[center][h2][color=f26522]Kasari Liesma[/color][/h2] Ex-Bride of Zakroti; Ex-Sister-Bride to [color=c2a5fd]Aymiria Cassiel[/color][/center] Thump. Thump. [i]Nothingness. Dark, calm, silent, nothingness. No up, no down... Just nothing. And yet it were as if the entirety of the universe pulsed through one point. A small body, a girl barely out of adolescence with a heart burning brighter than the sun itself. A flowing white dress in stark contrast with the darkness that was everything, long brown curls framing a delicate face, and pale blue eyes full of not fear, nor pain, but acceptance. [/i] Thump. Thump. [i]Closing her eyes, the girl made a wish. A single, one word trace of a thought that resonated through the darkness like a water droplet on a still pond.[/i] How? [i]A room began to materialize around her form. Where there was once nothing, there was now light, color, direction... what was the word again?[/i] Existence. [i]At first she didn't recognize where she had ended up, the scene before her seeming distant very much like a lucid dream.[/I] Thump. Thump. [i]Another girl, a familiar girl. A girl in pain and suffering terribly. Her sister, whose muscles tensed and seized under the strain of pure concentration. And a third, with beautiful brown hair, pale blue eyes and a heart that burned brighter than the sun itself. All eyes were turned toward the door, watching... waiting. For what, she could not recall, but it wouldn't matter either way. [/i] Thump. Thump. [i]A flash of silver, light glinting off the edge of a knife. Time slowed down to whereas each passing moment was measured in heartbeats. The guard would never have seen it coming, but the girl born of fire couldn't see anything but. Two girls rushed forward at the same time, but the brunette was faster. Slipping between the blonde and the guard, offensive steel met defensive steel. She reached out to embrace the terrified girl, to keep her from doing irreparable harm. Offensive steel met foolish flesh. The wraith in white cowered as pain seared through her chest.[/i] Thump. Thump. [i]The room was different now. Blonde and brunette lay still on the floor, the sister missing, men shouting and moving about. There was so much going on around her, but all she could focus on was the mirror image of herself staring up at nothing in particular. One of the guards hovered over her, hands pressed firmly to her chest as blood poured from the wounds. His mouth moved, forming words that she could not hear. She was captivated by this one girl on the floor barely clinging to life. Slowly the dulling pale eyes shifted from their place on the ceiling to meet those belonging to the girl dressed in white. In that moment, in that single heartbeat, a smile of recognition appeared and a word was uttered in unison.[/i] Forgiveness. Thump. [i]Shattering into thousands of pieces around the girl, memories of her life faded back into the darkness leaving her alone yet again. She watched as the lights faded, her own flame no more than a dwindling ember. Slowly she exhaled and closed her eyes, the girl born of fire shining brightly one last time before vanishing into the silence. It was silent, calm, and dark.[/i] Nothingness. [@darkwolf687] [@RomanAria] [hr] [center][h2][color=8493ca]Azilon Dantanath[/color][/h2] Husband of [color=98fb98]Rya Mira[/color] and [color=skyblue]Aeila Snowblood[/color][/center] Scoot nearly jumped for joy when Rya finally agreed to return to the room with him; nearly. Scuttling along behind her, the pair began their march back to Azilon following a much safer path than they had originally set out on. His excitement was quick to vanish, however, as he began wondering what sort of things Rya meant to have addressed. That couldn't have been a good sign... Could it? She was a bit bossy and he feared that she would say something stupid the young master. Even worse, whatever it was appeared to have been inspired by something he said. The entire way back was filled with nothing but his incoherent babbling and stuttering, none of which formed even a single word. Without so much as knocking on the door, Rya barged into the room and approached Azilon, a petrified Scoot staring on in disbelief as she practically shoved her hands in his face. He didn't even notice the odd state of the room. "[color=gray]M-miss Rya... P-please....[/color]" He managed to squeak, though it was doubtful a single person heard him. Scoot could barely hear himself. ~~~ The Drakken lord stared down at the Gemminite girl with a stern yet attentive gaze, as if his eyes were attempting to read the inner most thoughts locked away in a person's heart. He listened as each of the girl's demands were made and again when food was offered, unsure of whether or not Rya had any sort of real train of thought. Shrugging internally, Azilon shifted his gaze over to look at Scoot who looked about ready to pass out where he stood. He started chuckling to himself, a sound that quickly erupted into full blown laughter. "[color=8493ca]Invertebrate or not, Scoot is my right hand man for all things personal. I'd appreciate it if you didn't break him. Your mark will have to wait until we have arrived at the estate. I know just the person to meet your ever rising standards.[/color]" Azilon smirked at the girl before his attention was pulled away. Something was wrong, incredibly wrong. There was a heaviness to the air and chill that froze to the core despite standing so close to a raging flame. After a few moments of staring at the door, Azilon snarled menacingly and snapped to attention. Snatching his clothes from where they had been placed for him the night before, Azilon began dressing himself hurriedly. "[color=8493ca]Take the food to go, we're leaving. Now. Scoot, go ready my horse.[/color]" The smell of blood, however faint, was unmistakable. Pain had been felt all through the night by claimed brides... But the tension he could sense in the air, was not that of a pleasurable or even rough night. It was battle, and considered highly offensive for the occasion. A duel was one thing, but somehow Azilon doubted that was the case. Either way, he didn't want his new companions getting caught up in the frenzy. It was best they took off before the whole building got involved in a bloodbath and nobody got to go home. Scoot nodded and disappeared out the door to ready the horses for departure, all the while wondering what had sparked such a reaction from his master. He had always, or at least for as long as Scoot had known him, displayed an uncanny sense of danger and self-preservation. After his most recent injury, it was clear Azilon shouldn't be fighting quite yet, so it was probably that such a sense was driving him to leave... And leave quickly. The face of the Drakken from the dining hall popped into Scoot's head, the one he and Rya had thought to follow earlier. He had seemed pretty angry, hungry for blood wherever he could find it. None of that mattered though. Scoot was on a mission to prepare for departure and that was what he was going to focus on. [@Ellion] [@NarcissisticPotato]