Liliana Vess Defiant Necromancer

It's good to be home again was not a sentiment that Liliana had often. After all, she was used to traipsing from plane to plane, motivated by nothing but her own whims, abandoning houses and manses and manors for decades at a time, if not longer. To have that thought upon returning to Fandom was quite bizarre--and clearly motivated by the dual trials that was Innistrad's near dissolution followed by a stay at her Ravnica townhouse. It was quite spacious for a townhouse, especially in the Tenth District, but certainly not as big as the mansion here. The bathtub there was merely adequate, and she didn't have a proper workroom.

All good reasons for the feeling of homecoming when they stepped out of the portal and entered the front door.

Being greeted by Josu who wanted Liliana to know exactly how much he had suffered in the interim was also a contributing factor surely. It wasn't odd to miss a cat. They were the gods' perfect creatures, after all.

And now she was ensconced in their parlor, Josu purring in her lap, notebook in hand to prepare for her summer class, and with the oddest desire to text people to inform them of her return. Again, an inexplicable impulse, as Liliana's comings and goings were nobody's business but her own, but a compelling one just the same.

Probably trying to erase multiple days spent in the company of Jace Beleren. Yes, that made sense. Who wouldn't be interested in some society after that? Good thing Supper Club was this evening or she might actually have found herself scrolling through her contacts to see who she had a reason to reach out to.

...More than the first few times, of course.

[Open for visitors, calls, texts, or threads of all types.]

Liliana was lounging on her divan, the bare feet dangling over the edge, the shoes carelessly allowed to drop to the floor, watching Josu cheerfully disembowel a catnip mouse. She was in a delightful mood after the party, that kind of dreamy tired where she knew nothing would feel better than climbing between her cool sheets and finally falling into a deep and dreamless sleep. In a moment she would do just that, but her chambers were up so many stairs and Josu had meowed so piteously for her attention, that a brief stop to relax on her way to bed proper seemed the best idea. Her steward had brought her a thin blanket and a cup of tea - delicious and made to her exacting specifications, if, as always, lessened by the lack of Gavony honey, the sweetest flavor her tongue had ever tasted - and withdrawn, leaving her with her lazy swirl of thoughts and the antics of her cat.

"What a mighty hunter you are, Josu," she said, voice thick with sleep and amusement both. "Would you like to have a party here, darling?"

( Liliana only has the worst guests, hand to god )

The sound of shattering porcelain penetrated her nightmare, and Liliana sat up with a gasp, clutching the thin blanket she'd been curled beneath to her chest. She looked frantically around the room. No man; no birds. No footprints or fallen feathers. She was alone.

Alone with the frantic hammering of her heart, and the metallic taste of fear in her mouth. She pushed the blanket aside, sliding her feet to the floor, and rose, starting toward the fire. A cup of tea would take the taste away. It was hard enough to fall asleep on these hot Fandom nights; the proper blend of herbs and florals could only ease the way . . .

Something crunched under her foot. She stopped, looking down at the remains of her favorite teacup, then bent, touching her fingertips to the liquid splashed all around them.

It was still warm, the same temperature of the blood slowly starting to leak from her feet from the shards of shattered porcelain.

As she looked up toward the open window where the sun was rising and staining the heavens with pinks and golds, she almost thought she could hear him laughing.

[Everything under the cut is NFB for dream-nanigans. Much of it copy, pasted, and origami'd from "Homecoming," by Seanan McGuire. Open should someone feel like visiting the creepy abandoned mansion, I guess?]