Sonya Arasini

[Sonya Arasini]

Sonya Arasini Appearance Race: Human Gender: Female Age: 21 Birthday: Twelvth of Fall, 495. Starting City: Nyka Birthplace: Nyka Appearance: A young, wiry woman of middling height with a well-developed physique that's often largely hidden by her robes, straight crimson hair cut short and steely dark eyes. Her face is surprisingly soft and rounded for her profession, though the broken nose mars her feminine looks a touch. Her knuckles are thick and calloused. Character Concept A brash, hot-blooded lady with boundless drive, an almost dour demeanor and something to prove. Sonya is a prickly woman who perhaps takes things a touch too personally, and is determined to never tolerate any disrespect again. For all that, she still harbors a sympathy towards those around her, and would prefer to see people happy than hurt. She very much wants to laugh. Character History Forthcoming... Language Fluent Language: Common Poor Language: Fratava Skills Skill EXP Total Proficiency Unarmed Combat 26 SP 26 Competent Acrobatics 13 SP 13 Novice Weapon: Axe 15 RB, 11 SP 26 Competent Gnosis: An iridescent mark of Ivak splashed across her collar and lower neck. It seems to flicker like real flames. Gnosis story : “Now, make sure you smile when you see him.” Sonya’s mother said as she combed her child’s hair back from behind, ignoring her winces as she did so. “Otherwise he’ll think you don’t like him. You do like him, right?” “…Yes.” Replied Sonya after a pause two ticks too long, knowing full well any other answer was just asking to bring more pain raining down on her head. She inhaled sharply, squeezing her lips and eyelids together as she felt her hair get tugged roughly into a bun that was quickly fastened by a long pin. “Good.” Said her mother sharply. “He’ll make you very happy. He’s well-employed, has a superb track record, savings to spare, he’s been a friend of the family for years.” “He’s also more than twice my age.” Sonya added meekly. “All the better.” Her mother snapped back. “It means he won’t die on you. Now be quiet and let me put on your wedding dress.” The teen rose meekly from the stool she was sitting on, staring at her own reflection in the mirror before her as she slipped off her blouse and skirt and stepped into the new garment. She could see her crimson hair pulled taut and held in place by the gleaming silver pin, her mother’s bundled up behind her head in a similar fashioned. She tried unsuccessfully to ignore the yellow bruises on her ribs and the scrapes on her wiry arms. She was meant to be happy, everyone said. She was going to have a secure future, no? All she had to do was nod and smile, do what she was told, obey her husband, comfort herself with cooking and keeping a house. It was perfection, no? Many girls would kill for her position, Sonya thought as she fought not to stumble against her mother’s incessant pulling at the lilac blue dress’s laces. ”This is what’s best, right? So why aren’t I happy?” Sonya swallowed painfully, feeling her teeth grind against each other. “What’s that look for?” her mother hissed as she seized her daughter’s arm and gave it a rough jerk. The young woman started before letting herself be led away. Sonya quickly combed a stray strand of hair that fell into her line of sight behind her ear. In what felt like far too short a time, she found herself alone at the end of the aisle, a dozen eyes from her family and the selected husband’s on her. Sonya became acutely aware of the perspiration beading on her brow and causing the fabric of her dress to rub painfully against her raw skin with every step she took. The man she was approaching was well beyond twice her age; nearly fifty, with a trimmed beard, cold eyes and large calloused hands that sloughed off skin at what felt like the smallest touch. Even dressed up in yellow and lace, he reminded Sonya of a bear, if only for his frame and the strength of his grip. Behind him was a cloth-covered table carrying flickering candles on brass sticks, numerous glasses of wine, and a modestly sized cake. Sonya could see the man’s mouth moving when she stopped in front of him, but she couldn’t make out any words. She could sense her nails digging into her palms and felt the intense urge to flee somewhere to cry. The lump in her throat seemed to triple in size and the teen found it difficult to breathe. Another hair fell out of place. Trembling hands slowly rose and slid across her scalp. Sonya’s thumb hit the pin. She looked up at her prospective husband. He’d apparently been silent a while, because he glared at her with barely restrained wrath. It was obvious the wedding night would be preceded by another reprimanding. Sonya opened and closed her mouth silently like a drowning fish, legs flexing in protest at their own inaction. Without warning, she felt something like liquid electricity flood through her bones. Her hand grasped the pin with gorilla strength as she surged forward, hair cascading like rushing water down her shoulders. The groom’s face changed to a perfect mask of shock and his back foot left the ground before he stumbled to his knees, the pin sticking out of his chest. The room erupted in screams and curses. Sonya almost doubled up over him from the weight, eyes wide, tears streaming down her cheeks. With some effort she wrenched the weapon from the dead man’s chest and whirled around like a cornered animal. Almost immediately a young man from the groom’s family was upon her, catching the girl in a rough bear hug. She tried to swing, but found her arms pinned. Her eyes instantly lighted on the limbs restraining her, and she sunk her teeth into the man’s bicep. The assailant roared in pain for a full tick before releasing Sonya, the girl immediately stabbing desperately at his neck. The pin connected with nothing but air this time as he bobbed away, two more men rising up and moving towards her. Sonya scrambled backwards until she hit the table, knocking over several glasses whose contents quickly pooled blood-red on the floor and nearly falling over herself, fingers brushing against a candlestick as she steadied herself. After the briefest hesitation she seized the new weapon, swinging viciously at the approaching men and sending the candles flying. This bayed two of them, but a grey-haired man to Sonya’s left was undeterred. As he lunged the girl kicked at the fork between his legs. This didn’t stop him from crashing into her and sending them both tumbling over the table with a crash and a chorus of shattering glass, but it did daze him. Sonya shrieked and sunk the pin twice into his back before pushing him away by the face and shoulders, crawling away from her assailant. Unbeknownst to them, the wine had caught fire. The pin felt slippery in her hand, and she felt a dull ache spotting across her back. More people were approaching her. Nobody seemed to notice the fire spreading. The room was bathed in orange light. Everyone was closing in. Sonya smelled smoke… Suddenly, a fresh scream as a burning curtain fell and lit a chair. Those gathered around Sonya collectively realized the state of their surroundings. A rout ensued. Many abandoned the mad girl and rushed to an exit. One of the older women lit up as the flames found the lace of her dress. Two men seemed resolute. Sonya raised her blood-soaked pin in shaking hands, ready to fight. One stepped forward, then a spasm seemed to pass over both of their faces, and they turned to join the stampede around the exit. Sonya frowned in confusion until she looked down. The fire had found her as well. The girl’s breath caught in her chest as she stumbled towards the writhing crowd. As she walked, the inferno reached them, jumping from person to huddled person. She whirled around, coughing as the smoke burned her nose and throat. Everything was a mess of orange and brown. A window! Sonya dashed towards the first one she laid eyes on but was cut off by a falling rafter. She turned again to see more blazing beams falling. The smoke grew thicker; she couldn’t make out what was around her any more. The roar of the fire drowned out the moans and screams of the burning. Sonya could sense the flames on her skin; she could feel them swirling around her. All she could see was rippling yellow and orange. The pin clattered to the floor as Sonya’s knees buckled. Her body sagged forward; she felt the flames catch her weight and lower her to the floor. She inhaled and was startled at how easy it had suddenly become to take breath. In the inferno, she thought she could make out the pattern of a male face. “There is fire in you.” It said with a voice like a rumbling volcano. “Yet you refute it. Why?” Sonya sat there staring in shock and incredulity for a good two ticks before she stammered out a response, the tears returning as the enormity of what occurred started sinking in. “I slipped. I slipped once, and this happened!” she choked, sweeping out her hand towards the devastation she couldn’t see through the whirling flames but knew lay just beyond. “It happened because you denied yourself.” intoned the flames, “Because you bottled everything up, thinking you could extinguish your own emotions. That is why they erupted with such force.” “What do I do, then?” Sonya asked helplessly. “For now, allow yourself to feel. You will learn the rest in time.” Said the face in the fire as it dissolved back into the vortex. Suddenly the air grew thick and scalding, Sonya’s vision flickered, and then everything went dark. The first thing she became aware of was the night air on her cuts, followed shortly by pain in her lungs. As she pushed herself clumsily into a sitting position, she also realized the floor and her front were covered in soot. She wiped her eyes before opening them and letting the scene before her sink in. She was surrounded by soot and the blackened husks of things: furniture, dinnerware, people… Sonya herself was naked, and where once a house stood there was now nothing but charcoal. She wanted to scream, but she couldn’t find the energy to make the noise. The fire had wiped out everything, and she alone remained. Lores Lore of Nykan Streetplan Lore of Nykan Wards Possessions 1 Set of Clothing Monk robes, Uphis Steel bracers Steel greaves -Simple Boots 1 Waterskin 1 Backpack which contains: -Comb (Wood) -Brush (Wood) -Soap -Razor -Food is given out daily -1 eating knife -Flint & Steel Heirloom: A one-handed iron war axe Housing Location: Nyka House: Sharp Blade headquarters Ledger N/A Thread List