Armus

[Elnara Aldrich]

Name: Armus
Pronunciation: AR-muss
Meaning: golden companion
Nicknames: None.

Race: Second Human
Gender: Female
Orientation: Straight

Age: Perma-teen
Birthday: 23 June

Height: 5’10” or 150cm (1.5m)
Weight: 120 lbs
Build: Thin and muscular, very athletic
Predominant Features: Goofiness, military attire

Personality: Bright and cheery, overly friendly, but can be serious when the moment requires it
Powers: None yet.
Appearance: Short blond hair, friendly blue eyes, military attire, right down to the dog tags.

Fan art:

 

[Elnara Aldrich]

Lost And Found

Looking back on it, Armus decided, it wasn’t that she didn’t have anywhere else to go. Sure, she didn’t have anyone else to take care of her, no one that would miss her, but did that mean she had to stay with the strange man who had rescued her? She didn’t think so. On the other hand, the scar on her face was a reminder of the dangers that awaited her on the mountain if she did choose to leave him. Not to mention, he had offered to teach her how to take care of herself, how to survive – and on top of that, he was giving her food and shelter without demanding anything in return.

No, she decided. Looking back on it, there was no questioning her reasons for staying with him. It had been logical in every sense of the word, and beneficial – to her at least. She still didn’t see what he had gotten out of the deal.

So he had helped her, and in return, she had given him her lift. For the first time, she had a place where she belonged. Her earliest memories were of hunger and fear, wandering through meadows and along rivers, until one day, despite her malnourishment, fear and weakness, she had woken to find that she was bigger – and hungrier. Finally, she had decided to go to the one area of the Seconds World that she had not yet explored for food: the mountains. Sure there would be food there … surely there had to be nourishment …

But what she had found turned out so much different from anything she had ever imagined. Meeting someone for the first time in her life, meeting the man who taught her to smile, to laugh, to enjoy life rather than fear it, and to defend herself against the things that she did fear …

… and then one day giving herself to him, both body and soul …

She allowed her mind to drift back to that day. It had been a day similar to this one: rainy, though the rain wasn’t so hard that it hurt, and a nice warm temperature … in fact, it had been quite pleasant. She had been a teen by this time … her hair was still short: she had never let it grow long again after her incident with the tree. As a matter of fact, there was very little about her that was the same as she had been when he had first found her. Well, she didn’t mind that. She was healthy, she was strong, she was happy …

It had been quite unexpected, really. Sure, she had known for quite a long time that she liked her trainer very much. The idea of love had never crossed her mind, but to be fair she didn’t know what love was, and she had no romantic notions about it. And sure she was physically attracted to him: he had a strong, muscular body that any woman would want. But she had never planned on actually doing anything about her desires. What would be the point in changing the way her life was going? She was happy with things the way they were.

But that particular day had been different. It wasn’t just the weather – though it did come into play … in fact, the whole thing had started with a … rather strange breakfast conversation. Or perhaps it wasn’t so strange. Perhaps it had just followed a logical course of events.

“The time has come,” he had said abruptly that morning. “You have learned all that you can from me, and I from you. You can safely live on your own now. What you choose to do matters not to me … you can stay or you can go as you please.”

And he had gone back to eating as if he had just asked about the weather.

She had been taken by surprise by his comment. The idea of leaving him had never crossed her mind. Sure, she had thought about completing her training, but in her mind that hadn’t meant leaving him. Did she have to? Well, he had invited her to stay if she wished.

And she did wish to. He was the only person she had ever met, the only family she had ever known … she wished to stay.

So she had simply finished her meal and grabbed her weapons as if it were any other day and they were going to do their lessons. He hadn’t seemed surprised by her actions … in fact, he had seemed quite pleased. It had begun to rain by that time, a pleasant, warm rain, but she had paid it no mind. She had no reason to pay it any mind.

“Ready when you are,” she had said, standing straight, hands behind her back, staring at him with the same intense stare he always used on her. She had watched while he rose from his seat and wiped the corners of his mouth, and then slowly made his way over to her.

She was ready when one hand struck out with snake-like speed, and had blocked the blow without any difficulty – and so the spar began. The rain picked up then, and within moments, the two of them were soaked. Her wet clothes clung to her body, hampering her movements, but she could see that his robes were doing the same to him – only worse – and so she was at no disadvantage. She struck at him with her fists, with her legs, and landed more blows than she normally would.

At one point he drew his sword against her, and almost instantly her knives were in her hands, blocking and evading and attacking back all at once. She moved quickly, her arms a blur. He was getting too close to her, she knew it, but it meant that she was also getting closer to him – and then …

She didn’t know if it happened at the same time or if one of them did it first and the other had copied the movement, but suddenly their clothes were torn – her shirt, his robes, slashed and showing skin. She had lost her temper then and grabbed his hand, spinning around to get right up close to him, close enough to feel his breath on her face …

For a moment she had stared up into his eyes, and he down into hers. His weapon was unusable, locked in a position where it was completely useless – and she was tucked against his body, held there by her own stubborn swiftness … she lifted her chin so that she could look more fiercely into his eyes …

And then he had kissed her.

Looking back, she still didn’t know if it had been an attempt to startle her and make her lose her concentration so that he would win the spar, or if he had truly wanted to kiss her, or if it had surprised him as much as it had surprised her … but she had kissed him back … and then the spar had been completely forgotten.

Now, she stretched and smiled into the rain. That had been an unforgettable day … and an unregrettable one. She was happy where she was, doing what she was doing, and she loved the person she was doing it with. She wouldn’t change it for the world.  

[Elnara Aldrich]

 

[Elnara Aldrich]

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