Solemn

nataliehall

I wouldn’t call it finished but I’ll probably come back to this some other time

Within the lush, temperate greenhouse, cries out a rather foulmouthed little voice; one quickly muffled beneath the glove of the Empty Knight. Its gauntlet tightens it's hold around the beast, squeezing the air from it- not too much- but just enough to silence it's blasted cursing.

The Knight, with it's other hand, flips thick wads of pages from a hefty tome, searching- searching... 'G' is found, and its fingers move quickly through the pages again, more thoroughly this time, it's index sliding down each one until it finds what it is looking for: 'Gnome'.

Something like a satisfied grunt can be heard from within it's helm, and faint dust gusts through the vents with it. "A rather pathetic excuse of a spirit- if you may be caught this way." Solemn hisses to the creature, one which still fights it's ironlike hold.

Then, the lattice door opens with a silent creak, and the Knight stills to the sound of it.

"You came just in time, my Lady." It says with a pleasant shift of tone, turning it's helm to acknowledge her presence. "I have found the culprit who has been rummaging your razkovniches."

@magistrix-epheme

She makes a disgruntled noise, glaring at the little wretch. "Of course it would be one of those. Well done, Sol. I'm half tempted to tell you to squeeze it harder."

But she leans down to scowl at the creature more fully. "You. You'd better hope that my knight here is feeling merciful today, because after the damage you've done I'd be perfectly happy to see you airborne. Perhaps see if Sol can hit a target with you at fifty paces. Those were specially imported, you know - hardly cheap." Still grumpy, she straightens up at glances at the knight. "What do you think?"

The Knight steps backward from the table, lifting the gnome off of it and holding it high between itself and Epheme.

"It refuses to tell me where it's from. Or why it needs the razkovniche." Solemn grumbles, absent of any real interest for the gnome. "I do rather like the thought of testing my throw-" they turns the gnome in their hand idly, testing it's weight, and the thing kicks at it's gauntlet pathetically. "...though I'd also rather not have to deal with a little army of the blighters arriving on your doorstep- seeing how feisty this one is." If the Knight had discernible eyes, they would narrow cruelly at the gnome.

"I had hoped you had a method of getting it to talk, before I- sent it away- lets put it."

"Oh, I probably do. But I have better ways to spend my time than interrogating a gnome."

She leans closer to it, voice dropping menacingly. "You hear that? You'd better answer my knight's question. Or you're either going flying, or I'm using you as a test subject in one of my experiments. I wonder what interesting things we could do to you?"

The thing trembles, Solemn's gauntlet clattering with it- more fearful of the Magistrix than the Knight, clearly.

"PLEASE NO- JUST LET ME GO! I'LL NEVER DO IT AGAIN-" the gnome shrieks, finally talking, to the Knights displeasure— so displeasured, in fact, their grip tightens on it. "ARGH- FUCK OFF WITH YE- METAL CU-" The gnome is dropped, falling, far for its height to the stone floor, bouncing with a grunt as it lands.

Uncaringly, the Knight sets its boot atop it, holding it in place. "Mind your foul tongue around my Lady, spirit." It does not bother to turn its helm downward to speak to it. "Now. What does a spirit need razkovniche for? What needs unlocking to you, if you could break into here?"

The gnome fails to speak, again, only doing so when Solemn begins to drag it's little body across the floor with their heel. "ALRIGHT!! STOP! FAE LOCKS! FOR FAE LOCKS!"

Epheme tilts her head, fascinated. "Fae locks? Opening them, creating them? Explain." She has her teeth in new information now; there will be no dissuading her until she understands.

"F-...for opening, obviously. AGH-" Solemn presses its heel harder, making it squeak- punishing the gnome for its crude disrespect. "FAE HOMES." The gnome cries, then quiets, momentarily. "...I- I resell their trinkets- OFTEN STOLEN, TOO, MIGHT I ADD!"

The Knight brings a palm up to the forefront of its helm, leaning in a weary pose. "...You would incriminate my Lady with your pathetic schemes?"

"Dear me," Epheme says softly. "I wonder how many angry, angry fae there are with homes which have been broken into and burglarised? I imagine they'd be ever so grateful to have the thief handed over into their tender, loving care."

She reaches out to flick one of the gnome's ears. "Or... you can show me how it works. And then I will very, very kindly let you go... after bespelling you to ensure you never again even consider stealing from me. Let's see. How about one which turns you inside out if your fingers get even a little itchy near my property?"

The gnome’s teeth chatter, and it claps its hands together pleadingly. “P-p-p-please no! I will tell you! The- the- the trick is q-quite simple. Oh Great Lady!”

The Knight lets out a rather disgusted noise, and certainly would have rolled its eyes, if it had any.

“All you need is the herb- place a stem into the lock, as a key- a bundle might be needed if the lock is big, o-or complex!” The gnome continues, gesturing the action as it speaks, as if that were the mystery here. “Then! You make a wish, and the flower roots in the lock! Open! Easy as pie!”

Solemn turns to Epheme, weariness plain in its voice. “I suppose we should be thankful, that such a plant is so rare. Now knowing the simplicity of this feat.”

"Indeed. Useful to know, though."

She pulls an enchanted quill from her pocket, tracing the shape of a spell in her palm before pricking her thumb with the nib and pressing the bead of blood that wells up into the centre of the circle. The spell flares to life and she gathers up the light of it into a tiny ball, pressing it into the gnome's skull with one finger. Harmlessly, apparently. "There. Now you're bespelled. Get out of my greenhouse and don't come back."

The gnome fearfully watches her finger trail this sidgil across her skin, as it lights, and then presses to the top of its head- shaking so hard it rattles the Knights sabatons. Once the enchantment is complete, Solemn lifts it's foot- and the Gnome darts off immediately. Quick as a rat, scrambles up the table, and immediately leaps out of the opened window it presumably came in from.

Solemn stands still for a moment, perhaps shocked by the deftness of the thing. "...here's hoping that is the last of such intrusions." It says in a grimacing tone, inspecting the bottom of their boot as if it stepped in muck.

"Better to let them escape so they can warn others to stay clear," Epheme says, dusting off her fingers primly. "Good work on apprehending it, Sol. I'd been thinking we'd have to put down traps, and they're so messy." She goes over to close the window, on tip-toes to reach it over the table.

#magistrix and knight #tw gnome violence

The Knight bows, clasping its chest. “Of course, my Lady.” Then, it rests a hand on Epheme’s shoulder, steadying her from the precarious climb she is putting herself in. “Please, allow me—”

It leans, creaking across the table, and pulls the window close for her.

“There. I wouldn’t want you to strain yourself unnecessarily.” Solemn shrugs, an affectionately teasing tone as it looms above their Liege, an invisible yet still too present bastard smile upon it.

mads-schubert

Knightly sticker design concept

#art #eyestrain

expressions-of-nature

Swallowed by Whitebeard

#flora and fauna #architecture

giveherswords

riding the highest horse you’ve ever seen back to my glass house

#knightly oaths

Within the lush, temperate greenhouse, cries out a rather foulmouthed little voice; one quickly muffled beneath the glove of the Empty Knight. Its gauntlet tightens it's hold around the beast, squeezing the air from it- not too much- but just enough to silence it's blasted cursing.

The Knight, with it's other hand, flips thick wads of pages from a hefty tome, searching- searching... 'G' is found, and its fingers move quickly through the pages again, more thoroughly this time, it's index sliding down each one until it finds what it is looking for: 'Gnome'.

Something like a satisfied grunt can be heard from within it's helm, and faint dust gusts through the vents with it. "A rather pathetic excuse of a spirit- if you may be caught this way." Solemn hisses to the creature, one which still fights it's ironlike hold.

Then, the lattice door opens with a silent creak, and the Knight stills to the sound of it.

"You came just in time, my Lady." It says with a pleasant shift of tone, turning it's helm to acknowledge her presence. "I have found the culprit who has been rummaging your razkovniches."

@magistrix-epheme

She makes a disgruntled noise, glaring at the little wretch. "Of course it would be one of those. Well done, Sol. I'm half tempted to tell you to squeeze it harder."

But she leans down to scowl at the creature more fully. "You. You'd better hope that my knight here is feeling merciful today, because after the damage you've done I'd be perfectly happy to see you airborne. Perhaps see if Sol can hit a target with you at fifty paces. Those were specially imported, you know - hardly cheap." Still grumpy, she straightens up at glances at the knight. "What do you think?"

The Knight steps backward from the table, lifting the gnome off of it and holding it high between itself and Epheme.

"It refuses to tell me where it's from. Or why it needs the razkovniche." Solemn grumbles, absent of any real interest for the gnome. "I do rather like the thought of testing my throw-" they turns the gnome in their hand idly, testing it's weight, and the thing kicks at it's gauntlet pathetically. "...though I'd also rather not have to deal with a little army of the blighters arriving on your doorstep- seeing how feisty this one is." If the Knight had discernible eyes, they would narrow cruelly at the gnome.

"I had hoped you had a method of getting it to talk, before I- sent it away- lets put it."

"Oh, I probably do. But I have better ways to spend my time than interrogating a gnome."

She leans closer to it, voice dropping menacingly. "You hear that? You'd better answer my knight's question. Or you're either going flying, or I'm using you as a test subject in one of my experiments. I wonder what interesting things we could do to you?"

The thing trembles, Solemn's gauntlet clattering with it- more fearful of the Magistrix than the Knight, clearly.

"PLEASE NO- JUST LET ME GO! I'LL NEVER DO IT AGAIN-" the gnome shrieks, finally talking, to the Knights displeasure— so displeasured, in fact, their grip tightens on it. "ARGH- FUCK OFF WITH YE- METAL CU-" The gnome is dropped, falling, far for its height to the stone floor, bouncing with a grunt as it lands.

Uncaringly, the Knight sets its boot atop it, holding it in place. "Mind your foul tongue around my Lady, spirit." It does not bother to turn its helm downward to speak to it. "Now. What does a spirit need razkovniche for? What needs unlocking to you, if you could break into here?"

The gnome fails to speak, again, only doing so when Solemn begins to drag it's little body across the floor with their heel. "ALRIGHT!! STOP! FAE LOCKS! FOR FAE LOCKS!"

Epheme tilts her head, fascinated. "Fae locks? Opening them, creating them? Explain." She has her teeth in new information now; there will be no dissuading her until she understands.

"F-...for opening, obviously. AGH-" Solemn presses its heel harder, making it squeak- punishing the gnome for its crude disrespect. "FAE HOMES." The gnome cries, then quiets, momentarily. "...I- I resell their trinkets- OFTEN STOLEN, TOO, MIGHT I ADD!"

The Knight brings a palm up to the forefront of its helm, leaning in a weary pose. "...You would incriminate my Lady with your pathetic schemes?"

"Dear me," Epheme says softly. "I wonder how many angry, angry fae there are with homes which have been broken into and burglarised? I imagine they'd be ever so grateful to have the thief handed over into their tender, loving care."

She reaches out to flick one of the gnome's ears. "Or... you can show me how it works. And then I will very, very kindly let you go... after bespelling you to ensure you never again even consider stealing from me. Let's see. How about one which turns you inside out if your fingers get even a little itchy near my property?"

The gnome’s teeth chatter, and it claps its hands together pleadingly. “P-p-p-please no! I will tell you! The- the- the trick is q-quite simple. Oh Great Lady!”

The Knight lets out a rather disgusted noise, and certainly would have rolled its eyes, if it had any.

“All you need is the herb- place a stem into the lock, as a key- a bundle might be needed if the lock is big, o-or complex!” The gnome continues, gesturing the action as it speaks, as if that were the mystery here. “Then! You make a wish, and the flower roots in the lock! Open! Easy as pie!”

Solemn turns to Epheme, weariness plain in its voice. “I suppose we should be thankful, that such a plant is so rare. Now knowing the simplicity of this feat.”

"Indeed. Useful to know, though."

She pulls an enchanted quill from her pocket, tracing the shape of a spell in her palm before pricking her thumb with the nib and pressing the bead of blood that wells up into the centre of the circle. The spell flares to life and she gathers up the light of it into a tiny ball, pressing it into the gnome's skull with one finger. Harmlessly, apparently. "There. Now you're bespelled. Get out of my greenhouse and don't come back."

#magistrix and knight #tw gnome violence

The gnome fearfully watches her finger trail this sidgil across her skin, as it lights, and then presses to the top of its head- shaking so hard it rattles the Knights sabatons. Once the enchantment is complete, Solemn lifts it's foot- and the Gnome darts off immediately. Quick as a rat, scrambles up the table, and immediately leaps out of the opened window it presumably came in from.

Solemn stands still for a moment, perhaps shocked by the deftness of the thing. "...here's hoping that is the last of such intrusions." It says in a grimacing tone, inspecting the bottom of their boot as if it stepped in muck.

thorninyourflesh

oh to ever so gently be plucked from the warm grass where i fell asleep basking in the afternoon sun, like some lowly wildflower meant for a lover, and be carried off to my chambers in the strong and capable hands of my most beloved knight.

#knightly oaths

pmamtraveller

Thief of the Moon, Norman Lindsay (1924)

pmamtraveller

The Dream City (1919), by Thomas Moran

omenalehto

pieni järvi ilta-aikaan, keskikesää

#flora and fauna

throatoftheworld

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

#gif warning

throatoftheworld

Mermaids by Artem Demura