Wildflower Glade into my garden come

It seemed with Ava's duties that rarely did she ever get the chance to cross their borders when there were any daylight hours left. It was work to track those damned goats, and she needed to learn from Naira, had to inspect, protect and serve. The days of building a family and home were certainly long. Yet the nights when she went wandering seemed just like another day in itself, completely seperated from what she had done prior. The darkness was just another sunshine in a different sky, ever serene and fair, to the point where she considered she might actually like the world better shrouded in the sun's disappearance. Even in the moon's light the flowers were unfading and beautiful. Spring had brought them to full bloom and there was hardly a spot of grass or dirt to be seen between the various petals. Granted the she-wolf did love her mountain's cold stone, how powerful it felt to not sink into the ground as you walked and how high you could climb and look upon the world with a new view. But you couldn't see the individual flora from so high above - the way the pinks darkened to red as they bled outward, the way the blue flowers had twinges of purple and little white lines running vertically down the petal, how the patches of yellow flowers varied from vibrant to pale to even a little greenish.

Poison Path consumed her - as it very well should have, it being her new family and all - and she had no objections. But tonight she found herself far from home, and it was alright then in that moment to consider herself an individual in her own world. So as she lay amongst the flowers she allowed for their aromas to cover her dark fur and for their stems and shapes to block her vibrant gaze from her surroundings. She had absolutely no purpose in her for coming out so far, nothing but the energy of a healthy pack wolf to drive her onward and on and on until at one point, snaking her way through the Thicket of Secrets, she turned left from a winding path and was faced with a dense and colorful blanket and an open sky. Temptation easily brought her in, the wildflowers providing a soft place to rest for a moment. It was only once she had settled down, curling her body and resting her head upon her crossed paws, that she realized it was lonesome in such a secluded place. Instantly the itch settled in to return <i>home</i>, but she let it irritate her a while longer. Even if her visit would be short, she wanted to appreciate the dirt and grass she had abandoned.

So the inkling to get moving she allowed to nag while her bright eyes closed, basking in a different life, for the moment.

(This post was last modified: Apr 27, 2012, 04:36 PM by Ava.)

art - threads

you do not know who is your friend or who is your enemy until the   ICE breaks. She was not the only one who strayed from home only rarely; Ice had barely set foot outside the Grove since the fight with Rhysis. The need to stay close to home had been overpowering, but sometimes not even that was enough to keep him in place. Even though Ice was convinced Indru had done the right thing when rejecting Borlla, it had set a restless fire in his bones. Corinna would have Marsh keeping her safe through this storm, and they could manage without him for a couple of days. He'd let them know he'd be gone for a bit, and then he'd taken off, not sure what he was looking for - until he found it in the form of a scent, a trail stretching across the northern face of Relic Lore. There was no mistaking it, for he'd never forget what Naira and Rhysis smelled like. Nor would he forget her special scent, intermingled with that of monsters. As his strides lengthened into lopes and the ground disappeared beneath him, he could see her slender black form and her bright eyes. Anticipation set his blood on fire, but he knew the journey would be long, so there was no point in burning energy on this emotion, but... He couldn't help it, the brightness in his eyes, the adrenaline in his blood, the desire to catch her unawares and leap from the shadows... the roles reversed. With only the goal of finding her in mind, the territories of Relic Lore flashed by as he tracked her with the determination of a bloodhound. The stars were out now, the moon guiding his steps, and as always it soothed him. Nonsense broken by his even yet hard breathing drifted onto the wind, snatches of poetry and rhymes about stars and life and paladins and assassins; eventually that quieted though, when her trail led into the snarls of the Thicket. His meeting with Alexander had been very pleasant, but at the same time, he hadn't like the place. It was too tangled, too oppressive, too confusing - frankly, it was one hell of a labyrinth and Ice had no desire to get stuck in it and get lost. He had a path now, though, and with a rugged snarl he forged on ahead, nose to the ground as he traced the way she'd come. Determination was driving him hard, and it took an effort to calm down; if he wanted to surprise her, he couldn't show up panting and with all the noise of a bull in a china shop. And so, Ice's steps became slow and deliberate as he wove between the thick branches, his breathing and heart rate calming and growing quiet. With her scent as a guide he picked his way through the thicket, and found a scene that made him hesitate. Moonlight illuminated a glade full of early spring blossoms, the kind that defied snow and bloomed the moment the days lengthened; knocked out in their midst was a black she-wolf, silver moonlight covering the tips of her coat. Flowers bloomed all around her, and her eyes were closed, yet her side rose and fell steadily. She looked so serene and at peace that it felt like a crime to disturb her, but he hadn't followed her across half of Relic Lore only to disappear like a wraith in the night. A silent exhale, and determination came over him. With utmost care he maneuvered his large body, freeing himself from the tangle of boughs as quietly as possible. Fresh grass, soft and young, bent under his weight as he silently drew closer, a pale ghost in the night, until he was so close that if he reached out, he could touch her. He didn't know whether she'd seen him or not, but by now it was likely she had scented him, now that he was so close; holding his breath he reached out his head, nose close to her ears. "Boo, my dear assassin," he whispered in a rush of hot breath, a warm and playful smile on his face. .ice aesir

let the stars above shine in your soul

Ava had been completely oblivious to the fact that anyone might have been following her at all. One hundred percent off-guard, she had dozed into a gentle nap, making herself the easiest target for the ghostly assassin she didn't even know was after her. Nothing in his silent approach woke her, which was more credited to his expert execution rather than her light doze. She awoke at the slight tickle of his breath on the fur of her ear, barely able to hear the wicked stream of words that accompanied her wake-up call. Disoriented and half-way in to consciousness she didn't recognize his scent - all she saw was silvery fur. Hastily she jumped to the conclusion that <i>Tisa</i>, that batty motherfucker, had come back for god knows what reason. Immediately a hideous rage exploded deep within her soul, so much hot-blooded hatred rushing full-speed through her veins at the very realization of what was happening: she was being <i>attacked</i> in her slumber! What sort of weak, pathetic, unsaveable soul would do such a thing? So <i>believable</i> too.

So surprised was she at Tisa's sneak attack that the snarl she had hoped to be vicious came out much more like a cat-like hiss, the ferocious sound fighting with her sleepy vocal chords to escape. The dark she-wolf swiped at her pale assailant, and heaved herself to her unsteady paws while a rainbow of flowers tore from the ground in her frantic wake. Ava stumbled backwards with <i>no</i> grace at all thanks to her barely-woken muscles, nearly falling on her ass once before she effectively managed to straighten her legs and puff out her chest, hackles raising while the guttaral snarl she had originally intended roared so fiercely it was as if her throat were the depths of hell. Her golden eyes were shining like the devil's as they laid upon that mangy, stupid, <i>awful bi-</i>

The moment she recognized him was both incredibly obvious and terribly shameful, as she collapsed on the ground and refused to meet Ice's eyes. Her back rose and fell violently as she tried to calm her pounding heart, feeling almost drained from the rush of adrenaline that had shot through her like lightning and died immediately upon seeing a familiar and <i>friendly</i> face. Never before had she felt so stupid! Unable to deal with such a feeling, she laughed something so whimpery and pathetic it could hardly be called a laugh at all. "<b>I wish that heart attack would have just killed me,</b>" she managed to mumble into the pretty flowers that shielded her embarrassed face. Not that <i>that</i> was her apology, but she would much rather do anything but deal with the aftermath of her ridiculous display. Her poofy fur still hadn't even smoothed back down! Ava didn't dare look yet - the redness of her skin was so intense it might've even been visible beneath her thick coat of black. Mometarily she would just pretend that she and her terrible personality didn't exist.

(This post was last modified: May 04, 2012, 04:44 AM by Ava.)

art - threads

you do not know who is your friend or who is your enemy until the   ICE breaks. Well, whatever he had expected, it certainly hadn't been this. Apparently, she'd fallen asleep, and the moment his breath woke her up... Well, he sort of wished he'd just left her there and padded home again. She literally exploded, flying up as if a wasp had stung her in some very sensitive place, and with a dry hiss she smacked him full in the face with one black paw. Surprise and pain caught up to him at pretty much the same time, and once he realized that she'd hit him, he'd already backpedaled and stood at the safe distance of two yards. Warily he watched her, and in spite of his calm appearance, his heart and mind absolutely raged like an ocean. What on earth was she doing? And why? She looked absolutely ready to kill him, and he had no idea why. As far as he knew, Swift River hadn't bothered her pack, and unless someone had been whispering lies in her ear about a certain pale guardian... There just wasn't any plausible explanation, and that left only one way out: hurt. He'd been looking forward to meeting her again, perhaps the same routine as the last time, talk and play... But... How could things have changed so much in such a short time? Even as his face fell, his heart hardened, and he clenched his jaws. Stupid of him to think enemies could be friends. Was she showing her true colors now that he'd surprised her? Just as he was about to give her a tired snarl and turn his broad shoulder in her direction and disappear the way he'd come, she - miraculously - changed. In the matter of a heartbeat her snarl silenced and her amber eyes lost their ferocious glint, and, stars have mercy, she promptly faceplanted the flowers. Blinking dumbly in silence for several seconds, he just stared at her downed form. What had just happened? One moment she'd been ready to rip him to pieces, and the next, she looked as if she wanted to sink into the ground and disappear forever. He wasn't sure what to think of it, and decided that to keep staring was the best course of action. Not even the whimpering little laugh broke his dumbstruck trance, and in fact he probably would've stood there forever unless she'd spoken. As it happened, though, her mumble seemed to cause some sort of recovery within him, but the pace of the situation still was slow so it took him some more seconds before he gave a stretched, huffed bark of laughter. "You've gotten paranoid, stranger girl," he remarked dryly, using his pet name for her. Well.. maybe she'd always been, just that the last time she'd been awake when they met. He hadn't breathed down her neck like some creeper when she slept peacefully in a glade of flowers. Speaking of which... Theatrically Ice looked around himself, at the uprooted spring flowers. It looked like her half-crazed scrabble for purchase on the damp ground had done some damage, and with a look of mock disapproval he scolded her. "Tsk tsk tsk... And you just had to ruin the flower arrangements, hadn't you?" Fighting to keep the smile in check he shook his head, hoping she'd recognize his voice as the one he'd used when they played the last time. Looked like one of his favorite pastimes was harassing her - first criticizing her knowledge on anatomy, and now berating her for ruining the "flower arrangements"! He would've facepalmed himself it had been physically possible, and comfortable. Still, despite the warmth returning to his voice and body, he kept his distance. Can't be too careful when around assassins... heh. .ice aesir

let the stars above shine in your soul

Her face remained well within the ground, wallowing in the depths of the flower's roots and her own shame, until Ice barked something like an uncertain laugh. Opening one eye only, she peeked at him, somewhat surprised by how much distance they had managed to put between each other in a matter of enraged-Ava moments. Regret shone clearly in her eyes as it was obvious to her she'd made him feel unwelcome - which, of course, had been her intent if it had been Tisa that was giving her a rude awakening. But she truly felt bad now, and it was almost enough to made her try and dig a hole in the ground like an ostrich and just stick her head in it for a few days. But, she couldn't. She was a wolf, not an ostritch. So with a pathetic sigh she scooted her elbows closer and pushed herself into a sloppy sit, still feeling the gravity of her shame. "<b>It's not my fault,</b>" she asserted with a shake of her head. "<b>And it isn't your's either. But I'm <i>really</i> sorry.</b>" As her words continued her adamant tone would turn into a sad whimper, staring at her dark toes like they might grant her dignity back.

Pity pain flooded her healing paw as she attempted to recollect herself. Ava took to preening, licking the tufts of fur that were growing over scar tissue down so it wouldn't look so disheveled, but though that paw would probably always look a little messy from now on. <i>Bitch</i>. With a grimace she realized her flailing defense mechanism earlier must have caught him in the face... oh dear god, she must've really appeared like an absolute hot mess. In her embarrassment se preened faster, praying this wouldn't become a nervous tick of her's. Was she always like this? Ava had never realized quite how awful her personality was! Her thoughts were interrupted mid-lick by Ice's recovery from her outburst, amber eyes finally managing to wander back to him. His warmer tone had seemed honest enough... Settling her paw back on the ground, she sheepishly turned her head over one shoulder and made a dramatic sweep to look all around her at the rainbow mess she had made. "<b>Oops,</b>" she peeped, a smile shyly growing on her lips.

Finally her spine straightened, as something clever clicked in her head. She put her paws together, trying to look as regal as possible as she donned a crooked grin and lifted her chin in the air. "<b>But if I may be frank, I think I quite prefer it this way. For as you may see,</b>" she started again, adopting some kind of snootish tone. Flipping one paw outwards dramatically she motioned to the dirt and roots and petals that were strewn across the other flowers in front of her. "<b>Imperfection is <i>true</i> art.</b>" Who would have known that the merry assassin of the night also doubled as a fine arts critic? Oh, what an enigma she was!

art - threads

you do not know who is your friend or who is your enemy until the   ICE breaks. It seemed that she'd let off the crazy woman act - for now. Still he hung back, somewhat wary, but not wanting to bolt either. The knowledge that he would've bolted if she hadn't dropped it when she did was heavy in his soul. How near he'd come to casting her out of his life, only to protect himself and his foolish, foolish heart. It had been so easy to trust her among the willows, when the wind roared around them in the darkness. Now... the breeze was calm, and it was as if it didn't snatch the distrust away. At her words, he snorted. "Got what I deserved for breathing down your neck," he muttered, and truth to be told, it did ease some of the tension in his body. While he didn't know what she'd been through, what possibly could've caused such aggressive awakenings, he knew that he carried part of the blame. He'd woken her in what he'd considered a playful manner, but clearly she hadn't. Briefly he mused on what sort of trauma that could've made such a lasting impact on her, but the possibilities were too many and too varied. Randomly guessing one of them would just do further harm to tonight's meeting. Asking her if a bear had once poked her awake didn't seem quite right. Concerned caused a frown to appear on his face as she began to groom one of her paws, over something that looked like an injury - or at least something that didn't cause the fur to fall quite the way it would. But, he decided not to ask about it right now. He didn't want to get it in the face again, so soon after the first time. Instead, he gave her a lopsided grin when she realized what a mess she'd made out of the poor flowers. But.. argh, she was always so dominant! Instead of apologizing (like a proper lady?) she gathered herself together, and sat like a proper lady, but he be damned if it wasn't the assassin lurking in the shadows of her bright eyes! Ice snorted, adopting his more gentlemanly persona again. "But, my dear lady!" he began in a nearly-offended voice. Something akin to scorn settled in his voice, as if he was mocking her attempt to sound intelligent. After all, females couldn't be intelligent, now, could they? Fighting to keep the smile off his face, but allowing it to play in his eyes, he sank down where he was, wrinkling his nose. Couldn't get closer, or he'd choke on her smell! (To be honest, he wasn't fond of smelling Rhysis and Naira on her, so it wasn't hard to pretend.) Uneducated woman! "This is not art anymore. It is destruction! Pandemonium! It's a blemish on the face of earth, and an insult to every other flower that still has roots!" He scoffed at her. If she thought it was beautiful, she really was out of her mind. At least, that was the opinion of whoever Ice was pretending to be. Hopefully, she wouldn't rip out every other flower as well, so that there was no one or nothing left to be insulted. If she did, he'd have to claim to be insulted himself, or be the Protector of the Flowers and challenge her for the evil deeds she were committing! And, to be honest, he just might had to proclaim himself that anyway... just for fun, y'know. But, not quite yet. He was already Relic Lore's paladin, he could wait a bit to see what witty - or violent - reply she'd come up with. Still wearing his frowning, scornful look, though with the corners of his mouth twitching a tad too much, he pinned her with his silver eyes. True art, indeed! While he might agree that the disarray of color was beautiful, it certainly wasn't necessary to uproot the poor little blossoms! They didn't exactly grow in orderly rows to begin with, although... he did enjoy her comeback. It made it easier to forget the rage, and to fall back into the pattern of their last meeting. It made it so easy to feel joy, and so hard to contain the unbound laugh that bubbled in his throat, demanding to get free. He fought for control, to keep the mask in place, allowing his mirth only two outlets: the sporadic twitching of his tail, and the dancing merriment in his pale eyes. .ice aesir

let the stars above shine in your soul

(Sorry it took me so long to get back to you <3)

The seconds of silence following her speech were tense. Regularly she would have offered anyone who stiffed her a gaze of similar steel, but Ava hardly had the heart for it tonight. Instead of donning an emotionless expression she shifted her gaze to the floor again, roving the wildflowers with an empty head. It was much easier dealing with strangers - she wasn't nearly so careful about hurt feelings with them. Even if he had accepted the partial blame, there was still a good two yards between them and the physical metaphor did not go unnoticed. Lifting her head once more, she pretended that it had. Through the darkness she sought his ice-colored gaze, finally, and she froze until the first twitch of his lop-sided grin tugged at the corners of his lip. While she hid the bright grin that begged to cut across her jaw, a side effect of recalling that she had assumed a persona, though the cheekiness lit in the amber depths of her gaze like a pyre.

At once she boomed, "<b>Don't you <i>dear lady</i> me! I have done the world a kindness!</b>" Her words rang through the glade with such a reverent ferocity, as if she were a young and smelly hippy protestor defending her counter-culture to <i>the man</i>'s police officer. "<b>So much order in the world is just unright - don't you know we are all living in the wheels of chaos? They don't turn at the same speed, day in day out. After all, are these rows of the same color of flower?</b>" And she rose to her feet, head lifted high as though her persona had melted away and she was actually trying to lecture him some important life lesson - but regarding what? There was a glint of pride within her bright eyes, taking a wide step forward toward the pale wolf as she bore him down with her gaze. Here came the <span class='word'>pother</span>. Why she would be damned if he did not see why he was wrong! He <i>had</i> to understand life; she would make him!

Ava snorted, and drew out each word slowly, "<b>And you call my work an insult?</b>" She shook her head violently as if the <i>very</i> idea was unfathomable and, with a dignified snarl, dropped to her belly as though gravity had overtaken her. Sliding through the mess of flowers she wiggled her head in the uprooted ones, attempting to fling some of the colorful petals upon her head. It was much more difficult to do without opposable thumbs, but she found that splaying her dark legs out in front of her and running them oppositely over the wildflowers (almost as if she wished to give them a great big hug) helped the dislodged petals fly upwards, some of them landing somewhere among her dark fur. At the very least she had inadvertently covered up her Poison Path stink with a lovely perfume of the night. After her outburst she would settle within the wreckage, unable to prevent the stream of giggles that slipped through her teeth and finally she posed, "<b>How's this for insulting?</b>"

art - threads

No worries! <3

you do not know who is your friend or who is your enemy until the   ICE breaks. Their word-sparring acted like soothing balm on an ache, healing the temporary rift caused between them. Already the cicatrix was forming, and as with all scars, he knew it'd stay there for a long time - but, in the end, it could disappear. He wouldn't go probing in this, he was just happy that she was back to her old self again. He'd definitely not try waking her up again, though. He'd leave that to someone braver.. or maybe you just needed to be somewhat foolish to do it? Y'know, lacking a sense of self-preservation? A crooked grin threatened to overtake his features, warm appreciation of her quick, lashing tongue spreading through his body. It was a sensation akin to the one Corinna woke in him, but different from what he felt for Marsh and Triell. He didn't poke this sensation either, but simply let it spread, taking pleasure in its encompassing warmth. Whoever her own heart would beat faster for was certainly blessed by the stars - Ice just hoped he could remain her friend until the end of days, even if she was part of Rhysis' mountain pack, or started her own somewhere. He just couldn't imagine a life without her spunky self, her sense of humor quite synced with his own. The way her eyes lit up, he felt his own answer in kind, the grin breaking free slightly from his control, rebelling and flaunting itself across his face. He ducked his head to hide it, listening to her berate him. Instantly, he scowled and gave a snort. A kindness? No, miss, I think not! Somewhere though, their arguments had gotten horribly tangled up in truth and in themselves. Ice's pale eyes narrowed as he frowned. He'd called it pandemonium, while acknowledging to himself that they weren't straight; she'd uprooted them, while acknowledging that they hadn't been orderly to begin with. It just didn't make sense, and he tilted his head to the side. "Since we both agree that they didn't grow in orderly, sorted rows to begin with," he started saying, voice slow. He'd dropped most of the persona as well, trying to understand this as the slightly thick Ice he was. "Then why uproot the poor mites and toss 'em around?" His gaze became slightly distant as he tried to figure it out himself, but in the end he just couldn't, and gave his head a shake as if to clear it. Very confusing, on the whole... A startled snort escaped him when she dropped down with a snarl, the mask of a persona sliding on again to veil his features, but leaving his eyes alert and bright. "Yes, I do!" he snapped playfully, having a bad feeling about this. It felt like she was trying to become some sort of wood-shark, and would leap at him any moment and try to.. well.. maybe strew pieces of him out among the flowers? Or commit other unspeakable atrocities to him! But, she didn't advance on him... Just combed the uprooted flowers, tossing petals into the air and wriggling in under them... Bewildered amusement filled him, and he guffawed at her pleased, smirking eyes. Oh, she was quite the something! But this, this needed some sort of brilliant riposte! Except, he didn't feel that brilliant. Ice forced his face to look stern, and stepped forward, closing the yards between them to mere centimeters. With a very, very unamused set of his jaws and frowning - twinkling - eyes he stared down the length of his muzzle, and onto her petal-strewn head. "It is unacceptable," he gravely informed her, deadly serious. "A very grave offense, this.. desecration of the dead! It must be punished." And he smirked. Even if he hadn't proclaimed himself Protector of the Flowers verbally yet, he'd assumed the role. With a very non-threatening growl he bent his broad head down, and determinedly tried to drool in her ear. .ice aesir

let the stars above shine in your soul

Quizically she peered at him, her gold-tinted eyes peering from the darkness of her face while a little blue petal flopped over her left eye. She bore her grin proudly, and could tell there was one hiding behind that stony facade of his. Between the two of them the air was so alight with that playful energy the oppositely-colored wolves practically radiated, and though she certainly applauded his theatricality, there was no way <i>that</i> electricity could crackle through the still night air without help from the both of them. Ava would give to him, though, that he was playing his part far better than she was tonight. While she tried and tried again to mask her teeth her smile would still betray her. Thankfully, Ice seemed not to mind her unfortunate incompetance. It had to be blamed on the damn flowers - she was practically inhaling them anyway!

She tilted her head (or tried to; the simple gesture was much more difficult to complete with ones' head on the ground) as she considered his relatively sensible question. "<b>Well,</b>" she started with absolute certainty but fell silent as no brilliant quip leapt off her tongue. "<b>Uh... 'cause, for... art?</b>" Oh yeah, take <i>that</i>. Ava refused to acknowledge that she'd been bested, that once, and immediately bounced back into her mindset of quick wit. Her stare became defiant, for she had to best him next! So far he had stolen from her the role of sneaky assassin (even if that had gone wrong) and now had <i>her</i> on the ropes, whereas the last night it had been Ava dictating the evening's proceedings. She had to blame the lack of wind. But the spotlight remained his.

Lo and behold, <i>he approached</i>. Legs still splayed among the flowers, she tensed, and fixed him with a bold stare and remained still as ever. It had been his game so far, but she could yet change the playing field... Ice did not stop, though, and grew nearer and nearer until his head was very nearly on top of hers. "<b>You cannot punish me,</b>" she whispered, now that he was close enough that she could sound creepy without him accidentally missing what she was saying and ruining the whole joke. Suddenly, there they were: her splayed out on the ground with a dotting of colorful petals she had wrenched from their respective flowers and him, standing over her and drooling menacingly on to her ear. How... charming their friendship was.

The very moment the slimy secretion touched the rim of her ear she bolted from her place on the ground, knocking in to his legs and shrieking, "<b>Eeeeewwwwuuuhhh!</b>" at the top of her lungs with absolutely no apology to any creature trying to catch a little shut-eye. Ava skidded to a stop a little ways away, lifting her tail in the air and howling, "<b>You have soiled me! Soiled me, I tell you! And now <i>you</i> must pay the price.</b>" Then she threw her violent gaze on the pretty flowers covering the glade and shouted, her voice positively booming with command, "<b>Rise, my minions! Rise and fight the enemy!</b>" Then she stared at Ice, awaiting her flowers to indeed begin reaching for him like pretty little zombies. The wind, at that moment, seemed to pity her, for it gave a gentle breeze forward and caused the wildflowers to wiggle a teensy bit. Taking that as victory, Ava stared at Ice, delightfully awaiting his response behind her warrior's mask.

art - threads

you do not know who is your friend or who is your enemy until the   ICE breaks. It was nothing short of amazing to catch her, to watch her tongue and mind tie themselves into knots and yet nothing flew out with the startling speed and precision she normally delivered her ripostes with. He'd been ready for something flying at him like a crossbow bolt, but she faltered, and his eyes widened just a fraction. He knew the feeling so well, the one of being tongue-tied or just coming up with all the witty replies after the moment's passed, and yet... With her, he felt so free, so unbound, like his thoughts and words became trickles of crystal clear water instead of muddy pools. It was purifying in so many ways, and he gave her lame response a snort. By the rules of their game, it didn't even warrant a reply! It only deserved his scorn, and he gave it willingly while his dark lips twitched. Flashes of white showed as he battled his smile, failing very much at looking like the scornful gentleman. Focus and control were slipping away, but he needed them back! And... he nearly burst out laughing. It seemed that the proper lady, who never was a proper lady, wasn't only an assassin, but the fine arts critic as well! They were one and the same! Her whisper earned her a stern look from the knight of the night past, an expression that very much said I will die trying, my dear assassin! and when she bolted... well, he damn near died! It seemed she wasn't fond of being drooled on the ear, for she burst from the flowery ground with a hellish shriek that sent his ears flat to his skull. She even barged into him but he barely noticed, a bewildered and amused look on his face before he gathered himself. Trying to get his face straight, and eradicating the damn grin that was ruining his display, he raised his own tail and tried to remain the picture of calm. She was the livid one, he had to remain the calm, gentle knight. "Soiled you?" Ice gave a dramatic gasp, trying to look indignant and proud. "What are you suggesting I have done? I am a proper gentleman, Relic Lore's finest paladin, and you insinuate I have been less than holy?" Who was this fire-eyed she-demon to even suggest such a thing! The answer came when she shrieked again: she was the Necromancer of the Flowers. Spookily enough, the wind picked up with a sibilant sound and dragged a few of the pretty petals into the air, shoving them towards him. Frozen, as if in horror but in truth just being amazed at the wind's timing, he watched them with wide eyes. This was.. was.. foul! Unholy! Vile! How dare she use the powers of darkness on him? And - being someone of the Holy Sun and the Colorful Flowers... in the realm of Night, with the Moon vigilant... He was at a disadvantage! She was on her home turf, and he had challenged her - stupidly... "Nooooooooooooooooooooooo!" he wailed, tossing his head back and lamenting the skies while his eyes glittered mirthfully. One of the petals brushed against his side, and with an agonized yowl he toppled himself, pretending to shrink away from her cursed minions. Why did the dark forces get to have such aromatic weapons?! Unfair! Then again... if she "killed" him now, he'd likely be buried in flowers, and then he'd smell sweet at least. Not so bad a death. Wriggling a little on the ground, he tried to fix his merry eyes on her even as he tried to look pleading and afraid. "No, m-my dear, d-dark w-witch! H-have mercy," he stammered out his plea, ignoring the part in lore about paladins and knights being valiant warriors that died proudly and without fear. Well, screw that - they didn't get to fight undead flowers! .ice aesir

let the stars above shine in your soul