TIME ESCAPES YOU

Ultimecia, affiliated with Alternate Origins

[srnokedmirrors]

It was quite an odd wonder, but honestly, the male was dying to know what was going on inside of this woman’s head. He was certain that she knew more than she let on - and even for a tutor. She was like some kind of… queen, almost, or maybe an enchantress, staying out of the conflict but watching from the sidelines like a spectator at a game. How much had she seen, almost? But then he shook his head, trying to focus himself once again.

He nodded his head, blue eyes looking around as he processed the information. “I see, I see…” He muttered, licking his lips as he met her eyes again. “Do you simply believe that they don’t have the time for such? It’s only expected that a family with that kind of status would be busy; however, it is to be said that if they entrust you with something that precious, they have a lot of faith in you.” Maybe you keep their secrets… Trustworthy, no doubt. But she had that kind of air that meant one person could trust her with secrets and then another could not. It reminded him of… him, almost. 

A liar and a cheat, and pray to god you get on his good side, because he’ll stab you in the back if you don’t, figuratively and literally.

“Magic?” Oh, no. He had never believed in magic. He believed that ‘magic’ was an excuse for something for somebody else to blame on. However, he was trying to make himself an equal player in her game, whatever it may be, so instead of responding with a flat ‘No,’ he smiled in her direction. Although, really, it was more of a smirk. “I would have to see it to believe it, Miss.”

[temporalterror-blog]

“Faith? Do you really think so?”

Still sounding like she was laughing through her words, Ultimecia grinned cheerfully, the expression looking like that of a royal who had been amused by something the court jester had said. A family like that doesn’t follow their faith and this man knew it -- and she knew that he knew it. The Castiglioni family, and any major group which had its fingers deep in something dirty -- they couldn’t rely on faith. All they had was their deals.

This was where Ultimecia was superior. Making deals was something she never, ever had to do, because she never, ever had anything to lose.

“You hear those words pretty often. Seeing is believing, yes, that much is definitely true. Very, well, then.” As if preparing to do something miraculous, the woman leaned forward, her voice growing slightly quieter. She raised a single hand from the surface of the table, her fingers curling in a fashion that might have been similar to one starting to cast a spell. With twinkling eyes, she raised a single finger...and pointed into the distance behind Edward.

Behind him, one could see rolling hills, covered with red and yellow forest, and from the leaves, several spires poked up -- the roof of her manor.

“I live in that mansion, as you likely know, Mr. Edward. I wasn’t born into a rich family, and you won’t find my name or face on any important-looking records. By all appearances, I have done nothing at all to earn my lifestyle. And yet, here I am, drinking fifty-dollar tea with you -- savor the taste, I’d recommend -- and gesturing to a house I purchased on my own and live in alone. You can research me all you want, and you won’t find a single thread to follow. You could say I made my lifestyle appear out of nowhere. Miraculously.”

For some reason, the air around them seemed to grow colder. Ultimecia calmly sipped at her tea.

“Do you think you could explain that, Mr. Edward, if you think it’s something that’s not magic?”

[temporalterror-blog]

Who has an atrociously garish fashion sense and plays with mafia bosses like chess pieces?

This witch right here.

[srnokedmirrors]

She was so poised and so confident in person; he was expecting more of a recluse, somebody who didn’t have very well social skills. But, he should have scolded himself for not knowing better, since popularity normally meant that one was high on the social ladder. He wasn’t used to Aelluria, but yet, he was learning.

She seemed that she know than she let on… He would definitely have to investigate. This could possibly be dangerous for him and his mafia gang. Did she affiliate herself with one of his competitors?

He smiled in return, masking his thoughts well. He wasn’t known for his acting skills, but he was cunning enough. He was cunning enough to the point where, if she even knew he was lying, he could play that off to his advantage. He wasn’t powerful for nothing; but, then again, he seemed to rely more on risking anything to get where he was, along with brute force. He was a loose cannon, so diplomacy and talking were not his forte.

“If you’d be so kind.” Poised and polite. He had to try and be a good actor, or, at least, put on that mask that would hide his true motives. He was preparing himself in case he made any mistakes - and he was alone, so sure, that was bound to happen. Kidd would be slapping him upside the head, telling him how he “fucked up and should start thinking with his head instead of his lust for money.” So he sat down, sitting back in the chair and watching the woman, studying her, with piercing blue eyes.

“Castiglioni?” Kenway, you’ve let her in too easily! Get your head out of your arse and do something sensible! Oh, there was Kidd. “…Ah, yes, I believe so. Very powerful family, aye?” Playing dumb was too risky, and automatically giving up his act was even riskier.

[temporalterror-blog]

With steady hands, Ultimecia poured some tea from the pot it was brewing in into a separate glass and slid it across the table towards her visitor. The autumn wind nipped lightly at the senses, the lovely bite of a breeze which could be soothed by a warm drink. The ‘sorceress’ was fond of tea for its calming effects, as opposed to coffee, which agitated and dulled the senses. In a place like this, you had to stay sharp, and that meant staying collected.

“Yes, indeed -- the Castiglioni family. Truly an interesting company, don’t you think? Ah, but it’s the girl who matters here. You see, I tutored her -- have done so for at least a good five years. I must admit, I’ve lost track of the time. The fact that such a renowned family would entrust even a part their daughter’s education to someone like me, it says something, doesn’t it?” She was being quite free with her information -- that didn’t matter to her. It didn’t matter what people knew, in the end. She was the only one playing cards here.

Taking a pause, Ultimecia picked up her teacup and took another deliberate sip. She was taking her time with this. This was a game of patience as much as it was anything.

“Power makes quite the difference, Mr. Edward. You’re wondering about my renown, perhaps about what got me to my position here? You’re wondering how I’ve come to live alone and yet with such success, with no history of such ‘power’ at all?” A light laugh was contained in her words -- she was smiling.

“Would you believe me if I told you it was magic? That’s what a lot of people say, after all.”

[thevoiceof-nightvaleradio-blog]

The Interview [Starter for temporalterror]

[thevoiceof-nightvaleradio-blog]

Cecil really couldn’t help but grin he was over excited to be doing this. The tone in his voice clearly different from the one he had when he read of the news. He grinned a bit embarrassed, “Alright yes person of interest it is.” 

“What do you think it was that got you into your place of interest?” He obviously was trying to change his voice to be more professional but is was still very clear that he wasn’t be as professional as he should be. 

[temporalterror-blog]

“Time, of course.”

The question was answered with an almost systematic tone, as if she’d already known what he was going to ask and had prepared her response beforehand. Her eyes focused once again on Cecil’s. There wasn’t even the shred of a joke there -- she’d spoken completely seriously.

“You cannot achieve anything without time or patience. My interest largely lie in the scientific and mathematical parts of life -- time is a natural object of study for someone such as me. Unfortunately, I suppose such study wears thin on one person alone...I’ve attracted a lot of attention, clearly.” A light nod towards her microphone. 

“It comes with the position, it seems.”

[srnokedmirrors]

@temporalterror liked for a starter!

He never believed in magic. That was plainly put; any member of his mob would say that the great Edward Kenway enjoyed a little bit of sleight of hand, but did he actually believe that supernatural forces existed? No. 

But it seemed to catch his eye when he heard of a ‘sorceress’ in Aelluria (what he was doing there was classified among his peers, but he was doing research on other popular families that could have been possibly associated with the mob; knowing the enemy was important) that apparently had a large amount of popularity despite living alone of all things. But it wasn’t the magic that seemed to gravitate him towards investigating her; it was the money. 

He was greedy, simply put. He wanted to know where she got her money, and if it were possible for him to gain fortune in the same way.

Thankfully, she wasn’t hard to find. There weren’t a lot of rich people in Aelluria, apparently, so it was easy to pick out who had more luxuries than others. He had approached her calmly, not exactly telling her just who he was, passing himself off as Edward, an independent journalist who loved knowledge from Solias. Hopefully his name wouldn’t be as popular in Aelluria as it was in his home region, but it’s not like it’d mean much of a problem if it was.

“You’ve made quite the reputation for yourself, Ms. Ultimecia.” He tried to sound as innocent and polite as possible - but that couldn’t be farther from the truth. “Which begs the question, are you aware of it? Of the mystery that surrounds you here?” 

[temporalterror-blog]

You don’t get rich by being stupid, and this was doubly true in Aelluria.

The way you do it is actually pretty simple, in words. You break the rules until they can’t be broken anymore. You get so far into the system you’ve essentially created a black hole around yourself and don’t exist. You burn your loose ends and become whoever you want. You become Ultimecia, a woman with no past and a miraculous fortune, whose very existence is an oddity which can only be labeled as magic.

Actually executing such a plan, well...she’d done it. She didn’t know anyone else who had even come close to trying. And she had tendrils absolutely everywhere, even in places the tendrils didn’t know they were.

Calmly sipping at the cup of tea in her hand, Ultimecia regarded the man with yellowish eyes. My, my, wasn’t she popular in recent times? She couldn’t help but smile a little, the expression more sardonic than anything else. Setting her cup down, she gestured with a gloved hand to the seat across from her. The cool autumn air blew leaves across the shaded patio where she sat, giving her an ephemeral, immortal image.

“Please, Mr. Edward, have a seat. Would you like a cup of tea?” Silly boy, getting himself wrapped up in something like this. The question he’d asked, it was the question of a journalistic amateur. But he wasn’t an amateur -- rather, he wasn’t a journalist. First mistake.

“Awareness isn’t the question here, I think. Just a week ago, I was interviewed by a radio host named Mr. Cecil Palmer -- perhaps, as a man of knowledge, you know of him? Yes, of course I know what people think of me. But that’s not the question you want to be asking.” She wasn’t even looking at him anymore, her eyes focused on the pale sunset.

“...Do you know a girl named Ms. Beatrice Castiglioni, perchance?”

[lannasroleplaymemes]

Compliment Sentence Starters

“Your smile is contagious.” “You look great today.” “You’re a smart cookie.” “I bet you make babies smile.” “You have impeccable manners.” “I like your style.” “You have the best laugh.” “I appreciate you.” “You are the most perfect you there is.” “You are enough.” “You’re strong.” “Your perspective is refreshing.” “You’re an awesome friend.” “You light up the room.” “You deserve a hug right now.” “You should be proud of yourself.” “You’re more helpful than you realize.” “You have a great sense of humor.” “You’ve got all the right moves!” “Is that your picture next to “charming” in the dictionary?“ "Your kindness is a balm to all who encounter it.” “You’re all that and a super-size bag of chips.” “On a scale from 1 to 10, you’re an 11.” “You are brave.” “You’re even more beautiful on the inside than you are on the outside.”

Part 1 of 4. Taken from here.

[temporalterror-blog]

Something feels different.

[kisarabewd]

For every 🐌 in my inbox, the muse will tell a secret about the mun

[talkdolphintome-blog]

Send ☏  for a voicemail from my muse.

[temporalterror-blog]

Prompt 01 -- Origin Story || Ultimecia: THE BEGINNING DOESN’T EXIST

Like everything else, time got her there.

There was a time when the woman known as Ultimecia had a name. Everyone has a name, you cannot be legally born into a world like this one without a name. A title, a weight to hold you down and root you to yourself. She’d discarded that. Such a weight was useless, she had decided, and therefore she’d stripped herself of it. This woman longed to rise to a higher state, and therefore, cut a basic line for herself. Names were rooted with time, and to her, time needed not exist.

Official records would state that she was in her thirties, but official records could easily be manipulated and even eradicated, if you had enough power and patience. With time came power, and patience begets time. It’s simple math, simple science, two things she had always excelled at.

Say, did this woman ever have a family? Did she have friends growing up? Did she ever live in a world where absolutely anything at all mattered to her other than exceeding herself?

If so, that time was long gone.

She was nobody, and in that, she was herself. Ultimecia, the witch who lived in the forest. Say, when you heard stories of such crones in your childhood, did you ever imagine that they may have once been young? That they may have once had stories of their own, before they became side characters in the stories of others? That they may have had to grow up, to become something that they now were? That they lived, and that life took time?

Many are convinced they never did have a time like that. And perhaps that’s what made them so powerful. Living in an eternal old age, they obtained eternal wisdom, eternal strength, eternal understanding of everything. They didn’t have names, or ages, or personal records, or even a memory of a different time.

So why should she? If she was akin to such power, then she needed nothing else. She could make her own time, until everyone else bowed before it and understood it as the truth. She had no past, and she could head into the future indefinitely. People would whisper, and wonder, and guess, but they could never reach a truth if she erased it, made it nonexistent. 

Ultimecia lived alone now. A true witch living alone in the forest, in a great mansion only heralded by a long cobblestone path. The house wasn’t in the greatest condition, but she maintained it, with the help of others. But what was truly important was that she lived alone. The mansion had perhaps five bedrooms, a hall, a beautiful dining room meant to seat a family, but it only ever belonged to one person. 

Time

                           was

                                                frozen

                                                                        there.

Are you beginning to understand now?

There is no origin. She made it so that there never was. So that she didn’t have to forget, she simply erased it. And with that erasure, everything was gone. Nobody could contest that. Nobody could deny it. She held the proof to it, in the form of the absence of anything else. After all, how can you deny something that is the only possibility? That is the truest magic. That is the truest power.

Ultimecia was never happy. But this thought may have brought her a sliver of contentment.

In that truth, she’d beaten time itself.

[thevoiceof-nightvaleradio-blog]

The Interview [Starter for temporalterror]

[thevoiceof-nightvaleradio-blog]

It was a few minutes before Cecil was given a signal for the intro. He leaned forward his voice going slightly deeper than it was before for the sake of radio. “Time is changing dear listeners but the question is what caused it? Welcome to Dearu” He sat back the intro music playing for a few moments before he again spoke. 

“Hello Listeners, as some of you might know we have a special guest here today from Aelluria and I know some of you like me are very excited to know about this celebrity. But alas dear listeners we must first read some of the news.”  

Cecil turned over to his notes for the news stories reading out some of the happenings of the town and some other happenings in the greater word before the attention was once again drawn to Ultimecia. 

“Now it is time to turn back to our guest here. How about you introduce yourself for us?”  

[temporalterror-blog]

Special guest, celebrity -- it was enough to set a woman to blushing. Of course, Ulti didn’t blush as much as offer a small smile, either to him or to herself. How silly it all seemed. Certainly, she was a recognized figure, for several reasons, but she never took that much interest in that fact. What people payed attention to was one thing, her existence was another entirely.

Leaning forward, Ultimecia allowed her eyes to meet with Cecil’s for a fraction of a moment. In that moment, she hoped that she could transmit some of that understanding to the man.

“Good day. I am Ultimecia, down from Aelluria. I’m flattered at being called a celebrity, Mr. Palmer, but honestly, I feel that’s an inaccurate title. Perhaps just a ‘person of interest?’ Regardless, I am very happy to be here, thank you for having me.”

Was that too much for an introduction? She did have a tendency to get long-winded. Oh well.

[iontidings]

Confident Clothing

@temporalterror

It was rude to stare, Xion knew that. She knew better than to let her eyes linger at the woman’s fancy clothes. They were certainly…different than what Xion was used to. Had she been gone from Aelluria that long to where the fashion sense changed? Either way, the teen was impressed. To have the confidence to wear such different than normal cloth.

It took her a moment, but she was able to tear herself away from the elegant clothing. Hopefully she wasn’t being as creepy as she though she was. 

[temporalterror-blog]

Ultimecia was always a bit of a fashion outlier. If you could equate ‘a bit’ with a train coming down the tracks at five hundred miles per hour with no brake in sight and the station coming up over the horizon. Yes, the woman dressed with the confidence of a minor god, to the point where simply walking down the street turned the heads of the unprepared.

Fine silks, furs, open dresses, sweeping robes, velvet gloves -- all this and more was at the “sorceress’s” disposal. Her hair, put up in a way incomprehensible to everyone other than its owner, only added to the effect. And so, she wasn’t in the least surprised to find a child gawking at her appearance, returning the look with a calculated, charismatic smile.

“It takes a bit of work to pull off, darling, but it’s not as difficult as you might imagine. All you need is a little time -- and a sense of self. I don’t believe I’ve seen you around here before...are you visiting?”

[mugennomajo]

Beato’s grin flitted to sheepishness for a moment as Ultimecia waved the book in front of her– she caught her sneaking a peek, Ultimecia always caught her at her games and tricks, honestly– but it returned to its usual cocky smirk in an instant. “Ah, but teacher, if it’s taught by you I’m sure it will be interesting.” 

Interesting was far more easily applied to talking about the island her family just acquired. “The island is near a certain other family’s island so we can more easily reclaim some… money that’s been borrowed from us for far too long. Apparently it’s haunted by a white witch. I’d believe it, there’s a fog that creeps in every night without fail. Clearly the island holds some form of magic.” It was almost a bit of a boast– she got to continue the family business while keeping up with her occult hobby. “I’d love a cup of tea though, if you don’t mind. Any interesting happenings here as of late?”

[temporalterror-blog]

“Hah! You speak as if this place was ripe for the picking for some sort of divine intervention. Nothing interesting happens here, dearest, you should know better than anyone. You make a life for yourself out of, ah, excitement.” Another snarky comment from the hag. Someone like Ultimecia wouldn’t have survived in a world like this one if she didn’t have a habit of knowing everything about everyone -- especially her students and friends.

Turning on her heel, Ultimecia moved to the kitchen. Beatrice already knew this house well, the woman knew she didn’t have to invite her to follow.

“So, a white witch, is it?” Idly, the hostess continued the conversation while putting on a pot of tea. “How silly would it be if you found yourselves hounded by a ghost, or better, a demon? Mind that the sheets don’t get too stained, I suppose. We give life to our own nightmares, Beatrice, always remember.” Another one of Ultimecia’s mantras. Sometimes, she sounded like she’d lived through fifty lifetimes, and not just thirty-odd years.

“What’ll you be having, dear girl? If your resident ghost asks, I wouldn’t want you complaining to her about ratty treatment from your coot of a teacher.”

[temporalterror-blog]

The RP life is slow...and slowness is a function of time Ultimecia dislikes.

Therefore, another RP ad! Capping at 4.

[thevoiceof-nightvaleradio-blog]

The Interview [Starter for temporalterror]

[thevoiceof-nightvaleradio-blog]

Cecil grinned and he looked to the intern who have a thumbs up and he smiled. “Yes everything should be working properly he grinned. He got up once more to close the door to the studio. The were going to be on soon and needed the sound prof environment. 

The man with the voice built for radio crossed his legs quietly, “Are you ready for today’s interview?” Cecil himself felt woefully unprepared but if anything judging by the scrawled notes and stack of papers he was probably over prepared. 

[temporalterror-blog]

“Absolutely.”

Ultimecia leaned back in the seat and smiled towards her host. She’d given a quick eye to the papers strewn over his desk -- my, my, it looked like she was going to be here a while. That’s all right, though. Ultimecia valued time, but only because she felt like her time should be spent doing something valuable.

If this was anything, it was valuable. And, besides, she expected his questions to be fairly engaging. She wasn’t going to be bored by this anytime soon.

So, let’s begin.

[thevoiceof-nightvaleradio-blog]

The Interview [Starter for temporalterror]

[thevoiceof-nightvaleradio-blog]

Cecil smiled and he motioned to the seat on the left. “You will be sitting here and using the microphone in on the desk in front of you.” He smiled and gave a look to the intern who was turning everything on for a quick check. He gave a thumbs up, “Okay whenever you two are ready we can start.” 

Cecil had made sure that Ultimecia took her seat before sitting in his own. He adjusted his notes to make sure everything would be read in the right order.

“Okay if you can just give us a testing message, Ultimecia.” 

[temporalterror-blog]

Following along with his instructions obediently, the ‘sorceress’ (what a silly nickname, though she’d grown somewhat fond of it after all these years) took a seat in front of the microphone the host had gestured to. Indeed, very professional. Ultimecia paused a moment to admire the exquisite tech surrounding her. A radio station...already, her head was crawling with new ideas to explore.

But that was for another time.

Leaning forward, the woman parted violet lips and spoke a series of phrases she’d known for almost as long as she could remember.

“Time waits for nobody. Like sand, it slips through your fingers, and try as you might, you’ll never find yourself catching it. In the end, it is the one thing beyond any of us.” It sounded like she was reading from a textbook, the way her voice struck an almost monotonous rhythm as she spoke. After a pause, she looked up at Cecil.

”How are we doing, Mr. Palmer?”

[thevoiceof-nightvaleradio-blog]

The Interview [Starter for temporalterror]

[thevoiceof-nightvaleradio-blog]

Cecil smiled brightly and he nodded, “Yes, yes thank you so much. I really never-” Cecil looked like he was about to go into a long winded talk but thankfully the intern cleared his throat. 

“Cecil we need to do a mic check very quickly we’re on soon.” 

Cecil pouted having been cut of but he nodded knowing the show needed to go on. “Right right.” He motioned  with a sweeping arm for Ultimecia to enter the booth. “We have a mic for you and everything,” Cecil grinned from year to ear obviously over joyed to have someone like her in his studio. 

[temporalterror-blog]

She couldn’t help but stifle a laugh behind a gloved hand at the host’s antics. He was so excited...it was understandable. Even so, Ultimecia was far more used to hushed whispers and uncertain gazes of respect than such blatant enthusiasm. If anything, it was refreshing, and she entered the studio fully ready to answer any questions he may have prepared for her.

Upon entering, however, she turned and gave an apologetic smile.

“I’m afraid I’m not too familiar with the process here...I study numerology, but I’m not all that tech-savvy. Which microphone will I be using?” It’s the silly weaknesses that make themselves the most clear, huh...?