It wasn’t as though Bree always got her way back home, just when it mattered. But what she wasn’t used to was being so casually dismissed. Bree’s lips tightened into a thin line on her face as she stood, biting back the argumentative remark that had already formed in her mind. But, wisdom rang threw, she chose not to comment anymore on Kagan’s plan for them, instead choosing to follow silently as he lead them out the door.
The city was vastly different in the glory of the morning than the mud choked streets of last night. The streets were filled with drakken. Vendors filled small side streets where wares of every type were being pushing on everyone who passed by. Most of them were filled with items from Drakka, something rarely seen back home, but here it was plentiful. Ever once in a while, they would pass something cleary gem in origin. A hollow filling would fill her every time they passed such an object. A ping of loneliness and of missing home.
All the while it felt as though she was being watched. Not by Kagan, who had been keeping annoyingly close to her, his hands always touching, brushing and finding reasons to hold her and bring her closer. But by someone or something that seem to constantly dance in her peripheral vision. Always there and always just out of sight.
In very little time, Kagan lead them to an old, rundown building. Had Bree been walking on her own, she wouldn’t have paid the building the slightest bit of attention, assuming it to be condemned. The closer the trio got to the shop, the more the air was filled with the scent of burning meat. And, knowing what lay beyond the room, the smell made her stomach roll.
Kagan was able to make it to the door before Bree’s resolve died. Digging her feet into the sand, she was able to pulling her arm out of the loose hold that Kagan had on her. “K-kagan, just.. Wait, please,” there was an edge of desperation in her voice now as she shook her head. “Please, No, Please don’t….do this,”
“You’ve missed it. But I can make an exception for once. Varzar!”
There hadn’t been anyway to tell the time in the dark windowless room. No natural sunlight to mark the passage of time, the room was effectively soundproof as well. But now outside, Xae could feel that the desert air held a coolness and the shadows in the courtyard were still long in the early morning sun. Still far earlier than Xaelia would rise back home.
Entertainers tended to sleep all day and stay up all night.
“But… That’s not me...Not anymore,” Another stab of bitterness wedged itself deep in her chest. Her shoulders hunching a little bit more, hugging herself a little tighter as she fought the harsh words threatening to snap back at the war-lord. He acted like they were late when they hadn’t been given a time to arrive.
But breakfast...That was far too important to miss over pointing this out. She gave the War-lord a final icy stare as she followed the youngest drakkan back inside.
Once the aura of Keregar had faded and they were out of sight, she felt the tension fall from her shoulders. Varzar had...proven himself to be safer than the rest of his family. Not worthy of trust, but not a presence to be on guard with.
The larder-kitchen-pantry room that they were lead to was not terribly far from their- the room they had slept in the night before. It was small, an over glorified closet really. It was cooler than the house, giving the effect of being partially underground. The cooking utensils were scares, a pot over the fire, a pan. Different meats hung from everywhere, more like decoration than anything. The furniture, like the rest of the house, gave off the vibe of ‘don’t get comfortable, get what you need and get out’.
Not one to disappoint orders given by furniture, Xaelia reached out a hand into a basket by the door, filled to the brim with dark red and blue berries. They weren’t from Gemmenia, but seemed harmless enough.
She heard Vazar whisper something before a loud sound echoed through the small room.
Xaelia hand jerked, the berries exploding in her hand, the juice running around her wrist and soaking her sleeve with the dark juice. Turning her head she first looked for a fallen object, something broken something…
Her eyes fell to Nadia, her head twisting right and pointing to the side, standing still as her face quickly reddened in the shape of a hand print. To Vazar, his glove held awkwardly in one hand and the other closer to his body as though finishing a swing.
“What…” Xaelia said slowly, her eyebrows pulled tight in confusion, the information quickly piecing itself together as she tried to figure out what had happened. In one fluid mission, she shook her hand of the berries, spattering Vazar with the dark juice and crushed skins of the fruit. “Oh, Nadia ,” She reached her clean hand out to hold the girl’s face, lifting it up to examine any damage.
Once assured that her sister-bride wasn’t about to die, Xaelia rounded on the drakkan in the room. “ Why in Vavari’s blessed name did you do that?” Her voice hardly hiding the rage that seemed to always be bubbling below her skin, waiting for a reason to come out.“Nadia wasn’t doing anything but following orders, what game are you playing?” Had it been Keregar or any of Vazar’s brothers, she wouldn’t have dared to speak so boldly. But this was the little drakkan. The one who took the time to play nice. The one who tried to make them trust him.
“You’ve shown us the food, you should leave. Hurry back to daddy, I’m sure you don’t want to miss his lessons, how else will you turn out just like him?”
Vazar didn’t so much as flitch, or respond or do anything, which only made her angrier.
“Didn't you hear me? Leave!” Her hand reached out to the side, for something, anything. Her hand closing in on something hard and smooth. Without any thought, she tossed the object and watch with great satisfaction as she saw a speckled egg fly across the room towards the little drakkan.
Xae is mad (like usual) she isn’t happy that Nadia got pimp slapped and now she is throwing things like eggs and berries
All the reassurance in the world could do little to calm Xaelia. The tears continue to flow freely even as Nadia made every effort to comfort her, which only causes her to sob harder.
“Y-You can’t k-know this is the bottom ,” she said, her voice turning into hiccups as she tried to stop her crying. “T-this is Drakka and I think it goes so much further down”
“Well, maybe…. Maybe it doesn’t?” Nadia started, still kneeling next to her sister-bride on the floor of their shared room. “I know it’s… umm…” She searched her mind for something, anything better to say than that, but after a moment she just sighed.
“Who am I trying to convince? You’ve got it right, we’re as good as dead. But, we aren’t dead yet so… Why don’t we try to put that off as far as we can hm?” She smiled weakly as she reached out to pull Xaelia up. “Come on, let’s try to go to sleep. We can talk more in the morning.”
Reluctantly, Xaelia rose, crawling into the bed. Even that felt unfamiliar. The blankets were rough and heavy, better suited for frigid climates than this desert one, although the rainstorm left her longing for warmth. The scent, while clean and left a strangely metical scent behind instead of a soft, grassy flowery one of the soap used at home.
With a final, shuddering breath, Xae buried her head in her pillow. She was feigning sleep, her ear ever on alert for the lingering threat of Kieran.
She couldn't say for sure when her fake sleep turned into a real one, her exhausted body forcing her unconscious. The room was still as dark as when she fell asleep, darker even, as the fire had long since burned out.
The only other thing that market the passage of time was the ever growing emptiness in her stomach, refusing to let her forget that breakfast of yesterday was the last time that they had had a meal. Yet, even that couldn’t pull her from her bed. At the very least, she sat up, looking over at her sister-bride, waiting for her to awaken.
Nadia watched sadly as Xaelia pulled herself into bed, wondering how she could help her. Everything was bad, and she was right to be sad and scared and…. Nadia walked over to her own bed and lay down on top of the covers. She was too warm to cover up, and if they would have to react quickly to anything in the night… It was best to stay like this. She watched the fire burn out as she faded along with it, falling into a thankfully dreamless slumber.
In the morning when she woke, her first thought was to check on Xaelia and see if she was okay, but as she looked over she noticed that her sister-bride was already awake, watching her. She got up quickly, stuttering as she stood. “G-good morning Xae. Did you… sleep okay?”
“As well as can be expected I suppose ,” her voice came out gravely, but it carried a muted calm. “Do you think… we are to stay in here?” That would be the safe bet. To wait like obedient pets to be let out by their masters. The choice leaving a sour taste in Xae’s mouth.
“I hope not…” Nadia said, moving to the door. She turned the handle and tried to open it for a good minute before remembering that she locked it. “Oh, the key… I don’t want to just sit around here, even if it means going out and facing those scary kids.” She continued as she found the key and unlocked the door, standing to the side as it opened for Xaelia to go out first. “Besides, we don’t wanna miss breakfast do we?” She added with a smile.
“I suppose you are right. A moment? ” She asked, pulling a fresh tunic and leggings out of the trunk. Off white and brown. She ran a brush through her hair, but otherwise let it be. The slap from Keregar had darkened to a bruise below her eye. A few experimental prods left her wincing. “I guess I am ready as I’ll ever be,” she said, taking a deep breath before stepping out of the room into the bright light of day. There was clanging coming in the direction of the court yard, the only sign of life in the whole house.
“Oh, right.” Nadia said as Xaelia changed. She turned away to give the girl her privacy, also closing the door slightly as she did. She hadn’t even thought to change- all the clothes in the trunk were the same to her, except for her few things, but she didn’t want to wear those now. Dull, plain things that could be worn for anything.. And, was it even expected of her to be proper anymore? To separate bedclothes from dayclothes? As soon as Xaelia said she was ready, Nadia nodded and followed her out into the hallway.
The sounds of fighting were back, and Nadia couldn’t help the thought that that’s all Keregar’s family ever seemed to do. She glanced at Xaelia, wondering how they should go about this. ““So I guess maybe we’ve already missed it? Or Drakkan just don’t eat.”
Xaelia shrugged, her mind unable to think of a response to that. Stopping by the door that lead to the outside, the sound of as even louder here. “I guess all we can do is ask,” she said softly, taking in a deep breath, her hand reaching out as though to open the door, freezing inches from the handle.
As Xaelia froze, Nadia reached out to hold her hand, moving to open the door together. Outside, Keregar stood, watching his sons intently as they exchanged blows. As Nadia stepped out into the morning sun, she pulled Xaelia out with her, keeping a firm grip on her sister-bride’s hand to try and show her that she would stay by her side.
“Good morning, m’lord.” She greeted Keregar once they were close enough to the warlord. Not hesitating at all, she glanced over at the boys fighting and asked, “So, did we miss breakfast then?”
The moment they were out in the courtyard, Xae jerked her hand out of Nadia’s, crossing her arms protectively in front of her. Her eyes drifting over the scene in front of her, the brightness of the morning causing her eyes to tighten into a squint. Xaelia’s eyes narrowed as she saw the twins, little more than a glare, only to soften slightly when they fell on Varzar. She still didn’t trust the child, but he really hadn’t been anything but kind since they arrived. Her entire posture changed the moment she saw Kieran, her shoulders tensed, as though she was about to bolt. With great effort, Xaelia drug her eyes away from the Lord’s children to look at the man himself. In an instant, the hate she felt last night filled her again. But the ache coming from her cheek dimmed it slightly. A reminder that Keregar could and would do whatever he wanted to them. She gave a tight lipped nod in his direction, not trusting herself to speak just yet.
Xaelia finishes her break down and is now over it. Also she hungers. And likes to speak with her eyes. Nadia is there to comfort and lead while Xae is acting all gun shy and stuff. Nadia likes to speak with her mouth. Also, breakfast???
"We will be getting your collars and brands done first thing. Then I'll take you shopping for a little while before a meeting I need to attend. Depending on how long all this takes, we might be able to be on the road back home before dark."
A cough wracked through Bree has the news hit her the same time that she tried to swallow a piece of bread. She took another sip of Adora’s, now cold, bitter tea, “B-branding?” She waited a moment, studying Kagan’s face for any hint of a joke or flicker of uncertainty of his actions. Anything she could use to disway his current mindset. Seeing nothing she scrambled on. “You’d really do that?” The alarm was evident in her voice, but so was a hint of disappointment and disbelief , like a mother finding out their child wasn’t as innocent as they pretended to be. A strategy her own mother used often in her raising. The idea of the collar concerned her significantly less than the brand. It was protection really. Showing that you belong to something stronger than the person attacking you. The brand… that was pain and defigurment.
She also rarely ever felt pain, at least, not from flames. Fire gems didn’t get burned, their affinity preventing most causal burns from stoves and carelessness. But she could only imagine the pain it would cause.
But that wasn’t the most troubling thing.
Leaving now would mean traveling further away from Allie.
“Are you in such a hurry to leave? The capital seems-“ she struggled to find the words to filling the blank. “Nice ” she finished rather lamely. Her eyes flicking over to Adora who was now tidying up the room. Yet another thing Bree had never had to do.
Bree is starting to bargain her way out of the branding. Also, she doesn’t want to leave the capital just yet because Allie
A short laugh escaped Bree’s lips before she covered her own mouth lightly, her hand making a poor cover for her smirk. “Oh dear, you do understand that a slave is exactly what you are?” She watched the woman carefully trying to gauge her reaction. Bree couldn’t pinpoint the feeling last night, but, now in the day, there was something uneasy about how eager the girl was to be here. How eager she was to please everyone. Bree watched with an odd amount of satisfaction as a Adora brought her hands to wipe her eyes, but the cause of it, whether Aubree’s words or something other unknown factor was unclear.
Bree’s eyes followed Adora as she made herself a second cup of tea, while Bree’s own started to grow cool in her hands. Somewhere behind her, her husband had awoke, a quickly sideways glance left her face flushed red as the image of her husband’s naked body brought back flashbacks of the night before.
Her sister bride soon returned and Bree took a sip of the liquid to avoid having to respond. The unexpected bitterness of the lukewarm liquid causing her nose to crinkle with distaste. She eyed the honey for a moment before simply setting the tea down all together and starting to pick at the food set out on the table.
“Fucking formal wear...”
“Formal wear?” asked Bree, her eyebrow raising as she took another bite of bread, her husband now finally dressed enough that she could look at him without the heat rising into her face. Brushing the crumbs away, she glanced down at her own outfit, before shooting Kagan a questioning glance. It was far from what she would call ‘formal’ wear, but she hadn’t figured out how much that matter here in Drakka….nor if what she was wearing matter much at all.
Her attention was once again pulled towards her sister-wife. The flash of emotions across Adorabella’s face flipped from joy, to sorrow, to despair, and finally landing on concern as she noticed a wound from last night on her husband’s hand. The air of seduction was gone as the girl switched into healing mode. Well, at least she has that going for her thought Bree lighting. She chewed a piece of fruit, her mind distracted by her sister bride until the exact second her eye met Kagan’s. She choked a little bit as a sudden idea hit her. It would have probably been wise to have at least greeted her husband before questioning him. “”D-did you sleep well?” She muttered to Kagan, the words coming out awkwardly.
This is just a quick reminder. There is a 9 Day policy for posts for each character. I understand that life happens and we all get busy. However, as far as I know, none of you have talked to your GMS about needing an extension. I would like to see posts no later than Friday. If you are no longer interested, please let a GM know. We do this to try and keep it fair for all the players.
I tried not to include people who haven't posted because they are waiting on someone else, but I might have made a mistake. If so, please let me know!
There had been a handful of times throughout the night where Bree had stirred. Not enough for full consciousness and rational thought, but enough for her to get echos of some of the emotions felt the night before. Her body always willed back to sleep by a more stubborn mind. When she finally awoke long enough for her eyes to open, she found a heavy unfamiliar weight across her chest and a warm breeze shifting her bangs. Glancing to the side, she saw Kagan’s sleeping face not three inches from her own. His even breaths causing the warm breeze.
It was unclear if Kagan was trying to hold her or simply take up as much of the huge bed as possible. His arm tossed over her, rather than holding her. Bree watched as Adora slide out of bed and Bree envied the ease at which she was able to slide out of bed and make her way around the room. When Adora drew closer, Bree quickly closed her eyes and feigned sleep again. The idea of having to speak to anyone, or make an effort to avoid doing, was far beyond her willpower just yet.
The room warmed quickly however, as soon as the desert sun rose. Kagan’s hold soon became stiflingly hot. Her first attempt to slip from the bed earned a sleepy grumble from Kagan and Bree found herself tangled up even tighter in his grasp, his arms pulled her till they were chest to chest. All without ever properly waking up.
Her second attempt was marginally more successful. Slowly piring him off limb by limb until he gave up his hold, favoring the less resistant pillows with which to force his affection.
Bree took a few tentative steps once out of the bed. An unfamiliar ache echoing between her legs, accompanied by the feeling of something dried cracking between them as she took her few steps. She refused to look down, not wanting to know what she would see if she did.
Giving her sister bride a silent look, not dissimilar to a predator sizing up a competitor, Bree gave her a wide breath as she made her way to the tub, longing to feel clean once again.
The water was cold to the the touch, the embers having long gone out during the night. The water held remnants of last nights bath, but seeing no alternative and not having the patience to wait for the water to heat, Bree crawled in, careful to twist her hair into a bun on the top of her head to keep it dry. Goosebumps erupting across her skin as she adjusted to the temperature. She found that the cool water soothed the pain between her legs. Still, the bath wasn't a place see wanted to linger, less it enticed Kagan again so soon. She scrubbed at her skin quickly, riding herself of all evidence of last night, before crawling back out of the tub. Pulling one of the many towels around her as she silently tiptoed across the room to her trunk.
Wheres her sister bride tried to flaunt her figure, Bree tried to hide hers. From the depths of her tunk she pulled out a long, flowy skirt. Burgundy in color, but it also had a thousand different flowers dyed into the material. Her shirt was short, barely brushing the top of her skirt. Black, simple, covering her shoulders and chest. She accentuated it with dangling gold earrings.
From there she pulled out different creams and oils, taking care to apply just the right amount of each in just the right order. Once again she struggled to keep her make-up minimal, but after the events of last night, she was more accepting of it.
She also took the time to pull her hair back in a braid across her head, collecting it in a bun in an attempt to disguise its length.
It was only once she had her ‘armor on’ that she finally faced her sister bride. She eyed the food and drink that was laid out warily before saying “Is that for me then?” Taking the mug in her hands she settled across from the Gem.
“I think we got off on the wrong foot,” she said lightly, twisting the tea in her hands by rotating the cup. “I’d like to not hate you,” she said, her eyes meeting Adora’s “After all, we might be strangers, but you are still from home,” The grip on her cup tightened as her eyes flashed. “But if you want us to get along, you better heed what I tell you to do. No matter how much you want to ‘help’ no matter if you disagree. Do you think we can come to an understanding?” her voice carried a vague hint of a threat, but it was by far the kindest interaction she’d had with Adora thus far.
-Struggle snuggle -Scrubbing away the sins -breakfast and threats
Xaelia bit back a whimper, her body trembling as the knife trailed its way down her body. The few breaths she dare take were shallow, not trusting any movement, less it cause the ruined dress to slip away. Tears slowly started spilling from her eyes, running down her face as she kept her arms stiffly by her side, clenched in fists.
“Do you like exploring? I heard you talk about your homeland so I bet you do. You must’ve seen many places the bright sun touches. Though I am much more interested in what the sun doesn’t touch.”
Xae was never one for meek actions. But all she could do now was stand there and tremble. He could have whatever he wanted and there was nothing. Absolutely nothing she could do to stop him.
A few deep breaths were drawn in as Xae readied herself for the inevitable. Her eyes closing tight to block the drakkan from her mind.
There was a loud crash of thunder and a shout. Xae cracked open her eyes to see the little drakkan standing as her savior. In the next moment Keregar entered through the door. Tracking in mud and dropping armor as he went. A shred of hope flared in her chest as Keregar walked across the room. Only to be crushed by the bitter truth. He is the fire, and the son is the frying pan. And you are the fishThe holes in Keregar’s amore showing layers upon layers of scars and other wound. So many that Xaelia couldn’t believe that a single creature could have survived them all.
Following Karagen were the twins. Left in their current state, Xaelia was certain that she could have taken them. The pair limped in, one taking note of the knife in his brother hand. The pair bickered a moment, throwing insults. But the words of their father made them wary to linger.
“I hope you’re not a deep sleeper. I’d hate it if you’d miss my little visit tonight”
Xaelia let out a silent sob, at his words, hugging herself tightly, even as the drakkan strutted off, deeper into the house.
And the little drakken remained her silent guard.
“Are you alright? Sorry, I-I didn’t mean to…”
In Spite of it all, the poor boys reaction brought out a choked laugh. She nodded, finally reaching a hand up to wiped away the tears with the back of her hand. Her other one still struggling to hold the martial that was her dress together enough to provide the slightest bit of dignity
“Varzar. The Gems are tired. Lead them to their chambers”
It seemed that the little drakkan was just as quick as his brothers after being given a command from his father. He quickly lead the girls down a hallway, passed a few closed doors. Deeper into the house.
No doubt to keep their treasures well protected, should the occasion every arrive,
Like the main room, the rest of the house gave off the district aura of being temporary. What little furniture there was looking worse for wear and the walls were bare and cold.
Varzar finally stopped in front of the heavy wooden door. The entrance was nearly hidden in the shadows of the house. Varzar pushed the door to reveal a small room. There was a fire burning in the corner, giving off the only light in the windowless room. There were four beds pushed against the wall, but only two of them were adorned with grey blankets and tan pillows. The rest of the room was plain, built for function above all else. But it was warm, warmer than any other room in the house. At the foot of each bed, stood a tuck. Although plain by the standards of the Gem’s, both trunks seemed out of place, far too pretty and fragil for the harshness of the rest of the room.
“ I-it locks he said weakly. He stood a moment longer waiting for the girls to say anything. Before adding a faint “If-I’ll come check on you later. It would be better if you...didn’t leave the room tonight. Good night...Mothers The last word coming out far more quickly than any of the others before shutting the door behind him.
Xae gave Nadia a wide eyed look. Before turning from her and head to her personal truck.
All of the clothing inside were various shades of brown, blue, green and white. Simple clothing. Comfortable, functional and so different from the ruins of the dress. Xaelia reaching inside and pulled out a long white shirt. Letting the ruined dress fall quickly to the floor. Her movements were quick, matter of fact, as though she had done it a thousand times before. The white shirt had been designed for a man and had baggy sleeves. The shirt ended just at her knee. After that she ran a quick comb through her hair and then stood for a moment, looking for another task to be completed. But there was nothing more to be done.
She stood in the center of the room, looking lost for a few seconds. With a cry she fell into the floor, crumpling into a tight ball as tears started falling down her face. Her body shaking as sobs wracked it.
Xae cries cuz bad touch. But then she gets ‘saved’now her dress is ruined and she is crying on the floor. Like every good ending to a bad prom night’ One day this won’t be a mobile post
TheDoctor
StarBoi
Fetzen
urukhai
