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 Posted: Sun Jun 24, 2007 11:12 am
Piraya's personal office could tell a person a lot about her. Everything had been meticulously arranged to provide for what she felt was the most warm and inviting atmosphere. The walls were painted in a rich gold and the furniture was all upholstered in lush fabrics that complimented the dark finished wood. What few personal items that had made it into the office had been carefully placed around the room and looked as if they were straightened on a regular basis. Nothing was out of place, not even the pile of paperwork that Piraya was perusing on her desk. She was wrapped up in reviewing the several pages of notes she had made during the last trials while she waited for her upcoming appointment. Unlike some of her colleagues, Piraya had no anxiety about the various duties that came with leadership, but it was perhaps this lack of humility that caused her unpopularity with some among the Asterion League's ranks.
She momentarily glanced at the nearby timepiece before burying her nose back into her papers. There was still some time to read before her appointment should be arriving. Elias Urbas, the top of her paper unnecessarily reminded her.
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Posted: Sun Jun 24, 2007 2:25 pm
Elias checked his equipment for the third time. Since his victory on the proving grounds, Elias had become a hot topic among the Asterion leadership. Now everywhere he walked, he was met with compliments from members and administrators alike welcoming him into the Guild's ranks.
It felt good to be a part of something again. Elias couldn't deny the feeling. But deep in the back of his mind, Elias knew that such a feeling could not be lived without its costs.
For every gain, a loss..., he thought.
Elias pushed the musing into the back of his mind. He was headed to speak with the leader of his division and could not be bothered with dark thoughts. Crossing the courtyard to the Officer's Quarters, Elias remembered his first glimpse of the overseer...
She had quietly positioned herself in the perfect vantage point to watch the duel in the proving grounds. Her golden eyes followed every move, registering the actions of each combatant with keen detail.
Once the duel was complete, she acknowledged and congratulated Elias' efforts with a slight nod of her horned head.
And now here he was, about to meet the Drakon who was now his judge and superior. Elias swallowed deeply before gathering his iron Duszeki composure and knocking on the office door.
*knock,knock,knock*
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Posted: Mon Jun 25, 2007 12:57 pm
Piraya looked up from her desk as she heard the sharp knock on the door. He hadn't been late – that was already a point in his favor. Setting aside her papers, she rose and approached the door, but not without pausing a moment to straighten the papers once more. Her long nails clicked lightly on the door knob as she turned it and opened the door.
“Elias Urbas. How nice of you to join us.” The smile she wore was well-trained and she took a graceful step back to invite him into the room. The face she presented him with now was far more congenial than the one he had seen during the trials. “I hope you’ve enjoyed your stay so far,” she added as she tilted her head demurely, looking him over carefully from beneath her eyelashes.
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Posted: Mon Jun 25, 2007 10:26 pm
Closing his eyes, Elias focused his hearing on the sounds emanating from inside the office.
There was a soft rustling of paper followed by the sliding of a chair...
Several steps...and then more rustling.
The uncoordinated sounds curled Elias' mouth into a slight grin.
Well. Let's see how fearsome my Captain really is.
Elias quickly regained his composure when his ears picked up the sounds of the door opening.
That's when he saw her.
Her golden eyes poured over him like sunlight, framed by a smile that could stop a desert raider in his tracks. In a lissome movement that could only be described as pure poetry, she gestured for him to enter.
Elias summoned all his will to bite back the gasp that stood ready on the tip of his tongue.
Caught in the gaze of her slivered eyes and long lashes, his brief repose was shattered by the realization that she had been speaking to him the whole time.
Elias' mind raced to recap the dialog she had delivered.
Thankfully, his years in Duszek society did not fail him.
Resting his right hand on his chest, Elias stepped back into a deep bow suitable for a person in Piraya's position. He allowed his left hand to trail away from him to emphasize his deference.
"The honor is mine, T'sendruual." Elias purposefully chose a formal military honorific for her address. "I have enjoyed my stay greatly. Everyone has been eager to aid me in my orientation and my quarters are very comfortable."
Rising from his bow, Elias stepped into the office.
"Pray, how may I be of service?"
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Posted: Thu Jun 28, 2007 8:09 am
Piraya smiled as she rose her gaze. She had watched him from afar during the trials, but now that she was presented with him up close, she knew that she had made the right decision. Not that she had ever doubted herself.
Though she did not understand Duszeki and had never bothered attempting to learn from Sisel, it was clear that the word was meant with respect which only served to please her more. Despite her past failings, she still reveled in the respect her position afforded her and the quickest way to gain her warmth as a leader was by providing her it.
“I merely wished to meet the newest addition to my team,” she explained easily as she moved back to her desk. Then she added with a warm laugh, “I hope you don’t mind that I don’t have a more impressive errand for you.” She gestured to one of the chairs, inviting him to sit for a moment as she took her own seat.
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Posted: Thu Jun 28, 2007 5:11 pm
Elias unclipped his blade from his belt and sat down.
"All in due time. We Duszek are nothing if not patient," he smiled.
Crossing a leg, Elias quickly took in the room's atmosphere. The comfortable chairs, golden paint and quaint decor nurtured a welcoming feeling. Eventually, his eyes fell onto the deadly polearm resting in the corner, close to his Captain's desk. It sported a worn, yet sturdy iron handle and ended in a spearhead shrouded in a soft leather cover.
Casting his eyes back on Piraya, Elias leaned on an armrest, resting his chin on his fingertips.
"My story is very simple, Mistress." he began. "I was a soldier of the Great Warhost who chose to wander the land after my levy was complete. While in Camacho, I came upon the recruiter Proteus, who introduced me to the League's opportunities. The rest, as they say, is history." Elias cringed inwardly at the telling of his lies. But he simply was not ready for the world to know of his shame.
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Posted: Sat Jun 30, 2007 8:14 am
Piraya quirked an eyebrow ever-so-slightly as Elias presented her with what she knew had to be the abbreviated abbreviated version of his history – not that she really cared to hear what he had been up to for hundred or more years. Still, if she had any sense for people – and given how much she studied them, she certainly thought she did – the story he had presented seemed spotty.
Regardless, she nodded. “How lucky for us that you found your way here,” she said, meaning every word. Everyone had their secrets – what she cared about was his loyalty. “It’s rare that a Duszek graces us with his presence.”
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Posted: Mon Jul 02, 2007 9:01 pm
Elias breathed an internal sigh of relief as his Captain casually breezed over his story. In his mind, he knew that such a tale could never last past Proteus' report of their first meeting. Even then, the lifeless anecdote had managed to assuage his superior...for now.
"Grace is hardly a word I would use to describe myself while in your company, T'sendruual." Elias chose to flatter Piraya in hopes of suffocating any shadows concerning his story...
...However, a small part of his conscience felt the compliment to be 100% true.
Pleasantries aside, Elias returned to the task at hand.
"Is there anything I must do to prepare for my first mission?"
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Posted: Fri Jul 06, 2007 12:31 pm
“I’m afraid your first mission is to survive the pile of paperwork the Registry Office has waiting for you,” Piraya replied, the corner of her mouth quirking in amusement.
Standing, she slid open one of her desk drawers and produced a small pouch, “You’ll soon find that things run a bit differently here than they do in the military,” she began, plucking a marble-sized blue gem from inside the pouch. “You’ve probably seen people carrying these little beauties around. They’re called Sapphire Gems and everyone here wants them. You can use them to exchange for all sorts of things that will aide you in your time spent here.” She paused and as she tossed the small orb across the room, she added, “Here, catch.”
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Posted: Sat Jul 07, 2007 8:52 am
Elias raised an eyebrow at the comment concerning paperwork.
Vai. Some things never change.
As he listened intently, he realized too late that his buxom Captain had stood from her seat and leaned over to retrieve something from her desk.
Elias' cheeks flushed uncontrollably.
Averting his gaze, he saw the gem just in time to pluck it out of the air before it fell to the ground.
"Uh....Yes. Yes, so this serves as a form of currency for the League, eh? Well, I'm grateful, Mistress." Collecting his sword, Elias stood to look Piraya in the eyes. "To what do I owe this generosity?"
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Posted: Sun Jul 08, 2007 11:19 am
Always quite alert, Elias’ embarrassment did not pass by her notice and she mentally filed away the incident should it ever come in handy again.
“New kid special,” Piraya quipped, smiling at the irony of statement when faced with the man before her.
“Now, there’s one other thing I wanted to give you… just a second,” Piraya’s eyebrows furrowed as she began hunting through her desk drawers again. “I know I left it right here,” she said as she stared into one of the drawers, her voice tightening somewhat as she tried to hide her frustration at finding something out of place.
As if on cue, a lavender blob of jelly appeared from behind a small chest of drawers in the corner of the room. As it moved, its sides jiggled and it chattered nonsensically at Piraya and Elias, making sounds akin to a squeaky toy. Suspended inside the small creature was a piece of paper and, judging by the expression on Piraya’s face, it must have been the paper she had been looking for.
Piraya closed her eyes a moment, perhaps to calm her temper, before she gestured to the creature that was suddenly fascinated by Elias’ footwear and puzzling out how best to consume them. “I was going to give you a coupon redeemable at several of the stores on the League grounds, but unless you’d like to fish it out yourself, I’m afraid I’ll have to get back to you on that one.”
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Posted: Tue Jul 10, 2007 9:09 pm
Elias regarded the pastel invertebrate with mild shock and fascination.
"Is...Is that a pudding?!?"
Squatting for a better look, he marveled at how the little blob puffed its "cheeks" and babbled like a small child. Elias had seen puddings before; in the fetid swamps of the Oasis' southern banks. But this little gumdrop was nothing compared to the large brainless horrors that could swallow a horse and its rider whole.
This one was different.
This one was...cute.
It took him a second to realize that he stood there agape.
Standing up, Elias straightened his capelet and readdressed his superior.
"I would not think to trouble you any more than I already have, my Captain. Please do not inconvenience yourself. You have shown me plenty of kindness and consideration."
Glancing at the jelly, Elias shuddered slightly as he saw it continue to take an interest in his father's old boots.
"I thank you for your time, T'sendruual. Is there anything else that you require of me?"
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Posted: Sat Aug 25, 2007 1:24 pm
Piraya scooped the gelatinous creature up just as it began to open its large mouth in an attempt to consume Elias’ boots. Crestfallen, it looked as if it was threatening to express its disappointment physically and melt right there in her hands. Before it had a chance, she set it aside on top of her desk and it turned its attention to her stack of papers instead.
“Yes, puddings are rather useful companions, though this one has long since retired from the battle front,” Piraya replied smoothly, as if she wasn’t having to resist grabbing it and dumping it unceremoniously outside her office as it began to muck up all her important paperwork. “You might consider looking into getting one of your own as an aide. Or, perhaps, a Lepia. They look cute, but they can be rather vicious little things.”
The pudding had targeted the paper she had been looking over before Elias arrived and Piraya had to momentarily cast dignity aside as she yanked the half-consumed paper out of the pudding. As the paper dripped of lavender jelly, Piraya looked at it with an almost comical seriousness as she tried very hard to pretend there was nothing wrong with it. “Yes, I believe that’s all. I’ll be sure to keep in contact and have that coupon delivered to you. If you have any other questions, don’t hesitate to ask me or one of the other Division Heads. The divisions are only for training purposes, so don’t feel you can’t speak with Sisel or one of the others when you need to.”
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Posted: Mon Sep 10, 2007 10:29 pm
Elias flinched at Piraya's momentary loss of candor.
Looking back to his Captain, he registered the instructions she offered while simultaneously admiring her unusually curvy, yet intoxicating form.
"It shall be as you command, T'sendruual." Turning to leave, Elias' Duszeki mind weighed the options...
By Yesod, it's been a long time since I've enjoyed the graceful company of a beautiful woman...
Idiot, this is no mere woman! It is well within her power to have you flayed alive for doing something inappropriate!
Yes, but when will I ever have this chance again? Her propriety tells me one thing, but her body language tells me so much more...
Of course. Such words are written on the tombs of every lustful dunce to ever overstep their bounds. Be reasonable! You're new here. You don't know the entire situation!
Vai! What would it hurt to ask her company in some harmless gesture? To spar, perhaps?
Well, I suppose that's alright.
Then we are agreed?
Agreed.
"Before I leave Captain, might I invite you to spar with me this evening? I would love to test my unworthy skill against a warrioress of your caliber. I would consider it an honor, as well as a great opportunity to asses my martial prowess."
Giving Piraya his most debonair smile, Elias stepped up to the precipice...
"What say you?"
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