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.”
Bride of Wilhelm @Saltwater Thief and Sister-Bride of Amalia @Belle Interacting with: The Family
"Don't be sorry. We're in this together, alright?"
As soon as Onyx let go of her sister-bride, Wilhelm took hold of the both of them and began leading them out of the party. They walked together in the rain for a while, the downpour having shifted to a less drenching shower. Their husband lead them through the maze-like streets and soon, they came to their destination. A cottage, of a sort, with a proud banner hanging over the door.
Suddenly, Wilhelm pushed Amalia away, towards a Drakkan guard that Onyx had failed to notice until that moment. She tried to follow her sister-bride, to pull her away from the guard as Amalia began to cry out in fear, before Wilhelm's grip pulled her back. The guard shushed Amalia, and Onyx had to fight the urge to try and rip away from Wilhelm to go help her still. It took Onyx almost the whole time Amalia was being measured to realize that was what was happening. Once she did realize though, she quickly whispered her apologies to her husband. "I'm sorry for trying to pull away- I thought he was going to hurt her." He didn't seem to care much however, as he just pushed her forward to be measured as soon as Amalia was done.
The guard said nothing to her as she stood there, and she said nothing to him. It was curious, measuring a person in rope. Wouldn't a tape be more accurate for making clothes? but then, you don't measure someone's full height or the distance around a person's neck for a dress, do you? Those are more like measurements for a coffin, or a collar... Despite that peculiarity, so far nothing else was amiss. The house Wilhelm had led them too was clean but otherwise bare. He called for a bath and then- Of course there's only going to be one bed. Onyx thought as she said nothing to her husband and simply followed Amalia to the bath.
“Do you... do you think he has other wives? Besides us?” Amalia asked after they'd both settled into the warm waters. Onyx pulled her wet hair out of her face so she could look at Amailia while she answered.
"I suppose it's possible... But I wonder, would they really give brides to a Drakkan that still had some at home?" She paused for a moment, thinking. "I kind of hope there is someone there though now. A Gem who could help us get used to the new place, the new life."
As Onyx finished Amalia seemed, depressed at her answer. Onyx reached out to take her hand, but let the gesture die as Amalia began to speak again. “I wanted to be brave, like you. I tried to be brave. I truly did. But fear is everywhere. It chokes me." She started crying, and Onyx felt a sharp stab through her heart as her sister-bride continued. "I am sorry you are stuck with me, my sister. I am not worth much. But I promise I will not give up completely. No matter how harsh things become, I will support you."
"I am not stuck with you. I am blessed to have you, my sister." Onyx smiled as she reached out again to take Amalia's hand. "You don't need to be brave- I honestly don't believe I am very brave either. Please, don't cry."
"Fear is not a bad thing. If anything, it's the best thing to have, especially in our situation. Fear makes us careful and helps us react in the face of danger- even if it feels like it may overwhelm us. But even then, we'll always be there for each other."
Bride of Keregar @Legion02 and Sister-Bride of Xaelia @Ellion Interacting with: The Family
Nadia could hardly breathe as Varzar sat her down. She gasped, struggling to try and control her tears, but the homesickness felt like a dull knife, slowly cutting away at her heart. She felt a small weight on her shoulders as Varzar wrapped something around her. The musty leather jacket carried the scent of a place she didn't yet know, along with that of a person she realized she was quickly coming to cherish. She looked up at him as he took her hands in his, kneeling at her side as she wept.
"I’m sorry. I’m sorry I asked." He spoke so softly, Nadia almost didn't hear him over her own sniffling. He continued just a little louder, or perhaps she only heard it better because of what he said... "It’s okay. I’m sorry you’re... here." He fell silent for just a second, just long enough for Nadia to manage a weak smile at him. He was a sweet boy- she could see that clearly. he could never have meant to hurt her, in any way.
"Maybe… maybe someday you can show me your home."Oh Varzar... All the god's blessings upon you. If only. If only she could go back home- if even for just a day. She would bring him with her, if that's what he wished. This sweet child didn't really know the depth of what he'd said though, did he? Nadia took one of her hands from his grasp, wiping away the tears once again as she finally managed to stop crying enough to speak.
"I... I don't think that's possible." She hesitated before continuing, just a few seconds passing by. "But I'd take you there in a heartbeat, if I could." She smiled again, thanking Pyrus and Vivari for allowing her this one person. He was a drakkan, but he was obviously kind and so far had been gentle. He was full of innocence and curiosity, but was not entirely oblivious to the larger world- that much she could see in his eyes.
The moment couldn’t go on forever though. Over Varzaar's shoulder, she noticed another young Drakkan enter the room and approach Xaelia. Oh no... How many kids does Keregar have!? She saw him take the knife from Xaelia, and then he moved her sister-bride between himself and Nadia, so she couldn't see what he was doing now. She pulled her eyes back to Varzar quickly, hoping he hadn't noticed her glancing at the other side of the room. If the other Drakkan has said anything... She couldn't hear it from over here. Perhaps, she could pretend she never noticed him enter? She could keep holding Varzar's attention and let Xaelia figure out how to deal withthe other Drakkan on her own? Or call out for help because, He has a knife and look- Her hand is bleeding! He cut her!
She closed her eyes, taking a breath and trying to keep calming down. No, no one would believe her lie over the word of the Drakkan boy, if they would even care enough to listen in the first place. I'm sorry Xaelia, you're on your own with that...
She could keep Varzar's attention still, at least. She opened her eyes, meeting his steadily before asking her own question. "Varzar... Would you tell me what your home is like? Kereg-Kor?" She pulled the jacket more tightly about herself as she continued. "Who all lives there? just your family or is it like a fortress with guards and towers? Is there a forest, or mountains nearby? What are the days like, when everything is calm and the sun shines?"
She would wait for him to answer the first few questions before asking, "Do you... Do you think I could like living there with you?"
Nadia is having an episode of homesickness while also worrying about Xaelia. She asks Varzar what his home is like.
Bride of Keregar @Legion02 and Sister-Bride of Xaelia @Ellion Interacting with: The Family
"Nice to meet you, Varzar." Nadia said quietly as the child continued to talk. At first it seemed he was simply explaining something about how the household worked, but then he mentioned his 3 other mothers and... the first died in Childbirth, which was perhaps the most terrifying way to die in Nadia's opinion. The second died while hunting, and... Why was she on a hunt in the first place? Would Keregar force Xaelia and Nadia to go with him on hunts? Not that she'd say no to spending some time out in nature but, Drakka was much more hostile, full of dangerous creatures and Drakkan... and she'd never hunted anything before. She couldn't bear the thought of hurting another living thing, especially not by her own hand. Her greatest fear...
Perhaps she could ask not to ever go on a hunt. Would her husband allow that? Who is Alia? The thought crossed her mind, but before she could ask it out loud, Varzar was talking again. The third Gem... They hunted her down and killed her, didn't they? She tried to listen as the boy continued, but her mind kept pulling away to all the things she was suddenly terrified of happening. She wasn't planning on trying to run, but now that wasn't even an option. If she could manage it, she'd never go out there, so Keregar would never even think she was running... but then where would she go to be with nature? Certainly, Drakka's forests were nothing like her home, but she could still find one quiet spot... right? But if she doesn't want to get hurt or hunted, she'd be confined to the house.
I'm not going to make it a week...
Her attention was pulled back to reality as two more Drakken appeared, still young-seeming but more like teenagers than the child-like Varzar. She noticed Varzar disappear as the two nearly identical boys began eyeing her and Xaelia, and while they talked amoungst themselves she wondered briefly what life must be like for the children of Drakka. Varzar seemed as innocent as any child in the way he spoke, even if the things he said were of such a horrible nature- it was just the way he saw it, an honest telling of a horrible story. These two on the other hand... They were like miniature Keregars. Although, the word miniature was completely wrong for describing how they actually were. As words turned to knives and fists and fire, Nadia decided the right word for them was Monstrous.
As the sounds of fighting continued Nadia looked over to Xaelia, a thought forming in her mind but dying on her lips as she was what her sister-bride was doing. She'd picked up the twins' knife and was pulling it out of the cup, or she was trying to, anyway. Nadia watched for a moment, awestruck at her bravery to even try such a thing. Certainly the boys were distracted but, they could turn their focus back to the two Gems any second now.
She had to try and help. Stepping back as if to avoid the twins while they raged out of control, Nadia moved herself between Xaelia and the rest of the room, blocking her sister-bride's actions from view. Just in time too, as Keregar choose that moment to barge in and break up the fight. Nadia could feel her heart pounding, much too quickly as she realized she wasn't breathing. The short moment it took Keregar to get the twins' attention flet like an eternity as he ordered the two outside with him. The sounds of fighting resumed, dulled by the thunder and the door between the chaos and the two girls now, and Nadia finally took a breath, trying to push some of the worry away. "That was too close." She whispered as she glanced at Xaelia again, seeing that the other girl had taken to holding the stolen blade behind her back for now.
Before she could say anything else, Varzar appeared again, apologizing for the twins' behavior. He had brought them two cups that smelled a lot like tea... and it was! Nadia quickly took the cup she was offered, and at Xaelia's comment, reached out to take her cup as well. "Well if you don't want it, I love tea." She smiled brightly, hoping that Varzar would only see the surface of the act the two were putting on. It didn't seem he would, as he quickly went on to ask about their homeland, an eager spark of curiosity in his eyes. Nadia sipped away most of one of her cups of tea while Xaelia started to answer him.
She mentioned the different regions and little bits and pieces about each place, but as Nadia noticed, nothing about her own home. Nadia laughed a little as Xaelia started to trail off, running out of things to say. It was a musical sound, easily used to grab attention as Nadia began to pick up the conversation. "You sound a little bit like a travel brochure when you say it all like that." She started with a grin, reminding herself that she was putting on an act. "There's so much more to Gemmenia than deserts and beaches, snow and diamonds. It's..." She looked to Varzar, her gaze meeting his as she hoped he was still interested in what they were saying as she searched for the right words. "It's..."
"It's the forest I grew up in, The town nearby, the Volcanoes, the rivers, the sky..." She began to walk away from Xaelia, moving over the debris towards the other side of the room, hopefully pulling Varzar's attention with her as she continued.
(TL;DR: Some time passes as Nadia lists things she loves about Gemmenia, mostly her hometown, and unintentionally stabs herself in the feels while trying to entertain Varzar long enough for Xaelia to maybe do something about the knife...)
"My family and I lived in the west, pretty close to the spine. Close enough to see the mountains rising up in the distance on a clear day. I've never been to any of the other regions, but I can imagine they're just as beautiful and diverse and wonderful." She took a moment to finish her other cup of tea, placing both cups on the only standing table left in the room before continuing.
"The nearest town was Pyrvi, an hour away by horse, half a day on foot. We lived in the forests surrounding the town, bordered on all sides by trees so tall you could hardly see the top of them from the ground. I used to climb them, and from the top you could see so far... There was a small brook that ran through the forest and right by our house, and if you followed it upstream it lead to the base of Mount Suivusev, a huge Volcano south of town. I never followed the brook downstream, but my father did once and he said it led all the way to Andula- one of the largest cities in Gemmenia." She smiled at the memory. "I still don't really believe him."
"There were two other volcanoes nearby, Mount Jifu and Mount Virus, but Mt. Suivusev was the closest. You can see the mountains from everywhere. They're so tall, and Mt. Virus even glowed with veins of orange lava, so you could see it even on the moonless nights. Truly a blessed place... You could climb any of them in a day, and come back down the next if you wanted, but we always stayed up there for a few days whenever we went. The view from so high up was spectacular, all the clouds were so close I swear you could touch them if you stood tall enough, and the center was always full of warm rocks and glowing stones that held fire in their hearts. Even when that fire would eventually die though, the rock still held that energy- It was like the mountains themselves were alive!"
"The town was the most lively place though- even with all the plants and creatures that lived in the woods, the forest was so calm, and quiet all the time. I loved that silence, that calm. It's the one place I felt like I could truly be myself, alone with nature. The town though, there were so many people, and so much to see and do... There was music, always, everywhere- and when one performer would stop, another took their place. There were always so many people everywhere. The busiest places though were probably the temples, and the Torch in the center of town."
"The torch never goes out. We keep it burning to remind us of... everything. It's eternal. The volcanoes, the spine in the distance, the Townspeople, the flame. None of it will ever end, even if some people come and go, and the volcanoes may eventually erupt, or the fire may flicker from time to time- that's only a small ripple in the pond of time. Pyrvi is forever... it's..."
"It's home." She finished, tears finally starting to fall down her face as the memories overwhelmed her. She wiped at her eyes with her sleeve, choking down sobs as she tried to compose herself. "I-I'm sorry, I di-didn't mean to start crying..." She trailed off, covering her face with the sleeve of her dress as the tears continued. She'd be fine in a minute, if she could just get her mind off of the past already...
Nadia listens to Varzar's various tidbits of information, and starts to panic about multiple things: Mainly the fact that she might not be able to go outside, ever, and that she's probably going to die within a week.
After that, the twins' fight causes her to notice Xaelia's knife trick. She decides to try and help by taking her cup of tea while trying and failing at not rambling on about how great home is for too long. (Some time passes as she lists things she loves about Gemmenia, and stabs herself in the feels while trying to entertain Varzar long enough for Xaelia to maybe do something about the knife...) Now she's crying, but she'll be fine in a minute I swearrrr.
Bride of Keregar @Legion02 and Sister-Bride of Xaelia @Ellion Interacting with: The Family
Just as Nadia finished asking Xaelia for her friendship, Keregar's hand shot out and grabbed her sister-bride, a dangerous look in his eyes before he slapped her. Nadia stood there in shock as he turned his attention back to her, ordering her to remove her gown before going on to mention one of the Drakkan gods- Sorrak. She couldn't remember exactly which one that was- she'd purposefully ignored those facts- but from the way he'd phrased the statement, she could guess it was the uh, procreation one. She flinched as he reached for her, not knowing what to expect and unable to keep herself from reacting, she closed her eyes- until she felt her hair fall loose as he pulled at the small string she'd used to tie it up.
She opened her mouth to speak- something that wouldn't have done her any good probably, but was cut off by the appearance of some Drakkan, who apparently hadn't been invited to the party and was crashing it instead. Keregar pulled a sword, quickly putting himself between The intruder and them, before ordering them out of the hall. She followed wordlessly, into the cold rain and suffocating air outside.
By the time they arrived wherever it was they'd been led to, Nadia was soaked. Her hair clung to her face as she held her water-heavy skirt off of the floor, and she glanced around immediately for a fireplace to sit by. She didn't see one, but then they were just in the front room... The guards left before she could ask them anything and a new Drakkan appeared. He was very similar-looking to Keregar, but also obviously much younger. She almost asked him his name before his own question caught her off guard.
"I suppose we are?" She offered, a small smile on her face as she tried to think what the question actually meant. Was a mother just a title to this, boy? or a caretaker? It felt strange to think of someone who was already bigger than her, and possibly older than her as well, as a child.
“That’s not how mothers work,” Xaelia said, whether to the boy or to her, Nadia couldn't tell.
"Well, stepmothers kind of work that way, I think." She said to Xaelia before turning back to the boy. "I'm Nadia, and this is Xaelia. What's your name?"
Onyx Briyll
Bride of Wilhelm @Saltwater Thief and Sister-Bride of Amalia @Belle Interacting with: The Family
As she and Amalia finished their introductions, Wilhelm seemed pleased. Perhaps Onyx wasn't reading him correctly but, perhaps he was glad to have the two of them? He started to speak, before someone broke into the room, a posse trailing behind this new Drakkan as he demanded a bride of his own. As Wilhelm moved to get a better look at the intruder, Onyx followed him, staying within a step of him as he'd ordered. She wasn't about to get snatched up by some other brute, after having only just met this one.
Watching the scene before her, she couldn't help but think of what a ridiculous thing it would be if anything like this ever happened in one of her books. Brides were not hot potatoes, and yet, here was a man who thought he could just up and take whomever he pleased. It was ridiculous.
She noticed Amalia then, hiding at Wilhelm's side like a frightened child. Reaching out, Onyx tokk her hands and pulled the girl into a tight hug, whispering to her that everything was fine and she didn't have to be so scared. None of the other Drakken in the room had jumped on the newcomer yet, so obviously they weren't worried about him actually taking one of the girls. "Here, stay by me, and I'll stand by you, alright Amalia?" She whispered as she released the girl from the embrace, a small smile of encouragement on her face. "Everything will be okay."
Kendra Riu Bell
Bride of Kaivor @Nevix Interacting with: The Husband
Kendra couldn't hold back her smirk as her husband's companion spoke. So the prince wasn't very well liked by Drakken or Gems it seemed. As Kaivor introduced himself, she made a mental note about the no-nicknames thing. Her first impression was that he had no idea what to do with her- whether she'd been too forward and thrown him off, she didn't know, but the way he'd introduced himself alone told her just enough about him that she thought maybe, just maybe, she was lucky. Perhaps he would always be so easy with her? I could live with that...
As the companion left them to enjoy the feast that was set out for the various groups, Kaivor asked her if she was also hungry. She felt her stomach grumble at her as soon as he asked, and she smiled at him before responding. "I rather am, Kaivor." She liked the way his name sounded as she spoke- without any title to mar it. "If you don't mind my asking, who was your friend that just left?"
Before long, a commotion drew her attention to the door, where a Drakkan in a cloak stood, yelling about taking a bride for himself. Carefully, Kendra moved behind Kaivor, and hopefully out of the newcomer's line of sight. It didn't matter, as he quickly found some other girl in the room that caught his eye, and even though she wished she could help the girl she knew that here, there was no more helping each other. In a room full of people, the gems might as well have been on their own little islands...
TL;DR: Nadia: Reacts to Xaelia getting slapped and is saved from stripping by Rynek breaking in... Asks Keregar's son his name.
Onyx: Reacts to Rynek & co. and hugs Amalia to try and help her calm down some. Everything's going to be okay.
Kendra: Speaks to Kaivor a little before Rynek's party-crashing puts her on guard.
Bride of Keregar @Legion02 and Sister-Bride of Xaelia @Ellion Interacting with: The Family
Nadia finally raised her head as her husband said to, and watched his face to try and gauge how he felt about her as he introduced himself. Keregar of Kereg-Kor. He was right in saying that it didn't mean anything to her, but she didn't let it show. It may be an important place, and he may be an important Drakkan, considering how he and the Prince had spoken to each other, but that was all over Nadia's head. It didn't really matter who he was or where he was from, what he's done or why. Nadia could've been handed to literally any drakkan in this room, it wouldn't have made a difference in her plan for survival.
Still, Keregar seemed alright so far. He hadn't immediately struck her for just speaking to him, like she could see some other Drakkan doing. She supposed, she could learn to resect him properly, given time. These actions of hers now was only out of fear, and perhaps her old shyness as well. She glanced at her sister-bride as he continued. She was slightly taller than Nadia, with beautiful long brown hair and sharp eyes. Nadia noticed that while still formal, she was dressed far more simply than her. Then again, Nadia was probably the only girl there in a proper wedding dress... The flowing dress her sister-bride wore was still beautiful, but in a way that Nadia herself could never pull off wearing.
After Keregar gave his order to tell about themselves, her sister-bride finally spoke up. Nadia watched her as she spoke, revealing three things about herself. She was from the border village, practically living in the shadow of castle Shadow Worth, and she knew Keregar's story, which meant she was more attuned to history than most other girls here, Nadia included. Xaelia finished by saying her name, and that was that. Nadia wasn't surprised at the fact that she herself hadn't also recognized their husband's name as soon as he said it. She'd never liked the stories about that time, not when they were always being whispered around the reaping time anyways.
Now it was her turn. She'd already given her name so, that only left Pyrvi and her life with her family. She closed her eyes for a moment, trying to think how much she should say, if she even could say anything. "I... I'm not as familiar with those old stories as Xaelia is. My family lived far outside of the town of Pyrvi, pretty much isolated in the forests. I, prefer spending my time in the silence of Nature over the noise of the town." She opened her eyes as she continued, deciding not to say anything else about her home. "For things I do know about.. I am a seamstress, and that is the only art form I have any true skill in. I made this dress myself." She made the statement plainly, a fact rather than a boast.
She couldn't think of anything else to say, so she turned to Xaelia, giving the other Gem a small smile as she spoke, much more quietly than she had been speaking to Keregar. "I'm glad I'm not alone in this... Perhaps we could be friends?"
Kendra Riu Bell
Bride of Kaivor @Nevix Interacting with: The Husband
When Kendra resurfaced after a minute or so, everyone was leaving the springs. She stayed for a minute, treading water as she watched the crowd. "What, did someone see a water snake or something?" As she asked the question, to no one in particular, she looked around and saw a Drakkan guard standing at the edge of the pool, glaring at her. "What?" She repeated, and his scowl grew deeper.
"Out. Now." He replied gruffly. "Before I have to come in there and drag you out. Not that I'd mind that much..." He grinned as she shook her head in disgust, quickly swimming to the opposite edge of the pool and hoisting herself out of the warm water. She was the last Gem to leave the room- and she still didn't know why they were all going so soon after getting there in the first place. The guards pushed her into her room, and told her to "get ready."
From all the other girl's actions, and the sudden rush... Kendra assumed this meant they were going to be meeting their husbands now. That had to be it. She went over to her chest, rummaging through the things she'd managed to grab from home before the Drakken had pulled her onto their ship, and away from her Island. Seashells, flowing skirts, and summer tops were quickly scattered over the bed, and she picked out an outfit she would be comfortable in. Her seashell necklace, of course- along with a white beach skirt and a red wrap as the top, and her sandals. It left a lot of her skin exposed, but she'd heard that the capitol was a desert, so as soon as they were out of the mountains it was going to get hot- and she didn't want to end up passing out from heat because she'd bundled up.
After making sure her hair was dry enough to look presentable (she loved the wavy look that water gave her), she walked out of her room and began to follow the crowd of other girls to wherever they were all going next, until a guard stopped her. He stepped in front of her, and when she tried to go around him, he moved to block her path again. "Uh, can I help you?"
"That's what you're wearing?" He said it so plainly, but Kendra couldn't help the hairs rising on the back of her neck at the statement.
"Excuse me? Like you have any right to judge my outfit. You've got Helmet hair down to your waist!" The guard just shook his head at her and pointed down the hall, back the way she'd come.
"You still look like you just got out of the bath. You will not disrespect your husband like this. Go put on an actual dress." He crossed his arms over his chest then, making it clear she wasn't going to get by, and from the way he'd spoken it seemed like he wasn't the one making this call either.
"I don't have an 'actual dress'. I didn't pack one, and even if I had they're all more or less like this." She sighed, gesturing to herself. After a second, the guard motioned another guard over.
"We missed one. Take her back to her room and get a gown on her." The second one nodded at the order and then grabbed Kendra by the arm, beginning to drag her down the hall again. "And hurry it up! We have to leave in less than an hour!"
Needless to say, everything from that moment until she plopped herself down on the seat of a carriage was very, very rushed. They'd given her the poofiest ball gown they could- or at least Kendra was sure they did that on purpose. She'd barely managed to keep her seashell necklace through the ordeal, as the drakkan guard "helped" her change outfits. In her opinion, she looked like a young girl's doll- all dressed up for very little reason at all. They'd even had her tie up her hair.
The rest of the carriage ride was actually kind of fun, if you could ignore the fact that at their destination lay their doom. The scenery, while nowhere close to Gemmenia's beauty, was very interesting. In such a short distance, snow, then trees, and now sand and heat and humid nighttime air- which finally broke into a storm as the girls all left their carriages and were rushed into an arena. The prince gave a speech, and then the girls began to be pulled, pushed, and practically thrown at the various Drakken standing around the room. Kendra eyed the crowd carefully, wondering which of these monsters she now belonged to.
She didn't have to wait long, as soon the Prince came for her himself. The guard tapped her on the shoulder to get her to follow, and soon she was being presented to a Wild-looking man. As the prince left she reached up and undid the stupid bun in her hair, letting the dark waves fall wherever they liked. As soon as that was done though, she bowed her head, deciding to speak first. "I am Kendra Riu Bell, of Haarale." She raised her head to look him in the eyes as she continued. "and what might I call you, M'lord?"
Nadia keeps a running monologue in her head of things going on, and tells a little about herself before asking Xaelia if they can be BFFs for life.
Kendra actually gets dressed (after being given an appropriate dress to wear). Misses the sea, her home, etc. during the trip. Greets Kaivor.
Bride of Keregar @Legion02 and Sister-Bride of Xaelia @Ellion Interacting with: The Family
Nadia's fun was over quickly, as soon a guard called for the girls to all leave the springs. She at first thought that she'd completely lost track of the time, but as she climbed out of the pool, with the help of one of the other splashing Gems, she heard someone call out that they'd only been there an hour or so. Nadia couldn't see the girl who'd spoken, but it didn't matter, because the guard continued to speak to the whole room as soaked Gems ran for their towels.
Our husbands... It's that time already? She wrapped her own towel about herself, trying to hide the shape of her form from the leering guards she had to walk past as the Gems were all shuffled back to their rooms. They would be given some time to get dressed for the 'wedding', and then it was off to the Drakkan Capitol... She couldn't even remember its name now, if she'd ever been told it in the first place. When she got to her room she was shivering from the cold of the Castle's halls. She lit the fire in the hearth, the same as she had the first night she'd come here, and for the first time she finally opened the chest that her father had packed for her.
On top was a gown she knew well- a gold and red silken thing that brought tears to her eyes as she gently lifted it out of the chest. This was to be her wedding gown- her mother had showed her how to make all of its parts, but everything about this dress, Nadia had created herself. She began to put it on delicately, as if the fabric it was made of was a thin film of glass, although she knew better. The heavy silk was comfortable, and lovely yet durable. Her favorite type of fabric. Every stitch, from the seams to the hems and all the embroidery on the front panel, every stitch had been made to last, even though she knew she herself would probably only wear it once in her lifetime.
"I only wish that this wasn't it." She said to her reflection in the mirror that was now standing in the corner of the room. As she struggled to tie up the laces (The sleeves were just a little bit too long for her still- she had been meaning to fix that weeks ago...) she actually looked at herself in the mirror and was surprised at how... how much older the dress alone made her look. Certainly she was no child- at 18 she had curves in all the right places and was almost the average height of any Gemmenite woman- but the dress seemed to remove the rest of the child’s likeness from her. Her face and shoulders, normally so rounded and narrow to make her look almost 16, were now made by the dress to give her an air of grace and fragility. The collar dipped down just enough to accent her chest without showing too much, and the way the sleeves flared out made it so her waist seemed even narrower than it would with just the laces tied as they were.
She looked stunning, and the only ones going to see her like this were strangers and Drakkan. Her mother was on the other side of the mountains now, her father somewhere between here and there, and she was about to be going into the belly of the beast. She watched as a few tears began to fall down her reflection's cheeks, before turning away to look through the rest of the chest her father had packed for her.
The next thing she saw was one of her mother's necklaces. Nadia had never been one to wear jewelry, and neither had her mother really, but as she clasped the necklace around her throat she felt like she would never take it off ever again. The red jewels gleamed against her fair skin, and the metal which should have felt cool instead had an almost happy warmth to it, a Loving warmth. As if her mother had known how she'd be feeling right now, and had put her very essence into the Jewels. She let her fingers brush over the deep red, feeling how smooth and perfect they were for a moment, and wishing that just wearing them could make her just as flawless.
If she were perfect, like this, would she be treated well? Her reflection looked hopeful, and she wasn't about to be the one to tell that girl "No".
Nadia lingered in front of the mirror for only a moment longer, tying up her now- dry hair into a bun, purposefully leaving a few strands loose to frame her face. Once that was done, she looked through the rest of the chest, finding a pair of slippers to match her gown, and three other, less fancy dresses that she could wear later, hopefully. There were no books or papers, trinkets or other baubles for her, except for a small, long metal cylinder engraved with the words "For Nadia, My Light." written in her father's script. Turning the strange item over in her hands a few times, she heard a knock on the door.
A Drakkan guard poked his head in, and after just looking at her for a moment he grunted, "Ten minutes, then to the carriages wit' ya. Hurry it up girlie."
"O-okay." She managed to say just as he closed the door again.She slipped the item into her right-hand pocket, and the action made her remember the one thing she couldn't ever allow herself to lose. She fished the idol of Pyrus out of the pocket of the Grey trousers she'd been wearing up until bathtime, and transferred it into the left-hand pocket of her gown. There it sat perfectly invisible to everyone but her, as she could feel the small lump against her hip as she walked to the door.
The Guard was still standing there sourly as she pushed it open, but his frown seemed to lessen as he saw her step out of the room. "Finally I get one tha' doesn't put up a fuss." He motioned her down the hall, presumably towards the carriages that would take her to her doom. "I'll bring yer stuff for you. Just get there before the boss comes huntin' people down." She nodded silently and followed the slow trickle of Gems to the place, getting into one of the large carriages as they all began filling up.
The ride was much shorter than the one to the worth had been, but it felt so much longer. She and the 9 or 10 other girls in the carriage spent the whole time in silence. The excuse Nadia told herself was simply that there didn't seem to be anything to talk about- but she knew that she at least was only being so quiet out of either grief or fear. Or both.
Eventually, they arrived. The girls were ushered off the carriages, and then they had only a minute before they were all marched into a room full of Drakken dressed in either finery or war armor- it didn't seem like there was any in-between. The Prince from their first day at Shadow Worth addressed this crowd, and then one by one the girls were dragged off by various Drakkan to be given to various other Drakkan.
Nadia froze as the Prince motioned for her to follow him. The guard that came up behind her had to poke her before she could snap out of it and start walking alongside the other girl that had been motioned to. They were led to an older-seeming Drakkan, and then just as suddenly as everything else had happened so far, they were left at this new Drakkan's side.
He was, Terrifying. Everything about this was terrifying. Nadia glanced at her now sister-bride, and seeing that she also seemed speechless, decided that she herself had better say something before bad could happen. She clasped her hands in front of her, bowing her head before opening her mouth. "M-my Lord Husband, I- My name is Nadia. It is... nice to meet you." She kept her head bowed as she waited for a response, waiting in suspense to know just what now lay in her future.
Onyx Briyll
Bride of Wilhelm @Saltwater Thief and Sister-Bride of Amalia @Belle Interacting with: The Family
Onyx pulled herself out of the Springs as she was ordered to, and marched down the halls with the rest of the girls without a fuss. Honestly, she wasn't sure if she was numb, or if the shock of it all was so bad she couldn't even tell if she was putting on her dress correctly. A quick glance in the mirror said she was, of course, and after brushing out her hair and braiding it over her shoulder to dry during the trip, she was ready.
Walking down the halls to the carriages, she noticed that her dress was much more plain than any of the other's that she saw. Short sleeves left her arms mostly exposed, while the simple brown and white skirt only covered down to her knees, and she was wearing her same slippers that she'd been wearing this whole time- which she now realized was a very cold style, as the wind felt like it was cutting through her otherwise bare legs as she cut across the courtyard to get into a carriage. She read during the trip, same as she had during her last long, unpleasant carriage ride.
At their destination, she was grabbed by a guard and then dragged over to a Drakkan that looked well put-together, as opposed to the many Drakken she could see around them that looked, well, put together. Glancing at her Sister-Bride now, Onyx hoped that she was also a daughter of Vivari. The two being Earth Gems would make it so much easier to support each other, if fate would allow them such a thing.
Before she could say anything, their husband began to speak. "Were you expecting a drunken savage?" he asked them, "A half-beast drenched in drool, perhaps?"
Well yeah. Were you expecting a pair of pretty little pets to drag along with you by a chain? Onyx didn't dare say so out loud, though she knew her self-control would only last so long as he continued. He placed a finger under her chin, forcing her to look at him, which she didn't resist. She listened as her Sister-Bride spoke up, and as he responded. "I am Wilhelm, as you both no doubt heard. You will refer to me as milord or lord husband. For now, you will tell me your names, your elemental skill, and what sort of place you come from."
He was concise, and obviously would not accept anything less from them than what he explicitly asked of them. Onyx could respect that. As Amalia answered him, Onx reached up and held his hand, gently moving his finger from its place under her chin as she moved to hold it just over her heart, but keeping her gaze locked on him all the while. Once it was her turn to speak she knew exactly what she wanted to say.
"I am Onyx, from the blessed town of Pyrvi- a mostly quiet place in the western woods of Gemmenia, where I assisted my Father with running the town's library. I also am of the Earth, I am good at working with plants, but not any animals- unless the fairies count." She smiled slightly and waited to hear her husband's opinion on their answers.
TL;DR: Nadia: A long scene about getting dressed and the thoughts in her head. She decides to be the first to speak after the prince leaves, so that maybe she won't have to talk very much later. Honestly needs a hug.
Onyx: Focusing on playing it cool to try and keep herself out of trouble. Entertains sarcastic thoughts and the like to keep herself calm.
Kendra: Gets dressed after being given an appropriate dress to wear. Misses the sea and her home during the trip. Greets Kaivor as carefully as she can manage.
Bride of [UNKNOWN] [@] and Sister-Bride of [UNKNOWN] [@] Interacting with: [NO ONE RIGHT NOW] [@]
She'd had this particular nightmare before, many times, but that was always when her mother had been around to prove none of it was real... Nadia was always with her, in their home out in the forest. The dream always opened on that same scene. Nadia was working on embroidering the hem of a dress she'd never actually seen in real life, while her mother sang rhymes and stories while she sewed a matching suit for the dress.
"I'd rather waltz than just walk through the forest," "The trees keep the tempo and they sway in time..."
soon, the colors of everything in the scene became distorted- everything looked too saturated and warped. The thread in Nadia's hands turned into a large snake, and it bit her before her dream-self could react at all.
"A quartet of crickets chime in for the chorus," "If I pluck your heartstrings, would you strum on mine?"
The snake coiled itself around Nadia's body, suffocating her as it pulled tighter and tighter. She tried to call out to her mother next to her, but no sound came out.
"I've been longing for~" "Daisies to push through the floor..."
Nadia felt small- like the snake's squeezing had succeeded in making her the bite-sized snack it seemed to think she was. The tightness finally let up as the Snake released her, but her freedom lasted all but a second, before the creature's sharp fangs closed around her, just as her mother's singing cut out.
"I wish plant life would grow all around me," "So I won't feel dead anymore."
Nadia woke in a cold sweat, the pounding of drakkan fists on her door somehow quieter to her than the sound of her own heartbeat in her ears. The drakkan opened the door after a minute, yelling at her to get herself to breakfast. She complied quickly, if only because of all the nervous energy built up in her now. As she sat in the first open spot she could find at a table, she began to actually process what had scared her so badly. A dream- or rather, a nightmare from her childhood. She closed her eyes, focusing on her breathing as she went over the events of the nightmare in her mind, telling herself that it was all just in her mind.
Breakfast passed quickly like this. She didn't eat anything- not that she'd wanted to eat the drakkan food set out for them anyway. She was putting that off for as much later as she possibly could. She was finally roused from her thoughts when it was announced that they would be going to a hot spring for the day. Excited chatter broke out among the girls around her, albeit hushed slightly by the idea that it may be another test, or even something worse. Nadia followed the crowd to the springs, and was happy to find that it really was just a nice, natural hot spring for them.
Nadia wasted no time getting into the warm waters. She put her clothes in a corner with a few other Gem's, and chose one of the shallower pools to sit in and try to relax. The water was hot, but comfortably so. She felt like she might start melting as soon as she got in.
After a little while, and more gems getting into the water with her, Nadia grinned as an idea popped into her mind. Something to get their focuses off of everything bad around them, at least for now. She waded closer to a small group of girls who were talking, and without hesitation, she pushed her hands towards them just under the surface of the water to make a small wave, splashing all of them. "Come on, splash me!" Nadia spoke with a small hint of a challenge in her voice as the girls she'd just splashed looked at her in confusion.
"But... The guards..." The gem who spoke was looking over her shoulder at the entrance to the springs, where a few guards stood watch. They weren't doing anything unless someone got too close to them, so Nadia couldn't see why she was worried. Their little group was on the opposite end of the room. She made another small wave with her hands as she replied.
"Look, they're not coming any closer. We can relax for now." She smiled as, finally, one of the girls shyly splashed back at her. "There you go. Smile!" She splashed the group again and a couple more retaliated now, grins starting to break out as they realized what Nadia meant.
If we all smile, maybe we could make that happiness real, if only for just this moment.
Onyx Briyll
Bride of [UNKNOWN] [@] and Sister-Bride of [UNKNOWN] [@] Interacting with: [NO ONE RIGHT NOW] [@]
The second Onyx's head hit the pillow, she was out. A day of stress and pain and emotion had pushed the Earth gem to her limit. When the thunder came in the morning to wake her and her fellow captives, she felt like she was just barely balancing on the edge of a cliff. Sitting up and yawning dramatically to male the drakkan go away, she decided that if she was going to keep herself together, she needed to avoid the Drakken's attentions for a while.
She stood carefully, testing her weight on her burned feet. The sores were not as bad as they had been by the end of yesterday, but she still winced as she took those first few steps towards the banquet hall. She forced herself to eat, but the lack of gemmenite food made her choices slim. When the speech Drakkan came in and told them about the hot spring, she almost wanted to cheer. A day without horrible lessons or inhuman punishments? Vivari is watching over us...
She got into a shallow pool, sinking to the bottom so that only her nose and eyes remained above the relaxing liquid. She would have gone back to her room and grabbed one of her books to read while she was here, but the idea of having one of her precious few treasures here, where they could get waterlogged and ruined, made her decide not to even try. Not that the guards would even let her go get one now.
She closed her eyes and allowed her mind to wander, until suddenly the water around her, which had been so still up til now, came up over her head making her acciedentially breathe in some of the hot liquid. She stood quickly, coughing and gasping as she got over the momentary panic. Once she recovered, she saw the source of the wave. A bunch of girls nearby had taken to splashing each other, some kind of game she supposed.
She got out of the pool quickly, and decided to go to another slightly deeper pool now. She couldn't sit in this one, so she stood as the water barely came to her chin. There were only a handful of gems here, but they seemed mostly to be keeping to themselves.
Kendra Riu Bell
Bride of [UNKNOWN] [@] and Sister-Bride of [UNKNOWN] [@] Interacting with: [NO ONE RIGHT NOW] [@]
Kendra was glad the day was over. Even sitting by the fire in every room, and huddling up by the harth all through dinner, she was frozen through by the time the girls were all allowed to go to bed. She praised Naia and Vivari that the Drakken had left a new outfit in her room for her, which she put on immediately before curling up for the night in the bed.
When she woke to the sound of Drakkan knocking on the door again, she considered pulling the blanket off the bed and bringing it with her today- a testamemt to both how much she hated the cold, and a small act of rebellion in her mind. It would be an interesting way to act out, but as she walked to breakfast she realized it would have just ended with her stripped again probably, and she wanted to avoid that at all costs.
When the Drakkan announced the day would be spent at a hot spring, Kendra was among the few Gems who cheered out loud. Heat! Water! Swimming! It would be a slice of home for her that she doubted she would ever get to enjoy ever again in her lifetime.
Haarahle had hot springs of its own, a place where she had spent a lot of time with her friends growing up. The scent of hot water and wet stone as the girls all entered the bathing chamber was so familiar, she felt if she closed her eyes she could pretend that she was back home. She wasted no time on figuring out which of the pools was the deepest, and after making sure no one was in the way, gave herself a running start.
"WHOO-HOO!"
TL;DR: Nadia: has a nightmare and is feeling very homesick in light of it. She eats nothing at breakfast but in the bath she begins to be more lively. She starts a splashing thing. Smile, everybody.
Onyx: Sleeps like a rock, and forces herself through eating breakfast before going to the hot springs. She gets caught in Nadia's splashing competition, and runs for it. Books and water do not mix...
After Shiri helped Xid yesterday, nothing much else happened. Apparently she'd slept through all the interesting stuff, or at least any of the interesting things that happened to anyone she actually knew. Sith kept arriving to take Jedi for one reason or another, but after the tenth time trying to keep anyone from being taken, she realized that Sith were just too stubborn for that to work without actually fighting them, and without a lightsaber... She couldn't really do that very well.
Today though, she was up as early as she could manage. She wanted to figure out exactly who had all been captured, and who that she had known before the battle on coruscant was dead now. More than anything though, she wanted to talk to Cerria. Shiri could feel that her fellow padawan was here somewhere in this prison, and while that alone made her heart soar, she still wanted to see Cerria for herself, to make sure that the girl really was alright.
Shiri walked around the prison, trying to sense which door Cerria was behind. She also made sure to recount all the cameras and other security measures she'd seen the day before, reminding herself where they all were, and seeing if she could find any she may have missed before. The only new thing she found there though, was that one of the panels on a door to the outside seemed to have been tampered with. She didn't investigate any further yet, but she made a mental note to come back to it once she was with Cerria. It was a good bet that there were already Jedi working on getting out of here.
When Shiri found Cerria's cell, the Twi'lek wasted no time in rousing her fellow padawan. She entered the cell quietly, placing a hand on Cerria's shoulder to wake her up in what was hopefully a way that wouldn't startle her too much. "Good morning Cerria." Shiri would say as soon as the girl was awake enough to hear. "Let's get out of here."
~| Strike Team Base, three days ATC, 9th hour |~
Astera was finding it harder not to worry about everything the longer she spent in camp. There were many things to focus on, the Sith outpost so nearby, the vicious creatures that roamed the jungle surrounding them, the well-being of the Jedi who were currently held captive by the Sith... and yet, even with all these things swirling around her mind, she was able to control them and remain calm. She wasn't about to let herself give in to simple anxiety. Even though she knew that with each passing day the captive Jedi would be more and more out of reach, she was sure that soon enough they'd be able to rescue them, and hopefully defeat this 'Darth Nyiss' as well.
Astera followed Gar into the cavern, as she'd been told about the meeting at about the same time as he had. She stayed silent as Fa spoke, and then waited for someone to answer Gar's question before speaking up herself. "Is it possible to simply remove them though? Surely they would have daily communications with the main compound that would alert the Sith to our presence here much sooner if missed."
[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>
Member
Mae
Remram
MrSkimobile
LustForDecay
Days
shylarah
Foster
The Eight
Pandolin
Ti
