Solo Fireheart

Jaylani learns that fire sometimes can be created without flint and steel

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Syka is a new settlement of primarily humans on the east coast of Falyndar opposite of Riverfall on The Suvan Sea. [Syka Codex]

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Fireheart

Postby Jaylani Rae on July 31st, 2017, 6:50 pm


Early Morning of the 2nd of Summer 517


Sun touched sea and sea touched shore. Sand was everywhere, got in everything. Just beyond the sand was the jungle ripe with life. On the quiet days, when rain did not fall, one could hear the sounds of all those who dwelled beyond the border of the trees. The mixed blood liked to spend time just listening. She felt at home surrounded by the sounds of nature. The rustle of plants through the wind, the calls of birds in the trees, the various noises the other creatures made. There was a peacefulness found within it all. A peacefulness that worked in calming the woman’s ever moving soul.

Jaylani was not known for being quiet and still. Perhaps quiet for it was rare that many words escaped her. Once she had thought nothing of her lack of vocabulary and ability to create sentences that flowed smooth together, but now it was something of a hindrance to her. Interacting with others had never been something that came easily to her. She had always found splashing in gentle waves near shore or exploring abandoned caves to be preferable to any and all social occasions. Now, however, things needed to be different. The population of Syka was small. She knew enough to know that to make it here, she needed to become apart of them. That meant interacting… It was going to be so very difficult.

It was hard for her to be still. The mixed blood liked to explore and learn all that she could. After so much time in Riverfall she found Syka to be new and exciting. She even enjoyed just the simple things such as the sand between her toes and the spray of the ocean sprinkling over her skin. She had spent her first days in the young settlement traversing the beach. There was enough brain in her to stay around where the people were in case something were to happen, but as time went on she was getting more and more adventurous. It would not likely be much longer before she went farther into the jungle than just playing along the border. Hopefully she made a friend or two that would go with her before she went too far on her own.

This day, luckily, was not the day Jaylani was planning on beginning her exploration past the border. She was playing along the edge of the beach instead. A happy smile lit up her face each time she watched the waves reach their highest point before coming crashing down and turning to a foam that later came up around her feet up to her mid calves. Her pants had been rolled up to above the knee and her boots were discarded behind her. Syna’s rays warmed her skin and the smell of sea filled her nostrils. It had always been her favorite scent, the sea. Sea and Citrus, the same scent that seemed to always surround her no matter where she was. The mixed blood did not understand enough about her mother’s race to know about the pheromones she had inherited. She just knew that she carried that scent with her and at times it was stronger than other times. Nothing else was thought about it.

Jaylani released a content sigh. She had been sitting here in the sand since splashes of pink and orange had begun to color the sky. There was such beauty to be found in Syna’s rising. The mixed blood woke early most mornings to come out and watch. Sometimes she just sat outside her tent and watched and other times she came down to the sea to watch how she did this morning. Each day brought with it new life, new discoveries, and new tasks to complete. Like with all new things, Jaylani looked forward to each new day with a fresh wave of excitement that filled her core.

Palms and feet were pressed into the sand as legs bent. Jaylani hoisted herself up and brushed her hands over the back of her pants. Another content sigh was given as she straightened up and twisted her fingers through her mass of wavy curls. A smile lifted her lips and she reached down to gather her boots up by the strings that tied to keep the things on. The mixed blood preferred bare feet to shoed ones whenever possible. She did not even understand why she had brought the boots down from her tent this morning. Perhaps she had thought earlier she would go straight from watching sunrise to go do something else that would cause her to need the boots. Whether that had been her thought process then or not, that was not her plan now. She was returning to her tent instead.

The tent was quite simple. A four person tent purchased before she came to Syka along with with the supplies that were within it. The wood off to the side outside had been found and gathered after reaching the settlement. Jaylani did not need so much room and really it was bad for her to have it. She was not a very neat person. Her things were strewn about the tent in various states of disarray. Even the mizas she had could not all be found in one place. Some were in the front pockets of her pack, some within the main part of the pack, some beneath her bedroll, some just on the floor of the tent. It was a mess, but to give her some credit, she at least knew where everything was.

On her way up from the beach she had found half of a sea shell. It was orange on the outside and a soft pinkish white on the inside. Just a simple shell from a clam or something like it. Nothing fancy, but Jaylani found it beautiful. Even the tiny, raised holes that told the story of barnacles having once lived on the outside were beautiful to her. She had brought that shell up to the tent with her and put it in one of the front pockets of her pack with some of her loose mizas. Probably not a very safe place for it, but she would likely change where she wanted it anyway. That was something she frequently did, helping cause the chaos she lived in.

The boots Jaylani had in her hands were tossed into the corner before a loud rumble rolled from her stomach. A hand pressed against the flesh of her torso as the mixed blood realized she had not eaten. With a sheepish smile, she went over to her bedroll where her flint and steel could be found beside it. She picked the flint and steel up before heading once more outside of her tent. She wished to eat, but before she did that, starting a fire felt like a good idea. At least once she decided on what exactly she was eating, the fire would be ready to warm it.

Common | 'Thoughts'

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Fireheart

Postby Jaylani Rae on August 1st, 2017, 6:21 am


The mixed blood stopped at her little “garden” first, before starting her fire. It was not really a garden. More of a collection of varying sized pots filled with plants in varying states of maturity. Jaylani was growing herself a bit of a garden. At least, she was trying to. Whether or not she was truly succeeding remained to be seen. Her past caretaker had taught her some in the art of herbalism. She had taught the mixed blood what some of the more common herbs could be used for and what they looked like. There had been little spoken about how to keep new plants alive, let alone get them thriving.

The small plants Jaylani had now -the baby sized plants, as she referred to them- were barely more than little green sprouts. They were all green though. She had been vigilant in her watering of them. Only infrequently did she worry that she had overwatered. If she knew what that was, she had not made it obvious. At least she still had some leftover seeds of almost every plant so if she failed this time around, she could -in theory- try again.

Jaylani checked each of the pots she had filled with little green plants. She checked to make sure the plants were still green and she checked to make sure the dirt they were all packed in was still moist. The one at the very end of her line did not seem to be doing as well as the others, but the woman did not know what was wrong. She had watered it more than the others, given it more attention as if looking at it or talking to it was going to change anything. The little leaves were wilting slowly, though, and to Jaylani it looked sad. She pursed her lips at the sight of it now. It looked worse than the day before. The mixed blood was worried. She decided that after breakfast was eaten she would go and see if anyone in the settlement knew anything about keeping plants alive.

Having decided what she was going to do about her one sad looking plant, Jaylani moved back to the task at hand. Starting her fire. Her stomach had growled again while she was checking on the plants. It seemed as though even if her mind was alright with not automatically getting food, her stomach was not in agreement. The faster she got the fire started, the faster she would get to eat some food. The thought of just eating some fruit to tie her over did not occur to her. Despite being a fast learner, she was not always a smart thinker. Sometimes, but when it came to things like this she kind of set herself on a path and stuck to it unless an outside force knocked her off course.

The fire pit was one of the first things Jaylani built upon reaching Syka and setting up her temporary home. It was a circular thing a couple feet wide that looked a little more oval than circular because of uneven digging. It was about a foot deep in the middle where the lowest point was. One could no longer see the lowest point, however, because of the ash from past fires left in the hole. Around the outer rim of the pit, about two inches from the edge where the hole started, Jaylani had placed various broken seashells that she had found during her time by the shore. Perhaps it was silly, but she found the things beautiful and found little use for them inside her tent. The one she had slipped into her pack just chimes earlier would likely eventually make it out here as well. Either make it out here or be returned to the sea. She did that on occasion as well.

Jaylani squatted down next to her fire pit and poked around the ashes using a thin stick she kept near for this exact purpose. It had been a couple days since she last built a fire. The weather was warm enough and she had had plenty of fruit to keep her alive. This day she was in the mood for something a little more than the sweet tang of citrus, however. Probably why the idea of eating a piece to keep her stomach from growling at her had not come to her. The mixed blood smoothed out the ashes. If it was necessary or not, she was unsure. It seemed like a good idea though. Having just a pile of old ashes sitting in an uneven heap in the fire pit did not seem like a good idea.

After the ashes were how the half Myrian wished them to be, she stood back up and went to fetch her dried driftwood as well as some dead and dried foliage to use as kindling. These supplies were kept just beside her tent which was several feet away from the fire pit. She had not created the pit too near her tent for fear of it potentially catching on fire. She liked her home best when it was intact. So, tying her flint and steel into the loose edge of her olive colored shirt, Jaylani went back up to the tent to gather what she needed. It did not take long and soon enough she was back beside the fire pit, stacking the wood in circular tent like pattern.

The dried foliage Jaylani had was put in the center of her driftwood pile. She left a bigger gap between two of the wood pieces so that she would be able to light the fire and get her hand out of the way quick enough should it take too quickly. It was not much longer before she was satisfied with how everything was looking. Her wood was all organized, the kindling looking ready for igniting. Everything was moving along nicely. There was no large winds or rain that would keep the fire from lighting. Even the shells along the edge looked very pretty in Syna’s light as it reflected off them. Jaylani gave a content sigh and untied her shirt, grabbing up the flint and steel.

It did not take but two strikes of the flint against steel to get a spark to catch. The male whose name Jaylani preferred not to remember had been sure to teach her just the right way to strike so that she got the desired result within the first couple of times each time. The kindling caught and fire began to burn. A satisfied smile should have taken over the mixed blood’s face then. Only, none did. Instead, a curious and almost frightened look had taken over her face when she saw the fire that burned.

The flames were burning ever color of the rainbow. That had never happened before…

Common | 'Thoughts'

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Fireheart

Postby Jaylani Rae on August 2nd, 2017, 5:12 am


Hunger was forgotten as the mixed blood stared at the fire she had made. Her gaze turned to the flint and steel in her hands before moving back towards the fire. Confusion was written across her expression. What in the… Jaylani grimaced as she tried to figure this out. She had not done anything differently from before with this fire. There was no new special rock she had struck the steel across. There was no new wood being used for the fuel or special plants being used for the kindling. It was just a fire. Created like every other fire the mixed blood had ever built. So why did this one burn with rainbow hues when none of her others ever had?

There was a twinge of fear at the sight of the strange fire. Jaylani did not understand it, she did not know what to make of it. It acted like a normal fire. The wood in the pit was burning just like it was expected to. When she neared it she felt heat and a steady stream of smoke mingled with ash was beginning to rise up from it. Just like a normal fire. So different from a normal fire. The mixed blood did not like it.

Jaylani moved a few feet away from the burning flames and sat down in the sand. Her legs crossed beneath her as her molten gaze fixed itself on those strange flames. She just sat there, watching. It was as if she expected the fire to just jump out of the pit and start walking away. The look on her face was one of distain and bewilderment. Yet, there was a steely and determined look that had settled in her eyes as well. She was going to watch it burn until it ceased to be. No matter how long that took…

~


Bells had passed before Jaylani gave up on believing that this new fire was anything more than what she was used to. The flames had spent the time simply burned, turning to rubble the fuel she had provided it. As time passed she even found the flames to be beautiful. There was something almost.. magical about the way they burned. The mixed blood knew so very little about magic that even the word was hard to find within her mind. Once she had fished it out of the dark corner it dwelled within, however, she realized that was what it had to be. Some sort of magic, divine or otherwise.

Facial features softened when the girl realized this fire was no threat to her. While she was unsure if she trusted it, especially if it had been created by some unknown magic, her hunger had come back raging. Her stomach was adamant and bubbled so often that it could no longer be ignored. The mixed blood rose from her spot and dusted herself off. A weary eye was glanced over towards the fire before she sighed and moved away from it. She may not have trusted it, but it had only acted like a normal fire outside of the color of the flames. It still provided heat and that was all she required of it in the end.

There was food back in the tent. Some fish that Jaylani had bought off one of the others the day before. She had so little talent when it came to hunting that it was truly laughable. Something she had to work on. The mental list of all those things she needed to work on was a mile long at least. She preferred not thinking about it. That was somehow easier. It was only when she ran out of food or went to do something that was outside of her abilities that she realized that she needed to think about it. She needed to work on shortening the list. Yet, like a child, she was much more prone to put such things such as bettering herself off till later.

Jaylani made her way back to her tent slowly. She did not like leaving that strange fire. What if someone saw it? What would the others think? She gnawed on her lower lip, pondering. Her stomach send up another bubble of protest at its state of emptiness and a sigh was released as Jaylani pressed a hand against the flesh of her belly. She felt hollow inside. Like if a strong enough breeze came she would be picked up and simply carried away. It was not a pleasant feeling. In fact, it was nearly painful. More of an ache than downright pain, but it was close enough. She knew she needed to feed herself. Purge the aching pain.

The fish was wrapped up in a worn piece of fabric that had been tucked away in a crate for safe keeping. It was her last piece. She did not like having too much because she was just one person and could not eat that fast. Well, she could, but she did not. Besides, it seemed wasteful to her to end a life for no reason. She actually hated the idea of ending any life, but she was comforted by the idea that this was how things were suppose to be. This was how life was suppose to work. One dies to feed another. Life begins and life ends. It was a cycle created by those with more knowledge and power than the mortal mixed blood.

The fish was plucked carefully from the crate along with Jaylani’s food knife. She took both things back out to the colorful fire. The flames still burned colors in every hue, but at least it burned. Heat was radiating from it. It would cook her food well enough, that at least was for certain. With a sigh, she sat once more in the sand. She was closer to the fire this time. Her stick that she previously used to smooth the ashes of the past fire was picked up from the ground in an exchange that left the fish covered by worn fabric and the cooking knife left on the sand. Jaylani carefully inspected the pointy end of her stick, made sure it was sharp and not splintering. It was just as she had left it before. Good enough.

After uncovering the fish, Jaylani picked it up with her dirty hands. She carefully opened it’s still mouth before forcing the pointy end of the stick through it. The woman was not much of a cook. She did not know about opening the meat up and splitting the muscle from the bones. She knew that the scales were not to be eaten, but did not know that she could remove them before cooking the fish. All that she did was trial and error. That was why the majority of what she ate was charred and severely under seasoned. She much preferred fruit really. No chance really of messy that up.

The stick was dangled over the fire and Jaylani spun it slowly, just waiting for the fish to look done enough for her to safely consume.

Common | 'Thoughts'

Word CountPost Total: 1,184
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Ledger-1GM for fresh fish (consumed. half pound.)
- 5CM for Crate


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Fireheart

Postby Jaylani Rae on August 10th, 2017, 3:36 am


The skin of the fish was beginning to turn black as the light of the fire began to began to dim. The thing really was becoming quite charred. It was roughly at the same color of the unlit embers at the bottom of the pit. That strange dusty grey color with spots of black. The fire itself had become more of a mess of embers now rather than a bowl of flames. The embers even burned those strange colors. Some were blue, some green with violet, others orange. The mixed blood found this phenomenon so very strange to the point that it was scary and yet she was completely enthralled. Somehow the weariness she had possessed towards the fire earlier had turned to love. She could only find beauty in those colorful flames now.

The poor, very dead, and overcooked fish was finally drawn out of the fire. Jaylani stuck the end of the stick that she had been holding into the ground just in front of her. Shifting so that she was on her knees, the mixed blood straddled the fish. Her knees dug into the sand and her calves became practically coated in the teeny tiny rock pieces. It was a good thing she did not mind the sand or the creepy crawlies that could sometimes be found within it. Sure she did not find the sensation of itching at her skin constantly to be very pleasant, but it seemed to come with the territory. It did until she found something she could do about it anyway.

An unexperienced hand grabbed the eating knife that had been left in the sand. Fingertips slowly, carefully, brushed the blade clean before the tip of it was dug into the side of the fish. One hand held the top side of the fish to hold it steady while the other side controlled the knife being dug into the dead creatures belly. Jaylani struggled to make her cuts clean and instead got big, uneven, chunks of fish out of her very charred food. She realized quickly that she had let it cook for far too long, but it did not matter now. It would be a waste of life and of money to not eat the thing now. Charred or not. So the blade was dug into the fish until the half Myrian was sure she had gotten all she could from it.

Jaylani was left with a fish that had been broken open in half. The outer layer of skin had mostly fallen away from the roughness with which she had handled butchering the thing. Flakes of black fish skin littered the sand in front of the girl. As did chunks of bone and inedible pieces of the fish such as the head and the tail. The muscly part of the fish that she held in her hands was a weird grayish color. Nothing that looked right or edible, but Jaylani did not care. It was food and her stomach was continuing to bubble with hunger. She wanted to eat and at this point, anything would do. If she had been better with words the girl would have thanked the fish for giving its life and Caiyha for looking over that life until it had passed, but the girl was not very good with words. Instead she just let her heart be full of her thanks as she took a moment of silence before digging into.

The meat of the fish was very chewy. It was far past the point of being flaky, soft, and tasteful. If she had been a more refined person than she would not have put up with the flavorless, tough fish. Like she was not a woman of words, she was also not a woman of refinement. Some might have thought her like an animal in many respects. Another thing she did not care much about. A girl had to eat in order to survive and while she loved fruit, her not so great caretaker had at least taught her she needed to give her body more than just that to survive. So she just chewed and chewed until the fish was soft enough to swallow. Then more bites were taken and the process repeated.

Because of the constancy of the fish meat and the occasional bone the girl found within it, it took Jaylani a long while to eat all that she had. By the time she was done her fire had been decreased to ashes. Even the embers had for the most part burnt out. To make sure those that remained did not relight, Jaylani poured handfuls of sand into the pit. Those embers that remained were buried and the girl was standing to go on her way. Her belly was full so now it was time to get on with the day.

The stick with the one sharp point was put back in its usual place beside the fire pit. Close so that the mixed blood knew where it was, but far enough from the fire that it was unlikely to catch should the thing somehow relight without her present. The big chucks of fish were collected and placed within the folds of the worn fabric before Jaylani set about burying the other evidence of the charred fish in the sand. It was easy enough to bury the flakes of charred fish skin in the sand. The pieces just fell apart because of how burnt they were. Jaylani picked up the edges of the worn fabric and gathered them all together so that a makeshift bag was formed. She began walking towards the water after that.

Jaylani walked rather slow, savoring the feeling of sand in-between her toes and the feeling of Syna’s light on her skin. She was in no rush to get anything done this day. The water’s edge was not very far away, however, and she soon reached it. Though this was no disappointment for the mixed blood loved the water. She walked past the shoreline and waded into the shallow part of the sea. Gentle waves washed past her shins and soaked her pants as she got deep enough for the water to be past her knees. She stopped there and did not dare go any deeper because, despite her love for the water, she had never learned how to properly swim. Another thing for that mile long list.

The makeshift bag of fish parts was opened and the pieces released back into the ocean. Something would surely eat what was edible and the bones were returned to their home to become one with the sea again. Jaylani washed the piece of clothe clean in the salt water before she balled it up in her fist and put it in her pocket. The mixed blood sighed contently before letting her molten gaze just look out over the sea and take in all that it was for a long moment in time. She was content here. Happy even. A life could be built here and she was determined to make sure she did just that. This was one thing she would not fail in or put off.

Common | 'Thoughts'

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Fireheart

Postby Jaylani Rae on August 11th, 2017, 1:57 am


There were so many things that the mixed blood could have done with her day. Should have done with her day. There were things that she had even wanted to do with her day. Like find someone who knew about how to take care of plants so that hers would not wither away and dry before really having a chance at life. She also needed to do things like practice her skills, starting building a more permanent home for herself, and replenish her food stock. Yet, the mixed blood did none of that with the rest of her day. Instead she foolishly spent her time playing in the sand and splashing in the ocean.

There was something about the settlement that inspired loosing oneself in the pleasantness of it all. Sure, the jungle was dangerous and living on a beach that was in the process of slowly being built up by the few inhabitants that lived on it meant that there was endless things that could be done, but it was so much more fun to just play in the ocean and walk the beach. Jaylani found it to be a wonder that anyone got anything done around here. Though, others were not likely so easily coaxed into idleness as she was. Add that to the list of self improvements she needed to work on.

It was evening when Jaylani returned to her tent. Her hair and clothes were still damp from the water and her skin tasted like salt. Her bronze cheeks were tinged with a little red from the amount of sun she had gotten, but she did not care. By morning all the red would be gone and just the hazel tone of her skin would remain. Maybe be a little darker, but that was never a bad thing. Fingers got caught in the tangled mess of her wavy curls that had been matted together by the wind and water. The mixed blood was not one who cared about looks, but she did grab her brush and began to pull it through those matted strands of hair with a force that would make anyone who cared about their hair cringe.

Jaylani was going to rip all her hair out of her head if she kept using that much force with the brush, but she at least got the majority of the knots out. Not that it matter. Her hair would likely be in a tangled mess once again in no time at all. The brush was discarded to the floor of her tent where it was surrounded by all the sand she had trailed in with her after her day at the beach. The half Myrian did frown when she saw that mess. While she lived in mostly chaos, she did not like for there to be a lot of sand in her home. It made things messier than she liked. Turned her chaos into being just plain messy.

The girl got down on her hands and knees and began to brush the sand out using her hands. She did not have a proper broom or mop or anything, so her hands were it. The floor was brushed mostly clean, the sand returned to the beach right outside her door. Of course some particles remained and her clothes were still covered in sand, but she did her best. It was good enough that she did not think her living space looked messy anymore.

When Jaylani stood up again she noticed the pale orange light that had been cast out over the inside of her home. Her eyebrow quirked as she opened up the flap that acted as the door to her tent. She smiled softly when she saw the sky. Syna was setting and the colors she cast over the sky were beautiful. Pinks, oranges, reds, even a little lilac. So beautiful. Jaylani grabbed her waterskin and headed back out onto the beach so that she could watch the rest of Syna’s descent. The half blood found that the best spot to watch was between where her tent was set up and where her fire pit had been dug.

She sat with legs crossed and elbows pressed against her knees. The waterskin was held in her hands suspended off the ground. Jaylani’s molten gaze watched that sunset. She watched those pretty colors as they streaked across the sky. She watched the ocean that just complimented the soft colored hues of the sun with its blue and white colors. How lucky she was to live in such a beautiful place. The ocean just outside her front door and the jungle just behind her, ripe and ready for exploring. Soon, she promised herself. She would begin exploring those tropical woods soon.

It was roughly half a bell before the Syna had fully set and Leth’s light was the only light left in the sky. Well, Leth and the stars that sparkled alongside him. Jaylani got up from her spot and stood once more. Hands pressed into her lower back as she bent backwards, stretching herself out. A satisfying popping sound could be heard in her back as she shifted from side to side, working out all the kinks. The mixed blood did the same with her neck by moving her head slowly from side to side. Fingers were next. She found that gently applying pressure to each of her knuckles and then shaking her hands out loosened her joints so that she could “pop” them by pulling on the lowest section of each finger more easily. Most of the finger joints popped, but she always had trouble with the thumbs and pinky fingers. Those never seemed to want to cooperate with her. She tried anyway. Tried and failed before she just shook feeling back into her hands and gave up.

Jaylani had rolled her shoulders and curled her toes before she was finally satisfied. Her waterskin was lifted to her lips and the refreshing water swallowed down. Her hand came up and wiped away the excess from her upper lip. Swishing the water at the bottom of the waterskin told her that she needed to stock up on some more. That would be done first thing in the morning. The waterskin was fastened shut for the time being and the strap looped around her shoulder so that the waterskin itself rested at her hip. Jaylani cast one last look at her surroundings, memorizing where everything was so that she might be able to tell when morning came if anything had changed.

Everything looked peaceful, calm. Just as it should be. A happy light fell over Jaylani’s features as she turned and made her way back to her tent. All was normal there as well. The plants were still struggling in their pots beside the tent, the pile of wood still stacked hap-hazardly ready to be used for the fire, and the tent itself was still full of all her things strewn in chaotic piles. Looked good to her. The mixed blood put her waterskin with her other food stuffs and climbed into bed still fully clothed. As her head rested against the bedroll, eyes closed and breaths became even. Jaylani quickly fell asleep with the sound of waves lulling her into darkness.

Common | 'Thoughts'

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Fireheart

Postby Jaylani Rae on August 12th, 2017, 6:36 am


The darkness was not like a true darkness. Instead of the icy depths of some abyss void of all light, it had a dark green sort of velvet feel to it. It smelt like pine and snow. Tasted like mango and too much salt. It did not go together, but was instead like chaos. Chaos and smoke. The air was heavy and dragging. Nothing moved with speed through it, but was trapped. It was as if one could run through it forever without ever progressing anywhere. There was a stuffiness to it as well. That weight pressed against the chest and smothered breath, but even those shallow breaths that were taken were filled with thick, near unbreathable, air.

This place was unknown. It was wrapped in mystery and fear. The sounds it made were like a beast in slumber. Just one move threatened to wake that beast. Send it raging at whomever dared disturb it. This place was void of desire, passion, and love. Things that every good place in the world needed. There was just that fear and anger. Things more foreign than not to the woman trapped within their clutches. She was lost here. There were things felt within her in this place that she did not understand. Things she did not know the names of.

Despite the air that surrounded her, the woman took step after step. She did not run away from the darkness, but instead walked towards it. The fear she felt went unacknowledged and she walked with purpose. The darkness split for her. For this one who did not belong. It was like the darkness was scared of her. Like it knew she would be its destruction and because it did not wish to die, it was willing to release this one. As her body moved through it, the feeling of heaviness was released. The air cleared and the chaos broke. Things slowly began to make sense again. They did, that is, until the woman reached the end of that darkness.

A mirror stood before her. Ivy had grown to cover it, but through the holes between the vines the reflection could be seen. Hands reached out and pulled at the plants. The hands that were normally caring, nurturing towards all living things, were instead desperate and needy. The vines were ripped and discarded. They fell to the ground below her and the mirror was revealed. Disappointment was all that followed.

She was fairly tall and decently pretty. Her skin was hazel toned and gilded, her eyes like molten caramel, her hair curly and tangled. The beauty of an Eypharian, but in those eyes was the fierceness of a Myrian. Not that she knew this. The woman was completely clueless about her heritage. Her life had been like the chaos of the darkness. Passed from hand to hand. Never really cared for or taught properly. Some might have been her own fault, but not all of it had been. Those charged with her life had not properly cared for it and now she had to make something of the hand she had been dealt.

Jaylani knew the woman in the mirror. She was that woman. Her fingertips reached out and brushed along the outline of the woman in the reflection before her, those eyes watching as the reflection mimicked her. One more knowing might have been afraid or confused. At least wondered what it meant and want to know what was coming next. The mixed blood was just entranced, curious. The mirror fascinated her. Her own reflection fascinated her.

“What do you see?” The voice that spoke was vaguely familiar, female.

Jaylani’s head tilted slightly, her gaze never leaving the mirror. Another had joined her own reflection. One she had not seen since the days of her childhood. Malla. Her first caretaker. The one who had left her through death. Who had been meaning to leave her anyway before that. Not that the mixed blood knew that. She had just been a child excited about entering a new city then.

“Me,” Jaylani’s voice answered simply, “you.”

The reflection of Malla nodded before moving closer. A finger reached out and pointed to an empty piece of the mirror.

“And there?” the dead caretaker asked.

The molten gaze narrowed and searched, but there was nothing. Just empty space void of anything but that dark green colored darkness. Shoulders rose and came down in a shrug. A smile meant for beasts curled on Malla’s lips as she shook her head.

“Look again Lani. The way out of here is to find the light.”

Curiosity filled the nature lover and she looked again. If her eyes could have narrowed more, they did. She searched the mirror for the light, but no light could be found. There was nothing. Nothing but darkness. Frustration set in.

“Malla.. Nothing. There nothing,” Jaylani protested.

When she looked towards her past caretaker, however, the mixed blood did not find her. The woman had gone. Disappeared like she had in the land of the awake many years ago. A troubled look marred the features of the pretty half blood. She looked back towards her mirror. All she saw there was herself and then all that darkness. Darkness that threatened to come and snuff out all possibility for light. The same darkness that was beginning to fall over her own reflection.

Panic rose. Fear tugged at a heart so unused to bending to it. Hands pounded against the mirror and a voice asked to be let go. Begged for the light to come and release to follow. Nothing came for the longest of times. It was when the darkness had nearly filled in every inch of the mirror and the wild woman had given up when the light came. It came in the form of fire. A fire that burned like a rainbow of a thousand colors. It had just been a thought that brought it. The wish for the flint and steel to make fire. A wish for the fire itself. It had come. Wish granted.


~


Jaylani sat up from her bed in the early light of Syna. Her breaths came in ragged gasps and her clothes felt like a trap her body had been tangled up in. It took her several ticks to calm herself and find that it had just been a dream. There was no need for fear. There was no need to think of it ever again. Not one to dwell, she decided that would be the end of it and got up. Feet carried her through the entrance of her tent and outside into the morning light. A wood piece was picked up from the pile she kept by the tent and she headed down towards her pit.

The flames came unexpected and unwanted. She had just been thinking of the fire she was going to build. How she wondered if it would be one like the day before or like the ones she was used to. She planned what she would do with it. What meal she would cook for herself now that she was out of any type of meat. She thought about how the fire had just come in the dream. That had been a dream though. This was not a dream. At least, the mixed blood had been certain of this being the waking world before. That was, before the piece of wood that had been held in her hand started to burn the moment she put it in the pit with some loose bits of kindling and thought of how she wanted it to become a fire.

Jaylani scrambled back and away from her fire. Her gaze was wild and frightened as she watched those flames of so many colors burn. How in the gods planet did fire just spring up from wishes? How had something that happened in a dream turn into something possible in the real world?

Common | 'Thoughts' | Dream

Word CountPost Total: 1,325
Overall Total: 14,581/50,000


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Jaylani Rae
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Posts: 68
Words: 119464
Joined roleplay: June 30th, 2017, 2:54 am
Race: Mixed blood
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Fireheart

Postby Madeira Dusk on September 18th, 2017, 10:57 pm

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Jaylani Rey

Skills
  • Foraging: 1XP
  • Botany: 1XP
  • Gardening: 1XP
  • Wilderness Survival: 2XP
  • Observation: 5XP
  • Philosophy: 1XP
  • Cooking: 2XP
  • Butchering: 1XP
  • Cleaning: 1XP
  • Organization: 1XP

Lores
  • Wilderness Survival: an ashy fire pit is a fire hazard
  • Lore of the strange rainbow fire
  • Lore of the cycle of life and death
  • Cooking: preparing fire-roasted fish
  • Lore of surprise firestarting!

Awards & Retribution
+ Orange seashell

Notes
This girl's got that blinding bright optimism that makes me want to both bask in that glorious radiance and punch her in the face. I love it.

I really feel like you were hitting your stride with this new character. This was a nice little intro to Jay and all that she is, and how she sees Syka and the world. You're a talented writer, to be sure. I cant wait to see what Jay is going to get up to.

I like to write some constructive criticisms here, so clench and quietly seeth while I look for something to pick apart. :p

Being half blooded is a big part of her concept and her character, but I think you might be referencing it too strongly. You call her 'the half blood' or 'the half Myrian' quite a bit. And while that's a good core concept and seems to be how she sees herself, it gets a little repetative. Maybe try spacing them out with other defining features, like her gender, hair color, or something else notable, for variety.

And as a future note: shorten your posts! We grade by post, so if you chopped your longer posts into smaller pieces, you have a chance to get more sweet, sweet XP loot.

So there we go. Congrats on your first grade! There will be more loot to come as I power through the Syka grades. Contact me if ya' got questions. :D
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Madeira Dusk
long may she reign
 
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