Introduction
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It is a curious thing, how I see beauty in death rather than life.
The stillness of a body,
skin translucent with colorful veins seemingly floating to the surface.
The whisper of a last breath,
the vivid red of blood like roses pooling around them.
Yes, death is beautiful.
Or perhaps I am simply jealous?
☛ Master Erika Harrington☚
☛ 15 ☚
☛ Female ☚
☛ Aki Adagaki ☚
☛ Bunny ☚
☛ Servant Clover Flora Bellbottom ☚
☛ 3 ☚
☛ Female ☚
☛ Vanilla ☚
☛ The_Queen ☚
☛ Eamon Harrington, the Older Twin ☚
☛ 15 ☚
☛ Male ☚
☛ Glenn Radars ☚
☛ NPC ☚
☛ The Familiar, Fiyero☚
☛ 200 ☚
☛ Male ☚
☛ Tomoe ☚
☛ NPC ☚
☛ Ex-Girlfriend Seraphina Remington ☚
☛ 16 ☚
☛ Female ☚
☛ Julis Alexia Von Riessfelt ☚
☛ NPC ☚
☛ Sister Maple Bellbottom ☚
☛ 3 ☚
☛ Female ☚
☛ Chocola ☚
☛ NPC ☚
☛ CCC Leader Karma Norse ☚
☛ 25 ☚
☛ Female ☚
☛ Tenryuu ☚
☛ NPC ☚
☛ Older Sister, Estelle Harrington ☚
☛ 22 ☚
☛ Female ☚
☛ Kaori ☚
☛ NPC ☚
☛ The Watchman, Alistair Remington ☚
☛ 18 ☚
☛ Male ☚
☛ Shintaro Kisaragi☚
☛ NPC ☚
☛ The Jester, Julian Langley ☚
☛ 14 ☚
☛ Male ☚
☛ Hideri Kanzaki ☚
☛ NPC ☚
☛ The Protector, Theodore Langley ☚
☛ 20 ☚
☛ Male ☚
☛ Haizaki Shougo ☚
☛ NPC ☚
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It is a curious thing, how I see beauty in death rather than life.
The stillness of a body,
skin translucent with colorful veins seemingly floating to the surface.
The whisper of a last breath,
the vivid red of blood like roses pooling around them.
Yes, death is beautiful.
Or perhaps I am simply jealous?
☛ Master Erika Harrington☚
☛ 15 ☚
☛ Female ☚
☛ Aki Adagaki ☚
☛ Bunny ☚
☛ Servant Clover Flora Bellbottom ☚
☛ 3 ☚
☛ Female ☚
☛ Vanilla ☚
☛ The_Queen ☚
☛ Eamon Harrington, the Older Twin ☚
☛ 15 ☚
☛ Male ☚
☛ Glenn Radars ☚
☛ NPC ☚
☛ The Familiar, Fiyero☚
☛ 200 ☚
☛ Male ☚
☛ Tomoe ☚
☛ NPC ☚
☛ Ex-Girlfriend Seraphina Remington ☚
☛ 16 ☚
☛ Female ☚
☛ Julis Alexia Von Riessfelt ☚
☛ NPC ☚
☛ Sister Maple Bellbottom ☚
☛ 3 ☚
☛ Female ☚
☛ Chocola ☚
☛ NPC ☚
☛ CCC Leader Karma Norse ☚
☛ 25 ☚
☛ Female ☚
☛ Tenryuu ☚
☛ NPC ☚
☛ Older Sister, Estelle Harrington ☚
☛ 22 ☚
☛ Female ☚
☛ Kaori ☚
☛ NPC ☚
☛ The Watchman, Alistair Remington ☚
☛ 18 ☚
☛ Male ☚
☛ Shintaro Kisaragi☚
☛ NPC ☚
☛ The Jester, Julian Langley ☚
☛ 14 ☚
☛ Male ☚
☛ Hideri Kanzaki ☚
☛ NPC ☚
☛ The Protector, Theodore Langley ☚
☛ 20 ☚
☛ Male ☚
☛ Haizaki Shougo ☚
☛ NPC ☚
The Story So Far... Write a Post » as written by 9 authors
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❝They say that cats are angels with whiskers.❞
【ɗιαƖσgυє cσƖσя:#A4D3EE ♙ тнσυgнт cσƖσя #FFADB9】
|| In the Name of Love || Nightcore ||
【ɗιαƖσgυє cσƖσя:#A4D3EE ♙ тнσυgнт cσƖσя #FFADB9】
|| In the Name of Love || Nightcore ||
Clover did not like water. As a cat, she detested anything larger than glass that contained the murky liquid, so an entire ocean was not something she fancied. However, Clover knew she had to follow orders and so at the behest of her Master, Tiger Lily dove into the murky depths, a ferret in one paw and a cross dressing boy in the other. Clover deposited them both on the shore, shaking the water off of herself. It was safer for her back here anyways, away from the fighting. The Watchman arrived, joining in the fray, it seemed that more than one side was vying to abduct the Balloon man, one wanting to put him behind bars, another with some other intentions, no doubt believing them to be noble. Clover was not a strong swimmer, almost as soon as she released Julian and his familiar, the kitten began to struggle to stay afloat. Julian pulled her out of the water, depositing her onto the rocks that made up the dunes that kept the water from overflowing onto the road.
The kitten closed her eyes, retching up water and possibly a fish or two. Cookie's nose twitched, thankfully the sea water had disguised Clover's scent so that the familiar wouldn't recognize her. "Th-thanks," she shivered, shaking the water off. Clover went to rejoin her Master, but the dock was on fire, she wouldn't be able to assist from back here. Clover had to find another way to get to her! The kitten pattered this way and that, but there was no way around the large blaze that lit up the night. Perhaps if she jumped from a building onto the dock it would work better? Clover looked around, attempting to find a way in when she spotted a fire escape. There! Cats were good climbers, she could traverse up the ladder and take a running leap! Clover bit down on her lip in determination, grabbing the lowest rung and hoisting herself up. She ascended quickly, reaching the roof in no time.
The wind whipped through her hair and the cat went towards the edge, looking down. She swallowed hard, she wouldn't be able to do much from up here. Clover took a dozen or so steps back before taking a running leap forward. She pushed off of the roof, her feet leaving the safety of the ground and soaring through the sky. For a moment, she felt like a bird and then, her stomach began to plummet and her body sank towards the ground. No, kittens were not meant to fly. They were land mammals, sometimes tree animals on a good day. Her feet hit the dock, she rolled, nearly falling into the sea. Clover had just barely missed the flames, her costume catching on fire. She rolled around, getting it to go out before rising to her feet. There, Clover was back in the game!
She quickly went to her Master's side, her hands balled into fists, her claws digging into her skin. "Tell Cl-Tiger Lily what to do Master!" Clover would do whatever she could to help capture the Balloon Bomber and put him in jail so that he couldn't hurt anymore humans.
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❝Sometimes I wonder about the dreams I have when I'm awake.❞
【ɗιαƖσgυє cσƖσя:#007F03 ♙ тнσυgнт cσƖσя #B20070】
|| Need you Now || Lady Antebellum ||
【ɗιαƖσgυє cσƖσя:#007F03 ♙ тнσυgнт cσƖσя #B20070】
|| Need you Now || Lady Antebellum ||
Flames licked the air. The mages were locked in battle as spells were flung to and fro. While Julian and Cookie were out of their league here, Erika was a magical prodigy. Not only that, but she had miles of experience at this justice thing by now. Ever since facing off against Alistair, she learned the basics of magical dueling. She knew more about distance, about spell ranges, about when to attack and when to back off. She wasn't perfect and she wasn't yet enough to take on the Watchman, but the Balloon Bomber was very one-dimensional in his attacks. To the background of this, reporter Elsbeth's frantic words could be heard as she relayed the fight to the many watchers of this program, almost everyone clammering for the downfall of the Balloon Bomber. The wealthy hated him for endangering Erika and Eamon, the poor despised him for desiring revenge against them.
"Y'know, for someone without magic, isn't trying to be a hero kind of dumb?" Cookie asked, relaxing because he knew he wasn't going to be able to help anymore. He smoothed out his skirt and nursed his poor singed tail, hoping it would still be okay afterwards. The light in Julian's eyes didn't go out. "But Blue Lotus and Tiger Lily are so cool!" He exclaimed, looking like someone with a front seat to see their celebrity in action. "They're heroes! I want to be a hero too!" The ferret crossed his arms, sighing. "You mean make me a hero. I was the one actually fighting!" Not that he put up much of a fight by the end. It was easy for elemental casters to defeat distortion anyways, so this should have been expected, really. "Can we just leave the heroics to the heroes, please?" Julian seemed almost sad by this request. "Really, I'm far better at being cute than I am at serving justice." The young Master held his familiar's hand as they sat together at the docks. "But wasn't it fun? This was such a cool adventure!" Whatever happened, the crossdressing youth wanted to never wash the hand that got to hold hands with the Tiger Lily.
Finally the battle was winding down. He was running out of balloons, there wasn't much left now. But Erika knew she needed to do something. If she let it be like this, there was a very real chance that Alistair turned this against her by proposing to team up with the Bomber. That couldn't be allowed to happen. Tiger Lily was back, ready after rescuing Julian and Cookie. "Take out the Watchman, Tiger Lily!" Alistair sudden twisted his body to position himself defensively. "And here I thought we were making such a good team." He sneered, two magical swords appearing before him, ready to cut into the flower duo at any moment. "Are you sure you want to do this?"
The Blue Lotus flicked her finger and a spike of darkness extended from her wrist, forming a short blade made of shadows she could use to fight with. "Admit it! This was going to happen eventually! We both want the Bomber for different reasons, don't we?" Shadow swords clashed with magic swords. Erika parried, she lunged, she ducked under an attack and thrusted, melting into shadows to reappear behind with another attack at the Watchman's back. He was very used to fighting and he held back any finishing moves, threatening to make his own with slashes to the neck, to the ankles, even aiming for her mask. As the fought, the forgot one thing.
The Bomber wasn't yet defeated.
With a burst of air he lifted into the air and went straight for the two skirted boys. "Hey, get away from my-" Cookie lunged with claws and teeth but he was blasted into the water by a wind spell and a whip of fire wrapped around Julia's neck, lifting him up before he could so much as struggle. "Don't follow me!" The Bomber yelled in a very tired, very hoarse voice. "Or she dies!" The Balloon Bomber retreated into the night. As much as Erika wanted to give chase, the sun was rising now. They had to get back before anyone realized she and Clover were gone. "Tiger Lily, we have to back off for today." The Watchman tried to stop them but she dodged the arrow and melted into shadows, nabbing her partner.
Yet again, all because of this damn Watchman, this hunt ended in failure, and a ferret was crying uselessly on the ground as he failed to protect his Master.
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❝They say that cats are angels with whiskers.❞
【ɗιαƖσgυє cσƖσя:#A4D3EE ♙ тнσυgнт cσƖσя #FFADB9】
|| In the Name of Love || Nightcore ||
【ɗιαƖσgυє cσƖσя:#A4D3EE ♙ тнσυgнт cσƖσя #FFADB9】
|| In the Name of Love || Nightcore ||
The kitten was exhausted to the core. She slumped down almost as soon as they returned to the room, her limbs shaking from how tired she was. Clover wriggled out of her clothing, managing to clamber onto the bed and curl up in a ball, her tail resting beside her. "Clover is tired," the kitten murmured, rubbing her head against Erika's foot. "Will save Julian tomorrow," she fell asleep quickly, waking up sometime around dawn to return to her own room and curl up in bed for a few more hours of rest before Fiyero came in to wake her up. "Why do you smell like a campfire?" Fiyero asked as Clover rolled over, blinking blearily up at the familiar. "Clover doesn't know,"s she sat up blinking, her ears twitching.
"Anyhow, time to get up! We've got lots of things to do today and I brought you a cute new pair of panties!" The kitten allowed Fiyero to perform their morning ritual, kneading her chest to make sure that they grew and pinching her behind once she was in her uniform, claiming he was testing the integrity of the new underwear. Clover rubbed her butt as she walked out of the room, hoping to see Erika before she went off to school. "Master, Clover brings breakfast!" The kitten said as she placed the tray on the table for Erika to eat. Clover began to make the bed, wondering what she was going to do all day once Erika was gone. No doubt she and Fiyero would continue in their lessons, he would push words into her head and she would learn to read them. Her questions about clothing still went largely unanswered, the kitten not believing that they needed to wear such confining things.
"Clover will work hard today too," she said, her tail wagging eagerly as she followed Erika to the door, where her human would be setting off to school. "Don't be gone forever Master, Clover will be waiting." The kitten nuzzled her head against Erika as she left, watching the door close. She sighed, Fiyero patting her shoulder. "Don't worry, we'll have plenty of fun here, come on, let's go make some snacks and look at those things you bought yesterday," she perked up at the thought of getting to play with her new toys. Once the snacks were made, the two servants sat on Clover's bed, the kitten playing with the strings on her new ukulele. She strummed her fingers across it, Fiyero bringing up a video to teach her.
Around lunch time the two headed back downstairs, Clover's fingers throbbing from plucking the strings. Fiyero had just fixed her up a sandwich when they spotted Erika's lunch bag on the counter. "Oh no! Master will no have food!" Fiyero frowned, "Looks like you'll just have to take it to her." After a short wrestling match to get Clover to put on shoes, the two servants headed out the door, Clover toting Erika's lunch so that she could deliver it to her Master.
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❝Sometimes I wonder about the dreams I have when I'm awake.❞
【ɗιαƖσgυє cσƖσя:#007F03 ♙ тнσυgнт cσƖσя #B20070】
|| Need you Now || Lady Antebellum ||
【ɗιαƖσgυє cσƖσя:#007F03 ♙ тнσυgнт cσƖσя #B20070】
|| Need you Now || Lady Antebellum ||
It was a wonder school was even going on. Even the abduction of a noble child wasn't enough to do much. Though it probably helped that Julian was only really well known as Julia with the nobility. "I'm just glad it's not you." Seraphina said over and over again, fussing over her girlfriend with worry clear in her eyes. "You're so cute, the Bomber might do awful things to you!" Erika rolled her eyes, Sera was being overdramatic again. "If anyone's cute, it's you." She put her hand on Sera's face to cup it, enjoying the physical sensation of hand on skin. "So don't let him touch you, or I'll have to touch you twice as much to overwrite it." Sera giggled, slapping her cheeks as the blush came on. "Maybe..." The firehead grinned seductively. "Maybe I should let him touch me, then?"
School felt incredibly boring right now. More than anything, the prodigy wanted to go and look for Julian. He was still just a kid, he was probably terrified! And someone willing to bomb innocent civilians and burn them to death could very well be willing to hurt a child for fun. She wouldn't ever cross the line of murder, but if something were to happen to Julian, she might take off a limb before handing the terrorist over to the police. "Lord Bayon wants us all to gather at the Langley Estate after school." Sera reminded Erika, who realized dully that she had forgotten her lunch. "Well, he did lose his youngest son. It makes sense to worry." The adults weren't having the best luck in tracking down the culprit just yet. But with Julian captured, time was most definitely of the essence.
"He'll probably organize a day hunt." Sera tapped her boot, which was where her pistol always was. "If anything happens, I'll keep you safe." Erika wanted to fight, but she was glad for a good shot to help out. Though, she wondered how she would display her skill with magic if Alsitair was there too. She'd rather not have him find out her identity as the Blue Lotus. A day hunt to scour the area until the find the Balloon Bomber. It was clear what this meant - this was when the noble families believed typical law enforcement would not suffice. Their aim was to capture and execute with the secrecy of their dungeons and hushed lips. If the Bomber were to get caught this way he wouldn't receive the justice system's mercy, but face death instead. Erika believed that everyone deserved a chance to rehabilitate in prison once. To kill would be to bring yourself down to their level. But it was clear the families didn't think like that.
"I suppose I'll help." If only to try to keep them off of - but wasn't Julian's safety the priority? Was she wasting time and effort worrying about the Bomber's right to reform in prison? "Oh, there's Clover! I guess she noticed you forgot your lunch?" Sera snickered so Erika planted a kiss right on her lips. "You knew, and didn't offer me any food? You are quite the cruel pet, aren't you?" Sera purred cutely as she was gently punished for no sharing. The two girls descended the stairs to greet Clover at the entrance. "Thank you, Clover." The flutist retrieved her lunch box with a graceful smile. "And you shouldn't be here, Fiyero, this is a girl's school." Fiyero grinned fetchingly at the girls. "But I was helping deliver lunch! Clover might have gotten lost without me." Sera laughed and yanked at his ear. "C'mon, perverted fox, go back to watching your soaps!"
Setting
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❝They say that cats are angels with whiskers.❞
【ɗιαƖσgυє cσƖσя:#A4D3EE ♙ тнσυgнт cσƖσя #FFADB9】
|| In the Name of Love || Nightcore ||
【ɗιαƖσgυє cσƖσя:#A4D3EE ♙ тнσυgнт cσƖσя #FFADB9】
|| In the Name of Love || Nightcore ||
Clover handed Erika's lunch over, her tail wagging at the sight of her Master. "Master forgot food," the kitten said, "Clover brought lunch so Master can eat." Master Sera reached over, patting Clover's head and giving her scritches behind the ear, rewarding her efforts. "Clover will see Master after school?" She asked as a bell rang, scaring her. The kitten hissed, jumping to hide behind Fiyero, swiping at the air with a clawed hand. "Calm down kid, it's just the bell. We'll see you later," he rubbed at his sore ear, leading Clover back towards the gate. She followed after him, the two animal's tails swishing from side to side as they made their way back towards the mansion. To continue their studies, Fiyero stopped Clover every few feet to make her read signs and memorize directions should she ever need to bring Erika her lunch again.
"Those uniforms are so cute! Maybe tomorrow I should make you wear a school uniform?" Fiyero hugged his hands against his cheeks, his hips wiggling at the thought. Clover chased a bug, running off of the sidewalk and jumping into a bush. "Clover!" Fiyero shook his head, he pulled her out, placing her back on her feet. "You can't go around chasing bugs and ew, did you eat it?" Clover spit the bug out, shaking her head. "No," a scent caught her nose, one that was familiar. She looked back inside of the bush, pulling out a scrap of fabric. The kitten sniffed it, narrowing her eyes. What was this? Why was it familiar? "That looks like a scarf, remember what a scarf is?" Clover tapped her chin thoughtfully, "scarf is around neck when cold." Fiyero nodded, patting her head to reward her efforts. "Very good, scarves go around your neck when it's windy. Now, who's scarf is this?" Fiyero leaned down, inspecting it.
Clover gave it one more good sniff before she remembered where the perfume was from. Cookie, it smelled like Cookie! "Cookie!" The two servants bustled around, looking for the familiar, who was curled up by the pier dejectedly. "Come on," Fiyero lifted him, "let's bring him home and get him back on his feet," Clover nodded, following Fiyero back towards the Harington Estate, where they stowed Cookie in one of the servant rooms. Fiyero managed to coax the familiar to drink some water and eat a sandwich, the strange furry snake seeming to return a bit to himself. Clover peeked under his skirt curiously, noticing the strange bulge. So this woman... was a man? "Oh my, normally you'd ask to dinner before going for the panties." Cookie pushed Clover's curious nose away from him. "Sorry," Fiyero apologized, "she doesn't understand human tendencies yet."
In truth, it was Fiyero's fault Clover had yet to learn boundaries considering what routine he put her through every morning. "Cookie, why were you passed out at the Pier? Where's Julian?" Tears welled up in Cookie's eyes, "he was taken by the Balloon Man!" Clover's ears flattened against her head and she hissed, recalling the villain. "Clover will save," she jumped to her feet. Fiyero grabbed her tail, yanking her back down. The kitten yelped, falling on her behind. "Clover is a cat," Fiyero reminded her, "with no mana and no magical capacity. Going against such a powerful mage would be a mistake. You'll stay here, we'll let the families handle it." Cookie nodded, drying his eyes on the kerchief that Fiyero offered.
Clover grumbled in the meanwhile, rubbing her sore behind.
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❝Sometimes I wonder about the dreams I have when I'm awake.❞
【ɗιαƖσgυє cσƖσя:#007F03 ♙ тнσυgнт cσƖσя #B20070】
|| Need you Now || Lady Antebellum ||
【ɗιαƖσgυє cσƖσя:#007F03 ♙ тнσυgнт cσƖσя #B20070】
|| Need you Now || Lady Antebellum ||
Once school ended, everyone was summoned to the meeting at the Langley Estate in preparation for the Day Hunt. Erika returned home to meet up with her household - Eamon, Fiyero, Rosemary, Edmund, and Clover - and together they traveled by limo to reach the Residential District. In it's own private cul-de-sac resided the Langley Estate, the defacto leaders of the entire Residential District where the majority of the lesser wealthy lived, as well as those who could just barely survive on this side of the wall. "Bayon, my old friend." Edmund said as Lord Bayon opened the door for the Harringtons and associated servants to enter. "Please, come in. I need your help, Edmund." Already there were Manfred and his wife, Victoire, were there with both children, Alistair and Seraphina. Sera hardly gave Erika a glance. Their relationship was no secret, but it was only allowed on the provision that they did not express it in front of the other adults.
While Baron's wife, Miria was dead, his house wasn't empty. He still had his elder son, Theodore, with him, and Cookie had come accompanied by the Harringtons, the ferret curling up miserably at Theo's leg. Theo was the one who summoned him, but he was contracted to Julian. "We know his name now." Baron was a silver haired man, quite dapper usually but now he just looked sad and defeated. "The Balloon Bomber goes by Liebert Jenson." If Clover was paying attention, she would recognize that as an old friend of the Mage Doctor. "Ah, yes, him." Manfred seemed cold and menacing, even as he sat there as non-threateningly as possible. The immense mana coming off of him was nearly overpowering that even those without mana were likely to be able to sense it. "A friend of that doctor that was exiled for breaking the Magic Treaty."
A series of belongings of Liebert Jenson were gathered on the table for them to recognize the smell of. A pocket watch, a photo of his little brother, long dead now due to being unable to afford the medicine and the free medicine no longer being available since the raid. The last item was a comb for cats. "We have two familiars here who can track by smell." Bayon looked to Cookie and Clover in particular. "You two should learn the smell of these objects so as to track the Jenson down." The plan was to have a small group follow the two familiars on their hunt. "If we need to, the Bernards have Clover's sister." Edmund suggested, referring to Maple. "They might be willing to offer assistance if these two aren't enough to find the trail." Making note of that, it was time for them to decide who would go on this hunt. "I'll go." Theodore muttered, cracking his fists. He would do anything to save his brother. "You should come too, Ali." The darker haired boy nodded, looking almost asleep at the moment. Erika now knew why - it was because he hardly ever got sleep at night since he was always busy patrolling.
"Can I help?" Sera asked, gripping her gun tightly in her fist. "I can shoot, I'm good at it. I want to help save Julian." Before anyone else could respond, Manfred gave her a bone chilling glare. "You would only be a liability. You should remain here and watch the street cameras with the support team." Sera wilted but shrunk in her chair, no longer having the will to argue her case. As much as it hurt, the flutist couldn't spare her girlfriend a comforting look, so she decided to speak up to save Sera the shame. "Since I'm Clover's Master, I'll accompany the hunt." She would just have to be careful not to use her magic too much. "Are you sure, Berry?" Eamon asked worriedly. "He uses fire, you froze up last time! You should stay back." But there was no way Erika would allow her familiar to go off into danger without her.
Eamon desperately looked like he wanted to go too because he desperately did not want to lose his last sister. But after Manfred's reaction to Sera, a non-magic user like him knew he wouldn't be able to go. "Fiyero, go for me. Join the hunt in my place." As much as he might want to just return home and relax, he couldn't reject a Master's demand, especially not in an official meeting like this. "If anything happens, we will come to help. You know the signal, Theodore." Bayon held his son, looking weak and vulnerable at this time of need. "Thank you all again for coming. Familiars, you may begin."
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❝They say that cats are angels with whiskers.❞
【ɗιαƖσgυє cσƖσя:#A4D3EE ♙ тнσυgнт cσƖσя #FFADB9】
|| In the Name of Love || Nightcore ||
【ɗιαƖσgυє cσƖσя:#A4D3EE ♙ тнσυgнт cσƖσя #FFADB9】
|| In the Name of Love || Nightcore ||
Once Cookie was back to himself, he decided to lend a hand as thanks for bringing him here and nourishing him. He assisted in Clover's lessons on maid duties, playing reading games while she did things like clean Erika's room and take care of the laundry. Clover was getting much better at reading, although they couldn't break her out of the habit of speaking in the third person. "Clover doesn't like reading," the kitten confessed, "letters make Clover's head spin." The two familiars laughed at the kitten. "Hey Fiyero, what gives?" Cookie asked, crossing his arms. "How come Erika's familiar doesn't have any mana?" Fiyero watched as Clover bustled around the space, searching for the panties he had hidden. "Because she's not a familiar," Fiyero replied bluntly, grinning as he watched her. "She's just a cat that got turned human in a magical accident."
Cookie's eyes widened, "I didn't know that could happen," it would explain a lot, like how Clover only used one toilet in the entire household, or how she licked water up from a cup instead of drinking from it. At long last, Clover found her underwear and shoved them back on, knowing Erika wouldn't be happy if the kitten went around without them. "These are Clover's!" She hissed as Fiyero grabbed her hand, spinning her in a circle and dancing despite the fact that there was no music. "She's tiny, but more developed than Erika," Cookie noted, giving a low whistle. Fiyero nodded, spinning the kitten around, who was too dizzy to protest as he hugged her, feeling her up for the second time that day. "They're real too, I checked." Cookie came over to investigate, squeezing one curiously. As a familiar who was only interested in men, Cookie only did it purely for scientific purposes.
"Fiyero, what are you doing!" Eamon threw a shoe at his Familiar's head, having arrived home from school only to see the perverted fox groping his sister's servant. Clover broke free, running to hide behind Eamon to protect her from the two magical beings. "I was just giving Cookie a lesson in what real boobs feel like, not that you would know." A book hit the fox square in the face, "pervert. What would Erika think if she saw this?" Eamon straightened, turning towards Cookie. "Once she's back, we're going to go to your Master's home." The ferret nodded, clearly on edge, thinking that Eamon might throw a book at his head too.
The moment Erika arrived home, Clover clung to her side, hissing whenever Cookie came near her. Fiyero feeling her up was one thing, it was something he did regularly, but she was uncomfortable with Cookie handling her body. She held onto Erika's sleeve all the way to Theodore's house, where Cookie quickly returned to his summoner's side. As information was doled out, the kitten reached for the picture, her eyes widening. This man... he had known her mage, Clover had seen him before. "Clover knows," she sniffed some of his belongings, confirming her thoughts. Yes, she knew she had smelled that somewhere before. The kitten's resolve to find Julian hardened, she pocketed one of his belongings and headed towards the door, hoping to find a trail.
She led them towards the pier, where the fight had broken out the night before, past the warehouse district, to a neat row of houses clutching the side of the wall. That was where the trail ended, just up and vanishing. Clover circled the spot several times anxiously, clearly upset that she had lost it. "Here, Master, Clover smells it, but smell ends!"
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❝Sometimes I wonder about the dreams I have when I'm awake.❞
【ɗιαƖσgυє cσƖσя:#007F03 ♙ тнσυgнт cσƖσя #B20070】
|| Need you Now || Lady Antebellum ||
【ɗιαƖσgυє cσƖσя:#007F03 ♙ тнσυgнт cσƖσя #B20070】
|| Need you Now || Lady Antebellum ||
The biggest problem here was going to be Alistair. She wouldn't be able to use any of her shadow magic because the only one who knew she could use it was Clover. Most people just assumed she was a prodigy and was a generalist because she was mostly equal when it came to the elements. If she displayed her specialization in shadows, no doubt Alistair would be able to piece everything together. So they followed Clover and Cookie's teamwork of a trail through the streets of Min City. They had to find Julian, he didn't deserve to be kidnapped like this. But Erika was selfish and she knew this because her priority was protecting her identity, rather than using every tool at her disposal to save their silly jester friend.
"Were you busy painting that you let Julian get kidnapped?" Fiyero asked in an innocent voice. Theodore was a well known artist, he loved painting and his specialty was working with watercolors. It was odd that a big man like him could make such delicate brush strokes, but that was what he did. "There's an art show soon." He said, turning his head away in shame. "I didn't know he and Cookie had gotten out until it was too late." He cursed himself, guilt clearly coursing through his protective instincts. "It's because Julian's too affected by the vigilantes these days." Alistair murmured, sounding half asleep as he rubbed dust out of his eyes. "He wanted to be a hero, too." Erika stayed quiet, wondering if somehow, this was her fault. She wasn't going to vocalize this, though, of course not. They passed through the pier, through the warehouses, until finally the kitten and the ferret lead them to the side of the wall. "Here, it's some clothes." Theo pointed to the pile on the ground.
It was likely that the Bomber washed himself and entirely removed his old outfit, wearing something new in order to evade capture. There was a call on the other end, Seraphina was speaking to them. "He was spotted escaping through the sewers." She reported, sounding a little sad she wasn't allowed to join in and protect her lover. "But Julian's not with him. Where could he be?" There was some conferencing between Theodore and Bayon but in the end, the mission statement changed. "Our new objective is to bring Julian home. We can hunt the Bomber tomorrow." Protecting their own took priority. Erika was glad - she wanted to serve her own justice, one that would put the Bomber in a magically-sealed prison.
"I found him!" Cookie sniffed, catching Julian's trail. His tail wriggled excitedly and Erika almost had the impulse to reach out and touch it. They followed the ferret, Fiyero created a lockpick to break into the building. There, in the cellar, was Julian, tied to a chair. He looked at them and yelled something but it was muffled through tape. What was the warning? And why was there only one light on, fixating directly on him? The prodigy stared and then she realized. "Cookie, back o-" Black balloons exploded and Erika was temporarily blinded. She could smell blood, clear as day. Someone was bleeding, there was a scream. The explosion broke the floor, causing Julian to fall down a story, still tied to the chair. Someone's arm was completely reduced to cinders, leaving just a stump that ended at the elbow.
Theodore hissed and grabbed at the wound and Cookie stared up at him in shame and horror. "Master Theodore.. no, why did you do this?" Healing magic couldn't heal lost limbs, not even Rosemary could fix this. "I'm just a familiar, you shouldn't have saved me!" The artist shook his head, growling. "Forget about me for now! Julian, where's Julian? Where's my brother?" Erika pointed at the hole created by the explosion. "Down there." She informed the rest, holding and cuddling Clover tight to recover from the shock of the explosion. They could hear muffled sobbing. Down below, the jester had broken both of his legs in the fall.
Tonight. Tonight, they were going to finish this. At night, where shadows were abundant, that was the Blue Lotus and the Tiger Lily's hour to shine.
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❝They say that cats are angels with whiskers.❞
【ɗιαƖσgυє cσƖσя:#A4D3EE ♙ тнσυgнт cσƖσя #FFADB9】
|| In the Name of Love || Nightcore ||
【ɗιαƖσgυє cσƖσя:#A4D3EE ♙ тнσυgнт cσƖσя #FFADB9】
|| In the Name of Love || Nightcore ||
Clover was dizzy from the explosion. There were too many smells and sights and sounds and if not for her Master, the kitten surely would have run to hide. Instead, Erika clung to her, burying her head in Clover's hair to block out the fire. Julian had fallen through a hole in the floor, someone had lost an arm, and quite frankly, Clover wanted vomit, or perhaps scream and run away. The adults arrived to help, someone put a tourniquet around Theodore's arm to stem the blood flow, another used a levitation spell to retrieve Julian, and a third called an ambulance. Clover cursed herself for being so useless, a magic-less animal, whereas the other servants all had some abilities. Even Maple could manipulate mana, a testament to her uselessness.
Her ears rang from the explosion, Clover guided her human out of the dilapidated building, the roaring in her ears making her feel dizzy. Clover coughed, leaning over into a bush to hack up ashes and dirt. Her white fur was now an ashen gray, thanks to the debris in the air. "Kids, come away from there!" Someone beckoned them away from where the ashes were flying and Clover was thankful for it, her lungs clearing up. A blanket was draped around her shoulders, a human handed her a cup of water to rinse out her mouth with. "Hey! Whose familiar is this!" Clover looked around, spotting Erika and bounding back over to her. She clung to her human's leg protectively, hissing whenever anyone grew close. Her tail was rigid, it was clear that the kitten didn't trust the humans not to explode something else and hurt them.
Later that evening, Clover donned her sidekick costume, becoming Tiger Lily, the Blue Lotus's faithful assistant. She would sniff out the man that had hurt them so and hopefully the duo would put him behind bars before another self proclaimed hero could use him for nefarious purposes. "Clover will help catch bad guy and put him away for hurting human," she took out the hair brush she had stolen, giving it a thorough sniff. Once she had caught a trail, Clover began to follow it, hoping her Master could keep up. They went past the wall, deep into the heart of the human corridors, where he was no doubt plotting something heinous that would hurt dozens of innocent civilians. Clover's hands balled into fists, she had lost his trail again! She turned in a circle, looking up slowly and realizing that perhaps his scent wasn't lost, but disguised in the bustle of humans heading home late after the evening rush.
In such closed corridors, she felt uncomfortable and so, Clover stuck to her humans side, taking a whiff of the brush again to try and find the trail. The kitten closed her eyes, focusing intensely on all of the scents around her, attempting to pick out the one she needed. "This way," she tugged on her human's arm, bringing her towards the door of a precarious looking apartment building that seemed haphazardly put together. To Clover, it almost looked as though a child had stacked up all of his blocks for his toys to reside in.
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❝Sometimes I wonder about the dreams I have when I'm awake.❞
【ɗιαƖσgυє cσƖσя:#007F03 ♙ тнσυgнт cσƖσя #B20070】
|| Need you Now || Lady Antebellum ||
【ɗιαƖσgυє cσƖσя:#007F03 ♙ тнσυgнт cσƖσя #B20070】
|| Need you Now || Lady Antebellum ||
This was more her element. Without having a large entourage alongside them, this was the best way to go on the hunt. Both girls dressed as needed, the Blue Lotus and the Tiger Lily set out for action. Tonight was the night they finish this deal with the Balloon Bomber once and for all. With the setting sun, the heroic partners of justice crossed the Wall of Glory, passing over it with shadow magic as usual to avoid the gaze of the guards. "Just lead the way, we'll take him down together, partner." Erika was sick of this, sick of this violent person who no doubt believed his actions and crimes were justified. Petty revenge? Didn't they realize that if revenge was the game, Erika could have easily wiped out large swaths of the ghettoes to pay back for the crime of taking away Estelle from her beloved family.
Eventually, Clover's trail lead them to a small apartment building, looking modest and almost sad on the poor side of the Wall. "Let's go." She took Clover's hand and they melted into shadows, knowing that no doubt the front door was rigged with balloons set to blow at the slightest disturbance. No, they would travel through the shadows and then they entered. They emerged from the shadow of the lamp and lunged right at the Balloon Bomber, who was easily caught in her grip. "Why are you still following me?" He asked, sounding just so tired. "You don't understand! You don't understand the evil of humans!" Liebert Jenson, not even donning his costume, he just looked like a sad old man with nothing left in his life. If he hadn't hurt Julian and Theodore he might have been pitiable. "You've hurt enough people."
And that made him angry. "Me, hurting people? I'm only paying back for those who can't get revenge themselves?" Revenge? All this fire was for the sake of revenge? "Okay, tell me your big sob story. I'm sure it'll comfort all those dead kids you burned alive." Normally, Erika had the patience of a saint. That patience had run out for this man a while ago. Liebert began to tell his story - how his little brother contracted the dreaded Pangolin Disease. It was a result of mana existing in the victim's body, but the body not having the correct channels to properly use up the stores of mana. It resulted in mana trying to escape through the skin, which eventually causes massive skin hardening until their body becomes as hard as an armadillo's scales, no longer flexible and capable of movement. It was a death sentence.
"We were poor, so I had to rely on the Mage Doctor in the woods to keep my brother alive. He was an old friend, and I befriended his wife and cats. I'd even bring vegetables from the garden and offer to cook for them, you know?" But then one day the CCC came and annihilated them all. There were no known survivors. Not only did he lose a dear friend, he lost his brother too. "I killed my brother to spare him the fate of slowly being turned into stone." His brother was beyond help by then, of course. "That doesn't excuse what you did." The Blue Lotus spoke calmly. "You still hurt many people who had nothing to do with the CCC. I have to take you in for trial and punishment." His eyes widened. He had been expecting execution, not the justice system and the courts. She decided not to dwell on the fact that he had once known Clover in the past.
There was a gunshot at the door. Someone else was there. Erika had never seen her before, dressed in black, with some sort of fancy cybertech equipment around her. She even wore an eyepatch that no doubt transmitted much data into her brain. "My name is Karma Norse of the CCC." She said with a menacing smile, lifting her magic sealing sword. "Balloon Bomber, I sentence you to death for your crimes against humanity. Lotus, Tiger, you two are free to go this time for your assist in this matter." Execution? "No! The courts exist for a reason!" He needed rehabilitation, not death! "Tell that to all of his victims." Norse sneered, blade glowing. "This is simply justice. Setting right the sin of using magic in the first place." Erika whispered her spell, shadow tentacles ready to lash and subdue the Crusader Corps Central's leader when she swung her blade, slicing through it all in an instant. "This is your final warning. Leave this place. I will not extend this courtesy a second time."
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❝They say that cats are angels with whiskers.❞
【ɗιαƖσgυє cσƖσя:#A4D3EE ♙ тнσυgнт cσƖσя #FFADB9】
|| In the Name of Love || Nightcore ||
【ɗιαƖσgυє cσƖσя:#A4D3EE ♙ тнσυgнт cσƖσя #FFADB9】
|| In the Name of Love || Nightcore ||
Clover recognized him from her days with her Mage, where she and Maple would frolic in the flower of the garden and he would come with a boy in a chair with wheels to see what her Mage could do. Sometimes, Clover would follow him, hoping for scraps to fall from the food he was cooking, most of the time, Maple got them into trouble and they were shooed out of the kitchen, two clumsy kittens who knew how to get into trouble more often then not. Now, he and many more civilians would suffer because of her Mage's execution by those mysterious humans. Clover shivered as he recounted his story, how he had killed his own brother to spare him from the disease that she didn't understand. "Killing bad," her tail curled uncertainly, the man who so many feared was in truth, just that, a man.
Humans were flawed, Clover had come to realize. They were greedy, they wanted everything and would stop at nothing to take it. This man included; he had wanted revenge for the death of his brother, so he had attacked innocent bystanders, believing himself to be just in his act. "Balloon man is bad," there was no way for him to recognize Clover, not with her mask and human body. Her Mage had hidden her and Maple away after they turned human, keeping them in the attic, which they had turned into a bedroom so that humans who came to the home wouldn't see them. "Balloon man should go to prison," Clover agreed in a murmur, her tail stiffening when she caught the scent of strangers in the air. No, not strangers, Clover had smelled something like this before-
The door burst open, a woman entering. Clover's eyes widened, she recognized her, the one from the auction, the one that had given her the cat treat with drugs in it to make her obey the lackeys who forcefully scrubbed her down and then stuffed her into a tiny cage. Clover growled, jumping to protect Erika from the woman who drew a sword, telling them that they should leave. "No!" Clover especially didn't want to go now, she didn't like balloon man, but she didn't like this woman even more and when she drew a sword, well, it set the sidekick on edge. What could she do to help? With no weapons and no mana, the kitten was essentially useless. She could attack the lackeys, they were easy targets, or so Clover believed. The kitten pounced, slashing at one of the humans eyes in order to blind him. Her claws were her only weapon and she would use them to protect her human!
She slashed at another human, scratching him i the thigh. The kitten bounced back, retreating to her Master's side to better protect her. She knelt in front of her, hissing. "Someone kill that cat!" The blinded human shouted, his eyes bleeding. Clover hissed once more, her tail rigid.
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❝Sometimes I wonder about the dreams I have when I'm awake.❞
【ɗιαƖσgυє cσƖσя:#007F03 ♙ тнσυgнт cσƖσя #B20070】
|| Need you Now || Lady Antebellum ||
【ɗιαƖσgυє cσƖσя:#007F03 ♙ тнσυgнт cσƖσя #B20070】
|| Need you Now || Lady Antebellum ||
Liebert's near immediate reaction was to go to his knees, surrendering himself. It was clear that he had given up on his revenge now and just wanted it all to end. "Please, end it for me." He begged, lowering his head so that Karma could slice it off from the base of the neck. "I just want to see my brother again." Karma licked her lips, blade ready to deal the coup de gras. "It'll be my pleasure, Balloon Bomber." The blade swung but at that moment Clover struck, providing enough of a diitraction for Erika to grab Liebert and Clover and pull them into shadows where they would be safely in her grip. "Wh-what are you doing?" Liebert shouted, fighting to break free, to be allowed to rest. "Live, you idiot. I hate your guts, but you should live and atone for your crimes. Your brother would probably prefer it that way."
He didn't seem convinced and continued to struggle. It was clear he wasn't cut out to be a terrorist. He didn't have the cold stone heart to be able to do something like mass murder and inciting fear into people's hearts. He was just a weak man who lost everything. Pathetic, really, it was a shame. "You're such a pain!" The Blue Lotus whacked him on the head to knock him out. Once they got him in police custody, the CCC would not get jurisdiction over him because he would be turned over for the public's justice. Sure, Karma could testify against him, but in the end, it would be as close to a fair trial as possible. Of course, this victory was possible because of one furry friend.
"You did good, Tiger Lily. I'm proud of you. If it wasn't for you, I wouldn't have saved him on time." More and more she knew she had chosen a good partner, a sidekick to join in on her heroisms. Once they reached the anti-magic prison, the party of three emerged from the shadows. Elsbeth and Horace were there, the newscasting duo. "H-Horace! Get the tape rolling!" Elsbeth yelped and her chubby cameraman got to work immediately. She took one last moment to make sure her face was perfect and then the news reel began. She gave the basic introductions and described the scene. "Heroes Blue Lotus and Tiger Lily have come, with the Balloon Bomber firmly in hand. Are we finally safe?" She held the microphone to Erika so that she could speak. "Um, I'm not really here for publicity. I just wanted to keep the peace." While it was good to be known, she did not want to be televised. The more famous, the more likely someone would figure out the truth.
Before the reporter could throw more questions their way Erika hopped over the two and thrust the unconscious Balloon Bomber into the hands of the prison guards. They wasted no time in putting on the mana restriction collar on the man to block his access to magic. "H-hey! The people want to know more about their savior!" Elsbeth cried but it was too late, the two costumed heroes were already in the shadows, on the way back home for a good night's sleep and the satisfaction of a job well done.
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❝They say that cats are angels with whiskers.❞
【ɗιαƖσgυє cσƖσя:#A4D3EE ♙ тнσυgнт cσƖσя #FFADB9】
|| In the Name of Love || Nightcore ||
【ɗιαƖσgυє cσƖσя:#A4D3EE ♙ тнσυgнт cσƖσя #FFADB9】
|| In the Name of Love || Nightcore ||
She peeled her costume off of her body, glad that was over. Their first big take down was a success, the evil Balloon man at last caught. Clover's tail swished happily as she wrapped a blanket around her shoulders and curled up at the foot of her Master's bed. "Clover is tired," she yawned, "fighting is hard." The kitten probably should have washed her hands to get the evidence of the scratches off of her fingers, but she was too tired to care. Cats weren't built for long term action, they had energy in short bursts and then needed to laze around to recharge. "Clover wants to help lots more people," she said through a second yawn, her tail becoming still as she drifted off to sleep. Rosemary came to check on them, smiling when she saw that her daughter was fast asleep, faithful companion by her side.
Was it appropriate? No, especially since her daughter was fond of the female persuasion, but Clover was more pet than servant, so the Matriarch of the household would not complain. Forcefully separating the two could only lead to a rift in their Mother-daughter bond. Still, it was a relief that Erika could even sleep considering what she had witnessed today at the hands of the Balloon Bomber. Poor Theodore, there was no magic that could regrow limbs, unless one dabbed in the dark arts, which were illegal and forbidden for Mages to use. The dark arts consisted of awful magic, like bringing one back from the dead, or putting a spell on someone to make them fall in love. If one was found guilty of such crimes, they would be sent to a magical prison where they could never use any magic again.
Clover awoke to the sound of birds teasing her, she rolled over in bed, glaring at them through the window. It was around sunrise when she trudged her way back to her room, flopping down on the bed. Fiyero woke her up a few hours later and chased her around the room to try and get the kitten to take a bath. He lost and sighed mournfully as he squeezed her chest, assisting her into her maid uniform. "Erika!" He called to her in the hallway. "Order your servant to take a bath!" Clover hissed in response, hiding behind her human. Cats didn't bathe! They had their own built in cleaning systems, that's what their tongues were for! Besides, water was the devil! It would hurt Clover! It would make her shiny fur all heavy and it was bothersome for the feline.
"Clover no like water, Clover hate bath!" She had never been fond of it, although strangely enough, Maple had never minded. She used to laze in the sink and let the humans run water over her tummy, but Clover had always been a tricky one and had most always evaded bath time, allowing her sister to groom her instead with her tongue.
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❝Sometimes I wonder about the dreams I have when I'm awake.❞
【ɗιαƖσgυє cσƖσя:#007F03 ♙ тнσυgнт cσƖσя #B20070】
|| Need you Now || Lady Antebellum ||
【ɗιαƖσgυє cσƖσя:#007F03 ♙ тнσυgнт cσƖσя #B20070】
|| Need you Now || Lady Antebellum ||
The best thing to do would be to retain the facade that she had no idea that the Balloon Bomber was captured. Even if it was on the news now, she needed to cover her tracks as best as she could. So she got herself dressed into casual clothes and exited her room, knocking on her father's door. She was given permission to enter and there was Lord Edmund in his fine glory. "Yes, daughter? Is there something you need?" Rosemary was still working on her makeup, it was quite early for them both. "Did Lord Bayon organize another hunt? We need to catch the Bomber before he causes more harm." As a justice-obsessed girl, Estelle would be disappointed if her family allowed a criminal like that to go free. "I promised to Estelle that I would do my best to help the families keep the peace of Min City."
The parents exchanged a look, one looking mildly proud, the other with a hapless shrug. "You really should turn the television on in the mornings, silly girl." Rosemary said, her voice sounding like warm sweet honey in the morning bleariness. The news? So Elsbeth and Horace already put it on airs then. "The Glorious Gazzette had a piece about some vigilante capturing the Bomber and bringing him to prison." Erika nodded, raising her eyebrows to pretend this was the first she heard of it. "I'd imagine a vigilante would try to kill him. Don't they usually take justice into their own hands?" Edmund put a hand on her shoulder. "I suppose the Blue Lotus has more nobility than someone willing to commit lawless murder." Erika nodded, smiling. "Well, I should go get ready for school now." She left, intending to return to her room.
There was a scene down in the main hallway between her room and the servant quarters. Apparently Fiyero was trying to give Clover a bath and her kitten was struggling and resisting. Eamon was there too, looking tired but woken up because of all the noise. "Gods, shut up already! I can't sleep!" Erika smiled teasingly at her silly twin brother. "Well, there's school today so you should probably get ready." He glared hard and stuck out his tongue in a very uncivilized manner. "Ugh! I should just skip! Also, Fiyero, stop molesting Clover every morning or I'll tell Eri.... oh. Oh, right, you are here, aren't you." Wait, molest? What was happening?
Now that was most definitely inappropriate. Ignoring Eamon, the prodigy grabbed her servant out of Fiyero's clutches. "Perhaps I should put Mother's servant, Belle in charge of helping her in mornings from now on." It really was irresponsible to think Fiyero wouldn't take advantage of this chance to touch the goods. "More time for the soaps." He said, never losing that foxish smile of his. "Clover. You shouldn't let males touch you. I'm sorry, I should have warned you before. But now that you know, you should always be on guard when around Fiyero." Little did she know, he had a small album of photos of her and Sera going at it in his room.
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❝They say that cats are angels with whiskers.❞
【ɗιαƖσgυє cσƖσя:#A4D3EE ♙ тнσυgнт cσƖσя #FFADB9】
|| In the Name of Love || Nightcore ||
【ɗιαƖσgυє cσƖσя:#A4D3EE ♙ тнσυgнт cσƖσя #FFADB9】
|| In the Name of Love || Nightcore ||
Clover was wrapped in her human's arms, tugged away from Fiyero's grip and into the embrace of Erika. "Fiyero was giving Clover massage," the kitten purred innocently, tilting her head to the side in question, wondering what she had done wrong. The kitten's tail curled up around her leg, she shouldn't let males touch her? "Fiyero help Clover put clothes on," he did also, at times, steal her panties, but Clover wouldn't mention that. "Clover will not let Fiyero massage if Master does not want." The kitten squirmed, "but Clover does not want bath." An ear flopped over at the mention of having to sit in a large tub of water. Paddling in the ocean to save Julian and Cookie was enough for one week. Why should she have to do it again? Cats had self cleaning systems! That's what their tongues were for!
"Kids! Breakfast!" Rosemary called, not wanting them to be late for school. Her ears and tail both perked up at the smell of food that wafted down the hallway. "This argument isn't over, I will get you to take a bath," Fiyero said, pointing his fingers at his eyes and then at her. Confused by the gesture, Clover followed Erika downstairs to the breakfast table, where she wolfed down bacon and eggs and then went to prepare her Master's lunch. This time, Clover made sure to put her lunch bag by her school bag so that she wouldn't forget it. "Clover made sure Master's lunch is next to briefcase, so Master won't forget!" The Kitten rubbed her head against Erika's shoulder as a good luck send off. "Clover will see Master later," she followed Erika to the door, seeing her off.
Almost as soon as she was gone, the servants cornered the kitten. Clover hissed, her ears flattening against her head threateningly. "Careful, you wouldn't want to get scratched by the four foot tall kitten," Belle teased as Fiyero pulled a rope out of his sleeve, lassoing it around her neck. "No!" Clover screamed, tugging on it as she was dragged towards the bathroom, where Edmund's servant had filled it with warm water and soapy bubbles. "No! Clover hates water!" She shrieked as though she were being burned alive, Fiyero stripping her of her clothes and dumping her into the tub. "Let Clover out!" She mewled, scratching at the sides of the tub. It took two servants to hold her down, while Belle scrubbed her from head to toe.
As soon as they let go, the kitten darted out of the bath, sliding on the tiled floor and landing hard on her tail. The torture wasn't over yet, once Clover was wrapped in not one, but two towels, to keep her arms firmly pinned at her sides, she was sat down in a chair so that Belle could groom her while Fiyero conjured up a new outfit and the third servant cleaned up the mess she had made in the tub. Once her hair was brushed, the singed ends were snipped off, and then her fur was blow dried. Once that ordeal was over, she was forced back into her uniform, the poor kitten wanting nothing more than to strip naked and roll around in the garden. "Oh my, she's quite a useless servant." Belle said, shaking her head, "more a pet really." Clover hissed, running to the living room where she knew she would be safe from them.
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❝All people have ambition. But to achieve it means to stamp on the ambition of others who also try to fulfill their own.❞
【ɗιαƖσgυє cσƖσя:#007F03 ♙ тнσυgнт cσƖσя #B20070】
|| Need you Now || Lady Antebellum ||
【ɗιαƖσgυє cσƖσя:#007F03 ♙ тнσυgнт cσƖσя #B20070】
|| Need you Now || Lady Antebellum ||
There were many reasons why Clover shouldn't let men - especially lechers like Fiyero - touch her in special areas. "A lady's body is like a treasure." She recalled the speech her mother always used to give. "As my servant, you are now a lady. You shouldn't allow your treasure to be spoiled and cheapened by the hands of those who don't deserve it." It was a bit old fashioned though, but they were ladies, not like those girls and women who were happy to sleep around with anyone. They were higher class so they were beholdened to a higher standard of conduct. "Don't forget that you represent me. Others might believe that I, too, allow men to touch me there if they see you allow it." She wasn't mad at Clover, the kitten still had a lot to learn about these things. No, she was mad at Fiyero. "But thank you for putting my lunch right next to the briefcase." It was a clever idea.
School went by boringly, as usual. Erika might be considered smart but really, Academia was never for her. All the topics of accounting and language and sciences always just entered one ear but transformed into a foreign language before she could make sense of it. Finally, the first round of testing was done. Since Miss Everett's and Sir Kerrigan's Academies were built on the same curriculum, just two different campuses, they shared test scores and posted the top 50 in a few lists. A list for just girls, just boys, and then a mixed list of both, ranking from top to bottom of the 50, of course. And, naturally, separated by year. "Hehe, I knew I'd do great." Sera smirked as she glanced at the test scores, flaunting off her popularity even more as people fawned over her and begged to be tutored. "The only one getting any tutoring from her is me." Erika hissed possessively, earning a few well humored laughs. Their relationship was famous across both campuses by now. Sera was top on all lists except for the boys only one, which Eamon was the top of. Sera beat him by a single point on the totals, so she won in the end.
Still, it would be shameful if Erika didn't manage to place anywhere in the top fifty. She just barely hedged her way in at 46 on the girl's list, but was a no show for the mixed list for their year. "Aww, are you sad? Do you want special teaching from Sera?" Her girlfriend teased, poking her cheek and taking initiative. "Oh, I'm sure there's plenty I can teach you in exchange for the lessons." Julian scored in the top fifty for his year, and Alistair just barely made 50 on the boys list for his year. Anyways, once that was finished, they would be able to head home. "Was Julian at school today?" Sera asked Eamon as they headed towards the limo. Her twin shrugged and shook his head as he tried to answer but was stuck between both of his girlfriends, each hogging an arm. "Probably took the day off." He mouthed and then turned back to his two lovers. "Let's go have some quality time to celebrate our good scores, ladies." They both oohed and aahed and Erika couldn't help rolling her eyes.
Sera hitched a ride with Erika and the two girls had to try their best not to be an entangled mess of limbs until after they were safe in the halls of the Harrington Estate. Dark hair and red hair entered and Erika gave a wave to the servants. "We're back." She gave a cool, yet reserved smile while Sera was very quick in physically greeting each maid. "I can't get over how adorable that outfit is! I wonder if I could buy one from Eamon?" Since he was the one who designed the Harrington's maid outfit to begin with. "I hope Clover hasn't given you all a hard time with the bath." As a former real cat, Clover was likely to never get used to bathing.
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❝They say that cats are angels with whiskers.❞
【ɗιαƖσgυє cσƖσя:#A4D3EE ♙ тнσυgнт cσƖσя #FFADB9】
|| In the Name of Love || Nightcore ||
【ɗιαƖσgυє cσƖσя:#A4D3EE ♙ тнσυgнт cσƖσя #FFADB9】
|| In the Name of Love || Nightcore ||
As it turns out, while Clover was resisting them, she had scratched Edmund's servant in the arm, her claws bringing up blood. The kitten hadn't meant to, but in the end, she was an animal that was hardly used to a human body and didn't realize just how powerful this vessel was. Fiyero did her lessons with her, as per usual, with Belle watching over them and when they punished her with no dessert after lunch for scratching the servant, Clover went to mope in Erika's room. She made the bed and washed the Blue Lotus's suit by hand, making sure to hide it once she was done. Clover washed her super suit as well, stowing it away when there was a knock at the door. "What are you doing?" Fiyero poked his head inside, "not sneaking any snacks I hope?" Clover hissed at him in response, clearly still upset about the bath.
"Clover is cleaning," she replied briskly, acting awfully cold to him. "Come on, don't be like that, I had to bathe you eventually." He shook his head, "or did you just want to go without one until you started to smell?" Clover crossed her arms in response, her fur fluffing in displeasure. "Clover does not need bath, Clover is cat." Fiyero rolled his eyes, "Come on, the Master's will be home soon." She followed him downstairs, sitting in the corner to sulk while Erika and Sera returned, asking if Clover gave them too much trouble with her bath. "I'm fine," Fiyero gave her a thumb's up, "the others on the other hand, sustained some scratches." He gave a hearty laugh, "You should have seen her when Belle cut her hair!" Clover hissed from her corner, darting towards Erika and clinging to her leg. "They tortured Clover Master!" The kitten mewled, burying her head in Erika's side.
"They made Clover sit in tub!" The Kitten mewled pathetically, "they brushed Clover's hair! Clover doesn't like it!" The poor kitten was on the verge of tears. She was in the wrong of course, but cats were stubborn and didn't like admitting defeat, especially when it came to things like baths. "She got me good," Edmund's servant lifted his sleeve to show off the bandage, which had bled through. "I might need a healing draught from Master Rosemary after that." And perhaps a look at the bruise on his head as well. "Erika," Belle stepped forward. "The other Servants and I were speaking and we agreed; Clover isn't cut out for working here."
Fiyero stiffened, he had not been a part of this discussion. Although in truth, he probably would not have defended the kitten either. Sure, she was cute, bubbly, and added a fun element to his boring life, but she was illiterate, could hardly perform her chores, and resisted any attempts at guidance if she believed she was doing something right. "She messes up a lot, her cuteness doesn't justify the injuries she gave us trying to perform normal human duties, and she killed a squirrel and tried to put it in your lunch." Clover's cheeks turned pink, the kitten fuming. The squirrel was a gift for Master!
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❝All people have ambition. But to achieve it means to stamp on the ambition of others who also try to fulfill their own.❞
【ɗιαƖσgυє cσƖσя:#007F03 ♙ тнσυgнт cσƖσя #B20070】
|| Need you Now || Lady Antebellum ||
【ɗιαƖσgυє cσƖσя:#007F03 ♙ тнσυgнт cσƖσя #B20070】
|| Need you Now || Lady Antebellum ||
Other than magic, Erika's greatest skill was her silver tongue. After listening calmly to all of the complaints about her chosen Servant, it was time to use that to the best of her ability. Sera's eyes darted back and forth, curious as to how her lover would rectify the problem. The redhead took Clover by the hand and began scritching her in hopes of cheering up, since the younger Remington had all the faith in the world that Erika would be able to solve this. And indeed, the plan entered her mind within seconds. "If Clover has been acting wrongly, then I will take it upon myself as my own responsibility as her sponsor." She gave a low curtsy, head bowed, one for each of the regular staff and a special one for Belle. Notably, she gave none to Fiyero.
"You better be extra thankful, she's gonna save your job." Sera whispered, enjoying the drama. She always loved watching the little things Erika liked to do. Even when bowing her head to servants the flutist was somehow able to maintain not only her dignity, but also her pride. It was strange, and not many people were capable of doing such a thing. "As her sponsor, I should have taken greater cares in making sure her education and orientation were adequate. I should not have trusted Fiyero to have been capable enough to teach her all that she needs to know." It was unreasonable to expect a former animal to get used to a human body, and then tasks alongside that body, but to be fair, it had been quite some time since first taking her in.
The composure and calm never left Erika's face, not even for a moment. Either with the flute or the tongue, she was an excellent performer with both of these instruments. "Hey, I resent that!" Fiyero added from the side but he was being mostly ignored by everyone at the moment. "Developmentally, Clover is roughly three years old. We must remember that ages of maturity are different between animals. Clover will need extra guidance." The hard part to defend would be the dead squirrel, she was going to have to draw upon her memory to figure out how best to solve this issue.
"Belle, I'm sure you remember a few years ago you bought lemon scented soaps for Rosemary before realizing that she was allergic to artificial scents? No one told you, so even as she broke out in hives you were only lightly scolded." She turned to another of the maids. "And you, Marie. I can still recall you using the wrong polish on my flute the night before one of my concerts. But you weren't given clear enough instructions on how to clean it, so it wasn't your fault." Clearly she was illustrating that Clover didn't know yet that dead animals were inappropriate. "For a cat, a dead animal is a very honorable prize to give. It shows deference to their authority, it shows a care that they are well fed and provided for. It displays pride and a desire to be useful. Aren't all those good traits in any servant?"
She grinned, having one final card up her sleeve. "If any of that still does not convince you, then I can only offer this as compensation." The flutist drew a small blade from ice and then she pulled the sleeve down to reveal a thin forearm. "It's my responsibility for your injuries, so I will bear them as if they were my own." She chopped off one of her twin tails, the long lock of hair trailing sadly to the floor. She then punctured her arm with the ice blade, drawing blood, a few droplets spilling to the wooden floor.
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❝They say that cats are angels with whiskers.❞
【ɗιαƖσgυє cσƖσя:#A4D3EE ♙ тнσυgнт cσƖσя #FFADB9】
|| In the Name of Love || Nightcore ||
【ɗιαƖσgυє cσƖσя:#A4D3EE ♙ тнσυgнт cσƖσя #FFADB9】
|| In the Name of Love || Nightcore ||
Sera pried Clover off of Erika's leg, giving the kitten scritches to keep her quiet for the time being while Erika proved to each of them that Clover was doing a fine job considering the odds. The kitten had been here nearly two weeks and still hadn't grown used to this body of her's, or the human tendencies. There was still a lot that she didn't understand, like why humans needed to use forks and knives when they ate food, or why there was an obsession with brushing hair and keeping up appearances. Cats didn't wear clothes or read book, they didn't make beds, or wash clothes. "Clover is not bad," the kitten was shaking with rage. These humans didn't understand what it was like for her, they didn't know where she had come from, just that she had once been at auction and then Erika had brought her here after being rescued by the Blue Lotus.
Master Sera told Clover that she had best be grateful and the poor kitten truly was. Master Erika was generous and kind, she let Clover sleep on her bed and she shared her food with her. That was why she had tried to give her a squirrel! Her hands balled into fists, her claws digging into her skin. She watched as her Master bowed her head, apologizing to everyone except Fiyero, who was more than likely the reason why Clover knew so little. Then Erika did something rather rash and unexpected, cutting off both her hair and slicing her arm open. "Master!" Clover gasped, rushing forward as hair and blood fell to the floor. Sera too, rushed forward, the other servants standing stock still.
"Clover will help," the kitten tried, licking up the blood on her Master's arm, hoping that she wasn't hurting her. Fiyero stepped forward, pushing her away. "A Master should take responsibility for their Servant yes," he said, conjuring up bandages and cleaning wipes, "but a good Master is also responsible for disciplining their disciples." He wrapped up her arm, "Next time, do us all a favor and don't be so dramatic," he shook his head with a sigh and pointed to Mary, "You should clean this up before Rosemary and Edmund come back." No doubt they would not be happy to see their daughter's hair and blood smeared right in the entryway of her home.
"What can Clover do?" The kitten asked, wondering if she wasn't cut out for this after all. She couldn't even clean a wound properly, instead attempting to lick it, another animal tendency. "You can escort Master's Sera and Erika to their room. Don't forget the snacks," he flicked her forehead, her punishment for scratching him during the bath and not letting him steal her underwear. "Master, Clover will take you upstairs," the kitten squirmed, hoping that Erika didn't think ill of her for being such a bad.
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❝All people have ambition. But to achieve it means to stamp on the ambition of others who also try to fulfill their own.❞
【ɗιαƖσgυє cσƖσя:#007F03 ♙ тнσυgнт cσƖσя #B20070】
|| Need you Now || Lady Antebellum ||
【ɗιαƖσgυє cσƖσя:#007F03 ♙ тнσυgнт cσƖσя #B20070】
|| Need you Now || Lady Antebellum ||
After her display to protect Clover from the other servants, Erika smiled. Sure, on the inside she was hissing because as it turns out, puncturing your own arm and drawing the blade really hurt. Either that, or she was just not good with pain because it was a little bit overwhelming. "Um... hey, while you were hot..." Sera wiggled fetchingly, cheeks flushed. "Please don't do that again! That was reckless!" Fiyero bandaged her up because Clover's licking wasn't really going to do much to protect her from infection. Clover did do her other task though, of escorting them back to Erika's room where they could happily be free from distraction. "It was a little fun." She grinned, a hint of mischief behind those blue eyes. "What right did those maids have to question my judgment in a servant, anyway?"
Sadly, the original plan was some extensive practice with the flute and the piano since it was true that the flute competition was coming soon. By soon, Erika meant the day after tomorrow. It was a weekend, it was a big day, and hopefully no big villains would show up or cause any harm. Oh well, they could always do other things. As much as it hurt to lose a day of practice, some matters were more important than a musical instrument. And Seraphina was the one who thought of the idea. "Let's go and visit Julian and Theo!" Sera decided, eyes sparkling animatedly. "After what happened with the Balloon Bomber... I dunno, maybe it would help them." So they changed out of their school uniforms - Sera had a small host of clothes her size in Erika's room because of how often she came over - and dressed in more casual day outfits. "Come with us, Clover." Erika beckoned with a finger. "And please don't worry about earlier. You have plenty of time to learn how to be a good servant. What's more important is that you're a good partner."
Sera pulled Clover aside for a quick little whisper. Erika raised an eyebrow but said nothing, putting away her anf Sera's uniforms in neat folded piles. "So, um, a little advice." The redhead's words were low, just for the two of them. "Erika's not a very patient person. You really need to learn standard things and be good at them... because you saw what she's like when she's mad." Temper from the flutist was always rare, and always reserved for those who warranted it. "I want you two to be great partners, so focus hard on learning humanisms, okay?" The occasional catism was fine, but some things were required in high society.
And in terms of being a partner of justice, Clover was very good indeed. But they weren't to speak of those matters, not until it was safe to do so. So they walked down the cobblestone road and then continued walking their way past the gates of the Port District into the Residential District, idly listening the whole time as Sera recounted silly little stories designed to teach Clover all about how to be a good servant. Stories to teach her about what and why humans valued certain things, about what kind of gifts a human - Erika especially - would enjoy (jewelry or accessories were usually a safe bet), and more. She had even given Clover something to scribble this knowledge onto, but Erika was slightly dubious how effective her servant's notetaking skills were.
Cookie was the one to greet them at the door. He initially had a smile which then slid into something a bit less so when he saw them. Not because he wasn't happy to see them, but because he just wasn't happy period but saw no need to give them fake niceties. "Julian still doesn't want to see anyone." He told them, sadly. "Theo doesn't either, but that's okay. He's in the foyer... just be very quiet. He's focusing really hard in learning how to paint with his other hand." Erika nodded and gave Cookie a customary flower. "Thank you. We shall be quiet." Theodore's passion was art and painting. It was good he wasn't just going to give up after losing his limb. "Um, do you want any snacks or a drink? Feel free to take some from the kitchen. I can show you the-
"Oooooh." Sera suddenly had either a good or an awful idea. "You're a demon familiar, right?" Cookie nodded, slightly disturbed having his tail grabbed so intently. "Did you have to learn humanisms from the start?" Cookie looked a little embarrassed as he wriggled in the maid outfit. "Y-yeah." Bayon clearly didn't realize the ferret was actually male so he was allowed to dress as female as he pleased. "Then teach Clover everything she needs to know! I know you'll be far better than Fiyero at this, won't you?" Erika coudln't decide between agreeing with this plan or nudging Sera until she shut up because this was a little rude of her. Who knew if Cookie's day was too busy to do a favor like this? "Uh, sure. I guess I owe it for all the help. Though in the end the vigilantes caught the Bomber... but you guys helped save Julian." The ferret smiled, eyes full of gratitude. "I'll be glad to help, Masters Erika and Seraphina!"
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❝They say that cats are angels with whiskers.❞
【ɗιαƖσgυє cσƖσя:#A4D3EE ♙ тнσυgнт cσƖσя #FFADB9】
|| In the Name of Love || Nightcore ||
【ɗιαƖσgυє cσƖσя:#A4D3EE ♙ тнσυgнт cσƖσя #FFADB9】
|| In the Name of Love || Nightcore ||
"Don't worry, when you get her back, you won't recognize her she'll be so human." Cookie pat Clover's head, the kitten hugging her overnight bag against herself. She would be back in time for Erika's concert, but in the meantime, the kitten would be going through boot camp to make her a servant so perfect the others would be envious of her. Clover squirmed under the scrutiny of her teacher, her tail wagging lazily behind her. "For the next forty eight hours, I'm your Master, which means you'll have to bey my unbreaking will, just like if I were your real Master." Cookie crossed his arms, his hands shaking ever so slightly. "I'm going to drill you, so you best be prepared." Clover nodded her head, wondering what her Master had signed her up for.
As it turns out, she had been dumped into hell. Cookie made her wear heels the entire time. Granted, they were low, but it was for the kitten to learn balancing. She wasn't allowed to climb up the stairs on all four's and couldn't take a nap in the sun. Instead, she had to make beds, fold laundry, wash dishes, prepare snacks, doing each task over and over again until it was perfect. All the while, Cookie drilled her on her numbers and letters, making the kitten listen to educational tapes on the annunciation of words. Even at bed time there was no rest for the weary. Clover was to sleep in the servants corridor's, but first she had to clean up the room, make the bed, sweep and mop the floor, and balance books between her ears while she walked back and forth in her low heeled shoes. "Clover is tired," the poor thing mewled, flopping down on the mattress once Cookie deemed her finished for the time being. "We'll continue at dinner."
At dinner, she had to sit up straight, balancing a book on her head the entire time while she blindly navigated a seven course meal where she had to use the proper fork, knife, and spoon for each course. When she was finished, she had to set the table for breakfast, with Cookie only giving hints on the arrangements of the table and subtly moving things at Theodore's place since the boy was now one armed. Back upstairs, Cookie was patient as he taught Clover to care for herself, how to brush her teeth and hair, making sure to scrub her fur, even teaching her to use a washcloth to rinse her body since she was unwilling to get into the tub. "Eventually you'll have to address your fear of water," Cookie teased, floofing her plush white hair. "But I'll let Erika take care of that," he winked, showing Clover how to use buttons and zippers.
In the morning, the kitten was awoken bright and early to get in more training. She had to sleep in pajamas and not in the nude, her preferred method. Today she had to put on something she had never been made to wear before; a bra. The kitten struggled, the tight feeling around her chest making her panic. "Leave it," Cookie slapped her hands away whenever she tried to undo it. On top of it, he dressed her up like a little doll, heels included. "Your Master isn't even gonna recognize you," Cookie squealed, playing with her ears as she squirmed. "Clover is nervous," unfortunately, he couldn't break her of the habit of speaking in third person, but at least her speech had much improved. "What if Master sees Clover and doesn't recognize her?"
"That was just a figure of speech, you'll learn more about that at home." Clover had to repack her things until Cookie was satisfied and then the two set off to the music hall to meet Erika and Sera. "What if Master doesn't like Clover anymore? What if Master traded her for a better servant?" Cookie pat her head, careful not to mess up her twin tails. "Erika would never do that, she's very loyal." Even so, Clover's heart thumped nervously in her chest as the music hall grew closer, Cookie wheeling Julian in his wheelchair, having forced the boy outside for some sunshine. Clover swallowed, there, at the entrance of the music hall, was her Master, waiting with her companion, Master Sera.
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❝All people have ambition. But to achieve it means to stamp on the ambition of others who also try to fulfill their own.❞
【ɗιαƖσgυє cσƖσя:#007F03 ♙ тнσυgнт cσƖσя #B20070】
|| Need you Now || Lady Antebellum ||
【ɗιαƖσgυє cσƖσя:#007F03 ♙ тнσυgнт cσƖσя #B20070】
|| Need you Now || Lady Antebellum ||
After a while of sitting there and watching, Theodore glanced at them, sweaty from all the effort of trying to learn to paint with his dominant arm gone forever. "Well, what are you waiting for?" He managed to mumble through the brushes held in his teeth that he could swap out for whatever brush he needed at any time. He was painting a possibility of Min City without the Wall of Glory in the way, of a free city without hatred on either side. It was rather beautiful, Erika had to admit. "I do better with some accompaniment." Erika grinned. "I always have my flute with me." A piano was brought in by servants at Theo's request and Seraphina's fingers glided across the keys so she could get a feel for the unique qualities this one may have.
"Ooh, this one's pretty. I like the stiff bounce of the keys. It has good weight to it." She was talking jibber jabber only a pianist could really understand. Theo nodded vaguely, he and Erika shared in the fact that neither of them quite understood piano specifics. "Well, ladies, inspire me. Play something peaceful and melancholic." Erika motioned for Sera to begin. This was all practice - the two were already good with their instruments, but they would likely need extra skill in being bale to play in sync with one another. Seraphina began to play, fingers dancing like tutu'd ballet artists on a dance floor that was the white and black of the keys. A tune filled the room, inviting Erika to join in at any time. She waited for the perfect opportunity, and then blew into her good and trusty friend, joining Sera's sound with her own.
What was once experimental testing brush strokes became strong, furious, as colors sprouted across the canvas like flowers. They worked long and hard until someone - Lord Bayon - told them to take a rest for the day. They did, but the first thing in the next morning they went back to it. Theodore wanted to prove to art connoisseurs that he had what it took to still be a selling artist for the galleries. And of course, the duet music competition was coming up and the lovers wanted to make sure they were ready. Flute and piano played with synchronicity as background for the art genius to transform thoughts and ideas to images and colors on what was once white and blank. Eventually Lord Bayon even had someone take Julian out from his solitude to come and witness the prodigies at their game. "See, what happened won't stop your brother from his excellence." The maid told the younger boy as comfortingly as she could. "He can still pursue his passion." Julian felt sick. It was all his fault that Theo lost his good arm. It was his fault all because he had been inspired from watching the news, a hero and familiar working as a team to fight crime. He wanted to be able to help fight crime, too. "I'm so relieved." The child looked like he wanted to cry.
Eventually it was time for the music hall. Erika and Sera were dressed in their best matching costumes for the performance. Designed by Eamon, of course. A dark suit for the vibrant red haired Seraphina on the piano, and a white floaty dress for Erika as she pranced across the stage to dance to their song. "Go on, greet them." Cookie, mentor extraordinaire beckoned. A pink servant was there, but Erika could recognize the tail anywhere. She was wearing a wig for the moment to hide the fact that one of her twin tails was gone, and she felt happy that her servant was wearing twin tails as well. "You look fantastic." The Master nodded. "Do I look good, too, Master?" Sera asked with a teasing giggle. "A different kind of fantastic."
"One day, you should continue learning your ukelele and join us." Erika offered as it was almost time to begin. She was proud to have such a nicely dressed servant to represent her. Cookie was far better than Fiyero at teaching these things. "Oh, how is your ukelele coming along?" Sera asked, itching her wrists because she knew it was almost time.
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❝They say that cats are angels with whiskers.❞
【ɗιαƖσgυє cσƖσя:#A4D3EE ♙ тнσυgнт cσƖσя #FFADB9】
|| In the Name of Love || Nightcore ||
【ɗιαƖσgυє cσƖσя:#A4D3EE ♙ тнσυgнт cσƖσя #FFADB9】
|| In the Name of Love || Nightcore ||
"Don't forget to always greet your Master with a smile, no matter what happens, no matter what she puts you through, you always have to smile." Cookie reminded Clover, tugging on her tail to stop her. The kitten jumped, nearly hissing and then recalling Cookie's training, that a good servant would never hiss at someone. So for the moment, Clover sucked it up, turning to face her Master and greeting her with a smile that would make Cookie proud. "Clover is here Master!" The kitten said with a wide smile, bounding over to her. She nearly didn't recognize Erika in her wig, hiding the fact that she had cut her hair the day before. "Clover learned lots with Cookie, Clover's head is spinning!" The kitten flapped her arms to demonstrate.
Her Master was all dressed up for her recital, wearing something feathery that made Clover think of a tasty bird. Her accompaniment, Sera, was dressed almost as a devil. "Clover will work hard on her ukulele and make Master proud," the kitten said, determined. "Master looks good, like a bird." She didn't understand the symbolism, that too, was something she would have to learn. "Clover can't wait to hear Master Erika and Master Sera's music," what had happened to the almost feral cat? It seemed to be a complete turn around. Cookie gave them a big thumb's up before taking the handle of Julian's wheelchair and pushing him inside of the music hall to give the Master and her pet some time to reunite.
"I could get used to a cute cat maid calling me Master," Sera joked, clearly wanting to rile up Erika. "Clover is Master Erika's pet, not Master Sera's." The kitten was slightly confused by this, jokes were another thing that flew over the poor cat's head. A bell rang across the campus, informing them that it was time to head inside so that they could all take part in watching and performing in the music competition. "Clover wishes Master's Erika and Sera good luck!" She followed them inside, taking a seat beside Cookie and Julian. She hoped that she hadn't pushed it too much, that Erika was impressed at the turn around. Clover sank further into the plush chair, the heels hurting her feet. Cookie slipped her a band aid, which Clover gladly put on her heel to keep it from brushing against her heel.
She sat forward, enthralled by the sound. The only time Clover had ever heard music was when Erika and Sera played it for her. She leaned forward, listening to the set piece each team played, attempting to put their own spin on it. There was polite clapping after each, some more impressive then others. Clover waited eagerly for Erika's turn, wanting to hear what spin Erika and Sera would put on the music.
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❝All people have ambition. But to achieve it means to stamp on the ambition of others who also try to fulfill their own.❞
【ɗιαƖσgυє cσƖσя:#007F03 ♙ тнσυgнт cσƖσя #B20070】
|| Need you Now || Lady Antebellum ||
【ɗιαƖσgυє cσƖσя:#007F03 ♙ тнσυgнт cσƖσя #B20070】
|| Need you Now || Lady Antebellum ||
It was almost time. It was almost time. Tension was tingling at the tips of her fingers. "Since when..." Erika pulled at Sera's brassiere, grinning up at her slave. "When were you ever a Master?" Sera wiggled on the spot, cheeks matching the shade of her hair. "Oh my, how can I ever concentrate on being your accompaniment now?" Then suddenly Eamon and Fiyero rushed in, both of them looking rather frazzled. "What are you two doing? Get backstage, you can't be here in the lobby!" The bell was about to ring, and Eamon was rushing them along. Fiyero wiggled his fingers helpfully at Clover and then Eamon did some last minute adjustments of both of their costumes from behind the curtain. "Thanks, Eamon, for always agreeing to design costumes for us." He shook his head. "This isn't for you, this is to show off my work! You two are just my models." It was a mutually beneficial arrangement for them.
The lesser wealthy got to have their fun, and there was even a very skilled flutist from the other side of the wall who had been sponsored by one of the minor wealthy families. The boy, despite looking very afraid, once he and his accompaniment got rolling they did perform quite well. Sadly, they would only be second place in this contest, because their competition were none other than Erika and Seraphina, who had been at this for years as a duo now. Finally, it was time. "If you do good, I'll reward you." The flutist whispered to her pianist, who squirmed and almost squealed in happiness. They stepped onto the stage and the curtains moved to reveal them. "And next up is Erika Harrington and Seraphina Remington, who will be performing Crimson Belvedere ~ Eastern Dream." It was a bit more contemporary than the Judges may be used to, but Erika and Sera wanted to have fun this time and try something other than the classics. "You may begin."
Erika shut her eyes and started it, and half a second later Seraphina joined in to support the high melody of the flute's notes. The song felt like a gentle stream of water, of being in a forest with fairies and elves, a world of fantasy right at their ears. If you listened closely enough maybe you could even hear pixies playing in the bushes or unicorns galloping through the gaps between the trees. Erika's outfit was meant to reminisce the idea of a fae folk and she danced with ease to the trill of the flute's singing, the trailing feathers of the dress adding yet an extra layer of grace to each calculated movement. She could almost feel and see the lines of music running across the stage and she did little hops and spins to keep up with each crescendo and legato.
But then in the last third, the song took on a different turn. The piano's key went minor and the flute's notes became more smooth and connected. No longer was it just a playful romp in the forest, but now the forest of magic and fantasy was being destroyed. Magic faded away and the fae folk began to die out, little by little what made this forest special was gone, the magic had ended. And so too, did the music. Erika's movement slowed, slowed, became somber and mournful and then she went still as the piano played it's last sad key.
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❝They say that cats are angels with whiskers.❞
【ɗιαƖσgυє cσƖσя:#A4D3EE ♙ тнσυgнт cσƖσя #FFADB9】
|| In the Name of Love || Nightcore ||
【ɗιαƖσgυє cσƖσя:#A4D3EE ♙ тнσυgнт cσƖσя #FFADB9】
|| In the Name of Love || Nightcore ||
At last it was Master's Erika and Sera's turn to put their spin on the set piece. Clover waited, her tail wagging eagerly. "You like music?" Julian asked, clearly entertained by the kitten. Clover nodded eagerly, "Clover likes Master Erika's flute sounds," Julian snickered, somehow it sounded strange. The theater quieted when the two girls took their places, one with the flute, the other with the piano. Clover leaned forward eagerly, the entire hall seeming to hold their breath until the first few notes were played. There was no need for visuals, should Clover close her eyes while listening, she could see the faeries dancing. A shiver crawled down her spine, the kitten wasn't sure whether it was from the effect of the music on her or the haunting beauty of the final note.
The audience was in an uproar, their thunderous applause far too loud for the poor cat. Clover's ears pressed against her head, she rushed out of the auditorium and into the hall, hoping to see her Master to tell her how good it was. She looked around eagerly, spotting Fiyero and Eamon, who no doubt were waiting for them to turn up as well. "Well, well, well look who cleaned up nicely. I see you're wearing shoes too," Fiyero crossed his arms, perhaps a bit jealous that Cookie had gotten to spend the last twenty four hours drilling Clover to the point of exhaustion. Her ears twitched, it was much quieter in the hallway, it was easier on her senses. "Cookie is a strict teacher," Clover mentioned, tail flicking as she waited for her Master to emerge.
"Where did you get that outfit?" Eamon seemed to notice at last, his brow furrowing. He grabbed her wrist, squeezing it roughly. Clover yelped in pain, attempting to tug her wrist away but the Harington boy was much larger and stronger than she. "Hey, you're hurting her," Fiyero mentioned, yawning as though he were bored. "I gave her the clothes," Eamon released her, allowing Clover to stumble backwards, cradling her wrist against her chest. "Why would you give that to her? I barely made a rough sketch of it," Fiyero winked, putting his hands together and wriggling. "Because it was just too cute to pass up and I thought she'd look adorable in it! I was right though, wasn't I?" Eamon looked away, scratching his cheek. "I guess," he agreed begrudgingly as Fiyero conjured up bandages.
He covered the bruises that were already forming on Clover's porcelain-like skin. He pulled out a pair of gloves as well, "here," he whispered, awfully gentle. Clover turned, seeing that Erika and Sera had at last emerged. "Master!" Clover called, greeting her with a smile the way Cookie had drilled into her. "Master makes nice noises, Master Sera does too! Clover likes their music," her tail wagged eagerly. "Results will be posted within the next ten minutes!" A voice in the sky announced, causing the kitten to jump and hiss.
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View All » Add Character » 14 Characters to follow in this universe
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Erika Harrington
"Please wait until available hours before needing a superhero."
Clover
"It's funny how you wake up each day and never really know if it will be the one that will change your life forever."
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Clover
"It's funny how you wake up each day and never really know if it will be the one that will change your life forever."
Erika Harrington
"Please wait until available hours before needing a superhero."
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Clover
"It's funny how you wake up each day and never really know if it will be the one that will change your life forever."
Erika Harrington
"Please wait until available hours before needing a superhero."
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459 posts · 14 characters present · last post 2018-07-17 23:55:02 »
Capitol City Owner: The_Queen
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