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 Posted: Fri Aug 16, 2013 8:48 pm
Task 1: Nerrisa smiled at the sight of the Goddess, after all she had received her first blessing from this Goddess. Her heart gave a thump and she looked down curiously as she was handed a bag.
Assured to 'go on' by the Goddess she let her fingers trail down after the key on the end of the string. Urged on and sharing a small smile with the Goddess she opened the bag.
Nothing? It was empty?
Ah, she watched as the Goddess clenched and unclenched a hand, she needed help? Well everyone needed help sometimes even a Goddess she supposed. She nodded agreeing to fetch parts and listening to the description, a special lab, chests, and...the heart?
She took the scissors she was handed mildly confused and then a little disturbed by the remorseful look.
Who didn't make it?
She didn't dare ask aloud instead she turned and walked to the small opening, it was dark, and there was a soft thunk sound. She blinked and glanced back receiving one last smile from the Goddess before stepping in.
The first sight that greeted her were three different doors. The first however held the most appeal for her, the other two looked interesting but the first was warm, smiling, it felt right. Happily she stepped through the pumpkin door.
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Posted: Fri Aug 16, 2013 8:48 pm
Nerrisa walked slowly and looked around curious as she heard a soft humming. The sound was somehow familiar it stirred something in the back of her mind. She blinked and rubbed her eyes, for a second she had thought she had seen pumpkins lined up and smiling their soft faces glowing with inner light. In the distance the comforting sound of voices made her feel a sense of warmth and safety. She slowly smiled and was surprised at how easy it felt as if she smiled constantly and frequently. The sense of nostalgia was strong, so very strong, someone waited.
Who?
Am I just imagining things?
Perhaps she was, the door closed behind her and she blinked at the brightness surrounding her. There were pumpkins glowing everywhere but most of them were in a neat row guiding her down a path. She walked through the pumpkin field to the end and into a large open field covered in tiny glowing orange flowers. This place seemed wonderful, she felt as though she could linger here forever.
She looked down and noticed it then, an ornate tombstone with an owl in flight topping it. The elegant script read: Here Lies Julian Thanatos. The name wasn't ringing a bell, but someone had left yellow flowers dried yet fragrant against the pretty monument. She leaned in to inhale the soft scent that barely managed to tickle her nose over the smell of pumpkin.
Thump-thump
She blinked and listened, the sound continued the soft steady thumping of...a heart. Exactly what the Goddess requested. She pushed the flowers aside and pulled out the scissors she had been given. The heart was easy to find it glowed a bright orange and all she had to do was move aside the soil and after digging a few moments with the scissors she uncovered it. She slowly pulled it up and brushed it off, it glowed with steady yellow light.
"Excuse me? I think you're a little lost, this is the demon hall, the monster hall is in the monsters dorms...that way." She said it all so simply, so obviously while standing and pointing in the proper direction and smoothing down her dress.
Her eyes were focused on the boil in front of her, he looked nervous. She had noticed first off his casual attire, loose pants probably made to accommodate his talons and a plain shirt wrinkled by the way he held a stack of books against his chest like life preservers. The boil screamed 'SHY' and she was only too happy to help him find his way...out.
Except of course that her question appeared to have startled him more than she had anticipated as he suddenly jumped into the air. His owl like wings flapped open and held him hovering a moment as his arms came jerking up and letting his books tumble everywhere.
"M-monster? W-why would I w-want to go to the m-monster dorms?" The boil stammered as he grounded himself and stared at her. Wasn't he even going to pick up his books? Mildly irritated now she bent down to pick up the nearest one and handed it to him while giving him an expectant look.
"Aren't you a monster? A...bird monster? An awfully jumpy one at that, you should be more careful carrying around a stack like that, it could have toppled onto someone and hurt them."
Well why wasn't he leaving? Was this some kind of monster initiation joke, he was supposed to sneak into the demon dorms? She crossed her arms and eyed him with a narrowing glare. "Well?"
The bird boil continued to look at her wide eyed, he crouched and gathered up his books and then looked at her again with that wide eyed gaze. So owlish. "But I, I'm a d- a harbinger d-demon, my room's on the t- top f-floor,"
She eyed him speculatively as he managed to gather his books into an even more haphazard pile then the one he'd started with.
"Then why are you so nervous? Your tip toeing through here like you don't belong...." She eyed him again warily for a moment before taking up half of his books. "Come on if your telling the truth I'll just help you carry these books to your room. I'm Sin by the way, Sin Err, and you are?" She started to walk ahead of him towards the stairs clearly forcing him to follow unless he wanted to lose his books.
She glanced back and smiled as he finally started to follow her up the stairs. She thought he mumbled something but she didn't quite catch it instead she managed to catch his introduction.
"Ah, J-Julian Thanatos. It's a p-pleasure to m-meet you, M-Miss Err," he replied in a more audible tone and with a short dip of his head.
Hmm, she thought for a moment, Thanatos...thanatos...harbinger family if she wasn't mistaken. She smiled back at Julian and then smirked and decided to tease him a bit.
"So your a harbinger huh? Well if I trip and fall down the stairs I'm blaming you." She held back a laugh at the way he almost tripped over his own feet, obviously he was build more for flight. The boil was shy, but sweet, she could tolerate him for company at the least.
Little did she know Julian Thanatos would one day be one of her very best friends.
As she shifted the soil and flowers back in place the thumping stopped and Nerrisa blinked. What? She slowly stood a bit shaky before she managed to start walking away.
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Posted: Fri Aug 16, 2013 8:49 pm
Nerrisa walked on, but she realized as she went that the floor was losing it's solidity. The further she went the more slippery and sticky it felt until she suddenly reached a dead end. Blinking she tried to lift a foot and then turned her head at the sound of a sloshing noise and the distinct sound of footsteps.
Oddly though she saw nothing behind her, and so she turned back and with a few moments of further struggle extracted her foot. She continued to walk trying to find a way out but the water rose slowly. It chilled her feet and then her ankles and soon she was sloshing knee deep through the frigid water. There was another noise, louder this time.
"Please give it back."
She blinked at the voice and turned, but again oddly nothing, no one.
She turned and struggled on through the water worried as it rose and rose, she gasped as the cold water reached her neck, she was almost swimming now. Unable to move on she turned to go back.
"Please give me back my-"
She heard the voice before she felt two hands suddenly grip her shoulders and shove her down. She gulped in a mouthful of water and then started to struggle at the realization that she couldn't breath. She jerked violently at the sharp pain that pierced her, the way she was being pushed, down, down, she was losing control. Precious control slipped away her limbs going heavy as she saw deep grey eyes looking at her with a smile that seemed more a snarl.
"Give me back my heart."
A memory came, but it was unclear the first had been so sharp, so real, this memory was diluted somehow, it was the memory of a memory.
She felt it, the bird boil tackled her and she fell back, she was weak so very weak, too weak to do what was important. Painful claws dug into her flesh letting the last of her strength drain away. He was hurting her more then words could ever describe, but in that moment he held her tight and she knew he was afraid, afraid because he meant no harm, because he did what he did out of love. Like a best friend, like a younger brother, like someone she loved back, she ignored the pain and brought her arms up weakly.
"Let her wake up..." He begged her, and she knew, like it or not she would have to.
Her nails moved from pushing him to pulling him into an embrace, she could no more hurt him than...but she had failed.
Julian why?
Struggling she summoned the power for one last burst of life, one last attempt to do what was important. She couldn't though, and so she begged forgiveness and then ran her fingers lovingly through his hair. His hair felt soft and familiar like the down feathers of a bird. His talons didn't feel so sharp anymore...
No! Not this memory! She hated this memory, it made her afraid, it made her paranoid, it wasn't real! She woke up with a gasp from a deep sleep and wrapped her arms around herself. She touched her side where the blood had poured out so quickly, so freely. No, it hadn't, not really...Julian would never do that to her. He was her best friend, the little brother she'd never had. So why was she still afraid?
She was afraid because she was going to die, she was being drowned and she couldn't find the strength to fight him off!
Julian!
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Posted: Sat Aug 17, 2013 4:15 pm
She realized she couldn't just give up, she couldn't! She struggled, she fumbled, and soon the scissors were steady in her hand. Could she do this? Could she stab Julian? Her friend? Her brother in her heart if not in blood? She had to! He would kill her if she didn't, he would take away the precious control. If she ever wanted answers, if she wanted to keep control she had to!
Julian!
She brought the scissors down plunging them into him and felt a sharp stab of pain deep inside for what she did. She had to...she had to if she wanted to save herself. The owlish shriek almost deafened her and then he was gone and the water with him. She coughed and gasped on her hands and knees shaking in pain.
The light poured down on her, the exit, escape, but at the cost of someone dear.
Julian...why?
The memories were sharp and confusing, two different times, two different places...and she...she shook her head always questions never answers. Slowly she struggled to her feet and then moved to go, but for a second she thought she had seen him in the distance.
A little gasp escaped her as she turned to hurry away, he had stared at her with hollow eyes, not the warm yellow of the Julian in her memories. In his hand he had clutched her scissors, sharp as talons.
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