Chronicles of The Omniverse Archived Lutetia City: The Monastery

Savien winced. "Ah. Yes. Thank you, Abel. I'll be with you in a moment."

An awkward silence lingered as Abel left. "He's uh..." Savien ran fingers through his hair, "...he's a good kid. Honest." The knight lifted himself off the bed, tucking his helmet underarm. "I'll send Madison in. She'll get you anything you need. You can leave any time you like, but I'd advise staying in the infirmary until I get back. I'll escort you wherever you want to go."
 
"No need. I'm already here to check on her."

Madison was standing in the doorway, carrying a small bag with what she needed to perform a check up. She stepped into the room, stopping by Savien's side and looking up at him. Madison was never mad but she could be stern. Her gaze fixed on Savien, giving off an air of disappointment.

"I will be talking with you later, Sir Durandet." She turned away from him and then faced Aoife with a soft smile and a gentle tone.

"I imagine you aren't feeling too well at the moment, but I can help remedy that if you wish."
 
The sudden entrances and exits of people had the druid at a slight loss for words. When Savien stood and made mention that she ought to wait until his return, she simply nodded slightly vice speaking. Whether she wanted to admit it to herself or not, her nerves were firing like mad, telling her to be cautious. It may have only been a few people, but she hadn't often lived or worked among so many people, and in the last few days, she'd had more contact with humanity than at any time before in her life.

It was starting to get overwhelming.

For a moment, she thought about asking for the paladin to stay, as she still wanted to explain to him why the witch had caused her so much harm, but she lifted a hand and waved slightly, a smile turning her lips. She looked at Madison, noting the chill she gave to Savien, and her smile grew ever so slightly. When the girl mentioned how ill Aoife must be feeling, the druid shook her head a bit.

"I'm not in the best shape I've ever been in, but I've been in worse. Just a massive headache at the moment, though it's been dwindling even as Sir Durandet and I have been talking. I'm sorry for the mess I made when I woke, though." She gestured over to the other side of the bed where the small pile of bile and other gastric juices had slowly dried. Though her magic was as idled as it could be, her intimate contact with it over the years had brought a keenness to her senses, and to her the acidic tang of the vomit was still fairly noticeable.
 
It was hard to imagine a man like Savien being cowed or intimidated by anything, much less a tiny mouse of a girl who barely came up to his chest. Still, the paladin was clearly unbalanced by Madison’s stern if brief greeting. He looked somewhere between guilty and embarrassed.

“Certainly, Madison,” he cleared his throat, “I’ll be back later tonight...” He seemed poised to say more, but thought better of it. No sense in digging himself any deeper.

“You’re in the best hands, Aoife,” Savien looked to the druid, “she’ll have you patched up soon enough. I’ll check on you when I get back. In the meantime, Kol will be pleased to see you. I’ll send him in.”

He touched two fingers to his lips. “Sister. Demoiselle. Light go with you both.”
 
With Savien out in the hallway once more, Abel stood from leaning against a windowsill. His baubles and jewelry jingled and rattled as he moved, but the proselyte had likely blocked out the sound by now. His once unerring gaze seemed softer now, less piercing and more curious. Perhaps the witches were making the boy more presentable to the outside world?

"Ser Durandet, I would ask you to help me find a few things. Master Arianne said if I'd found everything on this list she gave me, I'd get something out of it. That, and my studies are on hiatus until I do find it all." Most of the items on the list were crossed out, some of them even including food and snacks from a grocery store. The few that stood out in particular could prove somewhat dangerous for the boy: soil from the deepest recesses of the Catacombs, and a tooth from a Garou.

"The items are eclectic and ridiculous to say the least, but I suppose magic is not as simple as we might hope, the Coven's dated practices in particular."
 
“I don’t have any ‘hopes’ when it comes to the comprehension of the arcane, proselyte,” Savien replied, taking the list and perusing, “least of all the kind of magic practiced by the Fabres.”

The more he read of the list, the more suspicious he became. ‘Virgins blood’? ‘Tooth of Garou’? What sort ‘bubble-bubble-toil-and-trouble’ nonsense was this? Why on earth would they send a boy, a student, to procure these ingredients?

“Did Arianne happen to mention what all of this is for?” He rubbed one of his temples.
 
Madison approached slowly and sat in another chair next to Aoife, placing her bag on her lap.

"Now, you mentioned you had a headache. I believe I have something for that, as well as something to help settle you stomach a bit should you need it."

Reaching into her bag Madison pulled out two bottles. One with pills and another with an opaque pink liquid. She held them out to Aoife with a smile.

"Is there anything else troubling you? Any aches and pains?"
 
“Normally we wouldn’t need this many ingredients with modern practice, as much of the more contemporary arcane study is about efficiency, making miles out of inches so to speak. Instead of sacrificing a goat on a full moon, casting spells with incantations and a specially made staff. Master Luciana is brilliant with those newer arts, many of her techniques require only thoughts, a few hand motions, or a quick phrase.” Abel rambled on, not realizing until it was too late.

“Arianne enjoys all things old, and she may be creating something specific or powerful with these kind of ingredients... maybe. The number of items from the bodies of living things makes me suspect she’s creating something living, especially when I overheard Master Cecile talking about it. Something about keepsakes and toys for a child Arianne raised, and it sounded like the child only recently left.”

The Proselyte stopped himself before blathering any further.

“All of that aside, do you think you could help me find these?”
 
The druid looked at the two bottles with suspicion. One appeared to be modern medicine, the other something more mystical, but both of them put her on guard. She wasn't opposed to the assistance of others, but she'd grown up into her adulthood by supporting herself when she could. She felt her faced flush slightly as a host of thoughts raced into her mind, unbidden.

What if they were trying to keep her here to study in a more controlled situation. As it was, she had effectively no magic at her disposal and unless she could touch the ground again she would start to have other, less pleasant side effects. If they knew that, then they could be trying to hold her for information.

But Savien wouldn't do that, would he? He was a paladin of the Church, sure, but he'd been kind to her and helped her a great deal more than she could've expected. Unless that had all been a foil to cover his true intentions. Her smile dwindled to nothing, her brow creasing with concern.

"Actually, if you wouldn't mind opening that window for me, that would be wonderful. It may not be as wild as Lornanine, but the natural portion of it will do me worlds of good," she responded, realizing she'd been quiet for a socially unacceptable amount of time. She looked at the woman more closely, taking what more of a measure that she could.

"Do you mind if I ask what they told you about me?"
 
Something living. Savien didn't like the sound of that. He would have to accompany Abel on his return - ensure the witches weren't up to anything too... witchy.

"I might be able to help you," he frowned at the list, "but some of these requests are just... strange. Like this-" He pointed. "-soil from the 'deepest recesses' of the catacombs. No one knows how deep the catacombs go - they've been added to hundreds of times by countless people, many of them freelance treasure hunters or rogue necromancers. I'm not sure what Arianne wants with this one. Maybe it's some sort of test or metaphor." He hmphed. "I can take you to a part of the catacombs, one that's relatively safe. I don't see why deeper soil makes a difference." He pondered the next ingredient. "As for a werewolf tooth, I guess we could go to Vargeras General and ask for the tooth of a recently deceased Garou. It'll be from his human form, but if Arianne wanted a fang straight from the mouth of a wolf, then she should have specified." He smirked. "Or we could walk into the nearest bar in Lupaix and wait for someone to pick a fight with us. I could probably knock out a few werewolf teeth for you."

His tone was too even to tell if he was joking or not.
 
Last edited:
“I suspect it may also be a test of wit and resourcefulness, as I sincerely doubt she expected me to find most of these with raw magic and brute force. That, or perhaps her standards are that high.”

Abel ran a hand through his hair, the bangles on his wrist clinking and jingling. “I suppose we could start with the tooth, that seems easier to just get out of the way.”
 
"Oh, of course."

Without a moment's hesitation, Madison set down the two bottles on the nearby table before getting up and walking to the small window. She pulled the glass pane open then closed the screen over the opening to keep any insects or small creatures from getting in. Madison smiled at the cool air coming in and the flowers in her hair seemed happier for it as well. She smiled and returned to her seat before answering Aoife's question.

"I'm afraid I haven't been told much. I know you are a druid and that you have been put in this state by a witch. Other than that I know that you are my patient and I am here to help you to fully recover in any way I can."
 
With the window open, Aoife inhaled deeply, the scents of the inner garden and the well-kept flora within flushing her senses. She sighed audibly, and for a moment, her eyes closed. She almost tapped into her connection to the earth, almost dipped back down into the magic that was so tightly bound to her life's energy, but she stopped herself. It would have been excruciating and dangerous to do so, even if she would've been doing it to draw health from the livery outside. She opened her eyes again, and they seemed to shimmer with a fresh spark.

"Thank you," she said as she looked out at the green of the grass before refocusing on the woman. "I'm afraid I don't know what, entirely, that will entail. My recovery, that is. You know that I'm a druid, so you likely already know that I heal from the world around me. At least, there was a volume written by a paladin many years ago that explained that to some degree." She shook her head. This wasn't where things needed to go.

"Sorry, let me ask something else. How can I help you to help me recover more swiftly. I'd rather not be bedridden when Sir Durandet returns after-" She stopped, hearing a knock on the door. It could've been anyone, but judging by the sound each rap made, she assumed it was likely Kol.
 
"Yes, I am aware that you heal in a different way than the rest of us. I am studied in various method of healing for different people. Just tell me what I can bring to you to help you recover. What is the most effective?"

Madison was waiting to hear what Aoife would say when the knock on the door interrupted them.

"Just a moment."

Madison stood again, going to the door and looking into the hall to see who it was.
 
“Agreed,” Savien nodded, “let’s head out before-“

He was cut short as four mustachioed gentlemen in dapper outfits waltzed passed them, each tipping their hat to paladin and proselyte. Kol trailed a bit behind them, bewildered and fascinated.

“Don’t look at me,” he grinned at Savien, “I had nothing to do with this.”

The paladin took a deep intake of breath. All in all, it still wasn’t the strangest thing he’d seen in the Monastery.

—-

As Madison opened the door, she would be greeted by four well-dressed dandys in skimmers and bow-ties, who immediately broke into song.

“By the liiiiight...”

Their pitch was perfect.
 
Last edited:
“I’m just going to go before they do whatever they’re going to do,” Abel had already started walking away as he gave his remark. He wasn’t in the mood for a musical number, especially when he had places to be.
 
Madison stood dumbstruck and very confused in the doorway, her eyes flickering back and forth between the four men as they sang. She was too polite to interrupt their song and she had to give it to them they were very good. When they concluded, it took her a moment to gather her words as she was still feeling a bit befuddled.

"Um...that was a very nice performance gentleman but can you tell me who you are and why you are here please?"
 
The barbershop quartet, still posing after the finale to their performance, slumped at Madison's confusion.

"Hm? Isn't this..." The lead tenor twirled his mustache. "...aren't you Dame Heron? We were sent by inquisitor-"

"...we're in the medical wing," the bass groaned, "I told you this wasn't the recreation hall. I told you twice."

"Wick and Wyrm, how should I know which is what? Everyone here dresses the same."

"Now we have to do the whole thing twice. I told you, my voice is still hoarse from last night's performance..."

The four gentlemen grumbled their way out of the medical wing, hopefully in the right direction. Kol took their place, grinning ear to ear.

"Y'know, I've always thought about growing a mustache," he extended his hand to Madison, "demoiselle, the pleasure is mine. Call me Kol. I'm a personal friend of Sir Savien Durandet - saved his life more than once. I wouldn't ask him about it. He's gets terribly embarrassed." He perked a brow. "Madison, right? Savien's told me about you. The rumors of your beauty don't do you justice, madame. Not by half."

He looked into the room. "And speaking of beauties..." The scoundrel would attempt to siddle over to Aoife's side. "How's my favorite volatile redheaded hippie doing, eh? Surviving from her brush up against the arcane?"
 
Madison watched in confusion as the four men left then turned her attention to the young man in front of her. She stood listening to his introduction, and shook his hand trying to get a good read on who he was. She was somewhat taken aback by his compliment and her cheeks were tinged rouge by the flattery.

"Oh, thank you..."

She stepped aside to let him into the room as he peered over at Aoife. As he made his way in she closed the door and fell in step behind him. She waited as he began speaking with her patient. She was still here to take care of her after all.
 
Aoife held her mirth in as the quartet dispersed. Though unexpected, she was glad to have heard the four men singing so wonderfully. She hoped that whomever they visited next would enjoy their piece as much as she had. Before she could say anything to finally answer Madison's question, Kol swept in with his usual flair, causing her to simply shake her head slightly. Ever persistent, he couldn't help but flirt with women he found attractive, or so it seemed from how he spoke with the nurse. As he came to her bedside, however, she felt her skin flushing again, both from embarrassment and from how he subtly complimented her.

"I-I'm doing fine, Kol. A little beaten up, but nothing I can't come back from. After all, I heal better than most people, and I grew up where a scratch was the least of worries." She put a hand on the back of his, even though his hands were by his side. "I hear you offered to help me get changed into attire more suitable for hospital care. That's very," she paused and smirked, her eyes glinting knowingly, "noble of you, you know. If you're not careful, you'll have girls like Miss Madison here swooning over how very gallant you can be." She looked at the nurse and winked, the smirk hardly shifting.

"As for what helps me best, physically laying on the ground is most effective. So long as my tattoos contact the ground, I can pull energy from the earth to restore my body and soul. That being said, I have to tap my magic to begin the process which, unfortunately, would be like drinking acid right now." She jerked her head slightly to the side of the bed where she'd vomited. "That's what happened when I tried just the barest touch to it earlier, and while the drink, whatever it was, that Sir Durandet gave me when he was visiting has helped me, I don't plan on trying again until at least this evening.

"If you have any herbal teas, though, that would be lovely. That, and the open window to the cultivated nature just outside will likely be best, unless you know of something that might work better?" She shifted in the bed, forcing her pillows up and more behind her back and she sat up, the hospital gown covering her torso as the blanket slumped down at her waist.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top