[Flashback] Sorrow Sewn in Silk (Poison)

[Venidus Larkspur]

Summer 13, 504 AV Venidus Larkspur deftly navigated the ropes that connected the cocoon-like buildings. The shifts in lighting weren’t an issue for the Symenestra’s perfectly adapted eyes, and the treacherous web of silk that linked the city posed even less of a challenge. Venidus had been on one of his daily walks, but now he hastily made his way back to the family. A nap induced by an uncharacteristically warm day had extended the short trip into a large portion of his day. Greetings and familiar faces were ignored or given only a moment of recognition as the young Symenestra sped towards home. After a few minutes of scaling and sliding down silk rope after silk rope, he reached his destination. Without a moment of hesitation, he burst through the door and into his room. The scene that unfolded before him was truly spectacular. A whirlwind of silk and skin spun violently around the room. This corruption of aerial dancing replaced the grace, elegance, and darkness usually associated with the art form with something raw, primal, and disturbing. While the scene would terrify most of his people, Venidus let out a sigh of relief. His haste home was due to a slightly irrational fear that his web would discard his sister. She was, after all, broken goods after overgiving robbed her of all potential and hope. The sight was disturbing indeed, but the relief from her presence overshadowed any unsettled nerves. Venidus made his way across the room to take a glance out the window. “Hey Rassy. I see you’ve found a use for the curtains,” he said calmly. The words sounded mildly antagonistic, but the tone was nothing but loving. Sanairas did not respond. The loving younger brother tried to dodge the long silk streamers that were whipping through the air, but the flurry of cloth continued to brush against his face and dishevel his hair. The view of Kalinor seemed particularly elegant. The glow of opalgloams and the flickering of torches transformed the city into nothing short of miraculous. Nearby Symenestra traveling on the silken ropes moved with arachnid-like grace while those traveling in the distance resembled drops of water rolling down a string. Venidus decided to sit down on one of the room’s lavish silken chairs. While Web Larkspur had fallen from grace, the signs of their once mighty standing littered their home. Sanairas’s dance had become much more refined over the last few minutes and lucidity seemed to be returning to her blank eyes. Venidus shifted uncomfortably in his chair. The back of his mind felt unsettled and he knew what it was. Whenever he was around Sanairas in her compromised state, the feeling grew. At first, Venidus attributed it to his uncomfortable feelings regarding her mental instability, but recently he suspected that his sister’s hypnotic tendrils were digging ruthlessly into his mind. “I’ve been spending some time with surrogates. They are truly magnificent beings, and in many ways not as inferior as our people would like to believe...” This attempt at idle conversation went unexplored, but he could tell his sister was almost back and waited patiently as the stranglehold on his mind loosened. Come on Rassy... Your stronger than your condition... OOCHope this is what you had in mind. Tried to shoot a bit of lore in for good measure!

[Poison]

In Sanairas’ mind the world was filled with enemies. It was a cruel, dangerous world where she constantly had to fight for her life. There wasn’t anybody that she could trust. Sometimes the walls came closer and closer. Sometimes the door turned into a gaping maw with razor sharp teeth that threatened to swallow her whole. Sometimes she couldn’t recognize her own family. And sometimes she thought she recognized them for what they really were: evil beings that kept her prisoner and wanted to kill her. Sometimes the curtains turned into vicious snakes that threatened to wrap themselves around her body and choke her.

What seemed like a bizarre kind of dance to Venidus, was a fight for her life for Sanairas. Those curtains wanted to kill her, to imprison her, to abduct her, drag her away, into another world, and she had to move faster and faster to push them away from her, to keep hem from touching her. Despite her slow descent into madness, there was still a strange kind of grace to the young woman. Her movements, born of despair, were elegant. She was slender, with pale skin and silver hair that surrounded her face lik a halo. Her golden eyes almost seemed to be ablaze as she spun around, faster and faster, until Venidus would get dizzy from just watching her.

And then she suddenly slowed down, and the look in her eyes changed. There was a clarity in them that hadn’t been there before. The curtains weren’t flying through the air like snakes anymore, but slowly fell to the floor, one after the other. Sanairas looked at her surroundings in surprise, as if she were seeing the world for the first time, as if she had returned home after a long stay in another world, a kind of imprisonment. She tilted her head a little to the side, idly brushed a curtain that had lended on her shoulder away and focused her golden gaze on her brother.

„Venidus“, she murmurred and made a step towards him. Her voice was gentle and filled with wonder, as if she hadn’t realized that he was here until now, as if she had just now remembered that she had a brother. „I know about the surrogates. Your mind told me.“ She smiled, a radiant smile that would have been beautiful if the things she had said weren’t so disturbing. „It didn’t tell me what they were saying though. What did they say to you?“ She looked at him curiously, and then the expression on her face changed.

She suddenly looked sad and scared, almost as if she were about to cry. „I tried to reach you when I was in that other place. I tried to make you come, but you didn’t. Why didn’t you come? Why weren’t you there when I needed you?“

[Venidus Larkspur]

The young Symenestra bit his lip as the day’s warmth was replaced by a chilling reality. His hand instinctively went to the side of his head when Sanairas revealed her mental probing. The initial joy for her lucidity faded into sickening disappointment, both with her and himself. She has gotten considerably worse... I can’t even leave the house now without her having some sort of episode. Still... I can’t say for sure that she has been exploring my thoughts. I did say it aloud. Maybe she heard my words despite being in the trance and attributed the information to her ability... The reasoning didn’t provide much comfort, but it was enough to bring Venidus out of his thoughts. Sanairas looked terrified, and he decided to not answer the surrogate question until his beloved sister was calmed. After slowly getting out of his chair, the Symenestra moved over to where his sister stood. Venidus preferred to move slowly when Sanairas was so excitable, but she still seemed to jump when he gently touched her hand. The words he spoke were soft, “Shhhhh... Everything is fine, sister. I was out on one of my walks and the summer weather, as slight as it may be, lured me into slumber. If you had been in even the slightest danger, I would not have done so.” It pained Venidus to see how afraid and helpless the once-proud Sanairas was. The sorrow in her eyes and confusion in her voice crushed him. She was once so independent, powerful, and strong. The ideal Symenestra, she almost heralded a new era for Web Larkspur, and now she was the mad woman of Kalinor. Is Sanairas even alive? Would she want to be alive? It feels as if a shadow of her former self stands before me! Guilt instantly overcame Venidus. He released his sister’s hand and embraced her. Despite being years younger, he was quite taller and gently rested his chin on the top of her head. Guilt seemed inevitable every time he spent time with her now. It was impossible to ignore her current state and impossible to forget whom she once was. The conflicting images never failed to instill remorse... The moment began to grow awkward, and Venidus spoke in order to avert attention from his discomfort, “I feel the surrogates are such a contradiction. They fully embody both life and death with their pregnancy. They often speak of their lives and the life of their future child, but their attitudes vary greatly. I’ve spent time with many at this point and it’s hard because they seem to die in droves... It’s sometimes hard to remember that our real mothers are dead! Or at least our birth mothers... I know it’s very... un-Symenestra of me... but...” He laughed dryly. He wasn’t quite sure when he had switched or if he had even been speaking Symenos to begin with, but he realized that he was now speaking Common, a language that his sister had helped him perfect. Venidus wasn’t sure whether to apologize or even address the language issue. He paused wondering which language he should continue speaking in. He continued in Symenos, “The surrogates often don’t speak about a particular thing other than life. I feel as though they just want to have their voices heard....” The last point was unintentionally relevant to the prison his sister seemed to be in... and Venidus felt even guiltier as a result. OOCVenidus at the end is just talking for the sake of talking which is why it is sort of disjointed and unfocused.

[Poison]

As Venidus touched her hand, Sanairas nearly jumped. In her strange state even the gentlest, most careful touch seemed to be unusually intense and almost painful to her. For a moment it seemed to her as if he were driving countless sharp needles into her skin, as if he were torturing her, but then she relaxed and raised her head to meet his gaze. For a moment he could see a hint of the old Sanairas in those eyes, the proud, beautiful, ambitious hypnotist that she had been before overgiving had robbed her of all that.

„Summer weather?“ she whispered. „Were you on the surface?“ Her eyes were wide with curiosity now. The sadness that had taken a hold of her before was suddenly forgotten again. „I remember what it was like up there. There is a forest above Kalinor. It is beautiful. I hope we can go there sometimes together.“ Her voice took on an almost dreamy quality as she said this, and then she allowed him to embrace her.

She wrapped her slender arms around him and buried her head in his chest. There was something about the warmth of her brother’s body and his gentleness that calmed her down. For a moment it almost seemed as if she were the one comforting him, as if she realized what was wrong with her and how hard it had to be for him sometimes – and then she broke the contact and took a step back as well.

„Our real mothers“, she murmurred and looked at him abruptly. „I’ve never thought of the woman that gave birth to me that way. I only saw her as a tool, a tool that helped bring me into ths world. She was never my mother. But I understand the surrogates now. I understand some of the things they are going through. Maybe it is un-Symenestra to think of them like that, but without them neither of us would exist, and our people would all die.“

She had switched to Common as well, without being aware of it. Her thoughts were almost coherent again, but something was still different. Sanairas, the insane, suffering Sanairas was melancholic and gentle rather than the proud, arrogant woman she had been before.

„I know what it is like to want to have your voice heard, to cry out in despair. But no matter how loud your cry for help is, nobody ever seems to hear it. Or maybe they just don’t care. I know what it is like to be trapped, with no way out. That other place where I sometimes go, it is my prison, my Nest, my damnation.“

She averted her gaze for a moment, as if she couldn’t bear to think of the place where her mind went when she had one of those episodes, and then she suddenly asked, „Will you take me out of the house today, Venidus? Will you take me to see the surrogates or the forest? It’s been so long since I’ve gone anywhere and talked to anybody besides mother, father and you.“

[Venidus Larkspur]

Venidus ended the embrace once his sister requested to be brought out of her room. He went about the room and prepared for their departure while answering his sister’s questions and inquiries. Putting the curtains back was his first priority and he grunted as he jumped up to drape the fabric over the support beams. While jumping up and down to hang the curtains, Venidus managed to get a few words out between leaps, “I wasn’t – on the surface – I – was just wandering in – the unpopulated part of – the city – the summer weather still – can be felt – although –...“ Venidus stopped jumping when the curtains looked agreeable and continued speaking uninterrupted, “The summer weather can still be slightly felt or maybe it’s just my imagination. Either way its a day to get out.” The next order of business was tidying up the rest of the room so, if any of the family decided to venture in, they wouldn’t be disturbed or disappointed. Putting things in order proved more challenging than it appeared. Little things seemed unsettling. How things on a table were arranged or the placement of a certain chair all created an unexplainable feeling of discomfort. Venidus grinned as he noticed his sister’s switch to Common. He wasn’t sure whether Sanairas had switched languages to accommodate him or if she too had slipped into the human tongue. Her description of being trapped was depressing, but it didn’t really dampen Venidus’s spirits. The conversation with his sister and the idea of taking her outside had the young Symenestra in a state of unalterable content. The room, like the curtain, wasn’t perfect, but it was in good enough condition to leave the house. Venidus shed a few layers of clothing before noticing his sisters red crossbow lying against a wall, hidden in a part of the room that had been practically invisible moments earlier. A quiver of crossbow bolts sat beside it. The most unsettling fact about the crossbow was its loaded nature. It was the first time that Sanairas had loaded the crossbow in her insanity, and the combination of her skill with the weapon, her instability, and proximity to countless Symenestra created a volatile situation that Venidus had to remedy. He didn’t feel confronting his sister was the best idea so he casually walked over to the cross bow, removed the bolt, and pulled the trigger to release the tension. He proceeded to set the crossbow on a table. “Lets go talk to a surrogate. I feel they grow weary of just talking to me. You know how longwinded and tangential I can be!” Venidus grabbed his sister’s hand and departed. Maybe introducing his sister to a surrogate and vice versa would ease both of their pain. Sometimes, all that it takes to persevere is the knowledge that you don’t struggle alone.

[Poison]

„The unpopulated part of the city, Venidus?“ Sanairas asked. His revelation both surprised and confused her. „It is dangerous there. When we were children, they told us never to go there or we could die. What were you doing there?“ She looked concerned. As he began to put the curtains back, she joined him. It was such a surprisingly normal gesutre that stood in stark contrast to what she had done before. She seemed like any other young Symenestra woman now, and the expression on her face was one of calm. She seemed to be in control of herself once more.

„I’ve never noticed that it was warmer in Kalinor in summer“, she remarked and shrugged her slender shoulders. „From what I have observed, the seasons never change here. It’s always the same. It’s even pleasant here in winter.“ Again she helped him to clean up her room, as if it’s current, chaotic state suddenly made her uncomfortable as well. As her brother noticed the crossbow and proceeded to remove the bolt, she met his gaze for a moment, but she didn’t say anything. She just turned away, as if she didn’t want to think about what the loaded crossbow could mean.

„You can be incredibly long winded sometimes!“ she told him and laughed. There was something about her laughter that sounded a little forced, as if she tried too hard to be cheerful after what had just happened, after the incident with the crossbow. „Let’s go to the Nest! There are always a lot of surrogates there? Or do you know any surrogates that don’t live at the Nest?“ As she waited for his answer, she allowed him to grab her hand. Together they ascended the stair that led to the door, and soon they were outside, in the city, moving along one of the thick ropes that were the streets of Kalinor.

[Venidus Larkspur]

Venidus had released his sister’s hand and navigated the ropes just a few feet ahead of Sanairas. Realistically, his sister was probably much faster than him and should be in the lead, but today he was the guide. Venidus spoke in a loud voice because he was facing away from his sister, “We will head to the Nest. The last surrogate I knew outside of the Nest gave birth last week. Maybe we will meet someone new there today. Meeting new surrogates is such a bittersweet brew. You meet a wonderful new person yet there is death all around them and even in them.” He realized that he had slowed considerably while talking. Venidus thought all about his experiences at the Nest the structure came into view. He laughed, “We may want to stick to surrogates who came here willingly. Once a surrogate, her name was Terrina, tried to kill me. She had supposedly broken a few arms and legs in the days before I met her. She could have killed me easily with a spear she fashioned out of her bedpost! I was expecting a shiv. If it had been a shiv, I would have been ready. Imagine my surprise when she whips out a seven-foot long spear and gets me pinned to the wall! The next month we are chatting about art. Such adventures...” The traveling siblings began to come across various Symenestra as they passed through busier parts of Kalinor. The eyes of others judged them from the darkness. Venidus could feel their smug superiority, cruel thoughts, and burning judgment. Some exchanged pleasantries and greetings as they passed. Others seemed shocked and watched in awe as the former pride of Larkspur passed. A dull fury stirred in Venidus’s heart, but the emotion was dulled by countless identical incidents. Whispers and occasionally laughter seemed to follow in their wake. In a few moments, they had reached the Nest. No ropes led to it so surrogate escape was impossible. Venidus thought about whom they could see. No one in particular stood out because all of them had something to offer or something relevant... A few of the Nest’s attendants passed the Larkspur children and exchanged greetings. The trip was turning out to be longer than Venidus had expected, and he feared that his sister’s lucidity would dissipate before they returned home. It was too late to cancel the excursion though without hurting his sister. “You can lead from here... We can see pretty much anyone we want to. Maybe someone new.” OOCIf you don’t wanna choose who we see, just PM me and I can add a paragraph to my post!

[Poison]

„Did she have a boy or a girl?“ Sanairas wanted to know as Venidus mentioned the last surrogate outside the Nest that had given birth. „Which Web did she belong to?“ She paused for a moment, seemingly lost in thought before she murmurred, „I wish I had a child. I think I’d be a good mother. Will you find me a surrogate when it’s time?“ There was something incredibly sad in her gaze as she asked this, as if she somehow realized that she would probably never have a child, that she was too unstable for that, that it was all just wishful thinking.

„It always surprised me when a woman actually comes here willingly“, she remarked as the Nest came into view. „I mean, stories about the Harvest are known throughout Kalea. These women must either be stupid or have a death wish.“ As Venidus spoke about Terrina, she laughed. She found it amusing how she had attacked him only to chat with him a moment later. „Is she still alive?“ she wanted to know. „I would have loved to meet her. A lot of surrogates don’t seem happy about their fate, but one that breaks limbs and makes a spear is rare.“

Sanairas was unaware of the looks the other Symenestra gave them as they passed them by. She didn’t fully realize what her condition meant to the rest of the Web, that the once great Larkspur Web was ridiculed now. Her mind was mostly occupied with the upcoming meeting with the surrogates. She couldn’t help but be excited about this. It had been so long since she had talked to anybody besides the members of her Web. Would the surrogates tell her stories about their life of the surface? Would they realize that she had something in common with them?

As Venidus informed her that she could lead now, she nodded. For now at least she seemed to be in complete control of herself. There was no sign that she would go back to that other place where she thought that everybody wanted to hurt her. But of course that could change anytime. Her strange moods didn’t seem to follow any kind of pattern.

No cord led to the Nest, and there were no doors. That didn’t seem to bother Sanairas particularly though. She just jumped through the hole in the roof, landing elegantly in the room below. Once she stood upright again, she gestured for her brother to do the same.

The Nest was one of the loveliest places in Kalinor. It was warm and well lit. Curtains made of a gauzy fabric surrounded Venidus and Sanairas. There were comfortable chairs and sofas everywhere, and the air was filled with the smell of incense and herbs. Venidus could see a human woman sitting there. She was clearly a Vantha, short, with dark hair and eyes that changed color every now and then. She wore a white silk robe, and a book was in her lap. She didn’t look like a prisoner, but more like a pampered princess.

For a moment it seemed as if she wanted to say something – she opened her mouth – but it was just then that one of the female Symenestra that took care of the surrogates arrived. She was an older woman with long grey hair and red eyes. Her nails had been filed short so that she wouldn’t accidentially hurt the women under her care. As she noticed Venidus and Sanairas, she wanted to know, „Can I help you? Are you here to see your surrogate?“ She assumed that they were a married couple and wanted to visit the woman that would give birth to their child.

[Venidus Larkspur]

Venidus responded to his sister’s questions and she led them to one of the Nest’s entries, “To be honest sister... I don’t know if she had a boy or girl. I tend to ignore the children that the surrogates have. I presume it’s for the best. Imagine if I knew whom the child was when they grew up. People wouldn’t be fond of me telling children stories of their true mothers! Also...” He paused and bit his lip before speaking more softly, “I fear I would see them as killers of the women I knew and befriended. I would just see their mother’s ghost in their eyes... Anyways, the surrogate was for Web ” He almost lost his footing at his sister’s request for a surrogate. I am not going on a Harvest... The idea is disgusting! Even if I found a willing surrogate, Sanairas couldn’t possibly be a mother. The mental scarring that could occur would be unbelievable. The saddest thing is that Sanairas would have been an amazing mother. The pause had become noticeable and Venidus spoke quickly as if it would fill the awkward silence, “O-Of course I will find you a surrogate. I am a bit preoccupied at the moment, but sometime in the future, I will.” The lie hurt so deeply. To give his sister that kind of hope was cruel. Venidus thought about revising his statement, but it was too late to take back such a promise. Luckily, the conversation moved to Terrina. The memories were heartwarming. Surrogate death, like Kalinor’s judgment of Sanairas, saddened Venidus, but the sorrow was significantly numbed due to exposure and repetition. Venidus smiled, “No. Terrina is long dead. Her kid must be getting older now. I’ve probably seen it around the city, but it is impossible to tell. I avoid learning which Web they are ‘serving’ when possible.” Venidus was on the verge of a tangent when they leapt through. He landed much less gracefully than his sister despite his familiarity with such leaps. The warmth and light of the room was pleasant. The scent used to be pleasant, but to Venidus, it was the smell of death. A Vantha. The stories should be excellent. One of the Nest’s attendants approached them and asked if the Vantha was their surrogate. Venidus scoffed, “Web Larkspur hasn’t housed a surrogate in the Nest in years thanks to brother’s ineptitude. We are here to merely converse with a surrogate. I would have thought you people would recognize me after all this time. I am practically here more than you women.” He motioned over to the Vantha, “What is the Vantha’s name? How new is she? Did she come willingly?” Venidus looked back over to the Vantha and waved politely. “Sanairas remember to keep a bit of space at first... You never now what one does while at death’s door.”

[Poison]

„Maybe it’s better if you ignore the children“, Sanairas agreed. „But on the other hand there is nothing that forces you to tell them about the women that gave birth to them.“ That was all she said on the topic. It was a very complicated issue, and everybody seemed to have a different opinion on it. Instead she smiled slightly as her brother assured her that he would find her a surrogate, but her smile looked a little forced. She was aware that it would never happen, that this was a conversation that they shouldn’t really have. She, Sanairas, was doomed.

„Larkspur?“ the woman asked and took a closer look at Venidus and Sanairas – especially Sanairas. Venidus‘ sister averted her gaze as if she was uncomfortable and gripped her brother’s hand. „Then she’s Sanairas, the ...“ She paused. For a moment it seemed as if she was going to say something at least mildly offensive, but then she continued, „... hypnotist, isn’t she? I’m new here though. I just started working here last month because another woman was suddenly busy with family matters, so I’m not familiar with the extent of your work with the suorrgates.“

„The Vantha?“ She turned and looked at the surrogate. „Her name is Enninia Coolwater. She came here about a month ago. She didn’t come willingly, but it seems as if she’s beginning to fall for the one that captured her. Her life in Avanthal apparently wasn’t always pleasant. She’s actually looking forward to getting pregnant now.“ The woman’s voice was filled with a little contempt, but she lowered her voice so that the surrogate couldn’t hear her. No matter what her personal thoughts were, she was always friendly to the surrogates and treated them well.

„Would you like to talk to her?“ she asked, finding it a little strange that he came here to talk to a surrogate that wasn’t even his own. „She is a calm and well mannered young woman, compared to some of the other surrogates. She’s never been violent so far, like the woman that arrived here yesterday. We’ve had to tie her to her bed.“

Sanairas nodded as her brother reminded her to keep a bit of space and stayed a step behind him, watching the surrogate curiously as she did so. The surrogate watched Sanairas and Venidus as well. She had noticed that they were talking about her. As Venidus waved to her, the young woman put her book down and waved back.