RP:To Walk In Shadows

Part of the On Stranger Tides Arc

This is a Necromancer's Guild RP.

This is a Warrior's Guild RP.

Summary: After taking some time to think things over, Rilla reaches out to Khitti for aid with her new shadow ability.

The Apartment Above The Bakery, Cenril

Khitti || As per usual on the night of a The Sound of Sirens’ concert, the streets of Cenril were wild. Even now, after the show had ended and people were returning home, the band’s songs filled the nooks and crannies of the tempestuous city, though it was solely from the Sirens’ drunken and tired fans. And what of the band itself? Well, the undead had already teleported their instruments and the rest of the band’s setup to its next venue and likely went home to Vailkrin. Khitti, on the other hand, was doing her utmost to get home without being asked for what felt like ten thousand more autographs. You’d think she was a part of the Rogue’s Guild with as much as she kept to the shadows these days, but really? She was just tired. And still being stalked by that elemental. It would follow her regardless, if it was even around, but at least so could avoid the people. Once she was clear enough away from the people that flocked to the Whaler’s, Khitti used up what was left of her magic to shadowstep home. The spell’s signature ‘bamf’ sound heralded her departure and reappearance several times up until she stopped at the front door of the bakery. Hm. No. Just to be safe? She went around the back, to the door that not only led to the kitchen, but the staircase inside that went up to Khitti’s apartment. When she -finally- got upstairs, she kicked off her boots and collapsed on the couch. The bath she knew she likely needed and oh so desperately wanted for her aching body would have to wait until she had the strength to deal with it. For now, she’d just lay there and stared up at the ceiling, thinking over how the concert went.

Rilla needed help. That much she knew. The longer she was on her own the less control she had over when and why she was jumping ahead. Magik had called it shadow-stepping, but it felt more like falling, continued motion, inevitability. It was happening less since her dream, her fingertips brushed instinctively over the ruby that today was on the chain around her neck alongside the gold band that was always hung there. She avoided people instinctively, sticking to rooftops, alleyways, and the shadows that she blended into in all black with her hood drawn up over auburn curls. Crystalline eyes flashed light back out from beneath it where it caught them just right. Khitti seemed to live here, this was always where she’d found her before. So the rogue waited for her until the other redhead came around the corner. Rilla perked up, sitting upright from where she hid and watched from a distance. Although she didn’t know Khitti well, she decided to go for it. Silently she made her way up the stairs too and rapped lightly with her knuckles on the back of the door. All at once Rilla realized that she didn’t look all that friendly and pulled her hood back down, arranging delicate features into a shy smile as she produced a bottle of red wine from within her jacket, a hostess gift should she be granted entrance. She cleared her throat before she spoke. “I’m not a thrall or anything -” smooth, Rilla - “I brought wine.”

Khitti || Knocking? At this hour? Viera plz. Khitti’s much too sore for some bedroom roughhousing. With a sigh, Khitti pushed up off the couch and headed to the door. “Viera, I told you I’d be too sore for se--” She stopped. Blinked several times. “You are very much not who I thought you’d be,” Khitti said, opening the door further to let Rilla in. “Thralls don’t usually knock, I would think, so I believe you.” Khitti smirked, then turned around and headed to the nearby kitchen cabinets and grabbed two goblet-like wine glasses, then led the vampire through the rest of the kitchen, into the dining room, and beyond that into the living room. “What’s going on? I expect it’s probably not something guild-related, otherwise you likely wouldn’t have brought wine. Is something wrong?” Crimson brows knit together as she settled back down onto the couch, though this time she stayed sitting up. It’s not like her and Rilla hadn’t talked before, but it had certainly been a while.

Rilla ’s eyes widened at the words that nearly came out of Khitti’s mouth, they’d gone far enough for her to understand and were she human her face would have flushed with chagrin. “That’s good because that’s not why I’m here.” Rilla managed once she regained control of her jaw and followed Khitti inside. She shut the door behind her, wiped her shoes only to decide there was no saving them given all the time she’d spent outside lately and kicked them off at the door. Her footfalls were silent and she caught up easily, arms crossed over her chest to pull her jacket closed. Looking around gives her little in terms of information, the apartment was nicer than where she’d lived in her time in Cenril, but Rilla wasn’t looking for a skeleton in a closet tonight. “I might have, I give Magik wine all the time.” Rilla pointed out, preoccupied with getting her bearings. “Nothing’s wrong per say, or I guess I don’t know really.” She laughed nervously as she took a seat in one of the armchairs, one leg crossed over the other, her foot in its grey wool sock bounced to the timing of Khitti’s heart. “Magik says I was shadow jumping, but I can’t control it. I don’t know when it’s going to happen or how I’m doing it. I think I might need help before I get myself hurt.” Rilla admitted, hands folding in her lap as she swallowed her nerves.

Khitti || Crimson brows remained furrowed as she took up the bottle of wine, summoned up a shard of shadow-ice, used it to uncork the wine, and poured some for the two of them. She was listening, of course, hence the look on her face. “The amount of people with shadow or shadow-like abilities grows again, I suppose,” she said at length with a heavy sigh, leaning back against the couch. “For a little while, after I arrived in Lithrydel, it was just me and one other person. Sure, shadow magic is a part of necromancy, and it comes up now and again, especially with those learning the basics in the Necromancer’s Guild, but… they didn’t use it like we did.” The memories of her former sire bubbled up, and so did the bile in her stomach, forcing Khitti to swallow quite a bit of the wine in order to quell the nausea the thoughts of her former sire brought. “More recently, there have been others. Some of them, like Quintessa, I have given lessons too, via the guild. Others, like Magik, I’m still trying to wrap my head around. His magic is odd. Possibly because of how in tune with his fire magic he is.” After another gulp of the red liquid, Khitti shrugged, “All that to say, you’re not the first to have this ability and you probably won’t be the last. I’m the instructor of the black tides at the Necromancer’s Guild. It deals with not only shadows, but the “dark elements” that stem from them. But… there’s no point in going into all that unless you manifest the ability to use those as well.” Khitti shook her head and shrugged again. “I can teach you. Or do my best to. My own shadow-stepping is like yours likely is, but a purer form. My magic comes straight from the Shadow Plane itself.” She stopped talking finally. It seemed when she got onto the topic of something she knew quite a lot about that it was hard for her to stop talking about it. “Sorry. Uh. What happens, exactly, when you do this? Is there a specific time of day? Is it just shadow to shadow?”

Rilla leaned forward once a glass of wine was poured for her, swirling the glass before taking a sip out of habit. It wasn’t top shelf, but it was drinkable on its own and that was most of what mattered. The young vampire eyed Khitti, watching her face carefully with a cautious gaze. “I’ve never used magic in my life,” Rilla admitted, “I wasn’t trying to in the first place. I don’t know when I started, I think maybe when I was sired. But it happened more after the archipelago and less now after a dream I had.” Her brow furrowed in kind as she watched Khitti, the tension in her shoulders almost hidden beneath the cloak that hung around them. She shrugged slightly, looking into her glass before she took another sip. “It happens at any time, shadow to shadow, quietly. Truthfully, I think that I initially mistook it for just being faster than before. Usually when I’m running and focused. Magik noticed it when I popped up in the shadow of a soldier trying to kill him.” And then she’d stabbed her in the neck. “I didn’t even realize I was doing it then, for a while it was happening a lot.” Rilla admitted, chewing the inside of her cheek for a moment as she considered how much she wanted to reveal. How much she actually thought she could trust Khitti. “I’m not sure I could make myself do it if I tried, one minute I’m in one shadow and moving, then I’m in the next and it’s like I didn’t even miss a beat.” Her jaw clenched, trying to find some way to explain it. She licked her lips, the wine already staining her upper one slightly. “It actually feels good, I think. Like stretching your legs after you’ve been sat down for too long on a hard seat in an uncomfortable position.” Her words trailed into laughter at her own explanation as she shot Khitti a look of apology.

Khitti || As it seemed to be the way of things tonight, she just shrugged again. “Magic is given to each of us differently. Some are born with it. Some study day and night for years until they master it. And some… have it forced upon them.” This last thing brought a slight frown to Khitti’s lips, but she tried to hide it by taking another drink. “It’s entirely possible you’ve had it all this time and it’s only now been triggered. My son’s magic manifested when he was two. Some don’t see it until their teens, if they’re born with it, because of all the changes and emotions going on through their body.” Rilla continued, and Khitti listened, and she could only shake her head and offer the woman a faint, reassuring smile once she’d recounted things. “A vampire’s speed is certainly enough to cover up an ability like that. My gift, when I was sired, was agility. And when I say ‘gift’ I mean, it likely just greatly enhanced an ability I already had. I’m not sure if it’s something all vampires get. I always had to be quick, when I was younger. Being on the run does that to you,” she said with a smirk. “Like I had said during that meeting in Vigilanti Semper, whatever on the archipelago changed us, it allows me to now use both light and dark magic simultaneously, where I could not in the past. It’s likely that it’s further unlocked your ability to shadow-step. And this dream… what happened? If you want to tell it, that is. A lot of people’s magicks are also bound to one’s emotions. Whatever happened in your dream might be suppressing it.”

Rilla laughed, shaking her head to herself as Khitti spoke. Maybe if she’d listened to the last person who tried to help her even when things didn’t work right away she wouldn’t be having this conversation. She listened intently now, watching the other woman as if it might give her some other great insight. It rarely worked out that way. “I was always fast,” Rilla explained, “and good at disappearing. Now I’m even faster and quieter, and I can hear everything.” Her laughter turned nervous and one thin hand closed around the ring on her necklace. When the backs of her fingers brushed over the ruby it sparked to life for an instant, though it could be a trick of the light. “It’s really distracting, actually. When I was first sired and running everything sounded close. I think I spent two years in fight or flight before I landed here.” She said sheepishly, her head tilted and auburn curls shattered her face into shards of porcelain and gold as she drew a breath. Through dark lashes and the curtain of her hair she peeked up at Khitti, nervous that she would be watching, and then she looked back into her glass. “I threw my soul stone into the harbour.” Rilla admitted, licking her lips as she lifted the chain off of her head, unhooking it to remove the gemstone that had once lived in the hilt of her blade. In her hands it sparked to life proper, not as bright as it had been once, but a warm red glow that spread outwards further with each steady pulse. As soon as her hand was drawn away and the gem was left on the table the glowing stopped. “I’ve had it since I was a teenager, I’ve never not had it on me since then. It used to be brighter, but since I threw it in it’s been different.”

Khitti nodded in understanding. “I didn’t take too well to the change either, to be honest. I didn’t want it in the first place, but I had no choice. The magic from the Shadow Plane doesn’t, uh… mix well, with people not of that realm. It was poisoning me. Even now I imagine the light magic that the god of freedom gifted me must be fighting it off, even with the archipelago’s help to be able to access the magic fully. After I was sired, I didn’t feed like I was supposed to. I chose bottled blood instead for a long time. I was only a vampire for a year and a half and yet I feel like I know more about it all now--feel like I belong in Vailkrin--than I did after I was turned. Unfortunately, others don’t see it that way now that I’m human.” She threw up her hands in vague exasperation. The first initial spark of light from the gem hadn’t gone unnoticed, but Khitti did indeed assume it was a trick of the light. But when it lit up again, and Rilla brought attention to it, and ultimately set it on the table, Khitti frowned at it. It was not so much a judgemental frown, as one might be with magically attuned objects, but rather one of concern. There was always an itch for more power calling to Khitti in the back of her mind and it screamed at her now, even if this wasn’t something that Khitti could actually wield herself. She moved a hand to hover over it, as if she were to pick it up, but at the last second, she hesitated and pulled her hand away. “What… does it do?” Even her words were hesitant. Did Khitti really want to know what it did? Well, she needed to, if she wanted to help her friend, but… that didn’t stop her from being cautious.

Rilla gave an empathetic nod, lips pressed into a thin line before parting to allow for a deeper drink of her wine. “It all sounds like a hassle,” Rilla said finally, painfully honest and with a slight shrug. “I’m sorry, I’ve never understood any of it. Kail tried to explain it, he was a spellblade - a good one too - I spent most of my time trying to keep up and not get killed.” She was calm until Khitti reached for the stone, her shoulders stiffening again and jaw clenching protectively, fighting the urge to stop her. Rilla shook it off, rolled her shoulders back as Khitti drew back as well and looked back at the woman she hoped would be able to help. “I don’t know, really.” She admitted after a beat, bright eyes pleading as she levelled her gaze with Khitti’s. “It’s connected to me, it won’t work if someone else touches it. When I touch it it’s like being steady in my own body and being struck by lightning all at once.” Her brow furrowed, scrambling for words that had never been easy for her. “Kail used his to fight. He told me to keep this one in case anything ever happened. What that means, I don’t know. I think for him he used it to channel energy into his blade, but that never worked for me, and he always made out that I’d figure it out eventually.” She tipped back the last of her glass and set it down, running her tongue over her teeth beneath her lips. “Needless to say that never happened. I’ve used it for grounding ever since. What does that have to do with shadow jumping?”

Khitti let out an audible sigh of relief once Rilla mentioned that it wouldn’t do anything if Khitti touched it. Still, though, she got up briefly, listening to the rest of what the vampire had to say as she wandered into the kitchen and grabbed a cloth napkin. She returned with it, sat down on the floor in front of the table, and scooped up the soulstone with the napkin so that she could inspect it for a moment. “If you’re not a spellblade, it likely won’t work the same way. Crystals on their own have latent magic that you can call upon. This soulstone, and the one this Kail had, were likely altered further.” The napkin and the gem were put back on the table and moved towards Rilla, though Khitti’s olive-green line of sight was still firmly planted on it. “I had a crystal orb once. Not something as big as a witch might have, mind you. It was small. About the size of a coin. It boosted my shadow magic. But it didn’t have any affect on me like you say this does on you. It wasn’t in tune with my body, just the magic I wield. I’ve long since discovered that it was made of shadowglass… a type of obsidian from the Shadow Plane that has its own latent shadow energy. It’s what the hilt of my sword is made of. I use it to boost my magic when I need it, but… it’s not like this,” she said with a nod towards Rilla’s gem. “If it is connected to you, and there is… a malfunction… then the malfunction lies with you. Or in you.” Khitti frowned deeply at the thought, “And if you’re anything like me, I imagine you might have some sort of inner turmoil. Even just from still needing to “find yourself” as a vampire might do it. I don’t think it’s a physical ailment or we’d know about it. Vampires can be weakened by poison and sickened by magic, but you would certainly know if something is wrong in that regard. So… it’s likely in here.” The hand that had snatched up the soulstone moved to Khitti’s head and tapped her temple. “And depending on this dream of yours, your subconscious might be trying to tell you that. I’ve had… a lot of experience in that field.” Some of it, unfortunately, she couldn’t fully remember thanks to the meddling Viera did with her magic.

Rilla was quiet, unsure what to say. She had accepted that magic wasn’t for her ages ago, but it had somehow crept up on her anyway. “I’ve never had a lick of magic,” she laughed, “I tried, but I was never gifted. I have a tattoo that was enchanted. Oddly, that doesn’t work since I was sired.” Her nose wrinkled slightly, she licked her lips as she sat upright and not-quite-relaxed. “This is all really foreign, you talk about it like it’s nothing.” Her laughter turned nervous and she looked away. Hesitance flashed through crystalline eyes, but she nodded slightly. “I’ve got issues.” Rilla said softly, more emotionally-vulnerable than she had been in a long time as she shrugged slender shoulders. “Turmoil aside, I ran from my sire; I don’t know the first thing about being a vampire other than that I need to eat sometimes. I’m not sure he’d have been much help.” Rilla scoffed, brushing a stray curl behind her ear as she looked back to Khitti. “But am I supposed to just randomly jump through space until I figure it out? What if I don’t show up in the next shadow one day?” Mahogany brows knitted together in mild concern that she swallowed. “If I was to go back to the dream and get it, do you think that might help?” Rilla questioned hopefully, “maybe at least help with this.” She leaned forward, palming her stone once more and depositing it into a little leather pouch that hung from the dagger strapped to her thigh. “It couldn’t hurt, right?”

Khitti shook her head. “It’s perfectly fine for it to be foreign to you, Rilla. I speak of it as if it’s nothing because I’ve dedicated the last four years to studying about my specific type of dark magic. I still barely know anything about the light magic from Cyris.” It was something she should probably talk to Rorin about, but… after what had happened during both of the last Warrior’s Guild meetings, Khitti was rather hesitant to talk to the paladin at all. He didn’t understand her. He only understood what had been taught to him and that like, with most religious folk, he wanted to “save her” from herself. It was enough to turn her stomach a little sour and so she turned to her good friend, the wine, and poured herself another glass. “I can help you, you know… with the vampirism. I didn’t accept it by choice. Because I -wanted- to live. But, that doesn’t mean I’m ignorant to the way things work. I was taught some things and had been around elder vampires for a bit. I know what they did wrong, what they could improve on, what -not- to do. I’m observant and I probably understand their little politics in Vailkrin more than they do.” She shrugged and took a sip. “If you have questions, then ask them. And I don’t mean -right now-. Think on it. Anything that I don’t know, we can research it together. I have access to several libraries in Lithrydel.” The redhead thought over Rilla’s dream briefly, then shrugged. “It doesn’t hurt to try. Things in dreams are only as real as you make them--unless there’s something more at work behind the scenes. For the moment, I don’t think there’s anything else besides the whole inner turmoil and regrets and confusion and all of that. It’s a lot. It can affect a lot. Even moreso when you have access to magic, however little it may be. We -will- figure this out. But, in the meantime, just try to be more conscious of your movements. I’m still of the mind that your shadow-stepping is different from mine. My shadow-stepping is literally portals to the Shadow Plane, there and back again. It started with me creating the portals, large ones so that I can actually go there. Over time, I was able to adapt it further into the short-range teleporting that you’ve seen me do. Yours is essentially the same, but still different. It’s possible you could end up coming out of shadows in a random building or something, but nothing you can’t get yourself out of--especially as a vampire.”

Rilla had come here in search of help, and when Khitti offered it, her shoulders visibly relaxed. She let out a breath and a hint of a smile tried to tug at her lips. Her head dipped slightly to hide it as she pressed them into a thin line. “I’m just not used to asking, or admitting weakness.” Rilla acknowledged in quiet apology. “Is it so different? Does it get easier to learn when you’ve learned another type?” She questioned with a tilt of her head, considering Khitti’s proposal. Her hands rested on her thighs, fingers tapping gently on her knee. “I think the issue is that I don’t know what I don’t know,” she said with a sheepish smile, “about the magic, about being a vampire.” She shrugged one shoulder and studied Khitti’s face. “Being a vampire has been mostly better than being human, truthfully. I’m a lot faster and quieter, and I can see in the dark. I was agile before, but nothing like this.” She laughed and bit the inside of her cheek. “The one thing that bothers me is the sounds. I can’t tune them out.” Her jaw clenched and she looked away. “But I’ll think on it, I’m sure there’s more.” Waving one hand to dismiss the idea, Rilla cleared her throat. “Even the shadow jumping or whatever it is doesn’t feel -bad-. Or it didn’t, it felt like nothing. Now I’m stressed out.” She quipped as she stood and straightened herself out. “I just wish I could control it, and truthfully?” Her nose wrinkled playfully, “I think it sounds really convenient if I could just get past that bit.”

Khitti just shook her head again, “Look. I’m not exactly a social butterfly that can ask for help either when needed. If I’d been a vampire still, I would’ve taken on that scouting mission to the Archipelago by myself. I don’t ask for help unless I really need to, even if I know better. But, I also went through sixteen years of almost absolutely zero help. The only person I got it from was a being from the Shadow Plane’s soul that I was fused to, where my magic came from, and from someone on the Dhavislaavian council back home--and the only help I got from her was banishment instead of being burned at the stake. I don’t ever want anyone to not have the help they need when it really matters, because I went through it and I know what it’s like. This is why I joined the Syndicate and this is more than likely why Cyris chose me to work with him.” The former templar sighed and drained the rest of her glass, thinking on the other things Rilla has said. “You could try a bit of beeswax or cotton for the sounds, I think. At least maybe until you’re better at tuning them out? It hadn’t been something that bothered me, if only because it’s always been necessary for me to be observant. But you can use it to your advantage too. For the Syndicate. For things like this mission we’re on with Meri and the rest of them. You just have to find things to focus on for now, train yourself to… I dunno. Listen to the ocean. Listen to the birds. Listen to something that is calming. Focus on that and let it drown out the rest. It’s almost like meditation, but just a little different.” If Khitti had been just a little closer with Rilla, both emotionally and with the seating arrangement, she’d probably put her hand on the vampire’s shoulder in an effort to be more comfortable. But, for now, she wasn’t going to sugarcoat things. Comforting only got you so far. “It’ll be difficult, I’m sure, and likely will take some time, but I’m sure you’ll be able to do it. And the same with the shadow-jumping. Like I said, just try to be a little more conscious of your actions. Not to the point of obsession, but just so you don’t accidentally teleport yourself off a pier or something,” she said with a smirk. “Plenty of shadows in the ocean’s depths, you know. Though, thankfully, you won’t drown.”

Rilla laughed as Khitti spoke and nodded along with lofted brows. Khitti’s story was more than Rilla could imagine, just slightly outside of her grasp, but she tried. Her lips pressed into a line and head cocked to the side as she studied the red head. “It’s convenient except when it isn’t, high alert is great except when there’s no threat. It’s just a squirrel running around yards away that I can’t ignore.” She reached up, rubbed the back of her neck sheepishly as she stood. Her weight shifted, considering Khitti’s words before finally giving a shrug. “I’ll try to meditate, I was never very good at it. Kail was often on me about it too. I think that’s why they say things like ‘ain’t no rest for the wicked’ and all that.” Rilla gave a lop-sided grin and skirted around the room, nodding to Khitti in thanks. “I’d love to get into it, but our hour’s over and I’m not paying extra for chit-chat.” Rilla winked, leaving the bottle as she made for the door. “Thank you, send word to me when you’re able to meet again. I don’t want to intrude on … whatever Viera was going to do.” She disappeared with another laugh, letting the door swing shut behind her as she pulled herself up onto the roof and away.