Lady Maria of the Astral Clocktower (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
whomthebelltolls) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
middaeg2019-09-09 10:09 pm
whomthebelltolls) wrote in middaeg2019-09-09 10:09 pm
Entry tags:
Don't look down into the eyes of the world beneath you
Who: Lady Maria whomthebelltolls and YOU (all prompts on log open - closed prompts will have starters)
When: Septeurilmber
Where: Mostly Dorchacht, but bookended by Stuff in Aefenglom
What: September shenanigans!
Warnings: Potential violence, Maria's PTSD, and the general Dorchacht warnings
[1: - Boat]
[Maria hates boats. She absolutely cannot stand the ocean, being near or on it, or anything of the sort. Still, after all her affairs are in order, and it's too late to back out now, she boards the ship, pulling her hat down closer over her eyes. Once they disembark and start sailing away, she immediately makes for below-decks. No, she doesn't want to know how to work the rigging, nor does she want to climb to the crow's nest. She doesn't care how the ship works, she wants no part of any of it. She sits there, in the creaking below-deck area, ignoring the slight sway back and forth of the ship as it cuts across the ocean; occasionally reading a book, occasionally talking some of the crew into sharing the strong grog with her - it won't cure seasickness, they try to say, but she shakes her head because that's not what it is.
Clearly, of course, this means she should be bothered, right? Especially once the Merrow outside start singing, and she bares her teeth (her fangs) and slaps her hands over her ears, dropping whatever she's doing to sit there, tense and irritated. It must be irritation. After all, nothing scares Maria, right?]
[2: - Dorchacht, General]
[Maria takes a slightly different stance to anyone else. Any time she is expecting to have to make an impression - whether it be because she's going to sit in on the negotiations, or because she's going to talk to some of the locals in a very friendly manner, almost like she's one of them, she's come equipped with some... new duds. That's right, rather than her very #aesthetic but also very well-worn Hunter attire, she's come equipped with something a bit more befitting her position as a noble. She dresses in something like the typical Cainhurst fare - black and blood red, with lots of intricate designs in the fabric, and trimmed in fancy patterns, made of high-quality fabrics and lined in blood-red silk. Without the neck ruffles, though, as it's been a bit more "modernized" to something more fully Victorian. However, there's a symbol of heraldry embroidered into the waistcoat she wears over all the rest of her clothing, and into a handkerchief she carries with her when the coat is off and she's just in her vest. No hat, for now, but she does cut a striking figure - one that really does seem to evoke a sense old, practiced nobility.
She mingles among the aristocrats and coven members, those days, and is perfectly open to be approached by other Mirrorbound - though, almost immediately, she suggests-] Let us speak somewhere more private.
[3: Dorchacht - Coven]
[As in the dream, when Maria is not trying to learn about the culture of the Dorchacht people and how they work on a day to day basis, what their priorities are, and all that, she is in the Coven, rubbing elbows with the student witches. For these, she's dressed down a bit - just a fancy off-white shirt and a vest in the Cainhurst style (black, with more shiny silver decor around the edges; this time without her family's symbol on it). Must command respect at all times, after all. She brought her sword and her Hunter gear with her, but she prefers not making herself a total threat just yet.
The library, though...
... There's nothing here. And she's growing more frustrated the longer she's here, and the more people tell her there's nothing of the past here. That Dorchacht is a city of the future. The Witches of the Coven and the people in the town both. Like... like it's not just the Monsters here that are under some kind of thrall, though they are obviously getting the worst of it.
She's so disappointed in finding yet another row of useless books, she almost misses a dodging side-step to the person that just walked past some of the shelves, as she strides her long-legged stride out of the aisle of shiny new books, and in fact, might either bump them, knock the books out of their hands, or just otherwise make them draw up short to avoid her.] Mn. [That was not an apology, they can live with it, or they can try to demand one.]
[4: Aefenglom - Maria's home/residential district]
[And, of course, the boat ride home was just as bad or worse than the one out to Dorchacht. Maria is not in a great mood, and she just wants to get back to the bed she's claimed as her own, in the house that she has claimed as her own with her other quiet, antisocial roommates, and get back to her garden...
... Except her garden, as she finds when she returns, is ruined. Many of the sunflower stalks have been broken, and the flowers are wilting and sagging. The smaller plants have been trodden upon, or stomped purposefully down. There's a message, painted on the wall as well - "Bonding is unwelcome here".
Well.
That's just great.
Maria turns, and she walks off her property - frigid rage emanating from the stiffness of her shoulders, the set of her jaw, the way her lip keeps twitching as she fights the urge to snarl like a Beast. She ignores whatever startled questioning backlash she gets across her Bond, because it doesn't matter right now.
They like painting on the walls, hm? She wonders - how much will they like painting when the message is written in their own blood, behind their own head on a pike? She will find those responsible, but her irate mood also means that she's suffering two things: "threat assessment", and "not being threatening to even innocent people", so uh. Sorry about the fact that noise behind her made her whirl around and thrust her sword right into whoever was there's face.] ... What do you want? [And, if she doesn't recognize you:] ... Did you vandalize that property beyond the wall?
[5: Aefenglom - Goblin Market]
[On today's edition of "weird Bloodborne character doing weird Bloodborne things" there is Maria, looking over a sampling of what appears to be various types of Witch and Monster blood. Honestly, she's curious about the Black Market people keep hinting about, the shady figures at the corners of the Goblin market and some of the darker looking deals that go down, but for today, she's mostly in the market for blood. She's somewhat more calm after the vandalization of her house, but mostly, she's just trying to keep her mind off of it.
Which, she's getting a few strange looks from the bundled-up Vampire behind the counter - she looks like a vampire, alright, and she's been talking shop of blood with him like an expert, but when she admits she's a Witch, it just seems to confuse him even more. As for anyone looking...]
It's always better fresh. Or specifically cultivated... [Back to the vampire] ah, what do you treat your blood saints - ah... those who you harvest the blood from - with? [When he doesn't have a really good, ready answer...]
... Mm. Perhaps we should find somewhere else.
[6 - Wildcard]
[For all your Wildcard needs! Hit me up for other prompts here, or we can hash things out![[plurk.com profile]](https://plurk.com/favicon.ico)
reslari or Reslari#9561 on Discord!]
whomthebelltolls and YOU (all prompts on log open - closed prompts will have starters)When: Septeurilmber
Where: Mostly Dorchacht, but bookended by Stuff in Aefenglom
What: September shenanigans!
Warnings: Potential violence, Maria's PTSD, and the general Dorchacht warnings
[1: - Boat]
[Maria hates boats. She absolutely cannot stand the ocean, being near or on it, or anything of the sort. Still, after all her affairs are in order, and it's too late to back out now, she boards the ship, pulling her hat down closer over her eyes. Once they disembark and start sailing away, she immediately makes for below-decks. No, she doesn't want to know how to work the rigging, nor does she want to climb to the crow's nest. She doesn't care how the ship works, she wants no part of any of it. She sits there, in the creaking below-deck area, ignoring the slight sway back and forth of the ship as it cuts across the ocean; occasionally reading a book, occasionally talking some of the crew into sharing the strong grog with her - it won't cure seasickness, they try to say, but she shakes her head because that's not what it is.
Clearly, of course, this means she should be bothered, right? Especially once the Merrow outside start singing, and she bares her teeth (her fangs) and slaps her hands over her ears, dropping whatever she's doing to sit there, tense and irritated. It must be irritation. After all, nothing scares Maria, right?]
[2: - Dorchacht, General]
[Maria takes a slightly different stance to anyone else. Any time she is expecting to have to make an impression - whether it be because she's going to sit in on the negotiations, or because she's going to talk to some of the locals in a very friendly manner, almost like she's one of them, she's come equipped with some... new duds. That's right, rather than her very #aesthetic but also very well-worn Hunter attire, she's come equipped with something a bit more befitting her position as a noble. She dresses in something like the typical Cainhurst fare - black and blood red, with lots of intricate designs in the fabric, and trimmed in fancy patterns, made of high-quality fabrics and lined in blood-red silk. Without the neck ruffles, though, as it's been a bit more "modernized" to something more fully Victorian. However, there's a symbol of heraldry embroidered into the waistcoat she wears over all the rest of her clothing, and into a handkerchief she carries with her when the coat is off and she's just in her vest. No hat, for now, but she does cut a striking figure - one that really does seem to evoke a sense old, practiced nobility.
She mingles among the aristocrats and coven members, those days, and is perfectly open to be approached by other Mirrorbound - though, almost immediately, she suggests-] Let us speak somewhere more private.
[3: Dorchacht - Coven]
[As in the dream, when Maria is not trying to learn about the culture of the Dorchacht people and how they work on a day to day basis, what their priorities are, and all that, she is in the Coven, rubbing elbows with the student witches. For these, she's dressed down a bit - just a fancy off-white shirt and a vest in the Cainhurst style (black, with more shiny silver decor around the edges; this time without her family's symbol on it). Must command respect at all times, after all. She brought her sword and her Hunter gear with her, but she prefers not making herself a total threat just yet.
The library, though...
... There's nothing here. And she's growing more frustrated the longer she's here, and the more people tell her there's nothing of the past here. That Dorchacht is a city of the future. The Witches of the Coven and the people in the town both. Like... like it's not just the Monsters here that are under some kind of thrall, though they are obviously getting the worst of it.
She's so disappointed in finding yet another row of useless books, she almost misses a dodging side-step to the person that just walked past some of the shelves, as she strides her long-legged stride out of the aisle of shiny new books, and in fact, might either bump them, knock the books out of their hands, or just otherwise make them draw up short to avoid her.] Mn. [That was not an apology, they can live with it, or they can try to demand one.]
[4: Aefenglom - Maria's home/residential district]
[And, of course, the boat ride home was just as bad or worse than the one out to Dorchacht. Maria is not in a great mood, and she just wants to get back to the bed she's claimed as her own, in the house that she has claimed as her own with her other quiet, antisocial roommates, and get back to her garden...
... Except her garden, as she finds when she returns, is ruined. Many of the sunflower stalks have been broken, and the flowers are wilting and sagging. The smaller plants have been trodden upon, or stomped purposefully down. There's a message, painted on the wall as well - "Bonding is unwelcome here".
Well.
That's just great.
Maria turns, and she walks off her property - frigid rage emanating from the stiffness of her shoulders, the set of her jaw, the way her lip keeps twitching as she fights the urge to snarl like a Beast. She ignores whatever startled questioning backlash she gets across her Bond, because it doesn't matter right now.
They like painting on the walls, hm? She wonders - how much will they like painting when the message is written in their own blood, behind their own head on a pike? She will find those responsible, but her irate mood also means that she's suffering two things: "threat assessment", and "not being threatening to even innocent people", so uh. Sorry about the fact that noise behind her made her whirl around and thrust her sword right into whoever was there's face.] ... What do you want? [And, if she doesn't recognize you:] ... Did you vandalize that property beyond the wall?
[5: Aefenglom - Goblin Market]
[On today's edition of "weird Bloodborne character doing weird Bloodborne things" there is Maria, looking over a sampling of what appears to be various types of Witch and Monster blood. Honestly, she's curious about the Black Market people keep hinting about, the shady figures at the corners of the Goblin market and some of the darker looking deals that go down, but for today, she's mostly in the market for blood. She's somewhat more calm after the vandalization of her house, but mostly, she's just trying to keep her mind off of it.
Which, she's getting a few strange looks from the bundled-up Vampire behind the counter - she looks like a vampire, alright, and she's been talking shop of blood with him like an expert, but when she admits she's a Witch, it just seems to confuse him even more. As for anyone looking...]
It's always better fresh. Or specifically cultivated... [Back to the vampire] ah, what do you treat your blood saints - ah... those who you harvest the blood from - with? [When he doesn't have a really good, ready answer...]
... Mm. Perhaps we should find somewhere else.
[6 - Wildcard]
[For all your Wildcard needs! Hit me up for other prompts here, or we can hash things out
All good!
... Assistance...? Actually, now that you mention it... it may be easier to pick up a trail since gone cold if there are more than one of us. [But, you know, taking down is going to be more "erasing their right to live" once Maria gets hold of them, so... this could end interestingly.]
Re: All good!
Anyway, Peridot looks utterly delighted. Sorry Maria, she's weirdly fascinated by you and your terrifying energy. The chance to observe the strange stabby witch as an ally is an exciting opportunity! ]
Yeah! And maybe I can pick up some hard to spot trails with my heightened monster senses somehow!
[ In her exuberance, Peridot lightly kicks a shopping bag by accident, and glances down at the fruits of her errands with a frown... Shit. Wait. ]
...But first, I'm just going to run these over to my house quickly and leave them there so that they are not a hindrance on the mission.
[ She's off before Maria can answer. Plap plap plap, dragon paws on the paving stones. ]
no subject
Or more than that, really, considering that, though the murderous edge of her rage is fading out quickly, she does still want to see some of them answer for what they did.
If her rage sparks again, though, maybe they'll answer by trading their lives for the lives of her plants. This is equivalent, it's fine.
... She's going to loiter in the general area, but keep looking for clues in the meantime.]
no subject
So. What kind of leads are we working with so far?
[ As she sits there, her tongue is flicking in and out, in and out. Scenting for any lingering sign of the perpetrators. ]
no subject
I'm not sure how sensitive your sense of smell is, either, but some of the sunflowers are broken too high up to have been done by feet - they must have been snapped by hand.
And... there's also the message on the wall, though I've no idea what that could lead to.
no subject
Hmm. Take a sample of whatever it's been written in, test to identify it and then narrow down a list of suspects based off of who could have purchase it at the time?
[ She's pretty sure she saw that on an earth TV show once. ]
It's probably easier to start with the scent trails, though. Let's see what we're working with...
[ She pulls a stalk a bit closer to her face, flicking her tongue at it carefully, scrunching her nose up thoughtfully before turning to follow it in the direction of the footprints. ]
no subject
Scent sounds better, though, and Maria turns back to the dragon as she begins to scent the flowers.] You think you can pick up on it, then?
no subject
[ She trails off, muttering to herself, following her olfactory senses out of the garden and into the streets, flicking her tongue in and out, in and out. Things could go on like this for quite some time, until they either find something or Maria calls off the search. ]
no subject
They're clever at hiding their tracks... perhaps it is for their own benefit. [Because though the most murderous edge of Maria's anger has abated, she would still not hesitate to draw steel against anyone that had harmed her garden. Draw steel, and draw blood, at the least.]
no subject
RRRRRRGH! You've got to be kidding me! After ALL THAT WORK, we're just going to let them get away with it?!
no subject
[She rubs her chin, thoughtfully, for a moment. She's definitely more calm now, but maybe it's also because she's thinking of a more cold and sinister type of murder. ]
... Perhaps we should return and find any more clues. Things which will aid in identifying them if they try things again. I have no plans to be out of town for a month any time soon, so it should be easy to keep an eye on things.
no subject
This is why I cultivate my plants indoors, where I can keep them safe from vandals and maniacs who don't even possess the basic courtesy to make themselves easy to find and confront. [ She lets out another frustrated huff. ] Well. I can still help you search for more clues, if you require my assistance.
no subject
... I think... for now I will continue to investigate the ink on the wall, perhaps see if any natives around here know what kind it is and who might sell it. It shines in a way that tells me it is likely magical in nature, so it likely comes from a Witch-run store, but outside of that, I am a bit at a loss. You live near here, correct? Perhaps... if you see anyone skulking about or that harms a garden, let me know as soon as possible. Here, or on the devices - however you need.