((The current portion of this post occurs sometime after this post.))
Then.
Raelisanne Banurein stood at the edge of the precipice overlooking Camp Bluefog. As dry and unwelcoming the rest of Thanalan was, Northern Thanalan was thrice more so, with a plethora of deadly beasts, a distinct lack of vegetation, a strong Garlean presence, and even cults taking root in deserted pockets of the region. Harsh environs fascinated her; it was under the most severe of conditions that the need to adapt and change was the greatest.
The woman regarded the jagged stones that made up the mountainside, absently following the upward spiraling curl of the blue wisps of smoke that emanated from the Ceruleum Processing Plant to the north. Despite obvious audible footsteps behind her, she made no move to acknowledge the approach of the Highlander woman who made her way up the ramp.
“Ah. Here you are,†the dark skinned woman greeted her flatly as she stepped up next to the scientist.
“Miss Delial,†Raelisanne answered without turning. “How are things.â€
“I’ve been… occupied. Though things have been quiet, too, in the city.†Delial’s tone was neutral, if not careful. The last time Banurein and Grimsong spoke was before the Highlander was going to deliver a head of Aylard Greyarm, as a message, to the Resistance. The Kinslayer--as Grimsong has been known in the past--had been quiet since her attendance of the Royal Ball in Ul’dah. Raelisanne knew of the woman’s goings ons of course, but expected a report from the Highlander none the less.
“We are to release Mister Wolfsong soon.†Her eyes still looked to the grey landscape and the giant boulders beyond. “I am nearly done with him.â€
"I may have already got that covered, actually." Delial rolled her shoulders. "We shared some words, Roen and I, at the ball just recently. A trade, of sorts. Master Gharen's life for the last scraps of the Resistance cell here. I expected it would have been an easy choice. The Resistance means nothing to her... or so I would think. She's quite sentimental, that one, of people she does not know."
"She was always a foolish girl." Her words were clipped, but her placid expression did not waver. "But even if she refuses, she will get her wish. You will see soon enough that Mister Wolfsong is no longer himself." She gave Delial a sidelong glance. "I will equip you with the necessary equipment to control him until the release."
"Ah? You've... done it then. His soul?"
There was but a smallest lift to the corner of Banurein’s lips. "He is undone." Her gaze returned to the camp below, idly watching a line of recruits doing push-ups. “What emerges remains to be seen.â€
"Name a time and a place. Roen will be eager to collect, no doubt. As will I."
"I will warn you Miss Delial,†Raelisanne tugged at the cuffs of her white gloves. “Mister Wolfsong will not take kindly to your presence, lest he is subdued by methods I give you."
"That goes without saying,†Delial said wryly.
"I also wish to see the last cell of the Resistance gone." Her eyes paused at a speck of dirt on her sleeve.
"She will hand them over. She has no choice in this." Grimsong sounded confident.
"You have a few suns.†Her eyes narrowed behind her spectacles, but the calm tone in her voice did not change. “Use it as you will. Mister Wolfsong should be ready in less than five."
Delial nodded. "As you say, little dove. I will make the arrangements."
"That will be all." Raelisanne lowered her hands, her eyes going back to the landscape.
There was a pause, the Highlander lingering by her side. "A... question, if you would humor me."
"Speak, Miss Delial."
"This... Hm. Those creatures you... used." There was a pause, hesitation in the woman’s voice. "The damage... is it permanent? Will he just... live on like this?"
"The voidlings.†Her lips pressed primly. “They will continue to swim within his veins. His aether feeds them. They will go more hungry when given more aether." She glanced to the darkening sky, her face blank. "I suspect they will try and heal him at some point. They have the capability to find more hosts if given enough time and aether."
Gravel whispered below the Highlander’s feet as she shifted her weight. There was a slight dip in the woman’s tone, a change that Raelisanne would identify as one of discomfort. "Ah," Deilal said after a long pause. "I see."
"They are a creation of mine.†A hint of satisfaction leaked into her words. “I mean to test their tenacity in the field. And this is the perfect opportunity."
"Quite so,†Delial’s voice was flat. "I... wonder, though. Would Roen be that much more inclined to return, if... with Wolfsong as he is?" There was another pregnant pause. "Or... do you intend to..."
Raelisanne released a quick breath through her nose. “She would see nothing but a waste of a man. A shell. A snarling beast. What would she see in one as such."
Delial was staring at the scientist now. "...they are blood. I do not know if they trust my word on it, but... she loves him regardless. I don't imagine she'd... no. She would not leave him if she thinks she can help him."
Raelisanne narrowed her eyes, a frown threatening to darken her countenance. "You may be overestimating this sibling attachment, Miss Delial. If she tries to heal him with aether, she too will contract the voidlings.†She released another breath through her nose, her expression turning placid again. “She will need to turn to me to cure it."
"Ah."
“But his mind is beyond help."
"I don't expect that will matter much to her."
Raelisanne gave Delial another sidelong look, this one much sharper than before. "It is irreparable. How long do you feed a sick rabid dog before you realize you need to put it to rest?"
Grimsong did not meet her gaze for long. She glanced instead to the path behind her, the way she came. "...He is blood," she murmured at last, as if that was all that mattered.
With a blink of an eye, the scientist’s expression returned to the blank mask. "He is a beast. Sooner she understands that, sooner he will be put down. Or. He may kill her. And all those around him."
"As you say. Yes... I expect it will... eventually come to that. Very well." The woman bowed at the waist. "I've wasted enough of your time. I'll make the arrangements."
"It is an experiment I will look forward to seeing to completion." Raelisanne curled a small smile, actually sounding pleased. "Do what must be done, Miss Delial."
"Always have, my dear.†The Highlander’s pale eyes turned a shade darker as she nodded. “Always will.â€
________
Now.
Raelisanne watched as the bare chest of the man rose and fell with even breaths.
The room no longer echoed with screams, its cold steel walls ever sterile and impervious. It had stood as mute witness to many of her experiments, from dissections to transformations. More often than not, and much to her displeasure, most ambitious of her experiments ended with a dead body, a corpse of yet another specimen that was unable to endure the stresses that had been put upon it.
Death was never her goal. After all, it was in the mind and soul of a living being that the potential remained limitless.
As her gloved hand came to rest over the heart of the man who laid upon the steel platform, the woman canted her head. Her attention went from his short but disheveled black locks, to his unconscious face. It then followed the mid-line of his torso to the scars that remained over his abdomen. The two gunshot wounds were barely visible, just a faint web of scars remained where once there was a gaping hole that was quickly draining the man of his life.
Soft velvet gloves slowly caressed the pink fibers of aetherically stitched flesh, and the skin beneath her touch responded with goosebumps. Raelisanne smiled.
The man stirred, his lungs suddenly filling with a deep inhalation, as if the body suddenly remembered how to breath. Eyelashes fluttered open, and amber eyes flickered about the room, as if to try and get his bearings. He had always been quick to adjust and adapt, she recalled.
Now she remembered why she had missed him so.
“Where…†His voice was hoarse and cracked, his throat not having had the taste of water in suns.
“Welcome back to the realm of the living, Mister Taeros.†Raelisanne canted her head, regarding the man with an expression that almost touched a smile. Her gloved hand came to lay once more upon his chest.
“We have much catching up to do.â€
Then.
Raelisanne Banurein stood at the edge of the precipice overlooking Camp Bluefog. As dry and unwelcoming the rest of Thanalan was, Northern Thanalan was thrice more so, with a plethora of deadly beasts, a distinct lack of vegetation, a strong Garlean presence, and even cults taking root in deserted pockets of the region. Harsh environs fascinated her; it was under the most severe of conditions that the need to adapt and change was the greatest.
The woman regarded the jagged stones that made up the mountainside, absently following the upward spiraling curl of the blue wisps of smoke that emanated from the Ceruleum Processing Plant to the north. Despite obvious audible footsteps behind her, she made no move to acknowledge the approach of the Highlander woman who made her way up the ramp.
“Ah. Here you are,†the dark skinned woman greeted her flatly as she stepped up next to the scientist.
“Miss Delial,†Raelisanne answered without turning. “How are things.â€
“I’ve been… occupied. Though things have been quiet, too, in the city.†Delial’s tone was neutral, if not careful. The last time Banurein and Grimsong spoke was before the Highlander was going to deliver a head of Aylard Greyarm, as a message, to the Resistance. The Kinslayer--as Grimsong has been known in the past--had been quiet since her attendance of the Royal Ball in Ul’dah. Raelisanne knew of the woman’s goings ons of course, but expected a report from the Highlander none the less.
“We are to release Mister Wolfsong soon.†Her eyes still looked to the grey landscape and the giant boulders beyond. “I am nearly done with him.â€
"I may have already got that covered, actually." Delial rolled her shoulders. "We shared some words, Roen and I, at the ball just recently. A trade, of sorts. Master Gharen's life for the last scraps of the Resistance cell here. I expected it would have been an easy choice. The Resistance means nothing to her... or so I would think. She's quite sentimental, that one, of people she does not know."
"She was always a foolish girl." Her words were clipped, but her placid expression did not waver. "But even if she refuses, she will get her wish. You will see soon enough that Mister Wolfsong is no longer himself." She gave Delial a sidelong glance. "I will equip you with the necessary equipment to control him until the release."
"Ah? You've... done it then. His soul?"
There was but a smallest lift to the corner of Banurein’s lips. "He is undone." Her gaze returned to the camp below, idly watching a line of recruits doing push-ups. “What emerges remains to be seen.â€
"Name a time and a place. Roen will be eager to collect, no doubt. As will I."
"I will warn you Miss Delial,†Raelisanne tugged at the cuffs of her white gloves. “Mister Wolfsong will not take kindly to your presence, lest he is subdued by methods I give you."
"That goes without saying,†Delial said wryly.
"I also wish to see the last cell of the Resistance gone." Her eyes paused at a speck of dirt on her sleeve.
"She will hand them over. She has no choice in this." Grimsong sounded confident.
"You have a few suns.†Her eyes narrowed behind her spectacles, but the calm tone in her voice did not change. “Use it as you will. Mister Wolfsong should be ready in less than five."
Delial nodded. "As you say, little dove. I will make the arrangements."
"That will be all." Raelisanne lowered her hands, her eyes going back to the landscape.
There was a pause, the Highlander lingering by her side. "A... question, if you would humor me."
"Speak, Miss Delial."
"This... Hm. Those creatures you... used." There was a pause, hesitation in the woman’s voice. "The damage... is it permanent? Will he just... live on like this?"
"The voidlings.†Her lips pressed primly. “They will continue to swim within his veins. His aether feeds them. They will go more hungry when given more aether." She glanced to the darkening sky, her face blank. "I suspect they will try and heal him at some point. They have the capability to find more hosts if given enough time and aether."
Gravel whispered below the Highlander’s feet as she shifted her weight. There was a slight dip in the woman’s tone, a change that Raelisanne would identify as one of discomfort. "Ah," Deilal said after a long pause. "I see."
"They are a creation of mine.†A hint of satisfaction leaked into her words. “I mean to test their tenacity in the field. And this is the perfect opportunity."
"Quite so,†Delial’s voice was flat. "I... wonder, though. Would Roen be that much more inclined to return, if... with Wolfsong as he is?" There was another pregnant pause. "Or... do you intend to..."
Raelisanne released a quick breath through her nose. “She would see nothing but a waste of a man. A shell. A snarling beast. What would she see in one as such."
Delial was staring at the scientist now. "...they are blood. I do not know if they trust my word on it, but... she loves him regardless. I don't imagine she'd... no. She would not leave him if she thinks she can help him."
Raelisanne narrowed her eyes, a frown threatening to darken her countenance. "You may be overestimating this sibling attachment, Miss Delial. If she tries to heal him with aether, she too will contract the voidlings.†She released another breath through her nose, her expression turning placid again. “She will need to turn to me to cure it."
"Ah."
“But his mind is beyond help."
"I don't expect that will matter much to her."
Raelisanne gave Delial another sidelong look, this one much sharper than before. "It is irreparable. How long do you feed a sick rabid dog before you realize you need to put it to rest?"
Grimsong did not meet her gaze for long. She glanced instead to the path behind her, the way she came. "...He is blood," she murmured at last, as if that was all that mattered.
With a blink of an eye, the scientist’s expression returned to the blank mask. "He is a beast. Sooner she understands that, sooner he will be put down. Or. He may kill her. And all those around him."
"As you say. Yes... I expect it will... eventually come to that. Very well." The woman bowed at the waist. "I've wasted enough of your time. I'll make the arrangements."
"It is an experiment I will look forward to seeing to completion." Raelisanne curled a small smile, actually sounding pleased. "Do what must be done, Miss Delial."
"Always have, my dear.†The Highlander’s pale eyes turned a shade darker as she nodded. “Always will.â€
________
Now.
Raelisanne watched as the bare chest of the man rose and fell with even breaths.
The room no longer echoed with screams, its cold steel walls ever sterile and impervious. It had stood as mute witness to many of her experiments, from dissections to transformations. More often than not, and much to her displeasure, most ambitious of her experiments ended with a dead body, a corpse of yet another specimen that was unable to endure the stresses that had been put upon it.
Death was never her goal. After all, it was in the mind and soul of a living being that the potential remained limitless.
As her gloved hand came to rest over the heart of the man who laid upon the steel platform, the woman canted her head. Her attention went from his short but disheveled black locks, to his unconscious face. It then followed the mid-line of his torso to the scars that remained over his abdomen. The two gunshot wounds were barely visible, just a faint web of scars remained where once there was a gaping hole that was quickly draining the man of his life.
Soft velvet gloves slowly caressed the pink fibers of aetherically stitched flesh, and the skin beneath her touch responded with goosebumps. Raelisanne smiled.
The man stirred, his lungs suddenly filling with a deep inhalation, as if the body suddenly remembered how to breath. Eyelashes fluttered open, and amber eyes flickered about the room, as if to try and get his bearings. He had always been quick to adjust and adapt, she recalled.
Now she remembered why she had missed him so.
“Where…†His voice was hoarse and cracked, his throat not having had the taste of water in suns.
“Welcome back to the realm of the living, Mister Taeros.†Raelisanne canted her head, regarding the man with an expression that almost touched a smile. Her gloved hand came to lay once more upon his chest.
“We have much catching up to do.â€
