[center][h3][i][color=ed145b]Nadia Parnel[/color][/i][/h3][sub]Bride of [color=808000]Exon[/color] ([@Ellion]) and sister-bride to [color=33d6c2]Saisri[/color] ([@RomanAria])[/sub][/center]

No tears, not now. Nadia flinched slightly as Exon grabbed her wrist, terrified that he hadn't said anything yet. He spent a moment to look at the bruise, judging its severity, and while he did she watched his face to try and gauge his reaction. Soon enough he got off the bed, dragging a pillow and blanket over to a couch with him. He motioned for her to come over then, and she stood where he pointed to before listening to his explanation of her punishment.

She nodded solemnly, keeping her eyes downcast as Exon delivered his final threat and walked away. She was grateful that he'd been merciful, a punishment of silence was not so bad, and as far as privileges go she didn't know she'd had any to begin with. Her life was no longer her own, not since she'd been taken, but now she couldn’t help others? Or even intend to? She watched him get back into his bed with Saisri and decided that she'd done the right thing. It would have been so much worse if he'd found out later. From now on she would be as open as possible, and never lie to anyone, not even to herself.

She stood for a moment, looking at the fire that was still burning warmly in the fireplace, oblivious to the events taking place around it. She thought about what Exon had said. The strangest part of his speech was when he said that he didn't want her poisoning Sisi? She couldn't understand what she'd done to cause that statement. She hoped that Saisri wouldn't get in troubLe at all, and Nadia certainly want going to be one to lead her sister bride into any. 

Nadia shook her head slightly and grabbed the blanket off of the couch where Exon had put it. Wrapping it around herself tightly, she lay down on the couch and buried her face in the pillow, carful not to lay on her newly-tattooed shoulder as she tried to get comfortable enough to sleep. She was actually glad not to be sleeping next to Exon and Saisri tonight, and as she started clearing her mind she realized that she'd finally reached her limit. The past few days she'd done nothing but cry and wish that she'd wake up the next day and it'd all turn out to be a nightmare. Now, she only felt tired. So much had happened today that she couldn't cry anymore, and now as she lay staring at the shadows the fire played across the inside of her eyelids, she felt numb. 
Sleep claimed her in seconds. 

[hr]
[center][h3][i][color=A52A2A]Zane Parnel[/color][/i][/h3][/center]

The night was so far uneventful. The Drakken in the area weren't interested in Gemminite wares it seemed. Only in the Gemminite women who were currently being treated like cattle within the walls of the Worth. Zane fought to keep the grimace off his face, it was scaring off anyone who was even bothering to glance in his direction at the moment. [color=A52A2A][i]Well, except for this horn-head.[/i][/color] A rather large Drakken was approaching him, an extremely frightened looking Gem girl in tow.

“Greetings Geminite curr.” The Drakken smiled and Zane could see he was missing quite a few teeth, some had been replaced with gold or silver and others were just left as open spaces. “Wha’cha sellin’ here?” The Drakken pulled the girl forward to stand in front of him as he waited for Zane to respond. Zane sighed and stepped behind his cart, motioning vaugely at the things he'd put out. Trinkets, mostly. Small things that the girls could take, hide in the palm of their hands until they could put it somewhere safer, or articles they could wear, things they could cling to so they can help keep their sanity and perhaps, find the hidden use of, to help them to freedom.

Whatever freedom they choose to find. 

Many of the items could be used as a weapon, though they were just ordinary items. The fact was that if you needed a weapon badly enough, you could find it in whatever's within reach. Zane knew that much from his travels.  Of course, the blade he always had concealed on his person was his first choice in any situation. Whether as a weapon to defend oneself or to take one's own life, both paths would lead to freedom in some way. 

Another way the items could lead to freedom was the insignia on all of them. Known publicly as his merchant guild’s crest, it doubled as a sign the cult could use as a way to help girls escape back to Gemmina. Showing an agent of the cult this sign, whether one knew what it meant or not, would get them put on watch, and from there the agent would act on their own discretion. Rescuing those needing rescue, destroying those needing destruction, and protecting as many as they could. Zane had already handed out a dozen or so items to girls passing by before the current brute had approached, and he smiled lightly at this next girl before answering. 

[color=A52A2A]"Everything you see before you, and some more within the cart if none of these trinkets catch your eye."[/color] Zane grimaced slightly at the term as he realized this Drakken was wearing an eyepatch, and now frowning slightly at the merchant. [color=A52A2A]"That, was not meant as a pun at all. Just a term of the trade, I swear. The, uhh… these are just the small things, toys and jewelry and other such items I thought the girls might like to have as one small piece of their past before moving on into Drakka. The rest is mostly fabrics, maps, a few oddities like swords and a painted shield, and imports like food and spices."[/color] His smile grew into an all out grin as he reached into a woven basket tied to the side of his cart, and pulled out a native Gemminian fruit. [color=A52A2A]"Care for a Llaka, miss?"[/color] 

Well that did it, the Drakken placed a hand menacingly on the girl's shoulder and pulled her into him before practically growling at Zane. “No. There was food inside, it's her own fault she didn't eat any of it. Right?” He shook the girl roughly on his last word and she squeaked out a small “yessir” before he stopped. Zane let the sadness he felt show on his face for a split second before putting the fruit back in the basket. He didn't want to cause the girl any trouble she didn't need, though going hungry through the night was a cruel add-on to whatever other horrors she would endure. Vivari give strength to them all.

The Drakken glared at the items on the cart for an uncomfortably long amount of time, long enough that Zane almost spoke up to say he didn't need to buy something. Plenty of jerks come up just to see if they can waste a merchant's time. Before he could say anything though, the Drakken pushed the girl forward before grunting, “You pick something out, and then you,” He paused to indicate Zane, “Name your price.” The Drakken then let go of the girl completely and stepped back a little. 

Oh, he’s testing her. Zane nodded calmly to the girl as she stepped forward, picking up a small locket on a chain after a moment. The front had a carving of a bird on it while on the back was the merchant's guild symbol. Zane knew that inside was a small piece of paper listing a three-ingredient poison, that would only fall out if the girl broke the hinge, and otherwise could be taken out by dainty enough fingers. “This, please.” She said after a few seconds. Out of the corner of his eyes, Zane saw the Drakken nod slightly and he mentally let out a sigh of relief. She'd passed his test, she's that much more likely to survive now. 

The Drakken looked to him after a second and Zane feigned deep thought. He did actually have to come up with a reasonable price. Normally in Gemmina that kind of locket would go for thirteen or fourteen silver pieces, and in Drakka it would be eight or nine gold peices. So, if five silver is one gold, five gold seems a good price. [color=A52A2A]"Normally it'd be nine, but for five gold pieces and a small promise you can have it."[/color] Zane looked the Drakken in the eye as he spoke. [color=A52A2A]"The promise being that you'll never take this away from her. My goal here is to give these girls, no, these women, a small piece of where they're from to remember who they are, and why they're here now."[/color]

The three stood in silence for a moment while the Drakken seemed to think about the offer. “Fine then. I promise not to take this trinket from you, Emma. I wish for you to enjoy your life with me. And while I may be strict at times, I shall leave you your past, which ends now.” The Drakken handed him the coins and the two walked away, the girl looking as if she were about to cry.

[color=A52A2A][I]He looks like a brute, but even the scariest Drakken could be reasonable if given a chance.[/i][/color] Zane thought after the two dissapeared into the building. He was sure she would still go through some bad times, but hopefully she had the strength to pull through, and maybe one day return to Gemmina. He hoped that for every Gem here tonight, and for his daughter most of all. She'd always been fragile, and soft spoken, and was still afraid of… Things long past.

She may not ever have the strength needed to fight back.

[hr]
[center][h3][i][color=808000]Onyx Briyll[/color][/i][/h3][sub]Bride of Lady Siadamkiru Beneni [@RomanAria][/sub][/center]


The night was going by quickly, but every second that passed made Onyx feel more and more like she could be living a story straight out of a book. Kaivor was amazingly well-read, and had a knack for picking out people from the crowd who fit the character of many people from the books they've read. One Gem girl was a dead ringer for Jesaphi out of the old Gemminian folk tale “Jesaphi et Llaka” where the girl Jesaphi was tricked into killing herself by eating a poisonous Llaka flower. Unlike the fruit, which was tart and delicious and very healty, the sweet Llaka bloom was deadly unless you were to boil the sweetness out to create a watery syrup, leaving the sour bloom safe for consumption and the syrup to be boiled down into sugar.

Jesaphi’s childlike belief in the trickster spirit‘s words was what truly brought on her downfall, but the girl they pegged for her was also alike in the way that she altered her actions and habits to accommodate those around her. She was blending in, she was unextraordinary just like Jesaphi had been. And yet the spirit chose her life to ruin, and the Drakken chose this girl. 

Kai and Onyx had been eating and talking with each other animatedly, barely even noticing what was going on around them. It wasn't until the sound of a flute rang through the room did they look beyond their bubble of worlds and stories. Both were silent as the girl played, and both jumpped up at the sound of clapping from the table next to theirs after the song had finished. It was the Jesaphi girl, and the flute player had been the spirit. The Drakken that snapped her neck then became the Llaka flower. As the girl's body hit the floor, the Drakken shrugged and looked around, locking his eyes on Onyx. 

Of course, Kaivor went to stand between the brute and her, but before he could even say anything the other Drakken stabbed her husband in the neck. He fell to the ground, and Onyx knelt beside him, everything else around her turning into a dim blur of colors until she realized she was crying. She could see the life leaving his eyes as they locked onto hers. He said nothing. 

She felt a tug on her head as the Drakken dragged her to her feet by her hair, and bit her lip to keep from yelling every insult she knew at the brute. Once she was standing, he knelt down so he was eye level with her, a cruel, toothy grin on his ugly face. “Well girlie, it seems tha’ I just lost my wife, and seein’s you've just been widowed by this ‘ere man-child, how you feel ‘bout us bein’ together?”

His grip on her shifted from her hair to her shoulders, and as he spoke next she wasnt entirely sure that her arms wouldn’t break under his grip. “Not that you're gettin’ a choice girlie.”

[color=808000]"I could explain exactly how I feel about your offer, but, "[/color] His grip tightened, [color=808000]"Heh, given the vocabulary and disposition you've shown yourself to have, you would likely only understand that what I say is directed at you, Gargantuan brute."[/color] 

She wasn't actually sure what to do next, she was still practically blinded by her tears. This feeling, was love mixed with sadness, though not romantic love. She'd never met anyone before who had such an interest in books and stories as she did, as Kai did. She did love him, though they'd only known each other for a few hours. An hour was an eternity in a story, and though their story together was brief,  multiple hours ment more than an eternity had passed for them. [color=808000][I]May you find peace, Kaivor. [/I][/color]

After what must have been only a second but felt like minutes, Onyx realized that the Drakken was about to attack her. As his hands reached for her neck, she prayed to Vivari and stepped back, the floor before her rising up in a spike to stop the Drakken’s hands. Blood dripped down the sides of the spike and onto the floor as Onyx saw that the spike had stabbed through the Drakken’s hand. He roared and reached for her again with his non-injured hand, but she merely summoned another spike beside her, breaking off the tip to use as a weapon of sorts.

She didn't get to use it however, as the Drakken stood and charged at her, lifting her off the ground by her neck and causing her to drop the rock spike. Even though she knew it would be useless, she cried out before his hands could stop her breath. [color=808000]"Help! Please!"[/color]


[Hider=summary] Nadia falls asleep, promising to herself not to ever lie to anyone ever again. She's too tired by the day's events to cry anymore. 

Zane sells a thing to a person. Drakken are not always horrible. Plot. Lotsa plot.

Onyx is widowed by the jerk Drakken  (who killed his own wife just for clapping) deciding that he needed another wife, and that trying to take her from Kaivor seemed his best bet. Onyx realized that she loved Kai only after he died and plot happened with that… currently she is [s]fighting off jerk Drakken with earth spikes[/s] about to die and waiting for her lady to come to her rescue. [/hider]