A Long Night

[OnyxTigress]

OOC Note: These upcoming posts are going to be a collaboration between myself and FoogooFish. Enjoy!

The area outside of the Sundren Comfort was dead silent. The Legionaires that were normally on patrol were busy elsewhere, having to deal with the current Bloodmaim attacks in the Viridale forest. It was the perfect time to strike, and Ruby was going to take full advantage of it. She knew the Centurio would be under a pretense of security from the victory, and would be in recovery of any wounds she may have taken. And this time, she would not be able to call to the paladin for help, due to the fact he had abandoned his room long ago.

She opened the door to enter the Inn, her lips curling into a sadistic grin. Betty was there, of course, but the woman was getting quite up there in age and the disguise Ruby wore did well enough to allow her to pass by without the woman giving her second glance. A peek into the bar area showed that it too was barely occupied, and so she continued on her way.

While her boots made little noise as she ascended the stairs, she did little to actually hide the sound of her approach, knowing the Legionaire had the capability of using her magic to enhance her hearing and that she also magically warded her room. Though, the actual truth was the vampire wanted the Legionaire to know she was here. As she reached the second floor, she threw back her hood and removed the makeup from her face to remove most of the disguise. It would no longer be needed.

Ruby shortened the distance to the room of Emiliana, a hand going to the pommel of her sword as the other curled into a fist to let her knuckles tap against the back of the wood. She took notice of the replaced door. "Knock knock!" She calls out, her tone carrying a cheerful quality despite the almost feral expression on her face.

[FoogooFish]

The Legionnaire sat at her ornate wooden desk, and the feathered end of her worn quill breezed back and forth as yet another report was written regarding the Bloodmaim and their Banite allies. A nearby candle was nearly guttered in its socket, and the dim light that still emitted from the tallow erratically danced upon the parchment the young woman was scribing.

Every muscle in her body burned and ached from the strain of battle, and her eyes were heavily lidded as she focused upon her work. She should rest - this she knew - but she also knew that sleep would elude her this night. Every nuance of the skirmish replayed itself in her thoughts; every tactical decision she had made and every order she had issued was mentally scrutinized for any flaws, real or perceived, so that the next battle would be better. Her mind was still very much active despite the physical fatigue, and so Emiliana Blackwell, the Iron Fist of the Legion, distinctly heard the faint, metallic ping that resulted whenever anyone crossed the magical edge of the Alarm spell that warded Room Three of the Sundren Comfort Inn.

Visitors were not uncommon for the Legionnaire, but the lateness of the hour prompted her to glance towards the window at the far end of her suite. She could see the moon cresting over the Military Ward, indicating the witching hour was nigh, although she found that notion inconsequential until the overly cheerful feminine voice pierced the quietude of her reflections.

"Knock knock!"

Slender fingers tightened upon the quill they were holding; aural recognition of the voice was instantaneous given the Legionnaire's keen sense of hearing. Ruby.

The heavily lidded eyes snapped open wide and alert, and they darted towards the corner armor rack that held the various pieces of enchanted mithral platemail that hours earlier absorbed the few blows the Banites managed to land past her plethora of magical wards. The vampire would have the door in splinters before the Legionnaire could fasten the pieces. Blue orbs then flitted back to her desk and the cylindrical object resting against its right side - the magical scabbard that contained Gravemaker, the last smithing masterpiece of the late Centurio Peridan Twilight. The silver longsword was a work of divine art, and despite the fact that the blade was crafted for and gifted to another, Emiliana considered the weapon hers. The feathered quill lightly clacked when it hit the smooth escritoire surface beneath it; the hand that held the weapon of a scribe traded it for the weapon of a soldier, and a brilliant flash of holy energy pulsed within the chamber as Gravemaker was pulled forth from his housing.

"Ruby," Emiliana calmly intoned as she rose to her feet and held her longsword at the ready. The Legionnaire was casually dressed - a red and white tunic, tan trousers, and her well-worn boots - and kept only minimal, long-duration wards surrounding herself. She knew that they would not be enough to stave off the vampire should Ruby attack, but the Legionnaire still had a proverbial ace up her sleeve: her powerful, deadly voice. Ruby had not yet been introduced to the Muse of War. Still, the Iron Fist dipped her left index finger beneath the collar of her tunic so that the golden harp pendant signifying her faith in Milil was brought into sight, and then booted feet silently stepped towards the door that separated Emiliana from her enemy.

"To what do I owe the displeasure?" she sardonically asked as she pulled the ligneous barrier ajar. Her chin lifted with the stubborn defiance that always marked these encounters, and within moments, her intense, expectant gaze locked upon the pallid visage of her long-time nemesis.

[OnyxTigress]

"To what do I owe the displeasure?"

A chuckle escapes her lips at the response from the Legionaire, her own blue eyes meeting the other woman's blue eyes. Her hand leaves the pommel of her sword to rest by her waist, her fingers still close enough to grab the blade should it be needed. She does her best to ignore the light of the drawn blade, moving ever so slightly to rest an armored shoulder on the door frame. The move causes her to appear as if taking a casual posture, but the ability to shoulder the door open was there if it came to it.

"I came here to wish you congratulations on your victory tonight. Word has gotten out quickly." She keeps her eyes on the other woman, not bothering to use any of her vampire abilities. No, it was much more fun to torment the woman all on her own. "It always amazes me how a woman is able to rise up in the ranks by just being on her back."

[FoogooFish]

When the barbed words lashed forth, Emiliana sucked in a quick breath. The vampire wanted to taunt and belittle simply for the sake of it; Ruby was playing her usual game.

"Spoken from personal experience, I imagine," Emiliana countered, and her lips curved into a mirthless smile following the pronouncement. The skin upon her left hand stretched taut as it gripped the thick oaken edge of the door; if the vampire tried to force her way into the room, the Legionnaire would be prepared. "All the times you 'seduced' former Directeur Reliun must have gone a long way to impress your peers; it is little wonder that you are thus placed so high within the wretched ranks of your dark masters. Still, I appreciate your praise, Ruby. It is always a joyous occasion for me when I can rid the Valley of her enemies... especially the loathsome undead."

The intensity in her eyes darkened, and the uttered words held an unspoken promise that she knew her rival would comprehend.

[OnyxTigress]

The vampire's jaw clenches in anger at the remark, and the hand at her side curls into a fist. She stands straight, leaving both hands to rest at her sides, her eyes flashing in anger. She leans in slightly, careful to not get too close to the other woman. "Always so quick to strike out. Just know that if you wish to banish me from here, then there will be bloods on your hands the next night."

She raises a hand, waving a finger, "And if you know me at all, Centurio, then you should know by now that when I threaten something, I follow through." She takes a moment to break eye contact for a few moments, looking back to the room behind her. "And do not try calling Tornbrook for your help either, because I know he is no longer in that room." Her eyes turn back to Emiliana, "And I know as well that he has cast you aside, so I imagine you couldn't even call to him even if you wanted to."

"Does it hurt, Emiliana? Knowing that you will never be good enough for him. Knowing that he always runs back to that prissy little Sunite of his. Knowing that you will never be as good as her."

[FoogooFish]

Her expression soured, and a muscle quirked within her jaw as she tightly clenched it.

In the past, the rivalry between the two women had started during the brief time that Emiliana had been romantically involved with the Judicator of Wrath, Dain Tornbrook. Ruby Heartstone was obsessed with the paladin, and Emiliana - then far less powerful - was viewed as an annoyance preventing an unhappily-ever-after between the vampire and the object of her desire. An initial warning spiraled into a full-fledged battle, and Emiliana felt the fanged bite of her nemesis long after the ill-fated, short-lived romantic catalyst had ended.

The verbal reminder of her amorous failure still stung despite the passage of time, but the Legionnaire refused to let ire dictate her actions. It was ironic, she absently mused, that her emotional detachment was a byproduct of words spoken by the very man whose memory Ruby now sought to use as a way to goad Emiliana into doing something rash.

"He has his happiness, and I am happy for him. We remain allies," she evenly replied. "I do not need his aid to best you, though," she continued, and a quick flick of her wrist directed the divine light radiating from Gravemaker towards the smug pale countenance of her adversary. "Much has changed since our paths last crossed, and it would be in your best interest not to test my patience."

[OnyxTigress]

She lifts her chin to avoid the light, laughing at the words of the other woman, her blue eyes twinkling with mirth. "Oh your little threats amuse me so much, Blackwell." She gives a small grin. It does not take long though before her look of amusement changes. The smile turns into a snarl, and her eyes darken with anger. She keeps her head lifted away from the light, her expression turning almost animal like.

"Let me return that threat with one of my own. If you try anything tonight, then someone will answer for it the next. I will make someone bleed, Blackwell. And that blood will be on your hands. I will make that person pay, and I will make it last for a long time. And trust me, pain is something I can make last a very long time."

She lowers her chin to look straight at the other woman, her eyes narrowing into slits to try her best to guard against the light, "Is that something you want me to do, Blackwell?"