ᴛʜᴇ ǫᴜᴇᴇɴ's ᴄᴏᴜʀᴛ ♔ sᴇᴀsᴏɴ ᴛᴡᴏ ♔ ᴄʟᴏsᴇᴅ & sᴛᴀʀᴛᴇᴅ!

[The Grey Stuff]

𝔡𝔞𝔯𝔠𝔶 𝔳𝔬𝔫 𝔢𝔠𝔨𝔥𝔞𝔯𝔡𝔱
〖Mad Scientist〗〖Human〗〖Male〗〖26〗〖Location: Lovell; The Lab〗〖Tags: Cordelia〗

Darcy's new year's resolution was to get more sleep, because it affected his performance and because people kept telling him to.

Now he sat at his desk in the dark, hand propping up his drooping head, as his heavy eyelids fluttered and he entered into his twenty-ninth hour since last he touched a pillow. Going on thirty. He reached for his coffee, missed, missed again, and then gave up, turning his tired gaze back to the notes spread in front of him. His hand, despite the absurd amount of caffeine in his system, did not shake as it guided the pen across the parchment. After a few more moments of concentrated scrawling, he pushed his chair back and stood up with no small amount of effort.

"Cordelia," he said, rubbing one half of his face. "Where did you leave the..." What was it called, damnit... "...the flasks?"

He just needed to test a few reactions, and then he would sleep. Yes, it shouldn't take more than an hour. Then he would sleep.

"...And did you lock the door?" he added, probably for the third time in the last hour or so. Not that he was keeping track at this stage. Paranoia had sunk its claws so deep into him that he was constantly looking over his shoulder, triple- and quadruple- checking the doors, locking his keys inside of locked boxes, hiding locked boxes inside of locked closets, changing up the usual routes he took to get from his room to the lab and vice versa...

How could he not be in such a state, after what had happened last year? After She-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named infiltrated their inner circle, took King Yeong-Suk's life, poisoned Cordelia in an attempt to get to Darcy, had Avis under some kind of spell... before finally, she was torn to shreds, far too late in Darcy's opinion.

To top it all off, she wasn't really dead.

How was he supposed to feel? Safe?

No. Being "paranoid" made sense. Darcy was perfectly sane.

Anyone who didn't take such safety precautions was the true madman.

ωσямωσσ∂
☾ Captain of the Royal Guard ☽ ☾ Fallen Angel ☽ ☾ Female ☽ ☾ Location: Sirenth; Palace Corridors☽ ☾ Tags: Open ☽

Wormwood was patrolling the halls, two guards on either shoulder falling in-step behind her. She loathed attending to such menial tasks herself, but if you want something done right...

Well, you send an angel to do it.

Her blood red cloak nearly touched the floor as it billowed behind her. Her dark eyes swept the corridors. So far, she detected no trouble, glimpsed no shadow of an intruder. Good. If she was going to have a wretched job down here, she was at least going to do it right. While she would not readily admit it, she did, after all, take quite a lot of pride in whatever she chose to pursue.

Or, rather, in this case, did not choose to pursue but ended up pursuing anyway.

[feather_light_flight]

● Lilith Quin-Lee ● Queen of Lovell● Vampire ● tags- open

The day- or night rather- had greeted the young queen with a cool breeze wafting in her window, and the smell of freshly bloomed flowers. Humming softly, Lilith dressed herself in a simple black gown- more of a simple kimono type robe than anything- and padded out on bare feet into the castle hallways. Perhaps the other monsters of the palace were awaking by now- Darcy was surely up, Lilith doubted he had even slept. With a gentle sigh, the queen made her way out to the garden, grateful that the sun had already finished setting. Moon flowers bloomed in a ring near the castle wall, a new installment that Lilith had made to honor her fallen king, planted in the spot of his death.

Around her feet, Yeo bounced and yelped playfully, eagerly running in circles to earn the vampire's attention. The small wolf pup had followed the Queen everywhere since she adopted him, and his antics often brought bemused smiles to her delicate face. Kneeling down, Lilith pet the wolf pup as her gaze traveled across the garden. She would give anything for her King to see her now, as an adult, a queen. It was a wish that she made every night, but never voiced to the court.

● Calliope Quemak ● Advisor of Sirenth● Nymph ● tags- open

Calliope had settled in the throne room, perching across the stairs in front of the throne, nose buried in an ancient tome. She was wearing her regular robes, a greek style gown of ruby red material, pulled together by golden clasps and accents. The slits in the skirt revealed lithe legs, crossed at the ankles, and bare feet decorated in golden chains that resembled dancers jewels. Her raven black hair had been tied back into a pony tail, to keep it out of her face while she read, and certainly, the beautiful nymph was absorbed in her book.

Taking a pause from her reading, the girl's emerald gaze drifted across the throne room, a curious hum echoing from her closed lips. Where was every body? It was unusual for the castle to be so quiet and peaceful- normally there was at least one courtier at another's throat. Or at least people milling about. On this particular night, the castle was surprisingly silent though, like a tomb. The thought unsettled the nymph, and she shifted, moving her gaze back to the book in her hands. Where was her king as well? She didn't recall him having any meetings to attend.

[meadow.]

C O R D E L I A

tagged: darcy, avis

Cordelia scowled down at the book in front of her, holding it open with one hand as the other held her head, her elbow propped up on the desk.

What sort of nonsense was she reading? Absolutely preposterous. If Romeo had been smart enough to take a few deep breaths and spare a moment for rational thought, his lover wouldn't be dead, and neither would he. It was simply unrealistic. Nobody– nobody could possibly be this stupid.

With a sour look on her face, Cordelia closed the book loudly, looking over at Darcy. She sighed, neglecting to answer his question. "Go to sleep, Darcy." She rose from her seat and crossed the room, pulling two flasks from a drying rack and bringing them to where he was working. The soft clink of the glass against the countertop was the only sound for a moment.

The moment didn't last, and before Darcy had even finished speaking, Cordelia's hands tightened into fists. She reminded herself to be patient. She took a deep breath, and let her fingers uncurl.

"Neither of us have even approached the door since the last time you asked, so of course it's still locked." She turned away from him, picking up her book and heading for the previously mentioned exit. "I'm going to return this to the Library, can I take something else to Avis since I'll be there anyways?" Darcy had books piled up everywhere, surely he was done with one of them. As she considered this, she looked up at her creator. He'd lost weight, and his eyes looked so empty. He looked ill to Cordelia, but he'd looked this way for months. She grit her teeth as she set her book down, standing a little straighter and smoothing out her skirt. "Actually, I'll wait. I can go to the Library later. You need to sleep, now." Before he could argue, she tried to reason with him. "Half an hour is all I'm asking. I don't want you to get sick," she said. I don't want your somniphobia to become my problem, she thought. If he fell ill, she'd be the one who had to take care of him, and she couldn't deal with that now. Not now.

She jammed her hands into the hidden pockets of her skirt and leaned back against a desk. "I'll stay right here the whole time, I'll keep a close watch, I'll make sure no one comes in or out. If you start screaming I'll come wake you up." The proposition seemed reasonable to Cordelia, but then one could never be too sure what Darcy would deem reasonable when he was running on fumes.

[Ghostarriver]

Avis Savant
Book Keeper♢Male♢Age: 28♢Wereraven♢Location: Garden♢Tags: Lilith

The days seemed to stretch endlessly, so much so that the constant headaches, Avis experienced, were now no more than a dull throbbing, in the back of his mind. He had nothing better to do than stay in the Library, staring out of one of the windows, until someone came along, either to ask questions concerning books, or to check how he was faring. It was fairly obvious that Avis was a terrible liar, particularly when he claimed he was ‘fine’. He was most definitely not, but it was best not to linger too long, lest his lovely companion decided to visit.
The lovely companion who enjoyed causing misery and chaos wherever she went.

And, inevitably, Avis had become the next victim, in a long line.

But, while he could still walk, the Wereraven decided that was what he would do, the night having begun to settle. Slowly lifting himself from his seat, with trembling arms, he took a few minutes to stand. Anyone nearby would have probably encouraged him to sit down again, but there was no-one. Many had begun to avoid the Library, believing it to be cursed.
To the bookkeeper, it certainly felt so.

Avis tried taking a small step forward, still supporting himself on the table. Seeing he was still standing, he decided to hazard another, taking his hands of the table. No sooner than his fourth step, did his legs decide to give way and he bit back several curses, glancing over at his cane.
It felt rather awkward to have to use such a device to walk around. Then again, Avis was no stranger to awkward.

Reaching a hand for the wooden object, he pulled himself up and made his way out into the garden, slowly but surely.

He soon noticed he wasn’t alone, hearing the yelps of a young wolf and catching sight of the Queen. It still threw him off, sometimes, Lilith’s adult form. He was accustomed to a young child with a thirst for knowledge, not the responsible, developed young woman she had become. At least she seemed happy, for the most part. She had gotten what she wanted most. Or at least one thing.

Sighing gently, he decided it wouldn’t be such a terrible idea to try to talk to her. He’d spent much less time with her than he used to and some part of him had begun to feel a bit lonelier. However, she had more important things to attend to and it was probably better she stayed out of harm’s way.

“Ah, Lilith... I, um, I didn’t e-expect to see you here...” not exactly the best way to begin a conversation. “How have you been?” minutely better, but still not great. Yet, there was nothing Avis could really say that wouldn’t worry her and she didn’t deserve any more stress than she already had.

[feather_light_flight]

● Lilith Quin-Lee ● Queen of Lovell● Vampire ● tags- Avis

Lilith glanced over as Yeo stopped barking, pausing to whine and scamper into her lap at the approach of Avis, the book keeper who had long been one of Lilith's closest friends. The sight of him with a cane was an alarming one, even after all this time. The queen supposed change had blossomed in the castle like a crimson rose, she couldn't recall a single courtier that hadn't been affected by the past years events. Still, seeing him warmed her, and she pet the small wolf pup reassuringly as she gathered him into her arms and stood to greet the raven.

Whereas a year ago, Lilith would have held the image of a delicate twelve year old amidst a house of horrors, her adult form gave off a sense of grace and poise- though she was still a delicate and waifish figure. When she smiled, her eyes sparkled under the moon light, alighting with flecks of silver that danced across blue irises. "Good evening Avis. It's wonderful to see you up and around, have you come to the garden for some fresh air?" Her voice was the same lilting melody at least, soft and gentle, fooling any listener into thinking the vampiress might have been angelic. If they didn't spot her fangs of course.

Humming softly, Lilith beckoned Avis to follow as she moved further into the garden, pausing every now and again to inspect the growth of a vine or flower patch. Most of the plants were mutated, with the assistance of Darcy's genius, and bloomed at night,
rather than during the day. As she inspected a rose vine decorated with pure white flowers, she spoke again, "I have to say, I've been meaning to visit the library for some time. A new castle has become active recently in a near by area, and I've been wanting to do some research into it's history. Perhaps, if we're lucky, we might find more like us." The rest of the sentence 'and less like Evanna' hung silently in the air, permeated only by an awkward cough that the Queen forced out before turning to the librarian. "Do you think you could help me with my research?"

[paria.]

C A E L A NxxR A I T T S ! !
{ twenty-four } - { male } - { the demon king } - { location: sirenth, training room } - { tags: calliope }
────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────

denthe loud echoes of blows landing told the occupants of the palace of sirenth that their demon king was training. he often did this, no matter if it was day or - in this case - night. caelan stood in the center of the six opponents surrounding him. they all began to converge on him at once. he deftly blocked and dealt his own blows. one by one his opponents hit the mat as they conceded. once all six were panting on the mat, caelan helped each of them up. the king walked over to a table and tossed them all water canteens. "you're all dismissed for tonight. thank you," he announced. caelan took a long swig of his water and proceeded to train. his bare torso, which had several noticeable scars, glistened with sweat as he fought imaginary foes. he performed flourishes that even the most experienced of warriors wouldn't have matched, that is why he is the king, of course. cae finished up after another hour of training and headed back to his room.

denupon passing the throne room, caelan stopped once he saw calliope perched upon the stairs in front of his throne. he thought about his state of dress, which was a pair of black trousers and nothing else, and how he was slightly sweaty. he shook his head, not really caring who saw the scars he earned in battle or the scars he got on his back from being whipped. caelan entered the throne room and approached calliope with interest. it seemed that his advisor was studying an ancient tome that was less than half her actual age. "evening, calliope. you very busy tonight with all the angry courtiers and all?" caelan joked with a smile. there was usually a few courtiers around the palace causing a stir, it was actually nice to have the palace quiet for a night though.

[feather_light_flight]

● Calliope Quemak ● Advisor of Sirenth● Nymph ● tags- Caelan

The delicate nymph jumped at the voice, having been too absorbed in her reading to notice the approach of her king.
Chuckling at herself, she rose, offering a gentle- ever graceful- curtsy to the man. He had clearly been training, with sweat beads edging their way down his chest, and his hair slick with the sheen of work. Still, he seemed comfortable, and content, which is all that mattered to the girl. Offering her warmest smile, Calliope set the tome down on the step, rising once more to face Caelan properly. She held an almost un nerving respect for the man, but it just cemented her loyalty and her position as his adviser. "Good evening mi'lord. I must say it's quite nice to have some peace for a while, the castle has been bustling with so much activity, I've hardly had time to gather my thoughts." Thousands of years had lent a strange effect to the raven head's voice, as her words tumbled together in a mixture of ancient accents, husky and alien.

Waving towards the book she had set aside, Calliope's lips quirked into a charming, thoughtful smile. "I decided to review some ancient texts on defense magic. Of course, you're more than capable of defending yourself, but I wouldn't be much of a courtier if I couldn't offer my assistance in times of need." The statement was a rather silly one to make. Three thousand years had benefited the nymph well, as she had almost completely mastered the art of elemental magick. Still, she insisted that there was always more to learn. Bright eyes traced their way back up to the King's face, not even flickering to his scars- the nymph had long ago learned not to judge on appearances. "Is there anything I can help you with? I would welcome a change of pace, and you know I'm here to serve your every wish."

[The Grey Stuff]

𝔡𝔞𝔯𝔠𝔶 𝔳𝔬𝔫 𝔢𝔠𝔨𝔥𝔞𝔯𝔡𝔱
〖Mad Scientist〗〖Human〗〖Male〗〖26〗〖Location: Lovell; The Lab〗〖Tags: Cordelia〗

Darcy didn't flinch when Cordelia shut her book, although a voice in the back of his head wondered briefly what it was she'd picked out to read tonight. She seemed to do quite a bit of reading, not that there was much else for her to do around here, aside from assist him in the lab. And Darcy decided it was good for her. Reading was an excellent way to learn and get a greater sense of the world, and Cordelia had access to a limitless supply of books that Darcy could only have dreamed of when he was young child. He didn't respond to her suggestion... order? Command? Implication? Whatever it was, he didn't respond to her admonitions about sleep, not at first. Instead, he glanced over at the flasks, wrapped his hand around the glass neck, and brought it up to the light for him to scrutinize. In the lab, he had to be meticulous about everything he did; science didn't leave a lot of room for errors. One small crack in a flask could mean disaster.

"Thank you," he said shortly, setting the flask down and moving across the room to get the reactants.

His fuse was already notoriously short on the best of days, so when he asked whether the door was locked and she gave him her exasperated response, his muscles tensed and he bit his tongue so hard that he was sure it would bleed. Nonetheless, a sharp retort seemed to find its way out into the open. "Did I say we would have been the ones who unlocked the door?" Rather than elaborate on this slightly concerning response, Darcy elected to move back to his desk and take another sip of his coffee.

It wasn't that the idea she was proposing wasn't tempting, to some degree. It had been so long since he felt refreshed, truly refreshed, and he wanted to feel that way again. He wanted people to stop thinking he couldn't take care of himself. Not that he put much stock in what others thought of him, but at least then they would stop harping him about it. But he feared that sleep just... wasn't going to change that. He feared it would only be another night of restless tossing and turning, and he would wake up in a cold sweat with the memories fresh on his mind again, memories he would spend the rest of the day trying to erase.

"I am not going to sleep," he said over the rim of his cup, "...yet. And you're not going to the library alone. So..." he sighed. "...let's find a compromise." Setting down his coffee, he picked up a nearby tome and dusted it off. It had been sitting in his lab unused for nearly six months now. "I'll go with you to the library to return these. And when we're done..." He stifled a yawn and heaved another sigh. "I'll go to bed." Mulling the arrangement over and over in his head for a few seconds, he finally turned to face her again.

"Deal?"

[meadow.]

C O R D E L I A

tagged: darcy

The scientist's creation bit back on a scoff of annoyance, very much like a brooding teenager. She wanted to walk on her own. She wanted to do things on her own, she wanted some freedom, she wanted...

She wanted Darcy to go to sleep, and she wanted a new book.

"Deal," she conceded after a mere moment of deliberation. She pulled the silver ribbon from her hair and held it in her mouth as she re-gathered her hair into a ponytail and tied it again. She glanced down at the book Darcy was holding and raised an eyebrow. "That's all?" She seemed to recall a greater number of overdue books than what he was apparently willing to admit. Either way, it didn't really matter. Somehow they'd end up back at the Library. "When" and "on whose terms" were just minor details. Cordelia shrugged. "Okay, let's go. You have the key, don't you?" She didn't mean to sound nagging, but she was worried too. Not as worried as Darcy, but...

She unlocked the door and held it open for the blonde. She didn't check over her shoulder to make sure Darcy was locking the door behind them. As little as she tended to mind her manners these days, she didn't want him to think she was overbearing. Despite how pitiful he'd been lately, she respected him. He was a genius, once. He may have still been a genius.

The hallways in the castle seemed to stretch longer and longer each time she moved through them. She seemed to get lost more rather than less the longer she lived within its stone walls. Lately, as much as she hated it, she needed a guide through the castle or else it would take her twice as long to get where she was going. She loathed the frazzled feeling of forgetting things or losing where she was. Still, she loathed being treated like a child even more.

[parker;]

███████ 𝙲𝙷𝙾𝙻𝙴 𝙽𝙾𝙸𝚁𝙴 ██████████████
handmaid / naga / female / tags :: cordelia (ish) / location :: wanderlust

Only a few more months, then this whole "maid" gig would be up. Chole still had yet
to inform the current holder of her contract, but why would she ever do that. I could
mess everything up. Currently she was wandering around the castle, cleaning things
and doing other chores.

It didn't take too long for her to pass a living corpse and it's creator. Darcy was proving
his foolishness once again as his creation scoffed him. Patiently the maid waited for
Cordelia to close the door. Then she slipped up next to her, bowing quickly, and asking
her if she would require any services at that moment. She'd be following her for a bit
no matter the answer.

Then she remembered about the ritual she'd need to complete in a few days. The girl
could be useful after all. Just a few more thoughts that resulted in the theory "death
is good." Not too hard, then she'd kill some random villager and the demon could feast
on their body. In her natural form of course, there was no way she'd be able to fit the
meal in her with this pathetic form.