Closed All that Glitters (Matthew)

Isalie and Matthew meet again.

(This is a thread from Mizahar's fantasy role play forum. Why don't you register today? This message is not shown when you are logged in. Come roleplay with us, it's fun!)

This shining population center is considered the jewel of The Sylira Region. Home of the vast majority of Mizahar's population, Syliras is nestled in a quiet, sprawling valley on the shores of the Suvan Sea. [Lore]

All that Glitters (Matthew)

Postby Hope Dawnwhisper on August 27th, 2013, 9:54 pm

Image
64th of Summer, 513AV


Just beyond the city walls, not skulking and hidden, but far enough away from the road that she might not be noticed by any passers by, a young woman waits, resting against a dark brown horse, who was grazing on the lush green grass. The woman herself had berries in her hand, black berries, as most were now ripe enough to pick and eat. Most she had now already eaten, and her hands were stained magenta with their juices,but the woman clearly did not care, having enjoyed her treat.

Here she was, again, waiting. The runaway slave, the young woman who had previously promised herself that she would never stay in one single place for too long, was now, once again, waiting outside the gates of Syliras. In the two years that Isalie had been free, she had never remained in one place for more than she needed to, travelling with caravans of merchants and other travellers. This was partially because she never made any connection with anyone, and so never felt the need to stick around somewhere. More than that, though, she had been so terrified of someone coming to look for her that she had been careful to make sure that no one knew her name, and most barely knew her face.

Syliras was the busiest city she had ever been in, something with which calmed and terrified the girl. Worse still, the Knights of Syliras, whom Isalie would shy away from every time she saw them; her paranoia was bad enough that, even though she knew she had done nothing wrong, she feared they would do something to her anyway. But here she was, almost a whole Season had passed since she arrived in the Wildlands of Sylira and made her way over to the big city. And she had arranged to meet the harlot again.

At their first meeting, Isalie had been amazed at how easily she fell into comfort at being around him. Her guard had dropped more than she ever let it fall around anyone else, and she hadn't even done it consciously.

Isalie strokes her horse's neck as she stares up at the high walls surrounding the city as she waits. As always, she was early for her meeting, the welts on her back being a painful reminder that she was inferior to everyone around her, and that she should never keep anyone waiting. It was a lesson that stuck with her. She wasn't even too sure what she was doing here.
Waiting for Matthew, you idiot. She growls internally, trying not to think too much, lest she manages to talk herself out of it and leave before Matthew arrives.

But she does continue to think;
I can't do this... her fingers grip at Shadow's mane as the battle begins in her mind. You agreed, it could be good for you. Nothing good can come out of this. What about all her suggested? You could have a job, a future. Assuming I don't flinch every time someone touches me. You didn't flinch what Matthew touched you. A whine of frustration escapes her lips as her own consciousness tries to talk sense into her. But she couldn't work out which part was talking sense.

"
I can't do this..." she mutters as she turns around, away from the gates, dropping her hand from the horse's mane to pick up his reigns. "C'mon, Shadow, let's go..."

Image
Myrian | Common | Pavi
User avatar
Hope Dawnwhisper
The only way is not to play.
 
Posts: 132
Words: 127742
Joined roleplay: May 23rd, 2013, 2:32 pm
Race: Human
Character sheet
Scrapbook
Plotnotes

All that Glitters (Matthew)

Postby Matthew on February 4th, 2014, 9:03 pm



Blue eyes caught her in an intense stare as Matthew stepped through the gate, black bangs suddenly swept back by a strong breeze. It was a rather chilly summer day, if only because of the snappy wind in the air. It would pick up suddenly and with no warning, sweeping everything in a wave of cold. Syliras was good at both trapping heat and trapping cold, but was currently doing a better job capturing the second. The chilled winds seemed to be finding their way inside of every little nook and cranny. Such weather was the reason for the scarf Matthew had swept around his neck, as well as the reason he had an unbuttoned shirt layered on top of another plain shirt.

She looked as if she was turning to leave, and Matthew's firm but loud voice would interrupt her movement. "Isalie? Are you leaving? I believe we were going shopping? If you'd rather not go shopping, I could always show you the Herald's Arms first." His voice didn't change a bit, but his words could be interpreted in many ways. They almost sounded like a threat, for one. If she didn't keep her word and go on their little adventure together, then he would make sure she went on a much more interesting adventure. He crossed his broad arms over his chest, perking an eyebrow at her as he watched. His eyes slowly moved to her horse, taking it in for the first time, brow furrowing as he looked it over. Had she had a horse at the hot springs? If she was a former slave with not a miza to her name, then how did she own a horse? Weren't horses expensive? He tilted his head a little more, then glanced back over to Isalie, waiting her response.

Shopping was the first step in what they planned to do. Even if she didn't go through with learning his trade, it would still be a good experience for her to involve herself with society. By the look on her face, she wasn't ready to experience it at all.

The harlot suddenly held a hand out to her, an eyebrow raised. "You'll be my date today. It'll be a trade of information. You will learn more about the society you seem to be apart from, as well as a bit about my trade. I will learn more about you. However, since you are incapable of standing alone, I will stand with you. If not as your date, then as your Master. Does that make you feel better?" She had a logic to how she worked, he just had to find it. She had given him clues back at the hot springs, so he just had to pick up on those and use them. Socialization was one of the harder skills to learn, but he was slowly getting the hang of it. He just had to put what little Intelligence skills he had to use. Examine, observe, and act. Note the nervousness in her pose, the fear in her eyes. All counter-acted by his own personal confidence and lack of fear, if she'd let him.

The hand remained extended, Matthew's expression stoic. She could certainly continue to keep walking away and he wouldn't judge her for it. But the choice was there to come with him for today, as well.

Image
User avatar
Matthew
Malfunctioning
 
Posts: 1206
Words: 1100152
Joined roleplay: June 24th, 2013, 9:37 pm
Race: Human
Character sheet
Storyteller secrets
Journal
Plotnotes
Medals: 5
Featured Character (1) Featured Contributor (1)
Guest Storyteller (1) One Thousand Posts! (1)
One Million Words! (1)

All that Glitters (Matthew)

Postby Hope Dawnwhisper on February 6th, 2014, 6:54 pm

Image


The runaway slave stopped mere steps into her retreat at the stern voice of the prostitute. A few ticks later, she turned on the spot to face him, wheeling Shadow around with her, and there he was, not too far away from her, and she could just about make out his expression, where she managed to pick out emotions of determination and what seemed to be disappointment, among others. She bit her lower lip, pulling at the chapped skin on her lip with her teeth as she stared at him. As he spoke, it was the tone, more than what he was saying, that affected her more than anything else. It was as if he was making her regress, to a life she had not tried to think of since she had escaped it.

Finally, she shook her head as his words, though the action was barely noticeable for fear of his reaction, and she mumbled, "
Don't want to go shopping, Matthew..." She noticed that the prostitute's brow was raised, a sign in any culture that something was not as it should be and that something needed to be corrected. The young woman cast her crystalline gaze down towards the ground as she fiddled absently with the frayed reigns in her hands. "The dress I have is fine." It wasn't fine, not by even the lowest of standards, bot now that it had come to it, she was nervous at allowing another to see just how thin and unattractive she was. It had been a mistake to show Matthew herself in the Springs, but she wouldn't make the same mistake again.

Everything about her radiated insecurities. Her guard had dropped completely around the man she had only met once; somehow, he had found away through a crack in her walls and subsequently, he had sussed her out. It was the only explanation for the way he was holding himself, and talking to her. She doubted that he was this domineering around everyone. Somehow, she found herself unable to leave, and his final utterance made it clear to her that he was prepared to become anyone, prepared to tweak his personality, in order to get the most out of people. Isalie had learnt that slavery was prohibited in the city of Syliras, so she knew that Matthew's words were for her benefit, rather than an actual agreement that he was suggesting entering into. Despite this, his instincts were right, and she calmed slightly.

Isalie said nothing to indicate her preference, knowing that Matthew would just respond smoothly to the cues she offered him, just as she would try her best to do the same with him. He was, after all, a prostitute, and was no doubt keenly aware of what those around him needed or wanted, and was prepared to give it, for the right price. Silently, as she cast her gaze over the man once again, she wondered what the price he would ask of her would be. Finally, she walked over to him and raised her hand, letting it slide into his own.

Read MeSorry about the tense change - New Years resolution to change to past tense so... Also sorry for any discrepancies there... I'm getting better!
Image
Myrian | Common | Pavi
User avatar
Hope Dawnwhisper
The only way is not to play.
 
Posts: 132
Words: 127742
Joined roleplay: May 23rd, 2013, 2:32 pm
Race: Human
Character sheet
Scrapbook
Plotnotes

All that Glitters (Matthew)

Postby Matthew on February 7th, 2014, 8:47 pm



"The dress is not fine. We are going shopping." There had been a choice at first, but now that choice was taken away from her. His voice wasn't particularly harsh, not even really that firm. It was just stoic and apathetic, words stated as fact and no room given for argument.

His hand slipped into her own, warm and soft, lacing fingers with her gently. "Do you shy away from physical touch, normally? If someone was to try and kiss you or caress you, would you instinctively react defensively or aggressively?" His tone was professional, slow and properly spoken. His eyes held hers whenever hers would be brace enough to hold his, his gaze straightforward and unblinking. If anything, his bright blue eyes were the most expressive part of his body. They shimmered with just a bit of emotion, tinted with something between confusion and understanding. He was conflicted about the way she acted. Out of every possible emotion that there was to feel, a lack of self-confidence was something that Matthew couldn't ever remember experiencing. It wasn't that he was overly confident or arrogant. He just didn't experience confidence, really. Not in any shape or any form. It was foreign to him, like so many other things were.

He led her along, hand gently tugging her. Almost the moment they came within sight of other people, Matthew straightened up next to her, his gait taking on a different air. While he had once just been an inch or so away from her, now he was pressed close, body brushing her. He suddenly seemed possessive, as if he was protective of her in some way, claiming her in some fashion. A few passing men actually gave her some interested glances, but a stern stare from the harlot sent them on their way. The prostitute was actually playing out the part of a slightly possessive boyfriend. Inside Matthew's head though, his mind was churning. He was watching everyone, listening to whispers and reading into glances. His business required him to react to the world around him, to fashion himself in response to how society moved. There was always a best role to play. In this case, Isalie was attractive. Of course men would look at her. If they saw a looming guy holding her hand and looking sullen, no doubt they would assume he was her boyfriend. A simple logic to assist a simple act. Combining Intelligence and Acting to get the desired result.

It was perhaps a bit too thoughtful for just taking a stroll, but that was just how Matthew was. Sometimes he overthought things. Sometimes he oversimplified things. He didn't notice though, merely kept gracefully walking along. He had a goal in mind apparently.

Soon they were at the Elegant Weave. It was a three story building in the warehouse district with the bottom floor acting as a retail outlet. One half of it sold clothing, and that was the part that Matthew had basically dragged Isalie to. They were surrounded by clothes of all kinds. Dresses, pants, blouses, shirts for both men and women, long boots for women and short boots for me. Matthew ushered her to the clothing, taking her on a slow tour of each different display. "Find something you like. Private rooms are over there, they allow for you to try it on. Find something that makes you feel attractive. If you are not capable of feeling attractive, I will pick something out for you." Matthew watched her, tilting his head, blue eyes following her next movements.

Image
User avatar
Matthew
Malfunctioning
 
Posts: 1206
Words: 1100152
Joined roleplay: June 24th, 2013, 9:37 pm
Race: Human
Character sheet
Storyteller secrets
Journal
Plotnotes
Medals: 5
Featured Character (1) Featured Contributor (1)
Guest Storyteller (1) One Thousand Posts! (1)
One Million Words! (1)

All that Glitters (Matthew)

Postby Hope Dawnwhisper on February 19th, 2014, 12:53 am

Image


The hand was gentle enough… comforting, almost, and she relaxed into it, quickly forgetting the harlot’s firm, relatively harsh, words soon after he had spoken them. She couldn’t begrudge him his opinion; she did look a mess, with clothes that didn’t fit her properly, torn and filthy. If she was to enter Matthew’s world, she would be required to look presentable, or she would get nowhere, with or without Matthew’s tutelage. "
I don’t have much money..." she finally whispered, ashamed, even though she knew that the man was already aware of her less than stable lifestyle.

The girl blinked as Matthew, ever blunt with his words and questions, asked the first questions in what she considered might be a long line of others. It wasn’t an unreasonable question, she knew, even if she thought it to be a little more forward than the average person might ask a stranger. “
But then… you are not strangers, are you?” a voice spoke inside her head “You were naked within mire chimes of first meeting the man. Willingly, you allowed yourself to literally walk into that situation. You are not strangers.” The thought was morbidly comforting, though she wondered why she had to answer the question if they really weren’t strangers. More to the point, why was the prostitute – whose living was based off of reading the signs – not able to work it out for himself. “Unless this is another of his games...

"
If a man… or woman… wanted to touch me," she began in a matter of fact way as she half walked, half allowed herself to be dragged along by Matthew, "Then I would let them. It didn’t take long for me to realise that whatever they wanted to do to me wouldn’t go on forever… so I let them. No aggression, no defensiveness..." Her tone was mild, as if discussing the weather. Truth was, she decided, that she didn’t mind being touched, as long as it was on her terms, rather than on someone else’s.

Glancing behind her, she checked to see her horse, who was trailing along beside her, matching the pace of the humans. Since their arrival, Isalie had thought that the creature was looking better than he had during their long travels, but the look that the harlot had given the poor beast had worried her, and made her think otherwise. If she looked close enough, Isalie thought that she could see the ribs on Shadow’s body, but they were by no means obvious, compared to how the pair had both looked not much more than a Season ago. "
Last time I went into the city, Shadow came with me… can he come this time too? Only.. I don’t like to leave him alone…" she trailed off, leaving the rest unspoken, realizing how foolish she might sound to Matthew. In his state, the horse had no value to anyone, so there was little chance of him being stolen. No, his only value was to Isalie; they were all each other had.

Lost in her own thoughts, Isalie did not notice the men looking her way, nor did she even register the hand tightening around her as the pair made their way through the gates and into the city, horse in tow. Less nervous than when she had originally arrived in Syliras, she did not force herself to take in everything and everyone around herself, terrified that they were looking at and talking about the strange girl in rags.

The pair tied up the horse and Isalie followed Matthew to a fabric and clothing shop. And now Isalie stared. She could have sworn that some of the colours on offer didn’t actually exist, and she was amazed at the patterns, variety and intricacy that was on offer. Her amazement was short-lived, however, when Matthew spoke again, and she whined. Ticks passed, and turned into chimes… and the time dragged on until she felt like she had been looking for bells, searching in desperation for something appropriate that the prostitute wuld approve of, which also came into her price limit. "
I don’t know..." she finally whispered.

Image
Myrian | Common | Pavi
User avatar
Hope Dawnwhisper
The only way is not to play.
 
Posts: 132
Words: 127742
Joined roleplay: May 23rd, 2013, 2:32 pm
Race: Human
Character sheet
Scrapbook
Plotnotes

All that Glitters (Matthew)

Postby Matthew on March 12th, 2014, 6:28 pm



Matthew nodded at her request concerning the horse. "That is fine by me. I am sure the Knights will make it apparent if they do not want him wandering about, but I am sure they won't mind a tame and controlled horse." The blue eyes of the harlot briefly scanned the horse again, but a look that was more on the side of apprehension than anything else. Horses made him feel uncomfortable, and making him feel something well enough that he could clearly define it was saying a lot. He wasn't so sure why they made him uncomfortable. It was probably his own personal fear of the creatures. He couldn't remember why he was afraid of them, though.

Soon they were in the clothing shop, and soon Isalie was met with a problem. She whined and toyed with her fingers, and Matthew merely followed her around and blinked in his passive way. When she finally whispered out with this tone of defeat, Matthew quickly shook his head and set her straight.

"You don't know what you like? I didn't ask you to choose something that you could afford, or something you thought others would like. I just asked you to choose something that makes you feel attractive. Do you know what that feels like?" He crossed his broad arms, staring at her curiously, not a bit of judgement in his voice. If she didn't know, that was perfectly fine. With the way she had seemed to mentally develop over the years, he wouldn't really be surprised if attractiveness was something that she had ever associated herself with.

He left her to either answer his question or go ahead and choose an outfit, his mind wandering to a previous question he had asked her. She would just let them touch her. He was torn on the subject. On one hand, if there was no way for her to defend herself, then just letting them have their way was the best scenario. On the other hand, if she was ever to be a prostitute, then letting them have their way was theft. He did not approve of theft. Him and his coworkers worked hard for their coin, and it wasn't fair at all for it to be thoughtlessly stolen away without consideration. He wanted some method of self-defense just in case he was ever faced with the situation of someone trying to steal from him. Thankfully, he hadn't encountered it yet. It was fairly common in their profession though, from what he understood. Perhaps it was different with him being male, but he didn't want to bank on that. It was likely only a matter of time.

OOCSorry for the short post. Playing catch-up. Thank you for your patience. :)

Image
User avatar
Matthew
Malfunctioning
 
Posts: 1206
Words: 1100152
Joined roleplay: June 24th, 2013, 9:37 pm
Race: Human
Character sheet
Storyteller secrets
Journal
Plotnotes
Medals: 5
Featured Character (1) Featured Contributor (1)
Guest Storyteller (1) One Thousand Posts! (1)
One Million Words! (1)

All that Glitters (Matthew)

Postby Hope Dawnwhisper on July 3rd, 2014, 8:09 pm

Image


Despite her nervousness and insecurities about picking something out, the tone in Matthew's voice was enough for her to feel rebuked. This man did not want her standing there dumb, acting slow-witted. He wanted her to be proactive, to take her life into her own hands. For a moment, she considered that it was because of their arrangement - if he was going to teach her how to be like him, how to become independent and use her body for her own gains, she would have to be able to assert herself. And it started now, with finding clothing that she liked, clothing that she thought would look good on her body.

But she had no idea what might look good. She was thin, far too thin. Whatever body she might have been able to cultivate was not there; no fat, and barely enough muscle to sit up properly on the horse waiting outside. Never before had she been so self conscious. Only now did it occur to her that clothing had different designs, that they were made to fit a person's body, to accentuate certain curves. She had no curves, and she had never been given well-fitting clothes when she was younger.

Worse, her body was liable to change during the course of the near future, if she was earning, and able to feed herself better. She began to imagine the life she might have, a home to call her own, a safe haven that she could retreat to, no longer looking over her shoulders and fearing what might be following her, lying in wait to claim her for a night, or even for life. It gave her hope. But for now, Isalie didn't want to pick something that would only fit her now; if she even knew what might look good. So she decided to go with colour.

The runaway slave could feel Matthew's gaze following her as she half-pretended to look at what was on offer to her. She couldn't deny that it was comforting to know that she was being watched, supervised, having spent so much time knowing no different. It was surprisingly easy to slip back into the place that the harlot seemed to be offering to her, whether knowingly or unknowingly on his part. She knew it was false, that he lied and acted in his profession, allowing his customer to feel whatever they needed to feel, but she liked it nonetheless. It was easy.

Finally, her own gaze fell upon a small dress. It would very probably be ill-fitting for quite some time, but she wasn't thinking about that, only about the fact that she liked the colour. She pulled out the pale green dress, which was a simple cotton, with little decoration or other embroidery on it, to show Matthew, her eyes wide and questioning as she asked, "
This? This one is... nice?" Given her pale complexion, which had faded in the seasons since she had arrived, it probably didn't suit her to be wearing something as pasty as this one, but the green went with the dirty brown of her hair, she knew, and, to her, it was a natural shade - nothing too ostentatious. It faded into the background, just like she wanted to.

OOCI'm so sorry for the delay... dissertation and then exams... no excuse, I should have let you know about my absence... please don't hate me. Replies should be coming in much faster now, if you even still want to thread with me :(
Image
Myrian | Common | Pavi
User avatar
Hope Dawnwhisper
The only way is not to play.
 
Posts: 132
Words: 127742
Joined roleplay: May 23rd, 2013, 2:32 pm
Race: Human
Character sheet
Scrapbook
Plotnotes

All that Glitters (Matthew)

Postby Matthew on July 28th, 2014, 9:02 pm



The Harlot crossed his slim but defined arms over his chest and simply watched the girl. She had seemingly accepted what he had demanded of her and was going to attempt to give it another shot. He merely waited, having no other role to play at this very moment. The thought of using his Hypnotism to give her a much-needed boost of confidence briefly skirted the edges of his thought process, but the Harlot quickly abandoned it. He had his own personal code of honor when it came to Hypnotism (ironically enough, since he normally scoffed at the concept of honor) and didn't like using it unless it was absolutely required. He also didn't like using it on a casual whim, preferring to carefully think out each and every use of it. This was for his own personal comfort and safety more than anything else.

However, the thought of magic did cause another thought to spring to mind. He breathed inwards and then exhaled, dipping his breath into the shimmering pool of Djed that sat deep within his body. As the air dipped down into it and then pushed back up through his lungs, Matthew sucked the Djed along with it and properly dispersed it where it needed to be. Most of the focus was on his eyes as well as a spot behind them. He had no real explanation for why he did this and how he did it. Magic was disturbing instinctual, at least when it came to the personal magics. The world around him glimmered and shimmered, then softly began to reveal a very different kind of scene. Auras painted themselves onto the canvas of reality, brushed into existence around everything. He ignored almost all of the auras, choosing to focus on the aura of the slave and nothing more. A variety of bright colors were barely able to be seen over long dripping tendrils of brown mixed with black, a sickly-looking type of mud that drenched most of her aura and dripped off of her in smoky wisps. He didn't pry, not looking into her aura for any secrets or anything he didn't already know. He instead targeted what he thought was the issue, breathing in the disguisting mud and letting the wisps drip upon his tongue.

It tasted like tar and tears, though he knew he had never tasted either substance before. The taste was depressing and oppressive, even if he had no memory of what either of those felt like. The woman was incredibly crippled by her own thoughts and feelings. He pondered this, blue eyes watching her carefully.

She was wandering over to the more colorful section, earning her a very small nod of approval from Matthew. At the dress that she showed him, he nodded, words soft but firm. "Yes, it is. But do not ask it like you are asking me if it is nice. Your task is to choose something that you think looks nice and you think you could look or feel nice in. Keep that in mind, it is very important. Choose some underclothes if you wish and feel free to choose some shoes if you like. Gather everything, put it on, then come show it to me."


OOCI am most certainly interested in continuing this if you still are. I apologize for my delay, I explain it in my signature.

Image
User avatar
Matthew
Malfunctioning
 
Posts: 1206
Words: 1100152
Joined roleplay: June 24th, 2013, 9:37 pm
Race: Human
Character sheet
Storyteller secrets
Journal
Plotnotes
Medals: 5
Featured Character (1) Featured Contributor (1)
Guest Storyteller (1) One Thousand Posts! (1)
One Million Words! (1)

All that Glitters (Matthew)

Postby Sayana on February 28th, 2015, 6:19 pm

Your Grades Have Arrived


Hope

Comments :
If you come back to Mizahar, PM me and I’ll do up your grades.


Matthew

Skills:
Skill EXP
Persuasion +3
Rhetoric +2
Planning +1
Acting +1
Intelligence +1
Philosophy +1
Auristics +1


Lores:
  • Location: An Elegant Weave
  • Acting: The Possessive Boyfriend
  • Persuasion: Eliminating other options
  • Philosophy: Unwanted touching is theft

Comments :
Great thread though it’s too bad it didn’t get farther. Still, I enjoyed reading about Hope struggling with her insecurities and Matthew dragging her along through the process anyways.

Remember to update your ledger to include Winter 514 expenses.


Don't forget to edit/delete your grade request in the grade request thread. However, make sure to keep the link so that the DS can review graded threads with ease.

If you have any questions or concerns about your grade please feel free to send me a message.

Enjoy.
User avatar
Sayana
Dancing in the rain...
 
Posts: 1938
Words: 1543550
Joined roleplay: September 22nd, 2014, 12:38 am
Location: Sunberth
Race: Eypharian
Character sheet
Storyteller secrets
Scrapbook
Journal
Plotnotes
Medals: 8
Featured Character (1) Featured Contributor (1)
Peer Reviewer (1) Overlored (1)
One Thousand Posts! (1) One Million Words! (1)
Syliras Seasonal Challenge (1) Alvadas Seasonal Challenge (1)


Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 0 guests