Post by Lone Dancer on Jun 14, 2023 2:00:39 GMT
Niha hummed a merry tune of her own making, practically prancing across the road. As with every day, it was just a good day! As long as she didn’t look at her arm that is. But that was easy. Just keep looking up and never down.
Turns out that being introduced to your own mortality by a giant tree with an off-putting penchant for brains could be a vibe killer. But only if you let it be! At first, she was thankful for her new bracelet, a set of interwoven roots wrapped around her arm. But it had a slight problem that she didn’t like when it came to jewelry. It couldn’t be taken off.
Niha liked to experiment with her looks as much as she could, so an accessory she couldn’t remove? Awful. Not to mention the dreams. Roots stabbing into her skin, prickly sensations until she woke up, and it was revealed it was just that, a dream. But when said root bracelet originated from a brain-eating tree obsessed with dreams, you could never really be sure.
She was getting ahead of herself. Better to focus on the sunshine, the birds, and the gentle breeze flowing across her perfect skin.
No, think about the bracelet more.
Her eye twitched. Her smile turned to a grimace as mental images of crawling roots peeked through her head. She pulled out her little folding mirror from her bag. Her face could make for a good distraction.
The pale lady stared back at her.
“Oh, what a wonderful day it becomes when you wake.” Niha’s voice was flat. She slammed the mirror shut.
Silence.
Niha shook her head, floofing out her clothes. Always be presentable, even if no one else was looking.
“You know, perhaps I’ve said this before. You need me. You really, really do.”
More silence.
“You, you’re just sad. Alone. No friends. Too socially unaware to realize that they’re just pretending. It’s why you need me. Unlike you, I’m likable. I make friends. People don’t recoil at the sight of me, nor fear I will feast on their children in the night.”
Niha chuckled, a dark sound. She stopped as soon as she did.
“I can’t even laugh. You’ve gone past being so lonely it was funny back to it’s just sad. Make your excuses, your half-baked defenses. But we both know the truth, even if you deny it. You need me.”
Now she felt something. Rage, but also tinges of self-doubt. Now that put a smile on her face. Finally.
You’re wrong. You’re just my mistake. I don’t need you, and that thought scares you. So you will say anything to cover up.
“Mmm, nah. Isn’t this sort of discussion tried? Do us both a favor, and go back to whatever miserable depths you come from.”
Niha ignored the voice inside her head from that point on. While the road stretched on as far as she could see, she didn’t care. It was inevitable she’d find a carriage or wagon to hitch a ride on. And well, knock on enough doors, someone will answer. She could hear the clopping of horses, and the creaking of wheels from behind her, some distance away.
Excellent.
The sound of a man shouting, and the slowing of horses. Deftly, she took a step to the side. She was able to get a good look at what was now at her right. The carriage was ornate, dark wood and metal edges. Clearly well crafted. The man at the reigns was dressed in fine clothes, sitting with an air of experience.
A door on the carriage opened, and another man poked out his head, yelling about why they stopped. His words got caught in his throat as he glanced at Niha. She tilted her head and smiled at him. His pupils dilated softly.
Ah, the hook was set. While others may decry the morality of using charming spells and magics, Niha cared for none of it. Everyone liked her, some just needed a nudge more than others.
“Oh, pardon me, what are you doing out here on the road?” The man stumbled out his words.
“Me? I’m just something of a wanderer, an explorer.”
“How nice. Would you want to explore inside my carriage, it’s much more comfortable than trekking it out on foot.”
The man was not as suave as he thought, but she buried such musings. He would have to do, for now.
“I would love to.”
The man smiled at her response, opening the door wider. She accepted the invitation and climbed on in. Easy as pie. She admired her own handiwork. The carriage was cozy on the inside, with padded seats and velvet pillows with golden tassels. On the ceiling, a magelight granted amber luminance. The cushioning helped when the carriage bounced and shook across the dusty road.
The man yelled at the driver to get moving, before slamming the door shut. He looked at Niha, pupils fully dilated. She kept her sigh inside. She might’ve misjudged his mental fortitude. Words spilled out of him, disjointed sentences and meaningless blabber as he tried to get something out, but kept failing.
He reached out a hand, but she deftly guided it to a pillow. His skin was clammy.
“You look tired; you can take a nap if you need.” She spoke softly. He nodded, but then shook his head.
“And risk losing out on good conversation? No, no, no.”
Another voice piped up again.
He touches us, and he’s dead.
It was the rare instance where she agreed with the pale one’s sentiment. Now that she was up close, she got an up-close inspection. The man was slightly twitchy, with a faint reek of desperation and something else. No wonder her charms were so effective.
“Hello?” He spoke again.
“Sorry, just thinking of a good topic. Hmm. Say, have you heard of this grove where people sleep and a mystical forest guardian watches over in guard?”
The man appeared bemused. His hands clenched and unclenched on the pillows.
“No, I haven’t. Do tell.”
So she detailed her journey across the woods, into Aet’null’s grove, with specific details omitted. A lot of details were edited out. In the end, she pulled up her hand, revealing the wooden bracelet.
“Fascinating, truly, fascinating. So this forest guardian, they could grant wishes?”
Niha hazed out a yes.
“What did you wish for then.”
“I’m sorry, but I hope you don’t mind that’s a bit personal.”
“Oh, don’t worry about it. We’ll have plenty of time to learn about each other.”
He sure wasn’t subtle. Niha was rethinking her plan. But for now, she just had to brace through and deflect. And while she loathed to admit it, this was the circumstance of having her be beneficial.
“Well, tell me about yourself then.” Niha smiled again. The man was more than happy to oblige her.
“Of course. I’m Jia.” Jia began to ramble on about how he was a Count, and was traveling to reclaim his heritage and rightful inheritance. During his descriptions, he dropped several not-so-subtle hints he was looking for a someone to join him. Niha merely smiled and feigned ignorance every time.
But Jia did notice how she was avoiding his touch. His eyes remained dilated, but Niha didn’t like what she saw inside them. Ke kept blathering on, his ‘hints’ more and more obvious and pointed. Her breaking point came when Jia had enough, forcefully grabbed her arm, and tried to pull her close.
His breath was rank as he leaned in, attempting for a kiss. The pit in her stomach chilled to ice. She liked attention, to dance in the spotlight where everyone could see her and her magnificence. But this was neither of those things. This was a twisted sort of attention, one she wanted nothing to do with. Fear, rage, it all blended together. Her free fist struck out, a solid strike to his face.
Jia reeled back with a scowl. His grip on her arm tightened, painfully. As she tried to yank it back, her bracelet happened to brush against his hand. Jia recoiled again, letting go this time. His hand was bleeding, somehow.
He cursed at her, foul names spilling from his lips. She didn’t care. Looking at her interwoven roots, she could see tiny spikes reach out, squirming in the direction of Jia. They were painted crimson.
But a familiar feeling took over once more. This time Niha embraced it. Her limbs felt frigid as her body changed. Jia went from cursing to babbling. It was almost dreamlike in a sense, as Niha watched through another’s eyes, as a sharpened limb buried itself into Jia’s chest.
The roots gleefully started to drink, Jia becoming as pale as the one who killed him. It was silent now, the moment interspersed by the sound of galloping horses. Niha sat beside a husk, her hands on her lap. She stared dead ahead, eyes empty.
Turns out that being introduced to your own mortality by a giant tree with an off-putting penchant for brains could be a vibe killer. But only if you let it be! At first, she was thankful for her new bracelet, a set of interwoven roots wrapped around her arm. But it had a slight problem that she didn’t like when it came to jewelry. It couldn’t be taken off.
Niha liked to experiment with her looks as much as she could, so an accessory she couldn’t remove? Awful. Not to mention the dreams. Roots stabbing into her skin, prickly sensations until she woke up, and it was revealed it was just that, a dream. But when said root bracelet originated from a brain-eating tree obsessed with dreams, you could never really be sure.
She was getting ahead of herself. Better to focus on the sunshine, the birds, and the gentle breeze flowing across her perfect skin.
No, think about the bracelet more.
Her eye twitched. Her smile turned to a grimace as mental images of crawling roots peeked through her head. She pulled out her little folding mirror from her bag. Her face could make for a good distraction.
The pale lady stared back at her.
“Oh, what a wonderful day it becomes when you wake.” Niha’s voice was flat. She slammed the mirror shut.
Silence.
Niha shook her head, floofing out her clothes. Always be presentable, even if no one else was looking.
“You know, perhaps I’ve said this before. You need me. You really, really do.”
More silence.
“You, you’re just sad. Alone. No friends. Too socially unaware to realize that they’re just pretending. It’s why you need me. Unlike you, I’m likable. I make friends. People don’t recoil at the sight of me, nor fear I will feast on their children in the night.”
Niha chuckled, a dark sound. She stopped as soon as she did.
“I can’t even laugh. You’ve gone past being so lonely it was funny back to it’s just sad. Make your excuses, your half-baked defenses. But we both know the truth, even if you deny it. You need me.”
Now she felt something. Rage, but also tinges of self-doubt. Now that put a smile on her face. Finally.
You’re wrong. You’re just my mistake. I don’t need you, and that thought scares you. So you will say anything to cover up.
“Mmm, nah. Isn’t this sort of discussion tried? Do us both a favor, and go back to whatever miserable depths you come from.”
Niha ignored the voice inside her head from that point on. While the road stretched on as far as she could see, she didn’t care. It was inevitable she’d find a carriage or wagon to hitch a ride on. And well, knock on enough doors, someone will answer. She could hear the clopping of horses, and the creaking of wheels from behind her, some distance away.
Excellent.
The sound of a man shouting, and the slowing of horses. Deftly, she took a step to the side. She was able to get a good look at what was now at her right. The carriage was ornate, dark wood and metal edges. Clearly well crafted. The man at the reigns was dressed in fine clothes, sitting with an air of experience.
A door on the carriage opened, and another man poked out his head, yelling about why they stopped. His words got caught in his throat as he glanced at Niha. She tilted her head and smiled at him. His pupils dilated softly.
Ah, the hook was set. While others may decry the morality of using charming spells and magics, Niha cared for none of it. Everyone liked her, some just needed a nudge more than others.
“Oh, pardon me, what are you doing out here on the road?” The man stumbled out his words.
“Me? I’m just something of a wanderer, an explorer.”
“How nice. Would you want to explore inside my carriage, it’s much more comfortable than trekking it out on foot.”
The man was not as suave as he thought, but she buried such musings. He would have to do, for now.
“I would love to.”
The man smiled at her response, opening the door wider. She accepted the invitation and climbed on in. Easy as pie. She admired her own handiwork. The carriage was cozy on the inside, with padded seats and velvet pillows with golden tassels. On the ceiling, a magelight granted amber luminance. The cushioning helped when the carriage bounced and shook across the dusty road.
The man yelled at the driver to get moving, before slamming the door shut. He looked at Niha, pupils fully dilated. She kept her sigh inside. She might’ve misjudged his mental fortitude. Words spilled out of him, disjointed sentences and meaningless blabber as he tried to get something out, but kept failing.
He reached out a hand, but she deftly guided it to a pillow. His skin was clammy.
“You look tired; you can take a nap if you need.” She spoke softly. He nodded, but then shook his head.
“And risk losing out on good conversation? No, no, no.”
Another voice piped up again.
He touches us, and he’s dead.
It was the rare instance where she agreed with the pale one’s sentiment. Now that she was up close, she got an up-close inspection. The man was slightly twitchy, with a faint reek of desperation and something else. No wonder her charms were so effective.
“Hello?” He spoke again.
“Sorry, just thinking of a good topic. Hmm. Say, have you heard of this grove where people sleep and a mystical forest guardian watches over in guard?”
The man appeared bemused. His hands clenched and unclenched on the pillows.
“No, I haven’t. Do tell.”
So she detailed her journey across the woods, into Aet’null’s grove, with specific details omitted. A lot of details were edited out. In the end, she pulled up her hand, revealing the wooden bracelet.
“Fascinating, truly, fascinating. So this forest guardian, they could grant wishes?”
Niha hazed out a yes.
“What did you wish for then.”
“I’m sorry, but I hope you don’t mind that’s a bit personal.”
“Oh, don’t worry about it. We’ll have plenty of time to learn about each other.”
He sure wasn’t subtle. Niha was rethinking her plan. But for now, she just had to brace through and deflect. And while she loathed to admit it, this was the circumstance of having her be beneficial.
“Well, tell me about yourself then.” Niha smiled again. The man was more than happy to oblige her.
“Of course. I’m Jia.” Jia began to ramble on about how he was a Count, and was traveling to reclaim his heritage and rightful inheritance. During his descriptions, he dropped several not-so-subtle hints he was looking for a someone to join him. Niha merely smiled and feigned ignorance every time.
But Jia did notice how she was avoiding his touch. His eyes remained dilated, but Niha didn’t like what she saw inside them. Ke kept blathering on, his ‘hints’ more and more obvious and pointed. Her breaking point came when Jia had enough, forcefully grabbed her arm, and tried to pull her close.
His breath was rank as he leaned in, attempting for a kiss. The pit in her stomach chilled to ice. She liked attention, to dance in the spotlight where everyone could see her and her magnificence. But this was neither of those things. This was a twisted sort of attention, one she wanted nothing to do with. Fear, rage, it all blended together. Her free fist struck out, a solid strike to his face.
Jia reeled back with a scowl. His grip on her arm tightened, painfully. As she tried to yank it back, her bracelet happened to brush against his hand. Jia recoiled again, letting go this time. His hand was bleeding, somehow.
He cursed at her, foul names spilling from his lips. She didn’t care. Looking at her interwoven roots, she could see tiny spikes reach out, squirming in the direction of Jia. They were painted crimson.
But a familiar feeling took over once more. This time Niha embraced it. Her limbs felt frigid as her body changed. Jia went from cursing to babbling. It was almost dreamlike in a sense, as Niha watched through another’s eyes, as a sharpened limb buried itself into Jia’s chest.
The roots gleefully started to drink, Jia becoming as pale as the one who killed him. It was silent now, the moment interspersed by the sound of galloping horses. Niha sat beside a husk, her hands on her lap. She stared dead ahead, eyes empty.
The trick to keeping a good mood was never to look down. To not look at her hands, or what was on them. She could still feel the phantom of his grip. But she could ignore it. Just look ahead, and think of happy things. Don’t think about prior events or the wetness on your cheek. Pretty girls don’t cry. Happy girls don’t cry.
“Perhaps I do need you.”
Silence.
Silence.