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Grimmore: Kindred Spirits



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Sun Jul 01, 2018 3:08 pm
Mageheart says...



Grimmore: Kindred Spirits

By @Magestorrow and @Featherstone


Image


Cornyx Blackthorne has a secret. Not the kind of secret you only tell your best friend - no, this is a whopper of a secret, the kind that no one knows and he really wishes he didn't, either. He's not what everyone else he knows is but he's not even sure what that means. The only thing he's sure about is that he's got a lust for blood and a craving of the human soul. So instead of trying to keep it and trying to live out a normal life in one place he decided to start moving. To leave it behind, to start again, to keep going so that he doesn't have to be so afraid. Then the streets began to change and what was once a beautiful summer sky filled with clouds, and before he knew it he was somewhere he'd never been until that moment.

Darunia Vain has a problem. For the past few decades, she's been stuck serving this one woman she absolutely cannot stand. If Darunia Vain was any other person, she would have simply packed up her few belongings and booked it out of the obscure city. But that's not exactly an easy task for her; she's a demon, and the woman in question is her summoner. She dreams of escaping her contract and getting somewhere far, far away from the city and the woman who have betrayed her. But even though her future looks bleak, she's not going to let that bring her down. She'll find the best in every little moment, despite being stuck in the same old town.

When Darunia is sent to investigate the source of a strange new aura, she doesn't expect to run into the seemingly normal Cornyx. But as an unlikely friendship is forged between the two of them, they begin to learn more about each other - and the city that houses more dark secrets than either could ever imagine.
mage

[ she/her, but in a boy kinda way ]

roleplaying is my platonic love language.

queer and here.





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Sun Jul 01, 2018 3:18 pm
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Featherstone says...



Cornyx Blackthorne

The steady ticking of a pocket watch moves in time with footsteps, shiny black shoes on the hard stone of streets. He looks out of place here - but, then again, so does he everywhere else. People don't usually dress so formally as him with a gray vest and slacks, even a black tie. He's not sure where he's going anymore. Then again, was he ever sure where he walked to? Maybe he'd only really ever thought about what he was running from.

He gazed up at the tall buildings around him as he stepped in through the gates on a cobbled street. This wasn't a normal city, not in any sense of the word. He'd never seen such a place. It looked like it came out of a book. The structures were made mostly of brick and stone and covered in thin soot and dust. The sky was dark with ashen clouds, casting a miasma over the bustling, if oddly quiet, city. A part of him wondered if he should turn around and go right back to Maryland where he had some kind of understanding of what things meant, but curiousity and instinct drew him onwards, placing one foot in front of another on the clattering cobbled streets.

Welcome to Grimmore, a sign read off to his right, hanging on the brick of some industrial building with pollution coming out the top. That must have been the name of the city. He'd never heard of it before. Granted, he'd been either in an orphanage or prison for most of his life, so it wasn't as though he had much access to the outside world, but he was fairly certain that a town so out of place as this would be considered of some importance or magnititude and it was odd he'd never caught wind of such a place on his travels.

He sighed and glanced down at his watch. 11:22 in the morning. It was a Sunday, too; he should at least make sure he stopped by the church that day, even if he missed mass.

Image
"All that is gold does not glitter,
Not all those who wander are lost;
The old that is strong does not wither,
Deep roots are not reached by the frost."


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Sun Jul 01, 2018 4:17 pm
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Mageheart says...



Darunia Vain

She's been staring at the wall across for her for nearly an hour, counting each and every imperfection she can find. A little crack there. A little paint chip here. She still hasn't counted them all, though she knows she's almost done. The church has been falling into disrepair for years; everyone is just far too blind to see it. She has little need for the church herself, but there's something sad about such an important building in the city being treated the way that it is.

Just as she finishes her task, the door to the church's main office opens. The city's mayor slips out through it and gives her a look. It's hard to tell what exactly the look is supposed to be. Maybe one of distaste, or one of pity. And maybe there's nothing to the look, just a blank stare that indicates the church behind her is more important than her. Her golden eyes flash for a quick second, and she draws her lips up to reveal a pair of sharp incisors. No response. He knows the truth about her - has since they met years upon years ago - but there should have been some sort of reaction.

She sighs and gets to her feet. Who is she kidding? She hasn't gotten a good reaction out of him or his wife in a long time. She walks past him, shoulders momentarily brushing against each other and he heads away from the office and she heads into it.

"There's a strange demonic energy in this city, and I want you to investigate it," she says, and Darunia immediately perks up because it's been so long since she's gotten to meet someone like her. "It has just entered the town, and is currently heading in the direction of the church. Acquire its powers through any means necessary."

She opens her mouth to argue that it's not exactly easy to take magic away from a demon, but she's cut off before she can even get the first word out.

"Do not fail me."

"I won't," she says, rolling her eyes. "You do realize you say that every time you give me a new job, right? It's honestly a bit tiring and definitely more than a little cliche-"

"Go,"

She holds her hands up in mock surrender. "I'm going, I'm going!" Giving the office one last look, she turns around and begins her search for the mysterious demonic aura.
mage

[ she/her, but in a boy kinda way ]

roleplaying is my platonic love language.

queer and here.





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Thu Jul 05, 2018 6:18 pm
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Featherstone says...



Cornyx Blackthorne


He wandered through the streets, gazing up at the tall structures surrounding him. It's almost vintage in style, and seemingly old, with gargoyles lining the tops of the larger, more prominent buildings. Electric lights buzz and glow in a yellowed hue, not like the LEDs he most commonly saw nowadays.

The most peculiar thing about this place was the lack of automobiles. Not that they weren't completely absent, but they seemed to be uncommon - streets were filled with people walking on foot and the only occasional rickety car came through.

Despite the city's oddities the church looked as most do, if considerably more elegant and large. The stained glass was mostly in amber and gold tones as opposed to the more vibrant jewel-tones he was used to, but it was equally beautiful. It towered above most of the other buildings and so only took him about ten minutes to locate it before he started off in that direction.

His mind wandered as he slipped into the backstreets where things were quieter. The watch continued ticking onwards in his pocket, steadily counting every second wasted on his travel. And, of course, in such a time was when Evelyn found her way back into his thoughts. Her smile, the glint in her eyes, her soft touch.

He sighed. He missed her. But what use was thinking of it now? He could feel the Wrath in him already beginning to try to push its way out, the gunshot ringing in his ears from that fateful day.

No. He pushed it back and tried to focus himself on where he was going, on putting one foot in front of the other, on anything but the frost creeping across the stones beneath his feet.
"All that is gold does not glitter,
Not all those who wander are lost;
The old that is strong does not wither,
Deep roots are not reached by the frost."


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Mon Jul 09, 2018 10:11 am
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Mageheart says...



Darunia Vain


As she turns out into the street, she starts to hum a cheerful little tune. There's no need to blend in with the crowd. She's known everyone in the city for years, even though they're convinced she's just an incredibly devout member of the church. Some even greet her as she passes. That sort of attention's probably the only thing she likes about this place, but it'll never be enough to convince her into staying when her time with the church is done.

Assuming that'll ever happen.

She sighs and tries to think of other things. She just needs to find herself a demon. Simple as that. Being inside the church and finding the source of that aura was hard to do, but the street is different. It's open, and it's not drenched in the suffocating aura of all that magic she does. So she stands there for a minute or two, letting every individual aura bombard her as she tries to sort them all out.

The source of the aura is surprisingly close. Whoever it belongs to has taken to wandering the streets around the church - specifically, the backstreets. A fitting place for a mysterious new visitor to the city. Slipping her hands into her pockets, she follows the aura down the winding roads and dark back alleys. She makes sure to keep her pace quick; she has to make up for the ground the source has already covered.

And then she stops.

There, in the very end of the alley she's in, is the source of the aura. There's no sign that points it out, but that's just how things work. She knows that the man back there is the only one who could be responsible for it. "Hey!" she shouts. "Tall, dark and mysterious! I need to talk to you!"
mage

[ she/her, but in a boy kinda way ]

roleplaying is my platonic love language.

queer and here.





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Sun Jul 15, 2018 4:36 pm
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Featherstone says...



Cornyx Blackthorne


Cornyx looked up with surprise as he realized he was being addressed by a purple haired, golden-eyed young woman striding towards him with a purpose.

"Yes, madame? H-how may I help you?" he inquired, frowning a little at his own stutter but being very cordial and polite.

"Well," the woman said, giving him a grin that showed off a sharp set of incisors, "I'm looking for a demon. A demon, who, if I'm right, is standing right in front of me."

His first reaction was one of surprise to her attitude of demons - he'd never met someone that believed they were real, much less sought one out - and his second was slight bafflement about what she meant by 'standing right in front of me.' "I-I'm sorry, you're looking for a demon?"

"Yeah, that's what I said. God, you're just as oblivious as she can be sometimes," she answered. Keeping her hands in the pockets of her jacket, she gave a slight shrug. "I don't know why you're feigning surprise. You're a demon. I'm a demon. Simple as that."

Well, it would explain a lot - the urge to feed, the unnaturally keen senses, the instinct that was usually stronger than he was, even the general discomfort he felt on consecrated ground. However, he wasn't a young man of particular superstition and so being approached by a fanged woman in a very strange town and then being casually informed that he was demonic was all a little bit shocking to him, and so, instead of managing to get out a coherent sentence, he could only pull off some sounds that were so severely broken with stuttering they were utterly impossible to decipher.
"All that is gold does not glitter,
Not all those who wander are lost;
The old that is strong does not wither,
Deep roots are not reached by the frost."


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Sun Jul 15, 2018 4:43 pm
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Mageheart says...



Darunia Vain


She gapes at him. "Oh. You didn't know, did you? Shit. This is going way worse than I thought it would." She crosses her arms and starts to pace back and forth across the alleyway, occasionally glancing over at him. This is the exact opposite of what she had been hoping to find. It's become more than just chatting with one of her kind; now she has to teach the poor guy what being a demon is all about. "Alright, I already told you're a demon. So I got that covered. Other things? That's a little hard, since I have no idea what kind of demon you are. Just whatever you do, don't trust super sweet humans enough into letting them make a contract with you. And if you're somehow stupid enough to, just make sure your human doesn't get too close to magically corrupt artifacts."

The man adjusts his glasses, something she suspects is because he's nervous about this whole situation. He closes his mouth and takes a breath. Poor guy. "I'm sorry, miss, I...was previously unaware of, um, m-m-m-my lineage. I'll definitely remember to take note of your advice," he finishes, smiling politely but still honestly in shock.
mage

[ she/her, but in a boy kinda way ]

roleplaying is my platonic love language.

queer and here.





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Mon Jul 23, 2018 3:24 pm
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Featherstone says...



Cornyx Blackthorne


He felt himself beginning to become frustrated as he stumbled over his words, the anxiety and nervousness he felt only growing stronger as he struggled with not only processing this new information but also keeping it from interfering with his behaviour. Cornyx was unsure of what this would mean - and what it already meant - and that lack of knowledge scared him. He knew he could do things. Things he didn't want to do, but that he had, things that hurt people but he knew a part of him hungered for. That was where the fear truly came from.

She dismissed the apology with a wave of her hand. "You didn't know. There's no need to get all apologetic. Besides, I'm not good with the apology - it's always really awkward after the part where they apologize. See? You apologized, and now it's awkward."

Cornyx's initial instinct was to apologize for apologizing but that wasn't exactly productive at this point, so there was a moment of silence as he tried to figure out how to react to this when his mind was already racing. "A-a-a-a-" he stopped, looking down and clenching his jaw. Come on, he could talk, he'd already managed to get into a conversation, didn't he? "A-and in-in-indeed it is." The demon smiled weakly.
"All that is gold does not glitter,
Not all those who wander are lost;
The old that is strong does not wither,
Deep roots are not reached by the frost."


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Mon Jul 23, 2018 3:38 pm
Mageheart says...



Darunia Vain


This entire situation is more than she bargained for, but she takes it in stride. Things rarely go her way these days, so why bother getting upset and flustered at the endless stream of unpredictable events? She gives him a smile. She's not even sure if it's supposed to be reassuring, but, for a moment, she pretends that it is. She quickly bridges the small gap between them and slings her arm around his shoulder. "So, Mr. Demon, what exactly do you call yourself? You can call me Runi - it's short for Darunia Vain."

His eyes widen a little as he realizes he forgot to introduce himself. "O-oh! S-sorry, miss, m-m-my name is Cornyx. Blackthorne. Cornyx Blackthorne. It's a p-pleasure to make your acquantaince, Miss Runi."

Now he's the formal type, isn't he? And more than a little anxious if she's going off of the stuttering, but he seems like a decent guy. It's a shame she has to bring him to her. Well, it's not like she has a choice in the matter. She just has to do what she orders and deal with the destructive effects on her concious later. "Nice to meet you too, Cornyx. Now, are you the religious type? Because we've got this absolutely wonderful church here in town, and we absolutely love visitors."
mage

[ she/her, but in a boy kinda way ]

roleplaying is my platonic love language.

queer and here.





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Mon Jul 23, 2018 3:50 pm
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Featherstone says...



Cornyx Blackthorne


Cornyx could feel his heart pounding in his chest, though it was slowly beginning to calm down as the subject turned away from what he was. "Uh, yes, miss, I w-was actually j-just headed in that direction myself," he explained, falling back on his manners and small talk since he wasn't sure how to handle this situation.

"Perfect!" Miss Runi said, giving his shoulder a tight squeeze. "It might seem a little bizarre, but that's actually where I work. I can show you around, maybe even get you in to see the woman in charge of it all. You'd be surprised how busy she is when the congregation isn't meeting. Probably doesn't help that she's the mayor's wife."

He involuntarily recoiled a little at the physical touch, but quickly stopped himself after he realized he was doing it. "It would be an honor, Miss Runi," he said with a small smile.

"Let me show you the way, then." She let go of his shoulder and switched to holding onto his hand instead. She began to pull him down the alleyway. But just as they were almost at the end of it, she paused.

Without looking back at him, she said, "Hey, Cornyx? Whatever you do, just be careful. Things in this city aren't what they seem like, and you seem like a good guy. I'd hate for something to happen to you."

Though he was accustomed to being in dangerous situations, he wasn't used to being warned about it, first, and her comment took him a bit off-guard. Still, what could he say? There was something very bizarre about this place and the fact that there was more than one demon here made things even more concerning but he wasn't sure what this all meant.

Cornyx dipped his head. "Th-thank you for the warning, Miss Runi, I will be sure to heed it and b-b-b-be wary."
"All that is gold does not glitter,
Not all those who wander are lost;
The old that is strong does not wither,
Deep roots are not reached by the frost."


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Mon Jul 23, 2018 3:58 pm
Mageheart says...



Darunia Vain


There isn't much she can do now. She's given him a warning. It's vague at best, but hopefully it's enough to sharpen his senses and make him just a bit wary of her offer. She can never outright say the truth. Not when they could run into her at any moment, or even her husband. She doesn't want to think about what would happen if she found out her not-so-precious demon was giving things away to the person she was supposed to capture.

She leads his down the street to the church. It's a big, ancient building, one that a tourist or someone like Cornyx might marvel at for minutes upon minutes upon minutes. So she waits there, hoping that the time is enough for him to realize that she's not just bringing him to the church out of the kindness of her heart.

"Pretty place, right?" she question. "It's a shame that it's fallen into disrepair these past years."

He gazes up at it, ebony gaze taking in the scene with curiousity and intrigue. She did say there is more than meets the eye here and though that concerns him, it also draws him in with the mystery. "I-it is indeed," he agrees, his stutter beginning to fade. "How long have you worked here, miss?"
mage

[ she/her, but in a boy kinda way ]

roleplaying is my platonic love language.

queer and here.





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Mon Jul 23, 2018 4:11 pm
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Cornyx Blackthorne


"Longer than you've been alive," she joked. After a moment passed, she added, "Only a handful of decades. But that's long enough to get a good idea of what a place is like."

"Well, at least you work in a place of beauty, no?" he smiled slightly. The words and the smile were empty, if polite.

She grinned back, the smile gracing her lips just as empty and polite as his. "Sometimes beauty is only skin deep."

"That is true indeed," he agreed, beginning to pick up what she's putting down. There's something not only about this town, but also the church, and possibly even the people who run it, though that, of course, is a bit of a leap from the information he has.

Glancing over her shoulder at him, she took a step towards the church doors. She grabbed onto the closest one, tugged on the handle and flung the door open. "Welcome to the Church of Grimmore! We've got everything you could look for in a church. A choir, good old books, and one of the most...unique leaders around."

The way she said 'unique' was a bit off-putting to him as he stepped inside the vast, vaulted chambers of the hall. The stained glass cast colored light on the worn stones of the ground and the pews were smooth from years upon years of use, though they hadn't lost their intricate beauty. He felt something change as he walked onto consecrated ground - the instinct within him beginning to awaken with the hint of danger and recognition of his weakness here.
"All that is gold does not glitter,
Not all those who wander are lost;
The old that is strong does not wither,
Deep roots are not reached by the frost."


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Mon Jul 23, 2018 4:29 pm
Mageheart says...



Darunia Vain


She isn't sure if there's really a deity out there watching over her, but, if there is, she's thanking them. Cornyx seems to be finally getting the memo. Maybe not all of it, since he's stupidly following her inside, but he does seem to have a wariness he didn't have earlier. Good. She can't begin to imagine what the extent of his powers are, but, whatever they might be, he'll automatically have the upperhand if he can see something coming before it happens.

She continues down the aisles towards the office in the very back of the church. No light spills out from underneath its door, something that could either be really bad or really good. She's banking on the first option, but desperately hopes it's the second. She kicks open the door, walks inside and finds-

No one.

By some stroke of luck, it looks like she left the church. Runi has no idea when she'll come back, which is perhaps the best thing of all: she has time to kill before having to turn Cornyx over to her. She can learn everything she wants to learn, and then hopefully he'll have figured things out and left by then.

"Well," Runi says, turning around. "It looks like she's out right now. Probably visiting the mayor, since they were discussing some stuff this morning. Want to go somewhere else in the meantime? There's a neat little cafe just around the corner."
mage

[ she/her, but in a boy kinda way ]

roleplaying is my platonic love language.

queer and here.





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Mon Jul 23, 2018 4:41 pm
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Featherstone says...



Cornyx Blackthorne


"It would be a pleasure, miss," he said, shifting a little awkwardly. "But I don't exactly have much in the way of coin, I'm afraid to say."

"Don't worry about it," Miss Runi assured him. She patted her pocket, the jingle of the coins within clearly audible. "It's on me. It's not often that I get to treat someone."

"Are you sure? I'd hate to impose..." He slipped his fingers into his pocket, wrapping them around the cool metal of his watch.

"My idea, my treat!" she said. She gave him another smile, though this one seemed genuine compared to the last one.

He returned the smile, unused to this kindness, even in a small gesture. There were so few who had any in them - or, at least, who had the wearwithal to show it. "Th-thank you, Miss Runi."

Like with his apology, she dismissed the gesture of gratitude with a wave of her hand. "Don't mention it." Her lips curved up just a slight bit more, making the smile go from friendly to suspiciously michevious. "Seriously, don't. Haven't you heard of what happens if you show gratitude to a demon? You're in their debt. Forever. Doesn't matter what you are - you're forced to do their bidding."

"That seems like a consequence of great magnitude for a simple 'thank you'," he replied, eyebrow raised.

She sadly shook her head. "You really are new to this whole demon thing, aren't you?"
"All that is gold does not glitter,
Not all those who wander are lost;
The old that is strong does not wither,
Deep roots are not reached by the frost."


he/him/his





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Mon Jul 23, 2018 4:49 pm
Mageheart says...



Darunia Vain


"Of course I am, but...it seems like I would've figured that much out by now, no?" he inquires.

She lets out an overly dramatic sigh. Damn the younger generation - she never can trick them like she can trick their older relatives. "You're onto me! I was just pulling your leg. It's perfectly fine to say something like that to a demon. On the other hand, don't say that to a fairy. I did that once and let me tell you it was not fun."

His countenance creases into a slightly concerned frown. "Fairies? Those are...existent...too?"

Uh oh. It looks like she broke him. And dang, she thought she had been making progress with the whole supernatural thing. "Yeah, they do," she says. "They're nasty little buggers. They act super sweet, right until they catch you off your guard. One time, they had me dancing for weeks. It was nice the first day but gets boring after the first five."

Cornyx blinks and shakes his head with a soft chuckle. "I...I mean, I shouldn't be surprised after the demon thing, but..."

"But it's still a lot to handle," Runi finishes, giving him a small thumbs up. "Yeah, I get it. Took me awhile to figure everything out back when I was first came around, and I already knew what I was."
mage

[ she/her, but in a boy kinda way ]

roleplaying is my platonic love language.

queer and here.








The last of the human freedoms is to choose one's attitudes.
— Viktor Frankl