Justyce
Admin Dude of Awesomeness
Posts: 317
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Post by Justyce on Jun 21, 2021 19:34:28 GMT -6
Viola was prepared for the question, she hadn’t been asked up until now.
“A little over two-hundred people. They wanted out of the city to raise their kids because of well everything.”
The land was a good question and she knew it was quite a bit more than your average person and would have to check the copies of the documents she had in her house detailing those lands.
“I’m not exactly sure. I can verify if you wish to know exactly measurements. It’s that or locating all the survey markings.”
She laughed and soon enough the neighborhoods and roads of London were lessening and giving way to small swaths of greenery. After about 45 minutes they were leaving the streets of London and headed out of town toward what most would dub the country. Another 45 minutes would have them pulling off the road down a maintain gravel drive. Kayne if he was paying attention would see men moving through the trees. Viola didn’t seem bothered by it. She knew there was a small security force of men and women who had served.
“This is Avery Manor……..my parents house.”
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Post by kaynemorgenstern on Jun 21, 2021 20:11:54 GMT -6
Kayne shook his head when she offered to verify the exact measurements of the land. "No need, it's not important. I was merely curious." He watched out the window as the city gave way to the greenery of the countryside, so vastly different from the desert he'd become accustomed to before all of...this. Movement in the trees caught Kayne's eye as they drove down the gravel drive, his keen eyes picking out details that most would never be able to notice from a moving vehicle. The presence of a security force further cemented his theory that she was no ordinary soldier.
When she spoke he looked forward once again at the manor house that came into view. He'd never actually been inside of a house so grand. Not as an invited guest, anyway. He whistled. "It must cost a fortune to heat this place."
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Justyce
Admin Dude of Awesomeness
Posts: 317
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Post by Justyce on Jun 29, 2021 20:58:36 GMT -6
Viola let that rest as she wasn’t one to push a subject. The drive up was uneventful and that’s when Kayne would see the glow from the other structures on the property behind the house. The electricity was provided from a transformer that she had installed when she upgraded the service. That coupled with the fact that they were looking into ways to produce energy without the grid was a big help.
“The first winter with people occupying the unused rooms it was a bit larger but now we’ve become a bit more self sufficient. I have kept most of the tenured staff and their families. After a fashion I suppose I’m in charge here.”
As they came to a stop near the front doors a couple of people were waiting as she got out.
“Good evening Shelby. I see you found the lost cattle. I’m glad. This is Kayne and another wayward soul. We will be by the pub later.”
Shelby, an older woman, older than Viola gave Kayne an appraisal that seemed to bore into.
“Very good Lady Avery. I’ll have Cecilia set relieve the current watch. Will you be joining us for the late meal?”
Viola smiled and nodded.
“Yes, we’ll see you in an hour. I have to get our guests settled first. After which we will be out to the meal hall.”
Shelby nodded and took her leave. Viola motion Kayne to the door and went over to find the teen had exited and was standing beside her.
“Let’s go inside and figure out what she’s trying to tell us.”
She headed for the front door.
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Post by kaynemorgenstern on Jul 6, 2021 20:46:11 GMT -6
Kayne met Shelby's eyes as she appraised him, not quite sure why her gaze unsettled him. She looked away soon enough, though, speaking with Viola. When Viola motioned him forward, he followed, looking around as discreetly as possible. He wondered how many people actually occupied the house. Was it only Viola and her staff? He didn't understand the purpose of homes this large. Rooms and rooms empty and unused except maybe once a year if they were lucky. It made his skin prickle.
Or maybe large houses just reminded him too much of another large complex from another lifetime.
"We should do this where we won't be interrupted. Is there a private room? We can cut off her muzzle and see what she has to say."
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Justyce
Admin Dude of Awesomeness
Posts: 317
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Post by Justyce on Jul 11, 2021 21:02:15 GMT -6
Viola couldn’t disagree with Kayne. They needed privacy and that meant her fath….her study. The younger kids all came there with messages from their parents. She walked directly in motioning Kayne to follow.
“Don’t worry the portions of the house not used are secure. It’s a 14 bedroom with a library and solarium. The solarium is more for growing a garden. It keeps us in vegetables for certain. Year round to and it’s fertilized.”
She smiled as they took the main hall. Went back behind the stairs and down one hall them a left and into a large library. She smiled as she went over to a shelf and grabbed a book on Latin and then found another with Latin to English definitions. She smiled as the young girl had wandered to examine the shelves and after getting the few books she had on Latin she turned and motion both of her guests to follow. Once inside the office and the door was closed she put the books on the desk which was already cluttered with papers and a few other books.
“Come here kid, let’s get that off you.”
She grunted and came over and the girl came over and Viola showed her the knife and touched her muzzle. The girl nodded and stepped forward. She cut it free of her face.
“Gratias tibi…..”
Viola looked at her surprised and then at Kayne giving him a sly smile.
“That jives with her writing.”
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Post by kaynemorgenstern on Jul 17, 2021 19:49:31 GMT -6
His sparse knowledge of Latin understood the thanks, but he didn't know enough to respond in kind. He looked from Viola back to the girl. "Do you speak any English? Soretomo nihongo?" He asked, gesturing to her clothes, which were decidedly Japanese in style.
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Justyce
Admin Dude of Awesomeness
Posts: 317
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Post by Justyce on Jul 19, 2021 21:33:50 GMT -6
The teen looked at Viola then at Kayne as she just started talking. After she looked at them and realized they didn’t understand she sighed and sat down
“That was wild. I think we need one of the clergy. We still have one or two who delivers mass, full mass, in Latin. He had to near. It in seminary. That was right before shipping off to World War Two.”
Eclectic group of people. They all lived on her land. The solarium had been converted to a vegetable garden and it grew year round. They hunted the game as it tended to get out of hand. Several of the twenty year olds appointed themselves game masters of Avery Manor.
“Let’s go get a meal and that father after that. I just wish we had come earlier. It’s done. Let’s go have a bite to eat and then some of our local.”
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Post by kaynemorgenstern on Jul 21, 2021 20:28:59 GMT -6
Kayne raised a brow. "I thought you folks were Protestants here."
He was interested in seeing more of this community. There was something altogether different about their way of life. It seemed, to him, to be a place one would go to get off the grid. Not a bad idea, considering how badly things were melting down in North America.
"Food sounds good," he said as Viola mentioned grabbing a bite. He looked at the girl. "You hungry?" He asked, pantomiming eating in hopes that she would understand.
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Justyce
Admin Dude of Awesomeness
Posts: 317
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Post by Justyce on Feb 10, 2022 20:49:59 GMT -6
“He’s Irish and a little faith no matter how it’s said never hurt anyone.”
Viola wasn’t religious by any stretch but faith lent to hope and everyone needed hope.
“Oh your going to like venison. Since I had been away the deer have kind of taken over a bit. So we hunt the larger males and a doe every now and again.”
The voice they heard next wasn’t Viola’s.
“Fo…oo…d sands ghood.”
Viola looked at Kayne.
“Alright…..”
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Post by kaynemorgenstern on Feb 11, 2022 9:23:14 GMT -6
Kayne almost laughed about Viola's comment about faith, but he held back. At the mention of venison, he felt his stomach grumble. Before he could say anything, though, he heard the younger girl speak and whipped his head around to look at her. "You...understand us?"
He glanced at Viola. Japanese-style clothing, Latin writing, and now speaking English, or at least an attempted English variant. The more he saw, the more intrigued about her he became.
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Justyce
Admin Dude of Awesomeness
Posts: 317
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Post by Justyce on Feb 11, 2022 22:35:51 GMT -6
The girl nodded to Kayne while Viola’s surprise wore off. She had t expected the teen to talk. She was just trying to take in the situation. The girl waited and looked between the two of them then answered.
“Yessh.”
She seemed to measure her responses to them as if she was waiting for something. Viola sighed and had finally decided all the stories and lore about the Hellfire club were true. She motioned to the cart by the end of desk and openEd the top to reveal it had booze in it.
“Let’s have a drink while we take the young lady to get some regular clothing. Kayne you mind one?”
Viola wasn’t processing this very well. She needed the drink and poured her and Kayne one with a heavy hand.
“So kid tell us where your from?”
The girl looked at them and shook her head.
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Post by kaynemorgenstern on Feb 11, 2022 22:41:13 GMT -6
Kayne gratefully accepted Viola's offer of a drink. He'd lived a life full of truth being stranger than fiction and so was taking this odd turn of events a little bit better than Viola appeared to be. He took a sip, appreciating the smooth warmth as the liquor moved down his throat. It was no surprise a place like this would have the good shit.
"Does that mean you won't tell us, or you can't?" he asked.
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Justyce
Admin Dude of Awesomeness
Posts: 317
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Post by Justyce on Feb 12, 2022 21:12:39 GMT -6
Viola took a drink while she watched the child. She was starting to become wary of the teen. It was the stories. She had gotten drunk more than she cared to admit with Emma Frost but as people went Emma wasn’t bad people. Sure she was full of herself and egotistical. That was Emma and she told what Viola believed to be drunk bullshit.
“Emma Frost told Me stories of magic, demons, and other magical garbage. I thought she was playing around just drunk. Although this girl does fit with what she said about demons.”
The teen grunted at Kayne to answer him. She frowned at him. She seemed as if he should understand. She was learning but had to hear more talking.
“Cen’t teeelll….”
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Post by kaynemorgenstern on Feb 13, 2022 15:10:23 GMT -6
Kayne, too, was wary of the girl. He didn't like the way she looked at him, as if she were reading him. He glanced at Viola. "I'd certainly call those...things we fought off back in the city demonic." And with all the shit he'd seen in his 30-odd years of life, he could easily believe that demons existed.
He looked back at the girl. "Can you tell us your name?"
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Justyce
Admin Dude of Awesomeness
Posts: 317
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Post by Justyce on Feb 15, 2022 19:13:43 GMT -6
Viola looked at Kayne and nodded as she took a drink. She couldn’t argue the logic after that fight. The running was pretty fun to and well she was glad to be back from the city. She took down her drink and poured herself another.
“Yes they were demonic indeed. I just didn’t want to believe what I was seeing as we fought.
The girl walked over to Kayne and looked up to him. She sniffed and stepped back from him.
“You no smeeeeel right. You heeelped me. I arrrr hinnger.”
She thought for a moment while Viola watched this.
“Oh she’s sweet on you darling. Be careful….”
The girl growled at Viola.
“Reza ‘de Lenore……”
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