video — un: starburst.

[valeas]

( Hello, Eastbounders.

Once again, a dynamic and alarming duo greets you, with no better news than last time.

In fact, it doesn't seem to be an announcement at all.

The first thing the jostled communicator picks up is... a sound. Guttural, croaked, agonising. It belongs to Lady Arabella, throwing herself upon what becomes quite obviously Wrath's frame. Her mouth opens wider, and wider still, as though she might want to swallow him whole.

The sound becomes a scream, unending.

Wrath's golden gaze stares at Arabella like one might survey a mildly interesting change in the scenery — his own expression impassive as her grip tears the buttons from his shirt.

His companion, on the other hand, reacts a bit more angrily, Emilia's initial concern shifting into something more vicious. As Arabella attempts to latch on to Wrath however she can, Emilia strikes back at her, prepared for a fight. Except it never quite comes: no sooner Arabella is thrown off, she stops,

backpedaling into the communicator that turns the video black. )


NOTE: Again, the second link leads to Grudge-y things. The video is short and choppy and hectic, taking place not long after the assassination attempt on Arabella. Wrath and Emilia helped in the rescue efforts and were, uh, rewarded. For more details, feel free to read here.

Comments

un: absterge | audio

[downswing]

( Hastily — )

She is possessed? ( No, wait: ) You are safe?

1/2 un: a_civil_serpent

[inferus]

I spoke a phrase written on a card, which came with a bouquet of lilies Lady Arabella received. Upon doing so, she... reacted as you witnessed. ( Wrath has to admit this world has surprised him again. He has not seen anything quite like that especially given no magic appeared to be involved in the words themselves. )

[valeas]

( Aside from the lightest scratch to her face and the look that she might spit fire at any moment, Emilia does appear to be unharmed. )

We are safe. Her staff escorted us out with apology. Arabella herself did not seem to realise what happened at all.

un: nutcracker (audio)

[snowcleave]

Do you require assistance dispatching that thing?

1/2

[inferus]

It would appear she returned to her senses once Emilia struck her from me. ( that's his wife-to-be : ') ) Whatever came over her when I spoke the phrase from the card, it passed.

[valeas]

( They've been escorted out of Arabella's special residence, staff apologetic and gentle in their care, which only leaves Emilia more confused. )

It would in fact seem she didn't recall the incident at all.

un: wei laozu | audio

[weifinder]

You're both safe?

( confirming that the two of them survived unscathed until... that. )

1/2

[valeas]

( )

The threat has been contained.

( for now. )

[inferus]

( emilia is taking a moment to cool off, ahem- her fury is truly a beautiful thing, but wrath will fill in a few more details: )

The Lady Arabella returned to her senses as soon as Emilia tossed her from me. It may be she was attempting to eat me, which would have been an impossible task as is.

We have been treated with kindness by her attendants. She appears to not remember the incident herself, but it was triggered by the reading of a handwritten card, which came with a bouquet of lilies.

@taken for granite

[rumorate]

What the hell was that?

[Because that didn't look normal in any sense of the word. In fact, it seemed kind of similar to what happened at the peak of the summit, but none of them had gotten violent.]

[valeas]

( Emilia has cooled off. Some.

She is completely and totally hinged. It is just that she is clinging on to those hinges with her very fingertips at this point. )

A graver example yet. Did you notice at the summit, when the clock struck and the light earthquake began?

( All electric power was lost, and some delegates behaved so peculiarly. )

[inferus]

( Wrath is quietly basking in the waves of Emilia's beautiful anger. His hand rests against her arm as they've found a quiet place to regroup - a reminder that he as not harmed. )

It did appear to have a similar feeling in the strange way she moved.

un: ut malum pluvia | audio

[somebadnews]

[ He nearly echos Allison. Some things are really too disturbing to ignore. They seem fine now, but he's stuck trying to make sense of what he saw, and keeps listening in the meantime.

It really looked like she wanted to suck Wrath's soul out. (Yes, he would know that's possible. Thank you, Winnie, for those nightmares.) If it'd been anyone else she might have had an easier time. ]

You're still there? [ Wrath talking about being treated by her attendants... how did you not burn the lilies and immediately get out of there?? ]

[valeas]

No.

They may have been apologetic, but they didn't want us to linger any more than we wanted to stay. Should we need to return, though, Wrath can now transvenio. ( So long as he grows familiar with a location, he can always go back to it.

And this feels like only the beginning. )

[inferus]

I certainly intend to speak to her again to learn more.

( If they had left and burnt the lilies, they would not know that she had come to her senses but failed to remember what happened. They would not see the attendants react with equal amounts of confusion, concerned for Arabella. )

But we didn't want to overstay our welcome, and Arabella clearly wished for time to recover from the incident. She appears to have no memory of what happened. ( So what took over her then? )

audio | un:workstormit

[bravelyrunsaway]

That is not how she was behaving when we were escaping the summit itself. What lighting strike led to this?

[inferus]

We were brought to her residence following our aid to her at the summit. She wished to thank us, and she showed us this bouquet of lilies which she had received earlier in the week. She thought it may have to do with what occurred at the Sanctuary.

When I read the handwritten note to her, she reacted as you saw. ( He turns the device toward the note to show what was written on it. dolly, back in your dollhouse. )

[bravelyrunsaway]

Here she just had her people hand me and Moran a greased up key. Let me see that note closer, love, do you mind?

[valeas]

Reading it out loud is what seemed to do it. The bouquet itself is alien to Minaras. When paired with the note, she does believe it might be linked to today's attempt. ( Emilia can't say that she disagrees, either, though Arabella must have more than one enemy. )

[bravelyrunsaway]

Which means what, sniff around Eidris, or head further afield? Weak, you can grow flowers in a hothouse, place of origin isn't that simple. Even if it is, that's not the trick played, huh? It's the words.

Beitang Moran and I were sent away with a thank you and a greased key with its own etched in phrase, also from what your lady there refused and claimed not her own. Yet someone had, as with the flowers and note, intended it to be hers. Talk about a rot.

un: headless ragdoll (audio)

[matermali]

[ Hello, what in the—

Vanessa is absolutely terrified for the first time since coming here. She's been unnerved before now, even worried and at times almost entertaining fear. But this triggers something so deep in her gut that she might be sick.

It's some time before she responds, and only after it's clear that the two of them are all right. She is so off kilter that her voice is practically a croak. ]

If the demon still wears her skin, then she cannot be trusted no matter how calm her demeanor. [ Shut up and look in a mirror, Vanessa. ] There was a trigger?

[valeas]

( Vanessa's user name piques Emilia's curiosity right away, as does the fact her first assumption is that it must be a demon. She doesn't sound all right, and who can blame her? So much about Serthica is disquieting, and they've only just arrived. )

I do not know if it is a demon, but I agree we cannot assume calmness is benign. The trigger was a phrase written down on a note, attached to a bouquet of lilies she received a week ago. She believed it connected to today's attempt.

( A pause. )

Headless ragdoll?

[matermali]

[ A long pause. Her tone hardens. ]

A cruel jest. I did not choose it. He who is behind these machinations will spare none of us his darkest of whims.

[ She had just been accepting that this wasn't a world created by the Devil to torment her, but now she's spiraling again. She can't trust her own judgments any longer. ]

Were the lilies yellow? No, it doesn't matter. [ It does, but only to a romantic. Who is more romantic than he, Vanessa? ] What was the phrase?

[inferus]

She is not a demon. ( Wrath can no longer tell the difference between the living and the dead. However, his other senses do not appear to be dampened in the same way. He was still able to sense magic in the fog during the attack. He was still able to sense the supernatural make of the companions within their group. ) I have doubts she is human, however.

And I certainly do not trust her calm demeanor. Reading the phrase appeared to have some effect, but the phrase and note were not magical. ( So the effect must be something else in nature. )

[matermali]

[ Oh right, there was also a man involved.

She's reluctant to blindly believe anyone's judgment, but it would be just as foolish to argue without cause. It only leaves her stumped and no less upset. She ponders for a moment, and also switching to the written word after learning of the phrase. ]

How do you know that the phrase was not magical in nature? You can sense such things?