Chaos Dev

Kuhn shoots a glance to the woman in the snow, his right hand clenching to his left wrist to relieve what minor trembling was present from watching the bout. It was primarily adrenaline, yet..

"For a lesson in Freedom."

The shark keeps his words short and sweet, though there is an urge to say a few more things.

"I see now that this might be a bad time, though."

Gluttony. Back here?
(Kuhn)

Kuhn whispers: (and malentine screaming the word 'gluttony'......)

Malentine plucks a message out of the air that falls through a small rift that seals. He looks over it while the others speak and then sends it right back through another minor tear after writing on the back.
(Malentine Invidia)

The dryad's eyes flick only brief to the woman bleeding on the ground. While it was certainly alarming, she did not know her, nor did she want to intervene on whatever... Malentine was doing.

Tonantzin didn't seem particularly frightened, but the presence of the vampire was certainly unnerving.
(Tonantzin)

A moment of silence is offered as the group arrives some time after tremors rack their footing. Hatsu had shakily righted himself as they approached what was evidently the after-math of some bout. The state of the woman was acknowledged, looking upon them with a cold gaze. Surely, anyone who was brave enough to wander up here knew what they were signing up for, and the last thing he'd wish to deliver upon someone was pity. Such notions aggravated him more than anything, and his focus laid upon the man - if one could even call him such, before them.

 His name is uttered, and Hatsu could not help but momentarily squint as he peers down at Malentine with a shrewd expression. That voice was certainly Comedian's, and yet the shock upon his face is still evident.

"Perhaps I did not find you comedic because I was at the expense of the joke." He states quietly, not quite smiling but finding the irony in the name at last.
(Hatsu Wvelven)

The vampire floated closer to his best friends from the south. Tonantzin's discomfort was noted, as well as Kuhn's apparent adrenaline rush. Malentine was going to say something about both of them but it is Hatsu who spoke and said something that halted the vampire's train of thought. He smiled at the Wvelven, a fighter who was curious to a great many things.

But there were a bit more pressing matters on the Elder Invidia's mind.

"Oh it's always a sore sport who can't find humor at his own expense, hm?" He began lightly. "It was fun being in Cruxati… and a downright shame as to what happened. The Chieftain was such a good friend of mine.

You know we were brothers when my blood was pumping through his veins... Leland Invidia.. that's what I called him in secret. Of course he couldn't go by that name in public, he tried so hard to keep it a secret.

Alas." Malentine let out an exaggerated sigh and took a casual posture in the air, as if he was lounging on some invisible piece of furniture. "You've come to learn about Freedom? Why? What does Freedom have to do with the two of them?

What does Freedom have to do with hunting vampires when they travel a bit too far south, Kuhn?" Malentine tilted his head, his smile turning a bit crueler. "It's interesting... to see you come this far north without your best friend, a nagual who, under any given chance would exterminate my kind the world over."
(Malentine Invidia)

"Mital is a nagual. Naguals hate the undead. I won't defend his actions, and I won't claim them as my own." He gives his answer and releases his wrist, tilting his own head at the curious topic as it brought up.

"But that's how Gehenna has always been. Split down the middle between people that don't know how to play nice, and people that don't give a shit. You can guess which side I classify under."

Kuhn remains where he is, watching Malentine hover in the air and secretly wishing that he could float to. But his expression is a serious one as he reaches out to lightly nudge the two beside him.

"But that's what freedom is, right, my lord? Not caring about the actions and decisions of others and obtaining what it is you want out of this world, no matter how others would feel about it? Your definition is the reason why I went to Dawn to learn about the Storm from Arthur himself. Why I claimed the role of Chieftain in the Atl. It's the reason why I'm trying to spread the 'gospel' of the Arcane to those of my allies who will listen." He pauses for a moment, letting an ugly laugh slip up.

"Kehah.. we both know that the vampires that travel too far south aren't just there to visit, either. They come to hunt. To kill. Why would Mital or any Gehennan allow them to prey on our people?"
(Kuhn)


Malentine Invidia says, "Fair point."

Malentine Invidia says, "I just thought it was funny when you kissed him."

Hatsu Wvelven says, "."

Tonantzin says, "v\-"

Tonantzin says, "s"

Hatsu Wvelven asks, "???"
Malentine grins and snickers.
(Malentine Invidia)


Malentine Invidia says, "Welcome back."

Kuhn asks, ".. You were there?"

Malentine Invidia says, "*shrugs."

Malentine Invidia says, "f9dsaf"
Malentine shrugs.
(Malentine Invidia)

The situation before her was definitely troubling, though instead of commenting outright, the dryad retreats into her thoughts; not to mention, Kuhn had already spoken -- even with his words she reluctantly found herself so very interested in it all. Freedom meant she could do whatever she wanted, after all.

She looks between Kuhn, Malentine, and then Hatsu.

"He's right; if they come down to us to annoy us, then we have every right to just kill them."

That was all the input she would offer.
(Tonantzin)

Kuhn whispers something.

Hatsu did not go into detail on the matter of the Gehenna dealing with the vampires. It was no secret that his business laid with traveling the world and learning what he could, but he did not involve himself deeply into politics.
He was detached from the ties that constrained others, and while he was certainly welcome in Gehenna, it was apparent that his stake on the matter remained neutral at best. "This world is always war-torn. Regardless of who or what it is, people will find a reason to draw arms against one another." He states quietly.
(Hatsu Wvelven)

Malentine crossed his arms and legs and leaned back further in the air. He might as well be lying on some unseen mattress while they spoke. His Sinful emerald eyes flicked between each speaker, focused on what they had to say when explaining some sort of reasoning or other for venturing into the ruins of Baukdengrad itself. He addressed the dryad first, the girl he'd first met when Leland had been Chieftain.

"Oh I know. You're all very right. When my kin annoyed me well." A lazy hand gestured to the city behind them. "I took matters into my own hands. I found new friends. New allies. New things to put my faith into."

The once formidable fortress of Deidre's Vengeance was in shambles. The once beautiful town square of Bhaldraithe was completely demolished. Lamplights and statues littered the streets in pieces while nethradin skulked in the darker corners and stared out toward the group who mingled now on the frozen incline. And all the while they were sure to keep their distance. It seemed like they respected the vampire lord who had let them into this world that much at the very least.

"Freedom. As in they are here to understand the Arcane, are they not? Freedom as in... they wish to turn this world into what they see fit." He said to Kuhn, addressing the others now as if they weren't there. "And what have you told them, Kuhn? About me. I'm certain they've hard all sorts of rumors... but what do they think now? No wait--"

He smiled wide once again as he looked to Tonantzin and then Hatsu individually. "Honest opinions! What am I? To you? In all this? Trekking up here expecting a lesson or something. Kuhn I took an interest in. He has promise. Potential.

He'd kill you both if it meant more power for himself, right Kuhn?" He didn't bother to look the way of his pupil, but instead remained focused on the others. "Kuhn's told me his motivations. His reasonings for wanting to reach out and have a direct hand in Creation.

So who am I to you. And why are you here?"
(Malentine Invidia)

"You're someone who has suffered, but you won't receive pity from me, Lord Malentine. From what I've heard of you, as sparingly as it was, you've lost your loved ones. Repeatedly, at that. You're someone who has offered me guidance when I was lost, but I've acquired my purpose. To me, you are a path that I do not intend on trekking. To have what I value snatched from me by the fickleness of others, to be betrayed by those who come to me under false pretenses."

 Hatsu's expression was a difficult one to discern. He was not enraged, nor was he out to acquire untold power. His interests never laid there, and that's been a known fact. But.."You are a well of knowledge that I can not overlook. Someone far wiser than I currently am, though I wish to change that. This world is in a wretched state, but I don't care about most of the people in it. I'm here to fix the mind of a broken individual that I care for. And I will acquire further knowledge to mend that, as well as keep those I do care for alive."

 He's been wronged by many, and even now had people plotting his downfall without ever even speaking to them. Was this world even worth the effort to try fixing himself? He's unsure, but he's honest with himself, and where his desires laid, currently.
(Hatsu Wvelven)

Tonantzin lets out a visible breath.

She certainly didn't believe Kuhn would kill them for power.
Or, well, attempt to.

It goes unaddressed; instead, she mulls over his question: what did she think of the vampire? It certainly wouldn't be wise to insult the man right in his face, but Tonantzin wasn't very wise.

"...you're a monster with power and knowledge. You can do whatever you want and... apparently you've taught my friend how to do that. Kuhn doesn't have to worry about anything or... or people looking at him strangely. Doesn't have to worry about saying anything that might get him hated. He told me about 'freedom' when we came here, and-" She sighs to herself.

"...I want to learn how to do that in a way, or at least know what it means."
(Tonantzin)

Kuhn does little to confirm or deny the claim. In fact, he skips over it entirely, letting out another one of those awful laughs.

His tongue runs along his jagged teeth, letting out a visible breath in the freezing terrain. His response to the question hardly mattered- but their take on Malentine certainly did.

The Siren listens on while glance around the area, taking note of the cursed spirits and unholy abominations that loomed in the not-so-distant horizon as Hatsu and Tonantzin fessed up.

"I figured that they both have the.. potential to grasp ahold of the powers that be. The potential just needs to be.. unlocked. And you and I both would become more powerful for it."
(Kuhn)

Malentine rubbed his chin as they all spoke again. He almost looked entirely too bored with the whole situation, as if all interest he had in listening to what they had to say died out half way through. But terrible eyes continued staring, attentive to the last word. Reaching just at the back of their minds they'd feel it; a deep and hollow emotion of distant envy that provoked desires for things they don't have, things they may never truly grasp for themselves. It was a potent feeling, something that hung on the air around the vampire.

Finally he spoke, answering and giving some illumination to what was going on in his own head. "This one." He said, pointing at Hatsu while looking directly at Kuhn. "Cares too much. He cares for people. He cares for their lives. He is weak. Pitiable. Vulnerable. If he returns to me seeking power for others and not himself then he will have no place on this mountain save in pieces at its foot."

The threat of death was discussed quick and glazed over into Malentine's turn to Tonantzin now. "She's hesitant. Not impossible to unlock the potential but holds some reservations nonetheless. She will lose them the next we meet.

Like this, that is." He let out a laugh of his own, though his breath is completely invisible, even in this cold climate. "I do so enjoy my strolls through Cruxati, even now. The majesty of the wraith is gone but... call me a sucker for nostalgia."

He let out a sigh and stretched his arms as Malentine straightened up midair. "It will not be easy, as Kuhn has pointed out. But he is right in saying the two of you have the potential to become something better. We will need to have a more... concentrated meeting on the subject very soon.

For now? I would recommend not listening to the dribble of an Order Magi who calls herself head of your tribe. Or whatever my once prisoner is calling herself these days." There was some venom in the last statement, anger and disappointment over some internal insult that never mended. Whatever it was, there was little doubt he was referring to Ohtli.

"I must rest. It's been... tiresome dealing with wayward mortals. Return here in no less than a month's time if you wish to learn more. If you don't come back I'll assume you a lost cause. If you do...

Come prepared. Come changed. Don't waste my time."
(Malentine Invidia)

The feeling of boredom was mutual for the Prince of Sirens.. even more so with his shortened attention span. If Hatsu would have told him most of what he told the Vampire, he probably would have told him to trim it.

But here they were, at the end of an awkward timeline where the only option was to return home 'empty-handed'.

Yikes.

"Yah-Yah, a month's time? So be it. Ohtli's role as our 'leader' will be dissolved once Tona is ready. The two other Chieftain slots have already been taken over by Mital and myself."

Kuhn tucks a hand into his pocket and digs around for some time, only to pull out a mythril key and toss it over to Malentine.

He knew what it was for.

"Thank you for y'time as always. Hopefully our next meeting will be more.. fruitful."

He aims to lead the pack's departure and walk forward, feet crunching in the snow on his way. Naturally, he stops to hear what the others have to say.
(Kuhn)

Kuhn drops Key.

Malentine Invidia drops Orchilacum x3.

Kuhn picks up Orchilacum x3.

Malentine Invidia picks up Key.

In the midst of the maelstrom of thoughts that were swirling within her mind, she felt it. That one basic feeling that drove people to do so many things, sometimes good, sometimes outright terrible: envy. Large, pink eyes drift over to Kuhn for a moment. She was truthful in that she believed Kuhn to be so very free, to not really have a care in the world other than what they were going to do next. When Malentine speaks again, she's dragged into reality, at least for the moment.

To have threats uttered so casually was astonishing, but as quickly as the vampire addressed Hatsu, he had already directed his attention to herself. Oh, how she disliked being spoken of as some kind of student.

Even if that was what she came for, sort of, it was complicated.

...

No response is uttered, but if Malentine watched her, the cogs were definitely turning; each word spoken is thought over, for better or for worse.
(Tonantzin)

Hatsu's expression shifts into surprise by Malentine's words, only for his features to gradually shift into confusion. He cared too much for people, and that made him vulnerable? The young man was not easily malleable, but he had been twisting about in terms of his emotional state lately. The incompetence of one such individual he held dear had wound up betraying him in a sense, leaving him to be hunted down by individuals he likely hasn't even seen before.

 The recollection inspired a small series of back-tracking in the events that transpired. Where had she gone since then? Surely, not anywhere around him, and he had been left in the same state since. He wished to keep those around him safe, but they did not appear to truly place that same emphasis on his own life.

 One word struck a chord in the back of his mind, and it was one that he truly despised. Pitiable. Being looked down upon and being given sympathy. Slow trickles of blue light exude around him as he felt the cold bite of the void he's communed with bathe him in a numbing embrace. Was Vee the reason why he was vulnerable, now? Why he now was looking over his back, because of her?

 A hand rises upward to lightly plant itself upon the side of his head, frustration evident. Was he still that same lost lad that he had been when he left Huangzhou in search of both himself and knowledge? Forgotten his main goal - to venture to the Grand Library?

"I'll return, prepared." Is all he says, conviction in his tone as he moves to trudge off. He was losing sight of what drove him thus far, and was now being led off in order to burden the baggage of others.

 Above all else, he wouldn't cripple himself from that strain, only to be looked down upon as someone to be pitied. Rest assured, it was likely that he'd spend that month'stime severing that weakness.

 His pursuit of knowledge took precedence, and he had to remind himself of that as frost lightly coats portions of his clothing.
(Hatsu Wvelven)


Malentine Invidia says, "Farewell."

Malentine Invidia exclaims, "Until next time!"

Tonantzin says, "bye"