Young Reyna stumbles into Neeva's domain.
Setting: Technicallyunowned Research District warehouse, X108
Setting: Technicallyunowned Research District warehouse, X108
RP Log under the cut
Swedreza
Since turning sixteen, young Reyna snuck off to explore more and more often, seeking to familiarize herself with the gray areas left to rot in the north of Step City. For her mother’s relative peace of mind, she avoided exploring at night, but it worked to her advantage as most early mornings she found the quiet left by people sleeping off any music or events of the previous night. Reyna was largely free to explore the unused sections of the district for places to practice music and- more importantly- her vibe.
This foggy morning Reyna sought out a smaller warehouse she’d spotted very recently, an old place that had pretty well had its stacks and bay doors pilfered for building materials long ago. Both times she’d circled around to it, it lacks all indicators of human visitation besides her. So, the young songstress hoped it was just as vacant as it seemed and hoped to at least test out the acoustics of the space today.
Reyna snuck in through one of the doorless bays and crept inside to confirm the absence of people. It was just as dusty and unkept as she expected, but at least there was the occasional cracked window to let in light and force the few dilapidated sorting structures left in the room to cast crucial shadows. After sneaking about for a good ten to fifteen minutes to give what she felt was a thorough examination of the place, the teen was satisfied that she was truly alone.
“When you call to me asleep, Up the ragged cliffs I scramble
A single thread hangs limply down and I breathe not now, not now
And I find you all unwoven trying desperately to sew
I know the kindest thing is to leave you alone"
Reyna could almost hum with satisfaction as her voice echoed through the space. Her shadow twirled behind her as if she tread further into the center of the large room. Taking a breath of the building's dusty air as the very last of her voice left it, Reyna dwelled in the silence for just a moment; yes, this was a good spot to practice.
Neeva
Neeva had found a place inside the warehouse to hide what she could carry and tuck herself in, which was likely high enough that most people wouldn't wander onto on a whim. She was asleep for the moment, but that wouldn't last long, much to her disappointment. She listened to the voice a while, since grogginess held on a little too long.
As quiet as could be, the bandito slunk down from her hiding spot, backpack on again and she'd eye Reyna when she was close enough to do so. "Hello." Neeva called out, deadpan and monotonous even then. "Do you always sing in places like this?" It was, atleast, in a spot not usually filled with the more malicious of Ditos, but...who knew when that'd change, right?
As she waited for a reply, Neeva looked around for any signs of life herself. Incase Reyna brought someone (or someones) along.
Swedreza
The voice startled Reyna. She whirled to look at the newcomer, a deadpan young woman who didn't look much older than herself. The songstress adopted a bit of a defensive stance as she took a tentative step back, despite the stranger’s lack of hostility. However, Reyna preferred to be cautious; there was no reason to trust them just because they weren’t overtly hostile.
“Shadows need space to dance just as much as any mortal human.” Reyna attempted to adopt a cold and untrusting gaze, but it was clear that she was trying very hard to commit to this more intimidating persona. It was very practiced but as she was taken off-guard, the mask was not perfect.
“Who are you to take issue with my presence here?” Reyna finally demanded, pointing at the stranger a little melodramatically, “Do my songs not suit such a dreary space?”
Neeva
Even as Reyna spun around in surprise, Neeva continued to try to determine if she was alone. Given the woman eventually became demanding, she assumed it was just them. "You use shadows?" Assuming that's what she meant, the bandito shifted her weight from one foot to the other. Just incase.
"I am Neeva, and this is my warehouse." Probably a lie, but who was going to prove it? "Do you usually go into places to sing without asking if someone else is there first? What if I had a headache?" Now it was her turn to get 'demanding', even if the only time her tone changed was with the last word.
Swedreza
Reyna squinted a bit at this Neeva's response. She hadn't seen this young woman the past couple of times she'd scoped the warehouse out, but she also hadn't noticed the stranger today and could have missed something. Still, the songstress found it difficult to believe someone the same age as her truly *owned* a building like this. If it 'belonged' to this Neeva, it was more likely that it had simply been claimed in the same way Reyna had planned on claiming it.
"Need one ask what appeared to be a vacant warehouse for permission to ply my art? I chose this place because I believed it to be devoid of life." Reyna looked down her nose at the deadpan woman, "You may call me Elegy for now, as my songs will accompany your demise... if you hold against me any ill intent. If you desire otherwise, you may in time earn my true name."
Neeva
"Yes. Sometimes when I am going into a building, I check to make sure it is truly empty first. Someone could kill you." Neeva wondered if this woman was new...or just bold. She squinted at her momentarily. "There will be no demise - for me- I am the most powerful. You will not get to sing one verse before I have won."
Clearly, Reyna was outmatched here, right? "I do not care to go with or against you, I just wanted to sleep in here. Can you not make noise outside?"
Swedreza
"On the other turn, you did not wake until my singing disturbed you. Sleeping in a mysterious warehouse unprotected could prove just as lethal as inadequate inspection," Reyna countered, taking a few meandering paces as she spoke, taking care to avoid the obvious point that Neeva had been well hidden. "All that aside, I do not wish to practice my songs outdoors for any passersby to experience; most find the resulting vibe rather unsettling."
Neeva
"You would have had to get into the room I was using, I am not stupid." Clearly, Neeva wasn't going to make that easy. "And even if you did, you'd have to get to me before my vibe destroyed you." After giving her own explanation, she watched as Reyna paced about. "The building is not soundproof, they would hear you either way. You just do not have to see them, I guess."
Swedreza
"Rather, it is they who should not see me." Reyna was getting curious about this vibe Neeva kept claiming could destroy her in an instant.
"An more explanation would give you an unfair advantage. However, I would be willing to elaborate further should you tell me more about this instant destruction you seem so certain you wield,"
Neeva
"I guess." Neeva wondered if she had stage fright or something, and she zoned out a moment, trying to wonder whether or not she should leave her to it. Because she was clearly scared about being watched.
"No, I do not want to show it to you, because you will need to be taken to a vendy if your mind breaks. It is not a pleasant experience."
Swedreza
The morbid curiosity was rising, not that she truly wanted to experience this vibe. Words would be enough. And was such a vibe be why this Neeva was sleeping alone in an 'abandoned' warehouse?
"I meant more of a verbal exchance, oh dour one, but I suppose you don't get much conversation in a place like this," Reyna cast a bit of a smirk in Neeva's direction. "I could be persuaded to give a harmless demonstration of my vibe, should that mollify some concerns."
Neeva
"You will see and feel horrible things." It was vague, but atleast a start. Still, Neeva didn't seem so keen on elaborating, but Reyna was still a stranger. "You show me now, then."
A little demand, and she was climbing up on some abandoned crates, mostly so she had a nice seat. After pulling her bag up, the bandito eyed the other woman expectantly.
Swedreza
Reyna raised a bit of an eyebrow at Neeva’s *limited* explanation but, truth be told, she relished the chance to show off a bit. Her mother always scolded her when she tried to be deliberately scary, but her younger brothers were relatively easy to scare.
“If it pleases you, I suppose,” She started facetiously, then stood tall, cleared her throat, and raised her hands as if to cast a spell.
“When your seams have come unknitted
And you cry out to the sky
"I've run out of my words, my song
Just let me die, me die"
The rockrose and the thistle
Will whistle as you moan
I could try to calm you down
But I know you won't”
As she sang at first only her shadow began to shift, then those immediately around her, until the shadows cast looked more like silhouettes of tall grass swaying in the breeze. As she continued, occasionally a wisp like a blade of grass drifted upward on that supposed breeze that shifted the shadows beneath the singer.
“All the pins inside your fretted head
And your muttered whens and hows”
Reyna then stepped forward, clawing her hands as if holding something between them and lines of shadow ran out across the floor, fading off at about 6 feet from her or branching off to create little shadowy spiderwebs. Those cobwebs, too, drifted upward like spiders flying on their threads.
“All your mother's weaves and your father's threads
Let me rob them of you now”
Reyna gazed intently in Neeva’s direction as she sang, hoping to look impressive but also brewing a surprise behind her. She hoped the smaller imagery in front would distract the other girl from the fact that her own shadow was slowly warping, growing extra limbs and gaining arachnoid features.
“'Cause I'll darn you back together
When you think that you're bereft”
The creature peeled itself up from the crate behind Neeva at Reyna’s behest and slowly reached out from behind the girl, the chelicerae on either side of the shadow’s gaping maw twitching as it drew its face up beside the girl’s face.
“And you'll wail, you'll scream, but I'll never stop” Reyna smirked as she froze all of the shadows in place. She then bowed and allowed them all to fade into a dark mist the moment the creature actually touched Neeva’s form, like ink dropped in water. She looked up from her bow, hoping to have changed her audience’s plain expression if even only a little.
Neeva
"Yes." A quick response, and Neeva watched as Reyna started singing, tucking her hands into the pockets of her jeans. However, the shadows moved and held the bandito's focus for a moment. When it shifted, and the shadows moved near her, she turned towards the manifestation. "Hm, no, I do not think that will do."
Her tone slipped just a bit, away from the monotone, and as the creature attempted to touch her, Neeva danced away from it. It was a few quick steps, but if Reyna wanted to get spooky, so would she.
The ectoplasm that curled from her body was dark and viscous, regardless of how it seemed more like smoke at first. More quick moves, and Neeva manipulated it, so it moved in her company's direction. Even if it hadn't touched the singer, there was still that feeling of dread that followed.
What good mood might have been was threatened to be replaced by what Neeva was putting out.
Swedreza
Reyna had wanted to to change Neeva’s expression, and felt intense satisfaction for such a moment when the shadow had gotten a rise out of her after all. This satisfaction, however, was fleeting, as the rise came with retaliation. The smile on the songstress’s face widened regardless. Neeva’s vibe was dark and frightening, giving her goosebumps and a deep feeling in her gut that it shouldn’t be touched. However, it was that dreadful darkness about it that Reyna couldn’t help but be fascinated by. She felt no inclination to leave this place, but rather wondered whether this vibe was truly as terrible and powerful as Neeva had claimed.
The songstress quickly leapt back and uttered a quick melismatic aria that ended in a sharp rise in pitch as it ended in order to summon a smaller but similar shadow creature to place between herself and the dark substance Neeva was emitting. Ultimately, while she was fascinated to see what the vibe did, she could not bring herself past the fear of consequences to learn from personal experience just yet.
“A harmless demonstration I did promise, did I not?” Reyna sang her response in a similar melody, “An unsettling thing to see; did I not warn you thus?”
Neeva
"I did not agree to yours touching me." Afterall, Reyna mentioned a demonstration and not it being sent at her. Clearly someone wanted a fight! Neeva wouldn't be deterred by the second manifestation, and continued to work her own magic to have the ectoplasm try to invade Reyna's personal bubble.
"So I think it is only fair for me to do the same." It sounded logical to her! "But, you could just apologize and send yours away."
Swedreza
Reyna looked from the dreadful substance to its wielder to the shadow she hummed her aria to maintain. The fear that manifested in the ectoplasm’s proximity demanded the songstress keep up her defense, demanded she not trust this stranger. For all she knew, the vibe was as powerful and lethal as Neeva claimed. However, if she’d wanted to kill, Neeva could have done so rather swiftly in this instance. There was a reasonable chance that she really would back down if Reyna allowed her shadow to fade.
“Should I do as you wish, would thee see me slain?” Reyna sang one final question then took in a deep breath and exhaled with a dramatic bow. Seconds later, the last of her voice finished echoing off the walls and the creature mimicked her bow before dissolving. Reyna stood up straight again, forcing her shoulders back to add an air of pride to her clearly shaken demeanor. “Twas a playful gesture, nothing more. Let us be done with these foolish assumptions before true violence is dealt.”
Neeva
Neeva continued to stare at Reyna (for dominance), while she continued to manipulate the ectoplasm, even if the manifestation started to fade. By her own doing or the fact that she was just standing around now was up for one to guess.
"No, you are not trying to kill me." Clearly, the bandito was going to match actions with something similar. When the other's manifestation vanished, Neeva waves off her own, inwardly happy she didn't have to keep enduring the after-effects of it.
"Yes. Okay." She nods, turning away momentarily.
Swedreza
Reyna met Neeva’s gaze for as long as the eerie stranger would hold it; the songstress had backed down but was not necessarily rolling over and she wanted to make that clear. Despite her need for practice and experience, it did not take much to understand that Neeva’s bite likely measured up to her bark. Part of her wondered if she could block the substance indefinitely or if it would have eventually permeated her shadows, but this was better. The metaphorical door was still open this way.
“Now that you have had my measure, have you gained an understanding of why I choose not to practice out where others may see? Their fears stifle my shadows’ potential, and their questions pry and whine after my intentions… I care not for such interference.” Reyna explained before proffering a deal, “If this is truly your domain, is there a time in which I might persuade you to tolerate my presence if I were to, say, bring a peace offering?”
Neeva
"Yes, I guess so." Neeva did wonder if people would be that annoying, but she had yet to see it for herself. "You should still just make sure there is not someone here first."
She pointed out, and dusted herself off, adjusting her clothes now that she was done dancing. "Peace offering...I am always awake or away at night, I do most of my sleeping in later hours or nap in the afternoon. If you do not come then, I am fine."
Swedreza
Reyna tried to stifle the annoyance at Neeva's insistence that she needed to look. She had looked, after all! But as much as she hated someone implying she'd been careless, it was not a battle that needed fighting. After all, Neeva was now conceding to share the space, and being too contrary might ruin that.
"I will schedule my arrivals accordingly, though I will still check the building more thoroughly on following visits as a precaution." Reyna thought a moment before asking with very little hesitation, "So is this really your home, then? You live alone?"
Neeva
"Okay, that will be good." Neeva agreed, and she relaxed again, but her gaze wandered incase someone heard some of the commotion. Seemed quiet enough. "One of them, for now. I have a house I am going to get soon, I just have to wait for the deal to be done and I will not have to wander these buildings."
With a shrug, she'd head for the stairs. "But, I am tired still...more now."
Swedreza
"If you ever desire to incorporate safer lodgings into this... rotation of sleeping arrangements you currently have, my family runs the Quiet Hours out one wing of the RD cultural center. If you have no wish to deal with people, believe me, quiet is a key word for a reason. We ask no questions unless you cause trouble." Reyna offered, took a breath, then conceded to the fatigue showing in her new acquaintance's demeanor.
"Since we have come to an accord, I will deter you from your rest no longer." Reyna smiled a rather proud smile. "May we next meet on more agreeable terms, Neeva."
Neeva
"Yes, okay. I will find it soon." Hiding away in a spot when she didn't want to be around people was certainly welcoming, but there was still an edge of wariness in her tone. Her family could be anyone, afterall! Good or bad.
Neeva nodded, resting a hand against the crumbling railing. "I will see you around, yes. Maybe even at your business." Once snooping around it, naturally. "Goodbye." With that, the bandito headed back to her hiding spot, dusting off her hands.
Since turning sixteen, young Reyna snuck off to explore more and more often, seeking to familiarize herself with the gray areas left to rot in the north of Step City. For her mother’s relative peace of mind, she avoided exploring at night, but it worked to her advantage as most early mornings she found the quiet left by people sleeping off any music or events of the previous night. Reyna was largely free to explore the unused sections of the district for places to practice music and- more importantly- her vibe.
This foggy morning Reyna sought out a smaller warehouse she’d spotted very recently, an old place that had pretty well had its stacks and bay doors pilfered for building materials long ago. Both times she’d circled around to it, it lacks all indicators of human visitation besides her. So, the young songstress hoped it was just as vacant as it seemed and hoped to at least test out the acoustics of the space today.
Reyna snuck in through one of the doorless bays and crept inside to confirm the absence of people. It was just as dusty and unkept as she expected, but at least there was the occasional cracked window to let in light and force the few dilapidated sorting structures left in the room to cast crucial shadows. After sneaking about for a good ten to fifteen minutes to give what she felt was a thorough examination of the place, the teen was satisfied that she was truly alone.
“When you call to me asleep, Up the ragged cliffs I scramble
A single thread hangs limply down and I breathe not now, not now
And I find you all unwoven trying desperately to sew
I know the kindest thing is to leave you alone"
Reyna could almost hum with satisfaction as her voice echoed through the space. Her shadow twirled behind her as if she tread further into the center of the large room. Taking a breath of the building's dusty air as the very last of her voice left it, Reyna dwelled in the silence for just a moment; yes, this was a good spot to practice.
Neeva
Neeva had found a place inside the warehouse to hide what she could carry and tuck herself in, which was likely high enough that most people wouldn't wander onto on a whim. She was asleep for the moment, but that wouldn't last long, much to her disappointment. She listened to the voice a while, since grogginess held on a little too long.
As quiet as could be, the bandito slunk down from her hiding spot, backpack on again and she'd eye Reyna when she was close enough to do so. "Hello." Neeva called out, deadpan and monotonous even then. "Do you always sing in places like this?" It was, atleast, in a spot not usually filled with the more malicious of Ditos, but...who knew when that'd change, right?
As she waited for a reply, Neeva looked around for any signs of life herself. Incase Reyna brought someone (or someones) along.
Swedreza
The voice startled Reyna. She whirled to look at the newcomer, a deadpan young woman who didn't look much older than herself. The songstress adopted a bit of a defensive stance as she took a tentative step back, despite the stranger’s lack of hostility. However, Reyna preferred to be cautious; there was no reason to trust them just because they weren’t overtly hostile.
“Shadows need space to dance just as much as any mortal human.” Reyna attempted to adopt a cold and untrusting gaze, but it was clear that she was trying very hard to commit to this more intimidating persona. It was very practiced but as she was taken off-guard, the mask was not perfect.
“Who are you to take issue with my presence here?” Reyna finally demanded, pointing at the stranger a little melodramatically, “Do my songs not suit such a dreary space?”
Neeva
Even as Reyna spun around in surprise, Neeva continued to try to determine if she was alone. Given the woman eventually became demanding, she assumed it was just them. "You use shadows?" Assuming that's what she meant, the bandito shifted her weight from one foot to the other. Just incase.
"I am Neeva, and this is my warehouse." Probably a lie, but who was going to prove it? "Do you usually go into places to sing without asking if someone else is there first? What if I had a headache?" Now it was her turn to get 'demanding', even if the only time her tone changed was with the last word.
Swedreza
Reyna squinted a bit at this Neeva's response. She hadn't seen this young woman the past couple of times she'd scoped the warehouse out, but she also hadn't noticed the stranger today and could have missed something. Still, the songstress found it difficult to believe someone the same age as her truly *owned* a building like this. If it 'belonged' to this Neeva, it was more likely that it had simply been claimed in the same way Reyna had planned on claiming it.
"Need one ask what appeared to be a vacant warehouse for permission to ply my art? I chose this place because I believed it to be devoid of life." Reyna looked down her nose at the deadpan woman, "You may call me Elegy for now, as my songs will accompany your demise... if you hold against me any ill intent. If you desire otherwise, you may in time earn my true name."
Neeva
"Yes. Sometimes when I am going into a building, I check to make sure it is truly empty first. Someone could kill you." Neeva wondered if this woman was new...or just bold. She squinted at her momentarily. "There will be no demise - for me- I am the most powerful. You will not get to sing one verse before I have won."
Clearly, Reyna was outmatched here, right? "I do not care to go with or against you, I just wanted to sleep in here. Can you not make noise outside?"
Swedreza
"On the other turn, you did not wake until my singing disturbed you. Sleeping in a mysterious warehouse unprotected could prove just as lethal as inadequate inspection," Reyna countered, taking a few meandering paces as she spoke, taking care to avoid the obvious point that Neeva had been well hidden. "All that aside, I do not wish to practice my songs outdoors for any passersby to experience; most find the resulting vibe rather unsettling."
Neeva
"You would have had to get into the room I was using, I am not stupid." Clearly, Neeva wasn't going to make that easy. "And even if you did, you'd have to get to me before my vibe destroyed you." After giving her own explanation, she watched as Reyna paced about. "The building is not soundproof, they would hear you either way. You just do not have to see them, I guess."
Swedreza
"Rather, it is they who should not see me." Reyna was getting curious about this vibe Neeva kept claiming could destroy her in an instant.
"An more explanation would give you an unfair advantage. However, I would be willing to elaborate further should you tell me more about this instant destruction you seem so certain you wield,"
Neeva
"I guess." Neeva wondered if she had stage fright or something, and she zoned out a moment, trying to wonder whether or not she should leave her to it. Because she was clearly scared about being watched.
"No, I do not want to show it to you, because you will need to be taken to a vendy if your mind breaks. It is not a pleasant experience."
Swedreza
The morbid curiosity was rising, not that she truly wanted to experience this vibe. Words would be enough. And was such a vibe be why this Neeva was sleeping alone in an 'abandoned' warehouse?
"I meant more of a verbal exchance, oh dour one, but I suppose you don't get much conversation in a place like this," Reyna cast a bit of a smirk in Neeva's direction. "I could be persuaded to give a harmless demonstration of my vibe, should that mollify some concerns."
Neeva
"You will see and feel horrible things." It was vague, but atleast a start. Still, Neeva didn't seem so keen on elaborating, but Reyna was still a stranger. "You show me now, then."
A little demand, and she was climbing up on some abandoned crates, mostly so she had a nice seat. After pulling her bag up, the bandito eyed the other woman expectantly.
Swedreza
Reyna raised a bit of an eyebrow at Neeva’s *limited* explanation but, truth be told, she relished the chance to show off a bit. Her mother always scolded her when she tried to be deliberately scary, but her younger brothers were relatively easy to scare.
“If it pleases you, I suppose,” She started facetiously, then stood tall, cleared her throat, and raised her hands as if to cast a spell.
“When your seams have come unknitted
And you cry out to the sky
"I've run out of my words, my song
Just let me die, me die"
The rockrose and the thistle
Will whistle as you moan
I could try to calm you down
But I know you won't”
As she sang at first only her shadow began to shift, then those immediately around her, until the shadows cast looked more like silhouettes of tall grass swaying in the breeze. As she continued, occasionally a wisp like a blade of grass drifted upward on that supposed breeze that shifted the shadows beneath the singer.
“All the pins inside your fretted head
And your muttered whens and hows”
Reyna then stepped forward, clawing her hands as if holding something between them and lines of shadow ran out across the floor, fading off at about 6 feet from her or branching off to create little shadowy spiderwebs. Those cobwebs, too, drifted upward like spiders flying on their threads.
“All your mother's weaves and your father's threads
Let me rob them of you now”
Reyna gazed intently in Neeva’s direction as she sang, hoping to look impressive but also brewing a surprise behind her. She hoped the smaller imagery in front would distract the other girl from the fact that her own shadow was slowly warping, growing extra limbs and gaining arachnoid features.
“'Cause I'll darn you back together
When you think that you're bereft”
The creature peeled itself up from the crate behind Neeva at Reyna’s behest and slowly reached out from behind the girl, the chelicerae on either side of the shadow’s gaping maw twitching as it drew its face up beside the girl’s face.
“And you'll wail, you'll scream, but I'll never stop” Reyna smirked as she froze all of the shadows in place. She then bowed and allowed them all to fade into a dark mist the moment the creature actually touched Neeva’s form, like ink dropped in water. She looked up from her bow, hoping to have changed her audience’s plain expression if even only a little.
Neeva
"Yes." A quick response, and Neeva watched as Reyna started singing, tucking her hands into the pockets of her jeans. However, the shadows moved and held the bandito's focus for a moment. When it shifted, and the shadows moved near her, she turned towards the manifestation. "Hm, no, I do not think that will do."
Her tone slipped just a bit, away from the monotone, and as the creature attempted to touch her, Neeva danced away from it. It was a few quick steps, but if Reyna wanted to get spooky, so would she.
The ectoplasm that curled from her body was dark and viscous, regardless of how it seemed more like smoke at first. More quick moves, and Neeva manipulated it, so it moved in her company's direction. Even if it hadn't touched the singer, there was still that feeling of dread that followed.
What good mood might have been was threatened to be replaced by what Neeva was putting out.
Swedreza
Reyna had wanted to to change Neeva’s expression, and felt intense satisfaction for such a moment when the shadow had gotten a rise out of her after all. This satisfaction, however, was fleeting, as the rise came with retaliation. The smile on the songstress’s face widened regardless. Neeva’s vibe was dark and frightening, giving her goosebumps and a deep feeling in her gut that it shouldn’t be touched. However, it was that dreadful darkness about it that Reyna couldn’t help but be fascinated by. She felt no inclination to leave this place, but rather wondered whether this vibe was truly as terrible and powerful as Neeva had claimed.
The songstress quickly leapt back and uttered a quick melismatic aria that ended in a sharp rise in pitch as it ended in order to summon a smaller but similar shadow creature to place between herself and the dark substance Neeva was emitting. Ultimately, while she was fascinated to see what the vibe did, she could not bring herself past the fear of consequences to learn from personal experience just yet.
“A harmless demonstration I did promise, did I not?” Reyna sang her response in a similar melody, “An unsettling thing to see; did I not warn you thus?”
Neeva
"I did not agree to yours touching me." Afterall, Reyna mentioned a demonstration and not it being sent at her. Clearly someone wanted a fight! Neeva wouldn't be deterred by the second manifestation, and continued to work her own magic to have the ectoplasm try to invade Reyna's personal bubble.
"So I think it is only fair for me to do the same." It sounded logical to her! "But, you could just apologize and send yours away."
Swedreza
Reyna looked from the dreadful substance to its wielder to the shadow she hummed her aria to maintain. The fear that manifested in the ectoplasm’s proximity demanded the songstress keep up her defense, demanded she not trust this stranger. For all she knew, the vibe was as powerful and lethal as Neeva claimed. However, if she’d wanted to kill, Neeva could have done so rather swiftly in this instance. There was a reasonable chance that she really would back down if Reyna allowed her shadow to fade.
“Should I do as you wish, would thee see me slain?” Reyna sang one final question then took in a deep breath and exhaled with a dramatic bow. Seconds later, the last of her voice finished echoing off the walls and the creature mimicked her bow before dissolving. Reyna stood up straight again, forcing her shoulders back to add an air of pride to her clearly shaken demeanor. “Twas a playful gesture, nothing more. Let us be done with these foolish assumptions before true violence is dealt.”
Neeva
Neeva continued to stare at Reyna (for dominance), while she continued to manipulate the ectoplasm, even if the manifestation started to fade. By her own doing or the fact that she was just standing around now was up for one to guess.
"No, you are not trying to kill me." Clearly, the bandito was going to match actions with something similar. When the other's manifestation vanished, Neeva waves off her own, inwardly happy she didn't have to keep enduring the after-effects of it.
"Yes. Okay." She nods, turning away momentarily.
Swedreza
Reyna met Neeva’s gaze for as long as the eerie stranger would hold it; the songstress had backed down but was not necessarily rolling over and she wanted to make that clear. Despite her need for practice and experience, it did not take much to understand that Neeva’s bite likely measured up to her bark. Part of her wondered if she could block the substance indefinitely or if it would have eventually permeated her shadows, but this was better. The metaphorical door was still open this way.
“Now that you have had my measure, have you gained an understanding of why I choose not to practice out where others may see? Their fears stifle my shadows’ potential, and their questions pry and whine after my intentions… I care not for such interference.” Reyna explained before proffering a deal, “If this is truly your domain, is there a time in which I might persuade you to tolerate my presence if I were to, say, bring a peace offering?”
Neeva
"Yes, I guess so." Neeva did wonder if people would be that annoying, but she had yet to see it for herself. "You should still just make sure there is not someone here first."
She pointed out, and dusted herself off, adjusting her clothes now that she was done dancing. "Peace offering...I am always awake or away at night, I do most of my sleeping in later hours or nap in the afternoon. If you do not come then, I am fine."
Swedreza
Reyna tried to stifle the annoyance at Neeva's insistence that she needed to look. She had looked, after all! But as much as she hated someone implying she'd been careless, it was not a battle that needed fighting. After all, Neeva was now conceding to share the space, and being too contrary might ruin that.
"I will schedule my arrivals accordingly, though I will still check the building more thoroughly on following visits as a precaution." Reyna thought a moment before asking with very little hesitation, "So is this really your home, then? You live alone?"
Neeva
"Okay, that will be good." Neeva agreed, and she relaxed again, but her gaze wandered incase someone heard some of the commotion. Seemed quiet enough. "One of them, for now. I have a house I am going to get soon, I just have to wait for the deal to be done and I will not have to wander these buildings."
With a shrug, she'd head for the stairs. "But, I am tired still...more now."
Swedreza
"If you ever desire to incorporate safer lodgings into this... rotation of sleeping arrangements you currently have, my family runs the Quiet Hours out one wing of the RD cultural center. If you have no wish to deal with people, believe me, quiet is a key word for a reason. We ask no questions unless you cause trouble." Reyna offered, took a breath, then conceded to the fatigue showing in her new acquaintance's demeanor.
"Since we have come to an accord, I will deter you from your rest no longer." Reyna smiled a rather proud smile. "May we next meet on more agreeable terms, Neeva."
Neeva
"Yes, okay. I will find it soon." Hiding away in a spot when she didn't want to be around people was certainly welcoming, but there was still an edge of wariness in her tone. Her family could be anyone, afterall! Good or bad.
Neeva nodded, resting a hand against the crumbling railing. "I will see you around, yes. Maybe even at your business." Once snooping around it, naturally. "Goodbye." With that, the bandito headed back to her hiding spot, dusting off her hands.
Moderators: AJ_89 Steven (played by Robo-Craig) QnQ Hide Miyagawa (played by Monoclejack) Chroma (played by lewsey)
