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Thread: Fae Conundrum

  1. #11
    Nuclear Rage

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    Flamebird's Avatar

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    1,898

    Name
    Felicity Rhyolite
    Age
    19
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    Neanderthal/ Human Hybrid
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    Female
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    Corone

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    Shy sadness.

    Shame?

    Why?

    Felicity raised a confused eyebrow. Confliction floated around her head over why the topic was changed. Yet, Felicity knew she herself did not like being pushed. She would wait for things to cool down a bit.

    So, she followed Yvonne’s course of action.

    She slid off the rock. Her feet hit the ground, causing a small dust cloud to fly up. She wiped the sweat from her brow and began to pack. A small bag was packed. Her blue bird, some containers and canisters, her alchemy kit, and some medical supplies. Money was shoved in afterwards, then she took her sword and hung it at her waistline.

    She started towards the edge of the camp, closer to town. So much was racing through her head, causing her chest to pound. Yet, her “here and now” mentality pushed her to force cheerfulness around.

    “Can’t wait to get into town,” She panted in a rapid voice, “It’s cold there!”

    ~ ~ ~

    The walk there was devoid of any talk. Yvonne insisted on staying silent.

    Donnalaich was as awe inspiring as ever. It was refreshing to feel the magical cooling of the town. As they walked upon to grand stone road, Felicity’s breath was sucked from her in bewilderment. The intricate detail the ancients of old put into this place was magnificent. The complex carvings and runes dug into the golden-hue marble was simply beautiful. The sound of thundering water surrounded them as many water fountains popped up in rest stops throughout the city. Upon coming across one massive pool, the temptation was too much for the teen.

    She dropped her luggage and darted for the pool. She kicked off her boots and leapt into the cold water with a loud splash. The previously sweaty and sticky teen was met with the satisfaction of shivering in cleanliness. She stood under the large spout as it pooled clear, luminous water over her head. She was shaking from the cold. She loved it. Her troubles seemed to slip into the pool below, with the rest of the cast off dirt. She jumped into the deep waters and swam closer to the edge again. The half-neanderthal emerged and shook her head. Her now soaked hair flew, throwing sprinkles of water around. The girl let out a relieved sigh and for the first time in a long while… she laughed.

    For the first time since her journey here began, she had fun. She chuckled as she proceeded to make waves in the pool. Her outfit had water pouring through and out it as she splashed and giggled. For all the troubles she faced, Felicity was still a youth. She was still a rowdy teen, whom needed to lighten up once in a while. Crystal clear water remained clean, a sign of even more magical presences, as she finished her light swim. She pulled herself out of the large, stone walling. Water dripped onto the burning hot, orange stone like a rainfall. She still laughed hysterically as she dragged her sloppy, frigid mess back over to her bags. The sunlight against the road stung, but she yanked her boots back on and proceeded to press onwards.

    ~ ~ ~

    Many drakari cast odd, judgmental stares as the soaked teenager pulled herself up a grassy hill. The blades of green grass were long, blowing in a pleasant wind. Atop the large hill was a humongous tree. It seemed to be centuries old, with magic to enhance its growth. The three edged leaves grew on massive, twisted branches. The pale brown bark was scratchy and coarse. Numerous scars of termites, lightning strikes, or other calamities coated the tree's fat trunk. Yet here, within the city, it still stood strong.

    Felicity threw herself into the ground, looking up. Through an absurdly thick canopy, hints of glistening bronze sunlight shone through dark green. Numerous vines from the tree hung low or wrapped around the trunk, which was the size of a house. Most vines however, emerald in color, were strung across the large, bold walls of Donnalaich’s olden buildings.

    A single leaf fell on Felicity’s forehead. She closed her eyes. She had forgotten what they were even doing here at this point; she had been having so much joviality. Then –

    - *Guuuurgle!* -

    - Her stomach let out a loud rumble.

    Her peridot eyes shot open.
    Last edited by Flamebird; 07-15-2018 at 07:55 PM.
    "I can't be proud of anything. I am ashamed of everything."

    "I gave my heart, my allegiance, all my energy for this and got nothing but ashes in return. What on earth did I do to deserve being chewed and spit out like this? Time and time again, it's all the same."


    Felicity Playlist.

  2. #12
    Senior Member

    EXP: 8,121, Level: 3
    Level completed: 79%, EXP required for next Level: 879
    Level completed: 79%,
    EXP required for next Level: 879


    Yvonne's Avatar

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    2,109

    Name
    Yvonne Mythrilmantle
    Age
    21
    Race
    Grey Dwarf
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    Female
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    Alerar

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    Bearing witness to Felicity unwinding in one of many water fountains renewed Yvonne’s smile. The slate-skinned hybrid had been contemplative, brooding even, but seeing the teenager having a good time helped to clear her mind of her troubles. As though the fountain waters cleansed Felicity of her worries, at least for a while, in that moment the blistering climate meant nothing and their disagreements were set aside.

    Yvonne didn’t particularly like the water. Well, not true - she appreciated everything natural but she’d not had to personally deal with large bodies of water. Her life experiences didn’t include swimming. The many months long voyage to Dheathain was incredibly difficult to endure, though she hadn’t needed to interact with the ocean. Remaining below deck and pretending the vessel was a wobbly tavern saw her through.
    Booze and sleep made short work of long journeys.

    Felicity shook her head, her hair whipping and spraying sprinkles of cold water everywhere. Yvonne - standing beside the pond - got covered in droplets. She bolted upright, spine straightened in surprise, hands shielding herself way too late.

    “Me hair! Not me hair!” Yvonne complained, looking through her backpack for something to dry off with. Normally the half drow, half dwarf had exquisite perception, but with her attention in among her belongings she wasn’t prepared for what happened next…

    Felicity snatched the petulant little mixed breed off the cobblestones with ease. Yvonne’s silver eyes ballooned out of her head, stomach dropping as the powerful adolescent lifted her small frame overhead.

    “Put me down! FeliCITYYY! AHH!” Yvy commanded before crying out. The fiery redhead obeyed and plonked her into the fountain pool with a dwarf-sized splash. She quickly surfaced and scooped a handful of water back at her blood-sister, sploshing her right in the mush with it. Bursts of spray showered the both of them as they water-battled back and forth. Yvonne’s lovely straight hair was absolutely soaked. Giggles and squeals pierced through the roaring fountain deluge.

    “Un-be-lieve-able! Tha nerve of ye!” she shouted, the biggest grin on her face.

    ~~~

    Yvonne huffed and puffed, blowing the leaf from Felicity’s forehead. It caught the wind and danced on the twirling breeze. The breath startled her friend, but her grin asked forgiveness as she pointed to the leaf. Peridot eyes followed the gesture and watched the air currents take the leaf on a journey all of its own.

    She reclined beside the relaxing warrior in the grass, basking in the canopy view above them. They’d just about dried out, not too wet any longer, for all the fountain-fighting they’d partaken in. She had been grateful to find a spot to settle down for a few moments, the sunbeams barely able to shine through the overlapping leaves on high. It felt wonderful, to rest her eyes in the shade.

    The duo hadn’t been resting for long when someone disturbed them. His face was familiar, but Yvonne hadn’t anticipated meeting him again so soon. His voice boomed louder than she remembered.

    “Here you are! I thought to find you at your camp, but only ashes remained! I worried you two had departed!” Shaseth shouted, breathing heavily. He took a moment recover some of his composure, but the concern in his draconian-slit eyes lingered. He never did calm down.

    “Can’t get rid of us that easily. What be wrong, dear? Zrazire again?” Yvonne asked.

    “No, I don’t think so. One of those mischief-making fae is destroying the city with magic, one building at a time. My home, it’s… ruined and I cannot afford to fix it now. I don’t own enough to trade for the repairs. I didn’t know who else to turn to! Please, Zrazire-puncher. Please, tiny matriarch… help me again. Help my family! They didn’t deserve this,” Shaseth pleaded. In spite of his hulking, scaly body he was well and truly on his knees, head bowed at their feet.
    Last edited by Yvonne; 06-23-2018 at 06:57 AM.
    So I’m cutting that branch off the cherry tree.
    Singing this will be my victory.
    Then I, I see them coming after me.
    And they’re following me across the sea.
    And now they’re stinging my friends and my family.
    And I, I don’t know why this is happening.
    ~ Thrice, Black Honey.

  3. #13
    Nuclear Rage

    EXP: 64,948, Level: 10
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    Level completed: 99%,
    EXP required for next Level: 52


    Flamebird's Avatar

    GP
    1,898

    Name
    Felicity Rhyolite
    Age
    19
    Race
    Neanderthal/ Human Hybrid
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    Female
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    Corone

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    Felicity shot up in concern over what was taking place. Her eyes were wide in worry. The fae were purposefully destroying drakari homes? She knew fae were tricksters, but would they cause mass damage like that? Felicity’s fists tightened. As her hair still dripped with water, she quickly picked up her bags and pulled it over her. She gave their drakari friend a grim nod. We’ll get to the bottom of this…

    She winced upon being reminded of the tussle with Zrazire. Yet, she turned her attention to an equally disturbed and darkened Yvonne. Their moment of play was over. They had to figure out what was going on with the drakari and fae.

    ~ ~ ~

    On the way there, Felicity grabbed a bag of assorted nuts, glazed with honey.

    Now, she followed behind Yvonne and Shaseth as they hastily moved downtown. Shoving in the high protein snacks as she jogged, Felicity followed them through the shadows of the darker section of town. It was insane how dilapidated it was. For the first time, Donnalaich really felt like a ruin. The only colors here seemed to be a hazy, cloudy, dull white. Some buildings were completely toppled down and destroyed, nothing but broken boulders and ashes remaining. The filthy cobblestone path was shaken and torn apart from earthquakes and erosion. Tropical weeds forced their way through the cracks, large and small, of this ancient grave.

    It was humid here, the cooling magic not reaching this far. However, despite the heat, it felt chillingly cold. It was the very air this lonely, lifeless sector of town provided. This used to be the home of a distant, ancient race that somehow completely fell into shadow. How did they go extinct? Were they massacred or was it slow? How could such a magnificent race, capable of growing trees legions taller than deemed natural, completely die out? Felicity’s steps were much slower than the others. She even stopped eating as she gazed across the entirety of this despair. As rubble slowly crumbled down a two-story house, she felt a deep sadness take over her.

    The people who lived here must have met a sorry fate.

    Her eyes were coated in childish anguish. Her face somber was grief as she stepped through the musty smelling streets. Sunlight dimly shone through, illuminating the dust flying around. The very atmosphere here seemed to bow its head in silence over lives millenniums lost, forgotten. Felicity looked down, seeing a doll made of hay and cloth half buried in a mound of pebbles below. She hastily shut her eyes, holding the tears back, as she marched on. She followed her two companions through the ruined city.

    If the fae, or whoever else ruined Shaseth’s home, were not stopped; the drakari could meet the same fate.

    ~ ~ ~

    Felicity lept through a hanging, ripped piece of cloth, over a large boulder. As she landed on her feet squarely, she looked up. About one hundred people, drakari and fae alike, were huddled, crying calling out, and seeking shelter in the travesty before them.

    This place had the same, dreary atmosphere as the ruins they past. The difference was that the damage was clearly recent. Wooden beams and stone walls has crumbled. A single drakari father pulled his little girl under a blanket as she cried out, a deep cut over her scaly face. One fae was holding his hand over his head, exasperated and devastated, as he surveyed the complete obliteration of his own home. Felicity’s eyes were widened as the noise of it all overloaded in her ears, causing a loud clanging inside her head. Now, tears came. As white dust made the air foggy, hard to see that far ahead, Felicity had to watch her step as she dodged a series of planks toppled over each other. She barely could keep up with Shaseth as he weaved his way through the broken crowd and ruined street. Although her eyes were blurred with tears, she heard one solid thing up ahead.

    Shouting. An immersive amount of shouting. Arguments.

    ”How could we have done this?? We have lived together in harmony and now our homes are destroyed too! You did this!”

    “No! The drakari and honorable. The fae are just lying, cheating scum! You must have done this!”


    Felicity hastily wiped the wetness from her eyes. She joined Yvonne as they pushed through the hazy scene, to where a large crowd of bickering drakari and far held their dispute.
    Last edited by Flamebird; 07-15-2018 at 07:56 PM.
    "I can't be proud of anything. I am ashamed of everything."

    "I gave my heart, my allegiance, all my energy for this and got nothing but ashes in return. What on earth did I do to deserve being chewed and spit out like this? Time and time again, it's all the same."


    Felicity Playlist.

  4. #14
    Senior Member

    EXP: 8,121, Level: 3
    Level completed: 79%, EXP required for next Level: 879
    Level completed: 79%,
    EXP required for next Level: 879


    Yvonne's Avatar

    GP
    2,109

    Name
    Yvonne Mythrilmantle
    Age
    21
    Race
    Grey Dwarf
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    Female
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    Alerar

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    Yvonne hastily kept pace with Shaseth’s long, heavy-footed strides but needed to take two or sometimes three steps to keep to his one. The scaly humanoid led the pair of women through a part of the city in stark contrast to that which they’d explored thus far. Some of the buildings barely remained standing - the deep dwarf couldn’t comprehend how some of the structures hadn’t collapsed, and yet, squatters and refugees made do with them as their homes. It all seemed so, so dangerous, but they had convinced themselves of no other choice.

    Heartache in her chest; it felt too much to endure, to come to grips with the reality of Donnalaich and its poorer inhabitants. Suffering appeared all around her, nothing but the sick, the dying, the essentially homeless. Exposed to the elements, these people would be constantly troubled by the region’s monsoonal weather conditions with a leaky roof to shelter them at best. It hurt so much, to see these drakari, fae and even the occasional human struggling to survive - their ragged blankets and their cobblestone pillows.

    “Why do they live like this, Shaseth? Why doesn’t anyone help them?” Yvonne asked, pained expression and concerned eyebrows.

    “Rebuilding a city is a tremendous undertaking, tiny matriarch. Over time we have restored much, as you saw throughout other parts of Donnalaich. Here, unfortunately there have been some setbacks. Demotivation swiftly followed,” Shaseth replied earnestly.

    “Why invest so much in superfluous water fountains, but so little in tha livelihood of tha poor?” the confounded half-and-halfling continued to question, anger entering her tone.

    “Err, leadership has been rather… lacking of late, matriarch. The fae rulers can be… how would you say-- fickle at times. They may have forgotten we even exist, I’m afraid,” the large drakari answered, gesturing for Yvonne to remain calm, worry to his eye-slits.

    She didn’t like that response. No, not at all, but she knew Shaseth had told her the truth to the best of his knowledge. That didn’t mean she had to like it. A burning desire overwhelmed her grief, a drive to change everything - all of this devastation - into what it should have been by now. She couldn’t stand this much longer, walking away from beggars sitting on the roadside and those passive, resistless eyes staring back at her, watching them go by.

    Yvonne stopped a moment to take in one building in particular, an utter shambles so ruined nobody lived in it any longer. Debris and scattered stone mingled together all around her feet, most of the supporting columns broken and the majority of the roof already laying among the grass. The door no longer seemed attached to its hinges, windows broken and the walls looked like someone had been pushed through them.

    “How did one fae do all of this?” Yvonne wondered.

    “Oh, no. That wasn’t the fae’s doing. My neighbour Esqkart lived there with his wife until recently. They had a… um, a disagreement,” the drakari stated, ever unsure of himself.

    A tile slid off the roof and shattered on the ground, not so far from the speculative crossbreed who hopped well out of the way after that.

    “Oh. Ye can say that again!” she declared, rejoining Felicity and their drakari guide.

    The shouting, the fighting between the innocent inhabitants of Donnalaich was the straw that broke the camel’s back. Drakari blaming the fae folk, the fae defending themselves and pointing their fingers at their larger brethren. So many voices booming loudly in Yvonne’s keen elven ears, the high-pitched notes of the frustrated fae like nails down a chalkboard. She couldn’t take it. She wouldn’t take it.

    Absolutely not.

    Yvonne glanced back at Felicity, heaving a big sigh for her little frame. These people needed a stern talking to. They should have been working together, helping each other through their troubles and what were they doing? Bickering; absolutely despicable.

    “Remember how ye picked me up and plonked me into tha water earlier?” the little hybrid foreshadowed a future event with a past one.

    “Yes, that was funny before… This ain’t a matter to-- to-- to be laughing about, Yvonne,” Felicity said.

    “No, I know. Do ye think ye could pick me up again and hurl me onto that roof there? If I not be too heavy, that be,” Yvonne proposed.

    “Pssh… Yvonne, how high would you like to-- to fly?” the fiery teen boasted.

    “Just onto tha roof, if ye please. Don’t go throwing me half way back ta Alerar, ye cheeky devil,” the wee woman said flatly, arms folding defensively. Soon after her companion collected her off the ground and prepared to swing her upward.

    An easy exertion for Felicity and the petite drow-dwarf soared up a storey, feet safely touching down on the half-crumbled roof. It was an adequate position from which to project her voice, a place where everyone who heard her would be able to turn and see. The shouting, arguing back-and-forth between the homeless had not grown quieter in the interim. It was beginning to give her a headache. Yvonne put two fingers in her mouth and unleashed one of the most shrill, ear-splittingly sharp, penetrating whistles that drakari and fae ears had ever heard.

    That got their attention. The dispute paused and the uproar died down, perhaps a hundred heads turning to see what that painful noise was. Many spotted her up on the building - some pointed for others to see, so those who hadn’t figured out the black dwarf had made the whistling sound could know too. While their attention was hers, she spoke with a booming, commanding speech.

    “Listen ta me! Quiet now, listen a moment,” Yvonne began, clearing her throat loudly. “I know yer afraid! I know yer confused! Nobody offers ta help ye or yer kin - yer hungry, cold and tired, out here on tha streets! Ye want ta know why! Ye want ta know how ye ended up like this! Ye need ta know why yer homes be in shambles, why ye can’t keep tha rain off - WELL I’LL TELL YOU! It be because ye haven’t FIXED yer homes! It be because ye STOPPED working together! It be because yer FIGHTING WITH EACH OTHER, INSTEAD OF SOLVING YER ISSUES!”

    Yvonne exhaled her annoyance, letting her message sink in as she inhaled another breath, to prepare another serve.

    “That said I be very disappointed ye TURNED ON EACH OTHER in yer hour of need! Cut it out right now! Me companion and I will sort out these setbacks yer been having! Mark me words, NOW we make a change! What I need from all of ye be COOPERATION, IT NOT BE HARD, shake hands, pat tha person next ta ye on tha back and HELP ME GET ON WITH IT! UNDERSTAND!?

    A hushed silence had befallen them all - blissful, peaceful, troubled silence. Expressions on their numerous faces were varied, some angry, some despondent, others shocked or fearful or stubborn. It didn’t matter. All she needed was one person to make the first positive change and the rest would follow. The more of them who joined the first few the smaller and smaller the group of obstinate naysayers would become. Sooner or later those naysayers would be the outcasts, left to their quibbling and nitpicking while everyone else rebuilt their community.

    “We will find tha vandal who be making yer lives harder, but ye did so much of this ta yerselves! When I COME BACK I want ta see some of these homes REBUILT! Everyone WILL work together! A HUNDRED of you will build a house in a DAY! We will shelter together in the functional houses like a FAMILY until we rebuild more! MAKE IT HAPPEN! Any PROBLEMS with that, come see ME, YVONNE MYTHRILMANTLE!”

    Yvy glanced down at Felicity, readying herself to jump off the roof and making sure the incredibly strong teenager would catch her before she connected with the ground.
    Last edited by Yvonne; 06-24-2018 at 01:00 PM.
    So I’m cutting that branch off the cherry tree.
    Singing this will be my victory.
    Then I, I see them coming after me.
    And they’re following me across the sea.
    And now they’re stinging my friends and my family.
    And I, I don’t know why this is happening.
    ~ Thrice, Black Honey.

  5. #15
    Nuclear Rage

    EXP: 64,948, Level: 10
    Level completed: 99%, EXP required for next Level: 52
    Level completed: 99%,
    EXP required for next Level: 52


    Flamebird's Avatar

    GP
    1,898

    Name
    Felicity Rhyolite
    Age
    19
    Race
    Neanderthal/ Human Hybrid
    Gender
    Female
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    Corone

    View Profile
    Felicity’s eyes widened as Yvonne made her challenging speech.

    She was bold. Fearless. The small, stout dwarf was confident and sure. She had absolutely zero qualms pointing out every flaw in the system. Every crack in the supporting beams of the structure. She took control, exactly like in Zrazire’s shop. Yvonne Mythrilmantle was in town, and she was boss.

    Felicity felt proud. For the first time, she felt as if she was looking up to her (quite literally.) Just like Ashla or Nevin, she watched the tiny drow with a dazzle in her eyes. Respect. Yvonne commanded it. There was no objection in the crowd as she completely told them off – then offered to help – on the condition that they help each other.

    Yet, as Yvonne stood atop the roof, her stadium, another emotion pricked and poked at her.

    What was it? Felicity did not know. Something in her subconscious warned her of some sort of danger. Was it fear? Felicity could not tell. Why should she be afraid? Yvonne always had Felicity’s back, from the moment they met. Why was a level of anxiety jumping in her chest. Light fuzziness, sizzles and pops, fluttered in her chest. Her heartbeat tripled. For a moment, her hands felt oddly numb.

    She did not even notice that Yvonne was waving her hand at her, to catch her as she jumped down.

    Felicity’s unfeeling, light, tingling hands twitched. She bit her lip, frustrated over how her body just did this occasionally. Just like Felicity could not read Yvonne’s expression through the white haze, however, Yvonne would not be able to see her own face. Her face was pale as even more sweat started to drip from her forehead. Felicity took several steps, which felt so odd, closer to the building. Pebbles crunched beneath her boots as she summoned enough strength to extend her hands. As images of a cloaked woman in black snuck through her head, Felicity squinted. Yvonne needed down. She could not risk feeling her wrath directed at her!

    Eyes of infuriated ice flashed briefly in her vision. She felt herself go numb again, right before she felt a heavy weight in her arms.

    Yvonne.

    It took all her strength to hold her as her arms shook. It was strange. Yvonne was usually like a feather. Her entire body vibrated as she carefully, albeit quickly, set Yvonne down. Shy eyes darted away, yet her next action was immediate.

    “O-Okay, where do we find the vandal?”

    Her ever present anger slithered up to the forefront as she slammed a fist into her hand, “Let’s get that punk.”

    The thoughts in her head were much more fragile, however. As the drakari and fae started to gather, cross, and murmur; the teen looked up. Through the grey smog that the rubble created, she watched the dim but scorching sun faintly beat down on them. She could possibly be in a moment of disassociation – or just spacing out. Even the ear piercing crowd seemed so far away. Although, the sweat could be attributed to Dheathian's heat. The shaking? Felicity could always point to her high metabolic rate. Regardless, she was still so distant within the moment. Her arms shook once again. As she lowered them, letting them drop, she asked herself a hard question. Why does Yvonne remind me of Ayleth?
    Last edited by Flamebird; 06-25-2018 at 08:44 PM.
    "I can't be proud of anything. I am ashamed of everything."

    "I gave my heart, my allegiance, all my energy for this and got nothing but ashes in return. What on earth did I do to deserve being chewed and spit out like this? Time and time again, it's all the same."


    Felicity Playlist.

  6. #16
    Senior Member

    EXP: 8,121, Level: 3
    Level completed: 79%, EXP required for next Level: 879
    Level completed: 79%,
    EXP required for next Level: 879


    Yvonne's Avatar

    GP
    2,109

    Name
    Yvonne Mythrilmantle
    Age
    21
    Race
    Grey Dwarf
    Gender
    Female
    Location
    Alerar

    View Profile
    Felicity seemed to be distracted a moment, preoccupied with her thoughts. Hopping down from the roof-top took a while but soon enough Yvonne had the neanderthal’s go ahead to do so. She jumped and, as the strong woman caught the dwarven hybrid, Felicity’s arms seemed weaker than when they’d thrown her onto the roof in the first place.

    Yvonne looked at her friend with concern and confusion. Suddenly I be more than ye can bear? What be tha matter? The neanderthal warrior hastily averted her eyes and changed the subject, before her well-being became the subject.

    Still worked up from giving her speech to the Dheathainian people, the half-and-halfling glowered. I thought we be doing so well, talking our feelings through. Why go back? Achromatic eyes turned on Shaseth, their drakari guide, who answered Felicity’s question before she could. Well, we not be alone any more. That must be it. Mayhap we can revisit this later.

    “If we knew where to find the vandal, we would have dealt with them ourselves,” Shaseth answered. “We don’t know where they’re hiding, who they are or how many among their number. We have a few opinions, but… well, better to avoid wild goose chases,” the scale said, deciding on restraint. Shaking his head and walking on, through the crowd, he beckoned that they follow.

    “Come, I will show you to my home. You can both see the damage for yourselves and draw your own conclusions.”

    ~~~

    Cold timber walls surrounded the trio as they stepped inside the drakarian hovel. Thatched roofing loomed overhead, made of straw, packed tightly together and secured with cord. Thatch couldn’t be the ideal roofing solution in a tropical rainforest as it currently dripped water to the floor below. Animal skins decorated the flooring, draped over chairs and hung like curtains in doorways.

    Shaseth’s family huddled around a dancing, luminous campfire at the heart of the main room. It warmed their home passably, but hissed occasionally as drops of water fizzled into vapour at flame’s touch. His drakari mate arose from beside the fire and their forlorn children, to welcome him home and to embrace him. The children lingered near the warmth, barely looking up at their father or the new arrivals.

    “Hello beloved. These are the two of which you spoke earlier?” she questioned with a hint of suspicion.

    “Yes, these ones confronted Zrazire. They have come to aid us once more, in the search for the vandal. Such is their generosity,” Shaseth explained, speaking highly of them.

    “Who will fix our roof? Who will replace our windows?” his wife prompted, an edge to her voice and worry for her children creasing her brow.

    “Everything will be fine soon, dearest. You will see. They will find the vandal and put an end to all of these problems,” the drakari husband stated.

    “I do not want to hear anything more about vandals!” Shaseth’s wife declared. “I am thinking of our cubs, our home and so should you!”

    “Of course I think of our cubs. I think of our home and the homes of our neighbours, Shaseth insisted. “The culprit needs to be caught so we can all carry on.”

    Yvonne smoothly intervened before their argument spiraled out of hand.

    “Mayhap we might see these windows? See if there be something we can do?” Yvonne asked gently, seeking permission from their guide’s wife. Shaseth needed no further convincing.

    The lady drakari huffed, sighing. “You may as well,” she said, resigned. She turned and walked to an adjoining archway where she parted the animal skin curtain for them, looking back. Yvonne followed with Felicity close behind, however one of Shaseth’s sorrowful children stepped in between them and looked up at Felicity with wide, snake-like eyes.

    The neanderthal hybrid stopped to give the little drakari girl before her a moment of her time. Yvonne looked over her shoulder and listened, waiting patiently. The drakeling wore her dark brown hair in dread-lock pigtails, her face almost entirely covered in emerald scales save her mouth and chin. She stared into the teenager’s eyes without blinking, her lower lip and chin quivering as though she wanted to say something, but didn’t know that she should. On the verge of tears, she gestured with an infantile claw for the redheaded hybrid to come closer.

    Felicity knelt down and met the little one on her level, giving the drakari cub a reassuring smile. “W-w-what’s the matter, sweetheart?”

    The little drake girl pouted, looked down. “Will you fix our--” she started, but her mother quickly cut her off.

    “Jesnys! We don’t speak with strangers, do we?” the suspicious parent stated more than questioned.

    “...but I--” Jesnys attempted.

    “No buts,” her mother said.

    Tears welled up in child’s big azure eyes, her lower lip trembled - the quiet of the storm. She bawled her eyes out, wailing and giving her mother tone in her voice even as she cried.

    “--but I only wanted to play on the seesaaww! My seesaw doesn’t-- seesaaww anymore!” the drakeling complained, sniffling loudly and wiping at the tears wetting her scales.

    “Enough, Jesnys, let the stranger pass.”
    Last edited by Yvonne; 07-01-2018 at 06:02 AM.
    So I’m cutting that branch off the cherry tree.
    Singing this will be my victory.
    Then I, I see them coming after me.
    And they’re following me across the sea.
    And now they’re stinging my friends and my family.
    And I, I don’t know why this is happening.
    ~ Thrice, Black Honey.

  7. #17
    Nuclear Rage

    EXP: 64,948, Level: 10
    Level completed: 99%, EXP required for next Level: 52
    Level completed: 99%,
    EXP required for next Level: 52


    Flamebird's Avatar

    GP
    1,898

    Name
    Felicity Rhyolite
    Age
    19
    Race
    Neanderthal/ Human Hybrid
    Gender
    Female
    Location
    Corone

    View Profile
    The child’s tears provoked her own.

    Silent tears spewed down her cheeks. Even something as insignificant as a seesaw caused her wrap her arms around herself. As dust particles buzzed around them, Felicity lifted a hand and rubbed at her puffy eyes.

    This was all so much to take in.

    This place was like the war zones described by her late cousin, a Coronian Ranger, a long time ago. Toppled buildings, destroyed lives… She herself had never seen anything like this ruined neighborhood. Why? Why would someone do this? Who dared to set these innocent folks back so far? Their lives were not playthings! This building should still be firm and strong.

    This girl should still have her seesaw.

    As she continued to bawl, the drakari woman yanked her away. She gave Felicity a warning glare so deep, even through her tears she felt the burning. “Don’t talk to my daughter.”

    Still kneeling, looking up at her, Rhyolite’s fist tightened. Lips were stiffened and barred together. Her eyes were fuming with a kind of rage before she looked down. For all the physical signs of stress, her voice was… timid.

    “I’m trying to help you.”

    Shaseth’s wife just increased in her fury. Dragon’s steam emerged from her lips as she growled, “You cannot help us, little girl!”

    The child shrunk back, body pressed against the crumbling, stone wall. She felt the tension. It terrified her. She continued to wail loudly as Felicity shot up. Something inside her screamed at the words. She could not help her? How? Felicity was every bit capable, no matter what anyone told her. The discriminating Eiskaltians were wrong, the Coronian Rangers were wrong, Ayleth was wrong. She could barely hold herself back, riding an angry storm with no obvious trigger. Under tremendous stress, the hothead pulled her balled fists behind her waistline. Her face drew closer to the woman’s as she hissed.

    “Just watch me save you.”

    The woman crossed her arms, taking a frustrated step back. “Nobody can save us, child! Things have always been this way! It will never change!”

    Felicity’s offended stance sharply died down as she heard despair in her voice. The woman turned away, exhausted. Head lowered, she sighed, “Nobody can help us…”

    “Mo-mommy?” Another child, still hunkered by the fire, chirped in deep fear.

    Tears in her eyes, she looked away from her children.

    Another form of anger started to boil. Felicity and Shaseth’s sweetheart were one in the same. They were obviously worried and angry about everything, so they backlashed at anyone they could. Bold determination crossed Felicity’s green eyes. She caught a mistake; now to fix it. Her body was up straight, alert, yet her facial features were now soft. In a bitter, remorseful, soothing tone, she spoke.

    “Watch me. I promise, it’ll get better.”

    As musty, foul smelling droplets fell from the straw roof, Felicity saw how pathetic this family was. Starved, alone… this was no way to live. If nobody had tried to help, she would help. If others tried and failed, she would rise the first victor. Yvonne and Felicity’s resolves were a perfect match. Felicity stepped through the dark, wet room as she stood next to the dwarf. “Watch us. Yvonne and I will fix everything.”

    “E-even-“ the once bawling child had slowed down, but her quivering lip still hinted at another upcoming meltdown. “Seesaw?”

    Felicity smiled, a small yet powerful dose of warmth flooded her bitter heart, “Yes!” She chuckled, “Including the seesaw!”
    Last edited by Flamebird; 07-09-2018 at 05:43 PM.
    "I can't be proud of anything. I am ashamed of everything."

    "I gave my heart, my allegiance, all my energy for this and got nothing but ashes in return. What on earth did I do to deserve being chewed and spit out like this? Time and time again, it's all the same."


    Felicity Playlist.

  8. #18
    Senior Member

    EXP: 8,121, Level: 3
    Level completed: 79%, EXP required for next Level: 879
    Level completed: 79%,
    EXP required for next Level: 879


    Yvonne's Avatar

    GP
    2,109

    Name
    Yvonne Mythrilmantle
    Age
    21
    Race
    Grey Dwarf
    Gender
    Female
    Location
    Alerar

    View Profile
    Yvonne smiled too and looked to her friend with admiration. The half-dwarf reached out and gave Felicity a few soft pats upon her arm. With that simple gesture of approval she turned away stepped toward the animal-skin archway. No longer did she focus on her but the words she spoke benefited the teenager alone.

    “I couldn’t have said it better myself. Yer going ta make a wonderful mother some day--” she acknowledged, sweeping the skin aside and passing through. The pelt fell back into place with a swoosh and she continued, distant, “--and make a little tike happy ta have a mama like ye,” finishing her sentence on the other side.

    Shaseth embraced his wife in the main room while Yvonne explored a brief corridor that forked both left and right. Off to the left appeared to be the sleeping quarters of husband and wife. Prying from the hallway she could make out the wide double bed within, no doubt cushioned with little more than straw bedding and linen blankets. She noticed a fur covering strewn across one corner however its origin couldn’t be discerned. A wooden chest rested parallel to the foot of the bed, secured tightly.

    There didn’t seem to be anything out of place. With the master bedroom relatively undamaged Yvonne spun on her heel and gazed into the room of two drakari cubs. Child-like decorations hung upon the walls, claw-paintings and scribbles. The drow-dwarf had a hunch that the quieter child expressed herself through art, and they wouldn’t hear much from her any other way.

    Stepping into the children’s room the black dwarf realized why this family felt so rattled.

    She had never in her entire life set goggled eyes on anything like the far-wall window.

    The glass had been shattered from the outside-inward, but fractured pieces did not lay scattered across the floor in a dangerous hazard underfoot. Instead they remained, as if trapped in the moment the window broke, caught in a supporting crystallization of dripping ice. Held, floating above the ground until the ice melted away and released its frigid clutch on its jagged, glass prisoners.

    No wonder the drakari husband had desperately sought them out. Of course his wife felt suspicious of strangers in her home. It seemed the safety of their children had been threatened.

    Yvonne subconsciously took a step away from the window and reversed into Shaseth’s hulking form. He blocked the doorway. She turned and glanced up at him, her brows conveying how troubled she felt with the discovery. Her silver eyes searched his for any answers she could find, but with none forthcoming she struggled to look at the ice-pierced window again. She couldn’t do it.

    “What do you make of it, tiny matriarch?” Shaseth inquired apprehensively.

    “I-- I don’t know Shaseth,” she admitted, fearful. “It scares me. Please, let me go.”

    “You said you would help us. Please, help us,” he pleaded.

    “I will but ye need ta let me out of this room,” Yvonne stressed, her voice heightening.

    Reluctance waged war with acceptance. Eventually acceptance won and he shifted sideways to allow the little one an escape route, breathing a frustrated sigh of dragon steam. His slit-eyes remained fixed on the frozen ice-pulse which had solidified the broken window of his daughters. Even now it dripped onto the wooden flooring beneath, pooling into a thin puddle of water.
    Last edited by Yvonne; 07-01-2018 at 07:48 AM.
    So I’m cutting that branch off the cherry tree.
    Singing this will be my victory.
    Then I, I see them coming after me.
    And they’re following me across the sea.
    And now they’re stinging my friends and my family.
    And I, I don’t know why this is happening.
    ~ Thrice, Black Honey.

  9. #19
    Nuclear Rage

    EXP: 64,948, Level: 10
    Level completed: 99%, EXP required for next Level: 52
    Level completed: 99%,
    EXP required for next Level: 52


    Flamebird's Avatar

    GP
    1,898

    Name
    Felicity Rhyolite
    Age
    19
    Race
    Neanderthal/ Human Hybrid
    Gender
    Female
    Location
    Corone

    View Profile
    While Yvonne checked the corridors, Felicity made way towards the door. Maybe, checking out that leaky roof would give the duo clues. As she stepped outside, she silently reflected off of Yvonne’s comments on her being a potential mother. She had a certain desire to start a family, yes, but it was in the distant future. When she stopped exploring, maybe. When her longing to see and save the world died down. Alongside her restlessness in life, there was another roadblock in that future as well… fear. Fear whispered that she had no idea how to be a mother, as she never knew her mother that well herself. Fear grimly growled into her ears that no man could love her eitherway. Why would they? She was a… meager spec of dust.

    She growled, tightning her fists. Her boots waded in a puddle, and she was suddenly drawn back to the present. She turned around, facing the house. Now, the roof was too high to get a good view. Felicity crossed her arms, contemplating. She needed a solid vantage point…

    There! Next to the house, a withered old tree sprouted just high enough to get a good view. She grinned, walking up to the tree. She started to climb with ease, the athlete she was. Yet, halfway up, she grew confused. The flakey, aged bark was wettened with cold frost. The air felt unusually cold, especially for Dheathian. The air felt, smelled even, crisp and cool. And... that feeling... that odd feeling. The same feeling she had back at the city's entrance came back. Why? What was she sensing, feeling, that was here?

    - Then, trouble - she gasped, having to snatch a branch as she lost her footing! For a wretchedly long moment, the tree creaked and groaned as she held on. Her strength bolstered by a cut in her arm, she hoisted herself up with unbridled, heated resolve.

    As mild, faintly noticeable, stinging pain returned to her hand, she looked down. She had not caught it before, but a small sheet of ice completely covered a section of bark. This was what she slipped on, almost fallen from the tree. She bit her lip. That strange sense grew stronger up here. She felt it in ripples as she looked up.

    Her eyes widened.

    The entire roof was encased in ice. Solid, brutal winter ice. Her land of birth was Eiskalt, so she knew ice. Ice should not just make up a second layer of roof, smooth and hard like that. Even then, the melting ice at the bottom was obviously causing the leaks. Yet, as for Felicity…

    Her heart pounded. Sweat burst despite the chill in the air. Her eyes widened, arms and legs going ever so slightly numb.

    Her mouth gaped. The ice reminded her of clearly of…

    “… Ashla …”
    Last edited by Flamebird; 07-10-2018 at 04:19 AM.
    "I can't be proud of anything. I am ashamed of everything."

    "I gave my heart, my allegiance, all my energy for this and got nothing but ashes in return. What on earth did I do to deserve being chewed and spit out like this? Time and time again, it's all the same."


    Felicity Playlist.

  10. #20
    Senior Member

    EXP: 8,121, Level: 3
    Level completed: 79%, EXP required for next Level: 879
    Level completed: 79%,
    EXP required for next Level: 879


    Yvonne's Avatar

    GP
    2,109

    Name
    Yvonne Mythrilmantle
    Age
    21
    Race
    Grey Dwarf
    Gender
    Female
    Location
    Alerar

    View Profile
    “How am I to trade for glass? No telling when another Fallieni merchant will come to our market. What kind of father boards up the window of his children?” Shaseth questioned with exasperation.

    “A worried father,” Yvonne whispered under her breath as she hurried into the corridor. She had to get away from that magical horror. Her breathing had quickened, her heart raced. No telling who would scare children out of their beds without an obvious reason, seemingly out of no other desire than to cause damage. If the vandalism had been a means to an end - to break and enter for instance - to steal valuables the hybrid could understand. They would have disturbed more of the hovel in that case, the parent’s room being a most likely place to find stashed wealth, yet everything appeared in its place there.

    Destruction for destruction’s sake? Why? That be so… so dull. Wouldn’t tha vandal need an intention, a purpose? What could that be? This be a show of magic ta inspire distrust between drakari and fae? What could someone gain by dividing tha people and setting them at each other’s throats? These citizens don’t pose a threat even if they banded together into a militia. They live in poverty. Giving them a shakedown wouldn’t rattle any valuables loose. None of it makes sense ta me.

    It must have been a message, but to who? This home wasn’t the only building weathering an unnatural blizzard, so Shaseth and his family weren’t being individually targeted. It could have been an attempt to draw the attention of the fae rulers, make them focus on the state of their city. The people of these slums desperately needed help and the government ignore them. Was this vandalism a cry for attention?

    In that moment Yvonne felt them. Fingers even smaller than her own touching her trembling hand. Her thoughts disrupted, the half-and-halfling turned to notice who made the gesture. The silent child wanted to hold her hand, give her some reassurance. Kindness from one so young took her by surprise.

    A scaled baby face and narrow draconian eyes looked up to the dark-skinned stranger in her home, concern plain as day in spite of concealing snake-like features. The little one took Yvonne by her hand and quietly walked toward the children’s room, pulling her ebony arm. The dwarf hybrid expressed her unease with going back in there, near that icy shatter-magic, but the drakari girl had made up her mind.

    “Show you,” she said. Nothing more. Why were the quiet ones those which you had to keep an eye on? They were always full of surprises.

    “What do ye need ta show me child?” Yvonne asked hesitantly, slowly following behind her new leader.

    “Kelzys? What are you up to sugarplum?” Shaseth wondered as the two of them passed in front of him and reentered the room.

    “Showing,” Kelzys responded, rolling her eyes at her father. She took Yvonne matter-of-factly toward her drawings hanging on the wall, ignoring the ice sculpture window in the far wall, pointing at one scribbled individual in particular. She rapped her tiny spiked nail upon the drawing a few times, giving the impression the scribbles held all the answers. “Him,” she revealed.

    “He be tha vandal?” Yvonne asked, confirming for clarity.

    “He did,” the drakari youngling stated and as soon as those two words left her lips she walked out of the room again, returning to her sister’s side most likely.

    Yvonne stared intently at the juvenile, slapdash markings, attempting to commit every detail to memory. The drawing wasn’t detailed, the lines wobbled and the creature had a disproportionate head to his limbs, but every clue would be important. The hybrid’s mind shouted gremlin, but the longer she looked at it the more she resettled on fae. His face had a single, too big teardrop at cheek level. It wasn’t much however she would thank Kelzys for trying to capture a picture of the vandal as best she could.

    Searching for Felicity brought Yvonne outside. The redheaded half-neanderthal seemed to lost in some kind of hazy, glassy eyed daze, perched up in the nearest tree. A sight to see, that one. What exactly had she been doing out here? What had Felicity found that seemed so intriguing, it held all of her attention? A moment of thought jogged her memory.

    “Oh! Right, we be going ta fix tha seesaw for tha wee tikes,” Yvonne said, catching on mistakenly. She had a tool for just such an occasion! Unhooking the cogwheel saw from its attachments to her backpack, she wound the device up with a small, rotating handgrip, around and around until it didn’t wind any more. After that she set the spinning blade horizontally against the base of the tree, taking bits and pieces out of the trunk with a loud searing noise. The drow-dwarf would have the tree toppled in about a minute’s time.
    So I’m cutting that branch off the cherry tree.
    Singing this will be my victory.
    Then I, I see them coming after me.
    And they’re following me across the sea.
    And now they’re stinging my friends and my family.
    And I, I don’t know why this is happening.
    ~ Thrice, Black Honey.

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