"You already have."

**Me, having some me time in my manse**

Softly, Viravain, Lady of the Thorns says, "Gurashi."

Viravain taps Her fingers on Her lap, Her sky-blue eyes unreadable as She stares at you.

Loud to the point of seeming reverberation, cicadas play out buzzing dissonances.

You blink.

You close your eyes and inhale deeply, absorbing the scent of your surroundings.

look
A cloistered study.                                    (#HAH_8)
Upon entering this compact study, one might assume a library had exploded. Books, scrolls, and loose sheets of paper of all sizes and colors are stacked in perilous towers, half-shoved into drawers and cubbyholes, and strewn across the floor. Large, hand-drawn maps are plastered to the walls, with various details circled in multi-hued inks, illegible notes scrawled next to them. Beside these, numerous sketches of Wyrden iconography and Wyrden-themed equipment and clothing cover the remainder of the walls, save for one small, tightly shut window. Scattered along various surfaces, seemingly at random, are a number of personal effects; here a dried cicada carcass, there a withered black rose, and for some reason a half-eaten piece of cake of indeterminable age. The only tidy surfaces are the writing desk, chair, and a path cleared through the litter from them to the door. The engravings upon its surface weathered to near indistinctness, a five-tiered, petrified ravenwood bookshelf rises eminently here. A panoply of colours highlights a resplendent tapestry depicting the nations of the Basin hanging here. A highly polished ravenwood desk sits here, the drawers closed. A sturdy chair of polished darkwood has been placed here. Swinging from a copper chain, a rotund stained glass dreameater caterpillar lantern hangs here, sending a myriad of hues dancing around the room. In the shape of an open palm, a metallic sigil lies here. A gilded pedestal, displaying a painting of an adapted muku ball of water, stands here, its gold leaf cracked and weathered. A gilded pedestal, displaying a painting of King of the Ocean Hamsters, stands here, its gold leaf cracked and weathered. A figurine of Czixi stands here, memorialising Her noble spirit. A gilded pedestal, displaying a painting of Puppet of Fate, stands here, its gold leaf cracked and weathered. Perpetually ticking away the hours, a Splendid Clock of the Dawn stands proudly nearby. Completely motionless, a slender leothin intently surveys its surroundings. Viravain, Lady of the Thorns sits here upon a polished darkwood chair, wreathed in divine fire. You may use the BOOKSHELF commands here.
You see exits leading south (closed door) and west (open door).

Voice bright and clear, you say, "M..."

look viravain
She is a radiant immortal and is possessed by a ghostly countenance that haunts the very depths of Her being. Shimmering hair the colour of a harsh winter's snow spills over Her shoulders and down Her back in a straight fall, meticulously twisted into a loose plait mid-back with a single bit of silver thread. Striking pale blue eyes are deep set within Her youthful face, haunted and fathomless as they rarely stay focused in a single place. As befitting Her youthful appearance, Her figure is slight and willowy and each of Her arms is slender, ending in sylphlike fingers and meticulously sculpted nails. Dark shadows swarm sinuously at the corners of Her slender silhouette, their movements manifesting a phantasm of bewitching grace.
She is wearing:
an earring fashioned from a feather of Crow through Her left ear
an exquisite, intricately webbed black rose brooch nestles against Her chest, holding closed Her cloak
a tenebrous gown of manifold shadows
a ghastly white silk pouch draped lightly around Her waist
an earring fashioned from a feather of Crow through Her right ear
a hooded cloak of stygian darkness billows around Her like living shadows, drifting in slow-moving waves
a crown of midnight black roses rests atop Her head, black vines twisting into the white tresses of Her hair.

You have emoted: Gurashi opens his mouth, then shuts it again. Opens, and shuts a second time.

Voice bright and clear, you exclaim, "...M-My Lady!"

You turn to Viravain, suddenly bending at the waist to offer a polite half-bow.

Viravain ceases to wield a wickedly curved scythe.

Stammering as he finds his words, you say, "H-how, uhm. Gosh! What an unexpected surprise! And we all heard fr..." He shakes his head, standing up straight and clasping his hands together. "...h-hello, My Lady. How do you do."

Lifting Her lips into a half smile, Viravain, Lady of the Thorns says, "That was quite a prayer. It inspired Me to entertain your question in person, rather than sending Khasur."

You blink.

You have emoted: Gurashi swallows hard, bringing one hand up over his heart. "Oh... er. M-many thank Yous."

You see the following people here:
Viravain, Gurashi.

Mirth still stretched across Her expression, Viravain replies, "You sound confident that I am not here to kill you."

You have emoted: Gurashi furrows his brow, his expression twisting. "....e-er, I mean." He looks about the study quickly, then back to Viravain with a gasp. "I-I do not know what expected. Or am expecting. Uhm," A pause, "...b-b-but if You want to! O-of course You may, M-My Lady!"

You flail about helplessly.

Tilting Her head, Viravain, Lady of the Thorns says, "Do not tell Me what I may or may not do. I am an Elder Goddess."

The smile still etched on Her lips, Viravain, Lady of the Thorns says, "I am fully aware of your powerlessness here."

You have emoted: Gurashi quickly shuts his mouth, dropping his hands again to his side and nodding once curtly to Viravain.

You think to yourself: **rapid flashes of color, the entire spectrum, a wash of fearful white and silvery anticipation**.

You stare at Viravain, eyes wide.

Shifting Her scythe on Her lap, Viravain settles back against the chair. "What do you wish of Me, Gurashi? An invitation to join Mysrai's Order? To align yourself with another's devotions?"

You have emoted: Gurashi straightens a bit, letting out a breath he didn't realize he had been holding since Viravain's previous statement. "...I-I ..." A pause, before he adds, "Er. Mean." Another pause. "Yes. Would like to help the Shofets."

Shadows flicker over the blue surface of Viravain's eyes like crows over snow.

Quickly, you exclaim, "B-but, think They can be helpful to the Glomdoring, too...!"

Viravain raises an eyebrow questioningly.

Viravain, Lady of the Thorns says, "They will swear Themselves to the Wyrd?"

A gust of wind causes the many wind chimes to crash and clatter together chaotically, accompanied with the steady patter of rain.

Viravain, Lady of the Thorns says, "They will put the Glomdoring first? They will turn away from the false order of the city They've built in Their image and value nature above all else?"

Voice bright and clear, you say, "I... know They have already helped the Lord Silence! Aided Him when He was hurting, yes... " He wrings his hands together. "I do not know why They would bother, if They did not at least have some respect for the Glomdoring... and... it..."

Nervously, you ask Viravain, "I-I... mean, everything starts -somewhere- yes?"

The raucous, corvine laughter of crows emanates from the Mistress of Thorns, though Her lips do not part in laughter.

You have emoted: Gurashi glances towards Bizirik, who has been watching this entire exchange with an expression mixed with interest and smugness. "...it is just a seed, My Lady." He clasps his hands together. "A thought."

Her voice a sinister breeze through dead branches, Viravain, Lady of the Thorns says, "I see. You would wrap your obsession with the Chaos City in false promises to Me. That you would bring the Thousandfold into My garden."

You blink.

You think to yourself: ... ob...session?

You tilt your head, gaze softening as you frown.

Viravain gets up off a polished darkwood chair.

You think to yourself: ...Chaos City - does mean Gaudiguchs?

Quietly, you say, "T-they said... that They are not... uhm, Gaudiguchs."

Lowering his voice further, you say, "Er, unless meant the city in Their realm, which is -very- crazy, yes...."

You think to yourself: So many crazy cities.

You have emoted: Gurashi shakes his head, then quickly returns his gaze to Viravain, frowning, determined.

The smile not leaving Her eyes, which churn with shadows, Viravain, Lady of the Thorns says, "You will tell the Glomdoring that you wish to join the Thousandfold. What they do to you is up to them."

Viravain reaches out to tenderly cup your cheek in Her hand.

You blink.

You blink.

Voice bright and clear, you ask Viravain, "... My.... Lady?"

Softly, lightly, motherly, Viravain, Lady of the Thorns says to you, "Is that not the answer you were hoping for, My Bumblebee?"

You think to yourself: **sweeping waves of confused, hazy gray, blue, lilac, inquisitive... then, slowly, pink, gold - roses**.

You have emoted: Gurashi looks utterly taken aback. Confusion, his brow furrowed. He reaches up, touching the hand on his cheek, still taken aback. "Oh, I - it..." He stares. "....I-I won't let You down, My Lady... nor the Glomdoring - I swear!"

Viravain smiles, the smile no longer touching Her eyes, which now burn with shadowfire. "Oh, but My Gurashi." Her hand that cups your cheek squeezes sharply, ripping flesh from your human face. "You already have."

Coiling sinuously about Her petite frame, stygian shadows cloak Viravain in an unnatural darkness and evanesce into the aether, leaving behind only the faintest scent of roses.

A whistling sound fills the air as a wickedly curved scythe whirls by high overhead at incredible speed.
A whistling sound fills the air as a wickedly curved scythe whirls in with incredible speed, slamming into you forcefully and pinning you to the ground. As your consciousness fades, you hear the ominous jingling of bone chimes that hang from the base of the scythe. A ghostly fire bursts forth, consuming the last of your senses.
You have been slain by Viravain.
The mortal threads of your being severed, you scream in agony as the Divine spark within you enfolds your body with scorching flames.


(The Shadow Kindred): Indrosiril says, "What did you done do?"

Nyana tells you, "Oh dear. What did you do?"

(Trasto): Aknarin says, "Bad Gurashi."

(Trasto): Steingrim (from the Realm of the Predator) says, "Too much baking powder."

Shulamit tells you, "*exceptionally quiet soothing comforting sounds hover around you*."

The favour of Viravain has worn off.

Viravain, Lady of the Thorns has bestowed Her divine truedisfavour upon you. It will last for 5 months.