[center][color=ff66bb][h2][i]Nadia Parnel[/i][/h2][sup]Bride of [color=000000][UNKNOWN] [@][/color] and Sister-Bride of [color=000000][UNKNOWN] [@][/color]
Interacting with: [color=ffffff][b]Kyrena[/b] [@Legion02][/color][/sup][/color][/center]
[quote][b]"It's okay. We'll get through this. You're not alone."[/b][/quote]
As Nadia struggled to breathe normally, and as the warmth began to spread over her body, she just barely heard a whisper from right next to her. She glanced to the side, peering through her loose golden locks at the girl and managing a small, thankful smile. She didn't dare to reply yet, but hopefully the other Gem would understand.

As the Prince and Sek Leon walked around the room, Nadia kept her eyes focused on the ground and the small area she could see just around her. She breathed a quiet sigh of relief as they didnt come near her, but flinched at the cries and screams she heard as those who were less fortunate recieved their "punishments". Only when it was all over did she dare to look up.

As she sat up, the glow around her died and she allowed her hands to fall to her lap as she noticed the fading light. Quickly, she glanced around to see if anyone had noticed, while she silently cursed herself in her mind for using her power out in the open like this. [color=ff66bb][i]Oh Pyrus, what if I had lost control? I didn't even know I was doing that![/i][/color] No one seemed to be staring at her, at least, but she still glanced warily at each of the Drakken in the room as she carefully stood and held out a hand to help the Gem who'd spoken to her up off the ground. 

[color=ff66bb]"Thank you, by the way."[/color] She stated timidly once the other Gem was standing. [color=ff66bb]"It's nice to know I'm not the only one terrified of, well, all of this. My name is Nadia.. I'm a daughter of Pyrus, but I think you may have noticed that already...[/color] She trailed off as she thought, [color=ff66bb][i]And I hope you were the only one who did.[/i][/color] She smiled as she continued, a small gesture that didn't quite match her saddened eyes. [color=ff66bb]"What is your name?"[/color]

...
Eventually, Nadia would begin to follow the rest of the Gems as they were all herded away for the first "lesson". She would try to stay close to some of the nice Gems she'd meet so far, but every time a guard would glance her way or at any of them she would feel a sharp pang of fear. What if The next step for the Drakken was for the girls all to be isolated? Nadia didn't really have any friends before, but now she felt she needed a bond with someone like her, and if the Drakken noticed and tried to break those bonds, she felt that's all it would take for them to completely break her now. 

During the Gods presentation, she repeated prayers to Pyrus and Vivari over and over in her head. The idol she carried felt like it was burning a hole in her pocket as the Draken all spoke about how Vivari was a Monster and how they believed Pyrus, Aurem, and Naia to all be her favored children only because they were "no better than her". Nadia would not believe any of it- the very thought was blasphemous.

As for the second presentation... It was terrifying and disgusting, and it took all of her willpower just to keep herself from running from the room screaming- which a few Gems actually did. She payed what attention she could, but there came a point where she was seriously debating suicide as an alternative to childbirth. 

Come nightfall she was completely worn out from the constant fear of doing something wrong and earning herself one of those "punishments", and really truly wishing there were a way to just convince herself that this was all just a horrible, horrible nightmare. When they were all ushered back into the hall for dinner, she sat next to Kyrena, if the other Gem allowed it. There were foods from both Drakka and Gemmenia again, but she only took fruits and other things she knew were sweet-tasting. Perhaps she was being indulgent, but the familiar foods were comforting to her at the moment. She wasn't willing to give anything of her home up just yet.

[hr][center][color=808000][h2][i]Onyx Briyll[/i][/h2][sup]Bride of [color=000000][UNKNOWN] [@][/color] and Sister-Bride of [color=000000][UNKNOWN] [@][/color]
Interacting with: [color=000000][NO ONE YET] [@][/color][/sup][/color][/center]
It appears she made the wrong choice. As she watched the girl with the lovely sash brutally stripped, and a very brave-seeming Gem smashed around a table and forced to bow "properly", Onyx slowly realized what was now expected of them. The Drakken wanted submissive little toys, girls who would cower in fear and let the brutes have their way with them. She also realized, as she was grabbed and the heels of her feet were burned, that the stories about the Drakken that she'd heard her whole life weren't true. They were much worse in person than in any story she had ever known.

She went through the presentations on tiptoe- quite literally. At one point she made the mistake of leaning against the wall to try and take some of her weight off her feet for a while, and the Drakkan came over again and burned the balls of her feet as well now. So, she put on a brave face and stood the rest of the time, fighting the urge to collapse to the floor with every step she took. As they were all led back to the dining hall, she was glad that the day was almost over. 

Tears were silently falling down her cheeks as she stood near one of the tables. She couldn't bring herself to eat, not when she was in so much pain. It felt like her feet were still burning, the way burns do when you dont treat them right, and considering how she'd been standing and walking on them all day, she wouldn't have been surprised if she'd torn her skin and was bleeding on top of everything else. She instead read her book, or tried to at least. After a while though, she found herself stuck on one page, reading the same few sentences over and over.

[hr][center][color=9999ff][h2][i]Kendra Riu Bell[/i][/h2][sup]Bride of [color=000000][UNKNOWN] [@][/color] and Sister-Bride of [color=000000][UNKNOWN] [@][/color]
Interacting with: [color=BC79CB]Adorabella[/color] [@eclecticwitch] and [color=82ca9d]Sorrin[/color] [@WeepingLiberty] 
[/sup][/color][/center]
When Kendra heard the cries of her fellow Gems, she was pulled from her little moment of meditation. Her head snapped up as she opened her eyes just in time to see these [i]monsters[/i] rip off a small girl's clothes. Kendra glared at the Drakkan as he left her with only a sash to cover herself, and then moved on to hurt all of the girls who'd been standing. 

As soon as it was safe, Kendra stood and in one motion took off the horrible shirt she'd been given as she did so. She walked over to the one Gem who'd been stripped was now, noticing that the girl just had the sash tied around her waist as it normally would be worn. It looked like she was helping another Gem to walk- one of the ones who'd been burned. Before she even said anything, Kendra held out the garment to the smaller girl as an offering. [color=9999ff]"Please, take this. You'll freeze if you wear nothin' at all but that sash."[/color] she was going to continue, to tell the girl that she couldn't refuse, but before she could say anything more and before the other girl could even properly respond, a couple of the Drakken guards came over and took the shirt from her hands. 

"Well now, it was a nice thought- but you'll be joining in her punishment for trying to help." Just as Kendra realized what he meant, the other one grabbed her and held her still so that they could rip the trousers off of her in the same manner they had the little Gem she'd just been trying to help, leaving her with nothing but the necklace of seashells that she never ever took off. She quickly began shivering in the dry, cold air that was so unlike that of her tropical home.

She glared at the two as they released her, and they only laughed as they walked away. She crossed her arms over herself, trying to hide what she could while also atempting to conserve warmth. [color=9999ff]"Well. That backfired."[/color] She half-smiled at the two Gems in front of her now, deciding to completely ignore the fact thay she was now completely nude as well. [color=9999ff]"Hi. I'm sorry, I really thought I'd be able to help... But, my name's Kendra. And you guys?"[/color]

...
Kendra was used to not wearing clothes all the time- it was actually a rather common thing for her people. But, that was only because the temperature never dipped below "comfortably cool night" on her little Island. Here, in the freezing cold of the mountains, she felt like she really was going to freeze to death. She couldn't focus at all through either presentation, and when dinner finally came, she was elated to be able to sit at the table closest to the hearth.

She tried as many of the hot foods as she could find, seeking warmth in any way she could. Some of the Gemmenian foods on the table were great for that- hearty soups and hot breads fresh from an oven (or so it seemed), but a couple of the Drakkan dishes peaked her curiosity as well. Her bravery wasn't quite yet spent for the day, so she opted to try one. She picked up a piece of what appeared to be a meatloaf, and took a big bite. Immediately after, she began gagging and coughing, spitting the spicy mush out as quickly as she could. She drank some water, but of course that didn't really help at all.

[hider=Summary]
TL;DR:
[color=ff66bb] [b] Nadia: [/b] [/color]She thanks Kyrena for her kind words, and feels sympathy for the Gems who are hurt. During the Gods presentation she prays, and during the -other- presentation she was barely able to force herself to pay attention. She's sitting next to Kyrena at dinner, only eating sweeter foods for comfort. 

[color=808000] [b] Onyx: [/b] [/color]The heels of her feet are burned because she was standing, and later the rest of her feet are burned too because she leaned on a wall. She holds herself with dignity through the rest of the day. She can't bring herself to eat much at dinner due to pain from her burned feet, and instead reads to try and keep her mind off of it, but it's really not working. She hasn't turned the page in a [i]while[/i].

[color=9999ff] [b] Kendra: [/b] [/color]She decides to share her clothing with Adorabella, and the rest of the day is pretty [i]cold[/i] for her. At dinner she sits as close to the fire as possible and is trying some (apparently [i]very[/i] spicy) Drakkan food.
[/hider]