[Flashback] A Question of Ethics (Poison)

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A surreal cavern city inhabited by Symenestra where stones glow and streets are reams of silk. Cocoon like structures hang between stalactites and cascade over limestone flows in organic and eerie arabesques. Without a Symenestra willing to escort you, entrance is impossible.

[Flashback] A Question of Ethics (Poison)

Postby Alvena Celandine on May 24th, 2011, 8:40 pm

86th of Winter, 510 AV

Energy drained, Alvina tread lightly on the thin ledge leading to the Blue Grotto, in search of a moment of peace. The young huntress had spent the entire day looking for game, an effort that ended up proving unfruitful. Even though winter was near its end, she along with most of the hunters in Kalinor were finding their jobs increasingly difficult. Somewhat disappointed from today's results, she found comfort in the fact that Spring was soon to come, and that the harsh winter would soon be over.

Hopping down on precarious stone steps closer to the luminescent lake, she finally sat down on a ledge, letting her feet hang loosely above the pools. Her toes were about a foot away from the water as Alvina stared down into the depths of it, her dilated pupils seemingly looking straight through the bottom.

With the soothing sound of the water rhythmically moving against the rocky surface, the woman found herself in an almost meditative state, lost in thought. The Blue Grotto was one of the more beautiful places in Kalinor, and Alvina couldn't help but wonder about the very definition of beauty. Other cultures and races surely had a different perspective on what they found beautiful; could it be that this dark cave was only admirable through the eyes of a Symenestra? She smiled to herself as she imagined seeing another city or region, how positively different it could be from anything she had ever seen. Closing her eyes, she allowed herself to go into a bit of a daydream, remembering bits and pieces of what she had heard from conversing with various foreigners.
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[Flashback] A Question of Ethics (Poison)

Postby Poison on May 25th, 2011, 8:42 am

The Blue Grotto was truly one of the more beautiful places in Kalinor – and at the moment it was one of the more peaceful ones as well. Sometimes it was filled with the sounds of Symenestra swimming, laughing and generally having a good time. Sometimes people came here to practice, and sometimes lovers retreated to the grotto so that they could spend some time alone, away from their Web, but this time it was quiet, a perfect little sanctuary where Alvina could forget the disappointing results of her hunt and immerse herself in her daydreams. Nothing disturbed her thoughts. Nobody intruded on her. There was only the sound of the water lapping against the edge of the pool, a quiet, comforting sound that added to the atmosphere of the grotto and was in no way distracting.

It was quiet, and it was dark – or at least it would have been dark to the eyes of an outsider. The ledge that provided the only entrance into the cavern was high above ground, and there were no real sources of light, but to Alvina it would be as if it were day, and she were on the surface where a bright orb of light burned in the sky. The cavern was dominated by the blue of the water below Alvina, but there were other colors as well, white and black and several shades in between, stalactites that hung from the ceiling high above her or grew on the ground around her, like a bizarre forest made of stone. Together with the soft sounds of the water they created something almost magical.

Seconds turned into minutes as she sat there, a foot above the water, and still there was only peace, as if time stood still, as if Mizahar had decided to hold its breath for a moment.

The sound would only gradually reach her ears, soft, quiet, like everything around her – and yet strangely out of place, the sound of something moving against the rocks, across the rocks. If she turned her head, if she looked up, she would notice a figure, there, at the entrance to the grotto. Somebody was coming, trying to climb down to where she was, but they were clumsier than she had been and often hesitated.

And then there was a second sound, no more than a whisper, coming from even further away, from somewhere in the cavern above, from the path that lead back to the city proper. There were people talking, but they were so far away that Alvina wouldn’t be able to make out what they were talking about, no matter how hard she tried.

And then the voices stopped, and the only sounds were once more the lapping of the water against the edge of the pool and the clumsy attempts of the lone figure to try and reach the bottom of the cavern and the pool.
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[Flashback] A Question of Ethics (Poison)

Postby Alvena Celandine on May 25th, 2011, 8:55 pm

People who actually were experienced in the art of meditation would have been able to ignore the subtle change in noise, but Alvina's eyes flew wide open as soon as she heard sounds that weren't being produced by the cave's natural means. She noiselessly stood up from her seat, not bothering to look around but instead extend her hearing senses as well as she could. The sound of loud footsteps, coupled with whispering voices, though she couldn't make out what they were saying. It was most likely just a group of friends or something, looking for a place to loosen up just as she had.

This was her conclusion up until the point where she looked up to see the descending figure. A rather peculiar sight; Even with her vision, she couldn't see much more than an awkward silhouette, stumbling down as though it didn't have the Symenestra flexibility her race possessed.

Her gaze slowly turned into a intrigued stare as she wondered who the stranger might be. Every time it took a step, she feared the figure might just topple over and fall head first into the shallow lake below. "Do you need a hand?" She called out, increasingly worried that something was out of place in the person's movement.
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[Flashback] A Question of Ethics (Poison)

Postby Poison on May 27th, 2011, 7:59 pm

As Alvina called out the figure stopped abruptly. Even from the distance Alvina could tell that it was surprised by the sound of her voice, as if it hadn’t expected anybody to be there, at the bottom of the grotto. „No, I don’t need any help! I’ll ... I’ll manage ...“ the figure called back after a moment of hesitation, but from the tone of her voice – now that she had spoken, it was obvious that it was a woman – Alvina could tell that she wasn’t sure at all. Her voice trembled, and she seemed to be incredibly nervous. In fact her nervousness was almost tangible.

The stranger had answered Alvina’s question in flawless Symenos – she spoke it just like a Symenestra that had been born in Kalinor – but something was a little off about her nevertheless. A Symenestra shouldn’t have such problems reaching the bottom of the grotto. Symenestra had a natural talent for climbing. They could scale most surfaces with ease due to their claws and the microscopic hooks that they extended from their skin. The Blue Grotto shouldn’t pose much of a challenge to a Symenestra.

But as Alvina had already observed, the stranger didn’t seem to possess the flexibility of a Symenestra ...

The woman continued her slow, almost painfully clumsy attempts to climb downwards, towards the bottom of the grotto for a few more seconds, and then she let out a piercing scream. For a moment, for the fraction of a second it seemed as if she would indeed just topple over and fall head first into the lake (likely drowning or at least hurting herself in the process), but then she caught herself just in time.

She stopped again, as if reconsidering her next actions and Alvina’s offer, and then she called out to Alvina, „Could you help me get down after all? They are in the tunnels above, and I’m really not particularly keen on meeting them right now! The Blue Grotto seemed like the closest place. I’m an idiot for even attempting this, am I not?“

A nervous laughter echoed through the grotto, and then the woman fell silent, as if she had just realized that her voice would attract the attention of those that she was trying to get away from more than anything else – if the scream hadn’t already alerted them of the fact that there was somebody here besides them.
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[Flashback] A Question of Ethics (Poison)

Postby Alvena Celandine on May 27th, 2011, 8:37 pm

Subconsciously, Alvina started walking closer to the woman, even though she claimed she didn't require support. Unsure of what to say, she kept her eyes focused, this occurrence seeming more out of place the more she thought of it. Upon hearing the woman scream, she dismissed her investigative thoughts and immediately broke out into a sprint to reach her, even though she wouldn't get to her in time. Fearing the worst, she was halfway to her when the woman luckily caught herself.

Her fast-beating heart was aching for a sigh of relief, but Alvina didn't dare take a pause before she got up to where the woman was standing just as she confessed to needing the help that she would have given her anyway. "Gods, are you okay? What's going on?" She asked, her face equally as panic-stricken as the woman, but more in concern for her health than whatever it was she seemed to be running away from.

Alvina wrapped her elongated fingers around the woman's forearms, ready to catch her lest she lost her balance once more. She wasn't too confident about her heavy-lifting capabilities, but she was determined not to let go until they reached a flatter surface.

Disturbed by the woman's words, she glanced back at the entrance of the cave. There was no sign of anyone else coming inside, but the distant whispers that had been nagging at her since earlier remained at a constant, if not somewhat louder than earlier. They're not louder, I'm just being paranoid, she thought, trying to convince herself that the foreboding sensation she had felt since the unusual disturbance was only her imagination.
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[Flashback] A Question of Ethics (Poison)

Postby Poison on May 30th, 2011, 10:22 am

The woman waited on the ledge near the entrance to the grotto while Alvena climbed up to where she was. She had come to the decision that any further movement would only make her situation worse, and thus she sat completely still and simply looked down at the Symenestra. As Alvena had almost reached her, she retreated a little towards the cave wall to make room to her. Alvena could see that she was trembling a little. But then anybody would be trembling after almost losing balance and falling head first into a lake.

Now that she was directly in front of her, Alvena could see that the woman wasn’t simply somebody that didn’t possess the flexibility of a Symenestra, she was a half blood, something that was worse than a pure human in the opinion of a lot of Symenestra. She had the fine white hair of a Symenestra and bright red eyes. Her skin was just as pale as Alvena’s, and her fingers ended in black nails as well, but next to the slender, graceful Symenestra she looked awkward and bulky. Even the silken clothes that she wore couldn’t hide her tainted blood. She appeared to be in her early to mid-twenties.

„I ... I’m okay ...“ the woman stammered, aware that seeing what she was might change Alvena’s attitude towards her and make her refuse her help after all. It was usually like that. Once people noticed that you were something other than a pureblood Symenestra, they treated you like a piece of worthless dirt. „Please, I don’t want to cause you trouble, but don’t tell them that I’m here! Please, just help me get down into the grotto. I’ll tell you what’s going on when we are there!“

Meanwhile the whispers were audible again in the distance.
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[Flashback] A Question of Ethics (Poison)

Postby Alvena Celandine on May 31st, 2011, 5:16 pm

It was when Alvena reached out to grab her that she understood the source of her perpetual confusion. Wide-eyed at her discovery, her thoughts were in shambles, though she did not forget the task at hand, and kept a firm grasp on the stranger. Never having met a half-blood, for a few moments her mind worked hastily to recollect memories involving the matter. From her experience, it was a touchy subject, and most all of her peers had amassed a certain amount of prejudice against them. One of the priests in particular was quite racist in this sense; he believed that half-blood Symenestrans were crimes in themselves, stains of society that didn't even merit sacrifice. Alvena herself agreed with necessity of preserving the pure blood race, but refused to generalize and slander an entire cast.

Now isn't the moment for discussing morals, She thought to herself, realizing that she had stopped moving and was staring straight at the woman, who seemed to be trembling more violently than before. Biting her lip, she finally answered the pleading woman with a firm tone, "You've nothing to worry about, miss. Listen to what I tell you and you'll get by." If she was going to help the woman, she made up her mind to put her full attention to it.

She jumped down to the ledge below, right in front of her, and extended her arms. "You have to jump to get to where I am, but after this the terrain is relatively flat," She said, looking straight into the woman's eyes to gain her confidence, "I'll catch you if you slip." She spoke boldly, hoping that it wasn't showing in her expression that she was in fact fearful that her weak body would give out if she caught the woman falling too far or jumping too little.
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[Flashback] A Question of Ethics (Poison)

Postby Poison on June 5th, 2011, 6:23 am


As Alvena assured her that she had nothing to worry about and made it obvious that she would help her, the halfblood breathed a sigh of relief and nodded. It seemed as if she had been lucky and encountered a Symenestra that didn’t mind her tainted blood as much and wouldn’t betray her to the people she was trying to get away from.

„I swear. I’ll do exactly what you say“, she told the Symenestra. With that she approached the edge of the ledge and watched as Alvena jumped, looking a little uneasy. She wondered if she would be able to jump down there as well. She should really have picked a different hiding place! She had been in Kalinor long enough to know that she couldn’t climb as well as a fullblooded Symenestra, no matter how hard she tried. Why had she been such a petching idiot?

She stepped back from the edge of the ledge again and thoughtfully looked into the opposite direction, as if she had just changed her mind and decided that she would much rather face the unpleasant people in the tunnels above, even if she would get hurt in the process. But then she shook her head, took a deep breath and advanced again. One moment passed, then another one. She hesitated a bit, and then she jumped.

She landed a bit clumsily and rather loudly, but she had at least managed to land in the right place, hadn’t slipped and was still in one piece. She hadn’t required Alvena’s help, at least for the time being. „Ooof“, she made and breathed another sigh of relief. „That wasn’t so bad“, she decided, surprised by her own courage. She cast a glance at the ledge from which she had just jumped, and then she turned to Alvena.

„Thank you. I doubt that I would have dared to do this on my own. Now let’s just get to the lake.“
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[Flashback] A Question of Ethics (Poison)

Postby Alvena Celandine on June 5th, 2011, 1:46 pm

Alvena's heart rate escalated the moment she took the jump, stepping forward in anticipation. Just before she reached out to grab her, the woman managed to regain balance herself, wavering only slightly. It felt unnatural to see something move in such an awkward manner, as she was accustomed to only seeing a few foreign races every once in a while. Never had she seen an outsider struggle with moving around, and if it was this hard to navigate for a half-blood, it was no wonder Kalinor wasn't a very attractive place to visit.

Finally able to smile as she looked at the woman, she turned around to lead her down to the lake. The bottom of the grotto was layered in platforms, quite easy to walk, even for a non-Symenestra. As she walked further downwards, she took her eyes off the passage to ask her, "My name is Alvena Celandine, by the way. Can I ask for yours?" Just as she finished her sentence she stopped short, right at the edge of the rocky terrain. They were Just a few feet below were the lakes, giving off a beautiful iridescent light. Unless the woman wanted to climb down to the shore, this was about the lowest point of the cave. The water moved ever so slightly, undisturbed by the previous commotion. If it wasn't for her companion's loud footsteps, she could have sworn that the stressing events she had experienced minutes earlier had never taken place.
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[Flashback] A Question of Ethics (Poison)

Postby Poison on June 9th, 2011, 6:52 am

Fortunately the rest of the path down to the lake was quite easy to walk, even for a clumsy halfblood. The woman didn’t stumble and almost fall again, but seemed to have regained some of her confidence instead, even if she was still occasionally looking behind herself. As they reached the lowest point of the cave, she stopped for a moment to catch her breath and take in the scene in front of her. The sound of the water lapping against the edge of the pool seemed to calm her down somewhat.

„You know ...“, she murmurred, not really caring if Alvena was interested. She was more talking to herself. „I’ve rarely ever been down here. My siblings rarely took me with them. I was always a burden for them, something to be ashamed of ...“ She broke off abruptly and shuddered, as if she had heard something. Her eyes were wide as she turned to face Alvena again.

„I’m Ina“, she introduced herself. „Dra-Ina to be exact.“ There was a hint of bitterness in her voice, but it disappeared again quickly as she reminded herself that she was facing a fullblooded Symenestra, one that held her fate in her hands. She lowered her head in a humble gesture, and then she leaned a little closer to Alvena and whispered, „They are conducting a ritual up there. I don’t want to get in their way when they are in such a mood.“

She put a particular emphasis on the word such, as if suggesting that it was something really bad and unpleasant, something potentially violent.
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