Flashback [Swamp] A journey paused

[Ssenislin]

Ssenislin listened to the Benshira's words with all the pleasure of a tired worker getting a warm massage, his chest puffing up and coils wiggling (and more importantly, loosening) in delight. There was one thing the Dhani loved more than food for his stomach, and that was food for his ego. "Yesss, that'ss mighty fine words." he purred pridefully. "I like you, girly." the beast said, laying himself on the ground and looking at her with his torso lifted off the ground by his crossed arms. His coils relaxed and spread out, acting more as a fleshy fence than grip. "Yess, I think a sssong would ssit jussst right." 'Let me make you a deal, girly." the Dhani said with a toothy grin, lifting one of his arms to point at her. "I let you go, and you sing the terrifying tale of how you barely escaped the mighty coils of ol' Ssenislin, lord of the river!" 'Of course," he said as he tried to give Elann a little bump on the behind from the tip of his tail to push her towards his torso, "I ssupossse you'd need to embellish it a little, unlessss you'd like me to chassse you." The last words were followed a teasing snarl. "What do you think, girly?" he rumbled, licking his lips and reaching to touch a fat finger beneath her chin. "Can you do that?"

[Ssenislin]

Ssenislin listened to the Benshira's words with all the pleasure of a tired worker getting a warm massage, his chest puffing up and coils wiggling (and more importantly, loosening) in delight. There was one thing the Dhani loved more than food for his stomach, and that was food for his ego. "Yesss, that'ss mighty fine words." he purred pridefully. "I like you, girly." the beast said, laying himself on the ground and looking at her with his torso lifted off the ground by his crossed arms. His coils relaxed and spread out, acting more as a fleshy fence than grip. "Yess, I think a sssong would ssit jussst right." 'Let me make you a deal, girly." the Dhani said with a toothy grin, lifting one of his arms to point at her. "I let you go, and you sing the terrifying tale of how you barely escaped the mighty coils of ol' Ssenislin, lord of the river!" 'Of course," he said as he tried to give Elann a little bump on the behind from the tip of his tail to push her towards his torso, "I ssupossse you'd need to embellish it a little, unlessss you'd like me to chassse you." The last words were followed a teasing snarl. "What do you think, girly?" he rumbled, licking his lips and reaching to touch a fat finger beneath her chin. "Can you do that?"

[Elann]

.

Elann could finally breathe! She took in a deep breath as his coils loosened. He seemed to like her words and as he released her more she moved her hand out to press against her chest to relieve some pain therein. At least her voice was warmed up from all the screaming. He seemed to think it was a good deal. Realizing she wasn't entirely free she leaned backward on his coils almost as if they were a seat, attempting not to put too much pressure on any one of his coils but rather distributing herself equally up against them.

She was sure he was embellishing at this point but who really knew? He could have very well been the lord of the river to her. He offers to let her go and she considers his deal. He sticks his fat finger under her chin and she looks away in a reviling manner. For one he was assaulting her and keeping her prisoner here, and two he was wet. It didn't feel good after all she had been through and what she would have to do now to have his ugly finger on her face.

"I can sing, but not very well in common. It would be better if I could sing in my own language mighty ssenislin." she puts an extra ssss on the beginning of his name, almost as if to bestow what she could only guess as being more honor. She hoped it didn't encourage him to squeeze her once more. Having her head turned from him sticking his finger under her face she could see his skin. Something about it seemed strange to her. It was as though her eyes saw something more than what was there. It wasn't that his skin had something wrong with it, but rather the patterns in the way his coils were at that precise moment meant something to her. A moment later and the movement of his coils made the feeling disappear. She seemed lost in thought for a brief moment and then turned to look at him. "Well?"

Other's Words ~~ My Words ~~ My Thoughts

[Ssenislin]

The Dhani chuckled at Elann's revulsion, slithering around to encircle her. "I'm sure that mouth of yoursss makess you popular with the boysss." he sniggered. For all her fear and flailing, the Benshira did an admirable job buttering Ssenislin up. The great beast was sprawled as if sunning himself, basking in the fleshling's awe. "Whatever language of man you usse iss fine by me." he said, propping his head up with an arm. "Jussst make sure it'sss bloody." His tongue flicked past his teeth at the last word. Noticing the moment of absorption on Elann's part he drew himself up again, swelling like a rooster. "Admiring my coilssss?" he purred as he grazed his muscular tail across the back of her legs. "Cain't blame you. You won't find finer or bigger in all the Bluevein. They get bigger in my finesst form, too." After a moment's consideration, the Dhani's mouth twisted into a pleased smirk. "Would you like to ssseee them?"

[Elann]

.

Knowing her god Yahal was far greater than some river snake, she wasn't as afraid as she was initially. Her flight or fight mode had switched to fight, but he was far to great a foe to be taken down by force. She didn't honestly know what he was. There were many gods and goddesses out there and he very well could have been one of them, but whatever he was he sure was prideful. She ignored his taunting and seductive speech about her attributes, reviled by them and as he agreed to the deal. She nodded and contemplated the words she could say about him. As she thought he picked her brain on his coils and what she was looking at. She didn't want to tell him what she saw in them.

"Oh...maybe...maybe later" she seemed whimsical about it, gesturing vaguely to the air and plopped up on top of his coils so that only her knees dangled inside. After all, the deal was that he let her go and then she would sing him a song. So now instead of fanning his ego, now she was manipulating it to be deflated. "I'm thinking right now..." she paused and tapped her lips "Bloody...He likes bloody" , she mused to herself. "I could...No no no...that wouldn't work." She seemed to be struggling a little.

Other's Words ~~ My Words ~~ My Thoughts

[Ssenislin]

Ssenislin stood there looking at Elann like a child waiting for the ice cream truck for a fair bit of time. The first chime, he was excited. The second chime, he was bemused. The third chime, he was impatient. The fourth, he snarled in frustration. "I thought your imagination would be better than thisss." he snapped, voice momentarily sounding even more reptilian as he swung around so he was a foot from the Benshira's face. "Maybe I sshould try to eat you." he hissed angrily, "Get thosssse creative juisssess flowing." Whilst the Dhani definitely wasn't puffed up and pleased with himself, this new state was not perhaps what Elann wanted. She succeeded in getting something Ssenislin wanted and was willing to exchange for her freedom. Unfortunately, the river snake was unaccustomed to waiting for things he wanted, and certainly not from tiny, easily threatened humans. As such, he was getting increasingly irritated with the hold up. Of course, songs took time to come up with, but as a creature with next to no experience in such things, Ssenislin didn't know that. "How'sss that plan sssssound to you, human?"

[Elann]

.

The snake-man literally gets in her face and she turns her head. Perhaps she did push a little bit too much. She could really just sing her song and go her way, but what about him? What if the next person wasn't able to do what she was doing with him? Would they just die? She didn't want to let that happen. She couldn't know what to do about him and his power over her so she humbly submitted rather than being eaten.

"Okay..." she sighed. "They're flowing..." she tried to get him to back off a bit and moved to gently indicate to him to back up out of her face. She wanted to stand, and if he let her she would stand and clear her voice. She was not in ceremonial dress or anything flashy, but she was still very beautiful in shape even under her frumpy clothing. Beginning with a soft melody she broke apart the silence that had grown between them in the dead of the swamp around them. Only the bugs besides her voice made sound as she began to move her body back and forth. It was a hypnotic sound that came from her throat, not something he had likely heard in these swamps as it was in Benshiran patterns and notes. While her voice wasn't flawless it was beautiful, particularly as she had just screamed so much. Now in Benshiran she sang to him with as strong as an accent as she could muster, making it purely authentically said.

E shevanel (O, sleep)
Shlo e yo shlo e u olm krezeelu, (What is this that's in my bed,)
Ledeash eladnoam e ha moku sklavu, (An icy chill is upon my head,)
Teptash nocamat el yiznet mene, (The patter of feet lie over me,)
Alforim oli ca seim. (open my eyes so I can see.)

E shevanel(O, Sleep)
Možete li cekati kasnijoj dobi ,(Could you wait till a later age,)
Pustite me iz svog željeza vezanog kavez ,(Let me out of your iron bound cage,)
Pijesak pada na dolje na vrhu mene ,(The sand falls on down on top of me,)
Alforim oli stra kojit. (open my eyes and let me free)

E shevanel(O, Sleep)
Odignel naget stramo ya megesh hodalim, (Lift my feet so I can walk)
Olel jupaj mojem elustee shaka dap mogu orvaratel, (Unlock my jaw so I can talk)
Ya tsel teih rem na yodem, (To tell them all to go away)
Yuret me odvte neti shruget edan (Bury me down here some other day)

E samrteh, (O, Grave)
Shlomitel ey shorovel trutijit shamat, (Crushed in pine box all alone,)
A kevertea zemelu temena, (In a bed of earthen stone,)
Prestalel tlolish he trusat craget, (Placed there bloodied with mouth agape)
Sham widel sdasr nemare elbija (I see now there is no escape)

E samrteh, (O, Grave)
Kravot ey ostel shagatim, (How did here to lie)
Ereca mene stahs eresta sham yumrigetil, (tell me now how did I die)
Shmislio sham ya sham tapalet, (thought I did I was asleep)
Hosti mene shahda alko sham plakati. (forgive me now if I weep)

E Misimi, (O, woman)
Ya motwarel shte esli (To the swamp you did go)
Tethe prica tuete a zada, (Met a tale of sorrow and woe)
Shmarsave tritkel bim ya tridv, (Bloodied battle was in sight)
Ya eje shmrtit ey ednet stavkat borsba(To your death was the fight)

Her voice tapered down as the song ended, following the same melody as the first portion, she began to step backwards toward the city along the footpath, hoping that he would honor their arrangement. If he was otherwise entranced she would take off running a bit before the song ended, letting her voice's echo off the trees finish it for her.

Other's Words ~~ My Words ~~ My Thoughts

[Cocoon]

Elann


Skills gained:

• +3 Observation
• +2 Singing
• +1 Running
• +1 Negotiation
• +1 Acting
• +1 Persuasion

Lores Gained:

• Kenash and its bizarre landscapes
• Kenash: City in the swamp
• Ssenislin: Big Bad Dhani
• Ssenislin: Menacing Coils
• Singing: A song to earn freedom

Notes:

I like your writing, and how realistically Elann reacted to a gigantic predator. The detail about her wetting herself was hilarious, but still very professional. The song at the end was simply magnificent, really good material.


Ssenislin (AKA Snake Bro):

Skills gained:

• +2 Observation
• +2 Intimidation
• +1 Socialization
• +1 Negotiation

Lores Gained:

• Elann: Easily threatened
• Intimidation: Size does matter
• Ssenislin: Big Dhani, Big Ego
• Ssenislin: Lord of the Bluevein
• Ssenislin: Dhani of Fine Taste

Notes:

I was surprised at how well you play your character, honestly. You gave the thread a slightly fairy tale air that I really enjoyed. Offering Elann her freedom in exchange of a song was really poetic in my opinion, and definitely something I'd like to see around much more.




Final thoughts

Really good thread, I really enjoyed it. I've read it thrice already out of pure will, and while at some points it seems kind of stuck, it always carried on forward with bigger strength. Enjoy the rewards, and I certainly hope to see you two in a thread again.



If you have any concerns or feel like I've missed something, please contact me via PM. I am pretty new to grading, so I'd appreciate the input.