Solo Thoughts and Ponderings

[Evalin]

82nd of Fall, 513 AV

The cage had become her room, her home, her study, and her place of quiet contemplation. It was both a blessing and a curse, an annoyance and a relief, for while she was blessedly thankful for the peace that fell when all had left her, she cursed that she found herself unable to leave this makeshift prison of her own making. Silently Evalin drifted in a place that was not quite wakeful, but neither was it slumber. She could never truly slumber, and yet she found herself thing of it as such when she let her mind idly flow by without an inclining of direction. Her knees were pulled up to her bare chest, arms wrapped around it loosely as her eyes idly searched the sea of her mind for some odd thought or two to pass the time.

How odd that I think of time now... she smiled and shook her head, I had thought such concepts lost to me.

Tsenrika stirred within her mind, his voice pressing against her unconsciousness to split the void of silence with his cold tones, When one has little to do but sit in idle slumber time becomes more than a passing phenomena. It is the cruelest of jailers, of that you may be certain.

The nuit almost laughed, eyes turning down to the gem that hung about her neck, a note of fondness in her expression as she gently caressed his smooth surface, Yes indeed Tsenrika, but mind I not when such company I have to ease the passing of each painful tick.

Falling silent Evalin once more went back to her observations, eyes glossing over and a tad out of focus as she looked but did not see, Though again I would not mind a trifle or two to ease the creeping boredom. What a wretched life it is, that of a slave. Shall I not die of terrible mistreatment instead might I perish of my own hands to end this torture.

A slave and lover you are, lest you have forgotten. Tsenrika observed in his monotones way.

The thought of her other tasks brought an annoyed frown to cross her lips, Need you not remind me. Had you spoken to me one day even a season passed and said I would play the part of the doting lover I would have surely laughed such claims from their fix in reality. A twisted irony that one who cannot love must learn to make love. She sighed, pressing her forehead against her knees, I feel as though I am a performer on the grandest of all stages, balancing upon the narrowest wire as I dancer to the tune of another. How I wish to drawn the dagger I hold concealed to free myself of these bonds.

In time my master shall once more be free... though the time still be some ways off. Best not to infuriate the child who claims fire as her own, wearing it as one might a cloak or scarf.

Drumming her fingers on her shin Evalin looked up, eyeing the entrance to the cavern with a thoughtful expression, She claims the mark of Ivak it seems... This be the first I heard of this power, to withstand flames that consume all. Wonder I at what cost I would pay to gain a similar ability?

Think it not Evalin, for never shall my master grow MORE accustomed to the flickering fires than already she is. Each time you light upon yourself the fires of hatred I feel my body grow scorched and melted by the intensity. No, rather I not to become a puddle upon the ground so early in my life.

At this Evalin actually did giggle, a rather girlish sound that she quickly smothered with a hand, But remember I this for you, my dear Tsenrika.

Pushing a stray hair from her eyes behind her ears, Evalin once more rested her head against her knees, gently rocking from side to side as she drifted once more into half awareness. She let her mind wander over one thought, and then another, never lingering for long before drifting to a new one.

Do you love me Tsenrika? Evalin asked absently, her mind drifting to a conversation they had had in the Jungle wilds just a few days earlier.

Yes my Master, I do love you. There was no hesitation in the Familiar's response, but neither did it sound truthful. Evalin still smiled and giggled again, Will you forever lie to me my dear Tsenrika?

For as long as my Master wishes me to. Tsenrika assented.

Then continue to do so... Rather I would have a lie from you than the disgusting truth from that girl. She clings so close that I find I cannot breath.

But my master does not breath...

Evalin blinked, raising her head and looking down at the pendent, Is that humor in your voice? My, perhaps you have changed over the centuries.

Resting her head against the bars Evalin's eyes stared blankly up at the top of her cage, drifting once more as she thought and contemplated, not really settling upon one thought or another. To do so would be to notice the slow passage of time, something Evalin did not wish to do just yet...

[Evalin]

Was it bells later, or merely a few ticks? Evalin could not be sure as she raised her head to look about. Still she was alone, left bound and chained with no sign of relief coming too soon. Stretching out her stiffened legs Evalin slowly stood, using the bars to aid her. The cold metal brought to life a rush within Evalin, a pump of life and a willingness to do, to try and practice, to accomplish something... but what?

Trapped as I am there is little to do but to prepare for... whatever may come. She thought to herself, Then let us continue where we had left off in the day past.

The familiar did not bother to reply, for there was truly no point. He would do as his master wished, and she knew that he was at her disposal. It was a silent communication, a passing of thought and emotion between them, and in an instant it was gone and both understood each other as they would understand themselves.

The sounds of chains upon the ground sounded as Evalin moved to the other side of her cage, hands wrapping around the bars there as she pressed her forehead against the metal to look at the bare wall beyond. Flexing her fingers her mind began to wander, tilting and swaying over what to try, what to practice, what to prepare. Simply, what was to be done to pass the seemingly never ending flow of boredom? Pushing her hand through the bars so that she could hold it before her eyes, Evalin tilted hand this wand and that to examine the skin, pale and cold as death. She remembered the effects of yesterday, how when she wished it she could harden the flesh, make it like bone and just as strong. Raising an eyebrow Evalin curled her fingers to look at her nails, a semblance of an idea beginning to form.

Her mind she let fall to silence, pulling away from this context of reality to separate from the concept of one body and one mind. She was divided, a mental state overlooking a physical one. Thus she looked upon her flesh with eyes that saw not what was there, but what could be. In her mind she summoned her mental fingers, pressing them over the flesh of the back of her hand, causing a cascade of tingles to trace across where she pressed. Tilting her head Evalin began to work with it then, pressing the flesh, molding it, turning it, and as she watched her skin indeed began to move. The instant she released the pressure of her magic, however, the djed that made up her skin quickly retook its original shape.

Curious is it not Tsenrika, how this vessel may yet become of use to us.

Yes... though be mindful that one is not lost among the changes forever.

Evalin nodded, eyes once more intent on the flesh of her hand. One day previously she had tried to harden her entire hand, to encase it in a layer of bone for protection... yet the results had been less than favorable. It seemed that such acts were, for now, beyond her, and thus Evalin began to wonder if she might be able to narrow the field of effect. Narrowing her eyes Evalin chose a single spot at the center of the back of her hand, calling forth those mental fingers to move once more. She pressed upon this spot, pushing and molding the djed into a somewhat slightly raised, lopsided square. Upon her skin it looked more like a blemish, but Evalin was not interested in the aesthetics of it, for now at least. With her attention on this raised bit of flesh Evalin then pulled to mind a thought, an image of what she wished. White of bone, thickness, hard and unbreakable. These thoughts she pressed into the mental fingers, the mental energy she used to shape and form the physical djed of her body. Imagined fingers working pressed these ideas into the djed, hardening, thickening, stiffening the flesh. From the center the white of calcification began to spread, forming over the flesh until it encased the entire thing.

Bringing her hand closer Evalin looked at her creation. A small, pebble sized patch of bone protruded from the back of her hand. When she ran her finger over it she could feel the smooth texture with minor ridges, the feel of bone and the hardness of it as well. With a smile Evalin released her hold on the magic, and a few ticks later her skin was as smooth and calcified as it had been before. Running a finger over the spot once more, ensuring that it had indeed returned to normal, Evalin chuckled, Over a smaller area the control is greater... Interesting. Let us see what might be done with this.

[Evalin]

Evalin pressed against the smooth skin with one finger, eyes lighting as an idea began to shape. Running over the skin once more Evalin narrowed her eyes in concentration. The fingers of her mind inched forth in the darkness once more, pulling and plucking at the djed of her hand to send creeping tingles up her arm. Tilting her head Evalin molded the single spot on the back of her hand once more, though this time she made the area wider. She pushed and raised the skin, pressing upon it and molded it up, and over her knuckles. Once there she summoned forth those thoughts of creation, mind turning to the bones of her mind, white and hard, immovable, unbreakable, etching these concepts into the skin she now crafted as if it were clay. As she worked the magic sent shivers and pinches over her fingers as her code was rewritten, and where once soft flesh was now raised bone was takign its place. It stretched from midway down the back of her hand over each knuckle, forming slight protrusions here which Evalin grasped with her other physical fingers. To aid her minds hands Evalin pushed and twisted with her own physical ones, creating cone shapes out of the bone that now covered the knuckles of her closed fist. Molding, shaping, twisting and pulling Evalin crafted miniature horns, one upon each knuckle that stuck out just a quarter of an inch. The tips were blunted, but with a smile Evalin pulled her arms back inside the cage.

The nuit examined her work, running the fingers of her free hand over the hardened white bone that covered her clenched fist. It was hard, smooth and cold, though the edges were still jagged where they fused with the skin of their origin. Looking around Evalin sought something to test her creation with, but finally she turned her eyes to the bottom of the cage itself. Kneeling down Evalin reared back, slamming her fist hard into the metal to create a loud clanging sound and the rattle of chains. She felt the impact send a shock through her arm, yet she felt no pain where the impact was made. The smile only grew as she ran fingers over the four shallow dents made in the metal itself.

Yes... Yes this will certainly prove useful in the days to come. But this is but the tip, the barest minimum of what could be done. She stood once more to look at her morphed hand, experimentally trying to move her fingers out of their clenched posture. Surprisingly she found that her fingers would not uncurl, the hardened bone over her knuckles preventing any movement. Within her mind Evalin could feel the djed of her body fighting desperately to return to its normal shape, rebelling against this terrible abomination that Evalin had created, this unnatural form that it was never meant to take.

This body does yet rebel against this form, but soon it too shall be made to bend to my will. She said to no one in particular. Breathing out slowly Evalin allowed her hold on the magic to release, and before her eyes the white of bone began to recede. The raised nubs flowed back into the area from which they were created, and slowly the white bone began to fall back like a wave to be reclaimed by soft pale skin once more. Flexing her fingers Evalin nodded slowly, "With this power no cage shall be able to hold me for long...

Neither shall the bonds of Fate...

[Soliloquy]

Evalin

Experience:

• Morphing +3
• Familiarity +1
• Observation +1

Lore:

• Starting off smaller leads to better control
• Brass Knuckles made from bone can be quite deadly
• Basic Anatomy: How tendons in the hand work

Additonal Notes :

Nice easy quick solo. Gave extra point in Morphing for the yummy details.

If one has any questions or concerns associated with their grade, send me a PM and we can work out the details.

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