[color=E62020]"Life-deer?"[/color] Allure cocked his head to the side, white teeth gleaming in the fitful torchlight. In front of him, the hain shivered in terror. How could it be that something so comely could harbor such maleficence in his heart? It seemed a rebellion against the very nature of the mind. Hyoban was his name, and he endeavored to press himself more flatly against the home against which he found himself pinned by the handsome stranger. Of course, the interloper had not laid a single finger on him; his intense interest alone secured Hyoban in place against the building. It was his building, in fact, and until recently the cluster of similar structures that surrounded it had been his village. Now, though, there stood only the man. And an intrigued look upon his sublime features proved to be horrifying to Hyoban. [color=E62020]"What an odd turn of phrase. You call out to it as if it were a god. But animals are not gods. Tell me more."[/color] Ever so slowly, he knelt. Hyoban's involuntary shuddering increased. "A big deer...half alive and half dead...the elders spoke of it. They said that the rot that streams from its body makes living things come from the ground." Before his eyes, the face of Allure transformed into one of angry consternation, and he gazed out into the distance. Hyoban jumped in surprise. [color=E62020]"A misshapen freak from whose decaying chunks more freaks arise!? This is most distressing news To think that not only does such incorrigible ugliness live on this world..."[/color] he turned and winked at Hyoban. [color=E62020]"Such as yourself, but that somewhere there totters a living factory of it! I am... -hurgh!- hard-pressed to not hurl in repulsion."[/color] Gingerly, he wiped the back of his hand against his lip, as if cleansing an imaginary befoulment. He returned to his full height, holding a his other hand behind his back. With a sorrowful frown on his face he allowed his mind to wander, rifling through what knowledge he had of the divine. Deep within his scarlet heart, he held a splinter of each god whose presence in the Deepwood enriched the flowerbed from which he arose. Without difficulty, he could call forth a rudimentary knowledge about the likes of Zephyrion and Ull'Yang, Teknell and Jvan, but for the life of him he couldn't envision a deer god. [i]Perhaps the beast does not have the true aspect of a deity; after all, deities are characterized best by their egotistical and meddlesome nature.[/i] "Um?" As if just now noticing the existence of Hyoban, Allure cast him a disinterested glance followed by a sneer. [color=E62020]"Oh, you. Yes, yes, I'll let you go."[/color] Before the sentence had finished, the unfortunate hain lay in vertical strips, neatly folded to the sides. So short had Allure made the projections of his discerning hand that blood dripped off his fingers. Curiously, he lifted them up to eye level, and rubbed his fingers together. [color=E62020]"To hell, you little monster, if the gods every get around to making it. You don't deserve to be called sentient."[/color] Disdainfully he flicked the blood off his fingers before he whirled around. His sash flapped up like a silken tornado as he began to run, though he took utmost care to avoid soaking his woven shoes in the blood of Hyoban's sixteen closest friends. The purification was complete--save for one finishing touch. On a nearby hill, Allure flipped around, and extravagantly flourished his hand. As if smited by the invisible blade of a colossus, every building in the village split apart in same stroke, and from the destroyed torches fire raced forth to engulf the tiny settlement. Allure sighed. [color=E62020]"Pitiful, really. The mind is a glorious thing; why waste it on such miserable, loathsome cretins and set them free to erect shabby shacks on a perfectly good savannah? This is why I am needed."[/color] He turned to continue on his way, and instead encountered something that made him freeze in shock. Before him stood a rectangular length of canvas, standing up straight a few feet in front of him. Upon it was depicted a glistening, pretty thing of immaculate whiteness. Nothing upon which Allure visited his eyes thus far could capture the sheer otherworldliness of this painted being. His eyes pored over every centimeter of her heavenly wings, every strand of hair, every crease on her face, and every curve of her body. His imagination ran wild. For a moment, Allure could almost believe that this maiden was real. But it wasn't. A longing sigh escaped his lips. There was beauty in the application and movement of color -and what colors they were! He could not even describe them- but who could fall in love with paint on cloth? What was there of an object to adore? What physical sensuality? What fascinating mind? Had the hero of beauty a house, he would gladly adorn its wall with this work of art, but he lived in the whole world. Resting his head in his hands, Allure turned aside and walked around the painting. A bright glow bid him look skyward, and there, in the gathering night, he witnessed a beauty that made his heart [i]beat[/i]. Though the distance that separated them was tragically long, Allure felt as if he had been privileged with the sight of an angel--one far beyond the painted angel he left behind. From here, he could just begin to catch a glimpse of tender pale skin like the edge of the moon, enticing hips, and long, thin braids of hair. Realizing he'd forgotten to breath, the stunned man hacked. Yet Notte continued to recede, and he reached out for her, crying, [color=E62020]"Wait!"[/color] Suddenly he fell, stricken, to his knees; the thought that this magical girl would be nothing more than a fleeting, wistful memory to haunt him forevermore assaulted him. Agonized by this despair of loss, he threw himself to his feet, his heart roaring, and jumped. Like a bullet from a gun he shot upward after Notte, and once he judged himself within appropriate distance, he called. [color=E62020]"[sub]Pardon me madam I realize this must be sudden but I have been[/sub] touched by your beauty and struck by love and so if but for an instant I plead [sub]that you descend and speak with me~! Goodbyeeeeeeeeee![/sub]"[/color] His momentum failing him, Allure plummeted to earth. Though he knew the fall wouldn't kill him, he nevertheless felt compelled to forego proper landing form and crash, like a lovesick boy having thrown himself in despair from a great high, to the ground. Even in the grip of a sudden crush he took delight in the dramatic. Being on her way to Jvan, Notte had not noticed any of the odd turn of events that happened around the painting. Ilunabar's orders had been clear, she had to do it as fast as possible and with the least interaction as possible. The diva did not even know anything about the person, even if she could sense that he was far above the average mortal. That all changed however when a voice echoed trough the skies. [color=a187be]"Huh!?"[/color] Notte gasped in surprise, at first shocked to see another humanoid being in the night sky, the shock turned into dread when she saw that it was the man from before. She could already see Ilunabar's disappointed gaze upon her. Them the dread turned into a lot of confusion when she heard what the person had to say. [color=a187be]"Love?"[/color] she whispered to herself. One side of her was still annoyed that she had messed up such a single task, yet, she felt a bit warm, and a smirk crossed her face. Ilunabar had made the portrait expecting it to be one of the most gorgeous of her works, to see that she could easily outshine the thing and make the man follow her instead was very delightful. With a loop in the air her image split in two, like the reflection of a mirror, the clone would move on to Jvan. [i][color=a187be]"A god like her would not even notice the difference between it and I,"[/color][/i] she thought. Meanwhile, she decided to float down and check on the odd man. [i][color=a187be]"Maybe I could perhaps still salvage this chore,"[/color][/i] she thought, and she knew exactly how much of a lie that was. The man was laid on the ground yet clearly breathing. Notte stared at him a bit, getting to understand a bit the why of Ilunabar's need to steal humans from Arcon. [color=a187be]"Are you fine? This was quite a fall"[/color] she said casually. From afar she had only seem his looks, closer to him however it was his aroma that caught her attention. Above all things, it was fragrant and strong, she knew the perfume, Meimu also had it, but there was a critical difference, hers was dry, like fallen petals, his however was wet, but not the like humidity of fruits, those were still, this one was pulsating. Closing her eyes she could let the aroma lead her other senses, her eyes saw nothing but scarlet and a metallic taste of iron with hints of salt could be felt. [i][color=a187be]"How mysterious! But how could I question this? Starting with you smell like my sister is far too awkward"[/color][/i] A profound satisfaction stirred Allure's heart to see the fair maiden descend, honoring his hastily-constructed wish, and float nearby a little off the ground. Yet he could not rouse himself to move--he seemed paralyzed. From the front, this girl appeared to be the very essence of incogitable beauty. Her skin and hair brought to mind the waifish elegance of the weeping willow, but despite her slender frame she did not lack the robust essential feminine characteristics universally associated with beauty and vitality. Even in the smallest, most intricate details of her face, hair, and clothes filled Allure with inspiration! Perhaps most intriguing about her was a quality he could best define as assuredness. Clearly, this girl was so confident in her beauty that she felt no need to be extravagant, bombastic, or superficial. Like a moonlit sea, she could easily, Allure imagined, have untold depths. He felt that he could throw himself into a well and die happy as long as he could envision this Venus. Her voice, when it came, was bright but simple. and Allure thought it appropriate. Why put up a show of sultriness or approachability if one held complete confidence in themselves? Grinning as he lay in his little crater, the hero of beauty raised his hands and with great strength slapped the earth to send himself flying. He vaulted over Notte's head, coming tantalizing close for a split second, twisting like a corkscrew as he flipped, to land perfectly upright opposite her. [color=E62020]"Fine? I, madam, am ecstatic! I have been on this world but a few days, and within it have found so much deplorable ugliness that I had begun to lose hope in the providence of beauty. How foolish I was, yet how enraptured I am to find that my faithlessness was misplaced! Even now I can scarcely believe my senses. Even my eloquence cannot capture your elegant gorgeousness, as if anything ever could!"[/color] He fell to one knee, holding a hand with fingers splayed against his chest, while the other lay pressed against his head, as if he were about to swoon. [color=E62020]"I can mince my words no longer. I am head over heels for you. But I do not even know your name...?"[/color] Another one of Notte's satisfied grins crossed her face, this one so intense she closed the eyes to bask in all the joy that the words brought to her. [i][color=a187be]"Of course you should feel like that! Considering I'm a pupil of the very goddess of beauty only a blind man would find me anything but gorgeous, actually, even the blind can probably see my beauty"[/color][/i] she thought, of course not saying such rude words, unlike with her sister, she had no intention of annoying the passionate man. [color=a187be]"I too am more than pleased to see a sight of lively beauty in this barren world. Oh! What is the worth of vibrant flowers and radiant stars if there are no artists to be inspired by them!"[/color] she too was taking a theatrical path with her movements and voice, raising her arm up and then closing her hand [color=a187be]"To hear such impassioned words spoken with a delicate and lyrical eloquence where before only the cacophony of nature exist brings me hope too"[/color] her hands rested on her knees and she inclined forward a bit, getting a bit closer to the kneeling man [color=a187be]"My name is Notte."[/color] A merry laugh escaped Allure's lips. [color=E62020]"Not? Not what? Not flawed, that much is for certain."[/color] He appeared highly pleased with his little joke. With a little hop, he returned to a more normal stance, though even that reeked of flamboyance. [color=E62020]"No doubt you are curious about me as well. Perhaps you think: who is this strange man whose handsomeness, extravagant and rugged, is the perfect equal but opposite of my own unshakable grace?"[/color] he presumed. [color=E62020]"Well, sweet maiden, my pleasure to introduce myself is only surpassed by my pleasure to be in your presence. Behold!"[/color] He span on his heels and pointed into the distance, where a great stony arch arose from the savannah. Holding out a finger, he quickly and precisely drew a series of lines and curves in the air. The far-off arch suddenly chiseled itself, spelling out in colossal text a series of letters. In only a moment, the land formation read, in stylish capitals, 'ALLURE!' Beaming, the hero looked over his shoulder, and once again became enchanted. [color=E62020]"Aha! And there we have it. I am sure that a certain know-it-all would say that our chance rendezvous is Fated, so aligned are we in beauty."[/color] He lapsed into silence as he turned partways around. Notte forced a smile, on the time he first compared him to someone as high as her all of her curiosity incorporated a new-found bitterness, by the end of his show she started to even regret the encounter a bit. [color=a187be]"Oh! Allure, I see"[/color] she clapped her hands faintly [color=a187be]"My curiosity goes a bit beyond however. I highly doubt that such a charming man could have ever been born from the randomness of nature"[/color] she was truly curious, Ilunabar had not given even the smallest of details about this odd person. Snickering, Allure replied, [color=E62020]"Too true. Nature played a small part in my...hm, how shall I put it? Perhaps, 'manifestation'. I arose from a splendid red rose, somewhat like these embroidered designs on my fauld."[/color] He indicated the forest-green cloth he wore about his waist, which lay on top of baggy, silken, purple pants and beneath a scarlet sash. [color=E62020]"But I am more than that. In this man you see a culmination of many of the beings who style themselves gods. Let me see if I can name them all...I have the stamps of my unwitting progenitors on my soul, but never have I seen their faces. Astarte, Teknell, Zephyrion, Realthos, Jvan, Illunabar, and Ull'Yang, I believe. I am some of the best parts of all of them, if not the most powerful, though I do hope that will change. Dimly I recall my rose flourishing in a special spot in a great forest, even as its uglier neighbors fittingly died around it."[/color] He slightly cocked his head as he smiled a dazzling smile. Trace amounts of the unhappiness of Notte had reached him, and it made him curious. All the flow of new information made the diva get a hint of headache. How could it be? There was no way her lady master would create a being without warning her and Meimu. She did hear however that the shrub where Meimu was born later died out thanks to all the divine energy flowing in the forest. Perhaps the person in front of her was a mutation born from the mess. [i][color=a187be]"I knew I could sense the aroma of flowers, roses, when near him,"[/color][/i] she mused. [color=a187be]"You do not happen to remember a white rose no?"[/color] she questioned, but for a reason or another she felt like talking about her could jinx it, after all, it looked like all the sorts of flower people had an intense need to make her life miserable. [color=a187be]"Oh sorry, I was just thinking aloud, we have better topics to talk about..."[/color] It was hard to think something though, his comment about being the best part of their lady master made her body burn with anger, and Notte was quick to notice that she had committed yet another mistake, as the man was now looking at her with inquiring eyes. [color=a187be]"Ah! I just, feel a bit odd. As if my body is burning"[/color] Half-lies were always the easiest lies to tell, or at least that was what Notte thought [color=a187be]"Do you happen to know anything that could be refreshing in this region?"[/color] This was a bet, her wits were completely useless against such spontaneous person, but if by chance he would make this as extravagant as the way he told his name perhaps she would have to time to sneak out of this mad encounter. Befuddlement crossed Allure's face, turning a sunny smile into a pursed frown. The signals of discomfort continued to emanate from Notte, both spoken and silent, however she tried to mask them. Forget her feelings; her behavior seemed unequivocally odd. Was she not as intoxicated by his beauty as she of his? Failing to acknowledge his perfection was an unsightly error. [color=E62020]"Refreshing...? I know of no features in this land that might avail you."[/color] He paused, eyes shining in the gathering dusk. [color=E62020]"This burning, though. There is no better descriptor of passion. Maybe you have never felt love before. If you have doubts, however, I will not impinge upon you. A rose is all the more beautiful after it blossoms. I do think, however, that the balm for your burning is right beneath your nose."[/color] He chuckled, and gave Notte a wink. [color=E62020]"I can tell you want to leave. Go. And keep me in your heart. I know we will meet again."[/color] Allure bowed, holding a hand out in front of his face as a request to kiss her hand farewell. Like a mirror that shattered, Notte's mind was getting more and more confused as she interacted with the man. One side of her was burning with hate, with the desire to wrap her hands around this fool and make him stop saying those thing. One side was still bound to her honor, to her missions, to the radiant, even if fake, smile she was supposed to have on her face. There was even one of these small shards of sides that still held to the first impression she had of the man, finding his eloquent voice and extravagant actions cute and his face, his lips, attractive. [color=a187be]"I'm sorry Allure, I do not feel well right now, the tune of my mind is in a pesante mood."[/color] she offered her hand for him to kiss. A distant smile on her face hiding the many questions crossing her mind, questions perhaps that not even her lady master Ilunabar would know how to answer. A moment passed while the full lips of Allure rested on Notte's hand. It lasted only a few seconds, but it was full to the brim of feeling. Then he drew away, slowly and delicately. [color=E62020]"You are forgiven. Only we can know the pain of being too strong and too beautiful. Farewell! Forget me not."[/color] He strode past her and away into the coming night, receding through the melodic swish of grass. [color=a187be]"Why is my mind so full of doubt? I do not understand, this is just straying me away from my tasks"[/color] she pressed two fingers against her forehead, however soon something caught her by surprise, it was a sweet and dry aroma. [color=a187be]"Meimu!"[/color] she yelled, turning around to see her older sister sitting over a rock, the portrait she was supposed to deliver folded on her hand, a satisfied smile on her face. [color=6ecff6]"Oh my poor sister, so young, so confused"[/color] there was a time that she had the same problem as Notte, but it was a fact she would have to find by herself. [color=6ecff6]"I could perhaps give you a bouquet of flowers, but what should it contain? The prideful amaryllis? The suffering marigold? Or perhaps even the primrose and its eternal love"[/color] she clapped her hands and jumped out of the rock, spinning in the air as if she was dancing under the moonlight. [color=a187be]"You have never acted this lowly before. Why all the vivace? Do you take pleasure in seeing your sister going trough trouble?"[/color] Notte asked, staring her sister with a pout and then sighing. [color=6ecff6]"Oh no no, you misjudge my joy. I just saw a very interesting flower today, one that was not crafted solely by Slough's impulses or my interventions. I do not blame you for not seeing the potential, but truly, an artist must be distant from his work yet always be ready to fight the good fight for the sake of greater beauty"[/color] she skipped across the fields and grabbed her taller's sisters hand with a bit of newfound authority [color=6ecff6]"But worry not, you are young, barely older than mortals, these realizations will come with time"[/color] That didn't help Notte's mind at all, but at least her sister's actions gave her a new wave of determination to seek out a solution for her current disorientation, even if only to make the small framed Meimu stop acting like a parental figure. [hider=Summary] -Allure learns of the existence of Slough from a terrified hain named Hyoban, who he then kills to reunite with the rest of the village. After leaving, he destroys the buildings as well -Finding that a painting has appeared behind him, courtesy of Notte, Allure admires it but finds it ultimately less satisfactory than a real person. -He spots and goes after Notte, and after a remarkable jump convinces her to come back down to earth -The two talk, each one conscious of the other's beauty. After exchanging names, however, Notte's misgivings make her want to end the meeting, which Allure picks up one. They bid farewell, with Allure promising that they'd meet again after kissing her offered hand. -Meimu watched the conversation from afar, and once Allure was gone she decided to talk with her sister, and while she found delight in seeing Notte without her typical smug grin, she also took the chance to give a hint that there are ways to deal with her confusion. -Allure sets off toward Firewind Desert, now knowing where the source of all the ugly life is and what to do about it [/hider]