Slaying the Dreamer [Don, Tris]

[Emma]

Judging by Ellesméra’s obsession with assassination, it was a miracle I wasn’t dead yet.

The presence of a human within the elven capital city had not gone unnoticed or unwatched. I had decency enough to hood and cloak myself, as well as wear my perfectly sculpted porcelain mask to hide my round ears and dark colouring, but they could sense me nonetheless. Icy glares and accidentally-on-purposely audible gossiping had punctuated my entire visit here. If their disapproving caution were to violently turn into dangerous hostility, my only protection was a single slip of parchment signed in the delicate hand of Dellanir Dröttning herself granting me access to the city.

I, however, was not worried. The elves were far too proud to do such a thing out in broad daylight, among their peers, and so I walked along the busiest roads despite the glares I received. However, the long shadows of receding daylight appeared on the road before me, and I knew the sun would begin to set very soon, making my presence here far riskier. I could only hope that the two women who would be accompanying me would realize that very thing- Amelia Vencari, an elven Hive Lieutenant, and Echo Mensa, a young girl I’d taken under my wing that had never even met me in person.

I wasn’t sure why I hid myself from the girl, or why I’d taken her in. Out on the streets, she’d either have died or become a Drone for the Hive- and I didn’t want either to happen. She was simply too intelligent to die so young- the survival rate of the Drones was distressingly low. She had street smarts, was a keen observer, and, from the few times I’d observed her from the window of my elegant middle-class house, good-hearted in her interactions with children. With adults, she was so meek and quiet that none of those traits were apparent. She was more than happy to work for a shadow.

That was most of the reason for my wearing the porcelain mask. It somehow seemed better for me to remain a faceless entity in her mind, even once I met her in person. She would require all of that intelligence for this operation. I’d even specifically taken Amelia Vencari aside when I’d met with her in the Queen’s headquarters in Teirm to ask her not to mention the Hive or our relations to it. I wanted to see what Echo Mensa would become without my bias. I was only there as a very gentle guiding hand, and to keep her alive. Naturally, I would reveal nothing of my thoughts to her.

The sun was visibly beginning to sink in the sky by the time I spotted our meeting place. To the elves, it was something of a park for sitting and singing to the plants. Barely discernible walkways ran through this section of woods and circled around a massive, gnarled oak tree that had once housed a small but ancient library. It had been struck dead by lightning several decades ago, and all the manuscripts within burned. Despite how unattractive it was, the elves left it as it was until nature reclaimed it in a few more years in homage to the lost knowledge. This was where I would meet my fellows.

My flat-heeled suede shoes clacked softly against the tiled pathway as I approached the tree. My cloak was the deepest navy blue, almost black, and finely, if simply, made. The mask was starkly white against it. My hands were folded within my cloak, and my straight, deep brown hair mostly hidden by my hood. I carried no weapons, as per my rule. Smelling the blossom-scented air, I looked up at the old oak as I arrived at it. It had been split almost completely in two, the entrance to the destroyed library half-collapsed. As Dellanir had promised, no one else was around to spy on or interrupt us.

Smoothing out the garment I wore beneath my cloak, I sat down on a stone bench near the library entrance. With luck, both Echo and Vencari would find their ways here.

Words;; 690
Muse;; So-so!
Thoughts;; Not bad for a first post with a new character.

[Tris]

Echo had been in the street (as usual) when one of the lady’s men found her, usually she was taken to the lady’s house and taken into the sitting room to await the lady’s somewhat muffled voice , but this time a servant came out and gave her a letter saying that his mistress said to give it to her. So she left the house fully puzzled but she opened the letter and inside was instructions to wait three days then leave on a convoy that was heading to Ellesmera, a map telling her where to go when she got there and a little note saying she would meet two women in that place. And that was it, but that was how the lady worked, she never gave more information then was needed. So she said good bye to her children friends and left, the trip took a week and was totally uneventful. Echo had never been to Ellesmera before and was totally amazed by its beauty, But she didn’t want to be late for whatever it was she was here for so she started looking for the place on the map, but as she’d never been there before she got lost a few times, and as she walked along she noticed that most of the elves were glaring at her, she chose to be unfazed by this for she had business here and she didn’t have to be liked in which to do it. But she finally found the place when the sun had just set; it was a park a relatively ugly park compared to the rest of the city but she was sure this was the place because there was one lone woman sitting on a bench, the woman turned toward Echo, now she could see that the lady had a beautiful mask on, there was a few awkward seconds then Echo said “Good evening miss” she mentally kicked herself well that was a very stupid thing to say, the woman seemed to smile under her mask and said “ Hello child.”

[Kite]

*Amelia walks softly down the street of Ellesmera, looking straight ahead and moving with a certain air of purpose about her. This was her native land and her home town, so god knows that she can do such a thing. The idea that she can miss the beauty sometimes shocks others but, after her experiences, it didn’t strike her as much anymore. Sometimes… she muses to herself, I guess being surrounded by beauty dulls the senses to it… Especially after more than two and a half centuries of just beauty in the outside world…

She shakes these oddly philosophical thoughts and moves on down to the park meeting. She was to meet with a Hive Shrike that Amelia had met before in Teirm, named Medusa Gorgophone, and a ward of Medusa’s: Echo Mensa. Medusa had warned Amelia not to say anything about the hive to Echo, and Amelia planned on following that order although she really did wonder why. She would not be silly enough to talk against orders, especially when the Shrike who gave the orders would be present as well. Mostly, though, she wanted to figure out what they were going to do. She could only imagine what would bring a human, Hive Shrike or not, to Ellesmera along with her ward.

It would be a hard trip for them, but she would stand by them.

She nears the park, walking in her typical attire and generally staying aloof from the people around her. After her years here, and after her recent raise to power in the Hive, she is generally left alone when she is in this mood. “This” mood included her frankly silky hair piled on to the top of her head and her standing with her torso slightly forward. She was a focused ball of intensity and they all read that like a ball of fire in the super detailed and subtle world of Ellesmera and summarily ignored her loudly, commenting and watching her but not waylaying her.

Which suited her perfectly.

As she entered the secret garden, as it were, she sees that she is the last to enter. She straightens her back and shakes her head slightly, clearing her mind for the road ahead and assuming fairly friendly persona before stepping quickly into the park, glad to find them still there despite the danger to them both and smiling happily. As she reaches the two humans, she holds her hand out to both, standing tall above them as is normal for racial contact.*

Hello, ladies. How are you both? I apologize for my lateness and am ready to go when both of you are ready… and brief me on what were doing, of course.

[Emma]

I only had to wait a few minutes before someone appeared.

I felt a touch of relief when I saw Echo Mensa looking around the park with a somewhat noticeable glance of disapproval, likely unimpressed with the damage that had soiled its beauty. She appeared to have managed to arrive unharmed, thanks to the convoy I’d asked her to follow into the city. When her blue-eyed gaze finally settled on me, she stopped and stared, not openly, but with a good measure of curiosity. She also seemed to struggle with her own shyness, resulting in several long seconds of silence. Finally, she decided to speak up, although she also seemed embarrassed when she did so.

“Good evening, miss.” I smiled and replied gently.
“Hail, daughter. Dyaan be shy, now. Come hyah and si’ down.”

She understood my musical dialect perfectly well, but she still approached cautiously. However, my attention was drawn to a second figure emerging from the trees. Amelia Vencari marched towards us, her chin held high and her gaze sharp enough to bore a hole. However, when she saw Echo and me, there was no animosity in her presence. She did not lose her intensity or her stiffness, however. I rose to my feet as she approached despite being higher-ranking. It was simple politeness, and I liked Amelia. She had grown strong from her struggles instead of becoming small and bitter.

And she had gone through no small amount of suffering, either. In one night, she had been abused by the man she loved in the vilest of ways, and he had added insult to injury by creating a number of fairths displaying her in whatever positions and torture she’d been forced into. Understandably, though Amelia was determined not to let it drag her down, her emotional state wasn’t particularly healthy. Behind the proud commander was a sorrowful girl that had yet to achieve any sort of closure with the incident. I empathized with the woman’s plight, but would not bring it up unless she did so first.

“Hello, ladies. How are you both? I apologize for my lateness and am ready to go when both of you are ready… and brief me on what were doing, of course.”
“N’worry about it,” I said, gripping her hand. “Now, si’ down, both of you. I waan t’inform you of our duty.”

I sat back down and reached up to remove my hood, but left the mask in place. I pushed my dark hair out of the cloak and let it settle around my face, and then crossed my legs as I waited for both of them to settle themselves in comfortably. This mission would be impossibly difficult, but I knew both women would trust me and follow me. That was a very important plus. If we failed, both the Hive Queen and the elven queen would have a thing or two to say about my competency, but that wasn’t the worst that could happen. It was vitally important to a great deal of people that we succeeded at this mission.

“D’ya know Relas Salenim?” My response was two blank stares. “I thought not. D’is man is old and blind. E’ryone thinks him dead. But he lives, up in da palace. We muss kill d’is man, and thieve a vital letter. But we muss be secret. We cyaan be seen.” Dellanir had specifically told me that if we were caught by the guards, she could not and would not do a thing to help us. For Echo’s sake, however, I did not mention the elven queen. “You both overstan’ me?”

Words;; 600
Muse;; Well... not awful.
Thoughts;; Jamaican patois = SO HARD to write!

[Tris]

“Hail, daughter. Dyaan be shy, now. Come hyah and si’ down.”
That voice was almost as familiar her own, but even so she walked cautiously up to the lady, she was just about to sit down when another woman joined them. “Hello, ladies. How are you both? I apologize for my lateness and am ready to go when both of you are ready… and brief me on what we’re doing, of course.” Echo shyness got the better of her and when the lady stood up to greet the lady elf, Echo stood behind her trying to be as small as she could. But nether women seemed to notice and the lady said “N’worry about it,” as she took the elf’s hand in hers “Now, si’ down, both of you. I waan t’inform you of our duty.” Echo sat down quickly she could not wait to hear why she was here, the two others sat down a bit more dignified but she could see that the elf was eager as well to find out why she was here. “D’ya know Relas Salenim?” the lady worded it as a question but Echo could tell that she knew they did not, “I thought not. D’is man is old and blind. E’ryone thinks him dead. But he lives, up in da palace. We muss kill d’is man, and thieve a vital letter. But we muss be secret. We cyaan be seen.” Echo felt a thrill go though her she had been doing this sort of work for a long time and she had longed to do something more advanced, but she still had to fight with herself not to ask why they had to kill this man, she had found out in her early years of working for the lady that the less questions she asked was best.“You both overstan’ me?” the lady said, she looked at her elf friend first then at Echo, she gave the lady a slit nod but was not able to meet her eyes.

[Kite]

*Amelia smiles at the young Echo as she steps behind Medusa and sits as Medusa tells both Echo and her to, fairly grateful for the information. She had a general idea, but there wasn’t much to go off of. It had to be fairly serious to warrant two human women in the glorious home of the elves. Echo’s swiftness made Amelia smile slightly. It was amusing, truth be told, but it did reflect her own mood. She was eager to get on with it. Almost as if she read Amelia’s thoughts, Medusa began to speak of a man named Relas Salenim. The beautiful ebony skinned woman’s accent was quick and almost hard to understand, but Amelia was used to it… at least a little. The puzzling thing was this: What about this letter was so important that the courier had to be a disabled man that everyone thought was dead.

That, and why the fuck hadn’t she heard about it, and read its contents?

Amelia shakes her hair out slightly and calms her mind. It was boiling from both the prospect of being pulling a hit and her extreme distaste for such action, and from the prospect that her spies were so incompetent that they knew not of the letter. Although, once she calmed the thoughts that snapped to and fro between the two ideas, she was able to deal with the lack of information on such an event. The lack of information actually gave her a bit of information that backed up the fact that they couldn’t be seen. Of course, there is the reason that humans pulling a hit on an elven messanger, Hive Shrike and her ward or not, would make relations between both countries dissolve fast. That, and the government had to be heavily involved against the Hive in this, due to their harboring of the man and circulating the rumors. Troubling indeed.

She had questions, of course she had questions, but she took a cue from Echo and chose not to voice them at this point, most of them at least. Things would evolve and we would receive more information from Medusa as it was required. It would be foolish of her to lead them all in without one and, besides that, she trusted and respected Medusa. She was wise and trickier than she looked. She had to have been to become a Shrike in her comparatively few years. She braces herself for a moment, and then nods towards the shrike and then asks her question.*

Well then, Medusa, what is your plan? I’m sure it is absolutely brilliant.

*She speaks softly and sincerely, being sure to stress the sincerity of her statement so she wouldn’t take offense. She was intrigued on how they could get into the palace without notice, although Amelia secretly suspected that she might play a large role in that. Just have to wait and see.*

[Emma]

The two women’s reactions had some marked differences.

Echo, despite always working diligently for me, had never seemed happy. Not once had I ever seen her with a smile on her face. Even now, she reacted with obvious joy- she sat up straighter and her eyes widened, obviously eager to begin the mission- but she did not smile. I gazed at her for a few moments, wondering why she was so excited. But then, I supposed I should have expected Echo to grow bored of mere information tasks so soon- they were not up to par with her intelligence, and intelligence wasted away when not constantly challenged. There would be bloodshed on this mission, something I hoped none of us would engage in, but Echo would certainly play her part.

Amelia, meanwhile, reacted with shock and distaste. She said nothing, but had to take a moment to regain control of herself, shaking off the anger. I knew how much she detested violence and more than understood her reasons, so I patiently waited for her to regain her composure. Amelia Vencari would not have become a Lieutenant if she didn’t possess obedience and self-control, but I also cared emphatically for my subordinates. I knew she was against killing- especially since this was a cowardly hit against a dying old man, not an honourable battle- so I would deign to give her a little more information, despite Dellanir wanting me to remain silent. Ignorance could easily lead to defeat.

“Well then, Medusa, what is your plan? I’m sure it is absolutely brilliant.” As I’d expected, there was no hint of anger or sarcasm in her voice. Echo said nothing, preferring to remain silent as she always did.
“D’is Relas Salenim…” I glanced around myself suspiciously. I couldn’t see a soul, but I dropped my voice nonetheless. “Dyaan you dare think him an innocent old man. Him a bad man. He…” I tried to put it as gently as possible. “Years ago, him try to abuse a gal. She fought against him, an’ he killed her. D’is gal’s father loved her, an’ waan him dead. But Salenim, him know some t’ings, bad t’ings. Him too precious to die, so Vänskä hid him. Now Vänskä is dead, an’ Salenim muss die too.” I leaned even closer. “I chose d’is spot, d’is tree, becaa’ of a secret entrance to d’a palace, used by d’a royals. D’is is how we will enter. Hyeh…”

I rose to my feet, beckoning for the two women to follow. Making my way towards the crumbling entrance of the destroyed library, I placed my hand on one fallen branch, carefully moving it out of the way and leaning it against the trunk. The doorway was open, but considerably lower than it had originally been. I had to bend down almost double to make my way inside. My flat-heels causing the ancient wooden floor to creak, I stood to my full height upon entering and gazed around. Fallen and burned shelves made up the entirety of the interior. The elves had long combed through the whole place to locate every scroll and tome worth saving, so there was nothing of interest within.

Soft light fell on the walls from gaps in the tree trunk, casting a golden glow against the polished oak wood. The sun was setting now, and would probably disappear by the time we made it to the palace. I stepped carefully along the floor. If one didn’t know exactly where to look, only an elf of royal blood could ever find the passage entrance. Thankfully, Dellanir had given me the exact location. After about half a minute of searching, I found a knot in the wood of no note- except that it had four slits that could easily fit a slender elven fist. I pushed my hand into this knot. There was a click and a loud scraping noise as a metal slab, painted to look like wood, rolled open. A set of stairs led some ways down, into the darkness of the tunnel.

I looked up at both women. “Any q’estions to ax?”

Words;; 685
Muse;; Quite good. =D
Thoughts;; I've got the hang of Medusa's accent now! YAY FOR ME!