tell the tales of the trail of dead

Aithne

They say I did something bad

The Burrows, as it turns out, are full of scurrying animals, many of which have now been labelled prey in Aithne's mind. She stalks along a tunnel, tracking a scent that she picked up a few turns back, following alongside a magma flow as it drips deeper into the earth. It smells like an ash ferret, which she's learned are not particularly appealing to eat, but do make excellent practice targets. They hide amongst the rocks down here, and if she's quiet enough, she's found ways to sneak up on them. Not, perhaps, the best way to slake the bloodlust, but something all the same as she gets used to this new body and her new abilities.

She makes another turn, her nose ghosting across the ground as she tracks the scent - but she stops short, gazing at the strange, translucent doorway that lies before her. There's an archway, a beautiful obsidian thing laced with what appears to be iron, and decorated with various trinkets that draw Aithne closer to investigate. She's not familiar enough with the Climb - or anywhere, really, aside from Stormbreak - to know where the doorway leads. She knows only that it is unique and intriguing, and she sniffs at it in her fyrhund form, circling it with curiosity.

Then why's it feel so good?

sit down now for some ground rules, thank you
do you think you can handle that much?

Another day of taking a quick trip to the Climb through the portal is on Asta’s card for the day. If for no other reason than to get a particular gemstone he thinks Danta would be a fan of. What he doesn’t anticipate is a particularly interesting looking fyrhund as he steps out of the shimmering portal from the Grounds, threaded cane clicking against the volcanic earth, dressed impeccably as per usual with a beautifully green silk shirt that can be seen beneath the slate grey waistcoat and silver chains adorning it.

He steps out precisely when the fyrhund is circling and gives it a curious glance – realizing perhaps that given his own fyrhund under his skin that this one isn’t wild like much of the inhabitants of the Climb were. Fyrhunds were far more likely to attack on sight or avoid larger foot traffic, solitary as they tended to be. “Hello there.” The butcher hums to the fyrhund, his dark gaze scanning it as he flashes it his sharp smile, head tilting slightly as he waits to see its intentions.

Astaroth

i've just come back to life, i'm here, i'm your little ray of sunshine

Aithne

The ties were black, the lies were white

A man steps out of the gate.

Aithne gives a startled yelp, which she quickly turns into a snarl, as though wishing to seem more ferocious than she actually is. Her hackles are raised, the light of the lava flowing beneath her skin shining through more than usual - but then she really looks at the man, and she relaxes. Olive-skinned and dark-haired, deep obsidian horns crown his head, marking him as a fellow Ancient.

The girl pauses at his pleasant hello there, then shifts - and in moments, she stands before him in her Ancient form, brushing a bit of dust off a shoulder as she offers a dazzling smile. "Sorry about that," she says cheerfully, as though she hadn't just growled at the well-dressed stranger. "I wasn't expecting someone to pop out. Where does this go, anyway?"

In shades of gray in candlelight

sit down now for some ground rules, thank you
do you think you can handle that much?

The yelp screams Ancient or Attuned. The snarl after feels like the shift taking over briefly. But he remains just as still ass he had when breaching the portal to the other side, waiting to see whether it attacks or changes or simply wanders off. And pleased as he is to find the woman shift into herself instead of fyrhund, the bright personality that greets him is one that he finds quite refreshing.

Shaking his head as if to tell her no problem, the butcher chuckles an accented laugh. “There is no need to apologize. This is a portal to the Grounds for us Ancients to traverse back and forth to the Climb.” Gesturing with his hand to the portal in question then to the Climb in question, his gaze zeroes in on the woman and the horns on display, the way she doesn’t know about this portal, and he wonders since she is unaccompanied, if she is a new Ancient. “Have you been before?” He asks curiously, unable to help himself.

Astaroth

i've just come back to life, i'm here, i'm your little ray of sunshine

Aithne

The ties were black, the lies were white

The man chuckles. His voice is accented and rich, somehow complimenting his stylish attire just perfectly. Aithne has to fight not to sigh with envy; she likes to think that she's as well-put together as the next person, but at this particular moment, she's never felt more frumpy. Her braids have started to come loose; her dark, form-fitting shirt is wrinkled; and there's a thin layer of grime that, while perhaps difficult to see, irks her with the way it feels. She has, after all, been in the Climb now for a few days. With nowhere to go - and therefore, nowhere to refresh herself - her appearance leaves something to be desired.

"I haven't," she admitted almost sheepishly, tossing a bunch of braids over one shoulder. She thinks for a moment, then adds, "But I ran into the most delightful woman the other day who told me about the - the Dusklight, I think she called it? She said it was wonderful."

In shades of gray in candlelight

sit down now for some ground rules, thank you
do you think you can handle that much?

“Ah,” Astaroth starts to say, pausing when he hears that she’d met a delightful woman who had nothing but bright things to say about the Dusklight. And while the butcher knows of a fair few women who would be willing to suggest the Dusklight as a place to stop, one sticks out in particular. “Is that so? Was she blonde, perhaps, and about this tall?”

The butcher’s hand without the cane lifts to guestimate Charlie’s height – very well, too, should it be the correct woman he’s imagining. “It just so happens that I work at the Dusklight. My name is Astaroth. And who might you be, darling?” Dropping the gesture of whereabouts Charlie stood in comparison to him, he sweeps into a partial bow, leaning a touch closer to her height as he does so, his ashen spaded tail sweeping out behind him in a smooth flick.

Astaroth

i've just come back to life, i'm here, i'm your little ray of sunshine

Aithne

The ties were black, the lies were white

Aithne thinks back to her meeting with Flora and shakes her head. "Blonde, yes. But a little bit taller than me. Her name was Flora." She shrugs her shoulders. Perhaps the stranger knows her, and perhaps he doesn't - after all, there have to be thousands of bombshell blondes wandering Caido, and no one can be expected to recognize them all.

"I'm Aithne," she says, her eyes sparking with interest at the news that Astaroth works at the Dusklight. She thinks back over all she's learned over the past few days and wonders if this is the 'Asta' that Charlie had spoken of making a shrine to Dygra with. "It's so nice to meet you, Astaroth." She grins, her spade-tipped tail flicking with glee. "Everyone around here has been so lovely," she says. "I don't know what I expected outside of Stormbreak, but to be so welcomed into the world wasn't it."

In shades of gray in candlelight

sit down now for some ground rules, thank you
do you think you can handle that much?

Flora’s name isn’t the one he expects to hear, but it’s well received all the same. The butcher chuckles and nods, inclining his head toward the younger Ancient. “Ah, yes, that makes sense. We do have quite a lovely reputation.” The bragging comes easily, but he’s happy to hear Flora’s name at the very least. “Flora is lovely.” Easily said and very deeply believed, the butcher settles to offer his own tidbits of information. His name, the fact that he works at the Dusklight, etc.

“The pleasure is mine, Aithne darling.” Astaroth hums in his rich accent, leaning down in that similar bow, drawing him closer to her height before he returns back to his full statue, his ashen tail flicking contently behind him as his sharp toothed grin remains on display to hear that things have gone well for her. “I have heard rumors of Stormbreak. I take it you are newly changed?” He asks, drifting a bit further in from the front of the portal so as to not block it if anyone else wished to approach.

Astaroth

i've just come back to life, i'm here, i'm your little ray of sunshine

Aithne

The ties were black, the lies were white

Aithne skips to the side with Astaroth, out of the way of the portal and any others who might deign to use it. The girl wonders how many Ancients there are - she never really stopped to wonder, before being changed, and now she realizes that she has an entire extended family of sorts who have welcomed her with open arms. It's enough to leave her grinning, delighted by this turn of events.

"I am," she agrees, perhaps a little shyly. She's never quite sure if she should be ashamed of being so newly changed, but something tells her that Astaroth won't mind. "I came here with my best friend, Soren, and we appealed to Dygra together." And it has been everything she'd dreamed, and then some. Aithne's tail flicks behind her as she glances once more to the portal. "Are there many of us, in the Grounds?" she asks, tilting her head to one side, her dark hair cascading over her shoulder. She is curious about her fellow Ancients, and Astaroth seems like a nice enough one to ask.

In shades of gray in candlelight

sit down now for some ground rules, thank you
do you think you can handle that much?

Beaming to hear that she’s newly changed - there’s zero judgement in the butcher’s face as he regards her anew. Always pleased to see those favoring his goddess, Astaroth’s tail flicks contently behind him despite the shyness she harbors over the idea of being new. But she continues and he watches her gaze flit to the portal again, leaning casually against the cane in his hand. “How wonderful to hear.” He hums, keeping his smile on display.

HIs attention does flit toward the portal when she speaks next, though, her question causing an incline of his chin. “Yes. The vast majority have moved there. Danta, the Theocrat, is also Ancient and so the Grounds are blessed by Dygra herself.” The information is easily offered, a hand slipping away from his cane to gesture toward the portal in question, before he settles again and glances back to Aithne with a glimmer of curiosity in his gaze. “You and your friend would be most welcome to come and visit. Or stay, if you would prefer to.”

Astaroth

i've just come back to life, i'm here, i'm your little ray of sunshine

Aithne

The ties were black, the lies were white

Aithne grins at Astaroth's beaming smile; he seems as welcoming as the others she's met so far, and she's always been the friendly sort. It doesn't take much to gain her friendship, and Astaroth's quiet acceptance of her and her story - however abbreviated the tale might have been - goes a long way towards doing just that.

She listens as the butcher describes the Grounds. It's an area that the girl has never given much thought to, in truth, but as he speaks, she realizes that all she knows from history books is nothing in comparison to what the Grounds could be now. With an almost feline grin, she considers the portal anew. "I think we will," she says, eyes sparking now with curiosity. "He's around here somewhere. When I find him, we'll come visit. And then we'll see." She cocks her head to one side thoughtfully. "I've never been out of Stormbreak until now, so I'm eager to see everything."

In shades of gray in candlelight

sit down now for some ground rules, thank you
do you think you can handle that much?

Always willing and grateful to embrace more of their little family into the fold – new or old, the butcher’s been on the receiving end of being one of the newer Ancients into the fold. He knows how awkward the transition is, he also knows what it’s like to find a place you can truly belong. So to be part of them that can extend that out for them too, the butcher is more than willing and happy to help. “Great.” Asta hums with that same bright smile.

At the mention of wanting to see everything, though, the butcher nods his head – because he’d done much the same when he’d come back from stone. “I understand that all too well, my dear. When you and your friend meet up again and make your way to the Grounds, feel free to stop by the Dusklight. I would be happy to show you around.”

Astaroth

i've just come back to life, i'm here, i'm your little ray of sunshine

Aithne

The ties were black, the lies were white

It is strange for Aithne, to suddenly find herself with a family she previously had no access to - not in a bad way, certainly, for gods only knew that her blood relatives had proven a disappointment. No, to be accepted as she is by a perfect stranger is a luxury that the girl has never been able to afford before now, and she revels in it, marvels at it. Is this what it’s like, she wonders, to have a real family, rather than vultures who would sooner pick at your bones than save you?

Not that the girl needs saving. She’s determined that she’ll never need saving again.

”Thank you, Astaroth,” she says, meaning it wholeheartedly. ”I hope to see you again soon.” For now, though, she will be on her way. With a little wave and a wink, the girl wanders back along the tunnel from which she came, off to search for her dearest friend and, perhaps, a good meal.

fin

In shades of gray in candlelight