dreamingflowers

Avalia

Time: Night
Location: River Port, Aiko's abode
Interactions: Aiko @Citrusarms
Ambiance: Cornered snake

Nur stayed close to Aiko, while he led her to his "humble" abode. His casual chatter about meaningless things like construction actually did a good job at calming her hysteric state of mind. Either that or Aiko was using some of his own pheromones to calm her, she was too out of it to notice if he did. When he left to check on his hosts Nur had the opportunity to really take a look around the place. She was impressed, he'd done really well for himself. It was unusual for a incubus to be helpful towards his own kind, even one of his particular species. While it was easy to seek comfort during times of distress Nur was still wary. In any case it wouldn't do to show weakness. And at the same time she wanted to accept his kindness, she could use a shoulder to cry on. It was very lonely and alienating to live with her secret, and time was ticking.

She was startled when Aiko poked his head through a different door. Nur looked at him and quickly smiled, pretending nothing was wrong. That was the smartest thing she could right now, just act like nothing out of the ordinary happened. Like it was completely normal for her powers to go haywire and steal her youth. Nur accepted the couple of sips of the Riverfruit slush he saved for her but declined the tea. It was suspicious to her he would offer a calming tea to make her sleep. Or maybe he was just being kind, like he had been the moment they met. Nur didn't like the way her mind squirmed, trying to figure out if she was being preyed upon or not. Sometimes it seemed impossible to shake the survivors mentality she was forced to uphold in the demon city.

"Thanks, it does taste better when it's semi-stolen" It wasn't actually, Aiko had paid for them. The glass would be a fun souvenir to keep.

"I like your place, you've done good. I am impressed."
Nur decided to distract him with compliments. They were definitely going to talk, but not about her.

She smiled sweetly and took another sip of the even sweeter drink in her hands. The succubus sauntered over to the large sofa and lowered herself onto it. She drew up her legs underneath her dress, fanning the fabric out around her like a flower.

"Yes let's talk, tell me everything there is to know about you" There was barely any trace left of her earlier discomfort and she was back to her usual alluring self. If the fox was trying to eat the snake he was making a big mistake.
Nur winked, placing her empty glass on the floor next to her.

Avalia

Time: Night
Location: River Port, town square
Interactions: Aiko @Citrusarms
Ambiance: -

Nur turned into Aiko's body, hiding her face in his chest. She listend to his calm voice, letting the words sink in.
"That's not going to help me..." Her voice was almost inaudible, she whispered the words, not wanting them to be true. Nur still didn't fully understand what was wrong with her. All she knew was that her powers were slowly slipping away. It caused the grey streak in her hair. She'd been upset about that, but quickly found a way to deal with it. It was easily hidden. The way her left foot changed however was very different. It scared her to death. She felt deformed. Just thinking about it made her feel sick.

Nur felt a lump form in her throat and her voice cracked when she attempted to speak.

"Ca..can you?"
She sniffed and wiped her eyes trying not to cry.
"Please take me with you"

It didn't really matter where they were going, she just didn't want to be alone. Going back to Darius in this state wasn't a very appealing prospect.

Avalia

Time: Night
Location: The Tipsy Tavern
Interactions: Aiko @Citrusarms
Ambiance: Tipsy Tavern

Aiko's compliment managed a half smile from her. Nur ordered a Riverfruit slush with extra strawberries. The incubus excused himself and Nur shrugged, not even looking at him, or saying a word. She took a small bite of the pink ice, this time making sure not to eat too much at once. It was nice and sweet, she could tell they used forest strawberries. Nur stabbed the shaved ice with her spoon, feeling sad, bored and annoyed. Feelings she didn't feel often with good reason. It brought out the worse in her and her insecurities had free reign.

She cupped her face in her hand, leaning on the bar. Someone passed her by, snapping her out of her reverie. Nur turned to Aiko looking for the reason why he was disturbing her perfectly solitary pity party. Before she could protest he was off again and Nur had to resist the urge to tug on one of his tails. He left her with a slightly awkward and nervous elven guy. The succubus rolled her eyes and folded one leg over the other, turning her body slightly to the elf.
"Hi..." Her lack of enthusiasm was evident.

"Hey, I'm Arod, it...it means brown in Elvish" The elf didn't really know what to say, this was the first time he was trying something like this. He struggled to make eye contact with the succubus, searching for her face. When finally turned her snakelike gaze towards him he swallowed hard and smiled.

"Why? You're blonde..." Nur simply said, returning her attention to her drink. She picked up a slice of strawberry and popped into her mouth. The juice trailed across her lips and she used her forked tongue to get every drop. Arod realized he was staring, so he took a sip of his drink and cleared his throat. There was a moment of silence while he thought of what to say next. This was harder than he thought. He figured she would at least be open to this, that's what her friend made him believe. Hopefully Vena had more success with the incubus. Knowing her she probably did, she was always better at that stuff anyway.

He decided a compliment would be a good way to start. Every girl liked to be called pretty, what could go wrong there?
"You're I mean, I like your dress, it looks great with your eyes"
"Green is my favorite color, what is yours?"
He fumbled with his words and talked a little too fast. Arod scratched the back of his head and bit his lip. The elf started to feel like he was in over his head.

Nur sighed dramatically. This had gone on long enough.
"I know what you're doing, but it's not working" This was the way it always started. They were actually the worse kind, the ones who acted nice. They would lead her on, but in the end they all wanted the same thing from her, nothing more. They always had someone to return to.

"What's her name?" She asked, glancing over her shoulder to the female half of the couple.
Arod hesitated, not sure where this was going. What did she want with Vera?
"Vena.." He answered, just loud enough for the both of them to hear.

Nur scoffed at the name and smirked finding the irony of the situation incredibly amusing.
"Vena means friend in your language, so.....she is your friend?" Nur asked, her attention now fully on Arod.
The elf looked away feeling embarrassed.
"Well I mean she's....we're" He didn't have time to finish his sentence before Nur cut him off.

"Let me share something with you" She made sure he was looking at her before she continued. This was a piece of wisdom any man should know.
"You're not in love with Vena"
"If you were, you wouldn't be here"
"I know why you agreed to this, I mean it's exciting right? Being with a succubus, the most desired creatures in Avalia."

She took a pause to breath and control her emotions. There was a lot of pent up frustration behind her words. Nur moved her hair over her shoulder and reached to back of her neck. Her fingers brushed over the trail of scales and she pulled one off, winching. It felt similar to pulling out a hair. Nur slapped it onto the bar right in front of Arod.
"That's what you want right? Proof, to show your friends you survived a night with me"
"Well there you have it"

Arod sucked in his breath. This was tougher than any battle he'd ever fought before. He felt bad for her, clearly there was something bothering her. He had no idea what it was and he wasn't going to force her to do anything, that wouldn't be fun for either of them. He stepped off his stool and closed the distance between them. He put a hand on her shoulder, looking at her beautiful face.

Nur avoided his gaze and scowled. She was angry.
"Don't touch me"
He hesitated. In the end the need to know what was bothering her was stronger than the fear for her anger. That and the effects of the drink were giving him courage. Arod didn't like seeing women upset, it was his weakness. He held both of her shoulders making her look at him.
Wait I just want to
The succubus grabbed his wrist.
"I said n..."

The both gasped. The air rippled and both Arod's and Nur's pupils dilated, turning their eyes black. A surge of pheromones slammed into the elf. He stumbled back, releasing Nur. Her heart was pounding in her chest, and she breathed heavily, holding onto the bar. What just happened? Her power was acting on its own. She looked up at Arod, feeling faint. The elf was covering his mouth, he was trying to not to throw up. Oh no.....

A wave of bile worked itself up into his body and he forced it out onto the floor. Nur quickly got off of her stool and stepped back away from him, lifting up her dress so it wouldn't become stained. That's when she saw her left foot. She couldn't believe what she was seeing. The skin had become wrinkled, riddled with age spots and darkened veins. The scale she'd left for Arod had turned into a small pile of dust on the wooden bar. This time it her who covered her mouth, her eyes widened in shock and disbelief. She was going to be sick.

Immediately she covered it with the bottom of her dress, pretending it wasn't there. She could feel herself starting to panic. A hot flash ran through her body and suddenly the sounds around her became louder, nearly unbearable. Nur looked around her, a tortured expression on her otherwise beautiful face. She had to get out of here. The woman pushed past everyone on her way to the exit of the Tipsy Tavern. She rushed out into the fresh night air of River Port.

Avalia

Time: Night
Location: The Tipsy Tavern
Interactions: Aiko @Citrusarms
Ambiance: Tipsy Tavern

Nur let herself be dragged into the Tipsy Tavern by Aiko. He talked a sweet deal but it fell on deaf ears. Her spirit was defeated. She couldn't even make someone buy her a flower. If this fluke was an indication of the future state of her powers she was screwed. Nur felt the insecurity creep up on her. The succubus examined her shape for any signs of accelerated aging. She ran her hands over her chest and arms, tracing her alabaster skin. Nur lifted up part of her dress, to look at her legs. It drew the attention of two men seated close to the entrance of the bar. The rustle of fabric got them all riled up and they whistled into her direction. She blatantly ignored them. Nur sighed in relief to find that her beauty hadn't been altered any further.

Honestly all she really wanted right now was a drink. She would see if she was up to Aiko's plan after that. He was surprisingly kind for an incubus. That little mishap with her powers, he'd probably seen it. He didn't say anything about it, pretending it hadn't happened. Even going as far as to declare her the winner of the competition she no longer wanted to partake in. It was rare to meet someone of her kin who didn't want to backstab her in any way shape or form.

Nur tried to muster up a smile and get rid of the sour expression on her face, but failed miserably. She decided to trust Aiko, at least for this evening. The succubus leaned her head against his arm and let out a wary sigh.
"Can you please get me a drink? Because I'm all out of juice" Literally, she didn't want to risk any further abuse of her power. Her coin purse was sleeping back home. She wasn't in the mood to chat up any of the drunken men in the tavern, it was too much effort.
With a mighty incubus at her side she luckily didn't have to.

Avalia

Time: Night
Location: Seaside park
Interactions: Aiko @Citrusarms
Ambiance: Lady of the night

"Awfully dry, I haven't been this thirsty in weeks" She joked in an exaggerated tone. Her brows furrowed together for a minute, before catching on to what Aiko meant. Nur smiled to herself. There had been countless times she'd used her persuasion on women, not to outright seduce them, but rather to calm their jealousy. It had gotten her out of many awkward situations.

"Men are indeed my poison of choice"

"I was actually attempting to go for a quiet walk" Hearing herself say the words out loud sounded even more ridiculous. Where was the fun in that? The succubus laughed at herself. Who was she kidding? The whole notion was very amusing to Nur. She started to think of something fun she could do with her nocturnal companion. She touched her lip, thinking out loud.
"Actually who am I kidding, that is boring"
"I know what we can do...." She turned to Aiko with a mischievous smirk on her face, not immediately divulging her plans to the incubus. Nur let go of his arm and walked a little faster, heading out of the park into the main streets of the port town. She glanced over her shoulder to see if Aiko was following along.

"Come on! I'm not giving you a head start" She was still confident she could win this little game, but she was at a disadvantage with her weakened powers. Aiko didn't need to know that however. She breathed in a deep breath, feeling excited at what was going to happen. Her gaze prowled the streets, emerald eyes hunting for potential prey. She locked on to a familiar face, the fish demi-human bartender she'd met earlier today. Let's see if he would give her something more than a Riverfruit slush. Chills ran down her arms, this was going to be too good!

"Do you see that man over there?" Nur said quietly to Aiko, nodding to the bartender standing at a flower stand. He was trying to decide which ones to get.
"Let's make this a little competition and make him buy something you want"
She stepped forward, ready to cross the street.
"Of course since I'm a lady I will go first" Nur explained with a smirk.

The succubus slithered over to the flower stand. She greeted the stand owner with a friendly smile and browsed the flowers on offer, occasionally casting a sideway glance at the fish-demi human. Nur picked up a pink rose, inhaling the scent with a pleased sigh. The bartender didn't seem to be able to decide, and the stand owner wasn't particularly helpful, barely looking up from the bouquet he was making. The bartender scratched the back of his head, a tortured look on his face.

"I think you should go with pink, it's not as serious as the red rose, or as innocent as the white one"
Nur suggested wanting to appear helpful. She took his left hand and placed her rose into it. Nur held onto his hand for a little while, looking up at him.
"My advice isn't free though" A cheeky little smile crept up her lips. The air between them started to ripple, and the pupils of the fish demi-human dilated. The man blinked a few times, staring at Nur strangly, before turning around and paying for the flower, as if nothing had happened.

Nur scowled, trying to hide her displeasure. Of course this had to happen now, just perfect!
Frustrated with her malfunctioning powers she didn't feel like competing anymore. She returned to Aiko's side with a sour expression on her face.
"Your turn..." Her tone was deadpan, she was clearly annoyed.

Avalia

Time: Night
Location: Seaside park
Interactions: Aiko @Citrusarms
Ambiance: Lady of the night

Nur listened to his reasons for leaving Cocytus which sounded oddly similar to hers. He was of the rare breed who willingly escaped the snake pits. It immediately made her like him more. She looked at him again when he leaned in to touch her hair, studying his face. His features were on the softer side, while recognizably masculine, beautiful at the same time. Nur accepted his embrace, snaking her arm around his, allowing him to lead her down a path away from her former benefactor. Even though she left the demon city because of her own kind, she was still happy to see one here. One wasn't that big of a deal, problems started to arise when there were too many predators and not enough prey. With the current state of her powers Nur wouldn't even be able to survive in Cocytus.

"You know how the city gets, I was tired of the backstabbing." The memories of living in Cocytus flashed before her and she wondered why she hadn't left sooner. She wanted to see if he had a sense of humor and tried for a laugh. A cheeky smile was on her face the entire time she was talking.
"But when I showed up here everyone was so nice, the men bought me drinks and offered me a place to sleep." She feigned surprise, as if this was the first time such a thing had happened to her, like she had no experience with men whatsoever.
"This town welcomed me with open arms and pulled down pants"

The tone of her voice and the choice of words made it clear she wasn't being serious. She tried very hard not to laugh at her own joke, because she needed to keep a straight face to pull it off.
"I'm Nur by the way, the pleasure is entirely yours"

Nur glanced over her shoulder, looking at his fluffy tail. She brushed her fingers through it gently.
"You probably use this to pass for a demi-human all the time, right?"
That would be a neat trick to have, though she could pass for an elf, if she really tried. But who even wanted to be associated with those haughty beings anyway? Haughty but attractive, a very annoying combination.

Nightland

Mia stared through the window of the police car, a blank expression on her face, her thoughts a million miles away. So much had happened, in such a short amount of time. She completely understood why Emily and Valerian went back home. That would have been her first instinct too, but she wanted to help in any way she could. Doctor Stanton deserved to leave this world with dignity and respect. She imagined the sooner the police business was taken care of the quicker funeral arrangements could be made. It was all so surreal. There was so much she didn't understand. Who was the strange man, asking to speak to Serena and Russel? How did he know who they were? He showed up right after the tragedy happened, almost as if he knew to be there. It frightened her, that's why she didn't want Keandre to go near him. There was something about him, sinister and dark. It wasn't the typical anxiety and slight hint of fear she felt around every stranger, before knowing them. This was the kind of disturbed soul she would imagine housed itself in a killer, or rapist. A darkness that didn't belong in normal people.

The memory of him made her shiver uncomfortably. It wasn't particularly warm inside the vehicle either. Taken out of her thoughts she became aware of the way her body was pushed up against Cole, who was sitting next to her. She attempted to create some more distance, crossing her legs and inching closer to the door, despite there being barely any space to move. If she could melt into the door she would have. On the outside however it didn't look like much was happening. The same neutral expression stayed on her face. It was too cold to open a window, but it might have helped with the slight feeling of nausea in her stomach.

She took out her phone from her bag to check the time. Mia had no idea how long they would be at the station, if it took longer than the therapy session which was possible, she needed a new cover story. She decided to text one of her closest friends, Deva wouldn't ask a whole string of questions. Long as she knew Mia wasn't in any danger she was fine with it.

"Hey Dev, I'm not at therapy tonight, something happened to Doctor Stanton and I have to go tot he police station with the group. I don't know when I'll be done. You know what to say to my mom and dad if they call. xxx Mia"

Nightland

I was planning to write something today, but I didn't manage it. Tomorrow I'll write up something!

Avalia

Time: Night
Location: Seaside park
Interactions: Aiko @Citrusarms
Ambiance: Lady of the night

Nur watched someone approach Haldir, still staying safely in the shade of a great birch tree. A red leaf fell down onto her head, and she brushed it away impatiently, keeping her eye on the exchange a few feet away. Nur could only make out partial features of the man who was talking to Haldir. He was wearing a wrapped style garment, with rich folds of white and grey, hints of red peaking from underneath. She spotted a tail, and ears peeking out from his hair. At first she suspected him to be a demi-human, only what he did next made her think otherwise. He seemed to use some sort of persuasion on Haldir. Nur relaxed realizing what was going on. This was a trick not many in Avalia could accomplish, one she knew intimately.

With the commander out of sight, Nur slid out of her hiding place, to welcome her savior.
"The dark elf?"

She brushed the dirt off of her dress and fixed the position of the shawl around her shoulders. Nur turned to the man with a sly smile on her face.

"Well you know how men are, they think "no" means "yes" and "get lost" means "take me I'm yours"
At the last part of her sentence Nur leaned into him dramatically, as if to emphasize her statement. She stared into his face, realizing she was acting quite ridiculously. What else was new?
She returned a normal distance between them, smiling at what had just happened.
"Don't worry about it, clearly you are the exception"

Nur glanced around warily before asking a question of her own. The park was still quiet, save for the two demons.
"So what brings an incubus to River port?"
She wanted to know what her potential competition might be up to.

Nightland

I need a little bit more time, but my post will probably be mostly introspection too.