Obscene Symphony

Prized Bride (A New Beginning)

@Belle Should I edit my post to send Amalia and Lienna to the spring or are you gonna do that in your post? If I don't then you'll have to, 'cause we need to get down there lol

Prized Bride (A New Beginning)

Lienna Orhneaht

_{Interacting with: Amalia Solair @Belle}

Lienna woke with a start when a guard jolted her awake with his banging, no less surprising than it had been the day before. However, after the pounding of her heart subsided, Lienna was actually grateful for the awakening. It wasn't quite like waking from a nightmare, but a similar sense of relief washed over her when she realized that the things she'd been dreaming about - blasphemous words, vile, horned infants clawing their way out of her abdomen - she was almost happy to be met with harmless cold air and stone walls.

She shuffled to breakfast as usual, making a point to move with purpose despite the maddeningly slow pace these terrified girls insisted on taking. After all, a spring may flow along the path of least resistance, but it did so of its own accord.

Much of the exotic Gem foods from before had been replaced by Drakkan foods, Lienna noted, and while she was disappointed (after all, she wasn't thrilled about going back to dried meat after two straight weeks of the stuff) she wasn't nearly as forlorn as some of the other girls appeared to be. She supposed she could understand; for many of these girls, the colourful foods of Gemmenia were probably a precious remnant of home. As for Lienna, meats were as ordinary as it could get.

Soon after she sat down, as she looked over the table in search of choice morsels, the girl she'd spoken to the day before sat across from her, looking pained. Lienna could guess why - she'd seen the treatment she'd gotten after standing yesterday - but it piqued her interest nonetheless. Was it only the pain in her feet that was bothering her, or something else?

To Lienna's surprise, Amalia apologized profusely for her attitude the day before - something Lienna hadn't even given a second thought. Of course she'd been preoccupied! The poor girl had her heels seared and was forced to stand all day. And it wasn't as if Lienna had gone to great lengths to reach out to her. And yet, she apologized. It was a deed so odd to Lienna's ears she almost didn't know what to say.

"Don't you dare apologize," she replied, perhaps a little coldly, "Your first priority should be yourself now, tending to your own needs and seeing to it that you survive this ordeal with as little strife as possible. Don't you be casting yourself aside to worry about me."

Despite her tone, Lienna held no ill will toward Amalia. In fact, she found her empathy to be admirable, if a little misplaced. Perhaps she just had the tendency to come off a little harsh.

Amalia wasted no time changing the subject. It was as if she were as uncomfortable with apologies as Lienna was.

"Have you... ever eaten this?" Amalia asked, "My home was by the sea. We ate fish and vegetables and sometimes fruit. I have never had meat before," she explained, poking at it with her fork. "Will this make me ill?"

Lienna had to fight down the urge to furrow her brow in confusion. This girl had never eaten meat before? In her life? She almost laughed out loud. Meat was almost all there was in the North, aside from the occasional fish and the valuable herbs which could be wrenched from the frozen forests.

She couldn't help but smile, and picked a few strips of dried meat from a nearby platter, as well as some much fresher, steaming cuts of what looked to be some sort of wild dog. She heaped most of the fresh meat onto her own plate, glancing longingly at the juices that quickly flooded it, and handed a strip of dried meat to her friend.

"Unless Drakkan meats are uniquely toxic, I am sure none of this will hurt you." she gestured with the dried meat, beckoning Amalia to take it. "Here, start with this. It will be easier on your stomach at first."

Lienna then took a bite of her own food, taking a moment to savour it. Drakkan or not, she had to admit it was good. "In fact," she added after swallowing, "You're probably better off eating this than some of the food in Hima. Do you know it's a delicacy to bury seal flanks in the ground all winter and eat them in the spring?"

She laughed. "The elders of the Council swore by it, but I could never get past the rancid fat. Awful stuff." She screwed up her face for good measure.

Unfortunately (or perhaps, fortunately for Amalia), Lienna's best excuse for banter was cut off by an announcement by the head Drakkan of Shadow Worth. Apparently, in their boundless kindness, they were offering the Gems a day in the hot springs.

Lienna's gut reaction was optimistic; Amalia's was one of fear.

"What if they lie?" Amalia whispered, "What if this is a veiled cruelty? Lienna," she said, reaching across to take the other woman's hand. "I am afraid. I do not want to be. I want to be strong as I was trained to be. My whole life my parents were preparing me for this, for the time I would be taken by the Drakken. But now that is has actually happened... I am so afraid."

Lienna couldn't help but be moved by the poor girl's plea. She grasped her hand, placing her other on top of it. She paused, unsure of what she could say to ease Amalia's mind. It took her a moment to come up with an answer.

"There are things in life which no one and nothing could ever prepare us for," she replied finally. "You can't just wish away your fear. I don't know what's to come of this, of any of it, now or in the days to come. All I know is that fighting a riptide will only serve to drown you."

She locked her eyes on Amalia's, making sure that Amalia met her gaze. "All you can do is take things as they come. Don't fight it. Comply, and in doing so, preserve yourself.

"You wish to be strong? Some of these girls think they are strong with their acts of defiance, their petty outbursts which only serve to hurt them in the end. No, the strong choice is to do everything in your power to help yourself." Lienna squeezed Amalia's hand. "If you bend, they cannot break you. There is nothing shameful in that."

Summary

Lienna tells Amalia she shouldn't be sorry, explains that the meat won't hurt her and goes into an existential speech about compliance or whatever. Between you and me, I think she forgot the original point to her speech by the time she was done XD

Prized Bride (A New Beginning)

@Belle If it's all the same to you, my reply is about to go live. Would you rather post yours first, or wait till mine goes up? Honest to god, it'll happen this time XD It's in my Scratchpad if you need proof!

Obscene's Scratchpad

Lienna Orhneaht

_{Interacting with: Amalia Solair @Belle}

Lienna woke with a start when a guard jolted her awake with his banging, no less surprising than it had been the day before. However, after the pounding of her heart subsided, Lienna was actually grateful for the awakening. It wasn't quite like waking from a nightmare, but a similar sense of relief washed over her when she realized that the things she'd been dreaming about - blasphemous words, vile, horned infants clawing their way out of her abdomen - she was almost happy to be met with harmless cold air and stone walls.

She shuffled to breakfast as usual, making a point to move with purpose despite the maddeningly slow pace these terrified girls insisted on taking. After all, a spring may flow along the path of least resistance, but it did so of its own accord.

Much of the exotic Gem foods from before had been replaced by Drakkan foods, Lienna noted, and while she was disappointed (after all, she wasn't thrilled about going back to dried meat after two straight weeks of the stuff) she wasn't nearly as forlorn as some of the other girls appeared to be. She supposed she could understand; for many of these girls, the colourful foods of Gemmenia were probably a precious remnant of home. As for Lienna, meats were as ordinary as it could get.

Soon after she sat down, as she looked over the table in search of choice morsels, the girl she'd spoken to the day before sat across from her, looking pained. Lienna could guess why - she'd seen the treatment she'd gotten after standing yesterday - but it piqued her interest nonetheless. Was it only the pain in her feet that was bothering her, or something else?

To Lienna's surprise, Amalia apologized profusely for her attitude the day before - something Lienna hadn't even given a second thought. Of course she'd been preoccupied! The poor girl had her heels seared and was forced to stand all day. And it wasn't as if Lienna had gone to great lengths to reach out to her. And yet, she apologized. It was a deed so odd to Lienna's ears she almost didn't know what to say.

"Don't you dare apologize," she replied, perhaps a little coldly, "Your first priority should be yourself now, tending to your own needs and seeing to it that you survive this ordeal with as little strife as possible. Don't you be casting yourself aside to worry about me."

Despite her tone, Lienna held no ill will toward Amalia. In fact, she found her empathy to be admirable, if a little misplaced. Perhaps she just had the tendency to come off a little harsh.

Amalia wasted no time changing the subject. It was as if she were as uncomfortable with apologies as Lienna was.

"Have you... ever eaten this?" Amalia asked, "My home was by the sea. We ate fish and vegetables and sometimes fruit. I have never had meat before," she explained, poking at it with her fork. "Will this make me ill?"

Lienna had to fight down the urge to furrow her brow in confusion. This girl had never eaten meat before? In her life? She almost laughed out loud. Meat was almost all there was in the North, aside from the occasional fish and the valuable herbs which could be wrenched from the frozen forests.

She couldn't help but smile, and picked a few strips of dried meat from a nearby platter, as well as some much fresher, steaming cuts of what looked to be some sort of wild dog. She heaped most of the fresh meat onto her own plate, glancing longingly at the juices that quickly flooded it, and handed a strip of dried meat to her friend.

"Unless Drakkan meats are uniquely toxic, I am sure none of this will hurt you." she gestured with the dried meat, beckoning Amalia to take it. "Here, start with this. It will be easier on your stomach at first."

Lienna then took a bite of her own food, taking a moment to savour it. Drakkan or not, she had to admit it was good. "In fact," she added after swallowing, "You're probably better off eating this than some of the food in Hima. Do you know it's a delicacy to bury seal flanks in the ground all winter and eat them in the spring?"

She laughed. "The elders of the Council swore by it, but I could never get past the rancid fat. Awful stuff." She screwed up her face for good measure.

Unfortunately (or perhaps, fortunately for Amalia), Lienna's best excuse for banter was cut off by an announcement by the head Drakkan of Shadow Worth. Apparently, in their boundless kindness, they were offering the Gems a day in the hot springs.

Lienna's gut reaction was optimistic; Amalia's was one of fear.

"What if they lie?" Amalia whispered, "What if this is a veiled cruelty? Lienna," she said, reaching across to take the other woman's hand. "I am afraid. I do not want to be. I want to be strong as I was trained to be. My whole life my parents were preparing me for this, for the time I would be taken by the Drakken. But now that is has actually happened... I am so afraid."

Lienna couldn't help but be moved by the poor girl's plea. She grasped her hand, placing her other on top of it. She paused, unsure of what she could say to ease Amalia's mind. It took her a moment to come up with an answer.

"There are things in life which no one and nothing could ever prepare us for," she replied finally. "You can't just wish away your fear. I don't know what's to come of this, of any of it, now or in the days to come. All I know is that fighting a riptide will only serve to drown you."

She locked her eyes on Amalia's, making sure that Amalia met her gaze. "All you can do is take things as they come. Don't fight it. Comply, and in doing so, preserve yourself.

"You wish to be strong? Some of these girls think they are strong with their acts of defiance, their petty outbursts which only serve to hurt them in the end. No, the strong choice is to do everything in your power to help yourself." Lienna squeezed Amalia's hand. "If you bend, they cannot break you."

Summary

Lienna tells Amalia she shouldn't be sorry, explains that the meat won't hurt her and goes into an existential speech about compliance or whatever. Between you and me, I think she forgot the original point to her speech by the time she was done XD

Obscene's Scratchpad

Amalia woke to pain. It seemed that was her whole world now. It was still dark outside but the first light of dawn could be seen blushing the sky. Amalia wrapped her blanket around her and went to stand at the small window, looking out at the few stars beginning to wink out. Much like the will of the more headstrong girls here would begin to fade out before disappearing altogether.
Putting weight on her heels made her wince, but it was at least bearable. She ran her fingers through her hair, attempting to make it presentable. Would it be too much to request something to comb her hair with? Probably. Best not to ask for anything. Better to wait until they felt like providing it.

The door was thrown open as rudely as the day before, but it was expected. Amalia followed the other women to the dining hall, biting her lip to keep from whimpering with every step.
Unlike the fruits and brightly colored offerings from the day before, now she only saw meats and other heavy foods of the Drakken. The smell of it made her sick to her stomach. She had never eaten meat before. Her father's land had been on the sea so fish had abounded, along with vegetables and some fruit traded with other nearby holdings. But meat? They had never had a need for it. What was she to do? She couldn't not eat. But she also didn't want to become ill.
One guard eyed her sharply as she hesitated over the meat. Not wanting to get into any more trouble Amalia put some on her plate along with bread. Most Gems were eating the meat without issue. Amalia's stomach lurched at the sight of the fatty juice dripping onto the plates. The smell was offputting as well, not enticing to her in the slightest.

Her eyes scanned the room and she spotted the girl from the day before, Lienna. Amalia felt terrible. She had been in so much pain the day before that she had not responded when Lienna tried to speak to her. It had been so rude and that was one thing Amalia never wanted to be.

Carefully making her way over, Amalia sat across from Lienna.
"Please forgive me. My pain distracted me yesterday and I fear I ignored you. I am so very sorry. It was unintentional, please believe me."

She looked around at the other Gems who were eating the meat and swallowed past her suddenly very dry throat. "Have you... ever eaten this?" she asked, then realized how strange the question must have sounded. "My home was by the sea. We ate fish and vegetables and sometimes fruit. I have never had meat before," she explained, poking at it with her fork. "Will this make me ill?"

After a few minutes talking with Lienna a hush fell over the room as the warden entered. Amalia paled, if such a thing was even possible with her fair skin. Her heels pained her too much to leap up quickly to kneel. What if she was punished again?
Panicked, Amalia leaned over the bench she sat upon with her face near the seat, praying it was enough to avoid angering the Drakken.
Her fears were unfounded. He barely acknowledged the women as he passed by. Amalia sat upright again, her hands shaking with a mixture of anxiety and relief. His announcement was a shock to say the least. A hot spring? And they were being allowed to enjoy it? To actually enjoy something?
Amalia looked at Lienna with fearful worry. What if it was a trick? A cruel joke to excite them only to dash their hopes? Another tactic to break down their spirits?

"What if they lie?" she whispered to Lienna, not wanting to be heard at any cost. "What if this is a veiled cruelty? Lienna," she said, reaching across to take the other woman's hand. "I am afraid. I do not want to be. I want to be strong as I was trained to be. My whole life my parents were preparing me for this, for the time I would be taken by the Drakken. But now that is has actually happened... I am so afraid."

Amalia wakes to pain and goes to breakfast. She wonders and asks Lienna if the meat will make her ill since she has never had it before. When the warden makes the hot springs announcement Amalia doesn't trust it and confides to Lienna that she is afraid.

Prized Bride (A New Beginning)

@Belleoh yes of course! don't let me slow you down!! I do apologize for taking so long. I will be replying very soon! Within the night!

The City Of Luce Prima (Supernatural creature RP)

Sierra Tikaavik

Interactions

@Prosaic

Sierra couldn't help but smile back at Alder. He may have been a bit much, but he had a huge personality and she would be remiss not to be charmed by it. He seemed to go whichever way his mood dictated, like a leaf on the wind. He exuded an air of freedom that Sierra found to be quite enthralling. Perhaps that was why he hadn't yet scared her away.

She stuck close to him as he led them through the market, doing her best to avoid the rest of the crowd and not lose track of him at the same time. When they came to a small shop, Alder held the door with unusual fervor and beckoned her to choose a spot.

The café, as Alder had called it, was quite the place. It was small and intimate, with low ceilings and dark wood walls. None of the chairs or tables matched, the floor was carpeted with colourful rugs and the entire place seemed geared toward a warm and comfortable atmosphere. There was a small empty table in a far corner, flanked on either side by overstuffed chairs. "How about here?" she asked, not waiting for a response before walking over and taking the seat against the wall. She wouldn't normally have liked being cornered, but given the circumstance she decided it would be better to have her back to the wall and face Alder than risk someone (or something) else entirely sneaking up on her.

She sank into the chair, stuffing her bag under it as she did so, and quickly relaxed. The café was a lot quieter than the street, and even though it was still awash with unfamiliar scents, it was far less of an assault to the senses than the market had been. she felt kind of proud of herself for picking such a good seat; she didn't get to make choices for other people too often.

Sierra waited for Alder to settle, awkwardly deliberating on whether she should rest her hands on her legs or on the table as she did so. She decided on the table. When he settled, she finally opened her mouth.

"So, what do you want to know?"

Obscene's Scratchpad

The second Aurelia closed her chamber door, she leaned against it and dropped her confident façade, breaking into quiet laughter. Only then did she notice her heart pounding, the butterflies in her stomach, the rush of adrenaline from what she'd pulled. Her handmaids made their way into her bedroom via the discreet staff passages, all with mixes of horror and shock on their faces, only to find their mistress in a fit of giggles by the door.

What she'd done had been crazy, and so far outside of the acceptable behaviour of women of her stature, but she couldn't help but be childishly proud of herself. Not only had it been great fun to watch Ser Asher squirm, but it had been exciting. Come to think of it, it was the first time anyone aside from her closest staff had ever seen her naked. And yet she'd done it, prowling over to him, barely covered, close enough to smell him, close enough that he could have touched her. Yet, the binds of duty, invisible as they were, were strong. That was what excited her most, knowing that she could pull such stunts without repercussion, that size and strength mattered not when one held the power of the crown.

It was exhilarating.

She rode her adrenaline high only as long as it took her to get ready for bed, egged on by the buzz of excitement from her handmaids as they chattered giddily about what they'd just seen. By the time they had stopped, the novelty of the situation had quite outlasted its welcome. It had been a fun distraction, but it was only a matter of time before Aurelia's thoughts returned to her future, and dread crept back into her gut.

She dismissed her handmaids, telling the most senior of them to send word the moment her father became available, and was suddenly plunged into solitude. It had never bothered her much - in fact, after a day surrounded by hovering attendants it was usually quite welcome - but the silence that came with it disturbed her. Without the quiet chatter of her attendants, or at least the faint sounds of them going about their chores, Aurelia had nothing to distract her from the gravity of her situation.

She knew she should sleep, but she couldn't bring herself to do it. Even if she thought she could fall asleep in the first place (which she doubted, given the quivering in her gut) she didn't want to miss her father before he retired himself. So, Aurelia decided to abandon her bed for the time being and take up a place on her favourite lounge, taking with her a book of poetry she'd loved since childhood.

However, when her chamber door quietly opened only about an hour later, Aurelia had fallen victim to the exhaustion of stress, and somehow managed to fall asleep, curled up in her chair. It was then that her father crept in, as gently and quietly as his old bones would let him, and took a seat on a nearby couch, not wanting to disturb her. When she awoke a few minutes later, he offered her a sad smile, and her eyes welled up with tears.

The two talked for some time, Aurelia moving to sit closer to him. She held her father's hand, embraced him. They each took turns in tears, laughter, and quiet conversation, until the sky began to lighten with the oncoming dawn. It was only then, having said everything she thought she could have said, that Aurelia willingly slept, and her father crept out one last time.

Obscene's Scratchpad

The second Aurelia closed her chamber door, she leaned against it and dropped her confident façade, breaking into quiet laughter. Only then did she notice her heart pounding, the butterflies in her stomach, the rush of adrenaline from what she'd pulled. Her handmaids made their way into her bedroom via the discreet staff passages, all with mixes of horror and shock on their faces, only to find their mistress in a fit of giggles by the door.

What she'd done had been crazy, and so far outside of the acceptable behaviour of women of her stature, but she couldn't help but be childishly proud of herself. Not only had it been great fun to watch Ser Asher squirm, but it had been

The City Of Luce Prima (Supernatural creature RP)

Sounds like a plan!

make me a wolf pack