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 Posted: Mon Oct 19, 2009 1:12 pm
"Mikaril." Ssussun repeated the males name, though her voice was far lower then the tone she had been useing before to gain the attention of her crowd of admierers. Her red and amber eyes focused upon his own red that seemed to be widened with what she expected to be a sense of fear. Poor male... She had not seen such a look on an adult in a while. Normally she was greeted with distrust, or lust and a spark of hopeful expectation. She rarely cared to encourage the last, as it often led to uncomfortable situations with hands where she really did not want them to be. Ssussun may have played a flirty firey temptress, but at heart she was merely playful. It was a pity she could never find a male that could understand that about her. Now though she stood with a wide eyed male in the middle of a throng of watchful and partly envious males. Ssussun cracked her lips into a poisonless smile and stepped towards the male with her hands held forwards. With a flourish of her fingers Ssussun magically summoned a pair of copper tubes into her fingers. She gave the coppery metal bits a twirl, like a pair of very small batons, and murmured in that same soft voice to the male. "You ever use a blowgun before Ril? Sure you have." She answered her own question and ceased spinning the tubes in the showy manner. Ssussun flipped the tubes together, and with a quick twisting motion fitted them firmly into one fourteen inch pipe. Ssu flipped the pipe into the air to allow the crowd to see the whirling red metal object for a few seconds. When it came down, she caught the pipe in one hand, and handed it towards Mikaril. Ssussun smiled encouragingly while she waited for the male to take the metal blowgun. The tube was quite thin, thus making it very light and easy to make cheaply. All along the length were swirling curved engravings to resemble a dance of flames. One end of the tub was far thinner then the other, and it was this ip that Ssu directed to be pointed outwards.
"Here we go cutie. You just purse your lips like this..." And Ssu pursed her own as if she were preparing to plunk a innocent childs kiss upon his cheek. She leaned in a little, her amber red eyes fluttering once at the green cloaked male. "And just give it a light little puff." Ssu blew gently through her lips towards the males face. When she ceased blowing, her smile returned to her lips, and another object magically appeared in the palm of her left hand. Ssu gestured to the small oblong object in her hand, then leaned forwards to take firm hold of the thin end of the blowgun. Flipping the oblong container around, she pressed it to the tip of the blowgun, and murmured to Mikaril as if sharing a secret. "Now then Ril. When you blow into the end of the blowgun, make sure to point this high over the heads of the crowd. Don't be worried, the powder inside is quite harmless. I promise." She assured the male.
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Posted: Mon Oct 19, 2009 2:23 pm
Fast becoming curious in spite of himself, Mikaril watched as the Dark Phoenix pulled two copper tubes out of nowhere and proceeded to assemble them into something. He had just enough time to nod at the female as she went back to fiddling with the copper tubes. He had been taught the use of blowguns when he had first began his training. How handy they could be for taking out guards, though the tiny rush of wind could give it away if one was too far away from the target, so he had pretty much disregarded its use. Still, at least he knew enough it seemed to help her with her trick. Something suddenly caused him to start just a bit; had she called him Ril? He felt a small smile tug at the corner of his mouth; he supoosed he would always be destined to be called something other than his real name. Mika, Mik, Master, and now Ril. Ah well, if it was one thing a good thief needed, it was many aliases, never mind how close they were to the real thing.
Manging an easier smile Mikaril took the blowgun and held it in his hands, enjoying the smooth feel of the copper. It almost seemed like a treasure to him instead of a circus prop; just waiting to reveal its secrets as soon as he did his part. He watched as she demonstrated blowing into it; after all, itmay only just take a small puff to get the magic going; he didn't want to wreck her trick. He blinked a little as her demonstrating breath touched his face. Was he smelling...mint? No, he couldn't be; what a silly thought. Of course, if she took some sort of cooling draft after her performance....ah well, it wasn't important. He nodded as he leaned in to hear the female's whispered instruction. He held the blowgun high as he held it to his mouth, as though he were about to blow a trumpet, and gave a quick little puff, keeping his eyes open and fixed on the blowpipe's end to see what would happen.
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Posted: Mon Oct 19, 2009 6:23 pm
Ssussun tilted her eyes upwards as Mikaril blew through the copper tube. From the tip, a cloud of pale grey dust plumed and spread. Ssussun waited as the dust arched overhead and began to drift downwards. Lifting her hand, she gestured in a flourish and caused a small flash of flame to flare upwards. The small flame twisted into a spiral before flickering out of exsistance. It's work was done however. The dust ignighted into a sparkling display, as if thousands of stars had just blinked to life above the crowds head. The pinprick lights hovered overhead for a few more seconds. Ssussun smiled happily at the glittering display of mimics starlight. Not that she'd ever tell any in her crowd what the dust was meant to look like. She doubted many of the drow would appreciate the glittering beauty after that.
Ssussun gave her fingers a flick upwards and sent a few thin strands of flame coiling through the starlight until a spiderwebs design formed. To satisfy the Llothites pride of course. Ssu stepped back and allowed the image to vanish above. She felt..a faint light headedness begining in the back of her head. Hmm, perhaps it was time to call it quits. Her new act was just toeing the line it seemed. With practice she was certain she would be able to handle the new firey show.
Ssussun leaned in towards Mikaril, and fluttered one amber red eye at the male. "Why don't you keep that blowgun Ril. A souvineer of today and a little gift from me cutie." She took a step back and gracefully started to slip through the crowd while the starlight dust began to fade overhead.
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Posted: Mon Oct 19, 2009 6:49 pm
The emerging gray dust caused Mikaril to blink instinctively, wondering if it was going to cover him and ignite him. But remembering the words of the female, that the end result would be harmless, he instead brought up a hand to shield his eyes the way a surface dweller would shield his eyes from the sunlight. He looked down suddenly at the flame that spiraled upward and ignited the dust, causing it the blossom into what looked almost like a miniature rendition of the Glimmersea. Except the pinpricks of light seemed so much crisper, so much brighter. They seemed so much like the little lights in his dream, the ones that he had been crawling towards before the bunch of spiders had pulled him down. His eyes went huge, and he even found himself reaching instinctively for the tiny bright dots, wonder written clearly on his face; if this was what the surface sky was full of, no wonder Anon wanted so badly to get there! It seemed to radiate the same sense of beauty and comfort that the Glimmersea had offered him so many times.
But as the spiderwebs formed and blanketed the mock-stars, his face fell and he pulled his hand back with dismay. It was turning out to be EXACTLY like his dream. He could never go to Eilistraee's land; Lolth would surely reach out her webs and hold him fast. He caught himself and blinked; what had brought THAT on? He had already made it clear that he was not Eilistraee material and that he wouldn't like going to the surface. It must have been the dazzlement brought on by the false stars. Besides, he reasoned to himself, who's to say stars were there every night and not once every millenia or so? Still, he was saddened when the residue from the bright lights left his eyes.
Seeing Ssu leaning in, he clutched the blowpipe and leaned toward her to catch what she would say to him. Blinking in surprise, he managed a stammering, "Th-thanks!" before she stepped back and seemed to melt into the crowd. He glanced up one more time at the vanishing stars and looked own quickly to make sure he could still see Kyil. He spotted him as the crowd began to disperse, and he moved forcefully through until he was once more by his friend's side. "That was interesting; did you see?"
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Posted: Wed Oct 21, 2009 2:55 pm
Kyil's eyes were still upturned when Mikaril returned to his side. The last of the pretty light show was fadeing and the spider web image had lost it's brilliance. When Mikaril spoke, he looked back down. His eyes fluttered, to blink away the searing images still burned into his sight, and he smiled. "It was a very nice trick master. I wonder what sort of dust that was. It seemed to stay in the air for a long time, and the lights remained even after I expected them to dim." Kyil lifted a hand and rubbed at his eyes for a moment, then returned to looking at Mikaril.
"Did you get to speak with her then Mikaril? I saw her lean in towards you a few times. What was she saying? I could not hear very much after her first introduction." Kyil cast his gaze through the crowd in a searching manner and took note of a few other males doing the same as him. "She seems to have vanished. The light trick seems to be a good one for distraction. Do you suppose we could use the same trick ourselves?"
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Posted: Thu Oct 22, 2009 12:41 am
Still smiling as he shook his head, Mikaril showed Kyil the copper blowpipe. "She said I could keep it. The rest were pretty much just instructions about the trick." He pulled the pipe closer to him as he noticed a few males still watching him, looking as though they would like nothing better than to jump him and steal the gift from the enchanting female. Deciding that they had best be moving on, Mikaril began winding through the crowd and back in the direction of the alley, again making sure that Kyil was right behind him. "We might be able to; perhaps if we see her again, we could ask her how it was done, though we would probably be better off learning it ourselves. If I were a circus performer, I certainly wouldn't want to tell just anyone how my tricks were done. Speaking of which...." He stowed the pipe away with one hand and made a quick motion with the other, showing Kyil the black velvet purse grasped in it before stowing it away in his robe. "Now that we've had some fun, let's go shopping."
In spite of the refreshments that had been purchased at the circus, the need for something more solid was as strong as ever as they made their way to the part of the marketplace where the food stalls were the most prominent. Informing Kyil that the cavern ceiling was the limit, they set about purchasing whatever food either of them wished. Pointedly avoiding the stalls that had red meats sizzling out in the open, Mikaril opted for stands that sold fish, piping hot and encrusted with fragrant spices, and chicken with savory skin that crackled and hid the juicy and inoffensive white meat beneath, sitting on beds of noodles and steamed vegetables, though he had to ask for the cook to hold the mushrooms. Thinking that the occasion warranted it, he found a stand with custard and bought some for both himself anf Kyil, remembering that it had been this simple dish that had started him on the road to escaping, and had been one of the only truly happy times during his confinement. They ate in the open, enjoying the air, as it were, and watching the various people bustle about on their various errands. Here they could all fall under the illusion of being free to run about as they pleased.
When they had finished eating, Mikaril suggested that they complete the good feeling with a thorough cleansing. The funds from the purse was just enough to cover a semi-private room with enough soap to wash off the week's worth of grime they had accumulated on themselves. Mikaril personally liked the opportunity to rid himself of any trace of the fragrant meal he had just had, and once again had asked that their clothes be washed. He tried as he washed himself to have his side facing his friend rather than his back or his front, so that neither the smokey-looking scars on his chest and stomach or the barely perceptible slits on his back could be seen. As much as he welcomed the wash, he found himself actually eager to be out and continuing on, and by the time their clothes had arrived, he was already sitting on the edge of thw pool in his towel, ready to dress and leave.
After the bath, the shopping began. Walking further down to the less ready-made food stands, they purchased spices, dried meats, a few different types of bread sprinkled with spices and rothe cheese baked into the golden crust, and a few vegetables that the shopkeeper assured them that in spite of being from the surface would have enough staying power to keep for a time. For Kyil's sake, Mikaril opted to add mushrooms to the list, and noticing a strange orange fruit from the surface that was being sold off with much flair, purchased one for each of them, thinking it might be good to try something new. After adding a wedge of fine cheese, and a container of rothe milk to their purchases, Mikaril asked Kyil to pick out some flavors of candy sticks, and he felt that they had made enough purchases to make a fabulous dinner when they returned. He also remembered just in time to add silverware and a pair of conventional plates and cups to their purchases. He was happy that Kyil had had the foresight to bring one of the enchanted bags, so that neither of them would be burdened by a load of purchases throughout the day. The trip to the other districts soon had them returning to the cave with a slave crystal made especially for beasts of burden, a scroll with a guard spell to place upon the entrance of their cave, and two elaborate-looking scrolls that had easily eaten up the remainder of their spending money. They had paid a visit to a scroll-seller and had enquired about spells that would link rooms to an area where they could all be gathered at once, and in different areas of the Underdark. According to the wizard selling the scrolls, in order for this to be possible, they would have to visit each place they wanted a room to be and follow the instructions on each scroll to create the rooms they desired. Remembering Kyil's wants at the beginning of their return, Mikaril had purchased instructions for a bathroom fit for a first house and a large room with much of the furnishings of a comfortable bedroom. There had been so many more that he had wanted to purchase, but being as expensive as they were, they would have to get more gold to obtain more. Mikaril thought about picking more pockets, but not only did he consider that he would have to pick at least fifty pockets to cover one scroll, but it was getting close to the end of the day and they should probably be getting back to the cave.
Satisfied with all they had accomplished today, Mikaril led Kyil back to their home and insisted on setting up the ward while Kyil placed their goods wherever it suited him, being better than he at such things. When he had finished, he smiled in satisfaction; any intruders intending to investigate their cave would find their ears assaulted with the unmistakeable clacking and quiet creaks of a family of hook horrors, but he and Kyil would hear nothing, being inside the cave when the ward had been set. Turning to Kyil, he smiled and moved to sit beside him. "We can get more tomorrow if you like; right now I think we've done very well. Let me know what you would like for supper and I'll help you make it." Looking at the neatly arranged store of foods, he suddenly noticed a bottle of wine that he was certain had not been purchased by them that day. Where had it come from? He reached over and picked it up, observing the golden foil covering the stopper and the faded label written with smudged letters; the vintage no doubt, though one of the letters looked oddly like a heart. He suddenly recollected seeing it among the spoils they had taken from the House; odd that Haellara had kept a bottle of wine in the treasure room. He shrugged; maybe she just hadn't known it was there. Taking out his knife, he sliced away the foil and worked the cork loose. "I think we should make this a celebration; to our new life, already off to a great start. We can have this with our food; it was in our treasure room, so it must be some of the best out there."
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Posted: Sat Oct 24, 2009 4:50 pm
Kyil looked upon the blodgun with mild curiousity. "It is quiet pretty master. It will be a nice souvineer of our visit and of the female." He remarked with a slow smile while watching Mikaril slide the blowgun out of sight. It was wonderful to see his master so much more relaxed and happy right now. Inwardly he greatly hoped that this would be a good sign of their future together. "Perhaps we can return later, when the crowd thins, and see if we can see her.." He proposed to Mikaril, then paused as the wonderful Shopping word was dropped. Kyils eyes brightened and his gaze snapped up over the crowd in search of the first target of their ill gotten wealth.
Kyi's attention wandered greatly as he and Mikaril made their way through the throng that had gathered. His stomach was mostly empty save for the unfilling sweets from earlier. There were so many new foods to try! And not any of them were the sorts that he had ever prepared in the fancy kitchen of the Black. Food on sticks were quiet the novelty! Though Mikaril avoided the stalls that openly served red meats, Kyil did not hesitate to order a strange 'kabob' stick that had hunks of sizzling rothe meat crammed between mushrooms and other vegtables that had all been roasted over covered coal embers. Ah! The food was delightful!!! Kyil ate eagerly of thecarnival style foods. The fruit wrapped crispy dough with powdered sweet sugar upon it was by far his favorite. "Ah! I must learn how to cook these foods master. They are wonderfully tasty!" He happily proclaimed while demolishing a strange narrow sandwhich with layered strips of seasoned fish and spicey yellow sauce. The custard was a excellent way to end the eating binge though, and Kyil savored every creamy bite while smileing every bit as happily as any child at the circus.
The suggestion of the bath next had been anticipated, and Kyil agreed to it with a wearyrelief. The ability to finally clean himself completely was by far the highlight of this days plans. Kyil had no qualms with passing his travel worn cloths to the serving boy to clean. or the first half hour Kyil was merely occupied with rubbing off eery speck and hint of grime that was on his body. He was grateful soap was provided, for he was certain that he had to have gone through an entier pound of it just soaping and lathering his body multiple times. He paid little attention to mikaril at first, so his attempts to hide his scars were successful. As Kyilbegan to feel more clean and less grimy though, he turned his attention to his friend just as he had before to offer to clean his back and hair. Kyil tried not to look at the scars his friend bore...but the pale grey marks against his skin wereterrible reminders of what he had to have suffered. Kyil felt his good mood dampen. When their clothing arrived, Kyil was still fussing over his own clenliness. his toenails seemed to just not be shiney enough, and he scrubbed them one last time before climbing out to dry and redress in the clean cloths. "It does feel good not to itch anymore" He commented with a faint smile.
The shopping trip that folloed stimulated a bit more energy in Kyil. Shopping for foods made him deeply regret the lack of proper kitchen equipment. Kil had to keep in mind,a s they purchased food, that they needed to be practical in their purchases. here he deferred greatly to Mikaril's experience. Though they had lived outside on the road for so long, Kyil still firmly believed Mikaril was more qualified for making preparations for their home. Kyil tucked away their purchases into his bag, with only lingering regret drawn to the fine delicate tableware that would surely be broken and ruined within a day due to their rougher lifestyle.
When Mikaril and he entered into the magic shop. Kyil was hard pressed not to randomly reach out and touch a few of the alluring magical items. It had been awhile since he had been around so much magic, and much like a much loved flavor of food, Kyil felt himself rather hungry to pull that sense of warm magic into his body. He was good however, and allowed Mikaril to purchase the scrolls they needed. he was rahter surprised at how quickly the treasure he and Mikaril had gathered was spent. His bag felt terribly depleted and empty despite the food and wares they had purchased.
After returning the the cave, Kyil was more then willing to let Mikaril tend to the spell scroll. He wandered tot he back to check on the lizard in preparation of having it stored in the gem, and fed it a bit of the meat he had obtained during their shopping trip. Once finished, e returned to his limp bedding, and laid himself down on the mat. Crossing his arms under him, kyil closed his eyes for a few moments. It was only when mikaril spoke again that Kyil opened his eyes. he glanced at the wine bottle curiously, then nodded his head. "I should not drink alcohol...but as we are safe now and we can relax our guard a bit I shall share a drink with you. Shall we forego a glass andmerely share the bottle?" He questioned whileopening his bag to investigate the supplies. "I fear I may have gorged a bit at the circus. Would you be dismayed if I said I would be happy with just some baked fish stris and bread for now? I think there is some of that yellow sauce in here that tasted excellent on the fish I had earlier..."
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Posted: Sat Oct 24, 2009 9:20 pm
Keeping a wary eye on the lizard to ensure that it didn't bite the hand that fed it, Mikaril set the wine bottle down on the small table, remembering as he brushed his hand along it how he had seen Kyil there, cleaning fish as he had woken up from a sleep that had been filled with horror, one in particular had been the start of the entire mess they had just returned from. He sighed quietly as he moved to pull out the food they had bought; was he ever to live that down? Probably not, he mused as he pulled the small packet of mushrooms out using only the tips of his fingers. Perhaps he could overindulge with the wine and get himself a deep and dreamless sleep, though he would have to make up his mind on whether or not it would be worth a possible splitting headache in the morning.
Nodding at Kyil, he pulled out the bread and fish. "I don't mind at all, to be honest. I saw the fish sandwiches with the sauce on them, but I guess I was thinking that I should probably try something I usually wouldn't make myself in the wilds." Finding the yellow sauce, he pulled it out and set it next to the fish, which he left to Kyil as he cleaned his knife and began to slice some bread. He knew what Kyil had meant about oversampling; right now he knew that since fish was such a light meal, he would be able to eat without feeling overly stuffed, which was a feeling he really hated. He set the plates down and arranged the bread slices on them; when the fish was cooked, they could dip the bread in the broth. He nodded at Kyil's inquiry about the bottle. "That's fine with me; it'll be only us, and I don't think you have any sort of bug I should know about." Chuckling, he set the bottle aside and joined Kyil in the meal.
In spite of his speculation about fish being light, the sauce made the fish taste so wonderful that before he knew it, he was moving away from the table and stretching, trying not to let it show how full he was. Part of him wanted to just go ahead and go to sleep, but the wine beckoned him with its gold foil. Besides, it would be symbolic, their first drink as a pair of free drow; him free from the influence of his house, and Kyil free from ever being a slave again. He couldn't help but feel as though this one gesture would end up meaning a great deal to their future. Reaching out, he took the bottle and proceeded to uncork it with his knife. The foil came away like tiny delicate petals, and once the cork gave with an audible pop, the scent of the wine wafted up and drifted past his nose. It had a very interesting smell; it reminded him of rose petals. Was there such thing as rose wine? He remembered the heart shape on the bottle and pondered; maybe it was enchanted to smell like your favorite thing. He wondered what Kyil would end up smelling.
He brought the bottle up, holding it above his head. "Here's to our freedom, our new life. May we always have each other." With that, he put the bottle to his mouth. He had meant to take only a sip, but as the heady scent filled his nose, he took a good-sized swallow, letting the liquid swish around in his mouth. Swallowing, he smiled at Kyil and passed him the bottle. He thought he had never had anything so wonderful and sweet. Oddly enough, despite the fact that he had just eaten, the drink seemed to go right to his head, as though he hadn't eaten all day. He managed two more swallows from the bottle before he felt so lightheaded that he was having trouble keeping his eyes open. "K-Kyil? I think......I think that's enough. This s-stuff really.....really.......woooooow." Grinning foolishly, Mikaril hobbled back to where they had their beds spread out. Not even bothering to settle himself down into the blanket, he ended up sprawled flat on his stomach, glad that he had removed his armor before they ate; he didn't think he would have been able to do that with those few swigs of the wine, and he would have been in for one sore morning had he had to sleep in it. He vaguely felt Kyil coming up close to him, and he reached out with an arm to pull him closer as he mumbled before he drifted off, "Love you.....Kyil....."
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Posted: Tue Oct 27, 2009 3:04 am
Together they ate, and Kyil felt a warmth of content settle over him. Particularly once he took the first swallow from the wine bottle. The kind toast that his friend had made before taking the first swallow was still warm in his chest as his pink eyes widened at the strange sweet taste followed by the bitter after taste of alcohol. "I do like the first taste, though I wish it was not so bitter. I really like sweet things more." Kyil spoke as he handed the bottle back to Mikaril. The food from before settled lightly in his stomach, and by the second deep swallow he shared, his head was buzzing as though it was full of a strange wind. "Ooh." He hummed softly as he handed the bottle back to Mikaril.
He shared a third swallow of the bottle and felt his sight swim. Oh! His eyes felt as if they would just fly out of his very skull! He heard Mikarils stumbling and slurred voice in his ears, and he nodded in agreement. Almost immediatly he regretted it. He shuffled to the sleeping area and his body toppled down upon the bedding as a dizzy spell gripped him. He landed near to Mikaril, and a arm reached out to grip him. Kyil moved into that grasp, a smile curling upon his lips as he heard Mikaril's words. "I...I love...you Mikaril..." He replied softly before falling into a deep sense of darkness.
It was...a odd sleep. Kyil felt a warmth wrapped around him during the slumber, but had the strangest dream ever!
He was sitting in the cave, but everything was gone. Mikaril and all their supplies were missing. Before him sat the bottle he and Mikaril had just drunk from. He sat, looking around curiously, until a movement from within the bottle drew his attention back to it. His pink eyes blinked a little, and he tilted his head in curiousity. From the open mouth of the bottle, Kyil's eyes saw a bright white spider creep. His mouth opened in shock and he thought he felt his stomach roll. They had just drank from that bottle! And there were spiders within it! As Kyil watched, the white spider circled the mouth of the bottle a few times then creeped down the side of the bottle. It seemed almost uncertain, and that was rather...cute. Kyil's lips pulled upwards as the strange and confused spider wandered across the floor and gradually made it's way across the floor to him.
It was as the spider came within touching range, that it paused. A strange and uneasy sensation fell over Kyil, it was as if the spider had just seen him. It had just noticed him, and now it was looking at him. Kyil felt the hairs on the back of his neck rise. The spider darted forwards then, and Kyil jerked his leg back as the arachnid attached itself to his leg and began to crawl up it. Kyil lifted a hand, but paused. He couldn't just slap it! If he got caught he would be in so much trouble! Yet it was crawling up higher now, over the plain travel pants he wore so often and up to his waist. It was when the spider dissappeared under the fold of his shirt, that Kyil's eerie sense of unease doubled. he reached down and flipped the hem of his loose shirt up, and stared in horror as the little white spider crawled to his bellybutton, and wiggled into it.
Kyil screamed. He could feel a hot biteing sensation in his stomach as the little white creature dug into the black flesh. Spider or not, Kyil reached down to smack at his belly in a terrified attempt to knock it loose. The spider ignored the strike, and another hot shooting pain stabbed into his belly. He could no longer see it, but by the darkness! He could feel it! It was digging it's way into his belly. He could imagin he could feel it chewing at the soft internal organs and cutting away the sensitive flesh.
Kyil awoke with a shrill scream of panic and pain. His body jerked upwards, and his hand immediatly fell to his belly. A pain deep within his stomach area struck him, and he hunched over. Kyil rolled to the side, and crawled a few shambling feet before his stomach heaved and the remnants of last nights meal spilled from his lips. He still clutched his belly, feeling that weird wrongness within it. Oh darkness...the spider had been real! He had a spider in his belly! Another heave overtook him, and Kyil arched his back as tears squeezed into the corners of his eyes. His belly emptied itself completely, yet still his stomach tried to empty itself, much to his great distress.
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Posted: Tue Oct 27, 2009 8:04 pm
Kyil's scream jolted Mikaril out of his slumber as surely as a face full of ice water. He felt a dull ache in his head, undoubtedly from the wine, but seeing his friend on his hands and knees retching on the floor brought him out of it immediately. Scrambling up, he moved over to Kyil, crouching down to put one hand on his shoulder and moving the other to hold Kyil's hair back, away from all the sick. He didn't ask questions, though they burned inside him. What was happening to his friend?? Was it something they had eaten last night? Had the wine disagreed with him? Was it something more serious that had not come to light until they had left all of their sufferings behind them? The thought even crossed his mind that this might be an evil trick of Hael's, a curse cast from afar to let them know that no matter how far they ran, she would always be right behind. But how was that possible? He had thrown away his house insignia, the only thing he was certain she could possibly use for such a purpose. Maybe it had been a piece of the treasure they had looted......
Regardless, he knew that asking questions would only bring Kyil further misery as he would try to answer and respond with more vomiting and heaves. Mikaril tried not to show just how panicked he was as he very carefully pulled Kyil up on his feet. He knew that Kyil had been in just such a situation with him, and like Kyil had done for him, he needed to think clearly for his friend's sake. He wasn't sure what it was that was causing his friend to give everything he had had within the last day back, but he had to put a stop to it at once. Leaving the mess where it was, he eased Kyil into a sitting position with his back against the wall, prompting him to take tiny sips of water from a wineskin. Thinking of nothing else to do for it, he placed one of the tattier blankets over the mess to absorb it and lessen the chances of having any curious creatures venturing in despite the ward.
Two thoughts suddenly struck him simultaneously. One, Kyil might have picked up whatever he had at the circus, due to the large number of drow that had been there in such close proximity, and the first person that came to his mind was her, the Dark Phoenix. She might have seen such a thing before and might know how to treat it, since any less-well-meaning drow would dash right over there and demand some sort of retribution for the circus 'making them sick.' And even if she didn't, she seemed the most likely to help in a city full of uncaring drow and those of whom they had stolen from. The way she had seemed so glad to make the young drow laugh...of course, it might have been all for show, but he could still remember the way she had been with him; reassuring and even kind instead of harsh and bullying, something the crowd would have lapped up just as readily as kindness. Yes, it had to be her; there didn't seem to be any other way.
He reached down to Kyil and helped him back up. "Listen, I don't know what's doing this to you, but I'm going to take you to someone who might be able to help us. Just hang in there, okay? I'm here, and I'll look after you; I promise." He splashed some water on a small scrap of cloth and used it to wipe Kyil's mouth and a few spots off of his clothes before moving most of his cloak to the side and wrapping Kyil protectively in it. Placing Kyil's arm around his shoulders and wrapping his own arm around Kyil's waist, Mikaril walked as quickly as he dared out of the cave, and soon they were onthe outskirts of the city. Thanking whoever DID give a crap about him that the circus was on the outskirts and not further into the town, Mikaril walked Kyil toward the tents and wagons, which since it was still fairly early, stood quietly in the midst of the gigantic space they took up. Moving as silently as he could with Kyil in tow, he walked up to every wagon, peering intently at the doors for any sign of the performer who dwelled inside. He stopped at a roomy one with a carving of a fire bird on the door; this HAD to be it. Without hesitation, he reached up and knocked soundly on the door. "Mistress Phoenix?" Remembering the name she had so fondly called him, he added, "It's me, Ril; please open the door."
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Posted: Sat Oct 31, 2009 11:40 pm
The horror of the dream lingered on well after the taste had faded from his mouth. Why had he been so upset by a dream? Why did he feel so weird? His body felt flushed with heat and his limbs weak. Had he perhaps eaten something that was bad? Or worse..had some dark soul poisoned some of the food he had eaten? It would have had to be one of the things he had purchased seperatly from Mikaril then. As his friend seemed uneffected in the same manner he was. Of course, it could have just been the wine. Kyil had never partaken of alcohol in the way he had last night. But the drink had tasted so sweet. It had almost seemed as if he could not stop drinking it until he was utterly inebreiated by the seductive drink. He managed to calm himself down a bit by the time Mikaril pulled him to his feet. His head tilted forwards as he placed a hand on his stomach and allowed his friend to relocate him someplace a bit more clean. Kyil did not speak at first, even as Mikaril tended to him. If this was just from the alcohol then this was going to be the last time he ever drank! Still... He felt odd. Strange. That dream still bothered him terribly, and there was a very odd sensation in him. Something...off.
Mikaril began to assure him that he would look after him, which only caused him to smile faintly as he washed his lips clean of the ick that remained. "I..am sorry." He spoke, though his throat protested with a raw feeling at the words. He wanted to apologize more, to tell his master he was sorry for being such a inconvience. For leaving a mess on the floor and not cleaning up after himself. For not recovering immediatly so he would not feel so worried. Words were painful to speak at the moemtn though, and he suspected Mikaril would only scold him for things beyond his control. With Mikaril's help he rose and walked with care back towards the city. He was not certain he knew where Mikaril was taking him. They had been gone too long for him to have anyone to call upon for aid he was certain. Perhaps he was taking him to a apothecary for some sort of healing potion? Kyil's mind could not wander in his wondering for too long. Merely walking with Mikaril was making his stomach feel queasy and it made him all the more aware of how strangely weak he felt.
His thoughts remained focused on keeping his stomach from attempting to purge itself of the nothing that it contained. It was only when Mikaril stopped to knock on the door of a covered wagon was Kyil able to focus his thoughts elsewhere. His half lidded pink eyes lifted to look at the curious marking on the door, then they moved to Mikaril. He had brought him to the circus girl? Inwardly he had to wonder what had drawn him here. What was his master thinking?
The day had been enjoyable. her new routine had been a great success! Ssussun had ended up retiering to her wagon early however. Just as when a exersize had grown easy in it's routine, one had to add a bit more to it, so it was not so easy. That was how one grew more talented and stronger. This routine was definatly a work out now! Ssussun had drained two waterskeins dry by the time she had begun to settle down for the night. However she felt fine physically. So she obviously only needed to make certain that she continued to drink enough liquids to keep herself hydrated, and then in time her body would adjust to the heightened heat. Then, just as when she had summoned her very first ball of flame, it would become like second nature and she'd be able to play with the flames unconcerned.
When the knock came, Ssussun was loungeing in her bed. She felt warm and cozy and disinclined to answer the knock. The Circus would not be up and running until later in the morning, and Ssussun never made an appearance before noon to work the crowds. She shifted about in her bed and drew a slightly tattered quilt up over her head, until it was she heard the faint words on the other side of the heavy ironwood door. Sssussun had insisted her wagon be built out of the fire resistant wooden material just for the off chance she had a nightmare or fit that caused her natural talent to flare up. So far it had never happened, but it was a precaution she preferred to follow without ever having need of it. Still, she heard the males voice easily enough in the silence. Ssu lifted her head and squinted her red gold eyes across the small room. Ril? Ril? Was that one of the new circus runaways? Sighing to herself Ssu pulled herself from the cozy little depression and wiggled her naked toes on the cool wood floor. She crossed to wrap a thin crimson robe over the pants and loose tank top she wore for sleeping in, and tied off the matching red cotton belt to hold it in place. She crossed to the door and took a moment to unlock the four secuity locks on the door, and removed a crossbar from it's grooves. One never could be too careful after all! When she opened the door, her white hair was a bit diseheveled from her sleep and she had not taken a moment to straiten it out. Pulling the door open, she placed a hand upon her hip. Fulling intending to look put out over being awoken for the sake of encouraging the run away to think twice about wakening her before at least mid-day in the future...she blinked at the pair before her.
The false stern expression melted away quickly into surprise. Ril... "Mikaril." She replied as the males name snapped to the fore of her mind. Of course, the male from her brief street entertaining. She could easily forget about the name, but that cloak and armor set was still fresh in her mind. In fact she had been wondering if she would be able to coax her flames into a similar green color for future acts. Now though she blinked and looked at the male, and then at the long haired male hanging off him. "Well...Don't you just look like a cast up from the Glimmersea depths." She commented with a curious tilt of her head. This was nothing she could have ever forseen. "This is the oddest courting call I've recieved yet." She added next while returning her gaze back to Mikaril. Her hand lifted and she gently waved her hand in the air before her. "Not that I'm not flattered, but I'm not a female fond of collecting males. I'm afraid you wasted your poison, now if you want a good hint, I'm very fond of hair accessories. Particularly garnet or amber.Though the latter is a surface gem and I'm sure would be hard to come by so I'll settle for citrine."
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Posted: Sun Nov 01, 2009 1:34 am
For a fleeting moment, Mikaril found himself almost reconsidering what had brough him here of all places, especially when he saw the door open and spotted the stern look of the female as she opened it. Had her kindness really been a charade for the crowd? But then he saw the stern face melt away as soon as she had seen it was him, and his hope rose again. He hoped that she knew what to do, since he was certain that if Kyil was comprehending any of this, he would undoubtedly wonder why in the world he was taking him to see a circus performer.b He just felt so confident, so certain that this female would know what to do.
As her words reached him, Mikaril felt himself turning a little red; did he really look disheveled like a castaway, or was she referring to Kyil? Then again, they had both left the cave in a hurry with no regard to how they looked. But as she mentioned courting, his face turned from confused to one of deep embarassment. He hadn't known what to expect from the female, but this certainly had been the last thing he expected. He was so caught up with just getting Kyil help; he hadn't thought of what this might look like. His flush only deepened at the very idea that he would be poisoning Kyil to give to her; hadn't she seen him herself yesterday when she was performing her tricks? Still, it wasn't as though their closeness was publicized. This female probably had many such offers in every city she visited, and why would he look any different from the countless other suitors who probably bribed her with jewels and clothes and servants?
Fighting to bring the color in his face down, Mikaril gestured to her in desparation. "No no, it isn't like that. I mean, not that I think you wouldn't be worthy of such an attempt, but......you see, my friend here is very sick, and not that I'm blaming your circus or any of it's folk, but it occured to me that you might have seen such a thing before, what with the closeness of all the drow and all, and you might be able to provide us with an opinion." He lowered his eyes before he spoke the rest. "And.......I had really hoped you could help us. After the act...I know you probably treat every audience member the same, but........" His throat closed before he could say anything more; he just couldn't bear the thought of the female hardening her face again, chastising him for being such a silly male, and demanding that he leave. He found himself actually considering doing just that before he made himself even harder to comprehend; just apologize for wasting her time and leaving to find a healer, much as the thought frightened him; he didn't know where the healer Kyil had taken him to see had been; it could take him forever to find, and Kyil needed help right now.
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Posted: Thu Nov 05, 2009 3:43 pm
(Not finished >.> )
Huh. So he was not offering her the male in an attempt to win her favor. Ssussun was not certain if she was dissappointed or not. She had a bit of personal vanity after all, she was used to the spotlight and attention that males paid upon her. So she really expected some sort of attempt from this male to gain her favor. As Mikaril stammered and stumbled over his words, Ssussun placed ona hand upon her hip and tilted her head to watch him.
He had honestly come to her seeking help because his companion was ill? Ssu was stunned for the next few breaths. Mostly over the desperation this male had to be feeling to come to a circus perfomer for aid. Ssu glanced at the long haired male leaning on Mikaril. Slowly she took a step backwards, and she genstured for Mikaril to enter with the male. If this was some sort of trick to get at her...they would be in for one hell of a time. Ssussun gave the protective walls of ironwood surrounding her as she gestured for Mikaril to lay Kyil down on the fold down bed attached to one wall. She was positive she could summon up enough flame to seriously harm the males with the ironwood safely keeping the flames contained.
"I don't know what I can do. I'm not healer...but there is someone in the House who can see to him. But you'll have to wait till morning before I fetch him. I'm not waking him up for someone not part of the circus. Protocol you understand. House before all others, and his rest is very important." She replied as she waited for Mikaril to lay Kyil down. Hnnn. She was going to be a little short on lseep herself now it seemed. Ssu lifted her hand to her lips to smother a yawn. Though afterwards she dredged up enough of her show-womanship to flutter a quick wink. "And who says I treat all my audiance members the same?"
She was honestly going to help? Kyil felt a faint smile pull at his lips. Perhaps Mikaril had been wise to bring him here after all. He should not have been so worried. Mikaril surely would have made the best choice avalible to him..and if it was this female. Well... Kyil's pink eyes moved to look at Ssu as she attempted to hide her weariness and flirt with Mikaril.
"I..could just rest on the floor. All I would need is a blanket. I would be fine with that...I think I am feeling a bit better now." He tried to assure Mikaril as well as gracefully turn down the the offer of the bed. "I...am sure I will be fine until the healer wakens as well..."
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Posted: Thu Nov 12, 2009 8:06 pm
Just as he felt as though he had better bid a hasty retreat and mumble a flowery apology to the female for wasting her time, he saw her motion to bring Kyil in, and he felt his hope rise again like a tiny spark from her act that had danced teasingly above the heads of the crowd before rising up to the tent roof. He carefully escorted Kyil in, keeping a wary eye out for any signs of trouble; he half expected to encounter an angry male poking his head out of the female's bed, challenging them with angry glowing eyes. But much to his relief, no such sight met his eyes, and at the same time he understood her apprehension. In a way, he had been right; yesterday, he had played the willing volunteer for the crowd, and she in turn had set his mind at ease and been friendly, but now that all the crowds were gone and the fun was put away for tomorrow, juat as she could be a harsher female when the crowds were gone, he could just as easily be a threat, a boorish male seeking to have a little fun and taking advantage of the meek persona he had put forth the day before.
Hoping that he was making it as obvious as he could that he was all that he was appearing to be, Mikaril nodded, albeit unhappily, at the female's proclamation. Of course he should not have expected her to wake anybody who could help just because a pair of scruffy males showed up out of nowhere asking for it. He should be glad that she was willing to help at all. He hoped with all his might that he was doing the right thing; at the very least, a bed to sleep on instead of the floor of the cave would surely do his friend nothing but good. He did feel somewhat bad for figuratively kicking the female out of her bed, but as she was more concerned about those of her own house, Mikaril was at that moment more concerned for Kyil and more than eager to take up the offer to let him sleep in a real bed for a night.
As he eased Kyil onto the bed, Mikaril started as he heard the coy words directed his way. He knew by the tone that she was attempting to be seductive, but.....he had never had any female other than his sister try anything of that sort with him, and she had not had any true meaning behind it; it was just another of the endless mind games she had loved to play. Trying to push away the lingering thoughts of long nails playfully scratching at his bare skin, he felt the blood creep up into his face as he managed a careful reply while keeping his gaze on situating Kyil on the offered bed. "I wasn't implying any offence, Mistress Phoenix, I.....was being presumptuous. I shouldn't have assumed such a thing....I am sorry, and I am grateful for your help. I'll gladly do anything you wish in return."
Turning his words to Kyil now, he smiled and put a hand on Kyil's forehead, just as he had remembered Kyil doing to him when he had been so ill. "I wouldn't hear of you sleeping on the floor. I know you would do so much better in a bed, and I want you to get better as soon as possible. Besides, it won't be for very long, and you'll need as much rest as you can get." He began to pull the covers back and arrange pillows as he continued. "Take care to lie on your side, not your back; if you get sick again, I want to make sure that it will drain away from your mouth and not pool into it." He didn't mention to Kyil that he was planning to stay awake himself and make sure that didn't happen.
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Posted: Fri Nov 13, 2009 4:16 pm
What -was- she thinking? And doing! Ssussun stood back as Mikaril brought the ill drow intoher room and she allowed him to put him to her bed. She ought to have insisted he be laid on the floor. There was a soft white fur rug there after all. For all she knew, this drows illness was contagious! And honestly, what was she gaining from this? The heat must have addled her senses from earlier that day. That was all she could honestly think of at the moment. In private Mikaril did not seem half as accepting towards her attempt to be flirting either..which was sort of a relief. Ssu felt it was way too early to be acting right now. As Mikaril would apologize to her, Ssu closed the door of her wagon and tugged her robe a bit more tightly over her shoulders.
"My name is Ssussun...Pheonix is my stage name." She cut in before he would turn to his pink eye friend...he..really did look miserable didn't he? Ssu glanced around her room, then crossed to a red wood chest bound in gold. She tugged off some cloths she had merely draped over it, and popped the hood up. Glancing within, she removed a second blanket she often used while traveling through the colder tunnels, and carried it over to flop it over the thinner blanket now laying over Kyil. "Here...a little extra warmth can't hurt." she spoke, then paused. Oh Goddess... She really hoped he did not get ill. The stench would not fade for days in the small area and she had to live here after all! since the topic had come up, she cast her eyes about and finally settled for surrendering over her wash basin in case the male did get ill. Lifting the burnished copper pot, she leaned over and plunked it down on the floor near the head of the bed.
"Please. If you are going to get sick, aim for that. This place is too small for..well.icky stuff." Ssu spoke without any hint of embaressment at useing the childish words. Instead she knelt down to untie a stoll from it's place under her vanity and pushed it towards Mikaril to sit on. "Here, make yourself comfortable. The healer ought to be awake in four or five hours, that's too long to be sitting on the floor." Ssussun herself pulled out a folded mat and settled herself down onto it to make herself more comfortable. She supposed the wagon fitted the three of them allright...a fourth person would have made the place unnavigatable. Of course..all of her things were out and not locked away since they were traveling. If she put up half of her things then the three of them would be able to sit around comfortably. Ssu glanced over at the sick male and furrowed her brows a little.
"So...what would your name be? I mean..I know Mikarils, but what's your Pinky? And how long have you been sick?"
Kyil could not help but make a face that bespoke of his dislike over the situation. He did not protest though. He merely laid down on the bed and turned to his side. Instantly he felt a warmth from the bed, and his pink eyes glanced downwards. He had not lain on something this soft in a while. He was surprised to find a mattress like this in a circus wagon of all places. He looked back up, under the touch of Mikaril's hand to his forehead, and he smiled faintly at him.
"I will be fine Mikaril..." He tried to reassure his friend. "I am sure the healer will just...say I ate too much. After such a long trip and the sort of food I had grone accustomed to eating on the road. I am sure it is that. Or perhaps the wine. It was extremely strong, and we never did check to see what sort of wine it was. There could have been something in it that had reacted with something I had eaten." Kyil paused as the female would add another blanket, and his cheeks flushed a bit. he was ousting her from her own bed... Kyil glanced at her, then back at Mikaril. In his short period of freedom, he had lost enough of his nievity to know that such actions were uncommon, particularly for a female. Perhaps it was because she was in a Circus? Was she a female outside of the norm? But then again... Kyil pressed his hand into the mattress beneath him...this bedding was the sort he imagined Haellara would have slept upon. he was positive this was filled with feathers. He bobbed his head a little at Ssu when she asked for him to use the copper basin should he get sick.
"I swear...it was just what I ate...the dream was probably caused by the pain in my stomach. I...feel horrible for being such a burden." He replied before adding. "I am called Kyil."
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