Mothman
A moth, and also a man
"Rook to C8." A pale white hand reached over a chessboard, grasping hold of just one of many pieces atop a chessboard. They lacked the refined look of professionally made pieces one might find in a proper set in the capital, or a specifically commissioned board from a nobleman. Still, they were serviceable enough that someone familiar with chess would know one piece from the next. The dull click of a piece returning to the wood beneath it only shepherded another moment of silence as a lone woman sat at the table simply stared at it in thought. Whereas the piece she had just moved had been opposite the board with the black pieces, the next piece she took hold of was a fine red color that seemed to be made of what looked like glass; much more refined seeming than the chiseled black wood opposite.
"...I concede." An annoyed exhale escaped the woman as she leaned back in her chair. To any observer, she would seem a lunatic, speaking to herself and playing a game of chess without an opponent. After her surrender, she began rounding up the pieces to return them to their original positions. Her opponent, the ever-vigilant voice within her, spoke to her as she did so. A voice only audible to her, unless said voice deemed itself audible to another, something he hadn't done in at least almost ten years, if not longer.
His voice was refined like a nobleman's, and his vocabulary similarly so. Whimsey, after hearing it for so long, however, found it bothersome and pompous. "The noble thing to do when faced with such a scenario, my Lady. You played an admirable opening, however."
Setting the last crimson piece back in it's place, she stood from her chair and let out a long exhale. "...So you say. You certainly don't pull punches with me, Prometheus."
"If I did, it'd be a hollow victory, my Lady. I can imagine you scolding me for doing just that already." There was a grim chuckle inside of her head as the young woman paced the room she was in. Her home was a small one; a restored log cabin out in the snowfields miles away from Cabaten. A few other small homes and buildings had coexisted with the cabin once upon a time, but the years had all but scattered what remaining foundation there was to even show for them. It was a small home, with only a main room that connected directly to her kitchen, and two small rooms off to the corner.
Her pacing stopped beside the window. Outside, as there always was, was nothing but white. The day's weather was managable for a place like this. There was practically always snowfall surrounding her, but today it was light enough that there was some honest visibility out there. A good day for a hunt, if she hadn't done just the same yesterday. In her sort of predicament, she survived mostly off of the meat of wolves, deer, and other such animals that wandered. Berries and plants that were edible were practically non-existant, and she lacked the tools or skillset to even attempt growing anything in this sorry climate.
Her routine was a mundane one. These games of chess she played with Prometheus were pretty much the only thing she had to call entertainment. That, and a small selection of books that had survived abandonment out in the cabin to still be in good enough condition to read. However, she'd worked through those volumes years ago, and had little to gain via rereading them. Some days she would leave the cabin to hunt, but it was more troublesome than entertaining. Her magic wasn't exactly made for such purposes. Skewering deer with her blood magic took some real getting used to, but she liked to think she had grown quite adept at it. She slept without regard for the time of day; there was no point in maintaining a proper schedule in her conditions. Most of her free time that she wasn't sleeping through was spent simply toying with her blood via her magic. She'd experimented with the blood of animals in the past, as well, but such things grew dull after learning that she could do far less with animal blood than she could her own magically infused blood.
Yet she couldn't be free of it. Scouts from Cabaten came every once in a while simply to make sure she was still holed up in that shack of hers. If she were to be found missing, her name and likeness would likely be spread about the cities surrounding, and she'd be hunted. Prometheus wouldn't allow her to do something so foolish, and even if he did, it'd be more trouble than it was worth. As mundane and insufferable as her life was, she had grown used to it. That her fate was to remain in her cabin, and her fate was to die here, more than likely.
"My Lady." The voice in her head was blunt and sounded serious. The tone he took during his post-chess humble bragging was gone, and she had a feeling she knew what he wanted.
Prometheus' words snapped her out of the same thoughts she must have worked through hundreds and hundreds of times. She responded with a wordless 'hmm' so the demon, spirit, or whatever Prometheus technically was knew that he had her attention.
"...I sense life not far from here. Coming from the east."
Whimsey hesitated. The... The east? Cabaten was due west from her little cabin, and for the past ten years, scouts had only come from that direction. She didn't even know what the closest town, city, or village was in the east... A hand drifted up to her hair for a brief moment, and she walked over to the window on the east side of her home. "Is it cause for alarm? Should I... Should I get ready to fight?" A nervous sort of habit, she brought her hand up to her mouth and bit at her thumb while she tried to figure out just what was going on.
"...Keep it in the back of your mind, my lady. Perhaps it's just a traveler or an explorer. Even so, I am not without my worries. Remain vigilant." From the way he spoke, Whimsey knew that if Prometheus could simply take over her body and take action himself, he would.
She returned to the front door of her cabin and made sure it was locked, before pacing back to her window and simply staring out into the tundra to try and observe whoever might be approaching. Should she need to, she wouldn't hesitate to match blows with someone that was after her head as some kind of bounty, even if she had never fought against a human with her magic before. Simply wolves and other animals of the sort...
"...I concede." An annoyed exhale escaped the woman as she leaned back in her chair. To any observer, she would seem a lunatic, speaking to herself and playing a game of chess without an opponent. After her surrender, she began rounding up the pieces to return them to their original positions. Her opponent, the ever-vigilant voice within her, spoke to her as she did so. A voice only audible to her, unless said voice deemed itself audible to another, something he hadn't done in at least almost ten years, if not longer.
His voice was refined like a nobleman's, and his vocabulary similarly so. Whimsey, after hearing it for so long, however, found it bothersome and pompous. "The noble thing to do when faced with such a scenario, my Lady. You played an admirable opening, however."
Setting the last crimson piece back in it's place, she stood from her chair and let out a long exhale. "...So you say. You certainly don't pull punches with me, Prometheus."
"If I did, it'd be a hollow victory, my Lady. I can imagine you scolding me for doing just that already." There was a grim chuckle inside of her head as the young woman paced the room she was in. Her home was a small one; a restored log cabin out in the snowfields miles away from Cabaten. A few other small homes and buildings had coexisted with the cabin once upon a time, but the years had all but scattered what remaining foundation there was to even show for them. It was a small home, with only a main room that connected directly to her kitchen, and two small rooms off to the corner.
Her pacing stopped beside the window. Outside, as there always was, was nothing but white. The day's weather was managable for a place like this. There was practically always snowfall surrounding her, but today it was light enough that there was some honest visibility out there. A good day for a hunt, if she hadn't done just the same yesterday. In her sort of predicament, she survived mostly off of the meat of wolves, deer, and other such animals that wandered. Berries and plants that were edible were practically non-existant, and she lacked the tools or skillset to even attempt growing anything in this sorry climate.
Her routine was a mundane one. These games of chess she played with Prometheus were pretty much the only thing she had to call entertainment. That, and a small selection of books that had survived abandonment out in the cabin to still be in good enough condition to read. However, she'd worked through those volumes years ago, and had little to gain via rereading them. Some days she would leave the cabin to hunt, but it was more troublesome than entertaining. Her magic wasn't exactly made for such purposes. Skewering deer with her blood magic took some real getting used to, but she liked to think she had grown quite adept at it. She slept without regard for the time of day; there was no point in maintaining a proper schedule in her conditions. Most of her free time that she wasn't sleeping through was spent simply toying with her blood via her magic. She'd experimented with the blood of animals in the past, as well, but such things grew dull after learning that she could do far less with animal blood than she could her own magically infused blood.
Yet she couldn't be free of it. Scouts from Cabaten came every once in a while simply to make sure she was still holed up in that shack of hers. If she were to be found missing, her name and likeness would likely be spread about the cities surrounding, and she'd be hunted. Prometheus wouldn't allow her to do something so foolish, and even if he did, it'd be more trouble than it was worth. As mundane and insufferable as her life was, she had grown used to it. That her fate was to remain in her cabin, and her fate was to die here, more than likely.
"My Lady." The voice in her head was blunt and sounded serious. The tone he took during his post-chess humble bragging was gone, and she had a feeling she knew what he wanted.
Prometheus' words snapped her out of the same thoughts she must have worked through hundreds and hundreds of times. She responded with a wordless 'hmm' so the demon, spirit, or whatever Prometheus technically was knew that he had her attention.
"...I sense life not far from here. Coming from the east."
Whimsey hesitated. The... The east? Cabaten was due west from her little cabin, and for the past ten years, scouts had only come from that direction. She didn't even know what the closest town, city, or village was in the east... A hand drifted up to her hair for a brief moment, and she walked over to the window on the east side of her home. "Is it cause for alarm? Should I... Should I get ready to fight?" A nervous sort of habit, she brought her hand up to her mouth and bit at her thumb while she tried to figure out just what was going on.
"...Keep it in the back of your mind, my lady. Perhaps it's just a traveler or an explorer. Even so, I am not without my worries. Remain vigilant." From the way he spoke, Whimsey knew that if Prometheus could simply take over her body and take action himself, he would.
She returned to the front door of her cabin and made sure it was locked, before pacing back to her window and simply staring out into the tundra to try and observe whoever might be approaching. Should she need to, she wouldn't hesitate to match blows with someone that was after her head as some kind of bounty, even if she had never fought against a human with her magic before. Simply wolves and other animals of the sort...