Closed Nightmare Duet (Tinnok)

[Licearsvansan]

"This is the song I sing to my self~
when I'm in the jungle.
This is the tune I hum to myself~
when I've gotten in a bungle.
This is the diddy I play to myself~
when I see a...fungal?..
This is the story I tell to myself~
something something stumble.

...petch."

Svan ended his short little song with a swear and a yawn as he wandered his way through the trees. Some part of him was trying to warn him of the danger of wandering aimlessly through the unknown jungle, but for some reason he just didn't care. Wandering aimlessly through the woods just seemed....normal. While it was currently outside of his awareness, Svan had spent years in the wild, and as a Dhani there were very few creatures who could actually harm him. In fact, being hunted by predators was how he had managed to live this long. His weak looking human form was the perfect bait for a hungry bear, and once lured, Svan merely had to find a safe place to change into his Dhani form and dinner was served. Unfortunately, dinner tended to fight back. At least half of Svan's scars were from his hunts, and he had been pushed far closer to the arms of Dira's cold embrace than any still living being should be. But he had lived, and when he wasn't being torn in half by his next lunch, Svan liked to pass the time with a traveler's song, or game. Anything worked as long as it didn't remind him how lonely he was.

Svan groaned as he stretched his arms behind his head. Small welts were already forming on his limbs. He had to admit, Reina had a damn good arm. Despite his use of that one Myrian girl as a shield he had still gotten struck by a few good shots. Petch her slender figure. Fat people made MUCH better shields. Then again, he had never seen a fat Myrian, and he doubted that he could even lift such a giant if one even existed. Though I suppose I could kinda roll it. Svan was still pondering the possibilities of rolling a six foot bowling ball of a Myrian around when Tinnok hopped up.

"Hey."

Svan's head whipped around, caught off guard, but relaxed almost the moment he saw the girl. A wry smile crept up his lips at the sight of her

"Someone willing to piss off my sister is either brave or an idiot." She extended her hand, introduced herself, and decided to stamp him as an idiot all in the very next motion.

Svan's grin turned a hint less amused at the young woman's words, but he took her hand none the less. "The difference between an stupidity and bravery is that one makes you a hero and the other gets you killed. You can call me an idiot today, but should I live to see you tomorrow you will call me brave." As he shook her hand, a strange feeling of....something rushed through him. It felt like deja vu....sort of. Slightly confused by the strange feeling, Svan removed his hand. "Tinnok huh? You can call me Svan..." Svan's words trailed off as his eyes fell to the woman's chest. The edge of his lips curled up and sharp eyes flicked back to meet the girl's gaze. "Heh. You know, I was thinking about nicknaming you Tin-knockers, but I guess that would be pretty stupid as you are now. Unless I'm going for irony that is." Svan took his smug grin with him as he turned and headed to a large boulder so that he could take a seat. Hopping up onto the rock, Svan turned back to the girl and mused playfully, "Though with your frame....I get the feeling you would grow into it." Leave it to Svan to mix compliment with insult. Granted, it was a well hidden compliment, but it was rare for him to give any praise without at least some degree of rudeness. As Svan got comfortable he rested his head on his hands and stared at Tinnok. All at once his expression was dramatically more serious. "So tell me Tinnok. Is it your sister's time of the month, or is she just the sort of all natural bitch?" He asked as if a Myrian's time of the month could make them any more violent. There was still a certain playfulness to the words as if this was his idea of casual conversation, but there was also a thick layer of distain in his tone. While one might not first assume it, Svan had a serious distain for bullies. He loathed those who picked on the weak as if it were fair sport. He teased people too, but he preferred to go after those he knew could fight back. He had learned after all.

It was much more fun to fight the predators.

[Tinnok]

He seemed to have an easy grace to him that didn't seem to add up to a Myrian male, that much was for certain. Words flowed from his lips easily, and as he...insulted her? Her eyes narrowed, but not so much from anger or frustration, but curiosity. How had he lived to this point with such a foul mouth? Any female who caught him, mother, sister, aunt, school yard crush, would pummel him in an instant, yet it sounded either as if the pummeling had just helped or he simply had never had one, the latter of which she simply couldn't believe. And jsut as Svan sensed something familiar about Tinnok when their hands clasped, so too did the half breed about the strange boy.

"Bitch, born and bred, you should meet my mother." Tinnok grinned, enjoying insulting her family, but the curiosity still lit behind her eyes. He hadn't given his clan...and he seemed so comfortable in the woods, much like she did.

"But what of your clan? Does your mother seriously let you get away with that kind of thing? I expected a punk like you to have more bruises."

She walked around him in a circle, examining him dramatically in search of said injuries. "Smooth as a babies behind."

She took a step back, folding her arms across her lack of a chest. "Svan...that doesn't seem like a very Myrian name...what clan were you from again?"

oocApologies for the brevity! Also feel free to swap whenever you feel it prudent! Don't want em getting stuck in a memory for too long!

[Licearsvansan]

Svan smirked lightly at the girl's remark. By the smile on her face, it was obvious that she disliked her sister. Svan's couldn't blame her. He wasn't much of a fan either. It could be said that Svan and Reina had gotten off to a rocky start. The man leaned forward a little closer to the girl, "I guess it runs in the family." He winked to let her know that, yes, it was an insult. A playful insult but one none the less. Which is why he really should have seen her next question coming.

"But what of your clan? Does your mother seriously let you get away with that kind of thing? I expected a punk like you to have more bruises."

Svan's smile disappeared. He watched as the woman traced a circled around him with her steps. He adjusted himself slightly to hide the newer wounds from her view.

"Smooth as a babies behind." The Myrian cooed teasingly.

"Hah, of course I don't have any bruises. See all these scars?" It was impossible not to. "Sooner or later, a man learns how to dodge...." Svan eyed the woman with a bit of pride gleaming in his eyes. Not towards her, but for himself. "Or you finds....other ways to deal with your problems. Remember snake-snack? I managed to uh- convince her to block the rocks for me." The twisted grin on his face made it clear that no actual 'convincing' was involved. "Then once I was close enough, I threw her on to your sister and left while they were busy hugging." He shrugged once and softly began to chuckle to himself, gleeful at his own cunning. Granted, he would have to deal with them later, but that left plenty of time for him to come up with a plan. He opened his mouth to speak again but his better judgment shut it for him. He had realized that asking Tinnok how many pieces she would like her sister returned to her in might be a bad idea.

He stared down at the girl that was looking up at him. Her arms were folded and she seemed to have an almost suspicious look on her face. "Svan...that doesn't seem like a very Myrian name...what clan were you from again?"

Petch. He thought he had dodged that question.

With a heavy sigh, Svan threw out his arms and collapsed onto his back, shins and feet dangling over the edge of the rock. "Lets skip that question Tinnok. It should be enough to say that I'm not a fan of my family, nor are they much of a fan of me." He knew this was the case, but for the life of him he couldn't reach any solid details. His memory was fuzzy....but that was nothing new. Had always been fuzzy. Ever since that-......That-......Petch it.

The man threw his had carelessly into the air. "I guess you could call me a black sheep of sorts." The arm feel down and came to rest on his stomach. He stared solemnly out into the jungle canopy, and let out another sigh. "So how about you? You obviously hate your mom, how about your dad?"

It took Svan a whole tick to realize his own stupidity. he would have slapped himself, but he imagined that Tinnok would do it for him.

[Tinnok]

Yellow eyes watched the male warily. He seemed so pleased with himself and his actions, but from what Tinnok saw of the world that revolved around Taloba, no man stayed long upon a pedestal before he was put down by a woman. Despite this very real fact, she found it hard to begrudge him his little victory, so instead she just nodded politely...something rather unbecoming of a Myrian female if one was to note it.

The insult wasn't taken, but his avoiding her question, now that did get her. Black Sheep? What the petch was a sheep?

She was going to ask him precisely that when she was distracted by the rest of the words that spewed out of his mouth...talking about her father. She almost felt bad for him then as her fist flew towards his face, because she could see a trace of regret in his eyes even as he spoke the words, but they had still left his lips, and she still needed to punish him, if for appearances sake and nothing else.

But her curled fingers stopped right before the bridge of his tanned nose, and when Svan opened his eyes, realizing no impact had come, he could see a look of horror upon the half breed's face, as a voice called out in the woods.

"Tinnok!" It was loud in the way that the volume of the word carried through thick foliage, and reached their ears without a hitch, but never let it be said that Krisha of the Tempered Steel shouted aimlessly for her broodlings. She had no need, for ceasing to respond to the first command would warrant a slap, and after that...the punishment only increased exponentially.

"S-svan...?" He would note that even in int he face of stones and insults she did not look half so afraid as she did now, but now was not yet the time to meet Krisha, and the woods seemed to fold in upon themselves, her yellow eyes fading into blackness, giving birth to a new scene far from the City of Bones...

[Licearsvansan]

It was strange. Svan was fairly sure that he had been in this position before. Lying on his back, face and throat exposed to an offended halfbreed. It probably wasn't the healthiest sort of deja vu to have. Especially because he was fairly sure this was their first time meeting....

Unless she had knocked the memory out of him the last time she did this. His hands flew to cover his...throat? Petch! Svan shut his eyes quickly and readied himself for his head to bounce on the rock beneath him. To his surprise, the fist never came, and his skull remained unfused to the earth beneath him. At first he thought it was a test, a cruel joke to see how he would react. He opened his eye with an annoyed expression apparent on his face. He fully expected the first thing he would see to be a cocky grin stretched ear to ear across the petcher's face, but what he saw was.... not.

In fact, it was the opposite of what he had expected. The look of pure fear on her face scared even Svan. He had heard a voice, but it was foreign to him. She however, clearly recognized it.

"S-svan...?" Whimpered the girl nervously.

He merely stared up at her, confused and unable to move. She had seemed strong a moment ago, but now it was as if all of her armor had been stripped away. He felt suddenly shy seeing her like this, in the nudity of her spirit. The snap of a nearby twig brought back his courage. It was strange, he felt as if he needed to help this girl. The very same one that had nearly turned his head into a paincake a moment ago. Perhaps she had hit him and simply knocked out what little sense he had left. It didn't matter though, he was just as lost as her, and he doubted that whatever being it was that she feared would look any kinder upon him. Still, he couldn't just lie on the rock waiting in terror for what was soon to come. No, he refused to ever simply sit by and watch helplessly. He would rather screw up than allow fate to take charge. If his life had proven anything, it was that Lhex had cursed him with a fated that was not designed to be trusted. His eye grew firm and locked onto those of the girl on top of him. There was still some small trace of fear in the back of his pupils, but the subtle courage in his gaze hid it well. He opened his mouth to speak and the world went mute. Svan mouthed the few words he wished to say as the world around them dissolved. "Be strong."

But he had she heard him?

...

Sometimes things went wrong and good people ended up in bad situations.
You could fight against evil all your life and one day find yourself at the mercy of a Rhysol. Or you could be minding your own business and stumble upon Uldr on one of his "creative" days. Or maybe you could have successfully seduced the cutest girl in the bar only to find that its actually Krysus and learned that her idea of sex involves a cheese grater.

And if you were truly unlucky, you might find yourself sitting across the table from Sannethlicear, Svan's loving mother. This was the unfortunate situation Tinnok was in today, and the one Svan had been in for over a century.

Surrounding them were the damp walls of the Dhani nest, dimly illuminated by the batch of stones lying in the center of the room like a strange fire pit. This was Svan's home. Though it never really felt like his home. The main room was moderately spacious but lightly furnished. It gave it the feeling as if the room was bigger than it actually was....and made Licear's "office" seem all the more cramped by comparison. She loved it. She sat behind a large stone desk in human form, her slender legs folded neatly over one another. She wore a soft smile and flicked her eyes over to the wall. There was a pair of bookshelves, each sparsely lined with a handful of books and messy stacks of paper just as her desk was. "Do you see the red one? Its my favorite. A book titled, The Fall of Vassanserrac, the tragic tale of a brilliant Dhani who could have had the world in the palm of his hand. However, in a moment of weakness he let his heart rule over his mind. And so my father met his unfortunate end." She smilled cheerfully as if reliving a fond memory. "Ironically, he died at the hands of his own kelvic lover." Bright copper eyes flicked over to Tinnok's face. They seemed warm, loving, tender, and yet.... there was something about it that made the skin crawl. In fact, it was the same with her entire being. Her long brown hair flowed from her head in a bright bronze stream, her skin was without blemish, and her posture was relaxed and inviting. In nearly every way she seemed to be the perfect image of a kind and loving mother. And yet.... merely being in her presence was enough to unnerve even the most stoic of men. Beneath her polite smile and soft eyes was something sinister. Those who had the misfortune of falling under her gaze for any extended period often remarked that they felt as if she had been dissecting them with her eyes the entire time.

And she was. Licear was always thinking, always plotting. Not in over an entire century had a single moment gone by without having at least one of the woman's scheme slowly unfolding in the background.

Thankfully for the whole of Mizahar, while she was impossibly dangerous, she lacked any ambition. A hedonist to the core, she lived only for pleasure and she felt little desire for more power if everything she already wanted was within her grasp.

Suddenly, the sound of soft footsteps approached and a pair of warm copper eyes dropped to the form that had appeared from behind Tinnok. There was a gleam of something in the mother's eyes. Whatever it had been it was clear that it had terrified Svan. He stood in the small doorway almost shaking in fear. "How are you feeling Svansan."

"Better." The woman raised an eyebrow ever so slightly, "I am feeling much better." It was in his best interest not to appear curt with his mother.

Licear's expression seemed to relax. "Good, now close the door and come stand by me."

"Yes mother..." Svan lifted his arm to grab the rope and pull the door shut, but froze solid as his mother spoke once again.

"Your voice, it trailed off." She said it just as evenly as an observation as a question.

There was no point in trying to hide something from her, it would only cause more trouble. "I was going to apologize for being late. But I-"

Licear raised a single finger to silence him, "You are forgiven." Svan quickly thanked her and resumed closing the door. His movements seemed a slight bit less tense that before. As the door shut, the entire room was blanketed in darkness save for a single glowing stone in the center of the desk. The way it was designed, the room already seemed as if it was trying to force Tinnok out and into the main part of their cave. However, as the door closed, one could almost feel the darkness closing in on them. Then came the brief sound of a key turning within a lock. The effect was suffocating.

The small child made his way over to his mother and stood silently, key in hand. "I apologize for having to close the door but I would like to speak with you privately. I would have grabbed a few more glow stones but I just finished arranging them neatly, and this really shouldn't take more than a moment." She smiled politely and rested her hands together on top of the table surface. "As I assume you know, My name is Sannethlicear." She adjusted herself, her expression seemingly showing concern about something. "I also imagine that you know why it is that I have called you here. According to what my son has told me..." According to what I forced my son tell me."You were there when he was attacked by another Dhani and nearly killed." She lightly pursed her lips for a moment. "I would like to first give you a chance to tell me in your own words what happened, and..."

She bent her head closer, brown eyes practically glowing in the dark, "I would like to know if you can guess which part of this story I have a problem with."

[Tinnok]

It was strange how swiftly her emotions changed. In one instant she feared her for her life, the sound of ehr mother's voice, the comforting gaze of the young man boring into her as the blackness choked her sight.

And then...well she was the most powerful race in all of Mizahar, and as she slithered casually down the halls to her audience, a clawed thumb brushed against her scaled face absentmindedly as if brushing the last dredges of such fear aside like a cobweb.

The female who stared at her upon entrance was Sannethlicear. She was no Queen, yet a strange power emanated from her nevertheless. Tinnok knew that one never underestimated a Dhani, even if that memory hung somewhere strange and not associated with this event.

Yellow eyes flickered to the child, just as weak willed as in the cavern where he had nearly died. The mother was a pillar of strength and poise...he was nothing.

Tinnok did not know how to proceed, the question was asked and a dark tail coiled lazily around herself. One wrong answer and this casual occurrence could turn into something far more hostile, which none of them wanted surely. In the end her mouth opened wide, revealing the warm pink innards of massive jaws before she began.

"I came upon the child only becaussse I heard the noissess of hiss attacker. He did not attempt to fight back, and wass being sstrangled by the other male. When it ssseemed he was going to die, I sssaved him at the very lassst moment." Honesty was not always a Dhani's best policy, but Tinnok saw no reason to lie, she had watched the pathetic charade to it's nearly fatal conclusion after all.

"Asss for what you have a problem with..." Her eyes slid over to Svan, she paused long enough to make the silence linger awkwardly in the room before finishing smoothly. "I suspect you have a problem with the whole thing."

She saw the woman's eyes alight with interest and decided to satiate the curiosity that hung there. "Firssst of all, crime against our own kin is paramount, problem one. Yet even in the face of danger your ssson did nothing, a very...interessting trait for a Dhani to display, and problem two. Third and perhapsss mosst glaring isss his ssavior, a female in the nesst to whom he now owesss sssomething to, perhaps never a favor to be publicly pulled out, but jussst when he iss on the cussp of forgetting to be pulled back into exisstence."

She leaned back smugly. "None of it is particularly impressive, I will say."

oocSuper duper apologies on the delay on this one!