RP: Biting The Hand

Part of the Welcome To The End of Eras Arc

Summary: Rumiko, despite years of wariness, finds herself seeking out Kasyr- feeling a surprising degree of sympathy after the events of the Summit. Kasyr, for his part, isn't really having it.

Vailkrin Capitol Foyer

The crumbling castle which stood here has been rebuilt and refurbished and now serves as the Vailkrin state capitol building, despite remaining a formidable fortress. The entrance has been outfitted relatively modestly, a simple red runner leading the way north into the main room while the stone walls are left unadorned but for several flaming sconces, although a series of banners running down the hallway boldly pronounces a patriotic spirit, each flag bearing the black hand of Vailkrin. At the opposite end of the foyer a series of arches invites visitors to continue forward into the great hall or to turn into one of the wings of the castle.

To say that Kasyr looked better would be a colossal lie. While he'd changed clothes into his typical battle attire of black pants, and trenchcoat- he still looked rundown, his hair a tousled and surprisingly sweat stained mess. That said, he had at least left his office, drifting through the halls of the castle on some small errand or another. He needed to gather his wits again, but even now, there was a surrealness to the whole situation- which made him occasionally doubt that even those earlier encounters had happened. The only thing he knew, was the the twisted reality that lay clutched in his hand- the bleak world the undead both envisioned, and pushed for. "Calice."A loaded word, whose meaning, seemingly, had not yet been lost.

Rumiko was a ghost in the halls of the castle, slipping from shadow to shadow as she searched. She wasn't sure which was crazier; her sneaking into the castle or her reason for doing it in the first place. The last time she stood within these walls had been, for lack of a better word, a disaster, and while she understood the majority was not happy with what decisions had been made, the nymph was well aware how hard those choices could be. And what they could do to a person.

It was while he was attending to one of those errands that green eyes finally spotted Kasyr, and she couldn't help the frown that turned the corners of her lips. A scuffing of her heels came in a gentle warning that he was not alone, and provided he didn't lash out for the intrusion, Rumiko would be stepping out into the open, though she made no attempt to close the distance. She wasn't naïve enough to think he would welcome an unsolicited visit with open arms, especially from an unknown such as she, so she would offer a slow dip of her head in greeting.

She was dressed similarly to how she'd been at the summit; an ebony gown that was dressier than the travel clothing she'd first stood before him in, but her jewelry was gone, and her hair was left to flow down her back. Seeing his disheveled state left her unsure of what to say, so she settled for the only thing she wished someone would have said to her when she needed it. "What can I do?"

Kasyrs' posture had gradually shifted as Rumiko approached, a sense of awareness slowly intruding on an otherwise distracted mind- but it's the squeak of a heal against the floor that brings him to an outright sense of alertness, his foot shifting partways to the side- reducing how much of his body was exposed- in what he assumed was the likely event of an assassination attempt.

And yet, there lacked the numbers he assumed would accompany such an ill-thought endeavour. Just a vaguely familiar face- the girl who'd offered her services to help put the dead to rest. "Turning back time would be nice. Then again, I abhorred the parasite-" He reaches into his jacket, and plucks out a cigarette, setting it to his lips, "You smoke?" His is lit, a few snapped sparks doing the job, before he takes a deep drag, "I wouldn't know what to ask you, vraiment. Your initial offer would have helped, peut-etre. But given the undead papers seem to be vouching for the, "Very exagerrated airquotes here, "Gods-given right to attack et murder people. J'en sais pas." The smokes exhale, in an uncanny serpentine shape, which coils about him "What -can- you do, madamoiselle? Or were you offering company?" And though his glance may have traced over her, it runs contrary to the prickliness in his tone, something that was not quite-contempt, but more a pre-emptive distancing.

There was once a time in her life where she might have been sent in for a silent kill, but thankfully she'd been freed of those chains long ago. It was that very line of thinking that had her announce her presence in the way she had rather than sneaking up on him more than she already had. "Unfortunately, I lack that particular skillset." Though there were many nights the nymph had wished to possess them.

A hand rose as she shook her head, "No, but thank you." Smoking was not a habit she'd picked up, though the pressure in her chest made her long for a stiff drink right about then. Rumiko had nothing to offer about the papers; if any of the undead came after her, in her mind it was fair game to turn the tables. Though a solution would need to be found before things became worse, for the undead and the living.

"If that is what is needed." It occurred to her that his idea of company and her own might differ only after she'd answered. "Consistently running everything through you head in isolation will do little more than drive you mad." Though she wasn't sure he hadn't managed that already, truth be told. "A neutral party, I thought, might be a good idea. Someone to listen."

She'd watched as many walked out of the summit without hearing all there was to say. She also saw the lack of people trying to enter the castle without some kind of complaint or demand. The nymph didn't know if Kasyr had an inner circle, nor was she assuming he would spill any kind of secrets. "Sometimes, just talking helps."

Kasyrs' relatively expressionless until Rumiko rather freely offers up her companionship, which is enough, at least to provoke a brief roll of his eyes at the comment being turned around. Considering the lack of coyness, he can't even tell if it's blitheness, or a simple obliviousness, but it defuses some small slice of the agitation that had started to mount, "I can't imagine anyone sane wanting to rule this city, given their lifespan often matches their short tenures. It's telling that this disaster seems -normal-." There's a disgust there, a bitterness formed from the long years he'd spent ruling before, culminating in his abdication. Was this why he'd come back? "It es hard to save a city from itself. Moreso, when the rest of the world holds it in such little esteem, et feeds it's worst fears." The look he offers her, the smile, is stretched too thin, far too false, and one that lasts only as long as it takes him to turn around, "So, why else did you come calling? Curiosity? To take up that offer of a room to stay? I'm surprised, regardless. Vailkrin es apt to be anathema to most, these days."

|| "Yet here you are. And not for the first time, if memory serves." The rise and fall of a shoulder came then, and green eyes moved away from Kasyr to look upon the decor surrounding them. "The worst of people will always fight against what is best for them. Just as the best of people will so easily find the worst in what they do not understand."

Fingers came to lace together for lack of anything better to do, as her attention turned back to observe his too-stressed features. "I told you why I am here. This place is important to me, troubles be damned. I want to help in whatever way I can." The first time Rumiko had stood before him, she'd said the very same. "I do not agree with the anger so many have pointed your way." Softer then, "I know what it's like to feel as if the world is against you." Staying was always an option, considering how difficult it would be for her to be of use all the way in Kelay "If the offer still stands." At least then he wouldn't be so alone.

Kasyr might have grinned humourlessly, if only because of the analogy, "I'm quite certain the undead quarters, et the world at large would agree with your assessment." And yet, her statement did not seem hold any malice, nor any real moral judgement. Just sympathy- a tired familiarity with the situation. And the second real offer of help he'd received, since the entire debacle had started. "Do as you like, then. For now, I intend to retire for my chambers. Do you need me to direct you to a room?" A brow arched slightly- had all the help joined the protestors in the streets? It was a question she left unasked as her gaze swept the corridor, "A general direction, should suffice." Rumiko didn't know the layout of the castle past the way she'd managed to arrive where they stood, though she was capable enough to wander the halls on her own, if he'd rather leave her to it. "Do rest well." There was sincerity in her tone, if still a little wariness.

Kasyr, thankfully, was not so far-gone that the castle had vacated- but there certainly was a healthy berth being given to whichever segment he was currently meandering, save for a few braver souls who saw fit remind him to eat- despite whatever immediate prickliness they were greeted. The same sort of aggressive prickliness that had been leveled at the fae, and which she'd in turn ignored. With a slight sigh, the swordsman would simply tap his foot against the ground, a tendril of his aura slithering out from the folds of his coat, and beginning a twisting trek along the corridor. "Just follow that. I'm certain someone can help you find a room, et peut-etre some clothes to your liking." That she'd be being led along by that distinctly ominous thing, would no doubt serve to mark her as his guest.

Rumiko was not scared off so easily. Having been tied to a fair share of frighteningly powerful beings over her lifetime, the nymph had gotten good at painting on that mask of ignorance in the face of such aggravation. Her gaze dropped to the floor as his foot tapped, greens focusing on the aura that was to be her guide. "Sounds simple enough." It was more than she'd been expecting, but if it kept her from having to wander the halls throughout the night, she'd gladly accept the aid. "Thank you." It was spoken as she returned her attention his way, followed by another dip of her head in acknowledgement of his title. "Do rest." It was the second time she'd offered that bit of unsolicited advice before turning to follow that tendril to her new quarters.