[Sept 3] Welcome To My Humble Abode (Redthistle Estate Ball)

The extremely high frequency of David's gift reached Calista's ears. The knife of pain it sent through her head caused her to slide to a stop, eyes squinting and ears plastered to her skull. Whiskers straight out she felt as if her head would explode. The shattering glass fell about her, but the one piece that she failed to avoid nicked her neck, but the pain was nothing compared to the assault on her ears and her cranial vault.

Warm liquid ran from her inky black neck and dripped on the floor. She slipped in it as she tried to escape and slunk off to the front of the stage where the two large marble cats stood sentry. Shifting back to her human self, Calista clapped a hand to her neck. It wasnt as bad as she thought, but her head screamed as the room spun.

Laying her head down, Calista lifted her dress, grasping for her wand. With what strength she could manage, she held her wand aloft and bellowed her incantation at the 8ft marble cats.

"Piertotum Locomotor!!"

The shudder from the large stone beasts shook the stage and rattle the chandeliers. Seemingly breaking free, they became liquid and free moving stone, animated and lashing their marble swirled tails about. With every step the marble floors cracked under their weight. Heading towards the battle, they were a sight to behold.

Calista lay back, trying to keep conscious. Her ears were bleeding as well as her neck, but there was no way in hell she was letting this go on without a fight.

Matilda looks at him and lets him speak to see what he says to her. For some strange reason she knows ways how she could kill him. She hears him mention the high priest has tasked them with bringing her to him and she has a feeling that it is Mr Black. She has a few moments as she's confused about how she knows ways of killing him.

“Fine if you promise nobody else will be hurt. I'll come with you” Matilda says to him.

Arthur ignores people around him, his eyes in panic on Matilda as he prays to his God, begging to be allowed through the barrier to get to her. He hears her agree to leave, and his prayers faulted, and he screams "Matilda! No!"

Arthur puts his hand on top of Matilda's, the barrier separating them. He's still holding his Talisman against the barrier with his owther hand.

"Don't! Don't go! I can't lose you! I love you, too! Please don't go!"

He's begging her not to do this. He never begs.

David: As you and the others flee from the scene of destruction and any possible repercussions of your actions, its almost as if you can feel the houses displeasure at you.

Tess: With the wind knocked from you, you are unable to shout a warning to Matilda as the Turk walks towards you and stands over you. Kicking 'Steve' out of reach you are to weak to do anything. You look up into the barrel of the gun, see a muzzle flash and hear a deafening boom. Then the sound of the drumming circle grows louder everything else falls away.

Teagan: You soar high above the barrier and hurtle towards it, you are aiming for the Turk. Your speed slowed as you crash through the already weakened barrier from David's sonic attack earlier. Hitting the Turk in the head as you hear one gunshot, then another, something warm sprays over your feathered wings and body. The impact sends you spiralling out of control crashing into the hard earth,dazed and confused.

Arthur: As the shield drops you feel a painful jolt of energy shoot through your arm, you feel faint and your heart beats deadly fast. As you stagger and feel faint you hear a whisper in your mind,
'She will be mine Arthur!'

Matilda: Turning just in time to see the Turk shot Tess another two times and a Raven smashing into his head. Sending him reeling and staggering backwards. Anger floods your mind, he has shot the woman that prevented him from shooting you the first time, again! With inhuman speed you cover the distance to the Turk. This time your attack is cruel and torturous, slamming the blade through his eye socket you twist it around, he screams, you don't stop until he slides from your blade dead.

As the Turk dies the barrier drops and the smell of fresh blood fills the air.

Matilda feels anger flowing through her and without thinking, she took the knife and stabs him in the eye, not stopping until he's dead. Before she steps back.

Seeing the damage she's done. Matilda is in shock and feels sick from the blood and the fact that she got Tess shot. The one woman who she thought she could be friends with "Someone get her some Medical help now!" she shouts whilst thinking this potential friendship was dead already. Without thinking she just runs away from everyone. Feeling sick and close to crying. She just didn't want to be around people.

Caleb sprinted to Tess's side, dropping to his knees beside her grabbed Steve and set it in her hands.
He saw the three bullet holes, then he ripped off what ever was left of his shirt and pressed it down over the stomach wounds.
Leaning down close to her face he speaks,
'Common darlin', don't be diein' on me now!'

Matilda keeps running further into the gardens. She still feels sick from what has happened and from the smell and sight of all that blood. She caused all that because she didn't come with the Turkish man when he asked her to. I should have just gone with him, maybe none of this would have happened she thinks to herself as she finds a tree to sit under for a while.

"What have I got myself mixed up with. I'm just a Librarian. What does the high priest want with me?" she says to herself as she cries some more to herself as she looks at the blood that is on her. "That knife has made me a stone cold killer" she says to herself. 

Tess saw the night sky flitting above her as she was carried to the afterlife, her eyes closed as her head rolled against thee warmth then she heard Caleb what the hell is he doing here? Did he get shot too?
At the mention of her auspice she knew it was safe
Shifting to her war form her body immediately regenerating the wounds flesh and bones knitting together, no trace of the wounds would remain just pale pink marks on her tanned skin, in time these too would go. Shifting back to her homid form Tess rolled her shoulders, the aches were left where moments ago she could have died, such was the power of Gaia.
Looking around Tess decided this was an ideal place to take care of Steve.

Thanks Irish, do you know any shadow Lords? A raven hit that man in the head and bounced off, if it hadn't done that I'd be dead, We got to make sure Matilda is ok there was a lot of talk about some high priest and I don't know what else.

Calista let her head roll backwards, bright halos around the lights on the chandeliers. The giant marble cats pushed through the doorway to the outside balcony, their steps shaking the ground with every step. The murder and chaos on the lawn was apparent. At least the majority of the blood was kept outside. Her head ringing, Calista groaned and her eyes saw Marlon dashing toward her with a purple bottle sealed with a cork. She had been wondering of she was going to live or not. Marlon put his hand behind Calista's head and tipped the potion into her mouth. Lifting his Mistress, he carried her to a panel in the wall. Pressing the decoration on the moulding in a special sequence, the wall opened to a staircase that wound up to the third floor. The panel closed behind him and they disappeared to the same area of the mansion that the housekeeper had taken the wrapped book.

Outside the grounds rumbled, but not from the giant marble cats. Jaws opened, they marched past Arthur and Matilda to the three dead bodies on the lawn. With precision they consumed the remains, the grass heaving and finally breaking open with a thunderous crack.

Fissures opened up and the giant marble cats finished their meal, turning their giant stone heads to those remaining at the scene. Nothing else seemed to be a threat. Like lions going into their dens, the csts disappeared into the gaping ground, the grass folding up over the scars as it returned to its original state.

With Calista safely on the 3rd floor, the house shuddered, a high pitch creaking beginning from its lower cellars. The windows that had been broken semed to liquify and replace themselves. Stone healed and melded, wood that had splintered pulled back into itself.

The house had fed. The house was content.

Caleb as glad Tess had enough strength to shift. For a few moments he wasn't sure she would. He smiled at her.

'A Raven? Nah I don't have a spare Shadow Lord in me back pocket! A Raven! Shite! That's probably Teagan!'

He nods at her,
'You good ta go?'

"That is what I don't understand. Why does something or someone want me"she says to him when she hears him tell her that somebody warned him. She leans in closer to him. She just wanted to be closer to him.

"I've killed two people tonight. I won't forget that in a hurry. The blood is still on me. The faces as I took their lives and Tess on the ground bleeding. I might need to go away to forget" she looks at Arthur before saying " I do hope she's fine but if you did choose to leave me then I'd understand"

"I know you wouldn't but I had to give you the choice" she says to him "But we'll work it out' 

She lets him turn her around before they kiss each other and stay in a sold hug "I can't keep living like this. Always looking behind my shoulder. I was looking forward to tonight but now I'm here with blood on me" she starts to cry as soon as she's finished saying that. This has gotten to her. 

"I just want to leave this placee and go home, but I don't want to be alone"

Matilda is still keeping close to Arthur but smiles when she hears Tess. "Oh thank Gods" she says to herself before turning around.

"I think it will take me time to get over killing two men and getting someone shot at. I guess the party is over" she looks at Tess wondering how she's standing but doesn't question it. "I'm just now a target for someone one"