Tricks for Treats (Jester/Birch/Sanguine)

And just like that, Birch was vexed. He'd been in the middle of a proper dusting of his spacious room in the castle when Bertrand appeared in his door. This old condition of this stone structure was horrible about collecting dust, and he'd already made a routine of taking his faithful feather duster to it at least twice a week. But now his door was being knocked on and opening, revealing the newly blond boy coming to fetch him. "No. I absolutely will not attend another festival," he snapped, adjusting his spectacles on his nose and turning his back to the boy.

In the end, the incessant angelic lapdog of the "queen" won the battle and Birch was trekking down the hall in quick, agitated steps that echoed sharply off all of the stonework. This woman's obsession with entertainment was already grating, but her insistence that she couldn't have fun by herself was even worse. No, actually what was the worst was that he'd been forced to dress up, as well. Bertrand had failed to force him into a tacky suit but seemed to have an epiphany that the man's normal mode of dress was close enough to the costume to be acceptable, then somehow wrangled him into a gaudy cape and an embellished bat broach around a frilly neckerchief. With his blond locks pulled back and a pair of fake fangs placed in his gloved hand, it seemed the lapdog was satisfied and then forced him out of his room.

As he joined the others, his mood soured even more, so much so that he wanted to screech, but managed to stay poised and only slightly enraged. Of course, the clown was here too. Where the queen was, there was that infuriatingly mentally disabled Jester with his Oakey! and the dancing and the inane antics. In fact, he was already spouting the horrible nickname along with some other babble, and it was all Birch could do to keep from offing himself in hopes of spending his day inside an egg in a horribly taxing rebirth trial than attend this festival with these crazies. His eye twitched and then both narrowed. Glancing at the girl nearby that he'd never seen, he briefly wondered about the collar but decided he didn't care.

He'd also not be riding that atrocious white beast with the dirty maw either. Now that his power had been stoked, thanks in a small part to Saraphina, he could call on other modes of transportation, though he chose not to use them right now. In his aversion to the group in general, his steps veered away from them and lead him outside to a tall tree seemingly frozen in autumn despite the cold temperatures of the mountain. As he neared, a door appeared in its trunk and Birch entered it, sealing it behind him. He'd planted another at the settlement nearby, and that's where he emerged seconds later.

In his stolen moment of peace, stormy eyes surveilled the area. Vendors, food, and games much like the last festival. There didn't seem to be attacking mages this time, but the day was young. In a newer twist, there were tents for cooking contests and eating contests, but those didn't interest him much. He was a fine cook, but he saw little benefit in putting his skills to the test unless there was a challenge issued. He could also see a grand maze in the distance, which was the only thing that really caught his attention in the least. Mazes had been a fun past time at local fests in his country, so seeing it brought back memories from a happier time. Yes, Birch had been happy once... it'd just been a very long time ago. Before doing anything, against his own wishes he waited for the group to catch up. Otherwise, he knew they'd just hunt him down and make a scene.


[653]

Sanguine
Erring Rising {} A-rank

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Word Count: 1462/1500 words
Tagged: @
Muse: sleepy
Music: song name by composer

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Appearance: https://imgur.com/a/U8FHhbc

As the maid stood in the snow, looking on to the guild Mistress enjoying herself in having been able to snuggle with her large, burly companion, there was a temptation for her to want to pet him, maybe say hi and try to be more friendly towards him, but for now she chose to keep back and quiet. It was more like her really and in the mean time she would be more than happy to keep to that very stance until she was ready to move along. After all, she had no real need to change anything unless she were told to. With a gentle smile, Sanguine continued to just watch with some glee of how cute Saraphina was when she wasn’t being a rather bratty princess, much to the theme she seemed to be building in the maids mind.

Soon after, a new person had joined the two and his personality had been rather.. fitting. He to some was rather cryptic in what he was saying at first until she caught on to the way he spoke. It was a little entertaining really, something that Sara had found to be very appealing from the way they had acted toward one another. When he came to begin in addressing the maid, she was a bit off guard, showing very much so in her face until he was introduced by the queen as the name given to her by the girl in white, herself. ”It’s a pleasure to meet you, sir. You may call me Priscilla or Sanguine, whichever you prefer.” She gave her best attempt at a curtsy, given this wasn’t the type of outfit that bore a good way for a maid to properly be introducing herself. But, dressing casually for a formal occasion.. and yes, the maid outfit was casual to her, felt off.

When Jester brought about the notion of her being able to bark and then simulating the sound, it caused her to giggle a bit and even nod. ”I could if you wanted me to. If it was something a member asked of me, I wouldn’t hesitate, to an extent.” Her bit of a cheery smile fell into a look of neutrality. ”I can entertain, but by far will I be taken advantage of to seem like an idiot. I won’t hesitate to lay waste to someone who wastes my time over petty shows of entitlement.” Her own look met that evil look of Jesters until the motion of silencing and questioning got her mixed up once again. This mention of an “Oakey” and then the mention of a male named Birch, she began to laugh lightly, but enough to make her be a little more audible. ”I get it. It’s a tree pun, Mistress.” She thought she had to explain the whole thing to the girl, as though she’d never known what a tree was or something.

Now, they were able to take off to the festivities. As allowed, the maid gave a small bow and a pair of black wings would expand from her backside, unfolding as though they were stretching out. It left her a moment where the blue patterns embedded in the webbing of the wings would would seen. With one flap, she picked herself up from the ground and began to keep herself at a small height up from the ground. Being half dragon had its benefits once in a while. Once they took off to the festival, the maid kept her pace until they had gotten down to the settlement where she stopped just before, allowing the wings to retract themselves. Over the years, the pain this caused had lessened and also helped her to become more numb to the pain overall. But now she had to play the catch up game. Walking along, she had found Saraphina talking with a man whom seemed to have gotten her a little confused. As she approached, she heard him repeating a riddle of some sort. ”Light from the sun could also be a viable answer. As well as the shadows the light that shines on them brings.” She replied aloud, approaching the one eyed man and her guild Mistress had stood and then stopping by her side opposite to Jester, should he be standing by her as well.

IVYLEAF33

With the continuing moments of peace, Birch let his mind wander. There really had been a time when he'd have enjoyed himself at something like this. He'd always been a bit of the serious type, but not as jaded as he found himself now. Given the happenings in his rather long life, he'd earned his right to be prickly, but that didn't mean he couldn't see what he'd become and miss the days when he might have played the games with friends, having a bit of friendly competition with many laughs and jeers. The nostalgia twisted him a bit, and usually when he started feeling a bit emotional, that meant it was time for a smoke break. It was a nasty habit, but what did it matter to a being that could die and be reborn?

Lighting up a cigarette and slowly taking a drag, stern gray eyes peered from behind his spectacles at a blond woman an undead bride costume walking arm in arm with similarly styled groom. Sure, the spooky aspect was blatant, but he ignored the silliness of it due to the familiarity. It was hard to believe he'd nearly walked down the aisle once, and with a treacherous snake with a penchant for white and royalty. The demonic she-beast had shattered his life entirely, and even though he wasn't so delusional or caught up in his stroll down memory lane that he'd confused this innocent woman as his ex-fiancee, it was all he could do to keep from strolling right up to her and crushing her windpipe.

Forcing his eyes away from the couple, he debated giving up on this stupid event and simply stepping back into the tree to return home, but now it was too late.

First he noticed the girl he didn't know from earlier was flying down the mountain. At first his interest was peaked, thinking they might be feathery wings, something he was very familiar with, but alas. They were scaly and looked almost like leather pulled taught over coat-hangers. Dragon wings or something of the like. With a heavy sigh, he disregarded the maid entirely, steeling himself instead for the remaining two members of their group.

He side-eyed the bear as it lumbered down with two passengers. Frankly, he thought he was allergic to the infernal thing. As much of its dirty white fur was around the castle for him to clean, he couldn't help but notice he sneezed every time. The itchiness in his eyes was highly unpleasant. Her Bear-Bear was bad for his health, as was the guild in general. Sometimes he wondered if he'd gone insane like the rest of his guildmates by staying, but he knew that wasn't the case. He was hanging in there, biding his time, building his strength. Waiting.

As soon as they arrived, hopping off with the energy of coffee-sucking toddlers. He definitely regretted waiting for them to catch up. Flicking his cigarette away, it was mere moments before Saraphina had him by one arm and Jester, who was making himself extra strangle-able by calling him 'Count Oakula', had him by the other. "As if I have any option other than to come..." he grumbled in a low tone, and off they marched, Birch lagging just enough to make it clear he wasn't a fan, but also not willing to let them get a rise out of him. "Saraphina," he greeted the guild master with his normal level of cold aloofness, though he did turn to examine her outfit. Brows lifted slightly. She'd opted out of her usual white, seeming to put him strangely at ease. "Your red dress is..nice..." he muttered an uncomfortable compliment, making it a point to encourage some fashion diversity for the 'White Queen'. It wasn't that god-awful white getup, but it also wasn't black. Not that he really cared either way, but he much preferred the black to the white, as he'd told her before.

Thankfully, Birch found himself released from their grips once three of the four got caught up in some sort of pointless riddle. How he had let Jester touch him that long without Birch trying to strangle him was some sort of Autumn Equinox miracle, but he didn't trust himself to linger closely to the painted man. Saraphina's chosen ace got under his skin in every way. Being in his presence so often was a level of torture so closely resembling one of his rebirth trials that he wondered if he'd died somewhere and didn't realize it yet. Looking to create some distance, the unhappy vampire edged away from the group, then headed straight for the maze he'd been eyeing earlier. Getting lost within the twists and turns would be nice and peaceful, something he didn't get a lot of these days. He hoped no one would follow, but also had an inkling that at least one of them would, if only just to torment him.


[WC: 823 || Total: 1476]

Birch heard something rustling, coming up fast and sounding like a bucking bronco in its small holding pin before a rodeo. He was a decent way in, enjoying the stolen moments of solitude. Up until the rustling, he'd yet to run into another person, which meant he could wander around at his leisure, hands in his pockets and a rather serene expression on his face. It was a well-constructed maze, not so hard that one would get frustrated but also not so easy that it didn't take some time and wrong turns to escape.

He tried to ignore the rustling, sincerely hoping whoever it was would be a stranger that might rush right past him. However, he had a sinking feeling that his luck was not nearly that good, and he was right. He refused to turn around and acknowledge whoever it was until, honestly, he felt them turn the corner hastily and thud into his back. He took a step forward from the force, whirling to see which of his daft guildmates it would be.

Oh, of course, it was Saraphina. Ever since he'd danced with her to get a little kickstart from her icy magic, she'd taken more of an active interest in him. It was annoying, but he accepted his consequences. With each move he made, with every manipulation it took to reclaim his place in life, he knew sacrifices would be made.

What he didn't anticipate was her current emotional state. She looked absolutely terrified, which disarmed him the slightest bit. "What's the matter?" his deep, slightly accented voice asked in bewilderment, brows angling upward, which was a rarity since they generally liked to sit a little lower over his eyes like cranky eye awnings.

[WC: 290 || Total: 1766/1500]

Sanguine
Erring Rising {} A-rank

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Word Count: 2090/1500 words
Tagged: @
Muse: sleepy
Music: song name by composer

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Appearance: https://imgur.com/a/U8FHhbc

It was moments after their quiz that it seemed to be that Saraphina and Jester scattered off into different directions. One could only assume as some strange old man approached her from behind. If not for heightened senses, she may never have heard him coming through the noise of the crowd, even with a cane. He didn’t really have to say anything as his gaze and watering mouth spoke volumes for him in terms of what it was he seemed to interested in her for. Then came some strange chuckle or laugh that could only be described as the verbal cue of chills up one’s spine in how depraved it sounded. “Sho honey, how much do you charge?” He asked, moving his cane to the front of her dress and trying to move it away to see underneath.

Sanguine remained silent, still even. Where most women would be up in arms already, she remained calm and collected. A section of white hair wrapped around the bottom of the cane and with a swift yank, freed it from his grip. It left the pervert with little balance to his name... but she was going to change that for him. She brought the mans cane around and managed to fit the curve of the cane around his neck before pulling him up into the air. People around were staring in fear and confusion at what was going on, but a simple smirk formed on the maids lips and she pulled up on it, forcing him further up and letting gravity slowly choke him to death. ”I wish I could say it was fun chatting with you, but that would imply you were worth talking to.” And with that, she left slack and left him to drop several feet before yanking up, letting out a vicious snapping sound and his body sliding off the cane and falling to the floor, lifeless now. She said not a word and simply walked away, brushing through the crowd with little effort as others were avoiding the thought of being next on her stage of public execution.

On a hunt for Saraphina, the maid happened upon a completely different scene. It was left vacant of life but for one. A bit of a trouble maker and someone she didn’t necessarily expect. But it brought a bit of muse to her as the scent of blood from the massacre she was viewing in this moment hit her nose. It gave her a sense of an adrenaline rush almost, but instead she quelled it and remained quiet. Next to her was a stand that had previously sold drinks, but now was a vacant place where they simply stored drinks and empty cups. Reaching over, Sanguine grabbed the largest cup she could which happened to have the words “BIG GULP” printed on the side and a straw. One hand began to swirl around in the air and the blood about and all around, even on the clown would be pulled towards her, filling her rather large drink and then placing the straw inside, she lifted the cup into the air with a smile. ”Cheers, Master Jester!” She had toasted him on his work before lowering the cup, taking a rather long sip from the cup of blood. ”Mmm.. Freshly spilled blood truly is the best, wouldn’t you agree, sir?” She asked, calmly walking past the scene of horror movie come to life, holding out her “drink”. ”Would you be interested in a sip? Or perhaps your own?” Unaware entirely not everyone had this appetite for the crimson fluid as she had, she still kindly offered it to him like a small child offering a cup of cold lemonade on a hot day, smiling politely as she did so.

IVYLEAF33

Sanguine
Erring Rising {} A-rank

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Word Count: 2777/1500 words
Tagged: @
Muse: sleepy
Music: song name by composer

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Appearance: https://imgur.com/a/U8FHhbc

The maid watched on in some silence as had been watching Jester at work. The previously whimsical and carefree male had been crudely pounding and destroying the skull of a woman who she could hear from a distance screeching for her life. Begging was for those who didn’t sound like they were in such a panicked state of mind that they didn’t know how to sound like a rational person. Instead, the maid simply gathered her drink together while he had been working out some repressed trauma or something of the sort. Not knowing him at all only made this harder for her to really work with, but she had been unphased by the scene he created.

For someone whom had no memories or really much of a palette for likes or dislikes, it was easy to her to be accustomed to scenes much like this. Sanguine simply strolled through, no care in the world when she had approached him and offered some of her drink. His first reaction had been to snatch her up by the chain of her collar and yank her forward. Making no effort to do a single thing, she was ready for anything really. If she had to restrain him until Saraphina arrived, she would do her best, but she believed in him. And yet, during it all in the silence of the moment, she lifted her cup and shook it, making the liquid awash and splash about inside. ”It’s boneless~” She mused, just trying to lighten the mood a little while she smiled toward him.

P-Pebble? Who the hell was pebble and why was he so fixated on this person all of a sudden? Was it even a person? Did he just have a strange rock fetish and pebble was just his favorite? Maybe he thought someone stole it and his Hope was that he could kill everyone and search them. It wasn’t until he finally stopped and turned his eyes onto the name Queenie. That she picked up on. Pebble was someone he also nicknamed like he had the maid herself, Birch, and Saraphina herself. But now Jester was becoming erratic. The more he began to look around and call for Sara, the louder he got. Until the point he was now screaming in Sanguines face.

”Get a hold of yourself!”

The maid would deliver a harsh, sudden slap across his face. She had stared daggers into his eyes as she had watched his reaction. Now though. Now she had to follow up. The rather soft spoken, kind maid would grip up her Guildmate by his shirt, lifting him up off of the ground slightly. Her other arm quickly let go of her cup that was quickly picked up by a small part of her hair and kept safe for later consumption. ”What are you babbling on about? If you want the queen so much, screaming out like a lost child will get you nowhere!” Just like that, she would let her grip go and let him drop onto his feet. Hoping if anything, the slap more than anything would have been jarring enough to snap him out of it.

Suddenly, a voice called out from a small bit away. A plain clothed person who arrogantly approached the area. ”You there! Under authorities of the Rune Knights, you’re both under arres-” He was halted as white hair wrapped around his mouth and neck, constricting tightly and pulling him up into the air. The maid simply glared on at the intruding person before more of her hair had wrapped around his shoulders, both of his upper thighs, and in one twisting pull, ripped his body in half. As his blood and even various parts spilled onto the floor, the locks of hair threw the two halves aside in no care where before retracting themselves back to their host. ”Splits ends. A girl’s worst nightmare~” She giggled, giving a wink to the Jester as she hoped he was simply watching if anything. Lastly, she simply took the cup from her own hair and took a sip, casually acting as though nothing happened.

IVYLEAF33

What the bewilderment did for his mood was quickly undone when she hugged him. At first, his arms remained hovering to each side of him, unsure what to do with them before he dropped them limply at his side in resignation for a few moments. Then he brought his hands up to place on the upper parts of her arms in preparation to guide her away from him as soon as Saraphina presented the opportunity by loosening her grip around his torso. At last, she did. She pulled her face back, granting him a window to apply some pressure backward so she couldn't latch on again. This maneuver faltered at first, though, once he noticed in horror the shiny snot spot on his black vest. Even as she spoke, his sharp eyes remained on the sullied spot in dismay. Brows twitching and a vein pulsing in his temple, it was all he could do to simply create some distance between them and not violently toss her into the hay wall of the maze and take off. Really, was she some sort of child? Getting scared of being alone in a harmless festival maze and crying enough to rub mucus on his perfectly pressed, pristine clothes? Disgusting...

With the grumpy look she loved so much predictably back in place, he had half a mind to go ahead and leave her here to snot on her own clothes when he heard the same shrieks she did. Then he heard the voice of the one person on this earth he came close to hating as much as his arch-nemesis, which only fueled his growing need to escape before she-- sigh. Before she did that. Now she had a hold of his arm, asking for help. Birch didn't want to help her. He wanted to tell her no. But she was Saraphina. The self-proclaimed Queen. She threw the most horrible tantrums when she was told no, which would probably only make his life harder and grosser. If he declined, would she attack him, or just rub her snotty face all over him some more? Still, he was tempted to find out if just maybe she'd run off to her jester without him when he felt her vice-like grip on his arm. Oh, so in the end, he'd not get the luxury of consideration. Birch was jerked along like one of her servants. "Fine, fine," he relented with a heavy sigh, stepping up his pace so she'd stop wrinkling his sleeve with all the dragging. He wrestled the limb free but instead offered her his gloved hand to hold, to make it easier on both of them to get out of here as quickly as possible. Easier for him so she wouldn't get lost and easier for her so she'd have some sort of much-needed security until they gained their freedom.

He was very good at mazes, so it'd be no time at all before they'd come out the exit with the rest of the festival immediately in sight...what was left of it, anyway.


[WC: 509 || Birch's Total: 755]