Yanos Odron's Story

~Yanos Odron~

It was still the dine of the morning for many of the creatures and beings that resided within the land. While some beings would be rising for the start of the day others would be slinking off from the long drive of work or back to their own homes for the sheer nocturnal nature of their lives.
Yanos was not in any understanding of this class, his life had long been dictated by the whims of others and it was only the time that he spent alone that he was able to do what he loved or garner whatever needs he had. It was mostly around this section of his day that he stayed in his room, in the castle or here in the Hall of dead Kings. The silence here in this place was deafening for most, which would end with the sound of buzzing due to the amount of fireflies in the air.

The rays of the sun were just breaching the holes in the ceiling of the massive hollowed section of earth and Yanos could be seen laying on a large slab of stone within the multitude of carved figures and crumbling pillars. He hummed to himself as he took a long draw from his favorite pip and exhaled the darkly green tinged smoke into the air above him. The edges of his robe splayed out across the edges of the slab as he shifted his legs from side to the other and his eyes danced behind their lids to the tune he heard from the surrounding area.

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This was the tune that he loved as a boy, it was the sound of the fey humming in response to him. An uncountable collection of minds and bodies that danced and played beyond the view of sight to a tune that they all created and he leaned up with a smile on his face to greet them.
It was then a small glowing figure darted from the shadow, awash in a hazy green light that basked its form in radiation so pure it cast no shadow beyond itself. His other arm darted out in time to allow the little figure to land on the end of his fingers and it was revealed that this was a small feminine form with six small translucent wings. She was wrapped in a large leaf folded into a dress and her arms were covered in large gloves fashion from flower petals. The very look of her brought a smile to his face, seeing as they usually spent all their time in a pure state without clothes it did seem they did so for his own ease.

He looked as she gave a small bow with her amber colored hair bobbing too the side and her lightly colored emerald skin basking in its own glow. Yanos gave her a small nod and rubbed a finger across her head as if to pet her, but the thought and meaning of this interaction was deeper then just a mere semblance. The moment was over after that, she flew up and away taking the rest of the humming chorus with her.

Yanos took that as his cue to leave as he stood up off the edge of the stone slab knocking the rest of the ash from his pipe on its edge. His robe did little to cover his chest and stomach as was his usual dress, despite its effect to cover his back and how it fell around him the attire offered very little literal protection. He walked away from the graves and dismissed himself from the presence of the fallen, though it was sure to be the best he knew of the kinds that was kept in memory. Yanos was rather unwilling to even think of Cain as his King and more as his jailer seeing the current predicament he was in.
The light that hit his face as he reached the top of the great stairs before the bridge out of the courtyard was intense, its early rays of the day ready to beat the night into submission and force it back. Yanos looked out towards the walls of the castle courtyard and sighed a strong low sense of relief as he sank himself once more into the reality of his life.

There was something coming however, footsteps.. hurried on by a steady sound of determination in their noise. But it was still hard for the mage to see, his eyes burned as he turned to look and the rays passing over the walls battered his face. He barely had enough time to recognize a living figure break into his view and put up his hands before impact.
The impact was rather harsh, he had the time to ready himself and prevent either him or the one running into him from tumbling over. His mind raced with possibilities as they touched and his hands worked to fish out what his eyes could not see. There was a brisk air of dimness about the person and they were smaller, with a lithe form. His eyes were not even open and he could tell by the amount of hair bathing across him and the feel of their body pressed against him that it was a woman.

"Whoa there miss.." His voice rang out.
Not loud but beyond earshot his tone was light, despite this the years of servitude weighed on the sound he made. Like someone rubbing a two smooth stones together, this in turn made his sound both lite and deep to hear like a man who sings bass for a living.
His eyes opened to see a sprawl of dark locks flutter past his vision as she manages to recoil from the heavy impact, her hair was like a flock of ravens passing by in a dream. He had her in a small grasp to keep her up, one arm around her and the other holding her left shoulder as he looked to see her face. But her rush was evident, the girl was in a hurry to get somewhere and she spun off of him gracefully like a fish gliding through a waves current. His only saving grace was that he was able to retain his grip on her shoulder before she fled past him. "Little miss is there something wrong?.. something amiss?"

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Typically Raven was good at dodging in and out of people and allowing herself to get lost in a crowd, for she did it at least once a week. She was a swift theif, and she'd been spotted, they'd just never managed to catch her. She did a good job of blending in to others around her, and slipped through tight packs of people much quicker than the slower soldiers could.

However, Rae had forgotten to watch out for the entrance to the Hall of dead kings. So, when a man stepped out from it suddenly, she had little-to-no time to react and even slow herself, let alone stop herself. She crashed hard into the man, but luckily, he'd managed to take most of the impact, keeping them upright, however, now he was holding her and she really needed to go. Quickly, without hesitation, she spun out of the man's grip, ready to dash again, but his hand on her shoulder stopped her.

"Little miss is there something wrong?.. something amiss?" His voice, somehow managed to be light, and yet heavy at the same time, and it made her hesitate where, normally, she would have just shoved him off.

She looked at the man. His grip wasn't tight or brutal like the guards'. She could have easily slipped out of it if she wanted to, but most people would have just yelled at her, or cursed, telling her to watch where she was going. He seemed to want to know why she was running, rather than why she'd hit him.

Not for the first time in her life, Raven was utterly frustrated by her inability to communicate like a normal person. She didn't have time for charades, and she didn't have time to stop and make him understand why she was running. She should really just continue on, but she gestured frantically to the castle behind her.

Not sure if he'd understand, she held out her wrists for him to see, which were both now badly bruised, and mouthed the word "guards" slowly. She gestured ahead of her, signaling that she really had to go. If he was going to help her in some way, he'd better make up his mind quickly and either let her go while she was still ahead, or be of some assistance, though how he'd help, she had no idea, what mattered was getting hidden and now. She didn't want to see Cain again. He wouldn't let her out alive this time. She had had a head start by taking them by surprise, and leaping out the window, so she had a few seconds while the male guard recovered, and, of course, they probably wouldn't leap out the window, buying her a bit more time, but if they'd chased her, any moment now, they would be on her and they would know then what she could do, and make sure to be wary of it, giving her a very slim chance for a second escape.

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~Yanos Odron~

The girl thrashed for a quick moment as she tried to pull away from Yanos's grasp and he felt the tension in her body rise with every passing instant of breath. Her small fair features were only heightened by the look in her duel colored eyes as she stared back at him for a moment and he contemplated what she was doing and where she was going.
Her movement to explain to him what was happening was made all the more hectic by the fact she mouthed the words for her pursuers and the resounding thought of the Guards themselves came to his mind. As she showed him the tight dark marks on her wrist of being retained earlier and the small stray shards of glass in her hair that made it obvious she was going for an escape.

Yanos brought his hands onto the girls shoulders and gave her a sly solemn look as he put the tip of his long nailed finger to his lips and shushed the small girl. It was ironic for the moment seeing as she had yet to make a sound and now there he was telling her that it she should calm herself.

The heavy cascading sound of iron boots were trumping down the pathway from around the corner as he looked up from her and his eyes slowly drifted down to look her over and his face quickly grew a smile as he slowly turned her to face the direction that the footsteps were coming. He held her tight and brought his arm around her waist as the stomping got louder, growing every second.

It was easy to tell that this was not sitting well with the girl in his arms, her body became more tense as the men were getting closer and all Yanos did was look over her shoulder in the same direction.
But in the moments that followed something happened that was rather hard for the two of them to miss.

The air grew stale and silent for some reason, and all he did was stare towards the noise made by the guards. As their sound reached its apex he drew in a great breath and clacked his teeth shut, this somehow caused the stiffness in the air to strike harder on ones nerves. The girl herself could also feel that it was rather difficult for herself to breath as well, as if something was constricting around her lungs with a snug fit. The guards broke around the corner as Yanos held tight to the girl in his arms, the tension in her form was ready to burst as they rounded the corner. But for some reason there was no interest in their eyes, the men who numbered three were still running full force against the winds to catch their assailant. They seemed to stare past the two who stood ahead, gripped together in silence.. and then it happened.

Were the men would have made contact with the two standing silent in the center of the walkway instead they passed silently through. There bodies could not connect to the guards, they drifted through the form of Yanos and his charge without notice or pause and continued to run. It passed as quickly as it came in the beginning, the sound of pounding feet drew away and over the bridged pond as the men ran into the cities street.
With the knowledge that all was clear Yanos released his breath, the tightness of the surrounding world did the same as his mouth exhaled and a light grey dust was expelled. Pulling away from the girl he looked her over again as if to see that she came through the spell unscathed. He even took hold of her wrist and for an instant there was a cleansing warmth that passed from his hands to her arms, slowly making the dark blemishes disappear. "There you go.. a few days worth is enough to heal any lite wound." He looked at the girl as if he expected her to speak in response.

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Footsteps were beginning to be heard as the man placed his hands firmly on her shoulders and lifted a finger to his lips, as if they'd just shared a great secret and she was never to tell anybody, which was ironic, for, in reality, she never really could tell anyone. Though what he was sharing with her, she had no idea, and wasn't completely sure she wanted to find out either, but she hesitated.

As the footsteps grew louder, Kali whipped her head around in panic to follow their sound. No faces just yet, but the sound was drawing nearer. She turned back to face the man again, urgency clear in her expression. He, though, simply looked slowly over her, as though they had all the time in the world, his lips stretching into a smile. She was about to rip away and forget the man when he turned her around, to face the thumping of the approaching guards. Oh God. She immediately thought. He works for them. Panic filled made her insides jump as he wrapped an arm around her waist and held her tightly to him.

He was going to hold her there until they showed up and turn her in. Raven's whole body tensed in anticipation, as she shot her mind out to prod at the man's, just as she had done with the guard, looking for something she could use against him in an illusion that would make him release her. Something that would get her out of here. Oh god. She thought as the seconds ticked, and her panic was making her lose focus. She couldn't get a firm reading on the man.

Rae was just about to give up and go with the illusion of fire for the second time that day when something strange happened. The air around them seemed to grow stale and thin. Things seemed to quiet, as though she was swimming through water, the only clear sound, the urgent running sound of the approaching men.

Just as she knew the guards were going to turn the corner and see them, the air seemed to rush out of her lungs, and she felt as though there was a great weight on her chest, keeping her from breathing. What was happening? Was he trying to kill her before they got there, or just immobilize her? Whatever it was, it was working, for the stillness of the air wasn't allowing her to think right, so she couldn't focus on mentally setting the man on fire.

Then the guards rounded the corner, and she felt the man squeeze her tighter, causing her to tense up even more in fear, panic, and anticipation.

But they didn't see them. The eyes of the three soldiers glazed right past them as though they weren't there, and Raven suddenly felt relief. The man must have weaved his own illusion, making them invisible to the men.

Then she realized they were still heading at them full force. They would crash into them, and it would all come crumbling down! She'd be caught. Dragged in to where Cain was, and, at best, be thrown in the dungeon for the rest of her life. If she could have whimpered, she would have, as she leaned backward into the man, bracing for impact.

But nothing happened. The men passed straight through them and continued on their way as if they were nothing but air. It was amazing, she'd never seen anything like it. She could weave an illusion on a man's mind, making herself invisible to him, but she had to be centered, focused. She had to be within mental reach of the man, and, she may not be visible to him, but she was to everyone else around her, and she was still physically there. If the man were to bump into her, the illusion would be shattered and he'd see her again. This man now, however, had somehow, through the use of magic, allowed the soldiers to pass right through them.

Suddenly, the air seemed to come rushing back to her, as did normal sound and breathing, as it was all over and the man released them from his magic. He let her go, and she turned to face him again, unable to keep the relief from her eyes as she looked at him. He lifted her wrists and a warmth ran through them briefly, and she watched as the dark marks disappeared. "There you go.. a few days worth is enough to heal any lite wound." He said, looking at her, almost expectantly.

It took her a moment to pull her thoughts together for a response, and she looked up at him and nodded with a smile as she gently rubbed her wrists, as though to prove they were really healed. "Thank you." She mouthed, hoping he could read her lips. She gestured to the scar at her throat, that followed her collarbone, then at her lips. "Can't speak." She mouthed again, shaking her head. She wasn't going to use telepathy without his permission, especially not after he'd just saved her. People tended to get wary about a person who could get into their head, and it was a complete invasion of his privacy. The thought, made her think about how she was just about to make him think he was on fire, and she felt a little guilty.

Then Raven remembered something, and reached into the hidden pocket of her cloak to pull out a sketching pen that was resting there, next to her roll, still warm. She didn't have anything to write on, so she simply wrote on the back of her hand. "I'm Raven. Thank you." She showed him the writing, and the used the hand to flick the raven feather dangling from one of her ears as though it was a source of identity.

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~Yanos Odron~

The whole intense moment was done now and it was good that the girl did not intently panic from the whole ordeal, but it was good to see that she was made from sterner stuff then the soldiers that came looking for her. The spell itself was slightly taxing on its own, not many can simply step into an alternate section of reality and come right back out while carrying a passenger. He could feel the grains of his own ash pushing up back behind his teeth as he started to breath more freely.
He ground the feeling in the back of his mouth for a moment before he put his eyes back on the girl before him. She was rather happy with what had happened and so was he, Yanos was not one to just allow a fate like the dungeons befall someone if he had something that could be done about it. She produced a small writing utensil as she scrambled with her hands to write out the word Raven on her hand and show it to him. The young girl was mute thanks to what happened to her neck, but she seemed to be coping well with the way she had to communicate. She flicked the feather hanging from her ear as if to help signify her name to him.

He smiles back and gives a light bow. "Yanos, Court Magician to his lord Cain.. which I can see you already have a rather long history with." His head comes back up from the small bow and his face no longer bears the smile that he had before. "If you wish I can help you with that as well..?" Yanos made the gesture as his fingers made their way towards Raven's neck. It seemed that his intent on fixing the problem was slightly outweighing his ability to recognize whether or not she wanted it.

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"Yanos, Court Magician to his lord Cain.. which I can see you already have a rather long history with." He said, making Raven freeze out of instinct. Sure, he'd just saved her life, but her natural reaction to someone who said they were apart of the court was defensiveness. She couldn't stop her eyes from narrowing slightly, as though suspicious while he spoke. "If you wish I can help you with that as well..?" His fingers reached towards the scar on her neck, but hers beat him there, fingering the white line softly, thinking for a moment.

Was he offering to just fix the scar, or bring her voice back? Would she even want either? The scar and her lack of voice kept her hate for Cain and all who associate themselves with him going. Sure, there were a thousand other reasons to hate Cain, but when she got tired of acting out against him, on the days she'd sit under her bridge and think about maybe moving into town, being an average citizen, and having an easier life, she was reminded of the cruel things he did to people through the simple fact that she could not talk. It was a real pain in the ass sometimes, but it also helped to keep people away from her, for she liked solitude. The only reason she was standing here, talking to this man now was because he'd just saved her life.

Raven looked up at him and shook her head gently. She didn't want him to fix her. She liked the way she was. She wanted to leave, but she still had a question to ask. She didn't exactly want to write the whole thing on her arm, and she wasn't fond of looking like an idiot playing charades, so she bit her lip. She'd have to use telepathy. Hopefully he didn't get upset.

Raven took a step closer and locked her eyes onto his. I can speak through minds, though I don't usually like doing it. It invades privacy, and people tend to get angry. She explained, the message flowing from her mind to his, in her old voice. The one she lost. It was unusual for a Shade to speak clearly, for usually their words were warped by a hissing noise, but due to the fact that her mother had been an Adept and not a Shade, Kalista actually had a lovely voice. Her mother used to love her voice as it was musical and light. I have a question though... She sent tentatively If you're part of the court, and you serve Cain, why did you help me?

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OOC: Egh, not sure what to do with Sky, that's why I haven't posted for her in a while... I'll try posting from her on my next post.

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~Yanos Odron~

Yanos stared on at the young woman before him, the morning sun was beginning to shine of the arch of her locks and cascade through the wavering motions of her hair as she stood there motionless. She had this look on her face as if she were puzzling out the answer to a question, of course her reaction to him announcing who he was still lingered in her eyes.
It was obvious that she was slowly coming to terms with the weight of her situation. Raven's lips absentmindedly mouthed separate words as her hand intercepted his and raced too her throat before his and it was then that his mind caught on to what he was doing. Decades doing what he could, when he could kind of built an effort to prioritize need in his mind and it was this mindset that made him act instead of thinking most of the time.

It was also apparent to him that she was feeling awkward for some reason, just being able to pick up on that just by looking at her. As if she wanted to act but the action she would take seemed to bother her. But that was when it hit him.."I can speak through minds, though I don't usually like doing it. It invades privacy, and people tend to get angry" The back edges of his teeth clenched as she made a more formal intrusion then he was used to. He had up to that point only had the pleasure off dealing with several entities that could speak using telepathy, but he himself had his own withdrawals about using ones mind to talk and probe the thoughts of another. A being like himself found that is wasn't so much bad for him, but instead harmful for those that got past his wall and got to the objects on the other side.

"I have a question though... If you're part of the court, and you serve Cain, why did you help me?"

At this point he already acclimated himself to her form of conversation, though he was aware that her's was still somewhat unrefined. The fey that could speak with the mind directly had a whole other method that seemed overly delicate compared to Raven's. Strangely at this point Raven was beginning to feel a sensation that many who did the same too Yanos had felt.

She could feel that as she spoke to him, the act felt akin to that of pressing ones hand on a massive overinflated bubble. The form and mass of which was straining to maintain what it held, or at the very least to withhold from her own grasp. It was apparent though that something valuable was sitting behind this thin veil encased within this bubble and that Yanos himself was used to guarding it from psychics like herself and every time she spoke to him. Her mind received an impression of an overwhelming intensity, that kept manifesting itself as a soft pressure behind her right eye.

Yanos relaxed his mouth as he drew back on his tongue, she was polite enough to at least hold back till now in request of her question and she did wait to speak too him unless it was necessary. "Well.. that is nice.." He had a rather slant look in his eyes as he cut them back towards her and her question was sure in the right place. Which he shifted his head a bit before answering clasped his hands lightly together. "For the most part I know what happens down in those dungeons.. and such a place is no home for a young girl like yourself. Besides my taste for what the King does is rather less then that of his own."
Yanos looks around them for a moment, the morning wind was still blowing softly as his gaze searched the grounds. He was rather spry about the thought that guards may walk up on them any moment or that one of the other castle residents would happen upon them as well.