Masquerade - These Masks We Wear

[Vapor she/her]

"Goodnight."

[Channelknight Fadran]

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*Chanting*

Timeskip. Timeskip. Timeskip.

 

[Zephrun’s Imperium they/he]

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Oh, shush, we're there now.

There was a light. 

Despite the fact that he’d spent the last—oh, who knew how many?—hours in darkness, the harsh light was something he yearned to get away from. Darrin tried to jerk his head away from it, but found he couldn’t move. Closing his eyes didn’t do much to help him either. 

“Oh, good, you’re awake,” said a smooth voice. Darrin tried to find the source of it with his eyes, but when he opened them, they began to water in protest of the intense glow. He had no choice but to squeeze them shut again. 

“I’m truly sorry we couldn’t meet earlier,” the voice continued, “but I’ve found that with violent types such as yourself, it’s better for me to wait until you’re secure. Many a man would pay a great deal of money to see me dead. And over the next little while—or, little eternity for you—you’re going to experience firsthand just why that is. But first things first!” There was the sound of someone getting up from a chair and walking over in heels. “Let’s get to know each other, shall we?”

A head obscured the light and Darrin blinked his eyes open once again to see… a rather disappointing face. The Raveness was far more gaunt than he had expected. She had sunken dark eyes and thin black hair tied back in a braid, her cheekbones so defined she looked rather skeletal. In short, she looked like a corpse; nothing like the frighteningly gorgeous woman he’d heard her described as. And yet… she was still mesmerizing in a demonic, otherworldly sort of way. In the light, her pale skin seemed to glow, the dark pools of her blue eyes glittering. 

“Since you’re understandably nervous, I’ll go first,” she said. “My name—my real name, that is—is Riva Thadel. I am ninety six years old and my hobbies include potion making and herbology. Oh, yes, and torturing, but you already know that. What about you?”

Normally, Darrin would have responded with a quip, but his mind was fuzzy; the effects of whatever drug they’d used to knock him out had not completely worn off. “What?” he mumbled. 

The Raveness—Riva—smiled kindly. Yet, on her face, the kind expression looked ominous. “Your name, dear. We can start there.”

Darrin paused. Then, he smiled back, finding his courage. “You don’t know my name?” he asked, as if the fact that she didn’t know meant she was painfully uninformed. 

“Of course I do,” she responded calmly. She sat down on the table beside him. “But I’d like to hear it from your own lips. I’ve shared my name with you, after all—a name no living man but the king is privy to—it’s only polite to return your own.”

“Oh, I’m that special, am I? To know your name?”

Her smile deepened. It was no longer a kind smile, but an evil one. “Indeed. The only patients of mine who get to know my name are those with the privilege of being slated for execution. And trust me when I say your death will be a privilege when it comes.”

“I expect nothing less from the Raveness. Why, if I wasn’t begging for death by the time you’re done with me, I’d be rather disappointed that you didn’t live up to your reputation. Your face certainly doesn’t. I thought you were supposed to be positively ravishing. Though, if you are ninety six like you said, you’re most definitely ravishing for your age.”

Surprisingly enough, that actually got a chuckle out of her. Her mirth seemed genuine, too, the cynicism in her face melting away. “Death isn’t supposed to be ravishing, child. In fact, I would venture to say most consider it to be quite ugly. But I’m not one to complain about what I am. That said, you still haven’t told me your name. Please, oblige me.”

Darrin found himself grinning. The Raveness was quite a bit more witty than he’d been expecting. It was, quite frankly, rather charming. She’d earned his name. “I am called Darrin, lady Raven. Darrin Oakenwey.”

[Channelknight Fadran]

"So there you go!" Reyna said. "One early morning done. Now we get breakfast."

"Early morning?" Wendy asked. "You mean there's more after this?"

"Yeah. What'd you expect?"

Wendy shut up from there. All she could really think about was finding Ara, but how was she supposed to do that if they were all supposedly on the job day in and day out?

[Zephrun’s Imperium they/he]

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Fad, you want one of your maids to be asked to get Ara in the morning? 

 

[Channelknight Fadran]

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I've basically come to the conclusion that anyone could technically grab one of the maids and put them in a situation. So yeah, do that.

Also... Waitress Wendy:

Spoiler

 

 

[Zephrun’s Imperium they/he]

*earlier that morning*

Riva was up early; not an often-seen occurrence. She made her way to the maid’s headquarters and knocked on the door. The maids wouldn’t be up yet, but whoever answered would not soon forget this day. 

[Channelknight Fadran]

The youngest--her name was Katie--opened the door and yelped loudly at the sight of the Raveness.

Edited May 12, 2021 by Channelknight Fadran

[Zephrun’s Imperium they/he]

Riva smiled widely, her strikingly blue eyes shining through her mask. “I have a special job for you. Come with me.” Without waiting for a response, Riva grabbed the girl’s arm with cold thin fingers and sharp long nails, pulling her along. 

Edited May 12, 2021 by Shard of Thought

[Channelknight Fadran]

"A--a job???"

[Zephrun’s Imperium they/he]

“Yes, girl.” Riva led the girl down to the dungeons. 

[Channelknight Fadran]

"B-b-but... Allivia said you're not allowed to experiment on the staffs!"

[Zephrun’s Imperium they/he]

Riva chuckled ominously. “No one will miss you,” she growled. It was true what the girl said, but Riva got too much pleasure from seeing her reaction. 

[Channelknight Fadran]

"Nonononono! No!" Katie started pulling against the Raveness's grip. "ALLIVIA!"

[Zephrun’s Imperium they/he]

"Oh, shush.These are the dungeons, child, screams are the norm." Riva pulled the girl closer to her, squeezing her neck in the crook of her arm while they walked down the stairs to the sub-basement. 

[Channelknight Fadran]

Katie took to sobbing uncontrollably, incapable of resisting.

[Zephrun’s Imperium they/he]

Riva laughed heartily to herself, genuinely pleased by the girl's sobbing. When they got to the bottom of the stairs, however, she shoved the girl up against a wall. "Now, as I said, I do have a job for you, little one. There's a child down here, I want you to find a safe place for her to stay. And I mean a safe place, do you understand? She has the guaranteed protection of the king. If you find a place unsuited for her, we will talk again. And I will not be near as kind as I have been. Am I perfectly clear?"

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Oooooh, Wendy could see Ara while Katie is taking her someplace.

 

[Channelknight Fadran]

Katie gulped. "What?"

[Zephrun’s Imperium they/he]

Riva sighed in exasperation, pointing towards a door. "In that room is a little girl, not yet to double digits. She needs a safe place to stay and you're going to find it for her. Understand?"

[Channelknight Fadran]

"I--" She wiped the tears off her face. "You mean you're not going to turn my blood blue or... switch out my eyes or... something?"

[Zephrun’s Imperium they/he]

"No, you idiot!" Riva smacked her upside the head. "What, I'm not allowed to pull pranks? I hear your serving girls do plenty of that to each other."

[Channelknight Fadran]

"S--sorry! I'll get to it right away miss!" Katie yanked open the door, nearly clobbered the Raveness in the nose with it, and ducked inside and yelped, "hiI'mKatieIneedtotakeyousomewheresafeortheRavenesswillcutmyfingersoff!"

@Vapor

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I gotsa go, though.

 

[Vapor she/her]

Just now, Channelknight Fadran said:

"S--sorry! I'll get to it right away miss!" Katie yanked open the door, nearly clobbered the Raveness in the nose with it, and ducked inside and yelped, "hiI'mKatieIneedtotakeyousomewheresafeortheRavenesswillcutmyfingersoff!"

@Vapor

 

Ara groaned and sat up. "Wha?"

[Channelknight Fadran]

5 minutes ago, Vapor said:

Ara groaned and sat up. "Wha?"

“I—“ Katie glanced around in a panic. “I’m gonna take you to your room. Yeah. Your room. That’s where imma take you. Mmhmm.” She looked back at the Raveness as if for reassurance.

[Vapor she/her]

Just now, Channelknight Fadran said:

“I—“ Katie glanced around in a panic. “I’m gonna take you to your room. Yeah. Your room. That’s where imma take you. Mmhmm.” She looked back at the Raveness as if for reassurance.

"A-Alright?" Ara stood up and yawned.