INT - Windgrace Manor, day
Lady Llywellynn Devoreaux Esher: Lady Esher's reply letter arrived by courier only a few hours before the Lady herself arrived at the agreed upon time at the door. Though she still moved with slow caution with her cane testing the ground with each step she moved with a somewhat greater surety, holding herself with an air of renewed steely purpose in fact. Soon enough despite her slow but steady progress she laid delicate knuckles to the door to announce her arrival at the Windgrace manse for a social call after a long somewhat mysterious absence.
Dorian (alexandros.lycomedes) had been trying to have a lighter heart and just enjoy his privileged life as advised by his brother, and in many ways it had been working. Dinah was happy so what could he do but swim in that wake. When the door knocked Dorian was just on his way down the stairs to raid the kitchen. So he called to the help and anyone in earshot, that had just put out refreshment, "I shall get the door!"
He literally danced to the door, did a spin before landing a hand on the knob, then bowed as he swing it open and noted who was there. From the antiquated gesture, he'd greet in his urbane purl, at it's perigee with a note of surprise, "Lady Esher, as I live and breathe!"
Drystan Windgrace (jacksonn.shepherd) stood in the living room, gazing out the open window into the trees and then what was beyond, arms crossed. Yet paint smeared itself by the tip of an unhandled bush, made its way across the canvas, laying out lines. He paused and looked towards the door, giving a light smile at Dorian's introduction. It was nice to have him acting somewhat normally, no stress between them, just as things had been for so so long. "Bring that woman inside Dorian! By Gods where have you been?" He hollered across towards the foyer, leaving the brush to move on its own and complete its work before floating down to a palette with colors in glops.
Esher was still presenting in her customary widow's garb, long black coat dress over red silk blouse, simple but tasteful necklace and choker topping the neckline, all finely crafted. Her signature wide brim hat completed her ensemble, the black lace veil hiding her face as she kept her attention to the ground she transversed as if hidden vipers lay in wait. Her hair however was no longer so formal. In fact her pale blond tresses were noticeably longer than might have be otherwise surmised, plaited in a thick braid down her back mostly with a few strands of pale color laying across the darkness of her lapels.
Finding the gallant Lord Dorian himself answering the door with such flourish lifted Esher's chin in surprise and perhaps even delight. Her pale lips and soft lower half of her face arrived to view, a smile spreading warm to see her friend again like a ray of sunshine.
"Oh, so wonderful to see you again, Dorian. I hope you have been well?" Her English accent was only a light one over her true slower cadence harking from the bayous of North American territories. She moved inside upon the invite of both brothers, her free hand rising lace gloved fingers to wave greeting rather chipper to him and to Drystan where he stood deeper in the house apparently painting with magic ease. "Good to see you both indeed. Many thanks for the invitation, both good sirs."
Her speech was soft and quiet but almost to a normal speaking level, steady with no effort needed to speak unlike previous conversations, at least so far. The slender widow paced easier once she was across the threshold at any rate, moving towards whatever seating was offered with no sign of physical duress. The woman appeared overall to be in better health from a cursory glance.
Llyw's scent came with her of course. A sweet delight to some, a tempting torment to others of more predatory natures perhaps. Honeysuckle warm as summer sweetness, burnt sugar of woodfire in winter, hints of brandy, coffee and now exotic spices and rose. Quite a bouquet this woman brought with herself into the Windgrace's hospitality.
Dorian (alexandros.lycomedes) forgot, always forgot that this particular friend of his could see the aether pouring through his cells and veins rendered him a changed man, less ordinary than he presented and often considered himself. Eyes aflame with a vibrant burning spirit, possessed of wings in a spectral shade of yellow with violet eyes adorning them in peacock fashion, golden and alight with magic bending madly through time's angles, the Englishman would move to close the doors behind their guest, calling past her to his brother, "I shall brother, I shall. Look at her. Look at your Miss Llyw, but you look hale. You must have a tale for us." Halfway through his excited utterance he'd reach out an arm to her to lead her to a chair. Once there, he'd deposit her, grinningly, then move to the sideboard to pour a generous helping of brandy in two glasses.
He knew his audience this much, and looked over his shoulder to his brother, whom he'd avoided breaking focus between easel and brush in his trek, to see if Drystan also desired a cup. Dorian poured heavy.
Thankfully though there was a tiered tea tray of goodies set out for the lord of the house. Macarons, scones, petite sandwiches. Butter, cream, strawberry jam and lemon curd to accompany.
Drystan Windgrace (jacksonn.shepherd) watched her as she made her way over, giving her a wide toothsome grin as he did, brush set down and he took a look at the canvas in front of him, a considering eye looking at what had come forth so far. He tipped his head to the side and shrugged at it, instead turning to nod at his Brother, for he indeed wanted a drink, the good stuff or nothing else. "Lady Esher, It's wonderful to see you again, as Dorian said i hope you have an interesting tale of where you've been! " He came and stood next to the chair she'd chosen and leaned down some to give her a smile and to pat her shoulder gently. "You know you gave some of us a bit of a scare. It was all over the aethernet for a time as well." He grinned again and stood back up. The thing was, for the good Lady, Drystan would have a set of eight long tentacles writhing out of his back, two of them with clappers at the end that opened and closed like blooming mouths, teeth coating the inside of them. He had bright purple stains on his skin and what looked like eyes etched into his flesh. His teeth were sharp and his claws were long, Despite this, he was as pleasant as ever, as he considered himself glamoured up.
Lllywellynn hadn't yet focused her Cursed vision on either brother directly yet. The heavy eyegear she favored completely shielded her eyes from view, giving no indication where her gaze might roam though the direction of her head and intensity of her concentration might give clues. At any rate, the Lady held a welcome smile for the gentleman offering his arm, laying her slender hand on his forearm with a light touch. What might be immediately notable this time unlike before, she felt not so featherlight and even through fabrics the temperature of her touch held a feverish heat. Her pale skin however hosted no sign of a fever that could be seen and she appeared in good spirits as she was guided to the informal seating across the main room.
"I do, I do I suppose." Llyw almost laughed, a soft ghost of amusement in her quiet tone, nodding to Drystan as she passed by to the chairs, "Hello Drystan, it's good to see you again as well, to see you both again..."
The only indication of what she Saw when she lifted her hat enough to fix her dark glasses upon the older brother was a slight twitch to her fingers on the younger one's chivalry. For those of senses heightened by predatory nature, one might note the cadence of her heart elevated a beat or two before the Lady exerted her ironclad poise. Otherwise she gave no sign of what she Saw, of either brother's true nature bared to her Sight, nor as of yet of the ghost lingering upon Drystan. One she recognized from her times spent in Hector's company she recalled.
Drystan himself was quite the shock compared to the last time she had Seen him in person. Now he was festooned with the many eyes that appeared to be a trademark of the Windgrace family line upon a wash of purple colorations. The addition of a writhing corona of tentacles best suited for the briny depths of the sea was the truly unexpected surprise. Sharp teeth and claws at this point were just customary traits of many of her associates on this island and not of concern to her unless anyone sporting such things intended to use them on her.
To her credit the Lady didn't waver in her smile or evident happiness to meet with the siblings, no matter how many eyes they had staring into her soul. Dorian with his silver and gold radiance as uncanny and perfect as ever and now his brother hosting his own array of monstrous true nature. But truly the only thing that mattered to Llyw was kindness no matter who or what she might be dealing with.
Regardless of the angles of time staring into her with each additional eye on wings and flesh, Llyw settled into the indicated chair easily, took off her hat and laid aside her cane to smile up at the two kind monsters. She beamed at Dorian fetching the brandy and nodded eager, the man knew her tastes on that matter. Drystan's questions brought her attention up to him as he stepped closer, his touch landing on her slender shoulder.
Again the most noticeable thing would be a feverhot temperature from her now and she perhaps felt not as frail as before, with an odd slightly uneven surface to be encountered, as if perhaps she was wearing more jewelry under the dress.
She only paused for a second at the skin prickling existential influence she felt from the man's true nature, the hint of his long claws on her, before answering as calm as ever, "Oh that's true. I am so sorry for any worry I might have caused....My health had a sudden turn for the worst you see and I had to be treated in seclusion for a time. It was all rather unplanned but turned out well. I am much better now thankfully....I have more time now. That is the important thing I think."
Her scent up close was stronger, a complex sweetness that continued to be alluring to anyone so inclined to want a taste.
In a quiet fluttering of green silk and black chambray accompanied by soft bootfalls, Dorian would bring brandy to Llyw, even had it been unasked for, in a heaping helping the likes of which he poured three rocks glasses full. So too would his brother get a glass offered before he'd return to his own. Lifting his when squiring beverages around was done, he'd remark, jovially, "To the widow Llywellyn, and good company. And good health." When he did this he momentarily cut his eyes at his brother, and flashed them, as if to speak silent multitudes. Mostly 'Can you believe this?' He didn't spare the lady his staring at her with the two eyes in his head let alone the others that were gifts from his eldritch gods. He hadn't expected to see anyone go missing and come back the better for it; as for her warmth, it was shed upon a fellow flame who ran warm, but he noticed the difference and it gave him cause to grin unwittingly, presuming it was a sign of something good.
Drystan Windgrace (jacksonn.shepherd) opened his eyes a little wider at his brother, and quirked his head as he took his drink. "Thank you Dorian. " He could not use his mind to tap on a door to speak to Dorian be he sure as hell could ta and speak to him in his mind and be able to reply, but it was such a thing that they , the twins did, and Drystan was often excluded from. "My goodness, well I am certainly glad you've come out the other side in better shape, that's for certain." As for his passenger, he stayed silent, and didn't make any sort of move to come forward, rather he hung around the periphery. He was Keenly able to hear the strength of her heartbeat and her emotions as they came to her, He took a step and walked a few paces back over to the painting. "Did you have a specialist or something? Not to pry into a ladies health affairs, only I ask because there are only so many actual doctor to choose from on the island. I am also just deathly curious by nature, forgive me.
Llyw noticed the treats laid out nearby with actual interest this time, unlike before. Perhaps many things had changed for her, though only her longer hair and apparent better health showed any signs of such.
"How are your siblings doing? I've not had the chance to speak to Lady Windgrace in some time, nor the opportinity to meet your other sister I believe." She inquired quietly, gladly accepting the generous measure poured of brandy from Dorian, bringing the glass immediately up for sip to brace herself. The nature of the Windgraces was always a phenomena upon her attuned senses, one she had to adjust to in stages. She toasted to the jovial sentiment readily enough however with a small grin of her own to the man to warm her sun-starved countenance, taking another needed sip of the good stuff.
She turned her grin to Drystan's inquiries, the line of her mouth going wry and shook her head, "It's alright. I appreciate the interest. Things are better though my essential issue remains to be resolved..." She debated how much of the story she ought tell to be frank, since others might not wish their involvement divulged, but the basic facts were best given, "I was taken into the care of my physician, Dr. Brun and my counselor Mr. Sayed on an emergency basis. I fell into a deep fever and was not coherent enough to inform them of who to contact for some time, hence the confusion on my absence. I stayed at the house next door in fact until I was sufficiently recovered." She took another hearty swallow of the brandy, an obvious frequent imbiber of such, holding her liquor quite well, "I aplogize for causing any worry and that I wasn't able to meet with Miss Hiromi in time. Is she still available for bodyguard duty by any chance? I am considering moving off campus to a suitable modest cottage if I can find a good location. I will be in need of wards upon such a place for generous compensation. Any recommendations would be greatly appreciated of course."
Llyw mentioned her malady only in passing though her emotions were a different matter entirely. Unlike the well practiced calm the Lady exuded her feelings were in utter turmoil, a tangle of many worries and abiding urgency concerning her primary troubles and her current rather painful conditions shot through with an overriding determination, though the reasons for all such not clear without perhaps further questions answered. Llyw steadily ignored the ghost as she did all such entities if she could help it, a habit to save her sanity and life on too many occasions. At least the Windgrace estate was well warded against stray intrusions from the land of the dead she was constantly exposed to.
Esher cast her eye over to the art Drystan had been working on, studying it with appreciative interest, murmuring, "Oh that is looking lovely I must say."
Dorian (alexandros.lycomedes) drank his cup down entire, then moved to both pour himself another and to top off the others before he'd respond, "I am better than I should be, thanks to my brother's good graces. My sister is well, what more could I ask for?" He'd move to a chair to throw himself down with his cup, and look between the two of them.
The multi-tiered tray bore blueberry macarons, cherry almond tarts, buttered scones, pre-sliced and jammed, and sandwiches with salmon and cucumbers. Dorian availed himself of a handful and went quiet with chewing as he sat.
Drystan Windgrace (jacksonn.shepherd) chewed his lips a bit while he listened, wrapping his arms around himself. It was the constant disquiet that turmoil that broiled underneath her being that he was countering with his gestures, probably offhandedly and not a conscious thing. "Dr. Brun? I've..Wait I do think I have seen them on the Aethernet, but never have met them in person. And perhaps we are terrible neighbors, I've yet to meet anyone that lives next door. I understand they run a cafe out of it, which is quaint, i must admit. They've stayed to themselves and are quiet for the most part, so knowing you were so closeby in your convalescence is certainly something! I'm glad you've found good care, as you do look the better for it, even though I know one stay in seclusion doesn't rid one of all ails, but at least some reprieve must be nice." He looked at the painting and turned his head to the side, and then a brush lifted and planted itself in some bright pinks and made it way to the canvas to slowly make a shape and shadow, as another brush lifted with deep purples, in fact, several brushes, all came to life and began swishing and flicking at the canvas, bringing life to trees that seemed to be looked at through a kaleidescope of color. Perhaps this was one way Drystan saw things, or he was being obtuse and abstractionist. Who knew? "You're welcome to the other canvas dear, I brought out a water color set and some brushes, we can bring a chair 'round for you to be more comfortable, but you're welcome to it. It's a bit damp outside to set up the easels so the view through the windows will have to do."
Llyw was glad to hear Dorian was doing well, though the fact he was swilling his brandy so copiously suggested otherwise. She didn't want to pry however, at least perhaps not until a more private moment might arise and she could let her curiosity out. She was curious about so very much, far moreso than the half-life she had before. She took a rather generous swallow of the liquor herself, able to savor the draught given from a deathless hand free of the tinge of death and ash. The sweet treats on offer were the next thing she wanted to explore, now she had better means to sense the true flavor at last, reaching slender fingers to hover undecided which temptation to try first.
"I am happy you are doing well, Dorian, since we last spoke. Oh, I've been meaning to ask you where you might recommend for a good eatery around town. I've regained some of my appetite you see. I want to see what food I can actually enjoy again..." She almost whispered to him, falling back into her habit of speaking too quiet to be easily overheard until she remembered she was in a well warded place for once. Whether she had explained before or not, it was clear she had less issue with food than before, choosing a cherry tart at last to take a wondering bite, almost humming as she found she could in fact taste the sugars in it. A slow delight spread across her face, also going quiet a moment to chew and swallow the bit of fruit and pastry as if the finest cuisine. Out of the constant barrage of sensory input she had to endure, she took what small pleasures she could find.
"I haven't had the chance to visit Hector in some time, I hope he is doing well too?" She asked over to Drystan after that, wiping the crumbs from her lip, a small ring glinting on her right hand, simple gold loop with a stone of onyx ringed in tiny rubies, sporting an unnatural luster for anyone with the ability to notice enchanted things.
The older sibling's method of painting captivated Esher's focus a moment before she addressed his comments, "Yes, the cafe. It is quite quaint indeed. They are good people there but yes they keep to themselves, hence why no official notice went out about me being there I am afraid. Just an oversight that I had no means to address at the time but I owe them a great deal for helping me when I needed it most." The swell of gratitude could be heard easily through her soft voice, her tone lifting enough to almost reach normal conversational level as she relaxed in the Windgrace sanctuary abit more. "I...don't think I would have survived otherwise to be honest." She admitted at last.
She noticed the older brother's body language though not the reason for it, hugging himself before turning back to his art, offering his invite to her to the other blank canvas. She eyed the prospect, her teeth setting lightly into her bottom lip until she winced. She kept forgetting to be careful, her recall of something embarrassing sending a brief flush of color across her fair skin. Her hidden eyes watched the swathes of other colors spread across the scene Drystan was directing with his own magic she guessed.
"Oh thank you for the offer....I suppose I should explain first before I try though. I would have to impose too much I think to be able to truly capture a good view I realized after you had mentioned the watercolors. I could try for monochrome....I use only pen and ink because I....can't really see most colors. Not in the usual way, without the sun to see by, you see..."
She looked back over to Dorian, remembering when the touch of his hand on hers had brought out the sun into her view for the first time in a decade. She worried at her lips again until she winced slightly again with a sigh, "It would be rather silly to ask to hold hands just so I could paint, you see..."
Dorian (alexandros.lycomedes) was somewhat accustomed to his magic artist of a brother, though the dark haired man yet his awe, enough that he could be distracted by food. Centuries had a way of making things normalized. He'd wash down his last bite, keenly listening around at the others, before piping in, "Allow me to say that I am glad that you have found some succour for your troubles if not full resolution, Miss Llyw. She is rather a good artist too, brother, is she not?" He'd surely shared the sent sketches with his elder sibling to get an artist's opinion, to brag a little on finding such a talent in this strange town. It dawned on him a little late what she'd asked and he'd remark, "I would gladly oblige when I had the time, m'lady..." A small inviting smile punctuated the response to this simple and perplexing quandary of Esher's.
Again he cast a glance at his brother, silently asking advice alongside it.
Drystan Windgrace (jacksonn.shepherd) noted her pleased nature at eating the cherry tart and it made him smile. He noted that she drank deeply, but payed it little mind, when the Windgraces indulged, it was to an excess that was altogether unnatural. The glint of the ring on her finger did indeed catch his eye, and he pondered on its luster for a while, thinking of the stones and what may have been laid upon them to give her some sort of enchantment. He looked puzzled between Dorian and Esher, and furrowed his brows. "If you don't mind madam, .." He held his own hand out to her, and would guide her to the chair rhat sat in front of the easel. He kep her hand in his and he brought it up to rest up upon her shoulder. "I'd like to try something with you if you'd not mind it terribly. Its not invasive in a bad way, but more, an empathetic matter?" His hand stayed over hers on her shoulder and he looked over at his brother. "We shall see if this helps at all?" He looked down at Llyw, an easy smile on his face, confidence in how he stood.
Lady Llywellynn Devoreaux Esher: A brief flash of crimson graced Llyw's cheeks again at the praise, her pale skin unable to hide any emotions that carried a flush with them. She shook her head at Dorian but she smiled, "Oh I am not that good really. I'm glad for your concern though. Frankly I did want to formally ask for your help, both of you, your sister as well, on the matter of the Curse I suffer. I've done all the research I could get my hands on at the Academy but I am at a dead end. Any insight or advice would be welcomed at this point."
She sighed, having finally said what she needed, contemplating the quandary she faced with an entrenched weariness, though the particulars she still hadn't shared yet. She gave Dorian a softer smile however at his gallant offer, simply replying heartfelt to her friend, "Thank you. It means alot, you know."
The connotations of what she was asking for she seemed unaware of the implications or else she was just past the point of caring about improprieties where it concerned the matter of dealing with her condition and ultimately hopefully curing it.
The ring on the ring finger of her right hand contained an enchantment upon closer inspection from the hermatic mage, a simple spell to provide an illusion. The Lady had her own version of glamour apparently. Perhaps what Drystan had felt under his hand suggested she was other than what she seemed now. Llyw was not aware of how much or little the older brother might know of her situation, depending on how much Dorian had shared on the matter or not with his siblings. But Llyw accepted his hand in any case, the thin lace of her gloves not holding back any of the feverish level of heat her touch gave off, but there was no change of what she mentioned.
She sat where guided and looked up at the spectacular monster smiling down at her, all the timeless eyes and curling lines of otherness from his immortal form, but she nodded thoughtful to his requests. Only kindness mattered to her. The gloves would have to come off however. She gently extricated her hand from his grasp and peeled off the lace from it, revealing pale thin fingers with rather surprisingly sharp black nails. Her right hand stayed covered with the ring hiding her true appearance for the moment.
The Lady was an odd person in many ways, so polite in some ways, so earnestly informal in others, forthright at times and yet sometimes quite shy. She was still rather shy about showing her true self even though she Saw both men for who and what they truly were all this time...
She offered her bare hand now to Drystan, looking up at him with her delicate face framed by pale locks of blond streaked with silver and grey, her eyes covered by dark bulky shielded glasses. She was rather nervous but resolved nonetheless, a stubborn core to her that kept her going despite all the harrowing nature of her existence.
"Alright...any help is appreciated. Thank you Drystan. Do you need for me to take off my glasses for this? What do you have in mind?" She said softly, some of her true accent bleeding through the Queen's English. An exotic slower drawl of Cajun French origins from where she truly came from...
Dorian (alexandros.lycomedes) watched the pair of them interact and kept his tongue still while taking another sip from his cup.
Drystan Windgrace (jacksonn.shepherd) pulled his hands away and clasped them together, rubbing them together. "Well, I had thought perhaps, that I don't have the same magic touch that my brother seems to grant upon you, but I do have a rather large ....toolkit...in which to work with, you see. If you'd allow, I'd use some of the abilities I have to try and ...help ease things. I have no cast of rejuvenation, which would counter most curses, depending on who cast it.." He lowered his voice and leaned down a bit to speak more to her level as she was seated. He pulled up on his trousers and bounced on the balls of his feet next to her. "I have been researching, for a friend that has a ...quite terrible curse placed upon them by a very powerful hand. What I have learned is that the rejuvenation of ones spirit and soul must be equal to or greater than the origination, you see. This is the quandary, as I do not know of any such healer, healer of spirit, cleanser of soul. But with the bevy of the unique that have gathered here on Callisto it is only a matter of time before they are found."
He took a deep breath, and made his lips thin, and he spoke even lower, softer. "It would be so much easier if we, ..those that have experienced life unlike other humans, were able to walk freely and share freely, without fear of breaking the Covenant. A terrible restriction in my eyes. Callisto should be a haven ...a capitol, a beacon for all...perhaps one day. Hmm?" He stood then and made his way to the kitchen, opening up a cupboard and pulling a small jar out. It glimmered with a darkness that swirled in deep blues that faded into void. He brought it back over and set it on the small table behind them. He then stood behind Llyw's chair and placed his hands on the back of it, holding onto the wooden edges. "I have the ability to impart emotions unto another, to evoke emotions they have themselves, to ...allow them to blossom bigger, brighter. I thought that maybe, some of my good vibes as it were, might at least in the interim, lift your spirits as well. I have also an element given by a lovely individual that will only add to the experience." He laid his open hand upon her shoulder, open and ready for her to give him her naked hand, as small and delicate as it was in his.
Llywellynn attended to Drystan's words while Dorian went silent focusing on his food. She finished her own drink in fact quickly, tilting her head back enough to show the swanline of her throat above the velvet choker that clasped her there, draining the glass before setting it aside. She hastened to assure the older brother, a wry curl to her unadorned mouth, "Oh no no, you are fine. I have noticed the effect with certain others as well. Just requires bare skin to skin, you see..." A faint flush coasted over her face again, the notion embarrassing her again on some level.
The scent of strong dark brandy thickened in her natural fragrance but the other sweeter elements remained an unwavering combination of woodfire and honey rising from her to taunt the senses of anyone of a predatory nature, something intrinsically enticing and mouthwatering about the essence this woman contained. She seemed mostly unaware of this trait of hers at present, looking at the deathless being before her with all his strangeness on display, all the gazes on his surfaces staring through her bones until they ached. She listened however to his suggestions with a curious tilt to her head, brows drawing together slightly to hear of his beliefs. "I suppose so...I hadn't really considered it before to be frank." She replied in a whisper again, that lush exotic drawl coming out more in her soft tone. Considering her own circumstances, appearances in public were a concern, the Covenant a force she was just becoming more aware of as her own powers became evident.
Here and now however Drystan was bringing an unknown substance to offer though she didn't yet see it, while she took in his explanation of what he wanted to do for her. Considering his position behind her chair she had to tilt her head back to rest on the chair back to see him, the soft line of her jawline lifted to do so. She set teeth to her bottom lip again, a habitual gesture of nerves that she otherwise didn't show in her features or posture. Only the empath he was could sense her wariness warring with curiosity and the urgent need for any help she could find.
So she decided, quick and stubborn, and reached with her ungloved hand for his while with the other she pulled off her glasses at last. Her eyes were large and would have been perhaps striking on their own with her natural cornflower blue...but only a faded ring of that color remained in her unnatural irises, her eyes shadowed by chronic lack of sleep. Instead the windows to her soul where drained to a lifeless bonewhite then to pupils drowning in pulsing crimson red that almost glowed like embers. The world of the dead moved in reflections across the accursed eyes of this seer staring up into the Windgrace as if she could See all of him as he truly was.
Her hand was small and lightboned, her skin blazing with heat, with a fever that would kill a normal human being. But she was not one, not entirely, not any more, easy to sense now. She gasped at the contact, her eerie stare pulled to the windows to widen in wonder, to witness the spill of sunlight into the grey lifeless worlds she Saw, until tears began to glimmer. Her emotions however spilled to him, all the sensory information he might gather from her....And it was a deluge, feelings heightened by her plight at the edge of death, joy at seeing the light denied her, so many gnawing worries, fierce determination to survive among a welter of others. Her world was apparently a very cold lifeless grey one but she herself was burning up with fever, as if lava flowed in her veins, a grinding pain of embers in her marrow such that anyone else would be curled on the floor...Yet she was made of pure stubborn will to just sit there as if nothing was eating her alive.
The Curse itself was not so easily uncovered, as if it actively hid from his abilities. A thick smokelike cold Malice that slithered like a great serpent, the outline of sharp bones, all crawling through and around her to drain her life away. Yet she persisted existing obviously. It was a truly powerful Curse cast by an unknown vicious enemy. Something made of Witchery and Necromancy perhaps. It was likely only a matter of time before it got her but she was fighting with everything she had, surviving this long so far...