Completed The Cube

[Yato]

Timestamp: 2nd of Summer, 514 AV The journey to the isle of Sahova has been quite boring so far, the sea calm and steady, with nobody but the sailors interacting with one another. It was almost as if the ship was setting sail for the gallows and all the passengers were on dead row, waiting for their inevitable demise. Meanwhile there was one passenger who was trying to simply doing his things, uncaring of the others who were too busy drowning in their thoughts as they stared at the horizon, waiting with grim facial expressions for their destination to arise at the thin hairline splitting sea and air apart. This passenger, dressed in common clothes and seemingly nonchalant about his endeavours, communicated with the other passengers as he passed the time walking about the ship's deck and lower areas. As if he didn't realize he was a feared and distrusted Nuit, a being whose very existence was wide and far misunderstood by those who still had the sanguine flow coursing through their veins. Regardless, he continued his attempts at making conversation and small talk with anyone who was too slow in avoiding him. Apart from Yato, there was one other passenger who seemed to be different than the other 'convicts' on the ship. A woman that leaned on the front end of the deck's railing, hardly any noise or disturbance led her face away from the horizon the ship drudged slowly towards to. Yato had been dismissed a few times before, by this woman, when he tried to talk to her. Not that he dulled on the past or held a grudge towards her for it, not by the looks of the kind smile on his lips anyway. Approaching her from the side, he noticed her eyes shifting briefly towards him before sliding back to the seemingly desired destination. It was in this brief moment they shared as their eyes locked onto eachother for the shortest of seconds, that Yato implanted an very faint and brief emotion in this woman, a feeling of amusement. The human probably already shared this emotion, as she did not show any signs of confusion as her lips curled into a vague smile while Yato placed his elbows on the railing next to her. "I had no idea Nuits were this persistant trying to talk to a girl." The girl grinned, moving her face slightly to the left, to get a better glimpse of the Nuit. She seemed to be of the Vantha category, Yato decided, as the color of her eyes changed from a cold and distant lightblue to a shimmering orange tint. "There are many things people do not know about Nuit...And even more misconceptions. But it seems Vantha don't believe in those fairy tales easily." Visibly content that her Vantha heritage had been recognized and even complimented, the girl smiled as she nod. Even introducing herself as 'Sophia Coolwater' and sharing tidbits about how Vantha are known to separate fiction from truth as they are often skilled taleweavers themselves. "I once tried to weave a tail, that was one hugely displeased snake..." "Goohhh, terrible joke, Mr Nuit!" "Please, call me Master, it suits me better...Or Yato, whichever you prefer!" Chuckling, the Vantha confirmed she would stick to Yato for now. With the ice broken and a connection made, the Nuit and Vantha shared laughs and stories while the ship dobbered along the silent ocean. When Sophia asked if Nuits ever played any games, Yato replied that he knew one fun game of the subconscious mind that he always enjoyed playing. In truth, Yato often played games, but not of the kind he'd wish to share. "Ever heard of The Cube?"

[Yato]

"Alright, clear your mind...I know there's not much to clear but yeah..." "Har har, very funny Mr Nuit!" Having agreed to playing the unknown Cube game, Sophia found herself excited and in anticipation of what was to come. Her eyecolor had gone from a shimmering orange to a beautiful tone of sunrise, as she stood there with her eyes closed, trying to clear her mind to the best of her abilities. "You find yourself on a ship, similar to this one. When you look over the railing, how is the ocean like?" The Vantha kept her eyes closed, and while the smile on her lips didn't fade, the burrowing eyebrows seemed to indicate the sea wasn't particularly calm before her mental eye. "It's...It's calm, very calm!" Yato smiled, it seemed to him that she was lying about what she saw, but that was hardly an issue at this point in the game. It made it all the more fun. He then proceeded to ask if there was anyone else on the ship. "No, I don't see anyone." This time her answer was much faster and with a carelessly serious tone of voice, she didn't seem to realize the extent of information provided by her answer. "Do you see any clouds?" Again she frowned, this time she had let go of the pretend-smile and seemed to be really getting into the visualizing game. "Yeah, in the distance, stormy clouds..." "I see...Alright, now, picture a cube before you on the ship. Tell me what you see." "Hmm, a cube...It's icy blue...Small...Floating" Sophia even seemed to have forgotten the name of the game, as she showed no sign of even pauzing to give it any thought. Her answers were clear and concise, and the game was technically over by now, but Yato couldn't help but ask one more question. "You move towards the railing and stare into the ocean, what do you see?" For a moment, Sophia stopped breathing, her lips moving slowly as if she was trying to see whatever it was that lay beneath the ocean's waves, before she opened her eyes in a sudden movement. "Nothing." Still indifferent to her denial and lying, Yato nodded and scratched the back of his head as he told Sophia that it was time for the tricky part, analyzing the answers! He tried his best to sound as upbeat and carefree as before, he didn't want to lose this speciment just yet, but it seemed she was on the verge of breaking and bailing out. "Man, I remember when they asked me those questions! It was embarassing!" He spoke as if he would truly be embarassed by anything anyone would think of him, fortunately the Vantha seemed clueless about his true intentions and even appeared to be put at ease thanks to his 'revelation'. "Oh? What did you see?!"

[Yato]

Yato sucked everything he said right out of his thumb, just enough to lighten the mood again and make her laugh at his disclosures. Now that the vibe was back where he wanted it to be, he continued the game. Casually going over the questions he asked and the responses he had received. "The calm ocean is an indicator that you are stable and with your feet planted firmly on the ground! Which is always a good thing, eh! As far as the people missing from the ship, it means you are independant and not reliant on others to keep you company 24/7 or guide you by the hand!" Of course these interpretations were tailored to make Sophia feel good about herself, while in truth they could easily be interpreted negatively...Which would probably be more accurate in this particular case. "The distant stormclouds means you keep your problems at bay, or that you expect issues to occur in the future but aren't experiencing any right now. Expecting incidents to occur is better than having them take you by your surprise to be honest, not bad...Not bad at all, Sophia!" The Vantha seemed more and more pleased with her answers and herself, with each passing analyzation, Yato made a damn fine job of making her feel at ease around him. Something done much easier with this kind of game, than without! Which was the entire point of The Cube, but that wasn't something he was about to slip out. "Now, time for...The Cube!...Dun dun dunnnnn!" "Your cube is small and icy blue, which might be due to your Vantha bloodline; The icy blue color. And the small cube means your soul and persona are tough to hit by exterior forces. The fact that it's floating means, something, that I can't analyze properly! Maybe it means you're a butterfly, beats me!" He made her laugh and a peachy blush even showed on her cheeks, seemed like she really enjoyed and needed being compliment! All the better for Yato, as that was exactly what he was trying to accomplish without being obnoxious or overly transparant. "This was a fun game, Mr Yato!" The Nuit nodded and smiled cheerfully, while thinking to himself that the game had just begun and was sure to prove even more fun, for him, in due time!

[Yato]

As they continued talking and spending time together over the course of the day, Sophia and Yato bonded more and more, under the digusted looks of sailors and passengers alike. Both of them were oblivious and uncaring of it though, continueing their uncharacteristic cheerful talks. "So, what brings you on this ship, Sophia?" Hesitant, to the point of shying away from looking in Yato's eyes and grimacing, it was clear that Sophia was here for a delicate and touchy reason. Something she wasn't quite ready to share yet, apparently. But this wouldn't do, no no, this wouldn't do at all for Yato. "I understand, I'm not one to open up and trust easily either...But you seem like a kind person, Sophia, sorry if I seemed intrusive. It's ok! No need to share what you don't want to!" His words conflicted heavily with what he was thinking and feeling, but the subliminal hypnotizing message was planted. As vague and roundabout as it may have been, the cryptic convincing that he was in fact to be trusted and a likeminded, kindred, soul...was conveyed, and with success too, as her response didn't make itself wait for too long and was just what Yato desired to hear. "I...I'm here to seek answers! To find the means to trace what has been lost, what has been taken from me!" Realizing this wasn't the time to speak, but to listen, Yato nodded silently and controlled his excitement about this piece of information from this fragile little specimen. The Vantha girl went on, sharing more and more valuable yet fragmented bits of information about her past and future. "Someone, came to my Hold...Long ago...Leaving an aftermath of blood and corpses. I was one of the survivors, the only one who was there when it happened, yet....All I can remember is his hand on my head, as if I was his pet..." The last few words came out in whispers as tears ran down her face, Yato seemed to move instinctively as he leaned in to embrace her and hold her crying face against his shoulder as he placed a comforting hand on the back of her head. Sophia sniffled and sobbed, trying to regain her composure, but still it lasted several minutes until she found emotional stability again. "T-thank you..."

[Yato]

Soothing her with words and actions, Yato took advantage of this situation to implant another suggestive phrase into her mind with the help of Hypnotism, he concentrated his Djed in him to enhance the words coming out of his mouth as he whispered to her. "I'll help you!" With the soft and caring intonation, along with the enforcing Djed and lulling words of comfort and aide...The link between them was strengthened and tightened in one brutally effective 'spur of the moment' action from Yato's part. Fortunately for him that his face and body were pointed towards the ship's front and the empty ocean, with Sophia's face and torso burried into his, as he could barely control his excitement any longer as he grinned his teeth bare and licked his lips with his tongue, black as the night. Upon the mezmerizing words that slyly burried themselves in the Vantha's psyche and soul, Sophia looked up at the tall Nuit with hungering eyes, needing answers so badly, she would do anything to finally find out who it was that took everything from her and left a wake of mental destruction behind, inside of this poor girl's mind. "How?" She was almost too scared to ask the question, feeling unable to cope with the answer would they turn out to be empty words only meant to make her stop crying. It was almost immeasurable, her excitement and happiness, when it turned out Yato was able to follow up on his offer to help. "Come with me!" The Vantha brushed her nose clean with the back of her hand and dried her eyes with the other, as she hurried to follow Yato's steps into his cabin.

[Yato]

A sailor was about to interfere with Yato's plans, even while not understanding or realizing them with his feeble mind, but a halt in Yato's drudging step and his genuine attempt at an intimidating, menacing look directed at the sailor, were enough to make him hesitate and his friends to keep him at bay. While he wasn't sure Sophie had seen the sailor's attempt to 'save' her, it was of little importance right now. She was too far gone to be swayed by that kind of meagre rescue attempt. Once they arrived at his cabin, he courteously stepped aside at the doorway after opening the cabindoor and let her pass through first. The look in her eyes was still dazed, confused as to what had happened earlier to lead her here. Yet at the same time she seemed to be almost smiling through the dried up tears on her face, she was finally going to receive answers and a lead on how or where to find the cloaked man of her nightmares. "Take a seat, I'll explain what I think could help you on your mission!" "...Please." The words spoken by the Vantha girl were weak and hoarse, as if she had been screaming out for a long time. Yato smiled and nodded as he grabbed the chair from his desk and placed it next to the bed, where she was seated. Grabbing a quill and parchment from inside his cabinet, he placed them on the desk near him, clearly he was planning on taking notes about what ever was going to happen. "I believe you to have supressed memories, deep down you remember how the man looked like, but you can't access those thoughts as they are sealed tightly with a lock of immense fear. Don't worry, I'll help you break that lock!" He infused that last sentence with Djed once again, effectively infiltrating Sophia's mind with his words and subconscious thoughts. This time, however, he used more Djed than before. It was the last step before starting the next phase of his therapy and even the slightest possibility of resistance or hesitance had to be eliminated. The words swirled in Sophia's mind, resonating and causing a chain reaction to make her believe he was truly desiring to help her and would cause her no harm whatsoever... "Ok, I trust you! Please do whatever is necessary to help me remember!" "Alright, here's what we will do. I learned an ancient magic from a shaman in the wilds, he taught me how to delve deep down one's psyche and memories, that way we will open the lock and see who is the root cause of all this!" "Clear your mind..." Of course the small story about the 'shamanistic' magic was all bull, but it was better not to reveal his affinity to the Hypnotism arts, a fox never reveals his tricks after all.

[Yato]

To speed up the process of the hypno trance, Yato infused the last sentence he muttered with a light dose of Djed. Nothing too serious or overly effective, not necessary either considering his victim was already prepared and at his disposal. Once he was satisfied with the state Sophia was in, he started slowly chipping away at the walls surrounding her deepest, darkest secrets. It was a tricky phase to succesfully complete considering the, very slight but constant, flow of Djed he needed to maintain with his specimen to ensure she wouldn't break out of her trance. "...Now that you are back in Avanthal, at your home, who do you see?" The voice that came out of Sophia as she replied, almost seemed to come from a different person, it was monotone and devoid of any emotions, even though what she spoke of would surely make her an emotional rollercoaster with all kinds of feelings flaring high. "I see my Hold; I see my father...Killing everybody...Everybody but me. He gives me something to drink and when I wake up, even he is dead. All alone..I am left, all alone..." Yato almost slapped his forehead as he tried his very best not to burst out in laughter at this whole situation. Here, this poor child, was coming to Sahova to learn about a way to find out who the heineous criminal was who slaughtered her Hold, while it was her father who even already took his own life...This was grade A comedy, right here. Yato almost wanted to delve deeper, when he felt his legs wobble and his sight lose focus...He was reaching his limits and needed to break the link of Djed he was maintaining and feeding Sophia's mind with, fast. Uncaring whether or not he'd leave any permanent damage to Sophia's mental state or mind, he abruptly cut off the link and looked as the poor Vantha collapsed on the spot, falling sideways onto his bed where she lay dormant for at least 2 days. Once she woke up, Yato had his notes prepared and his play set into motion. He spoke to her about what she told him during the trance, but what he told her was nothing but shyke and not even remotely close to the reality. It was all one grand scheme to make her into a puppet while she lasted. "You told me you saw a ring on the man's hand, a ring paying close resemblance to the ones Sahovan residents own. I believe the criminal is part of the Sahovan community...I'll keep an eye and ear out for any information I might be able to gather, alright Sophia? I'll help you." The surprise and gratitude she showed Yato was so amusing, it was without a doubt he could use her as a proper tool in the future, and while she is disposable of, in any means, he would make sure she will serve him one way or another, 'till the day she dies.

[Ink]

Let me see what you have done with your ink. Yato Skills Acting 2 Hypnotism 3 Interrogation 1 Intimidation 1 Observation 1 Rhetoric 2 Socialization 3 Tactics 2 Lores Mind Game: The Cube Sophia: A Trouble Vantha Sophia: Easy to Manipulate Hypnotism: The Trance Notes If you want to keep Sophia you need to do an NPC write up and PM it to Mirage for approval as a Sahovan NPC. If you want to PM it to me I can take it to the DS as well. Between Black and White If there are any concerns or problems with my grading please feel free to toss me a PM. I am more than happy to explain my reasons or reevaluate them if you feel I've been unfair. Also please remember to edit your grade request as graded or delete it if possible. Thank you, Ink