Themerlinhawk & Grin
Day 0, Afternoon
Shard stood on top of the tower of stars and let the wind off of the plains of Theodar catch at the edges of his jacket. The wind tugged at the edges of the collar as he held it in place with his hands in the pockets. The Shard’s stare was a thousand miles and a thousand years away as he looked out over Angel’s Landing breathing in the sounds, smells and sights, that paled in comparison to the sight he had fixed in his mind’s eye. It was far less grand than what he’d built but it was by far what he desired more than anything. The Tower had been his greatest achievement but it was also a reminder of one of his most bitter failures.
Walking to the edge of the tower he looked down from the top of it. Reaching into sheath on the side of his belt he took the deck of storms from it and dropped the cards over the edge of the Tower. At the last second he snatched the final card and turned it over. The four of squalls. With that he flipped the card over and put his left hand on the case and the deck of storms rippled back up over the edge of the tower in a stream of cards that fitted neatly into the deck. With Shard snapped the card in a throw straight into the heavens where it disappeared in a gust of wind before returning to the deck at his side.
The Shard’s eyes blazed with white lightning as the storm brewed above Angel’s Landing, it had been far too long since he’d drawn from the deck. As the storm clouds darkened over Angel’s Landing his mood darkened with them as fat drops of rain began to splatter on the roof of the tower around him as he finally sat down on the edge of the tower and let his feet hang over the edge of the tower dangling while he caught water in the palm of his left hand. Sweeping his right hand over it the small pool became a mirror and he stared into it with heartbroken eyes.
where are you Raven?/A silent smile. One that caresses darkness and trickles like sand in still fingers. It impacted through Shard’s senses and at once the sensation of a cool night breeze in the summer brushed against his skin.
Shard clenched his left hand involuntarily and the mirror was gone in a hundred tiny rain drops. Standing Shard frowned into the closing darkness. “Raven?”
Suddenly even little ears could hear movement. It was the sound of clothing dancing in the wind. If she was correct, he wouldn’t need to look behind him to know. Her smooth, silky breath visibly entered the air around her in a white fog. The woman without a shadow.
Christian closed his eyes and let his senses expand to encompass his domain as the storm prepared to crash upon Angel’s Landing. He felt the raindrops as they fell and he could hear her as she stood there in the rain. “I’ve missed you”
She let the rain pour on her human skin. When his eyes slowly shut there was a pause. Then lips, lips that tasted of adventure, of a thousand lonely nights, and of the woman that he hasn’t seen in centuries. Her scent that he knew her by flowed out of her, and though there was some variation to it, it was the same feeling. It was still Raven Marrowblade.
Christian turned in the rain to face her. It had been a long time that was for sure. Too long. He’d stared up at the stars every night wondering if he could have done something different to make her stay. Or if he should have gone with her…
“Are you here to stay or is this just you letting me know you’re still alive, beloved?”
Christian held his face in a neutral expression. Afraid to betray the tears it held in check as the rain continued to increase in tempo.
He felt a warm palm press against his cheek through leather.
“Christian, open your eyes.”
Her voice was smoother than it used to be, slightly more melodic than the last time they conversed before she left for the stars. It sounded like pure silk, and ended like waves calmy kissing the shore.
Christian looked at her through the rain and put his own hand to her gloved hand as it pressed against his face. The tears mingled with the rain on his face as it fell. His eyes had lost the edge of the storm and now they were the calm grey of its center as the tears welled from them and dripped down his face as he stared into her’s. “Please be here to stay.”
Only one eye stared back at him, and it was welled, making the pale red counter against the cold storm around them. The other was covered, concealed in shame. There were a few long moments of silence before the woman moved, clasping Christian’s hand and lacing her fingers inside the gaps of his own. A perfect fit. “I’ll never leave again.”
Christian looked at the hand and stared straight past the eye patch right back into her soul. “I hadn’t dared to hope you would say that” His face finally shifted into a sad smile. “I’ve missed you dearly. I was afraid you had forgotten me.” His other hand found her waist and pulled her close to him. With a brief moment of concentration he created a bubble in the rain for them to keep her from getting any more soaked by the storm that was beginning to pick up strength around them.
Raven’s face was stationary, like a doll’s, before the expression silently ticked into one that was melancholy. She tilted her untouched features towards the sky, eyeing the galaxies beyond them. “I couldn’t if I even wanted to.” Her eyes met his again before her face tilted back in his direction, her free hand, covered in the black and mint metal, peeling back some clothing covering her collarbone, leaving it bare in front of him. A single black tattoo etched onto her skin in cursive seeped into Christian’s senses if he looked.
’Christian Highfell’A smile finally work its way across his face as he saw the tattoo. “Perhaps I should find one to match?” Taking his arms he drew her in close holding her to his chest. “I’m just glad you’re home. Should we get out of the rain? It’s warmer inside, we have so much to catch up on”
This time it was Raven’s turn to smile. It bloomed across her face like a fresh rose.
“So long as we are mere feet away from each other, I will always feel warm, but perhaps my clothes say differently..” She chuckled.
Christian’s movement was faster. One moment she was standing in his arms the next he had picked her up off the ground and was moving down the stairs of the tower. “I think we can do something about that.” Christian’s steps were swift. “Sentinel, make preparations for the Blackwing to moor alongside the tower. Alert Senechal that we will be accommodating the crew. And Sentinel..I am not to be disturbed unless there is a situation most dire. Defer command decisions to Master of Word Markov and Master of Fist Megelis.” There was a ripple in the air in front of Shard as he walked with Raven in his arms. “Acknowledged, new recruit orientation will be deferred to tomorrow.” Shard smiled “Do you think that will be long enough darling?” One moment Shard was stepping down the stairs and then he was pushing the door of his room open. The use of the Ace of Storms caused his hair to defy gravity momentarily and left a tingle of electrical charge on both of their skin.
“Nothing can make up the time that I was apart from you,” Raven’s face wilted into a frown. “But, it definitely is a start.”
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Themerlinhawk
Day 1, Morning
Sentinel had taken care of orientation for the new recruits so Shard didn’t need to lead any groups of recruits today, he did however make himself available. All of his Masters and Mistresses were available for the next 24 hours.
Shard paged through his briefs for the day. His mind wandered back to Raven, pity she wasn’t around. “Archive open briefs for The Stygian Blade and highlight new information.” Shard’s eyes scanned the lines of text as it scrolled up on his holoscreen. It was mostly reports from the local law enforcement on potentially linked crimes. His eyes narrowed when he saw the next report. “Halt scroll and expand highlighted report.” Shard leaned forward on his desk as he looked over the report. It was a prisoner transfer record. “Archive give me a court records for this case?” There was a pause. “
We have no court records for the case in question. It appears that the case and court ruling were under media blackout and the records are sealed. Southgate also has no record of the prisoner in question. The only information is this transfer notice.” Shard sat back and steepled his fingers. “Sentinel, give me an active roster of current members and their deployment. Include Masters of Shadow, Blade, Artifice, and Logistics.”
Shards eyes flickered over the list. “Lots of new faces. Lucky Megelis is back, do we have a location for Ralrisk?” The query came back negative which meant she was probably in the Tower of Stars.
“Okay start compiling a list of possible members for a prison break team, oh and find Ralrisk and tell her she has office hours today. I don’t care how shy she is. She’s still the Tower’s Mistress of Shadow. Oh and would you do a search for the Mistress of Sight? I want to know what Akime has been up to.”
Member
