WELCOME

[Daguerre]

A crowd had gathered on the emptier side of the market in Jiankan, and despite people dispersing due to the darkness of the sky, it only seemed to grow. A hooded man was in the middle of the crowd and the spectators seemed to nudge and push each other to get a better view of him. "Is all that you saw tonight real or just in your imagination? I leave you all to find the answer out for yourselves, but know, which ever answer you choose, my next and final act is real..." His voice trailed off as he pushed the hood of his cloak off of his head, revealing a head of red hair and a long bandage wrapped around his eyes several times. A roar of gasps sounded from the crowd at the fact that he appeared blind, but it quickly died down as he spun to face the opposite direction and took five long strides into the crowd. "Do not part from where you stand," he said as soon as he started walking. After his long strides, his gloved right hand reached up and grabbed hold of a slender wrist. "You've nothing to fear. Will you assist me in my final demonstration?"

A young woman with braided, blonde hair glanced around to the staring faces around her, then back to the blind man. "I-I suppose..." The man smiled and bowed lowly before turning and leading her back to the center of the group. Once in the middle, the man let go of her wrist and reached into his cloak.

"What is it that you fear, my darling? Answer loud for all to hear, if you will." In unison, both the man and the woman spoke.

"Death."

"Death."

Without wasting any time, he quickly started into the performance by pulling out a short, silver dagger. There was hardly any time for the crowd to react when he faced the girl again and dove the dagger into her chest. She didn't scream, but merely gasped in surprise. Slowly, her body became limp and her face slack. The man wrapped his arm behind her and slowly lowered her to lay her on the ground. The crowd quickly became an uproar as the man kneeled beside the dead woman. He slowly began to unwrap the bandage from his eyes, and once it was removed, he brought his eyes up to the crowd. A dark mauve shaded around his eyes and went well with his startling, bright eyes. Slowly, he raised a bloodied hand outwards to the crowd. "My friends, please. You'll wake the dead!" He chuckled a bit as his lips twisted into a smile. "Allow me to finish before you riot, will you?"

[Circe]

It didn't take much for her to become captivated by such a performance. With each illusion he performed, Circe began to play it over and over again in her head to try and figure out how he did it. Now, she watched with a dull face as he pushed the hood of his clock to reveal his face. She would've been impressed even more if she believed he was actually blind...But it seemed much of the crowd believed. Her eyes followed his every movement up until he plunged his dagger into her chest. Circe widened her eyes and was a bit unsure of how else to react. She just witnessed the man stab an innocent girl, which he claimed was all a part of the show. Anger began to show on her face as she watched him raise his hand coated in the girl's blood to shush the crowd. She felt no fear for her life or for anyone else's...Just anger. Still, she remained in the crowd and kept her comments to herself while she watched with her eyes narrowed.

[Daguerre]

His eyes scanned the crowd quickly before returning to the girl lying on the ground, but they didn't stay there for long. A look of curiosity came over his pale face as he double-glanced at Circe. He seemed to become serious as he watched her for a bit, the smile that had been on his face just seconds ago had disappeared suddenly. At this, the crowd began to simmer down. A few people caught on and looked at Circe as well, a bit unsure why he was staring at her so intently. Slowly, he got to his feet and faced Circe. "You're anger is unlike the others'. Their anger masks their fear for the girl's life, but yours..." The man started towards her and stopped once just a foot shy of her. The people that stood around Circe had quickly backed up once he started towards her. He raised his clean hand and placed it against the side of her face before peering deep into her eyes. "You do not fear death. In fact, you welcome it. But what of the others? Do you not fear for her?" He spoke with a low whisper, his voice soothing like a warm breeze.

[Circe]

Her body tensed as he placed his hand on the side of her face. At first, she refused to make eye contact with him by looking downwards, but after a few seconds that seemed to drag on like minutes, she looked into his eyes. It felt as if his words were like velvet against her skin as he whispered to her. Once she felt a chill go up her spine, she lowered her gaze again. She feared him just by the way he peered into her eyes. He should not have known that she welcomed such a thing. "That's...That's not it. I do fear for her. Please...Save her." Circe spoke softly in an attempt for him to leave her alone. He'd given her a funny feeling that she didn't like in the slightest.

[Daguerre]

The tips of his finger gently caressed the side of her face as he leaned into her and whispered directly into her ear. "Do not fear me...I will not cause you any harm, my love." His lips pressed softly against the other side of her face before he pulled away a bit. He directed her face with his hand and forced her to look into his eyes once more. "I will save her for you..." The man ran his hand down her neck and to her hand before lifting it and placing a kiss on the back of it. Before letting go of her, he bowed once more.

Afterwards, he directed his attention back to the girl and the crowd. In an attempt to pass it off as a joke, he chuckled and spoke with a cheery tone. "She doesn't fear death, eh...Yeah, right." He kneeled by the girl's side once more and wrapped his hand around the handle of the small dagger. His other hand placed flat against her forehead as he murmured a few random words, making it sound as if he were reciting something much like a spell or chant. After he finished mumbling for show, he spoke much louder as he turned his face upwards towards the sky. "On my command, you shall live again. You shall relive your first breath of life and not sustain any damage from the wound I inflicted upon you. Respire!" With that last bit, the man pulled the dagger from the girl and she gasped loudly. Her chest rose dramatically and her eyes bolted open before she sat up with a look of confusion on her face. Her hands lightly touched the blood that stained her clothing before she inquired as to what just happened. The man gave her a hand and helped her to her feet before looking to Circe again. The crowd seemed dumbfounded for the most part and a few of them huddled around the girl, asking all sorts of questions.

[Ashanaria Oricia]

As the sky grows darker during the performance a young elven girl dressed in black manages to have worked her way to the front of the crowd in time to catch Daguerre's few words to Circe and watch him bring the girl back to life. The young elf watches not with interest or excitement or even anger but with resentment towards this young man performing. She spits in his general direction as she spins around on her heel and goes stalking back into the crowd causing them to part ahead of her as if she were the plague itself. The young girl can be seen stalking away to a carriage nearby pulled by a team of beautiful black horses as the crowd slowly begins to fill in their gap. The head of the young girl can be seen as she steps up next to the door holding on talking to someone on the otherside hidden in the shadows. After a minute the young girl bows her head as if chastised and muttering something causes a brilliant flash of orange firelight to erupt from her fingertips over the heads of the crowd and into the small area near the man where it burns into the ground the time an hour from now and how to get to a small cottage nearby in words that only Daguerre can see. The flames gone the girl climbs further along the side of the carriage to the horse at the rear of the team and hops on whispering into its ear causing the horse to whiny as the team suddenly leaps into motion speeding away with an unnatural speed making people clear the streets. The carriage vanishes into the night in the direction of the cottage.

[Daguerre]

A movement within the crowd caught his eye as he quickly looked towards the parting people. He caught just a glance of the woman as she stepped up onto the carriage before he turned his attention to the ground. The man looked confused for a second or so as he read the burning letters. Once it disappeared, he looked to the girl that he had revived until she noticed him staring at her. As soon as he was sure she caught on, the man turned away and started towards Circe again. "Meet me in Bachgardd this time tomorrow." His hand brushed against her's before he walked past her. He didn't even need to wait for her answer to know it.

He had managed to get past the crowd without anyone noticing him as the blonde girl seemed to be getting everyone's attention. The man slipped through a door that was hidden in a dark alley, and once in the comfort of an empty room, he unclipped the cloak he wore then tossed it over a chair. His hand grabbed a hold of the red hair on top of his head and pulled it off, tossing the wig on top of the cloak. After running his fingers through his light blonde hair, Daguerre sighed softly. A few minutes passed by and the door opened once more. It slammed loudly and Daguerre could tell just by the woman's voice who it was.

"What the heck happened back there, Daguerre?!"

He turned around after finishing equipping his bow and quiver and then smiled to Loralie. "What ever do you mean?"

Her eyes narrowed before she reached up and began to unbraid her hair. "While you sat there and tried to work your magic with that woman in the crowd, I laid on the cold ground holding my breath. I almost lost it, you know!"

"Tried?" He chuckled before he tilted his head to the side. "There was no trying. Anyways, get over it. Go change out of those bloody clothes. We've got somewhere to go."

***

Daguerre followed exactly what the instructions told him do with Loralie in tow behind him. "Where are we going?" Daguerre shrugged at her question, making her sigh loudly. "Is this just for fun then?" Again, Daguerre shrugged.

"Stop asking questions. We'll find out right now." He came to a stop as his eyes gazed upon the cottage. "Stay sharp and keep your mouth shut." His eyes glanced back to Loralie, who wore his coat to cover the sword that hung from her hips, before starting towards the cottage. With a calm and collected look, Daguerre tapped his knuckle against the door of the cottage then took a step back.

[Ashanaria Oricia]

The same small elven girl he had seen earlier answers the door with a curtsy to the two of them while trying very much so to hide the amount of disdain and hate she felt towrads Daguerre.

"If you will leave all but your wits at the step and that includes whatever the miss is hiding we do not allow anything except the clothes we wear into the house."

The Young elf goes on mumbling something to herself that sounds quite hateful but she waits politely for Daguerre and his assisstant to disarm themselves. While waiting she glances outside past the two guests checking the trail they had made and with a twirl of her hand erases their footsteps and makes trees and rose bushes sprout from the ground completely hiding the cottage from the view of the town.

"We like our priveacy..."

[Daguerre]

Daguerre bowed his head to the elven lady before unbuckling the strap to the holster for his bow and quiver. "Of course. Whatever you wish." He gently placed it on the ground beside the door of the cottage then looked over to Loralie, who wore a confused expression.

"Daguerre, you're really relieving yourself of your weapon? Is this not one of the oldest tricks in the book?" She stepped from behind him so she could get a better look of the elven girl. "You don't even know where we're at..."

"We are guests, Loralie. Don't be so rude." He turned his icy eyes to the elf before speaking again. "I apologize on behalf of my servant here. It seems she questions everything."

"I prefer the term 'assistant'."

"I'll call you what you are, dear." Daguerre steps past the elf and into the cottage before looking over his shoulder to Loralie. She sighed, unbuckled her belt, then laid it beside Daguerre's bow and arrows. As he began to speak, she slowly followed him inside the cottage. "I do not mean to be blunt, but I am a busy man. What is so important that you made me travel all the way out here?"

[Ashanaria Oricia]

The small elven girl opens her mouth to reply but just as she is about to speak another woman's voice cuts her off as Aria lets her birth marks flare into their firey orange light allowing Daguerre to see her in the dark corner of the room where she had been listening.

"That Boy was for your own safety...you were about three minutes from being lynched and that includes the both of you. I happen to have been able to work my pupil here into the local police and church society far enough so that she knows all of their movements. The head priest was about two minutes away from your little demonstration and I figured it would be best to keep you from being hanged."

Aria steps into the light from outside so that she can be fully seen for who and what she is...A drow and a wealthy one at that. She comes up very close to Daguerre so close that he can almost feel her breath as she breathes. Aria reaches out and gently lays her hand on Daguerre's shoulder pointing up to a pale blue rune that is glowing brightly on the ceiling.

"Before you come further I suggest you remove the dagger your hiding...although I admire you for at least being that smart but still no weapons are allowed in any of my homes."

Aria's eyes seem to linger on Daguerre's thin figure for a moment before she glances at his assisstant and moves to step out of her way so that she can see the beautifully laid out room behind Aria in which the young elven girl pulls out a chair for Daguerre's assisstant at a table full of food and wine.

"Your welcome to any of it that you wish tonight you are my guest and just between you and me the boy here needs a good whipping..."

[Daguerre]

"Oh?" Daguerre watched the corner of the room and smiled when he saw the drow walk from the darkness and approach him. As she moved, his eyes looked her over before settling on her eyes. He laughed softly to himself, a dark edge sounding with the laugh. "I apologize." His pale hands raised and unbuttoned the already partially opened shirt just enough to reach in and pull the ceremonial dagger from his pants. "I ask that you don't call me boy, my lady. I find it quite offensive. You may call me by my name, Daguerre." After he dropped the dagger behind him, he glanced over to Loralie, who graciously took the seat from the other girl.

"A whipping? Oh Gods, no. That's just the way he shows he cares." She cleared her throat, glanced back to Daguerre, then looked back to the elven girl. "I mean, he doesn't mean anything by it."

After sighing softly through his nose, the necromancer brought his attention back to the drow in front of him. "I am grateful for you getting me out of there; however, may I inquire as to why you thought it best to keep me from hanging? I do not believe you know me and I'm certain that I do not know you...As much as I wish I did know you..." As he smirked, he began to casually button his shirt back up.

[Ashanaria Oricia]

"As much as you wish you knew me you would wish you never had when you do. As for the hanging bit...I thought I would show a change of heart for once and actually save male from harm...you may call me Ashanaria or your ladyship."

Aria looks about the room for a second her eyes darting to the darker corners where the light didn't reach. She then speaks in a hypnotic and yet slightly mother like voice deep and rich with lust in a language unknown to Daguerre. At her words darkly clad figures scamper away skittering and hissing as they retreat upstairs their black cloaks hiding their bodies.

"Come have something to eat Boy..."

Aria goes into the other room sitting down at the table and making a gesture for Daguerre to follow suit.

"If what you said back in the square be true and not mere blather then you and I have something in common which would have you killed on the spot by the law and the church. Eliana go it is time to practice and remember this time try not to scorch the trees..."

The small elven girl rises quietly bowing to Aria and strides out of the room and out a back door a few seconds go by and the crackling roar of large flames can be heard just barely repeatedly over and over.

[Daguerre]

As the drow spoke, the necromancer raised a brow and crossed his arms over his chest. He knew nothing of her race but he wasn't stupid enough to miss the fact that she didn't care for his gender. Whatever the reason, Daguerre really couldn't care less. He kept his brow raised and an emotionless look on his face as he listened to her, as he guessed, speak in her native tongue. He seemed to not even see the dark figures as they retreated from the shadows. A long, irritated sigh sounded from him as Ashanaria ordered him to go eat something. "I'm sorry, perhaps you didn't hear me earlier when I asked you not to call me boy, miladyship." Despite him speaking disdainfully, he followed her into the other room and sat across from her.

He kept his cool eyes trained on Ashanaria, ignoring the other girl who got up and left. "That which you saw in the marketplace was mere trickery. I will not use my necromancy to entertain such easily amused peons. I only raise the dead if I'm getting paid for it." He shot a dark look over to Loralie, who was reaching for some wine. She immediately stopped, looked to him, then withdrew her hand. "You must understand, Ashanaria. Though it is very kind of you to invite us to your home and offer us wine and food, we can not have any. For all I know, it could be laced with a drug." As he spoke, he looked back to the drow and leaned back in his seat. "But alas, I believe you said something about us having something in common. You are a necromancer as well?"

[Ashanaria Oricia]

Aria had picked up a glass of wine while Daguerre had been scolding his assisstant and was halfway through swallowing a sip when he posed his question.

"Mmm that depends on your definition of necromancy...however whether what you were doing was real or not twould be best to keep even your trickery from falling upon the eyes of the law and the church..."

Aria downs the last of the wine in her glass before pouring herself another glass.

"I can bring corpses to life if that is what you define necromancy as however if you mean making mummies and perfectly preserved bodies then no my necromancy is more...how you might say feral or barbaricly instinctive. Please do not insult my hospitality I would not dream of poisoning a guest be they male or female tis rude..."

Aria reaches out taking a fresh dinner roll from a basket cutting it in half and spreading a small amount of butter before covering it back up to melt.

[Daguerre]

"Ohh, but miladyship...That's what so fun about it. Such an adrenaline rush." His lips curved into a smirk as he gazed at Ashanaria with a seductive look. It didn't last long though. He wouldn't press his luck with this one. He waved his hand at Loralie then leaned forward a bit. "Fine. Do as you wish, but no wine. You know how I feel about young ladies drinking. They become anyone's mistress." Loralie's eyes widened before she sighed softly then grabbed a roll. She preferred her's without butter. "Anyways, I apologize for offending you. I did not mean to do such a thing. It's just...When many people don't like you, it's a necessity to be cautious." He laced his fingers together and extended his arms and fingers out to crack them a bit. "So, basically, what you're saying is that you have no problem raising a body. It's when it gets to making it actually look real when you have a problem?" Daguerre shrugged his shoulders then ran his fingers through his hair quickly.