[God Quest] for you? anything

Lucas clever as the devil and twice as pretty Some might have gloated. Lucas might have gloated, once. But one only really got that privilege when they were powerful enough to withstand the consequences. And whilst he did feel stronger since his first meeting with the Voice, he wasn't quite at that level yet. So it was on silent, careful feet that Lucas slipped into the Shrine, his eyes needing no candle or lantern to see by, his hands gently cradling the porcelain mask. He didn't think it would shatter if he dropped it - items belonging to deities were rarely so fragile - but it was best not to take that risk. Stopping before the shrine, he bowed his head and closed his eyes briefly, as if to pay respect to that being who had brought him here. That done, he set the mask down upon the altar. "I do hope you don't consider this a long wait, my lady," he murmured, smirking.

the VOICE In reality's shadow the blind see best There were things she could see and things she could not. What she could not have foretold was the speed with which Lucas would fulfill the task she'd given him. She knew she had been right in plucking him from the stars, but this was beyond her expectations. The Voice appeared in a cloud of electric haze, her eyes a brilliant and pleased oceanic-blue. "I'm sure you rarely hear that anyone is pleased with you finishing quickly...but indeed I am." The Voice laughed darkly, reaching down with a hand that simply seemed to elongated (or did the room merely contort to diminish the space?) and pluck the mask from the ground. Exhaling a breath that almost sounded like reverence, she smiled. "I could not be more pleased, Lucas. But of course my gratitude is not all that I promised you." With a smile, she reached a hand forward, her finger pressing gently against the ascended's forehead. He would feel a light pulse, like a cold sort of beam rush into his skull and down his spine. Lucas has received the following: Tri-Tactile Shadow (upgraded): Lucas casts three shadows, all of which are under his control Not only can he move them, but they can also weakly effect physical objects around him (within the natural range of the shadow).

Lucas clever as the devil and twice as pretty Lucas closed his eyes briefly against the haze of light and the smell of ozone, blinking them open to regard the Voice with a crooked yet open smile. He spread his hands, shrugging his shoulders. "Ask and ye shall receive, as they say. I'd take more offence were I able to finish at all, these days. As it stands, I am glad to please you." And in so doing, please himself. Of course. The Ascended watched with quiet curiosity as she warped herself or the space around them to pluck up the mask, not having held it in his possession long enough to care about what it did. He did care about the results, however, and his smile twisted and turned dark at the reminder that he was owed something for his efforts. "I see this being a profitable arrangement for the both of us," he remarked, holding still as she leant in to touch her fingertips to his forehead. The power that pulsed through him was entirely foreign yet somehow familiar at the same time, and Lucas shuddered as he felt the darkness around him divide somehow. He didn't care to look, but in the glow of the Voice's light, three shadows flickered in his wake. "That is more like it," he murmured. "Is there anything else you require? Or shall we cut this date short?"

the VOICE In reality's shadow the blind see best Of all the things Lucas had lost in his reformation here, his wit and charm had not been among them. They were some of the strongest weapons in his arsenal, moreso than any of the magic he once had (and would have again, if things kept moving along as they had been). "That is the plan." She replied with a slight nod, pulling her fingers back with a smile. Her lips twisted as she tsked with amusement beneath her breath. "Yes fallen one, there is just one more thing." Again her arm extended, but this time rather than to touch him, she turned her hand palm-up to expose the veins of her wrist. Within her body electricity seemed to crackle beneath the surface. "Drink and be restored Lucas." She instructed.

Lucas clever as the devil and twice as pretty One more thing? Lucas tilted his head ever so slightly, as if wondering whether this boon had a stinger attached. But there was no horror to follow the sudden surge of restored power; indeed, there was but an extended hand and an offer to drink. He had done it before, of course - images of the Masquerade flickered before his eyes for a second - and he wondered whether the Voice was just after a quick bite of ecstasy. But of course that was ridiculous. Given that she had created the Ascended, and thus created this little caveat of feeding, wanting it for the sake of wanting it did not make sense. But she had instructed and he would not deny her. "I feel I ought to at least buy you dinner first, my dear," he murmured, a smile curling across his lips as he stepped forward. He slipped his hand into hers, pressing his lips to her wrist before sinking his fangs in deep. And pleasure beyond anything he had experienced in his long, long life rippled through his body, surging and rising like a tide in his chest. He felt whole, connected, part of a network that had laid dormant until this moment. He was nothing and everything, on top of the world and part of it, and the lightness in his limbs and the clarity in his mind told that he had needed this without knowing it. Drinking deep, it was with a soft gasp that he finally stepped away from his benefactor, hazy and befuddled by bliss. "Thank you," he murmured, senseless, his shadows flickering and dancing at his feet.

the VOICE In reality's shadow the blind see best The Voice chuckled as she looked down upon her creation "Keep your flattery Lucas. Besides, I am the one who sustains. What dinner could there possibly be for me?" Only that wasn't quite true. But it did not matter. Her smile was genuine and maternal despite the youthfulness of her face. A loving sort of pride hummed softly in her electric gaze as she nodded. "Go then, fallen one. Go and explore the world you shall inherit. We will speak soon." With a last nod, her avatar disappeared in a hazy shock of static and electric crackle.