[Temple of Nikali] Fresh Meat [Darren]

[Tabarnac]

Siwa had suffered pain before, but gritting her teeth through this experience was proving taxing upon her will. She had learned to open herself to experiences that were uncomfortable, but she could not pass every test every time. In part this was due to the necessity of staying alert and critical throughout this process since the Vantha wanted a job, but also because she knew that he might cause actual damage with his fumbling. She had met Vantha before, but wasn't used to such condescension, nor lack of bedside manner in body workers. Though she wanted to close her eyes when he bodily flipped her over, she looked him in the eye. "I read," she offered, having been mute up until then. He appeared to be so caught up in his experience that he wasn't taking any cues from his client. This could be a serious problem if he wanted to be a professional. Then in her little voice, "This is your audition. Do what you will."

[Darren]

Darren looked to find a lack of ease in the answer, a small warning being sounded off in his head. "Oh... sorry" he muttered, slightly abashed as he realized what he just said. Ugh, how foolish... he mentally chided as he finished up her lower legs. He opted to stay silent through the last of the massage after he answered back one last time. "Yea... I forgot. I should really make sure you enjoy this little session of ours at the very least" he realized as he took a few paces to the side of the table. Directly over her he quietly finished the massage as he tried to look professional. At least he tried to look professional. Trying to mimic the mannerisms his father had, asking the usual questions that he normally would hear. "Is this fine? It looks like you've been having an abundance of stresse lately... " he mimicked in a unfamiliar, detached voice. His acting wasn't only limited to his speak as he quietly examined Siwa's head. First let's go over the neck again and then finally the head he thought as he took Siwa's arms. Practicing an old trick his father does he ran his hands down her arm. After doing both arms, he moved on to her neck. Alright that should loosen up the shoulder, then the shoulders to the head... he thought as he moved up. "Lean over a little, I need to get to the back of your head" he requested. Putting a finger to her spine, he took a quick look over at her muscles, grimacing at the earlier work he has done. With nothing contructive to say he sighed deeply as he moved to finish the rest of the session. There wasn't much resistance as he slowly made his usual kneading and compressions. Making a light session out of it as he briskly moved to her head. Running his fingers down the back of her head he sorted out her haid as he ran his hand up and down her scalp. He sighed quietly as he droned on silently to his usual humming. Now do the same horizontally he thought as he put his hand slightly above her ear as she slowly moved the two to the top of her head. Running the motion two more times down her head, trying to run along the contours of her skull. All that was left was her forehead and it was only comprised of two movements. The simple circling of his fingers on her temple, which tried to loosen up the trapped nerves stuck in the area. Then Darren kneaded her forehead and nose simultaneously, starting on the end of one area, closing his fingers together as he neared the frame of her nose before opening up to accommodate her nostrils and doing the same vice-versa with her forehead. Wiping his hand on his shift after the set he approached Siwa from the side as she helped her off the table. "How was that? Hope it wasn't too bad" he said slightly ashamed as he gave a nervous smile.

[Tabarnac]

After suffering through his inexpert pawing, she sat up, the towel held demurely over her fair body. Eyes tinged with unshed tears, she gathered herself before slipping off the table to reclaim her dress and slip back into it without revealing undue skin. Even faint marks showed up livid on her limbs, though, and she would likely bear bruises by morning and was lucky the elbow to her spine hadn't impeded her ability to walk. "May I have your name, good master?" she asked, sounding weary. "I will confer with Master Justus and he will contact you regarding employment."

[Darren]

"It's Darren" he replied back, a bit surprised. I did all that to her and she didn't even know my name he finally realized as he looked at Siwa. "So how'd did I do?" he asked anxiously. True he might have a bit more force then necessary but it was better to put a little more into things then not do enough right? Darren shurged mentally as he slowly thought of what she just said earlier. "Should I come back here tomorrow and seek him out or will he send someone to me in the morning? "

[Tabarnac]

Siwa stared at him for a moment, shocked out of her good manners. Not only did he seem to lack empathy for his clientele, but he outright didn't listen to them. She closed her mouth with a little hidden click of teeth when she realized it had fallen open with surprise. Her eyes hit the floor, a faint pink bepainting her cheeks. "Forgive me," she murmured. "You did say your name." She was, it seemed, a bit frazzled by the whole ham-handed experience. So she repeated herself as they had been having issues with communication since he walked in the door. "I will confer with Master Justus and he will contact you regarding employment."

[Darren]

"Ah alright" The Vantha watched with uncertainty as Siwa gained her bearings. It looked as if he walloped her over the back of the head. Maybe he did, Darren wasn't too sure about the massage in question. "You go do that" With that he excused himself and thanked Siwa for the opportunity. "See you later"

[Tabarnac]

XP Award! Darren XP Award: Interrogation +2; Storytelling +2; Torture +5 Additional Notes: Darren doesn’t seem to have a very good bedside manner, not paying attention to the pain his is causing his clients, nor does he seem to have a grasp on basic safety. One should never put direct pressure on the spine, especially with the elbow. This could cause a lot of damage. Granted, he is a Novice, but he isn’t going to get work as a masseuse in Denval. You might seek an apprenticeship with Cian Noc at the Opal Clinic by contacting Caelum, or seeking one from one of the adepts of the Temple. Training would require some research on your part, which should help play Darren with proper understanding and skills. Baku is actually in training to be licensed as a massage therapist, so you might ask him about resources. Feel free to PM me if you have any questions or concerns. Keep writing!