The molarity of pure water is 55.5 mol/L. Is it just me, or is that number super satisfying?
4
likes
7 yrs ago
I find I'm much more productive when I make a list of check marks, then write whatever I end up doing next to them.
7
likes
7 yrs ago
I'm a grammar communist. Everyone has a right to grammar in equal amounts.
6
likes
7 yrs ago
I always either have lots of inspiration but no motivation, or tons of motivation and no inspiration. I'm not sure which sucks more.
5
likes
Bio
Current Favorite Quote:
“Everybody has a secret world inside of them. I mean everybody. All of the people in the whole world, I mean everybody — no matter how dull and boring they are on the outside. Inside them they’ve all got unimaginable, magnificent, wonderful, stupid, amazing worlds… Not just one world. Hundreds of them. Thousands, maybe.”
E'nasha Williams ~ Yarosmere E'nasha listened as the king spoke, wondering how long it would be before the group actually saw anything to justify or disprove the Sand Cobra's thoughts about the man. King A'dul, born near the coast... Before she would get a chance to ask any more questions, proof of the Prophet's nature finally began to show itself. As the man's eyes dulled and he began to mutter to himself, E'nasha's hand went towards her pocket to grab one of her seeds. Her fingers closed around something at the same moment as the king's expression cleared, the cold look on his face making her want to run already. In the next moments, she watched as he made his declaration, rising to her feet just before the rest of the people in the room...
She ran with the rest of the group- well, was dragged with them by El’kan. She’d frozen up at the sight of so many people just.. How could they do that? How could they trust in this man so much, to the point where they would throw their entire life away to prove some point? She was lucky El’kan was more level-headed than her. She probably would have been left behind he hadn’t grabbed her hand.
Once back in the Resistance Headquarters, E’nasha explained what she could to Sahra and the other Sand Cobras, but she felt like it didn’t really help them at all to know. The entire encounter with the King seemed surreal in a way... and now that her mind was clearing from the shock of it all, she had a theory about this A’dul. She didn’t tell any of the Cobras though. There was a very real chance that she was just imagining connections where there are none. But, the way the King had suddenly known that Mar was a Naga, and the way everyone else in the room just decided to commit suicide with no hesitations at all… It seemed like A’dul might be a Psychomancer. He could have been reading the student’s minds from the second they entered the room, and when he found something he could use to justify his aggression he latched on. The “sand god” could just be a ploy, to make him stand out at first and convince people to believe him, where a ‘normal’ man’s opinions would’ve been shrugged off. Now, it was just a simple act to pull off. As for the suicides, while they could be just what they appeared- sacrifices made out of loyalty to this man- they also could have been the actions of puppets, where A’dul was the one holding the strings.
E’nasha shook her head at herself, dismissing the thoughts. She was biased, for sure. She just wanted to paint this man as a manipulator- or at least that’s the only reason she could think of to explain the harsh thoughts. Just before the Cobras opened a portal to the college, she glanced over at El’kan. He’d been watching her since they got out of the palace- probably worried about her. Granted, she was worried about him too. With the king’s proclamation… they weren’t welcome in Yarosmere anymore. Their Homeland. It was hard to accept, or even think about, and E’nasha’s heart began to ache the more she tried to. She jumped through the portal just after deciding to talk to him about all this later. For now, it was time to go...
~ ~ ~ Back at the College As her feet hit the ground just outside the front gate, E’nasha shivered from the sudden change in temperature. It was freezing, and she was dressed for the arid desert air. She crossed her arms over her chest as she ran for the gate, rubbing her hands over her arms to try and keep herself from freezing before she could get inside. She already missed her homeland, more than she had before they’d gone back. An icy wind blew through her, and she felt like she was going to freeze solid. So far being back here was going just great.
She ducked inside the dorm building, and started making her way through the halls to the room she shared with El’kan. Once there she threw on her warmest sweater, and proceeded to hide from the cold feelings under the blankets of her bed for a few minutes. That’s about how long it took for El’kan to get to the room too, though it felt like forever. He walked in and shut the door behind him quietly. E’nasha moved the covers just enough that she could see him as he came over to speak to her. ”How are you doing?”
She made a noise, somewhere between a grunt and a sad moan. El’kan just sat on the edge of her bed and asked again. She sighed before actually answering this time, her voice monotone as she tried to keep herself from giving away just how bad she felt right now.
”I’ve been better.” He smiled lightly, trying carefully to change the mood. ”That’s an understatement.” Her reply was just as cold as the air outside. ”No, not really.”
She curled up into a slightly smaller ball as he reached out and shook her shoulder lightly, trying to keep her attention. She could feel herself spiraling into a fuzzy numbness the longer she just laid there, tears beginning to fall silently down her face. ”Hey, we’re fine. You know that, right?” She didn’t respond. El’kan looked like he was going to say something else, but a loud tapping noise from the window took his attention. She saw him glance over at the frosty glass, and then a smile came onto his face. ”Well, about time the bird-brain showed up!”
”What?” E’nasha sat up and wiped her eyes with her sleeve, while El’kan stood and walked over to the window. He opened it, letting in a blast of frozen air that stung her skin, along with a familiar large bird. As soon as the window was closed again, She got out of bed and crossed the room to her dresser, where the Raven had landed on his perch there. She held out her hand and smiled just a little as the bird pecked at her fingers for a few seconds before nuzzling her. She was still crying a bit, but the cold shock from opening the window and the joy at seeing Sir were starting to make the numb feeling go away.
”Welcome back Sir. Did you have a good time while we were gone?” Of course, Sir didn’t answer her. Well, not verbally anyway. He hopped off of his pedistal and onto her shoulder, pecking gently at one of her pigtails once he was there. ”Nah, he missed you too much. See?” El’kan reached out to pat the bird on the head, but pulled his hand back when Sir snapped his beak at him. ”Gr.. Guess he didn’t miss me all that much.” E’nasha couldn’t help but laugh at that, a small smile staying on her face as she pushed her thoughts and worries to the back of her mind.
Focus on the here and now, that’s all I have to do… She poked Sir as he sat on her shoulder, and seeing that he wasn’t going to move, sighed and decided that she might as well get something done now that she was up. ”I’m going to go and figure out just how much homework I missed or something.”
El’kan just rolled his eyes at her. ”You and your studying.” He crossed his arms and waved her off, a soft look in his eyes despite the joking manner he carried now. ”Go on then. I’m gonna hang out here for a bit, then probably go get some food before dark. See you there?”
”Yeah, got it.” E’nasha smiled at him as she spoke, and then turned to leave as he nodded at her in satisfaction. They’d meet up again later.
As she left the room, Sir still sitting on her shoulder, she started thinking about what she should do next. The mission was over, and most likely a failure. She probably should go talk to Ucile about what happened, but as she began to walk in the direction of the teacher’s office, she couldn’t bring herself to actually go there. Instead, she let herself wander, until she ended up by the kitchens. A couple of loud voices were drifting out into the hall, and the usual sounds of clanging pans and simmering foods were intercut by loud thuds and sharp words from the people within. Curiosity peaked, E’nasha stepped up to the doorway and peeked inside.
“Gods damn it! Where’d the bugger go this time?” One cook was shouting from one corner of the room as two others stood back to back in the middle, all three of them looking around wildly at the floor. One held a large metal pot like it was a weapon, and the other two each held a small net in their hands. The first one looked around for a second before shouting again, “THERE!” and diving at a spot on the floor. E’nasha stepped into the room just a little further and saw what it was they were talking about. A small ferret was running around these guys in circles.
After a minute, the creature darted for the door, practically running right at her. She grabbed for the ferret once it got close enough, but it saw her at the same moment and managed to skitter just out of reach before E’nasha landed on her face on the floor. ”Shoot! I missed him.” She straightened up and began to try and figure out where the creature was now, speaking to the cooks as she did. ”Uh.. You guys mind if I try to help?” She was already kind of invested, but considering this had started as their problem it was probably a good idea to ask if they even wanted her to try. Pride could be a funny thing sometimes.
Onyx was just about to walk through the city gate, when a woman’s voice caught her attention. Kirara watched the Courier carefully as she handed Onyx a letter and then turned to leave just as quickly as she’d appeared. As soon as Onyx saw the seal on the envelope, she groaned. She almost tried to call the Courier woman back to tell her to give the letter back to the woman who had sent it. She wanted nothing to do with anything that woman wanted.
The two shared an almost pained look as Onyx opened the letter. So what’s keeping us away from home now? She pursed her lips as she read, wanting to throw the letter on the ground as soon as she was done. A small part of her almost did. Another part wanted to chase down the Courier woman and claim that the letter wasn’t for her. The queen hadn’t bothered to write her name on it, after all.
color=f9ad81]"What does it say Big Sister?"[/color] Kirara sat, looking up at Onyx as he watched her emotions play across her face. Onyx sighed, and pulled the “plus one” invite out of its pouch, handing it to Kirara as she spoke. "Well, it starts out with ‘Hello Healer’ and ends with the both of us being invited to the queen’s ball tomorrow. That’s for you." Kirara took the piece of paper from her, putting it on the ground in front of him so he could see it. He couldn’t read very well yet- Onyx had been trying to teach him for almost a year now and well…
He’s a Scelt. Can you really blame him for not wanting to sit still long enough to read through a poem? Still though, he recognized a few of the letters and decided that was good enough. He put a paw over the scrap as he looked back up at Onyx, head tilted to the side as he spoke. "So, are we still going home right now?" Before she could really respond he stood up and began wagging his tail. Guess he could sense her whole attitude about that or something. "A Party should be fun! We can sing, or you can anyway, and we’ll dance together. It’ll be great!"
Onyx smiled, only slightly sarcastically. "Oh yeah, Dancing and Singing in public. Don’t really get to do that every day." Kirara’s tail stopped wagging and he tilted his head at her, and now her smile was genuine. "Okay, I’m kidding. But it could be fun, if that’s all we need to do. Are you done with your invite now?" She knelt to pick the paper up, putting it back in the little pouch it came from as she did. Kirara began to dance around her in circles, his tail wagging as he grabbed the hem of Onyx’s dress and began to spin her until she was facing the city once again.
"Woah, what? What are we doing now Little Brother?" Onyx looked at him in confusion before he began to walk back the way they’d just come. "We can’t go home until we can." Onyx began following the Scelt, not understanding what he meant at all. "But… We could go home right now? We don’t need to do anything else here- we can just come back tomorrow for the ball."
Kirara paused, looking back at her as she caught up to him. "Are you sure?" "Yeah." "Really? What about-" "Hey look, a squirrel!" Kirara’s ears perked all the way up as his eyes scanned the area wildly. Onyx smiled to herself as she watched. She kind of hated this little trick, distracting Kirara like that, but it was one of the only ways to get her way in an argument. Kirara froze as he spotted what he thought was his quarry. Oonyx narrowed her eyes at this however, because obviously, there wouldn’t be any squirrels in the city, right?
And then he took off running. Onyx watched, stunned for a moment at his sudden departure, before realizing he was actually chasing something. "Oh. Shoot." And with that she took off after him. She followed the little grey fluffball through the crowd, almost all the way back to the inn from before. When she finally caught up to him again, sure enough, he had a squirrel pinned down against the cobblestones. "Wow. Didn’t think there was actually a squirrel there."
Kirara let the poor creature go as Onyx spoke. "What do you mean? You saw it first!" He bowed playfully, yipping at Onyx as she sighed at him. Glancing around, she noted were they were and shook her head. They were right back where they started. Great. She reached up to brush her hair out of her face, but paused halfway through and began to visibly panic. Kirara stood back up normally and tilted his head at her. "What’s wrong Big Sister?"
"The letter! While I was following you- I-" She began to look around at the ground around them, sighing in relief as she spotted the envelope sitting on the cobblestone not too far away. She went to pick up the paper, brushing it off as she did and checking it to make sure it was okay. The golden wax that had been the seal caught the sunlight and glimmered as she did this- like she was holding a little fairy in her hands.
As she held the envelope, the tailor of the nosey needle did what she did best. She became nosey. She had seen the letter hit the ground and seeing the very well known golden glimmer she poked her head out of the door. Her head tilted as she watched Onyx for a moment and then she spoke up. ”Hey.” She gestured for Onyx to go to her, because talking about anything involving the queen too loudly was not the best idea.
Onyx looked up at the woman, walking over as she was beckoned. "Hello..? Did you need me for something?" Kirara followed Onyx, staying silent for now. For all either of them knew, this could be a Healer thing- people aren’t usually very vocal about needing help when they need it.
The tailor rolled her eyes and as soon as Onyx was close enough she plucked the letter from her hands and scanned just the last sentence. She gave a nod then handed it back and put her hands on her hips. ”Looks like you're in luck. I just happen to be the best tailor here. Now… In you go!” She opened the door to the shop and clearly she was not taking no for an answer.
"Uhh, okay?" Onyx shrugged and walked through the door. The letter had said something about getting a new formal outfit… but "I don’t really need a new dress, miss." She paused and turned to face the woman, an apologetic look on her face. "I had a dress at home in mind."
The woman simply looked at Onyx as she slowly crossed her arms. ”Hon...you may think you do not need a new dress, but I can tell you, you are going to need a new dress.” She shook her head and then gently pushed Onyx into a chair that sat across the table from where the sketching supplies were. The 4 foot tall woman made her way to that side and appeared to be sitting on a rather tall stool as she was now at eye level. ”Now...tell me about this dress you have in mind” Apparently she is completely ignoring the implied no from Onyx.
Onyx sat, not really sure whether she should try to leave or not just yet. As the Tailor took her seat, Onyx sighed. May as well humor her. "Well.. It’s black, and blue.. The skirt flares out kind of like… hmm." She shook her head as Kirara hopped up on the chair next to Onyx, putting his head on her lap as she spoke. "It, would be a lot easier to draw it for you."
The tailor clasped her hands together and rested her chin upon the tops of them. Icy blue eyes studying the woman in front of her with amusement. She stayed quiet and at the statement of drawing being easier, lightly pushed the sketch pad over along with a pencil. She gestured at it. ”Be my guest. Though I will recommend velvet to be somewhere on it. Being that you are going to the castle… it will be cold.”
"Cold? It’s the middle of summer.." Onyx took the pencil and within 5 minutes had a rough sketch of the dress she’d been thinking of. Though, as she drew it began to morph away from the reality of the little blue-and-black thing that hung in her closet, and ten minutes later she handed the sketchpad back to the Tailor. It was strange but, the more time she spent actually thinking about this, the more she wanted to see the vision in her mind come to life.
"That, should work with velvet, right?" She Waited a second and then pulled the sketchpad back, adding another thing. "and, a two-layer cape. With the under layer as dark blue velvet and then the top would have little stars? Like the night sky?" She put the pencil down now, having to force herself not to draw anymore.
The tailor simply nodded and then became entirely focused on the sketch appearing on the pad. Blue eyes following each line as she clearly thought of how to make the image come to life. ”Yes that certainly would.” She chuckled as the sketch pad was taken back and a large happy smile appeared on her face at the idea of a two layer cape. She nodded. ”My dear, I would love to make that for you.” She lightly pulled the sketch pad to her and began writing notes on the side and putting faint lines to label certain areas. Once satisfied she hopped off the stool and went to stand next to Onyx. She paused before placing a hand on her own forehead. ”My apologies I completely forgot to introduce myself. My name is Deja. Now...let's get you measured and I will have that dress ready for you before the event.” She beamed. ”It's what I am known for after all!”
Onyx smiled back at Deja before standing as well. "Alright. I’m Onyx, and this is Kirara, by the way." As Onyx stood Kirara stayed lying on the chair, head resting on his paws, just watching the two women now. "Hello Deja-person." He was quiet, knowing that it wasn’t really any help for him to be loud or hyper right now. Onyx glanced down at him for a second, and even though she knew he was fine, seeing him calm like this always ended up making her think he was sad.
"Could.. Could you make something for him too? Like, a bow that matches the dress?" Onyx’s eyes lit up as she said that, realizing what a cool idea it was. "Actually, yeah! A big bow we could tie around his neck, with the same velvet and glittery-star pattern?" She paused, a bright smile on her face as Kirara’s ears perked up. He didn’t get to dress up very often.
"Of course, he wouldn’t really need the velvet with all that fur. Maybe just the transparent starry-night like the cape has?" Kirara tilted his head at her while still resting it on his paws, tail wagging slightly as Onyx looked back at Deja, both of them wondering what the tailor thought.
Deja happily lead Onyx to the pedestal and then tilted her head as Onyx spoke about another idea. She lit up and nodded her head. ”Oh yes I can for sure do that.” She then waved for the scelt to join Onyx. ”That means you get to be measured as well little brother” She beamed at both of them before moving and grabbing the step stool that had been tucked away. In a smooth movement she placed it just behind her and unrolled a rather long tape measurer. ”Try not to move too much Onyx” Then she got to it, she moved quickly, occasionally moving her arms and nodding as she seemed to store the numbers in her head.
Once she was done with measuring Onyx she quickly moved to the table with the sketch pad and wrote down a series of numbers with notes and then moved back and kneeled in front of the scelt. ”Chin up and stay still little brother” quickly the tape measurer went around his neck and she took in the numbers. She smiled and took it away before straightening and moving doing the same thing of writing in measurements and notes on a separate page. Once fully finished she moved walked back and moved the step ladder out of the way. ”Alright all done with that bit. I will have this done for you in time that I can promise. Now you can go exploring and such, but some advice….I would not recommend going too far until after the event” She gave another smile then went back and sat on her stool.
Onyx held as still as she could as Deja went about her measuring, watching curiously as the woman didn't bother to write down any of the numbers until they had all been found. Kirara also tried to sit still, but as the Tailor wrapped the tape measure around his neck, he couldn't help but squirm a bit. Onyx smiled as she saw this, and reached down to pat Kirara on the head as Deja went to write down his numbers.
"What do you mean exactly by “going too far”? I thought the ball wasn't until tomorrow." Kirara’s head shook in a small sneeze before he spoke up. "We were going to go home and come back tomorrow. And I have a squirrel out there somewhere that needs to be tracked down again." Kirara tilted his head at Onyx as she looked back at him quizzically. "What? You’re the one who let him get away Big Sister." Onyx just sighed, shaking her head as Kirara began to wag his tail.
Deja continued to write notes as Onyx spoke. She then paused and lightly put down her pencil and looked at her, blue eyes exposing nothing. ”Because the queen hates people being late. If your home is not too far and you are confident in your travels… then sure, but I would not recommend leaving.” She wrote a few more things before pausing again. ”Be careful.” With that she gathered up her supplies and flashed Onyx a small smile before retreating up the flight of stairs where her voice mixed with a few others. Clearly, she did not work alone.
Onyx sighed to herself as Deja left, listening for a moment to the chorus of voices that popped up soon after. So Deja was just the queen-bee in this. Onyx smiled to herself at the thought. It’s a good thing the woman didn’t have to work alone.
Motioning for Kirara to follow, Onyx left the store. She wasn’t sure just yet about whether or not she would try to go home and just come back for the ball tomorrow, or if she and Kirara should just go get a room at an Inn somewhere. There were downsides to both options it seemed. After a minute of walking, her stomach growled at her and she sighed, looking down at Kirara as she spoke. "We should get some food now, for sure. After dinner I’ll decide whether we go home or not." Kirara wagged his tail and yipped at her in agreement. With that the two started making their way back to the Drunken Unicorn.
The Fae ignored Erin's question, but did speak to her at least. "Lo siento. Las historias que conozco de mitos en España siempre se refieren a la mitad serpientes como Naga. Pensé Lamia era un término griego? ¿O son realmente dos criaturas diferentes..." She trailed off, this question not really needing an answer as she left that thought for later. She kept pace with the Lamia as the hall turned to more of a cave once again, still not wanting to fall behind. She considered asking the Lamia's name again, but considering how the woman had dodged giving it before she let it be.
As the cart of bodies drove by, Erin stepped out of its way, moving to walk on the Lamia's other side, closer to the cavern wall now. She tried to ignore it as much as possible, but seeing how the corpses were being carted off- Fae and Human alike- made Erin wonder at just what type of society this was. The Human woman who'd been helping her with her English so far had explained that there were two kings at the beginning, and that the Fox and Hound were servants of the one who actually acted like a guy. She also knew that the Humans were meant to become servants of some kind to various Fae. So why were some of the Fae, like those dead in that cart, treated the same as the Humans were? Were those just lesser Fae? Or were the Humans considered equal to them?
Either way, the cart was out of sight now, and Erin didn't really want to think about it any more. She'd been silent for a couple minutes at this point, but it didn't seem like her Lamia guide was very worried about that. Actually, maybe she preferred the silence, considering how little she actually spoke to Erin? Or, it could just be because I'm Human... She was about to try and talk to the Lamia again, but before she could even open her mouth she noticed a hissing noise coming from the woman, and glancing at her face saw a strange look in her eyes- a mix of anger and a passion of some sort. Erin kept quiet as they continued on, glancing at the Lamia from time to time now, wondering if maybe she should just turn around and run back the way they'd come- try to find the group again, and maybe apologize for wandering off. The Japanese man definitely deserved an apology, considering how he'd tried to keep her from doing this in the first place... Then again, Erin had really only planned for conversation with the Lamia, not a field-trip into the bowels of the Earth.
One one hand, Erin was torn between her need for answers and her growing urge to just run. On the other, she didn't actually remember the entire way back to the gate, and even if she did run who's to say she'd make it there? No, this trek of curiosity would continue. They were in an area with more people now, Humans that wouldn't even look at her or the Lamia, and goblin-like Fae that wandered by on their own business. The place looked almost like a market of some sort, doors carved into the walls of the cave with things like anvils and scales sitting by them. A dog-like creature smiled at the pair as they passed, and Erin was careful not to make eye contact. That was how traders rope you in, right? Erin stopped next to the Lamia as she paused, waiting for whatever was going to happen next. She certainly wasn't expecting to be shoved into one of the rooms the doors in the cavern wall led to.
"Podrías haberme dicho que ingresara. ¿Cómo te sentirías si te empujara?" The words weren't entirely serious, just said in the moment- Erin had no intent of getting herself killed by trying something that stupid. As she regained her balance she looked around the messy room, and her gaze eventually landed on the older-looking Goblin that sat at the desk. He looked like a secretary of some kind, with the mass of papers stacked in front of him. Erin noticed the Lamia's words, spoken in English to the Goblin, and then noticed the way she was blocking the door. Erin was trapped here.
She sighed before switching to English, for the Goblin's sake. She just wanted to be understood, and listened to. "Miss, please, the answer to my question? Why are we here?" She meant the 'we' in two ways: herself and the rest of the Humans in this realm, but also herself and the Lamia in this room in the middle of nowhere- as it seemed.
"I'm sorry. The stories I know of mythos in Spain always refer to Half-snakes as Naga. I thought Lamia was a Greek term? Or are they two separate creatures..." "You could have just told me to enter. How would you feel if I pushed you around?"
on firefox idk what it's doing tbh, it just doesn't let you check the "remember me" box at all. i reinstalled brave so i think i'm gonna use that more often, but my phone is a samsung galaxy j3 (2016 model). i can't remember if it ever let me check the box at one point, but since i primarily use my desktop and only use my phone for late-night browsing it shouldn't be too much of an issue.
I also use a J3, but I use the google chrome browser. It works pretty well, I've never had to re-login since I first did after I got the phone.
It seemed the crowd could sense the scenario playing out between the two women, the excitedly moving people parting around the trio like they were a large rock in the stream, leaving the two plenty of space to have their little conversation. Of course, the people of the crowd could also have just been hearing Kirara's low growl and decided not to mess with them. There was currently a very real possibility of getting bitten if anybody got too close. Overprotective Scelts sure are fun to deal with. Although, as Onyx noticed the people skirting around them, she did try to calm Kirara down again by ruffling his fur and scratching the top of his head. Normally picking him up and hugging him was enough, but even now he still growled at the Priestess..
"His name is Kirara. Sorry about the growling- he's a bit protective of me." Onyx said, and he finally stopped growling at the mention of his name. After a second he turned his head so he could lick Onyx's cheek. "Put me down please..." She hesitated, but smiled slightly at his next words. "I won't hurt her, unless she comes close to you again."
She whispered back to him before putting him down. "Better not.." As soon as he was back on the ground again, he sat right in front of Onyx, glaring at Tempest as he addressed her. "Onyx is my person. Back off." It didn't matter if she understood him or not, she would probably get the idea just from how he was acting. Onyx just shook her head and sighed. "It's Bright. Onyx Bright." Another sigh came as Kirara yipped at a person in the crowd who stepped too close, and Onyx gave Tempest another apologetic look.
"It was nice to meet you, Tempest, but we should be going now." Kirara began to follow her as she turned away. She called back to the woman over her shoulder, "Have a good day!"
As the two gained some distance from her, Onyx glanced down at Kirara. "You haven't been that.. openly hostile to a complete stranger in a while. What's wrong, Little Brother?"
"Nothing." He yipped back. "I just.. want to go home now." As he finished speaking, they finally got to one of the gates out of the city.
As the Japanese man came up to her and took her hand, Erin began to be dragged away from the snake woman. She didn't fight the man's grasp, per say, but she did pull against him just enough that he would know she wasn't going with him willingly. As they passed through the gate, she began to speak to him- in spaninsh at first due to her frustration with him breaking up her conversation with the Naga. "¡Oyé, espera! Tengo que hablar con ella. Ella entiende español."
Of course, after a few seconds of this, she realized English would probably do better. "No, no. Leave me. Stop. I want to go back." They caught up with the group, just in time to see the paniced man run up to the group- and the Fae that followed. Erin didn't care. This man seemed crazed, and while maybe she should've at least paid attention to the fact that he was wounded and seemed to be asking for help, she could only think about her own questions. As soon as el Japones let her go, she stepped away from him, her pace slowing down greatly until she stopped walking altogether.
She only hesitated a moment before turning right back around to head back to the gate. "... Tengo que déjar." She muttered to one person who looked at her curiously as she passed. She wasn't about to just give up this chance.
Several Fae watched as Erin left the group generally unnoticed thankfully due to the commotion. Some looked gleeful at this fact while others sneered at the dysfunctional human. Not that they knew exactly how right they were about the Spanish Mortal. The route back to the lamia was fairly straightforward, and few saw reason to stop a wandering human. Several of the dark cloud-esque beings above followed in their misty forms. These were mara, prefering their forms of mist and shadow. For it was easier to feed off the dreams of sleepers and dispair. But they were loath to impede this mortal, for her destination might lead them to a larger prize, or her remains with little fight. Erin, however would not see them for only a keen eye would see the black against the cavern ceiling.
Reaching the now closed gates, the guardian of it was coiled about the base, stroking a very still form. Erin would be able to make out a face frozen in terror, wanting to scream and not ever being able to. The Fae- Desdemona- however was carressing his hair and hissing quietly in a song merely of nonsense, something to soothe and hypnotize her prey. A odd flickering beneath her hair as she glanced up and noticed another morsel coming her way.
As Erin got back to the gate, she bowed her head slightly to the Naga, ignoring the man as well as she could. He wasn't her concern. Her voice was quiet but still strong as she spoke. "Perdóneme. Volví." She didn't waste any time before continuing, lest someone pull her away again. "Ayúdame a entender, por favor. Señorita Naga, aunque hemos estado aquí por un mes, todavía no sé realmente qué se espera de nosotros. Parece que estamos prisioneros de algún tipo, pero con qué propósito? Mi Inglés no es lo suficientemente bueno para preguntar a las hadas que nos lideran, y los humanos que he preguntado no saben también." She went silent as she waited for the Fae's responce, the look on her face a strange mix of determination and desperation. She had to know. A month in this realm with little-to-no explanation of anything at all was starting to chip away at what little patience the girl had in the first place.
The lamia considered the Mortal before her. Barely more than a child to her sense of this more modern day and age. Yet back in her time this girl would be a woman- of a sense. Able to wed and spit out babies. Nothing she had been interested in during her span as a mortal life. So what were they prisoners for? They were here for their temporary life, so the girl was so very correct. A shame she didn't know it. Their lives as of now were to free up other Fae. To allow magic to flow rather than to be damned up with the menial tasks it had been during the Dark Times. A time still whispered about between the elders of the Fae. Giving the girl a snake's smile, she spoke in her native tongue. "¿Por que estas aqui? Esa es una pregunta con muchas respuestas, pequeño humano. ¿Déjame mostrarte? Será muy ... educativo." Oh this was far too tempting. That this little human girl had returned without protection or thought that she would need it! A worthwhile little amusement, she thought as she lowered her serpentine body to the stone flagons below. Trying to look less intiminating.
"Bueno. Adelante, señorita." Erin smiled back at the Naga as she seemed to answer. Yes, she seemed to be skirting the actual question for now, but she at least hadn't waved her off or told her just to go away. I'll be getting my answers finally...
Turning about, the snake lead the woman through the tunnels once more. However this time descending into the abyssal maze that dwelled below the grand houses and roads. Here the smell of rot and death ruled and terror salted the air heavily. Vacant eyed humans and Fae walked these halls just as often as the nightmareish forms of the horrors that awaited. These tunnels were paved and walled with dark stone that glittered. Reflecting the faux fire torch light that danced over the stones and dark, gleaming puddles. Deeper in the pits of horror and bowels of Under the Mountain screams echoed out along with laughter and roars. Pleas came from the other corridors. Cries for death, freedom, and for sheer clemency. The lamia ignored them all as she moved deeper, soothingly pointing out to her companion all was well and this was simply a faster way to get around. Which was true in both senses- so far.
Erin didn't hesitate to follow- though as the pair started getting deeper underground she realized that maybe she should have. The cries of people echoing off of the dark cavern walls were harsh, and apparently just what it took for Erin to come to her senses. This woman was a monster, and so was every non-human here, just like the Fox and Hound that led the group... and Erin had just walked right up to her. Her pace quickened as she kept following the creature, not wanting to fall behind while also ignoring the snake's words as she tried to brush off the noise around them. None of this was normal. This was Danger.
Still though, she did want to know why she and the others were here. What was that English phrase? "Curiosity killed the cat." Erin shook her head slightly and, trying not to flinch at a rather close sounding scream, decided to try and distract herself in the meantime by asking the Naga more questions until they got to wherever they were going. "Señorita, eh... ¿cómo se llama?" She paused for a split second before continuing, another cry piercing the air in her moment of silence. "Me siento extraño solo por conocerte como "Naga" en mi mente." Another call for help, and this time Erin flinched at the sound. "Yo soy ... Erin. Si querío saber."
"Hey, wait! I have to talk to her. She understands Spanish." the Japanese "... I have to leave." "Excuse me (Sorry). I came back." "Help me to understand, please. Miss Naga, although we have been here for a month, I still don't really know what's expected of us. It seems like we are prisoners of some kind, but for what purpose? My English isn't good enough to ask the fairies that lead us, and the humans I've asked don't know either." "Why you are here? That is a question with many answers, little human. Why don't you allow me to show you? It would be far more... educational." "Okay. Lead on, Miss." "Miss, uh... What is your name?" "I feel strange only knowing you as "Naga" in my mind." "I am... Erin. If you did want to know."
[i]Current Favorite Quote:[/i]
[quote=Neil Gaiman]“Everybody has a secret world inside of them. I mean everybody. All of the people in the whole world, I mean everybody — no matter how dull and boring they are on the outside. Inside them they’ve all got unimaginable, magnificent, wonderful, stupid, amazing worlds… Not just one world. Hundreds of them. Thousands, maybe.”
[/quote]
<div style="white-space:pre-wrap;"><span class="bb-i">Current Favorite Quote:</span><br><br><blockquote class="bb-quote">“Everybody has a secret world inside of them. I mean everybody. All of the people in the whole world, I mean everybody — no matter how dull and boring they are on the outside. Inside them they’ve all got unimaginable, magnificent, wonderful, stupid, amazing worlds… Not just one world. Hundreds of them. Thousands, maybe.”<footer>Neil Gaiman</footer></blockquote><br><br></div>