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 Posted: Thu Aug 30, 2012 4:55 pm
It had been a hard day of practicing. He wasn't supposed to practice his fire magic without his mentor watching, but he had just... HAD to! It was so much fun to play with his fire, and he hadn't burned anything down!
But even playing with his magic had made him hungry. It WAS about lunch time. He took out a starchy vegetable he had dug up for himself.
It would have to be cooked to be eaten.
But that wouldn't be too hard!
He built himself a fire and sparked it with an overdramatic flair of his hand and a bit of magic.
He giggled as the flames crackled merrily and the root began to toast. It was gratifying to make such pretty things. He checked the fire again before leaning back with a sigh and a rumble of his stomach.
Ahhh, what a beautiful world.
He failed to notice his observer...
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Posted: Sat Sep 01, 2012 8:14 am
Briella was becoming more and more curious about the people that lived in the forest with her and her sisters. The Earthlings, she was pretty sure she had heard someone call them Shifters before but she wasn’t sure. Was that all of their names or was that the kind of Earthling they were? Maybe she should’ve paid more attention when she was being taught about the world and the other people in it.
She had been stalking one of the shifters, a male, for a while now. He had fire magic and that made her even more interested in him. She had never seen a male perform magic before, though honestly she had never really even come close to a male. Well other then the few that were half of her people and also born from the tree. It was strange, but every once in a while it happened.
When he started cooking she heard her stomach rumble and realized just how hungry she really was. Looking around she noticed that the tree next to her had some of her favorite fruits. Launching herself to the tree she grabbed one of the fruits and started tugging, though she used a little much of her weight because the next thing she knew she was tumbling to the ground with the fruit in hand.
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Posted: Sat Sep 01, 2012 2:26 pm
Biroki let out a not-altogether-manly yelp as the young Alkidike fell from the tree. He leapt back and stared, heart pounding.
Oh no, oh no oh no oh no... it was an Alkidike! He'd only glimpsed one before, and that was when the tribes had met to go on that long expedition!
They were violent and scary and he was certain she would probably kill him and... and.. he had to do something!
He had nothing to brandish threateningly. He wasn't exactly adept at using even a stick, but a threat would do!
So he put his hands in a suitably magic-y pose and made sparks appear. It was... all he could do, actually. Make a lightshow. He wasn't learned enough yet to actually hurt anybody.
But would she know that?
Heart pounding, he began to try to bluff.
“S... Stay b...back!!!” he said. Actually, it was more like a yelp...
He flushed. She was an alkidike and so was scary, but.... She was also very pretty. And scantily clad.
Of course she was. It was the middle of Jahuar and hot as hell.
Didn't stop him from noticing and then flushing.
Damn it!
He started shaking. The day had been going so well.
“I.. I s...swear I'll...” He stammered.
Very threatening.
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Posted: Sat Sep 01, 2012 5:18 pm
Briella jumped to her feet, grabbing her two swords and putting them in front of her as she did so. She was scared for her life, but she wouldn’t show it. She would not show fear in front of this Earthling. She would maintain the hard face that her people normally had. Looking the boy over she raised one eyebrow when sparks came from his hands. Now if there had been more sparks she might be a little more afraid, or if his voice wasn’t shaking. But mainly she was just curious. Although she didn’t plan it this was her first encounter with an Earthling. “If it’s my blades versus your sparks I’m sure my swords will win.” she stated. “So I advise you don’t tell me what to do or try to attack me because I’ve killed many Earthlings with these blades.” So that was a lie, but maybe someone else had killed someone with the blades.
Looking over she tried to take in as many details about him as she could. This would be her first encounter, and she wasn’t sure if she would have many more. She circled around him making sure she was still in a defensive pose and she could climb a tree to safety if she really needed. He was so different looking, she almost wanted to touch the stone like markings around his neck. However for some reason she didn’t think that would be the best idea.
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Posted: Sat Sep 01, 2012 9:23 pm
His eyes widened. Oh no oh no... his bluff had failed and she had swords and... and...
He swallowed again, wholly believing her. Alkidikes were fierce, weren't they? She couldn't be much older than him, but if what he had heard was true then he bet she had killed others. Maybe dozens!
He shook putting out the sparks and holding his hands up in surrender. Maybe she wouldn't kill him if he didn't fight her? If.. if she charged at him... He bet he could hit her with something. He'd been practicing all day so he didn't have much but if he was scared for his life he bet he could pull something out. Maybe. He hoped.
“Um... u...umm...” he stammered, “Please d...don't kill me... I... I'll leave...”
He glanced at his meal, cooking away happily in the fire. His stomach growled. He tried to put on a brave face but it just looked... constipated. He mentally kicked himself.
He was making a stupid face in front of a scary alkidike. Who happened to be a beautiful girl.
“I... I'll.... You c...c...can even have my lunch...” he said miserably. Damn his stutter. It always got worse at the most awful moments.
He swallowed again, reaching for his magic just in case, feeling like he was, well, playing with fire. He just didn't have the training to use it right. Or... Or a stick? No! That was a stupid idea! He couldn't swing a stick! She'd kill him.
“Ju..J... Just don't kill me?”
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Posted: Sun Sep 02, 2012 8:00 am
Briella let a small smile spread across her face. When he asked her to please not kill him she wanted to laugh, wanted to jump in joy that he actually found her scary! Oh Maya and Dya would never believe that someone found her scary. Oh she couldn’t wait to get home and tell them all about this little adventure. When he said he would leave though she shook her head. “No.” she said as she kept looking at him, circling around him. They were so different, the two of them. It was hard to believe that they even lived on the same planet.
He had a funny face and when he told her she could have his food she wanted to laugh so very hard. Oh controlling her emotions was so very hard around him. But she was an Alkidike so she had to seem strong. “Eat. I have my own food.” she said putting down her weapons and sitting on one side of the fire. She motioned for him to sit opposite her and took a bite of her fruit. It was a little bruised, but still good. If he tried to run she would go after him but she didn’t think that he would. Hopefully her cold stare would hold him there.
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Posted: Tue Sep 04, 2012 4:05 pm
Biroki made a noise somewhere between a whimper and a squeak, probably the least manly sound he had ever uttered.
She wanted him to sit down and eat his lunch?
“O..okay...”
He sat back on his former seat as if he were a marionette whos strings had been cut. He shook stiffly. She had said she wasn't going to kill him, but he wasn't sure if he believed her.
He poked the root out of the fire to let it cool, glancing back at her like a nervous rabbit every couple of seconds.
But she seemed to be happy to eat her fruit. He managed to start eating the root- he had managed to somehow undercook it despite it having been nearly on fire. Cooking... was not his strong suit. It was filling though, and hit the spot well enough, even if it was difficult to eat and a bit chewy...
As he finished about half of it, he finally decided that, since she wasn't going to kill him... He might as well be nice? And maybe, if he was nice, she wouldn't change her mind.
“u...um...” he stammered. The first time he tried, he had had to clear his throat, which had clogged with nervousness.
“I..I...I'm Biroki...” he said, hesitating, “um... um...” He fished around for something to say.
“I... I'm a s..sh...shifter...”
He winced, shuddering. That was obvious. And dumb, maybe.
“butyoualreadyknewthatI'ms..s... sorry...” he said, fast as a single breath, and watched her with wide eyes.
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Posted: Wed Sep 05, 2012 9:28 am
As they ate Briella studied him. She tired to make it not too obvious, but there was a good chance it was. Especially since he was looking at her every two seconds. Was she really that scary? She wondered what kind of stories he had heard about her people. It was true that they were fierce warriors, most of them, but she didn’t think her sisters would kill someone just for watching them fall. Then she remembered Niebet. She might have killed the poor earthling, but she was sure Dya and Maya wouldn’t have. Then again she didn’t think either of her sisters would have fallen from the tree like she had. How embarrassing that was.
When the Earthling spoke up she raised one eyebrow. It was hard for him, that she could tell, but the fact that he could even talk was a little improvement. Though the speed in which he spoke at the end, among other things, gave away his true feelings. Biroki? That was an interesting name. “I am Briella.” she stated. She didn’t really know he was a shifter, sure she had been told what they looked like but this was her first time meeting one, but she wouldn’t tell him that. “It’s okay. What were you doing out here?” she asked calmly taking another bit out of her fruit. “And how do you make sparks?” for the first time an emotion shown through when she spoke. Briella was curious about the sparks.
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Posted: Sun Sep 09, 2012 11:06 pm
Briella was a very pretty name. It suited her too, but he was a bit too preoccupied to appreciate it fully.
“Uh... uh... Thanks.” He said, swallowing again, “I was just...j..just...” He wasn't supposed to be practicing outside of his mentor's supervision, but he wasn't sure if he could get into MORE trouble than he already was in.
“P..practicing...” he stammered out honestly, before deciding, too late, to lie. “I..I mean, Collecting herbs!” He said quickly, perhaps too quickly. Mentally, he kicked himself again. He should have thought before speaking.
He relaxed a bit when she asked him about his magic. He did like talking about it. He had to close his eyes so that he wouldn't see her and be scared anew. It worked a little.
“I... J...just do...” he said, taking a deep breath, “It comes from I....inside and its l...like I have a lake of power inside of m...me that I can push out to make s...sparks.”
He opened his eyes a crack and swallowed again.
“Um... Ummmm...” He said, a bit awkwardly, eyes half open, shaking a bit as he put down the root.
“You... y... you aren't going to kill me, right?” he managed a shaky, terrified smile.
“B...b...b...because I don't w...want to die...” He was being brave, though he would have sounded more so without the stutter. Biroki wasn't a coward. He was just freaking terrified and jumpy as hell.
“S...s...so... I... Kind of.... j...j..just...” He opened his eyes, wide like a rabbits, and watched her face for any sign of emotion or... anything really, “I... Kind of j...just want t..t..to know if I...i'm going to b...be able t..to go home in one p...piece...”
please? he begged mentally.
It was the uncertainty that was the scariest thing about this whole situation. Even if she planned to kill him, it would be better knowing. He hoped.
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Posted: Mon Sep 10, 2012 12:35 pm
Finishing her fruit Briella placed her hands in her lap. Practicing? Collecting herbs? The two were very different from each other, why change his story? Was he not allowed to practice? That didn’t make sense though, she was encouraged to practice with her blades, she couldn’t see why he would be told not to? Her eyes narrowed slightly. Why would he lie to her? If he was collecting herbs where were they? He didn’t know that she had been watching him for a little while; she had seen him working with his magic. She wasn’t sure if she should call him out or let it slide that he lied. She didn’t want to seem creepier, so maybe she should just keep the fact that she had been stalking him to herself.
When he talked about his magic he seemed a little more comfortable. It was something he was happy about. That much was obvious. “Is it just sparks?” she asked curiously. She hadn’t seen him do much more then the sparks, but just because she hadn’t seen him do it didn’t mean that he couldn’t.
When he asked if she was going to kill him she smiled. It was time she fessed up. It was nice and all that he was scared of her, but she didn’t believe that lying was the way to go. “I’ve never killed anyone…” she admitted quietly looking down. “So yea. Your safe. I don’t plan on killing you or anyone else any time soon.” Unless he somehow endangered her, though that was something she didn’t see happening any time soon. Even so she wasn’t sure she would be able to kill him or anyone else. Not yet. “Some of my sisters might cause you trouble, but I’m not one of them.”
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Posted: Tue Sep 18, 2012 3:04 pm
“R...really?”
He... hadn't been expecting that answer.
A couple other answers, maybe. Not all of which involved him being killed. A few of which involved him getting tortured. Most were him being kidnapped, though whether that was fantasy of the good or bad kind he couldn't actually tell.
“So... So you were l...lying. Oh. I uh...” He let out a short, still very very nervous, laugh. “I h...haven't killed anybody e...either.”
He relaxed. A bit.
(He didn't realize that he wasn't actually entirely truthful... but he would never have remembered the event anyway. It had happened long ago, when he was a youngling in grave danger... and the memory was simply no longer there)
“uh...” He felt he had to say something more, “Th...thank you for not making me your f..first...”
Ohtreesthatsoundedlikesomethingelse!!!
he blushed.
“I... I mean, first... First kill...”
He couldn't meet her eyes for a few seconds in his embarrassment. Otherwise, her insect-like eyes were mesmeriszing. Bug eyes were pretty, with all of their colors and facets. He wondered what her eyes looked like up close. From where he sat and in the light of the fire, they looked like pools of darkness, full of mystery just below their dimly glimmering surface...
“I... uh... No, not just sparks. Sometimes I c..can actually m...make little fires... b...but I h...have to focus and its hard to c...control and...”
he gestured to a tree to finalize the clunky and awkward subject change.
“f...fires aren't p..pretty when they're h...happening to your h..home...”
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Posted: Tue Oct 02, 2012 7:48 pm
She nodded playing with her hair while looking down. She felt bad for lying, she had been raised better then that. Though she wasn't sure if that applied to people that weren't her own. Was it bad for her to lie to Shifters? Briella was lost in thought when Biroki laughed. Yes he was a person like her, so she would not lie to him any more. When he said that hadn't killed anyone either she nodded. That was good to know, though she could have guessed that by the way he acted. She doubted that he could kill anything. Maybe that was why he was collecting roots, because he wasn't able to kill to eat.
When he said thanks for being not being her first and then clarified she laughed. He was amusing. "Well you are my first." she said with a smile. She was getting more and more comfortable around him so she was opening up and showing more of the real her. "The first Shifter that I've ever met that is. Oh and the first male." she said nodding with a wink. The two of them were going to have more meetings, and maybe she could bring Maya and Dya to see him? Not Niebet. Never Niebet.
She nodded. "Yes you are right there. They could be harmful to our houses, but at the same time fire can be so beautiful." she said gesturing towards the flames between the two of them.
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Posted: Thu Oct 04, 2012 9:42 pm
He couldn't really flush deeper, truth be told.
"R... Really?"
He was a bit taken aback. He was starting to relax (a little), but was still a bit tense. Like a barely soothed rodent, he was acting normal, but there was a tension in his shoulders, like some part of him was waiting for the other shoe to drop and to immediately take flight. Not fight. He was sort of tired, and he didn't like fighting.
He was starting to think he wouldn't need to fight.
He had heard that alkidikes were only female. That they had no men. He knew enough to know that it wasnt possible for women to have children together, not without a man. And vice versa, that men couldn't have children together without a woman to carry the child.
He would know. That was what his mothers had done, or so Reshel had said.
So... wait... How did they have babies?
It was suddenly one of those burning questions that you know enough not to ask... but that really wants to be asked.
That insists and insists and INSISTS that you must ask it.
Biroki was brave in his own way, but not stupid.
"F... First Male?"
He looked away for a moment, then back.
He swallowed his nervousness.
"Uh."
He managed a smile more real than it had been before, though still a bit shaky.
"What do you th... think so f...far... A... about me b... being a male?"
He toyed with the charred stick he had used for the potato, poking at the embers a bit.
"I... I mean... I'm not the most... M...Manly..." And he got teased for it too. But Reshel had told him that he didn't need to worry about it.
"S... So I don't know if I'm the b... best F... first impression..."
His smile grew a bit less shaky and more... sheepish.
"F... For both the m...male thing and the sh..shifter thing, I... I mean."
His rapid, frantic clarifications were slowly growing less rapid and frantic.
He could get used to the fact that she wasn't going to kill him (yet) and he was curious...
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Posted: Fri Oct 05, 2012 1:26 pm
She nodded. “Yes you are the first male I’ve come across. We have a few males that are part alkidike but I have never met any of them. I tend to stay around my two closest sisters.” Really she was around three of her sisters and one of her elders, but she typically was only around Dya and Maya. They were her favorites, even if she shouldn’t have favorites she did.
When he asked what she thought about him being a male she smiled. “Well you look different. Though I am not sure if it because you are male or shifter.” she shrugged. When he said he wasn’t the manliest and he wasn’t the best first impression she shook her head. “Nonsense. You are the best male and best shifter that I’ve ever met!” she said teasing slightly. Briella was beginning to be happy that she fell from the tree.
He looked curious. "How bout we play a game. You can ask something about me, and I will ask a question about you. I think it's a good game for firsts. You can go first." she said with a wide smile.
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Posted: Fri Oct 05, 2012 8:27 pm
"S...Sisters?!"
His expression was slightly panicked.
His first thought was ohtreestheresmore.
His second thought was Well yes, of course there are
"Oh, uh... o... okay..."
Questions, huh. It reminded him of when he was talking to Zuri, this questions thing.
He liked questions, and he had a ton about the alkidikes... just... none of them were surfacing now.
She was teasing him, too, and it was hard to focus on the questions.
He wanted to tell her that she should meet another shifter first... But he was worried that she would be upset if he stopped her joke...
He struggled to find a question through the mire of his over-wary brain.
Were they all female? Why were there so few males? Why did they have to be only part Alkidike? Were they interesting to look at?
"...Where a...are you'r c...crystals?" he asked suddenly, after some thinking and nervous fiddling with the stick. Everything had crystals, right? But he didn't see any on her...
Oh.
Oh no...
His eyes- light in the daytime- widened.
"Oh no, I...I mean... you... you dont have to t...tell me if its anywhere in...indecent.... Or..." He faded off, fidgeting even more than before. Oh no, he had done it again.
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