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Thread: Entanglement

  1. #11
    Senior Member

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    Yvonne's Avatar

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    2,109

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

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    "Hy-- brid?" Yvonne questioned, raising an eyebrow uncertainly as she sought confirmation. "I think I understand," she said, her understanding dubious at best. "I was only called a mongrel by tha dark elves and that was their way of being polite. Me fellow dwarves were more inclined ta be vulgar and liked to refer ta me as a shit-skin," she declared with a jovial grin and cheerful expression. If those names had affected her she concealed it masterfully.

    Felicity's map found its way into the half-dwarf's grabby hands, and she was more than willing to take it, though the confidence required for the exchange was not lost on her. The roll of parchment may have been the one object that would decidedly keep them from a grim end as they were currently disoriented in the jungle. Yvonne untied the string that kept it closed and unfurled the map before herself, holding it open while she scrutinized it intently.

    "In a round-a-bout way ye and I are tha same then, that what yer saying?" She didn't look up from the map, somewhat unconvinced by the possibility. She'd come to terms many years ago that there was nobody else like her. She'd never met another dark elven and dwarven mixed breed in all her time living in Kachuck, and no one had given her any indication that the accident she was had happened before or again. That naive hope had sputtered, flickered and died out.

    That wasn't what her warrior companion was suggesting though. Obviously Felicity wasn't a shit-skin, although rolling around in the mud as she was... she would have sufficed.

    "Yer getting right in tune with nature, ye are," the deep dwarf mumbled, focused more-so on the landmarks she'd come across of the area and attempting to pinpoint their location on the map. If she could achieve that they'd have a bearing and she could decide on a direction to take. "That'll mask tha smell very well, ye know," she teased, grinning mischievously. "We'll benefit by throwing tha predators off our tracks."

    The dusk dwarf believed she had the map more or less figured out. This brook was the landmark that they needed to find their way. The map didn't give a clear understanding of the jungle, as foot trails through it would sooner or later become overgrown and reclaimed by nature. They would have to cut a path through it seemed, to climb a hill, and from that hill-top they should be able to see Donnalaich in all of its ruined glory of yesteryear.

    "Mayhap I should join ye in that muddy slop," Yvonne suggested, though her lifted chin and - I'm too good for that - expression requested otherwise. I'd rather not muck about, thank ye. This be a favourite corset of mine.

    Yvonne was so caught up in studying the map and helping to get their bearings that she failed to notice Felicity's difficult-to-detect episode. It was the injured teen's hand spring from the creek side that collected her attention again, as well as her water purification idea.

    "That be a clever thought. Who knows what diseases and other assorted nasties be swimming alongside the creek fish," she wondered, eyeing Felicity's purification device. "How does that gadget clean tha water, exactly?" The pristine, icy mountain water that flowed through Kachuck's caverns wasn't much in need of a purifier, but Ettermire's polluted filth not so far away was something else. The miniature navigator pondered where Felicity might have bought the device, and whether it was Aleraran make.

    "Let's purify some water and go. I don't think these watering holes in tha wilderness are ever safe. All tha animals come here ta drink. Tha ones with pointy teeth too," Yvonne advised, carefully hopping from one stepping stone to another, hoping to cross the creek without getting too wet preferably. The half-dwarf didn't know how to swim, not that she would need to as the creek wasn't deep. She didn't know that for certain though and was unwilling to find out.

    Adjusting the lenses of her goggles she set off into the tropical rain forest once more, vanishing between the ferns on the other side of the babbling brook.
    Last edited by Yvonne; 03-13-2018 at 06:23 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.

  2. #12
    Nuclear Rage

    EXP: 64,948, Level: 10
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    Flamebird's Avatar

    GP
    1,898

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

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    The jokes jabbing at her trip in the mud irked her, just a bit. One of her many weaknesses, a quickness to anger, was always threatening to take over. She gripped the water purification device, eyes narrowed in uncalled for aggression. For as tired as she was, her words were only a low whisper, “I’m just so used to cooler climates…”

    She had to shove that eternally smoldering, dark orb in her chest down even further. By the sounds of it, Yvonne was not treated fairly in her youth. It was something the mistreated and abused Felicity could direly relate to. It was an overflowing reason for saving grace. Any hurt feelings were pushed back, shoved into the black voids of her subconscious. A matter-of-fact like persona took over. It was ice chilled and contained. She proceeded to fill their water supply, explaining each and every step of purification and safety protocol.

    After they took care of their water supply, they pressed of. Felicity had to muster all her strength to place those heavy packs upon her shaking back again. As the jungle teemed with the excitement of daily animal life, Felicity treaded right through the river. It was while they went up the hill that she was relieved – Yvonne’s moss to boot trick really worked! The padding made walking easier, although slimy and uncomfortable. It was still better than the pain. In this thick rain forest, in survival situations, beggars could not be choosers. Thus, the redhead sucked it up and pressed forward.

    As Yvonne led the way, they made it up a hill. The climb was steep and severe. Even someone as tough as Rhyolite had to grab any stones or trees in her path to support herself and her bags. Her alchemy kit rattled as she slowly breathed in and out, heavily. Felicity was pretty sure this was her worst traveling experience ever. The humidity was tainting her at this point, pushing her to the brink. I can handle climbing snowy mountains, navigating deserts, and walking through pine forests, but this- Sheer anger gave her the boost of energy to make it to the top.

    What she saw reminded her how worth it the effort was…

    It was beautiful. Through the remaining palm trees and shrubs, from the hill, it shone like a diamond. Donnalaich. It was a series of magnificent, white walls and buildings. Built before modern time, they were overgrown with trees and bushes, coated with vines. The mixtures of greens and greys gave it a fresh and exotic feel. She had seen ruins before, in Raiaera, yet this blew everything she saw there out of the water. They were only on top of a slope overlooking the place, yet now… the humidity actually did not feel half bad anymore. Well, it was still pretty horrible…

    Felicity’s features were lifted from cranky to excited. While still exhausted, her stomach begging for nourishment in its relentless gurgles, Felicity was overcome with awe and joy. The teen let out a joyous, free spirited laugh.

    “C’mon!” Felicity rapidly motioned Yvonne to follow. Having received her second wind, Felicity started to trek downhill.
    "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.

  3. #13
    Senior Member

    EXP: 8,121, Level: 3
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    Yvonne's Avatar

    GP
    2,109

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

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    The companions had put the hill beneath them, though not without an arduous climb. Ascending the highland had given them a breathtaking vantage point. No, really, I be more puffed than an inflatable toad... "Just... one moment... catch me breath," the half-dwarf wheezed.

    An open view of the jungle below was all fine and good, but Yvonne was relying on the canopy - leaves, ferns and branches above - to keep the atmosphere dim. They had come out into the clear where the sun's light was most intense, scorching and direct. The grey dwarf was forced to lid her eyes almost entirely, barely willing to squint through her eyelashes. She knew it'd be a bad idea to look out and see Donnalaich for herself, as it would render her blind and helpless for hours. It was enough to sense the change in Felicity - awe and excitement, to have the knowledge that her travelling companion had spotted the city for them. As long as one of them knew the way and they stayed together, that mattered most.

    It seemed Yvonne would have to trust Felicity to lead her true. Trust - it was a double-edged blade that granted the wielder both the power to overcome and a risk of betrayal. Her mentor Abel had taught her that to achieve great things in your life risks must be taken. Risks and the odds of success must be considered and considered well, but take the risk every time the odds are in your favour. In that way you will succeed more than you will fail and come out ahead.

    Yvonne had not forgotten his lessons. She understood that Felicity may not be the person she appeared to be. Their meeting may not have been a coincidence of crossing paths in the jungle. The worst case scenario she could imagine - Felicity was a bandit chieftain or a slaver with a very elaborate plot to lead her into an ambush. 'Help, my ankle hurts' may have been bait to lure and prey upon her goodwill. The truth was the half-dwarf wasn't certain that she herself was worthy of trust either. It was the natural order to think of your own interests before giving charity to others. Survival of the fittest was a real contest where lives were won and lost, that existed to this day.

    Either way, Felicity was more than convincing. The lass appeared genuine in every way as far as the half-dwarf could detect. There had been no indication that the half-neanderthal shouldn't be trusted, and what's more they shared a racial bond. They were hybrid-sisters. As Abel would say, the odds were in Yvonne's favour. The metaphorical coin was flipped and she bet on trust. Time would reveal heads or tails.

    The grey dwarf hurried down the slope, her little legs unable to keep pace with a relatively uninhibited Felicity. Tha moss must be making short work of that limp. I be way behind.

    Thumping hooves snagged Yvonne's attention and she glanced sideward to identify the noise-maker. She was yanked out of her active mind, her thoughts free and flowing, back to the reality of here and now. A frightened deer skipped right by her, so strange for it to get so close to a humanoid. The hooved animal bounded right by Felicity up ahead as well, very skittish but not because of the women. Her dwarven legs kept on running as quickly as they could, her goggled eyes scanning the surrounding hillside for what the deer was fleeing.

    It took a moment, difficult to search while in such a hurry to catch up with Felicity. In the canopy overhead, in the tree-tops, it leaped from branch to branch. It was swifter than its prey, the terrified deer, gaining on it and closing the gap. It was stronger and more muscular, each tree-top bound far more impressive than the hopping-away prey. It pounced down to the earth before Yvonne when the trees wouldn't support it any longer, immediately sprinting ferociously toward its mark. The grey dwarf panicked, fearing for her friend.

    The black panther was definitely going to make a meal out of one of them, the deer or Felicity, and the deer was getting away. In one fluid motion Yvonne drew a bolt and loaded her crossbow, pulled back the string and dropped to a knee. She aimed for her target, held her breath.

    Yvonne trembled. She hesitated.

    She switched her target, aiming for the long shot instead. She fired on the deer and hoped to disable it.

    Hit or miss, she screamed, "Felicity! Look out!"
    Last edited by Yvonne; 03-18-2018 at 04:22 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.

  4. #14
    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

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    Felicity usually was the more considerate type. However, in all her excitement and glee, she ran a little too fast for the half dwarf to keep up. Her surroundings were forgotten as her dire need to reach civilization, eat, and shower overtook her. At the edge of her limit, she did not even notice to crackling of brambles and branches. The deer racing for dear life did no process. Yet, a shriek of warning sounded from behind, her shouted name calling her awake. Felicity turned around in shock, met with – “*Oof!*” – a ton load of black furred heaviness.

    She fell to the ground. The dead blanket was embedded in its spinal chord with a crossbow bolt. Wide eyed, the teen shoved the heat amplifier off her. She eyed the creature on the ground, sweat falling down her back like a waterfall. She… was shocked and awed. Above the tall ferns, Yvonne raced to her with her crossbow in hand. Her grey eyes were also filled with dread and terror. Veins bulged as she caught up to her, shaking and out of breath.

    Still downed, but clearly well, Felicity rubbed her head. She smiled, “’anks, friend…” She panted, “I fink we need to get to civ'ization soon. Fo’ heawf weasons…”



    ~~~


    Donnalaich.

    They made it... after long last...

    The city’s outskirts was coated in a rough layer of vines and vegetation. The pale, crumbling, albeit towering and magnificent buildings were… indescribable. The remarkable, rubble roads were overgrown in tropical vines. Some trees reached heights even greater than the redwoods of Concordia. It was simultaneously prepossessing and horrifying. It boisterously demanded respect and awe. Yet, it was protective and indisputably beautiful. Already, from the edges of ancient buildings and treehouses, fae of many kinds were lingering about. Hanging out or living daily life, the small creatures clamored in daily conversation. Several drakari of various classes also popped up here and there.

    The adventurous girl was perplexed. Her eyes were wide in childlike awe as she circled in all directions. Walking backwards, she gazed upon the endless, exotic world. They had just entered, and Felicity already was captivated. Poor Yvonne probably thought she was a clumsy goof!

    Yet, something inside felt… strange?

    Her senses tingled unnaturally. Specs and jaded fragments of an unworldly feeling tangled inside. Whenever she came close to the most humongous of trees. Whenever an elder fae passed by. She winced, gaped, and shook over these pieces of peculiar tremors inside. She did not yet know it, but her magical affinity was growing. For the first time, in the relic of archaic prowess, she was sensing any magic around her. The physical and psychological prodding distracted her, yet… the smell of something edible snapped her out of her haze.

    “Yvonne.” She literally started to drool, “Food. Now.”

    She bolted forth, entering the vicinity of a drakari run butchery. It employed the lowest caste of them all… and was fronted by an arrogant Claw.
    Last edited by Flamebird; 05-05-2018 at 11:07 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.

  5. #15
    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 had lined the deer up in her sights, her gut feeling warning her it would take more than one crossbow bolt to bring down a black panther. She'd been afraid to bolt the cat because if it survived the shot she didn't have a next move. It would turn on its attacker and there would be no attempt to flee from its ferocity. Claws and blood would be all.

    Or so it seemed, in her erratic mind.

    The grey dwarf fired the long shot off with a thwack at the running prey, but everything was moving so much faster than she was, bogged in hesitation. The panther unknowingly bounded in front of her missile and the jagged iron tip punctured its spine. The wildcat's predatory days were over and the deer? It didn't look back even for a second, having no grasp on luck or how it had narrowly escaped not one but two deaths in the span of seconds.

    'Narrowly' may have been an overstatement in regards to Yvonne's crude shot. Such was her aim she'd slain another animal altogether. One of these days I need ta invest in marksmanship lessons. These bolts be doing their own thing. Next time circumstances such as these arose it could be between two humanoids and the gravity of bolting the wrong person would be crushing. Just something else ta be worried about.

    Felicity had made the attempt at saving Yvonne's life from the carnivorous plant and now the dwarf had returned the favour. In both cases the skill to achieve what they set out to do seemed to be lacking but the intentions were pure. Somehow they had both managed to bumble on through and help each other out.

    The red-head discarded the panther carcass like the filthy contents of a chamber pot, tossed away to the dirt below. Her companion had caught the unlucky prowler in her arms but clearly didn't want anything to do with it. Yvonne thought twice about the kill, three times. It seemed like such a waste to merely leave the cat corpse here, a feast for vultures. Were there vultures in Dheathain? She hadn't seen any here yet. Basilisks probably ate them all.

    Yvonne spoke through the haze of distracting thoughts, "We ought ta carry it inta tha city. Ye can make some good--", realized Felicity had already pressed on ahead again and kept talking to herself, "-- coin selling tha pelt, teeth, claws and meat. Even tha eyeballs are valuable ta tha right person," she whispered quietly. If she wanted to sell it she was going to have to carry it herself. The City of Fae wasn't that far away... Could she do it?

    There was only one way to find out. Walking away from an opportunity to make money wasn't a choice the trading prodigy was capable of choosing. Sometimes if you wanted coin you had to roll up your sleeves and earn it. Sighing she strapped her crossbow firmly to her back, as she'd need her hands free for what she was about to try.

    The half-dwarf grabbed the dead panther by the neck with one hand and a hind leg with the other, heaving the beast up with all the grace of a junior-class weight lifter. "Ooh, yer a fat bugger! Ye didn't need ta eat that deer after all, greedy fat cat," she cursed at the lifeless animal. After some considerable initial strain she'd maneuvered her neck and head to be under the belly of the beast, with its body crossways along her shoulders. It was longer than she was so its legs dangled down either side of her, tail drooping also. "Phew, bury me sideways. Not so bad once yer up and aloft, eh kitty? Now then, let's see about making tha last of tha trek ta town."


    ~~~

    Donnalaich was at once terrifying and sublime. To Yvonne the City of Fae was akin to an oasis in the desert, only the water was poison. There was no alternative, no other city for leagues. One must come to the oasis to sustain themselves, to drink lest the heat claim you.

    The weary traveller had barely taken a few treads inside the confines of the city, and already she could feel what this place was all about. It washed over her like a looming and then pounding beach wave, the cold of it shocking her alert. Cold? What makes it cold here? What was this place that its residents could tamper with the temperature of the humid, disgusting jungle? Something unknown flowed across her skin, beautiful. It chilled her to the bone, horrifying. It prickled an itch within her very being, and yet - like air - it was nowhere to be seen but unmistakably here. Like a soothing wind it cooled her sweat-drenched body. Like fear it gave her goosebumps.

    Magic. It's all around me. In everything.

    Dread reared its ugly head once again for even thinking of that unspeakable term. Yvonne's eyes widened and her pupils dilated, flight response kicking in and insisting she turn heel and run away, get out of this wondrous collection of ruined buildings. There was only one little missing detail that she needed to do so. Not having such a detail prevented the magic-phobic from acting on her feelings. There was no definitive prompt. There was nothing that reached out and grabbed her. Nothing that whispered boo. One magical word uttered to her, one incantation directed her way, that was all it would take... but no. All she had was a tingle! A tingle, no matter how concerning could be ignored.

    Yvonne's mood shifted toward cantankerous. How dare they taint tha air with their sorcery? What be their thinking? It's not natural. There be consequences for bending reality about as ye please, and I doubt any of them will be pretty. Maybe it was the fatigue of walking through the jungle for so long. Perhaps it was the heavy burden of the panther-corpse draped across her shoulders. There might have been more than a prickle of magic making the dwarf hybrid cranky. Blood was dripping onto the cobblestones occasionally, leaving red spots. The liquid of life had been running down her arms and back for a while, seeping from the panther's mortal wound. The crossbow bolt was still protruding from its spine up on high.

    The half-dwarf was so caught up in her fear and anger, her mind afluster, it hadn't dawned on her how intimidating she appeared to those that lived here. Many fae people were coming and going, running their daily errands, brushing shoulders with each other as they normally would. None of them had dared to brush shoulders with Yvonne. She looked peeved and they kept a wide berth. Lumbering along with a large dead cat big enough to eat many of them in a bite or two, and this dwarf had obviously slain it herself, lugging the trophy kill into the city like bloody dripping luggage. No, they didn't want to mess with this savage. No siree.

    Felicity appeared to be having fun. Yvonne spotted her up ahead, circling around, taking everything in with wide-eyed wonder. The grey dwarf could hardly take it all in - what with the bright sunlight and the gigantic feline bending her neck out of shape - but seeing her optimistic companion enjoying herself so much pacified Yvonne's prickly attitude. She scoffed silently to herself. Ye sweet, predictable fool. Of course ye take no issue with tha place.

    Barely had the cat-carrier caught up with the fiery red-head when off she ran again, on and into a modest little butchery, so hungry all she could think about was sustenance. Couldn't blame her. Yvonne was hungry too. Maybe that was why she felt cranky. The blood-dripping dwarf noticed a sign, dangling from a simple steel-linked chain. It read Zrazire's Prime Cuts. Modest means but bold personality. "Let's hope yer product lives up ta yer name, Mister Zrazire," she muttered. The strain in her arms and neck was overwhelming, now that the end was nigh. Soon she would be able to set this chubby kitty down and have a rest.

    She followed Felicity in through the wooden front door and brought her dead cat inside too, though at least the bolt-wound had fully coagulated and the blood had stopped dripping a trail in her wake.
    Last edited by Yvonne; 03-26-2018 at 08:23 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.

  6. #16
    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
    Zrazire's Prime Cuts.

    They stepped into the butcher’s shop. Their footsteps, which had been patterning against aged stone, suddenly hit smooth marble instead. The floor was stained with the blood of slain animals, trickling all around. The strong, foul smell of it was accompanied by the disgusting sound of knives tearing through meat, the carcasses being torn apart. Felicity remembered a time when she was grossed out by this sort of thing – now, however, she was completely desensitized. The walled up room was hot from the fires; smoke clouded the air. The luggage burdened girl had to stop and cough, thus announcing the duet’s presence.

    A young man came forth to greet them. He seemed… near human. Well, actually, the scales on his skin, bald head, and reptilian eyes set him apart. Clearly, he was a drakari – and the lowest member of his caste. He was hunkered over, yet smiling. “Welcome to Zrazire's! How may we serve you?”

    From the back, in another room, a hostile shouting briefly pushed Felicity into guard – she had been in the wilderness for weeks after all. It was not just the acquaintanceship with the wilds that caused her heart to pound, however. In the back of her mind, she was reminded of a distant past. As Felicity squinted in the smoke corroded room, Yvonne had set down her cat and started talking to the meek butcher. Felicity heard the sounds more clearly as her senses adjusted to the hearth.

    “Who has the claws around here? Me! Not you. You hunt the beasts! I butcher them."

    Despite the heat, goosebumps popped up on her back. Eyes widened, body stiffened. Her scaly hand pressed against a wooden table. Her snow pale skin was almost green. The smell of blood, the taste of it, only made her situation work. Her post traumatic stress disorder was caused by her second traumatic experience in life. Second. Now, her first trauma was dancing in her head as well. This… this was why she focused on the external world. To escape her inner haides. Her fingers dug into the table, pulling up scraps of wood.

    She had had enough. She was about to join Yvonne in her negotiations, whatever they were, but a voice thunder cracked from a back door. Another drakari stepped in, sporting scales and sharper features head to toe. This was a member of the Claw Caste. His slitted brimstone eyes glowed in searing rage. “You are costing us business, impure blood!”

    The employee shrunk in place, pulling himself into a self preserving hug. Zrazire did not yield in his merciless verbal strikes. Insults, accusations, and blatant racism erupted from his sharp toothed jaws. Never was the lesser drakari called by name, he was called… “it.”

    And “it” was losing the butcher’s shop business. Apparently.

    An internal chord snapped.

    Without warning, the girl raised her fist. She brought it down to the table. It broke upon impact. She was vibrating, violently. She might as well have been having a controlled seizure. Her face was crimson shaded. Her eyes were quenched shut. This man may have been angry, but she was ten times worse.

    There was a monster beneath that peppy teenage girl.

    The monster had come out.
    Last edited by Flamebird; 05-05-2018 at 11:14 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.

  7. #17
    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 knowingly, seeing through the assistant's thin pretense of a warm welcome. The scaly drakari's body language spoke to her, like a flock of messenger pigeons each with a note tied to their leg. Each mannerism he displayed came together to tell a story the grey dwarf could speed-read, from avoidance of eye contact, overuse of his fidgety hands to the poorly concealed frown and shoulder-slouching posture. They said it all. His welcome was a lie, autonomous, forced. He neither wanted to welcome the duo inside the store, nor serve them. He wanted to be anywhere but here.

    "I be looking ta--," Yvonne began, though hardly able to squeak a word in sideways before the room was drowned out with shouting.

    "--make a trade," she finished, a scowl settling into her expression. I see. That explains tha subdued mood. How ta work this ta our advantage? The negotiator gently, gently brought the black panther carcass to rest upon the counter between them, signifying considerable value, to herself and to the butchery. She neatened the position of the animal, revealing the respect she had for it in death, respect the drakari should share.

    More shouting interrupted their dealings and the dwarf hybrid had already taken blows to her extensive patience, but it was trickling away now like a cracked hourglass - the sand spilling out. Yvonne didn't even need to turn and check, didn't have to glance nor ask her to know Felicity was having tremendous difficulty with this situation. She could sense her building stress, her deliberate silence despite starvation and the trader knew, in that moment, she either had to end the boss's despotic attitude or they needed to leave.

    The black-skinned hybrid who'd been bullied throughout childhood watched the abuse unfold before her, right there at the counter. It was disgraceful, a thoughtless absence of respect for his employees, for his customers and for the exchange on the table. The business owner, this Zrazire, needed to be told a thing or two about how to run a business and how to treat other people.

    Yvonne left the panther and walked around the counter with a stern step to her stride. Emitting confidence and imminent justice she pushed through the saloon door and closed the distance between her and the claw caste drakari. He'd turned to reprimand his customer for entering where they didn't belong and found a disciplinary finger poking up at him. "You can't--" he attempted.

    "Now ye listen ta me," Yvonne demanded, facing up to the spike-laden Zrazire close enough to smell his hot, fuming breath. "This ends. Right now. This behaviour, not acceptable."

    Felicity put her fist through a table, struggling to keep control of overwhelming emotion. The business owner turned to yell, "My furniture--!" Yvonne slapped his cheek to face her again, her accusing finger resumed pointing up at him once more.

    "Look at me. Focus. Collateral damage of your temper. Ye be costing yerself business. Nobody wants ta work under a tyrant, a bully." The way she delivered the b-word was absolutely caustic, "Now ye apologize ta yer employee, to yer customers and then, go out tha back and think about what ye've done."

    Zrazire was menacingly silent. His sharp teeth bared in a hateful grimace. His claws prepared, ready to shred the black-skinned bitch standing in front of him into pieces. This could go one of two ways. He could retaliate or he could do as he was told, like an obedient little drakari.
    Last edited by Yvonne; 04-19-2018 at 09:14 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.

  8. #18
    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
    Well, Yvonne stepped in and behaved as if she owned the place.

    If Felicity’s dark side wasn’t controlling her, she would have loved it.

    Yvonne scolded him like he was a rotten child. As she finished her lecture, to a guy three times bigger than herself, the Claw wore a deep scowl. He seemed speechless for a moment, before doing something one should never do to a short person – bending down to her. He met her “mother bear” expression with his cruel own. The tension could be cut with a knife as he whispered darkly.

    “Zrazire doesn’t know who you think you are, little girl.” Felicity started to walk towards them in quiet fury as he shook his finger in the half dwarf's face, “But I’m in charge here. I, Zrazire, demand that you apologize and repay funds for that table!”

    His eyes shook, dilated, as he rose his hand. Claws extended, he screamed, “Apologies to Zrazire! Apol-”

    Just as he started to swing, a hand caught his wrist. The scaly butcher turned his head to see the redhead. She was shaking in pure rage, eyes shadowed and bloodshot. A bitter tear trickled down her crimson shaded cheek as she dug into his pressure points. Nothing could be seen in her but a wrath so deep, even the drakari stepped back in a bit of fear. – Oddly enough, due to her shorter appendages, she had to lean over the counter to hold him. As he pulled away, she jumped up onto the counter and lept onto the other side. She stood between Zrazire and Yvonne.

    The dragon blood swiped his reptilian tongue across his green lips, “Fool! What are you- you dare-“

    At long last, Felicity opened her mouth. Once the floodgate was opened, it kept flowing. “You despicable, low life scum! How dare you treat anyone like they’re less than you! Like you're a perfect thayne! Oh! You sick, twisted, dirty little-“

    The volcano never stopped erupting. It was a violent eruption. The side of the mountain exploded as lava spewed from all sides. Unrelenting, excruciating, merciless. Zrazire kept deathly cool.

    Sarcasm dripped from his lips, “Zrazire thinks you don't know how things work around here, child. In Dheathian-“

    “-Do you think I care how things work around here!” Felicity boomed, hand falling on her sword's hilt, “Where I came from, my kind was treated like dirt!”

    “-Maybe you are! For breaking my table!” Zrazire berated her right back. “How dare you make the amazing Zrazire suffer, you intolerable-“

    Felicity drew her blade, heaving, “-Well, how does it feel to suffer the way you made oth-“

    It hit her.

    Memories, stunning and scarring, invaded. It was a hostile takeover. For a brief second, Felicity was not at the butcher’s shop. She was not surrounded by the scents of newly salted and processed meats. She was not surrounded by a hazy air or the sticky stench of blood. She was not standing before a clawed drakari. No… she was on the cold floor of an abandoned coliseum. She looked up in complete shock as the feeling of stinging tingled her slapped cheek. Standing before her, back turned, was a brunette, pale woman. She had blood splotched all over her blue, armored outfit. Crimson painted sword in hand, her eyes were wide in rage. As a woman and young child watched in traumatized horror, the small half-elf screamed at a bloodied, cowering man.

    “P-please!” He cried, his blood and tears pounding against the tiled floor, “Not in front of my family! Don’t make them suff-“

    She brought her sword down, cutting his cheek. He wailed out. Without a second thought, the woman boldly asked, “Well, how does it feel to suffer the way you made others?”

    Felicity moved to reach for the woman, but before she could-

    -*Slash!*

    The moment of disassociation was broken when a present day wound stung for a millisecond before stopping dead. The girl's eyes widened, watching the floor as droplets of fresh blood fell. Her sword had been dropped when she briefly blacked out. It was a moment of shock, before her abilities completely took over.

    Anyone standing near her would feel the invisible side effects. Mild sickness, unlethal yet distracting, would surround their bodies. Harmful radiation caused anything from running noses to nausea. The drakari, whom had made the mistake of using his prided claws on her, brought his hand to his mouth as he gagged. He staggered back, face slightly decolored. “Wha-what did you do to Zra-“

    With Felicity’s anger and strength bolstered by the bleed, nothing was there to hold her back. She proceeded to punch him in the face before he could even finish. He flew back, sliding across the stretch of floor. In a matter of luck, he hit nothing and nothing was there to hurt him. Aside a newly bloodied nose and bruises, he was actually fine.

    Felicity, however, was not. Her Berserk Rage, which only lasted about fifteen seconds, turned off. The physical pain was incredible, but it paled in comparison to her mental and emotional pain. Well, now the double whammy of her dark ability being activated and trauma induced flashback demolished her. Burning rage turned into rainy sorrow. Now, she fell to her knees. Shaking in both inward based fear and growing malnutrition, she wept bitter tears.
    Last edited by Flamebird; 04-23-2018 at 11:14 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.

  9. #19
    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's fist connected with Zrazire's toothy jaw, a clean and well-delivered blow that dispatched the behemoth through the air and across the slick, marble floor. The fiery warrior crumbled to her knees in tears, overcome with emotion. She had protected the diminutive drow with her own body, prevented a clawed swipe meant for Yvonne and in the interim suffered one of her own. They would have to take a look at the wound as soon as possible, apply a herbal remedy and a bandage, but first--

    Yvonne's turn.

    She felt so utterly enraged by Zrazire's pigheadedness - that he would dare raise a clawed hand against her and muster the audacity to lacerate Felicity - it was absolutely sickening to her stomach. There wasn't a chance in the ninth and final hell Yvonne was going to take that lying down, but - sprawled horizontally upon the marble, clutching his face - Zrazire would have to deal with audacity lying down, from her.

    Her heeled boots scrunched with the strain of leather, each slow, tense step she placed ahead of herself broadcasting just how furious she felt. Nobody inflicts pain on me friends. Nobody! Not ye! Not yer dog! Not yer Aunty! I. Will. Not. Tolerate. It.

    Yvonne ground her footing into place next to Zrazire's head. She bent down to meet him on his level - which felt so much more proper - for the first time since meeting the spiked oppressor. Her words were a whisper. Black as her skin. Threatening. Sinister. Cold.

    "If ye think that hurt, yer in for a shock," she began, gritting her teeth, her silver eyes glinting, deadly. "I will tear every piece of wood in this building apart. I will shatter every stone ye have built yer business upon. Everything ye know ta be yer own will crumble around ye. Everything ye have ever done ta yer employees will lash back on ye one hundred fold. I will build a business identical ta this one right next door. I will recruit every employee ye have. I will take every customer that was ever unlucky enough ta walk through yer door. I will leave ye with nothing. Yer family will starve because ye were a prick ta tha wrong bitch. Don't think for a second that I can't or I won't. I will ruin you, Zrazire."

    Yvonne seethed, exhaling fury through her flaring nostrils, completely unafraid of the draconic abuser beneath her. He could have torn her limb from limb, but the sheer weight of her voice held him down. She hadn't even lain a finger on him, but for the life of him he could not rise.

    "Ye have no idea who yer dealing with. I will become yer worst nightmare." That pointing finger emphasized her frightening intention. She was deadly serious, every word. She would build a business next door if he didn't change his ways. She would destroy his life and there would be no claws, no swords.

    "Scurry away little worm, before I squash ye," she fumed. "Crawl away ta yer darkest hiding place and don't come out until we have gone!" Only at the tail end of her command did she finally raise her voice to a dangerous growl.

    Zrazire did exactly as he was bid. He bailed into the back rooms, hurrying away, tail betwixt his legs. Yvonne watched him go, breathing heavily, daggers for eyes.

    It was about this time that the assistant cautiously peeked out from below the counter, eyes wide at the goings on.
    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.

  10. #20
    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
    Am I just like her?

    Tears pounded the cold floor as her storm cloud grew. Dark grey clouds of gloom, thunder of violent self loathing.

    I can’t be like her!

    Her forehead was pressed against the cold floor. Her back throbbed as the exhausted girl completely fell out of function. She… needed a moment…

    Can’t be her shadow!

    She was nauseous. The feeling that urged her to rid herself of bile still was not that strong. Her stomach was left with stone heavy feelings of sickness. Putrid, filthy, disgusting…

    No!

    Her tears were amplified as she crumpled. Like a rose which barely hung on, and finally let go. It was not over, yet… it sure felt like it. So she would not mind being left to rot. So starved, so exasperated, so tired, so lost… Leave her to perish, in her unhealthy mentality she would of cared less. The emotions she avoided for so long lunged at her at her weakest. Degraded to what she was, a fragile child, the girl felt to full effects of her own trauma induced anxiety attack her own home. It was a cycle she still failed to realize she had.

    • She ran away from her problems.
    • She pushed herself too far.
    • It all caught up to her and had another panic attack.
    • She ceased to function anywhere from a day to a month or so.
    • She vowed not to let herself go again.
    • Repeat.


    These emotions were temporary, however. Not all wounds healed, they left scars. Yet, one day, she would recover enough and learn to live better. That seemed decades away from happening, however. As of now, the seventeen year old clearly needed time to recover before being nursed back to health. Locked inside her own head, insanity, the storm raged wilder than ever.

    Externally, her wounds were not so bad - although still bad at all. The slash across her stomach let droplets of crimson leak out. It slightly soaked her clothes, thinly showered the floor. The scent of the boss's urine, her blood, and animal roast made her nausea worse. The taste of her salty tears, the small bit of vomit soiling the back of her mouth, was horrific. She barely felt the heavy sweat coating her entire body. Neither did she hear the worker pipe up from the other side of the counter.

    The poor girl was not functioning.

    It was hopeful that her new friend would catch onto the severity of the problem. She was starved and physically burnt out, now injured and suffering a panic attack. Luckily, Yvonne was shrewd and clever.
    Last edited by Flamebird; 05-01-2018 at 12:06 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.

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