Abyss

[Lakasha Shocanis]

Lakasha did not have anything planned for the day, a dismal outlook for one with the possibilities she had, but something she was actually looking forward to occurring. She didn’t have anything planned because she didn’t want to do anything. And Lucius had set her no tasks for a week or so, and she was pleased for the time away from classes and homework.

This morning Lakasha found herself by the Ruberagon Pit. The harsh red glow that emanated from the unknown contents within cast a brownish tinge to Lakasha’s already copper appearance. She looked into its depths mesmorised by the contents. She often wondered what they were, she had heard stories of people who had fallen… or been pushed, into the pit, and also knew that these people were never seen again.

She knew of many Ruberagon students that also tipped their old school books into the pit at the end of the year, and never heard of anyone finding a deposit of said items, and so guessed the pit itself had something of a destructive force. Either way, she was fascinated by it, and enjoyed sitting on the stoned wall around the pit, looking into it with a curiosity to challenge all others.

[Natalie Everard]

"Planning to spend another day staring into the Abyss Lakasha?" Natalie questioned her friend as she came up behind her. She too had nothing planned for the day and was quite bored. Homework was something best left until the last minute, and there were no classes today. She had long since stopped being friends with her twin sister, and though she felt no comfort in that fact, it was made infinately easier by her peers, Lucius Sinister and Lakasha Shocanis.

Natalie sat next to the fellow Ruberagon, without bothering to ask. Ruberagons did not ask to do things, they just did them. Natalie brushed her hair out of her face and leant forward to stare into the pit.

"What's on the agenda?" she said, by way of asking what was planned for Lakasha's day. She was bored and hadn't talked to Lucius for a while. It was easy to find out what he was up to by going through Lakasha. She wouldn't admit it was more than curiosity, she would never show her true feelings for Lucius.

[Lakasha Shocanis]

Lakasha sighed, though it was not something she had to heave, as one would say heaving a great sigh, but more of a ‘well I suppose I will talk’. It wasn’t as if it inconvenienced her to talk with Natalie, the two were friends, such was the way things were and always would be… while it was suitable. Lakasha stretched her long fingers, her fingernails glistered in the red glow of the pit and the green streaks of poison on the end of each nail were quite visible.

Lakasha looked at her when she sat down she didn’t smile, she didn’t greet her, and to an onlooker it might appear as if Lakasha wanted her to go away, but the two had known one another long enough to know that was not the case.

"One dreadfully dull afternoon of course,” she said to her as if this was an obvious answer to a question that should never have been uttered verbally. “I think Lucius and Kalika are spending the day in Koaltumut, I wish they’d get it over and done with and be married already,”
she said knowing that if Lucius or Kalika were around, she would not have dared uttered her opinion, it was not her place. In pleasant company however…

“Actually… I wanted to talk to you… I happened to be out a couple of night ago, and I happened to see… someone… hanging out with Romulus Silvia, a spark of interest there, of course…” she didn’t elaborate. She knew how Natalia felt about her sister and was curious to see whether Natalie knew about the whole thing. Lakasha still wasn’t sure that it was Jessica. Lucius had set her the task to find out whether it was Jessica, or in fact Natalie herself.

[Natalie Everard]

"I loathe and abhor Romulus, Lakasha. If you're asking whether it was me or my sister, I would have thought the answer quite obvious." Natalie was irritated that her friend had doubted that, but knew however that it would have been a task from Lucius. Lakasha did not do much that wasn't asked of her by their friend.

Her mind had been on Lucius and Kalika. Natalie had a natural dislike for Kalika, as she was with Lucius, and often compared herself to the older girl. However, now Lakasha had mentioned Romulus. It was interesting that Lakasha still couldn't tell the difference between Natalie and her twin, but then few ever could.

Before their altercation that morning, it had been several weeks since Natalie had even had contact with Jessica, which would have been considered odd for many onlookers. For most families, twins could not be any closer, but Natalie and Jessica had loathed each other from early childhood. That wasn't to say they were all that different, but each had their own... qualities.

"Still, I didn't know the two of them had any sort of relationship. Could be interesting." She had a feeling that Lucius could soon have a task for her.

[Lakasha Shocanis]

"My my aren’t we feeli9g pubescent this morning… or is it menopausal already?” Lakasha answered with Natalie snapping at her, “I wished only to fulfill curiosity, if your going to be so defensive every time we talk I might have to cater by actually accusing you next time, perhaps that would make you happier?” it wasn’t the nicest greeting. In fact it was somewhat condescending, but Lakasha did not like being spoken down, especially not by someone who was scarcely her equal.

Lakasha didn’t think she had been that obvious, she would know how Natalie thought she was thinking it could have been her or her sister. She’d mentioned nothing more then having seen someone, and thought that this would be answered with an ‘oh really? Who?’ but the defensiveness that came in reply meant either Natalie had something to hide. That or Natalie knew her sister had snuck out with Romulus, and had simply not told her about it. A concerning thought either way.

She thought on it a moment longer, a lot of people knew that no one was friends with Lucius without being of some use to him, but at the same time Lucius and Lakasha were very careful about who understood that he had set her tasks from time to time. Surely Natalie did not know these things for even Lakasha did not confide such delicately private information even in her own apparent friend..

"Interesting if not the word, the word is disgusting,” Lakasha spat with a little more venom then she might have hoped to let out. She knew Lucius did not approve of anyone getting close with Romulus, therefore she shared the same resolution.

[Natalie Everard]

Natalie refained from rolling her eyes. It was so typical of Lakasha to take a small thing she had said and turn it into a big deal. She wasn't the type to make small talk and so Natalie had known that's what she was implying when she asked about the person who had met Romulus the night before.

She knew Lakasha, like all older Ruberagons, had issues with people being their equals. She too looked down on those younger than herself. She admired Lakasha's ruthlessness, and so her words stung Natalie. Her face didn't change, for she would give no indication of her feelings. So, she ignored Lakasha's snappy remarks and chose to speak instead about the so-called friendship between her twin and Romulus Silvia.

"He disgusts me, so I know Jessica would have a natural attraction to him. She's always been like that. I have no doubt she'll be following him around by the end of the week." she held back a repulsed shudder.

[Lakasha Shocanis]

’Well that is more then I knew yesterday at least,’ Lakasha thought to herself though she knew this little amount of information would not be pleasing enough to Lucius. Now she knew it was Jessica who had been seen with Romulus, she had to find out why and she very much doubted it had anything to do with something as petty as sibling rivalry. Lakasha was glad she did not have any siblings. Their arguments always seemed so pathetically immature.

She couldn’t help but appear slightly disappointed by this news. She knew, that if she needed to, she was quite capable of bullying the information out of Natalie, but Jessica was a whole different kettle of fish. Lakasha knew she was more then a match for what she perceived to be the strongest of the pair of twins. But if she could help it, she would not allow it to come to that, she had to think of something better, something cleverer, but what…

“Of course,” Lakasha said in answer to Jessica’s statement, she didn’t really know where to go from here, but her mind was already working at one hundred miles an hour. How could she get to Jessica, how indeed, “You’re relationship with your sister…” she started, “Any chance the two of you will ever set your differences aside?”

[Natalie Everard]

Natalie turned her head slightly to see the look on Lakasha's face. The older girl was, as usual, unreadable, but Natalie wouldn't help but get the feeling Lakasha was annoyed by this information.

In all honesty, Natalie didn't really give a toss what Jessica was doing, but she knew a bit about Romulus Silvia, and surely Jessica did the same. But that was just like her, wasn't it? Picking the biggest bully in the playground and shadowing them. It seemed to her that Jessica was trying to get in with what she would consider the 'in crowd'.

The question surprised Natalie. The very thought was completely outrageous, but she knew Lakasha would not have suggested such a thing just to get them to get along. There had to be some kind of ulterior motive.

"It all depends on the situation." she said simply, not bothering to ask why, for she knew what answer she'd get.

[Lakasha Shocanis]

Lakasha was as unreadable as ever. And she liked it that way, not letting on to what one was thinking was definitely a trait treasured in people of Lakasha’s profession. She smiled as if whipping away their discussion to talk of other things.

She was curious about Jessica though, and in a way was pleased that it was not Natalie whom had been hanging out with Romulus. Lakasha always had an inkling there was another reason why Natalie was so loyal to the traditional way of the Ruberagon; so traditional to Lucius, but she had never stopped to consider what that reason might be.

Wiping this from her mind until later. Lakasha smiled at her friend and started discussing less important things for the days events. “So, did you read the leaflet in the common room about the duelling night at Blood Lust? Might be interesting enough to go along to, I believe Lucius actually signed up to compete…”

[Natalie Everard]

Natalie leant back and looked up. There was not much to look at, but her neck was now sore from staring down into the pit. It was still quite early and there weren't many other Ruberagons around.

"I saw his name on the list. There's a few other notable names, so it should be interesting. Are you going to sign up?" Natalie asked. She would probably go to see the duelling, it wasn't something she often got a chance to see, and duelling was always interesting in a place like Bloodlust, where real curses were allowed. It would of course be interesting if Lakasha joined in. Though she hadn't seen the older girl duel before, she'd heard many horror stories.

[Lakasha Shocanis]

“Are you kidding? Of course I am going to sign up, it is going to be the best night I have had since I have been at this school,” she admitted. Lakasha hungered for confrontation and enjoyed duelling immensely. Unfortunately the opportunity to cause someone pain in a duelling arena had not arrived in her entire time at the school. She looked deep into the abyss of the pit as she thought about this. How could anyone expect her not to sign up. She would be disappointed in herself if she did not.

“What about you, Everard?” she said looking out of the pit and at her friend who seemed equally as bored as she did, “Are you going to show the world you have more guts then your sister, or is she as big a wuss and not signing up either?” Lakasha smiled knowing this might stretch the moment into a minor confrontation of its own.

“Surely you are?” she said as she looked at her. She had heard rumours that Natalie was not competing and had already made her mind up on that point, but she would not believe them until she heard them from Natalie’s own mouth. Also she was goading her into it, wondering if this could be how she would prove her usefulness to Lucius. Perhaps if he saw her duel he might think she had more worth then a seat filler at the dining table in the Golden Hall.

[Natalie Everard]

"No, I've got other things to do that night" she said simply. She was going to Bloodlust to see the duelling of course, but she would be finding her sister to confront her about her new friendship with Romulus Silvia. Though Natalie loathed Jessica, she would not have her twin bring their name a bad reputation. Natalie, being older, felt she had a sort of responsibility to uphold the family honour. It wasn't that she spent a great deal of time with her family, or even liked them, but being the daughter of Lord and Lady Everard meant something to her, even if it meant nothing to Jessica.

"I've not seen her name on the list either, but I'm sure she'll be there to play cheerleader for Silvia" she smirked. She found Jessica so pathetic sometimes, she was tempted to put both their names up for a duel and see who came out best in the arena. Though, it would be pointless, for Jessica would resort to cheating and Natalie would beat her anyway.

Standing up, she felt it was time to depart. The conversation had turned to idle chatter and she really didn't see the point in it anymore. She had things to do and felt she had wasted enough time sitting on the ground talking.

"I'll see you there tonight though, good luck" she said, knowing Lakasha would not need her luck. The girl was truly frightening and a formiddable opponent. She pitied the poor person who had to come up against her.

[Lakasha Shocanis]

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