Cassiopeia glides along the paved path with unnerving grace, the scrape of scale on stone announcing her passing to the half asleep guards. Her elegant curves and stately posture combine to form an appalling juxtaposition to her serpentine body. The exquisite features of her face, wreathed in a cobra's hood, bears a look of longing, while a serpent's tail conveys her expediently onward towards her destination....
She glides up the steps, passing the great gargoyles that looked to be guarding the entrance and through the massive oak front doors that had been opened before her. She looked on at her surroundings, nothing much had changed, the massive marble steps before her leading up to the first floor. The large room she was currently adorned with portraits of various members of the Du Couteau family. Those of her before she had her beaty taken from her still hanging... She eye'd them as she moved up the steps taking her once almost hypnotic attractiveness, the shapely legs, the perfect curves and the milky white skin that had been as soft as silk. She sneers at the pictures before continuing on her way.
((Being one of the more important families in the Noxus Lore I thought we should have our own manor, where Kat and Cass could be found and occasionally Talon should he chose to return to his adoptive fathers home.))
Last Edit: Jan 2, 2013 18:19:18 GMT -5 by theserpent
Post by The Master Tactician on Jan 6, 2013 14:22:24 GMT -5
A raven soared over the impressive lawns of DuCouteau manor, her form nearly invisible against the darkened sky. She circled her destination, taking in the marble steps, the ornate pillars, the garden sculptures. Rain began to fall; great cold drops splattered the mansion's windows, dampened the sealed letter in the raven's talons.
Urged towards shelter by the impending storm, the raven alighted on a windowsill, shook her ebony feathers and rapped the glass thrice with her beak.
The letter bore the official wax seal of Noxian High Command. It was addressed in black ink, an austere hand:
Cassiopeia tilts her head as she hears the tapping on glass. She frowns, no one seemed to do be doing anything about it. Rolling her eyes she slides from her room towards the window... Swain's pet raven... Tempation to kill the bird just to see Swains reaction flickering across her mind, but is soon distracted by the letter in the birds beak. She saw the letters and smirked, no doubt for Katarina... She won't mind if Cass has a little read first...
She reaches out to take the letter not saying anything... She hated that bird.
If the raven gave it to her then Cassiopeia would open it and begins reading, curiousity flickering across her face. However if the raven didn't give it to her it would have a pillow thrown at it and the window's slammed shut.
Post by The Master Tactician on Jan 7, 2013 3:24:32 GMT -5
After releasing its burden into the woman's claw-like hand, the raven turned and took off into the storm, its wings flapping furiously against the buffeting rain and wind.
The wax seal broke with a pop and the letter's contents were exposed. They were brief, written by the same hand in which it was addressed:
You will report to the deliberation hall for briefing tomorrow morning.
Cassiopeia raises an eyebrow, what was her lovely sister doing with Swain? Trailing her claw along the letter she was tempted to rip it and throw it away. To bad the raven creature had seen her take it. She glides out of the room in search of her sister, note clutched in her claws. "Oh ssssiiiissssteeer!", she sings out to the manor as she moves around trying to see if she was even home.
Post by The Blade's Shadow on Jan 7, 2013 20:46:19 GMT -5
Talon typically didn't reside in the Du Couteau home for any longer than was necessary, though it had now become necessary. There were very few that Talon respected and for as self-reliant as he had been his entire life, there had been a single person he could rely upon. The General. He was now gone, likely dead for all Talon knew. It had almost been a compulsion, once he had disappeared, to follow in the man's footsteps. He only hoped that Katarina was truly her father's daughter.
It was what brought him through the sewers of Noxus, scaling the wall of the moat he so frequently abandoned the dead into, sloshing dispassionately in the waist-high muck around him. He knew he couldn't risk the main entrance, he knew that these tunnels and waterways were his domain, the closest to a home that he'd ever had.
When he hauled himself out of the gunk and sickening putrescence of his home that he was already on the Du Couteau estate, an adoptive home, its halls empty of most of what once drew him there, but a home nonetheless. He reeked, but that didn't matter to him. Not even the servants could see him as he entered, lest they break under the heavy hand of the League's inquiries. A splash of water hid most of his stench before he began his entrance, darting around corners and making use of shadows. He knew the internal workings of the estate, knew the guards and their habits, so it was nothing particularly troubling to him.
He came to a stop with his ear to the door of Katarina's room, to listen if she were home, a sickened feeling welled in the pit of his stomach. It was a distant feeling, one he'd not felt in many years. He couldn't identify it, whatever it was, nor could he grasp just how distracted it had made him, listening for nothing more than a peep on the other side of the door.
Cassiopeia glides up towards Katarina's room, the letter in hand ready to question her should she be there. Gliding down the red carpet she rolls her eyes at the potraits of the long dead family members, mainly soldiers it seemed. Covered and scars from battles long past.
She nears Katarina's room to spot a shadowy figure outside her room... Talon? No, it wouldn't be him. He had no need to be here... Dropping the letter, her eyes flash brightly as she lets out a loud hiss and fires a powerfull force of poison magic in the shape of a pair of fangs at the intruder.
Last Edit: Jan 8, 2013 0:49:59 GMT -5 by theserpent
Post by thespiderqueen on Jan 8, 2013 22:59:46 GMT -5
A knock came at the Du Couteau Manor, Elise herself stood at the door, a faint smirk under the hood she wore to protect her eyes. Elise stood straight, her back legs twitching slightly as she awaited an answer
Post by The Blade's Shadow on Jan 8, 2013 23:56:37 GMT -5
Talon's knees gave out from under him as the poison embraced him, weakly crying out in protest. He knew where it had come from, who it came from, almost shocked by how quickly she had decided to attack him. With his dwindling strength, he slipped a knife into his hand and propelled it toward his assailant, intending to do nothing more than graze her cheek with the blade. His body, however, protested to his commands, aiming low enough to send the blade rocketing at her chest.
He cursed his distraction, the confusion he felt. He still didn't know what had caused it, nor what made his balled fist thump twice against the door to Katarina's room while his chest slumped against it. With that done, he turned his gaze to the other sister, almost spitefully.
A fist slammed against the heavy oak that constituted her door; the sound resounding throughout the previously tranquil room.
Katarina stirred. Her trained body almost immediately enters a combative stance; the assassin’s hand quickly locating her concealed weapon- lithe fingers wrapping themselves around the worn hilt of her blade. Piercing green orbs scanned the room as adrenaline coursed through her veins. Everything seemed to be in place; her closet sealed… the drawers closed. The supplies she obtained from her recent trip to the armory were where she had left them as well- no signs of tampering, at a glance, anyway. The only movement was the soft flicker of her candle. The assassin’s addled mind only now caught up with her as she glanced towards the door.
Guests.
Invited? No. An intruder. No guest of hers would dare rouse her in such a way; save for her sister… but her greetings were quite… different. Rather strange, really, now that she thought about it.
She slipped off the bed, her bare feet soundlessly landing onto the blankets she had so carelessly flung aside when she woke. She replaced the blade onto her nightstand, choosing instead to arm herself with a weapon blessed with more reach as she advanced towards the door. Katarina danced her sword along the hem of her gown, slicing through the expensive material with ease to grant herself more mobility. She had always hated the dainty garments… Negligees just seemed so. Constrictive.
Another sound, lighter. Katarina smirked. It seemed the intruder wasn’t quite worth his salt, although she would congratulate him for having made it in this far; most likely after she had confirmed his safe exit from his mortal coil. She undid the bolt and grasped the handle, turning it ever so slightly before dancing back a few steps; brandishing her blade towards the slowly widening rift of light that was now spilling into her room.
The assassin raised an eyebrow as she lowered her weapon ever so slightly.
Cassiopeia moves in for the kill, her claws raised to rip out the intruders throat, a sadistic gleam in her eyes.... A stinging feeling peices just to the left of her heart, she feels her hot blood seep from the wound she hisses angrily, desperation filling her, surely her sister would aid her if she was there?... She summons another force of poison magic to fire at the shadowy figure.
Something however puts her off... The door to her sisters room opens and Kat utters a name that she hadn't been expecting in the slightlest. Talon? The force of magic is thrown off course hitting the ground beside Talon with a hot sizzling sound almost similar to acid burning through flesh...
Cassiopeia's vision fades, the wound in her chest causing her to bleed rapidly. She slumps to the ground with a dull thud, her breathing shallow as she lay with her eyes closed not seeming to respond to anything.
Last Edit: Jan 9, 2013 2:28:10 GMT -5 by theserpent
Post by The Blade's Shadow on Jan 9, 2013 2:51:22 GMT -5
Talon's hazy eyes continued to watch the serpent sister until finally she collapsed, slow to process the utterance of his own name. When reality finally trickled into his mind completely, he turned his head to face the source of of the noise and his eyes widen in confusion. The mixture of his weakened state and general ill-ease left the Blade's Shadow slumped onto his knees in front of Katarina, mouth hanging agape as if to make words, though little more than a groan pulled itself free of his throat.
It had to be some delusion of his mind. Perhaps this was all some sick dream Nocturne had conjured up while he had rested that day, only now revealing itself to be a twisted nightmare in which his life was ended in the very home he trusted himself to, at the feet of perhaps the only person left alive worthy of his respect, felled by the hand of someone he didn't think would turn against him. It was a feeling unlike many, but it was a fevered imagining born from years of mistrust he'd placed in others.
The low groan continued on until he had blinked twice, as though that would bring sense and reason back into the situation. That of course failed, leaving Talon with no recourse against his ailing body's quickly approaching unconsciousness but to stammer out what few words he could in an attempt to meet her question with some form of suitable answer. The words cascaded from him as he began what felt like a very long trip to meet the ground at his side, thankful to have control enough to careen away from the hissing acid.
Post by thespiderqueen on Jan 9, 2013 9:30:15 GMT -5
"Well well.." Elise said to herself, hearing the thud of two people through the door. "This sounds interesting.." Elise smirked a little, seeking to find another way to enter the sisters house, her eyes gazed up at a near by window. Elise sprang onto to the wall of the Manor, webbing encasing the palm of her hands to allow her to effortlessly climb up to the window. Once she reached the square glass, she used one of her sharp claws as a dagger to cut a hole into it where she easily slipped in. Dropping in on the other side of the room, Elise raised an eyebrow, seeing the collapsed Talon and Cassiopiea. Elise folded her hands behind her back and simply strolled up, stopping inches from the two.
The Spider Queen threw her hood to the side, letting her blood red eyes drift from Cassi to Talon before they finally rested on the only one who was standing, Katarina. "It seems a misunderstanding has occurred" Elise said simply, her facial features were calm. "I came to have a chat with you.. but it seems you have your hands full" Elise's eyes shifted to the wounded people on the floor
Last Edit: Jan 9, 2013 11:26:05 GMT -5 by theserpent
Katarina advanced, blade at the ready; meaning to further assess the situation and eliminate any possible threats- her eyes remaining on Talon for a moment longer. The wounds seemed to be of magical origin. The number of casters with such mastery over this particular kind of poison who could find their way into Du Couteau Manor without a small army could be counted on but one of her hands. This, unfortunately, didn't particularly help her considering none of them were exactly on bad terms with the household.
For better or for worse, the answer to her question was quickly answered with a familiar hiss. Impact. Much of the meticulously polished wooden flooring was torn away along with parts of the man’s cape; the second bolt of molded magic colliding mere moment s away from the disabled assassin. Katarina rounded the corner just in time to see what she considered the last member of her bloodline of any use collapse onto the ground; the source of her rather lethal problems apparently being the light metallic glimmer dressed in crimson lodged firmly in the center of her chest. Katarina growled softly, gritting her teeth as she immediately turned. Most illusions were dispelled when the recipient of the ruse neared death, although it would have to be most elaborate to mimic the poisonous nature of her sister’s armament. Katarina glanced towards the destruction. That was real enough. Talon? The speed and accuracy of a thrown blade to the point where a fellow League Champion would be unable to so much as react… A remote puppeteer? To manage to break either of them into betrayal seemed unlikely.
Talon’s words reached her. What he managed to say anyway- but even those were of little worth as her eyes immediately darted to yet another source of movement. A nearby statue of one of the previous heads of House Du Couteau moved ever so slightly – his rather large, impractical weapon shifting from its previous 180 degree angle down in a slight arc. A pressure plate had been triggered. Katarina rushed back into her room, letting her blade fall away and embedding itself into the ground. The assassin punched the section of her wall directly above her drawers, the paper tearing away as she retrieved a vial with serpentine design; its viscous cyan coloured contents bending and reflecting the dim candlelight. For emergencies, her sister had said. This surely counted. Her other hand grasped one of the numerous rather lengthy bags lying about from her recent… trip. The woman all but disappeared with a flourish; a light puff of smoke was all that remained as Katarina rematerialized besides Talon. First things first. Her lovely little sister’s corrupting magics would quite literally eat the man alive should the counter agent not be introduced; in comparison physical wounds were of much lower priority.
A simple fluid movement. Katarina’s hand grasped a strand of leather on her bag, pulling it as she made the motion to throw the sack towards the wall near her door- but didn't let go. The strap tore itself along the length of the bag as numerous blades of various sizes embedded themselves against the wall; her other hand uncorking the vial. What did she say again? Oral application? A mist exuded from the uncorked bottle as Katarina dropped to her knees. The contents rapidly began to vaporize into a new state of matter in contact with air. Attempting to drink that would just be silly. She placed the bag on the ground and tore away what remained of Talon’s contaminated top, revealing the festering wound and pouring the contents onto the burning flesh. The heavy gaseous cloud taking effect almost immediately as the corrupting influence of her sister’s affections were quelled by the counteragent. She tossed the vial aside, shattering the excellent craftsmanship as she reached back into the ripped sack, retrieving a few rather fat vials filled with red liquid from its depths; leaving the health potions next to Talon’s form. His life, no longer at risk, quickly put him towards the end of her queue.
A flurry of sound as the trained guards responded to the silent alarm in the Main Hall. Katarina scowled. They were late. How this invader made it so far into the manor in so little time was testament to her skill in itself. She kicked the bag over to Cassiopeia, letting the force of the strike carry her through a light spin, one hand retrieving the blade she embedded into the flooring earlier and her other fetching some of the numerous knives she had thrown against the wall; vanishing yet again as her foot touched the ground- appearing by her sister’s side. Katarina dropped to a combative stance, finding herself face to face with a rather unlikely guest, nearly attempting to gut the woman on instinct.
Manor guards gathered behind Elise, still yards away. The metallic clang of heavy armour as the entrance to the hall was sealed with a solid wall of tower shields bearing the Du Couteau family crest. Two hooded and cloaked assassins flanked Katarina as the spider completed her taunting words. Katarina moved, not because of the conclusion of the spider’s rather worthless comments, but because she could now act under the cover of allies. The woman turned, dropping the weapons she had hastily grabbed and placed her hands underneath her fallen sibling; picking her up ever so slightly- a hand under her tail and another on the serpent’s back. Another puff of smoke. Katarina reappeared merely a few feet away- distance limited by the extra… baggage. She retrieved one of the numerous vials next to Talon upon placing her sister on the ground besides her foster brother; resting the woman against her as she tended to Cassiopeia’s wounds.
Additional cloaked figures flanked Katarina and her fallen comrades, a robed figure also joining the party as calming mana danced along his fingertips. A sight that was quickly concealed as soldiers from the guardhouse on the opposite side of the mansion had finally arrived; their shields forming another solid wall of green and gold. Words broke the eerie silence that had followed the clamour of armour and steel.
"Show our guest... out."
Last Edit: Jan 9, 2013 16:17:44 GMT -5 by theserpent
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