[The Nest] Apprenticeship.

[Macabre]

Winter, 511 AV

OOCPlease choose a date to your liking.
The bowels of the Nest were unusually quiet, for the amount that gathered between swaths of white silk and reclined with swollen bellies on cushioned lounges. Dreamsmoke filled the air; a young woman with a torrent of brown curls and a somber face plucked the strings of a lyre; another pair of girls, no older than fifteen, were wrapped in each others arms, one whispered a folktale of home: a Talderan wonderland where their Mother walked the earth and patrolling white beasts of incredible size protected them.

Swyph was squatted in the midst of it all, surprisingly enough, in his own skin. A robe of flowing white wrapped his svelte form, liable to be made of the same fabric that fell from the ceiling in a thousand directions. His hands wrung the leather of an empty harness, its metal rings clinking against the floor as he toyed with its straps. They had taken another today; it was early, she had come in willingly, after rutting with a Symenestra on a merchant caravan headed towards Kalinor for the silk trade. How convenient. The harness was a formality, though she had been less than impressed by it.

She was quiet now. They were all quiet, and Swyph had spent himself on their silence. His head ached, his mouth tasted of abhorrent metal. When the muffled thump of feet hitting the floor rang from the Nest’s only entrance, a discreet hole in the ceiling, he snapped to attention to glare at the offender.

[Selena Kapok]

5 Winter 511 Selena was excited today. She had dressed in her best, wanting to make a good impression, a nice silk dress and jacket, a pair of stockings on her legs, with the toes having holes to let her nails through, and a pair of sandals. She had been trying to get it worked for quite some time so she could study under Swyph Quercus, who was an expert in both of the magical disciplines she worked with. And along with that, he got to spend all of his time with other races, getting to know them. What he must see every day about the oddities of there behavior! She was almost tingling with anticipation knowing her might take her under his wing so to speak... Hopefully. As her feet touched the ground, she opened her mouth to show a toothy smile, and looked around in awe, listening to the croon of one woman singing to another... Perhaps it was one from her home, wherever that was... But no, she was getting distracted, and needed to focus on why she was here. Best not to get off task and sucked into what they were saying... Selena moved over to her possible mentor, and bowed her head in respect. She spoke a bit quietly, trying to convey seriousness in her tone. "Hello... I am Selena Kapok... I am not sure if you heard, but I am here to see if I could study under you... I would love to learn anything I could from you, and to follow in your footsteps..." Her seriousness was almost able to be held, however she lost it at the end, and just as she said the last word, she could not help but let out a small giggle... Though even she was not sure if this was out of nervousness, a release of tension, or excitement at being here with him.

[Macabre]

Standing in the midst of a dreary, silk-wrapped, candle-lit world, stood a grinning girl. Swyph’s brows rose and fell as quickly as a heartbeat, his features softened. She had spoken, laughed, fidgeted, and gained the attention of several weary pairs of eyes since her elegant arrival from the ceiling. Swyph’s mouth opened, closed, and the semblance of a half-smile graced the silence that emerged.

When he stood, he was a full head taller than the girl at his side, but for only a second. His skin shifted, darkened, going from an ashy grey, littered with black veins, to a bronzed and shimmering hue in a matter of seconds. He shortened, his angled silhouette filled with whipcord muscle, his hair darkened, the whites of his eyes disappeared beneath a veil of ink. The smile that allowed itself to grow across his sun-freckled lips hinted at a playfulness not seen in his Symenestra guise.

“I see, I see,” He rasped; his voice sounded ragged from disuse, which he attempted to remedy by clearing his throat. His webbed fingers dove between the folds of his silken robe. “And what, exactly, do you think you can learn from me?” It was true, Kalinor was not a city that boasted a large mage population, even he was regarded as a bit of an oddity, a man who had long since lost his mind in the pursuit of the arcane (though he never argued that point), and it had not been the first time he had been approached by a starry-eyed youth with delusions of magic’s grandeur.

It was all some perverse manipulation of the body, and no doubt the soul. But, he would have been a hypocrite, had he refused them.

“And what do I get in return?” Swyph gave Selena a sweeping look. “What experience have you in soothing those who cannot accept their fate?”

[Selena Kapok]

Selena looked on as the man that had been standing before her shifted into something different. Pleasure spread across her face, easy to see, at watching someone perform a transformation so easily... He certainly lived up to his reputation... Selena had some skill at such things, but was no were as fluid at it. Though his next question... It was certainly not easy to answer... She already knew enough of hypnotism that you could not control someones mind... All she was capable of was gentle nudges... Though if she could would she really want to force someone? She preferred to help others see things in themselves... But surely she must prove herself if she was to become his pupil... So she took out her hands, and began to rub her hands and nails together... Focusing on them, and pushing djed in, her nails began to distort, and shrunk back into her fingers... And soon they were what a human would find normal length. Along with that the skin on her hands changed hue slightly, so that they were left the tannish color of a human who had not seen sun recently... She focused for a few more seconds, and rubbed her face with her newly safe fingers, only making a reaction at the surface... And since only her hands and face were showing, altering the pigment of her face to be the same as her hands, it was not so obvious she was a sym... All she had done was change slightly the color of her skin on her hands and face, and shortened her nails, but already it made her look a little less sym, and a little more human... Selena looked up at Swyph to see his reaction, wondering what he would think, seeing her make a pale imitation at his craft. It was like a gentle buzzing in her head, a mild distraction, as she kept the alteration intact, with a gentle trickle of djed feeding it... Next she looked around, and noticed off to the side... A woman... when she first arrived, she had been sitting with another woman, the one she had seen reading to her... But now the woman being read to was letting out a dry sob, and pulling away from her... Selena gracefully walked over to her, coming close, and smiling at her... The woman gave a confused look, and continued to let out a short sob... Selena brought the back of her hand to her face, and stroked it across the woman's cheek, letting out a odd crooning sound she had heard a woman give to a young sym... It was what she hoped was a soothing hum, as she had heard the woman do so long ago... Though she could not be certain if she had gotten it just right... As she crooned at her, she injected djed into her voice and stroking motion, feeding the woman the emotion of contentment and happiness that she herself was feeling... That way the motion and sound would work as a conduit for her magic, and as an excuse to get close to the woman, as it was easier to work such magic when someone was closer to you... She hoped that this would work, as it would be good for her interview if it was successful... But she could not be certain it would have the desired effect, as it depended on the woman, and how upset she was... She was just trying to push her in the right direction, back to contentment and happiness, as she herself was now feeling...

[Macabre]

A pregnant pause filled the air, as the girl nestled into the silky blackness of Selena’s hold on her wits. Oceans of blue were capsized by fluttering lashes, teased with the warm invitation that lulled her into contentment; her lips trembled, and her shoulders sagged. Selena could hear her mutter in a language, fragmented and unintelligible, before she sank back into the arms of her Vantha counterpart.

The corners of Swyph’s mouth quirked, and for an instant, his own reds were fleshed out beneath the mask of Chaktawe-black that marred his eyes. “That was so easy for you,” there was little in his voice that could have traced to contempt, nor did it sound like a compliment. The statement was flat, distracted, and then to add to the conflicting lilt of tongue, he let out a short laugh.

“Bitch!” The Vantha reared, “Tikita, I saw you, how dare you?”

Skinny legs untangled and a mess of silk followed the young woman as she abandoned the complacent blond at her side. Sywph dipped behind Selena, watching, his blackened eyes fixed in unspoken intensity upon the Vantha. When he lifted a hand behind the Symenestra’s back, the Vantha mirrored it; her willowy digits curled into a fist, and she let out a choking sob and another string of insults in her Northerner tongue.

“Stop her,” Swyph’s command was barely a whisper, he would not, could not, distract his Vantha, his test, from her rage. All he had done was offered a spark; the smoldering fire was already there, waiting to roar to life. And then the Chaktawe was gone, replaced by the headache-riddled mute, whose hand snaked to Selena’s shoulder, urging her to use the power she had demonstrated so clearly, not a chime before.

The Nest was never supposed to be easy.

[Selena Kapok]

To be honest, Selena had been a bit surprised at how well what she had done had worked... She expected to have at least had a momentary success, but for the woman to soon shrug it off... But instead it had gone perfectly... The woman must have wanted to be calmed, or it certainly would not have worked so well... But she had little time to be excited for her success... For some reason the woman who had previously been calming the upset woman, she had gotten angry at her, calling her a tikita... Though she was not certain what that meant... But why had she gotten angry for soothing her friend? The woman got to her feet, and advanced on Selena, her fist held up, readying herself to strike the person she was so angry at... Though Selena was still uncertain of why... All she would have seen was her brushing her hand over her face, and making a odd sound, followed by the woman calming down... Or did she mean her changing form, was that what she was mad about? Selena worked her mind, trying to figure out what would be best here... She could not simply seduce the woman with calmness, or complacency... No, such things might work on the other woman, but it would not cool the heat of anger and hate... So what could she do, what base human instinct could she feed upon to her advantage... What hidden fear... FEAR! That was it, Selena suddenly realized, fear was a strong enough motivator, that it might assuage anger... But what would she fear... Death... No, she knew she would not be killed, she was to valuable with the life growing inside of her... Injury.... Possibly... As long as it was not one that would endanger the baby, then it might be done... And then Selena recalled a story, of something once done, but only used on occasion to those to unruly, who tried to endanger themselves... Chopping off someones legs and arms... Focusing on the woman, and looking her right in the eyes, she planted a suggestion, one which might already exist in the womans mind, the fear that if she was to rebellious, to unruly, she might lose her arms and feet, as the story went... Next she spoke to her, injecting djed into her words to convey and instill fear into the woman, giving it direction with the suggestion she had planted, and speaking it in a mildly upset voice... "I was just trying to help... To keep her from getting in trouble for getting out of line..." Selena could only hope that it would be enough to stop the woman's anger, that the fear of retribution would stop her from going any further... Fear, after all, was such a basic human emotion... She would try to keep confidence in her face, though if the woman were to fling a punch at her, and try to hit her, she would do her best to dodge the attack. But she hoped it would not come to that... One thing though that she did not notice, was the slight change in the tone of her hands, becoming a bit paler once more, though not as pale as usual, and her nails, though not longer, were once more there normal black color... Using so much hypnosis at once, and dividing her attention, her morphing seemed to be slipping a bit...Hopefully she could hold it together long enough...

[Macabre]

The Vantha halted. She made a noise: a low, dithering whine. Her eyes, once swarming in the colors of rage and confusion, settled into a dull grey, and her hands dropped to her swollen belly. Yellow sparked in those kaleidoscope irises, but was gone with a blink.

“I’m sorry, miss, I don’t know what came over me, I—” she paused; her gaze drifted over Selena’s shoulder, her lips trembled. Her voice took on an uncertain tone, as the Spider beyond Selena continued to fill her mind and will with suggestion, “You did well. You should follow him, now.”

Swyph shared a mutual wince with the Vantha as he broke his stare, but did not make any further motion for Selena to follow him. He simply turned, and set off towards a low tunnel that would take them away from the large main chamber of the Nest.

He could have simply told Selena in her own voice that she did not want to work, where women’s lives were discarded for the good of their dwindling people. But, he let her follow him, if not only for the fact that she had been gifted, in the same way he had been gifted so long ago. Swyph stole a glance over his shoulder at her, offering her the ghost of a smile beneath a quirked brow, before a clawed hand groped the other end of the short stone antechamber and he found his footing along a curved wall.

An empty hovel, carved so long ago into the smooth edifice, was their goal. Swyph hoisted himself into it, gathered his legs and robes beneath his slight frame, and drank the opalgloam-lit darkness with round crimson eyes.

[Selena Kapok]

Selena kept focusing on the woman, looking into her eyes, wondering what would happen as the words left her lips... It was hard to tell how hypnotism in such a fashion would work... She had to be crafty with the little she had, and hope that the suggestion and fear she had planted and grown upon were based off of a preexisting fear... If not, it likely would not work... Selena watched in amazement, which she worked to hide, as the woman's eyes shifted in color, going from angry to a grey neutral color, one not filled with broiling emotions... it was a more reserved color, careful... Selena did not even notice the momentary flash of yellow in them. Selena worried for a bit she had overdone it, as the woman apologized for her outburst, but it was hard to tell what was just enough, or what would get you killed from being to little... No, she could not question it now after things were done. So she simply accepted the apology, and said it was alright. She was a bit confused by the next thing she said, follow him? It would not make sense for them to be her own words, which meant they were likely planted... And since Selena had not, that just left her possible teacher... She thought on this for a few seconds, before turning to see the man disappearing into a tunnel. Selena quickly decided to go with him, and so strode after him, not wanting to lose him. She was encouraged as she followed him by seeing a slight smile cross his lips, if only for a moment. But it did manage to bolster her spirit once more, and push away the small traces of uncertainty she had... As surely it meant he either liked her, or thought she was doing a good job... Though she knew she had to be careful before answering anything, to be sure of how she really felt, as he could try to twist her, she would have to rely on her core of beliefs in herself, not the momentary feelings she might have. She focused on what lay ahead, cutting off the trickle of djed that was causing her morphed features. By the time she had caught up, and ended were he was leading, her face and hands had returned to there normal color, and her nails were extended back to there usual length. She followed along, looking with her red eyes, seeing the shadows and knowing if she was one of the humans, she likely would not be able to see as well. She inspected what could only be a solitary abode, so different from were she lived with her family. But she was not critical of its sparse nature, he surely only used what was needed, and did not waste what could be used by others in his web.

[Macabre]

Swyph was rummaging through a time-worn trunk as Selena found her way into the silk-lined pocket of stone. The fond smile on his lips had grown flat and forgotten, though the eyes set deep in a gaunt face still burned with some saccharine softness that set Selena at ease—or was it Swyph’s influence?

A tongue darted between virulent white fangs as the smile returned with a flourish of white silk robe clutched between clawed hands. They were for Selena, that she knew instantly; they were cut of the same fabric that was wrapped about Swyph’s lithe frame. For work, her voice rang between her ears, for work can get messy, when it is time to move patients to the Place of Purging.

Swyph’s nostrils flared. His head was pounding; it had been a long day, and he had pushed himself too far. Silence filled Selena in the absence of his wordless sway, and he receded from her, handing back her wits and thoughts. It felt as if a weight had been lifted from her shoulders. With a curt nod, Swyph relinquished the robes and crawled from the hovel. She was to get dressed and ready and join him, though she would have to figure that much out for herself.

Congratulations! XP Award

Morphing 1
Hypnotism 1

Lore of the Nest
Lore of Surrogates
Lore of Dealing with Angry Surrogates

Awarded a job at the Nest as a groomer. Your job will include caring for surrogates, bathing them, and keeping them calm and compliant with provided tonics and the use of your own magic. You will also give a hand in ferrying surrogates to the Place of Purging when they are ready, if you are needed. Your starting wage will be 5gm/day for a season; if you reach competent or higher in a skill pertaining directly to your job, this will change.