• Closed • Ties of Blood and Bone

[Zana]

40th Saun, 717

Thus far, Zana was pleased that she had made the move to Rharne. It was a nice place, so long as one did not notice the poor people who lived there. At least, in Rharne, the rich were in the Glass Quarter which meant that the residents generally, and her specifically, were not required to pretend not to see the poor folks. It was segregation and, frankly, Zana considered as she sat in front of the mirror and brushed her hair, she was entirely for it. Working at the Lady Libertine was working out well, she enjoyed her job as she always had and living with Theo was fine. It would be better, she reflected as she continued the movement of the brush through her long blonde hair, if he would learn to cook. Really, hiring a cook and a cleaner and living somewhere larger would be a good start towards what she wanted.

And what she wanted? Well, she wanted it all.

"In your name, Father," she whispered. The small and delicate shrine to Delroth which was on her vanity in their bedroom was directly in front of her; she had placed it there on purpose so that she could not look at her own beauty without being reminded of his part in her life.

To-trial, Zana was experimenting with new hairstyles. She had seen a few different ones adorning the heads of the customers in Tio's tea shop. For reasons which she could not entirely put her finger on, Zana liked it there. A place which was so reserved, so restrained as to only serve tea? It was delicious in its irony in Rharne of all places. The people here sought pleasure and hedonism was not just not a taboo, it was the norm. It meant that she was very much at home here.

Pinning her hair so that it tumbled down in a cascade of curls from the top of her head, Zana looked at the effect and she pursed her lips slightly. This was nice, pretty. It accentuated her cheekbones and emphasised her long neck. It was a little too severe, though, so she loosened it and had a few stray strands here and there. Looking in the mirror, she smiled a self-satisfied smile. Much better. Lifting her hand again, she twirled a strand of hair around her finger, curling it further and she knew that she had hit upon a nice style, one that the customers would like and which was easy to do.

Lifting her hands to start on the next style, Zana heard a noise and turned, assuming that Theo had come home.

[Squirrel]

He'd taken many for this gauntlet. He'd pulled in those he'd marked, random people from the street, friends, enemies. Perhaps one of the few saving graces of his greed was that it meant he didn't discriminate; all were his to use, and so he used them all. However, he'd left the best for last, his ace up the hole, so to speak. In truth there always was one in these events, and he knew he wasn't the only one who used them to their advantage, almost always ensuring a victory of the chosen above the lesser common folk. His marked, like Navyri, he would treasure always... but his daughter Zana was something else entirely. He could still remember her mother, and all the other whores for that matter. He might not have had much of a hand in her raising, but he was proud of how this one had come out. Respectful, dignified... everything that a daughter of his should be.

His chariot stopped outside her Rharne home and glided through the front door silently, casting his eyes over the small bungalow, the trinkets and various sprawling furniture. It wasn't bad... although he was a little disappointed, if he did say so himself. She kept a good house, but a bungalow was a bungalow, even if it was supposedly on the finer end of the spectrum in terms of location, and the decor, while quaint, was still well-prepared and a good match for the house. Perhaps it was just his personal preference, when it came to... well, everything, come to think of it... he preferred it bigger, better and possibly covered in gold. His fashion sense was often criticised though.

He found her at last, sitting in her room, and she turned to meet him as he stepped over the threshold. Surprising, since he was quite confident in his ability to remain undetected. She had greater senses than he gave her credit for. It didn't take long for his shock to smooth out into that lovely, charming smile he always flashed to pretty women, only this one was much more warm. He might be unabashed in his desires, but he was not so perverted, nor crass, to consider doing that. "Dear Daughter," he cooed as he swooped into the room with his arms spread wide. "It's been some time,
hasn't it? Come give your father a hug."

Many might think of him as a devious sort, and they weren't wrong. His desire was bottomless, his methods vicious, every mortal in this world was a pawn in the great game that he would win and take all. That didn't mean he didn't treasure some of the finest spoils as tenderly as any other Immortal, however. For all the great gifts bestowed upon him, if the Avriel's utter failure had ever taught him anything - and it'd taught him a lot, both about himself and the world - it was that he wasn't a very good creator. Some were; Treid, Yvithia, they'd all created little monsters that were rather hideous to look at but they still worked as intended. Zana, and perhaps one or two of his other Mortalborn, were some of the few that actually did... well, work. He'd kick himself if he didn't cherish this one while she lasted.

Besides which, she was the perfect one for this task... just as he'd intended. "How'd you like to represent me in a little tournament?"

[Zana]

40th Saun, 717

The sight of her father as she turned to look caused Zana to stop and stand, speechless, for a moment.Were her eyes deceiving her that her father, to whom she had been praying but moments before, was here standing in her home? Shock was replaced by delight and Zana moved as instructed to hug her father, reverence evidence in her every move. She hugged him and looked up at him with adoration in her eyes, "It is so good to see you, Father," she said and when he had released her from the hug she dropped into a deep curtsy, "you honour me and this meager home with your presence," By the next time that she saw him, Zana vowed, the house would be bigger. Better. Larger. The shrine to her father was there in the room where she had sat, it was on her dressing table so that she looked in the mirror dedicated to him every trial. One trial, she would have a home where each room had a shrine three times the size of the one in this room.

And even then, the Mortalborn woman knew, it would not be worthy of him. He was here, though, for a reason and he told her what it was. He wanted her to represent him in a tournament? Zana's mind went to a thousand different places in a heartbeat. A tournament? Would she have to wear armour? If so, she determined, she would wear the best, and most beautiful, armour Idalos had ever seen in order to represent the Immortal who had sired her. Whatever sort of tournament it was that her father spoke of, though, there was only one answer as far as Zana was concerned.

"It would be my honour, Father." Her eyes lifted to look at him, ice blue like his and her pride at him asking was evident. Zana was, very much, his daughter and she was a vain and greedy creature ~ but both of those things were wrapped up in being his child. Her sense of self, her awareness of her own beauty was all about being Delroth's daughter ~ she looked how she did because of him. Her greed was in his name; as his daughter she represented him and her actions, her station and her ... everything about her, reflected on him. So, she would live the lifestyle she chose, she would be the person he could be proud of.

And she would show others what beauty Delroth wrought.

"Whatever you wish of me, I will undertake without question," she said bowing her head to him, "in your name." Because it was her father who stood here before her. He had sired her, he had given her his blessing, which she wore proudly (as she did everything, in fairness, but this was even moreso) and he had been a constant in her life. So, she waited to see what else, if anything, he would tell her.

[Squirrel]

He chuckled quietly - one of the few times he could actually do such a thing. "It's good to see you as well, my dear." He would never admit to such a thing, but he felt regretful that he'd not been able to give her a little more attention between all the schemes and plots laid out through the last arc. Many of his plans had to be rewritten following that whole fiasco with Treid, not that he really displayed any ambition towards the outcome of that little spat. It just so happened that the diverted attentions of many involved were something to be exploited, and exploit them he would. With time, they'd come to learn what he'd managed to weave in their absence, but by then it'd be too late to untangle the strings without pulling themselves deeper still, and even then he would only weave more, until they all danced to his tune. "It is quite a meagre one at that, isn't it? Honestly, I expected more... I can't remember you ever showing such a lack."

His words might seem harsh, but he sang them in a ribbing tone, playful and joking. The sparkle in his eyes spoke of hidden humour when he looked at her, and despite all efforts to the contrary, the beginnings of a smile turned the corners of his mouth until he turned away again. His eyes slid over the shrine, unnoticed before, and the grin blossomed even more. It did delight him so, to have at least one child that was utterly loyal to him. If only he could use her as a better template for the Avriel, or some new race. To take pride in not only themselves, but their Immortal as well - he was sure that was what they needed, and was something Zana seemed to have picked up from who-knew-where.

"Of course you will." He never doubted the answer, the question itself was little more than small formality. "I should tell you, it's not a tournament that you might be familiar with. This is one made by Immortals, for the sole purpose of choosing their champion in future affairs." The tournament itself was little more than another formality. He'd already chosen his, but the agreement was that they would open such an opportunity to all they saw fit, even if not all those he'd chosen were truly fit at all. Another unseen gift. Another insurance policy on his favourite making it through. "You will have to collect an object of my desire. An orb; don't worry, you'll know it when you see it, since it seems to change its material on a whim." A strange thing, but an important one. "At the moment, it's not in this plane, so when the time comes... well, I'll have to pull you to where it is, but it'll be up to you to find it and bring it back before your competitors."

He made it sound easy, though. He still hadn't told her where exactly it was, nor would he, for now; for all the others knew, it was somewhere in Etzos, though that was really just to bring them close enough together that he could pull them across into the Misty Miasma in one go. Zana, well, she was a different case. She seemed more permeable than regular mortals; whether this was just another property of Mortalborns or something else, he couldn't say, but he'd never been studious enough to research such things, nor did it truly matter to his plans, so for now he kept his mouth shut. She had all she needed to know, anyway.

[Zana]

40th Saun, 717

Her father called her 'my dear' and delight filled Zana. To think that she might, in any small way, please her father was enough to bring her more pleasure than she could ever hope to provide. His comment on the house caused her to look around and she considered that perhaps she had grown slack, lax in her efforts. "No building will ever do you justice, but I will do better." Soon, the Lady Libertine would start showing them the profits which she knew were coming. Soon, she would have more money than she had ever had before. The child of Delroth was sure. More than sure.

He then saw the shrine and he smiled. Zana felt her heart soar again at the sight and she determined that she would continue to improve it, to do more and work harder. All in her father's name. She then turned all of her attention to what he wanted from her and she nodded, not speaking but instead committing it to memory. He told her of the orb, although not much of it. Zana had no doubt that he told her enough - more than enough for her to do what he required of her.

When he had given her all of his instructions, told her all that he would, Zana lifted her eyes to her fathers. It was like looking in a mirror, looking in those eyes, ice to ice. Her gaze was steady and she nodded. "As you command, Father. To the best of my ability, in your name." From the moment that Delroth had walked into the brothel and chosen the whore who he would allow to pleasure him individually, Zana's mother had known that she would carry his child. From her first breath, Zana had been taught of who she was and she wore it like a badge of honour.

She was Delroth's daughter.

But what most did not see, for most did not seek to look beneath the arrogance and vanity, was just how much Zana was taught to honour and love her father. She was who she was because of him, at his pleasure. She drew breath because of this being and, in him, she had met one of the few who were truly superior to her. Mortals were not - mindless peons mostly who had no true ambition. Zana, however, had ambition.

She would, one day, ascend to stand next to her Father and take her place at his side, worshipping him and commanding worship from all others for all eternity. Nothing else would do, for she was Delroth's daughter and, for him, she had to be the best.

He deserved nothing less.

[Squirrel]

All her praise and promises he took in his stride - for it was true, he deserved nothing less, and expected nothing less from anyone, especially his own daughter. "I know you will, because you, more than most, understand what is truly at stake here. This competition is petty, it's true. Little more than a game made to pass the time and wean away the boredom from the less excitable characters." When he described it that way, it was a wonder he'd ever decided to join in, and it truly was. However, like many others he suspected, he had a few ulterior motives for joining such a childish game. "However," he continued, "there will be many other followers. Followers of other Immortals. It is a chance to learn, to study. Most importantly, it is a chance to cull the weak." Before she got any other ideas, "Meaning, of course, all the other champions." Even his weakest followers were followers; he wasn't as wasteful as Faldrun, burning his own believers.

He turned back towards the door. He sorely hated how little time there was to prepare, but prepare he must. "When the time comes, I know you will be prepared. This is a great opportunity for me, and therefore for you." Mostly for him, but it never hurt to let everyone else know there was something to be gained for themselves as well. Even Zana, whom he could be certain would be pleased to jump off a bridge if it would bring him higher standing. "Now." He drew himself straighter, tighter, but his voice took on a small tinge of sadness. "I'm afraid there are the other contestants to prepare, so our time together must once more be cut short."

The wind tugged at him eagerly, like an excitable horse ready to gallop. "The next time I see you, you will have a bigger house. And the orb. You will show all the other worshippers, and the Immortals themselves, that I alone stand above all others." A chuckle wiped the momentary sadness away easily. "Even Ziell could not make a prophecy more true than this." He was utterly certain, of course, and spoke each word with a finality that brokered no argument. Swept up in the moment, he let the wind tug him out through the open door in a blur of motion before Zana could reply, objection or otherwise. She would win; and so he would win.

[Squirrel]

Zana

Story: 5
Structure: 5
Collaboration: 5

Knowledges:

Delroth: Enjoys being worshipped.
Delroth: Guards his children as his possessions, and guards his possessions strongly.

Additional Notes:

Sorry it took so long to get back to this! If there's anything else you'd like added, please let me know. Also, sorry, but after reading over the thread, I didn't see anything specific that Zana did to warrant a new ability, in my opinion.