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Neiu Lynn

0 · 421 views · located in Raraku.

a character in “Ignis”, as played by SomeoneNamedNo-one

Description

Appearance: Neiu is a slight, petite girl, with narrow hips and small breasts. She is as dark haired as she is pale and her skin is marred only by one small scar under her right ear. Her pixie face is curtained by two sheets of slick, straight hair that has been shorn off at the shoulders. Her almond eyes are deep brown and she often licks her chapped pink lips in an unconscious attempt to moisturise them. Her attire changes drastically, depending on the situation she is in.

Personality: (Oh, I hate describing personalities. You'll see soon enough.)

Equip&Abilities: Neiu has studied the art of air manipulation since she was a young girl and those years have given her a good grasp of the practice. She has a rusty dagger hidden in one boot, rarely used. If in danger, she prefers to cut off the oxygen supply of her adversaries and use the time it takes them to catch their breath to disappear. She's able to manipulate winds and breezes, but they must already exist. She is also able to lift some things, but nothing as well as herself.

Historical Background: Neiu has never been given 'official' training. When she was young, she was cast out of her family for being under the suspicion of being a mage. They viewed it a mercy that they didn't turn her into the authorities, but secretly, Neiu knew they simply couldn't face the humiliation. The stain of a mage in the family never washed out. The village would treat the Lynns like pariahs and so, it was decided that it was better for them all if she disappeared. She traveled for days, towards the east until she reached the first city in her path. The Great Drakon. There, she stayed. In those early days, floating loaves out of bakeries was as simple as clapping her hands together. And soon enough she found others like her; others who had been abandoned by families who told them ghost stories of the happenings in mage academies. Others who feared the authorities version of education more so than they feared death. They would huddle together at night, a raggedy bunch of children, and whisper about their old lives. They swore to each other that they'd never abandon each other, not like their families did. Most honoured that oath. Some backed out, pining for the security of a roof over their heads and a meal three times a day. Some were caught. Neiu never let herself remember their names after - they were what she could never become.
Eventually, the Small Order found her. They had been watching her for weeks before they appeared before her. They cornered her in a small alley. In frantic fear, she sent rocks flying at them - only to watch in astonishment as they floated down to the ground as if they were leaves falling from an autumn tree. They were like her - more so than the children, them with their firey hands or tingly skin or with the watery hair. No, they could play with air, just like her!
She listened intently to what they had to say. In five minutes, she had broken her childishly solemn vow of allegiance to the street children and hand in hand with the leader, followed the people who would soon become her tutors.

(The Small Order were an underground group of air manipulators who came together to teach their young to control their powers. They did not trust training in the Magi Tower. They were angry about the imprisonment. They hated the public opinion of magi. So they created their own version of the Magi Tower underground and have thrived since.)

So begins...

Neiu Lynn's Story

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Neiu yawned as she watched the house the pyromancer and the show dancer were in. She had found them as they left the tavern together and had followed them, keeping the Gral men within sight as well. She observed the predicted fight unfold from a nearby village house, huddling into the small wall encircling the rooftop. The clay was still warm from the day's scorching heat yet the night's cold breezes were sharp. She could, of course, have stayed them. But she was far too engrossed in the fray below to think about taming the light winds. Truly, it was the cold in the air that bit into her skin, and she was not yet able to change the temperature of the fickle element.
She had wrinkled her nose when the stench of charred flesh reached her. She waved a delicate hand and the pillars of smoke drifted south, away from her. What a filthy art pyromancy is, she thought as she watched the dead man's ashes float in the air, mixing into the air that the warriors breathed. Yet she could appreciate his skill. Pity he was a product of the Magi Tower.
The girl had a quieter skill, yet she was just as deadly. Her face was set in an expression of unwavering grimness as she danced about her opponents, and as they fell at either side of her. She was reminded oddly, of the midsummer dances of her youth. The girls of the village used to dance around with colourful streams of ribbons to celebrate their passing into womanhood. Her blade was far less colourful than their ribbons, but there was the same quality of grace in its movement.
The battle quietened down as the last remaining Gral reassessed his situation. It was far too late for cowardice, however. In the momentary silence, she could hear a deadbolt lock into place. That'll be the tavern, she thought mournfully. The sounds men make as they draw their last breath always have that effect on others who were perfectly safe. But that meant the pair below would have to find another place to stay for the night, and she'd have to wait outside.
Within seconds, the last man was dead. The pyromancer, Ulysses, felt her presence then, and she ducked down as she listened to them murmur together. She thought they wouldn't notice for another day, at the very least. She let them go ahead a mile, tracking the disturbances they made in the air them from the rooftops.
They led her to a blacksmith's home. She wondered what they were doing there. She had not been told much of their history in hope, perhaps, that she would not attempt interact with them. Yet it hindered her now. Were they there for the night? Or were they looking for weapons? Was the blacksmith a friend or foe? With a deep sigh, she resigned herself to a long night of waiting.

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Character Portrait: Iaira Blackmont Character Portrait: Ulysses the Seared Character Portrait: Neiu Lynn
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Neiu had finally settled into a comfortable position when the door knob of the blacksmith's rattled down below. She was tracing images in the dust that had settled on the surface during the day. A square soon formed into a little garden. She remembered the feeling of grass beneath her toes wistfully. There was not much grass in this city, but at home, her mother used to tend to a little garden. The well was near to their house, and Neiu would often waddle there to get a bucket of water for the grass. By the time she would have returned, the bucket would be half empty, its contents dripping off the front of her dress. But her mother would never get angry. With Neiu out from between her feet, she could finally do housework. Her father would be out working in the fields.

The memory still haunting her mind, she slipped her cloak off her legs and peered over the edge of roof. It was the pyromancer. He and the girl were leaving. She ducked down again and gathered her cloak around her. Where are you going now?

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Character Portrait: Iaira Blackmont Character Portrait: Ulysses the Seared Character Portrait: Neiu Lynn
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'Paying the innkeeper, are we?' Iaira chuckled, pressing her palm against the reddened wound with a flicker of annoyance. She stepped back and archer her neck, scanning the dim-lit room to find Ioreth's slumped figure again. 'Thanks for the affection, Ioreth, I don't get it a lot nowadays.' Her hand was raised to her chest, and she made a heartfelt gesture of despair. 'I will never forget you, promise.' She returned to the hall, holding her folded cloak in hand. Iaira walked through the door and into the clean nightly air, taking it in greedily. She opened her mouth and turned to Ulysses-
Coming to a halt-
Her gaze trickling upwards. The stone, branch-covered wall of an abandoned building to her right, skipping over the shuttered window, the wood covered in mold, loose and hanging-
Higher up, over the stained, rounded chipped bricks of the roof-
Where a cloaked figure crouched. Admittedly small-framed. And yet there was something there. Something that gave Iaira pause. She took a step back into the shadowed entrance of Ioreth's residence and held out her arm that snapped in front of Ulysses' chest, halting him.
'Quiet, now. I think I found our third wheel,' the assassin murmured, her other hand loosening the scabbard at her hip with a flick of her fingers. She gestured towards the roof with a tilt of her head, her brows arched. 'Up there. Usually my admirers are a bit bigger, I'm afraid this one is not my type at all.'

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Character Portrait: Iaira Blackmont Character Portrait: Ulysses the Seared Character Portrait: Neiu Lynn
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Ulysses placed his hand on top of Iaira's and put it back at her side.
"I see them." He said, taking another step forward. He tilted his head to the side and hesitantly waved slowly at the figure. Nothing. He turned to face Iaira and shrugged his shoulders once again.
"I'll get to her." Taking off his gloves and placing them in his inside pocket, Ulysses began to briskly walk towards the house, and sped into a jog, then a sprint as he neared the wall, his overcoat trailing far behind him in the air. As he reached the wall, he jumped and put his leg out onto a small window ledge at street level, using all of the force in his leg to kick him upwards, grabbing another small window ledge as he did so. Quickly, he launched himself from the ledge to the lip at the top of the window, the smooth stone cold against his bare hands. Launching himself again, he grabbed the slanted roof edge and pulled himself up onto it. He was now facing the figure in the shadows as he fondled his overcoat pocket for his gloves, finally finding them, and putting them back on. His hands were not used to the harshness of usage, and were numb because of so. He rubbed them together to warm them up, and hopefully restore the feeling to them.
"So," He said, taking slow steps towards the figure. "Who are you?"

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Character Portrait: Ulysses the Seared Character Portrait: Neiu Lynn
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Her cloak fastened, Neiu returned to watching her subjects. Their stance had changed into something more guarded. A subtle nod. A glint of steel. A murmured word, betraying suspicion. Neiu's lips curled back into a snarl. The winds damn them. She slipped back into the shadows of another building, her fingers clasping for her scarf. She wound the dark material around her face, covering all but her eyes. She turned to push herself off the roof and into the alleyway behind, but the scrape of boots on the sandy rooftop behind her stopped her.
"So," the pyromancer said. "Who are you?"
Do not interfere with them, child.
She raised her head and looked straight out, still as a pillar. She had no choices left. If she jumped, he might attack her. The Shadow Dancer might track her. They knew her now. But those who sent her should have known. Neither a fire nor a shadow can have a shadow.
Slowly, she turned, palms up. "I..saw you." As her wavering voice carried across the still air, she hunched her shoulders and kicked a little pebble at her feet. It skipped a little over the uneven ground, before coming to a defeated halt. "You create fire with your hands. You killed a man." She shuffled closer, eyes wide. "Are you from the Magi Tower?"

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Character Portrait: Ulysses the Seared Character Portrait: Neiu Lynn
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"Nonsense. I killed several." His lips curled into a sharp smile underneath his mask and he muffled a slight chuckle.
"I am from the Magi Tower indeed. Proudly"
His eyes trailed up and down the girl. She was small, but he would not let that fool him. As far as he knew, she was a danger. He had seen a shadow dancer just as small cut down several armed men with ease, even wounded. This girl was a potential threat to Ulysses and Iaira.
"You can lower your arms. I am not going to hurt you." He took a step closer to the girl. Her eyes were the only thing visible on her face, lit up in the moonlight. They were a gorgeous brown that seemed to draw him in. He shook his head and placed his head within a cupped hand, sighing quietly.
"I apologise." He said, taking his hand from his face and holding it out to the girl.
"My name is Ulysses. Might you bless me with your name, now?"

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Character Portrait: Ulysses the Seared Character Portrait: Neiu Lynn
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Proudly. Proudly from the Magi Tower. Neiu had to stop herself from spitting on the ground. Fool that he was, she could not blame him for his ignorance. His captors never allowed another view on the subject. Yet to boast of his being taught there.. It made her skin crawl, as if a hundred black widows ran up and down her body. Still, she kept her face in control. She let a little fear creep into her countenance, as was suited to a girl from the markets. The Magi Tower captives were feared by the city's people. Too many tax collectors employed them to ensure that their rates were met, to every last copper. Too often houses were flooded, or burnt to the ground or crumbled for failing to pay their taxes. It made the people furious, but the fear of punishment prevailed over their anger. They kept their heads down, and in return they were not harmed. Much.
Breathing deeply, Neiu raised her hand, and placed it in his, enclosed in a glove. The material, although soft and supple, felt very warm. "May the winds favour our meeting, Ulysses. Some call me Jaya." Neiu used the name of a market girl who supplied the Small Order with some small information. "I'm afraid I startled you and your companion. I was just curious."

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Character Portrait: Ulysses the Seared Character Portrait: Neiu Lynn
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Ulysses tilted his head ever so slightly to the right.
"Curious? Is that perhaps why you have spied on us upon a rooftop, which is not easily accessed, may I add, concealing your identity when confronted? Of course you're curious. No. You, my girl, are doing something much more sinister, I am sure of it." Ulysses began to walk around Neiu in a circle.
"You have an aura about you. Mystery. Hardship." He stopped in front of her and shrugged.
"Just a feeling I get with people. Haven't been wrong so far. Me and my companion here ar-" He paused as he looked down to where Iaira once was. Where the bloody hell has she gone, now? He thought.
"So much for jolly co-operation, hey? Just the two of us, then." He proceeded to sit down on the ledge of the roof and grab his head as if in pain.
"Come, girl. Sit. I won't bite you unless you pay me." He said with a brief childish snicker.

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Character Portrait: Ulysses the Seared Character Portrait: Neiu Lynn
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Neiu's smile faded as the pyromancer began to circle her, like a tiger appreciating the size of a antelope before pouncing. She pulled at the ends of her scarf as she silently listened to him accused her of deception, ensuring that they would stay in place. Her first act was up now. He wasn't fooled. She must needs tread very carefully from here on out. His words were casual, but she sensed fire brewing beneath them, as if only his will was stopping them flow out like torrents of lava.
He stopped in front of her, and Neiu finally had a chance to examine his intricate mask. It covered his entire face. Not a speck of flesh was to be seen. She wanted to touch its painted skin. Would it be hot to the touch, as his gloves were, or cold in the night air? But he moved away again, only to discover his companion had disappeared.
Neiu's nostrils flared. She was supposed to watch them both, not allow them to split. But there was nothing she could do that would not arose suspicion.. Perhaps more suspicion would be more accurate, as the pyromancer still watched her as if she would draw a knife on him at any given second. He sat down at the edge of the roof, and lay his face -his mask- in his hands. He invited her to join him with a a brazen joke, and she complied quietly, sitting across from him.
"My real name is Neiu." She said, as she observed how he held his head. "You're right. In some aspects. But I have no sinister motivations in following you." The scarf muffled her words, but not beyond comprehension. She plucked at the material over her lips, to make her voice clearer. "I saw you in the tavern. I noticed they released you from the Magi Tower. So I followed you. Because," she turned back to the pebble she lifted earlier. Slowly, she lifted it with the air and brought down between them. "I'm a mage. But I've never been there."

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Character Portrait: Ulysses the Seared Character Portrait: Neiu Lynn
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"An apostate? I see. Thank you for the truth, Neiu. If that is your real name, indeed." He chuckled.
"Controlling the air, is it? That's new to me. It seems interesting. I bet you could do a lot with that." He nodded thoughtfully and mumbled to himself.
"I understand you do not agree with the taming of magic. But think of it like this; Magic is a fantastically dangerous being. It comes in many forms, all of them deadly. Hydromancy, for instance. The art of producing water. It sounds harmless. But everything is deadly, given the right dosage. I have seen a Hydromancer attempt to escape the tower. He tried to unleash his full power against one of the guards, and the water plucked the skin clean from his hands, and from the guard's face, of course." His head turned to face Neiu.
"I imagine with a power like yours, you can, say, sweep men off of their feet and throw them with immense force? Strangle them until they choke to death on their own blood? That must be incredible. Such power."
He inhaled sharply for a moment, then stood suddenly, and offered his hand once again to Neiu.

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She smiled a real smile, then, when he questioned her name. She looked away so the crinkle of her eyes did not betray her mirth. "It is an interesting art. I'd like to say the most interesting, but we're all partial to our own gifts, I suppose." She looked back at Ulysses, trying in vain to meet his eyes. It was impossible to tell what color they were, hidden beneath the shadow of his mask. It made her uneasy. But perhaps, she thought, I will see them better in the day.
But then he looked down and she had to focus again on his words. She wondered if he ever wanted to escape the Tower, or he was happy to be pent up like sheep when he was a wolf. "Did he escape in the end?"
He offered her his hand and she hesitated before taking it. Had be been a normal man, she would have stood up on her own. But it would not due to offend him so early on in the acquaintance. "Would you believe me if I told you I have never killed a man?" She let him help her up. "Where are we going?"

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Ulysses thought for a moment.
"I don't know if I could believe you. But then again, your art has never been fully trained, has it? You may have yet to learn the full extent of your gift. Some do not have bloodlust. It is fine. But you must kill soon. The power is truly overwhelming." He said, biting his lip.
Once Neiu was up, he let go of her slightly trembling hands to allow her to walk on her own.
"Well, for a start, you seem cold to me," He proceeded to remove his gloves and extend them out to Neiu. "Perhaps we should head inside somewhere and wait for my companion? I have no doubt she will find us when she means to. Productive girl, that one." He started to walk aimlessly atop the roof, stopping suddenly to place his hands on his hips.
"I cannot decide where we go. That is up to you, now."

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Character Portrait: Iaira Blackmont Character Portrait: Ulysses the Seared Character Portrait: Neiu Lynn
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She nodded as he spoke, allowing him to speak unmolested. She would contest what he said later, when they had settled somewhere. She tiptoed her way to the edge of the roof, hands spread out, as if to keep balance. In reality, it was to feel the disruptions in the air. There weren't many. A baker to the north of them was already preparing the dough of tomorrow's bread, and another man to the east was using the privy. But the rest of the world around them were resting. She turned back to him as he offered her his gloves. They make them chivalrous, do they? she thought, slightly amused. She lifted her hands and wiggled her fingers slightly. "I believe they would be too large on me." She wondered how much he knew about wind manipulation, how much they taught him. Did he know that covering her hands would be like binding her from the use of the wind? In a surprise attack, even the second it would take to remove a glove could be fatal. If he knew that, his intentions were ominous. But she doubted he would so obviously try sabotage her.
But like him, she wanted to wait for the Shadow Dancer to return. She nodded her head to the ground. "Let us descend first. I do not think we could travel across the roofs so easily together." Gently, she lifted herself down. She wondered if she would wound his manly pride if she offered to help him down, and decided that it would. "Would you like me to help you down, Ulysses? Those who are not air manipulators don't get to experience the feeling of weightlessness often, unless they are falling to their death. But that won't happen to you. You will not be the first man I kill."

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Character Portrait: Iaira Blackmont Character Portrait: Ulysses the Seared Character Portrait: Neiu Lynn
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Iaira made her way back to where she had left Ulysses' and their...admirer, undoubtedly frustrated that they had lost one of their targets. The city of Drakon slowly seemed to rustle into wakefulness around her, lights in high windows, a distant howl somewhere in the distance. Event the dogs in this city were restless. She heard the low rumble of military boots on pavement, male voices speaking in a harsh accent. When she elected they were close enough, she pressed herself deeper into the wall of a narrow alley, awaiting them to pass.
It wasn't long before she found them; they were on the roof, and the stranger figure had pooled its hood down, revealing a seemingly young girl. Iaira pulled herself back into the safe shadow of Ioreth's threshold and awaited their descend, resting her back on the stone wall, briefly shifting to adjust her weight on one leg, arms crossing over her chest.

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Character Portrait: Iaira Blackmont Character Portrait: Ulysses the Seared Character Portrait: Neiu Lynn
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"Oh, aren't you a gent?" He said, fixing his top hat and laughing.
"I'm afraid I will have to turn you down, my dear."
Ulysses began to jump down on the windowledge where he had climbed up, and let go. He hit the ground with a large force that sent a shockwave of pain through his legs and into his chest.
"Remind me not to do that again." He said, brushing himself off. He looked once more at his father's house, and saw Iaira. He waved frantically to hopefully amuse her but he couldn't see her face in the darkness.
"There's my companion, now." He said, walking over to Iaira.
"Where in the hells did you go? I had to talk to the wind girl. She's a mage, too, you know. Quite nice, actually. Rather funny." He said excitedly.
"So? Where have you been?"

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Character Portrait: Iaira Blackmont Character Portrait: Ulysses the Seared Character Portrait: Neiu Lynn
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Iaira scoffed and pushed herself off the wall, brushing some wall-dust off the top of her shoulder before regarding Ulyesses and arching her neck to look behind him to the 'wind girl' who was bound to be bouncing off after him. 'Such enthusiasm. Is that a flicker of emotion in your voice? Never heard it before, that girl must be a mage indeed.'
She kept her voice steady and nudged the book of Dryjhna tighter beneath her cloak, her elbow feeling the hard edge of the muslin-wrapped book. Iaira could taste the annoyance in her voice and the bitter metal that tainted it as she walked into the light. 'It might have slipped your attention, love, but we are not exactly going to have a tour through Raraku...the saying 'the more, the merrier' doesn't apply in our case.'

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Character Portrait: Iaira Blackmont Character Portrait: Ulysses the Seared Character Portrait: Neiu Lynn
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As the pyromancer and the Shadow Dancer spoke quietly in the shadow of the blacksmith's doorway, Neiu attempted to listen in. But although the street was narrow, their murmured voices did not carry well in the wind. Once, Ulysesses voice rose, but it fell again as the girl intervened. What she said, Neiu could not decipher, but the tone betrayed nothing positive. She stepped out into the light then, and Neiu had a true chance to take in her form. She was slight as well, with hair as black as scholar's ink. The slant of her eyes told Neiu that she, like her, was not from this city. But they were hardened against her. Neiu would have trouble convincing this one of her.. Well, lack of ill intent at the very least.
Neiu opened her mouth to speak, but the pyromancer's reply came too quickly for Neiu to interrupt. She moved back into the shadows of the house opposite and slipped the scarf down, to uncover her mouth and nose. She breathed in deeply, appreciating for the first time that night, the coolness of the night breezes. It was like dipping her face into a chilled stream after a day of work out in the fields. She flicked some loose strands of hair out of her face as she began, quite reluctantly, to rewind the scarf around her face. Be that it was made of silk, it stifled her.

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Character Portrait: Iaira Blackmont Character Portrait: Ulysses the Seared Character Portrait: Neiu Lynn
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Iaira's eyes widened in mocking disbelief. 'Oh! You wish to teach her how to be as powerful as you are in order to make her job easier? How sweet of you,' she walked at his front, shooting the girl a hostile glance before she turned her back to her. Iaira shoved Ulysses backwards, towards the ancient-looking stone wall, before she followed with two quick steps. 'How sweet of you to want to give a stranger the means to have us killed. I let you blow our cover. Twice. I joined you in the killing of those Gral. But to Hood if I will let you have me killed because nobody ever bothered to teach caution in the Magi Tower!'
She chose to grasp the chance and ignore his question, rather divert him with her not-all-too-genuine anger. Her rash movements had contributed in concealing the Book further, the flaps of her tunic falling to her sides. Concealed in darkness as she was, the outline would be barely -if not at all- visible.
Iaira raised her gaze to the mask once more, eyes flaring with rage. Her hands shot up to grip the front of his shirt tightly. As she pulled him forwards towards herself, she leaned in, her face so close to his concealed one he'd most likely be able to feel the trickle of her breath. When she spoke, her voice was not louder than a hiss. 'You contradict yourself, Ulysses. You know what I do? How I survived this long with an Empire on my heels? Whenever I knew something bad was going to happen, something horrible, I tracked down the root of it and extirpate it, I cut it down from its stem and leave nothing behind. That's how you stay alive, not by befriending the danger.' She let go of his clothes, opening and closing her fingers as if to grasp the nightly air. 'No matter what they taught in your little Tower, it's all different out here. Out here,' she continued, head cocking towards the small girls' direction, 'There is a threat in every corner. And if you wish to be merciful, well I have news for you. Mercy is outdated.'

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Character Portrait: Iaira Blackmont Character Portrait: Ulysses the Seared Character Portrait: Neiu Lynn
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Ulysses grabbed hold of her hand and spun around, so that Iaira was now against the wall.
"If she is to attempt to kill us, I would like it to be fair, and if you allow yourself to be killed by her, Iaira, then that much is your fault. I, myself? I'm not going to be killed by a apostate."
He let go of her hand and stepped backward, pointing a finger very close to Iaira's face.
"There is nothing in the art more powerful than pyromancy, girl. She cannot stop the Flame of Chaos, no matter how much wind she can move. And another thing: Unlike you, I face my dangers up front. I do not cling to the shadows and hide away. Mercy is what kills quickest, my dear, I am aware. That is my weakness. We all have one. If I am to die because of that, so be it."
He took his hand away from her face and turned around.
"I try to respect everyone I come across, Iaira, friend or foe. Respect holds honour. Something I am sure you know of."
He looked once more at the small girl and then again at Iaira.
"We must set off now. Whether or not you still wish to travel with me is your choice. If you do, however, I warn you, I might just get you killed." He said with a laugh before walking off into the street, singing a low tune to himself.

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Too much overconfidence, and soon enough I'll be burning your body, she thought begrudgingly, tugging at the fabric of her sleeve to straighten her tunic. Let him think she ran. It'd serve her cause delightfully. Yes... the Pyromancer had no knowledge of her House, no knowledge of Dassem or even Ammanas. No knowledge of the Talon itself. He could preach all he wanted about respect and honour, so long as he had never had to face the price for it. Of course, Iaira did not wish to blow her cover...she would maintain her suspcious attitude of the girl- though she was fairly certain that a wind-manipulator had no business with her. No, if anything, she would be after him. And if she were to advance against Ulysses, well, he was the one who respected her too much.
Iaira scoffed and followed Ulysses into the dim light of the dawn. Without even glancing at the girl, she crossed her arms, 'The walls are crowded with symbols. I'd guess no more than a week, then the streets run red. And we don't want to be here when that happens,' she said, then looked up at Ulysses. 'We've horses secured, along with supplies. Provided we have a steady pace, we should be nearing the Odhan by then. Safer out there.'
She eyed her companion, then spared a glance for the girl. 'The hands on the walls?' She grunted. 'You must have noticed them. Symbols of insurrection aplenty, meeting places announced, ritual to Dryjhna advertised- I can read all of that as well as any other native. But those unhuman handprints are something else entirely. They seem to indicate a direction. South.'
A pause.
'Pan'potsun Odhan,' Iaira said. 'It's a convergence.'
But we're expecting the rebellion. In fact, we're counting on it. Iaira wanted to be at heart of things. It's always been her way. This time, the hance literally fell into her lap. The Book of Dryjhna holds the heart of the Whirlwind Goddess- to begin the Apocalypse, it needs to be opened, by the Seeress and no-one else. Iaira knew it might well be suicidal, but she'd deliver that Hood-cursed book into Sha'ik's hands and so add another crack in Ammanas' crumbling control.
Iaira straightened eyes on the fading stars glittering overhead. Desert stars, sharp diamonds that ever seemed eager to draw blood. Hood's breath, I'm not looking forward to this.

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