WHEN: 1944 MAY 1; morning - early afternoon
WHERE: Windgrace Manor, the Wilds
WHO: Niles Roesler, Dinah Windgrace, and a terrible stag-who-isn't
NSFW Warning!
--
[11:57] Niles Roesler (ohsoincoherently) at least gave warning this time. His last trip to the manor had involved a speedy abduction and a rather eventful evening and while the doctor did have plans, they were far less driven. It was a much more frivolous tickle at the mirror this time, a sense of his impending arrival and a brief advisement to wear something comfortable to walk in before he arrived at the gardens out front. Giving the staff polite smiles and little greetings, Niles took to engaging the few outside in what seemed like idle conversation as one of them went inward to let the lady of the house know her guest was waiting.
[12:00] Dinah (dollihead): Something comfortable to walk in, to dinah, still meant heels. At least they were the lower pair. She had been tensed regardless for another 'pop up' incident as she had been getting ready, and had even armed herself with a plant mister on the vanity for a retributory spritzing if it had happened but when it didn't, she grinned and headed out onto the balcony with the mister to place it back amongst the pots.
"Good morning~" she called down, once more forgoing the stairs to hop right over the end, at least having the presence of mind to hold her skirt down as she descended, taking the last few steps midair before landing at his feet.
[12:05] Niles Roesler (ohsoincoherently) let out a little chuckle as she came down, either at her habit of leaping from the balcony or the mental image of the spritzer. "Oh come now. I may be spiriting you off for the afternoon but I promise not to misbehave in any way that's unwelcome," he teased as he stepped forward to take her hand. Niles bent to place a kiss on the back of it and straightened with a little bouquet of wildflowers in his grip.
"Good morning. Are you ready to go or would you like to bring some defensive precautions along?" Despite the teasing he was smiling as he spoke, a little spark of amusement in his eyes.
[12:09] Dinah (dollihead) laughed and reached her hand for his as he reached for hers, giving his fingers a squeeze at the kiss.
"why do you think it was for you? I use them to knock the pests that pop up on my little balcony garden there" she said innocently before laughing and stepping in on her tiptoes to kiss his cheek. "or in my room, I suppose. You would likely be able to pop me away to just about anywhere before I managed to pull the trigger on it anyway" she stepped to his side, still keeping a hold of his hand.
"I am ready to go. If I were to bring defensive precautions, I would have simply nowhere to put it in this skirt. Sometimes one just needs to prioritise, mm?"
[12:16] Niles Roesler (ohsoincoherently) hummed as she tipped up to kiss him on the cheek. The hand gripping hers circled around her waist to trap her close to him so he could return the favor and lingered there to whisper in her ear. "It would take much more than a spray bottle to deter me anyway," he said as little flits of memory slid from his mind of some of the more passionate moments they shared. He pulled back just far enough to look her in the eyes again. "I suppose I'll have to keep you very close. For safety, of course."
A little squeeze and he released her to reclaim her hand so he could start to wander off, a little glance at the windows checking for watchful brotherly eyes as they went. "Are you familiar with the celebration of Beltane? These days people have taken to calling it May Day more than anything else but its roots run to very old celebrations."
[12:21] Dinah (dollihead) grinned, pressing herself into his side. Short enough to fit beneath his arm, so she'd tuck herself in there, one hand reaching to hold onto his arm. "Darling, killing you didn't deter you, Unless I filled the mister with something deeply unpleasant I strongly suspect it wouldn't even register. Neither of us would appreciate that" she agreed. The flashes of memory had her tightening her grip for a moment, and she gave him an unrepentant little smirk and she nodded.
"for safety, naturally." she agreed. She wasn't looking for brothers at least, canting her head as she listened.
"Back in Cheriton there were a lot of farms. There used to be quite a lot of the traditional celebrations until they petered out a little in the victorian age. It was a shame, I was always fond of the pageantry" she mourned "i don't miss the dragon though. I wonder how similar the traditions were where you grew up?"
[12:27] Niles Roesler (ohsoincoherently) led her to the end of the property before pausing. "Well. Germany was, is rather staunchly and unfortunately Christian. Sankt-Walpurgisnacht was the celebration of choice, though I can promise that the gatherings in honor of the canonization of a saint are far less enjoyable than the pagan feasts." A little furrow of his brow marked a long stare in the direction of the church in town, not quite visible from the hill on which they stood. "I was always more intrigued with Beltane. Likely why my habit of sneaking away from my own family gatherings developed." The last bit was added with a stoop and a whisper, as if he were sharing a dirty little secret to be kept from overbearing ears.
The doctor nodded at the walking path down to town. "Would you like to take a shortcut or the more scenic route? I'm sure you know by now the latter wanders closer to Eumenides. The patient population tends to be a little... ah, restless around this time of year."
[12:32] Dinah (dollihead) wrinkled her nose and she shook her head with a sigh "See, therein lies the difference. Even in the more christian ages, england would celebrate the traditional ways...somewhat..and then just pretend nothing had happened. All the respectable gentlemen one day, Morris dancers the next. be thankful you never had that tradition at least" she grinned "there's nothing quite so likely to make you laugh as a bunch of incredibly serious elderly men wearing ribbons and bells and clacking sticks at each other." she said playfully. "did you not even have maypoles in Germany?" she asked with interest. At his question, she hummed
"I suppose it depends. do you think if we stray too close to Eumenides they will try to wrangle you in to work? I am not too worried of any wayward residents, unless they decide to join us. That might be problematic"
[12:35] Niles Roesler (ohsoincoherently) sighed. "I suppose it depends on the family. All of our elders were more fond of church candles and hymns," he explained with a small hint of derision. Her question put a little wrinkle in his brow and he directed her toward the hill leading between some of the closer houses at its bottom, one of which was the more ramshackle manor house tucked into the trees. "Yes and yes, they might," he said definitively. Once they reached more untended ground he bent to scoop her up into his arms, not bothering to pause in stride. Clearly he didn't expect her to protest, though she certainly could if she didn't mind the potential imbalance on the hillside that could ensue.
[12:38] Dinah (dollihead) clicked her tongue and shook her head "I suppose they would have thought themselves more advanced than our heathenish ways. Granted, we would all be right back to church afterwards. Even if it were just to show face. I think both church and the may day celebrations were just a chance to be seen in public for most of them. I still quite liked them though. All the flowers." she reached her arms to wrap around his shoulders as he lifted her, laughing softly.
"Did you think my heels wouldn't be able to handle the hill? Not that I am complaining. I suppose the white ones are likely not the smartest of choices for cross country"
[12:53] Niles Roesler (ohsoincoherently) grinned as he navigated the hill. "I'm sure your grace and poise in heels would have managed just fine but the cleanliness of the whites would have suffered tremendously," he replied. He paused again briefly closer to the bottom, kicking and shaking out one foot then the other before continuing on. If she paid attention, the smell of blood was easy to pick up on as layers of it coated his own shoes and the hems of his pants like sanguine wellies until they were finished traversing the muddier bits of ground.
The house to their left was eerily quiet until they came close enough to it to smell the dust and lingering scent of decay. The wood groaned as if against the wind, the house itself almost seeming to lean over them like an animal trying to make itself large and intimidating. Niles did not stop near the place, moving onward without much comment despite the wariness in his mind. The place was heavy with necromantic aether, magics old and strong clinging to the air in that vicinity.
[12:56] Dinah (dollihead) rested her cheek against his shoulder, perfectly happy to keep being carried down the hill. "grace and poise? practice, darling" she laughed softly, though the smell of blood caused her to scrunch her face up and she turned, staring towards the house.
She continued to stare, pupils flooding and her sclera darkening for a moment as she tried a closer look. More curious than he was wary, she did give his shoulder a squeeze as she sensed it.
"...what a loathesome little house" she mumbled
[13:06] Niles Roesler (ohsoincoherently) chuckled though the laugh had an edge to it until they found themselves on the busier thoroughfare of the Seiiki main street. He set her down there, the blood slithering back beneath the hems of his pantlegs with just a wince of backlash from people that happened to glance their way. It was, after all, a little strange that they both came out of the trees so pristine. "It was the Mercer House before it was abandoned. Old family, old magic. There are things that cling to that place that I'm sure your new deadboy acquaintance would find more palatable than polite society."
His walk relaxed into a meandering stroll as they went through Seiiki. Niles kept Dinah in the crook of his arm, leading her through the bustling market crowds. He paused at one of the nearby shops to pick up what looked like a pre-ordered basket, clearly something he had paid to have put together before they moved on. "I know your brother has a habit of enjoying this district. Do you accompany him often?" he asked, casual and certainly not accusatory.
[13:11] Dinah (dollihead) squinted at the house as they passed it, humming a thoughtful noise to herself and rubbing the heels of her hands into her face to put her eyes back to 'normal'. "so that is the mercer house. I had always imagined it further from ours. What a hovel for an old blood family" she clicked her tongue, though at the mention of the 'dead boy' she let out a soft 'hmph' and fell silent on that front at least, prickling a little from the last interaction.
She smoothed out her dress when she was set down, returning her hand to his arm and giving the basket an intruiged look, but his question distracted her from asking her own.
"Sometimes if there is a festival on. I like the pond, and the trees. We went to the baths once but I am not terribly fond of the idea of public bathing as everyone here seems to be" she reached out to try and snag a flower petal as they passed. "I haven't been since the last festival. It does always look quite pretty though. do you?"
[13:22] Niles Roesler (ohsoincoherently) couldn't hide the fact that he was pleased by her reaction. Prickles at the thought of the Jikininki were very much encouraged and though he didn't delve (much) he certainly made no effort to hide the curiosity in his mind at the turn in opinion. "During the festivals, yes. Most of the time I send runners to collect things I need from the markets and at least until the Fog and the effect it had on the smell, I much prefer the beach and the sea to the pond. I'm glad the shores are back to normal. It's been lovely being able settle the ship over the open waters again."
The sakura blossoms were easy enough to catch as they went, especially considering Niles paused to collect a blanket from a nearby stall. "The baths and hot springs do have their own allure but... as you say. It's all rather open and there are far too many things that might linger in the waters. Japanese folklore is full of water-based deviants, you know." The doctor turned down a path towards the temple and the houses that ran along the opposite side of the street. His pace quickened as they passed one of them, run down like the Mercer house but far less decrepit. It was maintained, more purposefully kept in its current state. Shadows passed to and fro in the second story windows, a crooked wooden door keeping the yard closed off from the street.
[13:27] Dinah (dollihead) didn't try to keep him out of her mind. no active dislike yet but still that sullen sulkiness at the affront of it all. She brightened at the subject of the beach and she nodded. "I have been there a few times since the fog lifted." she agreed, casually tucking one of the fallen blossoms into his hair as they walked.
"there are water based deviants all over. Kelpies, and each-uisge... the latter is like a kelpie, but far more angry. eats livers." she hummed again and reached for another petal. "Speaking of 'water based' though, I really ought to introduce you to grandpa at some point" she considered aloud, peering towards the house that they passed as they passed it and wrinkling her nose at the shadows.
[13:34] Niles Roesler (ohsoincoherently) | The shadows made faces back, faint and barely discernible but certainly there. Those spirits had more guff to them than most, it seemed. Soon enough though they were past that and into the softer grass that ran beneath the arched trees leading into the woods. This time of year the blooms were at their most robust, the floral scents filling the air as they moved toward the Wilds. Niles was, despite the natural beauty of the place, looking this way and that with sharp attention paid to movements. This was the realm of the Fae, after all. He was not terribly keen on running into one.
"Fair enough but at least in the open sea there are other things to keep mischievous water goblins occupied. Entities of your own affiliations, for one." He tugged her toward his side as she spoke of grandpa, smile widening teasingly. "Meeting more of the family, hm? That does seem like an appropriate next step after a profession of love."
[13:38] Dinah (dollihead) hadn't really considered the notion of fae until they wandered closer into the wilderness. Beneath the canopy of flowers there was less likely to be a particularly problematic instance of the breed disguising himself as a tree, but when it dawned on her that they were going to the wilds, her grip stiffened just a moment before she schooled it back.
She smiled though as he tugged her closer, and she wound her arm around his. "Grandpa isn't blood" she grinned "but he might as well be. He is Elder G'lage of the deep folk. I incited the first rite of sponsorship when his people were following Maximillian. They don't anymore" she chuckled quietly. "he's sweet. For an ancient fish-monster. I have never enacted the rite of sponsorship. I am looking forward to it. I just need to be a little careful in paying for it" she skimmed the treeline with her gaze. Just in case.
[13:47] Niles Roesler (ohsoincoherently) caught onto her wariness but did not remark on it, not yet. Instead he made the same little movements with his feet that had brought on his protective blood layers by the Mercer house, evidently not too keen on being terribly exposed to the ground and fauna of the Wilds. "Well. The Elders are nearer and dearer than the rest of the family, if I understand your relatives correctly. I'd love to meet 'Grandpa,' though I do have to say I'm against you pledging more of yourself to yet another entity. You already have quite the roster of them fighting over you, you know. Those of us on the mortal plane will find ourselves bereft."
He led her toward the sound of rushing water, the stride confident despite his trips into the forest being relatively rare; he had Pel's memories of the place and its locales, after all. "There is a little secret tucked away by the lake here. I think... you might already know it. Do you remember?" he asked with a curious glance her way.
[13:51] Dinah (dollihead) tittered and she nodded, clasping her hands around his arm. "Definitely nearer and dearer than the rest. Yes. And don't fret.. the rite is not so much a 'selling of my soul' as a 'selling of the flesh of others'. Father Dagon and mother hydra have my respect..the former my veneration..but they would have no need of me and my soul. Mother would like it no doubt, but absolutely not. I'll take my chances with the others" she shivered just a little at the thought. As they wandered deeper into the woods, she glanced around a little more frequently. Checking herself when particularly crooked branches were not in fact a rack of antlers.
"...Aine" she murmured, nodding again "I remember. Ah! If I had known, I would have brought some jewelry" she sighed a feigned, dramatic sigh "I hadn't been to see her since before the fog"
[13:59] Niles Roesler (ohsoincoherently) | "...well, I can hardly dissuade veneration. I admittedly know less about Father Dagon and Mother Hydra than some others but careless or not, you do know what you're doing. I'll have to trust your judgment, hm?" Niles stopped in a little clearing in the trees. The flowers beneath them were still wet with dew here, enough cover from the lush foliage to keep the sun from drying them. It was here he turned to her, the hand at her hip pressing its palm forward to guide her to turn to face him. "Something... has you very distracted liebchen and that certainly won't do." Leaning down he pressed a kiss to her forehead that lingered, the physical contact acting as stronger conduit for his mind to her own. His mind roved over those Fae they'd encountered to see if any of them were the case - the Sidhe king, his courtiers, one particularly colorful plant woman that had spirited away his own dryad. He was searching this time, curious at her glancing eyes.
[14:06] Dinah (dollihead) smiled gently, tipping her head to rest against his arm as they walked. "Mother hydra, father dagon and the great priest Cthulhu are their triad. have you ever seen one of their cities? they are beautiful. even the one they were building in our mine, it was beautiful. All coral and bioluminescence" she spoke wistfully "the sponsorship is sort of a ritualised alliance. I toss them women, they ensure the isle remains prosperous. fish, and gold...and I might see if they might dive for us" she paused as he stopped, eyes searching his face, and she sighed softly as he kissed her brow. there would be no worries of the familiar faces at least, the fae he knew about, but there would be the massive frame of the monstrous stag in her mind before she tried her best to shuffle it back. She opened her mouth to speak, paused, then shook her head, reaching up to his cheeks.
"it's fine. I am quite certain I am just being jumpy. it's been a while since I've come out to the woods, you know" Not strictly a lie, the black stag in her memories having as close to a sheet covered over it as she could.
[14:17] Niles Roesler (ohsoincoherently) pulled back when she answered, though not after stealing a little glance at her memories of the cities she described. "Never in person, only in dreams. Peeks through the gates Yog-Sothoth opens - though the actual locations always seemed so out of reach." He studied her for a moment, quizzical and quiet. Her sponsorship from the powers that be were of no concern once the stag had come to mind. The beast piqued both curiosity and suspicion and after his eyes ticked over the expression on her face they turned to scan the treeline.
There was movement there. It shifted through the shadows of the trees, keeping from the sun. It was impossible for a stag to be quiet at that size - especially when it was ill accustomed to needing to hide from predatory beasts. It was more predator itself, considering how it was made. "I never thought Dinah Windgrace, summoner of horrors and ghasts hunters would fear any sort of beast," he mused. Keen eyes followed the movements as if trying to discern their origin, be it normal forest denizen or otherwise. "...and yet here you are, jumpy and anxious."
[14:24] Dinah (dollihead) softened, her wistful expression brightening "one day, I will take you. You won't need to breathe, of course, but webbing your fingers for the day might benefit..I suspect they would not be quite as warm with you as they are with me...they can be a little distant to outsiders." her potential day trip to the deep was distracted by the motion in the treeline and she turned, planting one foot aside to square herself between Niles and the stag, and she lifted a finger towards it.
"don't you dare." the sharp, threatening edge in her voice should hopefully at least keep the beast from acting rashly, though Nile's voice made her sigh and she turned to look back up towards him again.
"that's not a stag. Well. It is, sort of. I made it" she grumbled. "...i had been rather hoping I wouldn't have to tell you. It's not myself I am jumpy for, darling, but I don't doubt he would try to take a run at you if he thought he could get away with it just to vex me." she took a deep breath. "..it's your predecessor.
After he lied to me and tricked me, and tried to possess me. I had promised him a body. THAT is what he got. And he'd better turn around and march it back into the woods again before I turn him into a fucking slug next"
[14:35] Niles Roesler (ohsoincoherently): smiled warmly at the idea of being introduced. "I'll have to do my best to earn the welcome then," he said before going very, very still at her explanation. Putting a hand on her shoulder her leaned in to whisper close to her ear, his other arm slinking around her wrist to pull her rather forcefully to him. "Is it now...?" he murmured. "Stuck in the body of a prey animal. How fitting. Though... you could have done without making him look respectable."
She sensed it, likely. There was anger in the beast at the treeline, audible in the scuff of hooves digging at the grass and the course grind of antlers against the bark of the nearby trees. Niles was quiet by comparison but the aether spike in him was palpable to her senses, his blood dispersing into the air. The arm around her wrist held firm, the other settling its fingers around her jaw to tilt her head backward so his lips could find the side of her neck. "He's a selfish thing, isn't he? Thinking he could steal this body away for his own."
[14:42] Dinah (dollihead) gasped a little as he pulled her close, but she curled her arm around to rest against his chest.
"My horse died" she explained quietly "I had something of his. and his true name. I had been practicing the rite for Maximilian anyway." she tilted her head against his chest. "I wanted him somewhere close, but not in the house. incapable of speech. incapable of magic. He comes to me if I call him. he has no choice." she tilted her head as his fingers guided her chin upwards, baring her throat with a smile.
"if he had waited, and not tried to steal from me, i probably would have given him another body. I wonder if i had, would you have come back?" she shivered at the feeling of his lips on her skin, fingers tightening on his shirt. "but I had my wards up. hard to break...so I knew what he'd done"
[14:52] Niles Roesler (ohsoincoherently) said, "I see," but did not release her even after she explained. He was pleased by the confirmation the stag could neither speak nor use magic but there was the danger of brute strength to consider, at least. The rush of blood was quick. It formed tendrils of liquid red that lashed the beast to the trees on either side, coiling around neck, body, and limbs to hold him fast despite his thrashing. The tendrils stretched to a point, distributing the force of his struggles enough to keep him in place without breaking.
No choice, she'd said. "No, he certainly does not," Niles echoed. The hand at her waist moved and yanked up the front of her skirt, tucking it into the waistline of her panties before plunging under them. He found her lips and the bud that sat atop them, teasing it with his fingertips. "You're far too generous, mein Liebe. If there's anything you should be giving him, it's a definitive demonstration of where he stands."
[14:58] Dinah (dollihead) wasn't trying to pull away, perfectly happy pulled against him. She kept her chin upwards and tilted, not trying to dissuade his lips from her throat. She flinched at the bloody tendrils, almost expecting them to twist around herself as they usually did, but she turned her head enough to give him a querying look as he bound the stag instead. "if you kill him i'll have to put him somewhere else" she warned him quietly "I don't want him roaming unattended"
but then her skirt was being lifted and she squeaked out a sound of surprise, cheeks burning as he manhandled her. "you are an absolute scoundrel, did you know that?" she accused him through a shuddering breath, leaning her sliight weight against him "one should not taunt the wildlife, Niles"
[15:24] Niles Roesler (ohsoincoherently) left a trail of kisses down the side of her neck, his teeth finding the line of her trapezius muscle. When she turned he hushed the inquiry with a fierce kiss to her lips as his fingers cupped and squeezed to put pressure on her clit. "I am your absolute cad," he corrected. An insistent tug pulled down her underwear, leaving it to drop to her ankles unless she decided to try and keep them up. A telekinetic grip kept her skirts up to leave her exposed as his fingers plunged past her lips to reach inside her.
[15:32] Dinah (dollihead) hissed at the skimming of teeth at her throat, tilting her head aside once more just in case, but she took the kiss just as eagerly, even if she whimpered against his lips. The sudden coolness of being exposed had her twist a little, more towards him than quite so much openly on display as she was, clinging to his shirt with another stuttered gasp as his fingers quested inside her.
"my absolute cad is right. a-ah...aren't I glad he didn't show up right next to town" she squeezed her fingers harder against his shirt, biting her lower lip
[15:40] Niles Roesler (ohsoincoherently) tutted reprovingly. "Ah-ah... however will he properly enjoy the show that way?" he chastised. When the blood came this time it was to coil around her thighs, squeezing and lifting in an effort to keep her spread and leaned against his chest, facing the forest and the bound stag fully. With both his arms free one hand tore at the front of her blouse, wrenching it open to expose the brassiere beneath. "Do you think that would stop me?" he asked when confronted with the idea of a larger audience. Another tug and one breast was free to be gripped and kneaded, an added distraction to the fingers now curling to find the sweet spot that corresponded to a more sensitive bundle of nerves.
[15:46] Dinah (dollihead) at least wasn't going to look at the furious stag, watching Niles instead even at his scolding, and she sucked in another breath at the familiar sensation of the blood sneaking around her thighs. The tearing of her blouse scattered a few buttons into the undergrowth, and she shook her head with a huff, breathing quickened as she leaned against him, fingers flexing at her sides and bunching uselessly in her skirt.
"No...It wouldn't. which is why I'm glad he didn't show there" another shiver rolled through her and she nipped harder at her lip, eyelids fluttering as she bucked against his touch
((To Be Continued - Discord))