The Mansion

[DarkWarrioress]

Today was a new day. The possibilities were endless. I always believed that, no matter what issues were pressing. I leaned against the counter in my kitchen, sipping from my cup of coffee. The weather had taken a cooler turn and I had chosen a pair of faded, well loved, jeans to wear. A plaid shirt of green and black was tucked into those jeans, sleeves rolled up to my elbows. My feet were encased in scuffed boots and my hair was clipped to the back of my head. Silver loops adorned the lobes of my ears, followed along the shell with colorful studs, two on each ear. My eyes are pensive. My thoughts still contemplative. Not one sign of regret or doubt lingered in either. Well, regret there was, but not for my decision.

There were things to do today. I'd get around to them all. Sooner or later. There wasn't an order to them. Maybe I'd stop by the flower shop while I was out. Buy some flowers. I missed their brightness. Missed their countenance and as my own flower beds were going dormant for the winter.

My eyes wandered about the kitchen, as I sipped my coffee. They fell upon a single key on the wall. Pushing away from the counter, I strode over to it, taking it down from its hanging place, turning it over in my fingers a couple of times before tucking it in my hip pocket.

First I had someplace to be. Something to take care. Then I'd get on with it.

Or maybe... I'd save that something for last.

 

[DarkWarrioress]

For once, the sun was already up and greeting her for a change. It felt good. Sleep had felt good.

Another pair of jeans that fit snugly. However, this time it was fuzzy socks on her feet. She had nowhere to be today but in front of her keyboard and responding to posts. A cup of coffee sat off to one side, close at hand but far enough away so she wouldn't damage anything in case of a spill. Her toes barely touched the floor as she answered an email.

Agatha was lying curled up beside her chair. Now and then, she glanced down and smiled. Leaning over the side of her chair, she ran her fingers through tightly curled hair, pausing to scratch behind one ear. Agatha lifted her head, blinked, yawned and laid her head back down with a soft tuff of air leaving her.

Reaching for her coffee cup, she contemplated getting herself a puppy. What breed? What would suit her the best? A golden perhaps? The one thing she did know, she wanted a rescue dog or puppy. Too many were being put to death because of irresponsible people. The least she could do was to give one or maybe two, a home. She'd have to keep her eyes open and keep that thought in mind.

Her eyes fell on the sweet witch's invitation. She hardly felt like a party but maybe she needed one. She debated.

Her attention turned to her writing.

 

[Light Ice]

A pair of tulips are left on the stair. The maids leave them be.


They know.

 

[DarkWarrioress]

A pair of tulips are left on the stair. The maids leave them be.


They know.

There was no one here, other than Agatha and herself. The maids had the day off. She could be as silly or not as she wanted. Empty coffee cup in her hand, she took a small run and slid to the study door and stopped. Abruptly. There was color on the staircase.

Agatha came with. She sniffed. Her tail wagged. Cait laughed. Delightedly.

Reaching down she picked up the pair. Color. She needed some.

He knew that.

Resumed trip to the kitchen. A slim vase found. Tulips, given a watery home and carried back to the study with a fresh cup of coffee. Damn. She really should give up this vise. Coffee, not the flowers. After all, she is a girl. Flowers were just... well.... yummy.

 

[DarkWarrioress]

Update

A new thread idea added to my list.

A Fall Into Grace

 

[DarkWarrioress]

Sunshine streamed into the house and found her at her desk, chatting and writing. Someone she had been worried about for a bit now, had finally shown up. So, she was spending her morning catching up. Agatha laid curled close to her desk on the floor and now and then, a hand would find its way to her fur.

Coffee is sipped idly while chatting and contemplation of how to respond to a thread is half rolling around in her mind. Another part wondering how to formulate a personal piece though, she has a hunch for that one.

As he well put it, it was time for moving on. She had made a decision, executed it and now there was no looking back. That wasn't her way. She would always care, but she had done what she had to, what was right for her. Today, was a new day.

 

[BehaviorMod]

The Restless Knight

The sun was setting, slowly dipping down below the horizon and behind the water the warrior found himself walking along. The water's edge was calming, comforting, and gave him clarity to think when times were troubled. He wasn't in his armor, but still had his dark leathers wrapped about his frame, his arms and chest exposed. The dark patterns of ink upon his fleshed marked him as a Dark Knight, a particular warrior who practiced more than just the arts of swordplay and combat.

Hanging from his waist was a single Katana, a long; curved and constantly sharpened sword from the Eastern lands known for it's precision and gracefullness in combat. It was the only thing he needed at a time like this. The only thing that calmed him when a woman could not, would not.

His sword would never abandon him. His sword would never tire of his use of it. His sword always thirsted for what he offered it. Seth wanted a woman, true; but he did not need a woman. Need and want were two very seperate things. The need to clear his thoughts and recover from his inner wounds brought him here. In the distance he could see the tops of a large building, perhaps a manse, peaking up over the trees. Hopefully no one would percieve him as a threat when all he wanted was a peacefull, blisfull rest and; perhaps, someone to hold.

Deep hazel eyes scanned the waters edge, watching the light reflect off of it until it finally disappeared, replaced by moonlight. Now he could let his thoughts out, now he could let his frustrations flow through his blade. He unseathed the Katana, the noise of it's steel being dragged from it's seath was soothing. He held the arcing blade above his head and assumed a defensive stance, and then he began to dance.

This was no dance a mere woman would perform; this was a deadly dance. A dance of steel and moonlight. A dance of agility and gracefullness and focus.

 

[DarkWarrioress]

She wore a flowing full skirt that swirled around her ankles in the night's breeze. Her sweater hung off her shoulders. Her feet were bare. Recently brushed red hair flowed just over her shoulders, enough so that a man could wrap his fist around it if he were so inclined. Her earlobes sparkled with colored gems and a hoop in each lobe. A seductive warm scent called Sensuous Amber foretold her coming but she hardly expected to encounter anyone this time of night.

Her feet barely made any sound at all as she walked through the grass and then into the sand. It was the vibrations on the air or perhaps the change in the air that alerted her that she was not alone down here by the shore. She knew that sound. It was unmistakeable. Metal slicing through air. She climbed a small dune and stopped. A man. Not one she had met before. He moved through the night with deadly precision. A precision only another warrior could respect and admire. The moon was full. Its glow fell on the flat surface of the water beyond. Its shimmer caught the surface of his blade, reflecting it back into the night.

She moved slowly so as not to disturb his focus, sitting on the sand, her feet crossed before her. Her hands resting idly on her knees. It was a beautiful sight to behold, this dance of man and sword. One she had done herself in the early morning light, armed with both swords. But tonight, she was just a woman. Unarmed except for what nature had graced her with. She sat. Quietly. Watched and admired.

 

[BehaviorMod]

The warriors senses were razor sharp when he was in this zone, in this place where blade and man became one. Yet he sensed nothing, no one. It was not until his seemingly private show was over with did catch the scent on the wind. It was an alluring scent, mixed with womanhood and the sea breeze.

He seathed the curved, lengthy blade and glanced around, until he saw the woman sitting in the sand, quietly, watchfull. What was a woman doing way out here at a time like this? Unless she were a traveler like he, which seemed unlikely by her garments and scent. Perhaps she called the building that Seth could only catch small glimpses of through the distant trees home.

He turned his body to face her, the exposed portion of his chest glistening with sweat from his blade excercise, and bowed to her respectfully. A warriors bow, an eastern bow. He glanced up at her and smiled. "Forgive me, i was unaware there was anyone else here. If I am tresspasing or have found my way to somewhere I shouldnt be, i can be on my way. You seemed quite pleased to sit and watch though."

 

[Nyte_mare]

She had smiled and waved to her friend as they passed. Cait off for a walk in the cool night air. She, heading to the kitchen for a glass of wine. She winks at her friend with a smile, then disappears indoors.

She would probably never have her own place, and that was ok with her. As long as she was welcome at the Mansion, she would have a place to go. A pause to admire the pretty, colorful flowers, a pair of delicate tulips, that were obviously left for the lady of the Mansion. She knew who they were from, she knew him and how he worked. Cait deserved them, that was for sure, the flowers as pretty as she was....

 

[DarkWarrioress]

"There is nothing to forgive, good sir. The land here is for the use of all. I seek the sea and the night as you do, apparently."

She drew her legs up under her skirt, wrapping her arms around them as she stared out over his shoulder.

"Tis a thing of beauty to watch sword and man work as one. I work with two blades myself but I choose the early morning hours for that, not the night. At night, I seek to let my thoughts speak. I like to listen to the stars and the gentle swell of the ocean as it rides up on shore.

I am sorry if I intruded upon your time. I can go and leave you to your solitude if you like."

The man glistened with sweat, a sign of his concentration and the working of muscle and sinew within movements. Her eyes skimmed over him than returned to the view over his shoulder. It was rude to stare and frankly, she had no wish to. Perhaps that was unfair of her, even rude for he was a fine looking man and she admired strength when it came with character. However, she was guarded, wary and planned to stay that way. At least for a time.

 

[Light Ice]

A small collection of wild flowers. A flurry of color. Spring tidings on a Fall Day. They are left at the stair bundled with a promise.

 

[DarkWarrioress]

A small collection of wild flowers. A flurry of color. Spring tidings on a Fall Day. They are left at the stair bundled with a promise.

Wild flowers. Her favorites. They brighten the gloomy day, which foretells of a pending storm.

A promise.

She'll take it.

 

[DarkWarrioress]

Samhain

There was a time when I walked the path of the God/dess. A devout servant of many, many years. This night, its meaning, regardless of where my feet now walk, has always been with me. A great many of my immediate family are gone now. Mother, father, sister. Grandparents, uncles. First cousins before they even reached the legal age. So many. Tonight, the Veil thins. Tonight, I set out things they loved to eat and drink. Tonight, I think about them, about the good times and the bad. In the end, they were family. Never truly gone unless they are forgotten by the generations to come. One day, I too, will be amongst them and I wonder who will remember me? But until then, this night is all about them. Memories. Not sadness. Gentle aches because they are beyond my touch now. But never out of my heart. Laughter that lifts the heart as I remember all the good times, the things I have learned from each of them. Why I am blessed more times than I can recount.

​

 

[DarkWarrioress]

A moment out of time, he finds her. They speak of things. The world around them reclaims her and when she does return? His side of the world claims him. So it is. So it shall always be.

A promise.

Intent.

Feminine eyes cut to twin tulips.

A smile.

The world starts again. It carries on.

She goes to stretch out.

In nothing more than an Oxford shirt.

 

[Light Ice]

The night stretched and so did he, drawing his great height to its terrible fullness and feeling his body ripple with fatigue and appreciation. These were familiar haunts. Familiar halls. Each stride carried him along. A maid blushed and scurried, little heels on hardwood. A door, he'd been there before, opened by his hand.

She stretched and he stretched with her. Against her. Sliding into bed with her back arched along his broad chest and his rugged arm curled around her narrow hips. The Oxford was thick with his cologne. Her little legs bare, and smooth, as they tangled with his.

 

[DarkWarrioress]

At some point, even in sleep, he crept into her awareness. It wasn't just the scent him, which she had laid down with. Now, it was the wispy, sleepy awareness of his firm body pressed against her own. His arm holding her curved into his. His legs, entwining with her own. His breath, warm, brushing against the nape of her neck. She stirred, but barely came awake. His name was a murmur from her lips as she pressed her bottom back against him. Her hand reached for the arm that was draped over her hip, drawing it up under his shirt. Guiding it to rest under her breasts.

She slept.

 

[Light Ice]

He has her close. In his arms. The heat of them tangled together amidst the sheets. The halls echoing, still, with the whispers of the staff as they recount what they'd seen. For now, she's given respite. Peace. There will come tumult again. At his hands. A raider. A rogue. For now, though, embracing her as sleep comes. Their bodies wet. Slick. Hot.

And fitting nicely together.

 

[DarkWarrioress]

A time to wait before the hourglass is turned over and grains of sand are accounted. For now, this night, her body fits tightly into his. They lie amongst rumpled damp sheets, limbs entwined.

Somewhere beyond the room there are giggles and sighs of envy. Silent wishes that it was them in her place.

A promise given, a promise accepted.

But not yet. Not. Just. Yet.

Soon.

Air will bend Water.

In the most delightful, wicked of ways.

She was counting on it.

 

[DarkWarrioress]

Morning dawns all too soon for her. She doesn't have to look to know he is gone, for now. Slipping from bed, she dresses and stumbles off to the coffee pot. Mmmm. Blackberry. It's different for a coffee, but actually, surprisingly, not bad.

Coffee in tow, she finds her way the study and settles in for a bit to check mail and threads. Responses are due and those will be forthcoming.

And it's Friday!

Yay.

 

[DarkWarrioress]

 

[DarkWarrioress]

 

[DarkWarrioress]

A small smile played along her lips as her day progressed. Happy. Safe. She was both of those things.

The world without was soon to claim her. Whisk her away for a time but she would return to complete more of her writing soon.

The day was cloudy and cold. She had but one pressing issue and that one thing would be seen to shortly. Her mind kept slipping away, to somewhere else and she had to rein it in again.

The current needs of two, could and would change with time. It was inevitable. But until then... she merely smiled.....

 

[DarkWarrioress]

Early to bed last night. She could barely keep her eyes open. The price for that was she was up before the sun this morning. It just wasn't fair. It was Saturday. She could sleep in. However, her body told her otherwise. With a resigned sigh, she slipped from bed, made her way into her bathroom for a shower and had emerged feeling completely wide awake. A quick drawing of her brush through her hair before she stepped into the kitchen for a much needed cup of coffee.

Later this morning she had tasks to complete before she could settle back at her desk and attempted more writing. Oh yes... and cookies. She promised the younglings of the family some sugar cookies today as well.

For now, coffee and the time to leisurely enjoy it.

 

[DarkWarrioress]

Ugh. Things to do later this morning, but first, coffee!

She brushed the hair from her face as she stumbled toward the kitchen, yawning. She had been up and awake for over an hour and a half already and would have given anything to slip back into bed and return to sleep. That wasn't going to happen so she might as well find something else to do.