The Twofold Houses 5: Rebuilding

[Shadowcaller]

Cessie's Lab

While the mage manages to look as calm and collected as usual, her eyes suddenly widens when Jezebel was starting to whisper in her ear.
Then a involuntary shudder suddenly goes through her body and she coughs. "I apologize for that, just got... chilly all of sudden."

As Ambrosias tome seem to be taking especially extensive notes when the sorceress shuddered, she shoots it a glare while Jezebel is explaining.

"The warp is very much like the waking realm, dangerous and capricious. Only a will of true iron can endure it for long or be lost in the deeper parts below." The scholar remarks as she accepts the glove to study. "I don't think I need to warn you however."

Cessie takes the moment Ambrosia is looking at the glove to exchange a meaningful glance at her girlfriend, or whatever she could even call Jezebel now, mouthing 'easy now' to her. Then she speaks. "Yes, let's." A beat. "What would that involve exactly? The same procedure? Since I can't really take off my robes."

[Gullara]

[Sword Training]

Cora grins and runs back to where she was sitting and grabs her training sword. "Ready!" She says before even positioning her sword, but she does so right after. She's practically vibrating.

[Morty]

[Sword Training]

"Alright, Cora. Very good." Wenomir paces a little around the girl. "The important thing is that you can't just swing your sword around every which way. You need to swing it in the right place and with just enough energy. Have you seen your cook crack eggs?"

[Murkus]

[Return from Riverside]

The kids are a sullen, scared looking lot when Adir peeks his head in. The first to notice him is Lucy. "Daaaddy!" She runs over to him, tears streaming down her face. She latches onto his leg and buries her face against him. It's only moments before the rest of the kids stream over. Adir's going to be surrounded.

[Return from Riverside]

"Oh, come on now, what's all this?" Adir drops to one knee to receive the kiddie-tide, scooping up Lucy promptly as he can and hugging her close. He only sets her down so they can look at each other, stitching his eyebrows together with concern. "Why all these sour faces? What'sa matter, huh?"

Laurana and Cassandra just echo Lucy's sentiment, positively bawling, though the latter of the little girls can't quite fit into the circle around Adir and instead clings to mommy's dress for dear life. She looks at Adir's bandages and then up at her mother. "Is daddy ok?" She manages to squeak through her sniffles.

Gwydion, perceptive beyond his years, scoots around to reach up and take Sakura's hand in both of his as soon as there's a spare moment. "Are you ok, mommy?"

[UncleWolf]

Cessie's Forge

"You could, but I understand why you won't. I could always make the cloth if you'd rather take it to a professional seamstress to manage an outfit." Jezebel reasons. It's pretty obvious which way she'd prefer, but Cessie had asked her to hold back. For now. "Give the gloves a try at least. See if you can summon flame through them."

She discards her robe then, casting it off into nothing before holding out her arms towards her treated clay. It flows to her through the air, covering her arms, chest, back and even her face in segments. It seems ill fitting for her current form, but it would fit her normal body perfectly. "You're right, Ambrosia. The Warp is indeed such a place, but it isn't just a matter of having an iron will. It is a matter of having a purpose. With both, you can guide it." She explains before beckoning the Warp-fire in the forge. It too flows out, wrapping around the woman in a blaze, but she doesn't seem afraid in the least.

[Morty]

[Adir's Dream]

The night after Adir has returned from Vigil after asking Wenomir for help in freeing Ilpholin, his dreams will take a strange turn. Instead of whatever he might be normally dreaming about, he'll find himself in a thick, dark wood, amidst ruins. There were stones here, arranged in arches and a half-circle, but they lie cracked and toppled now. The trees one growing around them have spread every which way and wherever the trees didn't get to, weeds took the space. There's a hint of markings on the ground, but time and vegetation have worn them down to nothing. There's a faint, greyish light despite no sun, moon or stars appearing on the overcast sky.

In the front of the area there's a shattered stone slab that used to be a table once. Over it stands a tall, lanky figure draped in a black cloak, a rat's skull with antlers atop its shoulders. Seems Adir has been invited to the court of the King in Rags... such as it is. The King regards him silently, as if waiting for him to speak.

[Shadowcaller]

Cessie's Forge

That does not come too much of a surprise to Cessie who hurriedly turns around as Jezebel is suddenly naked, well partly naked but the sorceress wasn't taking any chances with Jezebel due to the fact she was different than anyone else when it came to nakedness.
Ambrosia doesn't even raise an eyebrow however. This seemed practical.
She nods. "Indeed, a will need a purpose or even the strongest of wills will waver, remember what and who you are doing this for and it will fuel your powers."
Cessie seems to be unwilling to look back at Jezebel, and judging by the way Ambrosia spoke, nothing concerning was happening despite the fire she could see the light of.

[Gullara]

[Return from Riverside]

Sakura scoops Cassie up in one arm and gives her a kiss on the cheek. "Daddy's gonna be just fine, sweetie." She looks down at Gwydion and smiles. "I'm gonna be okay too." She closes her hand over his.

"You're hurt." Cern's tone is almost accusatory. He sniffles and squeezes Adir tightly. Lucy's crying isn't done yet either, and the cloud hanging over them hasn't been dispelled yet.

"Did bad people hurt you, daddy?" Laela asks very seriously. "Like the ones that burned our house."

[Sword Training]

"Mmmm..." Cora thinks about it for a second. Mommy always says not to go in the kitchen when food's being made... but she did anyway. "Yup." She nods.

[Morty]

[Sword Training]

Wenomir nods.

"And you've seen that they don't just smash the egg open, but they crack it in the right place. It's the same in sword-fighting. If you just try to hit hard, you won't get anywhere. Same as you'll just make a big mess if you smash eggs open. Now, Koshal." Wenomir turns to his other student. "Assume an ox-guard so we can show Cora how to properly hit around it."

[Deathkeeper]

[Sword Training]

Koshal nods and stands up. Taking the practice sword again in his hand, he raises it into an ox guard, looking down at Cora.
Should he kneel down or something so he isn’t towering over her? He’s not sure he should ask; it might hurt her feelings. He’ll leave it to Wenomir’s expertise.

[Morty]

[Sword Training]

Wenomir raises his own sword and uses it to perform an upwards cut, stopping just below Koshal's ribcage. He moves very slowly so Cora can see what it looks like. He repeats it a few times.

"Kneel down so Cora can try, Koshal."

[Murkus]

[Adir's Dream]

The night after Adir has returned from Vigil after asking Wenomir for help in freeing Ilpholin, his dreams will take a strange turn. Instead of whatever he might be normally dreaming about, he'll find himself in a thick, dark wood, amidst ruins. There were stones here, arranged in arches and a half-circle, but they lie cracked and toppled now. The trees one growing around them have spread every which way and wherever the trees didn't get to, weeds took the space. There's a hint of markings on the ground, but time and vegetation have worn them down to nothing. There's a faint, greyish light despite no sun, moon or stars appearing on the overcast sky.

In the front of the area there's a shattered stone slab that used to be a table once. Over it stands a tall, lanky figure draped in a black cloak, a rat's skull with antlers atop its shoulders. Seems Adir has been invited to the court of the King in Rags... such as it is. The King regards him silently, as if waiting for him to speak.

[Adir's Dream]

Adir sits up from a spot on the dark grass. In his dreams, he is stout but smaller, still of human height. Tattoos run not just along his arm but over his whole body, crawling like veins... or roots. His eyes flash plain brown, but there are slivers of icy blue peeking through that mud.

"...Well I guess if I was gonna visit somebody who wants to kill me, this'd be the best way," he decides. He scrunches up his face and sort of... points at his head. "Really? You had to... had to copy me like that? I mean hey, if you're trying to flatter a guy..."

[Return from Riverside]

Sakura scoops Cassie up in one arm and gives her a kiss on the cheek. "Daddy's gonna be just fine, sweetie." She looks down at Gwydion and smiles. "I'm gonna be okay too." She closes her hand over his.

"You're hurt." Cern's tone is almost accusatory. He sniffles and squeezes Adir tightly. Lucy's crying isn't done yet either, and the cloud hanging over them hasn't been dispelled yet.

"Did bad people hurt you, daddy?" Laela asks very seriously. "Like the ones that burned our house."

[Return from Riverside]

Gwydion seems satisfied with that answer, at least for now. Poor Cassie is just bawling into mommy's dress, unable as-of-yet to get herself under control. Adir will trail his hand up and let the poor tyke grab at his fingers to let her know he's there.

With the others, he just wraps his arm around every one of them in one big hug. "I'm sorry I scared you like that, Cern," he says, muffled, his face squidged by needy children.

"Um, yeah, Laela," he admits. "Exactly like those ones. It's part of why I had to fight them. And they were gonna hurt your Auntie Cessie and her friend Jezebel."

[UncleWolf]

Cessie's Forge

Jezebel is quiet for a couple minutes, but she doesn't seem to be in pain at all. Instead she's concentrating, shaping and forging the armor to her body and soul. After those minutes, the warp-fire fades, leaving her encased in glossy black ceramic armor. Where it hadn't fit her before, it does now. There's an argument to be made that the armor was wholly impractical as it seemed to cling to every curve and shape of her currently transformed body, but it also seemed to flow and move to allow better mobility and protection where she needed it. It was glossy enough to allow Cessie and Ambrosia to see their reflections in the surface and could be confused for oil or latex if one did not know better. "You can look now, dear." She says, sounding a bit amused as she reaches up to remove a smooth featureless black mask from her face. When she sets it down on the counter, it shifts from glossy black to shining silver. The physical properties solidify as well, turning to true armor rather than an exaggerated magical facsimile of one.

[Morty]

[Adir's Dream]

"You want to kill me?" The King sounds mildly surprised, as if Adir had told him he's getting a new car. "You need not feel flattered though, antlered hunter. This is the only form I currently have." The lord of the faerie moves closed, sliding over the rubble and roots with effortless ease. "Whatever I may have done to earn your enmity will have to wait, if you want to save the warrior-nymph, Ilpholin."

[Shadowcaller]

Cessie's Forge

Ambrosia has no further comments during the process, though her pen never stops moving across her tome, now actually appearing to be sketching something rather than writing.

Cessie on the other hand stubbornly remains turned away from Jezebel during the whole process. Only turning around when the former daemon declares it to be okay.
She wasn't sure what to expect, but reaction is nonetheless the same. Her eyes widens and she is left just staring at Jezebel for a moment.

"That's very impressive, Jezebel." She finally comments. "To put it mildly... But was there anything that inspired that particular design or did you just decide on it?" She couldn't help but to wonder how Jezebel would go about designing her armor however.

[Gullara]

[Return from Riverside]

"You beat them, right? They can't hurt anyone now?" Laela asks, still very serious. She remembers best out of all her siblings how scary that was...

"Yeah! Daddy is the strongest!" Cern says confidently.

[Sword Training]

"I can do that!" Cora is quite sure of her abilities. She holds her sword in the starting position just fine, but she tries to go way too fast immediately. Thankfully for Koshal, a little girl swinging a training sword is unlikely to be dangerous.

[UncleWolf]

Cessie's Forge

"I wanted something amorphous to a degree. Shifting to keep mobility but still capable of actually protecting me where I need it to. I favor heavier armors and much of those have too many openings in the joints that can be exploited." She explains as she reaches to her forearm and grips the armor, pulling it away. The piece she pulls off quickly turns into a hardened gauntlet that should fit to Jezebel's elbow with ease whenever she's back to being a "normal" human again. "But I did not imagine this, no. Perhaps The Warp simply took it to the extreme, and with luck it should be easy to manage when I am no longer riding this wave of power." She looks at her other arm, concentrating for a moment to force the black armor to solidify. Instead of continuing to look like crude oil, it shifts to hard obsidian laced with gold veins that pulse.

When she relaxes, it shifts back and she quirks an eyebrow. "This will take getting used to if it acts like this when I am back to normal. But with this done and your bolt of armored cloth made...what now?" She asks as she begins removing the rest of the armor piece by piece. "I know I have consumed a fair amount of the Aether, but there's plenty left."

[Shadowcaller]

Cessie's Forge

"That's interesting." Cessie glances at the tome again, now glad it was writing all this down. "But, ah, a weapon perhaps? To go with the armor I mean."

"Didn't you suggest to make a armor for Lady Mithar as well?" Ambrosia brings up. "You mentioned you wanted one, correct?" She gestures at the mage.

"Well, yes, but it might prove impractical as I can't actually gain a armor the same as Jezebel just did. I could just go and get my measurements though." Though Jezebel might have a good idea of them at this point... "Or... she could armor one of my elementals. They have the same measurements as me."

[Murkus]

[Adir's Dream]

"You're bad news, according to a reputable source. I'd settle for you leaving the Nexus alone, though. No iron spike in the head required," says Adir, pulling himself to his feet with a grunt. "...What did you say?"

The stag's ears fold back hard against his head, and he drops his hands to his sides in a wary sort of stance. "Oh, no. You don't do things out of the kindness of your... 'heart', I'm guessing. Oh, no, Ilphy..." Adir rubs his forehead. "She's one of the people you made a deal with, isn't she? And you can't collect whatever it is you're owed if she's a head on AMEN's wall."

[Return from Riverside]

"I-I really, absolutely wish it was that simple, baby," Adir says with a sad little sigh, giving Laela his best smile regardless. "I don't think I'm done beating them up just yet."

"Is everyone okay? It's okay to ask more questions," the stag tells them... and pauses. "...How much sleep did you all get last night?"

[Morty]

[Adir's Dream]

"How perceptive of you, hunter," the King in Rags says, then pauses for a brief moment. He realizes that telling the truth might make Adir trust him slightly more, and continues. "But you're not quite correct. Ilpholin and I are bound by a pledge, that is true. And my part of it involves rescuing her. A Lord of the Faerie is true to his word, as you well know."

[Sword Training]

"A good start, but you need to go slower, Cora," Wenomir says. "Start slow and make sure it's just right. Then you'll start going faster once you've learned. It's like reading. You've started out reading slowly, letter by letter, then you learned how to do it faster."

[Murkus]

[Adir's Dream]

"My dad has rules like that, sure, but don't compare yourself to him," the stag tells the creature. "What did you do, contact her after she got captured? Taking advantage of desperate people is just your thing, I guess."

He holds his right hand out and makes a 'come on' gesture. "Explain to me the terms of this pledge."

[Morty]

[Adir's Dream]

The King in Rags advances a little, the branches on his back spreading wider in a threatening gesture. Seems Adir has actually made the unflappable old lord angry. The dim light grows slightly dimmer and a cold breeze rustles the dead trees.

"Watch your words and accusations, antlered one. We made our pledge well before the battle of Riverside. She was to wear my mark as she brought the fight to the demons. In return I would help her in the fight. Now that she's captured, I will fulfil my pledge by helping free her. With or without your involvement."

[UncleWolf]

Cessie's Forge

The "Daemon" frowns as she considers her options, staring at the bolt of armored cloth as it weaves itself in front of her. Eventually she shakes her head. "No, I think I will finish this here. At least the armor part." She decides, flicking her hand towards the workbench to send the rest of her own armor off of her body so it can rest in pieces upon the work surface. She stands naked before them once more, but only for a moment before beckoning towards the flames of the forge and calling for the flame to slowly whirl around her form.

"Let's finish this together." She says, offering a smile to Cessie before slipping around behind the mage, taking her hands within her own as she does so. The flames wreathed around Jezebel die down, becoming a violet smolder. The crown of horn atop Jezebel's head crackles with energy, but she closes her eyes and wraps her arms around the mage from behind. As she still holds Cessie's hands, it should result in the mage's arms being cross over her chest and resting on her own shoulders. "Close your eyes. Relax and lean back against me." Jezebel says, lowering her voice as she presses herself against Cessie's back. "Relax, ease your mind, let your power out and my warmth to flow in."

Should Cessie do so, she'll feel the warmth of Jezebel's body and the warp-fire flow into her, soothing and relaxing, carrying the emotions and desires of Jezebel with them. She'll feel the barely contained lust simmering beneath her surface, the firm respect she had for the mage, the heat of adoration, and the gentle grip of protectiveness. The shield "wings" covering the outside of Jezebel's arms extend, covering a bit more of Cessie as the warp-fire grows to envelop them both.

Despite the threat of Chaos and the tumultuous nature of The Warp, Jezebel's control over it serves well to temper the primordial essence of her home dimension. The cultist was using her own connection to The Warp to act as a filter, protecting them both as she draws the extra materials close to both of them. Do not worry. I am still very much present. Jezebel's voice whispers into Cessie's mind. Her thoughts and desires will roam over Cessie, feeling like a dozen caressing and soothing hands as she uses her borrowed power to accomplish her task. The phantom sensation of Jezebel's lips on her own are met with the feel of her whispering into Cessie's ear. Cessie, my beloved. I will be your shield and guardian. Your bulwark and support. Know that whatever path you choose I will gladly be at your side. Let me be the armor above your breast, the sword and shield to your power, and let me help share your burdens. The real physical sensation of Jezebel's arms around her will tighten gently, pulling the mage close and hugging her a little tighter, as if to comfort and reassure her with a promise.

Apart from Jezebel's emotions and presence, Cessie will feel as if she is floating for a few lingering moments, carried by the tempered currents of the Warp while held in Jezebel's embrace. Gently, slowly, she'll feel her senses return more to reality, as if she never left. "You can open your eyes now." Jezebel says, her voice whispered directly into Cessie's ear as the phantom emotions and sensations fade. The mage will find her clothing changed completely, fitted to her body and reforged by Aether and Warp both.

Spoiler: Ambrosia

Show

Of course, what Ambrosia sees isn't exactly normal even if she only hears Jezebel tell Cessie to relax. When the fire envelops the pair, it shifts from violet-red to dull orange and back again as it slowly rotated and undulated around the two. Should Cessie allow herself to be carried away mentally, Ambrosia will see the pair standing there for nearly a full half-hour as armor plating and ready-to-enchanted protective cloth is woven into an armored battle robe right on Cessie's body. The unenchanted attire she'd been wearing before is cannibalized, but slowly as to always provide the mage with adequate cover. Curiously, though perhaps understandably, she'll even see the metal wings Jezebel wrapped over Cessie's chest seem to shift and melt a bit as pieces shift and realign, splintering off to form a very fine set of chain and plate protection around Cessie's neck and shoulders and upper chest alongside the adamantine and wraith-bone.

When the half hour passes, Jezebel returns to true consciousness and the fires fade to bring time, space, and sensation back to normal.

[Shadowcaller]

Cessie's Forge

Cessie raises her eyebrow skeptically as Jezebel once again decides to do the whole cloth switching. Well, at least she knew better than to do this normally.
"Right, what exactly am I supposed to-" Cessie starts when Jezebel suddenly slips around her which makes her stop mid-sentence as she can feel the all too familiar touch of the former daemon. "...o-okay?" She had not been warned of this, how was she supposed to relax when she was caught completely unprepared?
Relaxing was really not her thing as it meant giving up control and if she was willing something into existence, then why was she supposed to ease her mind?

Still, she tries. What else could she do? Even if she didn't fully understand it, she simply had to trust that Jezebel, even drugged up as she was, knew what she was doing.
But this was quickly getting far too intimate, making her wish they had been alone while doing this. Leaning back against Jezebel, feeling all those emotions, was hardly the best way to keep focused. But Cessie had hestopian mage-training, to control her emotions was something she had taught since childhood.

The sorceress was never perfectly clear on what was going on, Jezebel's explanation had been brief at best, but she knew enough about shaping and bending things to her will to design something. If she had knew about this earlier she would have made some plans but what she occasionally imagined a good design would be like would have to do.
I don't need to be comforted, Jezebel. If I didn't trust you completely by now, we wouldn't be here together. I know you will do what it takes, you always do. She replies, mental conversations not being odd to her in the least.
Phantom hands roaming over her body though, that was something quite different. If Jezebel had intended it to be comforting, Cessie is just feeling overwhelmed by it. Her whole body shudders as Jezebel hugs her tight, the whole experience suddenly feeling oddly erotic. So much so that an reply doesn't come to her right away. At the same time she had to focus on the task at hand, not thinking up a reply.

As Jezebel finally tells her to open her eyes, she does so with a loud gasp, her face flushed and her breathing heavy.

Ambrosia who has been quietly observing the whole thing gives the two a curious look as they reemerge. Looking from Cessie to Jezebel, she speaks. "Should I leave you two alone for a moment? It looks like you might need it." A beat. "To recover."

[Murkus]

[Adir's Dream]

The King in Rags advances a little, the branches on his back spreading wider in a threatening gesture. Seems Adir has actually made the unflappable old lord angry. The dim light grows slightly dimmer and a cold breeze rustles the dead trees.

"Watch your words and accusations, antlered one. We made our pledge well before the battle of Riverside. She was to wear my mark as she brought the fight to the demons. In return I would help her in the fight. Now that she's captured, I will fulfil my pledge by helping free her. With or without your involvement."

[Adir's Dream]

Adir's face twists into a defiant scowl. "Or what?" He snarls, raising his fists. "I'll say what I please in my own dream, you ridiculous looking thing! Did you happen to see what showed up to tustle at Riverside? The things the rest of us were killing while you schemed? And you think I'll cower for some cheap special effects?" Adir drops into his father's tongue. "<Scarecrow King!> Come on and try if you like! Don't make scary faces for me!"

"If you'd have me do your dirty work, tell me what you can do to help me. We are not talking deals and bargains. You are giving me something useful or I am gonna see if you break into kindling when I hit you hard enough."

[Morty]

[Adir's Dream]

The King in Rags stops cold in his tracks. His form shimmers and blurs... it becomes more real, but in doing so, it's clear that it isn't real at all. It's just a shell and a puppet for a will that coalesced out of the primordial Wyrd aeons ago and for whom "King in Rags" is just one of many names. The cold breeze turns to be a faint breath from somewhere else and faint images flash around the King's form. Landscapes, forms, scenes of a lost time.

"How bold of you, hunter, to demand such of a Lord. I remember having ones like you at my side, so long ago, but they couldn't save me from betrayal. When you enter the lair of the demons' slaves, I will confuse their minds and have them chase at shadows and figments of their imagination while you slip by to rescue the warrior-nymph."

[UncleWolf]

Cessie's Forge

Jezebel stops the sensation of hands roaming Cessie when asked to do so, settling for simply holding and embracing her from behind for the duration. When it is all finished, she smiles and slips around to Cessie's front, lifting one of the mage's hands up to kiss her knuckles gently. "You look positively regal. How does it feel?" She proclaims before glancing towards Ambrosia and inclining her head slightly. "Please do. I only have a little power left and once it is gone I should revert back. I'm not going to use it on anything nearly so flashy as that was." She explains. "I hope all of this allowed you to discover something new."

[Murkus]

[Adir's Dream]

The King in Rags stops cold in his tracks. His form shimmers and blurs... it becomes more real, but in doing so, it's clear that it isn't real at all. It's just a shell and a puppet for a will that coalesced out of the primordial Wyrd aeons ago and for whom "King in Rags" is just one of many names. The cold breeze turns to be a faint breath from somewhere else and faint images flash around the King's form. Landscapes, forms, scenes of a lost time.

"How bold of you, hunter, to demand such of a Lord. I remember having ones like you at my side, so long ago, but they couldn't save me from betrayal. When you enter the lair of the demons' slaves, I will confuse their minds and have them chase at shadows and figments of their imagination while you slip by to rescue the warrior-nymph."

[Adir's Dream]

Okay now, that was downright spooky, but Adir won't let it show. He lowers his fists. There is a pause as he considers. "...How do I know I can count on this any more than, I don't know, a meteor falling on AMEN? Could be you've already warned AMEN and someone there is in your pocket instead of Ilpholin." He eyes the King. "If your word is still a thing you keep, give it to me now."

[Shadowcaller]

Cessie's Forge

Cessie blinks as the other two are both addressing her at once. "I... probably need a moment to sit down." She remarks and the scholar seems to take this as a "yes". "Yes, thank you, lady Tel'vree." She makes a short bow and promptly leaves with her tome in tow.

Judging by her expression, that had not been the sorceress intended meaning. Yet as Ambrosia closes the door behind her Cessie does what she said she needed and sits down. "And to answer your question... a mix of worn and elevated. It's difficult to describe."

[Morty]

[Adir's Dream]

The King's form sharpens a bit and the images of the Fairest of Lands fade. But there's still an eerie, unreal air to him and the dream.

"As the immortal Wyrd is my witness, I give you my word as the Lord of the Faerie, little winter-blooded hunter. I have made a pledge with Ilpholin the warrior-nymph and I will see it fulfilled." His eyes gleam with a pale blue light. "I would not consider making a pledge with any of the writhing grubs in AMEN. The demons' leash holds them too tight to add bonds of my own. And they would never honor a pledge, even to me."