Another letter. Yet another letter had been delivered, a second, because apparently the first had not been nearly enough to cause the necessary amount of anguish this faceless villain was so doggedly eager to inflict. And for what? What motive could he possibly have, what motive could he possibly wish too satiate with this elaborate plan? Dannae knew she had no truth that anyone would be interested in. She had no secrets, at least not any that would placate the needs of this individual by their divulging.
It wasn't fair, really. The abhorrent injustice of it was what weight on her mind now as she paced back and forth in the garden, the letter tightly clutched in her left hand. It simply wasn't fair. Who was she, but the leader of a peaceful guild? One that promoted love and understanding, forgiveness above all else. If she knew this person, indeed, if the others in her organization knew, they would surely be eager to help them, to deliver them from this corruption!
Would you really?
Her pacing halted at the internal query, and her head bobbed upwards. She strode past the gate of Xiosia's garden, out of the sight of the natural manifestation of her goddess where perhaps her darker thoughts would be hidden from those oaken eyes. Would you really be so eager to jump in and rescue rather than hurt? After all that's been done. Your friends threatened. Your lover nearly killed after you shouted her name...
Ixi. She'd hoped that perhaps by stating her name she could be saved. But, no. Instead, an eruption of fire and coals from the forge, mysterious in nature but certainly not without aim, had sent her spiraling down into the depths of the Realm. To the very place that she'd so hoped to keep her from. Ixi herself had suffered at the hands of Dakkru far too many times, and for far too many years. The trip there had been a difficult one for her, perhaps more difficult for most, and though she was out here in the fresh air and crystal shine again it would take her some time to recover from the tragedy in both mind and body.
Her footfalls were audible as her heartbeat, the bare skin of her soles slapping the cobblestones as she walked aimlessly. She knew not what to do any longer, knew not where to turn, and instead of a mail-storm of sorrow a new and sharper emotion was building up and pulsating through her. Rage. Righteous and pointedly aimed, all she wanted to do was get this perpetrator's neck between her hands and dig her polished nails into their skin. Twist their trachea to the point of snapping, if she could. Perhaps her reaction might have been more merciful if it had only been her life they had decided to threaten, but instead they had chosen a path far more grave and horrid. They sought to destroy the lives and well-being of those she cared about most, and she found her typically docile and complacent spirit churning at the wrongness of it.
The tunnel opened up to the plaza, and the bustling clueless people therein. She looked at them without truly seeing, her mind a blank, a haziness that traveled to the clouded look in her eyes. She wanted it over, that was all. Over and done. All she wanted was to know that her friends were safe and well-cared for. That no murderous monster was lurking in the corners and waiting eagerly for their names to spill past her lips, so that the others might be saved from their voracious thirst for blood.
Is it truly so much to ask, to be requited the peacefulness we try to bring into this place? The sound of her feet moving halted as she brought herself to a stop, somewhere between the tavern and the Den, alone amidst a throbbing crowd of unknowing passersby. The steady beating of her heart was still pounding in her ears, and she listened to it slow down as a result of her ceased walking.
All this time, all we've sought is to cherish life. To encourage this deep respect, and cultivate it amongst all others. All this time, this guild has been built upon such a foundation, such a noble cause. To be caught up in this mindless inquisition...this game of roulette without cause or purpose. To expose a secret that surely is nowhere near worth the lives it has already endangered!
It was coming back again, her anger, no matter how hard she tried to squash it. It brought about those violent thoughts, retributive, thoughts that refused to align themselves with the overwhelming goodness of her goddess. But she found that she could not stop them, no matter how she wished she could. They came anyway, fueled by her own thoughts. Her fists tightened, and she heard the crinkling of that paper, felt it crumble between her fingers as the blood rushed out of them. Swept away by this tide of fury, she threw her head back and began to shout things. She didn't care that people turned to stare at her, and this half-crazed banshee that was screaming up at the top of the dome. No, all she cared about was this evil thing that was threatening the foundations of everything she loved and cared for. She might make herself look the fool, but she was dead set on forcing them out to meet her face to face.
“Come out, you coward! Come out!”
