Amesha

Intense eyes looked around the strange garden of life as she followed behind the man, remembering what he stated about being regarded as simple the master of the house. HA!, yes she was technically his slave but never in her life would she call him master or lord, the very thought annoyed her. If he refused to give out his real name than she would regard him as 'The Man' from here on out, or at least until she could come across it in some type of record in the Library. It was at this moment that her mind realized that she had stopped surveying the garden in order to stare at his back while they walked, and even stranger was the fact that she felt like her normal self while doing it; no anger, hunger, or disgust had settled in the big of her soul, however she could safely saw that it was completely gone.

While thinking this her mind switched to ultra guard mode as two figures sitting side by side in the distance caught her attention. Instantly she recognized one from earlier in the day when everyone was first introduced to The Man and then given their ribbons. Who was she whispering to.....and where were his hands? Questions flooded her mind but many dispersed as the two figures began to get bigger and bigger as they got closer to them, revealing more features of the unknown fellow; smallish, pale, dark hair.....and strange eyes, as if he saw things that many others were not privy to seeing. She was both comforted but also unsettled by him, and instantly looked at the reactions of the spider boy and The Man to see if they were used to this man or not. Deep in her mind she hoped that she was the only one out of the loop about who he was, that would be equally embarrassing and stressful.

The next thing she knew, her ears were perking up at the sound of The Man talking to the group. Every word that came out of his mouth made her more and more ready for a fight, especially the part of her having little control over her baser nature. "What do you know of my baser nature?" She was honestly curious of what The Man knew, but the words came out with more attitude than she intended for it, making her feel like she was a pouting child, damnit. Instead of trying to apologize and seem defeated she let the question die down as he continued the rest of his speech about throwing them into pits (another laughable cause) and their best situation, which was all making her fed up with the lot of them. There was no situation, or threat; yes she was becoming hungrier than usually but all of this would eventually blow over, it's not like she planned on going around eating people! With a small huff she shifted feet and looked up to cautiously to gaze at the newcomer.

Slowly sitting up, attempting not to make sudden movements, as she saw the young girl upon her bed, Safiya stared at the girl in silence for a moment as faint fear grew within her mind, over the sharp teeth in her mouth and the odd blood staining her lips, before shifting herself to sit upon her knees as she faintly bowed her head in respect to the girl, her eyes briefly closing as she removed much of her fear from her mind, despite the feeling of unease still plaguing the room, before reopening her eyes to look back at the girl as she began to speak in her foreign, tribal, voice. "It is where I belong, as a slave, My Lady..." She said softly as she kept her eyes uncomfortably locked upon the girl before lightly resting her hands upon her thighs as she briefly thought about the kindness that Kenner had shown her, her eyes faintly dropping to the ground in thought as her continued conflicted thoughts continued to ravage her mind. "I was raised, and taught, that I was lesser than everyone else that was to be around me in my life. They belong in the comfort of a bed but I do not. I belong on the floor."

A crestfallen look met the older man's reply, Nadiya now worried that her trip may have been for naught. While he didn't say she was unwelcome or that the master of the house was against such things, the possibility nagged at her. The young woman mentally chastised herself for not having a proper back up plan- she hadn't even thought about the possibility of failure. "Oh, I see. Would there perhaps be a better time to come back? Or...is the master of the house not keen on having an audience at all?" Nadiya ventured to ask, hands wringing behind her back. Would he not see her at all?

His words ran through her mind even as she watched in somehow suppressed surprise at the sudden smear of salve on the gentleman's pants. How strange, she thought healers were more tidy and prone to keeping clean. Perhaps her guess was incorrect? Ready to apologize for assuming his trade, the soft laugh stopped her short- followed by a confirmation that he did practice the healing arts. So he was a doctor! Though his explanation was more detailed than anticipated. A physician who's primary skill was in something else entirely- alchemy. Nadiya had of course heard of such arts, but she had never witnessed such herself, nor was she in any way familiar with the field of study. A spark of interest showed in her features even as she once more wondered about his casually use of his clothing as a rag.

Returning the bow with a slight curtsy, Nadiya committed the name to memory, a momentary pause before giving her name in return lest she inadvertently cut the older man off mid-sentence. "Pardon me sir. I should have announced myself properly. I'm Nadiya Darzi. It is a pleasure to meet you."

Babble

He listened to her words as though he had a choice which he didn't. The option to keep the silence was long forgone.

"I guess the only question he could of asked has already been answered."

Her voice whispered back in much the same way.

As the two sat in the garden near the pond in the distance he could hear the grinding of the elevator. The voices he could hear over the mechanical cacophony were mostly unknown to him save one. The voice in the not-noise who had spoken to him earlier was coming and bringing friends no less. The noise had not the same potency it previously possessed however. The howl was but a breeze, not deafening but still audible. They walked, all coming into view when they approached him. Babble had yet to look up at them though. He could see little more than their feet.

And so Kenner spoke his piece on what to do with the three of them. Babble listened but not just to his words. He wanted to learn just how his voice worked, a curiosity in and of itself. He would of mulled over the very specifics of it longer were it not for the half-demoness's interruption. Her voice was not even a hundredth as interesting as Kenner's own voice was. He had her voice long before she was even aware of him.


Taken out of his concentration he figured he might as well make some use of the time since he was being spoken at by his new master. Kenner had deemed him a threat? Such accusation was news to him. Babble never recalled hurting anyone, it sounded awful.

Without warning Babble simply fell back, his head falling into the waters of the pond. He didn't need his head to speak and he wanted to look at the world like a fish would. Hearing was one thing, seeing was something he never did much with so this was something new for him. After all the water looked so cool and blue, who wouldn't want to soak their head in it?

"He wouldn't hurt anyone. That is not his choice."

The womanly voice of the half-demoness that Kenner had brought along spoke, the origin of the sound being right behind her head. It not only spoke with her sound but the tone and manners which she had demonstrated thus far carried into it as well. It was as perfect a production of her speech could be. Not that Babble had put much effort into it of course. Listening to such subtle undertones was about as natural for him as breathing water was to a fish. Such curious creatures, fish. The fact they didn't have eyelids was quite a neat fact to him.

The light above him seemed to flow as he looked up through the surface of the pond. The refraction of the light made it seemingly dance in the softly undulating body of water. All this wonder and mystery took his mind far away from the fact that he wasn't holding his breath when he went under. He hardly seemed to care.

The spider was not pleased with any part of this situation. He had been sleeping soundly in his web when the master of the house had rudely forced him out of his room. The entire time he was dragged out, he was hissing up a storm. He was tired and all he wanted to do was sleep. He didn't care who this person thought he was. He was royalty and he wasn't about to just lay down for the man and let him walk all over him. Unfortunately, he did have to listen a bit considering the fact he knew absolutely nothing about this mansion and there was no way off of this island except by ship. He did not like the ship and he knew no one would help him get back to his homeland. He was stuck here. Fine, he'd listen but that didn't mean he was going to take it all quietly. He'd show the bastard he wasn't some weakling he could just push around. He did not respect the man. Respect was earned.

Azai crossed his arms as he glared at the man and gave the briefest glance to the woman beside him. She was the other black ribbon creature. He wondered if they were called out specifically for that reason. Would the man finally describe what the color of their ribbon meant? He had noted that the colored ribbons meant something. Was it some sort of hierarchy? Perhaps all the polite and weak creatures that rolled over for this bastard got different colors to indicate they could easily be used. If that was the case, having a black ribbon was the best option.

He followed the stranger and the woman into the elevator and frowned. What exactly was this thing? He used a knuckle to tap one of the walls in curiosity and tensed when it started to move. He hated that he gave away his unease with this strange moving box by the way he pressed against a corner. He'd never been in anything that moved up and down. The ship had been a rather new experience as well. Moving with this thing did prove to get them to their destination faster but that didn't mean he had to like it. He preferred using his legs and arms to move about. He settled himself and pulled away from the wall and tried to pretend he hadn't had a moment's panic.

That's when he realized the female ribbon was talking, asking his name and the master's name. He was curious to but the man did not provide his name. Figures. He shook his head. There was no way he was ever going to call the man master. He turned to the demon and gave an incline of his head and a fanged smile. "Azai. Pleasure. And I agree. That so called 'meal' was a tease and you know it," he stated and crossed his arms over his chest. It had been something to fill his belly but he still preferred the taste of larger and juicier prey.

And then they reached their destination. Azai looked up and tensed a bit wary. What was on this floor? Where was this man taking them anyway? He had just made that room his. Were they being moved? He walked out of the elevator and let his eyes scan over the area. It looked... lively. It seemed as if they were outside but Azai didn't think it was. Was this a dome of some sort? The plants and scents of other living creatures seemed real enough. Why was everything so pleasant here? He turned his attention to the two sitting down in the grass and narrowed his eyes. What was all of this about? There was something about the male he didn't quite like. He was... off.

The male pretending to be his master spoke up then and he arched an eyebrow. He was trying to decide what to do with them? He didn't want them to fight in the arena? That was a good thing at least since Azai knew his skills would not be useful in a confrontation like that. He was much more suited to setting things up and lying in wait. Luna didn't seem to care so much for this either and he couldn't help but grin. Before he could voice anything, he heard the boy speak up. His eyes widened in surprise. He sounded exactly like Luna. How did he do that? Was he just mimicking her voice? How strange! He wanted to prod him and figure out the source of such an intriguing power but now was not the time. He was a bit unnerved when the man flopped onto his back and rolled and... put his head beneath the water. Yup, he was rather strange. He shrugged it off and turned to the master of the manor.

"I have an idea. Why don't you let us go home?" he questioned then and settled his hands on his hips. "I do have a life you know and I am not going to bow to you. You are not my master and you never will be. What gives you the right to even consider yourself as such?" he questioned then. "You have not proven yourself worthy to me in any way. Back home, you'd be bowing to me."

Luna had been thinking contently about her predicament and was forcefully pulled out of them when her brain thought that it had heard her say something. The voice that sounded like her seemed to be speaking from directly behind her and the hairs on the back of her neck instantly stood at attentions. Turning around she saw no one and the faces of the other three either looked puzzled or like they simple didn't care. That left only the strange one with his head in the water like a blubbering fish. "Intriguing parlor trick" she said with a simple flick of her ash white hair as she lowered her eyes to the ground to try and mask the huge amount of discomfort that she felt. Such a skill couldn't cause her much physical damage, but deep down she knew that such a skill could cause a lot of problems if he decided to use her voice to get her into any other trouble with the Man. The very thought sent weird raised humps of skin on her arms and legs; goosebumps is what she thought the humans called them. Her slender arms crossed themselves over her chest and she took steps back from the handless creature, staring at him intently as he played around in the water.

Her staring only stopped when she heard of the voice of the male beside her make a joke about how The Man should take them all home. A chuckle escaped her lips as she remembered the name he had given her on the elevator; Azai. She liked the sound of it and found that it fit him well, spicy and elegant all at the same time without even trying. However she did not let the comedic moment pass by without noting the key detail that he has just dropped on them. He had not come here willingly and was regarded as royalty back in his homeland. Internally she felt a sense of relief in knowing that everyone here was not after the same goal such as herself. Feeling better she continued to chuckle and turned to The Man to see what his reaction would be to the confident young man with her.

Kenner stared on at the two as Luna voiced her disregard for what he said about her and he smirked back. She was only half blooded and most likely didn't know the problems that would come with her maturity, or she did and didn't care. He did return her concern non the less "I would believe that you already know what I mean.. Having those quiet and rather horrible thoughts running around your head most of the day and those.. cravings can be a rather bothersome thing." He smiled on as Chlorra chuckled under her breath, the very sound kicking up ripples in the small pond that now housed Babbles head. He heard them come through only slightly distorted and could swear, more then one voice was housed within.

He circled the two as they stood there and allowed Chlorra to retrieve the her new friend from his watery confines, lightly lifting him from the pond with her hands and setting him back to his seated position. He could tell, with the ease that she handled his frame that breaking him, would be an equally easy measure for her. Azai was quick to spit his tongue at Kenner and disregard his own surroundings. It was simple enough to understand why he was so angry with Kenner and the tone of his voice was simply a punctuation. Though the snide remark of Kenner bowing did provoke an ire from the pale man, so much so that the air stood still for a moment as if waiting to breath on the head of a pin, as he stared off past the barrier and into the ocean.

Kenner ran a hand through his hair as he looked back at Azai, his eyes settled and the same lite smile that he held before as he walked down that stair in their presence for the very first time. He gave Azai a simple remark that would answer his question "Had you the strength to protest this, you wouldn't have been sold into my care in the first place." It was at this moment that Azai could distinctly tell something was amiss. The warmth of the setting sun was being replaced by something and in only a moment, he discovered that the ribbon clasped around his arm was slowly becoming hotter.

"However, if you want to be that disobedient towards my rules, despite giving you food, a warm place to sleep and offering the care of my household. I could send you down below with the more disagreeable of my charges and see how you enjoy their company." He walked up towards Azai, flatly laying out this ultimatum for the young arachnid to ponder. Reaching out to take Azai's arm in his hand, the young man found his ability to withdraw the limb retarded for some reason. As if something were holding his resistance in place and to his surprise, the touch only served to heighten the heat felt from the ribbon on his arm. "This mark, places you as one of my family that is more dangerous towards the others of the house. No doubt a design of your heritage and of the possible harm you represent towards the others. You may even of seen the same measure of fear in the others before now, as simple symptom of you wearing this. He releases Azai and just like that the heat, which was nearly unbearable just stopped, ceasing all notion of even being noticeable.

Kenner looks the three of them over as he wrings his hands together slightly, as if pondering a solution to his current problem. "My predicament stands at threefold, with the duties I must amuse myself. A half demon child, barely old enough to grow her own horns. A young arachnid from the far eastern fringe, with all the pomp and circumstance that follows his station and not to mention my newest acquisition. An elemental of some damaged trappings, already contained in his own physical shell." He passes his way over towards Babble, as if to show him to the others and handles the misused elemental's arms for a moment. A touch that brings extreme bouts of physical sensations into Babbles arms, almost as though he could feel his hands on the other side once again.

"I wish to know your skills and what it is that you all will aspire to while here, so that I may better place you within my house. Because if not.. then its down below with the lot of you."

---

The young child like figure sat further out on the edge of the bed, using a thumb to wipe away the red stain on her lips. She looked on at Safiya, with a clam and loving smile on her freshly cleaned face. "There is no need to treat yourself like that here, because everyone wants a better life and here they can have it." She slipped herself off the side of the bed and approached the kneeling girl as she eyed her over for a quick moment. Only to suddenly reach out and latch her small hand only the bottom of Safiya's jaw, holding her head in place and inspecting her like a recent purchase.

"Parents can be so strange these days can't they?
When I was locked into a box, it was because my parents were just cruel and monstrous. However yours just thought they were doing you a favor." Safiya could tell the little girl was spotting all the small marks and tell tale signs of her upbringing as easily as one would read a map. Only for the girl to release her just as quickly as she was grabbed. "My name is Misha Balaur'bâr." She gave Safiya a small flourish of her dress to emphasis her greeting.

---

Aemon looked at the young woman before him and could tell that the fact she missed Kenner was concerning her, almost alarmingly so. He gave her an apologetic look as he waved his hands slightly at her to get her attention focused. "Not a problem little miss, at this time the Master is usually up with any of the new additions of the house. His attention will not be kept for the whole time and I am sure he will be back here to greet you.. in fact." Aemon motions for one of the guards standing post and as the armored man looks back, a quick physical message is transacted between the two. In fact, it was just a normal hand signal that anyone could use or know, but the subtlety was rather quaint.

"There, now while the guardsmen sends word for Kenner to return. Why don't you tell me your reason for being here, not like a young woman like yourself to just send herself into a place like this. Especially with how the rest of of the kingdom is set to view us at the moment." Aemon slightly showed his age at the moment, remembering his own time when the kingdom actually had a king to speak of.

Azai watched as the 'master' looked towards him. He wondered how the man was going to respond to his insinuation. His words were true. Okay maybe he gave a white lie. He wasn't royalty, but he was close enough. He was a high ranking nobility and he was friends with the ruling family. Regardless, he was still used to giving orders, not receiving them. And here came this person, naked, without a single mark on him and he had the audacity to try and make him kneel. He knew nothing of this man or his 'powers' if he even had any. For all he knew he was just a regular human pretending he had all these abilities. Humans did that often and they thought they were above all of the other creature which simply wasn't true.

The man circled him and the demon and then he spoke while maintaining that sickening smile. Azai's eyes twitched in annoyance. Kenner was right after all. He didn't have the power to escape this place. He frowned as the surroundings began to dim... there was something wrong. His senses were going hay-wire in warning. The air seemed to grow still and the sun's warmth was fading. How was the sun's heat fading? It was not night. Then he felt the heat on his arm and looked down to the ribbon. He tilted his head at first confused but the ribbon only grew in heat. Azai reached to his arm and gripped the ribbon and tried to pull away the burning thing but it remained where it was placed. Then Kenner grabbed his arm and Azai felt frozen. He couldn't move! What was this stranger doing to him? Azai cried out lightly unintentionally as the heat increased. He was sure that if this continued, the man would burn his arm off. Unbidden tears collected in his eyes from the pain.

Then it was gone.

Kenner pulled away and the heat vanished like it was never there. Azai gave a light hiss in defense as he put a couple steps of distance between the two of them. Azai glowered at the man like a pouting child who had just received punishment but was unwilling to bow his head just yet. Even his bottom lip extended in grudge. Sure the burning hurt but it would take more than that before Kenner had his respect. Azai was a teenager after all and he was a rebellious thing; one that always pushed limits and danced that line of risk taking.

And as the man had mentioned, he had noticed the fear in the other servants and he had relished in their fear. It meant they wouldn't approach him without caution and he wasn't interested in playing nursemaid to a bunch of strangers. Right now he was preferring his solitude. He didn't want their fear to change. He liked creeping people out and popping up out of nowhere to make them gasp in fright it was fun.

When the man turned his gaze away from him, Azai looked down at the ribbon. He couldn't move it and see the damage it caused and there was still a residual ache there. He glanced up at the man before he pulled his arm closer and did his best to lick at the edge of the ribbon to try and ease the burn but the ribbon was in a position that made it a bit difficult to reach. After a couple of licks, he gave up trying to wet it and turned his attention back to the man and the strange creature that was dragged out of the water. Kenner mentioned something about an elemental but he didn't quite know what that meant. He to wondered what powers that creature had.

Then the man asked what their abilities were and what they wanted to accomplish while here. Azai didn't know how to answer really. He didn't want to give him all of his information but he also really didn't want to go to the arena. He would not survive that no matter how much he wanted to pat himself on the back and boast about himself. He didn't want to test the man too much at this moment. His place here was obviously precarious in this situation with that threat looming.

Azai crossed his arms just to be a little defiant though it got him nowhere. "I don't know what I want from my time here," he answered. "I haven't given that thought. I was much more concerned with eating and sleeping." He would have left it there but maybe if he had a 'place' here, he could find a better way to get out of this place and not have to glance over his shoulder wondering if he was heading to the arena next. "...I weave webs," he sighed then. "I like to use the webs to decorate places and can make various designs with the thread. My webs are sturdy and can catch most people in the sticky silk if one would rush towards it. I can walk on the walls and ceilings and can be stealthy. And I have venom." There. He answered the man's questions though he hated every sentence that came out of his mouth. He didn't know where Kenner could place him. Here, none of his abilities seemed all that useful.

Briefly dropping her eyes from Misha as she listened to her former words, Safiya stared at the ground for a moment as her thoughts of the oddly kind words of a 'better life' at the mansion rushed through her head before abruptly looking directly into the eyes of the young, demonic-like, girl as she grasped onto her jaw and examined her face, her sight of the girl's intent examination causing only mere discomfort as an odd comfort also grew alongside it only to have the discomfort fade immediately as Misha removed her hand from her jaw and curtsied lightly to introduce herself. Still somewhat confused by everything she had seen since her arrival, including the kindness from a demon-like child, she briefly stared at Misha for a moment in thought as the comfort she had felt continued to plague her mind with the confusion before ridding all of her thoughts and confusion from within her as she bowed her head to Misha in respect, her hands lightly resting in her lap as she began to speak. "It is a pleasure to meet you, Milady Misha. I am Safiya Isren."

As the light of the sun slowly began to set on this day, a trickle of rain began to fall upon the surrounding land. Amesha was beginning to grow dim, albeit slowly, but surly and the lights of the protesting mob at the entrance dispersed in time. However one light still remained and it was steadily coming its way up the long drive from the front gate

This was a singular carriage, pulled by two and lead by one. As the driver gave his horses a quick nudge to hurry them along and into the veranda outside the main entrance. His cargo, watched over by two pairs of dutiful eyes that kept their own time with the treasure inside. Ensuring chains and manicals remained attached, to secure their prize away.

Aemon was first to realize, seeing as the little miss in front of him was not eyeing the door. His gaze sat upon the carriage as it spun into place, to let the men off its back and allowed them to unload their cargo in quick measure. He lightly reached out for her arm and beckoned her closer towards the center fountain before the men could brake the threshold of this great house.

He looked down at Nadiya before speaking "I suggest you keep clear and watch Nadiya, because your about to see what this house most entails for many visitors." As if in timed concert, the three moved the cage into the main foyer. Only for several of the attending guards to assist in their handling of their charge. Something that was sectioned within this rattling covered cage and obviously something of human size. Something that the guards were quick to snatch from the confines of the cage, showing a vastly practiced routine of pulling the subject out and latching their chains through the ties in the floor.

Aemon was quick to walk forward and inspect what he could see was a young woman in the bindings. However it seemed as though she was put through a rather strenuous brawl before coming into their care. He produced a clean cloth from the side of his satchel and began to dry off the young woman's features, as her eyes were still trying to adjust to the sharper lights within the building. "Damn barbarians, they could at least have taken it easier on you in the long run." One of the men that brought her began to laugh, with a deep below to his voice, like its tone was lost in a keg spirits. "Not us old man." added the largest of the group. "Caught her in the middle of a scrap.. right nice catch on that one. I would keep the chains on however, best to keep her like that then to deal with the beast." Aeom was not entirely listening to the man as he began to clean away some of the filth that had gathered on the young girl during her trip. Only to see the man holding out his hand as if expecting payment from him.

He looks back up and motions for a guard "Take him upstairs to get paid, I don't have the patience for one like you at the moment. He replies as he returns to his work.

---

Misha looks at Safiya for a few moments, letting a glimmer of time pass between the two of them before speaking again. "So I see the master has you slated to be one of those boring talkative types that deals with those dignitaries. I do love the color blue, but all that talking and ass kissing can be such a bother." She adds the last part with a very vibrant smile as if to make Safiya more uncomfortable with how the young girls form was. Each smile was slightly exaggerated and served to show off more of the girls teeth, despite how unsettling the visage might be.

---

As Kenner looks on at Azai and listens to his words, a small pang of realization swoops over his face and he gets slightly closer to the young arachnid. "So you have experience with actual noble life and not just the concept of blue bloods in general. That is actually something that I can work with." He rubs a hand over his chin for a moment only for the trudging on boots off in the distance began to sound nearby and within moments of everyone noticing, a guard ran into view. Only stopping for himself to be allowed to approach the group, at Kenner's behest.

The guard approached and leaned upwards into Kenner's ear, having to stretch slightly with how much taller the Master was then himself. After a quick word, the guard gave a quick nod and return from the direction he came in, with a more quizzical look rummaging around on Kenner's face. He turns to face Chlorra for a moment after making his decision "Go and see what Aemon wants in the foyer. He is waiting with a young woman who has business with the house.

Chlorra gives a nod and begins off on her own, the very drape of her dress covering up all site of her feet as she moved off. All sound of her steps nonexistent as she traversed the floors of that vast house. Leaving Kenner with his chance to look back at Azai and speak. "How would you feel about being a part of those familiar circles again? My house could always use another individual to indulge those dignitaries away on political missions. Your foreknowledge could be a great boon in this indeed.

Akhira flinched when the strangest of strangers began to wipe at her face and her arms. She felt that he was angry, but the anger was not directed at her. Nonetheless, her domineering instincts took hold and she reacted angrily. She growled, baring her teeth to hurl herself backwards from his touch. Why is he wiping at me? Where am I? These chains... Is he challenging me? A reptilian hiss wound it's way up through her chest when she saw the chains binding her. More chains.... Damn curs. With an unkind look at her captors, she attempted to translate their word-speak. Not work-speak... Something else... It took her awhile to recollect what knowledge she had of these... humans.

Language, yes, language. Akhira stayed quiet, knowing that she had spent more she should have as a dragon, and had neglected her studies by focusing only on finding Blackfire. Blackfire. She growled, harshly casting out her mentor's name from her head and began to focus on her present situation.

With that, the odd strange began to wipe away the filth she had... acquired from her fight with that dragon brute from earlier. She didn't pull away from his touch this time as she was too focused on the details of the room, the people. This strange human before her. Who stops when he sees one of her captors looking at him. Expecting something. A wage. "Take him upstairs to get paid, I don't have the patience for one like you at the moment."

Suspicion began to nip at her heels as she only caught half of he said. Something about payment, and time... and her captor. From how he said the word, Akhira would assume he was disgusted with being in the same room as someone as low as her captor. Highborn, perhaps? She thought of how he was treating her... Nein. Too... something.. too different from the selfish highborns. Even the weaker humans never acted this way. It may be surprising for some to think that she didn't assume that he could be treating her kindly, but since she's never seen a human emote that kind of emotion, it wasn't surprising at all.

Aemon kept at it while the young woman began to fight at his touch, but with every pass of his cloth. He began to see a sheen of nearly pearl white skin through the mess he was uncovering. He wiped her hair from side to side as a hurried set of footfalls came running down the stairs. Not a few minutes after having gone up them before, the hunter came back down with a look on his face that wasn't one of his best. He was quick to return to his two partners and share words with them from beyond earshot of the others.

Aemon begins to grin to himself as he moves about the girls neck and begins to take notice of the objects on her head. " Ahh.. I see now." He runs as finger along the near azure colored scale on her left side. Only for him to muse a bit before speaking out aloud towards the hunters. "Not happy about your catch? I would think so, seeing as how well you have treated her and her age. The Master isn't too keen on paying for children, even if you take her breed into account." He stands and folds the cloth over towards a clean side, before stuffing back into his satchel.

Several of the guards approach the men and point as if to usher them out into the rain and back onto their carriage. Were this any other place, it was obvious that these men would try something, however with the multitude of guards and how their armed. These men would be hard pressed to come out of the event unscathed. So thanks to that, the last everyone inside the foyer sees of them. Is an angry hitched strut out into the rain.

Aemon snarks for a moment as he keeps a final eye on them, before setting his eyes back on the young dragon before him. "I can see that your still in a spot of bother, if you'd like I can answer some questions before The Master gets here?"

Akhira was frustrated with not knowing what they were saying as she was too busy trying to take in the details of the room. The chains. The smells. The voices from above and below. The voices in this room. It was all too much information for her to process while also trying to understand their language.

Oddly quiet, Akhira remained silent and seemed to be observing a fly on the wall. That is until she felt him run a finger near her scales. It sent chills up her spine, as well as cause her to lose her cool. She jumped, startled, letting a snarl escape her lips. "Ahh.. I see now." Damn Human.

But then her captors left with anger radiating from their terrible hides. She was alone. With the strangest of strangers. Not that she was afraid she couldn't win a fight against him, but it all just felt too odd. Like she had fallen into a trap, but she didn't know what type of trap.

What idiot would leave her, a powerful dragon in a house with some stranger that could easily crush by shapeshifting. To change... Akhira growled irritably at the human when he spoke, "I can see that your still in a spot of bother, if you'd like I can answer some questions before The Master gets here?" She glared defiantly at him, and if looks could kill, we all know he'd be dead, but sadly, looks don't kill. And Akhira was ignorant of what was going on.

So far, the only thing she knew was that they were speaking words she couldn't understand, and that from the smells and noises she could hear, she was surrounded. By enemies or... more enemies, she did know, so that piece of unknown information kept her from acting... For now.

"Chains." Akhira spoke the word harshly, but surprisingly, remembered exactly how to say the word. "Off chains..." She wasn't asking, more like commanding him to release her. Despite saying the words, she began to yank at them, but knowing that there was magick on them, the kind that kept her from changing. She hated it.

Despite her unease, Nadiya felt almost guilty for making the older gentleman apologize to her, her own hands mimicking his apologetic gesture. "Oh, no, it's ok. I mean, it is nothing you need to apologize to me for..." she began, quieting upon seeing Aemon look back at the guards behind him. She didn't hear any words, but obviously the two men understood each other enough without the need for conversation. She vaguely wondered what the guard went off to do.

Aemon answered her inner inquiry before she could wonder about it more. He had been sent to get the Master of the house. Bowing her head in gratitude, Nadiya felt a bubble of relief start to accompany her nerves. "Thank you sir. I hope I haven't inconvenienced you." she said, only to bite her lip at his prying. Of course she had a reason to come here, but to admit it aloud suddenly seemed more than just a tad embarrassing. "Why? Well...you see.."

Nadiya didn't get the chance to answer, a sudden commotion interrupting her reply. A carriage pulled up just as she was gently nudged aside, Aemon's words earning a slight shiver and a bubble of doubt. What was she getting herself into?

Upon getting a glimpse of what was in the cage, Nadiya gasped, the condition of the female inside earning a look of horrified disbelief. It wasn't bad enough to put her in a cage, they had to hurt her as well? Tentatively taking a few steps closer to get a glimpse of the captive from behind Aemon, the would-be servant's eyes widened as the man's cloth revealed pearly skin beneath. Such a beautiful color...what kind of creature was she?

The sudden snarling made her jump, the eyes looking out from the cage clearly angry and intent on self-preservation. Well, not like you could blame her. Nadiya lifted a hand to her lips upon hearing the female speak, stepping towards the cage without realizing it. The girl wanted the chains off. Surely they could at least get her out of the cage? The rattling of the chains sent a chill down her spine. Was this commonplace here? Nadiya swallowed hard, feeling bad for the angry prisoner.

"D-does she really need to be in the cage as well as being chained? It seems overly cruel..." she asked Aemon softly.

Babble

It was fun. The fish looked quite funny upside down. Actually they looked funny right side up as well. Fish looked weird. The hands which housed secrets well kept grasped him and pulled him from the water. He was a bit disappointed he couldn't stay in his underwater adventure any longer. As she sat him down his body started acting off. The flesh now pulled from the water into the land of air and ground started to struggle for the air it once breathed. During his stay in the water the fluid made it's way to his lungs. The lungs tried to operate as they always did but there was water in the way.

He cast a short field of quiet sound over himself. The sound which destroyed other sounds since it itself was the very same sounds it cancelled out. Two sounds yet the same sounds, waves of equal amplitude and strength crashing into one another resulting in a complete stop. He cast this sound to cancel out the sound of him coughing to clear his lungs of water. Coughing was an annoying sound, one he didn't much care for. It sounded like disease, it sounded like suffering. He abolished the noise altogether so he along with others wouldn't need to suffer through hearing his body painfully clear the intrusive element from his airway.


Soon after he was finished silently coughing he turned down his volume enough so that he might hear Kenner speak. He felt the water he had unwittingly swallowed sloshing about inside him. It made him feel sick like an uncomfortable water balloon. Still he didn't really regret his decision. Pain and discomfort for Babble were both synonymous with being alive. A halt on his suffering only meant he had managed to slip into that darkness between waking and dream for even in his dreams he wasn't safe from his tortures. Only the recess between the stages of waking were shelter to him. That very special period where sound has yet to enter his conscious thought.

Just as he dwelt on how he was feeling Kenner grabbed his arms delivering a sensation which kicked him straight from his train of thought and into the moment. He could swear he could feel his hands again or at least something close to how he remembered it. It was an uncanny sensation which spurred Babble's whole body into a constant rocking shiver. His eyes teared up as the sensation brought about feelings of shock, happiness and some fear. He knew he could not see his hands and it was most definitely some cruel mental trick, like a cat toying with a mouse. The physical feedback however did scratch that ever so unscratchable itch, the empty feelings at the ends of his stumps where his mind believed his hands should be. There was little to convince his subconscious mind that such a change had been mind. Every time he saw something he wanted to pick up he would reach out only for the cognitive dissonance to strike him down.


In the grass surrounding the group faint voices could be heard all around whispering like tiny field mice. The voices were high like pixies of androgynous gender, sharp and squeaky like.

"Hands!" "My hands!" "I feel hands!" "M-my hands..." "How do I feel hands?" "Why do we feel hands?" "Hands! Hands! Hands!"
"Like hands, love hands." "Hands for mittens." "Hands for gloves!" "Why can't I see them?" "Where are my hands!?" "I wonder if he'll let me use forks." "H.. Ha... Hands." "Haaaaaaaands!" "Handy hands for handy lands!" "But what about the hands?" "Please give hands." "I like hands." "What's special? I know hands are!" "H. A. N. D. S. Gooooo hands!" "Bendy hands. Beeeendy. Like macaroni." "Please... Please."

When Kenner released his arms to go see Azai and the guard who spoke of events Babble was only tangentially aware of he simply collapsed to his knees, looking down at his empty stumps. With the sensation which had ensued having vanished the ends started to feel almost as if they were burning like candle wicks. Phantom limb syndrome, a pesky condition of the human mind to continue trying to receive messages from limbs that are no longer present. It wasn't the worst he had ever felt but the syndrome never failed to return like the coastal tides.


Pulling his legs in with his arms tucked in the middle he sat in the fetal position, rocking back and forth as he tried to cast the invisible flames from his mind. He recalled the question Kenner had asked not long ago, the one about aspirations and skills. He was well used to thinking under intense pain, his sound ever active even if the flesh he still calls his body was being flayed from the bone with whips of demonic flame.

"You know what I am."

The voice was Chlorra's own but not identical. while it possessed all the qualities her voice held it was somewhat scratchy, somewhat harsh even. It spoke with inherent malice, not towards Kenner but in nature alone. It was a voice that could make lesser men's skin crawl and it caused Babble no less pain than the original. He managed to look up to Kenner, his face plastered with a crooked grin which he wore to mask the pain using such a voice brought himself. He did not enjoy the pain but he wouldn't change what made the voice hers. It might not of been identical but he didn't wish to lessen it's authenticity no matter the cost.

"Babble is sound. It is instruments. Treat this instrument as you will."

Azai tensed and let out an involuntary hiss when Kenner approached him. He took a step back to get some distance between them and the young spider was as tense as a bow string. He did not trust this man and if he approached him, he was sure Kenner was going to apply that burning pain again. He did not like pain and would not just stand there waiting for it. He did hate that this action made him look like he feared the man. He didn't want to show fear. Damn body for reacting on its own. There was nothing he could do about it now and at least Kenner hadn't tried to continue moving closer. The man's attention was all on him however as he began to talk about an opportunity. It seemed the fact that he had said he was part of the royal class had peeked his interest. Kenner wanted to entrust such a position to him? He eyed the man suspiciously then.

The arachnid crossed his arms over his chest as he debated the proposal. What was Kenner really getting at? Azai had disobeyed him and refused to bow to him and now he was being offered a high position in his court? And what was court life like here anyway? He doubted it would be like what he was used to. If someone displeased you, it usually ended up with a physical fight where the offender or the accuser was eaten. He doubted Kenner would let him devour his political opponents. Was this some sort of trick question? He lifted his long nimble fingers and tapped his lips in thought. He got an extra moment to think as a guard entered the room and spoke quietly to Kenner about something. It looked like interesting things were happening elsewhere as well. He glanced at the man that had been in the water just to look at something as he debated his decision. Babble? Was that his name? He didn't seem to have a problem being a tool. Eventually, the black widow sighed and returned his hands to his arms.

"You are going to have to tell me more about what this political position entails. I am not actually part of the royal family back home. I am a noble with close ties to the royal prince so I am like extended family," he said first to clarify his words. "I think the political arena I am used to is very different from the one you are picturing. And you said something that has given me pause. You said entertain dignitaries. What do you mean by 'entertain'?" he asked then. "Though my original thought was that you want me to be one of the people that represents your house but now that I dwell on that 'entertain' word, I have the feeling I am not actually going to be a politician, am I? Are you saying I will be entertaining them in my web?" asked with a wry little grin. "I don't mind giving them a bit of a... dance, but I will not play maid and run around serving drinks. If you think my only worth is in serving drinks, then I'll pass. I'd rather decorate this place with a bit of flair."

Kenner nods his head several times as he gets Azai and Babbles reply, though in the case of Babble he was somewhat apprehensive about just letting him go about his business around raven home without some kind of oversight. Though with all things in an effort to understand and a need to achieve. He could find some way to make things work in the end, just as he always has.

He clasped his hands together in a slight sign of happiness, the excitement shown in the fact that Azai was even interested in what he had to say. "It really means nothing, just being a point of words on my part. So how you could take it, could be either way, moot for all I care. The teachers here would help you understand everything from political etiquette, to regional dialects and histories." Kenner raises his hand and snaps his fingers, with a calm resplendent smile on his face. Only for Azai to feel the band on his arm begin to act up again. As he looked, its color began to shift and replace its original slowly. Becoming more blue in shade and leaving only a small section at its binding, completely black.

"I'll take your questions as at least, an interest in what my house has to offer." He walks up to Azai and places a hand on his shoulder, missing all of the problems that his touch brought before. "All you must do is follow the rules of our home and you shall find a new life here. I am not asking you to kneel to me or anyone else, that you would not chose to do so yourself." He removes his hand as he backs away from Azai, giving his head a slight turn towards Babbles own person. "Now you on the other hand, if you are going to be a part of this house. I must do something to stabilize your presence here. An elemental is a thing of nature and can barely abide by such a static construct, in the least." He reaches down and takes Babble up in his arms once more, helping him to stand.

"I can tell your body is still whole, just not all in one place. Now when my house purchased you, it was the intention of having all of you and not just part of what you are. I wish to rectify this and balance your perspective of the world around you."

"Would you wish for this?"

---

Aemon looks over as the young dragon hurls snarls and spits in his direction, a clear protest of what he was doing. He looks back down at her as she protest about her confined position and the lengths that the men went through the keep her contained. He gave her a slight lean to he head as he replied, both to her request and the question that Nadiya posed for him as well. "I cannot unfortunately, the problem being of what you are and how you might react to your newfound freedom.. if you can call it that. Besides the guards may not look it, but they have the ability to harm you should they need to and when it comes to it. They would most likely put you back in the chains, or in a worse position." He kneels before her again and lays a hand on her shoulder, at least showing her some compassion. "I understand that your uncomfortable, but I have seen it all before and in time this tension will pass. You will come to be at ease here, all it takes is time."

At that moment, Akhira's senses lit like a fire, as if her body was warning her of some imminent danger. As if she were caught in a burning building, or trapped in the bowels of a sinking ship. Her sight was drawn to a figure sitting quietly behind Aemon and Nadiya, perched patiently on the side of the small fountain. It was Chlorra and how long she had been sitting there was unsure, even the fact that both Aemon and Nadiya had not noticed her arrival. Though the guards themselves did not seem bothered by her sudden appearance and as Aemon followed theline of sight that Akhira's eyes were focused on. Only for his reaction to be noted as he looked, with a strange scowl forming on his brow. As he turned his face back towards the young dragon, who could feel Aemon's grip tighten slightly at his own discomfort.

"I had sent for master Kenner, though I did not expect you miss Chlorra."
She stood and waltzed slowly towards the small gathering, with a slow glide in her movements. Akhira's dragonic senses able to see where the extreme sense of dread was coming from, as it flowed off of the dark woman. Like heavy smoke off the edges of a burning hut and gliding across the floor.

What came next was a low whisper, but with it was a burning sensation to the ear. "No need to be so cross my dear doctor, he is merely occupied for the moment." She drew closer and placed a hand on the underside of Akhira's chin, taking hold and pulling, placing a small strain on the chains holding her. "I am glad to see that you brought me a present. She leans closer with Akhira seeing the very energies seeping from behind the mask she wore and spoke words all too clear to Akhira.
"(Tell me little one, is your pride hurt?)

"(To be captured and prodded by those insufferable stains of life..)"
Akhira could see that the sides of Chlorra's face were widening in what only could be discerned as a smile.

Luna watched as the two began to discus politics and instantly tuned out of reality and into the confines of her own mind. The first lace it went was to the events of earlier, specifically, the event of Azai's ribbon burning against him while The Man came near. The scene was both terrifying but also a bit alluring for her. Though this was no surprise to her as she knew that it was her demonic nature to be attuned to extremely powerful forces, but the thing that confused her the most was the stiffness of her fellow black ribbon bearer, and the stillness of the air around them; which felt thick enough for her to cut with her own nail. Had The Man paralyzed him without so much as a phrase, how was that even possible? And how was he able to make the ribbon burn without so much as looking at it, alchemy? Many possibilities rang through her head but at the heart of it all wa the need to know more about where his powers and how she could acquire them herself. A devilish hiss escaped her mouth as her body shivered from just the thought of having a sliver of the power this Man head.....or the idea of having his head on a stack in her backyard; either would suffice.

With a crack of her knuckled she allowed her mind to travel to other topics of thought, such as the new information she had just gained on her spider peer. He was affiliated with royalty and had venom, and was FORCED to be here? This peeked her interest in the boy, along with the fact that he obviously had some type of hatred for The Man just like she did, this made her hopes begin to soar but knew better than to let it get too big. If she could play her cards right then a new ally could be made with this one.

Next her mind shifted towards the creature who slithered his way into the center of her universe with ease that slightly scared her; The Man. He had said something about showing them down below if they misbehaved but this hardly caused her to quack in her boots like he probably thought it would; having a military background mean that not many physical dangers scared-no, she only felt what the humans called "fear" when someone possessed the ability to dig inside her mind, that really rocked her to the core. Her thoughts and knowledge were her best assets and anyone who could tap into them was a huge threat that needed to be eliminated, but sadly she highly doubted that she could even get close to The Man without suffering the same fate as Azai. With a sigh she crossed her arms and gazed back towards the two as they continued to talk about nothing that pertained to her. Looking past them towards the one sitting on the bench around the water was the creature that had mimicked her voice. He also seemed bored but unlike her he seemed content to amuse himself by looking back at the fish, and it was at this moment that she noticed for once that he had no hands...only stubs. This odd deformity intrigued her and she couldn't help but stare at it constantly. What caused him to lose his hands, or not get them in the first place. Before she knew it her legs walked her closer her until she was almost right up on him, but not too close, that wouldn't be comfortable. Instead she was happy with simply sitting in front of him and staring at his features, collecting as much information as she could about the strange creature. Was he even apart of this world?

Akhira was trying, desperately to keep up with his words. If he keeps talking too fast, I'll have to enter his mind in order to understand. Yet doing that would be a terrible thing to do, even to this human. That is until he knelt down before her and lay his hand upon her shoulder. She began to glare daggers at him, He's being condescending about my height for sure.

While she was just the right size as a dragon for her age, it was a whole different story for her human form. She looked like she was stuck just between being a teen and being a child. It was humiliating and had been the reason her problems with the other dragons had begun.


But now, she had only grown 4 inches taller, in only three years. Humiliating. She gritted her teeth and tried not to turn and snap at Aemon's hand. That was when she appeared.

---

"(Tell me little one, is your pride hurt?)

"(To be captured and prodded by those insufferable stains of life..)"

Akhira felt like the oil-vapor was choking her. In response, a guttural snarl so primal it was hard ti believe that that sound was coming from one as small as her. She's challenging me by entering my mind; she wants to kill me. Her instincts were going haywire, becoming a burning wildfire beneath her skin. Her scales protruding from her head was beginning to look like they were going to shatter at any moment. Everything inside her was screaming at her, demanding that she change shape and show this witch who she was challenging.

Yet the chains that held her were keeping that from happening by turning red with heat. The magic on them being put to the limit. She couldn't breath, couldn't change, cornered. The wildfire beneath her skin warring with the magic heat on her skin. Change, i... I have... to... change... change... I have to SURVIVE

SURVIVE-SURVIVE-SURVIVE----

"Agh!" Akhira felt like heaven and hell were colliding within her, heat from below and above her skin. Pressure everywhere. She finally couldn't take it anymore and she jerked backwards, out of the witch's grasp. SURVIVE-SURVIVE----SURVIVE
She shoved Aemon out of harm's way and... and--
Her skin began to harden, to turn into crystal, becoming stone-like and... With one loud crack followed by the sound of shattering glass, her form burst. The magic chains that once held her to this form, broken by her sudden rush of adrenaline. Her powers had been too much to hold in place. Now only someone who had powerful magic could change her back now.

Like someone had lifted a veil, she reared her massive head and roared. She was beautiful, her blue scales her large wings. Her horns, more like a crown upon her head. And she barely fit in this room.

Nadiya looked dismayed at Aemon's words, even though he was focused on and trying to calm the caged girl. Her hazel eyes went to the prisoner, feeling bad for the female and wishing she could offer some form of assistance. It didn't sit well with her to see her chained and caged like some beast. Her jaws were clenched, trying in vain to come up with some logical reason to convince them to release the poor girl. She knew she had no power here, and how likely would people chaining a young woman be to listen to her opinions or any argument she might be able to make?

Startled by Aemon's change in tone, Nadiya glanced over at the alchemist, instinctively about to ask what was wrong when the sight of a strange woman caught her eye, silencing all thought. Something was almost eerie about the stranger, and the mask only added to the mystery. A slight chill went down her spine, the voice that accompanied the figure more than just a tad unnerving. If only she could see an expression, maybe the person wouldn't be so intimidating.

Upon hearing the woman refer to the chained female as a 'present' made Nadiya stiffen, a slight frown crossing her features. Surely they couldn't think such a girl was no more than a pretty toy? She had to bite her lip to keep from voicing her thoughts, trying to rationalize that she didn't know for sure that was what was going on- that she shouldn't judge without the facts...

The cry from the caged girl was met with a gasp, Nadiya stepping forward without even realizing it. She was in pain! "Please don't hurt her!" Nadiya implored, her thoughts interrupted by the loud shattering of...glass? No, the girl had changed.

Upon seeing the girl shift into a dragon, Nadiya looked on with her mouth agape. She was as beautiful as she was large and fierce, and Nadiya took a step forward, looking on in apparent awe. "A dragon..." she mused mostly to herself, the roar echoing in her ears. She could feel the rumble from such a powerful voice, and while it was undoubtedly a sound that was to be met with caution, the would- be healer was more facinated than scared (though she was most definately more than a little shaky in her knees by now.)

Slowly, Nadiya reached a hand out, palm up in a peaceful gesture. "A-are you hurt? Will you let me see?"

Kenner smiled at Luna for a moment as he caught the look on her face as he awaited Babbles reply. The idea that she could be concerned or interested in some way, was a good plus for him and would mean guiding her attentions was in fact possible. "I see that you are not so quiet anymore, that is good to say the least. Because now we can help each other with that expenditure. All of this, is to see the best place for you among my house..." The air goes still for a moment as a tension could be felt stirring and then a deep echoing sound came bursting through the open air of the building. The singular hall leading to the atrium was more then enough to amplify this sound, allowing them to hear the roar that fallowed. Only for a stringent sigh to come out from Kenners lips as he realized that sending Chlorra, may not have been the best of choices.

He raises a hand for a moment, palming his own face in the process. This gave way to the guards posted nearby to approach, only to subsequently be held to stop by the out stretched hand of Kenner. "I will deal with this, just take our new friends back to their rooms and have this one assigned to one as well." He stepped back from the small group and looked back at them for a moment with a somber expression in tow. "You may want to cover your eyes." Not a moment before he said this, did his flesh and hair begin to glow a quick, exaggerating white light.

Luna, Babble and Azai all were in no position to argue his suggestion, as the sight quickly began too much to bare. As if they were all staring directly into the sun and as if the sun had been situated only several feet away from their faces. Luna was the only one to have an adverse reaction to this however, as her skin began to feel like it was being flayed from her arms as she covered her face. It was almost as if she were rushing headlong into a wall of flame and just like that the sensation was gone. A gust of air pressing against them was the last sign of Kenner's presence, before their eyes could adjust enough to notice his absence.

---

As Akhira makes her debut transformation for the whole of the foyer to see, only a few things can be heard after she manages to do some minor structural damaged with her emergent thrashing. For the most part, the sound of the water from the fountain was unobstructed and clear as the breaking stone began to settle and after that, it was the sound of clapping. Chlorra was standing there staunchly were she was before, keeping her attention focused entirely on the young dragon.

It was then from this position that Akhira could see something else was off about the strange woman. Looking down on her from the height, she could see that Chlorra's shadow split into three direction, instead of brushing from the angle of a light source. "Such a precious little treasure aren't we?" Weather she was still referring to Akhira's age or her size was a slight forethought at that point. She merely turned her head to look on at Nadiya as she began to approach Akhira, letting the young woman lock her gaze onto herself before Chlorra began to shake her head. As if to emphasis that Nadiya should take this moment to step back.

Azai found himself unsure of how to react towards the man. He answered his question with relative ease and far more bluntly than he though he would. So the word itself didn't truly mean anything. He could ascribe whatever he wanted to the role. The man was going to give him teachers to learn etiquette and the like. Most of that sounded like a bore, but he did like the idea of entertainment. He wasn't going to be a dainty little servant that pitter-pattered around handing off drinks. With this role, he could glean secrets. He liked secrets. And he liked seeing people squirm. It seemed like this position could be of use to him after all. He could find out so many things and in a way, he was completing the same function he had back home. Even then he had to listen to other nobles, flirt and allure until he got the answers he needed. Most of those rendezvous ended up with the dignitaries in his web or bitten. He was sure this place had its own way of doing things but there was no reason not to test the waters at least. It beat the idea of going to an arena anyway.

"Yes, I am a little interested," he answered the man. "I am willing to listen. For now," he mused. He tapped his long fingers against his lips as he rolled the idea around his mind. And then the man had to go and say that he din't want Azai to kneel to him or to anyone. He eyed him a bit wary. Why? He was here as the man's 'slave'. Wouldn't the master of the house want all of his pretty little servants to kneel before him? He had burned him not a moment ago when he acted up. Was that not kneeling to this stranger? He would have to watch this man's interactions with the others carefully. He wanted to find out more about this odd 'master of the house.'

He felt something on his arm then and looked down. He thought it would start burning again but it didn't. Instead, the inky blackness began to brighten until most of the ribbon was blue. Only the outer rim remained as dark as the abyss. How strange. It was that blue he had seen on many of the other servants. Was this supposed to mean that he wasn't a danger anymore? He thought it was rather presumptuous of the man to assume he still wasn't a danger to the others. He agreed to listen to these tutors of his and investigate his proposal but he hadn't agreed to anything. Well, the blue at least would give him more room to walk around he supposed. Azai felt eyes on him then and glanced over at Luna though she didn't say anything to him. Instead, she walked over to the arm-less creature in front of them. Azai still had no idea what to think about this 'elemental' as the master termed him. He had never encountered a creature like him.

And then Kener mentioned something about closing their eyes. He frowned and tilted his head to the side. Why did they have to close their eyes? He didn't need to wait long to find out. The man's hair brightened in color and Azai had to quickly cover his eyes and turn away least the light blind him. When Kenner was gone, he peeked through his fingers before he straightened himself out. That was... kinda cool. How did the man teleport that way? He wanted to ask him about that next time. Whelp, it looked like they were going to go back to their rooms now. Azai liked that idea. He'd get to sleep more. "All right then! Back to the web," he mused more to himself than anything as he walked towards the door that contained that lift thing.

Babble

Kenner had helped him up to stand. When he let go Babble could not tell if he was standing by his own will or not. Were there even the slightest breeze it might of knocked him over. He wasn't feeling well and all this talking was starting to get to him. It was like standing next to three loud engines in the middle of a busy crowd. He was already uncomfortable, all this was just an unpleasant addition.

Kenner had asked him a question. "Would you wish for this?"

It wasn't a simple question. Binary yes but it came with implications both lovely and awful. He did want his hands back but his previous master had went to lengths to make sure his magic would bind his hands so they would not be able to be healed in any known way. Whether Kenner knew of a way to bypass this was unknown to him. Kenner showed great promise in his power thus far but he had no idea of what he was capable or not capable of.


More worrisome than the possibility of losing his hands for good somehow was what Kenner might of meant by 'balance your perspective of the world around you'. Such was the nature of masters. They were just not capable of keeping themselves from taking things away from their slaves like their freedoms... Or their minds. Babble could tell he was speaking of adjusting his ability to feel the sound, to hear the very fabric of who he was. How Kenner planned to do that and to what extent he felt like going to was unknown. Babble only knew from his past lessons to expect the worst.

Before he could answer Kenner started to glow. He wasn't looking at the man to begin with so averting his eyes wasn't necessary. He could see the man just fine through the sound reflected off his skin and emitted from him as well. In a sense it was hard for Babble to not know whether Kenner was or wasn't there. When he vanished from the room Babble could sense the sound passing through where he once stood. He could identify almost the exact instant that Kenner was gone from this location. What he couldn't tell yet was where he had appeared. He had heard not only the roar from several rooms away but the conversations that led to the resulting bellow. He simply hadn't cared prior since there were always conversations around him. He struggled to tell them apart as each word spoken carried as much importance as the next until he was given a reason to care.


Regardless of the events transpiring elsewhere Babble was simply left with the other band bearers and some guards approaching. The others were looking at him, that much was clear. There was nothing left for him to say. Around him a sound started to occur, cloaking him like an aura. It was the sound ghosts make. It was infrasound.

To those who heard such a sound it would not be audible like any mundane sound. Instead it would manifest as a feeling of a feeling of fear and discomfort, the brain's reaction to the irritation brought about by the vibrations. The room's temperature would feel as though it just dropped, bringing about a chill which might instigate goosebumps. The room's temperature wasn't dropping however, just the perception of it. As the sound acts upon the discs within the eyes of those listening the vibrations would cause them to start seeing ethereal shapes at the very edge of their vision, always just barely out of sight with the brain filling in the blanks for what it might be. Such was the nature of infrasound, that spooky noise that ghosts made. Babble could tell the guards that were going to bring him to his new prison were none too happy though the reason why was obscured from them.

Babble sometimes wondered if he was a ghost and the reason he couldn't pass through walls was because the whole world was also a ghost.

Akhira roared yet again, this time it was directed at Nadiya. Her fierce roar was louder this time, filled with anger that made it resonate more through the hallways and rooms of the building. Wretched human! Baring saliva coated teeth at the two-legger, she rolled her shoulders and side stepped - no small feat since she was in this small room. Flexing muscles that had before been dormant, she flicked her tail and snapped it in Nadiya's direction.

"Such a precious little treasure aren't we?"

Not caring if she had hit the woman with her tail or not, Akhira quickly turned to face the witch that had threatened her whilst in her human form. She raised her this time, as high as it could go in this small room, as she unfurled her wings somewhat, showing her immense size. It was nearly odd that such a small room could still contain her whole size, but somehow... I should leave instead... No point in bothering with this Necromancer.... but...

Akhira snarled and with a sudden fervor she lunged at witch. If she hit the Necromancer, she'd be killed by her claws and teeth, but if not, she herself would go flying through the wall right behind the witch.

Lightly dropping her eyes from Misha as she thought intently about her explanation of the band around her arm, Safiya stared at the ground in slight confusion as she remembered her privileged, yet brutal, upbringing in solitude before slowly standing from the ground as she took a few faint steps closer to the door of the room, her eyes trailing away from the door to look back over to Misha as she acknowledged her disconcerting grin with slight discomfort before dropping her sight back down to the band around her arm. "I am to speak with dignitaries?" She questioned softly, in her odd accented voice, as she lifted her eyes from the band around her arm to look back over to Misha before slowly stepping back over to her as she casually held her left wrist with her right hand down in front of her, slight fear growing within her mind and upon her face as she thought about how shy a personality she held. "Master Kenner expects me to speak with those of importance around this place? Why would he think me worthy of such a position when I am merely a slave? Surely he has more important servants at his disposal to speak with the dignitaries..."