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Post by The All Mother on Mar 7, 2014 23:57:54 GMT -5
The corner of a shiny boot caught the edge of a pebble, sending it scattering over the cobblestones of the city edge and into the massive wall that supposedly kept them all safe. It was strange, watching that little rock cascade off of its cousin to rest a few yards away. No, not strange - irritating. What was strange was how all of her bent up energy just seemed to flare in that moment. It rose inside her like a fire, making her eyes glint dangerously and a warmth come to her skin that itched to be released. For all the high humidity earlier that day, it was almost as if her uneasiness had dried up the air. Lightly feathered wings spread out around her like a halo as she rested against the wall and surveyed the space around her. It was late evening, but that wasn't a surprise considering who she was. Riatha Diane Crownguard - the name itself should have been a clue; for all it was worth, her ancestors hadn't been that creative. She realized then, as her eyes trailed the uniqueness that was their version of a castle, that she was something of a liar. They just hadn't been that creative in deciding on a last name. As her crimson eyes stared down the empty street, she supposed she could cut them some slack considering all that had been going on at the time. Honestly, the fact that they had a monarchy at all was a bit crazy. There were three races just milling about in the confines of these walls, and for some reason the demons had come out on top. Perhaps it was the fact that they were traditionally more diplomatic than blood suckers, or maybe her ancestors had just been strong. Riatha supposed she had been taught it at some point, but she couldn't be bothered just then to remember.
With her arms crossed and a foot pulled up on the wall behind her, the princess was nothing more than a black figure on a dark night. For all that being royal was cracked up to be, you could currently find this sect of the bloodline wearing very common clothes in all black. Her leggings disappeared into her boots on one end and the hem of her t-shirt on the other. Colored dark red in the current light, her hair was held in a ponytail and draped over her shoulder where she twirled strands around her fingers. Riatha really couldn't be bothered with dresses and skirts on excursions like this. Never one to care about modesty, the people who picked her wardrobe realized quickly that pants were probably the only way to keep commonfolk from seeing glimpses of her undergarments when she left the royal grounds. All the better, in Riatha's opinion. Sighing, her head banged nonchalantly against the stone as she contemplated what to do. Everything had been so boring that day, and she really couldn't stand it any longer. Shaking out her wings, with a small bound she entered the warm air of the cross land between desert and life to land on the edge of a medium-size house. Crouching, she resembled a cat waiting to pounce in both stature and intent. Perhaps some innocent soul would walk by and she'd scare them into a scuffle. Or at least some yelling and discomfort. With so much quiet at home, Riatha lived and breathed the soft chaos of the inner city. On one hand, she could influence it. Cause trouble when she was bored, intimidate people who for some reason thought she had power, or simply influence someone's day. On the other, news spread very fast. Riatha didn't quite have her nose in the flow of gossip, but she could almost feel the reputation of a young delinquent slowly coming into formation. It was a silly thing, but she could see how it could be valid. People didn't seem to know that she didn't fight with others because she was angry or had something to prove, but simply because it was fun. There was something thrilling about it - rolling around trying to gain advantage, or dodging kicks and punches. With that thought, she willed the antsy side of her into submission and watched intently at the curve in the road where she planned on surprising her next victim.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 16, 2014 18:58:23 GMT -5
She had always liked the long ruffly skirts, and soft swish of a dress's hem on the ground. Of course, she wore pants underneath- there were probably a billion people who'd love to kill or kidnap her, and she wasn't going to make it that easy- but other than that she probably looked much like her ancestors. She definitely looked more royal than Riatha with her revealing- disgusting, at times- clothing. Lacey, she'd never be seen in public in such attire. It was simply not proper for a girl of her status to do such things.
As she walked she played with the shadows around her. It was fun to manipulate them around her so she was nearly impossible to see. It was also more convenient, as civilians often stopped her to talk to her and try to get in good with her if they knew who she was; and that was the downside of the dresses she wore- they practically screamed royal family. So, at night at least, she hid and watched. She happened to notice a figure fly onto the roof of a building. It was a winged figure, and with a stance that seemed familiar, although she couldn't place it. As she watched she realized what the figure was doing- crouching on the roof, hoping to spring down and attack unsuspecting passersby. Lacey would have ignored this- really she would have- if she hadn't suddenly recognized the figure.
Riatha.
Oh! It was so... so uncouth! Definitely not a behaviour a princess ought to engage it. Lacey just knew she had to stop this nonsense. How embarrassing would it be if Riatha got caught fighting a civilian? Without even pausing to consider she let her wings out. They were large and featured dark feathers. Feathers that did not in any way match her dress... ugh. Taking off, she briefly allowed herself to drift in the cool night air. She loved flying. It was incredibly freeing! But she had important, big sister duties to be taking care of. Landing on the roof she quietly approached her sister from behind. Remembering just in time that she was still wrapped in shadows, she allowed the darkness to swirl down and hover around the hem of her skirt like an (unmatching) extension of the dress. Then she cleared her throat loudly and asked in her soprano voice,
"Riatha, what do you think you're doing?"
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Post by The All Mother on Mar 17, 2014 10:56:55 GMT -5
Maroon strands of hair wafted around her face in the breeze of the desert, not to be calmed by the meager hair-tie that tried to calm it. The back of her thighs touched her calves as the weight of her body shifted to the balls of her feet - indicative of exactly how often she did this. Well, perhaps not to average citizens, though assuredly to unsuspecting palace guardsmen and servants. It was as if every muscle in her body was prepared to strike given the opportunity, but her demeanor, the softness of her face, was everything in the name of calm. There were only two ways someone could come down this street (without the use of wings such as her own), and her gaze was locked on one shadow that was approaching the nearest bend in the path. Shifting a bit lower to the roof, had she a tail it would have been flicking in much the same way her wings twitched in anticipation. Some light source behind them panted a pretty clear picture of who they were, and as the predator she was quickly analyzing her prey. It appeared male, but wasn't especially big or frightening. Of course, their set of magic could prove very dangerous indeed. For some reason this either didn't occur to her or she didn't care. For all intents and purposes, her plan was still very much on course. This wouldn't be the first time she'd be serious injured by this game, but it was hard to stay cautionary when you didn't fear pain. If anything, Riatha would most likely die as a result of carrying on despite her injuries than of old age.
And then Lacey showed up. Even as she tipped off balance the youngest of the royal trio groaned inwardly. Her older sister could be so boring - so girly. Anyone with half a brain could tell that Riatha was anything but. Tom-boy was an understatement. It was a "phase" she would grow out of. At least, that's what they said. She wasn't convinced. Then again, if her affinity for pretty dresses on occasion was an indication, then perhaps they were right...the hypocrisy from earlier seemed to still be lingering. In reality, while the girl adored pants for their freedom, she couldn't deny that cute cuts of the dresses in her closet. Her love for gold followed her even now in the form of the black and gold bow that aided in keeping her hair somewhat tamed. And the short skirts with black lace and gold fabric? Ugh, to die for. Riatha still, in all her childishness, couldn't shake the feeling of distaste for her sisters wardrobe as she came into view out of the corner of her eye. Never one to be totally taken off guard, Riatha's wings unfurled as she twisted towards the roof mid-fall. With a scowl she hovered in the air, arms crossed and facing her older sibling. The pitch of her sisters voice grated against her ears, and she rolled her eyes at how proper Lacey looked in her dress. "Having fun." She retorted, casting a glance down to the street where the man had already turned the corner and crossed the street. What a buzz kill. Wings flapping ever so smoothly, the girl returned to the roof edge - no more friendly in her stance. "I'd ask you what you're doing, but I already have an answer for that. Fun killer." Riatha wasn't normally so quick to let her hot head flare, but the dreary day left her more on edge than usual. Returning her wings to her back, she stalked to the other side of the roof and bounded to the next one - intent on creating some sort of ruckus. Whether or not Lacey followed her didn't concern her really, although it would be amusing to see the look on her face when Riatha tackled someone into the ground - or when she tackled her into the ground. What a thought. She paused and turned, "Coming or what?"
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Post by Deleted on Mar 17, 2014 13:35:09 GMT -5
Deciding there was no reason to leave the darkness swirling around her- it was dark enough that she could easy find more- she let it swirl off her, back into the night. Her wings had come out from their neatly folded position against her back and now we're held half open behind her. She knew there was a very real possibility that Riatha would turn on her older, and far more mature, sister. Honestly. Their parents were going to hear about this! Who did Riatha think she was, attacking civilians? Lacey knew her sister sometimes bedeviled the palace guards. But it just wasn't acceptable to do that to your own people! And to think she wanted to be queen someday. Lacey was glad to see the large male civilians Riatha would have attacked vanishing around the corner. This gladdened her for two reasons- the first being, of course, that she didn't want the man attacked, and the second being that sometimes even the geekiest looking people had nasty magical abilities. Lacey didn't want to have to explain to her parents how Riatha'd gotten herself killed. And if Riatha were dead, Lacey wouldn't get an opportunity to yell at her for her stupidity. Why couldn't Riatha do honorable things that princesses were actually supposed to do? Like play checkers and sip tea? Well, Lacey didn't even like tea. Anyway. A princess ought to have better things to do with her time. Before going for her walk, Lacey had been working on the book she was going to get published. It was a memoir, and there was probably going to be a whole chapter on Riatha and her obnoxious behaviour. Or, more accurately, Riatha's obnoxious behaviour plus whatever embellishments Lacey thought were appropriate.
Lacey had just been going for a walk! Why did everything ha e to turn into a Riatha-controlling exercise? This was supposed to be her peaceful, late night stroll. Not another episode of the Lacey v. Riatha show. It was a phase, they said, she'd grow out of it. Well, Lacey certainly hoped so. Because she was getting tired of keeping Little Miss Wild in check. It was certainly a good thing that Lacey was the older one. Because that meant Lacey would be the queen. And that was very fortunate for the kingdom because when people like Riatha got positions of power bad things tended to happen. What happened when the queen was too busy tackling her subjects to collect taxes? What happened when she was too occupied lurking on dark roofs to protect the nation from invaders? It was people like Riatha that ruined countries.
Now Lacey, she would be a good queen. She was responsible and mature. Even her hair and clothing were more responsible and mature than Riatha's! Lacey had beautiful blonde hair that's wavy, but tame. Then her was Riatha, who had wild and, in Lacey's opinion, disgustingly maroon hair. Who had maroon hair? And then there was the clothing. Lacey wore long, beautiful, and appropriate dresses that were the model of decorum. But Riatha, oh, Riatha. She wore shockingly short clothing, above the knee, sometimes almost above the hip! Definitely not appropriate for a princess. And sometimes she even wore pants. Pants!
"Having fun." Lacey didn't say anything, just rolled her large purple eyes. As Riatha returned to the roof Lacey let her wings out further, feeling somewhat scared. Riatha's stance seemed threatening and Lacey didn't want a fight. She was fast, but she wasn't a fighter. "I'd ask you what you're doing, but I already have an answer for that. Fun killer." Lacey rolled her eyes again. "Riatha, if your fun involves attacking innocent citizens, perhaps you ought to seek other means of amusement," she couldn't help saying. It probably was unwise to provoke Riatha. Lacey knew she could be violent. Lacey had to step out of the way to let her sister by as she stalked to the other side of the roof and bounded to the next one. Lacey suspected her sister was going to pounce on someone and so she called, "Riatha! Don't even think about tackling a civilian. Mother and father will hear about this, you hooligan!" Lacey knew she had to follow. As if Riatha would actually listen to her sister's command! Lacey would tackle the younger princess if she had to. Unfurling her wings, she thrust herself off the roof and over her sister's head, landing a few feet in front of her. "Coming or what?" Lacey had to laugh. "Way ahead of you, little sis."
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