Kaal
Newcomer
PL: 17,850
Remnants Of An Ancient Race (x4P)
Tag: @kaal
Posts: 37 
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Post by Kaal on Mar 27, 2020 2:12:30 GMT -6
No matter what, Kaal always found himself coming back to Ikra. After saying his goodbyes, wishing his surrogate moth son Golgari good luck with his outer space venture, and helping the rest of The Swarm a bit with the building of their new civilization upon Konats, the Vangardian found himself airborne once more- soaring through the Konatsian skies, wind whipping a bit at his face as he began to follow the way whence he came, bee-lining it directly for the Konatsian royal palace. Overall, it didn't really take him that long to make his farewells and help The Swarm get themselves all sorted, and judging from the suns position and the color of the sky Kaal estimated that he had spent only at most an hour or two away from the Konatsian capital, as the saying goodbye portion didn't take nearly as long as opposed to the time spent working with the rest of Golgari's family on their construction efforts. He was suitably impressed at their teamwork, though he wondered whether or not they were keeping each-other in line due to the fact that he was their father-figure, and were afraid of being chastised as any father would do to their misbehaving children.
Chuckling at such a thought, Kaal's mind slowly drifted from The Swarm and their situation to now Ikra and her issues, causing a concerned frown to slowly appear onto his features as his mind now was refocused on more important matters. When he had left the palace, one of the last things he had seen was a glimpse of Ikra's weak and vulnerable stature before she allowed for her shadow magic to hide her frailty- a sight that made the so-titled little knight's stomach turn inside and out. He had never seen her in such a pitiable state, and so he was most definitely worried about her mental and emotional wellbeing, knowing that the most recent events that had occurred within the palace walls did have a major impact on her. Considering, well, she was the sort of epicenter of it all, but that was besides the point. Ikra simply, as Riis put it, skipped some steps to the process. She didn't know what she was doing! That was all. And her friends had flocked to her aide not to judge her, but to instead comfort and calm her! Though, knowing Ikra, she most likely thought otherwise, and was probably blaming herself already.
A tired sigh escaped Kaals lips as he finally could see the capital of Konats' lights in the distance. This was going to be quite a taxing task. But, if there was anything he could do to help Ikra after her slight err, then, he was more than happy to do so. Once within the capital's borders, he touched down onto the streets of the city, walking the rest of the way to the palace.
Opening the doors, he offered a salute to the guardsmen, who in turn offered a greeting back (His actions during the earlier incident earning him some more favor points from the public, word travels fast) as Kaal continued his stride through the building. Stopping within the main hall, he closed his eyes for a moment, feeling out and around for Ikras energy signature.
It didn't take him too long for him to pinpoint it, and he wasn't too surprised to see that she was within her private quarters. Where else would one go when upset and perturbed? Quickening his pace a bit, the Vangardians footsteps echoed throughout the hallways and corridors of the palace as he made his way to Ikra, and upon reaching her room Kaal stopped just a couple feet in front of the door. Thinking, and after putting together a competent stringing of words, he eventually closed the distance, knocking on Ikra's door as he said in a worried tone, "Ikra, my Queen? I know you're in there, just for the record, I can sense your energy relatively easily. I know things haven't been, exactly, desirable as of late, but, I'm sure that you're making it seem much more worse than it actually is. If you don't mind, I would like an audience with you- just to make sure everything is relatively okay?"
Waiting for a couple seconds just in case she decided to answer, Kaal then continued, adding, "Golgari sends his regards, wishing only the best for the woman he considers his surrogate mother, naturally. His departure may also be, disquieting, yes, but, he has his reasons for doing so. He told me himself."
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Post by Ikra on Apr 10, 2020 1:03:33 GMT -6
SOLACE FOR THE SHADOW
Ikra's PL: 33,000
Ikra let out a disheartened sigh as she sat at her desk and tapped a finger against the wood desk. Her quarters were cloaked in darkness and shadow, which suited her mood just fine at the moment. Darling Riis’s coronation had certainly been… a bittersweet affair. While Riis had reassured her by calling her his inspiration that did not excuse the fact that she had made a grievous error. She struggled to come to grips with that fact let alone excuse it as easily as dear Riis had. What if she had made a different choice? What if she had made a decision that caused Riis to hate her? In the frame of mind she had been in, Ikra knew that she would not have hesitated to make an example of dissidents. Speaking of dissidents, Ikra thought of Golgari who was like her adoptive son. She had been so embarrassed and so upset by both his words and behavior. How he disapproved of Riis. How he wanted no part of the kingdom that Ikra would give her life to build. She just didn’t understand. That went for all of her allies who joined that day. Though they came to her aid, it felt like they had been there to save her from her own foolishness. “Oh…”Ikra mumbled miserably when she heard a knock on her door. Oh, she didn’t want to take any visitors now. Who could it even be? In another second, Ikra had her answer. Kaal, her little knight. She tapped her chin gently and turned her gaze to the ground. Even he had… Oh, bother. Ikra threw herself onto her bed in despair and sulked in silence, hoping that he might just go away. Unfortunately, he had the uncanny ability to sense energy. Perhaps that would be a useful skill to learn even though a scouter would do just as well. His worried tone made her feel even worse about herself. Look at her. So pathetic. Making others worry for her. She mulled over the idea of allowing Kaal an audience. Wallowing in self pity was looking like the far more desirable option to confronting her failures. She was pushed to a decision when Kaal mentioned Golgari. Her maternal tendencies got the better of her. She pulled herself up onto her bed into a sitting position and extended one shadowy tendril to open the door. Swinging open, it allowed Kaal to peer inside of the pitch black room where Ikra’s golden eyes stared at him from the bed. “Tell me about Golgari. What were his reasons?”
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Kaal
Newcomer
PL: 17,850
Remnants Of An Ancient Race (x4P)
Tag: @kaal
Posts: 37
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Post by Kaal on Apr 12, 2020 3:05:26 GMT -6
For a while, it seemed as though Ikra would be quite confident in her decision to ignore Kaals qualms- and he began to grow more worried with each second that the door in front of him remained shut. In fact, he was just about to knock once more when all the sudden the door in front of him finally did give way to its contents; Ikra's golden gilded gaze staring directly into his face as she asked the details behind Golgari's chosen absence. Even while encompassed by darkness Kaal could see the grief and strain within Ikra's eyes, and that mere fact made the so proclaimed little knight's heart wrench even further than it already had been. Looking around the room, he could see that indeed nearly all of it was obscured in shadowy darkness- most likely from Ikra's own doing and self piteous demeanor overtaking her and affecting her magical affinity. Clearing his throat, Kaal was just about to enter her room to speak with her as suddenly he felt a heat emanating from within the scabbard on his belt. Stopping, he backed up a second, unsheathing his sword Ashbringer to question why when he immediately recalled that this weapon was of holy nature, and of course it wouldn't take too kindly to the company of one from the Demon race.
Sighing, he resheathed his sword, taking his scabbard off his belt and setting it just outside of the door, leaning it on the doorframe as he came inside of the room, shutting the door behind him. Slowly moving his way to the bed, he stopped just short of it- immediately then kneeling in front of Ikra as he spoke, "My queen, Golgari indeed did have his respectable reasons for taking a leave of absence- and I hope that as I tell you, that you may keep an open mind as I do. And, urm, hopefully not feel worse after I do."
Then choosing to remain on a single knee, he looked up into Ikra's gaze directly- his baby blue pupils staring into her golden ones as he spoke, "While you already know part of the reason, that being his disagreement with both his treatment of you and approach to ruling his people, Golgari has also simply been planning this for quite some time now. He's always wondered what life was like beyond the sands of Konats, and perhaps that partially comes from the fact that he has been trapped on it's very surface for nearly the entirety of his life, and perhaps would still be in such a circumstance were it not for our efforts to free him and his siblings."
"He simply wished for a change of scenery, and reiterated again and again that it wasn't your fault. He just wanted to explore his newfound freedom for a little while."
After speaking, Kaal would remain in his kneeling state, sighing. The mention of Riis now made him wonder where exactly he was at times like these. Perhaps he was simply waiting for a better time to address her, or maybe had things that were of far more pressing matters to attend to.
Either way, it didn't help at all with his now ever growing jealousy with the prince. If he were to claim Ikra as his own, at least somewhat show it more often so he'd feel a bit more at ease. He questioned just how long he'd be able to contain himself before becoming irrationally against Riis just like Golgari. He hoped, at least, for as long as he needed to.
But now was not the time for delving into his own self-pity and problems, no, he was here for Ikra, for her- not for he or Riis. And that was what mattered to him most. So, the Vangardian simply awaited his queen's next move, looking up into her face with an awaiting atmosphere to his demeanor.
"If it is any consolation, Ikra, dear, it really wasn't your fault."
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Post by Ikra on Apr 13, 2020 13:02:45 GMT -6
Ikra watched Kaal carefully as he stood in the doorway. Something about his sword was reacting, and he left it outside. She smiled a bit bitterly. Perhaps now even swords knew of her mistakes? She didn’t comment on it aloud and let Kaal enter her quarters. He kneeled before her in his usual so typically Kaal way. She let out a soft sigh and reached out to twirl his golden hair as he spoke, paying only a little attention to his preamble. Then, Kaal told her what she already knew with the addition of the little fact that Golgari had been planning his leave for a long time.
Her face grew even more crestfallen, thinking that she had done so poor a job as a guardian that she had driven him off. But Kaal’s further explanation cleared up that notion. It did sound like Golgari to have that sort of wanderlust. Ikra smiled pitifully at Kaal’s cute face and booped his nose lightly with a finger.
“Ah, well. But I did drive him away without so much as a proper good-bye,” she said softly after a moment, “Am I so poor a guardian? Perhaps so… given my actions not long ago. Would a proper guardian of Konats threaten the populace as I did? Oh Kaal, I feel terribly wretched. As if not a thing I could do would ever be enough to atone for my deeds.”
She placed her hands in her lap.
“And, while Babyl swore fealty to our King, I could have never foreseen such dissent from those I consider to be my friends and family. The castle servants shun me, and it seems even your sword has its qualms.”
Sighing softly, Ikra resisted the urge to flop into her bed and bundle up into a cocoon of blankets. It wouldn’t be proper with Kaal attending her. She patted the bed beside her instead, inviting him up from his position on the floor. Really, it was too cute how he still stood on ceremony at times like these. Ever the little knight, she supposed. |
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Kaal
Newcomer
PL: 17,850
Remnants Of An Ancient Race (x4P)
Tag: @kaal
Posts: 37
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Post by Kaal on Apr 15, 2020 0:47:52 GMT -6
Oh, the things this woman did to him, she'd never know. For now, at least. Even the simple act of twirling his blond locks of hair made his face slightly flush with embarrassment. Did Ikra even realize how he could interpret these actions as, something more than just friendly gestures? Of course, Kaal himself knew better than to misinterpret such things, seeing as quite literally not even a day had past since he had seen her give it all up to her oh incandescent king and rightful ruler Riis- okay, perhaps the jealousy was leaking a tad bit, but nonetheless Kaal knew not to take such actions to heart. But a part of him still all the more hoped that there was something more to a simple twiddling of the hair than just a nervous tick. He kept such emotions and such hopes shoved deep down as he simply chose to listen to the woes of his queen, his heart sinking even lower as Ikra's expression began to dampen in mood as well. Was it something that he said? Or perhaps she took Golgari's leave of absence more to heart than he would've liked? Her smile immediately afterward, coupled with the slight bop on the snoot made his already flushed face feel even more heated than before, with him having to look down for a couple seconds for himself to regain his bearings as he listened to the mournful voice of Ikra.
His concerned frown only grew as it became all the more apparent that the demonness thought herself to be the main cause behind the majority of things going wrong- which, wasn't exactly entirely true. Even if she hadn't pulled a stunt like this off anyways, would Golgari have decided to go off-world regardless? He was his own man, his own self sufficient lad, whose actions couldn't simply be predicted by either of them- no matter how much either one of them wanted to be able to. So Kaal thought that Ikra was being much too harsh on herself.
He opened his mouth to speak immediately after Ikra finished her pitiable tangent, saying in a reassuring tone as he looked back up into her face, his own face now cleared of the originally red complexion it had, "Ikra, my queen, no-! You simply had but a moments lapse in judgment is all, nothing that you of all people would not be able to just as easily bounce back from! Besides, the people must have known you meant well, you don't see any of the commonwealth going out of their way to say otherwise, no? If they truly had any problems to sort out with you, I am sure they would have taken it up with you by now, but seeing as there is a surprising lack of animosity coming from the people, I can assure you that you are still Konats' loved protector, first and foremost."
Of course, the thought of them simply being too afraid now to speak out their dissent did come to mind, but he quickly waved that thought away- the whole point of this conversation was to make her feel better, not more like crap. Kaal was about to reassure her once more as she then brought up the holy nature of his sword- the Vangardian now regretting taking it with him on this certain venture, turning back toward the door as if to face it with an annoyed glance before turning back to Ikra.
"Ashbringer is, a holy sword by nature, Ikra," Kaal said as he ran a hand through his hair, chuckling a bit. "If it could know you half as well as I do, I'm sure it's opinions would be swiftly swayed. Just as those of the opinions of your friends and family can be swayed if given enough time. They are called your friends and family for a reason- we wouldn't have all clamored over if we didn't think otherwise. We came, again, because we cared. And, don't you mind the castle servants- they'll come around eventually. If they can somehow come to enjoy my presence, I'm sure they'll return to loving yours soon enough."
While his knees did ache a bit from the time he had spent kneeling on the floor, and the exhaustion from the effort spent on the flight to and from the palace was slowly taking its toll, Kaal still waved off Ikra's offer- saying in an objective (yet if you listened hard enough you could hear tiny drips of jealousy hinted within) tone, "Me? Be seated there? No, that would be, improper of me to do so. I am but a knight, not of nobility like you or Riis. And speaking of, such bedding would be reserved for his presence and his presence only, would it not? Considering the nature of your twos' relationship.."
No, Kaal instead chose to lean against the bed- positioning himself just next to Ikra as he let out a tired sigh.
"Might I remind you that you weren't the cause of Golgari's running off, either. He said it himself- he simply disagreed with Riis' ways of doing things, and so did what he saw was the most mature course of action in avoiding any further conflict with his rule. And may I also add that without the efforts from both of us, Golgari would still be trapped a prisoner to his cruel creators?"
Honestly, Kaal really couldn't see how Ikra could dare take so much of the blame onto her own shoulders, when there was no blame for her to take in the first place! It boggled the mind, it did.
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