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 Posted: Sat Dec 17, 2016 10:45 am
D E V E L O P M E N T A L x S O L O
Frolic Through the Forest "Wait, Zinnia!" Nivalis' feet pounded the forest floor, barreling after her younger sister for all she was worth. The pair of them had been assigned to a tracking and hunting group, and while they weren't the only ones partaking in the expedition, some of the older girls thought it would be intriguing to test what the young mystic and her comrade had learned in their earliest years. They were probably out lurking, observing, and waiting to see how things would end up.
This wasn't the part Niva minded. In fact, despite the art of hunting being a mostly silent and patient venture (not her usual forte), she actually found that this was quite enjoyable. There was a quiet hum of thrill to stalking wary prey through a darkened forest. An electric anticipation. A great need for blood. And that said nothing for the end feeling of victory over something lesser.
Hunting was fine. She had no qualms with that.
What left her confused were the curt remarks, brisk pace, and overall cold shoulder that her usually friendly younger sister had been giving her recently. Niva had assumed that since they were forced to work together, maybe she could get some answers here. But all that was left to speak to in the first handful of seconds they'd been alone together was Zinnia's dust. What Nivalis wouldn't give for longer legs. Whatever had transpired in Niva's (admittedly more lengthy than she'd originally anticipated) time off the island clearly offended the younger girl.
"Zinnia," she shouted again once the other girl was well and truly gone from her sight. "We should at least stay closer together," Niva called through the branches and brambles. "You don't have to speak to me, but... Zinni-ah!"
Her words petered to a sharp yelp of alarm as she was grabbed by the arm and yanked rather forcefully behind the trunk of a large tree. As a hand plastered over her mouth, Niva had the impulse to bite, but her gaze met the minty, narrowed eyes of her sister, and she stilled. "Be." Nivalis blinked. Zinnia looked angrier than Niva had given her credit for. "Quiet. You'll scare all the prey, if you haven't already," the younger girl hissed venomously.
A moment later, and Nivalis was released to stand at Zinnia's side. The curls of her antenna dipped, her gaze fell, and her shoulders drooped. The other Elaria's focus had immediately shifted back out toward the brush the second Niva was free. The attitude did put quite the dampener on the hunt. Zinnia grunted stiffly. "They'll drill us forever if we bring nothing back. If you're going to shout and scream and be a hindrance, stay outta my way."
She'd always been so happy, so friendly. Niva could hardly even begin to understand where this was coming from and why. Though their mission should be of paramount importance, Nivalis decided it would be more beneficial for them to work out their troubles before continuing further. In the style that was her norm, Niva reached and dusted a few lengthy dreads from the center of her companion's turned back. "You're angry at me," she murmured. "Why? I haven't even been here to upset you. You were fine when I left, and I-"
"You left," Zinnia retorted. Niva stalled, surprised (though she oughtn't have been) that her little sister would speak to her. "You left when I told you I wanted to go. I told you about the whole market! More than a year past! Remember?"
The exact way their conversation went was a bit fuzzy (a year was a long time, to a young girl), but she did recall it being Zinnia that told her about it. She gave a hesitant nod.
"And then you didn't invite me," Zinnia concluded flatly.
Oh. Heat crawled for Nivalis' cheeks, and she found herself shuffling back a pace in abashment. Now that it was brought up, she did sort of remember a bit about that time... Zinnia said she would go to that market, the one before the year Niva had attended. She hadn't of course, being younger than Niva and far less likely to gather recruits for an impromptu mission. She hadn't gone. But she'd wanted to. And when Niva went, instead of taking the sister that gave her the idea, she'd taken someone else. Several someone elses.
It hadn't occured to her at the time, in her defense. She'd wanted to do things rationally and actually earn some approval from the Matron, not that she'd done that, either. But she'd decided to only ask her older, more experienced sisters. Zinnia was younger than her... A year behind in training. The Alkidike elder would not have allowed her to go. She wouldn't have been an asset to the journey.
Nivalis couldn't tell her younger sister as much.
At least, not in so many words. "I did mention your name to the Matron", Niva offered, hoping the sudden stiffness of her posture and darting of her gaze didn't betray the lie. "But she scarcely wanted me to go. She'd never give you permission... I thought maybe I'd just bring you anyway, but I was," She swallowed, and glanced to the ground, carefully considering her options. "So scared," Niva decided at length. "I didn't know what was out there. None of us did, and the Alkidike always talk about the dangers of the mainland. I was afraid if I took you without permission, something bad might happen. I didn't want to risk it."
Zinnia didn't look entirely convinced, but she shifted her weight from one foot to the other and shot Nivalis a wary look. "You would have taken me, though," she demanded. "Since I am your best friend, and all?"
Niva was hesitant about that too, but if saying yes would solve now's problem, she supposed it could only help more than hurt. She nodded vigorously. "Yes, of course I would have! It was so difficult to go without you, after all. And- Oh! Next time, I will take you with me, no matter what," Nivalis promised solemnly, delicately carding her fingers through her younger sister's hair.
Zinnia scoffed, but it sounded just vaguely more amused (and less annoyed) than it had previously, a promising notion. "'Next time,'" she prompted. "When'll that be?"
"Oh, sometime in the future." It wasn't the greatest answer, but then, neither did Niva have plans to leave Zinris anytime soon. She'd had a dose of adventure that would satisfy her for many moons to come. Although, she somehow expected that Zinnia would find a way to make something of it sooner, rather than later.
It was probably best to resume their hunting mission for now. Engage her in other, more immediate excitements.x
x
Results: Niva promises her 'best friend' that their next adventure will be together.
Word Count: 1125
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Posted: Sat Dec 24, 2016 4:27 pm
G R O W T H x S O L O
Promises Kept It wasn't often that Nivalis was immensely and immediately suspicious of her sisters. As far as she could tell, most of them were noble and trustworthy Elaria children (and would forever be as such in her eyes) that had no interest in harming her physically or mentally. But when Niva spotted Zinnia from the corner of her eye, slinking from the shadowy cover of the undergrowth, a wave of wariness washed over her.
This was not the younger female's usual style, as Zinnia generally favored a more bold approach. And the sly upward lilt of her pink lips spoke of misfortune to come for something, though Niva did hope it wasn't meant for her.
Zinnia slipped up to Nivalis' side, still grinning broadly and seemingly heedless of the young mystic's suspicion. She looked like a small, agile predator, a stealthy beast far too pleased with itself for snatching up its latest meal. When Zinnia leaned in, close enough for her breath to dust over Nivalis' ear and tickle the sensitive tendrils of antenna beneath them, Niva had to forcibly remind herself not to lean away.
"I. Know somethiiiing," she hummed softly in a playful sing-song tone, rocking forward then back as she did.
Niva brushed a hand over the ear her friend had assaulted, trying to be casual as she dusted her lengthy dreds over her shoulder. "I do hope you know several somethings," she muttered in response, hoping her voice didn't betray any uneasiness. "But you're excited about something, so-"
Zinnia spun on her heel, lurching from Niva's side to stand before her in one abrupt motion. "The Alkidike scouts spotted a little camp of Yaelians wandering through our forest. Dunno why they're here, but nobody cares about that. The Alks are gonna take 'em out once the sun sets. They're in camp, preparing for their mission now."
This did pique Niva's interest, loathe as she was to admit it. Most of the Yaeli settlements were still a reasonably safe distance away, and the people there knew that wandering too close to the Elaria camp would not be good for them. So why were they here? Why come all this way? No one out this far was simply 'lost.' Though Niva expected these few wouldn't be returning home.
"I'm not going to wait."
The words pulled her from her thoughts, and the young Elarian blinked back to her friend in quiet confusion. "You are-?"
"Do you remember," Zinnia interrupted shortly, reaching out to firmly grasp Niva's shoulders, physically holding her attention. "When you said we could go on an adventure together? You said 'in the future,' and wouldn't ya know it, it is in the future." She gave her captive audience a gentle shake. "They're just Earthlings," Zinnia asserted. "There's no need to wait on the sun's course to do away with them. We can do it. You and me. It'll be fun, and think of the story. What do you say?"
She ought to have trusted her initial trepidation, but rather than go with her gut feeling of something being peculiar about the situation, Nivalis agreed. They were just Earthlings, after all. Zinnia said their camp was small, and Earthlings were only dangerous when a great many of them were present. Even Naqenni had said so. So, maybe it was strange. But likely not dangerous. Not for two coming-of-age children of Elzira.
And not when Niva had already traveled from her island and seen the world. Nothing bad had even happened on the mainland, away from home. These forests had shown her nothing but protection and comfort her whole life. That wasn't about to stop now.
Or so she thought.
Nivalis couldn't explain what exactly happened between then and now that made everything go so wrong. They'd made it to the Yaeli camp with no trouble from any outside forces; no Alkidke had stopped them from leaving, no beasts hindered the journey, none of their Earthling prey emerged unannounced. They made it to the camp. They saw. They planned.
As stated, there were only a handful of Yaeli, perhaps half a dozen. They did not look any more dangerous than any Nivalis had ever seen, and it felt like she and her sister had the advantage. They knew this land. They had their weapons. They had height, from their vantage point in the trees. They had stealth and confidence and training and anything Niva could think of that would mean success. It should've been such an easy task.
Zinnia had brought a bow. They sat a good many yards from their Yaeli targets, perched in the cover of branches, looking out over the camp below them. Easy, unaware prey. By the time they noticed they were targets, it would all be over. At least, that's what Zinnia said, assuming her aim was true. She notched an arrow, turned a warm, confident grin in Nivalis' direction, and-
She didn't make it farther than that.
From somewhere beneath them, somewhere that wasn't the Yaeli camp, came another arrow. That was about all Niva registered as the shaft of it lodged itself firmly in Zinnia's chest. There was a gasp. Weapons dropped, and the younger girl's arm flailed out haphazardly to stop herself from tumbling from her branch. Nivalis latched onto her on impulse, and they both dropped to the ground like hard, dead weight.
The instant Niva left that tree, her mind lapsed into a haze of abrupt confusion and disarray. Nothing made sense. Everything was dark. Where were they, what was-
Zinnia coughed- choked really, and all of Niva's scattered focus zeroed onto her companion with jarring immediacy. That arrow in her chest. Her minty eyes impossibly wide and pink lips splattered in red. Zinnia's quivering hand hovered uncertainly where she'd been struck. Nivalis' fingers moved quick to grip that most unpleasant looking protrusion. But no, no, she knew better than that. It looked like it had to come out, but that would only be worse. She couldn't possibly make things worse. Not now.
"Z-zinnia-?" A rustle snapped Niva's gaze back out towards the Yaeli camp. Their archer hadn't been among them. She knew that. She'd seen. None of that handful of people had looked dangerous. Their warriors were not with the camp. Their warriors were hunting.
Nivalis had never felt hunted before.
The thought lodged a stone in her throat, and suddenly, the world was against them. She didn't no what to do. No training had prepared her for this. Stay, try to heal her sister with her limited powers, get caught, die. Her breath picked up. Scream for help, her sisters might still be close, they would hear her, so would the Yaeli, die. Take cover and hide, wait for the Alkidike warriors to eliminate their foes, wait, and let Zinnia die.
Run.
There were no other options. She could save them both if she fled and the goddess was on her side. They could both live if she could get far enough away fast enough. Already heaving, Niva dipped. She looped Zinnia's arm about her shoulders and was rewarded with a gasp and stuttered groan. Her younger sister was larger than her, heavier, and though her eyes were still open and breath still fell ragged from her lips, there was no effort put forth into helping Niva's forward progression.
"Please," Nivalis begged softly. "We can't stay like this," she coaxed. "We have to move. We have to go. I will protect you. I will keep you safe. I won't leave you." She staggered forward, fighting her own shaking limbs and the entirety of her sister's weight resting against her.
Zinnia's feet dragged the ground, and the labored, wet puff of her breathing hit the side of Niva's neck, eliciting goosebumps. She kept jarring that arrow, sticking pointedly from her sister's chest, and Niva thought it really ought to inspire some type of reaction from her sister, but it didn't. And that was somehow worse than if she'd screamed and wailed.
They made it a handful of steps. For all Nivalis' promises, her body was shaking so hard that should could barely keep herself aloft, let alone successfully transport another. With a soft wail of distress, they slumped to the ground, and landed in a pile of tangled, blood-soaked limbs and hair. They weren't far enough away. They would be caught and killed-
"I can't... breathe..."
Niva's eyes burned. She didn't want to cry. But she could feel it oncoming in a great wave of fear and hopelessness and regret. Why did she come out here? Why had she let this happen? She knew better. But her sister would not benefit from any of that. Neither would she benefit from Nivalis burying her face in the dirt. There was probably no right thing to do, but she couldn't do nothing. "I will save you," Niva whispered.
Such was the mystic's duty, to care for the injured and to protect her tribe, but Nivalis had only the most rudimentary knowledge of the healing arts. She had never 'saved' anything. She had to try.
In her erratic and terrified state, the pull of magic to her fingertips, the feel of it, never came. The warm glow of those beneficial powers never rose to her palms, and it was seconds, precious seconds that it took Nivalis to realize this. "Help!" She wailed, hands still hovering over Zinnia's chest and mentally begging, pleading with Elzira to give her strength this once, now, in this time of great and dire need.
There was no change, besides the shallow rise and fall of her sister's chest, and the paling tenor to once-pink extremities. "Matron!" Niva shouted. "Help! Layeta! Cyenna!" Her fingers crimped in the soaked fabric of Zinnia's dress, and she willed whatever powers she could muster to come forward. Her sister's head lolled to the side, and her minty eyes glossed over. "Kaygha, Naqenni! Anyone!" The tears came quick now, leaving burning trails down her cheeks and stealing her breath. She could do as much to stop them as she'd done to save her sister's life.
"Help me!"x
x
Results: Despite the dangers of her homeland, Nivalis has been living a safe, comfortable, and rather spoiled life. Unlike many of her elders, she doesn't know hardship and has a very rose-tinged vision of the world, filled with childish wonder. Due to the constant encouragement of her peers, she expects she can do and handle most anything and keep terrible things from happening to herself and her people. She's been allowed to travel and had virtually no difficulties with the entire process, leaving her near completely unafraid of anything the world might throw at her.
Until now.
After foolishly following her closest friend into a thicket of Earthling hunters, Niva's strength is tested both in terms of her physical abilities and her magical/mental ones. She fails on both accounts, and Zinnia loses her life because of it.
Word Count: 1686
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Posted: Wed May 24, 2017 9:32 am
D E V E L O P M E N T A L x S O L O
Aftershocks Fall leaves crunched beneath Nivalis' bare feet. The sound was nearly obnoxious at this hour of morning, when the awake consisted of only the patrol that guarded the camp in the darkness. Those warriors wouldn't wander far enough from their posts at the perimeter of their settlement to hear her, and Niva didn't expect anyone would approach even if the sound echoed throughout the entire forest.
No one was keen on approaching the young Elarian mystic of late. She was small, fragile, had recently experienced a great loss, and Alkidike were not known for their sympathy. Nivalis was a girl with many emotions, and it would not do for her to be mentally damaged at this age, when there were still so many years before a new mystic might bloom. Most thought leaving the matron to deal with Nivalis' ails was best for them all, lest the tragedy of Zinnia's death hold her hostage for the rest of her days.
Niva dusted a berry-red dreadlock back behind her shoulder and tried to walk with her head high, despite no one being around to see it.
Her older cousins and sisters were concerned for her feelings, but they had no way of knowing that the matron didn't spare her. The old woman had once warned her about the burdens she would carry. Every death made from a mystic's decisions was as much her fault as if she'd drawn blood personally. The matron made no show of beseeching Niva to believe that it wasn't her fault, or that there was nothing she could have done. Her only advice was that Nivalis learn from the experience and that she ought pray the Great Mother grant her a higher wisdom for future encounters, so that as many lives could be spared as possible.
Niva couldn't speak to the future, but she knew that whatever she could do now must be done, even if it felt as though so much was outside of her power.
Her feet carried her from her tent at Elzira's roots, through the Extremist camp, and toward a small, unremarkable hut amidst a cluster of others. Her thoughts wandered back to the matron. "There is no need for this, Nivalis. The girl will be set off in the tradition of her ancestors. Her body will become ash, return to nourish Elzira's roots, and the Goddess will bloom you new sisters because of it. She is within us, and her caretaker mother will be honored to have raised a child who would give her life for her mystic. Desari does not need your apologies. You will dishonor her." Despite the old matron's words, Nivalis could not continue to say nothing to the young Alkidike who'd loved and raised Zinnia as her own, who'd stood by silent and somber as the girl's pyre raft drifted away from their shores.
Desari had been exiled from her home. She'd taken no mate and had no lover. Zinnia had been her life and her ambition and her genuine belief that their sisterhood would rise again.
Now Zinnia was gone. It was as good as Nivalis' doing, and she couldn't ignore what Desari had lost.
She moved as silently as the foliage underfoot would allow toward the little hut. It would have been more polite of her to come during daylight hours, when all of her sisters would be awake, but it was in the dark, stillness of night that Nivalis' thoughts wandered freely to what she'd lost and how it connected all of them. When she shut her eyes, she could see the deep red of Zinnia's blood-soaked dress, could hear her raspy breathing, and could smell a tang of iron in the air...
So she didn't close her eyes, and instead expected that Desari was also restless in her loneliness. Or perhaps the woman was completely bedridden in her grief... Niva had seen her at Zinnia's funeral, but not again outside of that, not that the young Elaria had been paying much attention to her surroundings recently.
Regardless, Desari would be awake, despite the hour, she was certain. And however she chose to greet the girl who'd come to her door, Niva was prepared to accept. Even if the woman hated her, cursed her name, shunned their tribe, defected back to the mainland... Nivalis decided she wouldn't blame her for it. She'd already resolved to see that no one hunted her down, if that were the case. Her tribe would let this woman live in peace, if that was what she wished.
But for now she stood at the wooden boards of her door, with her fist hovering over it in preparation to knock. What would Desari say? What would Nivalis say? Would she be able to speak at all? What if her throat closed so tightly that she couldn't breathe, let alone apologize as she wanted. She'd killed this woman's daughter and had yet to look her directly in the face. She needed to do this, though. There was no alternative. Swallowing thickly, Niva rapped her knuckles against the door.
It was silent from within. It was silent up until the exact moment that the door creaked open, and a head of dark hair peeked out through the crack. Desari's eyes were dark, her hair disheveled, and her body hunched over on itself. For a moment, she regarded Nivalis as if she had no idea who the person before her was, then her posture slackened further, her lids lowered, and she murmured. "Mystic... It is too early for you to be out. You need your rest to keep up your strength. I will escort you back to Elzira's roots, if it please-"
"No." The word fell so sharply from Niva's lips, that it startled her. Desari only blinked demurely but didn't respond, so Niva pressed on. "No," she repeated more softly. "I know it is late, but I needed to speak with you- to see you. If I am desturbing you, I'll wait until morning, if you prefer, but I..." She searched for what to say, or how to make her cousin understand. "Now felt like the right time." Though that made as little sense as anything else.
It was her own selfishness that brought Nivalis here. That fact was as clear as a Zenan river, now that she thought about it. Of course she ought have waited until morning. Desari could have been sleeping- she looked so unwell.
But the woman gave a weary smile and beckoned Niva in with a gentle hand. "If I've woken you, please tell me, and I will wait as long as you need. However long it takes for you to be ready to see me." The young Elarian prompted as she stepped forward into the hut. There was no fire and no candles. It was darker within than anything beneath Zinris' canopy. Niva wrung her hands.
"You will never be turned from here, child." Desari murmured. "At any time of day or night, regardless of what the past or future hold, you will be welcome in my home. I would never turn my back to the mystic."
Niva bit the end of her tongue and kept her posture rigid. She knew it was the only reason anyone would accept her after her latest mistake. It was only because of her role within the tribe. If she'd been a real warrior, and had allowed one of her own to die before her eyes while returning unscathed, they would have shunned and ridiculed her. But because she was their mystic, they- Desari was obligated to respect her. Niva shook her head. "I come to you tonight only as a daughter of Elzira and nothing more. I watched my sister breathe her last breath. I led her toward trouble when I knew we shouldn't have gone."
"I would prefer it if you were angry, I think." There, she'd said it. No one had been angry at her. The matron's words weren't unkind, but nor were they harsh. They were just the truth of the matter and hope for the future. Her cousins and sisters stepped away from her and gave her space to grieve. Desari... She'd simply done nothing.
If she'd been angry, at least Niva would have understood.
The Alkidike woman's chest heaved. She shut her eyes, inhaled a breath, curled her fists, twitched her antenna, then moved away. She strode to her living quarters, settled in a wood chair, and beckoned for Niva to take the seat opposite her. Once Niva perched at the edge of the chair, Desari folded her fingers before herself, still shrouded in darkness, and murmured, "You were close, weren't you?"
This wasn't the exact line of thought Nivalis had expected, but yes, she had considered herself to be closer with Zinnia than she was with many others. All of her sisters were precious, but she'd known the girl on a more personal level than she'd had with most anyone else. They'd been close in age and near in abilities. They'd trained and learned together... Nivalis nodded.
"Yes, I thought you were," Desari agreed. "She spoke of you often and animatedly. You knew her well, so you know how boisterous and headstrong she could be. She was an excitable thing, and it was easy for her to get carried away... But she did enjoy spending as much of her time as she could with you."
Nivalis' heart throbbed. Her lip quivered until she sucked it between her teeth, and her eyes stung as though she might cry. These were simple and pleasant words, and she'd known them to be true, but hearing them, simple as they were, from Zinnia's mother made her bones ache. She opened her mouth to speak, but nothing came out.
Nothing needed to. "She knew you were her mystic, as we all do, but it is of little importance, really. Even if you hadn't been, if you'd been only her closest friend and sister... I would hope the outcome would be the same. Even if it was only foolishness, or an accident that led to her death instead of yours, I pray you let me think it was a brave, honorable death. You are both just children, and you oughtn't have left camp alone. But I know how she is. Even if you come to me 'only as one of Elzira's daughters,' I don't blame you. Zinnia was my world, but if you had taken her place, she would not have been the same. If she had witnessed what you witnessed, I fear she would've become something else entirely. This way, at least, I last saw her as she was, happy and boisterous. Eager and energetic. I don't want your condolences. I ask only that you don't forget her. Keep her in your spirit."
It still wasn't what Nivalis wanted to hear. It wasn't even so different than what the matron had told her to expect. It took no weight from her shoulders and didn't make her feel any better.
Niva's only peace was that she genuinely believed Desari's words. The Alkidike wasn't saying them just to appease and console the mystic. They sounded true and sincere. Desari wasn't angry with her, and honestly hoped that all of their tribe to grow and act as such, that if they all died- if their sisterhood was wiped out defending the people they'd bonded closely with, perhaps that would be alright.x
x
Results: Nivalis speaks with Desari, Zinnia's caretaker mother.
Word Count: 1909
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Posted: Wed May 24, 2017 9:34 am
P R P x R E F L E C T I O NAt the Mystic's Service I have not been myself. I know it's true, as I suspect many others do. I suspect some of my sisters might have even started to worry over my health and well-being. Naqenni even came to visit me in my hut... She is not the most consoling of our tribe, and I think it's... awkward for her to have to tend to anyone in a more emotional state.
But she tried, and that is something I can appreciate.
It's a different sort appreciation than I have for the gift she brought me. Naqenni is more warrior than I. It is true that she was born first, and that her role as eldest among the Elaria must lend itself to needing to have that aura of strength, while I must give more one of comfort, but the difference in our abilities... It is a great and unfathomable gap.
She brought me the head of the Yaeli woman who slayed our sister, where I could only cower and plead for help in the face of an unseen enemy. I must strive to be more. The matron has always warned me that my choices could be the result of a lost life or lives, and my sisters and older cousins assure me that they will die before they let harm come to me. But I cannot sit idly by while they are hurt and killed. I must work harder.
I must do better.Results: Naqenni gifts Nivalis with the severed head of Zinnia's murderer.
PRP Posts: 10
JR Word Count: 240
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Posted: Wed May 24, 2017 9:51 am
After losing Zinnia, after being there and unable to do anything, I found that I didn't have much interest in leaving the mindset of 'unable to do anything.' I spent many days in my tent, just me, my own thoughts, and my sisters and cousins who came around to assure me that 'it wasn't my fault' and 'there was nothing I could've done.' I understand that they say as much because they think I'm fragile in this state, and they can't afford to wait until a new mystic blooms.
The matron doesn't say those things, though. She doesn't offer me her sympathy. She tried to warn me against making mistakes like this, but I wasn't careful enough. I wasn't alert enough. I wasn't... Well, I suppose I didn't understand what could happen within the safety of my own forest.
Rather than offer me quiet, meaningless words, the matron sent me out to join one of my older sisters in a session of physical training. It is something I have been neglecting for many days now. I've been neglecting all of my training since the day I lost my best friend, and I likely would've continued to do so, if not forced to act otherwise. I am pleased, though, that it was Pruu I was sent to.
She has a strong sense of duty and determination. She has her own family struggles, but she pushes onward along the path Elzira has laid out for her. I don't want to be the one to sit back and do nothing... I don't want to be the one to break. I must find my own strength and push onward as well.Results: Trained with Pruu.
PRP Posts: 10
JR Word Count: 277
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Posted: Wed May 24, 2017 9:52 am
P R P x R E F L E C T I O NRa Ra Rasputin The matron often tells me that because my skills are still fresh and my body is still developing, that I ought to be careful of how far I wander from camp. These jungles might be ours, I may have been born a warrior, and Elzira may grace us with her protection as often as she can, but there are still beasts and vermin lurking in the shadows, waiting to strike.
It is a lesson I have learned, such that I don't think it is proper for me to risk others by having them join me.
However, I admit to being surprised when a non-extremist Alkidike crossed my path today. She was not from our camp. She was alone, and I was alone. It could've turned... quite dangerous. As a mystic, I shouldn't have risked myself so foolishly against a woman who has likely had more training than me... But as a warrior, I couldn't do nothing while an outside encroached open our territory.
We shared words, threats from both of our tongues, and I allowed a bit of the magic Elzira has granted me encourage her to keep her distance. It could have ended horrible for either or both of us, but somehow, despite our differing views, neither of us came to harm. I allowed her to leave, as she did me, though both begrudgingly, I think, and I'm left to wonder if this is news I ought to report, or if it isn't really so important as to worry everyone else...Results: Met and fought Mnyiri.
PRP Posts: 10
JR Word Count: 252
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Posted: Wed May 24, 2017 9:53 am
NIVALIS' THOUGHTSResults: ???
PRP Posts: ???
JR Word Count: ???
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Posted: Wed May 24, 2017 9:54 am
P R P x R E F L E C T I O NThe Birds and the Bees I stumbled into my sister by accident. Or rather, she caught me unawares. Pruu was out running through the lake water to strengthen her muscles, and she startled me as she approached... I have had many opportunities to see many- all of my sisters training, but I have to admit that I don't often see them do it as Pruu was.
Her legs looked so nice, splashing through the murk, glistening where they were wet... And strong from her continued efforts. She is perhaps one of the most dedicated and disciplined of Elzira's daughters. It is a wonder how she could always be out on her own.
I, unfortunately, am not much of a runner, and I do very much detest that gross, murky-looking lake water. We stayed together for only a brief while (though I was careful to watch from the sidelines, even once she'd left me behind- just to be sure that she wasn't injured!), but it was long enough for her to fall and gouge herself. She allowed me to practice my magic on her; the first time I'd ever had the opportunity to practice on one of my sisters, and told me that she would like to forge a stronger mental capacity as well.
I can help with that.Results: Nivalis and Pruu meet up for a jog around the lake.
PRP Posts: 10
JR Word Count: 213
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Posted: Thu Aug 03, 2017 5:16 pm
It should have been a day of celebration, and one in which I should have been allowed to take part in the rituals honoring Elzira... Instead, despite the elder council's attempts to hide it from us, we were shown the truth. Terrible creatures lurk in our forests. They possess a magic unheard of, one which the Great Mother does not grant to her children. It causes sickness, it opens portals, it... probably does other things, as well.
But we know so little about them. They are beasts which the Elaria were never told of. Only our cousins know of them, and the ones who have come to this island have written them off as stories.
If we'd been allowed to prepare beforehand, I am certain we wouldn't have lost sisters to these monsters. I tried to be a part of the council, but they have continued to push me away, claiming that I am still too young... So I did make a bit of a scene when everyone was gathered beneath Elzira... I proclaimed my frustrations, and I am hopeful that they were not only heard, but listened to. I don't regret it, and my sisters seemed pleased that someone spoke up for them. We will see how much actually changes.
I have been told I may sit in on their meetings now...Results: +2 Versatile Points; Nivalis is ready to join in on council meetings.
META Posts: 14
JR Word Count: 223
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Posted: Sun Aug 06, 2017 5:45 pm
B A T T L E x R E F L E C T I O N[Yael] Nivalis vs Seziah ...
(N/A - NRP battle)Results: Lost the battle.
Word Count: N/A
JR Word Count: N/A
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Posted: Sun Aug 06, 2017 5:48 pm
...
(N/A - NRP battle)Results: Lost the battle.
Word Count: N/A
JR Word Count: N/A
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Posted: Wed Aug 09, 2017 8:47 am
D E V E L O P M E N T A L x S O L O
Morning Duo The only indication Nivalis had of night shifting to day were the tiny pinpricks of light that made it through Elzira's branches to splatter the top canvas of her tent in an array of speckles in various shades of brown. She usually rose before the sun touched the horizon, let alone made it high enough in the sky to have any hope of reaching her. But not this morning. Today, she blinked groggily at the intrusive colors and sat up slowly, smearing her palms down her face as she did.
She'd kept herself awake well into the night. First, sitting in on the council meetings, as she'd recently been permitted to do. The elders spoke of traveling to Chibale to read from the tomes of their ancestors that ought to contain more information on the dretch, but as an Elarian with no ties to such a place, Nivalis was against it.
The trip would be as dangerous as anything they faced here, and who would they even send? Elarians would not be welcome on Chibale, and she was hard-pressed to believe that the Alkidike who'd waged war against their sisters would be welcomed back so easily, either...
That, and she had no intention of asking for permissions or help from anyone.
The dretch had mortal, physical bodies, and until it could be proven that they would not die by the blade of her spear or the flames of her magic, Nivalis would assume they could. And so long as they could be killed by natural means, they were hardly anything to fear, and nothing anyone else had written in the past would be of more use than that.
After speaking her peace to the elders, Nivalis had taken to roaming the camp, seeking out her sisters (and even cousins) who were most distraught by recent news. She had little by way of actual information to offer them. When she tried to reassure them of their safety within their borders, she could do so only with words of her own hope and determination and promises that when the Great Mother sent her a sign, any sign, she would not hide it from her people.
Satisfied that she had done all she could do for the moment, Nivalis had turned to her mother, trailed a winding path between Elzira's roots, and taken up a post close at the trunk of her goddess' tree.
If this truly was a time of as great strife as the matron seemed to fear, Niva needed to keep herself open to any wisdom Elzira may wish to impart on her. In the past, meditation for long periods of time had not been one of her strengths, as Nivalis generally preferred to do things that required a bit more physical activity and could be performed in groups with her sisters. But it felt important to focus her efforts here, for now. So she'd stayed beneath Elzira's branches until the moon had risen to its fullest and started to fall again and longer.
Even waking the next morning, her bones still ached from the stillness. Nivalis stretched her arms over her head and stood from her cot. She wanted to eat. And hunt. The morning- or perhaps it was midday by now?- would be good for it.
She stepped from her tent and was immediately (and almost alarmingly) surprised that shadows waited for her at either side of her entryway. Niva jumped initially as she emerged, and a sound not unlike a squeak tore free of her. But a second later, only a second, and she recognized the figures of her sisters, one to each side of the opening to her tent, standing tall and straight and purposeful. They turned to her as she emerged, and Niva recognized them immediately after.
Atris and Niteo were bloom sisters. They stood taller then she (as most did), and were a handful of moons older than her as well. They were not the most vocal of Elarians, not the most noticeable, not the best trained. They were average in most every way, with only one unique trait between them.
They were the only two, among her entire tribe, that Nivalis could not tell apart.
The pair spoke and acted the same. They followed the same path and were always at each other's side. They looked alike in all the ways that most Elaria didn't, and Niva had not spent enough time with them to know if each had any peculiarities unique to only one of them. Not because she wasn't as curious of their lives as she was toward any Elaria, and not because she felt a pang of jealousy any time she saw how close they were, but because they did not seem interested in her. They did not seem interested in much of anything.
"Mystic," Niva's gaze flit to the girl to the left of her. "The matron has asked us to ensure your safety until such a time when our lands are safe from the creatures lurking within it." Her voice was dull and flat. She sounded unenthused, but Niva had to remember that this was normal for them.
"We will stay out of sight, if you wish it," the other added, as dissatisfied as her sister. "But please allow us to accompany you where you go."
The spark of annoyance that lit at the initial proclamation died to embers as quickly as it had come. She did not need to be watched and guarded, as she was sure no others were being assigned a pair to keep them out of trouble. But... she supposed she understood. Despite the matron's warning that they oughtn't travel alone, Nivalis had made a great show of her fearlessness and foolishness, and she hadn't always been obedient in the past.
More importantly, though, Atris and Niteo were not Alkidike. The matron could have assigned one of her own seasoned and trusted warriors to remain at her side. It was clear the old woman didn't think Nivalis she be left to her own devices- the whole of her tribe likely believed as much. But instead of sending her an Alkidike, she'd sent two Elaria, girls who would stand beside their mystic as well as any other. They'd been trained in the tribe's ways, and though their abilities hadn't been tried as thoroughly as any Alkidike's, they were two that Niva would trust and cooperate more with, and the matron must have believed they were strong enough to see the job done.
Rather than aggravation at the unwanted predicament, Nivalis felt a swell of pride for the twins instead. She had been intending to leave camp, and she did appreciate company and the chance to learn more about this pair in particular...
Nivalis beamed brightly and nodded. Though the girls did not have the temperament of those she usually drew close, they were here and essentially hers until such a time when it would be safe for them to part. "No, no, there's no need for that. Please accompany me. I'd be very grateful to have you along."
Atris and Niteo dipped their heads in unison to Nivalis' wishes, and as the mystic set out across camp, they stalked after her, quiet but present.x
x
Results: Nivalis obtains two shadows.
Word Count: 1209
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Posted: Wed Aug 09, 2017 9:12 am
B A T T L E x R E F L E C T I O N[Yael] Akacia vs Nivalis ...
(N/A - NRP battle)Results: Won the battle.
Word Count: N/A
JR Word Count: N/A
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Posted: Tue Aug 15, 2017 5:03 pm
G R O W T H x S O L O
The Twins' Wisdom ”Were it up to me, you wouldn’t leave camp at all.” The matron had hesitated, then sighed quietly and shook her head. “...But it seldom is, is it? I couldn’t stop you the last time you wanted to venture out on your own, to much farther lands, and I don’t imagine I could keep you from traipsing through the territory of your home now. That is why Atris and Niteo are there, to protect you wherever you go, at whatever hour you choose to leave.”
Even though Nivalis didn’t mind having the constant company of the twins at her side, she’d still seen fit to complain about it to the matron. She’d felt singled-out among her tribe- the foolish young mystic needs to be guarded- and had said as much. As a warrior, she did not need to be looked after, let alone followed at all hours of the day. Her sisters likely had their own business to attend to and wouldn’t want to trail her about, and it seldom felt necessary when she did not leave camp often to begin with, so why waste the valuable resource of her sisters’ time on her when it could be better put to use elsewhere?
But the matron hadn’t been looking for argument and didn’t seem open to negotiation.
Nivalis had left the tent grumbling, and her two new escorts had been waiting, just outside, as they had been when she’d first seen them. They remained as silent shadows as they moved after her, trailing in her steps, but keeping to themselves. They didn’t question where she was going or what business she had there, they merely went. Niva’s gaze flicked briefly over her shoulder to the pair, then forward again. What had the matron told them before she’d assigned the twins to this task? Had they been instructed to keep quiet? Or was it simply their way?
If it had been an Alkidike guarding her, she would have ducked out from beneath those eyes immediately, but because it was a pair of Elarians, Niva couldn’t bring herself to do something that may get them in trouble. Atris and Niteo were her sisters, besides, and much more worthy company to keep regardless.
These two sent a strange, expectant sensation through her, though. Nivalis would have agreed to let any of Elzira’s children accompany her anywhere, but the twins were… peculiar in their silence and mannerisms. To Niva it felt almost as though they didn’t like her and were burdened with the chore of staying at her side. They didn’t say much unless she needled it out of them, and even then, they spoke in the droll tone of someone bored.
It was the only time Nivalis could recall feeling awkward around her sisters.
Niva passed her tongue over her bottom lip thoughtfully, then spun to face the twins. They halted in their steps, both pairs of minty eyes fixed on her and nowhere else, faces stern, and posture rigid. Nivalis swallowed. ”If you would prefer to maintain some distance, please feel free. You don’t need to stay at my heels if you’d rather have more space to speak to each other openly…”
“Is that what would please you, Mystic?”
She couldn’t know which name to give to the one that spoke, another point of frustration for her when dealing with them, but perhaps not relevant at the immediate moment. ”Ah, no… Of course not. I only offered in the event that it would be more comfortable for you.” She’d actually been pleased to see them, initially, on the first morning they’d stood outside her tent. But the twins were not very friendly or open with her, as she was more accustomed to.
She didn’t want to call them difficult, as they’d done her no wrongs. What they were was unusual, but Nivalis resolved to make things feel more natural with them by the time the twins were no longer obligated to stay at her side.
”But very well,” Nivalis continued a moment later. ”I have been allowed-” She tried to put as much disdain into the word as possible. ”-to dig for the roots of the caquava tree. The matron burns them before seeking speaking to the great mother. It makes the air… heavy, somehow. It is difficult to explain. Collecting them is muddy, tedious work. Will you help me?” She had only to cast a glance over her shoulder to see two heads nodding in unison, but received little more acceptance or eagerness than that. Wonderful.
They left camp, and as soon as they passed the last ring of tents around the edge, Nivalis started a more friendly line of questioning. ”So, what do you two like to do for fun when you aren’t with me?” She asked. ”Do you like to swim? Many of our sisters seem to enjoy the practice, but I am not so fond, myself… My first swim teacher was not the most encouraging, and while I don’t need encouragement to succeed, I suppose I am especially interested in not-almost-dying in a menial training session...”
She was still ahead of them, and could not see the girls as they spoke, but one of them answered, sounding as bored as ever. “Atris dances wonderfully.” Niva was almost skeptical to hear the word ‘wonderfully’ in such a tone. The twins wouldn’t know, of course, facing her back as they were. “When the tribe gathers for meal, they flock to watch her as she moves around the fire. She is beautiful.”
Presumably the other one answered next, but again, Niva couldn’t be certain. They even sounded as though they were coming from the same spot. “Niteo weaves in the evenings. She must have made every decoration in our home. It is very brightening. Our mother things so too.”
”You mother,” Nivalis prompted as she gestured to a space only a few paces ahead where they could start digging. ”Tell me about her. She is an Alkidike, I imagine? In a partnership with another one of her sisters?”
“No. Elzira blessed our mother with two blooms on her lonesome.” Nivalis dipped to the earth and began smearing her palms through the mud, checking that yes, she could find what she was after here, before she plucked a tool from the small satchel at her hip and began digging. Atris and Niteo had no such items, and they didn’t move to sit with her, but instead remained standing and on alert. “She is strong enough to manage us both, and warriors in our tribe are always in short supply. She helps where she can, even if it is difficult.”
”A noble woman,” Nivalis agreed in a murmur. ”She must be, if Elzira blessed her twice over.”
“She says you are selfish.”
Nothing would have so fully snared Nivalis’ attention like those words did. Both her hands planted to the ground to steady her as she whipped her head up to glare in the direction of the girl who’d spoken. It was not either of the twins’ fault for their mother to say such a thing, but Niva felt well beyond offended in that moment just the same. It was strikingly similar to what the matron had said during the gathering. Selfish. Why did they think that? When Niva had tried so hard her entire life to be anything but. ”She does, does she?” Niva’s voice had dropped to a soft hiss. ”Why is that?”
They must have known they’d struck a nerve. Nivalis glared at them, and though both twins held passive expressions, they were silent for several moments. And then one of them glanced off to the trees, and as if in some sort of silent agreement, the other moved to perch at Niva’s side. Nivalis held her focus there, on the girl nearest to her.
“She has seen many mystics in her life-”
”None like me,” Nivalis retorted.
The rebuttal came so instantaneously that Nivalis was thrown off guard. “Perhaps best to not see too many more like you,” the other Elarian retorted, though her expression remained flat and her voice still droll. “She said in her time that a mystic would never pretend to be a greater warrior than the sisters who had trained solely to do battle with outsiders. Her mystics would not rush into a confrontation. They were respectful and understood their role. She says you are selfish,” Nivalis grimaced harder. “Because your feelings control you.”
Her feelings controlled her. She was only mortal, and was desperately interested in the success of her tribe, in the success of her sisters. It couldn’t be so wrong to be passionate about the defense of her lands and her home and her still-young-but-blossoming race. ”She was offended that I spoke out at the gathering? Or that I wanted to face the monster myself?”
The twin at her side had the slightest shift of expression, the first Nivalis had seen. It was a fluttering of eyelashes, a pinch of fingers, the twitch of an antenna. “She is angry that you don’t understand.”
”I understand perfectly-!”
“You are selfish,” the girl repeated. “You are afraid because you have lost a sister and it stung you. It is a wound that has festered and festered and now refuses to heal, and you are frightened that it could happen again. You do not want to be hurt. It is an understandable sentiment, but one, that for you, needs to be tamed. You are afraid that another one of us will be lost while protecting you, and so you rush to the front. But you have never stopped to consider what it would mean for our tribe, our existence, if you should fall.”
“Our mother is still young.” It was the other girl, now. Speaking out to the trees beyond, but clearly meant for Niva. “She could not bloom another mystic for decades, likely. Atris and I have been told it happens naturally only once a generation. But we do not know if Elzira is old enough to manage even that, yet.”
“The fact remains that every time you act recklessly, you put your fears ahead of the good of the tribe,” Atris hummed. “You put protecting yourself ahead of the rest of the Elarians. Perhaps not in body. You do not seem afraid for the Great Mother to greet your spirit, but you are afraid your mind could not handle another loss. Death would be easy and peaceful. There is no need to fear it. But as our mystic, you must suffer the burden of watching others fall and remain upright to guide the tribe with the Great Mother’s words.”
Niteo glanced briefly over her shoulder. “You must have been told this so many times.”
So many times. Nivalis bit her lip and glanced down to her lap. This was apparently all the signal Atris needed to rise and join her sister in surveying the land. Niva’s fingers gripped at her digging tool, and she couldn’t bring herself to look up at them again.
Was she truly selfish for not wanting any of her sisters harmed? It had always felt like it was at her own expense. If she was injured, incapacitated, or stolen away, then at least the tribe could move forward. It was all she wanted, for the tribe to survive. And she was certain they could, without her. Surely no one needed to commune with the Great Mother constantly… If they went twenty years without guidance from her, it would not mean a lessening of faith…
Would it?
The mystic guided newborns into the world and then performed the rituals that would allow them to pass into the next life. She’d brought mothers to pray before Elzira’s branches and had held the hands of parents and children who’d lost their loved ones. What would they do, if there was no mystic, as there hadn’t been, when she was born? Her tribe had been lost before her, anxiously waiting for something more.
And it would be selfish to force them back to that place.
Nivalis sighed out a shuddering breath and looked to the earth once more. It still frightened her, the thought of losing her sisters to any number of horrors, but she supposed it frightened them just as much to lose her, and it always ought to be the well-being of her tribe that fueled her motions… She could not be so reckless and abrasive and adamant as she had been. Or, at least, she had to try not to be.x
x
Results: As Niva has grown older, she's also grown more bold. All her life, the Alkidikes who'd raised her and her sisters have taught them supremacy, fierceness, loyalty to their sisters, and a disdain for the rest of the populace at large. Nivalis is no exception. Though she has always tended to her mystic duties, she was trained in combat alongside her sisters, when time permitted. She expects she has as much right to fight as they do.
And, of course, as much a right to defend them as they do her. Nivalis has suffered one loss at the hand of mainlanders, many years ago now, but the hurt of it is still there, and she still holds a great fear of losing another sister before her eyes. It has caused her to act rashly, and almost eagerly, in an effort to put herself between the Elarians and anything that may do them harm.
The matron has, of course, schooled her on her role and position and necessity within the tribe, but the words of an old, banished Alkidike have never meant much to Nivalis. It's not until her sisters bring the same concern to her that she starts to question if she really ought to measure herself more, and she resolves to try in the future.
Word Count: 2091
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Posted: Tue Sep 26, 2017 6:15 am
P R P x R E F L E C T I O NMeeting With a Mystic NIVALIS' THOUGHTSResults: ???
PRP Posts: ???
JR Word Count: ???
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