The Infinite Consortium, Monday

[deathsmajesty]

Liliana was never particularly thrilled to be in the Infinite Consortium, but considering there were no children present, she could say with all honesty that it could be worse. Today's delivery was a mishmash of things: a horn of plenty, an oblivion stone - that was immediately going back into her locked safes, thank you - a snake basket...

And a book.

Books weren't anything new, there was a small bookcase of them over to one side, most of them in languages that she didn't know, which meant they were likely only of interest to Jon. But this one was in Kalonian, a language spoke on Shandalar - a plane she knew very well.

*...hallowed earth...the void's first breath...*

"Shut up," she murmured absently, paging through the book, skimming to see if anything useful jumped out at her. It seemed to be some kind of epic poem from several hundred years ago, telling the story of a warleader named Ob Nixilis who had 'arrived in swirling flame' - which probably meant a Planeswalker - and was searching for an artifact of great power, according to the narrator, a simple young man hired to be his guide into a sacred tomb.

A sacred tomb. Home to an artifact of great power. On Shandalar.

Suddenly the Onakke voice rose up in a loud chorus, feeling almost like a tidal wave against the inside of her skull. *...WHERE THE SEED TOOK ROOT...JUST A CHILD...UNIMAGINABLE...* It was loud enough to drive her to her knees, where she clutched her temples, eyes closed.

"Stop it!" she snapped. "Shut up!"

*VESSEL...OF...DESTRUCTION!*

The words reverberated through her head like a bell, over and over and over again. She wasn't sure how long she knelt there, wasn't even sure when the voices had faded back into their usual whispers until she felt an odd plink plink plink on the skin of her hand. Was there a leak in the ceiling...? She pried open one purple eye and saw red - literally. It was not water dripping on her hand, but blood. Her nose was bleeding and she had the most splitting headache.

"This is truly getting untenable," she muttered to herself, trying to sound composed and in control. She stood again, grasping the side of the counter when the world went a little wobbly, then slowly made her way into the single stall bathroom to pinch her nose and wash her face and hands. In the mirror, her eyes were also a little bloodshot, though no burst ves--no burst capillaries there to worry about.

"I don't know what in the Nine Hells that was all about," she muttered to her reflection, "but I do know I'm not going to let it stop me."

Ten minutes later, she was back behind the counter reading the story of Ob Nixilis, every so often whispering, "Shut up," at the voices once more whispering in her head.

Comments

[chef_chocobro]

When Ignis came by bearing his usual treats to tide Liliana over through her no doubt arduous and taxing work day, he was absolutely locking the door behind him, as pointedly out of principle as it was propriety.

And then a moment, sensing something a little...off, in the feel of the place, though he supposed that could have just been his imagination, but it was enough to make him frown slightly before sending out his usual call of her name to help him find her, though he instinctually just started moving toward the counter.

"Liliana?"

[deathsmajesty]

"Hmmm?" Liliana raised her head, instinctively touching her upper lip and breathing a slight sigh of relief when they came back clean. There had been another bloody nose or two in the interim, though neither had been much more than a trickle. "Oh! Over here, my darling."

She stood up behind the counter without a stumble, even though her head was still throbbing, and even with the nonsense that had been today thus far, managed a genuine smile.

[chef_chocobro]

And with that distracted little hum to greet him first, Ignis swt down his treats on the counter and moved to meet her behind it, tracking the sound of her standing to best allow him to do so with an arm slipping around her waist.

"I'm not intruding on anything too engaging, am I?"

[single_man_tear]

Sometime after Ignis' visit, Dean realized he left one of his old journals behind the counter which had some notes he had taken about the Fizzle's Folly time period. He had hoped in vain that Liliana had taken the day off so he wouldn't have to deal with the mess from Friday but...

Nope. There she was. "Boss," he grunted in greeting as he headed behind the counter. "Just looking for something."

[deathsmajesty]

"Best of luck for anything to be as engaging as you are," Liliana said, cupping his face and bringing it in for a kiss. "I'm reading a book and..." She sighed. "On the one hand, I am fairly certain you'll want to know about it. One the other, I'm afraid it might interfere with our most delightful breaktime rendezvous."

[deathsmajesty]

Oh great, a second headache, Liliana thought sourly, but shifted over with a noncommittal "Mmmm" aloud. She had a book, she could ignore his presence, she could...

"Bloody hell," she muttered as she felt the telltale wetness on her upper lip. "Could you move?"

[single_man_tear]

"I'll be out of your way in a second," Dean said, digging around under the counter. "Keep your pants on."

[deathsmajesty]

"Let me rephrase," Liliana said. "Move before I bleed caustic blood on you."

That was only half-true, but it would be funny to see if he believed her.

[single_man_tear]

Dean immediately jerked away and looked at her. "Just a nosebleed or does me showing up just immediately give you an aneurysm?"

[deathsmajesty]

"Six of one, half dozen of another," Liliana declared, sweeping past him. It would have been more believable if she hadn't immediately pressed her hand against her temple as the Onakke spirits started up another chorus of the perennial favorite vessel of destruction, but she straightened a moment later and continued into the bathroom.

Wait, maybe that would make the aneurysm believable.

[single_man_tear]

"Should I leave or do you need a trip to the clinic?" Dean called out, watching her walk away.

Caustic blood?

[deathsmajesty]

She would find his uncertainty hilarious if only she knew.

"I'm certainly not keeping you," Liliana called over her shoulder. "And the last time I was bleeding under Stark's care, he tried to usher me into death, so I assure you, I'm fine."

Lili could cop to that being unnecessarily bitchy and unfair to Stark, but also her head hurt so she wasn't inclined towards fairness.

[single_man_tear]

"The last time I went to the clinic, Navaan tried to plan an acorn in me. So yeah I get that," Dean offered. "I could call Lana. She's got magic finger wiggles."

It's called the FORCE, Dean.

[deathsmajesty]

"That's what you get for trusting that vampire--" Congrats Dean, you had (yet) to get to Liliana using that level of contempt when she spoke to or about you! "--to do anything."

She once again stepped into the bathroom to wash her face and came out with yet more tissues around her nose. And congrats again, Dean, now you get to hear Liliana talk with her nose pinched shut.

"It's only a nosebleed," she said. "No reason to bother Lana. I'll be fine. What did you say you were here for?" The And did you find it yet? was implied.

[single_man_tear]

Dean had pulled the journal out and during their last response was checking through his notes during her nose pinching session. "Yes, I got it. I do have a question for you Elvira when you're not bleeding all over the place."

[deathsmajesty]

"I'm sure that's a truly cutting insult that I don't have the context for but will sorely wound me if and when I do," Liliana declared. Nasally. She gestured. "Ask."

[single_man_tear]

"How much control do you have over ghosts, spirits, etc.?" Dean said still looking through his journal. "And don't get offended. I know you're the Death's Bride, but I'm looking for technical answers."

[deathsmajesty]

"I wasn't offended," Liliana said. "There's a difference between asking what I'm capable of and questioning my capabilities. Your question clearly the former."

She pulled the tissue away and checked her nose. It seemed fine.

"And it depends on the ghost and how much energy I wish to expend," Liliana said. "And where the ghost's origins are. For example, a ghost I've personally summoned? I have complete control. A ghost that's naturally occurring, I can gain control. A ghost that's being controlled by someone else? It would come down to who is the better necromancer. Which would be me, of course, but it might be a decent fight. The other axis is how cognizant the ghost is. Many ghosts are just...sad tatters of spirits and posses barely any will of their own, those are simple. Other ghosts are fully recognizable people in their own right, those are harder, and I usually need a good reason to be bothered to make the attempt. Why?"

[single_man_tear]

"What about naturally ghosts that are just... nuts. Been out somewhere untethered and just lost any sense of who they are and are just raging and killing anything in their path," Dean asked and ignoring the 'Why'. "Can you chill them out? Come to their senses?"

[deathsmajesty]

Liliana considered it and waggled her hand in the air. "Some ghosts are just too far gone," she said. "Even if you were able to remove the fury, there may be nothing left of the person they were. In that case, it's usually just more efficient - kinder, even - to finish the job and send them onto the Æther, or wherever the spirits of the departed go on this plane. But if there is enough of a personality left behind, then yes, I could."

She had noticed him ignoring her why, however he'd gotten her nerding out about necromancy, which meant she was willing to ignore that.

[chef_chocobro]

"Mmm." Well. No, that did not sound too terribly heartening, now, did it? But, then again, the fact that she told him as much instead of just brushing it aside or making up some alternate answer or just trying to distract him from it was...significant. He resolved, then, to keep that fact firm and foremost in his mind through whatever might follow next.

He supposed it could potentially not even be something that bad, just something terribly interesting to get lost in, and so now that resolve was nudged slightly aside to just put all of his hope into it being that, instead.

"And you are, of course," he said, "deserving of only my utmost, undivided attention, nor would I want to give you anything but that. So," a hand, gently, through hee hair to push it back from her shoulders before leaning in for a light kiss, "for the sake of avoiding distractions, let's hear it. What have you been discovering in this book, my dear?"

[deathsmajesty]

"It's from Shandalar," she said with a deep breath. "An epic poem about what I'm assuming is a Planeswalker named Ob. Ob Nixilis." Was that a snort of amusement? It certainly was. Ob. "Who descended into a tomb of a dead race to find an artifact of untold power."

There might be a few parallels there that Ignis might notice. Save for Liliana's name was hardly as stupid as Ob.

[single_man_tear]

"Huh."

He frowned and snapped his journal shut. "Good to know," he replied/grunted. "See you on Friday for the next lesson?"

Apparently he was a glutton for punishment.

[deathsmajesty]

Liliana looked up, startled. She clearly had not expected that offer. "I believe Ignis and I will be in Ravnica, celebrating the end of the semester," she said slowly. "...You honestly think that's a good idea?"

Considering, you know, how the last one went.

[chef_chocobro]

At least it wasn't quite so bad if you said the whole thing? A name like Nixilis sounded like it could be right at home on Eos.

But, yes, that description certain did make it sound far less likely that Liliana's concerns in telling him about it had that much to do with distraction in a purely scholarly level.

"Go on..." he promptoed, diligently fighting against the urge to start leaping to any conclusions, channeling some of that energy into gently strokes of his fingers against her back.