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Ailward AspectPermalink Reply by ✓ Malva Ailward on July 7, 2018 at 14:40

While she was deeply immersed into the book that she was holding, the sound of the door opening caused her to avert her eyes off the book and onto the person in front of her instead. Reciprocating his kind gesture with her own, she returned the smile and accepted the word of compliment he threw her way. "Thank you..It seemed to be one of the few things that I picked up from my past life that actually held a good amount of significance. Manners maketh man, they say. Or at least, that's what William Wykeham said. Can't say he's wrong." Entering his home once he had invited her in, she closed her book and placed it back into its original position. "He's right about how much effect it leaves on impression." She then, leaned against the wall not far off from where they were currently at. 

Her clothes clearly indicated that she was going somewhere. That somewhere being France. Look at the way she's holding it up, they've known each other for a month or so and she's already taking him with her on a trip to another country that is also half way across where they are right now. "I hope you don't have anything to do today, because we're going somewhere. Long story short. From North America to Europe. From Colorado to Marseille. Our destination is the famed city of love..well not really. That's technically just Paris, but Marseille's close. It's just as extravagant and luxurious as Paris. One of supernatural night markets too. Shocking, I know. Who would have known France could hold such a place on night markets." He probably did not know of that, considering he is a human and it didn't seem to her, that he needed any information on supernatural night markets. That's already shady enough for supernatural creatures, much less humans.

"Before you could ask, no, it's definitely not me doing magic grocery shopping there. My uh-acquaintance, he used to hold a few magical business back then and I've been reaching out to him about the spell book we found. I was going to go alone but the last time I went there, it didn't went so well for me considering as some people still remember how much wreckage Tatiana caused in the late 17th century. Besides, I thought you would like to come. He might have met your grandfather because this spell book was left in Marseille back in the 17th century by me. And the ones I entrust on the stuff there was on Antonio Cailleau. I would like to know how your grandfather managed to get his hands on it." Then again, she finds it more than understandable that he would be reluctant to travel with her. Especially, when she is going portal jumping. And that does not really go well with most people. Possibly because it causes nausea and other stuff coming from the same branch of the problem. 

"I would check up on you if I didn't have other things to do..not that you're not important-it's just that being Aspect of Magic, well..it's quite the feat. I have to be solving magic problems across the world at morning and by noon, I'll have to sort out supernatural council meetings between my siblings and I, though it doesn't seem like any of them are quite present these days. By night, I'm solving this. I'm a busy woman, Benjamin. Though, I think you know that. But, at least you're in better position than my other list of friends outside my faction circle. Let's take my vampire acquaintance, Antonio Cailleau. I met him twice and I literally did not come back until a week ago where I had to go grocery shopping for some things at his apothecary." She was quite amused by the fact that she's grown fond of his company for the past month. It wasn't something familiar per say for the Aspect of Magic. Malva AIlward doesn't handle relationships and friendships that well, probably due to her second nature of just pushing people away because it's deemed 'easier'. "No need to bring anything with you of course. We're portal jumping. I don't think I would want to fly for 5,279 miles off just to see the old guy. And I don't think you would want to spend all those hours all stiff in the plane. It's an easier path, but nothing comes without a price. Don't worry, it's not..that problematic. I mean..you've been stabbed and poisoned so this one won't bother you." Despite the smile she was wearing held no malicious intent, the words weren't so convincing for him.

Ailward AspectPermalink Reply by ✓ Malva Ailward on July 9, 2018 at 14:54

Once he came back, she could only shrug. "Portal jumping is not the best idea to most. I'll be honest, it wasn't supposed to be one. It's usually a last resort. I'm used to it because I am the one who created it, but even then, it doesn't mean I'm comfortable with it. It took me hundreds of tries just to make sure I don't end up throwing my guts out every time. Most of the time, I don't even end up where I actually envisioned myself to go. Guess there's a first time for everything.. Ending up getting lost in Antartica doesn't seem to take the shot, does it? The weather and temperature there was way too underrated by most..At least it's better than Rome. Could've sworn it was the first hatred at sight I have for the colosseum." She shuddered at the mere memory of it. It was so long ago but she could still remember and feel the hatred bubbling up inside her because she couldn't get out there even after a dozen tries. Of course, she ended up flying away but it wasn't before she had spent at least over a week there. 

"But-- I have prepared a little something for our journey. Just in case you got in the first category who really had bad tummy sickness when they undergo portal jumping. "Fortunately, it doesn't taste bad. Lucky for you, I only remembered to create this when only a week ago so you should be the second one to try it. Hopefully, you won't be needing it but something tells me, you're gonna need it eventually." With that, Malva took out a small bottle that held a crystal clear fluid stored up. It depends on the person who takes it what color it would transform next. To Mal, it's purple, her signature color. "No, but the discomfort does make you wonder sometimes, why you haven't killed yourself yet." And yet again, she was never a person who's good at the set of positivity. If people could see the amount of negativity that surrounded her, they would mistake her as some kind of deranged witch who hates everything, not caring if it's living nor non-living. 

A few moments later, she closed her eyes and her breath became slow paced as she pictured their destination. The moment she fluttered her eyes open, it was no longer its natural usual blue color, but it was a dark yet bright indigo color beaming instead. It kind of made her look more intimidating then she already was but she does have two sides of the coin. One could see her like a harmless young girl and the other could see her as the biggest threat ever due to her composure and cover. Her right hand seemed to circle the air before her when suddenly, a purple spark of electricity started to form from its small size, building up to a bigger one. Soon, it was big enough for an entry. That is when the color disappeared from her eyes and her hand stopped moving. "You go first. I can't risk losing you if you went after me..probably because I won't have an idea where the hell you'd end up at. Though you have your phone with you, I don't think it's gonna be pleasant if you end up in some castle or palace that's heavily guarded." 

Waiting for him to enter, she trailed behind him. Once they were at their destination, which was in some alley in France. Definitely Marseille, thankfully. The breath of familiarity washed itself upon her and she had a small smile. The portal closed itself and she beckoned for him to follow her, making sure he won't end up lost in the crowd. "Blending in is important but I wouldn't worry much, since there's not really many humans in this part. It's a walk-through to the night market. Well..I guess you will have to stick close. You'd rather have yourself lost with humans instead of these people, trust me. They're not that hostile but they're not welcoming either. Come on." She grabbed a hold of his arm and dragged him with her until she stopped at a joint path. Going through the right path, she turned her head to face him next to her. "It doesn't look like a night market. Since it's not really night yet. I'd wait after the dusk, that is where all the fun begins. Besides, it's heavily cloaked. So the humans would not notice a difference here." The shops were fairly ordinary. Until the night comes, of course. 

"We're here." After a few minutes of walking, they came to face a big fancy luxurious looking shop at the end of the road. It doesn't look shady or weird enough to resemble your 'ordinary and usual' apothecary. She twisted the door knob and opened the entrance door. The shop was quite spacious and there, it was home to so many ingredients, may it be herbal or even objects. "Don't touch anything, you don't want to end up touching a cursed object." She reminded him and walked in as if it was her own place. No one was there, so the atmosphere was very quiet. It was just them both. "Laura." She called out, her voice ringing very clearly through every corner. "Je suis ici. (I'm here.)" A blonde haired female emerged from one of the corners and greeted Malva with a bright smile. "Mal, it's good to see you again. I wasn't here last week and I missed the chance to speak to you. I'm glad you've come again. Who's this?" It seems like Benjamin had caught her interest as she took a peek. "A friend. Is Antonio here?" She asked, trying to push her attention elsewhere since she really didn't want Laura to bother much. "He's not available, unfortunately. But- he will attend the preparation for the eve of le Festival de Marseille tonight. You should stay to see it, Mal. You always liked festivals."

Malva wasn't sure if they could stay but Laura was right, she liked the festivals. And one of the le Festival de Marseille had good shows from witches and every supernatural kind at their area. Surely, staying for a while wouldn't hurt. It wasn't as if they had a plane to catch. "We'll see, Laura. It's not up to just me, I'm not alone as you can see." 

Ailward AspectPermalink Reply by ✓ Malva Ailward on July 10, 2018 at 3:15

Malva knew better than anyone that she was a natural pessimist. Who had a very hard time grasping the idea of being positive. Old habits tend to die hard, after all. At one point, she decided to just give up and leave it to the nature to settle. She noticed slightly, that she might given off a cold impression to Benjamin as she gave him a look when he tried to offer his hand. It wasn't as if she didn't want him to mingle around, she wouldn't care less. But not with Laura. She'd explain later on. However, she felt so thankful and grateful to hear that Benjamin didn't mind staying for a while longer, just in time for the preparations of the festivals. There was a different light that Malva have came to discover centuries ago when it comes to supernaturals and celebrations. They have their own way of celebrating it. Especially if it was something cultural. Though, she had to admit, the brief memory of him wrapping his arm around her shoulder while deeming it as the most appropriate move for blending in crowds, was still shaking her up. Bear in mind, she doesn't really get any chance of skin ship for a reason. Probably due to the very reason he has made to comment a few times; that she was pushing and closing people away before they could even move pass the stage of being a friend. Suffice to say, his sudden movement just a while ago gave her a sense of comfort, weirdly enough. 

"I guess we could stay... Seeing the preparations should be his first experience." She noted and Laura proceeded by leaving them after giving her a smile. Malva turned to walk into one aisle where she ran her hands through the various range of enchantments. It was mostly in the form of jewelries and stones. "Beautiful, isn't it. But looks can be quite deceiving. They're not cursed objects but they could be if the witch who owns them wanted them to be." Pulling up a very simple yet pretty looking necklace out from the bunch, Malva held it from a distance. "Oh.. It's safe for you to touch, of course." She had forgotten to tell him that. She knew how it must be overwhelming for him but sometimes, new knowledge doesn't always have to be scary all the time. Accompanying the sense of being frightened, there is also fun in there somewhere. Once she was sure they were left alone, she started talking about why she wasn't so keen on letting him converse with Laura. Not before making sure she had cloaked their conversation of course. Call her paranoid but she has been in the field for long and she knew, despite being acquainted with some others, she didn't really give out her trust so easily. Which came to her as a surprise, seeing as she was able to somehow gave Benjamin hers. 

"I'm sorry about earlier. It's just that I didn't want you to go march into something inevitable. Laura, much like her master, Antonio.. They're vampires. While Antonio is old enough to actually get a hold of something called self-control, Laura wasn't so much on the board. I remember the last time she tried to take a bite out of me. She's still considered a new one since she had been a witch before. She wanted to be around Antonio for a while longer because her ancestors had helped Antonio manage this apothecary. But, a witch could only live up to maybe 150 at most. I'm not sure. But at some point, her health began to deteriorate slowly. As much as I would like to help her given that she was a brilliant witch with potential, I couldn't. I can't just give her an immortality charm. Oh ya, that's an actual thing. As an Aspect, I am not supposed to be showing any favouritism in that scale. At least, until I had a council discussion with my siblings, of course. So, Antonio took the liberty to turn her into something like him. It was hard to control her at first but he got a hang of it. Eventually, she got better. Of course, I'm just saying, if she could smell a human in front of her, she won't just pass you off with a simple greeting and the smile of hers. I manipulated the essence around you, replacing it with that of a dhampir since they're not that different. Only works as long as I'm in close range though. But if she had shaken your hand, she would have sensed it and well. Cover's blown. And I hate to have to knock her out."

Sometimes, she wasn't sure if she was naturally so blunt or it was part of her defense mechanism. She's gonna go with the first, seeing as it's always been there. "I don't really want to suffer a bloody day in Marseille. It's given me a lot of enjoyable memories." She clicked her tongue, chuckling at the mere idea of someone with her attitude liking France. "Despite the exterior, France is quite the shady place for supernaturals. I guess it's easy path since humans came for vacations and whatnot. Better than Italy and New Orleans, at least." The light haired Aspect shrugged as she moved on further into the aisle. Turning around to face him, despite the height difference, she gave him a soft look. "I surely hope I won't lose you. The way you're treated back in Evermore isn't really the same kind of treatment you'll receive here. Evermore is a good example of unity. But. ...the rest of the world.. Well-they have yet to accept it. They view humans at the bottom line of the hierarchy system. And food chain, of course. It's always been that way for quite a while, I'd guess it was from a few personal vendetta towards your kind. They didn't exactly serve the best examples back in our times. Understandable because they're afraid and when you're afraid, you do stupid things and would not think it through since you're influenced by your emotions." The conversation was going quite gloomy, but thankfully Malva noticed as she replaced her look that with a smile. 

"It's not really a big deal though. Look at you, a human, who'd supposed to be at the bottom line of the hierarchy and there's me, the Aspect of Magic, who's honestly at the top line of the hierarchy. And yet here we are, being friends with each other despite both our past hatred for each others' kinds. You despised the idea of supernaturals because of the bad examples some of us showed and I had a big hatred towards yours due to the past. Hopefully, the world can find a way to understand that kind of concept soon. There's too much problems and I can't even begin to describe how broken the world is."

Ailward AspectPermalink Reply by ✓ Malva Ailward on July 13, 2018 at 3:03

When he took the amethyst necklace from her hand and held it close to her, she raised her eyebrows at him. "Such a flatterer, aren't you, sir?" She scoffed, shaking her head slightly, followed by soft chuckles. He truly was one amusing person. At least, by far, he hasn't really made her annoyed, which for her, was a personal record since Malva Ailward doesn't really tolerate much. "Some said purple's my color." She shrugged. "Probably because that's the color I am affiliated with for so long. That, or sapphire since it was supposed to match my eyes and whatnot. Can never get used to all those compliments. Sometimes, I wonder if they were giving it out of obligations and courtesy only." In all honesty, Malva does cherish her trips throughout the whole world. It was a new experience every day despite being at the same country for so many times, already. 

"yeah..I'm not so keen on knocking anyone out, truthfully. Too much work." And yes, Malva Ailward could also be as lazy as a sloth, if not worse, when she wants to be. As it has been said before, she is the one side of the coin or the other, no in betweens. "I never really truly see magic as something that was dissipated into two sides. There's only one. Where there's light, there will always be darkness just as well. One side cannot exist without the other. Just like how it's impossible to have a world that is all light with no hint of darkness anywhere. "A cost that I am willing to pay..or has paid. It's nothing foreign, honestly. I guess you get tedious about it after so long." The Aspect of Magic wasn't sure if she was going to be the person she was for a few more centuries on the future. She was thinking it thoroughly and never got the chance to resume the thoughts since she was a bit preoccupied at the said moment. She didn't think she could do her duty just as effectively as she could before. Maybe, the age has finally caught up to her to the point where she felt extremely tired.

Or, it could be due to the main factor, which was sleep deprivation and countless others more. "I don't like Evermore..In fact, I hated it. Still do. Maybe it's because I had to call it my home when the Isle fell. And that the Isle fell while we were not there to protect it. How can we protect others when we can't even protect our own people, and our home? The fact that I will have to call it home, does make the heart ache. It's been a year and still I hate it despite it being the place that we wished to see happen throughout the whole realm." Mixing up personal and professional was very foreign to Malva, but lately, she had been debating more on her sentimental values. "Nothing could be achieved without sacrifices. Greatness can only be achieved when you are willing to go through every circumstances and measures. Harsh but isn't the world the same way?" She noticed, she was being a bit pessimistic there. But then again, would anyone blame her?

So she was immensely grateful when he mentioned the festival. That way, she could change the subject of the topic. "I'm not sure. We have this one festival where we truly just let it out and have fun. Of course, fun is subjective. Most of the times, the girls would dress up in the 17th century dresses or earlier when the luxury was seen. It's a reminder that despite the slaughter of our kind, we still strive for the future. Not everyone thinks humans are harmless and useless. If anything, most fear them. Last time I attended one was back in 1645. Didn't went that well for me since I was ditched by Tatiana, whom I eventually found out was in the Queen of France's sleeping quarters." She shook her head at the mere memory of it. Malva was not amused that time, but now remembering it made her smile. "And the King finding out about it wasn't that happy too. Doesn't make it easier when the Queen said he was able to have mistresses but not her. It was definitely royal drama of the century. I had to wipe their memories..such work."

Ailward AspectPermalink Reply by ✓ Malva Ailward on July 14, 2018 at 7:10

"How does that feel? Fighting for your life? I mean, I've never felt it physically. Since, we don't exactly do much of physical actions to protect ourselves. I guess that's why we have guards. Can't have any of us dead, especially when there's no replacement. I mean, if I got hurt and can't do my work, guess which part of the world is going to start blowing up because the flow of magic is unstable and there's no one to fix it. I feel like I'm a technician. Well..I am a doctor. Mending broken things and people seemed to be my forte, despite my bed side manner being very questionable." While saying the last words of her sentence, she averted her eyes off the shelves and to him, instead. She was teasing him, well in her defense, he did it first, she was just giving it back twice as much. It's not even near as tenfold. "It does make the training very useless though. My good accuracy doesn't get to make an appearance unless it's my siblings stealing away my stuff and I had to throw a knife at them just so they could be warned." She shook her head, as she was definitely not amused by the time her youngest brother dyed her hair pink and got away with it.

"That's pretty interesting. I've never taught anything about magic to a human before, well- not that I can remember of, at least. Yeah, maybe your grandfather is an exception." Which till this day, still bothers her what she saw in his grandfather that made her sought his help in the first place. As everyone knew well of, Malva doesn't mingle well with people. Undead or alive. "Maybe Evermore isn't that bad. Maybe. You seem to like it, maybe one day I will. Just not now, I guess. But I'll have to get used to it, it's not like we could find another island. I swear there are are no more good islands that is still good for civilization yet abandoned. Evermore is a place with potential though. It lures people in, especially supernaturals. Instead of being a minority, they're a majority here. They won't feel left out. That's one progress." The Aspect of Magic knew the feeling of being left out or being an outcast felt like. Even back then when she was in a coven, filled with others that possessed the same ability as her, she was still treated like a freak. Which was probably was she never felt a sense of belonging anywhere, except the Isle of Skye.

Hearing him talk about how wise she sounded, she couldn't help but to scoff. "Surprisingly huh? I guess it's a good thing I didn't die that young. You might be finding yourself talking to a kid, instead." She jested playfully. "Although, my brothers do call me a kid. Literally. I'd hear them end their sentence with either 'sis' or 'kid', despite being only a few centuries older than me." The light haired Russian woman shook her head in disbelief, obviously not finding the nicknames that offensive but playful siblings rivalry does exist. "I've lived for 1290 years..that's a long time, Ben. Sometimes, a bit too long in my view. It's not as if we get much of a vacation when we took this occupation. It definitely was not written in the job description. We've done so many things and had so many achievements. We started off with wanting unity with every species. Evermore today, is a proof of that. A proof that we can co-exist. I'll be damned if someone comes in and ruin it." Malva wasn't kidding when she said that, she won't be that nice if that happens. Pushing away all the negativity she had once again, she formed a smile. 

"Besides, honestly, I died when I was like 19. If anything, you're older than me. In technicality, I'm not even alive. I'm on a time loan. I was resurrected to be the me I am now. So, I've only lived the remaining 1271 years as a soul but in a physical form. Undoubtedly, you are like 15 years older than me, aren't you? So, if anyone's old, it's you." Now, humor doesn't fly well with Mal but seems like it's giving the Aspect of Magic her time on it. 19 year olds back then could easily pass of as 22-24 years old today, even up to 27 and 28. "I don't think anyone would take me seriously if I was some 12 year old kid. Thankfully, I got resurrected in my original body." To which, she was immensely grateful of. She has too much snark to be put in a body younger than she is now. It seems like Ben had taken a careful look at how her character is like. "You're right, I'm not that type that just let it all out and have fun. I'm also the responsible one at any parties or festivals. Which is boring, honestly. I'm not a babysitter nor a chaperone. I'm thinking it's because my brothers would rather let the world come to its end before letting any alcohol come close to me. Apparently, I can't get drunk or we'll expect havoc, especially when I'm with Tatiana or Valentine. I'm not a bad drunk, it's just being in an unstable form when you basically control every flow of magic in the world, isn't really a good idea. Besides, who else is going to clean up the mess my siblings made. Bad drunks, all of them. Probably the only time I had to give a free pass to if they ended up throwing sharp things at me or mess something up at some country. So, the conclusion that my brother, Erythreus made was, that I'm too dangerous to be around alcohol. I could drink, but I have to hide it. And I quote Venetus 'you almost turned me into a mouse, where our home is filled with cats'. The only reason why I hate having to accompany any of them to any events that had alcohol, which is basically every event. As you can see, we're one big happy dragon family." As if it was knowing the exact time, Laura came back with a dress in an old box. She recognized it to be hers, the last time she attended the festival. 

"There's still blood on it, Laura." Malva was quick to point at the sleeves. "You know it's hard to scrub blood off." The blonde complained, the French accent being very prominent. "I didn't ask Tatiana to go hurt the guards. Especially not after she accidentally poured wine on me and then got blood on it. I told you, she's a messy drunk. You don't get someone who could kill like it's a hobby, drunk, Laura." She shook her head, chastising the young vampire. Yes, Laura did got drunk with Tatiana back then which resulted her guard sleeping with the Queen and missing the meeting with Malva. Only realizing Benjamin was still there, she did gave him a sheepish grin. "She didn't kill the guards, she only..hurt them. I made sure to compensate them right after wiping their memories off." She quickly explained. "I miss Tatiana." Malva gave the blonde French a look. "Why did you think I didn't bring her when it's so close to festivals. I don't need my clothes to be drenched in blood again. It's messy and it's very hard to get off. I don't like hearing complaints from my siblings either." With a roll of her eyes, she heard the doors open, to which she turned her head around to face whoever walked in. "Aren't you supposed to be busy, Aliseia." Speak of the devil. "I should be, but I've worked hard enough for centuries, I think I deserve a day off. Is it me, or is your French accent getting more and more horrendous as each century passes?" The tall man who goes by the name of Antonio Cailleau came towards the 3 of them and placed a kiss on her hand. Mal doesn't do hugs and Antonio is quite a noble man from 15th century, so that works. "You should've stayed in England with that accent. You're a terrible Frenchman." What did they expect to come out from the snarky Ailward Aspect? Nothing.

"Pardon my manners then, my lady. Laura, please look after the store while I entertain our honoured guest." With that, Laura left them alone. Antonio's gaze was then averted to Benjamin, instead. "And who might this be, Lis. I didn't know you had human friends." The Aspect of Magic shrugged and the two followed him upstairs so they could talk somewhere more private. "You want him to come?" The uncertainty in his voice was too clear, Malva would be foolish not to detect it. "I'd be stupid to go up there with you alone, An. Not that you could do much to me, because that's a suicide mission since you know I don't tolerate well with threats. But, he's pretty much involved in what I came to talk to you today. So, suck it up. He doesn't mean you any harm, and I hope for it to stay both ways like that." The tone in her voice demanded respect from the vampire yet it still come off as anywhere near intimidating. However, her piercing eyes were enough to deliver the message forward. "Very well." While both of them were trailing behind the English vampire, she had to remind Ben of the small do not's. "He's not stupid to do anything that would make me annoyed, but I'm not sure if that treatment will be offered to you when alone. You still do have that charm, don't you? Keep it close." The room they entered was spacious and well-furnished. It clearly showed the lavish style of the male. "How's 21st century treating you, Lis?"

"I'm still me, aren't I?"

Ailward AspectPermalink Reply by ✓ Malva Ailward on July 15, 2018 at 10:36

Malva did listen to his explanation on his own species intently. She would lie if she said she wasn’t at all curious about how humans live their life. Surely, they have evolved from the many centuries they were given the chance to do so. If there was one thing that Malva had learned from a long time run, it was that everyone are not the same. Maybe they do represent some from the flock, but it wasn’t 100% all of them. She was careful not to misjudge anything, though it was quite hard for the Aspect of Magic, given her natural pessimistic nature and untrusting energy radiating every time she walks around. But she was a good listener, better than a speaker. “If we were afraid of humans back in the old days, I’m sure the fear is still asserted somewhere today. You just didn’t see it. Hatred always came from fear. That was where it was developed and created. It’s a dark thing, something I never thought mother nature would allow her children to feel. But, the world is not all happy and jolly, are they? You’d be surprised to find how many from us that still had the fear on humans. I still do. Why did you think I never mingle myself with the likes of others, much less humans? It’s not supposed to be offensive in any way.. I just can’t find myself to trust them much after seeing what has happened to the world due to the trait ‘trust’ alone. It’s best for you to be cautious and paranoid rather than having yourself end up in a ditch one day because of your recklessness and boisterous confidence.” There it was again, the rare side of her speaking about life itself.

She once again wondered why she did bring him with her considering her safety was at utmost importance. There was a reason they had guards in the first place. Especially now, when they are so out in the open without any protection barrier keeping them away from the ill intentions people had out for them. It wasn’t as if they couldn’t use their powers to fight them off, but it was more to them keeping them for much more better purpose and had a sense of patience and wiseness. Malva wasn’t a holder of patience just as she was a holder of loyalty. She had always been temperamental since a time ago and it didn’t slow down, if anything with her abilities now, it got bigger instead. However, she did learn to control on how to tone them down. “We don’t really get sick...but I’d be lying if I said our mental health wasn’t at all deteriorating slowly as the years go by. We are only individuals gifted with powerful abilities, tasked to protect the balance of the world. We’re not Gods. Still very much susceptible to mental illness, unfortunately.” Malva didn’t like that they were still prone to such conditions. She didn’t like that those would be bothering them while everything that they do had effects on the world itself. It was a big burden.

“I didn’t want to bring any of my guards. What I’m doing with you, was kept away from my family. Siblings and guard alike. They have no knowledge of where I am and what I am doing as of this moment. It wasn’t that hard to hide it when Aureus and Tatiana weren’t home most of the time. It’s not as if I actually ever get out of my room anyways. The biggest problem are those two people. If my eldest brother gets a hold on me, I can’t hold anything away from him. It’s pointless, not to mention, incredibly futile. And Tatiana..well. We’re not in good terms lately due to me keeping a few things from her knowledge.” Her tone was solemn but Malva was quick to get back on her stature. It was clear that since the Aspect of Magic didn’t have a lot of friends, she tends to hold on to those she had. Especially, when they’ve been with her for long. “It’s not like it’s any problem. I’ll get over it soon. Finding out about all of this is definitely more important. I’m supposed to protect both supernatural and humans alike.. This is my duty.” No matter how many times Malva actually tried to convince herself, it always seem to find its way back at her in uncertainty. Chuckling softly at him, she shook her head, obviously finding his slightest antics to be quite amusing. “I like broken things.”

“They gave me a very serene feeling. To know I’m the one who could piece them up and fix them. So, I cherish every single thing and people that I could fix. They’re my trophies when I tried to convince I was good. All my friends have been down the road of being hurt and broken, and I mended them back to health. That’s why I have a certain bond towards them. Even much more when I don’t have a lot of them.”

“I promise you I was a good girl back then. So polite, filled with fondness and kindness. Malva Arguarde couldn’t even hurt a fly. She has a sharp tongue and temper, but she is a good kid. I like to think I’m still kind and just as compassionate as I used to be. A few things changed of course… I’m Malva Ailward, not Malva Arguarde anymore.” She shrugged, dismissing it all altogether. She liked and hated Malva Arguarde at the same time. For many reasons. “I was a student once upon a time. A diligent student. Now, I’m the Aspect of Magic. I used to seek more spells to learn and now I create them. How ironic. I remember the people around me kept saying how I’ll never be half of the woman my mother was. Not that I want to. She was a terrible woman and mother. But she was undoubtedly one of the most powerful witches our coven has ever seen.” Her mother was thrown out of her coven because of her abilities, that was why the whole family moved to America in search for a new one, in the first place. But she had used them for darker purposes. “I don’t think you’d want a vacation there.” She frowned and shook her head.

“It might get blown up once again.”

Now, both weren’t sure if there were supposed to be a hint of humor or not in that.

“Sometimes the sense of loyalty I have is worrisome. I would do anything for the people I cared for. Anything. Everything. It’s a good trait but it could also be a scary one. Especially, when you’re not sure how far of the measure you’re willing to go thread in.” The mere thought of that actually worries Malva. They were peacekeepers of the realm, but they’re not saints. So mistakes and acts of recklessness were still there. And with their title, she was worried it may affect their reputation and such. After all, that’s all they had. Seeing him laugh did bring a small smile to her. “Seems so, Mister. I’m just saying, that I’m some 19 year old kid and you’re a 34 year old guy and the way you made me sound was as if I’m 100 years old..well- ok maybe I’m older than that.” It took her a while to actually realized she was ten times older than 100 years old.”My god..I really am old.” She snickered once she actually found the realization. “I used to think I wasn’t that old..when really, I am. Ouch. I wasn’t trying to let you down, I think. Huh, this is probably the first time I met a guy who had a ‘healthy ego’. I tried to tell my brothers they’re old and they flipped.”

When the topic of drinking came back, the Russian light haired aspect scoffed lightly. “Everything he does made him deserve of every hit that comes his way. That man is always getting drunk, I swear it’d be a very bad influence if he had kids.” She made sure to never talk about kids in front of her siblings. When she said that, she actually hit herself mentally and paused so sudden. “I mean..it’s not something he should be worrying on at least. Neither do any of us will have to.” No wonder they acted twice their actual age. She felt like at least, her brothers were grown adults by the time of their death. She couldn’t say much for her sisters. Tia and Cora looked much more mature than their age and Mal could be grateful she looked older than her actual age. Sensing the discomfort in him, she closed the box and pushed it aside before following the vampire.

“Tatiana’s okay..she’s just a bit untamed and wild when it comes to the life of the party. She deserves the treatment when she’s been risking her life every time. It’s the least she was owed to. “We can’t kill, darling. Not for recreation and fun at least. Even when it was so self-defense, it seems unlikely for us Aspects to actually lay our hands on them. So we only give out orders after a council and have the guards carry it out.” She shrugged, obviously Malva did not think much on how most rogue supernaturals that came to their trials and court were treated. Like she mentioned earlier, they were peacekeepers, not saints. All they were obligated to do was on how to keep the balance the best of their ability. They didn’t have to play good fairies.

When Malva took a seat at one of the seats, leaning against it with her legs crossed, staring at the vampire before them with an unwavering stare, as she beckoned for Ben to do the same. He looked just the same. But then again, so did she, with only a few minor changes to the hair color and clothes. Attitude were just as the same and the way she talked wasn’t so 21st century as well. When she saw Ben questioning her about the nickname Anthony had given her, she found herself to have that question answered by the brunette vampire before she could give him an answer herself. “It’s my nickname to her. Aren’t you her friend? Surely, you must know her name.” The french accent was no more as it was replaced by his natural british accent. Malva felt a bit guilty to find how mean her friend was treating the human. “Now, now, An..Let’s not scare the poor human away. He’s my friend, so behave. Not everyone knows my full name. You know I don’t use that name much.. It’s not even a mandatory rule, slow down, vampy.” She chastised and the brunette shook his head, scoffing at him.

“It originates from her name. Malva Irina Aeliseia Arguarde. Aeliseia is a name originating from France, which was from her mother’s side. If not Aeliseia, she’s known as Alice. Which was why I had called her Lis for short.” Again, he answered before Mal could explain to Ben. “Don’t you go around as Alice anymore?” When the foreign vampire asked, she found herself shrugging, not thinking much of the alias. “Used to. But Evermore basically found out who we were after the fall of the Isle. So I thought, there was no reason to hide my disclosed identity.” Clearly, Anthony didn’t really like that action but he was just a friend, nothing more he could do there. You can be Malva’s closest friend and you’d still be put in place is you crossed the line and the boundaries she placed. She wasn’t afraid to use her snark to slam them back to where they came from, which was behind the line. “This is my close friend, Antonio Cailleau.” She introduced the vampire to Ben, when he interjected by saying “Best friend”, to which she eventually shuts him up. “Don’t push it, An. Best and close, there’s no point in actually differentiating them. As I was saying..his alias is that ridiculous French name. His real name is Anthony Nicholas Atherton. Born in 1457, human turned vampire. That’s why he’s always so cranky.” It was evident of how close the two were. Their friendship dated back in the late 15h century. Anthony had asked her to why she was there, she only responded by saying she was shopping for gemstones. “Don’t you have enough, Lis?” The vampire jested, clearly teasing her on her ‘obsession’ or hobby on collecting gemstones dated since she opened her eyes to the world.

“Careful, vamp. That Alexandrite gemstone you’re wearing on your ring finger is a gift from me. It’d be useless if I take back the spell that fueled the usage of it.” Despite the cold blunt tone to her voice, the smile and glint in her eyes stated otherwise. The two were obviously jesting each other. “There’s no problem in having insurance, okay. It’s not as if finding gemstones these days are easy as it used to. It took me 80 years trying to find that Alexandrite you’re wearing for daylight ring. Russia is my birth place but it doesn’t mean I like to go back there and mine the place for more Alexandrites. It’s bad enough that it’s one of the rarest gemstones in the world, and when people find them, they used it for jewelry and trivial stuff. Do you know these people had Alexandrite studs made for shoes? What a waste. And my favorite stone, Amethyst were being used on royal crowns and decorations.” The clear distaste in her voice made it even more funnier. “You know people are always so superficial. You couldn’t find them online? Come on Lis, it’s the 21st century.” That only made Mal glare at him. “Don’t go all Valentine on me, Atherton. I did try that. But it’s all fake. Well..not in market wise. But it’s basically synthetically made. It’s not natural..you know- the ones from the soil and mineral of the earth throughout centuries. You think mother nature is okay with one of her children deceiving her using synthetic Alexandrite to make daylight rings and necklaces? If she did, it would have been easier for vampires to walk under the sunlight.”

“Wait. Mine is a real one, right?”

“You walked under the sun and you’re still alive now, aren’t you? For the love of god, An. You think I’d risk your life. Aren’t you a good friend. What happened to trust.” She feigned her offense by placing a hand over herself as she narrowed her hues.

How ironic it was. That Mal had spoken of trust to Anthony.

Ailward AspectPermalink Reply by ✓ Malva Ailward on July 18, 2018 at 11:04

Malva admitted, she was a bit dragged away from her original purpose on coming there to meet the vampire when the two began to converse their way through. Admittedly, it has been a quite some time since they met each other. 1645. 373 years have passed since then. She was grateful that someone was there to remind her what she was actually there for. Props to Benjamin, of course. “Right..sorry. I got carried away. An..you remember I called you a few weeks ago?” She asked, trailing her words slowly, managing the tone in her voice so it would not make her sound as if she was demanding nor forcing him to help her. Despite, her knowing fully well, Anthony would help her in any way. Tatiana had mentioned how scarily that was, on how devoted he could be sometimes, but the Aspect of Magic never gave much thought on it. She figured it was just his way as her friend, seeing as they were very close to each other.

“Yes, I remembered.” Malva was glad, she didn’t have to repeat it again. She wasn’t someone who likes asking for favors. It makes her feel helpless. “I found the spell book. The one from Oregon. His grandfather helped me located it a few decades back, since he was formerly stationed there. Everything was in their respective places. The pages..the small notes I placed on every edges. It was perfect..too perfect. Like, no one’s ever used it before. That’s a clear understatement, considering it wasn’t where it was supposed to be at in the first place. I need you to look it through. Find out who found it. I doubt it was him. I made sure only diviners can track them.” She said, until she found a small detail in her sentence. However, she stood her silence. She’ll think of that, later on. For now, she needs to see if he could do what she wanted him to. “Old Latin is hard, Lis. Can’t you read it by your own and track it back?” The sudden change of demeanor in him was surprising. She knew he’d complain, but usually, he would never question on ‘why’s. Never.

“It’s not like I never taught you. You grew up learning the other form of Latin, anyways. If I could track it, I would have done it by now. The problem is, I can’t. I tried..but there’s no essence of them. There’s a mark but I can’t find the living heir. That’s the problem. I can’t find any answers if they’re dead. My siblings can’t find out about this. So no talking to any of them, and Tatiana of course. Especially, Tatiana.” The light haired Aspect rolled her eyes, obviously annoyed that she had to repeat that again. “Maybe some things just needed to be left alone, don’t you think Lis?” That sudden statement made Malva narrow her blue hues at the brunette, where she frowned slightly. “Can you do it or not?” It was clear that the Aspect of Magic doesn’t play well when it comes to business. “Yeah, I can.”

“Would you do it or not?”

“I will.”

She never forgets to ask if they were willing to do it or not, first. Similarly to what Benjamin had said before, she still knew her manners and when to use them. But, she was definitely feeling uneasy about doing this. Somehow, something was telling her, there was something wrong, but she couldn't pinpoint them exactly. "I sent a copy to Laura. Once you're done, make sure to burn it. I don't want any of spell books to have more than one copy." She reminded and he made a salute sign. "You're staying for the night, right?" That question made her come back to the land of living and reality. Blinking her eyes a few times before answering, Malva felt like she should take the time to stop worrying so much. "Yeah..I heard you're the host for the supernatural part of the eve of the festival. I won't stay long. Just for a while, to cover more ground and see if anything changed." She said and the vampire excused himself from the room, telling her he had work to do.

Then, there were just two. Malva stared at his fleeting presence as she pursed her lips lightly. "You always put everything on your schedule aside when I come.." was all that came out from her. The Aspect wondered why something was screaming weird at her. Shaking her head to remove such thoughts, she knew she should not be doubting her own friend. He's always helped her when she needs him to. Even more than he should. "Come on, don't you want a city tour?" She stood up from her seat and beckoned for him to follow her. "I'm sorry for the uncomfortable feeling you had back then..An can be very..uh- abrasive. But he's a good person. He was a good human, and those humane values traveled with him." She reassured him. Somehow, she still felt a weird sensation in the pit of her stomach when she said that. Something wasn't right. 

She had led him to the balcony, where the stairs traveled down to the back alley, where it was quite the catch. It was like a night market, seeing as dusk had set in. The lights were turned on and the alley looked much prettier in the late evening. She still remembered the questions she still haven't answered from earlier. "That's a compliment I've never gotten in my many years." She chuckled, her demeanor changing with such contrast from earlier. "You're an amusing human, Benjamin Vaughn." Shaking her head, she wondered why she preferred his company than most, she has yet to find it out. "I'd say both. But I know I'm a bitter sibling. You get tedious with these people. But they're all I have, so..beggars can't be choosers." She seemed to like that phrase, ever since she heard someone used it a few centuries ago. True, beggars can't be choosers. "I had to grow up early, so when I knew I could be about 19 forever, I was a bit excited. I didn't have what most call childhood days. I don't mingle with others in my coven, because apparently, I'm too harsh and abrasive." She couldn't help but to roll her eyes at that as she led him through the alleys. Various stalls were open, it was much like a human's night market, only the stuff and the sellers weren't exactly human. "But then I found out the concept of forever...is really long for me. You get tired of being 19. Not that I had much of a chance to be one. You don't really have holidays when you are an Aspect."

She made sure his essence still resembled a dhampir instead of a human. It wasn't as if they would dare to hurt him considering he was her company, but hearing the word out on the Aspect of Magic lounging around in Marseille's night market with a human, wasn't really something she knew her siblings would want to hear. Despite being supernatural based, it was just as cheerful as it would be normal. "Every day is a risk for us. Besides, not knowing you would have been boring." She shrugged, a smile playing around the corner of her lips as her blue hues lit up, twinkling with slight mischief in it. "I'll give you out a secret then. What we're doing is a secret. And so are you. While some might be happy that I got more friends.. they also think, they need to see if you would lead me to go more good than bad. My brother said I've gone softer. Not sure if that's a bad thing or a good thing, but I don't mind it." She exclaimed, admitting that maybe she remembered what it meant to be more humane than most of what she knew before. "Basically, I don't think they'd like to hear I had any form of ties with a human. I've been to many funerals before, I don't handle deaths that well. Not as much as I want to believe." That was probably one of many reasons she felt afraid to make acquaintances, seeing as she would be doing her duties for more centuries to come while the other could pass off just as easy.

When she remembered his particular question of Aspects and children part, she almost stopped on her tracks. "I don't know. None of us really found out. Only one of us are married, and I guess- that particular talk never came up. Where we're standing, it's not really a luxury to have that kind of life. Sometimes, I think it's for the better. I couldn't imagine a child will have to live their entire life, knowing one of their parent would be too busy to look after them. And the dangers that it accompanies. I don't think it's entirely impossible to have them, though. Given our circumstances, we just don't really have that kind of luxury. Besides, my siblings' love life is as complicated as them. Which is saying something." That, Malva could attest to. Honestly, they're quite as close as it can get to the rendition of perfect complicated relationships. Both their past and present. Facing him as she turned around, with herself walking backwards, she tilted her head slightly to the right side. "I'm glad I didn't go down the path that my mother did. You're probably the only other person who's actually alive to tell me that. Most seemed to forget where my tragedy actually begun. Everyone thinks it's the lover's heart in a parcel one. That would've been a close second, though."

Slowly, the alley got filled with more and more people, not too much but it was enough. She never engaged with the shops, it wasn't as if she should. One really couldn't see the Aspect in a shady like that. What always seemed to fascinate her however, was the lanterns and dress up occasions by the main road. "Sorry, but this is the only way to get to the rooftop." She grinned sheepishly and soon enough, after some difficulty of actuallygetting through the crowd, they arrived in front an abandoned building that was quite tall. "Looks can be deceiving, don't they?" A slight smirk graced itself upon her as she opened the gates, where then, every enchantment wore off, revealing it to be a beautifully furnished one. She climbed up the stairs to the rooftop, where they could see the parade. "It's starting." She squealed excitedly, and she didn't even mind that she was in another's company where she shouldn't do so. She was letting herself be Malva tonight and not an Ailward. It wasn't as if that's as frequent as she could get. Men and women dressed in periodic clothes were lined up accordingly to what a parade would go. From other buildings, vampires, diviners, and other species alike were seen perched, cheering for the parade. It wasn't much, but it was a sign of unity for that one night. 

"I wouldn't worry much on tonight. It's the only night where humans would not get hurt upon others. The only night where unity can be seen. It's only one night in Marseille, I'd hoped to see something like Evermore happen again." 

Ailward AspectPermalink Reply by ✓ Malva Ailward on July 23, 2018 at 17:47

Just when she thought it was as if the human beside her could not amuse her even more, he proved her wrong. Because he did. She could however, feel the slight tense that was manipulating him when they were walking down the alley before. It struck her as a weird thing just as well, seeing as Anthony had no problem in aiding and abetting in anything she did for centuries, and somehow he was trying to avoid them today. One, she eventually found out why, from Benjamin. It could be one of the main factors, but Malva wouldn't truly know about it. She didn't have much experience with men herself before, in the past. The only men she ever actually conversed with and tried her best to get to know were those that were her family. Her brothers. The guards. Her family. 

She could only nod slightly as she heard him talk. Now, she felt a small feeling of guilt, resting in her, clinging somewhere. She had kept it to herself of course, until a moment where she could talk about it. Though, the Aspect of Magic was very sure it wasn't going to be any time soon, considering their current situation. She was close to chastise the vampire on his manners right on the spot, but she didn't. Maybe she was right, her loyalty was a dangerous trait, when it wants to be. She would have turned a blind eye for him just for the sake of their friendship. She did it once, and it might not even be the last time for the dragon. She wasn't sure if it was better left undone or not. She never tried to meddle her own self in the affairs of her loyalty ties before. And for a good reason too. She tried to hold herself back on replying to what Benjamin had said about Anthony, and it wasn't those which would defend the vampire in the slightest, surprisingly. That was exactly what surprised the Aspect of Magic. She was a firm holder of her relationships, and to see such change, it was quite overwhelming. 

She had tried to steer clear of actually talking about the vampire in front of him. She was refraining herself from doing so, for the sake of them. She didn't wish to make anything worse than it already was. However, she did lit up as she let a smile made its way up to her lips when she heard him talking about family. "Yeah..it truly is. None of us grew up having siblings. We were all the only child in our family. We're different in many ways but there were still a minor trait that kept us together..in a way- we grew closer. More than what we anticipated we would. I guess they were right about the whole 'good things tend to come when you least expect it'. I never believed in it before, but it seems like I probably should do my studies before thinking. They were all I had. When I found out we were given a second chance at life..being able to actually change the world for the better in a larger scale, I was ecstatic. I would be able to be with the people I call family and we would be able to continue the path that we had set on in the beginning. The cause we were willing to die for. And did." Despite their deaths being quite disturbing for her, which it would for anyone, she was glad they actually went through that path. They didn't pass off in vain, that's for sure.

She was incredibly amused at how casual he took things. Their interaction was filled with many elements and she was somehow finding his view on life to be very enlightening. She's met a few people like him, but not exactly like him. She wasn't sure on how to describe it. Then again, Malva was never a good one at describing things or people. She was horrible at it. "Is it Doll now? What next, you're gonna call me Princess?" She shot, shaking her head at him, snickering slightly at the male. She did purse her lips when she heard him come across the small sub topic that branched out from herself. The fact that she was softening up. To him and many others, it shouldn't be a bad thing nor was it something to frown upon. But to a few people like them, who didn't really have time to look into their wants, it would prove to be a problem. "Good. I like your company, I don't think I want you dying anytime soon, not that I would want you to die at all- but you're human. Same goes for the rest of us. One day, we'll eventually greet Death. Not my brother, please. Greeting him would have been a horrendous experience. Although, I did greet Death..like 1272 years ago. But..you know. For someone who's not even middle aged yet, you're quite wise. I mean, you sounded wise. Consider me surprised and amused, again." At that point, the Russian born woman was sure there was nothing else coming from him that would surprise her anymore.

"Nope. I mean..I told you, we don't have good experiences with relationships. I'm not sure if it's a curse or something, never really stayed to find out. The only reason why my oldest brother is even married, was because she is part of our guard. So yeah..apart from life inside our faction, I don't know what's happening out. Or how it would end up. I do believe my youngest sister is in a relationship, though. With a vampire. But then again, who am I to judge. Just as long as she's happy, that's enough for us. And these days, happiness is in a short supply." Calculating her steps, she found herself fiddling with the necklace that hung lowly around her neck. "Like you said. Every day is a risk. It's a life we chose once upon a time ago, but maybe there are a few burdens that came with it. Such as what you said. The whole starting family thing. But we won't be Aspects forever. We could choose to retire and well- since we have no other reason to exist other than carrying out our duties, we'd pass away. I guess, it regulates with the the part where we're already dead one. I'll be honest, I'm pretty sure I'll take up that offer one day. I'm getting way too tired and lethargic. Maybe I'm not as strong as I see myself to be." The Aspect of Magic shrugged casually, as she did not take offense to any of them. She was envious of most people. She told herself what she wanted was the her once upon a time ago, how that her died centuries ago. Maybe, she was lying to herself. But it's Malva. It's not even gonna come off as a shock.

"Yeah..we're one complicated family."

Watching as the parade started to unfold, she saw a glimpse of her vampire best friend, talking and socializing so well in between the other supernatural community. It was then, where she was reminded of what she was trying to keep herself from saying. But she felt like she needed to come to light about it. "Still..I think I need to apologize. Both on my behalf and on his behalf. He's quite a mess. But, he's my mess, my problem. My friend, my responsibility." She turned to face Benjamin as she said that, averting her eyes away from the crowd for a while. "Maybe what you said was right, I wouldn't know. I mean, you're a male. You should know how his mind works. But usually, he never exhibited any hostile actions to any of the males we encountered. That's never happened before, or maybe I didn't realize it. No way of knowing it for sure." When she remembered his question about vampires having all their traits enhanced when they transitioned into a vampire, she couldn't help but to ponder at it. "You're right. About the whole traits being enhanced thing. What was good in him will be twice better, but of course, it wouldn't be balanced without his flaws. So the bad will somehow, become worse. Jealousy can indeed morph into something else entirely. Depends on the situation, yes. He is a bit different though, I'll admit. His body language doesn't sit well and he's always anxious. It's not just resentment he held out for you, Ben. It's also somewhat fear. Anxiety." 

Ailward AspectPermalink Reply by ✓ Malva Ailward on July 26, 2018 at 9:27

"Huh, now that you've said it, it actually does sound better than my version. If Venetus could see me saying this, he would've went all motivational on me. 'Oh look Mal, you've evolved better than the past.' Something along the lines of it. No doubt he'd try to string up some fancy words, in attempts on making him look like he's even relevant. Can't blame him, I distinctly remember Aureus told me how I was filled with hatred and cold need of vengeance  during our early years of being Aspects. I guess- I was lucky I had them. The high chances of me going into the village to find the daft king and massacre the whole vanguard was tempting." Malva knew, she was far away from being noble in many parts. She's not all perfect example of light itself, despite being a Fae once upon a time ago. The world has its own way of mending people, but it also had a way of breaking them. 

Shaking her head, she tried to remember the last time people tried to give her a nickname. Not many. That's for sure. "No, I don't think most really did. I mean, I can't really see myself around it too, since they probably don't want to accidentally step on the wrong side of the trail while giving off those names. I've had a few sorts of hilarious nicknames though..I recall my brother calling me Maleficent. Said the character was supposed to embody me perfectly. Purple, dragon, magic. And she was a faerie? Deus said that's the a small equivalence to Fae, which was what I am, before. Doesn't help that my name starts with Mal, too." However, she did view Maleficent to be too dark for her. Despite not looking like it, Malva knows she had a fragile and sensitive heart behind all those icy cold exterior wall she's putting up. Hearing that she resembled a lot like those Russian dolls, she tilted her head to the side slightly and grinned. It was a habit she picked up since a young age, whenever she's amused, likely. "Do you mean Matryoshka dolls? The ones with many layers inside? They're called Matryoshka." The Russian accent in her was quite heavy when she said the name of the dolls. It wasn't as if she ever lost it. She only adapted to the America better when she moved there. Just because she didn't prefer Russia, doesn't mean she had to lose her own birth trait. 

"I guess you're not the first to hint I'm one like those Matryoshka dolls, though. So many has called me that, but none has had the courage to actually call me 'doll' itself." Which didn't even come to her as a shock, seeing as she wasn't the most hospitable person there is. She relies solely on respect and civil terms, no more, no less. When you live in the way the Ailward Aspects' did in time, you'd understand how her personality is slowly ridding off the humane side that kept her so different from the people that went down the same road she did. There was still the side of her that was just as compassionate, understanding, and caring somewhere in her. It was just hidden well, where only a few tried and had succeeded in getting a place for it. "I'm going to pretend I wasn't at all offended that you needed to find a fault in my company just so you could find a reason. Don't you think you're a bit daring, soldier? I mean, first you gave an Ailward Aspect a nickname out of the blue, then you are being you as of this moment..I knew it, there was a reason why I found you amusing. This is like a human giving a dragon a nickname. Wait..that is exactly what it is. Ironic." 

"I haven't heard a lot of things, Ben. I'm an old soul, it's a surprise I could even adapt myself to the '21st century' ways at all. But, I guess I'm not the worst sibling not to working well with the current century. So there's that." Malva shrugged, seemingly showing her disagreement on the settlements in the current ways that they live in. It's hard to see them working well in their surroundings, because back in the Isle, despite all the technology, everything was a bit different. They had at least, retained what was of them. Now, it feels like they only moved their base to someplace else because it's the safest place they could find after the fall of their home. Speaking of her siblings however, has made Malva a bit more open. It's probably due to her keeping to herself and not exactly having the best companies other than the people in her faction. It wasn't like she didn't want to make new friends around the city, she actually wanted to. The thing that was keeping her from exacting the very attempt, was because she was reminded of what kind of world they were living in. Maybe Evermore was a proof that the unity they sought for, but there was no saying one day, they could not turn on each other. And if Malva had gone being friends with many of them, it'll be hard for her to make her judgement during council when she needed to make one. As it is, she's turned a blind eye before. More than once. She's afraid she'd do it again.

Her siblings and her were denied the peace of death, but even then, she wasn't sure if they'd actually feel any sort of peace. Considering the way they were killed off. But they've done plenty for the world in all their years of service as the Ailward Aspects. One day, they'll want to rest and she hopes, that it'll be given to them. They are not invincible. They were quite the opposite. They were just as fragile and delicate one could be. They were affected by everything. However, the Aspect of Magic had a feeling that their service will be needed for a much longer term. Something was brewing, it's always been that way. It'll never stop brewing until the world is cleansed of every living being. Sounds tiring.

Her sapphire hues never left him. The parade under them wasn't taking her attention as it should have had. She was enthralled by how quaint he was being. She's always studied people, but never have she came across someone like him. One minute, he is A. The next, he's B. He'll surprise you with C and came back to A. "I apologized..because he's my responsibility. I know how that sounds like..I wasn't his creator, I didn't choose the life he had now, I was simply there. I was just there to find him when he was struggling with the wound that was inflicted upon him, five centuries ago. But, Tatiana and me, we gave him a purpose to live out his life instead of dying in a ditch after becoming a vampire. We raised him up to be the person that he is, today. Dare I say, I was the catalyst. But that's exactly why I'm apologizing. Because he's not what he is today. Literally." She leaned against the railing at the balcony, staring at the dark sky above them. "He's disturbed by something, it's clear. Our friendship? It's the first in a while. I mean, since I can't remember the one I had with your grandfather. But he's not that petty to think that he should feel threatened by a mere friendship. It's more than that. Now that you've said it, I think I have another problem on my table to solve." At that exact time, Anthony stared at them from below, with an unreadable expression on him. "Come on, I think that's enough France for you today.." Malva felt that the gaze given by the vampire was not something she wanted to stare at long, and she didn't like the uneasy feeling bubbling up. She gets anxious because of it. She wasted no time at trying to get out from the crowd after arriving downstairs, but made sure not to lose any sighting from Benjamin. 

It was then, when she bumped into someone and had apologized briefly, still not averting her motive away from trying to get out. "Mal, the host would like to have an audience with you at the Quarte." That was when she recognized her to be Laura, who was talking about Anthony. "Yeah, yeah. I'll be sure to see him." That was a lie, obviously. She was in a hurry, and even Benjamin could see it. Seeing at the number of people starting to crowd them, she felt her claustrophobic self kicking in. Without wasting any time, she literally just grabbed a hold of Benjamin's hand and dragged him with her, until she went past the alleys where there was no more crowd, and leaned against the wall. "Too many people.." She didn't mind the crowd, but when they were suffocating you, the Aspect of Magic wasn't so keen on it since she's developed a trauma from being locked up in small spaces when she was a child. That was the simplest form her parents could do to punish her, but it was very effective, seeing as it traveled with her until today. "Give me a moment..just one minute, please." It wasn't as if Malva could get out much. Even back then, she wasn't allowed to go anywhere without her guards, and it didn't exactly allow her to stay and relish the moment, with the exception of the times where Tatiana and her sneaked out. She was a person who lived her life in solitude. 

"We have to go. Like..now." But, she wasn't even sure if she could even muster up enough concentration to create a portal for them. "She knows I'm here." The tone of urgency in her voice could only indicate that someone whom she didn't want to know of her presence, knew that she was in the country. Her family had a reputation, but there were many branches to it. Not everyone approves of what they did. Some were just waiting for the right moment to strike. To say they had foes everywhere was an understatement. This was one of the times when she really wanted to have a guard with her. Especially, Tatiana. Walking down the alley, she ran her eyes around their surroundings before walking ahead. "We have to move..The longer I stay, the sooner she'd find me." Add that to another chapter of the adventurous life of Benjamin Vaughn by Malva Ailward. It seems like whenever she's around, he always gets around the circle art of hurt. She tried to picture the park near the Evermore's town square, and created the same portal she used to transport them back. "In you go." Once they had gone in and she had closed the portal, was when she truly could feel at ease. 

"Why did I always forget I like to piss people off."

Ailward AspectPermalink Reply by ✓ Malva Ailward on July 31, 2018 at 9:19

Staring at him briefly, she lets out a heaved sigh before shrugging slightly, contradicting what he said. “Sometimes vengeance is justice.” Maybe, it wasn’t. But the only reason why Malva performed her duties as an Aspect was because she was given the second chance to make sure she does what needs to be done in the first place. The cause her siblings had sought out for. She wouldn’t miss out on doing everything in her power, if they could make the world a better place than it was. It wasn’t as if she had anything to lose. Because she doesn’t. Just because she took up the mantle of being an Aspect, it didn’t mean she got rid of her previous past life negative traits. It was enhanced, if anything. But she knew enough to control them. It wouldn’t do her good if she had kept with the understanding and belief she had, back then. Malva was a bitter woman who got enough backlash from the world. It deterred her, but sometimes, what you need to do once you are knocked down, is to get back up.

The purple dragon does, however, admit that she was thoroughly amused and finds it interesting that he was able to reciprocate everything she throws in his direction. He was able to keep it stable and much to her surprise, she finds him to be quite the company. “It would be implied that the world done bad to me then. In the past, at least. While I think that’s the case, I still don’t see how similar we were in terms of emotional strength. She was mistreated by the people she wanted to help? So was I.. She was betrayed by the one she trusted the most? That didn’t happen to me. But she had it worse than me. I couldn’t fathom what would be of me if I ever got betrayed by someone I trusted, like that. The pain would be indescribable.” And somehow, something was telling Malva that the moment she said those words, it would end up winding her way soon. “Which reminded me of what Tatiana once said.. The pain of betrayal would ache tenfold worse than death. Can’t say she was wrong. I would prefer death, that way. One incident could sever your ties forever..I can’t imagine why people would want to do that, in the first place. It’s incredibly foolish.” Clearly, just as she made it out to be, the Aspect of Magic retained her naive persona. She’s been on the Earth for quite a while, yet she still did not understand how some things work. Such as empathy.

“Definitely more guts, than brains.” She snickered lightly, before putting her hands up in defense. “Not that it’s a bad thing..Feels like we have too many smartass people these days, it’s calming to find someone who’s ordinary and had more skills on the other side rather than the core.” She pointed to her head, indicating she had her fair share of meeting people who had their bad time of jesting with the Ailward Aspect when it comes to knowledge. “It’s not even hard of a word to pronounce.” She scoffed playfully at him, obviously finding that part humorous. “Wouldn’t put it past you, of course. But seriously though, Matryoshka. Say it. I promise, I won’t laugh.” Well, she had nothing else to actually do, other than to bury her face with books, if not mustering up the strength to fight off every time an imbalance occurs. She definitely had eyes out whenever some major events like eclipse, happens. It was the time when most had more than they should have. Of course, in courtesy of all her brothers, they had their sisters train to defend themselves physically, at times. Not that they would usually need it, considering the many guards they had. But, one can never be too careful.

“Please..tell me you are not seriously putting up How To Train Your Dragon reference, mister.” That does bring more light in making her smile, she’d give him that. He seemed to have a natural talent at making her feel amused. “With the kind of dragons we are? I doubt it. I mean, we can be obedient, since we’re supposed to be. But, don’t expect us to do anything like Toothless. Although, I do swear I saw Deus doing that once..under the influence of a side way magic.” Which didn’t come to the Aspect as a surprise, seeing as Cora and Deus had most of their fun by pranking. “Most of my nicknames tend to do something with my free-spirited self. Definitely a huge point to my rebellious streak.” She remembered how Venetus would always chastise her when she would throw a dart filled with some toxin she created to test it out, on their guards while they were training. Aurantia made sure to always remind her of that because she had the time of her life laughing alongside Aureus, while Malva got herself a few long lectures from their leader. If she wasn’t a doctor, she would make a good chemist. Too bad she doesn’t seem to have any hands in chemistry itself. She basically either went too emotionless or blunt when she was interacting. To which she always reminded that it was due to her natural perspective of not bothering. “The world doesn’t make sense, Ben. Those words were created by mankind, so I’m not even surprised that it wouldn’t make sense, in the first place.”

“No offense, of course.”

“Your mother sounds like a party. Probably couldn’t rival mine, since both mine were seemingly stemmed from the dark side itself. Mother Nature needs to sort out their priorities..like really. How in the world did they become Fae.” With that, the Russian born woman found herself shaking her head, clearly not agreeing with the state her parents were in. “I wonder how she’ll take me when I show up in front of her doorstep because I’m such a nice person, visiting the place you were born in, since I’m a friend. Definitely not visiting there to find any other things your grandfather might have hid. I would bet my tiger, but I love her too much, so I’ll replace it with those so called magic droppers, if I find anything affiliated with magic there.” That was the next place she’d find herself visiting, after Marseille. She wished to find the answers as soon as possible. “No offense, Ben. But An wouldn’t feel threatened nor should he be. Unless he underestimated my sense of loyalty to him. You wouldn’t survive by stealing me away if Tatiana finds out, anyways. I’ll be honest, I’m not going to be struck by the art of surprise if I found out you got stranded somewhere far off, one day, by the courtesy of Tatiana Ivakov herself. I promise to get you back home though, so no worries there.” At this point, Benjamin would know the way Malva takes things.

When Malva was rushing to get them out of there before a certain blonde finds her presence anywhere near the parade, she couldn’t help but to chuckle breathlessly at the human’s remark. “I wish we do have all the time and space. Literally. I’ll tell you why we’re in rush to get out once we actually do get out.” She didn’t waste any time pushing him into the portal before getting in herself. Once she saw the dark greenery of the park, she lets out a relieved sigh. After making sure she was not influenced by the anxiety that took over her earlier, she beckoned for him to walk. “Walk with me. I’ll tell you who we were running from..well, who I was running from.” She wasn’t afraid of the woman, it was far from it. What she was afraid of, was if it came down to her having to defend herself. She didn’t like to use her magic to help her in situation like that. “Her name’s Hastiana. Some second degree witch I met a century ago, in Norway. She’s one of Anthony’s many ‘lovers’, if you could say it like that. Long story short..I kind of pissed her off that time. Wasn’t my fault though..In my defense, she was pushing it! Anyways, so in the midst of our argument, I might have hexed her. It was an accident..I didn’t intend for that to happen. I just got really annoyed with her telling me that my best friend has been lying to me and didn’t tell me anything regarding his activities once upon a time ago. She was spreading lies to make me turn against him, for sure. It wasn’t that much of a hex anyways..sure, it got her bedridden for a few days. But it wasn’t fatal. I don’t get why she’s got so fussed up because of it. It was her fault for pushing me off my edge. She’s a vengeful woman, so that’s why I tried to avoid meeting her. Definitely not because I was afraid of the blonde herself. Just afraid that you might be collateral damage and mainly if I hexed her the second time. I’m a bit unpredictable when my emotions take over me. That’s why I tend to close myself, so I wouldn’t be prone to any of them, in fear they might cloud my eyesight.”

"A nice trip to another country though..I'll put that on my list. Next time I have to go somewhere, I promise I would check the whole country and see if there's anyone else that I have managed to piss off over the decades and centuries."

Ailward AspectPermalink Reply by ✓ Malva Ailward on August 13, 2018 at 9:34

“At least, I can understand why many thought that way. We’ve been living in such world that revolves around the said system for far too long, it’s a surprise if anyone were to go up there and change everything.” That was one of the sole reasons why the Aspect of Magic found herself detesting and not preferring any company of authorities, in any form. It might just be her, but Malva carries herself with quite a weight, accompanied by the sense of pride that grew profusely over the many years. She never thought much about it, though her duty was to ensure peace and justice is served throughout the world, it didn’t mean the Russian woman wanted any part of the matters within it.

Shrugging aimlessly, she teased him playfully, the mischief glinting in her pair of sapphire hues under the night. “Be careful what you wish for~ Some people always seemed to get their tongue loosened without understanding the pair of consequences that might befell them after those words got out.Some people can’t differentiate between literal and figuratively, Mr Boy Scout.” It hasn’t even been that much of a while, where Malva managed to get yet another nickname for him. Seems fair.

“I said it better because it is my native tongue. Seems a bit biased there. Besides, I’m pretty sure we’ve established that language is not in one of your many fortes, sir.” Truthfully, Malva still has yet to get used to the ways of how people converse in the modern 21st century. She felt left out and sensed the oddity in it, but she just couldn’t bring herself to abandon and forget her native ways of speaking just so she could adapt well to the current times. “You’d be surprised to see how ‘free-spirited’ I was a few centuries back. I act as if I’m the youngest among the lot, you see. Always up to something, and always having something to say about it. I wonder what changed. Probably the days that came by with it, as the world changes, so did we, I’m guessing. It happens when you’re a bit too deep in your own aspect..” Staring at the moon shining brightly above them, her gaze was unruly.

“Then, you forget what it’s like to be someone who’s not bounded by something.”

It was clear that Malva thinks about that almost all the time. She wondered if she was actually another person outside of her element. She wanted to believe that there is more to her than just Malva Ailward, the Aspect of Magic, but the circumstances laid out were making it very hard for her to correlate through it. “Your mother was someone else. The loss of your father made her that way. Grievances work differently with different people and the only way to cope with it, is to grief, yourself. I’m sure I can handle her. My temper is a catastrophic trait but I’m not some child either. If I want to get through this, I need to find the answers as soon as possible. I’m a very busy woman, after all. Though, I do wish time would give me it’s fortune, once in a while.” The light haired Ailward Aspect pondered at the thought of it.

When they got back to Evermore, she couldn’t help but to wonder if there was any truth to what Hastiana said a century ago. “Maybe you’re right. Maybe you’re not. Either way, I don’t really prefer to have people expecting I’ll let everything pass. We still have lines and boundaries. The witch crossed it knowingly that it would trigger my temper. She knew what was coming for her. If a second degree witch like her could find her ways on scarcely making me fear her, what would become of the world, then? Sometimes, as unfortunate as it may be, we needed to be reminded where our places lie. It wasn’t nearly half as what I originally planned to do to her, so she was fortunate.” Giving the male a look of feigned offense, she placed a hand over her. “You’re the Defense General of Evermore, sir. Surely, walking means nothing. Besides, it’s a fine evening..ish. I need a few whiffs of fresh air, seeing as the only times I seem to spent around is the place I had to call home.” Nothing will ever change the Aspect of Magic’s views towards Evermore on being their home. She’s always felt left out in so many occasions, to the point where she couldn’t truly identify if she had a home. The Isle of Skye was the only place she could find acceptance within, and a part of her wishes that Evermore will continue to exact their visions. A city where everyone is equal.

“Poor human. At least, it’ll be a story to tell to his legacy.” She reminded, a soft smile gracing her features. “Why live a boring life, when you could find yourself in the endeavors of a much more interesting one.” Noticing how exhausted he must’ve been, she stopped him from walking further and created a portal. “In you go. Have a good night rest, sir. By the way, you can call me Mal, or anything. I probably shouldn’t give you the permission seeing as you might even pull a Toothless card on me, but Malva sounds a bit too formal sometimes.”

“You know, you’re not bad- for a boy scout.” Smirking slightly, she gave a small wave of goodbye before closing the portal and in a long while, finally transforming herself into her dragon form to go back to the manor.