Santuariel, Compassion, and the banshee

For in-universe game play. Journey through both familiar and foreign settings, explore lost ruins and forgotten cities, and try to bring light to the darkness of the world... or, you know, blow stuff up. Either way.
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Drusia
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Re: Santuariel, Compassion, and the banshee

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She was a small, wiry girl who looked about fourteen or so, a bundle of nervous energy in motion. Her light brown hair was cut relatively short in what Therese had once heard called a "pixie cut," for no reason she'd ever been able to figure out. To Therese's surprise, she wore what looked like a Gorielian girls' casual outfit, but it had been gathered and tucked in some places that made it almost unrecognizable. Therese nodded approvingly ... but then she looked at the girl's face, and blinked in surprise, just as the girl herself did.

Girl and woman regarded each other for a moment, but the energy of youth recovered first, and she spoke just before Therese did.


My initial reaction at the slender Gorielian woman was a mixture of surprise and mild concern. She's Gorelian. My guess that she is sexually repressed is almost certainly true, but recent memories of Anfisa's clinginess make me suddenly wary. That is one problem with these sexually repressed socities that I sometimes forget - when one is repressed, one tends to latch on to the first time one experiences pleasure.

But then, something fascinating and wonderful happens.

"...Flamme?"

"Zlata?"


My eyes widen. I do not blurt out my first thought - that Therese and this young girl are former lovers. That would be perfect! If Therese has already been with her, then the three of us could likely set up a very pleasurable arrangement together for the duration of the journey. And, if this Zlata is attached to Therese, she probably won't get too attached to me. A perfect solution to my earlier concern.

First things first, though. I take a moment to file that incredibly delicious nickname "Flamme" away for later.

I take a breath to make sure I won't grin, giggle, or otherwise give away my utter delight. I need to be subtle here. It will take some careful conversational gambits to test my theory about them being former lovers.

"You know eachother?" I ask Therese, as if it wasn't blatiantly obvious. I make sure my tone seems only mildly curious - almost bored - so that neither of them will suspect what I'm trying to learn. I school my face to a low-intensity politeness. I will not clap my hands and giggle like a school girl, as much as I might like to.

-- Desiree
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Re: Santuariel, Compassion, and the banshee

Post by Graybeard »

[OOC: I love the way Desiree's mind operates on a single, erotic track so consistently... Unfortunately:]

If Therese and this girl had ever been lovers, it certainly didn't show in her body language. She stood from the table and drew herself up to her full, near-six-foot height, at which she towered nearly a foot above the newcomer. She'd happened to wear her ever-present hat to breakfast (although her hair was down), further emphasizing the height mismatch. "Lady Vatnikov's granddaughter," she muttered to Desiree, Brad and Lillith. "You remember, from Rosteriel?" Then she turned to Zlata, a formal, polite (forced? genuine? Therese was good enough at concealing her feelings when necessary that it was hard to tell) smile on her face. "Zlata!" she said. "You've -- grown so much since the last time I saw you. I'm so sorry about your grandmother. She was --"

Zlata was showing no such restraint. She rushed forward to hug Therese, as though she was preparing to climb her like a tree. "Don't be sad, Flamme," she said; she was smiling widely, yet there were the beginnings of tears in the corners of her eyes. "She said we shouldn't be. It was her time to go. Now she's in a better place, and she doesn't hurt any more." Veracian apparently wasn't her first language, judging from her accent, but she was fluent enough in it to get the thought across.

Comprehension dawned on Brad's open face. "Rosteriel!" he said. "Isn't that where we oomph!" Not for the first, nor in all likelihood the last, time, whatever he was going to say was interrupted by his wife's elbow artfully applied to his stomach; they managed this without even dropping the biscuits they were both holding.
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Re: Santuariel, Compassion, and the banshee

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If Therese and this girl had ever been lovers, it certainly didn't show in her body language. She stood from the table and drew herself up to her full, near-six-foot height, at which she towered nearly a foot above the newcomer. She'd happened to wear her ever-present hat to breakfast (although her hair was down), further emphasizing the height mismatch. "Lady Vatnikov's granddaughter," she muttered to Desiree, Brad and Lillith. "You remember, from Rosteriel?"

I do, in fact. The woman who'd transported Lillith and Brad via that magical thingy to, well, here. Huh.

"Zlata!" she said. "You've -- grown so much since the last time I saw you. I'm so sorry about your grandmother. She was --"
Zlata was showing no such restraint. She rushed forward to hug Therese, as though she was preparing to climb her like a tree. "Don't be sad, Flamme," she said; she was smiling widely, yet there were the beginnings of tears in the corners of her eyes. "She said we shouldn't be. It was her time to go. Now she's in a better place, and she doesn't hurt any more."


I ignore Brad's outburst and Lillith's usual method of silencing him, contemplating this new information. So, Therese knows this Zlata by association. And Zlata has grown considerably since Therese last saw her. Not a former lover then, unfortunately. Furthermore, she appears to be in mourning for said grandmother. Her outbursts might be from repressed grief rather than repressed sexuality then. Besides, if she isn't actually from Goriel or Veracia, then it's entirely possible that she isn't sexually repressed at all. However, those tears she's trying to avoid shedding speak to her current state of grief and her fight against it. Hm.

Grief counseling usually falls to the priests of Sentilis, not our faith. I doubt I will be able to help her much in that way. However, I suppose there's no real difficulty in keeping an eye on her and making sure she doesn't do anything foolish. If that is all "chaperone" means in this case, then easily enough done.

And if she does have a secret lover she wants to sneak off to meet, well, I can help her with that too.

I stand, but do not move forward or say anything. Instead, I wait for Therese to finish her own greetings and turn to introduce me.

-- Desiree

OOC: Just to speed things along, when Therese does so, or when an obvious opportunity is opened up to do so, Desiree will say "My name is Desiree. It is a pleasure to meet you."

OOC2: And Desiree's mind isn't one track! It's two track - she also really likes books. If you ever want to see Desiree shine, stick her in a library with some plot-relevant books and watch her research. :p
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Re: Santuariel, Compassion, and the banshee

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If Zlata was shocked at the discovery that La Flamme, whom she had admired from early childhood, had a lover of the same sex, she did an excellent job of concealing it, and Therese suspected that she wasn't shocked at all. Same-sex romances were nominally forbidden in Goriel (and certainly weren't talked about in polite -- read male-dominated -- society), but everyone knew things didn't really work that way among the geteroi. Marge Vatnikov, she thought (correctly), would surely have had some pointed conversations with her favorite granddaughter about the way the real world worked, particularly given that Zlata had obviously seen an exceptionally wide cross section of it, what with her use of the Underground. Besides, Zlata had been old enough when Melusine died to retain memories of how devastated Therese had been, and how her grandmother had comforted the red-haired woman; even if she hadn't understood the details of the relationship at that time, she'd have figured them out by now. Her casual acceptance of the personal dynamics, Therese thought, would make the next days easier. Of course, there was still the "adventurous" or "high-spirited" part of the girl's personality to deal with ... Well, they'd manage.

Introductions made, Therese asked the obvious question. "So what brings you here?"

Zlata produced a curiously adult raised eyebrow, as though expecting something better of her idol/role model. "Looking for you, of course."

Well, that was interesting, Therese thought; Marge had implied that she should go back to Rosteriel and talk to this girl soon, but she didn't expect said girl to come looking for her instead. Of course, that was entirely in character for her. "And how did you know to look here?" she persisted.

"I didn't," Zlata shrugged. "It just seemed like an interesting way to go out looking."

Yeah, right, thought Therese. As if a sixteen-year-old girl gallivanting around the countryside in a caravan was all routine, particularly considering where she's from. A whimsical thought struck her. I guess the Five Great Mothers must have a hand in this. Somehow that thought should have been more reassuring than it was.

Lillith's nascent maternal instincts were starting to kick in, as she noticed the dirt and grime in the girl's clothing. "Well, you won't want to be on the road looking like that," she ventured. "Let me take care of those stains for you." Zlata looked puzzled until Lillith cast a Hygiene spell, then she looked mildly annoyed; Therese had the whimsical idea that the girl actually liked the idea of being a bit muddy and grimy, showing the world what she'd been up to. "She's right, though," Therese said. "Things will -- work better if you look tidier going back north. But I'm curious: how did you pick up that dirt and mess?"

She was not ready for Zlata's answer, delivered with the same casual shrug as before, maybe with the slightest hint of exasperation. "Looking for the banshee, of course." She said this as though addressing a somewhat slow, dim child.
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Re: Santuariel, Compassion, and the banshee

Post by Graybeard »

[OOC: Following some off-line conversations, I'm pushing the dialogue ahead a few lines, to continue developing Zlata's personality ... which is ... distinctive.]

Looks were exchanged around the table for a moment, and then Therese asked delicately, "So did you find it?"

Brad, as usual, chose this opening to start the process of sticking his foot in his mouth, to be interrupted, also as usual, by an elbow to the belly from his wife. "But you wouldn't have, because Therese and Desiree and the others got riiOOMPH!"

Lillith, the picture of innocence, quietly repeated, "Yes, did you?"

Zlata looked distinctly disappointed. "No. All there was up there was a sign of a big explosion. Nothing interesting at all, not even any magic."

I didn't know she could sense magic, thought Therese. I wonder what other skills she has that I don't know about. "If you don't mind my asking," she said, "why did you go looking for that thing at all?"

The girl set her scrawny shoulders -- Therese wondered if they were going to cut through her shirt -- and got a stubborn look on her face. "It just sounded interesting," she said. "More interesting than a boring old dance, anyway." She folded her arms as if to say "isn't that obvious, dummy?"
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Re: Santuariel, Compassion, and the banshee

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"It just sounded interesting," she said. "More interesting than a boring old dance, anyway." She folded her arms as if to say "isn't that obvious, dummy?"

"Dance?" I ask brightly. "I love to dance. Did you miss a dance to come here? That seems a shame - you've got a good build for a dancer. And, as you said, there wasn't anything of interest here after all."

That was a bit brute force, but I'm not sure how else to direct her back to what she ran away from rather than what she ran towards. Hopefully she'll take the bait.

-- Desiree
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Re: Santuariel, Compassion, and the banshee

Post by Graybeard »

[OOC: Was on posting my next bit of Sister Rose fanfic when you posted, so able to respond quickly (if briefly) to this. We'll have to leave your "what she ran away from" question for the next post, though:]

"It's boring," Zlata repeated. "No boys my age there. Besides, the boys are only interested in you at a dance if you've got big boobs."

This amused Therese. "Well, I guess that leaves me out too," she smiled. "Where was, or is, this dance?"

"Master Melkumyan's compound," Zlata answered. "Tonight. But I'm going to go back up to where the banshee was. Maybe there'll at least be a cave bear or something fun." The derision she'd shown at the thought of dancing girls with big boobs, and the boys who fancied them, was replaced by an excited, hopeful expression. "Maybe you could go with me?"

Therese's amusement erupted as a chuckle. "Fun, like a cave bear. Got it. Truth to tell, though, I think we're maybe more in the mood for a dance than a cave bear." She winked at Desiree, squeezed her hand. "Right? But it's your call."
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Re: Santuariel, Compassion, and the banshee

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"It's boring," Zlata repeated. "No boys my age there. Besides, the boys are only interested in you at a dance if you've got big boobs."

"Are there no girls your age there either?" I ask. Unless, I suppose, she's only interested in men. Does her home cleave more towards Therese's culture or Goriel's, I wonder.

This amused Therese. "Well, I guess that leaves me out too," she smiled. "Where was, or is, this dance?"
"Master Melkumyan's compound," Zlata answered. "Tonight. But I'm going to go back up to where the banshee was. Maybe there'll at least be a cave bear or something fun." The derision she'd shown at the thought of dancing girls with big boobs, and the boys who fancied them, was replaced by an excited, hopeful expression. "Maybe you could go with me?"
Therese's amusement erupted as a chuckle. "Fun, like a cave bear. Got it. Truth to tell, though, I think we're maybe more in the mood for a dance than a cave bear." She winked at Desiree, squeezed her hand. "Right? But it's your call."


"I'd certainly prefer to dance," I reply, smiling at her. Come to think of it, Therese hasn't seen me dance, has she. Oh, my, yes, I think we need to attend this dance if at all possible.

I turn my attention back to Zlata. "And nonesense - small breasts make for better dancing. Your build isn't too different from mine - I'm sure I could teach you a few techniques. Back home, I never lack for attention - either male or female - and have hardly more than you do in the chest department." I gesture at my modest bosom by way of demonstration.

-- Desiree

OOC: I was about to make a comment about the chest size of the other two women in the room, but realized that I have no idea what Lillith and Therese are sporting cup-wise. Desiree is a small B-cup for reference - and I'm assuming that Zlata is an A cup or so.

Oh, and small motion not worth describing above - Desiree's vestments/dresses are typically designed to acentuate her chest size slightly by exposing so called "side boob" while poofing out a bit in the front. This gives the illusion of her having more chest than she actually does. When she gestures above, she tugs the cloth of her dress tight against her chest so that Zlata can see the actual shape of her breasts. Also, since Desiree does not wear undergarments (unless local dress demands it, and often not even then), this motion leaves nothing to the imagination and very firmly demonstrates the smallness of Desiree's chest. Zlata should have no doubts after this that Desiree is also in the small-chested club.

See - way to complex to describe that in character - it would require a massive internal monologue with Desiree describing her own body to herself which isn't at all natural.
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Re: Santuariel, Compassion, and the banshee

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[OOC: Cup sizes are not normally within the set of things I know enough about to write comfortably :oops: , Y chromosomes being what they are. However, to answer your questions, Sareth described Lillith as "curvy" (see toward the bottom of the page -- what he described at the top is Jamie, who is VERY definitely not like Lillith...), and she's far enough into her pregnancy (with twins, at that) for the usual second-trimester body changes to be starting. Therese, remember, is quite tall and slender, and outside Refuge-Nouveau, dresses so as to de-emphasize what curves she does have -- although Desiree would obviously have a pretty good idea what's underneath the clothing. Figure A or small B at most. And yes, that description of the way Desiree both dresses and moves is ... instructive. So:]

Zlata smiled in the knowing way of a 16-year-old who believes herself much more worldly-wise than she is (although, in fairness, her travels really had left her more worldly-wise than the typical 16-year-old Gorielian girl, by a wide margin). "I know," she said. "I'm a lot better dancer than Sopiko or Gordana or the other girls in Rosteriel. But the boys that go to dances all want the girls with big, ridiculous boobs like Gordana's." She snorted. "Me, I get the kind of boys I want where I want them." Her expression was particularly smug as she turned toward Therese, who flushed violently. "Anyway," she continued, "I'm going to go back up and check out the place where the banshee was. If you want to dance, go ahead." She looked Desiree up and down. "The guys are gonna be falling all over you, big boobs or no big boobs. See you tomorrow." She darted out the door as though she was a hummingbird escaping a confined space, although she did pause long enough to toss a "Nice meeting you" over her shoulder at Brad, Lillith and Desiree.

"What was that all about?" Brad wondered aloud in her wake, but he was eyeing Therese and her fading blush when he said it, rather than Zlata.

"Tell you later," Therese murmured. "Something she said reminded me, though: it might be bad if we went to the dance and there was someone from Goriel who recognized me. I'd like to check out this Master Melkumyan's compound by light of day, in a good disguise, before we go up there, to see if there are any familiar faces." She cocked an eyebrow at Desiree. "Shall we? You probably don't want to be recognized there either, and it'll be easier to get on a convincing disguise now than then." She smiled wryly. "I promise the disguise won't have anything to do with looking like a Veracian nun this time."
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Re: Santuariel, Compassion, and the banshee

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"I know," she said. "I'm a lot better dancer than Sopiko or Gordana or the other girls in Rosteriel. But the boys that go to dances all want the girls with big, ridiculous boobs like Gordana's." She snorted. "Me, I get the kind of boys I want where I want them." Her expression was particularly smug as she turned toward Therese, who flushed violently.

I blink. Does she mean she get the boys she wants when she wants them? Then why can't she get some at - Therese suddenly blushes rather fetchingly. Huh. So that was supposed to be a sexual reference then? But how does that even make sense? Well, unless she's talking about where in her the boys ejaculate. That would certainly be crass enough to make Therese blush, but... I feel like my ghetera slang if failing me. Dear Anilis, this is going to bother me for days, isn't it?

"Anyway," she continued, "I'm going to go back up and check out the place where the banshee was. If you want to dance, go ahead." She looked Desiree up and down. "The guys are gonna be falling all over you, big boobs or no big boobs. See you tomorrow." She darted out the door as though she was a hummingbird escaping a confined space, although she did pause long enough to toss a "Nice meeting you" over her shoulder at Brad, Lillith and Desiree.

That was... abrupt. Isn't someone going to stop her? There might not be any more banshee, but I'm pretty sure there's still a good chance of bears. I turn to Therese and raise my eyebrow questioningly.

"Something she said reminded me, though: it might be bad if we went to the dance and there was someone from Goriel who recognized me. I'd like to check out this Master Melkumyan's compound by light of day, in a good disguise, before we go up there, to see if there are any familiar faces."

Ah. Therese has misinterpreted my concern for possible bear attacks as a desire to go dancing. Well, not that I wasn't interesting in dancing before, but if Therese is concerned about being recognized then this dance is far closer to Goriel than I imagined. I thought Zlata was on the safe side of things? Is she worried about merchants? Whatever - I don't really feel the need to risk my life over a country dance. I'm sure there will be plenty of better opportunities to dance once we go north.

"Shall we? You probably don't want to be recognized there either, and it'll be easier to get on a convincing disguise now than then." She smiled wryly. "I promise the disguise won't have anything to do with looking like a Veracian nun this time."

"Huh?" I ask, confused. "I think I missed something - why are you interested in this Master Melkumyan person? Aren't we supposed to be leaving with a caravan and making sure Zlata's 'spirited nature' doesn't get her eaten by bears?" And speaking of her spirited nature, so much for my theory about her being sexually repressed. Well, unless her comment wasn't a reference to her various male lovers and their orgasms. But if not that, what in the world did she mean? Maybe I can ask Therese later? I would now, as it is going to bother me until I do, but this doesn't seem like the time or place.

-- Desiree

OOC:

Cup sizes are not normally within the set of things I know enough about to write comfortably

You're married (right? - I was pretty sure you were) - you've never had to help your sig-other find bras? :p

However, to answer your questions, Sareth described Lillith as "curvy", and she's far enough into her pregnancy (with twins, at that) for the usual second-trimester body changes to be starting.

I would assume that "curvy" in context means Cs minimum. Pregnant, she'll have Ds or larger. So yeah, Lillith would be rocking the proverbal "cleavage you can lose a small dog in" in this scene. Which is a little mentally weird for me because I always pictured Lillith as skinny and flat-chested - a proper Lina Inverse. Ah well.

Therese, remember, is quite tall and slender, and outside Refuge-Nouveau, dresses so as to de-emphasize what curves she does have -- although Desiree would obviously have a pretty good idea what's underneath the clothing. Figure A or small B at most.

Not necessarily true. My wife sports a pair of Ds, but she can play a very convincing man when she wants to. She just binds her chest (basically a tightly wrapped Ace Bandage instead of a bra). It flatens and broadens, giving her a fairly masculine shaped chest. Of course, it does nothing for her face, but that's what makeup is for.

In case you can't tell, my wife is one of those hard-core cosplayers who puts a ton of effort in and used to hang with the semi-professional cosplay crowd back when we still went to anime cons.

And, before you bring up muscles, my wife also did college fencing and in her prime could probably have bench-pressed me. She still fondly ribs me about the one time I went to fencing practice with her, tried to join as a beginner, and ended up gasping for air, downing several water bottles, sitting in a corner, and watching the rest of her practice in a state of abject misery and exhaustion from the WARMUP. I didn't even make it to the actual doing stuff. Fencing club is hardcore.

Anyway, the point is that Therese could be flat-chested like Bern OR she could be busty like my wife and she could do her job either way. It's entirely up to you personally. This is not a case where form follows function.

And yes, that description of the way Desiree both dresses and moves is ... instructive.

Desiree prefers her wardrobe to function on comic/anime "how does that even stay on" physics. :p
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