rome; garden of history

[Antoinette Argonith]

It turned out to be a very interesting first day back for the Goddess. She took in the new, but still beautiful, sites of Rome. She met a great Demon who swore to follow and fight for her. Then she met a Hunter, a different kind of Hunter than she was used to. Only a matter of hours and Antoinette had learned so much in this new world.


Things were just as bad as she had feared, however at the same time things took a turn for the better. There was still a chance left for this new world after all. A very slight chance, but a chance nonetheless. Something that she was not anticipating. Perhaps He was right after all.

A sudden gust of wind came up behind her, sending strands of her jet black hair to flow gently. She turned to see someone standing in the distance, looking in her direction. Smiling. No, smirking. Her gray eyes flashed a crystal blue. Speak of the devil.
Antoinette turned back to Zyxyz and Casi who were having a conversation of their own. Not a very hostile one. That was a good sign. She placed a single hand one the large shoulder of her servant. "I am afraid I must depart. There are some things I have to take care of. In the meantime..." Antoinette opened her other palm to reveal a single black rose, thorns still intact. She placed the plant in the palm of her follower. "This is a gift from me to you. A symbol of my love for you. A symbol of your loyalty to me. As long as you fight for your beliefs and spread your faith, this rose will not die. I have done my part and opened your eyes to the truth." She reached up and kissed Zyxyz gently on the cheek; her cold lips feeling sudden warmth. She looked into his eyes and smiled. "The rest is up to you."

Antoinette bowed to both Zyxyz and Casi and went on her way towards the smirking man in the distance. Each step she took was almost non-existent. It almost appeared as if she were floating. Her once light, gray eyes changed back to a crystal blue color, then light green, then a golden color and back to gray. The color of her eyes kept changing in a cycle of sorts, blending together with whatever color they will change to next.
She approached the man and respectfully bowed her head, as she always does.


"I must be honest, I was not expecting you to be here. In Rome, that is. I heard you were still in North America. So for what reason should I be...graced with your presence?" She secretly hoped that His visit in Rome was a short one. As she stated before, she had no problem with Him, she just didn't trust him. There had been a time when she looked up to Him, loved Him. However, things had to change. Mostly for her own good. She could not handle being betrayed again.

[Varos Talantos]

Forgery grinned. Antoinette was a beautiful being, to be sure; and if he were to ever be honest (not likely) he would admit that he couldn’t forget the way she was.

“Ishtara is a fool; one which we cannot trust nor ally ourselves unto. It is because of her actions that Kessor Natul was slain, is it not?” She started to reply, but he cut her off. Letting her actually think at a time like this was a dangerous thing to do; she might come to a conclusion that was counter-Forgery. As long as he did the talking in this conversation, he would control the thought process and therefore, control the outcome.

It was a necessity to gather power to himself and the way that the Gods did this was by the alliance of other Gods and Goddesses to oneself and the subservience of more… minor… Deities. Antoinette could prove extremely useful, not only for what her dominion was over, but what she could become. She might, with some aid, become Goddess over all forms of Vampirism or (perhaps) Passion. That would make her a dangerous contestant in the games of the Gods. Beside all that, she was probably one of the most attractive of the Goddesses and appearances held control over the hearts of others more than they liked to confess.

“It was because he talked to Rykten that Rykten believed Kessor was planning his slaughter, which we know was not the case. Now where are we? Yes, a divided heaven. It’s something that we cannot allow, love.” Forgery just gazed at her after this sentence, jaw clenched, peering at her from those eyes, one blank white, as if daring her to disagree. He had smiled then and moved his pawn forward a space, into the danger of the black queen, but if she took the bait, his knight would be able to strike swiftly and effectively into her flanks in a series of hard-to-stop maneuvers. “Surely you can see that.”

At the time, she’d lifted her hand almost lazily and picked up a chess piece from the board (the black queen) and retreated it to kill one of Forgery’s bishop as her eyes blazed, evaluating the board constantly. Forgery continued to watch her as her gaze flashed up to meet his; the eyes of the Goddess of the Damned always exhilarating for him (personally) to have set on him. “Because of the circumstances and the actions that led to them, I have to agree. Ishtara was certainly foolish for believing she could get away with it so easily without someone finding out. She may be a Goddess, but that does not mean she is saved from punishment. She dug her grave. Now it is about time she lay in it.” Forgery snatched his eyes at the board and grinned, placing the other bishop to steal one of her pawns. “Check.” He smiled with genuine merriness behind it. His enemy, Ishtara the Wild, just might be felled because of their alliance. In the heavens, Gods had “opposites” of sorts to keep a sort of balance within the heavens. Ishtara was his check; the Goddess of Barbarianism. She disgusted him utterly; not having the sense to even lie if she wanted. If the Gods were video games she would be a hack n’ slash, ‘press ‘x’ over and over and you’ll win’ sort of game. He plucked a black cherry from the white marble bowl that the Goddess had set before him, popping it into his mouth and biting down on the luscious fruit as it sprayed flavor into his mouth. He grabbed a mulberry from the platter and held it out for the Goddess to eat. She pushed her head forward slightly and bit down just barely not biting into his fingers, but her lips draped them and she pulled away slowly, eyes full of intent as they searched his face. Forgery heard a clicking noise and he looked down past her face to the chess board that was resting just below her bosom, her hand on a pawn that she had moved forward, effectively blocking his bishop, supported by another pawn that had been beside it a moment ago, and also let the Black Queen place his King into check. She whispered, “Checkmate.” He frowned. He looked over the board. “So it seems.”

That was the second time he’d ever talked to Antoinette Argonith, Seductress of the Eyes. Their relationship had grown over time, mostly, and Locutus had slipped that she was around Earth. He’d talked to her before coming here, but she didn’t seem to have trusted him. Hopefully now she saw that he had been right. She extended her hand to the large being, rose resting gently on her palm, seemingly fragile, everlastingly beautiful, utterly deadly. She leaned up and granted the mortal a kiss as a sort of “seal the deal” act. The metaphor of the flower was not lost on Forgery and as she turned towards him, he was almost breath-taken at the sight of her treading forwards to meet him. He thought he would look the fool for such emotion, but he noticed her eyes changing color… rapidly. She was thrilled to see him, too, whether she’d admit it or not.

She bowed her head slightly, perhaps a sign of heightened respect, but Forgery wasn’t sure, so it was best to chalk it up to just a friendly nod… disappointment always slighter when one expected less. [/size]"I must be honest, I was not expecting you to be here. In Rome, that is. I heard you were still in North America. So for what reason should I be...graced with your presence?"

He dipped his head slightly in return. “Locutus told me you were in Rome.” He shrugged. “I wanted to see if you believed me now. I told you there was hope here.” He waved his hand in a gesture at the surrounding people and world. “We can gain power like we used to have it. Antoinette…” he reached out and touched her forearm, feeling the cold of her flesh rush into his fingers. “Do you know if Ishtara’s made her way here yet?” His last gambit hadn’t worked out quite the way he’d hoped; Ishtara’s ‘hack-n-slash’ approach to life surprisingly resilient against Forgery’s normally fatal plots. He pulled down on the side of his collar, revealing a pair of small bite marks. They resembled the bite of Antoinette Argonith. “Remember what you said? ‘Of nectar and divinity, nothing has compared’?” He smiled. “If you want, I’ll be generous once more, Goddess.” His voice was silken as it sunk into her eardrums, each syllable pronounced with a deadly lust and a fornicating sound was heard to Antoinette and her alone as suddenly the temperature would have seemed warm to her, but not too warm. He allowed her to see his true being, while the outside world would only see an Oriental figure standing there. His top row of teeth, as white as the marble platter in Antoinette’s hall was, raked over his bottom lip in a sensual way and he grinned that mischievous, damnable smirk as he winked and chuckled.

word count:; 1197
mood:; resistant
music:; Lose Yourself by Eminem
notes:; O.O

[Antoinette Argonith]

A silent night, bright moon shining brilliantly among the twinkling stars. The wind blew gently, brushing her hair softly against her face. What a beautiful night, just as the Goddess had intended. Lately, she had been having rather difficult days. But that day, and night, was hers. She wanted to relax and have the perfect night she created all to herself.

Antoinette rested against a cherry blossom tree, wearing one of her favorite white, silk dresses. She wore her hair down, falling along her shoulders. She closed her eyes and hummed a tune. Not any particular tune, just something to add to the quiet that surrounded her.

Crunch.


Her eyes snapped open. In front of her stood the God of Deception, Forgery, wearing His signature smirk. Antoinette's eyes flashed a crystal blue color and she stood to her feet gracefully. She looked the God straight in the eyes. Eye, rather.
"I certainly to do not mean to be rude, Forgery, but is there any particular reason why you are here? You know I like to be left alone on nights like these."
Forgery shrugged and stepped closer to her. "I just came by to relax a little myself. I didn't know that was a crime." He took another step toward her, merely inches away. "However, I could use some company, if you don't mind, my dear Goddess."
She felt his warm breath against her cold skin. Her eyes never left his, flashing a gold-like color. Forgery chuckled. "Now, how does that work exactly? The changing eyes?" Her raised His hand and gently moved several strands away from her face. "Is it supposed to represent your current emotion? Tell me, love...What emotion are you feeling now?"
With every word, Forgery moved closer to her. Beckoning her with hungry eyes. Antoinette looked away from his deceiving gaze.

"It matters not what my eyes signify. It is no business of yours."
Forgery's exposed neck fell into her line of site. She watched as every muscle moved with every breath He took. She heard the blood in His veins pumping in her head, heard His heartbeat.

There was not a doubt in her mind that the God was purposely tempting her to fall to Him. Tempting her with His blood. He had noticed her glance at his bare neck and smirked. He also happened to notice her eyes flash a blood red color. "Curious, are we? Why don't you have a taste?" He lifted His arm slowly and brought His hand up to the side of His neck. With His fingernail, He cut a deep scalpel-like incision along the side. Bright red blood gathered around the wound, overflowing past the broken skin and flowing down, leaving a red river trailing behind. She watched as the blood flowed freely. Her fangs poking behind her lips, hungering for the sweet life elixir.
Forgery's voice came as soft as silk, but at the same time as poisonous as cyanide. "Come, my dear Goddess. I promise I won't bite." He extended his arms across, exposing His neck even more, standing barley an inch away from Antoinette. Her eyes went into a cycle of color changes as she leaned forward, fangs piercing deeper into the cut along the Gods neck.
As she had expected, His blood tasted like none she had before. By far the sweetest, warmest blood she had ever had the pleasure to feel run smoothly down her throat. She continued to drink, some blood escaping from her lips and running down her cheek.
A soft groan bellowed from Forgery's chest. Antoinette freed Him from her grasp and jumped back, only to be caught in His arms. The wound on His neck healed in just a matter of seconds, somehow leaving behind her puncture marks.
"So how was it?" He asked, wearing a face of victory.

The Goddess's eyes continued to change in the cycle of colors. She spoke softly, soft enough to be a whisper.

"Of nectar and divinity, nothing has compared."


Antoinette would never forget that night. The night when she began loathing His very existence. Before Him, never had any man or supernatural creature ever brought her to such weakness. He knew her weaknesses and took advantage of it. Only instead of using this knowledge to destroy her, He used it to fool with her head. Or perhaps it was for some other reason. Either way, she had never been so ashamed. So humiliated. She resented Him for that. She wanted Him gone. However, no matter how much she tried to tell herself otherwise, she felt for Him. She was certain He felt nothing for her. It was because of that reason that she had been trying to keep her distance from Forgery. She knew if she had turned her back to Him for one second, He would have her in His grasp once again. That was something she did not want to experience again. That moment of vulnerability.

Forgery had answered her question regarding how he knew of her location. “Locutus told me you were in Rome.” He shrugged. “I wanted to see if you believed me now. I told you there was hope here.” He waved his hand in a gesture at the surrounding people and world. “We can gain power like we used to have it. Antoinette…” He reached out and touched her forearm. “Do you know if Ishtara’s made her way here yet?”
Antoinette simply shook her head. "I do not know her whereabouts. The last I heard, she was still in the Heavens. Whether or not she has come down to Earth is beyond my knowledge." Just then, Forgery had pulled down the collar of His shirt to reveal the two puncture wounds she left on His neck.

“Remember what you said? ‘Of nectar and divinity, nothing has compared’?”He smiled.“If you want, I’ll be generous once more, Goddess.” His voice carried the same silky, sensual tone, humming in her ears. She felt a warming sensation take over her body, her fangs extending to their full length. Her eyes remained a seductive golden pool of color.
Antoinette stepped closer to the Father of Lies, eyes focusing only on Him. Her soft, pale lips parted as she leaned closer to Him, no closer than an inch away. "Your mind games stop now, Forgery. If you continue to play with me as if I am your pet, I promise you I will suck the very soul out of your being. Do not test me." She leaned back, running a single fingernail along His cracking skin, leaving behind a scarlet line, precious liquid flowing.

[Varos Talantos]

So Ishtara was probably not here yet. It gave Forgery a little more time to prepare for her arrival, though how much time was an unknown factor. As he pulled down his collar, he spoke, and Antoinette came closer. Then she leaned in and whispered, "Your mind games stop now, Forgery. If you continue to play with me as if I am your pet, I promise you I will suck the very soul out of your being. Do not test me." He watched as she pulled away from him and his face was not set in a smile. It was straight and serious as she ran a fingernail along his flesh, gently penetrating his epidermis. He just stood there, gazing at her, straight-faced, unmoving, blank. Then he burst into laughter. Hard peals of laughing coursed through him and if his face could turn red, it would’ve been likened to a wild cherry, freshly plucked from an orchard. Forgery stopped laughing and looked at her seriously again. “Waste for the morrow or the now is lost joy. Don’t we live for such? Is that not the very essence of existence? Mortals spend their entire lives hunting it and you’re having it handed to you and you refuse.”

“Fools speak as many words as the wise… Ishtara’s brazen speech was calculated, sure, and pointed out many a thing that should be pointed out.” Forgery looked across the small, checkerboard-marbled forum at Ishtara, barely resisting the urge to stick his tongue out at her. Between the two stood a large, circular table constructed of dreams and emotions. If one were to make physical contact with the table, they would feel rushes of different emotions and then, after about five seconds, would begin seeing visions; until they broke contact. The swirling, smoky colors of the table lit the room in changing lights and cast an almost-disco-look onto the place. But the serious nature of the building negated all chances of that. “Ishtara, my friends, thinks that any with eloquent tongues should be lowered in status because her mule-lips cannot hold cleverness behind them. Should this result in a shifting of the Heavens? No, of course not! We are how we are for a balance and a reason and any one of us serves a purpose. We learned this from Kessor’s falling.” At this last sentence, he turned and pointed a perfectly-manicured finger at Ishtara accusingly. Ishtara hadn’t been the one to pull the metaphorical trigger, but no one here could deny her involvement; Forgery intended to use that to his advantage. With the death of the quiet, hermit-like, well-liked Kessor Natul, some people got very angry and most of these people would still be sore about it. Ishtara could not defend against such a reminder easily.

Forgery clasped a hand to the table for a brief moment and plucked out the emotion of sadness and lifted his hand from the shifting edge, into the air and spread his fingers and the room became a dull, depressing blue. Everyone’s face fell instantly. Forgery turned back to Ishtara like a hound on a three-legged rabbit. Now was his chance for easy changing of emotions. His voice became heavy, perforated with despair and mourning, slow, staggering, and screaming with pain as he spoke in a slightly deeper voice than normal. “Ishtara, you Goddess, you have robbed us of Kessor Natul; a death that will not be easily forgotten. The sorrow of his death should land squarely on your shoulders an-”
Ishtara interrupted him with a bellow that caught Forgery off-guard. “Do not play word games at me with your silken tongue-” Forgery wouldn’t have it. He would not let her steal his spotlight and turn it against him. This time he spoke with anger as he flicked the table and the room grew purplish and everyone looked a little bit more impatient. “Do not dare to reprimand me, you self-excusing loather of your compatriots! We have all survived for this long that the death of any one of us is a serious matter and if I had it my way, I would see you hanged from the Tree of Reclamation!” It grew silent and Ishtara looked at him, eyes widened. The God of Lies had played a strong card. When one suggested the Tree of Reclamation, it meant that it was on; there was no more playing around after you did that. Zaytsev discreetly increased his figure slightly, just enough to make a difference in the sub-mind of others as he pointed an accusing finger at Ishtara yet again. “You, Ishtara, are believed to be unworthy of your call and I hereby demand a consideration of your communion to the Tree of Reclamation. May truth be found in this sanctuary.” The Creator of Mistruths turned briskly and seated himself in his spot at the bottom of the stairway, next to Antoinette Argonith, who, at this time, agreed with him utterly and planned to help gather votes against Ishtara. Forgery crossed his right leg over his left and clasped his fingers together, supporting his knee against his folded hands, eyes set on Ishtara, pleasure restrained from showing on his face.

Ishtara stood there, looking shocked, eyes widened and mouth gaping open as she stared blankly at Forgery. She had not expected anything like this. It was understandable that she would be hesitant to consider Forgery a true foe, but now there was no questioning it. This meant war of all sorts; Forgery, her former lover, had been with her and been one with her, but after Kessor’s death, he had pounced, flinging every powerful attack he could as he allied himself closer to those who had already hated her; like Antoinette Argonith. His former marriage was disbanded and anything he could do to destroy his opposite would be acted upon. Ishtara simply closed her mouth, eyes watering. When she re-opened, her voice was shuddering and barely under control. “I request… a-a delay until tomorrow for the decision of this forum on my fate.” Forgery stood quickly. “I agree and second this motion. Let Ishtara be at peace for now.” He did not give half a damn about her. He wanted her dead. Ishtara didn’t understand why he was doing this; supporting her needs. Did he still hold feelings for her? Everyone in the forum nodded almost unanimously. Forgery nodded. “Unless there are further matters, we’re finished for the day.” No one said anything. Why had he stood up for her? He attacked, seated himself, then stood up for her defense. Maybe it wasn’t total war?

Forgery had only done it so that he could have more time to convince others to condemn her. At this time, he felt there weren’t enough, but he would take a day of delay to work against her. This would work in his favor. He approached Antoinette, Ishtara’s confused gaze on the back of his head, wondering what he was doing. She watched as Forgery kissed Antoinette; on the lips. Ishtara was so confused. She sprinted out of the forum and collapsed against the side of the building, hot tears rushing down her face unendingly. This pain was something she’d never felt before. She loved him. She still did.

Forgery remembered the past and how he’d gone out alone and comforted Ishtara to ease her defense-building. He smiled at Antoinette. “Do you forget our kisses and passion? Am I so enraptured that I misunderstood your actions for reciprocated love?”

word count:; 1,246
mood:; sigh
music:; Feel Good Drag by Anberlin
notes:; Fun stuff.[/size]

[Antoinette Argonith]

Since the beginning of time, Antoinette Argonith never gave herself to anyone. Many bachelors, both human and otherwise, had tried to woo her, to take her hand, to prove to her that they were not like any other. All attempts had failed. Everyone was capable of deception. Capable of lies. Capable of heart break. She did not want to waste her time on such a thing. To her, love was like a fragile foundation that just grew weaker and weaker over time until it crumbled and sunk into the earth. Nothing but a giant waste of time.

Until Forgery came to her.

It all started after the death of Kessor Natul, a well-loved and well-known God. Ishtara's fate had already been decided. A fate that she couldn't bring herself to think about. Antoinette never liked Ishtara. She viewed Her as a nuisance, a Goddess that took full advantage of her powers for her own good instead of the good of the Heavens. She was almost pleased to see Her fall, but at the same time felt sorrow.
Forgery, on the other hand, enjoyed every second. This confused her. For as long as she could remember, Forgery and Ishtara had been inseparable. They were opposites made to exist with one another. Antoinette could tell that Ishtara had loved Forgery with all Her being. She thought that Forgery had felt the same way. That's how it all seemed until word of Kessor's death had traveled throughout the Heavens. Forgery had suddenly turned on Ishtara, treating her like a foe. No one but Him knows His reasons for doing what He did. It was when Ishtara was out of the picture that Forgery had shown a liking toward Antoinette. It came unexpected. No hints. No warning. Anyone with common sense could see that the God had different intentions with the Goddess. She could even see it herself. Yet...she fell before Him. He was her weakness and she hated Him for that. She should have just walked away and paid no attention to Him just as she had been doing to the rest for centuries. Instead she played along with His ongoing game of chess. She just couldn't help but wonder...who would fall first?


If there was one thing that Forgery loved to do was bring up past events to remind the Goddess just how weak for Him she was. “Do you forget our kisses and passion? Am I so enraptured that I misunderstood your actions for reciprocated love?” He smiled as He spoke, looking her in the eyes, almost daring her to disagree. Antoinette's eyes changed to a light green, glistening with a light of defeat.
"How can I? As much as I try to tell myself otherwise, I do feel for you, Forgery. However, there is something that always stops me from falling for you even more." She wore a serious face. "How do I know that I will not suffer the same fate as your former love, Ishtara? How do I know you will not turn your back on me out of the blue? You know as well as I do that the two of you were one. Then, all of a sudden, you did everything in your power to watch her fall."
Antoinette held her blood pendant tightly in her hand as it glowed a dim red light. "It is because of your actions towards Ishtara's destruction that I cannot trust you. You should know that, Forgery. I would much rather ween myself of you than be led blindly by your promised love just to risk being betrayed."

She ran her cold fingers against his face, dead skin peeling and healing trailing behind. "Never before had anyone won my still heart. You were the first. It is because of this reason that I must keep my walls from falling. I must stand my ground until I know for sure that you will not stab me in the back like you did Ishtara. I refuse to be anyone's pawn and I certainly will not be yours."

[Varos Talantos]

The Goddess of Vampyres posed a worthy question. In groups, people didn’t bring up such things; they would only talk about how Ishtara had been deserving of the fate that had befallen her. It was still unknown how she had escaped her fate, even to Forgery. No one had escaped the Tree of Reclamation before or since. Forgery still remembered the scene…

The tree was sitting there on the crest of the hill, roots extending through the ground, swaying constantly as the mazes of the Void within shifted, eternally altering itself, allowing none to escape its unending grasp. Ishtara had been escorted to stand beside it, looking lovely as always in her disgusting way. Her body was covered by a purple silk scarf, goosebumps prickling at her skin. She didn’t have an option here; all the Gods and Goddesses had come as a collective confirmation of the Reclamation of their peer Ishtara. All except Forgery. The coward hadn’t come to view her fall. Why? He had fought so hard to ensure it ended like this, then not shown up when his finest hour had arrived? Maybe he was scared… or perhaps he regretted his actions… or maybe… just maybe, he remembered the love that was there. Maybe he couldn’t stand to see his lover hung on the Tree of Reclamation. Just then, she spotted him. He was somewhat distant, standing on a boulder at the base of the hill, gazing at her intensely. He dropped himself from the boulder and began striding up the beautifully-covered hill, grass padding his steps. The congregation had fallen silent in anticipation as he covered the last ground between himself and her. She looked up at him through teary eyes as he stood an inch from her, faces close, his eyes red with what was either sadness or anger. Her face was twisted in sorrow, tears streaming silently down her strong face. Her eyes searched his and he clasped her suddenly in embrace. If there had been crickets, they would have been the loudest thing there as he held her. She began weeping suddenly, his warmth having melted her resolve. He turned his head enough to kiss her temple and he pulled away from her, still looking her dead in the eyes. Everyone was tensed, wondering if he would renounce his challenge, thus cancelling the possibility of a hanging. His next words came as a rumbling from his chest and emitted from his mouth in a roar that penetrated Ishtara’s eardrums less than it did her soul.

“For Kessor.”

His two words became a battlecry as the rest of the mass screamed it in scattered unity and Ishtara crumpled to the ground in body-wracking sobs. Forgery lifted her with his hands and held her neck to one of the silver, ever-twining branches. A moment later, it had caught and Ishtara’s eyes widened as it began to wind its way down her neck to her chest and up to her lips, thorns sprouting from the twigs and vines that grew and extended into her mouth and her throat bulged suddenly. Their work was complete and Ishtara’s body disintegrated to fine powder; that powder seemingly sucked into the tree that glistened as her life force was pulled into the Void. Forgery gained power that day. He became Justice; he became a battlecry for Kessor, a stand that, no matter what, retribution would be swift and that even in the face of emotion, Forgery Zaytsev, that Devil of a God would be there to give you your last comforts and then hand you to the Tree himself. Justice must be served. This single action forced him into greatness; as planned. Now, the scales were tipped in his favor and he would become what he desired.
The God.

Forgery nodded. “Fair questions, indeed. Ishtara was different. You confess that she did wrong and that she was the one who caused Kessor’s death. For this reason, I had to do what was right. Love should not come between Justice and its prey. Not for anyone. I did what was right.” He bite his tongue hard, letting his life-force ooze out of it slowly as he ran his tongue along the left side of her jawline. “I didn’t see you trying to protect her, anyways. If I remember accurately, you were right there beside me after the fact. After she was hung, did you not come to my quarters and stay with me?” He smirked his signature grin at her. “You are no one to talk to me about betrayal. No one is. We’ve all betrayed this realm for far too long. I’m sure you’ve gotten a repulsive taste of what it’s become. We’re all playing the part of traitors. I suggest we be productive and fight for this land instead of squabbling about past loves. I don’t want a pawn. I want an equal. Unless you’re afraid, then be that equal.” Forgery posed a dangerous offer to her; risk it all to ally herself unto him or deny him and perhaps gain a strong enemy. It was impossible to know which was the wiser, but the question hung in the air like a poisonous toxin waiting for her to choose whether to breathe or not. Only thing was, how toxic was this poison? Would she be better off holding her breath forever? Or should she take a step of faith and breathe deeply? Forgery always loved making things complicated.


word count:; 910
mood:; contemplative
music:; Hot Tottie by Usher ft. Jay-Z
notes:; Wooo.
[/size]

[Antoinette Argonith]

Justice?

Antoinette couldn't help but smile. His reasoning for doing what he did to Ishtara was all in the name of justice? For some reason, the Goddess didn't find that likley for deception does not act in the name of justice, but for the sake of it's own good. Did Forgery send Ishtara to her demis just so He can rise in power? It made sense seeing that She was his weakness, His only weakness.

Still...

He loved her. She knew He did. If Forgery had anything to do with Ishtara's death, Antoinette would have known. If not her, somebody would have known something. Maybe He did act in the name of Justice. Maybe He was looking out for the good of the Heavens and not for Himself. Maybe...but not likely.
Antoinette listened to His words carefully. She turned away, avoiding his eye contact as He reminded her about that night; the night after Ishtara's hanging. She was with Forgery the entire time, even in His quarters. She was ashamed.

For a long time she thought about staying by His side. To fight beside Him. To love Him. But she always stopped herself. It was rather foolish to believe in the God of Lies. Does He really expect her to fall to His word so easily? For entertainments sake, she decided to play along in His game.

"Very well, Forgery. I will fight beside you for the good of this world and the good of the Heavens." Antoinette leaned in, delivering her kiss of death on His cheek. "I give you my word."
Who know that she, too, can be capable of lies? Now to see who is the master of deception. The God of Lies or the Goddess of Seduction?

[Varos Talantos]

Forgery smiled at Antoinette, eyes gleaming. "If that's what you wish, Argonith, the go away. Forgery cocked his head to the side, blank face set in observation of Antoinette's reaction. He continued, "Do not fight for the good of this world. That would be ridiculous." He paused for the briefest moment as he remembered.

The screams were everywhere. Back; before the Gods stopped coming to the Earth, at the Human date of 7,000 B.C., Forgery Zaytsev stood amongst screams. A large- no, sprawling empire belonging to a people that called themselves 'Sumerians' had been attacked. The attackers were wielders of axes, halberds, pikes, warhammers, and warpicks... an aggressive foe. The Sumerians were defensive, but able to fight. They he;d skill with reeds, creating with them stories and fables and writings of the Gods whom they served with their elegant, detailed cuneiform.

The final battle of the war had been fought and the Sumerians had won, but it had been a brutal victory. Their foe had led with pikes and halberds, which had been slaughtered before they could take fight to the center-front lines by the Sumerian slings; though the right and left flanks had managed to reach their targets, goring and splintering man and shield alike. They were quickly undone by shortsword-wielding men, but the goal was accomplished and the strong Sumerian shields at end were now vulnerable to the axes, hammers, and picks of their foe. The Sumerians had been outflanked and surely would have lost they battle if not for the three heroes that fought for them; Tsunt (beloved fifth-blessed of Forgery), Ouma (beloved fifth-blessed of Ishtara), and Bscaffe (beloved fifth-blessed of another). At the final hour, 6,000 lie on that red-stained grass of about even distribution and the three heroes had all fallen towards the end of battle. Forgery had come to comfort his Hero as he bled out; promising to blot out the name of the Sumerian foe for all time and to fight for Tsunt's family's survival throughout time. To this day, only the Gods know the name of that old foe.

Tsunt, Beloved of Forgery, stuttered through blood to his God, there on the blood-made marshes, "No, Lord. Do not- Do- Do not fight for the good-" he groaned as something inside him burst, pain flowing freely on his face as he forced himself to speak. "-Good of this world. That would be," he gasped for air and continued, "ridiculous. Fight for yourself, as we do, My one Love, Forgery. We are forever yours, Lor-" Tsunt, eyes wide, coughed a spew of gore and failed to inhale; lying there like a china doll.

Forgery blinked back a tear and spoke again. "Fight for yourself, as the mortals do, My one Love, Antoinette."

word count:; 458
mood:; bleh
music:; Grenade by Bruno Mars
notes:; Good being back. XD

[/size]

[Antoinette Argonith]

Antoinette laid silently in her bed of smoke, staring up at the still night sky. No clouds, no stars. Just an overwhelming darkness; as if to mock her. It was a day since she saw Forgery in His quarters, yet it's as if she hasn't even left. She could still feel Him, still hear His breath on her neck.
She groaned and turned to the side; disgusted by the very memory. How could she have given herself to someone like Him like that? She knew better than that, let alone had better taste. Yet...she gave into Him; fell before him like a desperate hussy. Was it a moment of weakness? No...that couldn't be it. She wasn't weak. Not in the least. Then what was it? What was it that made her want someone like Him? Someone whose very existence relies on the deception of others in order to climb higher on the ladder of success? Just two nights before, the only Goddess that could keep Him in place was expelled. Now there is nothing to keep him from ruling the Heavens as the superior God. That was what He as driving for, and He was getting closer and closer to succeeding.

The Goddess sat up, holding her pendent in her cold palm. Could that be the reason why she does not resist Him? Because she would much rather be by His side than below Him? It made sense, but at the same time, she couldn't wrap her mind around the conclusion. Antoinette was a fighter, a leader. Not a coward. Not a follower.
She shut her eyes in frustration and bit her lip, piercing through the delicate skin with her extended canines. What was happening to her? Has she changed?

"Good evening, Goddess..." She turned to see the devil Himself standing beside her, staring down at her with a smirk on His face. How she despised that smirk. The urge to rip it off his face with her bare hands was almost a guaranteed outcome. Instead, she turned away from Him and looked straight ahead.
"What are you doing here, Forgery? I do not remember inviting you into my quarters."
He smirked that damned smirk and leaned down to the Goddess's ear. "Now, why are you going to be like that? You didn't seem to be bothered by being in my quarters last night."

Furious, she stood to her feet and got into His face. "Get out of here!" The expression He wore on his face was as blank as the dark sky that hung above her. He shrugged and bowed. "As you wish, my Goddess." He turned on His heel, took several steps and disappeared behind a waterfall of smoke.
Antoinette collapsed on her bed and held her head in her hands. "Leave me alone," she whispered. "Just leave me alone."

She could not get that memory out of her head as much as she tried. She had never felt as weak and as vulnerable as she had that night. Looking into Forgery's eyes at this very moment made her think back to that night she was with him. Playing in her head as if it were some sick movie; a song that stayed on repeat. Just a never-ending cycle of images.

She looked away from His eyes and observed her surroundings. She watched as a young man and a woman played happily in the park with a small child. A happy little family unaware of the dangers that were taking place. Just a few yards away were two young men, exchanging a roll of currency and a small plastic bag with white powder. The Goddess looked away in disgust. As much as she hated to admit it, Forgery was right. It was up to the humans to save their forsaken world, not her solely.
Without looking Him in the face, she nodded her head. "I will fight for myself. The fate of this world has nothing to do with me and I realize that now. There are more important things to do."


Word Count--- 679
Mood--- >_>
Music--- Scars by Papa Roach
Notes--- Miss me?

[Varos Talantos]

Forgery smiled benevolently and nodded. "Very good. This world is important, truly, but that responsibility does not rest on any one person's shoulders. What we must do, is protect it from individuals. From the unreasoning character of Ishtara, for example. We must strike at parts of the heavens to save the earth. After we've succeeded in this, only then can we focus on this planet's inhabitants with the full attention it deserves." He paused thoughtfully. "We would be wise to continue presenting ourselves to the inhabitants of this world, but not with full focus. So, let's put that aside for a moment, and think about the heavens and their inhabitants. We'll start with Ishtara. What shall we do about her? I doubt conversion is a plausible option, so that leaves obliteration. The Tree of Reclamation failed, yes. Why? I'm not fully certain, but I have an idea. There are other ways, too. Ways of killing deities that most have forgotten."

Forgery's eyes narrowed slightly. "Have you heard of the Abyss? It's not a legend, only disgustingly hard to get to. What have you heard of it?"

word count:; 186
music:; The Egg Song
mood:; interested
notes:; this class is SO BORING O.O[/color]

[Antoinette Argonith]

Antoinette cocked her eyebrow. "The Abyss? I haven't heard of it. However, seeing that it seems you know so much about it, I'm guessing you must be the only one that knows of this...Abyss." She leaned against the wall and crossed her arms, looking down at the ground, watching the wind push the sticks and leaves past her feet.. "So what do you know about the Abyss?" She shifted her eyes back up at him. "Most importantly, how do you know so much about a location I know nothing about?"

Next to Forgery, Antoinette was the oldest living Goddess. Not nearly as old as Forgery, though. Forgery had been around since time itself began; He was the first of the Creator's creations. It is no surprise that there are some things He knew that Antoinette didn't know. She didn't come into existance until the Creator disappeared. Nobody but Forgery knows what happened and He's never really felt like sharing that important piece of information with the rest of the deitys. It's because of this that many of the other Gods and Goddesses somewhat fear Forgery. He knows secrets others know nothing about. He knows their strengths, their weaknesses, where they like to hide...some say He knows too much, others seem to agree.
The only question running through Antoinette's mind is what happned to the One that brought us all here? And why is Forgery hiding it?

"You say you think you know why the Tree of Reclamation failed. So how did it fail?" Antoinette turned toward Him, trying to read His body language. Trying to look for answers to questions she's been asking herself for years.

[Varos Talantos]

Forgery chuckled, exhaling the delightful smell of frozen mercury from his lungs. "I'm certainly not the only one that knows.... though I very well may be the only one that knows that isn't stuck in it." He sniggered as if remembering a particularly funny joke. "What I know about the Abyss is that it's past the Khyper-Dorem." He stopped, letting the term sink in, watching her to see how scared she seemed to be of Khyper-Dorem. If she was smart, she'd be very scared.

Khyper-Dorem was the name of the lands outside of Heaven's perimeter. It was filled with... unnatural creatures. They were the outcasts of the Universe and guarded the land between Heaven and the Abyss fiercely; being few of the beings that could actually inflict harm on the Gods and Goddesses.

"You know why I would know about something you don't. The Creator showed it to me before He--." He shrugged and finished, "Left us."[/size]

"You say you think you know why the Tree of Reclamation failed. So how did it fail?" Antoinette spoke with those lush lips as she turned to face him directly. "Truly a lily in the desert..." he stated distantly as he gazed at her with one eye, the other pointed blindly in her general direction. He smirked damnably and stated simply, "Overfeeding." with a sly grin.

word count:; 224
mood:; annoyed
music:; indestructible by disturbed
notes:; been a while. good times. xD

[Antoinette Argonith]

"What I know about the Abyss is that it's past the Khyper-Dorem." If Antoinette still had blood in her body, her face would have lost all of it's color. Instead, her grey eyes flashed white, but only for a second.
"Khyper-Dorem?" she asked, puzzled and frightened. She's heard many tales of Khyper-Dorem. A land filled with creatures that even she finds disturbing. It is there that a God will nearly get themselves killed by the only creatures that can bring harm to them. She looked Forgery in his one white eye and shivered. She's heard the other Gods speak of how Forgery lost his eye in the first place. Some say it was a special mark given to him by the Creator. Others say he lost it during his travels through Khyper-Dorem. The only thing that stumps everyone on that theory is why he went through that cursed land in the first place. Antoinette almost wanted to ask him about it, but resisted.

"You know why I would know about something you don't. The Creator showed it to me before He--." He shrugged and finished, "Left us." Left us? Hmm...quite an understatement thought the Goddess. She knew better than to think that he just left. He disappeared...and Forgery knows what happend.

She almost wanted to laugh when he called her a lily in the desert. Trying to get on her good side? He's got to try a little harder than that. What stumped her was when he said the Tree of Reclamation failed because of overfeeding.
Overfeeding? By her knowledge, Ishtara was the only Goddess to be sacraficed. How can the Tree be overfed if it has only been fed once? It just didn't add up.

"What to you mean it 'overfed'? I don't under-" She froze. Her pupils dialated. Her grey eyes mixed into a blood red. Her fangs extened. Nostils flared.

"Ishtara..." Antoinette examined the surrounding area then shot a serious look at Forgery. "She's here."

[Ishtara Aubym]

Life worked in mysterious ways. That's how the saying went, didn't it? Ishtara certainly agreed with it. She had not intended Kessor Natul's death, but Forgery Zaytsev either wholly thought so or was a divine performer... which was quite possible. At the Tree of Reclamation, he almost seemed like he'd wanted to undo his words... until he had hoisted her by the throat and held her in place until the vines had even begun to wriggle down Forgery Zaytsev's outer three fingers of his hand. Everything had... changed. It had become as if the world became a--

Ishtara shook her head. It was unimportant at the moment. She could think more on it later. For now, it was time to present herself. She selected a pure white dress that held to her form with perfection without being tight. When she walked, the dress swayed at the bottom where it opened up like an evening gown, sending slight sprays of silver-gold mist that was cool, moist, but evaporated immediately. Crowning her garb with slightly-heeled, satin heels with tiny silver buckles, she looked with a soft smile into a pool of reflective water that was hoisted in a frame on her living-space's wall. Her own fair complexion stared back at her, a diamond-studded tiara centered on her head, nestled between intricate braids that had been pinned in place with pins made of amber. She fluttered her eyes at herself seductively, feeling rather beautiful. A cool breeze rustled on her neck and she became instinctively aware that it was time to arrive.

She descended gracefully, casually as her feet contacted the ground and the doves that had hoisted her flew off in a large, scattering pattern of white above her. Nearly every street vendor must have noticed for the park became almost eerily quiet as she strode across it towards the pair she intended. It was the sort of silence a major actress or famous singer gets when they enter a room of fans, just before the eruption hits your ears. It was composed entirely of awe. Antoinette, plaything of Forgery, moved her mouth and Forgery nodded gently and turned while seating himself, opening his mouth in what looked like genuine surprise. Ishtara wasn't sure if it were or not.

As she strode the final steps, her confident stride faltered for a fractured moment as Forgery's eyes flashed they way they had before Kessor Natul. When they'd been lovemaking, perhaps. Or perhaps just taking an easy stroll on a pristine lakeside at the set of the warm, glowing sun. Or maybe, when he'd whispered so desperately songs and oaths of love to her. Then it vanished and Ishtara righted her walk and took two large steps forward. Hopefully, they hadn't noticed, but Antoinette's barely-narrowing eyes destroyed all hope of that. Forgery, however, was as poker-faced as always, not betraying if he'd caught her sudden, brief lack of confidence.

As she stood there with silence before her, she choked mentally, trying to figure out what to say... what to ask. Her deepest Love either thought her a traitor or had betrayed her... either of which was dire. Her emotions toyed at her eyelids and they blinked rapidly, keeping her eyes from moistening and overfilling. Her hesitation would be noticed, so she cleared her throat to hopefully not let them know how much she was struggling with this moment. She smiled almost sternly, eyes noncommittal to the smile, focused on the one God that could give her the answers she and so many others sought. The one God that could bring her life to peace or dash it to so many splintered slivers of ended hope. Her dearest Love. The only solution to this damnable ache within her. She needed His answers... His peace. Above all, she needed Him.

Lips barely kept from trembling and brow narrowly escaping a furrowed expression, she looked almost desperately at Forgery, as if she was almost unable to keep herself from blurting a million things at once. She almost did. Instead, she uttered in that rarely silent park, "I've returned from the death of the Tree of Reclamation. Greetings, Forgery, God of Deception and Antoinette, Goddess of Vampires. I trust you do well in these..." she covered her mouth in a fist as she coughed quite audibly, hopefully hiding the choking in her voice. She cleared her throat yet again. "I trust you both do well in these troublesome times?" she inquired as business-like as she could. So it began.

[/b][/i][/center][/size]

[Varos Talantos]

It was actually surprising, how the whole park silenced for a brief moment before picking up it's usual roaring. The silence happened less than a second after Antoinette predicted Ishtara's arrival and only lasted for a few moments, but the impact of it was profound. Someone that even looked important had shown up and everyone recognized it. Ishtara, of course. His old flame. Antoinette whispered to him and he gently moved his head, acknowledging what she had said and sat down on the carved bench he had been facing and let his face mirror delighted surprise.

He watched her long graceful walk as she approached confidently and full of air... until he shot her a look that lasted about two seconds... his most loving gaze. She stumbled over nothing and he restrained from laughing aloud. He kept it together, though, with no indication of his noticing.

When she had finally reached him, she stood, looking down at him, eyes seemingly stuck and there was a moment of silence as she appeared to awkwardly collect herself. She smiled a smile he'd never seen on that darling face before; likely because he could tell it was not fully felt. She must have been going through inner turmoil for such an expression. The desperation in her eyes was too obvious to escape as she addressed him, "I've returned from the death of the Tree of Reclamation. Greetings, Forgery, God of Deception and Antoinette, Goddess of Vampires. I trust you do well in these--" she suddenly brought her hand in front of her face and let out a too-strong cough. It must have been fake. She was struggling. She cleared her throat another time and continued, "I trust you both do well in these troublesome times?"

Forgery sat in stony, unreadable silence for a moment as he considered her, looked her over, and then laughed. Not a hearty laugh, but enough to be of note... enough to confuse her with any sort of luck. He nodded at Ishtara, that fortunate Goddess, and said with that shit-eating grin of his, "Yes, of course we do well... and it's quite obvious you escaped the Tree of Reclamation. How else would you be here?" He stopped for a half-second to let her stupid question sink in, hopefully further crumbling what was left of her confidence. He held a hand out to her slowly, offering her to take it. "Won't you please have a seat? We've much to discuss, don't we? Let us... entreat with one another." Seconds later, he finished posing the same offer to Antoinette on the other side of his person, winking at her with his right eye so as to keep Ishtara from seeing what he hoped would be reassuring to Antoinette of her importance and value to him.

If Ishtara wanted war, he would wage it.

word count:; 474
mood:; noncommittal
song:; run this town by jay-z, kanye west, and rihanna
notes:; how... surprising to see you, Ishtara. How... brave.[/size]