Zuri Kidawa
Witch
Hyena Witch
Meyek olenkaina ilala lenyena
Posts: 26
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Post by Zuri Kidawa on Mar 15, 2013 22:09:07 GMT -5
This was a bad idea. No, it was more of a terrible idea really, stupid even. As Zuri stared up at the old asylum, heaved a sigh of pure discontent. What the hell was she even doing here? There had to be someone else, anybody else. Unfortunately there really wasn’t, or at least no one that she didn’t already know and have allegiance with. The witch of blood was her best bet for what she had planned, and although the very thought made her skin crawl, Zuri knew that she had no other choice. Her journey to the witch of blood’s corner of the world had been prompted by that A’zam fellow, that sorcerer that had appeared so suddenly. Supposed allegiance be damned, she didn’t trust him. She would assist him, sure, but that didn’t mean she was about to turn her back on him. Zuri hadn’t slept through the night once since he’d appeared, paranoid that she would wake and find him standing over her with more of that sickening black sludge he seemed to adore so much as a magical medium. Just thinking about what she’d seen it do sent a chill through her, and the cold of the outdoors wasn’t helping. It was freezing compared to her home in Kenya. There were more trees than she’d ever seen, and it was damp from recent rains. Taking a deep breath, the Witch stopped standing around and ventured inside. The witch that resided within was one that Zuri had heard whispers of on occasion. She was powerful, using blood as her medium, and apparently completely insane. She wasn’t entirely sure if this venture would end well for her, but she didn’t want to resort to violence unless she had to. She was here to forge an alliance, to solidify a backup plan in case that sorcerer really did turn out to be just as shady as he seemed to her. No, she didn’t trust him at all. She didn’t care if he wanted to kick Shibusen and those lowly Kishin Eggs to the side with magic and enhance that of her and her sisters’. She didn’t trust him, not after that little display in the Witch’s Realm. Inside the asylum was even worse than outside. Zuri for once found herself wishing she had shoes on, not that she owned any. Rubbing her arms to try and keep the shivering at bay, she walked quietly and carefully, avoiding any broken glass from the old windows or rusted pieces of metal that lay strewn about from days long since passed. What had this place been like to have had people just up and leave such things behind? The Witch did not know, nor did she care to find out. The wallpaper was peeling, the linoleum floors were cracked, and most of the windows were either shattered or so coated in grime that light could barely penetrate through them. The whole place seemed so lonely. Zuri could feel the emptiness of it shock right through her. As if she didn’t feel vulnerable enough already. She hadn’t brought Zuberi and Asha with her, once again. Twice now she’d had to leave them behind, she hated doing that. She hated to be alone, she couldn’t stand it. It made her feel vulnerable in the worst way. Her goal was to be in and out of the place as quickly as possible, hopefully with little to no bloodshed, but then she couldn’t know with the witch of blood. If she was as crazed as the rumors said, then Zuri had her work cut out for her. Peering into doorways and around corners half expecting to see a ghost, she continued to search. She knew she was here, she could feel her presence, it was just a matter of where she was at this point.
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Aries Sivo
Witch
Sheep Witch
All these things that I've done, terrible things
Posts: 12
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Post by Aries Sivo on Mar 16, 2013 0:56:13 GMT -5
As it turned out, Aries was much closer than the hyena witch knew. The moment she had stepped foot in the asylum, Aries had been following her, watching, waiting to see what she wanted, hiding in the shadows as she followed her around her home. The whispers that often swept around her had taken note of the new presence first. It had been a very long time since another witch had sought Aries out, and she was intrigued, even abandoning a recently torn apart sparrow to watch the newcomer in her home. Her red eyes followed Zuri as she perched in an old office a floor above - it allowed her to watch the other witch unobserved, and it had the comfiest chairs, old dilapidated leather settees that were musty and rotting from water damage. The dead bird was cooling in the center of the room. It was her curiosity that eventually prompted the sheep witch to make her way down to the floor where Zuri was wandering, jumping and landing quietly in a crouch, straightening up and standing unbalanced, her dirty feet turned inward.
Aries tilted her head, watching as the other witch peered around before speaking.
"What are you doing?"
She was standing right behind the other witch, not even two feet away. It was one thing that made others wary of her - her inhuman quietness and silent movement, which had caused the downfall of many of her victims. The lack of a sense of other people's privacy was another. Of course, Aries simply didn't realize that others considered her behavior insane. If she did, it wasn't as if she would have changed anything. A more lucid Aries would simply make her insanity quieter, less obvious. More dangerous.
Aries had never spoken to Zuri, and in fact had only a very dim idea of who she was, but even her confused mind could recognize another witch when one was in her presence. The whispers inside her head that were her constant companions had noticed that the witch had seemed to be looking for something. "She's looking for us," Aries said out loud, not waiting for Zuri to answer her previous question. "But why?" She giggled behind her straitjacket sleeve, which covered her hands in long swaths of cloth, grinning so widely it seemed as if her face was about to split in two. Blood dripped out of the corner of her mouth, where it had already stained her teeth red.
"Why? Why? Why?" Her voice echoed in the empty chamber, sending her high-pitched giggles around the room.
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Zuri Kidawa
Witch
Hyena Witch
Meyek olenkaina ilala lenyena
Posts: 26
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Post by Zuri Kidawa on Mar 16, 2013 13:43:17 GMT -5
Where in the world was that girl? Peering into the net of many rooms, Zuri barely registered the soft noise Aries made landing behind her. She paid it no mind, taking it as wind blowing through the abandoned halls through doorways that were no longer closed. What she could detect, though, was magic, or rather magic that had grown far closer to her than it previously was. Stiffening, she leaned back out of the room just as a soft voice came from directly behind her. The sound itself startled her, but Aries’ close proximity was what made her stumble backwards, Zuri emitting a strangled yelp of surprise as she did so.
How embarrassing to be crept upon so easily. Either the other Witch in the room was quiet as a mouse or Zuri was losing her touch. It didn’t help that she was entirely out of her element. Maybe this was a bad idea; maybe she should have just stayed in Kenya. She took a few deep breaths to calm her thundering heart and reconsidered. No, it was too late now and this was something that had to be done. It was for her own good, not to mention the good of any other Witch around should they be betrayed. Zuri wasn’t willing to take any chances. Straightening up from her hunched position, she regained her composure and looked down at the Witch.
She was taller than she’d imagined, nearly as tall as Zuri herself, although the rest of her she would have rather left to her imagination. She was a filthy little thing, and it was all the witch of laughter could do to keep from covering her nose. She was trying to be polite although she did try to breathe as infrequently as possible and with shallow breaths at that. Even more unnerving, Aries was now talking to herself or perhaps people only she could see. Glancing around, Zuri raised an eyebrow at the knowledge that they were indeed alone. The rumors were true, this Witch was insane. Each Witch had their own brand of just how peculiar they tended to be, but Aries had the rest of them beat by far with her actions.
Zuri had to admit, though, there was something endearing about it. It was probably that giggle of hers, along with that trickle of blood coming from her mouth as she grinned. Placing her hands on her hips, she returned the grin with one of her own although it was far more sinister, showing off teeth that were a bit too sharp,
“You are correct, dear, I am looking for you. My intentions are to propose an alliance of sorts in case a certain…unexpected visitor should turn on us.”
Zuri tapped a finger to the side of her head and pursed her lips, taking on a more serious expression. Aries hadn’t been in the Witch’s Realm during the events that had transpired, but she couldn’t help but wonder if she was heard of them or not. But she must have, right? A sorcerer was big new, but her isolation from even other Witches like herself may have hindered the general flow of information. She would bring it up regardless, then,
“I don’t suppose you happened to hear of the events in the Witch’s Realm not too long ago?”
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Aries Sivo
Witch
Sheep Witch
All these things that I've done, terrible things
Posts: 12
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Post by Aries Sivo on Mar 27, 2013 1:04:58 GMT -5
Aries tilted her head, staring at Zuri blankly. "Did we hear about anything?" She whispered, holding her hands up in front of her face. "Any news?" The whispers seemed puzzled, buzzing in her mind, chatting amongst themselves. Eventually a few stray threads made their way through the chatter - someone new. Someone dangerous. Aries moved her hands apart, staring through Zuri. "We know a little," she said eventually, listening to the voices only she heard. "We don't know what has our sisters so afraid," she added, tilting her head the other way. "Why don't you tell us? Why don't you tell us?"
The sheep witch knew her whispers were trying their best, but she didn't often go to the Witch's Realm. She generally had no business there. Her flow of news about the happenings there was limited, but it had never bothered her in the past. She liked her solitude. However, if one of her sister witches was seeking her out - and one that was not native to this area, at that - it must be something big and exciting. "Tell us," Aries repeated again, a hungry look in her eyes. "What are you scared of? Is it big? Is it powerful?" A bit of drool pooled out of her mouth and dripped down her chin, and she raised her fingers to her mouth and gently bit on them. "I wonder if it bleeds. We like it when they do that," she said dreamily, "but they run out so fast. So fast, so fast, no fun when that happens."
Bending down, Aries removed her fingers from her mouth and placed her palm flat on the ground. She had always liked the texture of the concrete floor, how cool it felt against her skin. "She wants an alliance," Aries whispered to herself. "She's looking for us. But what will she do once she finds us?" Aries drew a rough circle with her finger, moving the dust and dirt away in a rhythmic movement. "What does she want from us?" She turned her red eyes back to Zuri, staring at her, through her.
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Zuri Kidawa
Witch
Hyena Witch
Meyek olenkaina ilala lenyena
Posts: 26
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Post by Zuri Kidawa on Aug 18, 2013 15:44:35 GMT -5
Aries was an interesting sort to watch, although her demeanor made Zuri lean back ever so slightly. The laughing witch was guilty of talking to herself for certain, but the pale girl took it an entirely new level of unsettling. She kept a close eye on her as the other regarded her hands, appearing to be listening to voices only she could hear. When Aries did finally look at her, Zuri got the feelings that she wasn’t truly seeing her. It was an odd feeling, one that made her hyperaware of the fact that she was alone in this situation. At the moment, the other witch in the room could not with certainty be trusted, and Zuri could be sure who would win in a fight. She crossed her arms to hide the fact that her hands were trembling.
She repeated herself before Zuri could actually begin speaking. Opening her mouth only to shut it again, the witch of blood continued to speak, asking all form of questions, all of which Zuri collected and carefully turned over inside her head. Her eyes became glued to the girl’s movement and only averted it elsewhere as Aries appeared to vaguely bite at her own fingers. This girl was ten different kinds of creepy. But she could use her help, so Zuri began to speak. Rubbing her upper arms in an attempt to rid herself of the chill of northern America, she chose her words carefully,
“I wouldn’t use the word scared. It has me uneasy for the moment, although I think that could easily turn into fear should something else similar happen.”
Golden eyes fell on Aries’ face, narrowing very slightly,
“The initial being that appeared in the Witch’s Realm was indeed big. It was large and dark and resembled a bird. It proved to be powerful and heavy with madness. It unleashed a scream that deafened even me, madness riding along the sound waves and knocking some of us to our knees, but that wasn’t even the worst part.”
Her hands moved up to her shoulders, arms forming an X over her chest. The laughing witch didn’t realize she was doing it, but it made her feel more secure to imitate being held,
“When I threw a spell at it, and a simple one at that, it started sapping my power away from me. Another witch, Kali, attempted to attack it with brute force. It was made of some sort of thick, black sludge that stuck to her. It sapped her power too, burned her. After she attacked it, though, it changed form. It turned into the guise of a man, but it was still black and shadowy looking. It spoke with her voice, I’m not sure how.”
Zuri shifted her weight to one foot, hip jutting out to the right as she did so,
“He said he was a sorcerer. I have no doubt that h bleeds, but I certainly won’t be the first to try and draw blood from him after seeing what he can do. He says he wants to help us, tilt the sway of power back to the magical side but I don’t trust him.”
Zuri watched as Aries bent down to the ground, drawing in the dirt that coated the floor. She wondered vaguely just how many of her words had actually reached the girl. Sighing, Zuri rubbed her arms with enough vigor it was a wonder they didn’t ignite. Was it always so col din the north? She couldn’t fathom how people lived up here otherwise. Dark red eyes turned back to her, questioning again. Zuri gulped without meaning to, shook her head, and then stared right back. Now was not the time to lose her composure,
“I want reassurance of sorts. I don’t trust him, and if he betrays us I want the best backup plan available. You’re one of the most powerful witches I’ve heard of by ear, not to sell our other sisters short. If he pulls anything suspicious or threatening, I’d like your help.”
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Aries Sivo
Witch
Sheep Witch
All these things that I've done, terrible things
Posts: 12
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Post by Aries Sivo on Dec 26, 2013 22:37:43 GMT -5
It was unclear if Aries could hear anything Zuri was saying. She seemed more preoccupied with the circles she was drawing on the floor, but as Zuri finished her speil Aries suddenly stopped, cocking her head as if she was listening to something.
She stood up, looking through Zuri, and pushed her aside with a dirty hand gently as she began to walk out of the room. She walked back in alot immediately, tilting her body to the side, and said in a childlike voice that didn't match her feral appearance, "come along, come along," before disappearing through the door once more.
She looked as if she was constantly tipping over - a slow sort of stumbling walk that disguised how fast and quiet she really moved. She wasn't about to lose her guest, however, and every so often she'd crouch and pick at her toes until she could feel Zuri's eyes on her, and then up and off she'd be, sometimes whistling, low and hollow and tuneless.
She finally stopped in a room off to the east of where they had started, filled with dirty wallpaper and old, bloody clothing. There was a leak in the corner, dripping down the wall and causing the paper there to mold and curl downwards. Everywhere else, the wallpaper was obviously pinned back up with large iron nails, and Aries went to one and pulled it out with great care, throwing it down on the floor with less. She let the wallpaper fall to the ground, barely giving it any thought. It was the wall behind it that she was concerned with.
The wall behind the dirty paper was clean and white in long swaths, and it was obvious that great care had been taken to keep it that way. As Aries went around and removed the pins, more of the wall was exposed, and it was covered in markings, in charts, drawn in dull red paint that smelled suspiciously foul and rotten. In the center of the wall, there were several figures, painted with surprising care - a small girl with a large, misshapen hat; a tall woman with cuts - or, perhaps, stripes - painted all over her body; a huge smudge, where someone was rubbed out viciously; and then a lone figure, her hair long and curly, her skin painted dark and jewelry crudely picked out by scratching at the wall. Aries had painted the witches. To the side, there was something that looked like a bird, dark and covered with odd designs. It was obvious Aries's mental state had begun to decay once again - any lucidity she had while painting had worn off, and the bird creature was runny and misshapen, dissolving into long smudges and cryptic symbols that only Aries could read. She was peering at them and nodding her head.
A large eye hovered over the bird, and the paint - the suspicious paint - had run, oozing down like a long, dark tear, mingling with the body of the bird creature. There was a hand print nearby, where Aries had gone off on a tangent, making a line of them that stretched onto the other walls and the floor.
Aries tore the rest of the wallpaper off in one smooth motion, looking at Zuri expectantly, like a child showing her masterpiece to her mother proudly. "We saw you," she chirped, rocking back and forth on her feet before crouching down once more and sticking her fingers back in her mouth, sucking on the dried blood between her fingernails. "We saw you," she said again, around her fingers, but her eyes narrowed. She dropped her hand back down to her side, and stared at the wall, so carefully painted.
"He knows our power," she said, thoughtfully. "He knows your power," she corrected herself, turning her disorienting gaze on Zuri. She didn't elaborate, but stood up and walked to the wall, placing a hand on the plaster. "He sent his emissary." Her eyes widened, as did her grin, revealing her blood-stained, crooked teeth. "Either he cannot leave his realm, or he fears us too much to interact directly." Her laugh was light and bubbly, far too sweet to be coming from her thin, cracked lips. Her fingertips trailed along the wall for a moment, lingering on the painting of Zuri, but her arm dropped back to her side.
She began giggling madly, doubling over and pressing her forehead to her knees and shaking in mirth. "Oh my-! He scares witches...!" she gasped, in between peals of laughter. "I..."
Whatever she was about to say was lost as she trailed off, her eyes becoming unfocused and her head tilting to the side. She listened intently for a moment before looking through Zuri, the brief moment of lucidity over.
"We will go," she said simply, pitching forward and pulling herself up, staring at Zuri's neck in a way that was wholly unnerving.
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