[ORP] The Shack - Grazilda's Home

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Teide

Re: [ORP] The Shack - Grazilda's Home

Post by Teide »

It seemed an odd request. Yet she braved coming to the caravan though it made her dreadfully uncomfortable. She knew the Roma were not comfortable with necromancers or anything that dealt with the dead and Teide was just that. A scavenger from profit and science. Yet Grazilda had asked her to come. She was curious...but she'd learn curiosity was something to be rewarded...and feared. The small elf was welcomed into camp but she could sense the tension as she entered. The subtle way they avoided her path. That was fine with her. Teide was small and delicate in every feature. She moved gracefully and kept her features shrouded with a black veil that went over her whole face only the glow of her eyes could be seen under and the outline of her face. Her black hair was bundled in braids on the top of her head woven to hid the ram's horns of ebony on her head. She had bone and feather laced throughout her raven braids. She showed her rune-marked skin proudly and a black dress meant to show her curves. Black satin was bandaged over her hands to hide the claws and make an illusion of usual hands instead. So in this inconspicuous fashion she walked into the camp then disappeared into the shadows and moved silently through the night bending past torchlight and knocked on the wood of Grazilda's shack.

She was asked for her audience, her tale. Teide had to consider what this meant to relive those haunting memories...but she considered...no one knew her whole story...the sorrow, the pain, the betrayal...in a short 18 years....she had lived life after life...losing everything to rebuild again and again....short her life had been but full...very full....if she lost...if the dark elf failed...at least one person should know what drove her to this fate. The humanity she had to live...to survive....it was time to pass the tale before the teller was lost. She passed through the door and entered the room. The candle light went out.

"You summoned me Grazilda?"
Grazilda

Re: [ORP] The Shack - Grazilda's Home

Post by Grazilda »

Grazilda butchered the last of her chickens earlier that day and just finished cooking some delicious fried chicken legs when she heard a knock at her tent. This made her smile. "Is that you, Teide?" She asked as she got out of the tent with a plate of fried chicken legs. "Welcome to the front of my shack. I got rid of the mutt so that he won't bother you. He's playing somewhere else. Want some fried chicken legs? Or do you prefer the raw one?" She offered.

She didn't really expect Teide to be there, thus, Grazilda was genuinely pleased that her invitation was accepted. There was something about Teide that she liked. She just could not fully identify what it was.

She looked at her fried chicken legs. They were not as intriguing as Teide's beholder muffins. At least they were humanly edible. She smiled to herself and looked at Teide.
Teide

Re: [ORP] The Shack - Grazilda's Home

Post by Teide »

When Teide was greeted at the door with a plate full of chicken wings she looked as if she had been struck by an arrow. She had to look away for a moment as she tried to steady herself. Of course with her face shrouded Grazilda couldn't tell her private lapse of calm. She pretended to fix a stray braid to tuck over a black curled horn and slowly breathed to regain her composure. The arrow that struck was to her heart. For a moment she remembered another smile and plate of wings...she would never be rid of that grief she could tell in her heart of hearts. Many could sympathize but no one would really understand...and no one could touch that place. Perhaps part of the reason she refused to allow anyone too close was...she was afraid someone would try to take that sacred place. Still she had been invited...and Teide did not get many of those...especially not outside the tavern. In some way she felt as if she only received the kindness because she was found interesting by family leaders. Generally Teide tried to keep a distance emotionally. So when Grazilda came all smiles and meat Teide had to force herself to be...obliging.

"Uhhh a cooked one is fine..."

she took a piece then slowly lifted her veil and try and eat the greased fowl flesh without getting it caught. It was somewhat pf an ordeal but she managed a bite...then after chewing and swallowing got impatient and stuffed the whole leg in her mouth and chewed it down bone and all. Ridiculous. Still she had to eat even if she didn't have an appetite...she hadn't had an appetite for the last couple weeks as she felt the shifting between forms made her hungry for souls not meat...much like her wolfen features slowly changed her diet from vegetables to meat. She swallowed down the leg or rather choked it down as graceful as an overgrown bird trying to swallow a toad whole. Good thing her face was covered because it wasn't a pretty sight. Teide was not like her royal cousins in manners at all. She cleared the rest of her throat of residue then looked around.

"Alright...shall we find a place to sit and you might ask me any questions you have. Be warned you might not like my answers."
Grazilda

Re: [ORP] The Shack - Grazilda's Home

Post by Grazilda »

The way that Teide ate the chicken made Grazilda smile. “Geez, Teide. Don't force yourself to eat neatly. Eat as you desire. We're not in a military camp or something.” She said and giggled when Teide swallowed the chicken whole. “Well-done, Teide! Now that's what I'm talking about. Be yourself! Don't care what others think. Never apologize for who you are,” she told her.

Teide's question about seats made Grazilda hurry back to her tent and grabbed two chairs and a table. In a few seconds, and with her swift movements, which were not really as swift as she wanted, she was able to quickly set up two chairs and a table in front of her tent. She placed the plate of fried chicken legs on the table. “Please, take a seat,” she said as she pointed at the other chair. She took a seat on the other.

Before she started talking, she grabbed a piece of the fried chicken leg and took a bite, her expression free of worries. She smiled apologetically at Teide. “I didn't forget you. I just could not think with an empty stomach.” She explained and wiped her lips with a hanky after swallowing the meat.

She cleared her throat as there seemed to be a piece of chicken that got stuck. She coughed a bit and pounded her chest until she got rid of the culprit. She managed to rid her throat of the meat and smiled at Teide. “I'm not worried if I'm going to like your answers or not. I'm just curious. And I'll go straight to the point. What made you join the family? Don't get me wrong. I'm not interrogating. I mean, I know people think that I'm crazy. Heck, I'm pretty sure Rieron thinks that I'm crazy as well. But I wonder what made you join the family. We're not really as warm and all that like Scarlet's family. What made you decide to join our crazy bunch?” She asked then devoured another piece of fried chicken leg.

She was genuinely curious. Most families have something in common and she refused to accept the fact that the only common thing that the House of Dalakoi had was Rieron. She was determined to know more about Teide and figure out what would be a common denominator among them. She could have asked Rieron about that point blank but what was the fun in that? She was getting to know Scarlet's family so she figured out that she get to know her own family as well. And if she figured out what they all have in common, perhaps she could rediscover herself in the process.

Despite it all, she still felt lost. Her years of solitude in the caves was a form of a therapy, if not hiding or running away from her harsh and sad past. She found it hard to trust anyone and try as she might, it will take a while for her to really trust another creature, with the exception of Rieron and Devereaux. She observed and asked a great deal about Rieron before figuring out that she could trust him. Devereaux was another story. They had a certain connection and a story, which was something that not everyone may believe or even accept.

She continued to chew her food and wondered if she could trust this new family member before her.
Teide

Re: [ORP] The Shack - Grazilda's Home

Post by Teide »

Teide listened quietly as Grazilda asked her questions which really came down to one. One of all families...why sign on with Rieron's House. He was not well loved by those outside of it. Neither were the gypsies. He rubbed others the wrong with his arrogance. For two years Teide had watched the dark elf closely...more than he realized. For all his bravado she saw it was not false pretense. She had watched his duels when she lived in Cork. She saw him with Thorn and watched him as Sheriff. He crossed her own blood relatives several times. He killed her friends and bagged Roger's head...so why? It was a good question...but Teide had seen more than the blood-thirsty exterior of a dark elf. She saw a warrior, a spell sword whose intensity meant the flames could warm you or burn. It was who he was and he did it well. So...despite the many occasions and threats when he crossed her friends or family...she never saw any reason to disrespect him...because at the core they shared something. Looking at Grazilda Teide saw the sadness in those eyes, the emptiness despite having someone...she had not found herself. When Grazilda had first arrived she had watched her too. Masking joviality and childish pranks to stir what was under her hard shell. What Teide had saw back then she still saw now. She had tasted the bitterness of life and was struggling to keep astride...to believe in something or someone was something everyone needed. So carefully Teide answered.

"Because in the end this House, you and I...even Rieron share something in common. We are survivors of the harsh reality which is this world. Our thinking is altered, we find different ways to cope...different paths but we know it in our hearts. You cannot hope and dream for a better tomorrow you do not strive to make for yourself. Everything you love can be taken away in an instant. The only thing you can do is get up and fight again for a moment of peace."

Teide looks at the plate of chicken legs and she could not hold the sorrow from her voice as they reminded her...of a time when she did have some happiness. Something to live for to fight for....since then she was merely fighting to stay above. Rieron had fought with her back then...

"Rieron is the only one who can help me now. This was his requirement. I did not join out of love but I know he will keep his Word once given. In exchange for my service he will mend the pieces of my shattered soul. You see from the beginning I have had to fight myself and others to survive each day to not go mad with hate and anger...to not become a demon."
Grazilda

Re: [ORP] The Shack - Grazilda's Home

Post by Grazilda »

Grazilda patiently listened to Teide's words regarding survival, need and demons. While her own need paled to that of Teide's, she felt that at the end of the day, it was all about undoing a wrong that was unwillingly done in the past. She looked down and wondered if that was what the whole family shared. She felt like Serene was such a happy soul who seemed to have been untained by the bitter past, save for Cassandra killing her brother. But she was assured when she asked that the death punishment was reasonable.

She smiled and touched the spot on her face that was red from overscrubbing. The past wrongs should be left in the past. “Teide, I think what we all have in common in this family is that we all strive for a better future. This family will change you. I changed after I joined this family, not because Rieron has a hold on me or anything, but the experience that you gather while in the midst of the individual family members will give you further perspective about life. We have a collection of various individuals who should never be seen inside the same room. Yet there is something about being part of this family that makes us see things that we failed to do prior to being a part of the group. I was grouchy and lost all hope in life before I met Rieron. Yet after I met him and joined his family, things started to fall into place. Heck, I even met Devereaux after that. You even asked me if I had a soul change, which means that something that I thought was dead inside me came back to life.” She paused, her eyes twinkled as she smiled at Teide.

“And even as we speak,” she continued, “I learned something else about myself. That no matter how much this family accepts you, such acceptance would be futile if you don't accept yourself first.” The sadness slowly dissipated from her eyes. “Time and again, I have disowned myself and marked it in me that I am a deviant and that I am an embarrassment. And I have a spot to prove that,” she pointed at the red spot on her face. “So I guess everything should start within me and this family has already proven that it is an epitome of acceptance no matter how many times I've tested its boundaries, albeit unconsciously of course.” She added with a sheepish smile.

Suddenly, she felt like a huge burden was lifted from her shoulder and her face brightened when she smiled as realization of what was missing in her life dawned upon her. “As unusual as this may sound, Teide, you have lead me to know more about myself today. And with that, I thank you,” she slowly bowed at her.

When she bowed, her eyes landed on the plate of fried chicken legs. “I've noticed how you been looking at those in a peculiar way,” she pointed the plate to Teide. “Do you mind if I ask why? If they taste bad, you can simply say so, you know. I won't take it against you. They don't bring out the demon that you were talking about, right?” She felt that there was something about the plate of food that touched a nerve. How and way, she was determined to find out.
Teide

Re: [ORP] The Shack - Grazilda's Home

Post by Teide »

Teide listened to Grazilda's personal epiphany as she sought to enlighten Teide. It fell on deaf ears though she listened politely with mild interest as a light returned to Grazilda's eyes in considering the importance of what she was self-realizing. To Teide though...it did not seem that way to her. Perhaps to her...the notion of a family was skewed. Teide had not just been disowned or beaten once or twice. She had killed family, been disowned several times and watched family die...or simply watched them fall into the depths of madness...more than once. Her elder sister loved her but how many times had she fallen to demons or masters...Teide did not feel like a baby sister. She felt older...watching over Saela when she was in her instabilities, then trying to protect Vic and failing from her own flesh and blood. Watching Vic decline again and again because of pregnancies and difficult marriages. And what could she do...Roger when he went into the depths of depression...or died and she would have to wait and hope he was not dead for the last time. Amladris left...he left her behind in this place without guidance or a proper good bye and then they say he died. Adonair, Marlise, the Von Loschs, Titus, Bergan, and..... no...for Teide it was very different. She was not striving for a better future, she just hoped she had one.

Still she did not betray her disagreement from behind the black veil. She merely nodded and considered it. This was a moment for Grazilda to be encouraged. She would need these moments for when the bad times came. Teide looked at the red spot Grazilda's cheek. She had a point about inward renewal. It was something Teide believed in herself but...her insides were smashed. In the end she didn't believe in much. Just lived because her curiosity wanted her to see everything, experience everything to it's fullest before she faded into the Void. She had a promise to keep too, people to live for. They were as flawed and messed up as she was...but it was not time yet to let go. Her morbid curiosity forbade it. What would become of them if she gave up? Blast it all...in the end...she still cared to much...

Then Grazilda spoke about the chicken and it surprised her slightly then caused her to tense passively. She tried to not like her irritation show. Sometimes Teide was very candid about her past, her thoughts on things and knowledge but...this was too vulnerable for her...for some reason she felt a wall erect as she did not want this woman to think she had anything in common with that person. They were different and this 'family'...she would not make the mistake of trusting anyone or anything too much again. No, she would not hurt like that again. To say a partial truth was kinder. Nothing was eternal and it seemed when Teide invested enough in anyone...they died young.

"I have been losing my taste for meat. I am a soul eater and the more I partake of them the less I desire physical food. That is all."
Grazilda

Re: [ORP] The Shack - Grazilda's Home

Post by Grazilda »

Grazilda watched Teide’s body language, since her face was covered, while she spoke. There was something peculiar about Teide’s demeanor. She let her true self be shown upon eating the fried chicken legs, yet when it comes to exchange of ideas, she was heavily guarded. Her words were carefully thought of and were safe.

“You are guarding something deep inside, aren’t you?” Grazilda candidly said as she devoured yet another piece of the fried chicken leg. She smiled after she finished the chicken. “I don’t and can’t blame you. I am merely another curious creature that you know despite the fact that we are under the same house. Whether you decide to bear your own suffering in solitude or share them with trusted people, it’s your choice. Not everyone can be trusted and a lot of people will spread rumors about you. Of course you already know that. What I’m trying to point out is, trust us or not, you have our backs and our weapons. I have no qualms in beheading people, yet I don’t lazily dismember people’s heads just because I want to. I want to make sure that you are someone that is worth sacrificing my axe for.” She looked at her, her eyes dead serious, her tone almost threatening.
Teide

Re: [ORP] The Shack - Grazilda's Home

Post by Teide »

Teide chuckled at her assumptions, declarations and the seriousness in her gaze. She couldn't help it for she had seen this picture too many times. She picked up a fried chicken leg and looked at it thoughtfully reclining her chair. The glow in her eyes broke through the dark black veil, "I play roulette...did you know that? I love to spine the wheel and see if I'll die this time or not. I'm not suicidal or lonely. I'm bored. I'm bored with watching life...he loves her, she loves him...happy marriage...children...that's the fairytale. I used to hope in it...broken child is found by rich couple...taken in and life is made. Happy families...happy children...happy mom and dad...bouncing on grandpa's knee...I saw so many nightmares, sorrows...divorces, homeless children, childless grandparents, fathers that take their daughters as wives...this world is fallen and full of sin. Take a fuse and light the madness." she leans and twirls the chicken legs between her small fingers. "Do I guard something....suffer in solitude? Which scar do you wish to rip open? How many stitches curious one would you want to open? My back is full of them, my heart never stopped bleeding. Every time I turned around I felt another blow."

She dropped the chicken back on the plate and giggles, "Eventually I learned the secret. If I stabbed at my own heart again and again and tore my spirit apart I'd be so hollow nothing would surprise me anymore. I'd swallow my own poisons and survive no matter what they or I threw my way because my will is stronger. I kill because I enjoy it, I torture because they deserve it." she could not hold the quiver of madness out of her voice as she smiled, "Can you trust me? Are you a fool? I am bound by the contract to serve and keep you all from the sword and arrow. By involuntary action I will protect any of you...by will or heart none. I am a liar, a madwoman crazed by the desire to kill those that have stolen from me. I have no love for you or this family. I merely sold my soul to preserve myself. Don't confuse the issue and take caution. I don't expect you to cover my back and I don't ask it. I kill my own." Teide allowed all in the coldness in her heart to make it very clear, "I am not your friend and I don't want to be." She reclined back and looked away. No, this was not the place nor the time.

If she died, her secrets would follow her. Too many had already been hurt. Best to drive this one away now. She would not allow anyone that close and this one without being given that permission had pushed. Teide did not trust people...it had taken Rieron 2 or 3 years to be allowed that proxy...how dare she try that? Logan was still trying. "Why do you people continue to bother me? I am not one that welcomes intrusions upon myself. I am not welcoming or kind. I am only looking for selfish amusement. Now I am ceasing to be amused." she shook her head and began to get up. "Enjoy your trip to Widu. Get my book but stay out of my business." There was one thing that Teide got edgy about was one certain matter....another was when Grazilda's voice became threatening. The wolf in Teide snarled at threats and returned teeth for teeth. She wanted to make it very clear she wanted no snooping around Widu about her. With that she walked through the walk and disappeared again.
Grazilda

Re: [ORP] The Shack - Grazilda's Home

Post by Grazilda »

Grazilda secretly smiled at Teide's declaration of sorrows and description of herself. For someone who claimed to be unfazed by anything, Teide said a mouthful, which Grazilda found interesting. Most people sugarcoat words about themselves while Teide did the other was around. She claimed not to trust me yet she seemed to show part of her bad side, Grazilda thought.

She finished the last of the fried chicken legs before her and looked at the chair where Teide sat earlier. She's pushing people away, that's pretty obvious. What is interesting is she made a big deal out of pushing me away. It's not that I'm offering her gold or anything. I only gave her fried chicken legs, she thought again as she stared at the bones on the plate. "Maybe the food wasn't as tasty as I thought," she shrugged. "Or maybe she would rather feed on a soul before she could talk decently to people without being overly emotional. Hmm...At least I got to see her eyes under her veil."

She got rid of the fried chicken bones, and returned the tables and chairs in the tent. "This will not be the last time we'll talk about this, Teide..." she said in the air, hoping that the winds would bring her words to Teide's ears.
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