Sunset Connections (Private)

[Nimvahlis]

16th of Summer, 510 AV A pair of wings glittered in the evening sun, scattering iridescent hues of violet and blue light across the hilly grassland. The quiet hum of the Akvatari's wings, so much like a butterfly's, permeated the air. A slight breeze had commenced, an offering of reprieve from the hot summer sun of the afternoon. Tall grass rustled, the only accompanient to the Akvatari. The Sea of Grass was steeped in a brew of deadly solitude, a picturesque scene that did little to hint at the violent struggles for life that occurred here almost daily. The Akvatari scanned the horizon, not a living soul stirred. He saw for miles and miles, until the end of the world, almost. Though it would not be a surprise to discover that he had overlooked details, for he had been in the air for nearly eight hours now. He was not only tired, but hungry. His stomach angrily protested at him, though it knew sustenance was soon coming. But inside him was a hunger not so easily sated by moonlight. His body cried for that familiar drug to course through his veins. The Akvatari would soon call it to the fore, bringing forth beautiful climaxes he might only feel with its release. Sunset was swift approaching, and soon he was to embrace eternity again; although it be only for a short time. The Akvatari alighted upon a rise in the endless ocean, naught but a small blemish in the scheme of the Sea of Grass. His tail supported him awkwardly on the ground, but he rested on it, waiting. The emptiness eddied around him, swallowing up everything that had and ever would exist. Soon though he would fill the void with rich hues of emotion and vision. But for now he waited, his head resting in palms that rubbed at tired eyes. The Akvatari rocked in the gentle breeze, and his wings began slowly beating to keep him upright. The wind rustled the grass. No, something else stirred the grass. The Akvatari waited, stock still, with his head buried in his hands. Fear, that ever rational emotion, danced and teased outside his grasp. Despite all efforts to summon up the primal response, he could not. He remained, allowing either his death or survival to occur with grace. The grass rustled. His wings fluttered rapidly, and he heaved his body into the air. As he took flight, his body spiraled. He spun, expecting his eyes to fall upon some great beast from nightmares, readying to pounce upon his frail body. But nothing was there. His eyes scanned the hillside in lingering twilight. Nothing. The grass rustled.

[Hex]

A breeze kicked through the air as Hex climbed through a pocket of jagged rocks at the base of a hill. Her bare feet gripped the curvature of the landscape, and she grunted with each step that threatened to slice through the bottom of her feet if she slipped or stepped down with bad footing. The callouses that brandished her skin proved to be more useful than the boots she carried with her; she could use her toes to grip in ways a boot would not allow, and she felt so much of what happened in her environment just by paying attention to the vibrations she felt through her legs. Hex had vigilantly cleared the bowl of daggers and hoisted herself up to the top ridge, covered in soft grass and invitingly cool to the touch. She ran her hands through the blades of green foliage, letting her upper body stretch out until she heard several pops and cracks erupt from the spaces between her bones. She had been travelling for bells and was nearing the bottom of her water supply when she downed one last mouthful from the dehydrated water skin in her pack. She still had more than three days worth of water in her system, but if she didn't find a river by then, she would surely begin feeling delirious. I just need a little rest, that's all she purred to herself as she padded down the other side of the ridge into a field of long grass - the perfect place to nap and hopefully not be discovered by some roaming Olidosapux. No, the sun was too high and too hot, even in the afternoon, for anyone or anything to be fighting. Fluffy grass stalks swayed in the wind as she rolled over several times, shifting her position until she was comfortable. Heavy in her slumber, Hex failed to detect the flying creature that settled itself onto the ground nearby her. She twitched and moved in her sleep which made the grass rustle and draw the creature's attention. Hex was completely unconscious until the creature made sudden movements, to which Hex was propelled out of her sleeping state and thrown into a dire situation of life and death. She jolted upright with a gasp and looked around, desperate to find the source of movement. There, sitting not too far away was the Akvatari. Hex had never seen such a thing before and was frozen in fear with the thought it might be a vicious beast. Hex's heart rammed against the wall of her ribcage, and her hands had gripped the strap of her bag, preparing to wrap it around her chest and run off. Foolish nap she muttered under her breath, locking eyes with the being that seemed too out worldly to be from the grasses.

[Nimvahlis]

The predator let out a slight exclamation to the left of the Akvatari. Panicked wings did what his catatonic mind would not and saved him. They fluttered rapidly, driving him up and out of its reach. He spun about, eyes casting vision to the hillside in hopes of finding his enemy. Though the search was abrupt, for there it was, rather close and sitting stock straight on the hill. Or rather, there she was. Before the Akvatari sat a woman, looking ready to flee. Her hand gripped a pack, and the bells of flight rung behind her eyes. All was silent in the coming night but for the thrumming of wings. The statue woman looking up with panic, the Akvatari eyeing her with curiosity. Even to his skewed perceptions, predators did not look as this woman did. Brain chastised body for being so foolish and thinking to run, taking back control. He cocked his head, examining the short, dark woman before him. She really did not seem threatening to the Akvatari in the least, and he had no combative skills. When he twisted in the air and fluttered forward, the woman had no chance to escape. Stumble, start, or stand, yes. But the Akvatari closed the distance far too quickly for the woman to achieve even a modicum of a head start. He pulled up not a yard away from her, smelling the strong scent of the grassland on her. It was clear that this woman did not care for many amentities, no heady perfume or exotic scents wafted to the Akvatari's nose. Her dark brown skin summoned memories of the Chaktawe, so familiar from a life etched in dust of ages past. Black hair stirred in the wind. Eyes blinked. Heart beat. His senses drank in her hardened features. The Akvatari spoke, a voice laden with both sadness and the tranquility that came with its acceptance, "Salutations, I believe you were hunting me. I am Nimvahlis, your prey." Bidden by curiosity, Djed spilled from Nimvahlis' soul. It coalesced inside him, a current of power. Bumps appeared on his skin, like tiny bugs trying to escape imprisonment. The familiar feeling was euphoric to him, and a small smile betrayed Nim's pleasure to the woman. The Djed snaked up and forged invisible bonds with his mortal eyes, giving him sight to see in colors unknown to the world. A deep sadness began to weave itself around the woman before him, and immediately Nimvahlis discerned the great depression that had rooted itself in her. Like a tree, its grip grew stronger as it aged. Nimvahlis allowed his focus to fade, and the aura died off. Despite this, he did not allow the drug that filled empty veins to drain away. "But you are no hunter. You are a shed tear in the ocean."

[Hex]

The wind created by the Akvatari's wings threw grass around Hex in different directions, casting dry earth into the air until it sprinkled her skin. Eyes wide with terror her pupils dilated, taking in the mystical form of the Akvatari - or as she called it, fish man. Even with Hex's experience and quick reflexes, she sat paralysed in her bed of grass as the frightening fish man flapped in her direction. She hadn't meant to startle it, and in fact it had startled her. It floated up close to her face and she leaned back, arching her back slightly until she popped down onto her wrist to keep from falling back. As if struck with a great force, Hex felt the auristic guard she protected herself with being infiltrated by the fish man's own auristic ability. The realization of this jolted her and she gasped, clawing at her chest as if being suffocated. The assault was invasive and she pushed back his penetrating aura with her own, strengthening her resolve even as it began splitting at the seams. How dare he chip away at her exterior, poking and prodding like a nosey mouse. Some part of her cried for help, allowing him to see the sorrow that twisted her insides. But she lost her nerve and responded to his invasiveness with a crude blast of energy from her core, a warning to stay away from those feelings he so eagerly sought out. She had already been damaged by unrequited love, and now she was being dissected, analyzed, and exposed against her will. She wouldn't have it. There may have been no physical threat to her life, but the stability of her emotions was in question. "What are you?" she muttered through clenched teeth. He or it, was graceful and fast, much faster than she was. Her nose twitched in the gusting wind of his wings keeping him upright, blasting scents of sandal wood and salt up her nose.

[Nimvahlis]

Eyelids, heavy and opaque, shuttered open with the woman's soul. Nimvahlis' nerves jolted to life like a corpse struck by lightning, electricity racing through his body to bring a new lucidity. The wave of energy pulsed from his hunter as she expanded her aura, foisting her swirling colors upon Nim. The Akvatari leaned into the woman and every heavy chain hanging from her shoulders: the fear, the sorrow, the confusion. The intense emotion this woman emanated was a severe drug for Nimvahlis,flooding his brain with a euphoric clarity. His skin prickled and heart raced, the intense reaction within Nim's body was entirely unexpected, though pleasant. Trembling, Nimvahlis returned to a mild cognizance with the dispelling of the visual aura. Djed still boiled within the Akvatari though, awaiting the gentle hand's beckon. The Akvatari leaned back, disengaging himself from the woman who was already on her knuckles. His eyes never broke contact, magnetized to the only windows in her cage of a body. A deep breath completed the clarity, emancipating his brain from the woman's sensational web. Her thrumming heartbeat was ecstasy to Nimvahlis, but he would not allow its persistence. His voice betrayed none of the turmoil that had just passed, though his body surely did, as he spoke, "I have already answered that query." It was the only reply of logic he could force through his lips, and all he could muster before becoming lost once more. For each syllable he iterated, ten thousand words died upon his lips. Nimvahlis needed this woman right now, needed to feel the hum of her brain, the thudding of her heart. He was addicted. He wanted to help her though, to share his ecstasy. Nim would repair her. Voices echoed in Nim's ears, whispering the sweetest of notions to his mind. Djed welled up, pushed by an insatiable current to flow about Nimvahlis' mind. His eyes remained their lock on the woman, but her visage had been cast off into the distant, burning sky. A flash, his body charged with electricity, became this woman's body. Mimicked perfectly was the way it played along the nerves and brain as the notion became hers. Another flash of lightning, eddying color bathed the slight woman in the colors of her aura. Like in a storm, the sky in Nim's head broke and crackled as his feelings became the woman's. He did not notice the blood seeping from his eyes and mouth as he continued to barrage her with bliss. Neither did the dizziness register, nor the roaring in his ears. The whispers were maddeningly loud now, urging him forth to expend every wisp of Djed in his body. His wings had stopped beating as the last emotional push made its way through, and he swayed dangerously to the grand crescendo of the episode. Eyelids, heavy and opaque, shuttered shut with Nim's consciousness. The world was mute to him as his body hit the ground, complete

[Hex]

Hex was enthralled in the cyclone of energy churning within Nim, and attempting to read his aura only threaded her more tightly into him. The energy was chaotic like a windstorm swirling around her, threatening to suck her from earth's gravity and spin her to the heavens. Nim had bore his soul into hers, but in no way was it peaceful or serene. No, she was being thrashed about inside of his head, his heart, his soul. He had wrenched her into his cosmic grip, tightening around her with the force of a thousands seas crashing down on a butterfly's delicate wings. Hex gasped for breath several times, having forgotten to breathe altogether whilst Nim held her in his hypnotic gaze. Their eyes were locked, exchanging energies and djed with an intensity that grew with each wave of suggestive power emanating from Nim. Hex was hopelessly drawn into his web, his size enveloping her in the iridescent mist that coiled around her wrists and inched up her thighs. Even as she tried to scream or tear her face away he was there in the forefront of her mind, kneading away at her insides and propagating every orifice and crevice of her body. He engaged her, twisting his fist into her gut and forcing her to look upon him as he flooded her with emotions and images of endless ecstasy. With neither the strength or will to close her eyes, she sat with eyes wide and watering as he dominated the entirety of her being; stripping down the walls she hid behind to seek out the juicy and vulnerable core beneath. How long they were locked in such an intimate embrace she had no idea, and even as he began to falter and bleed from his face, she didn't flinch and didn't move. She was his puppet, his pet. It was only when he swayed in place and tumbled to the ground unconscious did Hex snap out of his euphoric trance. She gasped for air and shivered her body in reassurance that she indeed had control over herself again. Hex had never been hypnotized before, and even after experiencing it, she did not understand what had happened to her. All she knew was that he spewed djed like a geyser, splattering the ground around them with sparks of energetic discharge that popped and whizzed like run away flames from a fire. For the first time since they met, the landscape was quiet. A pervasive sun melted into the horizon and flooded the land with a heat that scorched and refused to cease as long as it hung above the darkened folds of the earth. Ears rung, body tingled, nerves stood erect and on fire. Hex sat silently in her straw nest where she had been awoken so abruptly and she cried. Tears streamed down her face, at first held back by the instinctual need to protect herself, but as the fishman lay unconscious and unaware of her emotions, she let her salty rivers fall uninhibited over her face. The power of his hypnosis had rocked her violently, opening her mind to beautiful but frightening things that didn't just dance before her eyes, but danced along her veins and made her dance as well. Hex crumbled before his influence; she had never felt so out of control, ever. It petrified her that someone else could make her feel such things; she was the one with the influence, having understood auristics. She was the one who implanted others with emotions, not the other way around. But somehow this fishman had reached into her blackest of depths and pulled the stopper free that held her together. The fishman lay with blood over his face, breathing softly against the grass and looking innocent and serene. Hex suddenly had flashes of a desire to kill him, to make sure no one else would ever fall victim to his torture. But it went against every one of her values and before long, the healing gnosis on her palm began to ache and burn. She knew she could heal him, the milder effects of overgiving could be mended and every compulsion in her body magnetized her to him to rid him of his pain. She stood up, infuriated at how he had violated her, invaded her heart and soul without her permission - not that she would ever knowingly allow him to anyhow. But her feet would not move, and her heart ached and hurt with every step she tried to take to run away from what had happened. She cried out and stamped in frustration, clawing her own arms and shoulders over the pain that swelled within her. If she turned from him in his time of need, she would be going against her oath, her destiny, her life's purpose. Hex had made a promise to bring healing to anything and anyone that needed it, friend or enemy. So she swallowed her pride and fear, knowing full well that she would have to deal with him again once he stirred into consciousness. She would be back in his possession, and there was little she could do to stop him from having her. She only hoped that he would be too weak to try again, and that she would have enough time to get away after she was sure he had recovered. She knelt besides him to wash the blood from his face with a small towel she soaked in water from her waterskin. The sun was nearly gone by then as Hex laid her left hand on his face, stroking his surprisingly cool flesh and flicking away small bits of dirt that had stuck to his clammy skin as he fell. Instantly she was entranced by Rak'keli's power, the gnosis on her palm glowing and spilling rays of light out from under her hand to illuminate his delicate features. The swirls that made up the mark on her skin seemed to dip and worm their way into his face, highlighting the edges of his eyes and mouth like fireflies that hummed into his broken tissue. The healing would have worked if her power was stronger, but still after many chimes there was little difference in his condition. But she had done everything she could to help him, and simply bundled up her cloak and laid it beneath his resting head. Finally the last existing rays of light from the sun were sucked down until a layer of clouds masked them with a thick blanket of nightfall. With that the grassland fell to darkness, and Hex sat by his body with her head in her hands, full of turmoil and shaken from the events that transpired between them and her consequential compulsion to save his breaking self.

[Nimvahlis]

He lay submerged in catatonia, entirely oblivious to the healing hands chasing off pain and weariness. So too did his mind remain turned, a disconnection. One moment the pair had been stitched close by ecstasy, the next Nim had involuntarily cut the threads, spinning off into solitude. The neon hurricane limning his frame had cooled, replaced by a slow kaleidoscope of muted melancholia interwoven with a myriad of other emotions. As the sun retreated into the plains, the aurora dancing around Nim flashed a deep blue. The Akvatari became inundated with serenity, the colors present during Syna's rule shafted aside for a sudden tranquility. Its flaring light enveloped his body, trapping it in a chrysalis of the dreams he now experienced. She could not be sure when but his wavering silhouette, indistinct as if seen through deep water, had changed. Gone were the glittering wings and their silent cadence, and the tail had been exchanged for two lustrous marble legs. Horns of jade glass erupted from his forehead, and spun silver hair darkened to a star field. In what felt like a lightning strike's lifespan, the fish man had vanished to be replaced by something otherworldly. The new creature's eyes opened, and he released a great sigh as if he had waited for Leth's return to breathe. Nimvahlis sat up, entirely nude except for the small pack that Hex could now spot clinging to his back. He blinked, examining the form of his savior. Faint images reverberated in his head, recollecting the tale of webs and beatitude. Comprehension quickly etched itself into his features, accompanied by a serene smile. His voice, soft as if caused by bombinating spider silk, addressed the woman, "You should have my thanks." The statement was one of gratitude whispered in their awkward intimacy. Though his recent memory was inundated with darkness, the symptoms of overgiving met him at every mental check. A headache pulsated in his temples- though blood did not stream from his face as it was wont to doing at such times- and the sweet ache in his expended soul remained. Voices ate away at the back of his head, and Ethaefal calmly blotted each out. More images came to Nimvahlis, cascading into place to fill the emptiness of the recent past. Auras. Forgoing further recollections, Nim's brain lit up with ten thousand suns. He scrambled to his knees, keenly watching the woman's eyes, and spoke again, "By what means did you do release such energy?" A strangely sunlit curiosity bonded with the divine calm, releasing gusts of vibrant greens to mingle with deep azure. "By the grace of all that Leth sees." The man's utter disregard for personal space was made all too apparent as he leaned in close to Hex, examining the tiny windows that led him to her soul.

[Hex]

The energy between Hex and Nim fluttered vibrantly like a firefly caught tumbling in the breeze. She whimpered helplessly in her throat, her legs somewhat paralysed as she took in the reality of what had just happened. There she was, so exhausted and depressed that she lay down in the Sea of Grass to take a nap. Her heart had been split into pieces and she had little mind to care for herself. If she was lucky, she would be able to move on but what she felt at that time was an agony that overpowered all other desires. When Nim came into her personal space Hex at first fell backwards trying to lean away from him and then scrambled up onto her knees. The reaction was instinctive but she didn't run - Hex was dumbstruck over the irony of her situation. She herself had little consideration for personal space, often getting up close while inquisitively looking someone over. She was getting a taste of her own medicine. Their eyes locked so intensely she felt as if it were impossible to pull away from his gaze, his eyes like pools of stars swimming in outer space. He approached her slowly as he spoke, pushing his face up to hers, trying to dig out the secrets she held tight. She held her jaw firmly in caution, letting him near her but not letting down her guard. Fear and curiosity battled within her, tugging her in different directions. Curiosity won. In her most natural way, Hex was an explorer, investigator, discoverer. Perhaps unexpectedly so, Hex threw out her hands and touched his legs, passing her stretched palms over his skin and feeling in disbelief the change that occurred before her eyes. She felt his skin to try to prove to herself that he was no illusion. No he was very real. The look on her face was a combination of horror and utter astonishment. He had looked very different before, with his iridescent wings and smooth long seal body - a monstrosity as far as she was concerned. But the man that knelt before her was divine, skin softer than hers and eyes hypnotic. "Y-your wings...your tail...you have legs! Your skin! Your face.." Hex gasped as she looked his body over with her eyes and hands, totally enthralled by his transformation. Her hand slide up his neck to rest on his face, passing her thumb along the smooth expanse of his cheek. Her burst of excitement settled into a simmer, emitting an aura vibration that hummed like nearing insects. Hex held her breath, forgetting to breathe entirely as she looked upon Nimvahlis' ethereal form. "I..I..." words simply would not surface, and her face fell in surrender, though she never lost eye contact with him. She had forgotten his questions and sat there instead, soaking in his beauty and feeling too paralyzed to move.

[Nimvahlis]

Nimvahlis fell back into serenity, allowing his body to sink into its clear waters. Upon realization of this woman's powers, he had lost his disposition. Not again. As the familiar sensation enveloped his body, the Ethaefal's racing heart slowed and the autonomous trembling in his hands disappeared. Allow your mind to return to commencement, where all things remain undisturbed and pure. His body submerged itself and the rush of cold water caused a reflexive gasp that brought oxygen to his lungs. Breath came easily after, and tranquility once more submerged Nimvahlis. He opened his eyes to view the world through many feet of water, at which point they had closed Nim knew not. The woman before him had her hands on his jaw and her head bowed, staring into his eyes. Arousal stirred within Nimvahlis as the heat of her touch flooded his cheek, flushing warmth down his chest and into his groin. Both of his hands reached up to clasp the grasslander's, lightly sliding down her arms to grasp her shoulders. He returned her gaze, his own quicksilver eyes holding the girl in like iron chains. The smooth opalescent hands brushed against her neck as they clasped the jaw of this woman before Nim, mimicking her position. Finally, his own head fell. It mattered little that Nimvahlis knew not the meaning of this Cyphrus ritual, for he created his own reality. So his eyes closed once more, deeply inhaling breath. His mind whittled away the world, slowly replacing it with blackness. Soon there was nothing but the present---The intake of breath, the warmth of the grasslander, the rhythm of her pulse. Breathe. Djed surged forth, almost unbidden. The horrible aches in his body flared for an instant, rebuking his nigh subconscious invocation. Yet still it came, weary and worn as it was. Soon though, ecstasy began to dissolve the pain. His headache nearly vanished, the soreness disappeared, and soon all that was left was pleasure. The volcanic heat raced through his body once again. The numbed djed coiled about his nerves, fusing to them like melted wax. Up his spine it raced, entangling his rib cage and trailing down his arms to finally merge with his fingertips. Yet it did not stop, its ethereal force soaked through the woman's skin and wrapped itself around her nerves. A mirror to the events within his own body, his djed invaded the woman. Finally it pulsated, constricting as it sent waves of energy into Nimvahlis' body. He was not viewing her aura, he was feeling it. The endless ceruleans he had felt earlier wracked his body, filling him up with a great sadness he had known so well. Memories of Abura surged forth for an instant before the aurist berated himself. Breathe. He slipped back into the present as the melancholy filled him. Yet new sensations washed over him as he fell deeper into concentration. Resplendent Greens and golds stirred within him, bringing curiosity and awe to his body. Excitement streaked through the colors, vibrating with a great energy. It was a grand mosaic of emotion and Nimvahlis soaked it in. They echoed and trembled within his body, forcing the same emotions within the female on Nimvahlis. His voice was quiet and lost, as if the most transcendent heaven had shattered the sky and revealed itself to him, "there is a connection, grasslander. That which... Which we cannot see, yet feel with every mote of our souls. Can you feel it?" Breathe.