To Yulia From Daath

To Yulia From Daath

One More Day

Intro: The Necromancer and the Princess

To my readers, It took me forever to finish this archive up and I apologize for that. However, in my home there is a horror called “the box”. It’s about three feet high, and about the four feet long. Inside are hundreds of loose papers and folders jammed together. I haven’t opened it since I moved out and I know I should have. The bulk of my writing’s inside… I just never got around to opening it. Anyways, I’ve gathered my courage and opened “the box” a few days ago. Now I’m skimming off the top of “the box” trying to work my way down. Hence, the update to an old story. I finally found the ending for this archive and am putting it here for your guy’s perusal.

As always, pleasant reading, Kasan Soulblade

He always smiled, but there was a difference with each grin. Some said it was in the eyes, others said the difference was found in how tight he pulled the corners of his mouth. Whatever the case, he always smiled as he smiled now. But there was, as always, a glimmer of difference.

He smiled now to convey his gratitude. It was a lukewarm gratitude inspired by an equally lukewarm affection, but he was hardly a passionate young soul after all.

Rain water dribbled from a hole in the canvas. He’d “accidentally” set his cup in the small trickles path, and satisfied that it was properly diluted he took the cup up once more. After a sip, and a thinning of his lips –still holding true to his devilish smile- he settled for nursing the cup in his hands. Better to warm his hands rather than poison himself in a vain attempt to get warm.

“Charming turn of weather, isn’t it?” He noted blandly.

To that his youngest guests shivered. They were curled on another, two grey doves of the church curled like kittens together in a futile quest for warmth. Both were sleeping, so the irony of his statement went right over their heads. His eldest guest –an unexpected one at that- merely grimaced at his humor. She was a serious girl, the white and greens of her uniform were tinted by less… lady like hues due to the mass laundry runs that such a group as theirs would entail. White was touched by a pale blue-black inspired grey and the green once reminiscent of emeralds was now a more humble shade of leaf green. He smiled at that simile, humility and this girl were hardly compatible. But then the royalty of Kimlasca were still strong believers in the “devine right of kings”.

“It’s absolutely miserable,” Princess Natalia conceded with a small, tentative, smile of her own. She let her gaze break off from his and looked at the two younger, more celestial, inclined member of their party. Both sported twelve years and both were as intertwined with the church as they were with each other at that moment. In innocence they cuddled together, limbs embracing, and overlapping, until it was hard to tell where the Fonist started and the Grand Master ended.

Seeing her scrutiny off of him Jade shifted back bit, inching closer to the felt walls that marked the boundaries of his tent. When her gaze drifted back to him he met her eyes once more and smiled his most winning smile.

She shivered a bit at that, perhaps dissuaded by the glimmer of white where his lips parted ever so slightly.

“Well, I should be going.” Natalia whispered, courteous as always to the sleeping children in their company, “Knowing L- Asch he’ll be by any minute to wake you up and say we’re moving on.”

“You’re going out to see him?” Jade queered, raising a brow.

“I’m wet, you’re not.” Natalia pointed out, falling back on logic as if that would impress him.

Wet, Jade mused, was something of an understatement. There was no order to the girl’s hair, it straggled across her face like a off-gold veil. The curls that normally tumbled about her shoulders were slick lumps, and it was a good thing that her garments were thick and tinted with a myriad of hues else things that should have been kept secret would have been visible to any with eyes. Lukewarm went up a degree despite as Jade looked on her and took in her shivering frame.

“If you would please,” Jade asked, acting as if his consent of request could matter. “I would appreciate it if Asch did not wake up my guests.”

He tilted his head to the side, still smiling all the while, to indicate the two clergy-persons of Lorelie in his tent.

And though he smiled there was a glint of steel in his red eyes. The glint was not caused by the murky light striking his glasses in any way, shape, or forum.

Natalia, seeing only the smile and nothing of the steel nodded in complete agreement to his words. Then with a dip of her head in farewell she bolted outside into the grey world beyond.