By now, it had been a week or two since Iar had met the goddess ... and he was wondering if she actually would come if he called her. Perhaps... smirking faintly, Iar took himself off toward the borders of the pride lands, near the jungle, and sat down - looking up into the sky. "Posca...." he called softly. "Can you hear me? Will you come?"
Where ever Posca was when he called out to her, it seemed at first that she didn't hear him. Everything was still around him, and quiet. But then... a tree close to him, which was rotting from old age, suddenly cracked, a few large hunks of bark falling to the ground. From it's shadow a large feline form stepped up, made from dripping oil and dead flesh. Then it fell away, and there the goddess was, her wings extended enough to droop against the ground.
"You called me, King?"
KuroiNekoDuo: Iar turned his head sharply at the noise - not flinching, but definitely wanting to know what was making the sound in a hurry. Then he quickly wiped that smirk from his face and nodded - smiling toward her. "I did... I wondered if you would really come if I called to you," he replied with a little nod of his head.
I told you I would, mortal King." She stepped away from the tree, the blackening wood turning more wet and rot soaked. It started to crumble away at a startling rate in her presence.
"Is there are reason you called? Or was it merely to quench your childish curiousity?"
Iar quickly squashed the desire to snarl at her and instead padded forward - unafraid. "No ... not merely. I was curious, but I think curiousity is something that adults may have too. Or am I wrong?"
"I see, so it was curiousity..." She blinks at him slowly for a moment, her eyes black and lifeless. She didn't quite comprehend why he would simply wish to call her for no reason... Most avoided her as much as possible. Curiousity was an odd thing. She was almost... cautious.
"I suppose you are not. Well, King, I have come to you... What would you have us do now?"
He shrugged slightly. "Walk... talk to one another perhaps?" he suggested with the faintest of little smirks. Shouldn't it be obvious? It wasn't as if he was about to challenge her to a duel or some silly thing like that. He wasn't quite stupid enough to challenge a goddess. At least, not while he was calm. In a temper, he very well might.
"Walk..." She blinked for a moment, eyeing him. "I... suppose. " She gathered again and stood, since she had sat to address him. Her wings twitched anxiously at her sides. "What shall we talk about then?" She stepped closer to him, her head tilted at a slight angle, her eyes reflecting a bit of curiousity.
Iar cast about for a topic for a minute or two, and then glanced over, padding slowly along the border of the Aikanaro lands. "I have to admit, I'm still curious. If you don't mind my playing ignorant mortal...?" he half-asked, tail tip twitching from side to side.
She blinked at him as they started to walk, moving at a slow, easy pace. Occasionally her ears twitched when some animal scurried or made a call not far from them. But her attention was mainly on him. "What is it you wish to ask?"
"Ah, well I was wondering..." he started, then glanced away for a moment, as if hesitating. Then he turned back. "Do you ... like the domain that you're in charge of, Posca?"
She blinked a couple of times when he asked her that, though she didn't seem offended or put off. She was silent for a moment, pensively thinking over her answer. Then she spoke, eyes heavy with emotion.
"It is not a matter of whether I like it, demon king. It is what I am. I know nothing else, and I can be nothing else. My life is to my duty to it... I will never turn from it, for I cannot turn from it."
"Well ...I ... suppose that makes sense," he replied after a moment. "I guess I was just wondering if you ... enjoy it." A little pause. "For example, a demon is what I am, yet I like the fact that I am a demon. I enjoy it... " He stopped again, watching her with head tilted a bit.
She looked thoughtful for a moment, then nodded slowly. "I... suppose. Mmm, at times I... enjoy it. Death brings about new life, though there are times when it saddens me... To see nature's beautiful creations rotting away."
Iar nodded at that. "I think I understand. I was ... merely curious," he replied with a smile. He looked ahead for a few moments more, and then glanced toward her again. "Does it bother you, that I am a demon?"
"No." Her ears fanned towards him, her expression unchanged. "Should it? You are all mortals to me, demon or no." She shook her head, eyes closing. "It is not my way to judge. As I said... I am what I am. You are what you are."
Iar's eyes narrowed a little at that. "But that's just it. I am not... strictly mortal," he replied. "My soul is that of a demon. A being of power, and of the dark. I enjoy pain, at times... I like to watch things die..."
She stopped walking and turned to him fully, her head again cocked to the side. "So you say? Tell me then, what powers do you hold? You smell like a mortal. Your hide ages and your blood dies as a mortal's should. Show me, demon king. Show me you are more than what my powers show me."
Once more, Iar found himself throttling the urge to growl at her. Instead, he forced the anger down and shook his head, almost sadly. "I can't," he said. "In this world... it's true, I am as you see me. I am mortal - but that doesnt' change the nature of what I know that my soul is."
"So you are more on the inside." She eyed him curiously, as if she could see through his mortal body into his soul. Demons were such odd things... But Posca was not one to argue, and Iar believed he was more than a mortal so strongly that... well, who was she to think otherwise?
"I feel sorry for you then, king. I hope your soul becomes free one day."
Iar lowered his head at that, nodding slightly. "I hope so as well... one of my goals in forming this pride is to find others like me. And then try to find a way to free ourselves from these mortal forms we are trapped in." His eyes flashed for just a moment, and a bit of a growl crept into his voice.
"Death would free your souls of their bonds." She paused, glancing away from him. "Though I doubt that is the result you seek... Mm, well, your god will surely show you the way when you have proven yourself worthy of his good graces."
"Not.... in particular," Iar replied with a little twist of his expression. "We're seeking a way to become truly demons in this world... so that we are not trapped. For even in death, demons are trapped below." Lifting a paw, he stamped it on the ground to make his point.
"Below...?" She blinked, glancing down at the ground where his foot stomped. "What do you mean?" Her eyes remained focused on the ground, as if she was looking through the earth as well to what was underneath. But what she saw only seemed to confuse her.
Iar blinked at that. "Hell," he said then, simply. Or at least, that was the closest mortal term to it. And he wasn't about to share the demon word for their ..... home. Not that anyone really wanted to be there.
"Hmm." She blinked at the ground for a moment longer then shook her head. "I see. Well... Your... customs are your own. I am not a demon, so I will not bother trying to understand them." She started walking again, apparently content to leave the subject behind. "Hmm... Are your children demons? Is it something to be passed on through blood?"
Iar nodded at that. "Most of the time... the stronger the blood is, the more likely it is to draw a demon soul up to this world." He paused and glanced over toward her. "And the more demons that are here ... to my mind, the easier it will be to find a way to break free."
"You mean, if two demons breed, the more likely their children will be demons? How interesting, though I suppose I'm not suprised." She nods a bit, eyes flickering over him.
"Not necessarily," he replied, shaking head slightly. "I didn't say demon blood... I said strong blood." He paused then, eyeing her - wondering.... was it too soon in this game? Ah what the hell. Take a risk. "For example...the blood of gods is also very strong.."
"Ah." She nodded slowly, not really seeming to get the deeper meaning behind his suggestion. After all... who would really want to couple with her?
"I'm sure you'll bear many strong children then."
Iar blinked, a bit surprised that she hadn't gotten it. After all ... she didn't look terrible or anything. Simply, strange. And different from the norm.
Moving a bit closer to her, he pointed out, "I would need to find a lot of strong females for that..."
She just... stared at him for a moment. Posca really wasn't the most... romanticly inclined being. She had forced that out of her system so long ago... All thoughts of romance were so far gone that she couldn't even imagine someone coming onto her now.
"Well... you have a lifetime to find them, King." She suddenly tensed and glanced away from him, off into the distance... Someone else called to her. Her follower, her priestess. And her call meant more to Posca than anyone else. "I need to go..."
Well .... damn. Iar wasn't ready to give up just yet, though and nodded. "All right... perhaps I'll see you again?" he asked, stepping back so she'd have room to fly off, if that's what she was going to do. He would like to see her fly...
She nodded, though obviously distracted. "Yes... if you call some other day I will come. Thank you for our... talk, demon King." She nods to him, meanwhile her wings extending to their fullest. And off she leaps, wings revealing their strength as they launch her into the air. In moments she's gone, faded away into non-existance.
