tushanshu_logs | I'm Not Calling You a Liar (March Catch All)

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I'm Not Calling You a Liar (March Catch All)

Characters: Valdis and Open
Date: The Month of March
Location: Keeliai and Hatal
Situation:Various
Warnings/Rating: Plot Stuff and In Headers

February found Valdis recovering from her untimely, and inconvenient, death. The month was mostly uneventful, except for the Truth Compulsion caused by the small crystals. The lucky, or unlucky in the opinion of some, event led to some fascinating new information concerning the man called Dardul and his relation to Tu Yunxu. Valdis used the opportunity to glean as much information as she could from both the leader of the Snakes and Xuiyu of the Metalworkers.

As for March, the Jagaiz rings were soon avoided by the Hellhound, the arrival of the Chihuahuas spoiling her ability to enjoy the battles. Thus she was led to other pursuits and has been spending time speaking with many of the gang leaders and can be seen training late at the dojo with several of her more advanced students. Piquing interest in the Xuntane, was the odd party thrown by the Sabonile. Though she didn’t attend the party, she had heard plenty and decided to investigate further when she had time. Valdis also spent time caring for Dardul, sometimes fussing over her somewhat nervous charge, bringing him food from various places and making sure that he had plenty of books and things to do.

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It took some time before Dardul agreed to allow her to walk inside his soul. Valdis knew that he must remember something of their last encounter for him to be so wary of her, which was why she had explained and asked multiple times for the opportunity to find out more about him. When he finally said yes, it was with the condition that Milyn be present. Valdis’ unease at having the kedan woman there was well hidden and she moved with confidence, explaining once more to Dardul exactly what she was doing, before opening the pathway and wandering into his soul.

She walked through many happy memories. His times with his family, his relationship with Yunxu, unsurprising but now confirmed. The then young Yunxu had been filled with joy once and Valdis began to think that whatever had happened to twist and ruin Enon’s mind and soul hadn’t just broken him, but Yunxu as well.

She moved on, growing increasingly upset as she flowed though the last coherent memories she could find. She bristled and returned back along the path she had opened. Valdis’ eye were a bright red when she opened them and settled her gaze on Milyn. She remained calm, squashing the anger that had risen and incredibly thankful that they were in the Hotel.

“Dardul?” she asked, her voice steady, but cold, “Can you please give Milyn and I the room?”

She waited until he did as she asked, frowing at Milyn when she asked him to stay in the Hotel for safety reasons. Valdis would have asked the same, but her distrust of Milyn had increased exponentially. Once the confused kedan had shut the door and his footsteps had faded, Valdis allowed herself to relax a bit, letting the red fade from her eyes, contrary to how she might have reacted just a month or two ago.

“When did you stop working for Malicant, Milyn.”

Edited 2016-03-14 15:12 (UTC)

Valdis’ interest in the Xuntane had increased when she had heard about the Sabonile’s party. In her opinion, the idea that a glowing rock could be a goddess was ridiculous, but the stone did seem to possess a peculiar power. It didn’t have a soul, she would have sensed that as she drew near the Artery level, but there was something about it that made her wonder if it was really more than just a stone. If so, she would have to tread carefully. After all, some stones eld powers, like the stone they had used to defeat Malicant.

“Excuse me,” She said to the one who seemed to be in charge, “Are you Charako?”

Edited 2016-03-14 20:07 (UTC)

Valdis was immensely curious over the rumors she had heard regarding Pepper and a potential government. She had trained armies, led battles and, of course, she taught at the Dojo and every government needed a police force. The Snakes didn’t fit that description, they didn’t answer to any government laws, only to a broken and bitter man. With her students and her blossoming gang connections, Valdis believed she could do something about a police force. Hence she was at Pepper’s house, knocking on the door to make the offer.

Edited 2016-03-14 15:16 (UTC)

It was a particularly good day at the Dojo. Valdis’ three most advanced students had shown up for extra practice and she was thrilled by their newfound dedication. One of them wanted to test their skill in the rings and she supported him whole-heartedly, showing him a few tricks he could use to throw off his opponent before leaving them to test each other and discuss among themselves how best to approach a fight.

She noticed Gene watching them and wandered over, not having really spoken with him since before Tony had apologized to her, in fact, they hadn’t at all addressed the explosion. She was beyond that though and had other matters on her mind.

“Have you spoken to Pepper lately?”

Valdis was aware of Skulduggery’s disappearance, but it wasn’t until Erskine had mentioned it on the network that she actively realized that she couldn’t sense him anywhere. She wasn’t particularlly put out by the Skeleton’s disappearance, but Erskine, it seemed, was quite upset. So when she sensed his essence drawing near, feeling his gloom, she went to the door and opened it.

“Erskine,” she called softly to his back, “If you need to talk…”

Having watched Dardul go worriedly, but satisfied that he would indeed stay safely in the Hotel, Milyn took a seat in one of the chairs.

"Don't be silly," she laughed, shaking her head. "I have never. In any case, working for implies one is being paid, and that wasn't the case. Although I suppose that statement doesn't qualify apprenticeships or internships, but then you're being paid in experience, so you'd really need to classify how you're considering paid as a term."

Valdis lifted a brow. Milyn's rambling had once been somewhat endearing, but not now and not about this.

"So you volunteered your time to his followers," she concluded, perhaps unfairly, "And spent your time creating drugs such as Dust. Did you have a hand in Lucid as well?" The memories hadn't been incredibly clear, but Valdis could always make things up. "And Enon didn't approve of your experiments, did he? Is that why Malicant crushed him?"

Now that she thought about it, the state of Enon's soul could be explained by Malicant's power. After all, the demon had killed Evandau without leaving a physical trace, perhaps Malicant had tried the same with Enon, but had failed.

"I did work with some of them," Milyn dipped her head in acknowledgement. "Daseng, in particular, is a truly brilliant alchemist, and I learned a great deal from him. Dust was... a good idea with poor execution, though such is the nature of all first discoveries! Honestly, no one gets things right on the first try. But it did provide some really extraordinary breakthroughs, in the end. And yes, it did help provide the initial base for Lucid, although I never had a hand in that one's finished form."

The Healer shakes her head at the latter accusation though. "I don't know why you think that has anything to do with Enon, though. Why are you bringing him up now?"

"You worked with Daseng, the one who murdered his own daughter in Malicant's name."

Valdis was in control enough to not show any of the shock that she felt. Milyn seemed as if she had no regrets for what she had done, for the people who had been hurt by the drug she had created or by the people she had worked for. Red slowly bled back into her eyes, not out of fury, but purposeful, with the intent of seeming angry without setting off Anton's wards. In addition, she allowed the shadows in the room to visibly darken with the influence of the Void for a brief moment and then the room lightened again as it faded.

"Dardul," Valdis said, her voice even, "Is Enon."

Valdis' statement made Milyn laugh again. "Oh, Daseng wouldn't do that," she said. "No, that wouldn't have been productive at all, I don't think. I met her a few times when she was very small, you know! Gave her some of the usual vaccinations, poor girl was very prone to vein infections, that's actually quite common for kedan who develop shapeshifting ability quite young, but she had it worse than most."

She glanced around at the way the room seemed to darken, but otherwise displayed no concern for herself Valdis' reaction. She was familiar with the hellhound's temper, but there was no reason for it to be directed at her; Milyn was here to help the Foreigners.

"Dardul is Dardul," she answered. "Enon has been dead quite a long time, my dear, such the pity that it is."

Valdis sighed, "Unlike people, Milyn, the soul cannot lie. The man you know as Dardul, he has the soul and memories of your apprentice. The apprentice that disapproved of your questionable ethics."

The room darkened again, and this time, it did not brighten. Valdis crossed her legs and sat back, appearing completely calm as she began to shut down her emotions, one by one, to avoid alerting Anton that anything was amiss.

"Do you even regret the damage your 'research' did to your people? Dust made people ill, Lucid damages the mind. The Taint almost drove several of us insane. How can you sit there and call yourself our ally when you willingly worked with Malicant's worshippers. You remember Malicant, correct? The World Devouring Demon who attempted to destroy Tu Vishan, killed five of the turtle hatchlings and tred to gain access to our worlds so he could destroy them too?"

Her voice lacked the venom that might have normally filled it, lacked the anger that she probably should have been feeling, but unless she wanted to lose control, shutting down was the best option for now.

"Oh, I don't think that's true at all," the Healer answered, leaning over to pat Valdis kindly on the arm. "I'm not into much magic, that was always Eva's area, but I don't think souls tell the whole story at all! Aren't you, yourself, living proof of that?"

"Of course I remember Malicant, don't take me for a fool, dear. But Dust was the first time that a lot of kedan had ever really felt something, and that's what inspired Lucid in turn. You don't know how awful it was, looking at all the people around you and knowing they weren't supposed to be so... dim. It's one thing to know it academically, but quite another when it's your friends and your family, and that the only people in charge, the rulers and protectors, didn't care it had happened."

She sits back, folding her arms across her chest. "I've done nothing but help all of you, Valdis. You wouldn't be so cold as to blame me for trying to help my own people as well. You're not like that."

Valdis frowned, not moving, barely even breathing, when Milyn touched her. The woman still seemed so innocent. In her mind, her actions were justified, because she had been helping her people. Valdis had seen this before. People so involved in the science that morals were forgotten. The cost of scientifc progression was paid without notice and people lost their humanity and became monsters. This woman might not have been human, but she had fallen victim to her own intelligence and eagerness to learn.

"On the contrary," she replied, "My soul holds a story that the Void doesn't want told, but even in it's current state, it still speaks to those who can hear it." Valdis tipped her head, "There are some that claim it doesn't belong to me, because my kind do not possess souls."

She stood up and crossed to the window, closing the curtains so that it became even darker.

"I know better," she continued, turning to face Milyn, "A soul cannot bond to an incompatible body. A soul cannot be held by anything but the most powerful of dark magicks."

A low hissing and the distant sound of a scaled body slithering across the ground filled the room.

"If what you say is true," Valdis walked back to her seat and sank into it, her eyes glowing in the darkness, "And Enon truly is dead, then a very powerful and dark magic has bound Enon's soul to another body. The only being I know of who could be strong enough to do that, would be Malicant."

Her voice softened and she added a hint of regret despite feeling very little. "I don't blame you for wanting to help your people, and your lack of morality concerning the matter is suspect." She paused, visibly showing the signs of hesitation, then understanding, "But...sometimes things feel as if you can't make a difference unless you break a few rules, no matter how important those rules might be..."

Charako is a shorter Muin woman with dark skin and a shock of lime-green hair that matches her eye colour, making her part of the "chromatically correct" segment of Muin. She wears a practical Dexedi foreman's uniform, which easily identifies her among the other workers on the level.

She smiles at Valdis, nodding. "That'd be me, how can I help you?"

The darkness might not have startled Milyn, but the sense of hissing and scales certainly made her gaze move around the room, seeking its source. "I do believe you're letting something out, dear," she chided gently.

"What happened to Enon was a terrible, tragic waste. He was my only apprentice, you know. The Guild refused to let me take any formal pupils, because I'd disobeyed them by not adhering to their rules, absurd as they were. They wouldn't even revoke that decision after I earned the Cherrywood title, but Enon didn't care. I do miss him, you know."

"But morality is always a grey thing, Valdis. You had me play a ruse to get what you wanted from Yunxu before, so I know you understand that."

"How does someone renounced by the Healer's Guild become Cherrywood Healer?" Valdis lifted a brow and sighed, rolling her eyes slightly, "I swear, the more I hear about Eshai and her reign, the more I question how she stayed in power for so long."

The slithering stopped, and Valdis tipped her head as she listened to Milyn. The woman was clearly delusional, but she had a point, however flawed, about that incident. Unfortunately, her absolute concerning morality didn't hold up to Valdis' own experiences, but she didn't think she could convince Milyn of that, so she simply inclined her head,

"Perhaps." There was no use arguing with the woman, so now it was pure information that Valdis was after, and she was perfectly willing to opperate within the grey to do so. "Tell me, are you still offering Daseng your sevices?"

Because if so, Milyn probably knew where he was and also what he was doing with the soul gems.

Edited (spelling) 2016-03-16 02:31 (UTC)

Valdis smiled back. The variety of races on Konryu never ceased to amaze her. All the colors, shapes and sizes were incredible.

"I have a few questions about the Xuntane." She looked around at all the other workers, "Do you have some time?"

He wasn't sure why he was so upset about Skulduggery leaving. They weren't friends, not anymore. They weren't the men who, a couple of short years ago, had finished each others' sentences, two peas in a pod. At best they were actively tolerating each other these days--or had been. Now it was just Anton and Erskine.

Maybe that was it. Maybe if Skulduggery could disappear (don't think about what he's going back to, don't think about what you did) then Anton could too. And then where would Erskine be?

But there were still a few chores to do around the Hotel. It was nothing he couldn't put off until tomorrow, especially if Anton knew why he hadn't finished them, but they would keep him occupied. Keep him from running back to the bedroom and the Echo Stone for another hour or so, to get lost for the rest of the night until Anton was done with his work.

The voice came as a surprise. Erskine turned; the look he gave Valdis was almost perplexed. "I...." Did he want to talk? Maybe not about Skulduggery, but.... "Are you busy?"

The knock at the door is a surprise; Pepper isn't expecting anyone and Tony and Gene didn't make mention of guests either. Regardless, she's at the entryway in short order, and smiles when she sees Valdis.

"Hey! C'mon in," she offers, opening the door wider. "What's up?"

She smiled, mostly to counter Erskine's anxiety and sadness. "Even if I was, I'd make time for you."

Valdis wouldn't have offered if she was busy, but work was over for the day and she could set aside her own thoughts in order to listen to those of her friend. She could empathize perhaps more than he might think. She had lost both the man she loved and her closest friend, before Erskine, to the nature of the spell that had originally brought them here. She knew the pain and the fear that more might leave her behind.

"You can come in," she continued, "No one will bother us."

Gene frowned a little, wondering just how much she knew. "Not since the truth party. Why?"

Valdis arched a brow, but decided to not push the fact that Gene and Pepper lived in the same house.

"I hear rumors that she is considering starting a government."

Valdis walks past Pepper, only to turn in the entryway to face the girl instead of moving deeper into the house.

"I heard a rumor that you want to be a mob boss." She says, trying to look very serious and failing. "Yunxu won't like the competition."

"Uh." Pepper is unable to keep the surprised look from her face, but she collects herself enough to carry the tack of the conversation. "Right. Yes. Mob boss. Totally. I got bored of being a good guy, decided to give the other side a try just for a change of pace, you know. Keeps things interesting."

Very few seconds pass before the redhead is cracking up with laughter.

"If that's the rumor you actually heard I'm doing something wrong," she wheezes, wiping tears of mirth from her eyes.

"Cherrywood, as with the other titles like it, were bestowed by Emperor Eshai," Milyn answered. "And the Healer's Guild was a purely kedanese establishment, which the Emperor had no reason to oversee."

But she shook her head at Valdis' question. "We had a falling out some time ago," she said. "I heard he was looking for me, however. Apparently he had some of his people trying to find me in a conveniently isolated place! What a shame I just never happened to be in one," she added, winking at Valdis.

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Page 1 of 4

I'm Not Calling You a Liar (March Catch All)

Milyn | March 10th | The Midnight Hotel | CW: PLOT

Charako | March 15th | The Artery level | CW: None Yet

Pepper | The IMAA House | CW: None

Gene | The Dojo | CW: None

Erskine | Backdated to the 3rd | The Midnight Hotel | CW: None

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