Aurora, Early Morning, The 1st day of the 1st month of the year of rebirth
Her den was, more or less, just as she had left it when she returned. The place was small, but it was big enough. A quaint little chamber, separated from the rest of the tunnels by a crumbling passage that, if one didn't know was even there to begin with, would likely never be noticed in the darkness of the Castle Waterways. There was no smell of rot here, no smell of waste or sewage. This area of the underground plumbing system was used exclusively for the castle's many fountains and courtyards; unlike the Sewers, the water here was more or less clean in it's flow... or at least a thousand times cleaner than the sludge filled, coal black canals and grime covered corridors Aurora had always done her best to avoid ever going into like they were death itself, given her sense of smell. But then again, even though it was far cleaner, living in the Waterways was not exactly an experience she coveted either...
But for what is was worth, she would never have been able to properly adjust to using one of those common... rooms so many others had. Living and sleeping above ground simply did not suit her kind. Above ground, even with all your roofs and artificial walls and barriers, you were still exposed to the elements. Above ground, you were vulnerable to the extremes in temperature- to the freezing cold of the winds of winter and blazing heat of the dancing summer sun. Her kind were burrowers for a reason. Beneath the Earth's crust, you had no reason to worry of such things as the weather outside. And beneath the earth, shrouded in the darkness, you made your home a far harder target to route if it was ever even found. Like them or hate them, it went without saying that at least here in the Waterways, she could feel somewhat at home. And it could be worse. Whoever had built Dour had been enough of an engineering genius to figure out a routing and flow system that would ensure the passages would never flood, even in the most violent of downpours... or perhaps it wasn't engineering. Perhaps it was magic. Who knew, the only thing in the entire affair she cared about, was the fact that she wouldn't be drowned at the tiniest drizzle up on the surface.
She slung the cocoon to the floor as she entered the space, taking no care of where it landed among the various scattered objects piled about the place- former possessions and personal effects she either had kept from past captured meals or spotted floating in the clear canals of the Waterway. Some of the things that people lost and managed to find their way down here... she didn't know the how of half of them. From brooches and rings and other small pieces of jewelry to far more bizarre things, she had eventually just learned to stop questioning the possible chain of events that must've led to the item's arrival. She tread further into the chamber, past the possessions and towards the small alcove she actually used as her sleeping quarters.
The sedation she had used to calm Sylvi had probably worn off by now, but given how hysterical and frightened the child had been, Aurora doubted the little Lycan would be willing to leave on her own just yet. And she was right... there she was, back to the wall and knees pulled to her chest, though not quite in the form Aurora had last seen her in. In her long sleep it seemed the child had reverted to human form; her skin bare now, her grey coat of fur and pointed ears replaced with short locks the shade of ash. Her face itself hadn't changed much, except for the snout-like canine nose giving way to a more human nasal structure in it's leave of absence. Her visibly bare feet now longer held their raised, agile heels, her torn dress hanging from delicate frame a bit more loosely than it had in her beast form. There had been a time, once, many years ago after the gates first closed, when it would've taken everything she had not to pounce and kill her, the struggle to control the hunger and the instinct would've been far too real after the feeding frenzy she had once enjoyed. But that time was long since past. The lack of human flesh and potential consequences of just abducting and eating any random castle denizen had forced the huntress to learn the harsh lessons of control...
And even besides the point, after as long as she had known the girl... well, Sylvi was about as far away from the status of a potential meal as one could get in Aurora's mind. There was someone else there though, someone far too familiar to ever mistake, just as much as Sylvi was. She smelled him sooner than she actually saw him though.
"Ajax, why do you tread upon my den without my presence?" She called, voice ringing throughout the chamber.
"A-Aurora?" Sylvi asked shakily, looking up for the first time, only now noticing the Arachni was even there at all. Aurora had completely forgotten how the child lacked her usual dark vision while human. The huntress kept her attention fixed to the scent for now though.
"Come out here, Ajax. I could well eat you for this."
"Very funny." The Illithid responded, his voice thick and rich with the refined accent of his race. He stuck his cephalopod-like cranium out from behind the stack of long since lost possessions he'd been examining. How long he had been waiting here with Sylvi, she knew not. "If I recall correctly though, the last time you attempted such resulted in a truly terrible headache for you. If you insist though, we could have another contest of wills..."
Aurora grinned, wolfishly. "No, no...that won't be necessary; the first time was already one too many. What is it that brings you here?"
Ajax stepped away from the pile now, hands folded behind his back as he paced over to the Arachni and the Lycan's Human form. "I come searching for a... colleague of mine, who I have noticed has been absent since he left for his patrols yesterday. A Ram-headed beast man, you see, named Ellim. I know that his favored routes take him close to the entryway of these passages, and I also know that the young little bastard is far too ambitious and blindly loyal to just up and abandon his duties to go for a drink or what have you, compared to us veteran footmen who have sat on that wall for the past century since the war's end and know from experience, beyond the shadow of a doubt that at this point there is no chance of promotion for any of us. Knowing how you have effectively made this place your unofficial territory of sorts, I had a feeling you may have had something to do with this..."
Ah. So Ellim had been his name. Aurora's answer came only in the glance she gave to the cocoon in the corner of the chamber. Ajax followed her gaze.
"Ah yes, course you did..." Ajax sighed, tentacles writhing a bit from the exhale. "What else should I have expected of you... what precisely motivated you though, if I may ask? Even though the disappearance of one nameless grunt among the many in Dour will not be noticed nor cared about by the Higher Ups, Ellim still wasn't exactly someone who lived on the fringes of society...not an outlier. I'd thought you'd go for more forgettable prey..."
"He tried something on Sylvi," Aurora said simply, nodding her head towards the girl. It was no surprise the Lycan had not told nor shown him anything about what she'd been through. "and that something he tried is what made me go after him."
Ajax turned his night gaze to Sylvi. "Is this true, Sylvi? Did he try something?" He already knew the answer. Aurora would not openly lie to his face, and he could see the girl's torn attire himself. But he still wanted to hear it from her, just a simple yes or no. In fact, he already had what he felt to be an accurate scenario in his mind.
"I-I screamed right when he was trying to get my dress off... and he got scared... ran off because he thought someone heard and was coming..." She went no further. She did not need to, did not want to, and neither of the adult monsters would force her either. Ajax turned back to Aurora. He had known what Ellim was like. And He knew precisely why he had probably chosen Sylvi as a victim when he saw her, it was always easy to prey upon someone weaker than oneself...
"Well, I can not say I have any pity for the fool. Perhaps because he was a soldier, just another nameless face in a sea of nameless faces, he thought he could get away with such a crime. Regardless, I see you have already taken care of the punishment for his transgression here. Seems I won't have to mind spike his sorry soul for this." Then he turned back to Sylvi. "Child, I am sorry you had to go through such a terrible thing. If you wish, I can remove the memories from your mind, take away any recall of the fright. Only if that is what you want though."
She shook at the mere mention of the offer, much to Ajax's surprise, pulling her knees in even closer to her chest, trying to make her alrighty slight form even smaller. Aurora's glare was all he needed to realize why though. "Oh, oh no, of course not through that method, Sylvi. I would never use the stinger on you- your skull would be fully intact and you'd be unharmed, I assure you." That wasn't a very good save, even he himself would have admitted, but it was enough to calm Sylvi a bit and subsequently get Aurora's scowl off of him. To both his and Aurora's surprise though, rather than a yes or no to Ajax, she addressed Aurora herself instead.
"You... you killed him. Didn't you...?" There was no regret in the question. No remorse for asking it, over the prospect of his possible death. Just fear. Fear for herself. Fear for when she would undoubtedly have to return to her duties as a kitchen girl. And fear for other servant girls like her. Fear that he may have gotten away, may still be out there... Fear that, given the circumstances, Aurora reckoned she damn well had a right to.
"Aye," Aurora said. "He's deader than a doornail Sylvi. I've made sure he can never try it again, on you or any other girl. And I made sure his last moments were agony to boot."
At that, Sylvi shook her head at Ajax. "Then no. If Aurora has killed him for it, then I don't want to forget..." Ajax was taken aback, but nodded, solemnly, understanding in his eyes, though as to just what he understood, Aurora was missing here.
"If that is what you wish... if you ever change your mind though, you knew where to find me."
With that, he gave one more nod to the Girl, regarded Aurora with a bow, and walked out of the chamber. The Arachni and Lycan stood alone in the dark. From the way Sylvi's eyes had focused directly on her, Aurora could tell they had adjusted to the darkness.
"Sylvi..." she began, utter bewilderment on her face. "Why..."
Sylvi was faster to the punch though. "I would've refused his offer even if you hadn't killed him and he had gotten away to do it again." She said. "Because the next servant girl he would've gone after might not have been as lucky as me if he got away from you and there was no witness to identify him from the last time. And besides, just forgetting about something... doesn't actually wash it away. It doesn't make it as if it never happened. You told me that, remember? When you told me about your clan and I asked you why you didn't ask Ajax to make you forget what you found or replace the memory with something different."
Aurora... turned away. "I...recall something along those lines... yes."
"And then there's another thing..." Sylvi continued. Aurora felt something bump into her, arms wrapping around her waist. She looked down, and there was Sylvi, hugging her, not even the least bit discouraged by the height difference between them created by her arachnoid form. "If I said yes, I would've forgotten that I... that I had someone like you for a friend. Someone like you who I can turn to for anything... no matter what it is."
Aurora... Aurora could say nothing. She just couldn't. Something welled up inside her, as she reached down and returned the gesture of affection... it felt strange, arachni, they did not hug. They had other ways of expressing warmth... but she did not mind this. Sylvi was probably the only living being who could get away with such close and sudden contact to her though, going up and laying hands on her as unexpectedly as she had... most anyone else, even Ajax, would've likely had a leg lashing out to impale them just on sheer predatory reflex.
The girl was the one who broke away first. "I... I should probably get back to the kitchens. They'll probably notice my absence before long..."
"What about your dress though?" Aurora said. "Here, at least let me mend it-"
"Thank you, Aurora, but... there's no need... I can swipe another one." And with that, the girl turned and left too, just like Ajax before her, and Aurora watched her go. Watched her go and thought all the while on the fact that she'd never have young of her own to look after like she did that girl. The fact that even though she was supposed to be an Acolyte, she had never contributed to the next generation of her race, would never even have another clan to call her own, as long as she would be stuck in these bedamned walls.
In this prison, in this hell wrought by the madness of Solomon, Sylvi was a constant reminder of her fate, of what she wouldn't have, of the children she'd never get to see, despite proving her worth and earning the right to a lineage, the right to seeing younglings produced from her own self grow and develop. But yet at the same time, the 14 year old Lychan Girl also served as a glimmer of the happiness that Aurora could have enjoyed back in her own clan, had things gone differently, had she not been denied by fate what she had rightfully earned in the field as a Huntress. And that happiness... that glimmer of happiness was just enough to outshine the light of grief Sylvi's prescence always simultaneously caused her.
And that is why Aurora could not think of her as food. Would never think of the girl as food, no matter her form...