Mala'ikan da iska (Emm)

[wilddog]

“Only angels and demons can raise the dead”

I walked through the cathedral, sneering and mockingly bowing at appropriate points. The sound of my boots hitting the marble floor echoed through the area. In the hallway, I was the only one here. Thankfully, since humans don’t like it when they see a demon in this holy place. My cloak seemed to help with that. It framed my form and my face. The sword was hidden back in my room, and all I have is a small knife. To my left stood four great windows, each framing a statue of a young lady. To my right was several doors, l leading into an area where repenters go to confess their sins. Each door was marked by a strange symbol, most likely meaning Nyx, their god. Pitiful creatures, I’ve been to heaven and I never heard of Nyx before. But, if it made them happy, fine with me.

The Tears of Leona was a rich city. The citizens were all haughty and looked down their noses at commoners . The law here seemed to be “Don’t piss the rich off”. Which was fine for me, since I don’t deal with the common rabble. I deal with black market goods. Rugs, textiles, anything that these nobles liked to buy. Right at this moment, two crates full of exotic jewels were being sold. Usually, I would be there, but not today. The Hive informed me that another drone was going to meet me here. He or she would have the information all I needed to do was to help out. I’m not exactly thrilled about this, but my allegiance is to the Hive.

Loudly, and without warning, two men stepped out of the bend in the hallway and came towards me. Not to risk blowing my I ducked into one of the doors. Sitting down, I waited for them to pass. The couch was quite comfortable, with red leather and fine paintings. One wall was netted, so a priest could sit in another room and listen to the complaints, I mean, sins, of different people without seeing their faces. Sort of a holy privacy. I would feel relaxed in this room, but that was quite impossible. Blame it either on my background or my race. Leaning back, I stretched and was about to get up when a drunken voice from the other side spoke up, “Well, son, are you going to confess, or are you here for other reasons” Swearing at myself spoke up. “Father, let me gather my thoughts” Believe me, I needed to. Sins? What sins could I possibly not commit? In my mind, I almost laughed.
“No, no sins. Sorry. Tafi da mutum, da manta da wannan shiftashifta”

Silence ensued. The old man seemed to be taken back, so I left. I could have made up something, but I was fed up and tired. The door in front of me looked alright, so I walked in. Into a great room. I was right behind thousands of pews, all facing a raised platform. On Sundays, the priest will preach here, telling thousands about what their goddess told, or supposedly told them. At this moment, it was quite empty, having only three people in it. Since I had no idea who this person was, I couldn’t tell if anyone of them was This was the place where I was supposed to meet the other hive member. Finding a vacant spot, I sat down. Shoving my knife up my sleeve, I waited

Words:588
Comment: Terrible.

[Emma]

Despite not having to meet my fellow Hive member until early afternoon, I had arrived at the Cathedral shortly after dawn. Slipping out of my bedroom and past my snoring adoptive father, I’d brushed my shoulder-length white hair, put on my most priestly dress, and left while most of the Saloon slept peaceably. I knew Mr. Kolbjorn would have a thing or five to say about my leaving him again, but he would never punish me severely. That thought gave me no remorse as I silently manoeuvred through the streets before blending in among several female Initiates returning from a pilgrimage in the east.

I had an interesting meeting set up for today. Thanks to being Kieran Kolbjorn’s adopted daughter, I’d pulled some strings and even thrown a little blackmail into getting Ittohaut, a fellow Drone, to meet me in the Cathedral. I had a little coup of sorts planned out, one that was unknown to anyone except myself, but I would need someone’s help. Ittohaut was perfect- he hated authority, hence his low position in the Hive, was the very essence of avarice, and didn’t know me. All he knew about the entire mission was to meet me in the main worship hall in the Cathedral and do whatever I told him to do.

I looked up at the angelic figurines of Nyx as I arrived at the limestone Cathedral steps, feeling a sense of tranquility wash over me. Broddring’s version of the Voyage was twisted beyond all reason, but the goddess still inhabited this holy ground, tainted as it was. A secret mission was not the most interesting thing about my and Ittohaut’s working together- he was a demon and I an angel. I was the very ideal of purity, and he of sin. We were supposedly mortal enemies, which would make working together a great deal of fun- especially if hated me as much as I suspected he would.

I entered the massive Cathedral elegantly, my ruffled white skirt sweeping against the polished marble floor. It clung to my small frame and was sleeveless, only held up by two silver straps. However, it revealed nothing of my skin except for my arms and neck. My shoes were little more than slippers, and made almost no noise as I walked. I moved through the long hallways of the holy building, unhindered by its denizens. Whether it was some sort of air I gave off or Nyx’s ministrations, I was never mistaken as a human. Nobody bothered me besides polite nods of acknowledgement as I walked.

I reached the confession booths quickly, as they were on the first floor, the only part of the building that all non-members of the Cathedral could freely move around in. I passed suspicious-looking characters and inebriated priests as I entered the main worship room. The largest in the entire building, or perhaps the whole city, it was made for thousands of pious Broddring citizens to sit and listen to the teachings of Nyx once a month. This was usually done by a nameless Oracle- Malandra Ramakrishna never failed to make a big celebration whenever she showed off in public, which she very often did.

Ittohaut sat on one of the pews. Among the four people in the entire room, he stuck out the most- entirely inhuman in presence and appearance, a perpetual snarl was on his doglike face and an aura of evil surrounded him. Were I human, I would have run away or attempted to kill him. However, I neither feared nor hated the monster I saw before me. Clasping my hands in front of me and letting them relax against my waist, I approached him, making sure my footsteps were audible. If he mistook my silence as attempting to sneak up on him, I didn’t doubt I would find myself rejoined with Nyx.

“Hello, Ittohaut,” I said charmingly, offering an open hand. “I’m Renata Swanepoel, your correspondent. Is this seat taken?”

Words;; 660
Muse;; Weird at first, but got a bit better.
Thoughts;; My writing! It suffers! D=

[wilddog]

Hello, Ittohaut,” A girl said, dripping with honey. “I’m Renata Swanepoel, your correspondent. Is this seat taken?”

Looking up, the most radiant creature looked down at me. Maybe in here teens, if that, this being looked down at me with her piercing gray eyes and a uplifted hand, skin almost blazing out. She was positively the most beautiful person I ever saw. And I hated the sight of her. Yes, any mortal being would find here appeasing, but she was an angel. A halo of light seemed to bath her in a glow of white. Even her aurora shouted out the fact that she was angel. I burned with a desire to wrestle the life out of her. I had dealings with angels, much more than normal demons. But after my banishment, I would even kill a demon. However, visions of money danced across my eyes. The only reason I sold weapons in the first place was the fact that money, and the process of getting money, was where my heart lay in. And the torment of other beings, of course.

Steeling myself, I ignored the offered hand and nodded. “By you, Mala'ikan” giving her a place, I continued. “Now, tell me. Why does the Queen need me?”

Words: 209
Comment: Short

[Emma]

The pure sense of loathing emanating from the demon was enough to make me smile.

I had expected nothing less. I had never met a demon during my time in the spirit world, and I could only imagine what it was like to live in a realm without Nyx. This twisted shell of the man Ittohaut had once been easily testified to those horrors. His bleak eyes were simply filled with bloodlust. When it became very clear that he wasn’t going to shake my hand, I let it drop. I could say I tried. Stepping around him gracefully, shifting from one foot to the other, I looked down at Ittohaut with a pouted lip and large eyes as I patiently waited for him to gain control of his inner evils.

Eventually, he did. The waves of fury subsided, but by no means disappeared, and he forced a nod before muttering a strange, but not unfamiliar phrase I knew was an insult to my kind. Seeing as I always turned the other cheek to mere words, I ignored it, gliding over to seat myself beside him. I kept a good bit of space between Ittohaut and myself, but he still appeared to be struggling with his baser instincts that were doubtlessly telling him of how vile and vicious all angels were. I kept a pleasant expression on my face, my lip slightly upturned as if I were about to smile enormously at him.

As soon as I sat, Ittohaut leapt right into business. Again, I understood him perfectly. He wanted his money, and he wanted to get away from the likes of me as quickly as possible. How furious would he be, I wondered, when he found out that this entire mission had been formulated by me, and did not include the Hive in the slightest? I’d make sure he got his money, certainly, as long as he did what I expected of him. As of now, he worked for me. I admitted, however, that manipulating him would be a challenge- I usually had charm and looks on my side, neither of which were usable on him.

However, Ittohaut was under the impression that I was the classic creature of purity, and could not do a single iota of anything Nyx considered evil. He did not know me and of my official status as ‘ethically challenged’ by other Lieutenants, and even a Shrike or two when they popped in to visit. Only Kieran thought otherwise, and he was essentially desperately kidding himself. I could very easily use this belief to my advantage.

“It’s quite simple, really,” I said sweetly. “You and I will need to perform a routine threat against a man called Balin Indarys. You, of course, will perform the combat tasks.” My face changed, my eyes widening and my lip trembling. “It’s bad enough that I work for the Hive, but I could never touch a weapon. It’s simply unholy!” The blatant rage I felt from Ittohaut made me want to grin, but I forced it down. “I will get us in and out, and try to blend in. If I gave you the details in this room, however, it would be blasphemy. Shall we go somewhere more private?”

Words;; 540
Muse;; Ew.
Thoughts;; No. I do NOT like this one.

[wilddog]

The Angel glided next to me and sat down. Noting the space between her and me, I realized that she might be sensing my anger. A small smile floated though her lips and she looked at me with such innocence that I knew she was lying. After having dealt weapons to angels, I knew many things about them. And innocence was not their best quality. In fact, I didn’t think they were innocent at all. She most likely wouldn’t have batted an eye if she killed me right here. Again, the rage filled me, but I soon pushed it down. It still intrigued me who this angel was. Because she was so young, I figured that she was quite naïve in many things. Still haven’t been fully corrupted by the fiends. After I asked my question she paused a little, she answered

“It’s quite simple, really. You and I will need to perform a routine threat against a man called Balin Indarys. You, of course, will perform the combat tasks.” This seemed straight forward. The Hive most likely needed some leverage in the politics around here. I didn’t personally know who Balin Indarys is, but it doesn’t matter. Money, that is it. Combat tasks were a bit of a stretch for me, but I could pull it off. The Ɗauka and the rest of the crew were still itching to fight. Homo sapiens and fighting. It seems that is all they do. But there really is no profit in peace time.
It’s bad enough that I work for the Hive, but I could never touch a weapon. It’s simply unholy!” The empty-headed brat voice she used angered me without end. Never touch a weapon!?! She might as well have continued and told me that the sky was yellow and she was the elvish queen’s daughter. Noticing the grin trying to worm its way onto her face, I guessed that she was trying to goad me. “I will get us in and out, and try to blend in. If I gave you the details in this room, however, it would be blasphemy. Shall we go somewhere more private?” Without speaking, I stood up and looked around. To my left, a couple struggled to keep a baby’s crying down. The small boy seemed to be affected by my rage. Even a clergy man felt it and offered prays their sad excuse for a Goddess. Smiling at the angel, I replied “Oh yes, I would certainly hate to blasphemy against your Goddess. What was her name again? Mys? Nyx? Oh well, never mind.” As far as I was concerned, an angel named Hura ran heaven. Gathering my cloak, I filed out of the room.

“Walk with my, Mala'ikan. Your presence enlightens me” I sneered. “There are a few questions I want answered. One, why are we doing this? Two, what is the hannunshi, the payment. And three, How are we going to do this?” Strolling down the hall, I customarily bowed before the idols of deities. Passing monks would not have been alarmed. Course, I muttered “Mala'ikan haske, shegiya, ku tafi wuta, recieve kamar saka” (which wouldn’t translate into any language the humans know)

[Emma]

“Oh yes, I would certainly hate to blaspheme against your Goddess. What was her name again? Mys? Nyx? Oh well, never mind.”

I was somewhat amused at his attempt to anger me, responding with nothing more than the quirk of an eyebrow as he stood up. Clearly, it had been a very long time since anyone had said no to this demon. I knew better than to reply, simply dusting my dress off and rising to my feet. A few Channellers and Sentinels had appeared in the worship room after Ittohaut had entered, glaring at him suspiciously. As long as he did nothing to insult or desecrate the Cathedral or Nyx’s name, they could do nothing, but I knew they would be watching. I gazed at them in silence before padding after the demon.

My bare feet made little noise against the stone floor as I followed Ittohaut, noticing out of the corner of my eye that he was continuing to show his obvious distaste for the Cathedral by sneering and bowing mockingly at every statue and holy artefact that we passed. I was paying far more attention, however, to the two Sentinels that were now following us. We were very clearly heading for the exit- Indarys was one of those few rich enough to live on Cathedral grounds. And if Ittohaut had done something, they would merely up and confront us. So why would they follow?

As we rounded a corner, now very close to the main entrance, an Initiate stood in the hallway, blocking our way through. I came to a stop, pouting my lips and looking at him quizzically. He had a strange, sort of hangdog look that made him look much more like an ex-convict than a member of the Cathedral. The two Sentinels were closing in, not threateningly, but enough to sufficiently surround Ittohaut and me. After glancing around and schooling my face, I tossed a charming smile in the direction of the Initiate, tilting my head to the side and showing off my brilliant white teeth.

“Is there a problem, Apprentice?”
“Lord Indarys wishes to see you.”
I blinked. “How did-”
“Lord Indarys will see both of you upstairs in his private worship rooms.”
I felt Ittohaut tense beside me, so I replied hurriedly. “Well… exactly! We were just coming to see him! Please lead the way.”
“Walk with me, Mala’ikan. Your presence enlightens me,” I heard Ittohaut hiss into my ear before we’d even taken two steps. “There are a few questions I want answered. One, why are we doing this? Two, what is the hannunshi, the payment? And three, how are we going to do this?” A Sentinel glanced suspiciously in his direction, and I saw Ittohaut bow to several statues and mutter in the ancient, immortal tongue of the spirit world. The words were alive, and I felt them disturbing the slumbering presences within the walls of the Cathedral. I forced myself to ignore them, and reply.
“You’ll find out soon enough, if you’re patient,” I said cheerily. “After all, the anticipation is half of the fun!”

We made our way across some interior rock gardens. My feet scraped against the soft sand, and I was careful not to disturb any of the carefully placed stones. Swirling patterns had been drawn around them in the old lettering of the Grey Folk. All of the stones formed a picture, and by following any line of stones, one could read a teaching of Nyx. Beyond the stone garden were intricate stone steps leading to the next level. A Seer stood at the top of them, peering over the railing and down at us.

“Here they are, Your Eminence!” The Initiate called up to his superior. “Indarys says he wants the prisoners taken to…” he drifted off when he received a staggering death glare from the Seer, and then his face turned white.

Panic gripped my throat, and I immediately assumed one of the hand-to-hand defensive positions Kieran had shown me as the Sentinels rounded on the two of us. I was much better at running than fighting, but all Sentinels were equipped with special darts designed to knock out infidels- no one, under any circumstances whatsoever, could be murdered in the Cathedral. However, once they took me out of the Cathedral, I’d likely immediately be slain. My body was only mortal. Sucking in a ragged breath, and hoping Ittohaut could deal with them alone, I waited for the first strike.

Words;; 747. Lol.
Muse;; Actually not that bad!
Thoughts;; Err, my description kind of failed around the dialogue, but otherwise it isn't bad. ^^

[wilddog]

“You’ll find out soon enough, if you’re patient” the creature said, with a tone that infuriated me to no end. “After all, the anticipation is half the fun” Which, if you think about it, doesn’t make sense. The anticipation would only be a small portion of the fun. Glancing at the angel, I ceased all attempts to anger her. A conversation had commenced without my knowledge. So fed up in anger was I that I was blind to all else. No matter, it seemed as though we were being escorted out of this stinking wasteland. The leader was a ugly shell of a man, the type I would usually hire. But he seemed to be already taken, so I ignored him. Behind us were two Sentinels, far enough behind so to not cause alarm, but they succeeded in making if very clear we had no choice but to follow. No entirely self-consciously, I tried to calm my face down. I didn’t need this bunch to start getting jumpy.

As we passed through the rock gardens, I marveled once again on how little these primates knew of heaven. Then again, there could have been marvels in heaven that was closed off to others. But, it didn’t matter. If Nyx really did exist, I would have tried to kill her all the same. As we walked, I reflected on this Indarys. The name rang no bells, but then again, all of my “business dealings” have been strictly undercover. In fact, I really have no idea where the goods end up. Once, I was captured by the police and brought to the headquarters, only to find a expensive, rare, and not to mention stolen, golden idol sitting there. After walking to the Head, things were smoothed over without blood shed. But, I wouldn’t know for certain until I see him.

Noticing that the angel seemed intimidated by the guards, I almost prayed to Nyx that she would keep her head. If she started getting all fired up, I would never meet with this Indarys. Finally, we reached some stone stairs that were empty except for a seer. The leader shouted to the man, drawing shocked glances from the other two. “Here they are, Your Eminence! Indarys says he wants the prisoners taken to” and he was cut off by a piercing glare form the seer and he paled and backed off, muttering apologies. Smiling at him, I followed the seer now. If was leading us too the very man we were trying to threaten, it was if he was doing to work for us. If not, at least I could get a glimpse at the fortifications and such.

But again was the issue of the angel. She was now sprung tightly, a cat, and an inexperienced one at that, ready to pounce once the door was opened. What I really needed was information from her. Hoping that she knew elvish, I spoke in it, very softly, but the words still drifted to her range. My elvish was a bit rusty, but, to translate it in common tongue, I said, “Don’t fight them. This is the opportunity we need to scout around for information, if you don’t have any. Can you fill me in on the details?” The guards looked sharply at me, but did not mention anything. My guess was that they didn’t want to anger the seer.
Notes: okay, but could be better

[Emma]

I was scared, and I didn’t know why. I’d done this a million times- fleeing infuriated criminals, dodging nosy guards- without skipping a beat. I took a moment to let myself calm down, and then tried to figure out the root of my fear. I found it soon enough- this time, I didn’t have Kieran around to protect me. This time, I was in actual danger. As always, I hadn’t exactly planned out what I was getting myself into, and it seemed I would finally pay the price for it. Swallowing, I forced down my fear, remembering the many tricks I had up my sleeve. On top of that, I had a demon around to protect me. Only for the financial gain, yes, but it was still guaranteed protection.

“Don’t fight them.” It was Ittohaut, speaking in the ancient language.
“Surrender now, and we won’t lay a hand on you!” snapped one of the Sentinels.
“This is the opportunity we need to scout around for information, if you don’t have any.” It was difficult for me to catch every word of the ancient language, which I had little chances to use. The demon also had a notable accent, which didn’t facilitate anything. “Can you fill me in on the details?”

I paused for a moment, my dry tongue seemingly stuck to the roof of my mouth. Surrounded by hostile guards, I wouldn’t even consider telling him everything now. If he knew this wasn’t an official mission for the Hive, he’d just leave me here to deal with them alone, or even take me out by himself. I didn’t want to fight, however- I just wanted to run off. Hesitating, I looked up at Ittohaut, and then at the Seer. Would they be closely affiliated with Indarys? The Sentinels were just goons; and the Initiate likely nothing more than a henchman- but the Seer? My eyes widened, and I smiled. Turning back to Ittohaut, I responded carefully in the language of the elves.

“You’re right. I have an idea. Let me deal with these ones while you get the Seer. I can explain everything once we’re safe.”
“What are you saying?” snapped a Sentinel. “Sounds an awful lot like elvish!”
“W-w-what?” I gasped in mock horror.
“I fought and killed enough of those pointy-eared cowards to know some of their tongue! What do you mean by an idea?”
“We surrender!”
“You… what?”
“We surrender,” I said firmly. “You caught us. We’re spies from Du Weldenvarden come to kill Balin Indarys. Would you like to confiscate our possessions?”
“I… why, yes!” The Sentinel stood up straight. “Items, now!”
“Absolutely. Let me begin with… this.”

In plain sight of the Sentinels, I casually removed a violet napkin from a pocket of my dress. Then, with a flamboyant swish of my skirt, I twirled around, and a loud foomp was heard as heavy purple smoke and sparkles surrounded me, fogging up the entire room. I disappeared into the smoke screen as the Sentinels shot at me blindly, egged on by the screaming Initiate. Finding myself standing very close to Ittohaut, I smiled and nodded at him, motioning to the doorway. I didn’t doubt that he’d be able to apprehend the Seer. Then I turned and ran out, bare feet striking the wooden floor rhythmically.

Words;; 550
Muse;; All... right? o.O I wrote it REALLY fast.
Thoughts;; Written in half an hour? I'M INSANE!