[Evischoul]

Vicious had no idea where she was taking him. Allowing someone else to teleport him could always be a little unnerving because not only did he not know where they were going, they had no idea what kind of situation they were 'porting into, and he naturally tensed as he prepared to defend them both.

At first, he didn't react to what he was seeing, too busy checking the area for possible threats as he always did when entering a new location, but then the sights and sounds began to register in his brain. His hair, red as a flame, writhed across his shoulders as his head turned this way and that, his eyes wide with surprise. His arm around Dora's waist slackened and he turned slightly to take in more of the village, astounded.

He'd seen many things on his travels but never had he seen this.

The first thing he noticed was that every single one of the people milling about was insanely gorgeous. His eyes nearly bugged out at the sight of so much beauty and he had to consciously snap his jaw shut. If he'd been here alone, he may well have gone chasing after one or two of them, and it was only the sense of Nymphadora still standing close that he could keep control of himself. Even the children were better looking than most he'd seen and he wondered for a few moments how Elysia could function at all with so many gorgeous people wandering around.

As the initial shock began to fade, he realised that more and more of them were stopping to stare at him, just as intensely as he was staring at them. He tensed reflexively, wondering if this was going to be a problem - they sensed a threat in their midst, a stranger, and none of them seemed to know what to do about it but he got the distinct feeling they'd do something.

"Dora...?" He didn't really think he had to say much more than that. She worked for Xanth so these people should know her. If nothing else, she could play diplomat and keep the lot of them from trying to attack him. Maybe if he smiled, that would help make the task easier...

Unfortunately, his smile looked more like a feral baring of the teeth than a friendly gesture.

ooc: Godmod with permission.

Aethereality † Piper's Boutique

[Nymphadora]

Nymphadora's port brought them directly into the heart of the nymph sanctuary. She'd just aimed for the general location, so it wasn't shocking that she'd ended up here. Even though she'd had her ups and downs with the community, especially when she'd been rogue, they knew of her as an Aide now, and that was all that mattered. She cared not if they spoke to her, or saw her as "evil" or whatever they could be thinking. She'd worked hard for them, and would come if anyone should beckon it. Despite all she'd been through, and the realizations she'd had when becoming and Aide, Nymphadora still carried her bow with her wherever she went, strapped to her back as if a beckon of defiance. She was Anyeli as much as she was Nymph, and the others would do wise to recognize that.

Ignoring the growing crowd, Nymphadora moved her hand to his arm, hanging on it lovingly as she watched his jaw slacken and his eyes bug. It was nice to see someone else enjoying a part of her life she couldn't normally share with her friends. To be able to show Vicious where she'd really taken off in life... the place she'd come to when she knew no where else to go. It was a feeling she couldn't even begin to describe. She was enthralled over his reaction to everything, so immensely happy that he seemed to be liking what he was seeing. What made it even the more special, was that this was only a piece of the life she was ready to show him.

Seeing his facial expressions change, and the tone to his voice, Nymphadora looked out onto the growing crowd. A part of her wanted to throttle them all for ruining the moment, but the other part, the more happy part, just told herself to ignore it. Smiling up at Vicious, Nymphadora gazed at him lovingly, ushering him toward the Sequoia tree she'd once lived in. "Just ignore them... they... let's just say, I'm not exactly the most welcome here." She said softly, brushing the topic under the rug quickly. Making her way toward the tree, she gazed widely as she pushed open the door, entering the landmark. Casting a glance toward a few of the Nymphs in the lobby, as well as one that worked there, she gave them a look that easily read "leave us alone". Making her way up the wooden stairs carved into the tree, she found the room she once lived. Opening the door a crack, she poked her head in to find it empty, then stepped inside, pulling V in after her.

As she closed the door behind them, she looked around. It was clear that someone lived there now, pictures lining the walls and table surfaces. Trash can that was 1/4 full. Other small nicknack's laying around. Smiling, she lifted her eyes to Vicious, making her way toward him. "This used to be my room, before I was an Aide." It probably didn't mean much, but it was significant to her none the less.

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[Evischoul]

V hadn't really understood that Nymphadora was actually a hybrid of two separate species but it didn't surprise him to realise he knew next to nothing about her. He was a very physical man and she was a gorgeous woman so naturally they hadn't done all that much talking, but Vicious wasn't shallow and he wanted more. That was partly why he'd asked for this tour. There were other elements of course, such as learning the lay of the land - which he should have done the second he swore his allegiance to Xanth and instead of been too busy angsting over his feelings for Dora - but this was mostly about exploring the deeper side of his relationship with her.

Seeing no wings on these people, he began to understand at least part of their antagonism. He might not know the intricacies of Elysian culture or its history but he didn't need that knowledge to recognise the signs of prejudice. It existed in some form in every realm he'd ever visited and as a warrior, the lowest of the low of Tanakheim society, the cannon fodder of the armies, he understood a little of what it was like to be treated like a second-rate citizen. Even now, after all these many many years, it stung to think that he would always be taking orders from someone else just for the right to exist, and that only made him think again of how Xanth had let him be so far. He wondered when she'd start treating him like a slave, worried what her orders would be when they came, and worried more that she hadn't once asked him for anything yet. He was beginning to think she was trying to drive him mad with the waiting but the last laugh was on her because Dora had kept him too busy to think too much about the anvil hanging over his head.

But of course, Vicious had no idea the actual prejudice wasn't against Dora's wings but her lifestyle choices. If he'd known just how deep their aversion to physical violence was, their reaction to his presence - laden with weapons - would have made a lot more sense. As it was, the way they stared at he and his woman made him want to rip some heads off some shoulders, and as Dora confirmed his suspicions that desire only deepened.

He let her usher him away, but Vicious paused long enough to bare his teeth - this time deliberately - at a woman who particularly drew his attention with her pursed lips and the way she looked down her nose at them. She swallowed, but to her credit that was the only visible sign of his gesture having any impact.

Turning his attention fully on Dora, deliberately ignoring the Nymphs as a sign of his own displeasure with them, V followed her into a tree. His eyes widened and his jaw gaped slightly, this time at the sheer wonder of anyone having the ability to quite literally grow a home for themselves. He looked this way and that, taking it all in, and barely comprehended what he was seeing.

There was something about standing in a room that once belonged to the younger Dora that made him hot under the collar, especially the way she turned and looked at him almost expectantly. He cleared his throat, his cheeks reddening as she moved closer, her hips swaying enticingly. "It's, er..." He wasn't sure what to say. Not only was she clouding his mind, but what did you say to someone when they brought you to a place they'd once lived? The way she looked at him made it obvious she was waiting for something but he was a dumb-ass when it came to deep and meaningful.

Looking around, he tried to picture her living here. It was small, and obvious someone else lived here now, and so completely different than her quarters at Xanth's temple that he just couldn't see her here. Actually, for that matter, he couldn't even picture her as being anything other than what she was now and couldn't imagine what she was like when she was younger. His people lived so long that nothing really changed from the moment they reached adulthood. It was impossible for him to growing up, growing old and dying in less than a century. "I can't see you in this place," he told her honestly, not sure what else to say. "It's too small."

Aethereality † Piper's Boutique