RP:Evil Comes a-Knockin'

Part of the Rest in Pieces: Vailkrin! Arc

Summary: Larewen collects on her deal with Artia, thus relocating the necrobotanist and her infant child to Vailkrin.

Artia's Ranch

In the dead of night, an unsettling presence arrives outside of Artia's ranch. Glad in a dark cloak over a simple, verdant gown, a familiar necromancer, a devil with whom Artia once made a deal with, approaches the door to her abode. Tap, tap, tap, she raps upon the portal, seeking entrance and audience with one of the younger of her sirelings. There is a glint in mismatched eyes, a near mad fever dancing in their depths. "Artia," she calls, her voice a haunting echo.

Artia was in middle of feeding, the enchanted vine had wrapped around an unsuspecting victim she had brought home from the tavern. Feeding and sending the blood directly onto her vines, eyes closed shut with a sadistic teethly grin upon her plump lips. Yet when Larewen got closer to the ranch the black fog began to leak out from artia unsuspecting, such fog carried acid which began to melt the flesh from the victim. Orbs jerked open at the sound of Larewen voice beckoning out to the necrobotonist, vines pulled back into the awaiting enchanted tattooed upon the firearms. Ava, the child had been asleep. Standing as the victim was left upon the floor in a daze melting away to answer the door. “Madame.” Artia looked like a porclein doll, her eyes for the moment had a good starburst to them which was leaving as her hunger was sated.

Larewen's gaze fixes upon Artia as she answers the door, a wicked grin curling pale, scarred lips. Her left eye was no longer the silver of Irenic's, but now one of a deep, emerald green. Perfectly fitting for the would be Queen of Darkness. Upon her left hand, she wears Shishi's engagement ring once more. Ichor seeps through the verdant gown, the stench of corruption polluting the air around her. "It is time for you to relocate to Vailkrin, dear heart," the necromancer says, her voice sweet as poisoned honey. "Ava, too." As she speaks, she extends a gloved hand, palm upward. In it rests the skull of a rat, blackened with dark magic. Its eyes are set with glittering, eldritch gems. "You will not be allowed the weakness of tenderness in Vaikrin, but you will become strong and feared."

The feel and scent of corruption about Larewen was a delightful poison to Artia, the gold burst in her eyes left leaving the cyan blue behind. She noticed the what would be an engagement ring up in her finger, which was given a smirk. “I gladly move to be with my mistress, I leave behind Larket for you as I promised I would.” The rats skull with the dark magic was like a magnet to the fledgling, reaching out a pale hand towards it. The floral outside artia door began to wither away into it's own death as once more the fog moved out from under Artia feet. “I shall gather Ava, and we can leave. I'll leave the body here, it's empty or is offer you some.” If nothing else was said she would grab the sleeping child and appear back at the doorway.

Upon taking the skull, Artia would find herself linked to an entire network of the talismans. It is a communication device, used to talk with other similar objects. Larewen's lip curls upward. "This will allow you to communicate with my allies and those that have shown their loyalty to my claim to the Throne of Vailkrin," the necromancer explains. "When I take my throne, you will be my Royal Apothecary. I have plans for you already, but first, we will move you. Shishi, you already know. My true betrothed, you will meet when the time is right."

Artia mind was rushed with the power of connections that she now had, the rat skull would be kept upon her at all times. Looking upon Larewen, smirking. “We are ready to go home with you. I am already your apothecary, my dark queen.” pausing, "What are your plans pray tell? Shishi, I do from the vermin war."

"First, to topple the more powerful Houses in Vailkrin: House Nasar, Ventra, Torrador, and Mahara will fall; the Black Library will be mine. Then, once I have the Throne under my command, Vailkrin's army will rise again - a scourge upon Lithrydel," she answers and there is a glimmer of wicked delight in her mismatched eyes. "Your talents could be useful to create poisonous agents that will spread plague among the living, and our cure will make them ours for the taking."

The glimmer in Larewen eyes would most likely scare anyone, but Artia find a odd peace to it. Her eyes went wide, walking past Larewen to a full well grown healthy tree with bright green leaves. Artia placed a hand yo the tree, her veins became visible with a green glow. Sucking the life essence from the flora, within seconds the green turned black which went back into the tree leaving the bark to look charred and burnt. The leaves having what looked like mold growing on them, from down into the roots the grass around did the same. “I can do that, as well my touch sends a plaque I have found. I am still discovering what I can do now.” Moving back to Larewen, cradling the sleeping ava closer to her chest. "Have I told you lately I love the way your mind works? Only you hold the cure, because you have the apothecary that saved Market from such before." a low chuckle came from her chest.

A cold grin curls the necromancer's lips as she watches the necrobotanist's magic work upon the tree. "Perhaps I'll have to have you touch up the landscape at the Castle, too," she remarks, more to herself as an acknowledgement of her approval of the woman's twisted magic. She'd gone from druid to blighter, and that was a particularly pleasant sight to behold. Her mismatched gaze turned to toward Ava then, and she held out her arms for the child. "May I?" Not that Larewen felt the need to ask permission; the fact that she bestows such propriety on Artia is a sign of respect for the apothecary. "That is the plan," she continues, in regards to the plague. "Make the living realize that they need the dead, and thus deter them from launching an attack upon our City."

Larewen had shown in her way approval of how Artia new found magic can work, which caused a larger grin to appear on the ruby lips. As for asking to hold Ava, the was an of course she could. Like their deal, Larewen would keep Ava safe, alive and protected. No reason for Larewen not to meet the young sleeping child, carefully she handed over the child who stir awake. One very and one ocean blue eye looked directly up into the new person holding her who had mismatched eyes too. Only causing Ava to smile with her swollen teething gums, a tiny hand reached up to Larewen face giving a barely above whisper coo. The tiny grey wings disappeared to leave behind a human looking child, “She is a shape shifter. Ava-marie, this is Larewen we are moving with her.” Ava eyes didn't move from Larewens only to let out a soft giggle. “The living should be reminded of the need for the dead, your plans are perfect.”

The elf takes the child with surprising tenderness. It's the sort only a woman that has longed for motherhood and been denied such can manifest. Her arms curl gently beneath Ava, mismatched eyes studying the infant's with a curiosity that borders on a ferocious love. If one is to take the details into account, the infant Larewen now holds is her grandchild. She watches as the wings fade away, shifting back into the child and then she gently presses a scarred finger to the bairne's lips. "Shh, dear heart. We have a ways to travel, and the place we are going might scare you at first, but you will come to love it as we all do. Your new home is ready, dear girl," she whispers quietlyl to the child before glancing back to Artia. "Gather what you need for now. Sigmund and Aisen will come for the rest of your belongings. Simply let them know what you'd like. There is a room prepared within House Dragana for you, and the closet within has been turned into a nursery. Whatever you require for Ava will be provided to you."

Artia watched the longing that appeared on Larewen's visage, reading and knowing that longing before Ava came along. Ava dad was missing again, but now she had a bigger family and protective family luckily that Larewen accepted the deal. The child yawned, nuzzling into Larewen embrace going back to sleep with a content hum trusting her mother to not let anyone dangerous hold her like so. “This is all I need, I can gather more. i am excited yo see the room, but I will want the nursery crib I have her moved as someone I once loved dearly made that for a child we were expecting. I will give Sigmund and Aisen the list, thank you again.” Larewen was her mother in a way now, and Ava indeed the grand child.

Larewen dips her head, one hand disentangling from the girl and gesturing in the direction of the crib. Shadows swallow it, transporting it into another realm, where it may be carried alongside them and summoned once more when they've arrived at House Dragana. Nothing else is said to the necrobotanist. Instead, she turns and exists the ranch, waiting but a few moments for Artia join her at her side before she's leading them home.