Looking for Answers Part 2 (Invite)

[Levi Kayamei]

Levi's smiled widened as he followed the cheerful man, "Thank you." The trip to their destination was a blur as he anticipated the meeting with this oracle and before he knew it, they were standing in front of house.

She's here....

Levi's eyes widened as the Oracle stepped out, she was a being of considerable power. However, he was not surprised by the strength of her presence, nor the uniqueness of her aura, he was simply like a treasure hunter who had finally found exactly what he was looking for; She seemed to fit the role of oracle and he knew he would at least finally get some answers from her if nothing else. He bowed respectfully, "Of course, thank you for seeing us." He then proceeded to walk inside.

[Your Mom~]

"Thank you."

Olesya murmured, nodding her head at the ethereal looking woman as they walked inside. She was just so willowy and good postured and regal in her embodiment...Olesya felt like a frumpy mudd-dweller in comparison. SHe'd follow the lady and Levi in, moving and doing as instructed.

[Kyrie Blaze]

"You're welcome, Children." The word was said with an ease that would let them both know she certainly meant no insult.

Closing the door lightly behind herself, Clara moved around them to take a seat at the circular table in the foyer that acted as her space to host guests. All of the chairs were different in size and shape, but all were surprisingly well-appointed and comfortable. And all, perhaps surprisingly, had the same fabric for upholstery. It was quite a comparison to most places where absolutely nothing matched...but it was a simple thing all the same.

"Please make yourselves comfortable." She spoke quietly as she seated herself in the wing back chair that was her favourite. She was soft-spoken, but her grey-blue gaze was intense and intent. She looked from Levi to Olesya and back to Levi.

"I know why you are here," She began, simply. A small smile curved her lips. "So, you needn't show me your curse. However, I still need to discover what that curse is, precisely. I will need you to remain seated and relaxed. It may be uncomfortable, or perhaps even painful. I have a unique method of diagnosis, but...do I have your permission to do so?"

[Levi Kayamei]

Levi took a seat as it was offered. He took a moment to look around the oracle's home and found himself instantly at ease. He also realized that her eyes almost seemed to stare into him, as if she was seeing so much more than just his appearance; Levi felt a hopeful excitement come over him as he stared directly back her and listened intently. As she made her request, Levi's curiosity reached a new peak as he replied, "Yes, of course." He wasn't going to refuse help from the only person so far who could help him, but he made sure to pay attention to her and all of his senses as he awaited instructions to which he would readily comply.

[Your Mom~]

Curiosity killed the cat...Les fiddled with a little crystal on a shelf as the two of them exchanged pleasantries, not exactly paying attention, until the word 'painful' reached her ears, in which case Les turned and looked at them, accidentally dropping the crystal off the shelf.

"Oh, sorry.."

She muttered, putting it back and taking a seat, sitting on her hands so she wouldn't touch anything else. She watched the two of them, interested in what was about to unfold.

[Kyrie Blaze]

The tinkling clatter of the crystal upon the floor drew the Oracle's gaze to Olesya. Instead of accusing, she was thoughtful. It was, really, an old routine. Most of her guests always seemed to like touching and feeling. There was a certain calm and pristine energy about the room and the crystals.

"You needn't worry. You are free to look and touch, but - of course - there is no taking and no breaking." There was a tolerance there, and even an appreciation for Olesya's curiosity and admiration of her crystals.

They could always be cleansed and charged after.

Her attention shifted back to Levi, her gaze having remained intent regardless of who she was watching. Her hands lifted to draw a gold chain up and over her head, flicking her hair back to settle once again. Undoing the clasp, she removed an amethyst ring and slipped it onto her finger.

She felt the change immediately, as she always did. There was a reason she had kept herself in good physical condition; she could feel the ring greedily pull her strength. Had she not been strong - and she had done so before - the results were not terribly pleasant. Clara sighed and arranged herself more comfortably in her chair, the gold chain left upon the table. The rush of energy was calmly directed. She could feel it eke down her spine to the earth through the floor of her home. Some curled back up her spine. It was, as always, uplifting and insightful. A beautiful sensation.

She sank back in her chair, relaxing, but her gaze never strayed. "Once again, just stay still and relax. And do not be alarmed when my body goes limp. I assure you, it's normal."

She glanced over at Olesya with her final words, offered a silent smile, and refocused on Levi. Her eyes closed and she leaned more into one of the wings on her chair. Within a few moments, a faint golden light surrounded her body as she took a deep breath in. It pulled away from her form, becoming a gold that was more rich than bright. For a brief second, Levi and Olesya would be able to recognize the transparent form as Clara herself. With a shaky, almost explosive exhale, her body went limp as the gold whisked across the short gap and plunged to connect to Levi's body, leaving her own, completely.

Levi would feel the sensation of Clara aligning her body to his after the gold disappeared completely through his solar plexus...and then she settled. If Levi moved or tensed...his body would begin to feel warm, but pleasantly and deeply so. Though he could not move, then, readily if he struggled--it was like his body was held in a large hand...the warmth coaxed relaxation.

She seemed to spider out through his body once everything was settled. From his toes and feet - a sensation of being connected to the earth - it spread up through his legs, searching...up through his hips, abdomen, chest, arms, neck, and finally his head. There would likely be a growing sensation of discomfort, even pain as the woman's consciousness gently spread, which intensified slowly the closer she got to his head. If he tried to twitch or pull away, the same warmth and stillness would overcome him, causing her progress to slow or even stop at times.

There was no sharing of thought, no melding of souls or even of their bodies, but it was easy to tell someone else was sharing his body with him. Searching, seeking, sifting through as she chased the curse through Levi's body.

The pain would lessen a little after the first bright shock of it as she reached his head from his neck. A sort of numbness along with the stillness and warmth. Clara's body remained still, though there was a thin sheen of sweat along her brow.

SPOILER: Click to show

[Amethyst Equipped]
STR: 20
DEX: 20
CON: 20
INT: 155
WIS: 165
CHA: 150

[Levi Kayamei]

Levi nodded in acknowledgement and watched intently as the Oracle began to glow. He gasped in surprise as her golden aspect rushed into his body, causing him to tense for a moment. He gradually forced himself to relax through deep breathing and necessity; He was sure any tension on his part would only serve to hinder the Oracle, something he wanted to avoid as much as possible. The warmth he felt certainly helped him relax and he found himself wanting to fall asleep as he closed his eyes to help himself remain calm as she worked her way up.

Levi continued to breath slowly to avoid tensing as the pain increased and he welcomed the numbness the came over him as she reached his head. It was and interesting experience to be sure, not entirely unlike his experience with Kyrie, but very different at the same time.

[Your Mom~]

Olesya would watch intently as the Oracle explained what she was going to do, and to not worry if she went limp and lifeless. That part confused her, what exactly was she going to do that would cause to her be-

OHMYGOD.

Her eyes widened as the woman slumped forward, a gold light pouring out of her and into Levi in one straight shot. What the hell was that?! Sure, she was called the Oracle, but she was expecting hippy dippy herbs and remedies and what-have-you...not Twilight Zone voodoo! Les stared between the lifeless Oracle and Levi, who appeared to be preoccupied with relaxing techniques.

Obviously she was completely and totally unaware of the internal happenings, and continued to look between the two of them, her lips slightly apart and looking very confused and rather uncomfortable.

[Kyrie Blaze]

With the bond being endosymbiotic in nature, it made the experience rather disjointed for Clara. But always interesting. Though Levi was aware of himself and that there was a presence within his body, he could not see what the Oracle saw or felt or thought or discovered. It was interesting and disjointed for her because she was living inside his body, as it was sustaining her; she could see what he physically saw, felt his body and whatever he was touching, and yet she could see what she was doing. What she was inspecting, she hadn't seen a thing like it before.

What she saw kept on getting more and more interesting. And more and more concerning. The curse was one of a cellular level and so very complex that upon slipping up into Levi's head and being confronted with what she saw...she needed a minute to think. The pain beat at her; the pain she absorbed and numbed for Levi, who would only make things worse and more taxing if he was moving because of it. Deciding to reach out and contact it, Clara's consciousness eased forward and--

--and upon her golden conscious aura finally touching it, was promptly and visciously ejected from Levi's body, her former host in some serious pain from the residual output from the curse and Clara's forced exit.

Nothing debilitating, just extremely painful. And, thankfully, rather short-lived now that Clara's threatening presence was cast from the curse's body.

As the gold light slammed back into Clara, her body went rigid as her eyes snapped open.

"HUAHHH--!"

Doubtless the experience was far more excruciating for her than for him. She was thrown back so violently that her chair actually toppled back and hit the floor. She remained, gasping for air as her muscles refused to relax. A broken mumble escaped from her lips as the straining of her body began to ease.

She was going to need a minute.

[Levi Kayamei]

Levi could feel the oracle moving upwards, though the warm numbness had effectively anesthetized him and he simply sat and enjoyed the odd sensations, even the ones he was fairly certain were pain. He gritted his teeth in agony as a sudden spike of pain shot through him and the Oracle's "spirit was shot back into her body; The pain was familiar but such a sudden onset made it impossible to control and he teeth parted after a few moments and he yelled briefly in pain, his breath leaving him instantly.

"HAAAAAAH!!"

He caught his breath and he slumped in his chair, knuckles white from gripping the arms of the chair as if he would fall through it if he let go. As he slowly returned to homeostasis, or as close as he could get with the curse running through him, he observed the Oracle in concern, hoping that the ordeal had not actually harmed her. He spoke softly between breaths, "Are you....alright?"

[Your Mom~]

Okay, so...astral projection, that was the term, wasn't it? Where a spirit temporarily leaves a body and travels around. This was okay, this was...normal...ordinary...every day...Olesya chewed the inside of her lip, looking between the limp woman and her newly acquired acquaintance Levi.

WHEN SUDDENLY THEY BOTH SCREAMED.

"Yaaaaahh!!"

Shocked by the suddenly ricocheting of spirits and the yelling and the toppling chair, Olesya's nerves all jumped at once. The woman was thrown backward onto the ground, Levi was still seated but in a state of shock and pain. Les rushed over to the woman, hesitating to touch her at first before offering to help her to her feet.

"Are you okay?"

She asked in unison with Levi, her voice a bit more urgent than his breathless one. Was this normal!?

[Kyrie Blaze]

The Oracle didn't reach up with her muscles still tense and twitching beneath her skin. Finally, when her body started to sag fully, she heaved a breath of relief and slowly reached up for Olesya's help. Upon regaining her feet, she hunched, hands braced against her knees.

"I will be fine. That...rarely happens, if ever."

Not normal, then. The Oracle certainly wasn't used to being knocked flat on her ass. She looked back at her chair and stooped to pull it back up. She sat back down, leaned back. Her gaze switched focus between Levi and Olesya.

"Are you both alright?"

She let them answer, recuperating just a little longer.

But she finally spoke.

"The thing that inhabits your body is....sentient, in the sense that it will defend its host body viciously - as you have seen - from perceived internal attack. It's almost like a virus. I could not remove it. At all. I cannot even touch it, and my work is primarily done the way you experienced it. I can See the path you would need to take to rid yourself of it, but I know of no one that could remove or heal the Curse within you on their own."

[Levi Kayamei]

A sheen of sweat glistened on Levi's forehead as he fully regained his composure and his breath. Sure, ridding himself of the curse entirely was one way to deal with his situation....but there was something in his mind that didn't sit well with simply removing the curse. The curse had the ability to defend itself and respond as if sentient to stimuli; He needed to know everything he could before choosing his path.

Levi leaned forward and rested his elbows on the table, folding his hands together as he spoke, "I see....well I would like to know everything you can tell me. Of course outright ridding myself of the curse will solve my problem, and I definitely need to know how to do that....but anything else as far as other options are concerned, even simply leads, would be appreciated."

[Your Mom~]

Olesya gently helped the Oracle back to her feet, a frown in place as she was clearly exhausted from the venture. She looked like she'd run a marathon, not zipped five feet into the body in front of her.

When she asked if they were alright, Olesya was mildly dumbfounded. Nothing had happened to Les except for a small fright, of course she was alright. Les nodded dumbly, helping the Oracle back to her seat, and taking a seat herself, looking between them.

A sentient curse?! So there was...another being inside of Levi? Who cursed him, and why? And what were the ramifications? Getting rid of the curse would either mean despelling the sentient thing inside of Levi or killing it. Simply despelling was a dangerous idea, because if it was sentient, what was to stop it from cursing someone else? Olesya knew almost nothing about all of this, so she simply watched in wonder as the two spoke.

[Kyrie Blaze]

It was just how she was, to ask if others were alright. She could gauge her own state, but it wouldn't do to have either of them collapse on her. With Olesya saying nothing of what she said on Levi's issue, Clara was able to keep the weight of her gaze on him.

"At this time I will only be able to manage one possibility... This experience with your curse has left me more drained than I thought."

Her breathing was deep and even, for she had already figured he would need her help. She could recover from the initial jolt and shock, but that did nothing to alleviate a bone-deep weariness. The curse, despite the toll, was interesting. She didn't wish to experiment on it, but observing the effects would have been interesting.

Briefly, her eyes closed as she gathered her will and focused, not removing the ring.

When she opened her eyes, they glowed a brilliant gold, like her astral form. The whites, iris, and pupil were completely gone, masked by the rich colour that shone with light. She did not chant--there was no need. She had surpassed that a while back, though sometimes it still helped to focus. This needed a different type of focus.

A far-reaching net rather than a single hook.

Her power swelled, though it was her aura the two of them would feel. It felt like a wave--not a tsunami, not a tiny bobble cresting upon the beach, but somehow with the power and softness of both.

After a few moments, she began to speak.

"You will need to gather to you... The Blood of the Fungus... The screams of a dying woman will herald a Trial by Fang and Claw for you to obtain the Bones of the Great Cat, ground to powder... The Scales of a Dragon... The Soul of a Mystic Warrior... Wandering the world comes someone that will create a binding to combine these...and transcend their power..."

She trailed off and the light slowly faded from her eyes, letting them resume their natural state. Slowly, she drew the ring from her finger and set it upon the table, her hands trembling but faintly. She watched to see what they would make of what she initially said before she gave a few snippets of advice or answered any questions.