You didn't know how lucky you had been - running across another mutantblood child in the wiggling caves. Despite never having a lusus, the two of you stuck together and somehow managed to survive. Following the tunnels up from deep in Alternia, you had come out in the sloping hills outside Civisect during the end of the great reconstruction. There you had hid, stolen, and kept your heads down to survive. You could barely speak, were unable to read, and were chased away by anyone whenever you were seen. Sticking to belowground, you and your friend, your moirail - although you didn't know of the existence of quadrants at the time - would dig into hives, raid whatever was stored below-ground, and tunnel back out the way you came. Until you arrived in Awassi's hive as they were checking their food storage.
Rather than chasing you away, the greenblood caught both of you, keeping you in a large cage in their basement. You were treated like wild animals, but were fed, and trained to enjoy the candies they gave you as a reward when you didn't scream or bite. Despite the odd bits of kindness shown, the cage was small and dirty, and there was always the fear of what was coming next. They couldn't keep you two locked up forever, could they? One night, after Awassi had left their hive, a small figure covered in a black cloak arrived. They told you both that they were there to make a trade. If you followed their instructions, they would be able to free you both, and show you a place far away from the city where you could live safely. Initially suspicious, the figure finally gained your trust by giving their hand a small cut and holding it out. "You've never seen blood like this before have you? See? I'm a mutant too." You and your moirail hadn't ever seen that shade of purple before - and agreed as best you could to follow the instructions. The figure handed you a scrap of dirty paper that you were to place in your bedding at the bottom of the cage - and a bottle that was to be left in a specific spot in the kitchen. You were given a description of the hive, how to get to the nutrition block unseen, and told your cage would be left open on the night in question.
Long before the party had started, you had both crept out - hand in hand as always - and followed the cloaked figure's instructions. Taking the secret paths through the walls you had placed the bottle, and then one of you had made the mistake of peering out through the nutrition block door. The room beyond had been breathtakingly grand, and totally empty. In fact - the entire hive had been empty. You two had run around, for a bit, gone back to your cage, and sat waiting for the strange troll's return. But the temptation was too great, and soon you were back, pawing around, looking at all the marvels of a rich troll's hive. You were in the dining block again, when the first guests began to arrive.
Panicking, both of you had hidden under a table. You had stayed there for over an hour, silently clutching at each other, until trolls had sat down at the table. When a foot had brushed your face, that's when all hell broke loose. You had always been the smaller and slower of the two, and the strategy had always been for your moirail to run around, gathering attention while you slipped away. They could usually outrun their pursuers in the open city, but in a single closed hive block - large though it was - they had no chance. You yourself were clubbed unconscious by panicking party goers, and everything from your perspective went black.
You woke up back in your cage, alone. The basement was dark and quiet, but there was shouting and running around going on upstairs. Doors slammed, gunshots were heard, and people were running up and down the stairs. And then -- everything was quiet. It was clear something had gone wrong - where was your friend? You two were never separate from each other, for safety's sake if nothing else. Time crawled slowly by, and the room began to fill with the scent of smoke. The room suddenly lit up, as well, as the door at the top of the cellar swung open. Stomping quickly down, the short figure in the cloak was back again. Unlocking your cage door, they half ordered and half dragged you out. While you were reluctant at first, a sharp reprimand of "The hive is burning, move it!" picked your feet up. You were given a cloak of your own to wear, which was fastened quickly around you as you struggled to put it on. Your hand was grabbed - for the first time by a troll other than your moirail - and you were rushed up the stairs, through the crackling hive, and out into the cool night.
...
Tugging at the smaller troll, Regina lead them through the back alleys and lawnrings of the city. She wiped soot and sweat off her face, trying not to laugh. It had been painful, waiting for all the trolls to leave and the drones to disperse, waiting for a moment when she could slip off to check on the surviving cellar mutantblood. But it had also been exhilarating, with the flames burning around her as she had pounded through the house with her newest prize towed behind her.
Glancing behind her at the child, face obscured in the cloak she had thrown over them. "We're almost at the city limits, then we can slow down a bit." She knew they were moving pretty fast for small feet and smoke-filled lungs, but getting caught was not an option.
ImaginationsParadise
Posted: Tue May 31, 2016 7:02 pm
Cynril had never ran so fast in his life-- which was actually something worth pointing out. He didn't know where they were going since his cloak covered most of his face. So he just ran; ran away into the cool night with the older mutant. He didn't feel much at ease as Cyn was still shocked by the turn of events. Everything would've worked out so well if he... didn't suggest the other to explore the greenblood's hive. Yes, they saw new things, yes they were impressed by how they lived but was that all worth this?
Once thing Cynril knew, it was all his fault, he was to blame. He knew he should've never spoken about it-- he should've never been curious about it. But how could he not? How could he not be curious about what laid beyond their cage? He longed each night to see what was out there, he became so obedient to see if they took them out for just a brief second and look what he earned himself. Freedom? Yes.
But it had a bitter aftertaste-- not what he had expected.
Hearing the older troll's voice made him even more anxious, and he even managed to pick up the pace... slightly. His bloodpusher skipped a few beats-- After all, freedom was just a moment away! He was so close to it! However... not with the yellow mutantblood. Tears threatened to spill, yet he couldn't break down now. He would only make the other troll slow down. So he took a deep breath... and held onto that hand tighter.
After what felt like an hour of silent scurrying - but in reality was only a few minutes, the two trolls climbed through a thick clump of lawnring fronds to the edge of an abrupt, steep cliff beyond. Below, a small deserted beach stretched to an equally sharp cliff on the other side that bordered the coast, with only a small pathway leading out of it inland. The other side of the cliff was deserted, and the little beach seemed to mark the boundary of where Civisect ended. Crouching down, the empress stared hard at the view, assuring herself that each piece of driftwood was not a waiting troll, ready to pop up at the sight of the two.
After thoroughly observing the beach silently for a few minutes, she turned to the little child. "I'm going to need you to wait here, then jump down when I'm ready to catch you. Alright? Good." Without waiting for a reply, she leapt the edge of the cliff almost carelessly, landing with a practised roll on the sand below. Standing up, she turned towards the cliff and held her arms out, beckoning to the mutantblood that she trusted had not bolted into the night.
ImaginationsParadise
Posted: Wed Jun 01, 2016 6:20 pm
With widened eyes, he stared at the scenery before them with awe until... They told him to jump. If Cynril's stare had widened a bit more, the his eyes would've popped out of his skull. Jump-- They wanted him to jump off a cliff? Sure they had reassured him they were going to catch him but still... He, jumping off a cliff? Aha, hell no. But was he even given an option not to?
"W-wait! What?!" He managed to choke out as he looked at them wide eyed. Stiff as stone he watched the mutant jump over the ledge in the most skillful manner possible and slowly shifted near the ledge just to make sure they were alive. Weak waves of relief struck the child but uncertainty still lingered through his mind.
"I-I can't..."Again he squeaked, with a tone filled with sadness and fear and his words strangled him bit by bit. Cynril took a few steps back and looked at the trail behind him. What exactly were his chances of surviving the harsh life he was leaving behind? He gulped, knowing he'd die faster on his own but he didn't want to jump, really he didn't. He was afraid he might not jump properly, plummeting himself to his own death. His body trembled, when he heard a faint buzz. His imaginary lusus was flying near the edge with a smile on their face. Cyn slightly approached the ledge once more, just to see the older troll holding her arms out and next to her was Jerem, still smiling. Everything will be alright.
With one final gulp and doubt running wildly through his head, Cynril took a few steps back and jump off the ledge and into her arms.
Catching the smaller troll with a huff of air and a slight wobble, Regina bent down and deposited Cynril on the sand, giving their hair under the hood a ruffle. "Nice job. Ok." Straightening, she stared the length of the beach again, as final insurance that they were alone. The air here was fresh, smelling of the sea rather than of smoke and flame, and the empress visibly relaxed, pushing back her own hood to gaze out at the ocean for a heartbeat. Then, rubbing her hands together industriously, she turned back to the mutant.
"I think we're out of the woods now. Metaphorically speaking. Speakin'. Ahahaha. Not literally 'cause ... we're going into the actual woods." Turning to the path leading inland, she pointed. "Up that hill, down the path. There's a ride waiting for us, it'll take us up the coast. Then we go into the woods as far as the roads will go, headin' towards the mountains. After that, just north. Got it?" She wasn't sure if the mutant knew the names of places, or if saying Four Fronds and Busthind would conjure looks of blank confusion. Either way, it didn't matter. They'd be avoiding other trolls for the most part, and definitely would not be going into any city center.
ImaginationsParadise
Posted: Fri Jun 03, 2016 7:42 pm
His heart raced as he fell into her arms and when his feet touched the sand, Cynril felt less stressed out. He didn't mess up, and his well earned hair prove so. He puffed his cheeks slightly as she did so, no one had ever done something like that before. He watched her as she pulled her hood down and admired the sea. Was this the place she'd talked about before? It would be nice if it was-- so peaceful was the desolated beach. Cynril slightly jumped as the older troll looked back at him, rubbing her hands together. That was never a good sign. The trolls who normally did it always tried to catch or cull him and his morail. The mutantblood gulped and looked up to her, pulling his own hood down as well. He couldn't fully process what she was saying. Words like: metaphorically, literally... What did they mean by that? Cynnie tilted his head slightly, his confusion was very visible. The child blinked repeatedly as he understood this wasn't their final destination.
"Y-yes! U-um..." He whimpered while the cool ocean breeze played with his hair. He looked at the path and felt rather anxious when she mentioned someone or rather something was waiting for them. He didn't understand anything, her words were just too confusing.
Cynril couldn't himself and said, "W-who... will wait f-for us? Are th-they.... a-are they a mutant t-too? Sure he was being too curious about this, and it wasn't as if he was going to complain or disobey her but he needed to know,
"W... wh... where a-are you takin' m-me? I-is it nice th-there? W-will you stay there with m-me?" He hoped she said yes, really they seemed to be someone nice and... He didn't want to be there all alone. He'd die.
"Eh?" Regina considered the small mutant for a moment. It appeared it was getting it's tongue back, that was good. She needed a mute plank of wood for a travelling companion like she needed a blow to the thinkpan. Rubbing her chin, she stared up the path. The questions weren't difficult, or surprising, but she wasn't quite sure how or when to break it to the child that she would not, in fact, be with them the entire journey. There was no way she was going to slog through a swamp, looking for a hidden group of trolls who loathed even the thought of her.
"A mutant? Errrr - nah, but they won't hurtcha. You'll see when we get there. And I'm takin' you somewhere safe." Holding out a hand, she beckoned towards Cynril as she started to walk forwards herself, trying to get the child moving. The beach was a nice place to pause, but it wouldn't do to wait long. "I'll tell you about it while we walk. How 'bout that?"
ImaginationsParadise
Posted: Sun Jun 05, 2016 11:19 am
The child gulped, he couldn't feel any more worried. But if she said they wouldn't hurt him... then they wouldn't, right? Cynril look at her hand and wondered if he should grab it once more. When the older mutant started to walk, he panicked and held her hand as the walked.
"O-okay!" He sometimes seemed to skip slightly as he imagined the safe place they were going to. His pumpbiscuit seemed to skip as well as the thought of not running away, and not having to escape any threat came to mind-- and he was waiting for that. He wanted and longed for such a place. "Is th-that the p-place were you came f-from?"
Then he realized something. He wasn't supposed to go there on his own. The deal was between her, Cyn and his morail. "Have you t-taken my morail th-there already? I... I r-really miss th-them... and they w-weren't there wh-when you saved me..." Cynril asked as he looked up to her with innocent eyes filled with hope.
Raising an eyebrow at the skipping child, Regina shrugged it off and let her arm be jerked around. The little wiggler had been through enough that day to be allowed some expression of movement. Leading him up the path and across the sloping dunes, she laughed at the first question. While swamps were pretty wet, she'd hate to imagine what kind of self-respecting seadweller would crawl out of one. Not to mention the water wasn't probably salt - no. "Never been. But I know a troll who lives - hm?"
Staring back down at him, her expression was a mixture of amusement and pity. Had the other child really kept them sheltered to the point where they thought their little friend survived? That was pretty impressive work, the dead mutant must have been very industrious. Regina couldn't help but wonder if Aiguma had culled the wrong one - maybe this was the runt of the two, and wouldn't survive the trip. "Your what? Aren't you a little young to have one of those?"
ImaginationsParadise
Posted: Mon Jun 06, 2016 6:47 pm
"My m-morail! The one in the... in the bar b-box." He said while they walked up the path. She had seen them when they first met. Or could it be that she had forgotten? Maybe someone else delivered them to the safe place? The mutant slightly tilted his head as she asked him a question. He scratched his head and thought for a second, recalling something he had heard some time ago. He wasn't sure if it was that greenblood or, really, anyone who's voice that had reached their basement, it was a beautiful thing to hear-- too beautiful to forget. He couldn't even recall if it was, in fact, when they were trapped but that night, he filled his first quadrant.
"W-well..." Cynril looked up to her and even managed to smile. Talking about the best troll out there always made him happy. He knew he wasn't perfect, but they made it seem as they weren't also. Truth to be told, the two of them might never be. Somehow, they were compatible for each other despite their differences. "One time... I-I heard someone s-say that y-you're never too young to f-find someone s-special..."They specified the perfect signs to identify that special someone. They were someone that made you laugh at least once, someone who causes you to think twice from time to time...
"Th-they said that you c-could meet the one at a-any age... It doesn't matter the q-quadrant they're i-in... When you f-feel s... s-something for s-someone, you f-feel it... it's really s-simple." Someone who gave up a part of them that they know you could break. And that's what he felt, what they both felt.
"Th-that's why I need to know if they're safe... they are the b-best thing that ever happened to me..."
"Oh, well they got culled." Shrugging as sympathetically as she could, Regina glanced back towards Civisect for the blink of an eye, wondering where exactly the corpse had been stuffed. She had kept a gander bulb open, as it were, for any signs of where the mustard hued child had been laid to rest, but to no avail. "You two really got put through the grinder back there, I wasn't betting on you surviving!"
Regina's fist plan had been to use the children to plant evidence, then trust Awassi to hide or release them once guests began to snoop. 'Code Mirthful' had been a backup, and alternately a way to deal with Gerard, if his hue had slipped out. She hadn't worried too much about the repercussions of setting wild clowns on a house full of guests, but it was also nice that this one had been spared. If they were less runty than their attitude let on, they'd make it to the swamp. Her little present. She gave the child an absentminded pat, assuming that they were probably a bit bummed by the news.
ImaginationsParadise
Posted: Fri Jun 24, 2016 7:39 pm
"Oh...." The child merely whimpered as he squeezed her hand a little. Would he get over it? Was this like the times whenever he got hurt, like the multiple times when his deep wounds decided to torture him for hours or even days? He just lost someone he loved, how was he supposed to react? Never had he been more at a loss to make his feelings appear what they were not. It was necessary to shrug the feeling off somehow, to keep on moving, to prevent them from stopping... But all the child wanted to do was cry. He wanted to cry, Cynril wanted to cry in such inopportune time. It wasn't fair. It just wasn't fair! It should've been him. It really should've been. Right now, one question roamed through his mind freely. All he wanted was to know... whether or not he should've been born. If he should've survived from the start. He shouldn't have let them alone. I really s-should've stuck next to th-them...He should've awaited the consequences, hold their hand and await for death to come for them if that was the only possible outcome. It was a mistake made by him. He should have been on the other side. It wasn't a good feeling. Cynril should've said something, he should've been the one who'd distracted everyone-- the one who'd given the other the chance to escape, to survive... but he would never do something like that. He never dared to leap into the imminent dangers... All of this, was just so intense for him-- for them. Now the endless possibilities started to scare him...
The mutanblood took that absentminded pat and mentally put it right where the hole in his chest was. Right now it felt better and sweeter than any bits of candy Awassi had ever given him. He clutched it and held it tight, wanting to cover up that wound on his bloodpusher until he was alone. "I... thought I'd d-die too..."He sniffled as he looked up to the older troll. His skips seemed to die down slowly as he walked.
"I'm s-sorry..." Cynril rubbed his teary eye with his free hand, it was hard not to weep. "We s-should've done what y-you said... Now my m-morail's dead and... it's my f-fault for ever wanting t-to see inside th-their hive..." One thing for sure, he owed his savior big time. "If there's a-anything I can d-do for you..." It'd be silly for someone as skillful like her to ever consider him for something, but Cyn really wanted to let her know he would do absolutely anything in return. All he paid attention to now was the route they were taking.
What was he supposed to do? What was he supposed to do when he got there? His life seemed like nothing more than a series of losses, from beginning-- that's the given. He had now to respond to those losses on his own, as what he interpreted what was left, was the part of him that had to make up as he lived. He had to keep on moving, even if he had to limp forward. He wanted to make up for his mistakes. Strange as it may seem, he still hoped for the best, even though the best, for a piece of garbage like himself, so rarely arrives. He wanted to keep living despite his mistakes took the life of the one he cherished. He was obliged to them in his heart, to keep on moving for both of them. Slowly he shook it off, he knew there would be the time to cry, to weep, to agonize-- not now. Not while his friend probably watch him move on. He was entitled to know what else happened while he'd blacked out.
"Do... d-do you know what else h-happened at the greenblood's h-hive?"
Waving a hand, Regina dismissed the mutants first question. The kid had lived up to their end, this was her paying them back, making it even. It was true that a loyal mutant, one who she was gambling on Byakko being unable to turn away, was an intriguing idea for the future. If, of course, they weren't completely taken in and brainwashed by the Initiative. It wasn't that Regina liked the idea of mutants being accepted into society, she had a status quo to maintain. It was just something that might make the game more .... interesting.
The second question was considered where the first had simply been responded to by a gesture. Opening her mouth to reply, the empress shut it again as she heard a faint sound from farther down the path. The two trolls rounded a bend in the road and Regina paused, pointing up ahead. "Here's our ride."
The troll ahead was hunched, not old physically but with the sour look that grew on the faces of unpleasant characters over time. They were dressed in what looked like a tablecloth, or window curtain, the fabric black and dusty. Starting sightlessly ahead, both their eyes were fully red, the sign of blindness. As they stood, the lusus they were standing on shifted slightly, making a creaking noise. A large and docile looking side-scuttling seadwelling snipperbeast, it was huge enough for at least four fully grown adult trolls to ride on top of it's shell, as its troll was doing. Hearing Regina's voice, they turned their head in her direction.
"Sorry about the wait, mate!" Regina spoke loudly, grinning at the blind troll, then lowering her voice, and head, to mutter to Cynril. "Keep your blood hue to yourself while we're on board, and try not to say anything too mutant-y. Charon's an ok guy, but if he thinks we're more trouble than the toll's worth, he won't hesitate to chuck us over the side."
ImaginationsParadise
Posted: Sat Jul 30, 2016 6:54 pm
Cynril slightly jump as he heard the sound and began to think the bloodthirsty trolls from the ball had found him-- them. The child stared down at the path they were taking with wide eyes, even if Regina had told him that was their ride, he couldn't help but feel scared. Sure the adult trolls were scary looking but the beast they were about to hop on was even scarier.
The child stiffly nodded in agreement and dragged his feet as he got closer to the snipperbeast. He gulp, the thought of riding it made him grit his teeth and his knees shake. Cyn needed to calm down and get a grip on himself, but the more he thought about it, the more he shivered. How in the world was he supposed to climb up without having to worry about the creature eating him? He tried his best to think of a way to ride the beast to no avail. With a clammy hand, Cynril gently tugged on Regina's cloak, stood on his toes and motioned her to lower her head again.
"I'm s-scared... and I can't get on..." He whispered as if his life was in the line-- oh wait, it kind of was. "Can y-you help m-me?" He raised his arms and looked at her expectantly.
Regina's eyeroll was visible, but she grasped Cynril firmly under the armpits and hefted him up onto Charon's lusus, scrambling up after him without another thought. The creature might have been full of fire and vim in it's youth, snipping and snapping at anything that got close, but in it's old age it was as mellow as a well-bread musclebeast, and simply wobbled it's eye stalks around, uninterested in the trolls depositing themselves on it's back.
Settling down between the blind adult and Cynril, Regina leaned first in the direction of the older of her two companions. "We had a bit of a delay with things - hm?" Looking from his face to the hand that was stretched out towards her, the queen snapped her fingers in realization and dug in a pocket. "Payment! Right, right. Here you go, two beetles per." Passing the money over, she opened her mouth to speak again, but Charon had turned back to the road.
As Regina shrugged and turned back to Cynril, the lusus lurched sideways with a rattle, and began to scuttle down the road at a good speed. Giving a small laugh, she put a hand out to steady the child and ensure it didn't tumble off the side. "There we go, much faster than walking huh?" She gave the mutant a grin and eyebrow waggle combo. "If you feel snoozy, you can close your eyes for a bit. Might as well, if you can - the nights not remotely close to bein' over for either of us."
This was a mixture of the pure and honest truth, sound advice, and a faint desire to not have to answer too many of the child's questions. She could pull up some sort of satisfactory answer, but after a night of dodging around the truth like an elusive ghost had left Regina seeking a little bit of pure, uninterrupted silence.
