Re: Illyasviel's Ranch [GMed by Armacalic]
“Who do you think you’re talking to, you disrespectful child! I might be old, but my will is as strong as steel!” Claus spouted, the veins in his forehead bulging from the anger to the point it seemed they would burst at any moment. However, the situation had not changed, as he kept Ilya’s chair between him and the doll that walked closer and closer in that slow, unnatural gait the dolls could do.
Tomas got up from his seat, turning to have the doll in front of him as he backed up toward the pair. “Master, Milady Ilyasviel said she could help us with this problem, may I inquiry if master would be willing to reconsider his position?”
Claus growled at the question, very visibly upset at the butler, before turning his glare at the lich girl, grinding his teeth in pure, unleaded anger, “Fine! Just do this…”
“My master promises to allow you to reside here, and access to the sealed rooms and the facilities on the back if you manage to deal with this problem, milady.”
“What…!? Damn, just get this pest under control already, child!”
Without warning, the doll suddenly lost interest in both men in the room, instead setting it’s cold, artificial eyes on Ilya. Jerking once in an strange way as it… managed to get a clear view of the lich girl, after which it started moving again, trying to make a beeline across the room toward Ilya, she’d have to pass a couple of furniture, chairs and a small table before reaching. So there was a little bit of time.
Illy sighed out in irritation at the man's barking, If he is going to be like this, maybe I should find my own place to live after all...... Illya thought before she saw the doll start to make a beeline towards, though fortunately the furniture provided a suitable obstacle for her and gave her the time she needed to make a small slit on her arm, which quickly healed before forming an arcane symbol in the air of pure energy. Hopefully it would be enough to keep the doll at bay while she formulated a plan, as it would slam into a invisible wall of force.
Effectively, the doll slammed into the barrier, reacting as if in surprise for a moment, as its expressionless features locked completely on the lich girl. “That sort of magic…” Ilya could hear the old man’s teeth clattering in anger, already on the border of losing his cool at such unsightly displays.
“It’s working, that’s always a plus… Milady, do you have a plan? I-“
Bang, a loud noise drowned out Tomas’s voice, drawing their attention toward the doll, that was backing up faster than before, one step, two steps, three steps. Taking a forth step, the doll did the equivalent of a human leaping forward, crashing with violence against the invisible wall, it was a bit surprising to see a so seemingly fragile doll receiving sustaining no amount of damage from its violent charge. It impacted again, faster than before, as if knowing its efforts were weakening the barrier.
"Hrm..... I can't hold this barrier forever..... I will need to find a way to subdue it, without destroying if possible.... If it really did belong to me before my "rebirth" it would be most difficult to reason with it.... I will need to conjure a binding spell of some sort; but that will require me to drop the barrier. And will require concentration and precise timing. So please do not disturb me..." she said plainly as she closed her eyes and began murmuring a chat, several arcane writings and symbols beginning to glow all over her pale body, before she suddenly snapped her eyes wide open, dropping the barriers and "x"ing her arms before breaking the cross and crying out, summoning large thick chains to wrap around the dolls mechanical body.
The doll rushed forward the moment it stopped bashing the shield, leaving little time for the lich girl to work with, however, her preparations were enough, as the moment she finished her chant and spell, a number of chains started appearing from out of nowhere surrounding the doll that had just pushed away the table that separated it from Ilya. “Milady!”
Its hand grasped Ilya’s clothes, yanking hard as it tried to take the lich girl toward itself, but a chain restrained the movement of its free arm an inch away from being able to grasp Ilya as well. But she wasn’t still out of troubles, as the doll started pulling her towards itself, overwhelming Ilya’s resistance with sheer brute force, taking the girl closer and closer to the dolls other arm, that closed and opened with strength, making the loudest noise Ilya had ever heard before, and that particular hand was coming closer and closer to her face.
The hand closed one last time, grabbing nothing but air, as Ilya had been just released. Looking below her she would quickly notice that she was being held by Claus himself, who was looking quite surprised at himself. A faster inspection, or just putting a bit of attention to her sense, she would quickly note that her upper clothing was still tightly grasped in the dolls hands, leaving her respectable chest revealed to both gentlemen and the doll, that kept staring at her with those lifeless eyes.
"......!" Illya gasped out as the doll tried to grab a hold of her, only to be thwarted by a chain restraining her arm. Though she we would receive another powerful start as she would suddenly feel herself being drawn towards the doll through sheer force of will on the dolls part; its hand closing and opening as it were trying to strangle her, Illya thought that this might truly be the real end for her as he was drawing nearer and nearer towards the construct. Though she was saved by a most unexpected source as she found herself being snatched by none other then Claus himself, taking her back. "...... I thought you... didn’t care for me.... Th-thank you...... SIR." She said emphasizing the last part to show respect, "I apologize if I have been- petulant, but I seem to recall always being somewhat.... blunt." She adds before she suddenly feels a draft across her chest; causing her normally pale features to burn bright pink before abruptly covering her chest with her arms, and ducking back behind a couch. "I believe the chains should her effectively enough..... I will TRY speaking with her now. Maybe I can settle this without further violence." She said as she apprehensively made her way to the doll before speaking.
"Doll... I apologize if I have scorned you. After my life was destroyed by the Magi I became obsessed with avenging my family’s death, and sought power to rival them at any cost. In retrospect, that MAY have been foolish. I did not take notice of you before my renewing and I laid in torpor for three years.... If you can try to forgive me; or at least for the time being not make any more attempts on mine or the other residents lives; I will spare you; and also try to make full use of you and give you the love I unintentionally robbed you of. What say you?"
The doll stared into Ilya the whole time the girl talked to it, expressing nothing with the artificial features it bore. Moving ever so slightly as its head tended to slid down. The beautifully adorned doll was otherwise motionless, eerily looking with a sort of pose that made it look like it was curiously looking at something it couldn’t comprehend.
Ilya finished with a question, looking expectantly at the doll that remained motionless in its binding… until something started happening, the dolls head fell off, with a loud crack resounding in the room, the dolls head started changing somehow, gaining splinters and pieces of the face falling off slightly, one eye broken and the other rolled completely out of place. It’s hair that had looked until a moment ago, silky and clean was now full of mold and dust, the strands breaking off at certain parts, revealing the true state of this repair the doll was in. One glance at the body revealed that it wasn’t in much better shape, beautiful red dress it donned was now nothing but pieces of drapes thrown together to cover the doll’s body lazily.
It wouldn’t do anything for the time being.
“Child… you have your damned deal, just… guh… get out of my sight…” The old man growled as he staggered along the ground, limping badly, “Tomas…” He said as he started removing his jacket, struggling with the piece of cloth for a single moment before deftly throwing it at his servant. The man spared Ilya a single disdainful look as he limped away.
“Here, milady…” Tomas said hurriedly as he put the fancy jacket over her shoulders, it was a few sizes off, but it served the purpose, “Forgive me, I’ll be back with you in a moment.” He bowed apologetically before speeding off in the direction of his aching master. Leaving the lich girl to contemplate at her own doing, the chains that started vanishing, releasing the broken body of her old doll.
*I apologize, I deal with his problem of this doll, I put MY life in jeopardy for HIS sake, and he still treats me like an invalid....... Perhaps I would be better off on my own- or at least keeping him out of my chambers once its all settled....* she thought to herself as she merely nodded to Tomas after accepting the jacket. She stood there studying the doll very carefully for several seconds..... *Odd.... Did she consent? Give up her hard feelings? Or did the energy just leave her....? I guess I could reanimate once I get my quarters and laboratory.* she thought as she would gingerly picking up the pieces of the doll as she waited for Tomas to return...
“I apologize for the delay.” In came Tomas’s voice from behind her, and he came into view, carrying a couple of things in his hands. First and foremost, he produced a plain white shirt, handing it to the lich girl as he kneeled with a bag in his hand, starting to gather the pieces of the doll for her. “I can understand my master’s attitude is not of your liking, Lady Ilya, but I’d like to ask you to bear with him for a little bit… he’s having a hard time coming to grips that milady is in… such state. Both in clothing and lack of life…”
“Now, allow me, milady.” With practiced motions, Tomas went about lifting up the mangled pieces of the doll, with the economy of motions truly belonging to a butler of fine quality. “Now, if milady would care to follow me, I’ll take you to your room.”
"I... Will attempt to keep peace. I don’t wish any further animosity between either party. I am truly grateful for the current arrangement. Thank you." She said as she daintily and deftly put the shirt on her and fell in line behind the butler as he lead her to new home. I will need to visit Venice again soon, so I can register as a rancher and get me a ranch. My..... Path of study and mamono preferences will likely not sit well with Sir Claus, I assume."
“I don’t believe that’d be the case, milady.” Tomas replied hastily as he walked through one of the hallways, taking the best of one minute before reaching one of the doors. “Master doesn’t have a problem with monster girls, but with life and disregard of it. But I can’t explain more than that. Milady, this is your room.”
Tomas said, revealing a fairly big and adorned room, something different from the guest rooms in the mansion, if Ilya’s memory didn’t fail her. “I can only ask you abide by the rules set by my master… I promise you it won’t be anything ridiculous or hard to follow.”
"I understand.... I shall try to abide by the way of living Sir Claus asks. It is nost gracious of both of you to allow me this much and let me live at my own home again. I still feel I should take te doll to Venice and try to get enrolled as rancher as well as bond the doll to me so we do not have any repeats of today’s incident." She said simply as she arrived at the room assigned for her. "Thank you most kindly, Tomas. I hope our living arrangement can be pleasant for all parties."
“That it will, milady, that it will. One more thing, I think milady will be pleased to hear, your old clothes have all been kept in good condition, they are inside this very room. It might not be much, considering how old they are, but these clothes should serve you while you acquire more.”
With that, Tomas bid his farewell of the Ilya, taking off to tend to his responsibilities on the mansion.
The lich girl would find herself in a medium sized 7x4 meters room, complete with a bed, a wardrobe she presumed held the clothes Tomas had talked about, a desk and a nightstand.
"Thank you very much. I am surprised he kept them all these years. You as well, don't work too hard." She said as the butler went off to her duties, she would set down on her be to ruminate on the latest events, before going to her wardrobe and get a good new outfit for herself and the doll. "I suppose I will have to give you a name some time." She said to the bag of doll parts. Once she had dressed and gathered the doll parts she would indulge her curiosity and search the nightstand before taking the dolls and heading back towards Venice city to seek the aid of the dhampire.
The night stand had 4 drawers, the top left one was mostly empty, except for a hair brush which, even if its age showed, was still in good conditions, the lower one contained a couple of notebooks a couple of which had been torn in half completely, said halves were not present within the drawer. The top right one was the empty as well, whereas the second one, didn’t budge one inch, seemed it was completely stuck for some reason.
".......... A curiosity...... " she said as she took out the paintbrush, planting it on her nightstand before she chose to inspect the notes' top halves out of curiosity. She was curious about the second right drawer, but decided to let it slide for now. Once she had finished reading the letters, she would finish with her originally intended objective, and head towards the IMA office to begin her career as a rancher.
The voices of the bystanders reached Ilya’s ear as some sort of muted whisper that she could barely make any sense of, with people avoiding even making eye contact with her, it seemed, for a second at least that she was invisible to the world.
But that ended when she entered the now familiar office, and inside of it was waiting Venice, her smile widening as she saw the lich girl. “Lady Ilyasviel, such a surprise seeing you here so soon.”
