Completed [Wildlands] Ophelia (Edreina, Razkar)

[Radiant]

Kabrin Road, 20th Bell, 12th of Fall 513 A.V

In the aftermath of the bloody battle against a Yukmen horde. The sellswords had piled the bodies of the Yukmen and set them on fire, also doing the same for their fallen comrades in another location not far away. They were now camping for the night at the side of the Kabrin Road, they needed to rest after the exhaustive battle against the landspawns. Makutsi had been kind enough to release her wrath upon the land, the sky was now clear with Leth shining brightly upon the wilderness.

A moment of deep silence, most of the mercenary was grateful they could live to see another day. Albrecht was organizing new duties and formations, Moretta was resting in her tent along with her remaining horsemen, silently cursing herself for her own stupidity. Razkar was right, if they hadn't try to fight the horde on their own, all of them could still live. She wanted to cry, to unleash her sorrow of losing her comrades, but she was a warrior, she needed to be strong so she kept her tears in check. Even warriors made mistakes sometime, this experience was a major slap to her pride.

One particular individual was not that all concerned with the somber atmosphere. No, Karin had nothing to do with these mercenaris. She was simply a hitchiker, she helped them on her own decision. Who knows, without her, these men and women would not live to see another day or at least, lost so much of them that they had no choice but to abandon the caravan. The small Viper was sitting on a cart, short legs dangling in the air, bobbing her head to the left and right, humming a song too cheerful for the mood. A sellsword passed her and edged away, he knew something was not right with the young-looking girl.

Still continuing her hum, Karin jumped down from the wagon and made her way to the tent where the warrior, Razkar, and his lover, Edreina, were staying. A pale hand extended from her cloak and she whisked the fabric acting as the tent's entrance away, she them smiled at them both. Though it was clear she was cautious with the Myrian, who had a barely-contained disdain for her. She didn't bother to ask 'Am I intruding?' because the warrior would definitely say 'yes'.

Karin entered and cutely sat down beside Edreina, somewhat using her as a protection. "So..." Karin spoke slowly, suppressing her lisp as much as possible, lest it would ire the Myrian further "we did good, right? Hehe~ We sure show those Yukmen what we are made of. So, you can trust me now, Razkar?" Surely even this savage would consider all that she did, including helping Edreina, as something "You see, not all dhanis are bad... ehehe~" Yes, not all dhanis are those like in Falyndar.

Still, Karin could feel that Siku was cursing at her for allowing herself to befriend a Myrian, but she was a child of Ionu now.

[Razkar]

He may have trusted the sellswords to fight for him (if they had no other option), but it was only Edreina who was allowed to tend his battered skin. Ensconced within their tent, Razkar winced and growled as fresh dabs of iodine were applied to the numerous cuts and gashes he'd earned during battle, marks that would be gone within a few days but still needed to be guarded against infection-

"Hssss, fuck, woman!"

-even if the cure seemed as bad as the disease. He felt a light tap at the back of his head and a muddy, bloody head twisted around, black eyes narrowed. A fearsome visage, one may agree, but the Svefra merely cocked her eyebrow, and jerked his head back to the front with a hand on his chin.

Razkar rolled his eyes and took the hint: stay still and eyes front.

The Myrian looked like some slap-dash mummy at the moment, patches of his dark skin now brilliant white with fresh gauze and bandages. Around them the camp spun around with furious, grateful life. He could hear music tonight, flutes and fiddles, laughing, singing men. He couldn't resist a small smile... maybe a touch of pride in its depths.

Facing your enemy, defeating him, then realizing you're still alive. Aye... always cause for celebration.

He sighed. Not for him, though. The guards had been posted and he was, frankly, exhausted. No, just a few more chimes with Reina patching him up and then-

-the flap opened-

-slit-black eyes peered into his again-

-his hand went to his belt out of instinct-

-but instead of steel, words were tossed at the intruder instead.

"What do you want?"

They had about as much effect as he expected, though. The little Dhani just grinned at him and sat down next to Edreina, at Razkar's right... or at least, she was. The Myrian never let his eyes off her, sliding around to face her squarely, one hand instinctively grasping Edreina's shoulder. Whatever tension oozed off him, though, Karin seemed curiously immune.

"So... we did good, right? Hehe~ We sure show those Yukmen what we are made of. So, you can trust me now, Razkar?"

There was a bark, high and sharp and dripping with scorn, volleyed at her like a thunderbolt. Razkar's lips twisted into a sneer and he looked her up and down as one would a leper.

"Trust? Between two like us? I don't petching think so, monster..."

Yes, that felt good. That felt right... but... again that rolling, insecure tension, conflict and confusion when he thought about the reality of what he'd witnessed. Karin could have run, or sabotaged them easily. She would have gained nothing from it, true, but still... such were the ways of Dhani... right? Endlessly, meaninglessly cruel. Sadistic. Savage.

And what do they call you?

Petch what the barbarians call me. This goes back far to the past. Her kind can never be trusted.

As Wolf couldn't be?

She was half your people!

She was all my people.

His thoughts gave him no solace, no answers... but his hand did. Razkar looked down at the warm flesh under his fingers, saw Edreina there with a curious look in her eyes. Karin... she did help her. She dragged his lover from beneath an oncoming scrum of Earth Demons like they were blood relatives, risked her life and her sanity by using her powers... for a total stranger.

"But..." The words rebelled on his tongue, refusing to go, until he had to nearly vomit them up. "... I... thank you... for helping my apprentice."

"You see, not all dhanis are bad... ehehe~"

As quickly as a sliver of sunlight during a rainstorm is crushed from sight by the rushing clouds, that glimmer of equanimity was wiped away just as roughly. Razkar's eyes hardened yet again, looking over the female from her blades to her smiling lips to her deadliest weapon: her eyes.

The Myrian but grunted settling back on his haunches and gesturing for Edreina to finish what she began.

"I did not say that... but you haven't earned my blade today. For my people and yours, that is... special. But you did not answer my question. What do you want?"

[Edreina]

As gently as she could, Edreina dabbed iodine-dipped gauze against the shallow cut at the side of Razkar's head, just behind his ear. Petch. Did the male even realize how lucky he was sometimes? When he captured her in his voided glare, attempting to make her shrivel under the fathomless depths of his cold black eyes, the Svefra did something that no one else in this camp - or perhaps on this continent - would have the balls to do: with blue eyes narrowed right back, she pushed his chin back to where she wanted it so that she could continue to work. "I swear. For a tough warrior, you can be such a cry baby..." The muttered yet utterly fluid syllables of the Svefra's Fratavan may have been a balm to her lover, like a melody sang before one retired. Oh, if only he knew more of her tongue.

To her, he looked like some child's drawing of a Myrian tiger: still so very fierce, but odd with his wide, white stripes. Lowering the gauze once again, Edreina was struck with how grateful she was to have survived the encounter, how easily she could have fallen like the men whose books and ring she had claimed. The ring... Should she even show it to Razkar? It... looked like Malediction... But how foolish would she seem if it was just oddly decorated? And... well he had enough on his plate right now. What, with a caravan to lead and a Boobless half-Drykas to hide his- Sighing softly, she leaned forward to rest her lips on a patch of her lover's unmolested - this time, the scars were still there - skin for just an instant, so light it may have been a moth's landing.

Did he know how much she worried over him sometimes?

His demeanor changed so abruptly that the Svefra had to rip herself from her own reflections to catch up. The stranger from earlier had reappeared, making her way - uninvited - into their tent. The redhead's eyes narrowed for a tick, confused at why she would be interested in returning to speak with them and what Razkar's reaction mean. The woman had fought alongside them, helped them tremendously. Hells, if it had not been for the slight woman, Edreina may never have made it out of there.

The thought sent a shiver down Edreina's spine and she thought it best to move on.

Back to the woman. Was he upset because she was a stowaway? Because she had-

The woman glanced at Edreina before sitting beside her and, for the first time, the Svefra noticed her eyes. They were slits. Being a creature of the Suvan, Edreina had never been exposed to Dhani beyond the shades of them that roamed the edges of a campfire as stories were told and the times she had eaten a Dhani's meat with Razkar. After a tick, it all managed to click into place.

Myrians hated Dhanis; Razkar hated this stranger. But, this woman had helped them without asking for anything in return - yet. She had not taken the chance to aid in Edreina's death as she easily could have, so perhaps her blood did not run quite as cold as the Svefra had been lead to believe. Her stomach convulsed guiltily at the thought. More beast than human? This one appeared to be quite the opposite...

Her assumption was confirmed when Razkar called her a monster, practically spitting venom himself. Glancing at the Dhani at her side, Edreina quickly realized that she was in the middle of something that transcended generations. All of the horror-stories of Dhani came rolling back into Edreina's mind from Razkar's lips, making her question how comfortable she felt beside the snake-woman. And yet, she seemed as if she bore them no ill-will. Quite the opposite, really, as she had sought them out to ask if she had earned their
trust. Maybe... Maybe Dhani were monsters, but this one was not. Perhaps, just as some Svefra could become murderers, some Dhani could be civilized... to a degree. In every race, Edreina had realized, there were those that did not fit the mold of a stereotype.

Her words echoed the Svefra's thoughts an instant after she thought them... Could she perhaps read minds? Edreina had seen first hand as this wisp of a woman gave lumbering Yukmen pause. Surely it had not been her physical prowess inspiring that sort of fear... Curiosity bloomed within the Svefra's breast as abruptly and as powerfully as a hurricane.

Her motions were languid as she returned to patching Razkar up. Far more interested, she was, in the goings on of the two creatures at her sides.

Disregarding the filthy bit of gauze, she moved to retrieve a new one and dipped it in the iodine. Flashing an apologetic look at her lover, Edreina started to dab at a mark on his chest left by either blade or claw, blowing gently between her lips as she worked so that Razkar would not do something foolish while distracted by his pain...

Big baby...

[Radiant]

The word "thank you" that rolled off Razkar's lips widened Karin's grin even further, she even tilted her head slightly to the side. A Myrian thanking a Dhani, it was already quite a progress. Karin giggled as she took off her cloak, fully showing her ebony hair cascading to her lower back and slitted yellow eyes. She neatly folded the light brown cloak and put it beside her. She edged closer to the Svefra, their shoulders brushing together.

"What do I want? Well..." She deliberately paused to let the question hang in the air, Karin took out a gold miza coin from her cloak and began twiddling with it. "Since we would be travelling together until Zeltiva, I supposed we should get along more~" A curios inverted triangle-shaped blue light emitted from between her shoulder blades and the miza miraculously changed to a diamond, she smiled to see the reaction of the Myrian and the Svefra.

"So you see, not all Dhanis are children of Siku... some of us shunned her for Caiyha or in my case..." The words hung heavy, Karin felt like a betrayal, she could feel Siku's serpentine eyes boring deep into her soul "...Ionu." She put down the "diamond", it changed back to its original shape.

"Let me ask you a question, Razkar. Why do you hate me so? I've done nothing to you... You hating all Dhanis just because the giant ones in Falyndar? That seems rather unwise for you, isn't it?" She tilted her head, body close to Edreina in case Razkar decided to take offense and lash out. "For example, look at your lover and me, I bet even she knew the reputation of Myrians outside Taloba, she didn't judge you for it, right? I do as well. So... can you extend that courtesy?"

She put up her arms above her head, flexing her muscles, and yawned. Her voice sounded young for someone who was over-a-century old. "But I understand, words hold little meaning here... however, I can show both of you... vividly about my history. The struggles I have gone through, if you would let me." She was talking about putting them both in a hypnotic trance, sending them hallucinations, in a positive way.

[Razkar]

"What do I want? Well..."

For all her calm and friendly words, Razkar could not help the soft snarl that curls his lips when her little trick was played out. Gold to glittering stone in a blink, his blink, actually, and it seemed... so real. But part of him knew it was a lie, just like the words he'd heard those possessing her wyrd could plant into the fertile soil of pliable minds; let them grow to weeds that would strangle the self and-

Lies. Illusion. The same thing. Calling it something different does not change its nature.

"So you see, not all Dhanis are children of Siku... some of us shunned her for Caiyha or in my case... Ionu."

Another blink, and the miza returned, diamond vanishing, then the little coin did the same thing with a practiced flick of the smiling snake-woman's wrist. Razkar measured her words in his head, and... had to admit... there was a core of sanity and reason to them. Already his bloody hissed and growled at the very idea but he was more than a beast; more than the savages these barbarians always insisted his kind were. But-

"My kind are all Children of Myri. Yours, whether you admit it or not, are born of Siku. You all have her cruelty in your blood; her malice, her desire for pain for the sake of pain."

Her feature darkened and Razkar's body tensed like a dog prepared to lunge.

"Why else would you follow this... Ionu? A god I do not know, but if he gifts you with wyrd to... make tricks? Lie to the eyes." His own narrowed again, disgust sloshing in the black orbs. "Put lie into minds. You... violate soul, to do such a thing, and-"

"Let me ask you a question, Razkar. Why do you hate me so? I've done nothing to you... You hating all Dhanis just because the giant ones in Falyndar? That seems rather unwise for you, isn't it?"

Ah, just when he was getting up a good head of honest Myrian hatred, she ruins it. He wanted to ignore her, cast her words aside and throw her tiresome, impish form from the tent... but Razkar did not. He relaxed, minutely... and pondered...

Isn't that what you hate about the barbarians so much? They look at all of you as monsters, beasts, savages, nightmares? They never both to see who and what you are. Just... easier to believe the stories.

She has never seen the jungle. Never fought your kind... mayhap never even met a Myrian before today. Are you so quick to judge and hate and scorn? Like a barbarian?

But still he snarled and gnashed his teeth. Gods, how did he know those thoughts were not hers?! How could he trust his own mind?! But still he watched, waited, listened despite everything he knew...

"For example, look at your lover and me, I bet even she knew the reputation of Myrians outside Taloba, she didn't judge you for it, right? I do as well. So... can you extend that courtesy?"

"That was different!"

The words exploded out of him and though Edreina started, the Dhani just cocked her head, and an eyebrow followed suit. Razkar sighed, knowing a point conceded when he saw it. Different? How? By rights she should have run screaming from him, finding the savage shrouded in darkness carving runes into bones... but she stayed... gods, how she held him close...

"You do not use her again." He said, voice low and dangerous with warning, finger jerked her way. "You want to make argument with me? Do so."

"But I understand, words hold little meaning here... however, I can show both of you... vividly about my history. The struggles I have gone through, if you would let me."

Razkar frowned, tilting his head and shuffling as if changing the angle of his view would somehow reveal the deceptions he was sure were there. But he saw nothing. Only guileless, innocent desire to... explain.

No. Not just that. Show. With eyes... with images-

"No." That clouded look fell over her eyes again, reminding the Myrian and Svefra they were still in the presence of a powerful being. Razkar's hands clenched reflexively, but he managed to inject some... humor, into his voice. "Your words will suffice, instead of... whatever you would do with your wyrd. Apprentice? Next to me."

Trapped in the guise of master and apprentice, Edreina had no choice but to comply, shuffling over in the suddenly confined tent. Silhouettes and shadows rolled over them here and there, voices accompanying them, but... no further intruders.

Razkar settled on his shins, hands on his thighs, patient and comfortable... waiting.

"You tell your tale, snake." He said, refusing to let that hateful spit retreat from his tone for the moment. "Then I shall see if this bridge you want to build shall have my feet on it..."

[Edreina]

For the entirety of the exchange, Edreina held her tongue, blue eyes darting between Razkar and the stranger as her mind whirled. When she was mentioned, the Svefra could not help but nod, the woman's words made sense. She had heard tales of the ferocity of the dark-skinned warriors of Falyndar from visiting Highshoals. But, she had seen something in Razkar, or maybe that was just what her curiosity had convinced her.

It took several ticks for the fact that Razkar was commanding her to move to register with the Svefra. Out of habit, she complied, body following the rules of their guise though her mind was trapped somewhere else. She said that she could show them her history, but how? She mentioned a diety, Ionu, one with whom Edreina was not entirely familiar... The Svefra remembered a jaunt to the city of Alvadas with her siblings years earlier, the redheaded acrobat that mentioned the same diety - was it a goddess? But, what did it have to do with illusions? And the book she had found earlier, did it speak of this art about to be practiced by the Dhani?

Her mind wandered, pale brow knitting for a few ticks. How did it work? How would one be able to tell such a fallacy from the reality in which she lived? If such a thing were impossible, how did Edreina know that her entire life was not an illusion? The thought was troubling, but it affirmed the redhead's decision. "Show me," she said abruptly, looking up to see two pairs of fierce eyes upon her. In that moment, Razkar's black depths held more fear for her than the slitted eyes of a stranger.

"If only because I have never been under the influence of an illusion. I want you to show me how to tell the difference as you also tell me your story..." Though her gaze was now focused intently upon the Dhani, Edreina was keenly aware of the energy radiating off of her lover. "I am trusting you to be honest with me. We fought together, you saved me. There was no reason for you to seek us out unless your intentions are true. And, why try to seek our trust with your words if you could make us trust you at any time?" Such was the naive logic of a woman who had grown up in a community of people who worked for the good of all, under the same Father and upon the same Sea. But, it was infallible, to her. Though the Svefra was of roiling and ever changing water, her decisions were set in stone.

Turning to Razkar, she began to speak before he could get a word in edgewise. "Don't pretend that this isn't a skill that would be useful for me to learn. If we're in a fight and someone attempts to trick me, I should at least have an idea of how to tell. And if you don't let me learn now, I will seek her out on my own time and have her show me." Ever so slightly, the Apprentice raised her chin at her master, the very visage of defiance. Somewhere deep down, Edreina wondered if he would admire her courage or curse her ignorance. Either way, she rose and moved to sit in front of the smaller woman, heels beneath her rear and hands upon her thighs. There was a dancing light in her blue eyes; the surface was excitement and curiosity - was her heart beating so quickly because she stood up to Razkar, or because she was about to let a snake slither into her thoughts - but underneath was the inevitable nerves of a new experience.

"You know me, Razkar. If she has addled my mind, you will be able to tell." The words were said without a glance at him, for she knew if she saw the hard black ice of his gaze, her courage might falter. A soft, trembling breath escaped the Svefra's lips as she forced herself to relax; she did not know if being tense would make the illusion more harsh as it would the pain of a blade upon tense flesh. "I'm ready... Now show me... Please." The Svefra's voice was quiet to match the tent, quiet so that her fear would not shine through.

[Radiant]

"No."

"Show me,"

Such conflicting answers. The Myrian and The Svefra were surprisingly at odds, it was to be expected, even lovers could quarrel sometime. Emotions were so interesting, maybe this was why Ionu loved toying with them, mortals were so blinded by their own perception of reality that they could not see the true meaning behind everything. Illusion and trickery, these were the things that Ionu favored and it expected all of its followers to make the best use of them.

It was clear that the both of them couldn't tell the difference between Hypnotism, a personal magic, from Illusionism, the power granted by the Trickster God, Ionu. To the common people, they looked the same, but it couldn't be further from the truth. Hypnotism dealt with the mind of the recipients, using various kinds of suggestions to sway their mind to the hypnotist's liking. If a mind was strong enough, one could scoff the attempt entirely.

While Illusionism alters the perception of reality itself, one could not block it, except by other divine means such as Syna's gnosis. If Hypnotism was a suggestion then Illusionism was an order that one could not refuse, the victim could not even resist. It fell on how skilled the illusionist in shaping the distorted reality to make it real.

Combined with Hypnotism, this two powers made some of the most charming entertainers and fearsome manipulators Mizahar had ever seen. The Inverted, such were the group that was composed of Ionu's children, Karin was one of them.

Karin just smiled and observed as the redhead female assured dominance over the male. It was how it should be, females were the one who bore children after all, without them, what could men do beside being driven to extinction? She couldn't help but stifle a small giggle, this was not unheard of by the keen Myrian, but the Dhani just scoffed his glare. It became less and less threatening as he used it repeatedly against her, though his weapons could still cut her to pieces so she didn't want to push it too far.

"I'm ready... Now show me... Please."

Smiling slightly and making sure Razkar would not butcher her, Karin approached even closer to the Svefra, her pale right hand reached up and gently rubbed Edreina's left cheek.

"Just relax..."

The words flowed smoothly from Karin's tongue, her slitted eyes giving assurance that everything was going to be alright.

"Go to sleep... you can trust in me..."

Slowly, but surely, the Svefra started to close her eyes. Karin helped Edreina to comfortably lay her down in the tent. The redhead was not asleep, but she was not awake either. She was in a willing state of trance induced by the Dhani. Now, Karin could easily induce her with memories of her history without draining too much djed.

"Let me tell you..."

Using her favorite method, Karin's small frame climbed on top of the Svefra. The Myrian forgotten for now, she leaned in and kissed Edreina on her lips. A surge of hallucination drove itself deep into the Svefra's mind.

In Edri's mind...

Edreina found herself in a desert cave, in front of her was a Viper dhani in her dhani form and a poor wounded man being strapped to a ghastly-looking torture device. The Svefra couldn't control her movements, it was like seeing Karin's memories through the Dhani's own eyes.

"Come on, Sissster Hemisgasari!" The viper dhani with glistening deep red scales with white patterns faced Edreina and spoke to her. The dhani was holding a spiked whip on her right hand, it was dripping with blood, obviously the bound human's blood. "It'sss fun! Play with me!" The dhani turned back to the human, raised her whip, and lashed at the man, his screams echoing in the cavern.

"N-no!!" 'Edreina' screamed, but it was Karin's voice. Her gold scaly hand reached out and grabbed the whipping Dhani's shoulder. "T-thisss isss not right, Sissster Avatserasu!" 'Edreina' pleaded, her voice quivering "W-what you are doing... it'sss not right! You are torturing him! F-for what? That man did nothing wrong!"

"HUH?!" Rasu, the sadistic Dhani, turned around and looked at Edreina like she was some kind of lunatic. "For what? For fun of courssse! Goddesss Sssiku enjoysss this! We are honoring her by toying with the lesser race!"

"N-no... t-thisss isss..." Edreina clenched her golden fists, her dhani frame shaking. "No! You are not doing thisss to actually gain sssomething! It's a moraless, evil act! I can underssstand if we trick or play with people who had wronged usss! B-but he'sss jussst an innocent merchant travelling in Eyktol! H-he didn't dessserve thisss!" She couldn't take this anymore, with the way most of her kin acted. They torture for the fun of torture and to make matters worse, Siku herself actually encouraged that.

"I-if Siku herssself commandsss thisss t-then! S-she'sss not my Goddessss! I can not follow such an evil be- GAH!!!" Edreina was suddenly slapped - hard - in the face by Rasu, she fell down to the ground, then she felt her neck being grabbed and slammed to the hard cavern floor.

"Disssgusssting, Sari! Disssgusting!! I can't believe this nessst having such a failure of a Dhani like you! You even dared to shun Goddesss Siku herself! Blasssphemer!" Rasu slammed Edreina's face again and again, until splotches of blood began decorating the floor "Get away from my sssight, you trasssh!" She roughly tossed Edreina away.

"U...uhuk..." The wounded Dhani, humiliated, began slithering away from the torture room. That was the final straw, she wanted nothing more to do with this hellhole of a nest.

Reality...

Karin ended the kiss, her eyes closed. After a few ticks of getting herself together, she got off Edreina and gently shook the Svefra to wake up.

"Rise..."

Once the Svefra snapped herself out of the trance, Karin would eye her and Razkar both, a sad smile on her face "So, tell me what you saw..."

OOCGuys! I think Edri responding first would be appropriate for this particular turn rotation.

[Edreina]

"So, tell me what you saw..."

For a tick, it looked as if Edreina's eyes would overflow as she lay on her back, staring up at the tent. So much cruelty... wanton, unneeded cruelty. Sitting up, she managed to gather her composure, and blink away her disgust. "Well... I can honestly say that I share your hatred of Dhani, Raz..." Edreina said, shaking her head with a small smile on her lips. It was not a smile of joy, for the vision had brought her none, but one that graces one's lips when they are unsure, nervous even. This situation was unfamiliar to her, she had nothing even mildly related to draw from. She could only hope that she was right in her thinking. Sighing gently, she shook her head, clearing it and attempting to knock a few things into place.

Best be moving on before Razkar got antsy and took her statement as permission to kill the Dhani. In a quiet voice, Edreina relayed what she had been shown. "I saw one Dhani torturing a human for fun," her voice dripped with venom, if only for a tick, "and then this one stood up to it, saying that it was wrong. She even spoke against their goddess - Siku was it? - and so the other one beat her up and shunned her... Was that the last time you were among your kin?" The Svefra cocked her head at the Dhani, feeling a surge of questions bite at her tongue now that she had recovered from the trance. How could one possibly tell that from reality? But, it had not been meant to alter her thoughts, only show her something, right? Perhaps this magic was different from the one that Matthew used... No, it had to be different. Matthew had never shown her anything, only made her feel things. The feelings that arose from what the Dhani had shown were only natural...

Out of instinct, Edreina placed a hand upon her cheek where the Dhani - Sari, Edreina remembered her name was - herself had been slapped, as if to make sure that her own flesh was not warmed by so spiteful a blow. Abruptly, as most emotions did in the Svefra's case, pity seized Edreina and she moved to hug Sari gently around the waist, whispering, "You were right in what you did." Blushing furiously at her own behavior, Edreina rested back, eyes moving to Razkar.

"I... think we can trust her. At the very least..." her blue gaze flickered towards the Dhani for an instant, affirming her words, "I trust her." Then again, Edreina was quick to trust others, to believe them as she saw no reason for one person to lie to another; the Dhani's intentions were true, as far as the Svefra was concerned, for there was no other logical reason to explain her behavior. So, Edreina just had to hope that her words would not go over like an anchor with her lover...

[Razkar]

Razkar would admit freely (well, with a few drinks in him, perhaps) that like most other males, the sight of two females becoming... intimate, was somewhat arousing to him. Being Myrian, however, such things were borderline blasphemous and best kept to yourself... but this...?

"What in the hells do-"

Before he could finish the curse, the threat, whatever he was snarling out, the Dhani was straddling his woman and kissing his lips. Well, not his but... she should petching well know better! His hand snapped to the hilt of his gladius and whether it was through the trance or the pleasure she found in the erotic connection the Dhani did not move-

And that stilled Razkar's hand. Something more than the physical was passing between them. The air crackled with some nameless force and Edreina's body moved in a way more like one in the grip of a nightmare than the throes of passion. Mere ticks later the connection was broken and the Dhani backed away... finding a wide-eyed and teeth-baring Myrian glaring at her.

"What did you do?" He whispered, voice that of a dog straining at the leash. Black eyes flicked down to the panting Edri; saw tears in her eyes, shock on her face... then slid back up to the Dhani with a low, guttural rumble from his throat. "The petch did-"

"Well... I can honestly say that I share your hatred of Dhani, Raz..."

That was all he needed to hear. A brief flash of very real fear, serious and non-negotiable, broke Karin's carefree facade for a moment as she saw the Myrian's taut, muscle-hewn body tense and seem to bow forward slightly, ready to spring, and her eyes flashed-

"You violate her mind?! I should-"

"I saw..."

The stiff and deadly tension of a murder-make about to be born drained out like water from a holed bucket as Edreina's words poured over Razkar instead of blood. He drank in every one, Karin noticing his brow furrowing with every sentence. She studied him closely, having never met a Myrian up close before... and saw a look of horrible recollection in those unreckonable orbs.

Guarded, but very much there.

It must have affected him deeply, for he did not move when his lover rose and embraced the Dhani. Simple, beautiful Edri... and it was a simplicty of the soul, not the mind. She saw pain and hardship and rushed to ease it; there was nothing complicated about that to her. Razkar's mind was dragged from the past, from a cave reeking of old blood and fresh atrocities, ringing with the chants of deranged, inbred Dhani, his fang butchered and flayed for the amusement and druthers of a sneering Goddess... instead he saw Edri, sharing some of her soul through her flesh with this... thing, he would have slaughtered without hesitation or remorse moments before.

"You were right in what you did."

Razkar grunted but his scorn rolled off the Svefra where it would make others wince. She turned to him and with no fear or confusion gave him a brief, firm nod.

"I... think we can trust her. At the very least... I trust her."

Silence, save for the weighted, steady breathing of the still-unsure male. This was dangerous and unfamiliar ground for him. A battlefield, an ambush, a slaughter fit for sagas and one of his abilities... these things he could handle. Had been trained for decades to handle. But to change his entire view of a race, to trust something he'd been drilled to despise all others-

Someone. Not something.

She is Dhani! Lower than rapists and barbarians and even Earth Demons! Only traitors and betrayers occupy a lower ring of damnation!

She did not betray, nor harm. In fact, she was cast out because she would not. Could you have done that? Walked away from clan and fang and Goddess-Queen if all of them commanded you to sully your hands with innocent blood?

What measure is innocence?

"Starting to sound like a Dhani..."

The words bought frowns, not understanding. Edreina just about made out "Dhani", "to" and "a" from the cluster of mumbled Myrian; Karin just stared blankly. But Razkar would not let them hang in suspense forever. A long, slow sigh jetted from his nose and his eyes softened.

At least, to Edreina they did, and Karin frowned anew at the bright smile alighting the Svefra's face. But Edreina knew her male, and there were little telltale signs that told her-

"My apprentice knows little of wide world." He said, words brutally honest but... measured. Restrained. Almost conciliatory. "But... I trust her eyes."

He jutted his chin up a little to better scrutinize the grinning Dhani... even as he noticed something... small and dark on her cheek...

"Not friends. Not comrades. But... not enemy. Ancient or new." Was that Karin's imagination or did he nearly wince. Well, either way, he was putting the gladius away, lining up the blade with its sheath, just as she felt a curious prickling on her face. "But one thing more, Karin-"

A flash of steel. Not kissed by Syna, but still blinding, for it crossed before her face and she was sure it would split her skull in twain, gladius flashing so close that she could feel the air cut in half-

-a weight fell away-

-a tiny, thud-

-and the two females looked down to see the separate halves of the horsefly wiggling itself into Dira's embrace, then lay still. Another, much heavier silence... until there was the sound of Razkar's steel sighing back to its rest in the darkness of his sheath.

The Myrian did not smile.

"Do not put your lips to her again."

I would allow much to better understand the world, he thought to himself, uncomfortable but oddly intrigued by this new perception of his blood's oldest hate, but some things are off-limits.

[Radiant]

"Hi-..." Karin almost gasped in surprise when the first sentence Edreina spoke after waking up was about her shared hatred to her race. The Dhani's slitted golden eyes immediately gazed the Myrian, seeing the warrior just this close from lashing out. The Inverted narrowed her eyes, ready to send a storm of illusion and extreme hypnotic conditioning should the situation took a turn for the worse. However, that moment never came... not when Edri vouched for her, the fact was cemented when she was hugged, Edri's taller form embracing her lithe frame. Karin sighed in relief, albeit barely audible.

The hypnotist hugged the Svefra back, the usually cool and confident Dhani looked vulnerable after sharing one of her most painful memories. She looked like she could stay in Edri's embrace forever, but when she pulled back, Karin respected that. Her words truly comforted, Karin smiled softly in return. The Svefra trusted her, now the only one left was this bronze-skinned warrior who hated Dhanis like they were spawn of Rhysol themselves.

The Myrian's lover words brought even the mighty warrior to a pause, Karin could feel her smile gradually widening, her white teeth would glint if they were under Syna's light right now. He even mumbled some hesitated words in his own guttural language. "Ehehe~" A small giggle escaped her lips, even in this situation, her trickster nature as a daughter of Ionu showed. She loved being in charge of a situation, especially when it was not obvious.

So, even a savage warrior could trust one that was not of his race based on feelings alone. Karin's wide smile gradually softened into a small smirk, so Razkar didn't view her as an enemy anymore. Good, as the time went on, maybe she could make him admit that they were friends, no matter how begrudgingly.

Suddenly, she felt an annoying bug deciding to make her cheek its home. Karin was about to slap it, but Razkar beat her to it...

*SHIIING!*

A blinding flash of steel, a cleanly cut horsefly, and a shocked Dhani. It all happened in a tick. "Ha... ha..." Too fast even for her keen eyes, Karin felt like she was about to be embraced by Dira herself, but death claimed the poor fly instead. The Dhani's heartbeat quickened, one could almost hear it beating inside the tent through her small frame.

"Do not put your lips to her again."

"......" The Dhani was silent for a good chime, looking diagonally down, her cheeks blushing. She didn't thought the Myrian would be so sensitive, being a Dhani, Karin's views about romantic relationships and physical intimation were rather loose, she didn't mind about polygamy relationships nor did she mind about sharing lovers. Love is beautiful, why not share it?

"I..." She hissed, her voice slightly quivering despite her attempts to hide it, the very clear brush with death pierced through her confidence like a lava through ice. Lips and hands trembling, the Dhani inhaled and exhaled. Her slitted eyes glistening, did she feel tears coming to her? Unbelievable. The culmination of sharing her memories, the affection shown, and the threat of death were all too much even for the Illusionist and master hypnotist.

Karin quickly put on her cloak back and pulled up her hood, standing up, she made her way for the tent's exit. Just before the fabric came back down, a keen eye could see a drop of tear fell down. It splashed at the very edge of the tent's floor.

Running away from the tent, Karin finally let her tears flowed for a couple of drops, she immediately rubbed it. Gritting her teeth... she couldn't let Myrian get away scot-free after doing that to her. She didn't do anything to him, she even helped them fought the landspawns, the physical death threat was just too much. Between the flushed cheeks and trails of tears, a small smirk curled at the corner of her lips.

Edreina... hehe...

OOCAlright, guys, this particular thread is almost over. Post your last replies then I will give your grades.

If you both want to continue the plot, just PM me!

I have an interesting idea though, if either of you is interested in learning hypnotism, Karin would gladly teach you both. Especially Edri since she expressed interest about the magic in the previous posts.