#tabitha moreau

[thefreelanceangel]

  He never fails to make me laugh. To make me see the lighter side of everything. 

  ...and never fails to get me out of my clothing faster than I thought humanly possible...

[thefreelanceangel]

 All right... Now she was terrified. 

 Not simply due to the fact that Atropos who had been her constant companion for most of her life was now gone. 

 Or the fact that every time she tried to reach out for life energy resulted in a strange sense of disjointed sensibilities. 

 It wasn’t even the strange snapping sensation she had felt when healing a broken finger for a sailor who was aiding Tulvar in gathering crates up to stock the Maiden’s Mark.

    It was this. 

  Ankle-deep in the surf, Lachesis tilted her head back to gaze upwards at the wave that was perfectly content to ripple in mid-air above her. She wasn’t aware of how badly she was trembling nor of the fact that she was losing colour in her face. 

  It had been a thought, a simple one.

  “Damn it!” had been her only exclamation. A movement to run to shore before the wave crashed down her only gesture. 

  She had wished the wave would hold back long enough for her to avoid being soaked. 

  ...and now she was gazing upwards at this and Lachesis had absolutely no idea what had happened or how.

[thefreelanceangel]

Tabby: If you could put them into a different fictional universe, where would they go?

 I can feel her glower, but Lachesis (Tabitha Moreau) would actually skip her happy self right into Ravenloft to join the Vistani. {And hopefully end up as Strahd’s beloved… >.> Yes, okay, maybe I have problems…} She already has the witch concept, so it’d be easy enough to adjust her into the Vistani’s wandering lifestyle.  And Ravenloft is just perfect for witches.

[thefreelanceangel]

 I know that he lies awake some nights, watches me and doesn’t sleep himself. I wake when he brushes the hair from my face, or when he shifts me to pull me closer, but it’s easy to fall back to sleep. 

  He worries that I miss my home, but I don’t think he’s realized that he is my home.

[thefreelanceangel]

 With her eyes closed, she exhaled softly and knelt. Familiar scent, sound and air surrounded her, wrapping about the swamp witch like a blanket, and when Lachesis looked down at the depression between the willow’s roots, she felt another familiar sensation: the prickle of tears. 

  The violets, vividly coloured but losing their perfume in the thick swamp air, were in her hand, petals trembling as she laid them down on the damp, mossy ground. 

  It was the time of year for violets, and the time of year that she came to this tree, almost every day. 

  Lachesis exhaled slowly, arranging the flowers atop the depression now almost hardened with age. This year, she had been lax. Deliberately so. She had kept herself away, busied herself with helping Eiji consider various alternatives to piracy, helped the crew with a few minor illnesses, a few bruises from a fight in Lion’s Arch with a very large, very angry red-haired man. 

  She was fine when there was something to do, but in the quiet of the evening while Eiji consulted maps and she couldn’t bring herself to do anything, the thought of how she was letting the month slip away came back to niggle in her mind. 

  Well, she was here now. 

  And felt no comfort in it. 

  The longer that the witch knelt before the tree, the more she examined her own emotions, and the certainty that her tears were not for her loss grew. Lachesis sat back on her heels, looked at the splotch of violet that had been, for her, the colour of sadness for so long. 

  Now... It was the colour of regret, of sad memories, but... Her lips worked together once, and she leaned forward to touch the wet ground. The pain... was healed, although the ache unrelieved. 

  “I think it’s time to let you go,” she said quietly, smiling down at the violets. “I never truly had you, did I? But I’ve thought about you for years. I’ve wondered what your laugh would sound like, if you would have liked honey cake or cinnamon sticks.” Lachesis exhaled. “Thank you for sharing your life with me for as long as you could.” 

  Rubbing her hands together, the witch looked down at the polished band of wood circling her left ring finger--Eiji’s idea of a quick ‘placeholder’ ring, elaborately conceptualized while drunk--and smiled. With another exhalation, Lachesis leaned down and kissed the violets. 

  “I won’t be back, but I think that’s a good thing for both of us.” Now, tears were sparkling, and they fell as the blonde pushed herself to her feet, unaccustomed to standing so easily from here. Usually, she stayed until her legs went numb. 

  “Good-bye, my little girl.” Lachesis touched a kiss to the trunk of the willow, and turned away, walking with an easier stride towards the sloping path as she left Godslost Swamp behind.

[thefreelanceangel]

“Well, it’s certainly-”

 “-an unusual request.” Sharp grey eyes looked over the rim of her spectacles, and Vivienne Daube sat back, flipping the ledger before her closed. 

  “I know.” Swathed in a heavy leather coat, bundled up as snugly as she could manage, Lachesis shivered once and tucked her hands deeper into opposing sleeves. She was beginning to wish she’d taken Tulvar up on his offer of his coat, but that which fit a Norn comfortably would’ve left her unable to move. “But I remember you managing unusual requests rather well before.” 

  The petite redhead smiled, brushing back a wisp of hair. She wasn’t as Lachesis remembered. Vivienne was more confident, carried herself with an air of competence and the stutter that had plagued her was gone. Now she spoke with slow, precise deliberation but no hesitation. “There were a lot of unusual requests involved in helping the Lanterns,” the Archivist said, rising to her feet and moving to the brazier. Another heap of coals was tossed onto the fire before Vivi warmed her hands, holding them out to the flames. 

  Lachesis glanced at Vivienne’s right hand, saw the index and middle finger lacking a top joint, and looked away. A gleam of vivid pink caught her eye, drawing her gaze back to the woman’s hands, and she tilted her head to examine the unusual ring. “Is that orichalcum?” 

  Oh, the smile that rose to the little bookworm’s lips... Vivi tilted her hand to show the sparkling pink gem set in black metal, tiny diamonds sparkling around the center stone. “Yes. It’s my engagement ring.”

  Brows arched and Lachesis smiled broadly. “Engaged? That’s lovely! I am as well. To whom?”

  “I don’t know if you remember him; he wasn’t an active Lantern when we met.” Vivi gave the brazier a little nudge with her toe to shake the coals down to an even glow. “Khurn Tanish.”

  A flicker of colour passed before the blonde’s eyes, her vision darkening as it happened, and she frowned. “...his eyes... his head... He’s in ...pain?” 

  Vivienne’s grey eyes focused on the witch intently. “You know about that?” 

   “I... can see it. A bit. Nothing’s helped....?”

  “No.” The Archivist returned to her chair, sighing as she slumped into it. “And I can’t figure out what’s wrong. All of the healers I’ve taken him to say it’s something to do with his eyes, but they can’t tell me what. The medications are helping for now, but...” Vivi’s mouth tightened. 

  Lachesis thought for only a moment what it would mean to watch Eiji in pain and be unable to do anything. She blanched, leaned forward and laid her hand on the redhead’s desk. “If there’s any way I can help, tell me.” 

  “...you’re a visionary...” Grey eyes lifted to meet hazy blue. “Maybe... you can try to see what the cause is? I can’t tell if it’s physical or magical. All of the healing I’ve done just seems to lessen it for a day or so, but then his headaches come right back.”

  “I can try.” 

  The unspoken agreement that there was nothing that could be promised remained in the air, understood by both. Vivienne nodded, pulling the ledger back over. “A full, experienced pirate ship and crew, you said? What shape is the ship in?”

  “Ship shape,” Lachesis said, unable to help herself, and she laughed at Vivi’s expression. “The Mark is fine. We came back to Lion’s Arch to resupply and see what had been done to the city.”

  “...all right...” Pages flipped rapidly, the Archivist’s glasses pushed up on her nose as she scanned rows of text. “I deal primarily with books and documents, but I help arrange expeditions to examine locations and retrieve artifacts.” A parchment was pulled close and fountain pen uncapped. “I can’t promise the highest wages, and you might make more from piracy, but with what you told me, that’s something of a concern.” Ink glistened in flowing script as Vivi wrote rapidly. “This... you can take to the ship’s captain and if he finds the terms agreeable, I’ll come to Lion’s Arch with the final contract.” Dashing sand across the parchment to dry the ink, Vivi tapped it off into a tray, examined her writing for clarity and then passed it across the desk to Lachesis. 

  Carefully, the blonde scanned the script and her brow arched. “...really?” She glanced up at Vivienne. “Per crew member?”

  “Some of the areas we venture into aren’t very safe,” Vivi replied. “If you’re going to be at risk, it has to be worth the gain. I included the usual price paid per artifact, but it’s on the low end because there’s a whole chart that determines price due to the rarity, condition, etc.”

  Lips pursed, Lachesis nodded, touching the ink herself to ensure it was dry before she folded the parchment up and tucked it into the copious pocket of the coat she’d filched from Apropo. “Thank you again, Vivi.” She rose to her feet, offering a hand. 

  “Once a Lantern, always a Lantern,” the redhead answered, standing herself and using her left hand to awkwardly shake Lachesis’ right. “When can you examine Khurn?”

  “We won’t be putting to sea for a while even if no one agrees to this arrangement, so I can come within the week. Here or elsewhere?” 

  Vivi released the blonde’s hand, tucking her own into the pockets of her Priory-blue woolen skirt. “Send a l- Oh, better yet. Do you still have your CC? They’re still fully functional.”

  It hadn’t even crossed her mind and the witch laughed. “I do, but I’d almost forgotten all about it. We’ll be in touch then.” 

[thefreelanceangel]

30 Days of Character Development -Day 7

Where does your character live? Why did they choose it, and how did they acquire it? How do they handle intruders (graciously? violently?)? Describe the space.

Lachesis--known only to her fiance Eiji as Tabitha Moreau--currently lives with Eiji and the crew on the pirate ship, the Maiden's Mark.

Did she choose it for herself? Absolutely not. Lachesis grew up in a small hut in the middle of Godslost Swamp, a hut that had been her family's property for generations. When she and Eiji made the decision to marry, it was after the attack on Lion's Arch destroyed his former ship and left he and his crew essentially homeless.

Having Eiji and about eight other people in a hut that was perhaps a total of 100 square feet was... difficult on all involved, but it was the slowly deepening despair that sent Lachesis to Lion's Arch with all of the gold she had been saving over the years. A few conversations, an exchange of favors and payment made led to the presentation of an early wedding gift from Lachesis to Eiji: the Maiden's Mark.

Now Lachesis shares the captain's cabin with the pirate that stole her heart and pitches in about the ship wherever she can be of help. She hasn't yet sold the hut in the swamp and thinks of it more often than she'd like, but everything of value that she feels won't harm Eiji has already been brought and stored in the cabin.

Intrusions happen often enough, considering it is the captain's cabin. When Eiji acquired a wife-to-be, he went to the trouble of partioning part of their cabin off to provide Lachesis with privacy for bathing, changing, etc. {It is, of course, large enough to hold them both, but it's a tight fit. That was deliberate on his part.} If Lachesis isn't in the middle of something that requires a modicum of privacy, she's gracious and always ready to help. Should she be partially dressed or busy--the crew all know better than to interrupt when Eiji and Lachesis are in the cabin together--the swamp witch requests a moment or two in order to wrap up.

Unless, of course, there's an emergency.

A door in the center of the wall leads into a room that is roughly rectangular in shape. The surface of the deck goes from weather-worn and slightly rough to glassy silk over the threshold--Lachesis prefers to be barefoot in their cabin; Eiji ensured she'd get no splinters--and is nearly reflective, glowing a rich mahogany. Only one rug decorates the floor, nailed neatly into place beside the broad bunk that is across from and slightly to the left of the doorway. With the cabin's placement on the ship, Eiji was able to place a shallow bay window above the bunk. At night, the two are able to observe the stars, watch the weather and it ensures they're up at sunrise to see to the ship.

Everything in the cabin is an exercise in practical luxury. The Kurosawa family's wealth is something Eiji rarely draws on, but for the silk sheets, goose-down filled coverlets, plump pillows and those thick silk cords, hanging suspiciously from nails in the wooden bunk frame, he elected to use family money. All of the colours are rich--deep greens and blues, hints of violet and a lot of gold--and stand out vividly against the smoothly polished teak that make up the inner paneling.

To the far left of the door, just beyond the bunk, is the delicately carved wooden screen that provides some privacy for the broad tub behind it, the mirror and the neat water closet that a little extra gold slipped to an asura helped provide. A sheer green curtain can be dropped behind the screen, but the placement of the lamps provides an entertaining silouette for Eiji to watch when his wife-to-be is bathing. Only the water closet is entirely out of sight.

Right of the door is the area kept for the captain's desk and the small table that Lachesis uses for mixing the medicines she provides for the crew. The furthest right hand wall consists of inset shelves, small ledges keeping the contents from pitching onto the floor when the seas are rough. Eiji's collection of bows, animal skulls, maps and a few select books take up the shelves near the windowed wall; Lachesis's jars of herbs, books and the few items she brought from her hut are clustered neatly closer to the entrance wall. Her table is round, of an odd greenish-grey wood which has been polished to a high shine, and bears marks on the legs from the Risen in Orr, where it was found. A thickly cushioned chair sits behind it, the lamp overhead held in place with brass fittings to allow her to read with steady light.

Eiji's desk is narrow and black with age, the sides bearing gouges and splinters from the years of usage. Being one of the few things retrieved from his first ship, it still smells faintly of smoke and salt water. Bolted firmly to the floor, it seems to suck in light when looked upon and is often covered with charts, an astrolabe and the sextant he's had for years. Two more lamps are fastened to the wall behind the desk, just above the chair, and another sits on the corner of the desk. Held beside it by a clumsily glued wooden base is a delicate ivory figurine in the shape of a young Canthan maiden. It has no name or maker's mark.

[thefreelanceangel]

Lachesis: ☢: Freedom or Safety

 “I’ve had safety. There was little that would ever hurt me within the swamp, and Atropos has always been readily at hand.” The witch smiled, hazy eyes gleaming, and she stroked a hand through the shadow fiend’s amorphous tendrils. “Now, I’ve tasted freedom, and in all truth? That is my safety. Eiji’s helping me leave the past behind, and there’s a strange security in letting those chains drop.”