forum Branwen the Ninth (OxO closed)

Started Jul 06 by @lavender_ladybug group

tune

"I don't care if you have a problem, Bran.. you literally impaled me with a dagger made of bones, you think I'm gonna forgive you? Hah! You must be clinically insane."

Ezra said, her hand is still on the Utility Pouch, ready to take out her Nessmuk knife and hurt anyone if necessary. Her instincts told her to do what she knew best, run. This might be an ambush to put her in a cell, but she couldn't run now.. she had to see what she was gonna say before she left if things got too crazy.. she glanced at Bran, then the guard dog, Argus. "Wow.. she really is desperate and weak enough to bring a guard dog?" Ezra thought to herself.

"Fine.. I'll listen to whatever tall tale you're about to speak."

Ezra rolled her eyes and sighed, letting her guard down and putting both of her hands behind her back, a stotic expression on her face.. but something else.. annoyed. She was annoyed how casual she was when she almost killed her, if she didn't heal herself or had enough energy.. she would be goddamn dead right now.. and Ezra thought she knew the human anatomy. "She must've been trying to kill me." Ezra though, annoyed.. but that just fueled it more.

Argus sat down beside Ezra, wagging his tail in hopes he would get a treat for being so polite.

"It's not a tall tale." Branwen bristled at the accusation. "The emperor sent an invitation for my parents, which…is the problem." Slowly, she took calculated steps forward, stretching her hand out to give Ezra the envelope as proof. "I'm sure he would understand if I went in their stead, but our cavalier is gone too." Once the paper was gone from her possession, she retreated.

"You have to believe me, I would ask anyone else if I could." She had already considered one of her guards, but they were out of practice, and too old to be considered her companion. "You're the only one who could pull this off with me."

"I know I just stabbed you and I'm…" Branwen faltered before the apology, fists clenched and eyes closed. It was necessary to swallow her pride, she urged herself. "I'm sorry."

Ezra's interest peaked at the Guard Dog, Argus.. sitting next to her, she'd take out her Nessmuk Knife from her Utility pouch, and cut on a piece of the Sunfish for the dog, putting it inside of Argus's mouth, then sighed in slight annoyance when she heard Bran speak up again.

"So you came here assuming I'd go? We're not exactly.. on good terms." Ezra would say in slight annoyance, as she sighed heavily, putting the Nessmuk Knife back inside of her Utility pouch, closing it, before looking dumbfounded at her next sentence.

"So I was your last option?.. Wow, you shouldn't have said that.. I would have been way more nice and understanding if you didn't say you would ask anyone else." Ezra said in a mock sad tone, feigning sadness as she made direct eye contact with Bran, stepping slightly closer to her.

"Well.. I'd consider it, but.." Ezra paused, a sly smirk forming on her face. "What's in it for me? What do I get out of this encounter?" Ezra said, looking at the invitation and giving it back to Bran.

Argus munched happily on his prize.

"I wasn't assuming you would go but I was hoping you would at least consider it despite our…estrangement." Bran had expected it would be a hard sell. She was perhaps as less inclined to bring Ezra along as Ezra was to go.

Branwen took an equal step back. She searched for true grief in her old friend's face about having not been the first choice, and found none. If she was being sincere Bran couldn't have cared less.

Hesitantly, she got close enough to take back the invitation. "You could steal anything you needed. What could I possibly have that you might want that is in my power to give?"

Ezra smirked, taking out the Bone Dagger from her Utility pouch.. dried up blood on it, reminding Bran from when she impaled it into Ezra's abdomen. Ezra made direct eye contact with her, her eyes slightly narrowing at the sight of her.

"I mean.. you seem quite desperate enough to come all the way out here.. the least I could do is do you a favor and go.. But, I wanna know more about how you made this." Ezra said with a grin.. quite annoying.. she was always sly.

Ezra twirled the Bone Dagger in her hands, looking at Bran.

Branwen frowned at the dagger, lips pursed. She should have known Ezra would try to use this against her. Typical. "I shouldn't have let you keep that." She made a hand movement that had the bony weapon crumbling into beads, little red-and-white pebbles scattering through the grass. "The ability is genetic. You wouldn't be able to roll a knucklebone into a marble if you tried."

She crossed her arms over her breast, looking as though she chewed on a thought. "But if this is the only thing that will get you to come with me, I suppose I could show you some of the science."

Ezra would sigh in slight annoyance.. but then she thought, "Why not do it after, so she could be worn out and be more angry? That would be a thing that I'd love to watch.." She'd think for a second, her expression blank.. then turned to Bran, looking her up and down and smirking.. then she spoke.

"Eh.. Maybe after.. I don't wanna wear you out too hard before we go to that thing you were speaking on." Ezra would say.. putting her hands in her pockets as she continued to look at Bran, her expression deadpan, but amused.. of course.

Branwen's composure remained like stone until she processed what Ezra had said. Then, she visibly relaxed, appearing very much unlike herself for just a fraction of a moment. "Good god, you're agreeing." She massaged her temples. When her hand fell back to her side, she once again was the picture of the Reverand Daughter, all stiff limbs and hard edges.

"Well, good. We're leaving the day after tomorrow. I'll expect you at the temple that morning." Her gaze passed over Ezra, more critically this time, then over to the campsite with her supplies. "One other thing. I assume that you are still practiced in the art of the sword?"

Ezra took a final bite of the sunfish, savoring the flavor, and finished the last bit with a satisfied sigh. She glanced at Branwen with a smirk as she stuffed the last of the sunfish into Argus’s eager mouth.

"I may be a thief and a troublemaker, but I haven’t lost my touch with a blade," Ezra replied, her tone dripping with sarcasm. "Though, I must admit, my talents might have been better honed if you hadn’t tried to skewer me with a bone dagger."

She twirled the remnants of her meal, tossing it aside, and then reached into her pouch to retrieve a small, practice sword. She twirled it with ease, showing off her skill and precision.

"Ready and willing. Just let me know if you need me to put on a show for you before we set out." Ezra’s grin widened as she eyed Branwen, her eyes reflecting a mix of challenge and amusement. "I’ll be at the temple, but don’t think I’m going to make this easy for you. This is as much a test for you as it is for me."

Branwen cocked her head in consideration of the offer. She remembered how her childhood friend had trained with one of the guards years ago, the salt-and-pepper haired woman who mercilessly rehearsed sword techniques with Ezra in the abandoned ballroom for hours on end. Bran had spent those hours tucked behind one of the stone pillars, watching her friend's movements with awe. She decided she trusted Ezra hadn't forgotten either. "No, no, a demonstration won't be necessary. With luck, you won't have to prove your skills anyway. It's just a party." This begged the question why exactly the emperor required their cavalier's prescence in the first place.

It was the party she dreaded more than the trip with Ezra—which make no mistake, Branwen also dreaded—yet words came easier to her when conversing with someone familiar. Even as much as that someone familiar made her blood boil.

"I wouldn't expect anything less than challenging from you, Pheonix. It's settled, then. I'll meet you at the temple." With a nod of finality, Branwen whistled shrilly for Argus, and turned to leave.

Argus perked at the whistle as he was still munching on Ezra's generous offering. He chewed faster. And when he was done, the pup stood, shook out his wiry fur, then trotted back to Branwen's side.

(Would you like to skip to the morning they meet up again to leave?)

The morning sun cast a soft glow over the Prime Temple, its ancient stones bathed in warm light. Ezra approached, her dark green cloak billowing slightly in the morning breeze. The amulet around her neck glinted in the sunlight, and her expression was one of calm amusement. As she drew nearer, she saw Branwen standing at the entrance, looking as tense as ever.

Ezra's stride was confident, her thoughts a mix of curiosity and annoyance. The invitation from the Reverend Daughter was unexpected, and the prospect of traveling with Branwen, of all people, was far from ideal. But she couldn't deny the intrigue of the situation and the potential for something more—whether knowledge, power, or simply the satisfaction of needling Branwen along the way.

"Good morning, Reverend Daughter." Ezra greeted with a hint of sarcasm, her tone light but her eyes sharp. "I hope you slept well. Ready to face the emperor's 'party'?"

Branwen had her arms crossed, hands tucked into her armpits for some semblance of superiority or security. She rested them at her sides again once Ezra approached. Her own black cloak hung straight down her wimpish frame, with only slight movements in the breeze. She squinted against the rising sun. There were dark circles there under her eyelids. "Not in the least," she said in answer to all three of Ezra's comments.

"The ship is behind the building. There's a way around the courtyard. Follow me." Branwen brushed past Ezra, down the stairs, towards a path leading around the corner. Unkempt bushes lined their way; they snagged on Bran's cloak, eliciting a perturbed curse from her lips every few dozen steps.

The ship looked extraordinarily out of place amidst their bleak and decrepit homeland. The thing looked like a black, shiny slug with sleek curves and stocky wings jutting out from either side. It looked very much like it had come from another planet. There was a door that opened upwards in front of one of the wings with various skeleton and human servants, who ducked in and out carrying luggage. The human servants wore strange, almost clinical uniforms. As Branwen approached, she shrank amidst the size of the ship. "This isn't ours. The emperor sent this one to collect us. It arrived in the middle of the night."

Ezra observed Branwen's tense demeanor, noting the dark circles under her eyes and the irritated look on her face. Ezra's own stance was relaxed, her cloak flowing more freely as she followed Branwen around the courtyard. The overgrown bushes tugging at Branwen's cloak amused Ezra, and she stifled a chuckle each time Branwen cursed under her breath.

As they rounded the corner, Ezra's eyes widened slightly at the sight of the sleek, black ship. It was an odd contrast to the decaying surroundings of the ninth house, and she couldn't help but be impressed by its design. "Well, well," she murmured, more to herself than to Branwen. "Looks like we're traveling in style."

Branwen's shrinking presence next to the imposing ship didn't go unnoticed. Ezra could sense her old friend's discomfort and vulnerability, which only fueled her own sense of amusement and curiosity. "The emperor certainly knows how to make an impression," Ezra commented, her tone light but with an edge of sarcasm.

She glanced at the human servants in their clinical uniforms, feeling a twinge of unease. The efficiency and strangeness of it all made her uneasy. Ezra approached the ship, her curiosity piqued. "I suppose we should be grateful for the ride. It's not every day we get such royal treatment."

Ezra turned to Branwen, a smirk playing on her lips. "Shall we, then? Let's see what the emperor has in store for us." She stepped forward, ready to embark on the journey with a mix of excitement and caution, her mind already racing with possibilities and the potential for mischief.

"Indeed, he does," Branwen agreed with just as much sarcasm. She ducked into the ship behind Ezra and perched in an available seat. The inside was cramped with just enough room for four passengers and a driver, not completely unlike a horse drawn carriage. Two booths sitting across from each other. The only difference was the driver, a human servant, sat inside behind one of the booths.

The servants moved methodically as they did their jobs. Their movements seemed stilted. Their eyes vacant and skin pallid. While they finished their duties, it seemed they didn't have any true awareness of what went on around their bodies. In fact, apart from the flesh on their bones, they didn't seem very different from the skeleton servants of the ninth house at all.

Branwen eyed each of them with wary scrutiny. Then a similar glance to Ezra across from her, then down again as she placed her hands in her lap. She pulled a string of bone beads out of her sleeve and fidgeted with each one individually. One after the next.

A few moments later the door closed with a heavy thud. One of the strange servants, the best dressed of them, sat in the driver's seat. The ship lunched once, twice, and then they were off.

Ezra settled into her seat across from Branwen, giving the cramped interior of the ship a critical look. It wasn’t the most comfortable ride, but it would do. The servants moving around the ship had an unsettling quality about them—pale, vacant-eyed, and oddly robotic. They seemed more like moving skeletons than actual people.

Ezra leaned back with a smirk, her gaze flicking to Branwen who was lost in her habitual fidgeting with the bone beads. “Well, it looks like some things never change. I see you’re still obsessing over those beads. Just like old times, huh, Raisin Bran?"

She raised an eyebrow, glancing at the driver’s seat where the most meticulously dressed of the servants was seated. “So, what’s the real deal with this party? Just another boring political function or is there something interesting about it?”

Ezra’s curiosity was piqued as she studied the driver. “These guys remind me a lot of the ones back at your place, but they seem even less… alive. I’m guessing they’re not exactly the chatty type?”

As the ship jolted into motion, Ezra couldn’t help but wonder about the other people they were going to meet. The idea of mingling with rulers and their cavaliers had a certain appeal—she was ready for whatever drama or intrigue awaited them.