RP:Tapas, Trees, And Transmutation

This is a Necromancer's Guild RP.

Summary: Leralynn invites Tessa and Khitti to discuss going on a brief trip to the Shadow Plane.

The Thorne Estate, Vailkrin

Shishi || Leralynn had a discussion some time ago with Quintessa about planning an excursion into The Plane of Shadows in the interest of taking some meaningful steps of ridding her family of its chaotic curse. Of course Khitti’s name came up as a potential resource for this kind of activity, even if only as a means of entering the alternate plane, like a ferryman. Much time passed, there was some need for a certain trio of necromancers to lay low, and some more preparatory research was necessary before Orange was comfortable with setting up this meeting, or the teen just had cold feet, as even just shadow-stepping through that place for a moment or two was an uncomfortable experience for members of her family. Nevertheless, an invitation has been extended to Khitti and Quintessa to The Thorne Estate for tapas and a discussion on entering The Shadow Plane. Shishi || On the date specified Blue is outside the manor in the garden that spans the extent of the property on the street facing side of the main house, tending the grounds as he typically does; watering plants, uprooting weeds, and feeding carnivorous flora with guts or something. So he’ll be the somewhat dirt smeared face that first greets any expected guests...

Khitti || A nearly six foot tall redhead made his way down the street from the portal to the east, rose-tinted sunglasses planted on his face, despite the eternal darkness of Vailkrin. He was dressed in his usual slim-fit black suit and black boots, the dark red from his long-sleeve button-up shirt the only color in his whole ensemble (besides the glasses). Khitt stopped once he got to the Thorne Estate’s entrance, his lips twisted downward somewhat into a frown as he recalled the only time he’d been here. Well. -He- hadn’t been here, but -Khitti- had and it was practically the same thing since their memories had mingled together in that head of theirs. Khitt did not sport the same scars that Khitti had from the night Emrith had tried to murder Larewen, when she had to seek out Shishi to deal with the elder vampiress so that Khitti could teleport to the Tranquility and promptly nearly bleed out on Brand’s lovely wooden floor, but he felt the mental ones that night had left. With a heavy sigh, Khitt trudged on towards the front door.

Khitti || The gardening Blue was given a half-assed salute as Khitt wandered past. He didn’t know what the hell tapas was--rich people food probably--but he hoped it was good, since he was taking the metaphorical arrow to the knee for Khitti so she didn’t have to go. If the guy that looked like he could be Khitti’s brother made it to the door without Shishi’s interference, he’d knock. And if he didn’t? Well, he’d pinch the bridge of his nose and sigh heavily. Again.

Quintessa isn’t exactly one to ‘lie low’ but in the absence of keeping out of the public eye the warlock woman has, at the very least, not done anything illegal in a while. She thinks. It isn’t like running a secret network of anarchists, a county full of vampires, and a teaching gig that practices on dead bodies doesn’t come with its own occupational hazards. All things considered, Quintessa has been very chaotic neutral lately, which is an improvement to wanton evil for flimsy reasons. Either way, by the time the changeling has arrived at the Throne Estate she has been drinking. Probably not the best influence, but she came as soon as she got the missive and it is what it is. Smelling of expensive whiskey and clove, unsuccessfully masked by the scent of her fresh peach and cherry blossom perfume, Quintessa steps next to Khitt, relieved that he had taken the liberty to knock already. Quintessa || “Hey, I like the new look Kh-” Quintessa freezes, eyeing this masculine doppelganger with suspicion, a new cigarette held aloft before it reached her mouth. “Hold on a second.” Quintessa points her cigarette at him like a pointer stick accusingly. “What is this? Am I being pranked?” Mismatched eyes flicker over to Shishi with even more conjecture thrown at Khitt. “Blue? Are you in on this?”

Shishi probably only looks half as confused as Quintessa at this pseudo-Khitti knocking on the front door of The Thorne Estate. The Titan looks up from his gardening and raises a hand half-heartedly in greeting to Khitt and the changeling. When Quintessa addresses him, he puffs out his cheeks and lazily jogs over to the door, likely prompting that sigh from Khitt, “Hmm? In on it..?” He pokes at his top right fang with his tongue before somewhat annoyedly lamenting, “...I wasn’t even invited.” There’s a brief pause where the vampire eyes the redhead questioningly, but falls short of saying anything, because this guy looks enough like Khitti and magic exists and is weird and confusing. The half-hag earns a glance once more and at least a noise from the assassin as he exhales from his nose emphatically in classic disgust of those cigarettes she insists on. He looks like he’s about to say something but is cut off as the door to the mansion swings open revealing today’s host; The Orange Witch.

Shishi || The teenage half-elf smiles sweetly to Quintessa and Khitt, only breaking into confusion for half a second at the Khitti substitute. Blue earns a dark look from his daughter before her grin returns with a “Come in~!” The guests are then ushered inside and Shishi gets a door slammed in his face. Inside, the trio move through the foyer and towards the back of the house, their final destination being the kitchen where high chairs surround a large, long island covered in mostly finger foods, baked goods, and bottles of wine (both with and without blood) await. Of course there’s a bowl of pickled eyeballs for Tessa next to the plate of roasted octopus tentacles. Once the group is seated, a quadrupedal skeleton that looks to be made of a collection of bones from a diverse selection of corpses arrives on the scene and starts silently offering to open and serve drinks to Khitt and Quintessa. Meanwhile Orange finally addresses the elephant in the room, “I’m not sure we’ve ever actually met. M’Leralynn Thorne,” she introduces herself and extends a hand towards the Khittiesque man. Luckily Blue wasn’t here to hear her use that surname, but he probably flinches somewhere in the garden when it happens anyway…

Khitti || Khitt just eyed Tessa and Blue with a faint look of amusement until Orange invited the two in. He’d take his seat, surveying the food spread about the table as half-elf held out her hand and introduced herself. “You have met me, technically,” he said, “The name’s Khitt Herzegler.” Retracting his hand, he moved it to his chin, rubbing it a little in thought. “How to go about this without detouring your gathering with a ten hour tangent…” After a few moments, he snapped his fingers with an 'aha!'. "Basically, I am a variant of Khitti. My wife Annette is a variant of Brand. Two entities, one body." He looked to Leralynn, "You're already aware of that happening to Brand once. Dominic--the original one--was created by a priestess of Cire, the god of chaos, as a punishment for Brand and his not so savory deeds back in Catal. That woman's name is Viera." His attention shifted to Quintessa. “The same woman that Khitti claimed was her girlfriend for several months. Brand had murdered Viera and her soul somehow made its way to the Demon Archipelago. While the Warrior's Guild was there, she latched onto Brand and eventually possessed him and took over his body and brainwashed Khitti."

Khitti || Khitt sighed, his olive green line of sight fixing on the table in front of him. "That went on for months until she got bored. After that, she changed Khitti and Brand into Annette and I, with the intent on creating a body for herself via Annette, leading my wife to think she was pregnant. She killed Brand and Annette and got the body she wanted. Just before that, she returned Khitti and Brand’s memories to them, but Annette and I also still remained. For a while, the four of us were sort of… blendy together in our respective bodies until a point where things just sort of broke and we became our own selves again. Because of the length of time Viera inhabited Brand and Annette’s body, the two have somehow gained Viera’s illusion and shapeshifting magic, and that’s why I’m able to be outside while she takes a back seat for a bit. We switch back and forth, depending on the other’s mood or the events of the day.”

Khitti || “Annete and I have completely separate memories of a timeline that we supposedly belong to. Where Khitti’s family and village was murdered and she was “gifted” the dark magic she has, by those necromancers and the mindflayer, I was born with my magic. My parents are still alive. My twin, Lucius, is still alive, where her twin, Lydia, is not. I never became a vampire after I came here, I never had to find a cure, and I never died and came back like she did because I was never used with a being from the Shadow Plane.” He could go on, but should he…? “Khitti’s here.” He tapped his head. “She… didn’t want to come because of the last and only time she was here, when Emrith Kohl tried to kill Larewen and Khitti interfered, and then had to come get Shishi to take care of the Dragana woman. She still has flashbacks from it, from time to time. Happens when you’ve been poked and prodded with knives and scalpels all your life, I suppose.” He wondered if he was going to be forced to somehow prove he was who he said he was, especially by Quintessa. He was well aware of her suspicion of most people, as Khitti was the same.

Quintessa took a seat silently, allowing Khitt the opportunity to explain themself while she helped herself to some of her favorite treats; eyeballs. If the changeling was at any time surprised by this revelation, she didn’t show it, she merely nodded her head along with the story. “Yes, I remember,” Quintessa finally responded when Khitt spoke of Viera, the question of if Karasu would let her have a second girlfriend resurfacing in her mind. What a time to be reminded of that… The corners of her mouth turned down into a frown when the Demon Archipelago was brought up. Still the changeling had no memories of her time there or what had happened on that island, only a blank wedge remained and it brought great discomfort to her. “So that explains why things have been so quiet over there… I had decided to give you space so you and Brand… or Khitti and Brand… Annette?” Quintessa sighs, shaking her head. Gender was always a confusing subject to her, one that barely had any meaning to her, and when alternate timelines and variants got thrown in all bets were off. “Whatever. The point is that I should stop by to check up on you… or rather, Khitti more often so that strange women don’t turn up and start messing with her cute little family that I’m so very fond of.” Quintessa slid the eyeballs away from herself and propped her elbows on the table, allowing her hands to partially cover the lower part of her face in a pointed arch. Her mismatched eyes narrowed at him for a moment, something on her mind, the gears clearly turning.

Quintessa || “Emrith Kohl?” Her brow raised, her attention slowly drifting to Larelynn to check to see if she knew who that was before returning to Khitt. “Why have I never heard of this person before? If this person has it out for House Dragana, am I safe here?” It seemed Quintessa was far more concerned with this Emrith person than Khitt, at the very least at this current juncture. For now, letting him believe she believed him would serve well enough. “I have never been one to fight Larewen’s battles or to uphold the grudges that she’s built, but alas the vultures continue to circle. Should I add this name to my list? At the very least Khitti found it a harrowing enough experience that she chose not to come back here.

Shishi || Leralynn nods while Khitt begins to explain himself. She remembers Dominic and Brand sharing a body, and even witnessed the change between them once in person. She considers her family’s curse while trying to empathize with Brand in particular going through what she imagines is an ordeal of having multiple minds occupying one body more than once. Orange probably winds up looking far less chill about this tale than Quintessa while it is being told, especially when the priestess of chaos and new illusion magic are brought up. Where the changeling stops snacking is precisely when the half-elf tears into a chocolate croissant to try and hide her interest in all the wrong parts of the story. When Larewen Dragana becomes a crux of the explanation for Khitt’s presence, the blonde girl sets down what’s left of her bread and puffs out her cheeks uncannily evoking her father. Quintessa asks about Emrith and Leralynn waves dismissively, “He was one of Green’s, uh- Larewen’s…” she pauses and searches for a word with the letter ‘L’ stuck on the tip of her tongue, leaving a bad taste, “-Lackeys. Last I heard, he stole something from The Larketian Royals, delivered it to Frostmaw, and was in hiding… That was years ago though. Still, I don’t think you need to be too worried about that man…” her oceanic blue eyes drift towards the entrance to the kitchen and the front of the house, “It is probably dangerous for him to return to Vailkrin even without you knowing of him…”

Shishi || Satisfied with Khitt’s explanation, the girl waits for a break in whatever smalltalk is left between these three before moving onto the matter at hand. She leans over and produces a small notebook out of the bag she has hanging off of her seat and opens it on the countertop, revealing scribbles and notes that are probably too short handed to be understood by anyone but herself. She explains the goal of finding an object or material capable of holding and sealing a blood curse that originated from The Shadow Plane. The girl has a few ideas on where to look, but her best one is the Shadowfell equivalent of where The Druid Tree is on this plane. “Blue’s always had a connection to that place, and maybe even the tree, so there could be something there…” She looks to Khitt and asks if he or Khitti knows what, if anything, is in The Plane of Shadow where the holy trees are here. She’ll continue with the planning, “We’ll need a way in.” Again she eyes Khitti’s alternate as this is where her skills with the black tides would come in. Shishi || “Blue’s means to travel there are unreliable and I don’t want him to know about us doing this yet anyway.” Orange shrugs up her shoulders before saying this last part, as if retracting into a shell for fear of reprimand, “Of course, we should probably enter The Shadow Plane outside of Kelay… It is probably not smart for Tessa and I to show ourselves near The Druid Tree right now…” She forces a weak smile that probably ends up as more of a cringe…

Khitti || As the two others processed what had been said, Khitt poured himself a glass of wine and started grabbing a few things here and there to put on his plate. He shook his head at Tessa, though Leralynn got to answer the changeling first, leaving him to nod in Orange’s direction when she was finished. “What she said. This happened several years ago, when Khitti was still a vampire. She likely would’ve been fine had it not been a magic-draining dagger that he used and the fact that, even before he’d been turned into a vampire by Larewen, the elf was already incredibly agile. Khitti has been keeping an eye out for the idiot ever since. He’s just another on her list of those that got away, in terms of revenge. I doubt he’ll be back, and since Larewen’s bloodline is as corrupt as it is, he’s a few bats short in his belfry, so he’d be easily disposed of if he did decide to slither back here.” There was a strange sort of sternness when he talked about Larewen and that bloodline of hers. Khitti might occasionally have a soft spot for the Dragana woman, but Khitt didn’t trust her at all.

Khitti || Orange went on eventually to bring up the Shadow Plane and Khitt set to grazing about his plate as she spoke. “Khitti would be going with you, of course. There’s no telling what that place is like now that she and that druid healed the place. She’s only been there once since then and it was mainly in the Larket and Vailkrin areas.” He fell quiet, side-eyeing whatever was to his right, the expression on his face seeming to shift between a few different emotions. Finally, it was the faint look of annoyance that was the last to find home on his face and a sigh followed it. “She is yammering on about twenty thousand things at once--” That was an exaggeration, but still. “--so I’m going to risk getting yelled at later possibly by both Khitti and my wife and let Khitti tell you, whether she wants to be here or not. Thanks for the food. Sorry about the inconvenience. I’m sure we’ll see each other again since I’m not going anywhere.”

Khitti || He gave two taps of his finger atop the silver seashell bracelet that he and Khitti shared, and Khitt soon shifted into Khitti thanks to the enchantment that Brand and Annette had placed on the piece of jewelry. “I’m… going to murder his stupid ass,” she said, pinching the bridge of her nose in irritation. “Also, hi. He knows that’s only supposed to be used in an emergency. It only has so many charges and has a long cooldown in between each one.” She stopped. Sighed. “Anyway.” All of a sudden she was immediately aware of the fact that she was wearing Khitt’s clothes and that the shirt was a bit too tight in the chest area. Khitti facepalmed and urged herself to continue. “As I’d been trying to tell him, before Jessamine and James frakked the whole place up, this area--” She pulled out her copy of the book of the Shadow Plane that she’d translated herself, opening it up to the middle of the book where the map was, and pointing from Xalious to Milous and down to the Enchantment. “--is called the White Woods. It’s not only full of plants that give off poisonous spores but also these treants that move faster than you can see, unless you’re looking right at them. Problem is that… Everything there looks the same. I can deal with the spores though. Undead are fine going through there, but we wouldn’t be. So, years ago, when I first went there, I had masks made up for a few people that went with me.” She pointed then to Larket’s mirror, the Lake of Echoed Screams; Cenril’s mirror, the Moor of Mourning; and Vailkrin’s mirror, Helshade. “Each one of these areas are safe. I have been to all three, have allies in all three of them. Any of those three places would be closest, so just pick one and I can guide us. I’ve since gotten the ability to teleport to those three areas, as well as the Harbor of Horror on the east side of the continent, for the moment, because they’re all safe.” There were some that wouldn’t agree with Khitti’s notion of “safe” with regards to that place, but… “I haven’t been that far into the forest in any of the areas that the holy trees are in, but it shouldn’t be hard to find it.” After she finally finished speaking, she hesitated a moment. Wait, did Orange say that she helped Tessa too? Sigh. Well. The past was past and what’s done was done. Khitti wasn’t even sure if she cared anymore about that stuff. She was just grateful that Tessa wasn’t hurt too badly. “I have my own reasons to go to the Shadow Plane again, but I suppose it shouldn’t be a part of this trip.”

Quintessa || “Lackeys.” Quintessa repeated the word, her tongue tracing the point of her canine in a tick of annoyance. “Him and half of Lithyrdel it seems. Between Larewen and Artia there aren’t many people they haven’t bedded, or worse, pulled into their half baked schemes.” The cigarette that was never lit earlier is reproduced and placed into her mouth to cease her mudslinging. The last thing she needed was to give Orange and Khitt the wrong idea about her House. With a snap of her fingers and a drag of her smoke, she inhales once before exhaling the cloud above her head. “Either way, if I catch wind of this Emrith I’ll be sure to see he is accosted, if not House Dragana, then for Khitti.”

Quintessa || As the subject shifted to the Shadow Plane Quintessa silently smoked her cigarette, eyes shifting back and forth as the two others spoke. It wasn’t as if the changeling didn’t understand what they were talking about- it was just her knowledge of that particular thing that was something she had neglected. It wasn’t until Khitt brought his words to a hasty close and shifted back into Khitti did Quintessa stare, wide at the object on her neck. “That object…” The warlock was nearly drooling over it, leaning closer, her cigarette ashes falling under their own weight. “That would be so useful for my studies- oh! Help with the transformation artifacts I’ve been working on for Karasu… With something like this I-”

Quintessa stopped herself, realizing where she was and who she was speaking to before she blabbed anything else. Sometimes her excitement got the better of her, but at least she was able to control herself after a moment. “Excuse me,” she said, sitting back and dusting the ashes from her lap. “Besides popping in and immediately back out again with the aid of my boots, I don’t visit the Shadow Realm often- especially not alone. If we need to avoid the White Woods by traveling through Kelay on this side, it shouldn't be an issue; The families harmed during the assault on the Druid’s Tree were paid reparations and they won’t be looking for us.” She paused to take a hit from her cigarette, licking the taste from her lips before she exhaled and continued. “So we have our options. Naturally, I will defer to your expertise in this particular area, Khitti, my ‘Mistress of Shadows’,” Quintessa smirks at her own joke, knowing titles and the like were mostly meaningless to Khitti. “As much as I love a little sight-seeing, I’d rather not have to construct an antidote of a poison I’ve yet to encounter mid expedition.”

Quintessa || Mismatched eyes flickered suddenly back to Larelynn. “And what exactly is our objective once we get there? I know we are searching for something to contain that blood curse, but what exactly are we going to find there?” Quintessa allows the ashes to fall to the floor as she trails off, her imagination running wild. “Perhaps a dark reflection of the Druid’s Tree? Perhaps a powerful ent-like being like you said. Hmm, I’m rather excited thinking about it now…”

Shishi || Leralynn puffs out her cheeks and shrinks in her chair, shrugging up her shoulders when Khitt talks about the vampiric bloodline that, as far as Lithrydel is concerned, has Orange’s father as its origin point. Then Quintessa comes right in and calls out Green’s list of lovers, which again isn’t something Blue’s daughter would care to discuss, now or ever. The blonde elf is grateful for the muzzling effect of the cigarette that the changeling lights up and is happy that the subject moves onto the thing she had planned this meeting for. She doesn’t even have time to understand what is happening and say goodbye to Khitt before the transformation is complete and Khitti sits across from her. “Gwah~...” She eyes the bracelet that seems to have made this switch possible, but Quintessa is more aggressive about her intrigue so The Orange Witch just sits back, staring at the item and listening to Khitti’s frustrated description and the warlock’s envies. Karasu’s name earns a subtle eye roll, but nothing more. Khitti says ‘undead are fine going through there, but we wouldn’t be,’ and Leralynn gives Tessa a sideways look. All this talk of poisonous spores and undead begs the question, “Do you think Kanna would come with us?”

Shishi || Orange ponders what Khitti has laid out and delicately places her finger over The Helshade on the map in the book. “If those three are our choices, I’d want to go in from Vailkrin, but if you think there’s a better option we’ll take it. You’ve been on the other side more than the both of us combined, probably.” She looks at Quintessa now and nods thoughtfully, “Aye. If there is a reflection of The Druid’s Tree there, I think we should try to harvest some wood from it, similar to what the Mages do in Xalious to make the staves and wands.” The blonde girl is curious about what exactly Khitti’s pending Shadow Plane errands are, but, perhaps not to distract herself, she holds her tongue on asking about them…

Khitti || Leralynn’s annoyance with Larewen was not lost on Khitti and she smirked somewhat as the girl’s cheeks puffed up like one of Khitti’s son’s pocket dimension monsters. Particularly a certain pink one with a penchant for singing and putting everyone to sleep with said song. “Ah, the bracelet itself is ordinary. It was a gift from Brand and the first Dominic some time ago. It’s just merely enchanted with Brand and Annette’s shapeshifting magic.” She thought about it for a moment, then shrugged. “Sounds like you should check into transmutation magic. My assistant Camina actually uses that type of alchemy. It’s a part of spatiomancy, like shadow-stepping is and it’s the reason why the inside of Brand’s ship is so massive, despite being much smaller than a galleon.”

Khitti || Back to the task at hand, Khitti gave both of them a nod, “Helshade it is then. The city is massive. It’s essentially their central hub, like Kelay is for Lithrydel. But I’d advise bringing some sunglasses or something. When I say it’s the opposite, I mean it’s the opposite--it is daylight twenty four hours a day. Or… however many hours they actually have in a day.” She blinked. “Time moves a little differently there. Not by much though. It may be best to separate these trips to the holy trees. That way if something goes wrong, and we need to resupply whatever, we can do so. But, that’s entirely up to you two. Regardless, I can bring us back to Helshade once we find the trees.” Musing on things, Khitti finally started digging into what Khitt had left on his plate and finished his wine as well.

Quintessa brings her cigarette to her mouth to take a drag as she nods in Orange’s direction, reaching over to flick her ashes to the floor before answering her. “Yes, I think Kanna should come with us. Now that she is a Sceleratus I believe she should experience the Shadow Realm first hand- she’s ready for it.” The changeling pauses only to look at Khitti before she continues on. “Kanna’s expertise in necro-botany will be useful in the White Woods, especially if what we encounter resembles the Xalious Tree at all; it’ll likely require a special touch to even bypass the bark. These magical trees… They are all quite resilient, and no doubt their shadow counter-parts are the same.” Quintessa finished her cigarette and exhaled a clove scented cloud above their heads that lingered for a long moment.

Quintessa || “Remind me, Khitti, to get in touch with your assistant. That subject is very much one that interests me- speaking of other matters for a moment, I have my thesis on shadow-stepping written up and I’d like to compare it to your experiences- see where our similarities and differences lie. I believe it might expand your current knowledge on the Black Tides, even if ever slightly so.”

Quintessa || “Anyway, where were we?” Quintessa drags her plate back over and begins to pick at it while she muses their impending expedition. “Helshade sounds a bit… unpleasant, but it will suffice. I can have Stewardess Cladach organize the logistics on my end. If needed I could supply an entire mortal army in my holding for several months- much more than we’ll need for this endeavor, which I have no issue funding. Once Saorsa looks over the numbers I’ll have a good idea how much we’ll need to bring with us. This trip couldn’t take longer than a fortnight, right?”

Shishi || Leralynn nods thoughtfully while considering appropriate attire for The Helshade and White Woods. “Aye.” She says finally before continuing, “The longest Blue’s ever been there is for hours at a time, I think. Just visiting where the mirrored Druid Tree might be should be enough for this trip.” The half-elf frowns, somewhat worried about how she and her family’s curse will react to any extended stay in The Plane of Shadows. The girl looks towards Quintessa and tilts her head, “This shouldn’t necessarily be an assault.” Khitti gets a glance for confirmation, “Unless it has to be…” then back to the changeling, “I think going mostly undetected might be our best option. In which case we shouldn’t bring too many extra people.” Her voice is faltering, an unusual look for the normally ridiculously confident necromancer, but she does know what she thinks the best plan is here, she’s just terrified of being wrong…

Khitti nodded in agreement with Quintessa, “While I’ve yet to have the pleasure in meeting with Kanna and witnessing her abilities, a necrobotanist would certainly prove useful. There’s not much to be done about the spores, but should this possible tree prove difficult to deal with, then it’s for the better that she does come along.” She thought about it all for a moment, then shrugged, nodding at Tessa’s need for a reminder to meet up with Camina at some point, but leaving it at that and committing the reminder to memory. “I did spend the night there once--” She coughed awkwardly. “--with Viera. But, that was in Helshade.” She failed to mention the fact that Meri got stuck in the Shadow Plane for a month or so, has PTSD from it, and refuses to go there again. “I’m sure we’ll be fine however, even if this does take several hours.. Khitti stood up, snatched up one of the sweets from the table, took a bite and stretched a bit. “Regardless of whether or not it’s me or Khitt, we’ll get you to the druid tree in one piece. Or mostly one piece, anyway.” The redhead was joking, of course. Maybe. There was an innocent batting of her eyes. “Thanks for the food. Lemme know when you want to go, yeah?” If there was nothing else, she’d head out, leaving the two to their own devices.

Quintessa gave Khitti a cheerful wave as she left but did not stand to leave herself, lingering for a moment longer so that the two of them could speak privately. The cheerfulness surrounding the changeling quickly withered away once Khitti was gone, becoming a dark air of pure disapproval. “'It is probably not smart for Tessa and I to show ourselves near The Druid Tree right now.'” She repeats the half-elf’s words, bringing up Leralynn’s blunder as if she didn’t already know what she said earlier. “Really Orange, you must learn to cover up your wrongdoings better. Why did I take sole blame if you are going to openly speak of your involvement?” Quintessa moves her cigarette butt away from her face before her free hand slowly raises to clench into a fist, a tiny burst of entropic magic snuffing the life from the cigarette’s cherry before she lets it fall from her fingers to the floor. “As necromancers we are going to have to do things that the tiny minded masses of Lithyrdel cannot possibly understand. They will call us villains. They will call us monsters. They will say that our very livelihood is a profane mockery of life itself... and sometimes they will be right when they say it.” She folds her hands upon the table as she turns her mismatched gaze to fix onto the young elf’s own eyes, her expression softening a bit before she parts her lips to continue. “This is why nobody can know that you or Kanna had anything to do with the Druid’s Tree and the Xalious Tree. You must allow me to be your scapegoat- You have your entire career ahead of you to think about. Allow me to do this as your teacher- nay, as your friend, Leralynn. It was wrong for me to involve you in the first place.”

Shishi || Leralynn puts on a sweet smile and sends Khitti off with a wave, “Aye, thanks. We’ll be in touch.” The wine pouring skeleton moves ahead of the departing guest, opening doors for the redhead where appropriate up until she is outside of the house. Shishi is still in the garden out front and is positively baffled to see Khitti leaving the meeting that Khitt arrived at. The assassin drops what he’s doing, puffs out his cheeks and confusedly waves goodbye to the former vampire. Back inside the kitchen, Orange’s cheery expression fades to match Quintessa’s. The blonde breaks eye contact and purses her lips before apologising, “Sorry… I thought she knew already. I mean, she was right there, you know..?” She tells herself that this explains why she hasn’t been tapped for Thanadule yet, she thought those tar amalgams she used in the Xalious assault were a pretty good application of practical necromancy, but if no one knew she made them, that wouldn’t matter. The half-elf turns her oceanic eyes back towards her teacher and nods, “Aye… I haven’t told anyone else.” A determined look washes over the girl’s face before she adds, “And I don’t care what they all might think about us. They don’t matter. This is what I want to be.” She gets a little choked up with that last statement and the coloration of her irises shifts and lightens briefly, a chaotic energy swelling out from her before subsiding and disappearing as she regains her composure and natural eye color with a few purposeful blinks and deep breaths. With all that out of the way, Leralynn keeps Quintessa in the building for a little longer with the story of the prank Yellow pulled on his twin sister and the absolute beatdown he received in payment...