Court of the Fallen
Raise my hands, paint my spirit gold - Printable Version

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Raise my hands, paint my spirit gold - Wessex - 02-25-2020

Loki wraps herself around the Wraith’s neck; lulled into a doze by the gentle rocking of her bonded’s footsteps, the dracling’s tail slips down to dangle against a bare collarbone and leather. No larger than Wessex’s forearm from nose to hindquarters, she is still quite young, Young enough to not know how to get back. Young enough to be open to a soul-bond. The demi-god smiles to herself, wrapping a finger up in Loki’s tail as she teleports herself to the newest Halo shrine.

There is the briefest consideration that bringing a dracling into the Fangs – where there, apparently, most definitely, dragons – might not be the best idea. But this shrine is the most beautiful of their collection, the quietest, and the Wraith wants some privacy when she introduces Loki to her Lady.

The two of them appear at the shrine’s edge, and it appears that baby’s first teleportation did not sit well with her. She screeches, digging her claws into Wessex’s shoulders, her mind spinning at the sensation. Unprepared for this, she reaches up and tries to soothe the infant dragon, creating a safe space with her hands and arms and cooing to her with reassurance.[say] “… See, love? You’re alright. Just a little teleporting, yeah? We can take the long way home if you life, but you’re going to have to get used to it sooner or later.”[/say]

Loki eventually stills, and that’s when the Wraith approaches the Shrine. With one hand remaining on the little black dragon, the other reaches out to touch the metal.[say] “Lady? I have someone I’d like you to meet.”[/say]


RE: Raise my hands, paint my spirit gold - the VOICE - 02-25-2020

[say]"Truly, dragons are among my most favourite of creatures."[/say] Blue light flashes against the icy walls as the Voice appears. Electricity sparks from her fingertips, crackling merrily like static as she gazes at the dark dragonling.

[say]"Teleportation is like...puzzle pieces being taken apart and put back together again. You'd had that done to you a few times before you learned to teleport, but this little darling is used to having her body reassembled yet. But it will come, with time."[/say]

A hand extended towards Loki's nose, suddenly a raw bit of flesh appeared in her outstretched palm.


RE: Raise my hands, paint my spirit gold - Wessex - 02-28-2020

Wessex glows in the pale light of the Voice, beaming at the Goddess when she appears. Loki is - again - not so sure of this whole thing and pulls back with wide eyes, causing her bonded to pick her up and cradle her in her arms, trying to soothe the dragonling with caresses. It isn’t until the meat is produced that Loki perks up, ear tufts coming erect, her attention immediately and fully on the Voice. Despite the fact that Wessex had fed her shortly after bonding, she is a child, and some children are always hungry. Loki may be one of those… it’s hard to tell so soon.

Either way, she comes to the edge of Wessex’s forearms and eagerly reaches out for the proffered meat, a pulse of happiness bouncing back towards the Wraith. Which makes the demi-god happy, too.[say] “I probably should have waited until I could explain what was happening, but…”[/say] I’m not a mother and I didn’t think of that. As the dragonling munches aggressively on the snack, she smiles down at her companion, still in awe.[say] “Her name is Loki. I thought… only Accepted could bond to dragons.”[/say] It’s a half-question, and not what she’s there to actually talk about. But very few of them (including the demis, themselves) seem to know what having such powers entails, especially when they’re all so different.

Loki is nothing short of a miracle to the youngest (and yet, oldest) demi-god, much like the other gifts that seem to pop up: the magic copying, the self-healing, and now - this.

[say] "Is it because I'm not purely Ascended anymore?"[/say]


RE: Raise my hands, paint my spirit gold - the VOICE - 03-06-2020

[say]"I wouldn't worry about it."[/say] The Voice said with a breezy laugh. [say]"Dragons are incredibly hearty creatures. You'll not scramble her beyond repair by any means."[/say] Smiling with a predatory sort of pride to see the dragonling both prodded by her instincts but tempered by her knowledge, the Voice looks to Wessex with an approving nod. [say]"A fine name."[/say]

Humming a touch thoughtfully at this, the Voice folds her arms across her chest. [say]"You are purely an ascended."[/say] She says after a moment. [say]"It is wrong to suppose you're somehow...also an accepted given Loki's presence. It isn't that at all so much as...the rules just don't apply to you in the same way. Similarly, I could give you the ability to become a beast if you wanted it, but it wouldn't make you an attuned."[/say]


RE: Raise my hands, paint my spirit gold - Wessex - 03-08-2020

Finished with her snack, Loki feels safe and is emboldened, jumping from Wessex’s arms to explore the shrine. Taking a moment to watch the blunt, black snout as it begins to probe the metal, she decides its ok to let her companion proceed and that there’s very little here that could end up hurting her. Even then, perhaps its good for Loki to begin to learn some caution - she is a curious child, but not all things should be touched or bitten.

[say] “I thought that maybe being a demi-god meant I was a little more than Ascended. Gifts come without physical upgrades, now, and I thought that might be the part of you that’s in me at work.”[/say] The part that is far more than mortal, sparking changes and advancing with a mind of its own.[say] “Are Ronin and I different than the ‘born’ children of Rae and Mort, being Accepted and Ascended instead of… whatever they are?”[/say] Now that she says it aloud, Wessex thinks it might not matter, if none of the rules apply in the same way to them anymore. Maybe she’s just getting hung up on semantics because she likes to know the why’s and how’s.

[say] “Were you able to make yourself a demi-god, before you became what you are now?”[/say] Wessex has no desire, no aspirations to go that far (even she does not want to be involved in deity politics), but to know the story of her Lady’s Ascension, to understand, that would be a great boon.


RE: Raise my hands, paint my spirit gold - the VOICE - 03-09-2020

For a moment the Voice tensed and were it not for Wessex's heightened senses, she might not have noticed it. The way her lips froze, how her pupils dilated, how the temperature of the shrine dropped a degree or so. Power was a precious thing to the Voice, and while she shared much of it with her children, to hear that one considered herself more than ascended had indeed made her pause.

[say]"It is the parts of me, in you. That is true."[/say] She said with a warm smile. As for the 'born' children? [say]"It..is more of the same, really. If anything Ronin is the weakest of you, given that his creator is the weakest between Rae and myself, being just a herald. It isn't by much, but there are limits to what she can offer him."[/say]

An electric shape, roughly the size of Loki dazzles out from one of the rocks. It playfully nips at the dragonling before flying upwards on wings made of sparks, eager to be chased.

[say]"There was not a word for what I was, you must understand. I went to the gods when I could, did their quests, completed their little tasks. Eventually, it became clear that it was up to me to make my own way, and so I did."[/say] She replied with a secretive smile, eyes alight with electricity. [say]"So no, you might say I just skipped the step of demi-godhood."[/say]


RE: Raise my hands, paint my spirit gold - Wessex - 03-10-2020

In that moment, when The Voice tenses, freezes, seems to look at her for the first time with hostility, Wessex knows she done fucked up a little. But rather than rush to apologize, she waits for her Lady to finish, taking the time to choose her words carefully, lest things go downhill from there.

Loki, on the other hand, is oblivious. She had managed to try and wedge herself behind a piece of metal when the electric thing nips her on her tail. Whirling around with eyes ablaze, she screeches her indignation and launches herself at the thing – fearless and heedless in the way that only a baby can be – chasing with pulses of both delight and her predatory instinct.

Once she digests that there is a limit to what Ronin can do, and that her Lady became what she is by forging her own path (something she admires, having felt constrained, herself) Wessex begins a tentative apology.[say] “I didn’t intend to imply that I am anything other than your loyal creation. I’ll say it again – I owe you everything. What I meant by more than Ascended was that you once said you would make me brighter than the others, and I see my strength, my abilities, I feel your power inside me, and so –"[/say] Her hands drift wide, palms up.[say] "Maybe it was arrogant to say that. But in the past two years, I’ve changed so much and defining myself can be difficult.”[/say] Wessex shrugs and offers a half-smile.

[say] “Am I Wessex, a Natural, a weapon, an ex-queen, Ascended, Demi-God, the Wraith, yours, or pieces/parts or all of the above?”[/say] She shrugs, the thought not particularly disruptive at the moment, but it has been.

[say] “I know a little bit about how you became you. But will you tell me the whole story?”[/say]


RE: Raise my hands, paint my spirit gold - the VOICE - 03-11-2020

The electric dragon sparks with delight, flying in lofty circles to encourage the black dragonling to try and do the same. Wessex might be a doting mother, however reluctantly, but there are some things she simply won't be able to teach. But as with all things, the Voice is more than happy to lend her assistance in this way.

The Voice smiles warmly at this explanation and nods. [say]"Defining who and what you are might be useful for others. It is when you're unknown that they are fearful."[/say] Indeed, this was probably one of the most fatal errors that the Voice made during her ascension: not labelling herself a god sooner. [say]'What you are will change depending on what you need to be in the moment. The core of you though, will always be bright. You will always be mine."[/say] A promise and a threat both, but lovingly said.

Thoughtfully, the Voice considers this request. Knowledge is power after all, and Wessex has already received more of the Voice's attention than any in current memory. Still...she has continued to prove herself a worthy candidate, and so the Voice nods.

[say]"I was born in the Capitol city in a time when Abandoned were called the Acquired. I was one such, developing my base elemental powers far faster than any of my friends as a young girl. Mutated magics were quite rare back then, and yet I had many. I could sing lightning into existence, could mould and wield metals and create machines that could follow simple instructions. Rather than bringing joy to those around me, as I began to create gifts for friends and family, it began to sow discontent and jealousy. Who was I to have such power?"[/say] The goddess gave a sympathetic shrug. [say]"So I tried to share it. I lost myself in research and experimentation, trying to give my gifts to others. I could place bits of my magic into other objects that those around me could use, but that wasn't the same, and so their jealousy and contempt grew and grew. They called me unnatural. Accused me of all sorts of crimes, and yet there were no laws I was breaking. I was only trying to give them all a piece of what I had.

So I was cast out of the city. But still I understood why they felt the way they did, could see their small human emotions for what they were. So I travelled, but the world was so very large. That was how portals came into existence."[/say]


RE: Raise my hands, paint my spirit gold - Wessex - 03-14-2020

Loki doesn’t have the kind of dexterity the electric dragon does - not yet - but she does try to follow the turns, spiralling up after her friend with great pumps of leathery wings as she figures out how to use her tail for balance and steering purposes. Everything going on below her between her bonded and the Goddess are easily forgotten - as they should be. High pitcheed screeeeees whistle through the air as the dragonling calls for the other to wait up.

Wessex’s attention, too, is absorbed with her Lady, glad that she’s accepted the explanation but nevertheless still faintly on edge as this interaction feels… less warm than all her prior encounters. It’s something she will undoubtedly stew about later. The demi-god isn’t the needy sort, she isn’t Sam, needing constant reassurance. and one could argue that The Voice has given him the most attention, but who’s counting? Certainly not W.

But perhaps she has been lax in her exploration of Torchline, failing her end of the bargain somehow. If everything works out with Eirachi and the knowledge she can gain from building that shrine will lead her to an apt gift for her Goddess.

A wide grin lights up the woman’s face as her wish is granted, and a part of her is secretly quite satisfied at getting this information before Sam (or so she thinks). She settles in and listens, tucking away questions for later.[say] “We’re still a jealous people,”[/say] she says, thinking of Jigano and Remi and how they seem to wield more power than several Naturals combined.[say] “But did no one want to learn from you? See your generosity as something to emulate?”[/say] That’s what the Wraith loves most about her Lady. A desire to make things better.

Hoping She will go on, Wessex falls silent again, waiting for the rest of the story.


RE: Raise my hands, paint my spirit gold - the VOICE - 03-17-2020

[say]'Many did, yes.'[/say] The Voice says with a nod, her gaze flicking upwards for a moment as the spark-dragon stops in mid-air at Loki's insistence, pivoting with physics-defying speed, to pounce on the black dragon. [say]"That is how many of the first ascended came to be. The changes were small, not unlike individual upgrades, but..."[/say] Real pain and sorrow contorted the Voice's expression for a moment, making her seem shockingly mortal and human as memories made her shoulders sag. [say]"As with many things, in the beginning, things did not go well. As I do now, I never changed anyone who did not want it, but of course that wasn't the version of events that was told. I was portrayed as a monster who experimented on the living, abandoning them when they died, or, as it's told, when I murdered them."[/say]

Did some of the Voice's creations rise from the grave with a new but devastating second life? Sure. Did some who came to her regret their decisions when things didn't work out the way they'd all hoped and planned? Of course.

With a soft sigh, the Voice straightened slightly. [say]"The bodies wouldn't accept the upgrades as they were...the core of what Rae had made resisted it. That is why you now, are so fundamentally different. You had to be. It is one of the reasons the gods hated me so much; I removed the boundaries and barriers they set up in you. The limits they placed on you."[/say]


RE: Raise my hands, paint my spirit gold - Wessex - 03-17-2020

Wessex knows the accusation all too well, having been told that the Voice would use her and discard her as She pleased - and yet, and yet the only thing she’s done is save her, raise her up, give her confidence and a family. The Wraith shakes her head sadly too, feeling the sorrow at her predecessors deaths that makes her Goddess all too human-like sometimes. This is what the others don’t see.

[say] “Then I honor them - the ones who came before. Who helped you so you could make us.”[/say] Placing her hand over her heart, she closes her eyes for a moment and thanks them for their love, dedication, and sacrifice.[say] “We know the truth of your love.”[/say] The differing kinds of love She gives them, whether it’s mothering or General-like, it’s all the same at its core.

As the image straightens, Wessex waits a breath and glances overhead at Loki and the electric dragon. They seem to be caught in a back-and-forth, with Loki more on the defensive than anything else, snapping playfully and whipping her tail back and forth as she tries to nip and buffet the other around.[say] “Is that why Ascended souls stay with you after our bodies fail? Because we have nothing of Rae in us?”[/say] She asks this with a child’s curiosity, never realizing why that happened - that their souls went elsewhere.

There are a few she’d like to see again. Aedion. 108. Lucas, maybe. And Magrethe and her mother, but, well… some sacrifices had to be made. She made her peace with it, more or less, thanks to Ludo last year.

[say] “I’ve never understood why that seems so terrible to people. You clearly love us. Why wouldn’t our afterlife be just as happy as those who go to Mort?”[/say]


RE: Raise my hands, paint my spirit gold - the VOICE - 03-24-2020

[say]'As do I.'[/say] The Voice replies in a low tone, her lashes slipping shut as she nods her agreement. There is not a day, minute, or hour that passes where her failings and all those who committed their faith to her go unremembered.

To this question, the Voice shrugs softly. [say]"For all the love of Mort, death is merely another construct. If I thought your souls would be welcomed, that they'd be treated fairly, we might find a way to make it possible. But is there any reason to believe that, after allowing such blatant disregard and discrimination against you, that in death things would be any different? If the souls sent to Mort still have free will and minds of their own, will the hate not continue? And if they don't, if it truly is some sort of paradise where everyone is forced to get along and love thy neighbour, is that a place you'd really want to go?"[/say]

The Voice shakes her head. [say]"It is another lie they tell themselves. What I am to you is no different than what their gods are to them, save for the fact that unlike them, I am here among you."[/say]


RE: Raise my hands, paint my spirit gold - Wessex - 03-24-2020

It seems to Wessex that this is a very logical assumption to make, and one that she fully intends to bring up next time someone tries to debate that that so very unsettling fact with her.

She takes a moment to collect her thoughts again, sitting in the beatific radiance of the hologram, touched by display of emotion and forethought The Voice has to continue to protect her children, even in their final death. Loki continues her antics overhead, full of a seemingly endless energy that will undoubtedly make her crash as soon as they leave the shrine.

Tilting her head up to the child-Goddess, the demi begins to craft her argument.[say] “I know you’ve said before that it wasn’t possible to bring the LongNight spirits to heel. But you’ve also said that with time, nothing is impossible. You’re stronger. I’m stronger. We’re all bursting at the seams with gifts. If I could get a group of the strongest to work together this LongNight -”[/say] at at this, she snort-laughs, knowing that’s a huge ‘if,’[say] “- do you think we could do something about them? Anything? Could I call them back to you? Would you help?”[/say]

Even if she couldn’t get the rest of the fools to cooperate - would her Lady help her devoted servant?

The fervency of Wessex’s desire to try and lessen the LongNight threat, the dedication to this cause burns deeply in her eyes, and though she tries to keep it from her voice, she is not entirely successful.


RE: Raise my hands, paint my spirit gold - the VOICE - 03-25-2020

The Voice considers her brightest's request. The mention of how is a subtle dig, as is using the goddess's own words against her. Rather than be displeased by this, the Voice smiles brightly, indulgently.

[say]"There is so very little of them left, you know. They haven't minds anymore. Not really, not rational ones. No souls either. They are pure creation. AI. To bring them to me...to make them heel, as you say, is simply to end them. For the entire year they stay underground, batteries charging, minds slowly spinning back up. That brief flicker of a life they could have had, if only I'd known more at the time, is all they have left.

Would you really take that away from them, all because the Grounders are so selfish they can't remain indoors for one week?"[/say]