be as good as him. She did most things on the spurr of the moment, she wasn't used to dances being synchronized or anything. And when she messed up, she just laughed at herself and went on, trying her best to keep up with Kirshna. "Make a fool of yourself on the dance floor, eh?" She asked, teasingly. She could see Sandi every now and then and hoped that she was what Kirshna said she was...
Kirshna
Unregistered User
(3/13/02 8:33 pm)
Reply need some air
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Even as they dance, he can pick up Dawn's worry, and he supposes they have different ways of dealing with these things. All of his life he has let other people handle his problems...Karkoum, Tuyen, and now Akkiel. In the back of his mind, he is still waiting for someone else to take care of this. Whatever it is.
Sitting at a table with some other noblewomen, Sandi watches them like a hawk. She looks just as polite and pleasant and unruffled as she always does, but still her eyes never leave them.
The waltz ends, leaving Kirshna panting slightly. Out of the corner of his eye he sees Akkiel leaving for his room with not one, not two, but three women following behind him.
He doesn't know about Dawn, but he needs some air, so he leads the way out into one of the gardens. A huge, elaborate fountain stands in the center. "Well," he says in response to her comment, "I don't really know the courtly dances, but I've been dancing my whole life. I grew up with gypsies. They honor every occasion with dance."
A chill shivers up his spine, sudden and icy, and he thinks he can just barely make out the sound of a child's laughter...but he writes both off as just the wind.
Dawn
Unregistered User
(3/13/02 8:41 pm)
Reply I..
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Dawn followed Kirshna. "Gypsies? Must have been fun." She said, looking around the garden. Things weren't that different in Adela compared to Serendipity.
"I moved around a lot when I was little." She said, it was really the half truth. Yes, she did move around a lot, but for the wrong reasons. Her mother died, then her father, then she was taken from Caanan and Sachi, etc.
As they walked through the garden, Dawn held Kirshna's hand gently and smiled at him when he looked at her. The ball was great, but she enjoyed this time alone with Kirshna even more...
Kirshna
Unregistered User
(3/14/02 8:26 am)
Reply ...
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He blushes furiously and wishes it didn't show up so much on his pale skin. "Karkoum brought me to the gypsies...the night he took me from my mother."
He sits down on a bench beneath a tree. "Did you know your parents?" He knows it's not the happiest subject in the world, but he loves hearing people talk about their parents. When he's listening to them, he can almost imagine what it would be like to have a mother and father.
Dawn
Unregistered User
(3/14/02 8:33 am)
Reply No..
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Dawn sat down with him. She didn't like talking about her parents--she didn't really know them, but they were her parents and they were dead. "No, not really I wasn't even a year old whem my mother died and my dad died about a year later."
"Why'd he take you from your mom?" She asked. She would give anything to see her parents and Kirshna was taken from his--and didn't have a problem with it?
Kirshna and the Chessplayer
Unregistered User
(3/14/02 5:28 pm)
Reply Such insolence...
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He tilts his head up to gaze at the stars sprinkling the night sky. The air is crisp and cool with the last remnant of winter. "My mother...Nerti...she wanted to kill me. She took many drugs while she carried me. That's why I'm so weak, now. That's why I get sick all the time."
A dark shape passes high overhead, a deep shadow against the twinkling stars, and Kirshna smiles. He can always count on Karkoum to watch over him. "Of course, Nerti is the only one who knows who my father is."
A voice breaks into their conversation. It is at once sweet as honey and rotten as decaying flesh baking in the sun. "And so in the heart of a kindred spirit do you both find gentle compassion and hope for the future. I can see why you would seek his company, Dawn."
The speaker is a 4-year-old girl standing on the edge of the fountain, frilly purple dress ruffling in the breeze. Her big blue eyes are locked on Dawn. "But you're a bad girl, Dawn. You didn't listen. You think you can ignore me when I give you a direct order? Such insolence must be punished."
Dawn and Kouken
Unregistered User
(3/14/02 5:45 pm)
Reply Protection..
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Dawn nodded to Kirshna. "Oh," she said, "I didn't know." She didn't know if Kirshna liked talking about his mother--Dawn certainly didn't like talking about her parents unless it was with Caanan or Ravi. She remembered Caanan telling her stories of her father, Ciyran. Stories of when they were young and michievous, but Ciyran always had ways of getting them out of trouble.
Dawn's head immediately turned to the sound of the eirie voice and her heart was pounding, yet she didn't know what to do.
A black figure lingered in the shadows, white eyes tinted a light blue watched Dawn, ready to attack anything that may attack her. Claws dug into the earth then retracted, but he held his distance and contained his anger. He could see the fear building in Dawn's eyes, a fear he'd never seen. Her life had been in danger before but she never panicked--but oddly, when another person is involved she becomes worried. Kirshna and Dawn were alike, but Dawn was more bold and wild. Kouken inched closer, his eyes going from the little girl to Dawn and back again..
Dawn looked at the girl. "Why is it so important to you or someone else that I stay away from Kirshna? What are ou scared of?" She asked, her voice was oddly firm, not shaky.
The Chessplayer and Kirshna
Unregistered User
(3/14/02 7:02 pm)
Reply Orenda...
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The little girl hops down from the fountain, twirling one finger in her golden curls. "Silly Dawn! Kirshna is mine. His life is mine. His soul is mine. I was willing to leave you out of this, but you have forced my hand."
She skips over to a tree and peeks out impishly from around the trunk, eyes boring into Dawn's. "You think I can't back up my threats, don't you? Thought you were calling my bluff? But I know how to hurt you. I know what makes you scream. I know about Orenda and I know how to use it."
Kirshna has been watching in stupified silence, caught between what he is seeing and what he is hearing. But when she begins to threaten Dawn he rises and faces the child that is not a child. "Who are you?"
Those big blue eyes turn to him, and a vicious little smile lights up her sweet face. She ducks behind the tree, out of sight, and when she slides into view on the other side, she is no longer a little girl, but a tall figure cloaked in black, hood drawn up and a freakish white mask hiding his face. His voice comes in a metallic hiss that grinds through the air. "If you must put a name to me, call me Rintrah."
From inside his cloak he pulls out a small vial of clear liquid streaked with black, holding it up for Dawn to see. "You know what this is?"
Dawn and Kouken
Unregistered User
(3/14/02 7:21 pm)
Reply Not..
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Dawn stood up when Kirshna did, her eyes focussing on Rintrah. Her eyes went wide as she saw Orenda, she remembered the night she spent fighting off it's symptoms and regaining conciousness. She swalloed hard, trying to keep a bold exposure. She wouldn't crumble. How did he know about Orenda? Dawn knew all she had to do was avoid any contact with it and she'd go unharmed.
"Kirshna, do you know him?" She asked, ehr voice bearly audible. She didn't know what Rintrah was capable of, but she wasn't willing to find out. She knew Kirshna was weak in physical combat and it had to be the night that she wore a dress and carried no weapons!
A deep, yet bearly audible growl rumbled in Kouken's chest as he saw the Orenda and his eyes focussed on Rintrah, waiting for Rintrah to make a move..
