#earthrunes

When August returns to his study, there is a husky whisper , quite familiar though the tone is different, "Thou hast been busy, aye?"

He blinks, the door swinging shut behind him from a well-practiced, automatic move. "Ah?"

Zara steps, no, slinks out of the shadows.. and puts a hand on his chest. Well, she looks a lot like zara, but there are some differences

He frowns. He's been here before.

"long have I wondered about thee, and a last you notice. nu?" She wiggles. Most men would find this intriguing, but... most men don't know the real zara.

zara does not..wiggle, at least not in this fashion so... well. not like this.

His frown deepens, and he steps back.

A pout, and he can sense now this is a chimera, free of all banality. She also seems free of shame "Perhaps you would like to check the librarian out?" A pose, eyes sparkle.

He shoves it away, and opens the door... then closes it. His hand goes to his hilt. He turns to look at the Chimera.

"You cannot deny that a part of you regrets you did not notice me before? If only you had used your imagination," She runs a finger up her own contours. If Leonora was doing this, or even Coradel, it would be playful, and sexy... largely because it would be sincere. This... it might make blood heat, but it there maybe a part of August that recoils- not because it's a parody of a sluagh but because it is a parody of a sluagh, and one that he considers a friend.

He draws, his expression frozen. He can't.... but.....

And the trueheart ring nips at his finger, or is that his imagination?

The Chimera however sees his pause and says "Should we gather by the water?"

He swallows. "You can't leave this room."

"And how will thou detain me? I do squirm" And her waist undulates in a way that puts belly dancers to shame.

He takes a deep breath. "I... won't. I will.... dispatch you." Grim as death.

"Pierce me and slay me... o bold crusader? With which blade." Her dark eyes move not to his hilt, but his leggings.

He looks ill.

She presses her hand against his chest again. She is lush, slightly chill, and yes, more traditionally attractive than the real zara... at least to the eyes, but as they lock gazes, he realizes that much of the brilliance of the witch he knows is void. It mimes, it echoes, all with a sensual twist, but like pure sugar, there is no substance here to dine upon.

He backs away again, putting the point of his blade between them. "Stay away from me."

"ooo am I scaring you?" The chimera gives a chuff of a laugh, throatier than Zara's usual.

"No. You sicken me." He starts to move with his weapon, stops. "Where do you come from? Who sent you here?"

"I..." A question like that throws her off. Not a thinker, this creature, "Does it matter? I want you, and you may deny... but you want me."

"It matters. Answer me. Now."

As the sidhe flares, the chimera lowers her eyes "I know not. I found myself here... there she was...and I did take on her form and improve it. That's what I do...did, am? I ... there was broken glass."

"Broken glass?"

"Matters not, look at me, admire me. Desire me!" AH, did she just speak above a whisper? Yes....this parody is imperfect in more than one way

A sour look ill-suited to his sunny countenance. "Never." Flat. "Answer me."

She seems to be..are cracks appearing along her? "I do not...remember... there was wholeness, then ... a crash... and I...we...went out to try to do what we do but now in our way... our new way ? I do not..." Yes, literal cracks are forming along the chimera, deepening, lengthening.

Yes, he definitely looks ill.

"tell me I am beautiful, tell me you desire..." a crack at the edge of the lip "desire me."

His lips tremble. "I can't." Brokenly.

"oh..." she says for a moment seeming to realize something "then i'm not anything..." and she shatters. The chimera simply spreads in to pieces, there is no blood, no torn flesh, just pieces cracking and breaking off and rather than falling to gravity's whim, breaking apart and becoming glamour again. Glamour that is earthy fantasy and vanity...sugar coated... pleasant in small doses.

And she..or it, is gone.

August drops his blade to clang on the floor, and collapses to sit with his head in his hands on the cot.

No one comes to distract him from the thoughts and emotions that he's dealing with now.

It is some time before he puts his sword away, and even longer before he leaves the room.

And it appears, unless he tells another, no one will know of August's challenge here. His struggle. But one thought does occur to him as he tries to center himself- the chimera said 'we' went out.

It'll come to him eventually.

yes, centering himself will understandably take a bit

(end scene)

Sometimes, when you need a way to clear a memory, Jack has just what you need. August is not a drinker normally, but the satyr bartender does, if nothing else, make some surprisihngly good non alcoholic drinks. And often has an ear to offer or not as you like.

Between his ladies, his mentor, and his friend (Vince particularly likes making him an adult beverage as a way of bonding and August has accepted this), August does occasionally indulge.

And so he comes into the pub/tavern nestled into the belly of Earth Runes itself.

And he hears voices "Okay. I screwed up., I get that now... but geez, Jack, if you had seen her..." Thane Rollo, cantakerous boggan, is talking to Jack, "I mean, it's not like it really was her."

August walks in with just a slight hesitation and nods to the men present. "I didn't mean to interrupt. May I join you or would you rather keep this private?"

"I'm a boggan, brah, gossip's already off the chain and running the streets" THane Rollo says "You wanna take a shot at me toonot much left of my ass after the steward got done"

Jack motions him over , "What can I get you, August." Things tend to be a bit less formal down here.

"Wa...ahh... What would you suggest?" The normally quiet boy seems almost morose, but making an effort not to be so.

"Give him a man's drink," Thane Rollo says "The knight's tough, he can handle it."