[attr=class,whocan]Klavdiya flitted over to the quaint house at the corner of the street, flanked by spire after spire. Her nervousness and uncertainty had slowed her approach--she was not supposed to be here yet she had to be, etiquette and downright kindness demanded her doing so. Clutched in her little hands, a letter, addressed to one Arciea Paenar. Oreiades had been kind enough to pass on the information the angel had left to Klavdiya, with the express stipulation of not being spotted sneaking into the Tria area. She'd made use of a gust of wind to carry herself over a gate, obscured by one of the taller houses on the outskirts of the Celestial Nexus.
In front of her now, the task seemed less simple than before. Each word she'd written lifted off the page to embarrass her, for not writing well enough, for not writing with sense. Klavdiya could have penned the finest letter the city had ever seen and still feel the same. Such shadows of doubt had followed her for as long as she could care to remember. Taking care not to bend or misshape the envelope by clutching it too tight, the faerie checked both sides of the street for passersby and, satisfied, floated over to the Paenar home's doorstep.
Just depositing it in the mail slot would be sufficient, surely. Anything more would be vanity, no? If she saw the letter, then she saw the letter. If she did not, then she did not. There could be no greater simplicity in a conclusion than this, she thought.
Klavdiya knocked on the door, a pouting look on her face the entire time, and dropped the letter there on the step. As fast as her wings could carry her, she zipped off the front step and stopped near a topiary at the start of the stone path. The faerie scratched her ear, uncertain if her plan was sound.
Against what she might have considered her better judgement, Klavdiya ducked behind the shaped hedge, peering at the front step, anxious to see if and how her letter might be received. The faerie had never tried to conceal herself from plain sight before and, to anyone with keen eyes, such a fact would be noticeable.
"Miss Fairy, my pleasure to meet you once again." Arciea stood behind the hiding fairy as she lowered her head to greet the lady as usual. Although it was amusing to see her playful sight, the angel did not mention anything and merely smiled.
"My apology for my lateness, Miss Fiary. Please pay me no courtesy for my unwarming welcome." Arciea, with her wings warped around her back, walked towards her resident quickly to open the gate and invited the fairy in. She felt sorry for not preparing anything before hand. After all, she did not anticipate a sudden visit of her old acquiretance.
On her way there, Arciea spotted a letter near the front gate, and used her wing to pick it up. Her motion was graceful and natural, much that it seemed as if she was merely flapping her wings around.
"Please come in, Miss Fairy. I hope to meet your expectation with this humble residence."
[attr=class,whocan]"Waaaa-!" yelped the faerie. Her hands jolted over her mouth so as not to disturb the whole neighbourhood. Even if Klavdiya were to close her eyes and place her hands over ears, something about Arciea's presence caused her to blush at an immense level. This fact was not helped by the angel's discovering her hiding behind a topiary. "G- Good day, my d- darling!" Klavdiya was quick to try and assume what had once been her usual airs. "Fancy seeing you, um, here! Here being outside, a- as opposed to inside, of course." she stammered, running a hand through her hair. A small twig fell from her hair.
"Please, your welcome is more gracious than I deserve, m- my... Ahem. You're hardly late for anything, not to worry! I show up here unannounced, and uninvited, and you're apologising? Certainly not!" she laughed, forming a warm smile. Klavdiya gave a curtsy and gingerly floated in through the gate. Turning to face her host, she asked, "Have you been well? I wanted to come and see you sooner but have only just now found time, I'm embarrassed to say."
As she stepped inside the angel's home at last and heard the door close behind her, Klavdiya remembered the letter she'd left. Had Arciea picked it up? Maybe she'd overlooked it or thought it to be litter. Klavdiya ran a hand through her hair again after she removed her cap. There were many things she wanted to say to the angel, asking her to ignore the letter assumed the highest priority among them now. That couldn't possibly reflect well on her, however, so she bore with it, silent.
"Thank you for inviting me inside, I really appreciate it." said Klavdiya, bowing lightly.
"Please make yourself at home, Miss Fairy." Arciea walked to the tea table and gently pulled the chair for the fairy, before rinsing tea for the fairy then herself. The aroma diffused into the room as the warmth of the tea gave the atmosphere a cozy vibe.
"It was my fault for the previous incident, so having you here is my greatest pleasure." Arciea placed the letter on the table as she waited for the fairy to taste her self-brewed tea.
Although their first meeting did not go as planned, Arciea felt that the fairy was a good, straight-forwards person. With her action of coming to her today, her impression of the lady went up considerably; now, she regarded her as a friend.
"As our first meeting ends abruptly, let us recreate the moment here then. My name is Arciea Paenar, a wandering angel. Miss Fairy, what is your name?" Arciea bowed to greet the fairy and annouced her name, subconsciously extending her wings outwards as usually depicted in the painting of a graceful, elegant angel.
[attr=class,whocan]Klavdiya sat, as best she could, in the chair, taking a moment to observe the decor. If there were such things as accouterments angelic and pure in nature, Arciea's decor would be them, thought the faerie. She wondered if all angels were like her, deep down, perhaps. Her wings rattled for a split second, some subconscious expression of inadequacy most likely.
Graciously accepting the teacup and raising it to her lips, Klavdiya took an eager sip after giving it a cooling breath. The last thing she'd want to do is embarrass herself with a burnt tongue now. "Oh my, that is downright lovely! The tea I normally purchase has got many herbal notes, so that becomes the d- dominant flavour but this is remarkably well-balanced!" she beamed. "Right, you were asking my name. My name is Klavdiya Joseon, a faerie freelancer." said the faerie with a half-giggle.
"Before anything else h- however, I just want to thank you again for bringing me all the way to the clinic. I was told I'd had a fainting spell from Goddesses know what. Apologies for whatever disconcerting first impression that must have left." A sheepish laugh followed. "But, um, yes, thank you sincerely, again, for that. You're truly a cut above, to do something like that for someone you'd only just met." Joyful tears beaded up near her silver eyes. "W- whatever you'd like to discuss, I am in your hands yet again, Miss Paenar, darling."
"Your compliment brightens my day, Miss Fairy." Arciea lowered her head to hide her slightly wider smile as she waggled her wings a little, expressing her joy.
"Then, Sister Klavdiya, it is my pleasure to meet you. May I call you Sister?" Arciea, due to her carelessness, called Klavdiya Sister before she received the permission. After all, she loved to call her friend Sisters, so that they will feel close.
"No, no, Sister. You're praising me too much. This is just what I should do when Sister comes to visit in person." Arciea remembered that, lately, her Sisters seemed to drop by very frequently. Maybe she should prepare things just in case for another time?
Nevertheless, her face turned slightly fluttered after receiving a bombardment of praise. She was never accostumed to any praise, since she always thought so little of her humble self.
[attr=class,whocan]"You may certainly call me Sister if it pleases you." she grinned. "I didn't get to know my own siblings very well and as such, I find there's a strange warmth in being called Sister. I'm in your care once again." said a pensive, still smiling Klavdiya.
"If I may ask, what is your family like? I don't know much about Angels at all, really. They should all be lucky to have a pleasant a representative as you, though." Klavdiya beamed. With the exception of this foray into the Tria area, and the Liberation Day Party in the Ballroom, Klavdiya had never been to Upper Pavane before and had never interacted with Angels or Demons prior. She'd encountered a vampire or two from previous lines of work, but that had been it for exposure to the 'upper races'.
The faerie took a cool sip of tea again. One fact that she'd learnt about Angels from schooling that stuck with her was their incredible lifespan. Klavdiya had lived a good while herself but what kind of life could she really look back upon? Thousands of years to carve out a significant existence seemed enviable. It was improper to be envious, especially of other races, she reminded herself.
Klavdiya scratched her ear as she sat idle, hoping she'd not struck any kind of nerve with the angel in asking such questions.
"... Family? To be honest, Sister, I could not remember much about my family." Arciea fell into silence as she tried to recall her past, which no one had ever asked about.
"For one thing, my father despised my black wings, but my mother did not complain much about, even though I could see her comtempt through it." Arciea spoke as she caressed her pair of black wings, seemingly quite fond of its colour despite the hate and judgement she received due to it.
"I left so long ago, that I don't even remember their faces anymore. Maybe they died during the purge, or maybe they have already forgotten about me." Arciea left her house to wander around Pavane since young; although her memory was fleeting, it might be a combination of her unreal dream and her grief that she originally ran away from home.
Arciea could not remember much about her childhood, as it was filled with pain and sadness. Maybe she had a sister, or maybe not. It was uncertain who pulled her back into reality or who was her first Sister.
[attr=class,whocan]Klavdiya frowned, having noted the expression Arciea had made as she began her recollection of events. The faerie loathed the idea of making a friend feel at all unhappy. Carefully, she took Arciea's hand into her own and looked up at her to say, "I think your wings are beautiful. It's a shame that there are those who think otherwise but I'm content with being correct. Us faeries, our wings are generally pretty simple, dainty. But yours? Yours are something else entirely, they say that black is the combination of every colour." she smiled, looking at her friend's graceful wings. "I'm sorry that you've encountered people w- who have tried to make you feel lesser for a part of who you are."
A gentle squeeze of the angel's hand gave Klavdiya a bit more nerve to speak more so as not to let the angel feel alone in sharing such sadness. "My family, um, well, there was an accident when I was six years of age and, oh Goddesses, it happened so long ago and yet," the faerie felt a deep fear begin to descend upon her, but continued speaking through sniffles, "some kind of demon had tore through the area, looting and k- killing. 'Just because' was what the authorities had concluded was the, the motive."
"There was a storm that night so I'd taken it upon myself to sleep in the attic instead of in my room with my younger siblings. The demon never searched the attic, never heard anything from up there either. I'd frozen completely, from the sounds, every one of them."
"I actually still freeze up whenever I run into a demon, or see anything bloodier than a medium-well steak. Isn't that funny?" Klavdiya managed a strained laugh. "I'm sorry, that was, that was a lot. I should really be going, I'm afraid I don't know what came over me, my darling."
"Don't worry, Sister. This matter effects me not, other than a few sleepless nights. Compare to yours, this is merely a temporary grief." Arciea allowed the fairy to hold her hand, feeling the warmth from physical contact. This moment gave birth to a tranquil that she needed.
"... Such fate— I'm glad that you are alive, even though it might pain you. Then, as long as I remain here, you'll never be alone. After all, I'm your Sister." Arciea looked down as she listened to the painful memory. She stood up and pulled the fairy closer, using her wings and body to embrace her.
Without anything, Arciea hoped that her embrace could ease the panic and pain for her Sister; so, she gently hugged the fairy and stayed there for a long while.
"You can always tell me about anything, and as your Sister, I'll help out as much as I could." Arciea caressed the fairy as she whispered to her ears. She felt that it was necessary to listen to the story, for it might benefit her Sister.
[attr=class,whocan]Tucked snugly in Arciea's arms, Klavdiya looked up at the angel and the tears that had collected in her eyes began to drop free. The faerie could have told her about her night terrors, about how the demon culprit had never been found, about how she took every step in fear of encountering the murderer at any given location. Someone right now in Pavane had committed the horrible act that tilted the axes upon which Klavdiya's life would run, would she not speak of her desire to find this individual? Instead, she wept—Klavdiya wept for herself and for the circumstances that left Arciea here comforting a lowly faerie instead of living a life with family who deserved her. She was quick—exceedingly quick—to catch each tear with a wipe of her sleeve so as to avoid soiling anything of Arciea's with her tears. Klavdiya knew the angel wouldn't mind but perhaps it was just a force of habit. Her mind wandered, what must she have done in a previous life to deserve the kindness of people like Arciea, Daelie, Nagiko, and Oreiades? Was it some kind of cosmic recompense—if so, she wanted no part of it, her friends were her own and not consolation gifts for an unfortunate faerie. Sometimes she thought about what she'd do if she ever met the culprit. Ask why they couldn't have found her too? No, perhaps she would have done so before but not now.
The evaluation concluding that the faerie had attempted to block out her own memories of what happened at the soup kitchen was correct, but Klavdiya would never admit it. That had been the first demon she'd met face-to-face in ages. Some part of her took the job at the kitchen thinking she'd run into a demon client or customer perhaps but that she'd be able to carry on as normal. That had been disproved for all to see. Klavdiya turned and embraced her Sister.
"I wish I could thank you as much as you deserve, and more, S- Sister." Saying the words was harder than Klavdiya could have anticipated, but felt infinitely better than anticipated as well. For one whose feet perpetually hover above the ground, she'd always been afraid of her shadow, ever since she saw it creep into the attic just to smile cruelly at her that night before slinking out the way it came and leaving. Only now, in Arciea's arms, did Klavdiya relax her legs, letting them dangle freely above her shadow. She sniffled and started to speak again, "I'm not really good at very many things but if there's anything I can do for you, I'll do so gladly. I don't know, I, you've done a lot for me and you've only recently met me, I feel so silly. But I don't mind if it's in your presence, Sister." Klavdiya wiped her eyes and smiled again.
"There is no need to thanks me, Sister. This is who I am, both to myself and to you, my Sister." Arciea had never asked for anything from someone else when she helped them. After all, what she desired could not be attained by simply helping everyone.
"You should not waste your precious tears for me, Sister. Your tears are your emotions, and they need not shed for me, but for you and who you hold dear." Arciea whispered to the fairy after she broke down and cried. Although she understood how the fairy felt, she could not help but tell her to stop crying.
"In my eyes, Sister is never silly. You're just in need of some relief. After all, everyone experiences things they wish not. It is good to let them out from time to time." Arciea remained hugging the fairy until she stopped crying.
[attr=class,whocan]Klavdiya stretched her arms after she stood up. She helped in cleaning up and putting away the tea set. A look at the simple clock on the wall told Klavdiya that she needed to get going. "Thank you, Sister, really. I must be going now, I've taken much of your time already and I must prepare for tomorrow. I've a new job actually. It's a night shift cleaning position at the Council Building. I thought it might be scary there but if it's the night shift, I don't believe I'll run into anyone really." The faerie took a bow and began to straighten out her coat.
"Um, I'll definitely stop by again, like, if you want me to, or anything. I can, actually, let me write my address down for you, S- Sister." Klavdiya stammered as she pulled a pen from her handbag and began jotting down her address on a crumpled up poster, also from inside her handbag. "You're welcome to visit me, if you like. It's not a very big place but I like it well enough." she smiled.
Her face flushed, she really had no clue what more she could say to her Sister. The faerie thought better of diving deeper into her own past, regardless of Arciea's presence. If she ran into that particular demon again, then said demon had better have practiced their endurance running. Klavdiya had run away from things for ages now and was a veritable professional at it. But no longer. Now more than ever, she had people to look forward to and for. Klavdiya smiled again and waved, "I'll see you soon, Sister!"
"Please don't apologise, Sister. I could not ask for more of your time." Arciea shook her head and stated her feeling. She loved when her Sisters visited her, even though they tended to not annouce their arrival.
"I'm happy to know that you get to work closely with the Council, as well as near my place. If there is anything, you can always come by." Although Arciea knew that her Sister was not of the Upper Pavane, she believed that the Council would at least protect those who served them.
"Then, may you find happiness in your line of work, Sister. Let me see you out." Arciea accepted the address and told the fairy that she would come to visit if possible. In the end, she watched as her Sister went away into the distance, before heading back in after she was sure that the fairy was safe.
Living in a dystopian society, seven mystic races are trapped due to their own selfishness. Tensions rise between the races and the different social classes, leading up to the constant struggle for power, with no end in sight.
News
4/11 - With the Ghoul Purge complete, Pavane's fear shifts from the goddesses towards the Council. Check out the aftermath here to get an understanding of the current situation in the plot.
MYSTICAL SOULS belongs to YUMEKUI, DYLZOE AND LUNARIS. This is an original plot created by staff members.. The skin "Midnight Madness" was created by Dorothia. This includes Board Mod, Mini-Profile Mod and such. Thread list was made by Kagney. User Profile mod was made by Pharaoh Leap. Graphics belong to their rightful owner. Plagiarism is not appreciated and will not be tolerated.
