#cebina ruavin

[cebinaruavin]

(( Cebina goes into boss mode. Ready for Midnight <3 ))

[cebinaruavin]

Cebina Ruavin

Race: Ren’dorei 

Age: 127 years

Sexuality: Heterosexual / Aromantic

Profession: High End Escort and Relic Hunter

Addictions: Power

Marital Status: Single

Cunning, self-serving and patient, Cebina is only interested in power and money. Using her body as a means to get close to people, she will lie, use, and kill, without hesitation or regret, in order to get what she wants.

Current Situation: Seeking relics of power in K’aresh.

FC:  Margot Robbie

[cebinaruavin]

((Prepatch hit and now Cebina has a better look to judge others with <3))

[cebinaruavin]

Truce

((Story co-written with @thefugitivemango / @lordbeyron. @pariker / @inathia​ / @phoenixguard​ for mention.))

~*~*~

Cebina waited in the foyer as Bey’ron finished his bath. She took her time to stroll around the room, picking out her favorite wine and helping herself to a glass. She sat herself down comfortably in one of the large lounge chairs, sitting back and crossing her legs. 

She’d always enjoyed her time spent in the manor, as short as that time was. Bey’ron had good taste in lavish decor, always ready to entertain guests. She sometimes wondered if he expected Lor’themar himself to show up at his doorstep. Even the room he’d given her to stay in had been one of the fanciest she’d ever had. A shame that didn’t last. They’d worked well together, the two of them, before her switch to the void and exile.

Water under the bridge now, as it were. The war between Alliance and Horde was over now. While Cebina’s presence still wasn’t welcomed in Quel’Thalas, travelling there was no longer as big of a risk; as long as she suppressed her Void powers and kept out of sight, of course.

She swirled the wine in her glass and sniffed the bouquet before taking a sip. Yes. She’d certainly missed this.

Her presence wasn’t lost on Bey’ron; nothing happened in his manor that he didn’t know about. Eyes everywhere… but he figured Cebina knew that as well. He cut his bath short as he sensed her presence once more in his house. While he didn’t feel in danger of anything she might do, his trust in her certainly took a dive following her last big revelation. He dried and dressed himself casually, paced calmly as he always did, before stepping into the room.

“Pour one for me too, hmm?” he instructed, nonchalantly.

Cebina smiled from her spot on the chair moving her hair over her shoulder to show off more of her chest. A natural reaction for her, even though she knew it had no effect on Bey’ron. She pointed towards the counter, where a second full glass of wine sat waiting for him.

“Way ahead of you, Sweetie,” she hummed, “How have you been, Bey Bey?”

“Mm… considering my home’s been invaded,” he narrowed his eyes at Cebina, “not terrible.”

He scooped his glass from the counter, swirling it gently as he approached the Ren’dorei intruder, uncertain at what brought her here. To gloat more, perhaps? He didn’t think she would have come here to kill him… but then the void did alter one’s mind, didn’t it? How far had her dark studies taken her…?

“Why are you here, Cebina?” he asked, bluntly, tone indicative he wasn’t interested in going through the usual foreplay. “Haven’t you caused me enough of a headache already?”

Cebina raised a brow as he skipped over the pleasantries. That wasn’t like him at all! Had the Knight Lord’s absence affected him that much? Had he actually cared about her? 

“Oh, Bey Bey, you know me. I only specialize in making people feel -good-. You won’t find any trouble coming from me. Unless... that’s what you’re looking for.”

She tipped her head back, taking a long sip of the wine from her glass.

“But, if you insist on getting straight to business, so be it. As you know, the war between Alliance and Horde has come to an end. While I’m aware my people are still shunned for our superiority, at least my presence here is no longer considered an act of war. With the armistice signed between the Alliance and Horde, I was hoping you and I could work out something similar. Past mishaps now water under the bridge, as it were, hmm?”

She took another sip, allowing Bey’ron some time to digest the information.

Bey’ron rolled his eyes. It felt good not to have to try and hide the expression, as he normally had to do in the Council chambers when some pompous nobleman spouted similar nonsense. “Superiority,” indeed. He scoffed, accenting the eye rolling to better convey how unimpressed he was by Cebina’s notion.

“You want back in, is that it? Tired of the humans already?” he smirked, throwing a light jab of his own. “If your kind are so superior, surely you wouldn’t feel a need to reestablish any manner of connections here. Armistice or not.”

He knew well why she’d returned now, of all times. The Armistice might have been a part of it, but Bey’ron had long suspected that Cebina had ties to the Twilight’s Hammer cult. A cult without any more Gods to cling to, as of late. No, he knew Cebina was only here playing nice because she’d lost a large chunk of support. A loss she hoped to make up for here.

“You’re after the arrangement I offered when I first dismissed you and your ‘superiority’, Cebina. And instead of keeping things pleasant between us, you opted instead to lash out.” he scolded her, still swirling his glass of wine. “What changed? Why are you suddenly so interested in rekindling our friendship, hmm?”

Cebina giggled, waving a hand in a dismissal of his words.

“Sweetie, please! Did you go soft while I was away? We were never friends, and you know it. Work partners, yes. Allies, yes. But don’t go pretending it was anything more than that.”

Her void filled gaze met his as she leaned forward in her chair.

“You know as well as I do that knowledge is power. And even the more superior of us need allies, especially in times of peace. Don’t you agree?”

His ear flickered; she was right. They were never really friends… so why did he phrase it in such a manner? Had loneliness tugged him off course of his goals? Had losing Ina’thia made him soft? His frown turned to a scowl at Cebina. Seeing her again had brought out many reminders of the past… including his dedication to his ambitions.

“Hmph. You’re splitting hairs. ‘Friendship’, as a generalized term of working well one with another. As in… not sabotaging one another’s projects.” Bey’ron snapped, fel flames in his eyes burning a little more intensely. “You’re reaching out for a hand you bit, Cebina. And you bit it hard. I had plans for the Phoenix Guard, and you crippled it. Killed it! Did you think I’d be so quick to forgive your childish maneuvers? Perhaps I have been too soft, letting a treacherous Old God underling like you breathe another breath of my Eversong air!”

He tossed his undrunk glass aside, letting it shatter in the corner. Portals began to open up all around the two elves, pouring chittering laughter and aggressive growls into the chamber from whatever dark dimensions lay beyond them. Demonic eyes peered in from the room, all fixated on Cebina. But nothing emerged… yet.

“Give me one good reason, Little Bird, why I should take you back.”

Cebina remained unfazed at Bey’ron’s show of force, her eyes glimmering with pride as they continued to burn into his. Her smile widened. 

“Because,” she stated simply, “You need someone to keep you on your toes.” She got up from the chair, letting her form fitting skirt brush the floor as she paced slowly.

“You’ve gone soft, Bey Bey. What I did was nothing compared to what your dear Knight Lord put you through, I’m sure. You let your guard down with her, didn’t you? Made yourself vulnerable. Now look at you, sulking in your manner and trying to pick up the pieces of what she left behind. Look at who you’ve surrounded yourself with. All soft.”

She stopped pacing a few feet in front of him, knowing well not to get too close to the Magister.

“Face it, Sweetie. You need me a lot more than I need you right now. You know it. And that is why you’re throwing this little temper tantrum, isn’t it?”

Bey’ron’s scowl turned to a smirk. He chuckled at Cebina, folding his arms behind his back as he did. The portals held position, though the snarling from within softened… yet the chittering laughter grew a bit more as if to join their master.

“Oh, I need you, is that it? That’s why you came here, then? You sensed how much I needed you? So you snuck in, seeking to restore our amicable arrangement? How kind of you, Little Bird.” he laughed on, tone clearly mocking. “You may be right; I’ve relaxed quite a bit, following your little stunt, and Ina’thia’s departure. You’ve done well in reminding me of that, tonight. But frankly… I can think of no other use I’d have for you. You think too highly of yourself if you presume you’re the only one who can, as you put it, ‘keep me on my toes’, hmm?”

A worthy attempt, he had to admit. But his wit hadn’t dulled quite that much since last they spoke. Cebina wouldn’t have come here just to rekindle a relationship unless she had something specific to gain in doing so. She’d caught him in an emotional state-- which was to say, she caught him actually feeling emotions. But that alone wasn’t her purpose in coming to him now. It seemed they ended up dancing around the heart of the matter, after all.

“Let’s try this again, shall we?” he straightened, brow askew. “Why are you here, Cebina?”

“Hmm, much better,” Cebina grinned, “There’s the Bey-Bey I know! Don’t worry, I have no intentions of returning to Silvermoon or messing with whatever you’ve got going on with your little friends.”

She sauntered back to her chair, taking a sip and getting comfortable once more, pulling the skirt of her robes up to expose her thighs as she crossed her legs.

“I need a contact to keep me up to date on the going ons of Horde politics, as it were. In return, I’ll be certain to forward any information I come across from the  Alliance side. I’ve gotten quite close with some of the higher up politicians in Stormwind. In short, you have your goals and I have mine. As long as those goals don’t go against each other, there’s no reason we can’t go back to being respectful associates.”

“Mm, that depends entirely on what your goals actually are, doesn’t it?”

The Magister returned to the counter, and retrieved another glass since his last one broke. He didn’t bother glancing over to where he’d thrown it; it was already cleaned up anyway, the work of some Imp while no one was looking. He filled his new glass with wine, before turning back to his guest.

“It also depends on what manner of information you can provide. I’ve already arranged a few eyes and ears among your Alliance’s political players, and they’ve done well in feeding me useful little tidbits.” he explained as he, too, finally took a seat in a chair adjacent to Cebina’s. “I suppose you think you could do better, though? Provide me with more exclusive information?”

He grinned at the Ren’dorei.

“Let’s hear a sampling, hmm?”

“Oh, darling… you have NO idea.”

Cebina moved her hand, opening it palm up as a small void tear opened up just above it, depositing a scroll into her hand. She’d worked with Bey’ron long enough to know he wouldn’t take her at her word. He was MUCH smarter than that; one of the things she rather liked about him. Of course he would demand proof that she could procure information more valuable than his own men could gather. 

She held the parchment out for him to levitate over.

“I’ll let you read for yourself. Human men are simple creatures, and SO predictable, especially when it comes down to interacting with exotic women,” she grinned, tilting her head up proudly, not a hint of shame of how she used her body, “I think you’ll enjoy these little tidbits, especially certain secret outings the King has been making.”

The Magister couldn’t hide the intrigue on his face, as he read the scroll over. It was a mixed bag, certainly, with some bits of information much more useful and actionable than others. For now, anyway; Bey’ron learned long ago that sometimes the most innocuous details can bridge gaps in some of the darkest secrets. These outings of the Alliance’s Boy-King that Cebina alluded to, for example… they meant nothing for the moment. Just a piece of a puzzle Bey’ron could use later, when he found where it fit.

But he wasn’t going to tell her that.

“... Hmph. I suppose these have some merit.” he commented; such words meager approval from some, but high praise when coming from his lips. “If I did, perhaps, have use for information you’re willing to bring, what exactly would you wish in return? Bearing in mind, I am not as prone to betraying my kingdom as--”

He paused, gaze tracing over Cebina in silent judgment. A less-than subtle jab. He allowed the parchment to roll up once more, curling by virtue of having been rolled up before. He held it upright as a small portal opened above it-- and a tiny pair of imp hands reached down to snatch it away absconding with the paper to Sun-only-knows where.

“... Others.” he concluded his thought, smirking.

“Of course, of course,” she waved a hand, not seeming the least bit insulted by what Bey’ron insinuated.

Cebina had always joined causes out of convenience. She’d joined a number of houses and organizations during their rise, only to move on to another as she sensed they were about to fall. Her entire life had been about taking what she needed to further her own goals. Now wasn’t any different. She knew it. Bey’ron knew it. There was no point in pretending she ever cared for Quel’Thalas.

“Ever the loyalist, I remember. I would never ask you to betray your kingdom, Bey-Bey. I have no interest in playing with Sin’dorei affairs. However, a man of your elite stature certainly has spies dispatched throughout the other factions of the Horde, hmm? All I’m asking in return is that you share that intelligence with me.”

Bey’ron contemplated for a moment, eyeing Cebina over scrutinously. He was torn; at what point did benefiting the Void Elf become endangering the High Kingdom? It was easy to work with her before, when their goals coincided often. But he couldn’t imagine an instance where they would, now. The value of even small details cut both ways. What could he tell her that wouldn’t potentially come back detrimentally to Quel’Thalas? The secrets she was willing to share were, indeed, valuable to him. But at such a cost…?

No, the payoff was far greater than just a few meaningless details shared between the two. A truce was at stake-- a partnership with Cebina made her an ally once more, rather than the spiteful enemy she’d proven to be otherwise. It was a dangerous gambit, indeed. But he knew it was more beneficial to bring her to heel with a few tasty morsels of information than to let her run wild and lash out. 

“Mm. So be it.” he nodded, with a smirk. “We’ve worked well together in the past. If you’re ready to do so again, it would be in poor form for me to deny you the pleasure.”

He raised his glass to Cebina; a toast to seal the deal, and rekindle their partnership. It felt like the right move; after all, you keep your friends close.

And your enemies closer.

~*~*~

[cebinaruavin]

talk about your muse’s most prized possession(s).

Cebina has formed an emotional attachment to the Sin’dorei clothes and jewelry that Brent was able to procure for her after she was forced to flee Silvermoon. Needless to say, for someone as vain as her, the physical change the Void instilled on her was a difficult one to accept. Being able to wear things from her Sin’dorei days have helped a great deal with the transition.

[cebinaruavin]

Survivors

((Co-written with @thefugitivemango / @brent-sunborn . @pariker​ / @nepenthea and @kaiekasunwhisper​ for character mention.))

~*~*~

Shortly after the events of Ny’alotha...

Crash!

The shadows sloppily deposited Brent into his tent in what remained of the Coterie’s camp. The lack of grace wasn’t from wounds or exhaustion… his power was waning. He’d felt it immediately as N’Zoth was destroyed. Ripples had surged through the shadows, wracking everyone linked in any way to the Old God at the moment of his demise; and they hadn’t been the same ever since. Like a wheel spinning off its axis, Ren’dorei could feel the shadows losing stability, falling out of the balanced alignment they once boasted. He brought himself to his feet, and set back the items knocked over by his rough landing; a jeweled vase and golden scarab statuette, both of which he’d uncovered with Nepen’thea in their archaeological days. This tent had been one they shared… and he couldn’t bring himself to change anything about it.

His ear flickered, eyes narrowing as he glanced to the tent’s entrance. He wasn’t alone, it seemed. He drew a dagger - the metal feeling heavier in his hand somehow - as he silently stepped towards the tent flaps. He couldn’t feel anything as clearly through the shadows anymore, unable to tell if it was a friend or enemy he heard in one of the adjacent tents. 

He knew it wasn’t Kai’eka, at the very least. For one, it was much too quiet a noise to be her. For another… he’d watched her die in Ny’alotha. Even without the runes connecting them, the pain he’d felt shoot through his body was paralytic. Intense. Sorrowful. Thinking of it now caused his heart to well up in his throat. He swallowed it down, refocusing on the imminent danger. Was someone ransacking the Coterie camp? Or…

“... Ceb?” he called out in a whisper, hoping it was her.

“Glad to see you haven’t lost your sharp senses, Sweetie,” the familiar melodious voice spoke up.

The shape of Cebina’s silhouette formed among the swirling shadows of the rift, before stepping out to meet Brent. She looked healthy and well. Clearly, she hadn’t been anywhere near the fighting in Ny’alotha… or perhaps she had and was just that good. It was hard to say which. It was rare to find the priestess on the front lines of any battle. Like Brent, she preferred to operate through deceit and choosing the perfect moment to strike. 

She could feel Brent drained through the shadow link they shared. They felt significantly weaker since she’d last seen him. It was understandable, given the events that had just transpired. Her own powers had weakened from N’Zoth’s destruction, but only slightly. The Priestess knew better than to draw all of her powers from a single source, and she’d been prepared for the eventual fall of the Old Gods. 

“You look terrible,” she said, walking past him and into the tent.

She sat on the bed, her robes opening up at her thighs as she crossed her legs. Her hand patted the spot next to her.

“Just the two of us left, then?” She asked, head tilting, “Haven’t been able to sense much of anything without the runes.”

The Ghostblade slipped his dagger away, as he exhaled a sigh of relief into his mask. He’d had enough fighting… and enough losing friends… for one day. He tugged his mask down, as he took Cebina’s invitation to sit down beside her on the bed.

“Kai’s dead.” he said, bluntly - though his tone conveyed well his sorrow at that fact.

He looked around the room, shoulders slumped and ears drooping. He’d known this was a possibility - a part of him had even hoped for it. But that didn’t take the sting out of this defeat. He’d failed Nepen’thea. And now, he’d failed Kai’eka. The loss took its toll on Brent, whether he cared for it or not.

“What’ll you do now?” he asked Cebina, eyes finally flickering over to her. “There’s nothing left worth rebuilding. The Twilights are done. You have a plan from here on out?”

Cebina remained quiet and attentive until that moment, keeping her hands respectively to herself. She’d noted that Brent hadn’t sought her out since Nepen’thia’s demise, so she left any physical initiative completely up to him. As expected, the ex-Blackened Blade didn’t take loss very well.

She leaned back a bit, as he asked the question, eyes staring at some unknown point as she thought it over. 

“Well, I still have my little business in Stormwind. That’s going well, so I’ll keep working at that for now. Might make the occasional visit to Silvermoon to play around with an old friend. Nothing much to do now except wait for the next opportunity, hmm?”

She wasn’t speaking of the cult, of course. The Old Gods had been a transitory thing for her. N’Zoth’s army had been good while it lasted, but their fall was inevitable. Even without them, there was still power and knowledge to be found.

“What about you?” she asked, turning her attention back to Brent.

“I…”

He trailed off, going silent. He stared for a moment at nothing, before looking back to Cebina. His gaze was telling; lost, uncertain… scared. 

“... I don’t know.”

His ear flickered. He’d expected it to feel all the worse to say aloud, but somehow he felt… liberated? A weight lifted from him. He didn’t know what to do now, for the first time in years. It was something he’d dreaded for a while, but now it felt… freeing. He didn’t know what to do because nothing was required of him, now. No one had any demands of him. No cosmic force held him in any expectations. 

He laughed. Suddenly, surprising even to him.

“I don’t know!” he repeated, smiling.

He shrugged, continuing to chuckle lightly as he looked at Cebina. Ears perked, shoulders back… completely different than just moments before. The possibilities were endless for him! By the nature of how he worked, he wasn’t tied at all to the Twilight Cult. No implications that would cause him any trouble with the law. None he was aware about, anyway. He’d be honestly surprised if anyone could tie him to the Old Gods. Especially now. 

“I can do… whatever I want, yeah?”

“Mhmm,” Cebina chimed in happily.

She shot him a smile as he finally understood. Brent had been a cultist for years, she’d seen it in his mind when he’d shared how important Nepen’thea had been to him. He’d loved her dearly… to the point where he’d put himself in a prison; two prisons. He was a slave to the cult all the while imprisoned by his love for Thea. Cebina hadn’t bothered to bring it up, knowing he would have never seen it her way; rose tinted glasses.

“Freedom,” she continued, “It’s a powerful feeling, isn’t it? Not having anyone to answer to. No one to hold you back from discovering who you were meant to be.”

“Yeah. It’s… it’s daunting, but…” he nodded. “I’m… excited about it. Is that weird?”

He chuckled again, as he thought more about it. What did he want to do? What should he choose as the next chapter of his life? He had some ideas… but none stood out among the others too strongly. But he liked it! It was a new sensation, such an uncertainty! It fed into his newly-discovered agency to decide for himself! For once, there was no wrong answer!

“I… I want to get back into archaeology.” he declared - of that, he was certain. “But first, I think I want to… interact with people. Somehow.”

He nodded again, firmly. This work had isolated him from all but a few people. And now, with the majority of those people gone from his life, he felt he’d need more. It’d been so long since he made a new connection. That Kal’dorei Death Knight was… possibly one. Before, Cebina was the only other. His eyes flickered to her, as he reached out his hand to take hold of hers. 

“I… want to interact with you more, too,” he told her, firmly, “This shouldn’t be the end of our friendship… right?”

Cebina giggled, laying back on the bed as she looked up at Brent.

“Of course not, silly! There’s no reason for the two of us to stop hanging out because of the cult’s fall. Our friendship goes beyond the will of some Old God, hm?”

Her shadows brushed gently against his, not in an attempt to entice him, but more for him to feel she was telling the truth. There was nothing to hide on the subject. Unless Brent specifically put himself in her way or attempted to hinder her work, there was no reason to terminate the relationship they’d cultivated up until now.

“You won’t be dragging me to any of those digs, though. The desert is TERRIBLE on my hair,” she smirked, “I’m much more comfortable in the city, getting spoiled while I gather up dirt and blackmail on all of  these foolish nobles.”

Brent smiled at that, and nodded. He felt Cebina’s sincerity, even without the shadowy affirmation. It was nice to be around her again; the latter parts of the Old One’s plans had kept him busy. Too busy to visit her casually. He’d see her in passing and give her a nod on occasion, but otherwise... At least, that’s what he told himself. The real reason was much more complicated. Nepen’thea’s death took more than just his professional drive. And while his libido had briefly sparked back with Kai’eka… her demise snuffed it back out. For… the most part.

But Cebina had an unmistakable allure. He felt it even now, just sitting beside her. In part, that’s why he kept himself too busy to seek her out, knowing she’d happily indulge him in a little release. Of course, he knew she got more than just sexual satisfaction out of their encounters, too. The allure, he suspected, was an accessory to her abilities. The bright lantern to draw in her prey… She was good at what she did, of that there was no doubt.

“The city suits you well.” he nodded. “I… won’t stray far at first. So if you need anything I can help you with, you need only ask.”

He brushed her back with his shadows-- or what remained of them, at least. While his sincerity was conveyed just as hers was, he couldn’t hide how broken, weak, and unfocused his shadows had become. He’d invested far too much in N’Zoth… and now he was paying the price.

Cebina took note of his weakened shadows. She would never show it, but she was glad for it. While their shadow connection had its uses, the priestess hated the idea that anyone was able to track her or read her. She kept her mind especially guarded, and having to tiptoe around the rogue as to not give away some of her true feelings and intentions was especially annoying. It had been one of the main reasons she’d kept her distance after Nepen’thea’s death. Had his shadows sought hers at all, any slight slip up would bring her whole ruse coming down. The idea of being able the sever that link once and for all was enticing; having her mind completely back to herself, free of visitors. Brent wouldn’t suspect a thing, assuming the link was lost due to N’Zoth’s fall.

“Well,” she said, sitting up to scoot over a bit closer to him, “You know I’m never opposed to pretty jewelry and trinkets.”

She brought a hand to rest on his lap. Giving him a playful smile.

“You have good taste. If you find anything you’d think I’d like, I’d be more than happy to take it off your hands.”

“Of course, happy to.” Brent nodded, placing his hand over top of Cebina’s. “And I hope you don’t mind if I drop in on occasion to visit. For healing, perhaps? And… maybe other reasons?”

This bout of familiarity was something the rogue needed, now. With so much up in the air, finding things he knew well helped keep him grounded. Feelings. People. Cebina. His hand clenched gently about hers in a light squeeze, as he leaned into the Priestess. She wouldn’t need to read any shadows to guess what he was thinking and feeling, now.

Cebina smiled, ears perking up at Brent’s suggestion. She leaned in with him, bringing her hand over to cup his cheek as their lips met. She pressed in, tongue dancing with his as her shadows swirled in delight. 

“Mmm… it’s been too long, Sweetie. I hope you’re ready for the ride,” she moaned against his lips.

[cebinaruavin]

(( Cebina meet’s @luminashdawnwing ‘s Lithendras. The two are getting along exceptionally well XD Already plotting together! ))

[cebinaruavin]

Sinister Shadows

((Story co-written with @thefugitivemango / Alteris . Story elements discussed with/approved by @nepenthea / @pariker . @brent-sunborn and @kaiekasunwhisper tagged for character mention))

~*~*~

Ears flickered and eyes darted around. Alteris had no desire to be here, of all places. He’d heard stories of Nazjatar, of course - he expected every elf had. And even before his family had inducted him into the shadowy cult of Twilight, it sounded very much like a place he wanted to avoid at all costs. Seeing it now, that opinion hadn’t changed.

But he had a purpose here and now. In the ruins of Zin-Ashari, the Coterie had made camp. Expecting the glory of N’Zoth to wash over them here, at the moment of his expected release… they waited. She waited. Nepen’thea meditated, communing with the darkness, the shadowy power that flowed through her. Empowered her. Even now, she was in a trance state, completely attuned to the Void. Alteris watched her from the shadows of her lavish room. Watching her, and the door… warily. If she woke, she’d have questions. And if Kai’eka or that angry little stalker she partnered with came back, they’d have questions, too.

Questions he’d rather avoid.

“Find it yet?” he asked, voice barely above a whisper. “Thought y’knew where it was.”

“Never said that, Sweetie,” Cebina’s melodious voice replied.

It was true. The priestess has promised to keep an eye out for the item Alteris had requested, and to collect it if found. However; she hadn’t been invited to Thea’s room often since then; the Speaker was drawn to her Void meditation more and more the closer N’Zoth came to being free. Just as well. The commotion at the Eternal Palace gave the two interlopers the perfect opportunity to search her room freely.

And so, while Alteris watched her back, Cebina rummaged through chests, drawers and wardrobes. She wasn’t about to risk actively using her powers, though. That would leave a trail that could be traced back to her.

Time passed and Cebina huffed. Her search had yielded no results. She looked over to a large pile of pillows where Thea’s famous hookah was kept.

“You also never mentioned what it would look like,” she added as she got up and went over to look under and around the pillows.

“I dunnae know what it looks like! I told yeh that!” he whisper-shouted back, brow furrowing. “It’s gotta be here, though. She wouldn’t leave it behind.”

He slipped back from watching Nepen’thea, delving deeper into the room to help Cebina search. It was a huge disadvantage, not knowing what, exactly, it looked like. But a powerful item like that, literally his leash, wasn’t something he could see the Speaker leaving outside her reach. It had to be there, somewhere!

“Check boxes and shit.” he whispered again. “Th’ thing in me’s some kinda sphere… maybe th’ controller is, too.”

“Boxes are too obvious,” Cebina tapped her finger on her lips as she thought, “Hmm, a sphere…”

Her ears perked up as she made her way back to the vanity and began sifting through the jewelry.

“Come here and see if any of these feel familiar to you.”

Alteris shrugged - it was worth a shot. Slowly, he hovered his hand over the jewelry as Cebina splayed it out atop the vanity. His lip curled down, in disgust; lavish necklaces and bracelets, earrings to match… gaudy things, some of them. Others so ornate and complex, he could hear the whispers of unearned superiority in their low jinglings when Cebina set them out. Alteris was never big into the lavish life anyway. But this seemed especially excessive. Sickeningly so. 

Nothing felt familiar.

He huffed, grumbling lowly in… Dwarvish?... as he continued the futile search. Nothing reacted, nothing felt any different or out of the ordinary. None of the jewelry could be the controller. Nothing in the room felt like the controller. If she hid it, she hid it well. And he didn’t have time to overturn every drawer or case in the room to find it. His eyes narrowed, shooting back to the Speaker in stasis. She’d forced his hand, this time. Bringing him back into enslavement, flaunting her power so needlessly… for what? She didn’t seem to want him for anything other than just to say she had him. A pet. He wouldn’t get free of her as long as she had that control. Otherwise…

“... We’ve gotta improvise.” he mumbled lowly, eyes narrowed.

Cebina sighed at Alteris’ lack of patience as she went about returning the different pieces of jewelry in their rightful positions in the ornate box. There was a reason she mostly worked alone... 

“Not much to improvise on, Sweetie. Thea’s not dumb. She hides her things well. There’s probably an Arcane cloak over it. Makes it invisible and is preventing Void users from detecting it.”

She couldn’t help but chuckle at Nepen’thea’s cleverness, “She’s good. Best just to put everything back where we found it and come back when the next opportunity presents itself. I’ll look into acquiring something that can help us detect Arcane enchantments for next time.”

It sounded like a solid plan. And if Alteris was of a mind to hear it, he might’ve agreed. But his mind was made up - if he couldn’t find the controller, he’d simply have to make sure she could never use it. And there was only one sure-fire way to make sure of that!

“Won’t be a next time, Sweetie.” Alteris returned, somewhat mockingly.

He reached back, quickly drawing his swords from their scabbards. Without hesitation, he reeled back, and thrusted them at Nepen’thea! ...But it wasn’t so simple to kill a Speaker. Least of all, one as cunning as her! The void energies surrounding her reacted, forming a dense barrier that caught Alteris’ blades as he thrust them towards the Speaker. He snarled, pressing against the void barrier with all his might! Within it, Nepen’thea seemed blissfully unaware of what was going on; her serene expression remained, as her meditations continued. 

Somehow, it pissed Alteris off all the more.

“What are you…?!” Cebina quickly spun as she heard the clash of energies.

She shouldn’t have been surprised. Alteris wasn’t the patient type. He’d demonstrated that once already by getting killed in Silvermoon not long after his resurrection from the Void. She wanted to be angry, but really, Alteris was just acting like the dumbass he was. It was her own fault for agreeing to come with him on this search in the first place. 

The damage was done. Nepen’thia had been attacked. Despite her appearing oblivious to it, no doubt had a way of detecting who had made the attack. She could attempt to stop Alteris, and risk going down with him when shit hit the fan. Or, she could help him in murdering a prone Speaker and gain more control and freedom over her own situation. Between her and Alteris, they could no doubt get the job done.

She didn’t need to move from where she was, extending her hands as the shadows weaved around to encompass her entire body. Her powers were much stronger here, so close to N’Zoth’s embrace. The shadows extended from her fingertips, shooting across the room to move over the barrier.

“Get ready,” she told Alteris, “I’ll have the shield down in under a minute.”

It was all she said before setting her mind to the task at hand, pouring all of her concentration in nullifying the barrier. The Speaker’s shield was strong, but her mind being elsewhere made it less strong than it could be. Cebina, being empowered and in full concentration, was much stronger in this situation. The Void energies sparked and flared.

Pleasantly surprised Cebina didn’t try and stop him, Alteris grinned. He held, pressing against the void shield as long as it took for the Priestess to undo it. It shattered in an instant, the powers both of them exacted against it proving sufficient enough in overcoming the barrier! 

“Now!”

The burst, however, caused a blowback - a steady galewind force of power blasting back anything not tied down! Nepen’thea’s personal protection was layered, it seemed. The shield was only the beginning! Curtains billowed, clothing racks and dressers toppled over, the room itself fell into an upheaval… But Alteris remained, planting his feet as he resisted the blast. He couldn’t fail now, they’d come too far for that by now!

“Nnnyyaaaaagh!” he cried out, swords inching closer against the torrent of energy repelling him!

He began to gain ground, razor-sharp tips of his dark swords closing in on the Speaker. Tantalizingly close - mere millimeters! He lunged with all his might to close the gap. It worked; the blades found purchase in Nepen’thea’s chest, barely piercing her skin!

Her eyes shot open, affixed on Alteris. She smirked.

Then, she was gone.

The repellant force ceased, the room falling eerily still. Alteris collapsed, dazed and dumbfounded by what had just happened. The death rune, perhaps? No… it hadn’t triggered. Both he and Cebina would’ve felt it. He quickly looked at his arm, where the rune was - intact, as it had been. She vanished for another reason altogether. Cebina as well had braced herself for the pain that came with the rune being set off… but it never came. Thea was gone… but not dead. 

“--What happened?!” he demanded, eyes narrowing at Cebina… as if she knew any more than he did.

“Pookie?”

The horror separated itself from the shadows as it was called, taking its rightful place at the Priestess’ side and awaiting its orders.

“Find Thea. Kill her.”

The shadow monstrosity made its way around the room. If Thea teleported somewhere, the Void creature would easily sense her trail and track her down. It lingered around where the Speaker’s body had been, seeming to sniff the air around, but there was no trail to be found. Cebina herself kept her shadows on high alert. Not attempting to subdue her powers anymore as she tried to detect a Void tear or portal of any kind.

“I… don’t know,” she finally admitted, “She’s not dead, but she didn’t teleport or blink away, either.”

She suddenly gasped as she realized. Thea had been in deep meditation… she’d been working harder and longer for months enhancing her connections to the Void. Attacking her in such a out of body experience could only do one thing...

“She’s become one with the Void,” she concluded, wide eyes looking at Alteris, “We destroyed her body, but her spirit is lost in the Void. That’s why our runes didn’t go off.”

“.... Y’sure?”

Alteris continued looking around, warily. Joining with the Void wasn’t exactly what he had in mind. He much preferred the assurance of a corpse. He’d joined with the Void himself, before… and clearly that didn’t turn out to be a permanent arrangement. His ear twitched as he looked Cebina over, lips curling to a smirk. Nepen’thea was the one to pulled him from the Void; no one else among the Coterie could. Cebina, perhaps, but… she wouldn’t. Not after going through the trouble to help him kill her. That was, more or less, what they did.

“She’s good as dead, if that’s true, lass.” he chuckled. “Think we did it.”

The room was already a mess, but Alteris set immediately to trashing the place further; yanking down drapery, scattering clothes… then dousing every soft fabric thing in alcohol by pouring it out. It wasn’t hard to figure out his next move.

Cebina simply watched him, silently. Pookie had returned to her side, emitting some strange mix of a growl and a purr as the Priestess gently scratched the top of its head. This wasn’t at all how she’d imagined the scenario playing out. A less obvious murder scene would have been preferred, but there would be none of that with Alteris.

Obviously, he wasn’t the type to think ahead very far.

“So what’s the plan, Sweetie? Where do we go from here?” 

She was curious as to what was going through his head.

“... We?”

Alteris raised his brow, as he emptied out the last of the alcohol onto the lavish bed in the corner. He shrugged at Cebina, passing her by as he headed for the door.

“She’s fuckin’ dead, now. I’m free, lass. I’m gone.” he explained. “Th’plan now is t’burn this shithole down, and ne’er look back.”

He was polite enough, at least, to wave Cebina out of Nepen’thea’s encampment before lighting the match and tossing it into the volatile room. But he was clearly eager to - fingers twisting and spinning the match stick around, in anticipation.

“You oughta do th’ same.”

Cebina frowned, waving aberration back to the shadows as she followed Alteris out the door. She wasn’t about to stop him from burning down evidence, after all. 

“We had a deal, Alteris,” she reminded him, hands finding their places on her hips, “I help you gain your freedom, you help get me off the chopping block. Brent is going to be furious, and,  unlike with you, your big kodo of a sister won’t hesitate to cut me down. If you won’t take me with you, at least make it look like I tried to fight you off.”

Alteris scoffed! He let out a light chuckle, as he tossed the match in through the doorway - the room ignited quickly. 

“Can’t help if y’still want in good with these people, aye? Brent’ll be huntin’ me down. An’ Kai’s gonna be fuckin’ pissed, family ties aside.” He shrugged. “Y’want off th’ choppin’ block? Do what I suggest; disappear.”

Swiftly, he tucked his matchbook and cigarette case back into his pocket, and turned to leave. 

“Deal’s done. Nice knowin’ yeh.”

Cebina did nothing to stop Alteris from walking away, though she did look awfully put out; arms crossed and eyes narrowed. She let out a sigh as the shadows around her body slipped away.

“Thanks for burning the evidence, at least, Sweetie.”

While part of her was frustrated at Alteris’ unwillingness to hold up his end of the deal, the situation could have been much worse. All evidence of Cebina being part of this whole event was currently up in flames. All she had to do was make up a story about being away investigating a disturbance, returning only to see Alteris fleeing the scene. Brent would automatically blame him anyway. 

She turned to face the burning building, arms remaining crossed over her chest, hip sticking out. Then, she smiled as she enjoyed watching The Speaker’s home burn just a little longer. Finally, she brought a hand to touch the ring on her finger, activating the communication rune beneath it.

“Brent! Kai!” She made certain her voice sounded alarmed and out of breath, “It’s an emergency!”