[Stone Gardens] Small Girl and Smaller Girl (Taylani)

by **Soshakuakamamushi** on November 11th, 2013, 3:01 pm

The Dhani girl had a subtle grin at corner of her lips, she was secretly enjoying Taylani being annoyed at her. Good, long pole should suffer because of her height then maybe whatever God was watching would take a few inches from her and give it to Aka, an absurd reasoning but it was still amusing to her. The contrast between the color of their eyes also somewhat represented the opposite nature of their talents. Taylani used her acrobatic talents for dancing, doing graceful movements pleasing to the eye while Aka used it for combat, dodging and confusing enemies. The girl learned to produce works of art by jewelcrafting, while Aka learned to produce instruments of harm through her reimancy.

Aka didn't notice Taylani's rolled eyes, she was too busy examining the beautiful gems. The Viper listened as the little girl identified each gems by their shape and color. Green isss emerald, red is Garnet. Hehe, I like Garnet. She would love to have one of those red-hued gems called 'Garnet', they matched the color of her eyes and res perfectly. So it seemed that gems were differentiated by how they were cut and their color. Aka sat down near the girl, not caring if she invaded Taylani's personal space.

"Ssso... you make them, right? I mean, it'sss boring before, you made shiny and pretty." The Viper raised an eyebrow and gave a rather confused grin, what she meant by 'making' was the process of cutting and polishing. Angelia 'made' these gems, turning them from an ordinary-looking stone to beautiful shining jewellery. The offer brought a smile upon Aka's face, she would gladly take the offer. "Oh yesss! I'd like a brooch or a necklace! Hehe~ Ssso, what do you want to know about usss?" She immediately got to work, explaining about her race shouldn't be hard at all.

by **Taylani** on November 11th, 2013, 5:53 pm

Taylani scowled at her mother openly, but Angelia simply shifted and looked coolly back at her daughter, expression saying all that needed to be said. Finally groaning inwardly the statuesque dancer turned back to the Dhani. "I suppose it wouldn't hurt to learn about your kind. If I am going to dance on stages across the world it would help to more about the peoples."

The dancer dug in her mother's jewelry kit, looking for something in particular. Something that she had thought was quite odd at the time but seemed rather perfect for this. As she dug, she spoke off handed, "Are you poisonous even looking..." She waves a hand though she still roots around in the kit with the other. "Looking human like that? If you were to bite someone as human would it kill?" She was frank and open, sometimes too frank and open for a girl her age but she was not shy in asking what she wanted to know.

Finally she finds what she was looking for. Her mother had made a pendant, one that was of silver and to Taylani it looked not a little bit creepy. The silver polished to a sheen displayed a coiled snake with its mouth open. Why anyone would want a pendant like that Taylani had no clue, until now.

She picked up a small spiked chisel from the bag and a tiny hammer that would have looked comical until she placed the chisel in one corner of the snake's gaping mouth and struck the end of it with the hammer. The point of the chisel first dimpled, then pierced the silver. Then Taylani repeated the process to the north, south, and west end of the snakes mouth so that four holes outlined a diamond in the mouth of the snake.

by **Soshakuakamamushi** on November 12th, 2013, 4:59 am

"Alright then!" The Viper sat down in front of the tall young girl, acting like a strict mentor to her apprentice. The reason on why Taylani was interested in learning about the Vipers was admirable, she wanted to travel the world, performing her dances for audiences from all kinds of races to see. However, there was a tiny issue with it, if she wanted to perform in a Viper Dhani nest, Taylani would be forced to perform an entirely different kind of performance. She would be collared, leashed, and led around like some kind of dog. Physically and mentally tortured while being shown on a stage for all the Nest to see, ending with the human being devoured as a tender meal. Right... maybe I shouldn't tell her that... The Dhani society could be seen as extremely xenophobic, most of them thought they were the best thing to grace Mizahar since Caiyha and Siku.

Aka reviewed the information she would reveal to Taylani, deliberately skirting off the more 'sensitive' aspect of a Dhani society. Fortunately, the girl asked precise questions, not asking requests such as 'Tell me all about Vipers!'. This particular question was simple enough. "No, Tay. Our venom isss available in Dhani and sssnake form only." Aka waved her hand, brushing one of her ponytails behind her shoulder. "Let'sss say, if I bite your right now, it will be the sssame asss a human biting you. It will hurt, but you will not be poisoned. In other forms though... you will be dead within a few chimes." The girl used the word 'kill' so casually so Aka figured she was open-minded and aware of things such as sickness, venom, and death.

If Taylani asked more questions, Aka would answer them in order, perhaps altering her words a bit if it concerned a sensitive topic such as Viper Dhani cultures and favorite pass time. In the meantime, she would watch the girl worked her craft. Aka's scarlet eyes figuratively shone again when Taylani took out the silver serpentine pendant. "W-woah..." She couldn't keep her awe, her twitchy fingers barely holding back to grab the pendant and take it for herself. Oh, control yourself! It was so shiningly beautiful with the silver glinting off the morning light. The Viper took a glance at Angelia, wondering if the older woman was secretly a sage who could predict the future, it was as if the pendant was specifically made for a Dhani.

"Ooooh~ You are going to place the 'Garnet' stone in the mouth? Nice~ Hehe~ Thanksss!" Aka brightened up considerably. Being a rather spoiled girl and growing up within a matriarchal enviroment for about a century, one quick way to gain her favor was to shower her with gifts and praises.

"Ssso, anymore questionsss? I'll anssswer them all!" Actually, not all, but the Viper was exaggerating.

by **Taylani** on November 12th, 2013, 5:20 am

Taylani jerked just a little when when she noticed the twitch of the Dhani's fingers. She was trying very hard to be calm and nonchalant with the other woman, and she really had no problems with snakes. Snakes that could reason and think...that was something that she was a bit nervous about. However in true Taylani fashion she just ignored the nervousness and asked the questions that concerned her the most, just to prove that she wasn't concerned.

"Why don't you stay in ..Dhani? Is it Dhani form? Thats when your like part snake and part human?" Taylani asked, shifting as she reaches once more into the kit and brings out wire and wire cutters. She measures the wire carefully, then measures a second time. She gets ready to snip the wire when Angelia leans forward and without a word corrects the positioning on the wire. Taylani grimaces at the correction but she takes them, and snips two lengths of wire.

Then she threads the first wire up through the east hole, and then bends it to thread the other end through the west hole. The second piece of wire is done the same way, except through the north and south end of the snakes mouth. She picks up the garnet, and eyes it. It was an oval cut, so she places it slightly off-center. Angelia once again reaches over and places it center, "It is not oval cut Tayla..but round cut. Look closer." She corrects softly, trying not to interrupt the Dhani.

Growling audibly low in her throat Taylani corrects the stone, scowling more upset at herself then her mother for the correction. However it was good that Angelia had corrected her, if she set the stone in an oval fashion it would have worked loose and been lost. Instead she begins to twine the wires tightly around the crown of the garnet. Over and over she twines, both wires until there was no wire left. The end result was a garnet attached into the snake's mouth, the setting securely wrapping all but the crown of the red gem, so that it glinted in the sunlight amid the silver.

Taylani holds the necklace up for Aka to see, and finishes her question " Why don't you stay Dhani. It seems to be the one that has all the advantages of snake, and the advantages of human.."

by **Soshakuakamamushi** on November 12th, 2013, 8:29 am

The next question was intriguing at best, the girl wanted to know the reason on why Aka stayed in her human form. Well, it was obvious, the Syliran populace wasn't exactly comfortable in witnessing a half-snake, half-human abomination slithering through the city streets. Not only Syliras, in any non-Dhani settlements. The Dhani form just screamed 'monster!' to non-Dhanis. In her experiences, perhaps only the Eypharians were used to a Dhani's Dhani form.

"Yesss, our half-sssnake half-human form is called the 'Dhani' form. That'sss where our race'sss name came from." Aka huffed proudly, putting both of her hands to her waist as she lifted her nose. She watched the girl picked up a Garnet, Aka's scarlet slits immediately glued themselves to the red-hue gem. The girl worked with such delicate finger movements, placing those wires into the pendant. After a few more moments, the pendant was completed, the silver and red matched beautifully upon the morning light.

Again, the Viper was struggling to not rip the necklace out of Taylani's hands. It was almost hers, just a few more questions! "Well, girl, tell me thisss, what will the crowd think upon seeing a large half-sssnake half-human creature ssslithering through their lovely streetsss? Exactly, I expect torchesss and pitchforksss." Aka tried to sound as calm and friendly as possible, she really wanted that necklace.

"Ssso, anymore questionsss? You are done, right? I can have it, riiiight?"

by **Taylani** on November 12th, 2013, 2:16 pm

If Taylani was a cruel person she might have strung out the gifting, seeing the desire the other woman had for the necklace in her hand. It surprised Taylani that the woman seemed so fixated on something so simple, yet it did give Taylani a sense of satisfaction that someone wanted something she had crafted. Sure her mother had did the bulk of the work, the silver molding the snake, but she had a hand in the garnet and in choosing the placement.

She is not a cruel person, so she smiles and hands the necklace over, the silver glinting against her pale skin. "Perhaps your correct. I hadn't thought on that particular idea." Taylani says, once Aka had retrieved the necklace Taylani bent to start putting the pieces that had been scattered in her work back in the bag. She doesn't just throw them in, she places each in either a pocket or in a specific corner of the bag so that nothing is tangled or mangled.

"My name is Taylani, not girl." The words were out of her mouth almost before she thought of them, but she didn't regret them. Taylani had always been willful, "Do Dhani's dance?" It wasn't a surprise that Taylani would bring the conversation around to her favorite topic, a topic that she had no trouble talking, explaining, or discussing at length.

by **Soshakuakamamushi** on November 12th, 2013, 7:56 pm

"Yay! Hehe~" The Viper immediately took the necklace when it was finally offered to her, running her slitted eyes all over it as she put it on her right hand. For the moment, the Viper didn't pay attention to anything else beside the pendant, her pendant. It was not often someone would give her such a beautiful gift just for answering questions, usually humans didn't really want to relate with her once they took notice of her slitted eyes.

"Woah..." The coiling silver snake with its jaw opened wide, clutching a beautiful red gem within its mouth. It represented the Viper nicely, the Garnet would be her fireball, launching from her mouth as she worked her magic. Aka wore the necklace, it dangled on her neck, glinting in the sunlight. "It'sss ssso pretty! Hehe! You are awesome!" She praised the girl as Aka examined the piece of jewellery again. Aka didn't regret deciding to relax here earlier that day. She would come back here tomorrow, who knows, maybe more people would come and give her freebies.

"Okay, Taylani." Aka didn't really pay attention to the girl and just answered on a whim, at least until she asked her if her kin dances. Some Dhani were dancers, yes, but Aka was not a dancer. She had acrobatic talents inherent in the agile Viper sub-races, but by no means were her movements aimed to please. They were to confuse, distract, and dodge her enemies before she blasted them in the face with her fire. "Yeah, some dances, but I don't." Aka put her hands to her hips, her usual haughty pose. "Compared to a human, we are much fassster. I can move fassst but not for dancing, it'sss... for uh... fighting." Now the Viper was getting curious on Taylani's dancing ability. "How about you, gi-... Taylani? You're a dancer?" Judging from her tall lean body, she might as well be.

by **Taylani** on November 12th, 2013, 8:25 pm

Taylani had no experience with weapons of any sort, and had no experience with violence really. However she could see how the agility and limberness that Dance provided its artists would help with these things. She had smiled when the Dhani praised her jewel crafting but that smile was nothing compared to the smile she gave Aka when she asked if she danced.

"Dance is everything for me." Taylani gushed, ignoring the slight scowl on her mother's face. "Mama makes me learn other things occasionally like ..this pendant." Her hand raises to gesture to the necklace that now adorns the Dhani's throat. "But it is Dance that I was born for. Even the fact that I am a freak of nature being so tall works in favor of the Dance."

Obviously Taylani wasn't a freak of nature, she would not be the first twelve year old girl that was taller then all of her friends, nor would she be the last. However these things are hard to convince a young girl that was bordering on womanhood.

"Dance can help with speed and fighting." Taylani mentioned, though again the thought that she had no experience in fighting weighed on her mind. She however did know the skill of Dance and she knew what dance can do.

by **Soshakuakamamushi** on November 12th, 2013, 9:48 pm

The Viper chuckled a bit, her guess was spot on, the girl was indeed a dancer. With that kind of height and build, Aka imagine many males would be swooning over her once she got older. These things were exactly the ones that frustrated the Viper, she was short and looked like an early teenage girl and she was on the peak of her growth to boot. Taylani was tall, slender, and it wasn't even her growth peak. She gritted her teeth, but composed herself soon after. The girl had given her a gift, she didn't want to ruin the situation with her insecurities.

"Ah I sssee! Ssso your mother makesss this pendant?" Aka glanced to Angelia, a happy expression on her face. The short Dhani then trotted to the older woman and smiled. "Thank you, Angelia. It'sss beautiful." There was no doubt about it, this woman was indeed an oracle. "Did you perhaps know I would be here? You can read the future?"" It might look silly, but Aka couldn't contain her curiosity.

When Taylani called herself a 'freak of nature', Aka immediately hissed at her in annoyance. This girl was utterly ungrateful of her gifts. "Freak?! Don't you ever dare to call yourssself freak, Taylani! You got the height that I've alwaysss wanted! If you want to sssee a freak, look at me! I'm over a hundred yearsss old but I'm ssstill shorter than both you and your mother! Not to mention I'm..." Her right hand trembled and moved to her chest, rubbing it in shame. "...lacking. You ssstill have time to grow while I... *sigh* I don't." The Viper figured she overstayed her welcome, both of these females might not appreciate her yelling at the girl.

"I think I'll go sssomewhere, I'm hungry. Thank you for the pendant." The female Dhani nodded, brushing a ponytail behind her shoulder. She turned around and gave one last look to the humans. "Hope we'll sssee each other again." With that, her feet moved swiftly, carrying her away from the Stone Gardens.

OOCAlright! I think this should be my last post for the thread, Tay! You can PM me then I'll post it for grading or you can go ahead and post it for grading!

It has been very fun, thank you for the opportunity!

by **Perplexity** on November 29th, 2013, 1:35 am

Riddled with Rewards!

Taylani

Socialization	+4 XP
Observation	+2 XP
Jewelcrafting	+4 XP

Lores :

Soshakuakamamushi

Observation	+1 XP
Socialization	+4 XP
Interrogation	+3 XP
Persuasion	+2 XP

Lores :

Notes :

Completed [Stone Gardens] Small Girl and Smaller Girl (Taylani)