The Cardinal's Rhapsody (Rhapsody)

[Mamono Assault Force]

Re: The Cardinal's Rhapsody (Rhapsody)

"Dress sexy!" Etna shouted as Rhapsody made her way out of Jezebel's room. And as she walked down the hallways to her room, a more vacant area being the dormitories where most demons spent their time in their rooms rather than outside, mostly to engage in lustful activities but also to do their individual plotting. And on her way, she saw a single figure standing in the hallway. With black wings, and a red tokin hat, the familiar phantom of Cynthia stood, watching her as she drew near. Like the crow she resembled, she stood where she was, watching Rhapsody pass by her and go into her room, as this was not the first time Cynthia was seen watching her, or Jezebel for that matter, which is why the demoness is seen to be so paranoid of the crow. And just like always, even if she talked to her, the crow would just silently look at her, and vanish quickly if she was approached.

Making her way to the back of Jezebel's palace, Rhapsody saw a dozen witches, Etna, and the little powerful Baphomet waiting for her, surrounding a summoning circle. "Well, who's this girl just strolling through hell?" Baphomet inquired sarcastically. "Little human girls like you aren't safe in Hell you know!" she laughed, before stepping aside, and directing her large scythe towards the summoning circle. "Off you go, back to the human world! Before some nasty demon like myself makes a meal out of you!"

Etna rolled her eyes, maintaining her demon form while Rhapsody continued to assume the shape of a human. "The portal's ready, are you ready to travel back to your home sweet home? We won't be far from where the Lord in question will be walking around, so how do you want to slip into his good graces?" Etna inquired. "I planned on just attacking you and letting him play the hero, although... There's no telling if that will work, especially if you don't play your part correctly."

The baphomet removed her playful tone, and nodded to Rhapsody. "There's a little path just below my camp on the other side of this portal. The guy is on some investigation to find demons in the area. He's with a small elite unit of nobodies that won't be too much trouble if they decide to axe either of you. As well, the town he comes from isn't anything too major, like the capital of the humans and their Order, but it's a nice castle none the less, and it'll be a nice foundation for us if you're totally successful in shutting down their defenses from within and corrupting the lord himself. Once the lord is in your hands, then the rest will follow. Also, his name is Shen, his people call him Lord Shen, and his full name is Jonathan Shen. It's important for you to know that, because most humans already do, and it'll seem strange if you don't. Also, there were a few reports from my spies that he was seen with a girl with a long ponytail who seemed to be in charge of their cavalry... Said girl has shown cases of affection towards dear Lord Shen, so watch out as she likely might not appreciate the competition." Baphomet chuckled. "You can deal with her however you want, although the end result will be the same, we'll turn her into a fine succubus to help lead our armies~

"Oh, and one last thing of importance, religious girls from the Order ARE in the area, and they'll be snooping about for any demonic presence, so watch yourself and be careful not to be caught."

 

[Shrike7]

Re: The Cardinal's Rhapsody (Rhapsody)

Rhapsody offered a mock bow to the crow figure standing in the hall as she passed. "No tea tonight, oh stalker ours?" She asked with a smile. She didn't stop for the response, but kept an ear open if one was made as she went on her way, reaching her room shortly afterwards.

Reaching the ritual grounds, She grinned at Baphomet, falling into the role with gusto, shaking in fear and looking at those present. "Oh my, I must have taken a wrong turn somewhere!" She said, then laughed, letting them continue. She had a couple questions about the information she was given, which was taken care of quickly, at which point she turned to Etna.

"That's as good a plan as any. I'll do fine, and your job is easy enough that the only part i'm worried about is if you forget to run away and decide to have some fun with my saviours." She teased with a chuckle. "It will be good to go back again though, I'm sure not much has changed. Hmm... Those order girls may be a problem. If I'm lucky, I won't come across any until after I'm near untouchable, then avoiding them should be easy enough. Then there's the matter of the competition, I'll have to think on that one..." She mused. "I have a small matter to take care of once we're across, so don't start the chasing right away, okay dear?"

And with a grin, she stepped into the circle, watching the threads of magic inherent to the portal with interest as they took effect...

 

[Mamono Assault Force]

Re: The Cardinal's Rhapsody (Rhapsody)

Etna twisted her lips and scratched her bum as Rhap stepped into the circle, before following her. "You're one of those types that has to go to the bathroom after the trip starts, aren't you? Don't wet yourself while falling." Etna advises Rhapsody with a giggle.

Clicking her staff, the baphomet announces loudly to her coven. "Drop 'em to the other world!" she instructed simply, before each of the witches around them rose their staffs, and a large concentration of magical threads from each of the girls. Even the baphomet herself gathered around Rhapsody and Etna to create the dimensional hole. The power of their breach in dimension was even more powerful than any magical weave that Rhapsody had ever seen, except for that one moment a long time ago when she got into hell to begin with. Seeing this happening again reminded her of the fight previous that she had with the baphomet. With this much power, and even with her numbers, something didn't make sense about her victory in that it logically shouldn't have happened.

No matter what Rhap thought of it, she soon found a familiar dimensional void open beneath her and Etna's feet, which seemed as if the ground itself was dissolving away to reveal a realm below them of various shifting colors, appearing as a land of poisonous liquid. And as they fell into the void, with the baphomet and her coven following, the strange, poisonous substance that seemed everywhere appeared both far and near. To both the physical eye and spiritual, the mass all around them appeared as if rippling water constantly conflicting with itself. Every ripple was it's own color, and constantly shifted colors based on the color of the other ripple it touched against. This was happening thousands of times over and over, too fast for Rhapsody to keep track of, as if she were traveling through a realm of pure, raw, and chaotic magic. The pillar that the baphomet and her coven made seemed to be the only thing that protected them from the rampaging magic all around them. The presence of the magic alone didn't seem that it would quite crush her, but the sheer mass of magic did very well give off the vibe that she would get lost, confused, and suffocate in the powerful magic before too long, and end up crushed into more of the oblivion that it was made of.

Rhapsody had only a few seconds to either admire or be repulsed by the void between two worlds, before they ended up falling into the other plain. Everyone reversed themselves so that they were falling head first, before they soared through the open portal on the other side, thrown out of the portal all round, and landing with a bit of gravity as their feet found solid land. As Rhapsody landed, followed by Etna landing on one foot and one knee in a crouch to her side, baphomet and her coven followed, with the baphomet rising, and then slamming back down to the ground, shaking the ground with a slight tremble, as if she weighed a ton. Following her were a pair of witches of note. One witch fell with a bit of a stumble, landing on her feet, but near the edge with her front facing the voice, and very well nearly falling back in before a second witch zoomed up in front of her, collided into her, and knocked her back with the both of them landing on the ground with the second witch on top.

After a moment, the witch on top grinned, and humped at the witch below her a moment before the witch below shoved the offender off of herself. "Get off, asshole!" the girl snapped, while the other witch merely chuckled even as she was shoved.

"Heeere we are!" the baphomet announced, clicking her staff again as the dimensional portal closed behind them. "So much energy was used for that ritual, now we're going to need a fine replacement. So either you do well in your task, or you'll be stuck trying to help us gather enough harvest for the next black sabbath, understand?" the baphomet asked, before shaking her staff at her. "Of course you do. Now scram! You have a job to do." Baphomet said strictly.

Etna paid the little monster no mind as she turned to Rhapsody. "You said you had to go pee, right? Hurry up." Etna rushed her.

 

[Shrike7]

Re: The Cardinal's Rhapsody (Rhapsody)

Rhapsody smiled at Etna's teasing, offering a small wave behind her as the witches started their spell, devoting her time to watching the threads they wove, and the effect of the passing itself. She spun herself around to match the others, but the landing itself came as a bit of a surprise, forcing her to go into a roll to avoid falling flat on her face. Standing back up, she resisted the urge to pat the dust off herself. With their current plan, it's best for her to look a little roadworn anyways.

"Of course, You and your coven shall have plenty of energy with which to return, don't you worry." Rhapsody promised Baphomet with a smile. Turning to Etna finally, she rolled her eyes. "Just one moment..." She said, looking around at the tree surrounding them before picking one out seemingly at random, reaching up and taking hold of a large branch before snapping it off cleanly, then taking the leafy end off of that, leaving her with a couple feet worth of stick. A smaller branch off the waste end got her a second, thin and about a foot and a half long.

She summoned her magic and put it to work on the wood, warping and shaping it until it became apparent she was working to create a violin. She plucked some of her own Auburn hair and warped that into strings and a strap for it, then repeated the process with a few more strands of hair on the smaller stick to make a bow, which clicked onto a small holder behind the neck. She gave it a quick strum to place it slightly out of tune, then slid the loop around her shoulder and turned back to her partner in crime.

"All set? This should be fun!" She said with a slight giggle, stretching her senses to find whereabouts the group seemed to be, and starting to run off in that direction, not looking back to see if Etna was following. A bend or two away through the trees, she let out a winded scream, and put on a look of panic, her run becoming more haphazard as she went until it looked like she was on her last legs, ready to fall over from exhaustion. And fall she did, barely into sight of the group. Picking herself up in a scramble, she spotted the humans, and called out, starting to run towards them again. "H-help! Please!"

 

[Mamono Assault Force]

Re: The Cardinal's Rhapsody (Rhapsody)

As Rhapsody took flight, fleeing from Etna, the red haired demon gave chase, though perhaps taking it a little too far, as Rhapsody actually found dangerous magics being woven by the demoness, flung at her. Even though it was done with little accuracy, taking a hit would in fact hurt quite a bit. And would doubtlessly leave an ordinary human girl unconscious. Forming orange orbs in her hand, Etna flung them at the running Rhapsody, which exploded upon contact with the ground. "Ha-ha! This IS pretty fun! Run-run! Run faster!" Etna laughed at Rhapsody, one of the explosions helping to knock Rhapsody over when she fell. And she continued to chase Rhapsody, but long before she reached where Shen was supposed to be, they both heard a voice from above in the trees.

"I'd appreciate it if you didn't make so much noise." said a man's voice. Etna stopped upon hearing the voice, giving Rhapsody reason to stop as well. And upon looking up, they'd see the source of the voice, sleeping in the trees above them, now looking down at them. He rose his arm to rub at his eyes, before tipping over, and falling from the tree, and landing gracefully, taking a knee and planting his hand on the ground to help reduce the impact. Standing, he brushed himself off casually, while Etna simply stared at him with disbelief, wondering perhaps as much as Rhapsody as to why this human is so calm in the presence of a demon. "I was actually hiding, but you guys sure did good with making enough noise to bring them over this way. Now I can't have my nap. Even if you're a demon, there are limits to how rude you can be." he scolded Etna, who tilted her head to the side, squinting one eye at him.

"... Who the fuck are you? And why is a man who sleeps in a tree telling me what to do?" she questioned him.

"My name's Shen. Now, I have an excuse that'll save me from a lot of trouble, and she's right behind me," he gestured at Rhapsody. "So, can you kindly hit the road so I can say I saved this girl? I'd really appreciate that, thanks." he said with a smile.

Frowning with a blank expression, Etna pointed a finger at him, before weaving magic into a concentration of pure force, which she blasted at him, and sent him flying, back-first, into a tree. "... Did anyone ever tell you that you're an idiot, Shen?" Etna stated flatly.

Laughing, Shen rose to his feet after the blast, seemingly unaffected by Etna's attack. "Yeah, lots of people. How'd you know?" he asked her, before raising his hand. "I'm really dumb, so I just learn by watching others." he said, before pointing his finger at Etna, who's eyes went wide before the same exact spell she had cast slammed against her from Shen, and sent her sliding along the ground from the force. And as Etna rose from where she was blasted, Rhapsody could see a clearly infuriated expression on her face, before the three heard a woman's voice call out.

"Lord Shen! Are you over there!?"

Hearing that, Etna clicked her tongue, before turning, and fleeing with an angry grimace. Shen let out a relieved sigh upon watching Etna retreat. "What a relief. I was actually a little nervous. She seemed really powerful." he commented. "Dunno what would have happened if she came at me a second time. Oh well." He shrugged, before turning to Rhapsody, and folding his hands behind his back. "So, I guess it won't be a lie that I saved you, right? Makes things easier on me."

 

[Shrike7]

Re: The Cardinal's Rhapsody (Rhapsody)

Rhapsody picked herself up off the ground to run behind Shen as he landed, staying a few feet back as she watched the fireworks ensue with a terrified expression on her face, and panting from her exertions. Several times, she went to speak up and add to the conversation, but Shen seemed to know everything she was about to say in any case, so she was left wordless each time, likely helping the illusion more that way in any case.

She was stunned by Shen's adept use of magic, hurriedly rethinking a few of her plans. If he could spot threads, she'd have to be a fair sight more subtle, at least at first. They all heard the shouting, and Etna retreated. Rhapsody let out a sigh and slumped back against a tree, still breathing rather heavily. Shen turned to speak to her, and she nodded in reply. "Thank you, M'lord." She answered. "I'm lucky you were out here, I don't know if I could have made it to the walls, like that..."

She lay there against the tree for a moment, until she heard the sounds of Shen's escort catching up. Then she drug herself to her feet and tried brushing some of the dirt off her clothing, trying to look both tired and flustered at the same time.

 

[Mamono Assault Force]

Re: The Cardinal's Rhapsody (Rhapsody)

"The feeling's mutual." Shen replied to Rhapsody simply, before the sounds of a horse trotting were heard as a woman with a long ponytail came riding up to Shen with a relieved smile on her face.

"My lord Shen!" she announced with relief. "I thought you were slacking off again, but then I got worried as I heard your pain. I see you were saving an innocent commoner... I honestly didn't expect such kindness from you."

Shen sighed, rubbing the back of his head. "I'm lazy, not heartless... I don't like being seen in that way by you, and I hope you aren't telling people lies." he said with a grimace.

"Lies, no. But I will admit to having told my associates of my thoughts." the girl replied, before turning to Rhapsody with a calm smile. "You are safe now, citizen. Return to your home." she advised her, before Shen stretched his arms above his head and yawned.

"Well, I think I deserve a good nap as a reward for my heroism." he said casually, walking in the opposite direction of the girl, as if trying to get away from her, before the girl suddenly pulled out a length of rope tied into a wide noose, and threw it over Shen's head, and quickly snared him with it as if he were a horse, casually dragging him along the ground once she snared him. "... You brought rope?" Shen said with a grimace, struggling slightly in the rope.

"I brought rope," she replied casually, as if this were an every day thing.

 

[Shrike7]

Re: The Cardinal's Rhapsody (Rhapsody)

Doing her best to look panicked, Rhapsody tailed the odd pair, not having to feign surprise at the antics. "W-wait! I don't have a home, anymore!" She cried out, continuing her story whether they stopped to listen, or she had to tell it while keeping up.

"I was part of an entertainment troupe, those demons attacked us on the road a day ago. Or two, I haven't slept much... That demon's been chasing me since, I don't even want to guess what happened to the others..." She explained, waiting a moment before continuing. "Let me come with you, please. M'Lord, do you have a bard? I can earn my keep, I swear!"

 

[Mamono Assault Force]

Re: The Cardinal's Rhapsody (Rhapsody)

The woman continued to drag Shen along the ground via rope, while Shen himself seemed to go limp, as if accepting his fate. This forced Rhapsody to keep up, and follow the pair. Listening to their story, Shen was the first to reply, looking off to the side. "That demon, huh...?" he wondered aloud, thinking, before the woman replied next.

"Lord Shen has no need of another woman attempting to get close to him! Especially not during these times of negotiation, when mamono and demons are afoot." she said harshly. "I'm sorry, but you'll have to make due elsewhere." she said, before Shen looked back at her.

"That's kind of harsh, isn't it, Lyndis?" he asked her, a blank expression on his face.

"My lord!" Lyndis replied strictly, as if to scold Shen.

"Do you wanna make me look like a jerk? Who knows what eyes are watchin, and people will assume that I'm like some of those irrational lords elsewhere who've got one-track minds of violence. Besides, she might be able to drown you out." he suggested, to which Lyndis replied by taking her water flask, and pouring it over his head behind her. Shen had no reply to her action, only adopting a miserable(and wet) expression.

"Just stick with us for now," he said after a moment, sighing.

 

[Shrike7]

Re: The Cardinal's Rhapsody (Rhapsody)

Rhapsody nodded, still looking a little stunned as she was forced to keep up with the pair. The entire time, she was marveling at the antics these two were putting on. One was a lord, the other a general, and it looked like some comedy show you'd see going on in a busy street of some city. She didn't quite know what to make of it, but she was certain it was some sort of temporary measure, maybe to distract themselves from their worries, or similar. Everyone who's talked about them said they were competent and worthwhile acquisitions, so surely they couldn't be like this all of the time...

"Y-yes, M'lord, thank you." She replied quickly, adjusting the strap holding her instrument in place as she jogged to follow the horse's speed, attempting to look tired again. If she had really been chased for a day or two, she had better look it, after all.

 

[Mamono Assault Force]

Re: The Cardinal's Rhapsody (Rhapsody)

Keeping up with them as Shen had told her, Lyndis continued to drag Shen all the way, for over an hour, until they reached the town again, while Rhapsody would realize the lengths Shen went to in order to avoid Lyndis. Or rather, to avoid his responsibility altogether. Once they were back, Lyndis rounded up the guard, and told them not to let Shen go on another 'walk' before she looked to Rhapsody again, one hand on her hip as she handed her a handful of silver coins. "That should be enough for a few nights stay at a local inn." she stated. But as she gave her the coins, Shen, now free, stepped forward and took the coins Lyndis was offering from her hand.

"Will you cut that out already?" he asked her. "We're lending her a hand, not tossing coins to a beggar. I don't wanna tarnish my reputation just because her genitals might suck me for all I'm worth." he said in a rather vulgar way, which Lyndis immediately picked up on.

"Mind your flopping tongue, Shen!" she scolded him, forgetting to add 'Lord' before his name, hinting at some great familiarity with him. "Especially among ladies!"

Shen chuckled. "You're so worried about mamono coming to snatch me away, won't my foul language help chase them away?" he asked.

Lyndis only put a hand to her head and let out a frustrated sigh. "Your speech to the people is in two hours, do whatever you want until then, but don't run away!" she barked at him, before turning on her heel and marching off.

Shen ignored what she said, before turning to Rhapsody. "So, String," he announced, apparently naming her String, "I'm gonna go to my quarters in the castle, wanna play something nice for me? Don't worry about Lyndis, I have more fortune than I know what to do with, left by my father, and managed by my treasurers."

 

[Shrike7]

Re: The Cardinal's Rhapsody (Rhapsody)

Rhapsody stepped back again as the two started to fight, her hand that was ready to accept the silver dropping. Once they had finished and shen had addressed her, she shifted a bit, a small blush coming to her cheeks. "I'd love to, surely. And my name's Echo, M'lord. I'm sorry I forgot to introduce myself earlier." She explained, offering a small curtsy as she moved to follow him. "What kind of music do you like?"

 

[Mamono Assault Force]

Re: The Cardinal's Rhapsody (Rhapsody)

"Anything slow, like lullabies, or something more classical like those fancy tunes they play in a royal gathering, those always put me to sleep." Shen explained. "I can't stand upbeat songs though. They're noisy and make me feel like dancing, which I don't want to do... I just want to sleep, alright?" He made sure to emphasize how he wanted rest, before turning, and slowly walking towards a large castle down the street where Lyndis left him and Rhapsody. His pace was more than casual, stepping down the street as if trying to use up as little energy as possible. Given his build, he looked more than able to sprint a lap around the castle ahead, but instead chooses to walk so slowly.

Sniffing as he reached the castle doors, and the guards moved towards Rhapsody as if to block her, they stepped back when Shen gave a wide gesture with his arms, blocking them. Seeing that, they slowly backed off, allowing Rhapsody inside. "So, Echo," Shen began once they were inside the castle, and a rather grand one at that. It looked suitable to be a demon's castle, though after a little redecoration to make it more gloomy and dark, as was the taste of most older succubi. Their footsteps echoed off of the granite tile floor, and along the stone walls. He walked towards a wide blue marble support pillar that went all the way up to the ceiling, and knocked on the base with his hand. Crouching down, he stared at the pillar for seemingly no reason at all after knocking on it. "I got a question for ya." he announced.

A moment after, a trap door opened in the marble pillar, and a little demon's head popped out. It wasn't an imp, but an Alice, a demon that takes the form of a little girl. She was already smiling when she opened the trap door, and Rhapsody could see a missing tooth in her mouth from her grin. With orange hair and freckles on her face, she appeared very cute. "Shen!" she whispered, but with excitement. Shen dug into his coat, and pulled out a heart shaped fruit, and handed it to her, which she took gratefully, and began eating immediately. "Thank you! Should I keep hiding down here?" she asked.

"Yeah, until this whole situation blows over. Sorry about the conditions." Shen said to her.

She shook her head, "No, it's okay! Thank you for saving me!" she whispered back, but had difficulty containing her excitement. After receiving a pat on the head from Shen, she descended down some ladder into the pillar, and likely some area below the ground, before Shen closed the trap door.

Standing, he turned to Rhapsody. "What do you think I should do about my city's neutrality?" he asked her, asking her with the same calm expression on his face as she's seen him with ever since she met him.

 

[Shrike7]

Re: The Cardinal's Rhapsody (Rhapsody)

"Slow and relaxing." She answered with a nod, sliding the violin around on it's strap and taking it up to position. She waited a moment to make sure he had no objection to starting as they walked, then drew the bow across the strings slowly, causing the violin to emit a horribly out-of-tune note. She made a look of horror, then quickly started tuning the strings. "I'm sorry, I should have realized they'd have been jarred in my flight." She apologized quickly.

A moment later it was in tune properly, and she started playing. She didn't actually know much in terms of slower music, so she picked

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and halved the pace, matching it to their walk.

She halted when they reached the castle and the guards, looking at them slightly wide-eyed until Shen had waved them off and they had continued.
"Sure, go ahead, though-" She started to say, until the demon appeared from the pillar. She had much the same outside reaction to this development as she had with the guards, turning silent and watching the Alice with a wide-eyed expression, until it left.

Shen turned back to her and asked his question, and she frowned a little. "I think... That you probably don't want advice on how to rule your kindom from a travelling entertainer. Though if you insist." She told him, taking a breath and looking around a moment before continuing. "In my troupe there were two mamono. Twins, and nice enough. We kept them fed, and they kept us safe on the road, and when locals turned out less than friendly. So... I don't know, depends? Have you been approached by any specifically?" She asked, shrugging lightly.

 

[Mamono Assault Force]

Re: The Cardinal's Rhapsody (Rhapsody)

"Many," Shen replied, before bringing his hands together in front of himself, causing his sleeves to roll down and hide his hands underneath them. "Most are selfish, and mostly only see this place as territory with which to expand their power. Demons... The ones from the West, Angels, Magi, even dwarves..." he said, before letting out a depressed sigh. "I'm not sure how much longer I can keep turning them down by saying that I'll consider their offers. I sometimes wonder just how close one of them may be near to me... Even though Lyndis knew the dangers, the fact that you could very well be one of them is... It's just not something I want to bother myself with worrying about. To take every last measure to keep myself safe would only leave me paranoid... I just want peace and quiet, but is that really too much to ask in these times? Am I being unreasonable? Lyndis would tell me so...That peace... Is ironically something you have to fight for."

Nearing his room, as was made obvious by the royal stairs leading up to a simple pair of grand doors, Shen stopped for a moment, and stood in front of a window that overlooked the lands to the west. The sun shined high, the mountains loomed over the town, the wind whistled, rattling the window, and an aura familiar to Rhapsody hung in the air... All of these forces seemed intent on swirling together in a mix of chaos for this central point... And just like a storm, at it's very center... Was a calm man.

"This can't be what everyone wants... I just wish I could meet someone who thinks the same way I do. I feel like the only voice of reason amongst booming gods." he chuckled. "I just want to go to sleep..." he said, before turning from the window, and heading up the stairs.

"And wake up when it's all over."

 

[Shrike7]

Re: The Cardinal's Rhapsody (Rhapsody)

Rhapsody listened to Shen quietly, her playing continuing, but quieter, as he spoke and explained. They had reached the stairs before she finally responded. "I would never harm you, Lord, I swear." She told him in response to the thought of her being a demon. It wasn't a denile, but the way she played it off made it sound like she was simply trying to allay the fears he refused to contemplate in a more general way, in case more worries crop up.

She followed him up the stairs and stood close as he watched out the window, appreciating the thought of all these powers reaching out for the town, the eddies swirling about the streets below. "You want to be free of worry, free of responsibility. Unbound by strictures and timetables. I can empathize with that, surely." She said with a nod, changing tunes into a much slower piece as they reached his room. "I think I remember a lullaby now, but it was meant for a piano originally. Do you mind if I sing along to cover up any mistakes I may make?" She asked as they climbed.

 

[Mamono Assault Force]

Re: The Cardinal's Rhapsody (Rhapsody)

"Do whatever you need," Shen replied off-handedly to Rhapsody as he stepped into his room. Once inside, it may have been no surprise that he sought out the bed, which he nonchalantly flopped onto with a sigh. "Forgive me if I fall asleep. Meeting with that demoness earlier was tiresome." Shen said with a tone of voice that matched his words, tired and exhausted. "With all the magics and trickery in the world... Anyone around me could be a demon. I simply don't care. It would be nice if a savior would come and relieve me of all this responsibility. As it is... I'll have to face war."

 

[Shrike7]

Re: The Cardinal's Rhapsody (Rhapsody)

"Of course, Lord Shen." Rhapsody said with a nod as they entered his quarters, finding herself a place to sit as he flopped down on the bed, starting in on the lullaby and humming to add melody as he spoke, not wanting to sing until he was done with conversation. "I think... If war is inevitable, perhaps the side that offers the most peace after might be best?" She offered, but the man was already drifting off towards unconsciousness.

Once she was certain he wasn't going to reply, she began to sing softly in time with her music, waiting for him to drift off entirely.
"Hear your heartbeat,
Beat a steady pace,
And it's not even seven PM...

You feel the rush
Of anguish settle-ing
You cannot help showing it in

And you need to heal
The hurt behind your eyes
Fickle words crowding your mind...

So,
Sleep, sugar, let the dreams flood in
Like waves of sweet fire, you're safe within
Sleep, sweetie, lets your dreams come rushing in
and carry you over, to a new morning..."

Her singing stopped again as she felt him drift into sleep proper, and she resumed humming as she started on the real work, threads of magic drifting out along with her music towards the sleeping lord. Despite all he's already said of just wanting someone to step up and take the decision away from him, she was much more intent on making him come to the proper conclusion himself, and as such, her threads drifting into his head, giving him dreams to nudge him in the right direction.

In his dream, Shen was seated on his official seat, a line of townspeople in front of him with questions and decisions he needed to make stretching out the door and out of sight, with Lyn at his side, her voice starting to drone and repeat itself as she pressed him about his duties, his responsibilities, his... Slowly, he felt himself drifting backwards with that dream-like quality, as the scene around him changed. Rhapsody's music drifted back into his dream, just as he found himself laying on the grass, head seated in her lap, as she smiled down at him, her bow sliding over the violin strings slowly and softly...

 

[Mamono Assault Force]

Re: The Cardinal's Rhapsody (Rhapsody)

Falling asleep soundly, Shen's dreams, touched by Rhapsody's threads, brought a smile to the man's lips as he laid comfortably on his bed. Breathing light, and easy, Shen looked as happy as could be. In Rhapsody's corner of her eye, she could see a dial outside. She had well over an hour to either let Shen sleep, or something else. Her thoughts were disturbed however as she felt Shen moving on his own within his dream of her own creation. Lifting himself, standing on his knees, he leaned in, and was suddenly kissing Rhapsody in his dream. His hands were holding her sides, and he was starting to get aggressive.

The reason for this, as Rhapsody would find, would be that her magic, corrupted, was working like an aphrodisiac to him. As her threads came into contact with him, he was slowly being filled with lust, and in his state of slumber, he was much more susceptible to such lust. The tent on display in his pants spoke clearly of his excitement, as did the red flush forming on his cheeks and slight unrest in his sleeping posture.

 

[Shrike7]

Re: The Cardinal's Rhapsody (Rhapsody)

Rhapsody frowned from her chair across the room. It was certainly a good result, just had a bit more than she had expected. A glimpse of the sundial outside told her about how long she had, but something told her that Lyn was going to be there early in any case. Sighing as she made up her mind to deny herself that which she could see so tantalizingly clear from her seat. If all goes well, she could have it as much as she wanted later...

The best thing about influencing dreams, is that once the mind has the stage set, the dreamer keeps momentum all on their own. She withdrew her threads from Shen, briefly considering keeping one there to watch, but deciding against it. Instead, she slowly swiveled her chair around to face the window, removing that temptation from her direct gaze, and kept playing her violin, though she refrained from singing now, just in case it wouldn't mesh with whatever was going on in the dream. She didn't want to ruin the moment, after all...