Tale as Old As Time [Finished]

[yamikuronue]

"Well, sure, if you're up for the walk."

And so, ten minutes later, having stopped in the pantry to grab a key on a neck-chain, Rosanna leads Echo out in the back gardens. True to her word, there's a thriving herb garden just outside the back door, promising tomatoes and cucumbers and peppers in a few months along with the lavender, sage, thyme, rosemary, dill, and so on ready now. The winding path continues into overgrown areas, cut back from the path but otherwise left to their own devices; statuary, overgrown with weeds and in need of cleaning, can be glimpsed here and there. Finally, they come to a wall; Rosanna brushes back some vines to find the keyhole in the garden gate, which has rusted on the hinges but still manages to open enough to let them in. Here, many thorny stems entangle; here and there a rose can be seen, struggling to get enough light to bloom. Yellow, white, bright red, deep red, pink... this would have been a glorious sight, and there are a few ornate benches where he could have sat to enjoy it.

The garden still seems to remember the love and care that went into it. Almost, he can hear the laughter of children, feel the warmth of a mother's love. The mother would have planted and tended the flowers, while her small children played games in the sunlight, careful not to touch the thorns. Perhaps on Mother's day they'd have brought her a few hard-won blooms, hiding band-aided thumbs where they weren't careful enough; she'd have noticed, of course, but she'd have pretended not to, and been surprised instead at how grown they were, to be fetching flowers themselves. Yes, there was definitely love here.

[accalia]

Echo smiles brightly as soon as the garden is unlocked.

"This place remembers..... so bright is it. so alive... the brightness here.....it is nice...."

Echo walks in and finds one of the benches that is not too covered in greenery and sits.

"Could this one be left here for a while. a rest would do this one good and the brightness here will do this one good.... please?"

[yamikuronue]

Rosanna nods. "You recall the way back?" But she doesn't wait for an answer -- there's so much that needs doing, too much to spend the afternoon in a dead garden like this one.

[accalia]

"this one recalls the way back... Thank you."

Echo waits a moment after Rosanna leaves before he speaks again

"it's nice here, this one is reminded of another garden..... Sylphia....  I still miss you

Having said this Echo smiles deeper and closes his eyes. Within moments he is snoring gently

[yamikuronue]

He is awakened first by fury like thunder, rolling over him from afar. Secondly, he's aware of an almost canine snarling, and thirdly, a cuff to the head, as he's smacked from the bench to the dirt.

"Come out of there!" snarls the voice. The man it belongs to hasn't bothered to put on his cloak; the fury in his dark eyes is unmasked, and his rich brown hair flows loose around his shoulders. His clothing isn't particularly fancy, but instead practical and dark: thick black jeans, a black leather duster, a black shirt of some kind under it. His face is actually fairly handsome, if you discount the few healing wounds across it. His hands are balled into fists, and his anger rages almost as though it was a separate beast inside him, snarling to get free.

[accalia]

"Oww!"

Echo rolls over, but does not attempt to sit or stand. The aura of anger was intense, almost overpowering the local remembered brightness.

"Has this one offended? This one did not intend."

[yamikuronue]

"Who told you you could sleep there?!" The man leans down, grabbing for Echo's shirt to haul him to his feet. If he gets ahold, Echo would be able to tell that he's physically strong; Echo's weight is hardly troublesome to him. "This garden is off limits!"

[accalia]

Echo is still lying flat on his back in the weeds, some of which have some impressive looking thorns. He continues to makeno attempt to move in any way whatsoever is voice, while still a melodic baritone is strained, as if in pain.

"This one apologizes. If this one had known that would not have done so. This one was contracted to cure one of your staff of an illness and during the convalescence period asked if this one could see the gardens. This one did not know they were off limit. Now that this fact is known this one will not return to such a place."

[yamikuronue]

"Good," he snarls, taking a half step back. His hands ball tightly into fists again, his lip curling in a snarl that doesn't look quite human. He takes a few deep breaths, struggling to get a grip on his anger, which does seem to recede a bit -- it simmers down to a burning coal inside him, rather than a blazing inferno, ready to be revived at any moment. "See that you don't," he says, suddenly realizing how absurd he seems -- standing here, threatening an unarmed man, in his own gardens. Uncloaked. Hesitantly, he takes another step back, fear starting to war with the anger in him.

[accalia]

The oppressive darkness recedes as the man takes a step back. With a grunt Echo sits up and slowly stands. At full height Echo is noticeably taller than the man who stands before him. Echo is careful to keep his hands ope, palm towards the man standing before him, and well away from his body in a recogniseable gesture of no harm intended.

"This one will not again trespass upon this garden, if sir would step to one side this one would depart this garden now and seek medical attention for the cuts received by landing on the thorns that adorn this place."

A small pool of crimson red can be seen where Echo briefly lay, in the center of the pool is a rather thick rose runner that is covered in vicious looking thorns.

[yamikuronue]

Lance steps aside by entering the garden; his eyes linger on the puddle, hands shaking, until all at once he bursts forth, running to the edge of the garden-- and clearing the wall in a single bound.

[accalia]

Echo had not had a chance to completely leave the garden before the man left the garden by more unconventional means. Echo pauses for a moment after seeing that before closing the garden door and starting to walk back towards the house.

"A most unusual personage... The darkness that rides that one is powerful.... and it is killing him, yet he still resists it.... to be ridden like that for ten years and still not be consumed... strong man."

[yamikuronue]

That evening, the unthinkable happens: Lance joins the group for dinner.

Far from his earlier appearance, he's much more presentable and cleaned up now; his hair has been pulled back into a ponytail, keeping it off his face and shoulders, and he's changed into a loose-fitting white top with ruffles down the front and at the sleeves and a pair of tight, well-tailored slacks. He's put on well-shined shoes, and he smells faintly of cederwood.

"Good evening," he bids the stunned group, before Siegfried leaps to his feet to fetch an extra place setting.

[accalia]

Echo rises as the man from the garden earlier enters. After the man greets the group Echo echos the greeting followed by a deep bow. After the bow Echo remains standing, waiting for the young master of the house to take a seat first.

[yamikuronue]

Lance sits, carefully tucking a napkin into his lap as Siegfried sets the table in front of him. Rosanna pops to her feet when Echo does, but sits gratefully a moment after Lance.

"You feeling alright, boss?" she asks, hesitantly.

"Perfectly," he says, his low tone a warning. Rosanna drops the subject.