Where No Man Dare Tread

[Elric Vlarintos]

A generally calm demeanor and a quiet personality were two traits that Elric prided himself in maintaining even during the most stressful of times. However, what he was facing was more frightening than your typical day through Wonderland. A chill ran down his back as he walked through the halls. Surely he'd be found here and then immediately be accused of some horrific crime. No one would ever know what happened to him and no one would really miss him all that much. Unnerving, to say the least.

Then again, maybe he just had an overactive imagination. Maybe they'd just resort to corporal punishment and leave him aching for days on end. That he could bear begrudgingly and silently for a little while, at least. He let out a heavy sigh as he stopped at the door to this little room in the North Wing. He was sweating profusely under his jacket as though he were right next to the forge or furnace. Licking his lips quietly he noted that his mouth was dry.

In his left hand he grasped an envelope firmly. This was where he was supposed to be, apparently. That didn't make him feel any better as he reached forth and knocked meekly on the door. There was nothing to say, and nothing left, really. His roaming fantasies continued to grow more and more wild with every second he waited for an answer. Maybe no one would be around and he could just walk away? "Then they'd just want you to try again later."

[Naelona Ezel]

The slave might have expected to be met with the usual resident of the room, but he would be disappointed. Said resident had a guest that - from the looks of things - was going to be around for a while. After the fire in the North Wing and a decent portion of Naelona's quarters being turned into ash, she'd gathered a few things and for the time being moved down the hall to the lesser damaged portion of the Wing. Sure it smelled of smoke and soot, but that would change with time. Her end of the hall was toast.

Naelona had secured (been offered or commandeered - the results were the same) a portion of her brother's quarters and was setting to make herself at home in it for the time. It was almost like when they were children, always stuck rooming together. As if they hadn't spent enough time together when they were small. What irony - four hundred years later and they were back in much of a very similar situation to when she'd left. Sitting on the back of a chair it was Mar's fuzzy little head that swiveled to look at the door. Shifting his tiny stance he looked expectantly at the door.

Naelona frowned at her familiar, what was he thinking now? Anolean would probably just use a shadow than bother with doors. Until she heard the soft knocking upon it. Eyes narrowing she crossed the room to the door, taking the handle. She'd skin him alive if it were Kristopher, she was still in a bit of a foul mood when it came to slaves. Opening the door she looked at the stranger on the other side, glancing him over from head to toe with a semi-wary glare. He was tall, really tall. Naelona felt short, but hid it. "What is it?" She asked in a cold tone, noting he had a note in his hand. A bit big for a mere messenger boy, wasn't he?

[Elric Vlarintos]

Elric stared at the Boogie that opened the door. Simultaneously she managed to be beautiful and creepy. Also, she didn't seem very big, especially up close. It had never really occurred to Elric how small many of the Boogies were; he rarely ever stood near one. That realization allowed him to relax a little bit, but he was still a far cry from being comfortable. There was really no telling why he was here and he found it particularly difficult to speak.

"I'm supposed to report to a Boogie that lives in this room and give him this letter." It really was a far cry from his usual job, and that was probably what made him most nervous. Also, his voice had sounded more quiet and less assertive than he normally liked. Then again, around the Boogies that wasn't always such a bad thing. Unless they wanted you to speak up. It was so hard trying to remember what each and every Boogie demanded from you as far as behavior was concerned. Just a horrific juggling act for survival some days.

Elric looked at the envelope. The name on it just said Ezel, which was a particularly notable name. Elric never recalled seeing an Ezel, but there was their reputation which preceded them. Elric was pretty sure he was supposed to be talking to Anolean, which is why he suspected that he wasn't long for this world. Maybe it would be a plain death after all.

"It's for an Ezel. I'm not supposed to leave until he's done reading it." That had been very, very clear. Elric didn't like the feeling of that at all.

[Naelona Ezel]

"I'm supposed to report to a Boogie that lives in this room and give him this letter." Naelona raised a slim eyebrow at the white-haired slave. Anolean wasn't there for the time being, but she was his twin, just was close enough. Naelona had to wonder who'd sent the slave, but didn't recognize him. Whoever he was, he didn't belong to anyone she was frequently acquainted with.

"It's for an Ezel. I'm not supposed to leave until he's done reading it." Naelona once again flashed a glance at him. "I wasn't aware I was followed so closely. Was it specifically for a he?" She noted, even if it was probably meant for Anolean. And this slave didn't know her name ended with Ezel? Naive boy. Regardless she held out her hand expectantly to take the note from him.

"And who are you, child? What is your name?" Best to know for future reference, if someone was dealing with Anolean. For all points and purposes, it was her business to know, after all.

[Elric Vlarintos]

She was judging him as he spoke. Elric was very familiar with the feeling of those eyes resting on him. Memories flooded into Elric's memory bringing mixed feelings about this particular situation. Being surveyed in such a fashion reminded him of his home so many years ago. Unfortunately, it also reminded him of his father, whom Elric remembered many disagreements with.

"I wasn't aware I was followed so closely. Was it specifically for a he?" A direct question: the type that Elric wasn't likely to avoid. "No, it wasn't." Simple, straightforward and Elric took great care not to bring in any of his own thoughts or interpretations into the matter. It seemed very wrong that he deliver the message to the wrong Boogie, however.

"And who are you, child? What is your name?" Given another direct question Elric felt obliged to answer in his usual manner. "An older slave, ma'am. My name is Elric Vlarintos." She certainly wouldn't care what his age was, or that he had hit the twenty-one mark a few years before. That really was meaningless now. Elric wasn't certain what she was getting at or why she was looking for this information. However, he really had been sent into this blindly.

[Naelona Ezel]

Wasn't for a he? Well then, splendid. Maybe it was for her after all, or Anolean.. or both of them. Ugh. That would definitely be bad news if that were the case. Wordlessly she took the note from his hand, turning it over and opening it to read what was written inside. Even if there was no name, the handwriting, the style.. something would give things away. Oh her mind was going into more detail than she needed to be, but such was how she functioned.

"An older slave, ma'am. My name is Elric Vlarintos." Direct and proper, she approved. "Past your age too, I'm sure." Naelona remarked, noting he appeared well old enough to be twenty-one, if not past it already. Some 'older slaves' could become quite old indeed. They were extremely rare, but notable all the same. Valuable as well.

With a frown she glanced down to the piece of paper to read the message, half expecting Anolean to appear at any moment and take it from her hands to read for himself. It would be like him to appear suddenly as well, and on that note the room and portion of the hall became a few degrees brighter as what shadows existed were repressed. If he was going to appear she wanted to hear him walking up on her this time, damnit.

[Elric Vlarintos]

Elric suddenly felt the note snatched from himself and he just stared at the Boogie for an instant. Her behavior in relation to the note was very peculiar, but that was not what came to Elric's mind first. The first thought was a dangerous one: that he could wrest the note away from her if he tried. Of course, he immediately headed that thought off. Even if she was as vulnerable as she looked, the outcome of that would only be bad for him. Of course, this had a potentially wicked outcome to it as well.

It was about then that it occurred to him that she had not run off or hidden away with the note. Her behavior was very much more like someone who had some place reading the note. Then again, that might just mean that she had no shame when it came to things like this. Having no basis on which to form these judgments Elric was left clueless.

The longer he looked at her, the more familiar she became. A couple of the facial features seemed familiar. She looked similar to the Boogie who had given him the note, though the other one was older. Could they have been related? That thought in of itself seemed horrifying; it suggested that Boogies might have formal families.

"Past your age too, I'm sure," she said. Apparently she was observant and Elric found himself slightly taken aback. He had been entirely certain that any judgment she had reached about him would be one of disdain. There certainly was no respect in her voice, but there was the presence of a tone of tolerance. Elric felt like he must have been doing a good job keeping this Boogie in a tame mood, which was an odd change of pace. Most of the time his demeanor just set them off worse.

[Naelona Ezel]

The more Naelona read the note, the darker the look on her face became. With a hiss and a glare to nothing in particular she crumpled the note in her hands, muttering something about 'cheap' 'slave' 'copout' and several notable swears. "Where is he when you want him.." She murmured under her breath, considering sending Mar for her brother but deciding that would be fruitless just as quickly.

Looking to the slave once again the boogie reviewed him with a sharp eye, almost searching for any details she hadn't already caught. "Come in." Nae said quietly, at length, moving out of the way of the door. "Are you aware of your fate?" She asked, motioning for him to close the door behind him. Giving slaves to Anolean was pointless, he killed/lost/maimed them so quickly.

"By which I mean the contents of that note, and of whence you've come to be here." Time to see what the boy knew, or didn't. He seemed oblivious by first glance to the situation, but he couldn't be that naive, was he? Then again he was a 'gift' from their father. One could never tell what he was about to pull.

[Elric Vlarintos]

Any sense of comfort that Elric was beginning to develop was instantly shot down. Apparently that note had made the Boogie less than thrilled and sent her into a miniature fit of sorts. By definition of the order Elric felt like he could probably back away now and start running. In fact, maybe that was a good idea. He slid back his foot and was ready to turn when she spoke to him directly.

"Come in."

That settled it, unfortunately. Elric stepped into the room quietly and took care not to look around too much. Better that he know less about what was in here so that telling the truth wouldn't be so harsh on him later. Though he did find his gaze pulled towards a peculiar creature in the room. He was unfamiliar with the animal, but felt fairly certain that it was a monkey of some kind. Shutting the door behind him as the Boogie motioned he stood quiet and awaited her question.

"Are you aware of your fate? By which I mean the contents of that note, and of whence you've come to be here."

Of course he wasn't, though answering it like that would have earned him a sharp tap at the very least. Instead, he chose to be more diplomatic about it. "No, I am not. It was not my place to read the note or ask questions." He felt parched. This was the moment of truth and he was worried that he legs might buckle under him or not help him if he had to run.

[Naelona Ezel]

Mar, from his perch watched Elric enter the room with dark glassy eyes following his movements. Springing from where it'd been the familiar landing upon Naelona's shoulder, long tail swinging for balance as she walked about the room. Naelona uncrumpled the letter from within her hands, ignoring Mar as she was terribly tempted to shred the note on the spot and burn it. Instead she smoothed out the creases upon a table, refolding it neatly as it had been and placing a weight upon it so it wouldn't be disturbed.

"No, I am not. It was not my place to read the note or ask questions." The female boogie glanced to the slave once again with a somewhat indiscernible look though raised a slim eyebrow. He'd obviously been well taught in manners of how to speak to a boogie, at least. Even if he wasn't aware of their ownership over him - yet. Good.

"Mm. Curious." From some hidden space within her dress a metal pipe was fetched, it apparently was empty but she tapped the small end to her lips regardless, perhaps out of habit. A small motion of her wrist and Mar bounded off of her shoulder, bouncing across the room to a pack of belongings digging around for something for his Mistress. "Stand straight." She told the boy, crossing the room towards him with a certain purpose. "Look forward, chin up." The cold metal of the pipe touched his chin, pressing up ever so slightly in a cold suggestion to comply.

"When did you arrive, and how long have you existed in Wonderland?" Naelona asked sharply, making a slow circle about Elric, moving a lock of hair or brushing aside clothing with it like an extension of her hand, refusing to come closer than needed to make such observations. "Mar." She called, and the small monkey came to her side, dragging a small booklet with it, bouncing back to the bag to retrieve something to write with for the boogie, and bringing that too.

"Are you illiterate, Vlarintos?" A number of slaves were, yet a few weren't. Their ability was either meager from what teaching they had in their own world, or somewhat decent if some benevolent boogie saw fit to teach them here. Kristopher had been a more fortunate one, though Naelona couldn't vouch for any other, and certainly not this one.

[Elric Vlarintos]

What a peculiar Boogie, Elric thought. There really wasn't much more to say about her yet. He felt slightly impatient while waiting for the answer as to what his fate would be, though he figured she'd get to it in due time. The anticipation was really the worst part of the entire situation, though. Her initial response was startling, but now she had calmed down somewhat again.

"Stand straight. Look forward, chin up," came her chilling commands. To emphasize the point the freezing grasp of her metal pipe was used. Elric had been raised in an old-fashioned military household and this was one of those few times when that seemed to be a boon. His response was to immediately straighten up and stand at attention. However, whatever mental discipline he had once possessed seemed to have wavered, as his attention was focused primarily on that pipe. He tried to appraise it with a glance before he caught his mind wandering and focused more on the Boogie holding the pipe.

"When did you arrive, and how long have you existed in Wonderland?" This really was a peculiar Boogie, though it looked as though she were about to take this down for posterity. In one sense that made him feel a little better, though not much. "I arrived in Wonderland on December the twenty-fourth. This upcoming date will mark the tenth year of my presence here." There was a cheerful subject that always was coming up this time of year, it seemed. Elric would rather not remember that night in the woods, but it always had a tendency to crop up just when he wanted it least.

"Are you illiterate, Vlarintos?" The first answer that nearly came out was, 'Hardly,' but Elric controlled himself. "I am generally considered competent in reading and writing, ma'am." One of the fortunate things about being in Wonderland was that they still had books and Elric had been able to continue reading after getting here. It was one of the few things he enjoyed and it was a particular part of himself. Of course, there were some masters that preferred their slaves illiterate. Was she one of them?

[Naelona Ezel]

Naelona noted with a small mark of approval of how straight and still he stood. No questions, no squirming, no questions. Just immediate obedience. It would be interesting to see how far that could be pushed. Anolean would no doubt push that. The sister would have to speak with her brother about that. This one seemed to possess a bit of value, and it would be a shame to put him to carelessly to waste. Even if the slave's giver deserved no better of his giftings.

A second lap about him and the boogie noted his attention to the pipe, which she then held behind her back. "I arrived in Wonderland on December the twenty-fourth. This upcoming date will mark the tenth year of my presence here." Naelona nodded slowly, noting something to a page she kept hidden from him. "You mean your survival." Presence was paltry. The dead were still present to in such a literal sense, just in their graves.

"A decade for you, how fortunate." Another slow round about the boy and the pipe was in her hand again, end tapped lightly to her lips as though in thought. A faint blue smoke drifted out from the end. "And your age upon arrival?" Perhaps the pivotal point between him being potential trouble or completely subservient. Too much she didn't know to have him placed within her possession - even a shared one - for her immediate comfort.

"I am generally considered competent in reading and writing, ma'am." Good, he could understand and follow a list then. He could also possibly read her notes as well. At this thought she held her book close to her chest with a tilt of her head. "Only in your own tongue or have you been instructed otherwise?" An extremely rare, yet ludicrous thought. Slaves weren't taught that tongue.. but Naelona dismissed the question with a wave of her hand. Even her reading ability of it was mediocre at best. Let him take the question as he will.

"And have you any hindrances, fondnesses, 'hobbies' siblings or anything else of like relation or consequence." Were there any, Anolean would be prodded to set an end to them in due order if needed, she was sure. On that thought she seemed almost amused to the question. It could be held over his head as well, if nothing else.

[Elric Vlarintos]

He was being examined like a gift horse. Oddly enough he began to ponder the old phrase to not look a gift horse in the mouth. It had always seemed like it was odd and misplaced, but Elric felt like he finally understood it. Aside from that, the inspection and the comments were mostly depressing. "You mean your survival." No, Elric didn't mean that at all. In his mind this was hell and he died ten years ago.

"And your age upon arrival?" What an odd question. At this point age did not matter much, but that was the question and Elric wasn't going to refuse to answer it. Mostly harmless questions here thus far. "I was thirteen years old that day and would have turned fourteen within two weeks." A little longer than most of his answers, but nonetheless relevant to the question. Maybe it would head off a future question and save him talking about it.

This woman did not seem bothered by his ability to read, which Elric was thankful for. As respectful of the Boogie authority as he was at times, even that was something he'd go behind their backs to do. "Only in your own tongue or have you been instructed otherwise?" she asked. That was the most dangerous question she had asked thus far and it took Elric off guard a little. He was able to speak a little in a couple languages he had heard, but hardly considered himself proficient. He wasn't literate in any languages other than the two he had been taught at home. "English and Latin, only, ma'am."

There had been a hidden intent in her question, and Elric couldn't be certain what it was. Had she been asking if he was proficient in the Boogies' language? That would certainly be dangerous grounds to tread upon, but those were the types of grounds that he was most likely to walk. Elric was good at picking up languages if he tried. It was just a matter of immersing himself in that language if possible.

Interrupting his train of thought came the most dangerous question he could imagine. "And have you any hindrances, fondnesses, 'hobbies' siblings or anything else of like relation or consequence." If that wasn't a thinly-veiled threat, than he did not know what was. However, thinking on that answer made Elric confront something rather horrible about himself. "I have no real friends, ma'am. Over the years they all have died or vanished." That was fact, though maybe he had started building relationships again. It was hardly worth the effort at most times. Now in particular it was very dangerous to have friends, what with the rebellion rumors flying about. Any group could potentially be seen as involved with that. "As for hindrances I don't like my traditional job as a metalworker, but tolerate it because it's what I'm good at. I enjoy reading and playing the violin, but hardly have time to devote to these activities. I have no family here and am generally unknown."