Solo Disguise of a Monster

[Sayana]

Fall 64, 515 AV

Tonight she would do it. Sayana stayed late at the Crooked Playhouse. She made up an excuse that she needed to practice her routines, especially in the air, and only a few of the performers were left as Syna dipped below the horizon. The Eypharian swung on a long rope, building more and more speed as used her legs to gain momentum. Her feet were securely positioned on a thick knot at the bottom and she held the rope with all her hands. As she gained more confidence she slowly lifted her high and mid hands off the rope and continued soaring and swinging through the air. Was this what it was like to fly? To soar through the air with big black wings as dark as night?

“Everyone off the equipment!”

It was dark out and Fabel was calling everyone off. Had it been lighter Sayana might have jumped from the rope, but as it was she waited for the swinging to slow and then carefully climbed down. Her feet brushed against the ground from the swinging and then she let go completely, quickly regaining her balance.

But instead of going home, Sayana quietly snuck back into the dressing room. All the lights were out and she had to grab a candle. But as she tip toed around, it appeared as though everyone had left and with their belongings too. Excellent. The Eypharian reached for her own bag and pulled out a pair of black leathery wings. As she opened them out, she was surprised just how large they were, but as requested, there were two small handholds so that she might wear them. But first, the cloak. With another set of hands she pulled out the black fur-lined cloak. It was silky zith fur and the tailor had done a marvelous job at crafting the cloak to be wearable with either the fur on the outside for looks or on the inside for warmth. Sayana slipped it on and used the two small holes in the back to put her low hands. With the cloak in place, fur side out, she maneuvered the wings so that she could grip the handholds with her low hands.

Her low hands gave a few tentative flaps as she tested out the disguise. Since it was merely a cloak and nothing fitted to her form, it merely suggested a zith shape due to the silky fur. The wings were probably the best part of the disguise and they flexed and flapped quite well. Her face would need work however, but she already had something in mind for that.

Suddenly a voice echoed into the room. “Who’s there?”

Startled, Sayana accidentally knocked over the candle with a wing and then made a quick dash for a corner of the room. Whoever had spoken approached with their own candle and she curled up on the floor with her wings wrapped around her body trying to hide from view. Her heart thumped in her chest as she squinted from her position, watching the light of the candle move about but after several long chimes the person decided to leave without further investigation.

[Sayana]

Slowly she came out from her crouched position. Sayana would have had a hard time lighting another candle but Leth’s moonlight might be enough to see by. She drew the curtains to one of the windows and examined herself in front of a mirror. The wings certainly did a lot but her face would surely give her away. Sayana pulled out one of the masks of illusion she had purchased earlier in the season. It was plain and featureless, but as she pressed it against one of the zith wings, it slowly began to transform. The mask darkened, the eyes turned red and even little fangs appeared at the mouth. Excitedly she put it on, however the results weren’t exactly what she had expected.

First, the wings she had been wearing dropped to the ground with a thump and new wings appeared. Her skin prickled with fur and when she looked in the mirror her eyes were a bright red. Yet her teeth looked like comical fangs and… For a tick her expression turned to one of horror. Her mid and low arms had vanished!

Her highs moved just fine, but when she ‘moved’ her mids, there was nothing and her arms were gone. With sudden panic she tried to wave her low arms around and there was a clattering as objects fell and wind rustled about the change room. Her low arms were now wings. She grabbed the mask to pull it off, and for several moments she was back to normal. Her panic subsided at that, and slowly she put the mask back on.

It wasn’t the best disguise, since the illusion wings were simplistic looking and lacked the realism of the true wings she possessed. However, it was a more complete disguise than the one she had tried for. The unnerving part was how she was missing some of her arms, but it was probably for the best if she wanted to perfect the role. When she looked in the mirror she was surprised as a different face looked back, but she made some attempts to ruffle the hair and add a hint of darkening makeup to make it look more realistic. Her teeth she’d have to hide, since the elongated fangs looked quite ridiculous, even for a zith.

With her new disguise, she made sure that her daggers and lakan were safely in place and then tucked away the wings and cloak that she ended up not using. Maybe she could use them another time, but this time she wanted to try to trap a specific zith.

[Sayana]

Sayana left the Playhouse cautiously. She didn’t want to attract needless attention and was careful to look around corners as she made her way out. The wings felt oddly natural and a couple times she used them to shade herself from the torchlight and minimize any glint from her silky fur. It was ironic that she had practically become a zith in order to hunt one down, yet it was merely a ploy and she told herself that she was certainly no beast like them.

Upon leaving the Crook, Sayana scrambled along the mountainside with more difficulty than usual. The lack of arms really complicated things and instead of being able to climb along the rocky slopes, she had to stick to the paths for the most part. Yet it was because of this marvelous illusion that she had decided to try to capture a zith tonight rather than later. The mountain posed a wonderful environment for the foul creatures and would be all too enticing especially near a cave of sorts.

A cave. Yes. The Eypharian scanned the area in search of one, yet where she was there were still many trees blocking her view. When the path forked, she took the trail with fewer trees and slanting upwards. It got rockier with large boulders that she had to make her way around. It took her a few chimes to realize that she might get a better view from on top of one of the boulders, but she soon scrambled up one to scout out the area. Her wings flapped now and then, giving her an awkward sense of balance but from up there she managed to spot a rocky indent into the mountain. Even if it wasn’t a cave, it looked like the perfect place for a zith to hide out.

With new energy she made her way towards her new destination. She wove in and out of rocks and jumped to ledges higher up. Suddenly, a rock from under her foot broke off and she let out a yelp as she struggled to cling to the larger part of the boulder she had been climbing. But the odd thing was, she hadn’t actually heard her cry despite being sure she had opened her mouth. Once she was no longer in peril of falling, she spoke again to see if something had happened to her voice. Normal words came out with nothing amiss. With a frown, she tried to imitate a high-pitched scream of fear. No sound came out, except… With sudden realization Sayana knew that she must have managed to reach the high octaves of the zith. There was more to this mask of illusion than she had thought. Yet despite reaching the high pitches of the zith, she would have no ability to speak their language. Still, she could scream like one.

When she finally reached the rocky plateau, she grinned as it opened into a cave. This would certainly catch a zith’s eye. She hoped the rumors she tried to circulate had gotten around. She had tried to suggest that a certain young female zith was still alive, and if Sayana was lucky the brother might come to rescue her.

[Sayana]

By now, Syna had completely set and there was only the faint light of dusk that lingered. Stars were starting to appear in the night sky and Sayana paced at the cave entrance. She was having second thoughts on the disguise and wasn’t sure if it would be enough to draw in the zith. But maybe if she acted well enough…? She’d have to try.

She looked critically at her simplistic wings but then flapped them slowly this way and that to make them look more natural. Then after a deep breath, she let out a high piercing scream. It was far beyond her hearing range but she soon followed up with a cry in common, “Help! Stuck, hurt. Cannot fly!” She cringed with false pain and limped about the cave entrance trying to attract attention with the large wings. There were faint echoes off the mountains and suddenly she had more hope for the plan working.

Again she sent out high pitched cries and pleas for help in common. Leaning against a large rock she pretended to be injured. One leg limped and she also picked a wing to hang at an odd and almost broken angle. Her trap was set, and all she had to do was wait in hopes that a zith might come.

Patience was not Sayana’s strong point and after half a bell of calling out, she found she was breaking out of character more and more often. There were some interesting rock formations near the entrance of the cave and in particular she found a place that she was almost completely out of sight. Suddenly there was a flapping of wings and a rushing of air and Sayana leapt behind the cover of rocks out of instinct. Peering through cracks she could see the creature’s dark shape. She had attracted a zith! Her heart pounded in her chest in excitement but also in anticipation of what was to come. Would her disguise hold up?

For a moment she wondered what he was doing, and then realized that he was likely speaking the zith language and getting no response from her. Cautiously Sayana came out from her hiding spot, wing tip first, while using her other wing to hide her daggers from view. She kept a limp in her slow walk and when she saw his tall foreboding figure, she was sure it was him.

“Escape. Wing hurt.” Sayana spoke, trying to imitate a soft desperate voice of an injured zith. She couldn’t quite remember the girl zith’s voice that she was trying to mimic, but it had been lighter than her own voice.

[Sayana]

There was a moment as the larger male zith hesitated, unsure of what to make of the use of common and starting to notice some of the flaws in the mask’s disguise. But that was all the time Sayana needed to lunge. Her two throwing daggers came first. She threw them one after another, right then left, and at such a close range he was an easy target. One dagger plunged into his shoulder as he tried to duck out of the way and the other went into his stomach.

Sayana closed the gap in the next tick and drew her larger cobra hilted dagger with her right hand. But she didn’t want to just kill him. She wanted to see him suffer. He scratched out with a clawed hand and she ducked to the left before delivering a punch to the side of his face with her free left hand. He stumbled backwards and she lunged again, this time with her dagger aimed for his throat. Yet as they tumbled to the ground, she managed to keep the blade from piercing his tender neck and she landed on top, the cold steel upon his silky fur.

“You’re not her…” He spoke panting heavily but choosing to stay still as the blade pressed against him. “No, I’m not.”

“She’s dead, isn’t she? I thought there might have been a chance…” The creature’s voice was clearly pained. “Why are you hunting us so? We haven’t done anything against--” “Haven’t done anything??” Sayana shouted, nearly losing her control of the dagger at this throat. “One of your kind took me as a slave, had his way with me, hurt me in all kinds of ways.” Her raised voice dropped to a soft whisper but with no less intensity. “And I will hurt you back in more ways you can dream of…”

There was a momentary struggle that was soon quelled as a thin red line formed upon his throat. After that she lessened the pressure of her dagger and drew her lakan. It was more challenging restraining him when she only had two hands to use, but soon she had managed to make three cuts upon his cheek using her lakan so it resembled an ‘X’ with a third line down the middle. Next she moved on to his chest, keeping the cuts shallow so that he wouldn’t bleed out. There was struggle, but it was muted from the fact he was already injured from the two throwing daggers. Yet she relished in the feeling of his life beneath her. Like a drug, it was both intoxicating and toxic. Luring out her darker tendencies.

Another cry of pain spurred her on. “Beasts… monsters… savages. I will hunt you all down.” She whispered as she drew the sharp edge of her lakan slowly down the center of the creature’s chest.

[Sayana]

“Stop stop, please!” He pleaded before letting out another cry of pain. She had broken him and reduced him to begging. It felt so sweet and satisfying. “Why should I?” She asked with a cruel grin. If the mask still held he’d only see the warped face of his sister grinning back at him. “I don’t want to die,” he spoke hoarsely.

In response she sheathed her dagger and instead yanked out the throwing dagger in his shoulder. Her reward was another gasp of pain. “You want me to stop? Save your filthy little soul?” Sayana taunted as she grabbed the other dagger that was in his stomach and yanked it out too. Blood pooled and matted in his fur as she raised the two daggers in her right hand. “Or shall I end it right now?” She hadn’t meant to get so carried away and when she slammed the pair of daggers into the ground next to his face, he only just managed to get out of the way in time.

Out of fear that she would show no mercy, his efforts to escape were doubled. With his good arm, he reached up and landed a blow to her face. The mask slipped, and for a moment she was thrown off balance as her features suddenly shifted. Wings disappeared and arms reappeared as she reverted back to her Eypharian form. The zith was able to use those couple of ticks to his advantage and scrambled out from her grasp and onto his feet. The moment he was free, his wings beat swiftly and he was in the air.

“You. You killed my sister and tried to kill me.” The creature spat. “Who’s the monster now?”

Sayana made a grab for her daggers that were buried in the ground, but the zith didn’t linger any more than to say those words. By the time she had gotten the daggers free he had plunged down the mountainside and was no longer within reach. Yet his words lingered. Despite her pride, sooner or later she would have to accept herself as just that, or prove herself otherwise.

[Fable]

"Hush, child." Gentle fingers ran soft and smooth over the boy's furred skin, spreading a soft, soothing balm over the open wounds. Tears slipped from his eyes, burning hot with broken pride and pain, but The Seamstress regarded him as she did all her children. There was no pity in her eyes, for there was no place for pity, but there was understanding. Hatred was something well known to those of more bestial heritage, and even within Ionu's city, it was not altogether unavoidable.

"How curious..." Another voice crooned, slipping between an odd half-smile. "She is quite a vicious thing. More than you, Rend." The zith growled back at the strange pale creature who merely giggled at the creature's frustrations. "Don't wrinkle your pretty brow so! It'll tear the stitches."

"Iman. That is enough." Though stern, it was hardly a reprimand from the elegant woman who had just finished tying off the thin line of thread that wove its way through the zith's broken skin, pulling it back together.

"Of course, of course." The Speaker turned to leave, pale white eyes staring off into the distance, gazing upwards towards the mountainous slope above. "But it never is, is it?"

The Seamstress chuckled as she gave the zith a gentle shove on the shoulder, silently letting the boy know it was time for him to leave the little clearing to which he wordlessly obliged, still stung in heart and body. "No, not when it comes to something to searing as revenge. That's always the most difficult web to weave: one never knows when to stop."

"Of course, of course."

S A Y A N A

a d r o i t . a c c r e t i o n s

❁ intimidation +2
❁ acting +2
❁ acrobatics +2
❁ tactics +1
❁ stealth +3
❁ disguise +2
❁ camouflage +1
❁ cosmetology +1
❁ impersonation +1
❁ climbing +1
❁ weapon: dagger +1
❁ unarmed combat +1
❁ wrestling +1
❁ torture +2
❁ dual wield: dagger +1

e s p i e d . e r u d i t i o n

❁ stealth: redirecting ambient light
❁ torture: shallow cuts
❁ imitation: flimsy female zith accent

r e c o m p e n s e . a n d . r e t r i b u t i o n

❃ minor bruises and scrapes; nothing to leave lasting damage

d e t e r m i n a t i v e . d i c t a

Yikes. Sayana's hatred is pretty palpable through this, and I appreciate the balance of skill and lack of skill and how you handled it. Definitely looking forward to seeing where this goes!