Dragon

Land of Karchan

Ghosts in Graveyards and Deals in Darkness


Summary

Hela invites the father of her new born cousin, Xenith for a chat and an unexpected deal is offered.

Contains Bad Language

The Roleplay

Xenith retrieves his coat tree and begins following behind Hela. Along the way he twists one of the arms of the coat tree and opens a small hidden compartment. He retrieves some baby's breath and other small flourishes from it to spruce up the bouquet, along with a silk ribbon to tie it together. "So. How have you been then?"

Hela looks at Xenith out of the corner of her eyes as if he had asked the most peculiar question, one that is probably asked a thousand times or more in this land every day but it isn't a question that comes her way nor is it one that is welcome. It is met with stony silence, clearly an answer is not going to come his way or any other polite conversation. She continues on down the dark path where the tourists do not roam, past a flock crows watching. Then a turn in the path, past old iron wrought gates and to the graveyard. It isn't it's normal quiet hub, instead many a visitor, human and...spectral. The artist doesn't address that, that would come in time, first superstition and tradition had to be addressed and for that the path takes them around the edge of the graveyard, to a headstone with a large carved angel, already around it countless bouquets of flowers lie, toys and trinkets, gifts, clearly a grave that is visited most often even though the date of death engraved in the stone was quarter of a century ago. Now comes the explanation "They say if you don't leave a gift for her, bad luck will follow you. We both know you don't need that Xenith." And now her gaze drops to the flowers he had brought.

Xenith sets the flowers down reverently, glad he had the foresight to bring materials to make a proper bouquet. He takes a step backwards a moment later, looking to Hela for guidance. "If it wasn't for bad luck, I wouldn't have any luck at all."

Hela waits until Xenith had set his token down to ward away his bad luck before she approaches the grave, hand slipping out of her pocket and in her curled fingers a small figurine, almost like a little doll. That is set down on the lip of the headstone before her hand slides back in her pocket before she turns to look at the knight to be. Now is the time to broach the subject of why they are here, not for superstition, not for tradition but for something closer to home "On the subject of bad luck, your daughter, or at least the baby girl that you were the sperm donor for as I understand that you aren't taking parental responsibility for her, lets talk about her now." Then a little halt, eyes on him, eager to see his reaction in any minute manner.

Xenith slams his coat tree down into the ground at Hela's assessment, frowning. "That is not the case. At first I thought it best to distance myself, but your mother prevailed upon my guilt until I saw the sense in her words. Now Valdis has decided she doesn't want me to see Xenia. I have merely been allowing her time to come to her senses. It seemed ill advised to lose my temper and tear her home down brick by brick until I saw my daughter, not least of all because I understand she still lives with Mrs. Foxx, who I hold in deep regard."

Hela gets a twitch of a smile at the flash of anger in the man though it doesn't spread to an obvious sign of amusement, full smiles, genuine smiles are rare on her these days. A little "Ah. And she steps away from Seren's grave to look over the rest of the yard and their visitors of flesh and death "If I was you, I wouldn't waste too much time waiting. Children grow up quick and she will die before you do." It is said simply, matter of fact, not trying to goad him but as simply as she was telling him the sun was yellow and the sky was blue outside of this village. "Though death doesn't have to be the end of your relationship with her. If she is buried here she might rise from the grave, might." Then an offer, one she hadn't planned on making, one she didn't have time to think over given the fact that she had thought things were different than what they were "I can help if you want....with seeing Xenia. Not with demolition of a home."

Xenith tilts his head at Hela's words, letting the last of his quick outburst of anger slip away. "Do you speak of the curse? I thought nothing conclusive was known about the third generation. In any event, I seriously doubt I will outlive her, given my line of work." He flexes his fingers around his coat tree, then quietly hefts it back up into his shoulders. "Maybe I could be buried here, to watch her grow up." He looks wistfully around the creepy and clearly haunted graveyard. "I would like that. To see her."

Hela folds her arms in front of her chest, eyes wandering to a line of graves that are too far for them to see the engravings on but she knows each and every name on them, each death on them and where she would have been buried with them, each sharing her last name. "The curse, yes. That or one hell of a coincidence. I personally don't believe in coincidences of this scale, it would be fate having a cruel joke and even when you think you have beaten it, you realise you have fallen right into the trap of it with no chance of escape." Then tearing her gaze away from the line of headstones and back to the man of the law "They don't always rise in October, I don't think there is a choice in the matter, it seems random. Seren never does, my father never does and..." her head inclined to a grave not far away, one of a grand and elaborate headstone but weathered, the writing completely worn, no name, no date decipherable but then a ghost of a small girl, curled up and sobbing "...she comes back every year. Clearly not wanting to, no one visits her but here every October, forgotten. So don't bank on being able to rise if you are buried here. Also don't bank on your daughter outliving you unless you have something up your sleeve." Another pause as the cool breeze whistles through the trees, shaking the skeletons of branches as she has the need to take another cigarette, lighting it before she says "If I arrange to look after Xenia, I will let you know, you will come to me in the observatory. You must not fail in turning up, under any circumstances, I can't stand to be around her for long."

Xenith frowns again, fiddling with his cufflinks, "Just odds are I get myself killed faster than the curse can work. No plan to save Xenia, yet. Although I do know a giant skeleton man who grants wishes in exchange for extracting a terrible cost." He pats his klyavrite pendant absently and turns back to Hela. "I'll be there to rescue you from my daughter. Rescuing damsels is what I do." He nods to the forgotten ghost. "Does anyone ever talk to her? Find out why she's crying? "

Hela gets a flicker of surprise at Xenith's words, wondering for a moment if he hasn't realised it wouldn't be her he was saving from his daughter but it would be his daughter he was saving from her cousin. She dismisses that idea with a mental shake of her head, of course he doesn't know what a risk his daughter could be if Hela was alone with her, he doesn't know the amount of blood on Hela's hands, doesn't know what she is or that he is not only talking to a murderer but also that the artist had hired a mercenary to kidnap a woman for her recently. It was almost funny that this man of law was making deals with a monster like she. Yet what comes next isn't any words of that but of pure alarm at his words "No." comes from her suddenly, loud and piercing the quiet graveyard, even pulling a few faxes of those who haunt and those who visit over to the, before they carry on with their business. She doesn't care, not in the slightest but turns sharply to look at Xenith, poking him firmly in the chest with a finger "If you look to save her, you do it without terrible cost to her. Trust me on that. I had a man save me but in reality he didn't, he didn't save me, he saved himself, he saved his guilt and he damned me, he killed me. You don't put her through this." It is with a fierce glare she waits and stares, waiting for his agreement, his word on this or she might have to break her own word that she had given Valdis that she wouldn't harm this man. Regardless whether he does or doesn't, she would wave her hand towards the ghost child as if inviting Xenith to try communicate with her, should he do so he would find that she seemed fearful of him and would only sob.

Xenith raises an eyebrow toward Hela, "We're dealing with an ancient and terrible curse that seems to have a malign sense of humor. We aren't going to beat it without causing additional tragedy. The only way Xenia lives is likely to be in a way that makes her at least consider that continued life is a burden best not borne. That just seems to be how the curse works. Still, I'd rather see my daughter live than die, and I'll gladly pay a terrible cost to a horrible entity to that effect. Assuming no other options pan out." He considers approaching the sobbing ghost, but he's learned to defer to residents of Solol in these matters

Hela 's lips twitch in annoyance but she manages to keep that beast bottled up inside her and remains subtle in her signs of it in her stare and the silent tap of fingers on the crook of her elbow in her crossed arms. Silence takes over her as her mind works away "If you go down that route of a wish, you need to be precise, exact, plug up any and every loophole but if he is a malevolent being that is granting wishes, be wary that you could walk away with the worse end of the deal." The pace of her tapping fingers increases on her sleeve and then suddenly stops as she opts not to dwell on what he could be walking into with that option, moving onto their own deal "Xenia should be easy to get. Valdis is working hard and putting in more hours than she should, Gran...is gran so just needs a bottle of wine to take the child from her. So you let me know or send a letter to the observatory as to when you want to meet her, it can be done."

Xenith laughs quietly and nods to Hela, "Well I'll absolutely get the worse end of the deal. That's how they work, best to just resign yourself to it." He nods again at Hela's assessment, "Incidentally, I don't know what monetary reparations Mrs. Foxx requires for Valdis's care since I called off the engagement, but she can have them. I told Valdis as much, but she seemed disinclined to pass it along. I'll let you know when I am free from my obligations, very soon. "

Hela still doesn't look too well pleased but tells herself that as long as it is Xenith and not Xenia who has to deal with the repercussions of any deal he may make, then that she can live with. A slight nod but then a look to Xenith, surprised that he might actually be going ahead with payment. A roll of her eyes but she then gives some advice "Firstly don't pay anything. Secondly if you must, she will make you say a price first. Go in with half of what you think is reasonable as no matter the figure you say, I can guarantee she will act like it is offensive and an insult. That way you have room to negotiate up to what you would have settled for and she will be under the belief she won....but really, just don't, it would open Pandora's box and she will be a leech that you never could have get away from. Just be thankful that now you have broken free from Gran. That out of everything can be the greatest blessing out of it." However being around a living, breathing human was taking it's toll, she could feel the hunger and she knew soon it would show so trying to keep her gaze away from Xenith, she then says "I should be off in a moment. I shall await your word."

Xenith dips his head at Hela's advice, but explains "I'll just give her what she counters with. That way I can be done with it without the tedium of negotiation. Besides, I like Mrs. Foxx." He bows deeply, "Thank you, for meeting with me, and for helping me. I'll send word soon."

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Last modified on November 19, 2017, 06:23:30