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 Posted: Thu Feb 19, 2015 1:14 pm
This Quest is for Nera who is striving to become a Beast Charmer.
 OOC
||. The quest prompt must be answered with a 2000 word reply (can be more).
||. Respond to the prompt given with an adventure of your own creation as long as it meets the requirements of the specific tasks.
||. NPCs may be used as long as they advance the quest in an interesting manner.
||. You cannot include any playable characters other than the quest taker.
||. Your responses will be graded with a Pass or Fail. Those who fail will have to continue with assistance from the staff.
||. Questions about quests can be asked here.
IC
The sun was just barely floating over the Oban cities, the air still soft and not quite hot yet when Nera's mother came for the janarim. It was a routine visit to the local vet, enough to get them checked out and weighed and inspected for proper physique, but it meant Nera would be left alone with nothing but her thoughts.
The janarim were already gone, but she would need to figure out something to do with her time without her familiars to train or keep her company.
Quest Tasks
||. This quest is for Nera to contemplate what has happened to her in her life so far and to help push her to deal with her feelings.
||. The quest should start with her mother taking the janarim from her and realizing that she has much too much time on her hands until they return.
||. The quest should focus on her thoughts of her failed survival with Lucijah, as well as her capture and torture by the leaf earthling.
||. The quest's outcome will not be based on how much she reveals. Nera will be able to cope in whatever way she sees fit.
||. The quest should end with her janarim being returned to her very late in the afternoon.
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Posted: Tue Mar 03, 2015 7:47 pm
The unseasonal desert rains had long since come and gone, the thin arid mornings were once again replaced with the gentle warmth of night’s frigid veil being removed by the rising sun. Many Obans remained in their beds until just a few hours longer when the heat of the day began to grow stiffing and unbearable, when the sheets of their beds grafted to their skin and the dampness of their bodies roused them unpleasantly from the embers of slumber into the scorch of reality. Then there were those that were productive, the ones that were already out enjoying the placid dawn; starting their day off properly and acclimating to the growing heat accordingly. Nera fell somewhere in between the two types of desert dwellers, long limbs remained still while bright pink hues combed the woodworking of the ceiling directly above her bed as if looking for something of moderate interest. Despite logic gnawing at the girl telling her to pull herself from the confines of her lavish cot took backseat to the comfort she felt basking between Amir and Essid’s strong, scaled bodies. Neither Janarim were sleeping though, the pair simply relaxed against their beloved in a vain effort to help her unwind, throughout the night she awoke mutely screaming or trembling like a cub lost in the dunes. Steady hands idly played at memorizing the subtle differences between the males’ natural leather plates, Amir the smaller of the brothers was less pliable under her thin digits whereas Essid’s held a silken waxy texture that she couldn’t help but relish adoringly.
“Nera,” Talia’s voice cut through the gloom of her daughter’s bedchamber snapping the young-adult from the dazed stupor. Tearing her gaze away from the craftsmanship of her ceiling the redhead forced her eyes to seek out the shape of her mother standing in her doorway. Cascading locks of crimson neatly slicked back and knotted near the end caught Nera’s attention first due to the fact the dim glow of morning sun filtered through the hallway catching the tresses illuminating the older woman’s hair like an ablaze wildfire, immediately though the prentice’s gaze proceeded to soak in the colored plume of smoke that haloed around her mother’s head. Thick floral scents mixed with fruits merged together then exploded as Talia took a long-pull from the hooked pipe then exhaled through her nose; ribbons and ghostly wisps coiled through her nostrils and rushed to exit from her lungs as she spoke with a bit more volume but the same amount of gentleness towards her child. “My lovely, it’s time for me to take the beasts to the veterinarian, I’ve left you breakfast in the sitting room as well as heated some water for a bath if you desire it.” Pausing for a long moment General Talia shifted her weight from foot to foot, rolling her shoulders along the archway of the doorframe before pushing off against it and padding into the room nonthreateningly. A large sandy head jerked up questioningly at the entrance of the woman and a neutral petite groan formed in the base of his throat in enquiry.
Patting the length of his spine Nera soothed the smaller male, letting him know the woman meant no harm and she was allowed to share their living space. “I had forgotten all about that,” a small sigh tumbled away from the girl’s pouty lips, forcing herself upright the lean-figured youth trudged out between the silken sheets and feathery-soft blanket that covered her nearly-bare physique; everything was a blur and the serenity that she had once felt drained away leaving the prentice feeling uneasy and hollow. “Thank you for thinking about me, I will bath right away. Please be careful with the boys, if they give you any trouble just tug their ears a few times.” Casting a glance towards both Janarim Nera wordlessly gestured to the pair signaling for them to stand at attention and follow her mother. In response the older woman took another deep pull from her water-pipe before turning in place with both creatures at her heels; sweet-scented smoke trailed from the contour of the General’s perfectly sculpted nose and upwardly caressed her high-set cheekbones as it drifted over her head and left a thick colored trail to the front door. Talia paused for a just a moment after pulling the door inward to spare a half-smirk towards her daughter and a subtle nod of encouragement before turning to leave her child alone for the first time since she returned home from the war.
“Well this is going to fun,” Nera mused, her pouty mouth curved into tight-lipped grin, one that was forced rather than sincere as if the action would trick her into believing the lie she was attempting to pacify herself with. The effort to distract herself was more than a vain struggle; thin fingertips toyed with the length of her braid while the dark-skinned youth found herself pacing up and down the hallway; the next course of action undecided but increasingly needed as an interruption from the growing swelter that radiated from the confines of her lower chest and began to control the rapid shallow breaths she pulled in desperately through her agape mouth. “I have a bath and breakfast awaiting me; I should probably tend to those before they grow cold. Mother shouldn’t be very long before returning. Essd grant me strength, I don’t know what to do with myself now that I have some free time on my hands.” Again Nera found herself pacing the length of the hallway, a growing unease washing over her petite yet muscled form. The heady scent of sweetened smoke lingering in the confines of the air made it impossible for the prentice to escape the repetitive movements until the fragrance completely dissipated leaving her without the olfactory escape she subconsciously clung to desperately. Nera hated to admit it to herself but she was all too aware of how fragile she felt without the strength of her beast next to her, the raw power from their beings fueled her confidence and kept her balanced despite the lack of internal stability her resolve contributed on its own. “Regardless,” forcefully interjected the redhead from her own internal admittance. What little pride she had left pleaded for her to push past the frailty that manipulated her emotions and governed over her actions; the weakness that she felt and the darkness that clouded her thoughts surely were only temporary predicaments, ones that she would overcome if she simply tried harder to cope. “Right, a bath first then--- hm, I wonder. Jinx? Jinxie! Lemme know where you’re at buddy.”
Over the course of the last few weeks with the constant down pour and near flooding the little golden Maglardilla had found himself enjoying staying in the rafters of the house and nesting between the crawl spaces between the walls, the normally clingy insect’s absence did not go without notice and even though it stung for him to show some signs of independence the fact that Jinx made it a habit to check in with his owner relieved the youth considerably; even if it wasn’t as often enough as she would have liked. Pointed nubs hammered away somewhere above head denoting the shiny-bug’s location followed suit but a high-pitched shriek of delight that quickly trailed off into muffled scraping noises and barely noticeably thuds. Sighing appreciatively Nera gave her head a shake as she made her way towards the central bathing chamber that was located across the manor on the first-subterranean level completely separated from the rest of the compound save for the lone hallway that connected it to the main building. Small bare feet glided across the smooth surface of the flooring before pausing as she came to the set of stairs that lead down into the bathing chamber; the heat from the pool below radiated upward warming the bottoms of her scarred soles while a thin mist tickled the lowest part of her ankles making her bronzed-skin prickle ever so slightly. The next few moments seemed to dissipate, loose clothing littered the floor near the lip of the bathing pond and various oils gleamed on the surface of the water, Nera wasn’t sure how quickly she had rushed down the stairwell to meet the heated water or if she carelessly ripped the thin fabric of her garments while tugging them off in opposing directions; the only thing that mattered to the youth was the cleansing liquid submerging her lean-figure up to her neck. Water was her safe place. It was where she could relax, uncoil muscles that she hadn’t known were tense while simply enjoying the feeling of having filth purged off of her frame. Water had been the constant source of happiness and survival while she had been in the wilds of Jauhar, stretching out the full length of her height Nera chuckled to herself while palming a handful of water that danced with a gradient of scented colors before letting the immiscible liquids coat her digits as it escaped her grasp effortlessly.
“I miss you,” the words bubbled up from the back of her mind as images of her lover fondly played out in her head. “Lucijah.” Bright pink hues squeezed shut all too tightly for a moment; even though the shifter was a source of comfort to the girl their bittersweet parting left her feeling anxious and ashamed. “If we had just tried harder.” Nera reasoned with herself, her voice soft yet tight in her throat. “We gave up to easily. The winter was harsh but----“ she trailed off, sinking lower into the heated water and gurgling loudly with annoyance. “It was harsh and it would have killed us, you prideful s**t.” Glowering at herself the redhead splashed at the surface of the water sending an arch into the center of the pool. She felt incompetent and weak, she was well aware that surviving with Lucijah was something that neither prentice was capable of, even with each other to rely on the lack of food alone would have been enough to send them both to an early grave much less the fact the nest they resided in was susceptible to exposer. Why did it upset her so much though? “Because---,” she began. “You would have rather of died in her arms than think she might not come back to you once spring arrived.” It was the truth. Their survival even if they had prepared properly would have been taxing on the pair but she had been willing to take that risk for just a moment before she and Lucijah had agreed to part ways. The memory was seared into her being; the shifter’s skin held a near purple hue from the cold and her full lips had been pulled tight as her teeth chattered repeatedly despite her attempts to cease the motion. It had been in that moment that Nera decided that Lucijah’s wellbeing was more important than her pride and her happiness. Sighing deeply Nera pushed away from the side of the bath and stood, her dark statuesque body glistened like polished marble and her wet red hair clung wildly to her damp skin making her seem fiery and untamed but the hollow expression on her face shattered the poetry that was her outward appearance. “It’s almost spring and I can barely find the strength to leave the house, how am I supposed to find you again, how? I don’t want to go back out there, not right now but I am so scared you aren’t even going to come looking for me. You wouldn’t do that to me would you, darkling-mine? How can I doubt you like this? The moment I walked away from you I doubted us, I doubted everything we had, everything we might have had, if you give me another season I will be strong enough to make it work. To make us work. Just prove to me this was the right choice star-born, please be stronger than me and make it work this time.”
Draining the pool and redressing came as a blur, normally bathing settled her nerves but for some reason the happy thoughts of her lover eluded her and simply made her analyze aspects of her emotions she hadn’t even realized existed. They had tried. They had both been strong and intelligent but it hadn’t been enough to make things work on their own, in truth they were just children playing at being adults and that was exactly what pained her so much. She had wanted to be independent so badly that she was reckless and quite possibly ruined a chance at starting her own life. Not only was that thought alone horrible but the fact that the person that she had grown to adore, the person that she wanted to spend that life with might not even bother to find her, she didn’t want to think that it was just summer love, some experience for her to reflect on fondly. It killed her inside knowing that she doubted the woman she cared for but it hurt even more knowing that her doubt was founded in logical reasoning.
Toweling her hair dry Nera made her way towards the sitting room, the fabric of the cloth absorbed the moisture from her unruly mane and provided a cooling dampness against the base of her neck as the heat from the waking desert aggressively asserted dominancy over the residency. “You’re gonna hard boil up there Jinx.” Nera called out into the vacant room that was lined with large seating pillows, various hosed smoking pots and canters of fermented beverages expertly placed in cutaway shelves for added living space. In reply a soft thud echoed out and the prentice couldn’t help but scoff with amusement. He was such a ditzy creature but she loved him anyway. Throwing a glance around the room Nera stopped deftly on her heels which earned her a twinge of pain from both feet and a dull throbbing to radiate up the length of her cnemis on both sides. A wince played at the corners of her lips before she forced her expression to remain placid, lowering herself onto one of the cushions the youth relaxed her legs and feet before focusing on the warming stones that held her breakfast. The rounded disks of heated slate contained in a small pit caught her attention for some unknown reason before she pulled her gaze away from the rocks and took notice of what her mother prepared for her meal. A small kettle of Niiribi tea rested off to the side of the dining tray highlighting the platter that contained roasted meats, finely sliced, paired with a bowl of hot cereal, the porridge was thickened with milk and a sweetened sap that the girl favored and lastly two eggs dotted either corner of the plate in what Nera assumed was her mother’s attempt at an esthetically pleasing presentation. Thin fingers plucked a sliver of red meat from the tray, the hot moisture seared her digits and instantly Nera was backpedaling across the room like a feral animal, wide-eyed and panicking.
“Essd.” She cursed while sucking on the fingertip that predominately stung the worse, beads of perspiration collected on the girl’s forehead and above her top lip as she attempted to settle her erratic heartbeat. The wave of unease slammed against Nera, gripping her by the ribs and forcing the air from her lungs brutally. Only occasionally did the redhead find herself physically immobilized by the horrors that dwelled just below the surface of her skin, nightmarish memories that reoccurred behind her eyelids when she blinked or lay in the suffocating darkness of her room at night. It never stopped, some days were better than others but generally the sensation of dread never fully evaporated, only when she was with Lucijah did she feel more at ease and once she was gone she found solitude in the power that her Janarim offered her. A vicious comfort that proved enough to keep the rising tide of illogical panic at bay. He couldn’t hurt her anymore but that didn’t lessen the pain that he already caused. Nothing would ever fix what damage he brought to her. A hand went to her stomach and idly caressed the flat abdominal walls it found there, at least that had been one blessing bestowed upon her, nothing grew from the emptiness that her torturer had created within her. “At least I have that. I would kill myself if I actually had gotten pregnant.” It wasn’t an exaggeration but it also wasn’t a topic she wanted to think about either. It was in a box in her head labeled ‘what if’, a pile of questions and scenarios that normally fluttered into her thoughts when she was at her most vulnerable, in the darkness with sleep eluding her. So many dark thoughts passed through her synapsis that even when she managed to succumb to slumber the thoughts still played out in her dreams making her wonder if she would ever have any reprieve whatsoever.
Plucking her burnt finger from her mouth Nera gave a breathy sigh, she was attempting to reason with herself, to muster strength that she knew that she no longer possessed. Rocking back and forth were she sat Nera figuratively tittered back and forth on the cusp of opening sobbing and a violent fit of pure frustration. The next set of actions manifested in a rush driven by automation, weak-kneed the girl shot up from where she lay prone and dashed from the sitting room down a long hallway and into the confines of her bedroom, tear filled eyes limited the redheaded Oban’s vision as she dove into her bed and coiled around the limbless pink childhood plushy named Mister Google. Slim hands pushed the soft creature into her face while she shrieked into the plump stuffing that made up his pudgy belly. “It’s all my fault! It’s all my fault! If I had just fought him! But I didn’t! I’m a failure!” Nera was in hysterics, the words tore away from her throat and every time her pitch rose she wince and whimpered out of fear of being punished by the Leaf-Earthling for her disobedience. Ever since her return to Lucijah the girl couldn’t help but be haunted by the events that happened to her during her capture. Being tortured and abused, branded and broken left Nera a shell of her former self, prior to the incident she had been loud, rambunctious but now she was soft-spoken, oddly-observant, not only of her surroundings but of others, even herself. Yet nothing was ever gained by the scrutiny, her thought process wouldn’t allow it. Just like with her feelings of guilt with abandoning Jauhar and her lover Nera felt shame and disgust for what happened to her at the hands of her captor. She blamed herself instead of accepting that it wasn’t her fault, that in no way was she responsible for what had happened to her and yet the man’s words and actions carved liability into her very bones, no matter how she attempted to view it, she was the victim that deserved everything that she received and no amount of reasoning would make her think otherwise.
The mixture of emotions that the girl felt coupled with exhaustion overtook her trembling form sending her into an uneasy sleep that lasted for only a few brief hours. Midday heat struck the youth roughly across the face and chest as she rose to her feet. Pink hues squinted and adjusted accordingly to the light filtering into her room. “Breakfa--- dammit.” Gnashing her teeth together Nera smoothed out her hair while she headed back towards the sitting room to clean up the untouched remains of her forgotten meal. The last thing she wanted was to worry her mother, padding into the room Nera made quick work of clearing the tray away, here and there she snacked on the still warm meats and idly broke the yoke of the eggs and licked the yellow goo from her fingertips, hunger gnawed at the back of her stomach but she suppressed it with what few morsels she enjoyed before throwing the rest away. Pouring herself a cup of the herbal tea Nera made her way back into the sitting room just as she heard the front door open immediately followed by General Talia letting her presence known, without realizing how tense the noise made her Nera relaxed the moment her mother called out to her and the sound of eight paws padding on the smooth tiles of the floor hit her rounded ears. The scent of anxiety still hung heavily in the air and both Essid and Amir whirred in the backs of their throats as they sought out their beloved with urgency, the sandy colored Amir checked the bedchamber first while Essid simply followed his snout and tracked the girl to one of the backrooms. Moments later the smaller of the two males peered around the archway of the door and hung his head dejectedly at being bested by his brother, regardless one of them had found her and the heady aroma she produced eased his knotted muscled and caused his claws to retract ever so slightly. “Well, well, look at my boys, how did you two do?”
As if waiting for the question Talia made her presents known by entering into the sitting room carrying a small box that smelled heavily of sweets. “They’re beasts. Healthy ones though,” a grin tugged at the older woman’s lips as she sat the parcel down near where her daughter sat and eased onto the floor beside her. Reaching over Talia trailed her fingertips along the girl’s jaw then up her bangs before brushing them to the side so that her gaze was unhindered by the loose tresses. “C’mer, everything is going to be okay. You’re so strong.” Strong, slender arms encircled Nera’s shoulders and the longhaired Oban pulled her into a tight embrace. For a moment Nera wanted to shove the older woman away but instead she found herself clinging onto the woman as if she were a tether keeping her fastened to what little sanity she felt she had left.
“You’re getting pretty good at this motherly stuff.” Nera teased while she nuzzled her mother’s arm and dug her fingertips into the fabric of her shirt. Talia chortled dryly and Nera felt her shrug.
“It took me a life time to realize I was capable of being both a solider and a mother. I’ve lost a lot of battles with you, my darling but I think I know who is going to win this war.” Pulling back the General swept her thumb over swollen eyelids and put on a brave face for her daughter.
“I think this is the first time that you’ve ever been behind a peaceful treaty.” Repositioning herself Nera offered an expression that was akin to a smile towards the other Oban. In reply Talia rolled her wine-red eyes and pulled the box that she had set to the side and placed it in front of the girl, removing the lid the woman reached inside to pull out a round pastry then quickly shoved it into Nera’s mouth before the prentice had a moment to argue.
“You’re lucky I love you, if anyone else made a treaty joke right now I would punch them in the throat.” Smirking broadly Talia offered a wink before waiting for her daughter to reply in some sarcastic way but instead the girl giggled and happily chewed on the confection before leaning against the older woman and idly petting both Janarim in alternating patterns.
“I love you too.”
[ 3,964 words ]
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Posted: Fri Mar 06, 2015 8:59 am
Class Quest Result
Pass!
Nera has passed and received a rank of Beast Charmer!
Congratulations Nera!
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