An Offer Refused

An Offer Refused
Date of Scene:	16 December 2012
Location:	Traverse Town - District 3
Synopsis:	One of Skoll Ulfang's "Lords" seeks out the mutated Avira, eager to make her fall in line with her werewolf friend. Extreme unpleasantness ensues.
Thanks to:	Oathkeeper for awesome
Cast of Characters:	Mysterious Figure, Avira

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Avira has posed:
After the mission in the sewer, the intrepid group of VALKYRI (and one non-VALKYRI, as was the case with Hati) and dragged Amin Damoola off to face whatever sort of judicial system that Traverse Town had. Odds were high that Amin would wind up escaping it through a series of coincidences working in his favor.

The treasure he had plundered was taken from the sewers and distributed with most of the personal items being returned to their owners. The heaps of munny left by...well, that was a bit more tricky. No doubt Katyna and Hati took more than their share.

Avira, however, opted to check one last time for anything left over that they missed the first time. The tunnels were pretty extensive so stray pot spiders may have gotten lost or stuck in them, just like that one they had come across. But as she goes through the tunnels on her own, she is once again reminded of why she didn't want to stay too long the first time she was down here.

The SMELL! To her nose, it is TERRIBLE!

Mysterious Figure has posed:
There, someone was waiting. As if they knew that the girl would return. Or... was she really truly to be called a girl anymore. The someone, the figure, is mysterious. Wrapped in a brown robe that prevents their form from being seen stands right at the center of the tunnel - not bothered by the smell at all. Their eyes are pink, and they seem to be a bit broader and taller than Avira's mutate form - though not by much.

The figure turns when the girl enters, a smile appearing amidst the shadow of their garb - as if they were the Cheshire Cat or something. Glinting white, even showing fangs. "Ah, you have returned." It's a feminine voice that breaks through the air. "You must be /her/... the girl I've heard about. Little Ulfang's new 'friend'. Yes yes..."

Avira has posed:
A hand remains covering the wolf's nose upon her face, as if that would somehow block out the enhanced smells she's seeing. It doesn't.

Spotting a person up ahead, there, all so suddenly, makes Avira stop immediately as her heart leaps in shock. Their size easily blocks the way, as Avira herself had trouble navigating these tunnels in her current form.

This...she couldn't put her finger on it, but just seeing this person and that smile filled her with dread, "Oh, you know Skoll, huh?" Her hair is on end and her muscles tense. Already the darkness is gathering inside her, tipping the balance of fight versus flight in favor of the more violent option. Should the need arise. "Who're you?"

Mysterious Figure has posed:
"Oh yes, I do." The woman claims, bringing her 'fingers' together. They're covered in gloves, but Avira can easily tell that there's something otherworldly about them. "You see, Skoll works with me - with us. He's a valuable ally. But there is this little thing about his 'contract'. You see, we can't have him going around just randomly befriending people. Who knows if he'll tattle on us. And we've been... noticing that he's been with you for a larger amount of time. We can smell you on him." Even in this sewer. "Quite clearly, in fact. So I want to strike you a deal... for the... /protection/... of both of you."

Avira has posed:
Avira's hand slips back to rest on the hilt of the Spine, thick, clawed fingers curling around the mythril-covered 'bone.' "Us?" Avira asks innocently, quickly jumping on the playing dumb angle. He only just recently mentioned the whole 'Lords' thing to her. "I wasn't aware he was working with anyone but the Shard Seekers annnnnd you don't seem to be a Shard Seeker."

At least this way, Skoll wouldn't get in trouble, right? With her free hand, she gestures at the cloaked figure. "...go on?"

Mysterious Figure has posed:
The woman arches an eyebrow, and it is hard to tell whether she's buying Avira's little act. "No matter." he comments when Avira suggests that she wasn't aware. "If he hadn't told you yet, I am sure he would have in the future. It seems it is on me for... how do you people call it again? 'jumping the gun'?" The woman pauses for a moment, tilting her head a bit like a bird, until her head is at a very awkward 90 degree angle.

"I would like you to start working /for us/. You know, a little thing here and there. Nothing big... but enough that we can keep an eye on you and your little werewolf friend." The woman pauses, and then grins a sharp grin. That is to say - her teeth are venomously sharp. "Of course, this isn't a deal you can reject. Not like a beast of your... form wouldn't mind getting their hands a bit dirty." She moves a hand out forwards, trying to point at Avira's heart. "After all, I am sure your heart would love to become stronger. It's not like you - as you are now - would be 'enough' for Skoll to even 'notice you' properly. He's probably secretly disgusted with you... but we can't take the chance."

Avira has posed:
Damn. Avira's bid to get a bit more information on these Gaudium Lords is a complete failure. "Maybe. You know, you still haven't told me who you are yet. Seems kind of unfair since you know who I am."

Her brown and yellow eyes blaze with disgust at this creature's mannerisms, right up to the unnatural tilting of the head. Such a look only increases as the woman proposes that she start working for them-these people responsible for putting darkness into the heart of Skoll. "...I don't know..." she grows, "...I feel pretty capable of rejecting this offer." she interrupts before the woman points at her heart.

Avira takes a step back at this, that disgust turning to a look of pain. She remembers that night in the cave and Skolls actions and words. He did seem disgusted of her, eager to see her purged. "N-no..." she takes another step backwards, "..no, that can't be true. We're friends."

Mysterious Figure has posed:
"Oh, /friends/ now?" The woman cackles! "The werewolf has a friend!" This somehow seems immensely hilarious to the woman, even going so far as bending backwards to an odd angle, before wobbling back forwards and grinning another one of those disgusting grins. "Oh, yes, such good friends you are. Yet here you are, stuttering - thinking - what if she's right? That werewolf would never be /friends/ with a /thing/ like you. But perhaps if you worked with us, maybe you might just be able to be /around/ him... if we /let/ you and you are a good girl." The woman cackles.

"Of course, you could just reject this offer. After all, you're just friends. Nothing lost. I'm sure you have plenty of other friends to go around, right?" She looks her up and down. "Until your friends stand in our way of course."

Avira has posed:
"He /is/ my friend, I know it!" But on the other hand, Avira hadn't really interacted with Skoll since he found her in that new darkness-ridden form. Then that woman starts cackling and laughing at her, doing more of her contorting as she does.

It's like a flag being waved in front of a bull. Darkness surges inside her and she gives in, forgoing reason and caution. Avira lunges at the mysterious figure in the tunnel, teeth and claws bared.

"YOUR OFFER IS REJECTED!"

Mysterious Figure has posed:
The woman watches Avira with bemusement and interest when she retorts that she is certain that Skoll is her friend. "Are you sure he doesn't just /pity/ you? After all, he always goes on about his honorcode. Helping women in need. You're probably just some other damsel in distress for him." She cackles, and takes one step back when the mutate comes lunging for her. One hand comes up, and suddenly she is attempting to grab Avira's arms in order to stop her from harming her too badly.

Not moments later, she pushes forwards, her eyes suddenly glowing a swirling pink aura... trying to immobilize Avira with her mere gaze, before she throws one hand forwards straight at Avira's chest in an attempt to force her down against the sewer's bottom. "Ah! Showing you are truly a monster, are we? Fantastic! Show me more... show me just how much you belong with /us/!"

Avira has posed:
That woman did have a point. Skoll was honorable-and it wasn't just her she's seen him protecting. There was Lilly that one time in Rabanastre. He also seemed protective of Zia at the end of the world. The werewolf also had a good idea of just how much of a novice she was-he was her teacher, after all. "/No/-!" she'll still deny it though, especially that one point, "I'm not just some damsel in distress! He knows I'm strong and growing stronger...else he wouldn't put me through what he did in that forest."

A growl of annoyance escapes her as she nears, only to be seized by her furry arms. The growling increases and Avira presses against the woman, showing every bit of teeth she can. "You-!" Suddenly, Avira cannot move, the moment they meet eyes. Dazed, even her considerably increased mass doesn't prevent her from being thrown to the ground. "Ugh!"

The words only egg her on further. Avira pulls into a crouched position, looking so very much like a gargoyle in that second. She doesn't lunge this time, electing to hop backwards, and stand. She starts to pull on her ice magic but things quickly go awry. The darkness inside her quickly invades, merging with the spell and filling her with power previously unexperienced by the mutate. "What...this..../this/..."

When she casts her hands forward, the blast of ice that escapes is monumental, filling the whole tunnel with a rush of blizzard. Looking carefully at the oncoming rush will reveal the ice magic shaping into a loping pack of wolves, their eyes cold and filled with darkness.

Immediately afterwards Avira...actually looks kind of horrified. She starts to step backwards a few steps, staring at her hands, then turns to run.

Mysterious Figure has posed:
The woman cackles, so bemused with Avira's rejection of her words. "You know he was to be married to a Werewolf from another tribe, don't you?" She teases, "She was taken away from him by /that man/. Yet he still looks for that stupid 'Golden Wolf' of his... destined never to find her. Such a pitiful man." She cackles, this time not saying it to make Avira think he may not consider her his friend, but simply to rile her up further!

"But no. You are right. You are no longer some Damsel in distress. Now you're just some monster... some monster who just happens to have the memories of what was /once/ a human. With no way back. After all... what was it again, the man who made you... didn't he get taken by the police in your world?" The Gaudium Lords watch the worlds as well, it's not just the Shadow Lords. However, they don't know that Sevarius was taken by LEXUS. "The world that is now /GONE/. HAHAHAHA!"

The woman brings her hand up to the air, and draws a wind around herself filled with petals and flecks of fire. "Come to me, come to me monster!" She teases, watching as the darkness fills Avira's own magic, and then ruptures out towards her. The woman slams a hand down at the air, breaking some of the ice whilst some of the ice-wolves manage to bite down on her hand and tear the entire arm off!

The woman just cackles... and this is followed by a 'bubbling' underneath her cloak... and then suddenly a hand forms right back where it had once been. "Look at you! Look... at yooouuu!" The woman flits right after Avira, rapidly trying to block her way. The tunnels suddenly start to be filled with plants that try and block Avira's way. "Now now, don't go away! I'm not done playing yet!" She asks. "I want to see more of that." The woman then comes to land closer to Avira and tries to reach out a hand, trying to 'grab' her by the wings in an attempt to Pinion her with vines. "I can't have a future associate just running off, now can I? Look at that beautiful darkness within you! Maybe we should make Skoll a bit more like you..."

Avira has posed:
Another growl. "N..no, I-" Her fur stands on end, not for any slight given to her, but how this woman turns on Skoll all the sudden. Hate bubbles up within her, more fierce than anything she's ever felt as a human, "You are awful! You are all awful! How dare talk about him like that!"

Alas, this woman suddenly turns it back to /her/, prodding at the very thing that had bothered her since her mutation. "No...that's where you're wrong. I will have a way back." She didn't relize that Sevarius might still be alive, did she? Well good. Avira will not tell her that he is...this woman might very well go hunt him down to kill him and smash what little hope she had left. "Stop it! Stop it!!! I'm not a...a..."

Avira can't even say it. Not when the darkness in her heart is telling her that it's true. She really was a monster.

Unfortunately, she doesn't remain looking long enough to see the effects of her spell. Avira's already turned away, trying to flee the regenerating woman. She does, however, glance over her shoulder to see the mysterious figure prancing after her. Looking back ahead, she sees plant life starting to fill the tunnel, blocking her off-at least until Avira finally draws the spine and starts hacking through the vegetation.

Vines encircle her wings and draw tight, binding them together-a strange sensation to her as this was the first time those limbs have been bound. "No! We're done here! Let go of me!" Avira shrieks, whipping behind her, lashing out with the Spine as she tries to free herself from the woman's grasp.

Guilt fills her at the woman's last line...Avira did not want to be the agent that makes Skoll's life more difficult.

Mysterious Figure has posed:
The woman continues to cackle menacingly. "You're not what? A /MONSTER/. Oh dear, have you looked in a mirror recently? Remember how you immediately jumped me not moments ago? Remember that little attack of yours? That darkness within your heart? That urge to kill? No dear - you /ARE/ /A/ /MONSTER/. And soon enough, everyone you've ever loved will be hurt by those claws of yours." The woman notes, continueing after her even as Avira manages to cut through some of those vines!

"And you're not the only one. There's that white Gargoyle... maybe she will agree to follow us... follow him - there where you would not go. Because you are afraid!" The woman is just alluding to things, without meaning to state facts. She just tries to dig hesitation and doubt into Avira's mind even as the wall of vines diminishes.

The woman then suddenly lets the room tremble, as further vines come up from beneath Avira's feet. "I will simply have to imprison you if you won't cooperate. Maybe even have Skoll 'execute' you. Oh... such fun that would be. To kill the traitor and threat to our future. That'll teach him to make 'friends' and thinking he can hide it from us." And indeed, vines suddenly shoot up from the ground, trying to cage in Avira!

Avira has posed:
"No!!" Avira cries out, her ears folding down flat against her head, as if it would somehow prevent her from hearing this woman's poisonous words. "I'm not! I'M NOT!" She thrashes madly, cleaving through the vines and managing to work one of her wings free. She seems to be doing a decent job of defending herself physically...but mentally is another matter. Hearing it fills her with despair and even further hatred-the same hatred she was trying to deny at this very second.

"You have no right to have him." She growls through gritted teeth, finally freeing herself, "You don't deserve Skoll! He should never be following you!"

Vines shoot up beneath her feet, as if to spite her for finally cutting herself loose. They wind around and loop upwards, closing at the top to cage the mutate in completely. Once again she is a ball of fury, striking out at the bars, tearing through them with her Spine, only for them to be replaced shortly after.

Avira turns to face the woman. Her eyes widen, "Skoll would never do that to me!" A renewed sense of urgency surges through her and she knows...she cannot let this woman take her. She cannot have it so Skoll is forced to kill her, for both of their sakes.

The darkness swells again, this time all around Avira, and for a few moments, complete inky blackness covers her entirely, obscuring all of her features except for her outline. The darkness begins to 'smoke' off of her and in an instant, that smoke turns to blue flames. Fire explodes outwards, all around her, that inky black aura apparently taken with the outburst of magic.

Mysterious Figure has posed:
"No amount of you yelling falsities is going to make it any less true, Avira. Or should I just call you... Monster? Maybe some better name! A name better than Avira, that represents what you are now. Traitor? Foul Beast?" The woman seriously seems to consider this while Avira growls and frees herself. She then looks back down to Avira. "What do you mean, we don't /have the right/?" She asks. "We were the one who saved his life! His life now belongs to us!" The woman cackles once more as Avira now finally is caught within the cage, and she takes a few steps back.

She just looks right back into Avira's eyes. She does not fear her.

"Oh, trust me, he would. We can make him. There is no way for him to reject our will! And if not you, then the gargess... maybe all those 'Shard Seekers'!" The woman cackles once more. Avira continues to exude darkness, and the woman's eyes just /light up/. "Yes! Yes, use more darkness! When you are finally lost, you will truly be a mindless monster. Maybe then, instead, we will make Skoll suffer more... by having you kill the Gargess? Or you! Or even that Werewolf that is also at the Shard Seekers! OR EVEN HIS SISTER! YESSSSSS! THAT WOULD BE GLOOORIOUS! That'll teach him!"

The woman lets the fire overcome her, burning at her mantle, forcing her back screaming in anguish... yet cackling... and then lashes out with her hand and sends a massive wave of darkness right back to Avira, trying to entangle her with it... to overcome her... to touch her mind!

Avira has posed:
Well now, Avira certainly didn't know THAT about Skoll. "What?! His life..." Her teeth gash and her muscles tremble, but despite all of this, the mysterious woman does not seem terrified. In fact, she goes right on looking her in the eyes as she remains in that cage of vines for those few moments.

Monster. Traitor? Foul beast...it all hurts. It all hurts now to look like this and have that darkness in her.

"...I'll never..." she pants, tongue lolling out of her mouth for a few seconds. "NO. My will is strong!!" This is the first thing she's felt really /confident/ about saying at the moment, should the woman notice. "I will not fall to the darkness! I will die first!" Okay, so this woman will make good on that last bit.

Shortly after the blast, Avira runs again, keeping her wings tight to her body so they aren't targets for grabbing again. Vines do not follow-instead, it's a reaching, creeping darkness that wraps around her and forces itself deep into her mind. "ARRRGH!!!" It digs down and finds...fear. Loathing at her new form, in spite of certain people being accepting of it. Every so often she comes back to one memory of attacking Maira in Baron castle, forced to do so by Morrighan's magic.

Overwhelmed, Avira staggers sideways and leans against the wall of the tunnel. "Ugh..no..." she pushes the darkness aside and struggles to keep moving, digging deeply into her willpower to steel herself.

Mysterious Figure has posed:
The thing grins. "OH? He didn't tell you? What a complete waste of time! Doesn't even express his 'thanks' to 'us' to his friends. Such a pitiable thing! Or maybe you just weren't enough of a friend." The woman continues to watch her struggle in that cage, panting and all.

But then Avira shouts with confidence, and the woman's expression darkens. She becomes annoyed. "Tssk... so was his then..." The woman pauses, and then shakes her head - she'd said too much. "But if you wish to die before falling to darkness, then that can be arranged! But not before our use for you has been stilled!"

The woman leaps forwards, letting the cage widen, and tries to grab onto Avira and wrap her arms around her throat. "You will be mine." A collar suddenly becomes visible in one hand. "Just let me put this onto you... and we'll solve that little problem of having a 'strong will'! And then we can go and have all kinds of fun! After all, we can't have /another/ thing looking like a wolf... running around without a control collar on them! It'd be unbecoming!" And so she tries to bring lightning into Avira's body!

Avira has posed:
Avira shakes her head rapidly. Sure, she did know that Skoll's world was destroyed. She did know that the 'red-haired man' was allegedly responsible...and that White Cloud was one of Skoll's allies. But that he owed his life to these awful 'lords' of his?! "Shut up! I understand now. He didn't say because he wanted, deep down, to shield me from you people!"

And for good reason to. This woman was awful. "It still is strong." Avira growls, drawing herself up and meeting this mysterious woman's eyes. "Your control-" Avira suddenly stops herself. No...it'd be a /bad/ idea to let them know that their hold was slipping from Skoll. They'd just shore it up again and bring the poor werewolf back to heel-and Avira would be damned if she was responsible for that.

Avira backs away as much as the vines will allow her, forcing the woman to make just that much more of a leap. In fact, she is able to lean back out of the way so those grasping hands miss her throat. But with her back against the cage, there was little else she could do to dodge much longer.

Her eyes flick to that collar in the woman's hand then widen with fear. "How did you-oh god..." she recalls the darkness pushing into her mind. Had she seen that memory from Baron?! Her words, though, make her wonder. Did Skoll too have such a thing on him? Should she escape, it'd be something to check for later no doubt.

She doesn't spend time standing there-with the woman in the cage with her. Avira's eyes flare bright yellow and her jaw drops open, a horrifying howl escaping her. The mutate's form blurs and she strikes the woman's midsection with overwhelming force, throwing her straight up into the ceiling of the cage. With another roar she thrusts the spine upwards to pin through her...then continues to do so repeatedly, her motions becoming wilder and more frantic. It's not unlike a cornered animal viciously fighting back.

In fact, that is exactly what it is! A clawed hand then pulls her back down and throws her into the back of the cage where Avira was formerly curled against. Turning away from the Gaudium Lord, Avira unleashes a wave of darkness that eminates from the Spine, aimed at the widened section the woman had just slipped in, aiming to create an opening large enough to free herself.

Mysterious Figure has posed:
The woman tilts her head creepily once more. "Our control... our control is still strong? Ah, so you do know!" The woman looks in glee. "The werewolf truly has been a bad boy, hasn't he? Ahahaha... that's cute... of course our control is still strong. And by taking care of people like /you/, we ensure that it remains strong." The woman then tries to grab for Avira again with that collar, just when the girl gets out of the way and lets out that howl. Even just the howl is enough to push the woman back.

The creature grabs onto one of the vines, holding onto it just as Avira lashes out with that clawed hand and throws her back into the cage! And then that wave of darkness comes into her body, violently forcing her against the vines, and finally /destroying/ the cave and flinging her down the tunnel - and then coming to a rolling stop...

And then she sits up, her legs twisted, her arms fallen off, and still grinning! "Monster." She whispers.

Avira has posed:
"D-damn you!!" Avira shouts back to the subject of Skoll's control. "Damn your hold over him!!" But what the woman says next, now THAT is interesting. So she herself, the gargoyle named Zia, the Shard Seekers...they were all threats to that control. If Skoll kept spending time around all of them, their control will continue to slip!

But for now...she will have to focus on escaping. She'd do no helping of Skoll if she was in the Gaudium Lord's thrall! Avira puts distance between her and the woman, looking back just in time to see the limbless body sit up like a demonically possessed children's toy. It might be but a whisper, but Avira hears the word loud and clear, the very meaning of it stabbing deep into her heart.

Avira turns quickly and casts a hand out, summoning her ice magic again, but this time she manages to be far more restrained about it-even though showing such restraint immediately causes pain to shoot through her body. The darkness is displeased at being neglected.

"Like you have room to talk." Avira growls and promptly fills the tunnel with ice. It's less to strike at the prone woman and more to...construct an ice wall between them, sealing her off deeper down the tunnel.

Avira promptly runs like hell afterwards.

Mysterious Figure has posed:
The woman cackles, then... starts laughing as the wall of ice forms before her... and starts to applauding. Avira can probably still hear her as she runs away. "Run little one! But know this... speak of this to anyone - speak to this to Skoll! And you will never see him ever again!" Followed by more cackling.

"YOU WILL BE OURS! MONSTER!"