1X1 with blu

[Blumenkranz]

Calypso Argentum // 16 years old // Dragon: Valkor // Feeling: Content // Tags: Rune

Calypso took a seat next to Rune, while Valkor settled down nearby. A content sigh escaped from the dragon as he laid down, the end of his tail flicking almost lazily.

She listened intently to Rune as she spoke. She was glad to hear that this trip had a positive effect on the girl, and that Calypso relieved her anxieties about her situation somewhat. Rune worrying over the possibility of her having ended up in the middle of nowhere was understandable.

The Church was a beautiful place, with its array of well-kept gardens and unique architecture. But as nice as it all looked, much of it looked the same after a while. To be surrounded by the same white walls day after day, looking at all the same scenery and seeing the same people...having that little variation made believing that there was not much of interest outside the Church believable. Fortunately for Rune, there was a whole city out there for her to explore, filled with things to do and people to meet.

“Of course, Rune,” Calypso said, offering the girl a small smile. “I’m glad to hear that you had a good time. The situation that you’re in is not an easy one to adjust to, so it makes sense for you to have those worries. As stuffy as the Church can be at times, you’re not alone here.”

Then Rune asked Calypso about herself, wanting to know more about her. Calypso blinked in surprise. She hadn’t expected that kind of question, nor was she used to talking about herself, and so wasn’t quite sure where to begin at first. Calypso looked contemplatively at the fountain, thinking of what she should say.

“I’ve only been with the Church for a couple years now. I was originally a part of the Order of Heliud. Have you heard of them, by any chance?” She looked back at Rune. “My parents were a part of that organization, and they were tasked with maintaining order in Innistrad. Wanting to pass their legacy onto me, they trained me at a young age so I could take over for them once I was older.”

It felt a bit strange to be talking about herself like this. It wasn’t something she ordinarily did. Oftentimes when she did speak about herself to others, it was typically strictly about the kind of work she was doing with the Church.

“Though I do work for the Church of Avacyn now, I’m still working to fulfill the duties that my parents set for me. There’s a lot of danger in this world, and I want to protect the people of Innistrad in any way I can,” she continued. “I know that the Church isn’t perfect, but we have the same goal, more or less. They took me in when I had nowhere else to go, and it was through them that I was able to meet Valkor.” At the sound of his name, the dragon perked up somewhat, looking at the girls curiously. “They helped make me into the dragon rider that I am today, and for that, I am grateful.”

[lynettetan1]

Rune Tzorfeld
18 years old~Church~ Relaxed, conversational, entranced

With Calypso sitting next to her and Valkor parked a little in front of them, Rune was vaguely reminded of nights by a fireplace, just talking about anything and everything as the night grew dark. Seeing as Valkor was an arm's length away, Rune gently ran her hands over his scales, letting out an appreciative hum as she did so. With the level of complexity and intelligence Valkor possessed, Rune knew that he would either welcome the touch or tell her to stop, and so she did a light pat at first, watching him attentively for signs of any discomfort.

Calypso smiled gently, and Rune smiled in return almost reflexively, a little soothed. You're not alone here. Her words were calm, and Rune nodded, feeling reassured. Coming from anyone else, Rune might have balked at the words. After all, they were easy enough to say, but she was willing to bet that her unique situation had never happened before. All the same, through Calypso she was able to see that others had unique situations and powerful abilities that they had learned to control. Even if she was unique, there was synchronity in that there were other, powerful, unique individuals here, and in that sense, Calypso was right. She was not alone.

Calypso looked a little surprise at her question, however, and Rune paused at first, slightly worried that she didn't like talking about herself. It would be one thing if Rune was pushing into a sore point because there was something she needed to know, but she was really just making conversation.

But it seemed to just have been surprise, and Calypso started, Rune tilting her head and leaning in a little as she listened. She was a little surprised to learn that Calypso had only recently joined the church, what with how much the church seemed to trust her, and how she looked experienced. But also, when did she start training, then? She looked like she was in her teens, so to have been a part of something even before she joined the church-When Rune had first seen the other girl, she'd thought that Calypso was the type that had always been trained for something bigger, but she hadn't realised just how much.

The Order didn't sound familiar, however, and Rune shook her head at Calypso's question. "Tasked?" She echoed softly, "How old were you then?"

She continued to describe what she did, and Rune dimly noted that the other had chosen to tell her about her role and history more than anything she felt or liked, which was a little curious. Who are you beyond that? She wanted to ask, but that felt like prying. "No wonder you were so busy all the time." Rune teased softly, flicking some of the water at Calypso playfully before looking into the air. "That is a wonderful goal." If more people thought like Calypso, Rune felt like there would definitely be a lot less suffering in the air. It was evident through her words that Calypso had a strong moral code and goals, and Rune couldn't help but admire that, especially when she talked about Valkor. "Indeed, the two of you are meant to be with each other." Though she'd only known them for a week, their partnership and closeness was readily apparent, and a beautiful thing to witness, especially so close.

The sky was dark now, and the moonlight shone upon Valkor's scales, making them almost seem to glow from the inside out, and Rune watched in wonderment. She'd thought the way it glimmered in sunlight was beautiful, but it couldn't compare to the way the scales seemed luminescent under the moonlight. With the way the sounds of the fountain echoed in the background, and Calypso with her white hair almost melding with the marble, it looked almost like it was an entire painting, and Rune felt like any second looking away would be a waste.

[Blumenkranz]

Calypso Argentum // 16 years old // Dragon: Valkor // Feeling: Content // Tags: Rune

How old was she when she began her training? Calypso couldn’t quite remember. She knew she was very young when she began, as her parents wanted to get a head start on honing her magical skills.

“I believe I was around eleven or twelve when I began training,” she said. She remembered that back when her parents first began seriously training her, she wasn’t too enthusiastic about the whole thing. What child would be? At that age she had no interest in undergoing a military regime, even if it was for the better of Innistrad.

Now that she was older though, she couldn’t say that she resented her parents for it. Sure, it was difficult at times, and she didn’t like it at first, but she did grow interested in her training over time. Her magic has improved much since then, and it was because of that training that she had gotten as far as she did.

She looked down at Valkor, and how his scales shone in the moonlight. She wondered if his appearance would change if he did grow into a Moonveil Dragon like the rumors said he would. Would his scales change color? Would they glimmer even more brilliantly in the moonlight? She wasn’t sure what to expect.

She would continue to love Valkor no matter how he turned out, but a small part of her did hope that he would become a Moonveil Dragon. Moonveil Dragons were considered good omens, and Calypso hoped that one day the pair of them could become a beacon of hope for Innistrad, bringers of light who vanquished the creatures of the night.

Her gaze drifted back up to Rune. As she looked into the girl’s dark eyes, she could feel that strange feeling that she felt in her chest hours before slowly rising within her again. Part of her wanted to look away, but at the same time she found herself unable to.

It was dark now, stars beginning to speckle the sky above. The chatter around them has grown quieter as more people have returned to their homes. The logical part of Calypso was telling her that they should return to the Church now that it was dark, but she didn’t want to quite yet. She couldn’t explain why she felt so drawn to this girl, not when she hasn’t felt this way towards others she’s worked with in the past, but what she did know that she was fine staying right here. A little longer couldn’t hurt, right?

“What about you?” Calypso said softly. She could hear Valkor let out a contented sigh from below. “I know a bit about your village, though there’s still much I don’t know about you.”

[lynettetan1]

Rune Tzorfeld
18 years old~Church~ Relaxed, conversational, entranced

Eleven or twelve? That must have been more than a few years then, and so young. Rune couldn't even really remember what she'd been doing back then.

But then Calypso was looking at her with eyes that had become a darker purple in the night, and they seemed to have gained depth in the night, filled with thoughts and emotions so complex that Rune felt almost like she was sinking within the other's gaze and attention. She was cut loose, unmoored from her body, and if she was to be honest with herself, she didn't really mind.

Some part of her that was still somewhere in the real world heard Valkor let out a gentle, satisfied grunt, and Rune took that to mean that her actions were tolerated, if not liked. Emboldened by the sound and Calypso's attentions, Rune rested her palm fully on Valkor's scales, running her fingers over the grooved surface as Calypso started to speak.

What could she say? There was nothing too special about her village, but that seemed like an unfair answer after Calypso had already given Rune's questions fair thought. Rune looked away briefly, thinking. "It's a small village in Stensia, technically under vampire rule, but not many of us have actually seen one with our own eyes. We tell stories on cold nights, and everyone is expected to pull their weight and do something to help, though I always took some time out of my day to sneak into the forests for a while, so I ended up being a forager. The elders get a little gossipy, and everyone is a little nosy because we live close together, but they take care of their own." She remembered the faces that flickered behind the firelight, the background chatter of voices into the night. "It wasn't anything like here, where there are throngs of people that all live their own lives, and all this land and these cool roads and buildings," she gestured off handedly toward the church, whose white walls seemed almost to glow in the moonlight, "But it also wasn't bad."

With a fond smile, Rune looked toward Calypso once more, cocking her head. "Is where you come from a city like this one?" She could imagine the white haired teen walking through lit streets, her features concentrated as she went out to buy armour or complete a mission of some sort, with that same regal composure she always seemed to have. It seemed a little out of place when she imagined it in the backdrop of a village like hers, but one never knew.

[Blumenkranz]

Calypso Argentum // 16 years old // Dragon: Valkor // Feeling: Contemplative // Tags: Rune

Calypso was silent as she listened intently to Rune speak about her village. Calypso found herself drawn to Rune’s face, unable to tear her gaze away from her, but she didn’t mind it. In this moment, nothing else mattered to her but the girl sitting beside her.

She knew a bit of Rune’s home already, from what she’s read about it from the past and the snippets that Rune had told her about it, but she liked hearing more about it straight from Rune herself. Living in a small village such as Rune’s seemed like a quiet, comfortable life, quite different from the bustling city life that Calypso was used to. Images appeared in her head of sitting by a warm fire and exchanging stories, of helping your neighbors when they needed it, of waking up early to track animals through the woods.

She’s visited villages in Stensia before, on her missions for the Church, and has seen glimpses of what life is like there. It seemed nice to live in a tighter-knit community compared to the cities where you seem to see new faces every day.

“Yes, living there sounds quite different. Being here now must be quite the experience for you,” she said softly. Not only was Rune now in an entirely different environment than what she was used to, but she was trying to deal with the fact that she now had the powers of dragons. Calypso couldn’t imagine what such a drastic shift in lifestyle must be like. “Living in a village such as yours...it sounds nice. I would love to visit your hometown one day.”

“As for where I’m from, yes, I do come from a city such as this,” Calypso answered. “The city I grew up in is not too far from here, actually. Though it’s not as impressive as here, it is still a big city with much to do and see. My parents would often walk with me through the streets, admiring the sights.”

It was a bittersweet memory. She missed the brief moments where she wasn’t worrying about her training and the future, where she could be together with her parents, chatting and visiting shops and eating together. She hoped that one day, when she was done with her duties to the Church, she could make those memories a reality again.

[lynettetan1]

Rune Tzorfeld
18 years old~Church~ Relaxed, conversational, entranced

That was one way to put it. Calypso's tone was gentle, and Rune felt herself nodding as well, lulled into a peaceful mood with the sound of the rushing water, which reminded her a lot of the flowing rivers. If she looked up at the stars like this, hearing nothing but the water and the voice of a friendly companion, it almost felt like she was home once more.

At her words, Rune pictured the other in her home, sitting by the fire. She stifled a laugh at the mental image of Valkor trying to sit by everyone with his large, glimmering body, but she couldn't imagine Calypso anywhere without Valkor, and assumed the other wouldn't want it any other way either. She imagined showing the other her family, her house, the small twists in the forest that she'd made her own when either got too stifling...

The idea was a thrumming little burst of excitement that tingled all the way down to her fingertips, and Rune had never felt more excited to get a hold of these new powers, if only to be able to do the things that she'd thought of. She'd had a lady in her village who'd lost an arm due to an unfortunate accident, and a few months later the woman was finding her way around her usual tasks pretty well. No matter how much this new power she gained was, it was probably easier to adapt to than the losing of something one originally had, right?

Something inside her seethed at the train of thought comparing it to the loss of a limb, but Rune ignored that part of her, focusing her attention back on Calypso as she realised she'd been silent for quite a while. "We could go together one day." Rune offered, flashing the other a quick, warm smile. "I'll show you all the good spots." Looking away briefly, she paused, admiring how the moonlight shone on Valkor's scales. "And we'd fly to the treetops to go and look at the stars."

Calypso's confirmation only enforced Rune's beliefs of the other walking around in a city such as this, with bustling streets and shops. Despite Calypso's words of it not being as impressive, Rune couldn't help but imagine them the same. There was only here or her village to compare against, after all. She wouldn't know what less looked like. At it being nearby, Rune cocked her head, hearing the nostalgia in the other's tone. "Do you visit every so often, then?" She tried to imagine a smaller Calypso, without Valkor by her side, but there were limits to her imagination.

[Blumenkranz]

Calypso Argentum // 16 years old // Dragon: Valkor // Feeling: Contemplative // Tags: Rune

“I’d like that,” Calypso said with a small smile.

She genuinely wanted to see what Rune’s home is like, and she was sure that Valkor would be interested as well. Not only did Calypso want to get a glimpse of what the other girl’s life was like before she came to the church, but she wanted to give Rune the chance to return to the home she was wrongfully torn from.

She could imagine it now: arriving in Presh and meeting the villagers, sitting by the fire and eating good food. Rune could show her the sights the countryside had to offer, as well as places that only someone who lived there would know about. They could fly to the treetops and look up at the stars above. Away from the city, they’d be free from the bustling noise and just be able to enjoy the serenity of it all.

It was too bad that they couldn’t go now, but if Rune bettered her flying and their schedules didn’t become too hectic, perhaps they could make it a reality.

“I visit occasionally,” Calypso said at the mention of returning to her own hometown. “I haven’t gone in a little while though. Perhaps we could go there one day as well.”

With the Church keeping her busy with various tasks and Calypso wanting to keep up with her own training, she hasn’t done much venturing outside of the city that wasn’t related to Church duties lately. And though she liked the familiarity that came with visiting her hometown, it wasn’t only good memories that came back. Walking through the streets wasn’t the same when she knew that her parents couldn’t be there with her.

She tried not to dwell on it too much, not when she was here with Rune. Though it seemed so far away now, she knew that one day she would be able to return to her old life as well. She only had to keep on training and put her faith in the Church.

[lynettetan1]

Rune Tzorfeld
18 years old~Church~ conversational, entranced, doubtful

Rune smiled, something small and anxious in her heart settling. Calypso was friendly enough, sure, but at some point of talking about everything, it had occurred to Rune that the other might have just been polite and having her ears talked off. There still was that worry now, but Calypso's kindness and her genuinity made it hard for Rune to doubt her, and her going even further to offer to visit her own hometown.

Her voice sounded a little wistful when she said it, however, and Rune nodded, knowing that such plans were far away. It was nice to think about, certainly, but the both of them knew it wouldn't happen anytime soon. Still, it was nice to think about, a more tangible thing to hold upon as a goal, to challenge her own control.

Much more tangible than the one the Church had given, anyway.

A memory. A scaled foot pressing firmly on her neck, pushing her down as she thrashed in pain. The fluttering white robes of the Lunarch as he stood beside her, suddenly very small but still emanating more power and confidence she'd held in all 18 of her years, his eyes glinting as he smiled with the edges of something that made her struggle harder, declaring what had been done to her a gift, saying she had 'inherited a sacred mission'... He'd mentioned some fight, named something called Emrakaul, but if she was being honest, she hadn't really been in the mood to listen very hard. In the past few days, she'd made an effort to attempt to hear what the younger members of the Church were saying, and she'd gotten a little more information.

No matter how the Church wanted to pretend it was firm and tight lipped, people everywhere couldn't seem to restrain the urge to gossip the moment it could. And every time she walked past, the speech and snide remarks would often be said, but there was often a sliver of interesting news in all the mess. Courtesy of her 'gift', they often waited till they assumed she was out of earshot, not thinking that said 'gift' meant she could hear them as clear as day.

Apparently, there was some identified threat that they would have to fight in the future, and it was in the name of gathering power for this war that they'd stuck their fingers even into Stensia, searching for anything they could grab and take back to help them.

But even now, she still didn't really understand it. However, Calypso knew so much, perhaps she would know this too?

"Do you know anything about what you and I are all gathered to do?"

[Blumenkranz]

Calypso Argentum // 16 years old // Dragon: Valkor // Feeling: Grave // Tags: Rune

Calypso nodded slowly. She was fully aware of the situation, as it was because of the coming threat that her parents began her training at such a young age.

She couldn’t help but feel a bit surprised that Rune didn’t seem to know the exact reason why the Church wanted her and her dragon powers. She knew the Church could sometimes be a bit...vague, but how much were they keeping from Rune? Did they not inform her on purpose, or was it merely an oversight?

If the Church purposefully didn’t tell Rune, Calypso wondered why they would do such a thing. A small part of her thought that perhaps the Church believed that Rune wouldn’t be so cooperative if she knew, which Calypso hoped wasn’t the reason. Calypso didn’t know if the Church would be displeased with her for telling Rune, but she believed that Rune had every right to know the Church’s hopes for her.

“Do you know of Emrakul?” Calypso looked up at the moon. “She is an Eldrazi with devastating power. She corrupts all things living, whether it be plant or animal. She is far from us now, but her reach is vast. It’s possible that you’ve seen her corruption before.” She looked back at Rune before she continued speaking. “The Church wishes to bring an end to Emrakul and her madness...and that is what they are training us for.”

She wondered what Rune would think of this. She wasn’t sure if the girl had any experiences with Emrakul’s influence, but whether or not she did, Emrakul was a beast that threatened all living things in Innistrad. She would understand if Rune felt apprehensive about the situation, it was a daunting task, and not one that the green-haired girl willingly signed up for. Calypso, on the other hand, was ready.

She’s seen with her own eyes how Emrakul’s corruption twisted the living. Sometimes the madness was only mental, with otherwise ordinary creatures becoming hellbent on destruction. In other cases the madness went further, contorting the victim’s body into a grotesque beast that barely resembled what it was before. She distinctly remembered encountering a creature that was once a werewolf, Emrakul’s madness having twisted it into a tangle of limbs, tentacles, and teeth.

Her own parents came to mind, and she could feel a pang in her chest. They were the strongest, most resilient people she knew, yet not even they were immune to Emrakul’s madness. When it fully consumed them, they became only a shell of their former selves, with nothing on their minds but needless violence. It was a fate she did not wish on anyone, and despite the Church’s occasional short-comings, she wanted to believe they were doing everything necessary to one day bring an end to Emrakul.

[lynettetan1]

Rune Tzorfeld
18 years old~Church~ conversational, doubtful

There was a short pause before Calypso started talking, and for a moment, Rune wondered if the Church had told Calypso anything, had given her specific tasks to do-and conversely, to not do. The thought was a little bit on an uneasy one. But then she continued, and Rune listened curiously, shaking her head at the mention of Emrakaul. The only time she'd heard it's(his? her?) name had been the time of her transformation, and she'd awoken in the room where Calypso had found her.

Any other mentions of the name were stolen ones, ones heard from hushed corners, sneaking stealthily from lips of servants. Luckily, however, Calypso didn't seem to require a response, continuing easily.

"An Eldrazi..." Rune echoed softly, thinking. That she had heard a few brief tales of, but only briefly. If the vampires were given the legend of myth, the Eldrazi were omnipotent beings even higher than that, creatures that could not die nor even be real. Creatures that people only imagined up because they could. The thought of something like that apparently coming for them was hard to imagine, and though Rune said nothing, her eyebrows furrowed, saying quite enough for her in itself. They were formless immortals, having more in common with an idea than anything that had a remotely physical body.

What could a being that wants everything possibly want with them?

Then again, looking around at the town around her, Rune did have to admit the world was a lot larger than she'd ever thought possible. Perhaps there was something that she was not seeing. Of course, how would she be able to guess at the motives of some immortal being?

But what then, exactly did one mean by corruption? At Calypso's sure tone and conviction, Rune was sure that it was something dire. And it was only supported by how the Church moved. As powerful as they apparently were here, they challenged vampires and dragons alike in order to try and form an army to beat this creature, and given how they lorded themselves around, it must have been quite the large threat. "I don't think I have, given where I come from, but it's possible that I just didn't know that was what it was." How confusing, to have something be so powerful but it's effects be so subtle.

But how would she be able to fight an idea? Calypso and Valkor were strong, definitely, but did Eldrazi sustain wounds? Did they even die? Rune had felt unsure since she'd come in, and was only more confused with the information. Even if she trained her whole life, Rune wasn't quite sure what that was supposed to do beyond giving other people a false sense of hope.

She was about to say as much, but then Rune paused, looking at Calypso. The white haired girl was staring at the moon, her skin almost seeming to glow under the silver light. In any other situation, it would have looked ethereal, with Valkor before her, his white, glimmering scales glittering opalescently.

But her eyes were fixed on somewhere far away, and there was a set, determined energy coming about her. Instead of someone wishing by the moon, she looked as if she were swearing by it, driven by something she knew to be truth. Though Rune didn't know too much about the other, the one look was enough to tell her that the other believed that the threat was true and imminent. But there was also something under that determination, a sadness and desperation that festered, and Rune knew that as long as Calypso believed it to be possible, she would train, and she would drive her weapon into the creature's heart personally if she ever had the opportunity.

And so, Rune took all her doubts and questions, holding them quietly to herself, and asked instead: "And what happens if we-" She paused then, shaking her head. She didn't want to bring up the idea of failure, or at least, she would keep herself from tainting the other with it. "How are you so sure of all this?"

Rune looked down at her hands, tried to imagine the large scales and claws from before. Though she knew it was there, given how it'd caused all her problems, it was hard to imagine herself as a dragon, or even dragon-like. "I'm just one person." She finally said. Calypso was a person who'd been trained with magic. Valkor was a dragon. Even if she allowed herself to believe that Emrakaul was indeed some big monster that necessitated this, the people who defeated it would have to be people like them, not some bystander who happened to walk into the path of misfortune. As it was, she was learning how to move strange limbs as if she was a child again. What if they counted on her, and she failed?

But saying that might only make Calypso discouraged, which was the last thing that Rune wanted to do. Both her and Valkor were trying their best, and Rune shouldn't be pessimistic about the whole thing. If anything, even if the long term goals were a little out there, at the moment, they all wanted Rune to learn the ropes, and she could get behind that.

As such, Rune shook her head, giving the other an apologetic smile. "Sorry, I didn't mean for it to come out that way. I'm just a little unsure."

She wanted to probe further, to ask what it had been that had given Calypso such faith and belief, but she didn't want to overstep any bounds. Whatever it was was clearly personal to the other girl, and Rune didn't want to scupper the atmosphere any more than she already had. "The both of you have helped me out so much. Who knows what could come ahead?"

Even if she couldn't see the future Calypso saw so clearly, she wouldn't close herself off to the fact that just maybe, it could be possible.