[Flashback] Let me out!

[Raiyari]

Let me out! Midwinter Festival, Winter 505 AV Futiley, the girl banged on the closet door. There wasn't anyone home. Her brother was at the festivities, and her father was probably somewhere getting himself drunk. Typical. The one day she was allowed to go and visit with her family, her father decided to drink himself into a furious mood. Raiyari could still remember the scent of alchohol on his breath as he pushed her into the closet, locking her only exit out. There was no telling when he'd be back, or if he'd even remember where she was. The thirteen year old's breathing escalated in anger, and she aimed a petulant kick at the thick wooden door. There was no rhyme or reason to the kick, she simply did so because she was angry. It didn't budge. Of course, not that she expected it to. But thirteen year olds aren't very well known for their logic and reasoning. Rai was no exception. The young Acolyte sat on the dusty floor of the closet, staring at the barrier with complete concentration. This wasn't really doing anything, but what else could she do? Kicking and screaming weren't going to open that petching door. There had to be something else... A key! Of course, there had to be a key that would open the closet! Rai's excitement rose and fell quicker than you could say 'shyke'. If there was a key, it would be outside the closet. And her closet-prison was locked from the outside. There was no way she was going to get out of this one.

[Raiyari]

Raiyari sneezed violetly from the dust in the closet. She couldn't remember the last time her father had actually cleaned. He'd taken to leaving his clothes all over the floor, making the small closet useless. Well, perhaps it did have some uses. Locking your daughter in it was definetely one of them. No, this couldn't be right. Simply sitting here like some domestic animal, waiting for someone to free her? Rai had her pride, and even sitting in a dusty closet space couldn't diminish that. But what could she possibly do? There was no humanly possible way to open that door. A rush of ideas assaulted her. She couldn't break it down, couldn't open it, couldn't call for help. Resourceful as she was, there really was only one option. Wait... that's not right, Raiyari contradicted herself. Dian told her that, when confronted with an obstacle, one must think carefully of the path ahead. And the best way to do that was through meditation. Though she disliked it, Rai knew that was what a true Shinya would do. Well, she wasn't a Shinya yet, just an Acolyte; but that was beside the point, Rai totally had this under control. The girl crossed her legs, settling herself into a more comfortable position. She straightened her back, and rested her right hand in her left, palms facing upwards. Breathe, Rai told herself, then stopped. You weren't supposed to think about these things, just do them. So, with her eyes partially closed, the young Acolyte turned her attention to her breathing. In. Out. In. Out. Gradually she became more aware of the sensation of her breath. Her focus on the feeling of the air as it left and entered her nostrils. A thought distracted her, and Rai exhaled loudly in frustration. Now she had to clear her mind again. Her stomach grumbled at the thought of all the feasting that would be taking place. Rai furrowed her brow, determined to ignore these distractions. Slowly she began to focus once more, the sensation of breathing becoming the only thing she was aware of. As a young girl, inexperienced in the ways and techniques of meditation, it took her a long time before she experienced the flash of complete lucidity that was her goal. And that lasted only a second, she couldn't hold it in her mind like the Dians and Damas did. But that one second was enough. It gave her an idea; an idea so delightfully intelligent, yet one that she was sure was quite dangerous. Projection.

[Raiyari]

The Acolyte's eyes closed completely, still focused on clearing her mind. Where she had been simply concentrating on her breath, now the task before her was different. Delving deep within herself, Raiyari searched for the threads of Djed: her inner essence. As with the meditation, it took Raiyari a while to concentrate enough at the task so that she would actually suceed. The Acolyte had never done this without a Dian or Dama there, and she knew that there were risks involved. But what they didn't know couldn't hurt them. Carefully, she gathered up the Djed, concentrating it on her left hand. Like any beginner, Rai needed a gesture to help her focus and think. She gingerly ran her right hand down her lift, as if wiping it away. As she did so, Raiyiri disloged the astral shell of her hand with her mind, working from her wrist down to her fingertips. That was when she lost all feeling in her left hand. The Acolyte just managed to keep herself from jumping up and down with glee. She'd done it, and she'd done it by herself. Choosing to keep the astral limb intangible, Rai sent it through the thick wood of the door. She knew where the key was likely to be, on the small dressing table beside the closet. Rai squeezed her eyes shut tighter in concentration, and sweat beaded on her brow. Tangible now, the hand groped forwards, at last coming across a small metal object with teeth. The key! Rai directed her hand back towards the door, fitting it to the lock. As she heard the faint 'click', she began to feel her left hand growing heavier and heavier as moments passed.

[Raiyari]

Rai began to tire from the effort of moving her hand forwards. Only a couple inches to go.... There. For a split second she panicked, forgetting how exactly to reattach the limb. No, just calm down. You know how to do this, the thirteen year old chastised herself, struggling to stay calm. But it was getting so heavy, it was difficult to concentrate on the task ahead of her. Hurridly, Raiyari used almost the same technique as the unattatching. With the use of her Djed, she was able to glue the cumbersome hand back to her body, starting at the wrist and moving towards the extremities. Completely drained and exhausted from the effort, the Acolyte crumpled back against the wall. She'd done it! She'd opened the door. It sounded pathetic, really. But the facts stood. Balancing on wobbly legs, Rai was able to stand up and reach out for the door handle. It swung open, and stepping out of that cramped and tiny closet felt like the most uplifting and glorious experiance she'd ever had in her thirteen years of life. Rai thought that she could fly, if given the oppertunity. Triumph is sweet indeed. Swaying slightly, Raiyari made her way out of the small house, and towards the Shinyama Pavilion. Though it was the Midwinter festival, she'd had more than enough excitement for one day. And she had to get out of there before her father returned. There was no knowing what kind of mood he would be in. But as she reached to brush her hair out of her face, Rai didn't notice that her pinkie finger didn't respond to her command. It just stayed there, imobile. [END]

[Ophelia]

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Thread Award. ‎‎<3 ‎ ‎EXPERIENCE.‎ ‎+2 Meditation +3 Projection ‎LORES.‎ Furious drunk fathers Locked in a closet Grumbling stomach Magic without telling the Dian Opening the door How do I get my arm back on?!‎ Doing it on my own Unnoticeable consequences – pinky finger Projection ‎ADDITIONAL NOTES.‎ Great work ‎Don't hesitate to pm me with questions, queries, or anything else!‎ Love,‎ Ophelia <3

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