whomthebelltolls: (Default)
Lady Maria of the Astral Clocktower ([personal profile] whomthebelltolls) wrote in [community profile] middaeg2019-12-04 04:31 pm

When it gets cold outside and you got nobody to love

Who: Lady Maria of the Astral Clocktower and OPEN
When: December
Where: All over
What: Catch-all for December! Snow, snowglobes, fighting some oogie boogies, and feasts. Not much mistletoe, though. She's not prone to it.
Warnings: A bit of blood and violence



[1: Does it kill? Does it burn? - Haunted Mansion]

[Well. This isn't so much different than what she's used to. The cold rain giving way to a blizzard of this proportion is certainly A Thing, though. It's been since Cainhurst that she's seen something this bad. Yharnam got a lot of rain, but tended toward that rather than any large amount of snow. Not that she thinks most people would've noticed, even if it did snow a lot there.

Well, it matters not. The Haunted Mansion is normally kind of shadowy and cold, but Maria's garden has been well-enchanted, so the grounds immediately around it are... mostly clear of the snow. In places, the wards fail for a brief period, and she can be often heard sighing as she watches the snow pile up on the plots for her plants. Inside, however, it's not so much magically enchanted as it is just sort of full of well-burning fires - naturally made, in hearths, and plenty of candles around when the power inevitably flickers and dies.

Anyone who wants or needs a stop over - or already lives there - is invited into the kitchen for some mulled cider (and a bit of rum, if they wish to splash some in there from the bottle next to the pot - Maria's cup is pretty much spiked the whole time.), or tea, or just a moment to shake off the cold and snow.

If they dare. After all, the place looks like something out of a horror story at the best of times; tall and imposing, with narrow windows set back into the facade, and spiky towers. The ivy that normally grows up the sides is mostly dormant for the winter, and all the winterized trees make it look especially haunted. But maybe the otherwise relative lack of snow is enticing... or the fact one knows who lives there and wants to brave it anyway.
]

[2: Is it painful to learn that it's me who has all the Control? - Around town]

[Or maybe it's the opposite. Maria isn't afraid of a few... feet... of snow, anyway. So she bundles up in her hunter gear, and tromps out into the snow. The streets are mostly abandoned - honestly, just the way she likes it - as she sets out. Perhaps one runs into her in the few stores that remain open, hoping to eke out a bit of business from those brave (or foolish) enough to brave the winter weather.

Or maybe she's making a house call, if she knows the person well enough. She knocks the snow off her hat and boots before ducking through doorways.
] It's not slowing down out there... [If only she didn't hate Cainhurst. She'd make a joke about it being just like home! Or maybe not, it is Maria, after all.]

[3: Does it thrill? Does it sting? - Snow Global]

No, no, it's... taller than that. The Astral Clocktower is built into the front of the front wing of the Grand Cathedral, but the tower stretches up far above the face of the clock itself. [She's explaining it to the crafter, who frowns a bit in concentration, and comes up with a new prototype. It's starting to shape up - the Astral Clocktower is an impressive thing, in the end.] And the front of the Cathedral is a large staircase down into the Central Cathedral Ward's plaza.

[Once they're out, though, it seems to become a bit of a commodity. Maria looks a bit bemused as, several days later, she sees yet another couple shaking theirs and setting the flurries about.] ... For as much as magic seems to rely on astronomy... I'm impressed they've never seen a star-reading clock.

[4: When you feel what I bring, and you wish that you had me to hold? - Modrainicht]

[And, again, Aefenglom loves itself a good, huge party, regardless of what else is going on. Mounting tensions among the populace? Doesn't matter, have a party. She has nothing to add to the giant potluck... and probably with good reason, because she's pretty sure nothing but the Vampires here would have taste for food that's been... imbued with Blood, and that's the only thing she can think of that's unique to her world. She doesn't even have the right type of Blood for it, anyway.

But, she'll partake, and enjoy the way the mood seems to have lightened up. She feels a few compulsions of friendly cheer as she mills about the place, but the mistletoe doesn't seem to stick when she's under it - that's on someone else to bring it up, because she's pretty resistant. Instead, she drinks the drinks, eats the food, and... sits down by a face - familiar or not - beneath the warmed tents. She picked up something from a serving dish that didn't look like it belonged, so it must've been brought in potluck style. She picks up a morsel of it, and puts it in her mouth... and immediately grimaces. Eugh. It's fish. The briny taste is immediately offputting. She's had enough of seawater and blood, thank you.

And with that, she slides the plate back out.
] ... If anyone has a taste for fish, help yourself.

[5: Like a little girl cries in the face of a monster that lives in her dreams - The Woman]

[If she hadn't been pre-warned by the Wilders about this she might have - okay, no. She never would have fallen for this. Not only is this one of the oldest folklore tales in the books, the baby is a dead giveaway. No one just carries a baby around in the woods like that.

Though the haunting, ethereal cries of the infant make her skin crawl, for reasons entirely related to her time at home. How unpleasant.

Maria's swords spark into fire, into life, burning down the edges, illuminating the area. It's trying to lure her out. Again, nothing new. She can only think it's that the people here live such comfortable lives that this thing has claimed so many lives. It wants to be hunted like a Beast, well, Maria hears the hunt calling... and she will answer it. The itch for violence has been working its way into her arms for some time, her fingers aching to take someone apart - this will be the perfect outlet for it.

And then, she holds her sword out, stopping whoever is coming up from behind her.
] Shh. She's waiting in ambush. She thinks she's clever.

[6: Is there anyone out there? Cause it's getting harder, and harder to breathe.]

[Wildcard! If anyone needs her for anything, might wanna bounce ideas off of her for the infiltration thing she isn't going to be actively participating in, but is more than down for being tangentially related to. Or anyone being harangued by the Hunting of the Wren? She's more than happy to scare off the crowds if she knows you. Hit me up on plurk at [plurk.com profile] Reslari on Discord at Reslari#9561 or at Maria's monthly plotting post here!]
lonewanderer: (Default)

5.

[personal profile] lonewanderer 2019-12-06 04:02 pm (UTC)(link)
I shot her in the face.

[ Lex murmurs once she's close enough for Maria for the other woman to hear. She can't help but sound amused, even though Maria's right and she should have realized it. The Woman had wailed and fled, and Lex had pursued - but the Shade is old and smart enough to ambush a sniper chasing after prey, now that she's been drawn down from her perch.

Good thing she's already switched from her sniper rifle to her shotgun. Good thing, too, that Lex has talons instead of fingernails and dragon-scale armor. ]
quickwhip: quickwhip. (Default)

shades and stuff??

[personal profile] quickwhip 2019-12-08 03:45 am (UTC)(link)
[ The Morning Star is strangely getting difficult to hold for long, but Trevor makes do with a pair of gloves worn to protect... his skin. Apparently. But the whip used by the Belmont Clan over the generations is what he needs and feels familiar twirling around in a graceful dance of silver links clanging against each other right before smacking across the face of oncoming Shades. This is familiar to him. This he can easily fall back into without even having to think much about it and while the gentle perk of strength and speed having increased some is nice and all, he still mostly goes at it as he would back within his world.

As a Belmont.

Dropping down to the ground, he lands in the snow just as a Shade lunges for him and he ducks out of the way. A quick twist on his heel, he wallops the end of the Morning Star against the back of the Shade and flips himself back as he throws the creature off to the side. He's not the only one out here taking care of these, but he's mostly working alone when not throwing a glance off to whoever else.

There's a grin on his lips to himself, twirling the whip around as he pulls it back close against his hand. ]


Now this feels a lot more like the norm.
trouvaille: (047)

four.

[personal profile] trouvaille 2019-12-08 07:43 am (UTC)(link)
I'll trade you, ( gwen offers, immediately drawn by the prospect of delicious fish and offering a bowl to maria in turn; half-spheres of something covered in chocolate with thin biscotti alongside. ) I made it, it'll definitely take the taste away.

If you like desserts, anyway.

( striking to look at, it's fairly easy to see at a glance why she swivels towards fish; a blue-cast to her pale, wet-look and luminous skin that catches colours in the light. needle-fine and sharp teeth, and translucent webbing between her fingers. eyes huge and dark with pale slit pupils. no one has ever more visibly looked like they must be really into sushi. )
trouvaille: (098)

[personal profile] trouvaille 2019-12-09 12:48 am (UTC)(link)
( most of this transformation predates aefenglom; where the faerie in her had slowly overtaken her human heritage, now it blends with merrow for something equally unique. at home, though, no one ever saw her like this—she had concealed the alterations that bled into her with the magic she'd embraced beneath a glamour that these new transformations have taken from her, a smooth gloss of what she had once looked like keeping her secret and safe. it had been traumatic in a way she hadn't, prior to this precise moment, realised quite how much she'd come to terms with to lose that safety net.

it's only when she mirrors the recoil that she realises she hadn't been expecting it, this time. there's more of a hesitation before she says, more warily, the way her pupils dilate full of stars giving away tension she's otherwise determined to steady,
)

—yeah. Yeah, it's, um. It's—

( this is fine, they're both being fine and normal and she can compose herself. she nods, like she's decided something firmly, looking down at the bowl and handing it to maria like she only had to steel herself a little bit to meet her halfway. they're meeting each other halfway. )

It's an Italian dessert, it's called tartufo—there's tart fruits in the middle, and layers of ice cream. I know that's kind of...I mean, the weather, but I like it all the time. And I can make it in my sleep just about. It's nice with the biscotti.
Edited 2019-12-09 00:50 (UTC)
trouvaille: (192)

[personal profile] trouvaille 2019-12-09 01:38 am (UTC)(link)
( at least, on a closer inspection less immediately shocked, there aren't any scales. she's as smooth and pale as pearl, opalescent and catching the light, a gleaming thing made more mundane by her hair in braids and the shawl she's fidgeting with. hands and huge eyes betray nervous restlessness that's more obvious than maria's own tucked away unease—gwen is as easily read as a road-sign, despite her best efforts.

she's also awkward at the best of times, albeit not shy, and she lowers those enormous eyes beneath her lashes and picks her fish apart in her fingers before she eats it, avoiding scrutiny that feels weighted with what she's intellectually aware is probably two completely different experiences happening side by side, unrelated. but knowing is only half the battle, and anyway, what if it's not.
)

I've started cooking more often since I got here, ( and she's very proud of herself for how conversational it sounds, between bites. ) Normally I don't, I honestly don't think I even know where everything is in the kitchen at my godfather's place, his housekeeper slaps my hands away from everything, but we—

( there's a dog roughly the size of a small bear beneath the table, at her feet. )

—we moved in with a couple of people, I mean, one of them is gone so it's one person now, but I thought I'd make myself useful, you know? Daddy has this friend who's a professional chef. I know my way around a kitchen.
usurpers: (Default)

one! + maybe a kaede in our near future? maybe!!!

[personal profile] usurpers 2019-12-09 03:48 pm (UTC)(link)
[ this isn’t something eren could ever get used to, regrettably. cold and wetness for a dragon of his element was like taking in constantly dripping anesthesia. he was slow and droopy, somber in aura and weary by appearance. he looked older— though the haggard appearance to that hadn’t been caused by the weather, but instead, time itself. the mirrors work in strange ways.

he’s wandered into the questionable house in search of a scent and taste he’s generous to, a chimera that only touched the beginning of his chest in height (eren himself was at around seven feet, now, reptile leggy simply does this). if he stayed outside any longer, surely he’d brumate. oh so tempting . . .

either way, any candles who’s ember flickers weakly gets a boost from him, a small spit of flames to give the combustibles more to chew on and light the way. not the worst hallway he’s walked through— and here be the kitchen, where the dragon-man pokes his head through the doorframe, tongue first. he’s close, but not close enough. maria’s the first he’s run into.

he remembers her, though never having introduced his face to her, extra changes and an age jump in tow, he’s not sure how much she remembers him. his scale patterns match the scheme of lex’s armor. there had been a quick discussion on the network once, he recalls some years ago (years, for him), and that was it. he doesn’t entirely care about it anymore. times change. ]


Hey, [ he says, untroubled, but clearly influenced by the chill of winter to look far more worn. he tastes rum in the air, another flick that his forked tongue offers him. ah, that’s more tempting than brumation, no doubt. he lifts a talon, possibly to be a “hello”, gesture, but a harmless one. he doesn’t want to argue any, and doesn’t plan to stay for long. just waiting on kaede. ] been a while.

[ hewwo to you!!! ]
lonewanderer: (✫ rifle.)

[personal profile] lonewanderer 2019-12-11 10:30 pm (UTC)(link)
Dead or just fucked up? [ The question is rhetorical; Lex isn't sure if one is better than the other, really. All she knows is that she doesn't want to end up like the Woman.

Maria's plan seems solid, though. Is it really a trap, after all, if you know about it? ]


Works for me. I think if I attack from too far away again, she'll go deeper away to try and draw me out, so... [ she pats the shotgun ] Up close and personal it is.
quickwhip: quickwhip. (Default)

[personal profile] quickwhip 2019-12-13 12:59 am (UTC)(link)
[ With another twirl of the Morning Star held within his hand and wrapped around his wrist, Trevor smiles a bit to himself as he stands there in the snow. The cold doesn't caress against his skin in a chilly sort of manner as much as it had a couple months ago. He can see and hear more clearly and sharply then he previously could. It's an advantage he could get used to having, despite all the other negativities to come along with it.

Glancing over to the one speaking to him, he shoots a bit of a smile off at the thought. He'd heard this and that about still being able to take up the monster hunting profession here and there. But with everything that he had been going through as of late, it's not like he had much time to really dig into that more thoroughly. This will also do, though. ]


And here I was beginning to think I wouldn't get to do this anymore.
trouvaille: (046)

[personal profile] trouvaille 2019-12-13 09:41 am (UTC)(link)
( it's totally normal, just two ladies not making eye contact in a hot tub because they're not gay across a table because they're both uniquely tapdancing on each other's psychological traumas. no need to closely examine what's going on over here, or for anyone involved to get extensive and serious therapy.

the voice is pleasant; low, as feminine voices go, lilting musical. plummy, privileged british diction, but taught and learned, lacking the regional markers of someone who learned it naturally by youthful immersion. a little more italian around the edges for her nerves, though that isn't her first language, either. it's probably better that she doesn't laugh, though, because while most young women's laughter described as babbling brooks is a metaphor, gwen is the exception that proves that metaphor is kind of weird and inaccurate.
)

It was more of an 'I can but I don't' situation, ( is a little more wry, because sometimes the reactions to by the way, I grew up in a castle are not dissimilar to reactions to, say, her teeth and for arguably not dissimilar reasons. ) Someone else always has, but it was...you know, it was a fun thing to do with Uncle Euan, he used to sit me on the kitchen island and tell me what he was doing and give me little jobs to do and teach me how to hold the knives and all.
usurpers: (Default)

[personal profile] usurpers 2019-12-15 12:41 pm (UTC)(link)
[ a nod in return. afternoon already? he can’t tell the time anymore, what with how much he sleeps in this lack of heat. he’s rather glad they could play it civilized as adults do. plus, hey— he won’t lie. he has a certain amount of interest in approaching her to begin with. ]

Kaede, [ another flick past his teeth, this time close to the table and walls, probably where she walked once, or plenty of times. it’s his last shot, anyway. old trail and all. ] but I think I’ve just missed her.

[ one can’t quite scent a shadow, after all. she was all around the house, in aroma, but all of them were varying degrees of time ready passed. fresh trails were no where to be found. a social dragon always seeks company, of course, so truly: he’d rather settle here for a moment than walk the empty walls. he doesn’t take a seat, yet, because this was her home. he had enough boldness to open the door himself, the rest needed a little more harmless permission. ]

I wouldn’t mind waiting here with you, if you don’t.
trouvaille: (028)

[personal profile] trouvaille 2019-12-17 08:59 am (UTC)(link)
( gwenaëlle judges it impolitic under the (vague, nonspecific, and totally fine actually) circumstances to note that on the rare occasions she's found herself in a comparable situation, she's opted for what she likes to think of as risky sushi. it's, like, free range. )

I'm kind of the opposite, ( she admits, instead. ) If I had a big enough kitchen and everything I needed and enough time, I could probably make you a seven course holiday meal, but I don't really—I mean, I'm sure I could figure out something a bit more practical, but I don't have as much...

( she makes a so-so hand gesture. )

I even make nice sandwiches. I don't have a broad middle ground between 'everyone get the fuck out of my kitchen I'm doing things' and 'I just remembered to eat an apple or something'. But I've been cooking more, here, I live with—well, just one person, now, Lambert went back through his mirror or whatever, but it's kind of nice making food for people. I don't hate it.
usurpers: (Default)

[personal profile] usurpers 2019-12-19 10:08 am (UTC)(link)
[ eren looks between the gestures and the cups, the offered drinks— with a heavy nod, he’ll drag a cup aside for himself. 1/4 of cider, only! the rest is filled with rum. more like rum spiked with cider, but it’s all good. he’d prefer alcohol numbing his lips than warm cider in this weather. either way, for his tongue, it’s wholly appreciated. ]

Thanks.

[ taking a seat would be his next journey, slow moving of course, but he gets to dragging a chair out and sitting in it comfortably. more at its edge, to make way for his tail, and soon enough maria would earn the same glance she gives. it takes two to tango, and with genuine curiosity: ]

How has hunting been?
usurpers: (Default)

[personal profile] usurpers 2019-12-22 07:04 pm (UTC)(link)
[ swirling the drink in the cup as she speaks, eren’s eyes begin to weigh, letting them rest but still very intent on listening. reminds him of when he was a boy, scolding the soldiers that drank merrily in plain daylight because of one-hundred years of peace. except, he wasn’t scolding here, just softly mulling over the fact until another sip beckons him. ]

Quietness is when I’ve always felt more restless. [ the worst happens when everything is quiet! ] Regular expeditions outside the Bright Wall, or deeper?

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