Refined Mind Games

[H. A. Ferenczy]

Hannibal, finished cleaning up and feeding off the hunger from the fights before, walked to Alana's door. Because he had shared her blood, he now knew where her room was....so he reached to turn the doorknob, but then stopped. It was rude to just burst into a room like that.....hell, he never did that when he was a guest in a house....and even though he wasn't much of a guest but a tennant here, he still didn't feel right just bursting into someone's room, for this matter wasn't urgent....

So he raised his hand and knocked with the back of the main knuckles on his index and ring finger, and waited for an answer.

[Alana Stormcloud]

Alana stood at just inside the open doors of her balcony. A soft wind tossed her floor length around her body. The purple moon of Roon cast an eerie glow on her porcelain skin. A sweet fragrance spilled around her form, fragrant Jasmine and an under tone of roses.

The Sith Lordess did not turn at the light tap on her door, she knew who it was. "Enter Hannibal...." Her cold voice, though low, carried easily though the mahogany door....

[H. A. Ferenczy]

Hearing her soft and subtle yet hypnotic voice, Hannibal opens the door lightly and steps into the room. The wind makes his hair dance slightly over his shoulders. He looks at the purple moon. Its dark radiance makes his eyes shine slightly, and he gazes at Alana piercingly, noticing how the white dress of hers shine, illuminating her eyes further. He also hears the rustle as the shawl whips in the soft but strong breeze coming from the open window. He cocks his head slightly to the side and grins, not revealing his teeth.

"I feel that you should train me in your arts.....after all, both you and Dalamar are tutoring me, so I feel that it would be best to learn both physically and mentally, for a powerful being is not of just one or the other... Do my words ring true?"

[Alana Stormcloud]

Alana turned her hue shifting eyes to Hannibal. The smile that tilted the corners of her lips cold and calculating. She, who had been trained in the arts of dream manipulation by Lord Soth, would teach this powerful ability. The moonlight cast a shadow through her diaphanous white dress. It gave her a look of purity that was utter fallacy.

"So you think that you are ready to delve into another mind. To weave a lie from there truths? In time you may master this power. It is not a gift to be toyed with, or one that will just come to you without time and patience." Alana moved to the small settee, and settled her legs under her as she sat. Gesturing to the empty space beside her. Her dress fell around her in soft folds as she moved it aside to make space.

[H. A. Ferenczy]

Hannibal moves toward Alana and sits beside her. He crosses his legs in an indian fashion. Without looking at her, he spoke.

"I understand, milady, and will strive my hardest to follow your excellent example......."

Hannibal takes a deep breath to focus himself and closes his eyes almost sleepily.

"So, what is on our itenerary, Mistress Alana?"

[Alana Stormcloud]

Alana grinned softly, her lips already chanting the words of Sith magic she needed to weave a dreamscape around him. The Lordess watched him intently. The room around him faded, the soft purple light of Roon glimmered softly against her skin, as she set the stage. They now stood near the black forest the encircled there home. There was no tell tell sign that it was an illusion. A soft breeze blew her hair from her face, and caught the folds of her dress.

"If you were a mortal, this would be more real to you than the other existence you now sit in. I did not cast the spell to make you forget where you are. It is of course easier to slip into a dreamers mind but to achieve it on someone who is awake, though harder, it is much more fun. The words you heard me whisper, is not only said with Sith Magic but also in the ancient vampiric tongue." Alana explained.

"You mind must also see everything as it would be, each detail, each nuance matters. If it does not feel real, smell real, than it can be seen through. Any questions?" She inquired....

ooc: sorry for the delay Han... been sickie yuck.. :p

[H. A. Ferenczy]

Hannibal looks around, and is awestruck at the amazing detail of the trees, the grass as it sways in the wind, the smell of evergreens and their sweet sap. And imagine, it wasn't real! He could see how he could apply this into combat, but it would be rather difficult to accomplish. Hearing her speak the words, they simply did not do justice to the illusion. So real....

He stands, touching a nearby pine, and senses its realness, feels the roughness as he crushes some pine into his hands, feeling the soft powder blow from his hand. Hearing the words echo in his mind, he contemplates them for what seemed like an eternity to him. If he were to have his watch, he would not have heard a tick, for it had been less than a millisecond. Such speed of thought and movement were the ways of the Vampire. He, to make his words a bit more dramatic, waited for a few seconds in utter silence, softly walking around Lady Alana's sitting spot. His facial muscles fixed in a state of deep thought, he speaks, not even turning to Alana.

"Yes.....how can I do such.....illusionry? You make it seem too simple.....how can I, a common warrior, accomplish such? Surely there must be a trick to it...."

[Alana Stormcloud]

"There is no trick, other than making the person believe. You to must see it for all that it is. You must know each whisper of the vampiric tongue, and the power housed behind it. You to must believe Hannibal. A spell cast is only as strong as the one who casts it. If you miss one step or turn from the prey at hand, then the illusion will slip. That is why it is so much easier on a sleeping mind, one who is open to the dream scape you set forth." Alana explained.

To her the task she set forth for Hannibal had come easily. Perhaps it was due to the fact she had been a bounty hunter, one who had relied on her delicate form and sweet words to fool many. It also helped that the one who had turned her, Master Saurron, had given her such a powerful gift. The Sith Lordess now passed it to another.

[H. A. Ferenczy]

"If that is the case, then I shall try to make a little something of my own........"

An amazing fact struck Hannibal: if this was her gift, then it must have been passed on in the blood he drank. Thus, he was more than capable of creating this illusionry. Also, the spell was only as strong as the caster. And Hannibal's confidence in himself was unwavering. Starting simply, using the Old Tongue, the Vampiric Language that only the oldest of the old spoke, and used it. He would wonder if Alana even understood this phrase, for the language he used was the Vampiric Language during his prime, a language around five hundred years of age. This made what he spoke somewhat indecipherable to Alana, save for some of the similar words, such as the slight similarity between the New word for dagger and the old word for dagger. He spoke a small phrase, one of his personal favorites for the mere flow of the words; it was translated as 'the rain of daggers.' As he brought his hands to his face to focus the energy, several daggers materialized around him, their razored tips shining brightly. He took one in his hands; he could feel the light weight of it, the coldness of the metal, and as he smelled and licked at the blade, could smell and taste it. It indeed seemed real. Grinning almost derangedly, he thrust his hand outward, and the daggers raced towards Alana. This was to study the illusions, to see how Alana would react to them, and how the illusions would react to Alana.

[Alana Stormcloud]

Alana wore a pleased smile as she watched Hannibal create his own illusion. It was a strong one, and did not waver in her mind. She could see the daggers as he meant them to be, sharp, and deadly. A simple wave of her hand brought them to a dead stop before her. A glint of amusement in her eyes. Reaching out she touched a tip and watched a small drop of blood pool there.

"I think you will take to this just fine." Another wave of her hand turned the blades back to there owner. She sent them flying with deadly precision.

"Remember to play with another illusionist means what you do can be turned back on you..." Her soft laughter caressed the night...

[H. A. Ferenczy]

Hannibal's eyes widened slightly as the blades came back. But in that speed that a Vampire has, his facial expression changed. He could dissipate them, for he summoned them himself. He held out his hand, and as they came within inches of diving into his flesh, they stopped. They simply froze for a few long moments, before Hannibal closed his fist. They simply shattered like transparent glass, the shards simply dissipating into the air, harming no one. He grinned toothily, and after a split second of battling the conflicting ideas in himself, he smiled.....

And with a simple wave of his hands, Alana's thin, silky white dress simply dissappeared, leaving her entirely nude, her white skin beautifully reflecting the moonlight. He then spoke aloud, between small chuckles of laughter.

"What do you think, Mistress?"

[Alana Stormcloud]

Alana gave a smooth slow laugh as she glanced down at her body. It was not the first time she had been left without apparel by a man. "It is a good thing vampires know no shame is it not." Her grin matching his.

With a wave of her hand he to was left open to the night breeze, his nude body glistening as brightly as hers. Her hand swept down and a deep pool appeared under him, with a loud splash he felt just how wet illusions can be.

[H. A. Ferenczy]

Hannibal would have shivered, but he was already naturally cold....such was the bane of the Vampire. He laughed aloud, and tried something else....

As Alana simply sat nude, the land underneath her tilted and flung her off into the water. He grinned as he saw even more of her body....he had to admit, she was a bit breath-taking. But she was a Vampire.....such was the way...He spoke aloud, knowing the water as an illusion.

"Yes, it is good that we know no shame...."

[Alana Stormcloud]

Alana came up from the waters depths. A small stream of water running down her pale face. A grin stretching her lips wide. "It seems the teacher has been out witted. You think?" Alana chuckled softly. Her eyes slipping to the water and back up to him, her eyes traveling languidly over his form.

"Or perhaps not..." With a soft whisper she floated above the water, her body lit by the purple moon of Roon. With another wave the water began to churn. He could feel something circling his body, something large and deadly. When it jerked him under he was face to face with a sea creature that would whiten even a vampire’s skin....

[H. A. Ferenczy]

Hannibal.....in the face of absolute fear.....laughed. This was his kind of stuff.....it was unreal...he was almost a God here....he could do as he wished. Swinging his hand like claws, they never even touched the creature, yet as the claws drew lines in the water, the creature's parts began to bleed. Huge claw marks began to form around the creature's torso. He then laughed and shot out of the water, much taller than the creature. He simply gripped most of the creature in one hand, and brought about a tempest to rip the limbs from the creature much like a human would pull apart a piece of grass. Then, as a bolt of lightning struck the water, all became white, like as if the entire world had been erased. Alana was blinded....

As her eyes began to focus, she could hear soft waves from nearby. She realized that she laid upon a soft silk sheet, still naked. Laying beside her, was Hannibal, still stark naked. He stroked the skin along her spine gently.

"Wow, that sea creature was really something.....but personally I prefer this kind of thing...."

They both lay on that sheet on a sandy beach, the sun beating down. As an illusion, it could hurt no one, not even Hannibal, who was succeptible to such light. The air smelled of salt and seawater. The aesthetic beauty of the place was so breathtaking that even Alana sat aghast.

"So, how am I doing with this lesson?"

[Alana Stormcloud]

Alana let her eyes slip closed enjoying the illusion he had created in her minds eye. The soft light of the sun had been long unfelt but it was a sweet memory.

"I think that you have out done even me this time Hannibal." Her voice soft and serene. Her skin glistened softly with water that had beaded there. A gentle breeze blew across her skin, ruffling her hair, that had dried in soft curls around her face. She turned over on her side facing him, her eyes inquisitive.

"Tell me Hannibal, who is this." With that her face slid into a person he was utterly familiar with. Someone from his past that seemed to haunt his mind...

[H. A. Ferenczy]

Hannibal's hand reached instinctively to touch her face, but he pulled it away as he realized it. His teeth clenched together, his eyes seemed to burn with the emotions of loss, lust, love, and anger, all in one turn. It was clear to Alana that the hand would've either caressed or struck her skin. Hannibal turned away, confused. 'Illusions,' he cursed under his breath, even so Alana couldn't hear. It was either for reassurance of the impossible....

"I would rather not say, Alana...."

The use of her name indicated the closeness that he felt at the moment. She was not just his master, but his friend. Hannibal, feeling very miserable, dissipated the illusion. Back in Alana's room, he stood from the settee and walked towards the door....

[Alana Stormcloud]

Alana stood up and was by his side in an instant. Her hand clutching his shoulder in a firm but gentle grip. Her crimson mouth turned down in worry.

"I did not mean to upset you my friend." She echoed his thoughts. "The image was very prominent in your mind, and I wondered at it." Alana said laying her face against his back her arms slipping around his chest. Alana had always been one to show her feelings, and she was sorry to have hurt him.

"Forgive me??" Her sirens voice asked. She cared for all who belonged to her extended family, and the show of emotion though rare, was sincere....

[H. A. Ferenczy]

"It is not your fault. It was a painful memory, that is all. Maybe at a later time I shall tell you of it."

Hannibal held Alana for a second, and when he felt better, he let her go.

"So, what are we to do now, Alana?"

[Alana Stormcloud]

Alana nodded, looking up into his face, her eyes still filled with worry. "Well if you would like we can go try out what you have learned here. Perhaps a few mortals will bring a smile to your lips." Alana answered softly.

"Come let’s see if I can make you forget the memory I brought back." The Sith Lordess cast him a playful smile....

[H. A. Ferenczy]

"Perhaps you are right. Let us go try out these skills I have just used....perhaps we will have some fun with it."

Hannibal motioned to Alana.

"Lead the way, darling."