ROLEPLAY HQ - of-life-and-death

The valley of life and death. A land as old as time itself. Where life ends and death begins. The lush green grass coming to a halt in the valley's center, where beyond, there is only rot, and decay. Mossy stones, sprawling trees, and patches of delicate flowers stopped, as fallen trunks, mounds of dirt, and poisonous mushrooms awaited on the other side. At the very border, the tree of life and death, split down the very middle. Half alive, half decayed. A cobble path ran through the valley, indiscriminate of the cosmic forces at play. It was the delivery point. The bridge between flourishing life, and encroaching death. Each cobble brick laid by forces far beyond the passing millennia that came before the two who would make their stands this day. The sun and moon traced along the sky towards each other. And within minutes, just as Eros would meet his match, so too would the sun and moon meet each other, and cascade the sky in darkness that would last until a victor was chosen. With a gnarled branch in his hand, he moved along the path. Squirrels, and chipmunks skipped happily behind him, before seeing what laid ahead, scattering in the tall grass, and watching from the treetops. An anxious feeling welled inside of him. A heavy weight upon his shoulders, as his thoughts raced every which way but the way he wanted them to. It was a lot to handle. How was anyone supposed to overcome their ultimate rival, and admire them at the drop of a hat? How had his mother and father done it? Was peace the solution? Could violence be avoided? He drew an uneven breath, for he did not know. The thought that he would have to fight anyone made him swell with nausea. He stopped, several footsteps from the border where life and death would meet. His heart skipped a beat, and from beneath his hood, he would finally look up, his gentle green irises searching for his opposition. And the one he would spend the rest of his life with.

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@Koala Aly

Did she believe in true love? In soulmates? No. She did not. Yet something was drawing her to that meeting point, towards her opposition. An eclipse, a moment of life and death, and it all weighed on two sets of shoulders. Her own were fragile enough, yet fate had already decided her path. Large mismatched eyes gazed out of a delicate face, one a bright green, the other a lifeless grey. Nimue sat upon a large spider, her tiny form making the arachnid seem much, much larger. Vas. That's what she had named this spider, and it was Vas that had protested the druid's want- no, need- to come here. The pair communicated in a series of clicks and hisses, the spider's exasperated, Nimue's calming, like honey, or an ice cold chill down a spine. Closer, and closer, till Nimue herself stopped at that border, her eyes finding the one who was to spend eternity with her. Life. That was what she saw in the other side. Bright, vibrant life. And oh how she missed it. How she wished to have that life within her once more. Steeling her expression, Nimue slid from the arachnid's back, gracefully landing on the ground. She took those few extra steps, the already barren ground blackening with each step. Moss green hair flowed down the druid's back, ending at mid thigh, and she walked, until she finally reached the edge of that border. Her eyes travelled up the male's form, until the meet vibrant green eyes, so similar to her own one. A smirk pulled one side of her lip up, and a dead look entered her eye. "And so we meet."

@Stellar

Eros froze as she halted before him, on the opposite end of the border to him. Small. Fragile looking, with delicate features, and a voice that sent a neurotic shiver down his spine. In that moment, it all seemed to make sense. His thoughts had frozen. While he was not mounted upon the back of a spider, he did seem to tower over the other, at a staggering 6'4. As she greeted him, he was compelled to speak, but the only words that left his lips in response came in whisper. "Beautiful.." His words carried upon the wind like a gentle breeze, as the flowers seemed to happily sway from the very sensation of his voice. It was impossibly gentle, just as he appeared to be. That he could regard such an entity of death with kind words, such as beauty. Eros closed his mouth as it began to run dry, and he recollected his thoughts to speak a more cohesive thought, and finally introduce himself. "I am Eros, guardian of life. May I know your name..?" He asked politely, as though she were free to decline. For such a tall, and imposing man-- he really did not have a threatening or imposing aura to match. Was he truly just some sort of pushover disguised as the avatar of life itself?

@Koala Aly

Beautiful. That word alone gave Nimue pause, and the smirk wiped clean from her face. Ever since she had left her village, the druid had not seen her own face. She knew it was strange, with those vines crossing over it, and if she had seen herself, Nimue wasn't sure she could call herself beautiful man. Yet this man, quite literally her opposite, had called her so. Was he blind, deluded? She quickly glanced behind her, and Vas made an almost shrugging motion, her pincers clicking impatiently. "Eros...." Nimue spoke the male's name, and it felt sweet in her tongue, so much so that she almost wanted to repeat it. Soulmates. That word rang in her mind once more, and she unconscious took another step, just toeing the line of the border. He was right in his thinking, this man was the furthest thing from intimidating, or imposing even with that large wooden staff in his hand. Nimue, though, she oozed a deathly aura. Though she did not wield a staff, a conduit for her magic, that magic emanated from her very skin, almost like a shadow. As tiny as she was, Nimue was a threat, and had already proved to be such. "Nimue." She gave her name, a soft, hypnotic lilt to her voice, the sound vastly different to the clicks and hisses she used to communicate with her spiders. A Guardian of Life, and a Harbringer of Death. Were they really destined to be together, or was this a cruel trick?

@Stellar

His fingers curled tighter around his staff as Nimue drew closer to the border, and the grass directly in the radius in front of her started to delicately wither into nothingness. Indeed, he did not seem to like the idea of hurting her, even if he had only just met her. The hairs raised along his arms as his danger sense was firing at every fiber of his being. And yet, he continued to stand where he was. Tall. Firm. Nimue. The voice rang in his mind, forever imprinted as the name he would come to cherish, either in the sweet songs of life, or the bitter clutches of death. His anxiousness only grew. And he struggled to find words, or if there were even words to say. His gaze averted for a moment, before a question popped into his mind. His gaze would meet hers once more, and his voice would carry in the breeze as it just had. "Are you certain in your chosen path? Is suffering truly what you wish to inflict upon this world?" He almost seemed afraid to ask, as though he might know what the answer would be. Would Nimue truly be the chosen avatar of death were she not? It seemed unlikely. And he regretted even asking, as it was likely a stupid question to ask. He winced, but it did not avert his gaze from her. He wanted to hear it from her lips.

@Koala Aly

Though Eros stood firm, unruffled, Nimue could sense the trepidation, the anxiety that emanated off of the man in waves. Was it fear, or anticipation? He was the first to not run at the sight of her, and she could commend him on that, really. It wasn't everyday that she met one so naive. It was almost pathetic, the hope in his eyes. Nimue's eyes narrowed as Eros asked his question, the green eye burning, the blind eye dead. "Does this world not deserve the suffering? The people? Those that have hurt us, do they not deserve to suffer?" Nimue's voice had lowered into a hiss, her hands balled up into fists, her glare intense. Yet for all her body language, Nimue's wasn't sure if she was certain in her path. Death, it was dreadful, yet... that was the power she had been bestowed. It was what fate had given her, and what she had been so cruelly treated for. "I want people to suffer as I have. To feel what I have been made to feel. Humiliation, belittlement, threats. I want them to know true fear." Hot tears burned at the corners of her eyes, and she rubbed angrily at them with her fists. It would not do do show weakness here.

@Stellar

His expression seemed to soften as she spoke from anger, and sadness. Her fist rubbed at her eyes, and his head canted to one side. "I do not fear you, Nimue.. But I am not so naïve as to ignore the evils that exist in this world. From what I am hearing, I could not blame you." Eros nodded softly. He tugged at his hood with one hand, as his long chestnut locks flowed freely in the breeze. "You have been through much. I can tell.. What I offer you will not see your enemies bent at the knee. It will not inflict suffering upon those whom you regard as your enemy. But.. Know this." He would dare to take one step closer to her, as flowers sought to challenge the decay that her every footstep imposed. With his free hand, he clutched his heart. His words, as they had always been, since the very first, bled with compassion and truth. "I believe that love is the very foundation of life. It causes flora to bloom. It spreads happiness where there is none. It is what allows us to purge the very hatred from our hearts, and overcome our struggles without violence or bloodshed.." He paused. It seemed his eyes welled with grief. Grief for her. "Nimue.." He pleaded. "Will you not let me love you..?"

@Koala Aly

Let me love you. Words bounced around her head, causing conflicting feelings with in her heart. A heart she had thought long dead. Her eyebrows furrowed, not out of anger, but out of confusion. "Why? What is there to love?" Her voice, so strong before, had dropped to a whisper. Mismatched eyes gazed up into brilliant emeralds, and she saw the grief held there. The compassion. Nimue had spent so long in the dark, she had forgotten what light looked like. This man. Eros. He was light and all things good. Nimue was the absolute opposite. "I have killed Eros. I have lured and fed, and killed. Will you still love me knowing that?" That hard edge had crept back into Nimue's voice, even as her body took another step towards Eros. A response to his own. She watched as his flowers stood against her decay, and it was one that had caught her eye. A bright blue rose, her favourite flower. His flowers, they stood against her pestilence, they did not wither like everything else. Nimue stood and gazed at that rose, for what felt like an eternity. Was Eros not affected by her abilities? She was confused, wary, and the arachnids impatient clicking only grew louder being her. "Make me love you, Eros. I... will give you a month. Will you stay with me?" A month to make Nimue love the man before her. To make her believe that soulmates existed. To change her view of herself, and of the world. Nimue was hollow inside, her heart a blackened grove, yet a flame had begun to flicker.

@Stellar

At her proposal, he merely shook his head. Not harsh in his gesture. Every gently, he pointed to the sky, as moon crossed over sun, and the sky began to darken. Cascaded in a purple sky, with rays of orange, and stars inbetween. The two cosmic forces remained in that embrace, as he glanced back towards her. "We do not have a month to spare, Nimue.. For that I am sorry." Eros inclined his head. "This day. Tonight.. One of us shall be converted, as my mother and father once had long ago." He paused for a moment, as he'd swallowed a lump in his throat. As the sky's color changed, everything seemed to stop in that moment. The breeze had ceased. The grass stopped flowing, flowers stopped fluttering. The world around them. Time itself, had seemed to freeze. Everything except them, and her spider. "Wolves and spiders kill because that is in their nature. Yet I do not hate them. Nimue--.." He drew an unsteady breath. It was clear he was trying to find the words he'd wanted to say without saying them in a way that would provoke her. "I believe you are misguided.. Please. Let me help you.." Eros dropped to one knee, as he plucked one of the roses from the ground nearest to her, his eyes never leaving her for a moment, even as one of the thorns pricked his thumb, and blood dribbled into the grass below. "Even the most beautiful blue geranium rose still has its thorns. But there is still much to be admired." In that moment, he had never felt more sure of anything in his life. Through cosmic forces, meeting Nimue was his destiny. And she was now his purpose. He was determined to prove it-- but.. Only if she would trust him. The conversation between them gave him hope.. Perhaps they would not need to come to blows.

@Koala Aly

Mismatched eyes raises to the sky, and took note of the oncoming eclipse, and then to the kneeling Eros. A light in the darkness, and it would either light up her path, or be snuffed out by her darkness. Even with Eros kneeling, it was evident that she were much smaller than he. Taking in her own unsteady breath, she reached out a hand, and placed against his, the blood staining her pale green skin. "And if I ask you to join me, would you? Would you discard everything, to join my darkness, my decay, Eros?" Her sentence ended in a whisper, as a war broke out in her mind. She desperately wanted to be loved, but also believed that she did not deserve such a thing. Nimue was tired of the darkness, tired of the constant decay that surrounded her. She hadn't meant for it to happen, she just didn't want to be sacrificed. Her eyes moved to Eros' face, as she knelt before him, the pair connected in more ways than one. If he was her fate, did that mean she could be redeemed? Could she leave the decay behind? "Am I.... redeemable?" Her words came faster now, as the sun and moon came closer to each other. Not muxh time. Not much choice. Would he love her, knowing her past? Or would she become a sacrificial lamb again? As Nimue gazed up at Eros, she realised she craved his light, the warmth he gave out. She wanted to bathe in that warmth, be surrounded by it. Taking in a deep breath, a hand travelled up his arm, to his face. Her hand was cold, icy, and her head tilted as she took in a deep breath, his scent. "I am tired. So tired....." Nimue leaned against the pillar of strength before her, Eros. The grass surrounding her knees wilted, and she leaned her forehead against his chest. The spider behind her clicked in annoyance, and Nimue hissed back, a startling sound. Vas shrunk back, and Nimue spoke once more, her voice tired... and scared. "Love me, Eros."

@Stellar

A chill ran down his spine as her hand traversed along the length of his arm, and then to his face. She asked him if he would join her. Discard everything. His life, his family. All of his fond, happy memories with those he cared about and those he loved. Cast the world in darkness as he selfishly would devote himself to this woman before him. Others- suffer at his own hands because he chose love over the greater good. Would he do it? His iron will faltered, even if but naught for a moment. As the shadow doubt lingered. In truth, if she was set in her ways.. If she had decided then and there, without a second thought that it was the way it must be for the two of them to be together.. He would. Selfishly, he would give himself. He would give everything. He would be anything this woman wanted if it meant her happiness. The woman he had just met, and the one he had yet to know. It lingered, at the back of his mind. A parasite to be easily exploited. One whose existence he refused to acknowledge, as the two of them continued. Her weight pressed against him, as his form returned to full height, and with it, he hoisted her up, like a delicate flower, plucked from the earth. "Nature makes no mistakes, Nimue.." His voice ushered softly, as a warm breeze swept fluttering butterflies across the sky, not unlike the feeling he felt welling inside of his stomach. For a moment, he fell silent. Hesitated. Wondered if what he wanted to do next was the right thing to do. But ultimately, it did not matter. Whether chaos and darkness would reign because of it, or whether life, and nature would prevail, he acted purely out of his own desire. His face leaned gently down towards her own. His lips sought to connect with hers, to share in his warmth, and his passion. She requested love. He answered.

@Koala Aly

Nimue's legs wrapped around Eros' hips as he lifted her, almost on instinct. She saw his shiver, and some deep part of her enjoyed that. The fear, the anticipation. It came off the Guardian in waves, even his hesitation. That darkness, her darkness, it lingered within him too, even if he refused to acknowledge it. Everyone had it, it was just more prevalent in the druid. He leaned down, and Nimue froze, as his face came closer. She had requested love, but she hadn't expected him to give it so freely. So easily. Nimue only had time for a fleeting moment of worry before warm lips met her own cold ones, and once more, she froze. Desire. That was the new emotion she felt from the male holding her, her soulmate. And she was surprised by the flame in her blackened grove of a heart burning brighter. A squeak left her, barely audible, as she moved her lips against his, clumsily, slowly, her desire rising to match his. Her figure clung to his as she kissed him back, and she worried that he might wither away, just like everything else she touched. Nimue was afraid to open her eyes, but this desire, it was different. Alive. The druid knew desire better than anyone, knew it's dark, seductive intentions. She'd had the desire to kill and to eat, to lure and to decay, but never this desire. Never this... passion. It stole her breath, and her fingers moved to weave their way into Eros' chestnut locks. Pulling away slightly, her lips left his, but still, she refused to open her eyes. When life met death, death had always won, had always drained and taken life for everything it was worth, or at least, that had been the case for the druid. She had witnessed it with her very eyes, until the one had been taken by the decay. She didn't want to open her eyes, lest she see the damage she may have caused Eros. Nimue was afraid, but more so annoyed with herself. She had let him kiss her, had even kissed back, knowing that she could blot out the light that he was. She was afraid.

@Stellar

After a silent moment came to pass, Nimue could hear the druid's voice whisper gently to her. "Nimue, forgive me.. I hope this was what you had in mind." He gently nuzzled his forehead against her own, hoping his suddenness did not offend her, that all was still well. But most importantly, he was alive. He was healthy. All was well. The two of them. Here. In this place, stood upon even ground. She was death. Opposition to life, and he, the very same, but different. Perhaps it did not occur to Eros. Or perhaps he already knew. But it would be known at this point, that one would not succeed over the other unless forced by one of the two. Nymue could not kill Eros passively, for he was the bringer of life. Eros could not convert Nymue with mere presence alone, for she was the harbinger of death. And yet, as sun and moon started to overlap, one certainty remained. One would have to succeed, this night. Through submission, or force. Would she give life another chance? Submit to this man, both impossibly kind, and impossibly gentle? Would she watch this world bloom, as he corrected her ways, and sheltered her under his wing? Or would she steal him all for herself? Utilize him as the only person of his kind to offer her love and live to both have her cake and eat it too? Bring darkness to this world, while still experiencing love, and the gentle touch of another. It had almost seemed like it was her choice, or, at the very least, that she held control over the situation. She could accept him. She could trust him, and his word. Or she could use his kindness against him. Utilize this moment to secure herself as the one who reigns for the next hundred years. She who breaks the cycle, and teaches this world to know of her pain.

@Koala Aly

Eros' voice brought her from her reverie, and she dared open her eyes, to see that he was just fine. Not a hint of decay in sight. Nimue gazed in wonder at the guardian, her legs locked around him, her icy fingers moving to his face. No pestilence, the skin just as smooth as before the kiss. "You didn't do anything wrong...." Nimue whispered back, her voice broken. He had told her he couldn't give her revenge, if she went with him. But if Eros went with Nimue, she could use him for her revenge. She could. The idea was so tantalising, it felt almost sweet. But Eros was gentle, kind, a warm soul, a light. Could she really corrupt that, as she had been corrupted? Could she subject another to her life? The moon and the sun began to overlap, and time was quickly running out. Something had drawn the druid here, and it was Eros, just as he had been drawn by Nimue. It would be for this very purpose, to find out whether life or death would win. Mistmatched eyes flicked between Eros' bright green ones, as Nimue quietly pondered her response. Could she leave the safety of her forest? "You will take care of me?" Her honey like voice was soft, and she held onto Eros like he were a lifeline. She had already chosen her path, she just needed the guardian to give her a push, with his words. She needed his assurances. "I want..... life. I don't want to kill and to hurt. I want my life back." Her voice broke with the last sentence, and tears left tracks on her cheeks. Suddenly, she was sobbing quietly in his arms, shoulders shaking. The Harbringer of Death, now a broken doll in the Guardian's arms. Nimue wanted life. She had made her choice.

@Stellar

The guardian's eyes softened as he heard her sorrow, and her tears. He wanted to help. He could help. Like a loving friend, his warm embrace gently wrapped tighter around her as one hand lifted to wipe at her tears. "I shall do better than love you. I shall cherish you. For all that you are worth. For all that you were, and all that you will ever be.." She wanted life, and as the sun and moon became one in that moment, her transformation had begun. Magic permeated the air, as the Guardian's aura wrapped the two of them in his life, the very magical fabric of his being weaving through the air as it began to take hold of Nimue, from her ankle, working its way up. While it was intrusive-- it seemed to mimic the gentle, passionate touch of Eros himself. "For so long, you have suffered. You have taken life to inflict misery. And now. Here. Tonight. You will be given life to give life. I will give you happiness so that you have happiness to give. I shall love you forever so that you shall crave for love no longer. If you hadn't a heart, I would offer you my own. This I swear." His vows echoed throughout the bright, glowing aura of magic which surrounded them, as he began to whisper in the ancient tongue of primordial life. Nimue would feel her cold bitterness, her desire for revenge, and all of her impurities become numb, before slipping from her, one at a time. Life filled her very being. It purged the darkness within her, and reforged her anew. She felt her soul intertwine with Eros'. She felt them resonating on the same wavelength. And she knew, that she was now a guardian of life, the very same as himself. Bestowed unto her was a seed, its roots spreading through her very core. She was reborn. Weak. A fledgling. But she could feel as one of the seeds roots touched her eye. And from it, sprouted a blue geranium rose. With it now a part of her-- it stood as a symbol of hope. Of greener pastures, and a brighter tomorrow. Eros set her onto the grass, on h

09:32

er own two feet, as flowers started to bloom, and grass started to grow around her.

@Koala Aly

Her head leaned into the hand that wiped away her tears, against the warmth on her icy cheek, until she felt that very same warmth at her ankle. It wasn't just warm, it was alive, this feeling, and Nimue's tears froze on her cheeks. It was hot, and growing hotter, as life travelled pu her body, burning through everything dead inside of her. As Eros spoke, that heat burned through the dead vines that covered her skin, and that very skin turned the colour of peaches and cream. "E-Eros?" Nimue's voice quivered as that heat began to spread across her abdomen, and each bitter thought each tendril of darkness burned away, life replacing it. The druid was scared, but only for a fleeting moment, as her soul entwined with Eros'. The blackened grove that was her heart, the one that housed the tiny flame of desire, burned up. It hurt, by the gods it hurt, and Nimue clutched at her chest, a soft whimper on her lips. It wasn't a painless process, yet it was one Nimue was more than willing to go through. For Eros, if not for herself. The warmth spread through her chest, burning though everything, turning her skin soft as silk. Soon, the moss green of her hair turned a sun kissed brown, and a pain bloomed in her blind eye. Another cry, another whimper, and a blue rose, the colour bright and rich, sprouted from the dead eye. When Eros set her onto her feet, Nimue immediately sank to her knees, and buried her fingers in the blades of grass. The girl before Eros now, as dainty as a budding flower, wept. Not for her past, or for the lost decay, but for the new beginning Eroschad bestowed upon her. Without the vines covering her body, it was clear as day that Nimue was naked. She hadn't needed other before, simply because everyone she had come in contact with, she had killed. Why wear clothes if there were none to see her? Turning her face up to Eros, she held a hand up to him, silently asking him to join her on the grass. "Please?"

@Stellar

Fluffy mounds of moss formed beneath her as she sank into the bountiful earth. The path of death and decay that she walked to reach this very location started to recede, as nature reclaimed its land. The eclipse came to pass, as the full moon spread its light across the now valley meadow. The tree, which was half-tainted by death was blooming with life, as fresh apples grew from its branches. Chipmunks, deer, and rabbits could be seen hopping, skittering, and prancing from the far reaches of the valley, as serenity reigned, and a parched waterfall from death's valley gave way to a renewed flow of water once more. All around them. Peace, happiness, and life. Eros would rest upon his knees next to Nimue, taking her hand into his own. She was without clothing, but that mattered to him very little at the moment. A bridge to cross when the time had arisen. Now that the tension was gone, and that their souls were intertwined, Eros took a deep breath. The fresh scent of roses, and wild wheat filling his senses, as the stress all but seemed to vanish. "Thank you for trusting me, Nimue.. I would not have blamed you if you had chosen otherwise, but I prayed that you would see reason, and truth in my words. I solemnly swear that I will ensure you do not regret it." She smiled softly, his gloved hand interlocking with her fingers.

@Koala Aly (He smiled softly*) (edited)

( @Stellar @Koala Aly do you guys want to continue or get this archived? :3)