RP:The Frozen Woman of House Ara

House Ara

The primary floor of the House of Ara was completely demolished so a newer, larger, and sturdier floorplan could take its place. Upon entering the building through heavy double doors, you will find yourself standing on oceanic-blue marble floors. The walls are white, backlit by mahogany trim. There is a receptionist desk, manned by a small Elvish girl with stark white hair and very pale skin named Mei. She will be able to direct you to the lavish patient rooms that are located up twisting staircase, the kitchens down the North corridor, the surgical facilities to the east or the teaching clinic to the west. The ceilings are high and the acoustics pick up the click-clack of your heels as you make your way to Mei. The Guild Tutor, Mr.Fennigan would be more than happy to serve as your escort, or fetch a wheelchair and a medic should there be cause for one.

Kyori'd been told by Larz to head to the Devout's Sanctuary in Kelay. Trouble was, he wasn't familiar with the regions and it landed him in Larket before he knew it. No signs point towards a sanctuary. The fort in Larket was impressive, he stopped to admire the crowd of guards patrolling the court yards and surrounding exterior. He's road weary in appearance, save his short messy golden crown and the extravagent jeweled hilt of the blade strapped to his back in an all black scabbard. He's dressed in leather and light weight gear, riding boots, and cigarette smoke. His footsteps fall silent outside an unusual building that gives off santuary vibes. Maybe this was the Devout Guild Larz had mentioned? Never mind the sign that said 'House Ara'. He didn't know who or what Ara was.

Standing in the door of Ara was a small child with curls of midnight black falling down past her waist. The girl appeared close to perhaps ten to eleven, but her skin was as pale as a dead person's. She was clothed in a simple gown of faded grey that was slightly too big for her small size with no shoes open those small feet. Ever ordinary looking until one's gaze met her own, a set of mismatched eyes behind dark locks, one vibrant green and the other a startling icy-blue. There was a mischievous look glinting in those eyes as she stoped the lost fellow. Lost people always seemed to find their way to Ara, or so the child believed. Her mother, Emilia, had yet to grace the world again from her slumber within the walls leaving Lynn to her own desires. The girl flashed a smile toward Kyori before beckoning him on into the healing house of Ara with a mostly friendly look upon her face. Inside the house was oddly colder than it should be. Almost as if winter was about to happen inside.

Kyori eyed the strange girl hesitantly. He was built like a fighter, a man that could floor another guy if it came down to it. His hearing is acute, able to detect heartbeats and inflating lungs with ease. And he was fast. All qualities that gave him an edge over a child if push came to shove. Caution before regret. His eyes matched one of her own, a glossy aqua reminiscent of the ocean. There's an air of unease that he can't pinpoint. He lofts a curious brow at her smile. That little girl looks like she was expecting company. Ears perked, he strained to listen to the sounds of the house as well as those who reside within it's walls. The entry way is freezing, making him shiver in surprise. "Hello?" His even voice calls to the girl. Was someone hurt? Is that why she called him inside? Or worse? His arm lifts to rest a hand on the hilt of his blade, preparing for battle, in case this child was a lure to a greater demon inside. What was this place? The warrior looks towards the little girl again, seeking answers with his inquisitive stare.

Within the great establishment of Ara Kyori could hear the beating hearts of many throughout the different floors of the healing center. Most of those belonged to the healer's tending to those that are wounded or ill or visiting for a check up. The place smelled of a first winter mixed with the smells of cleaner and medical supplies. The first floor, the one he entered, was chilly but from the far door on the other end of the room ice and frost had seeped past the cracks covering both the ground, door, and part of the walls in a mixture of wintery elements. Barefoot on the frosted floor the mismatched hues of the girl stared at the man whom did follow her into the healing house. The cols did not seem to phase the girl. A counter greeted him off to his right with a sign that listed services of healing offered here, the list was very extensive as if nearly everything was available. Next to the sign another one that said "Ring bell for emergency." In large red lettering and below it in smaller black ink "Be back shortly". This sign gave away that this building was a house of medical and magical healing. However, the child did not open those thin lips to speak a word to him. Kyori might feel a strange prodding at his conscious, like a finger tapping on glass if only for it was a tapping against his mind. Should he choose to allow it he would find a small eerie voice speaking directly into his thoughts, "Welcome to Ara," and if he blocked it he would only feel the weird faint ache of the telemancer probbing at his mind.

Kyori tried to focus his attention on each heartbeat; a variety of rhythms seeped through. Taking another look at his surroundings, his demeanor calmed, though the icy door and wall was interesting and begged further inspection in the future. While keeping the front of his body towards the girl, he circles around to the desk to read the sign. He picks it up, other hand still lightly brushing the hilt of his blade. Scuffing, he sets it back down and looks back at the odd girl, who had yet to address him but had beckoned him in. Why? Kyori’s mind was sharp and well defended. The sensation of the girl’s prodding would yield transference of messages. She’d be permitted (unless she was far stronger than she appeared) to give and take thoughts in real time but he wouldn’t grant her access to any of the older, darker memories not housed in his frontal lobe. “Why did you beckon me in?” His golden brows furrow in her direction, weary of silence and the girl embodied innocence and safety to a T. Except her eyes. They showed more intelligence than the warrior would have guessed by her approximate age.

Lynn only remained probbed into his thoughts long enough to communicate with him. The way this child easily entered and left his thoughts it was suggestive to the idea that her powers were beyond measure for her age, well skilled in level above her years. Yet she did not choose to pry any farther or any longer than need be. "This is an establishment of the Healer's Guild, all are welcome within these walls. Are you not seeking mending?" Her voice swirled in his mind for a moment before fading out. From another door as the child's voice left him another child entered carrying a tray that sported a metal pitcher of cold water, a stack of cups, and a small array of cookies. This young one appeared much younger than Lynn, perhaps three to four by height alone. Long blonde hair fell freely around their figure that was dressed in long sleeve button down shirt tucked into a pair of black trouser pants. Underneath the held tray the hands were gloved in a pair of black gloves and fancy black shoes upon the feet. The head was down keeping Kyori from seeing its face, but the voice was young and youthful with no gender tone to determine sex, "Water? Cookie?" Unable to see what laid behind those straight blonde locks the painted eyes and mouth on the smooth light wood doll would not be noticed.

Kyori was growing ever more apprehensive. He answered out loud instead of through thought. “I came seeking the Devout’s guild sanctuary.” It didn’t look like they were one and the same. All these children walking around. Did they comprise the staff of this place? The door frozen through kept drawing his attention. “I don’t need healing,” he added simply. His rough tone carried through the room. This house chilled him to the bone. He’d rather face a dragon than go exploring the catacombs of this place. The blonde girl is looked over. The fighter narrows his agate gaze at the top of her head. “Why do you hide your face child?” Children creeped him out. With a gentle shake of his head the cookies and water are denied, politely. He looks back towards Lynn and gestures to the frozen room in view. “What’s wrong with that room?” Behind his tall, rough exterior his questions showed a healthy curiosity.

There was a sound of hysterical crying that came from the blonde at the rejection by Kyori. The tray fell from those gloved hands clattering to the floors sending cookies and cups scattering. The pitched hit allowing the water to spill out onto the floor where it slowly turned into a frosted mess instead of a puddle of water. The blonde looked up for just a moment to reveal those painted on blue eyes and thin red lips before vanshing at a run into the other room. Lynn almost looked to have a laugh in her expression, but no sound ever left those child lips. Her voice poked into his mind once more, "There is a sleeping beauty behind this door, awaiting the one that can awake her from death's grasp. Should the wrong one attempt to wake her they will release a vengeful monster. Which are you?"

Kyori didn’t flinch when the tray crashed to the floor. Her crying bothers him. It’s blind, emotional hysterics make him feel responsible though he thought his refusal was polite. When he caught sight of her face, he studied it severely. She was gone before he had the chance to clarify his intentions. “I didn’t mean to upset her.” He frowns at Lynn. A sleeping beauty? His gaze flips back in that direction, wondering what ‘death’s grasp’ was about. If she was here, she’s obviously sick, since the child mentioned this as a house of healing. “What is the wrong one and what is the right?” He asks, genuinely curious. He’d fight a vengeful monster, no question, but he didn’t want to hurt the woman in the process.

Lynn watched the reaction of the man after the doll-child ran away after spilling the tray. There was a mess on the floor, but Lynn didn't seem phased by it. The curious man, lost in the city not searching for a healing was more interesting than split cookies. Lynn shrugged at him with his questions about right and wrong, how was she to know these answers. With that she turned on heel and pushed hard on the frozen door. As she spun those dark curls danced around her revealing for a brief moment what appeared to be budding horns hidden in those dark locks. The doors opened with a slow creak hidden under the sound of ice crackling and falling to the floor. Beyond the set of doors the hallway was lined with ice build up and falling snow. It was as if the girl opened a door into another realm where it was winter. With a skip she began to vanish down the hall and up the slick frozen steps at the end of it. "Are you coming?" The barefoot child questioned into his mind from the top of the icy stairs. She was standing before another frozen over door, only this one was smaller than the first set.

Kyori remains where he is. The door opens and he catches sight of her horns. This smells like a trap to his warrior sensibilities but if there really is a woman trapped in that room, he couldn’t leave her. There was magic at work in that room, he was certain. Normal hallways don’t have climates to that degree. Watching his footing, the man ventures to the first door with cautious tension. His muscles were taunt, his ears and eyes trained on the surroundings. Lynn’s words ring through his head and he grunts. It’s disorienting to hear voices in your mind besides your own. “Stop that,” he groaned, index finger pressed against his temple. Kyori didn’t struggle to follow after her. His long legs gave him an advantage in that regard. The ice and snow did not hinder his progress. Once he approached the second set of doors, he’ll glance down at the girl. “What’s trapped this woman?” Was it the girls here? Did they trap people here in icy chambers?

Lynn watched him as he made his way along the hall that lead to the second set of doors that leaked the wintery magic. Even at his complain the girl still only probbed into his mind to talk, "The raptor tribes of the West." Perhaps she did not have the ability to speak normally. He got an answer as the girl continued to talk, "The winged man doesn't like people in his office, so be quiet." With that noted the girl used a shoulder to push the frozen doors open. It was a large room with walls lined with book shelves filled to the brim with books, vials, medical instruments, and other assortment of items. There in the middle of the room laying on a large marble slab was a small woman whose flesh was whiter than snow with eyes closed and pale death blue lips in a relaxed state. Her arms were laid over her chest one hand over a black icy stump where the right hand would of been. Her hair was neat for being in dreadlocks with both sides of her head shaved, a mohawk of dreads. Her attire was a long gown that covered her feet. She looked peacefully asleep, but she also looked dead. This room was icier and covered in more snow than the previous area. Careful senses would pick up the elemental uce magic was leaking from this woman. She was the cause of all the snow and ice.

Kyori’s lip twitched, annoyed but assuming the girl didn’t have a choice. These children were odd. He hadn’t heard of any raptor tribes but he’ll store the information away for later reflection. The warrior attributed her mention of a ‘winged man’ to the beast he was to face for the woman’s freedom but he does not yet draw his blade. He’s well balanced but ice isn’t a forgiving condition, especially if his opponent could fly. He’d have to time everything just right. Silently, he crept behind Lynn, doing his best to study the surroundings for useful footholds or obstacles he could dive behind if it came to that. The woman trapped, as Lynn had promised, rested like the dead upon a polished slab that glimmered with ice and snow. ‘Are they sure she isn’t already dead?’ He thought, creeping closer to get a better look at her. What sort of raptors could do this to a powerful elemental? The air around her was charged with concentrated magics so he assumed she wasn’t human at all. An ice spirit, elemental. The warrior’d never before seen a human with this level of magical infusion. He shivered into the chill before doing another sweep of the room. It was quiet and no winged beasts were present. The black stump of her wrist looked oddly familiar. “What is she called?” He whispered to the child, moving to stand near the woman’s shoulders. It didn’t make sense in his mind. If this was a house of healing and raptors had inflicting this powerful woman with an unknown affliction, why was she being guarded by a winged man? Was he not a beast and instead a guardian? That made more sense, he decided, studying her hair and the snowy paleness of her hands.

Emilia held a faintly beating heart that skipped every third beat and a faint pulse. The woman's hair was a crazed mess even in the dreaded locks that replace one wild untamed curls. She was alive, yet she was not. Could the child be suggesting this was monster or the one in need of saving. Watching him Lynn pushed off the floor with a hop and a flap of leathery deep emerald wings to land herself a seat on the marble table next to the icy woman. Those wings had been hidden behind the dark locks and clothing, but it revealed the reason for those hidden horns in her curls, this child was half green dragon and half human? Sitting next to the frozen woman it became ever clear the facial apperance between the small woman, not much bigger than the girl, and the child...they looked exactly alike with minor differences. It was clear the woman was pale and of another race entirely, but the girl was her offspring no matter how one tried to piece it together. A miniature version of Emilia with dark curls, mismatched eyes, wings and a tail. How eerie. The stump of the woman shinned with a glisten. Not flesh, but black ice that faded up into the fleshy white of the ladies skin tone. The girl waved a hand as if to showcase the woman as her words fell into his thoughts, "Meet Emilia leader of the Healer's Guild. I am sure she would introduce herself, but she isn't really capable at the moment." As if on cue from the ceiling fall into the girls hand another hand that was severed just above the wrist. This hand was made of black ice and it was obvious that it belonged to the stumped hand. The Index finger lifted and waggled at him in the most oddest wave to Kyori. As Righty wave the girl popped back into his mind, "And this is Righty."

Kyori does not speak. He's fitting together all the information provided by his hearing, this hybrid child of the elemental, and the room at large. He frowns, scratches his stubble and considers the floor. “Leader of the Healer’s guild?” Did she run this place? This Emilia owned the house then? “What’s wrong with her?” He asks again, confused. If she was too cold, he could haul her outside. If the house was on fire, he could haul her outside. If there was a magnificent winged beast guarding her, he could slay it! But Emilia’s heart is still beating and she’s still, battling a thing he can’t see or understand. He’s outmatched. “Tell me what to do.” He asks the child. Was she amused by his frustration? Righty falls from the ceiling and Kyori furrows his brow. “I’ve lost my mind.” He says steadily, rubbing his chin with a sigh. “Righty.” He addresses the hand like it’s the only other rational person in the room. “What is happening here? I can’t quite figure it out.” Then to the girl “I’ll just take her outside? Can I get her a potion or a wizard or some ice wizard potion?” He wasn’t a healer. He saw things and killed them. Battle plans he could do. Heal elemental women he could not.

Lynn sat quiet watching the wheels turn in his brain as he attempted to piece the puzzle together. Righty was all the morr happy it had been acknowledge and hopped down from the girl's hand to cross the table to meet the man. Impatiently it wiggled leaped before pushing off the table to make at attempt at landing on his shoulder. Lynn stared between her mother and the door that lead to the outside world with the most insulted look on her youthful face before her thoughts invaded his again, "Take an creature of ice and winter outside...? What in Sven would that accomplish at all." Leaping from the table those leathery wings of emerald providing a drifting glide over to the man. Staring up at him with those mismatched hues as her words drifted into to him, "Spread the word that the realm is in danger of the West. Then raptor-people are dangerous. They leech the magic right out...lemme show you..." the child asked before reaching small hand out to grab his. It was clear her intent was to invade his mind futher than a conversation to share with him the images she had stolen from the unconscious woman on the table. Should he allow it he would get a view of the world from the eyes of the Genasi. A fogged vision through strain of staying awake, cages full of creatures of the magical variety. Each being drained of their magic into what appeared to be runes or something similar used by the lizard men. Whatever they were they were literally sucking the life out of innocents by stealing their magical essence until they died. It was a short lived experience if he allowed it and the headache would be greater than a simple conversation had given him.

Kyori grew impatient at the end of her scolding. “You brought me in here, told me a woman was trapped by a monster and now you’re showing me severed hands and an elemental woman on a slab that should be dead but I can hear her heart beating.” His tone is tightly wound. Righty perched on the warrior’s shoulder and he casts a sideways glance towards it’s black ice digits. “You are, believe it or not, not the strangest thing going on right now.” Kyori turns back to face the child when her eyes hover closer. He doesn’t flinch but heeds her words, letting the visions she offers flood his senses so long as she doesn’t attempt to extract more than she’s sharing. The raptor men sizzled bright gold in his mind’s eye and when the scene shatters, Kyori leans into the marble slab to stabilize. He’s dizzy and his head is on fire. Both of his eyes are closed until he gains his balance. “Why didn’t you say so before?” The truth made more sense than the warrior could piece together on his own. His limited knowledge of the realm was holding him back again. “So she’s lost a lot of her magic.” His sapphire gaze is on Emilia again. “Is she slowly recovering or can we get it back if we go to those lizard men? What do they need this magic for?” The last bit was a voiced curiosity that anticipated no answer. “I’ll tell anyone who’ll believe me about this.” He didn’t have an upstanding reputation to tell of. He looks at Lynn expectantly before shaking his head. “You know how much that hurts right?” He smirks through a hiss of discomfort.

Lynn grew an odd satisfaction from watching this man's head suffer after she had foced him to see other visions that were not his nor hers. Painful? Most likely so, but this girl as innocent as she appeared also enjoyed the darker side. As if to make matters worse the girl was still speaking into his throbbing head, "No, I said if the wrong one awoke her they would awake a monster. She is after all a monster beyond those pretty features, only as human as that part of her soul is alive. As of yet, her soul is still on the living side, she has not crossed into death in a few days. I have no idea how to fix her. I am a child. You are an adult. Find a way to fix it. Perhaps a Mage? They deal with magick don't they." The child could only imagine how much a long conversation inside his mind after a vision could be most painful. He clearly was not used to someone else in his head. Righty had hoped from the shoulder back to the table and was placing with a piece of ice on the marble slab as if it was a kitten with yarn. Probbing his thoughts again, "A good doer you are. Wandering lost and into a random place following a child. What is this Devote place even for? I might be able to direct you."

“Please do,” he insisted, anguished by the repeated assault of her thoughts. The animated hand abandons his shoulder and Kyori doesn’t notice. His head is so full of spikes. “I wasn’t lost.” The man presses his palm into his temple and draws a deep breath. “I’m an adult that knows flip all about magic.” He clarified, no appreciation for her pointing out the obvious. He knows he’s not the one that can wake this Miss Emilia but it stings his pride to be reduced to a page boy for her. “Yeah, Mage, got it.” He groans through his teeth. The ticker of ice on the slab is deafening to his ears now. “Healing, or so you said.” Lynn called him a good doer but presently he felt more like an idiot. She had a lot of good points. “Any directional guidance would be nice but can we do it quickly before my head splits in two?”

Lynn wandered away to one of the snow covered bookcases and dug around for a bit. After a short time the girl came back with a map drawn on a pieces of paper along with a piece of ice covered in some medical cloth. Both were handed over to him before she wormed back into his head, "Sorry, not everyone on this land is gifted with a voice. You will get used to it. Find a Mage or look for the Mage's guild. Pin a memo at any tavern you visit about the raptor people from the west. That map should lead you to Kelay Tavern and the ice should help keep you from spliting in two. If you need me I will be here. You seem ever so lost. Perhaps you do need a healing next time you are here...If you fail, and she dies...I will make sure you find torment in death." There was that not so innocent smile on that half dragon's lips.

Kyori takes both items and surveys them. Her explanation is short but every syllable is a mallet on the gong inside his head. “Mage’s guild, Kelay Tavern, got it.” He would circle back and look for the tavern. Hadn’t that witch mentioned it? Or maybe the polite orc? He couldn’t think straight enough to decipher her pity and threat. They sounded like one and the same. “We’re all lost.” He promised morosely. Kyori applies the ice to the back of his neck and grunts with relief. “I’ll post it, gods. I didn’t expect to be threatened for trying to help this woman. I’ll do it, whatever you want, just don’t swallow me or kill me or whatever else happens at this ‘house of healing’.” He bet ‘freezing to death’ appeared on the menu of tortures. He bet this child could conjure up pretty horrible torments based on her tone and the ruthless way she prodded him like cattle. “I’ll stay at the tavern for a few days, if she takes a turn and you want me head for it.” Wouldn’t even be his fault, why did he mention it? The warrior just needed out of the place. “ ‘ this the way out?” He asked, giving the gensai one last look. He retraced his steps across the icy floor. “Where’s that winged beast you mentioned?”

Lynn nodded as he started on his way back the way he came. A few flaps of her wings and the girl was gliding along side him after closing the door to where her mother lay unawake. Her voice almost seemed louder in his head as she reaimed closer to him, "Her brother? Very tall avian with silver coated wings? Out searching for a cure in the wintery lands to the North. Do you always walk this slowly? You should be moving faster. The ghouls come out at night." She would lead him to the exit of Ara where he could find his way out into the cool air. There was a last thought she would share with him, "If I need you the ghosts of those who died where you stay will find you, this you can be sure of."

Kyori grimaced at the thought of ghouls and ghosts. He didn't like things he couldn't kill. "Can't wait." He couldn't bring himself to say 'thanks for scaring the hell out of me and threatening my life, so he added "Thanks for the hospitality" before going on his way.