Closed Old Snake, New Tricks [Svan]

[Tinnok]

The touch was strange, strangely gentle. Tinnok twitched upon first contact, but did not shy away, just looked up at the strange grin on his face. Surely this Dhani's moods changed like Syna and Leth in the sky, one moment solemn the next nearly bouncing with energy.

She shook the melancholy off, for it would do no good to dwell in 'might have beens' when Svan was there ready to teach her what he knew.

She listened carefully as he began in. She frowned slightly as he insulted her teacher, but she certainly had no room to brook any argument, Asheera was an unconventional reimancy instructor at best. Her very first question of how reimancy would be different from morphing was answered in one broad stroke, and the half breed's head bobbed slightly as he spoke. Becoming more familiar with other bodies than your own. Hadn't she spent her whole life doing just that? Long before she had ever been marked by Caiyha?

She did not know what flux was, but it seemed it was a practice that didn't matter to her in her learning of morphing, and would have been detrimental instead.

So then when he paused, and starred at her with that long penetrating look.

She was half tempted to spit in his face. Couldn't he petching guess what she was? She took a deep breath, inhaling through the nose, exhaling out the mouth, and tried to find that center, that calm spot somewhere in the base of he body, it was where the res seemed to pool from when manipulating her reimancy, but she had found it was also a good spot to provoke meditation as well. She closed her eyes and absorbed the question, slowly mulling over the entirety of her history with herself...and how she had felt.

She was quiet for a few chimes before her throat cleared.

I ashamed, usually of what am. To Myrians, I worst of blood, abomination. I grew knowing I should be dead, knowing shame of what was follow me where I go. I do not know when I first like what I was, if Myrians hate Dhani so much, it is not because they weak, but how strong. So if I am mix of Snake and Savage, cannot I be strong too?" she shrugged.

"The less time I spend with my people, the more I know what I am, is no difference than what I may be in different life. It no matter, I am...me."


She shrugged, that about summed up her feelings on the matter. Was she supposed to despise herself? That would surely help with morphing would it not? Was that why he didn't talk like other Dhani, he hated the lisp and the looks it brought when people knew what he was?

[Licearsvansan]

Svan's brow furrowed as the woman spoke. It was exactly the response he had expected, but not the one he would have wanted. This would make things harder, but perhaps there was a way to circumvent this problem. The snake smiled slightly as the woman finished, glad that she had at least been honest with him. However, the small grin barely hid the concern etched onto Svan's face. It had taken him years to get to the point he was at now, and while there were several reasons for it, one of them was that Svan's own mindset was roughly incompatable with morphing. Surprisingly, it was his pride that played a heavy role in stunting his magical growth. While he was often ashamed of his own personal faults and mindsets of his brethren, he still firmly held the belief that the Dhani were the greatest race on all Mizahar. He used to believe like most Dhani that physically the Dhani lived longer, had better senses, more strength, and more advantages than any other race on Mizahar. Even now he still believed most of it. However, his time away from home had humbled him enough to recognize that while the Dhani might be the best, that didn't mean they were perfect. Reluctantly Svan had come to realize that other races and creatures, while inferior, still had the potential to improve the Dhani by incorperating their strengths into the morphing reptiles. While this was a step in the right direction the pride he still held was a poison to his morphing. But not a poison that couldn't be avoided. Many followers of Caiyha learned morphing so that they could give up their physical forms and grow closer to nature, but for Svan it was the opposite. The snake hadn't given himself up for Caiyha, but rather he had chosen to follow her so that he could improve himself. That was his loophole. While he still clung foolishly to his pride he had given up enough of it to allow himself to be improved. Svan wasn't able to learn morphing because it gave him the oppertunity to grow closer to nature. He had learned it because it allowed nature to improve him.

But this was different. Tinnok was not proud. No, she was ashamed of her body, and that perhaps was the greatest poison of all.

"Trick question Tinnok. The correct answer was neither." Svan's voice sounded troubled. "Pride of one's own body is destructive to the magic of morphing, but so is shame. What I've learned about the magic is that to properly learn it you have to abandon any attachments to your body. This includes both positive AND negative feelings towards it. Let me put it like this, how can you fully get into the body of another creature if you cant let go of your own. I know it sounds like it should work since you are probably eager to abandon your current form, but let me put it like this. Pride is like love in the same way shame is like hate or disdain. Both love and hate are feeling that make you... you know, think about someone alot. Thats why pride makes it hard to morph because deep down some part of you is still thinking about your origional body, and to morph you can't be doing that. Same thing with shame. Even though you aren't thinking good thoughts they are still binding you to your body. Do you get it?" Svan raised his hand in the air. He wasn't much of a teacher and by this point he was almost confusing himself. He simply hoped that Tinnok understood enough of it to understand that being ashamed of her body is bad, even if she didn't know why. Svan scratched behind his ear and continued. "The point is that if you want to be good at morphing you have to let go of that stuff. You have to love all the little creatures forms, including your own, just as much as the next." Svan was feeling a bit hypocritical at the moment. "It takes time to completely adjust your self image though so yeah....we are going to have to use a shortcut." Svan's small smile broadened a bit as he looked at the Myrian. "You're lucky I always have a plan." He didn't bother to mention that he wasn't sure if it would work or not.

"Okay so here is what we are gonna do. We are gonna kill two birds with one stone and use a trick similar to the one I did to learn morphing. The difference? We are gonna do this one in reverse. You see for me, it was pride. However, I learned to use my pride to my advantage in learning morphing. Dhani can naturally morph, and so once I accepted the fact that other races have things to offer I realized that the Dhani's froms could be improved. Thats my trick, and now its going to be yours. As a half Dhani shapeshifting is in your blood, and if we can use that we may be able to jump past a few step. For me my first morph was to put my Dhani fangs into my human form. But for you we are going to take advantage of your 'unique' skin." Svan's actuall plan was a little deeper than what he said. He knew that Tinnok was ashamed of her Dhani half and by forcing her to morph scales onto her body she would have to embrace her Dhani side. That meant temporarily overcoming her shame so that she could let the morph take over. If he could just give her once chance to feel what it was like to morph then she might be able to recreate the feeling later to morph again. The Dhani would have liked it if there was an easier way than facing her problem head on, but unless she learned a way to get past her own shame she would likely struggle to morph just as much as Svan had.

Svan looked Tinnok in the eyes firmly and like a man about to send someone into a warzone he asked, "So do you need to know anything else, or are you ready to begin?"

[Tinnok]

Firstly, he was talking much...much too much. Her eyebrows slid together.

The first part made sense...Emotions shouldn't be tied to a form, one was as good as another, which made her rather upset, since she felt both shame and pride for this form when Svan said she should feel neither. It meant that she failed no matter what she did really. Fingers brushed the bridge of her nose.

But why in the petch did he have to say so many words to get his ideas across? The half breed's eyes half glazed over as the Dhani kept explaining, and her head throbbed to the strange beat his syllables made.

And then her head jerked up. "Scales?"

That caught her attention when nothing else would. He was going to have her grow scales? The half breed held out an arm. Her own scales were small, almost fish like, and the color of tan flesh. If she peered closely sometimes she could get the faintest twinge of green. Sometimes she had even wondered what her father's scales had looked like. Were they green too, or was this just a fluke?

Well that was a weird thought. She looked up at Svan. "So I work on shame, by making it not shame." She grimaced at her lack of fluency in common, but knew the idea was enough. She knew the question in her mind, how to make these scales bigger, stronger. But part of her had always wished to know how it felt to have the strength of a Dhani, the sheer size of body. Was curiosity something bad as well?

Well, she was probably going to find out soon, anyway. Tinnok met the Dhani's strangely human looking eyes and nodded. "Ready."

[Licearsvansan]

Svan nodded his head softly as she spoke. "Okay then the first thing I'm going to need you to do is meditate. Just as with all magic you need to tap into your center and draw out your energy. However, this time you won't turn it into that...stuff" Svan cupped his hands together as if holding a liquid within, and looked to Tinnok hoping that she would understand that he meant res and not water. "-instead you let your Djed flow throughout your body." A relaxed smiled on Svan's face grew as he closed his mouth for a moment. He then placed an hand on Tinnok's shoulder and continued in a slow serene voice. "Now I'm going to give you a chime or so to focus. Don't exert your energy yet, just let it run through you...like water." Svan took hand off her and let it rest in his own lap. He figured that if water was Tinnok's favored element, perhaps it would also be the best thing for her to visualize as she tried to focus.

Following his own advice he touched upon his own core, and let his djed flow through him like the blood in his veins. It was a bitter sweet sensation. Using magic was always met with a rewarding feeling, but as the djed ran down his legs he could feel his ancient burns aching like ice cold water over a fresh wound. He grit his teeth and his face tensed as the sensation rushed through him like a steady flame. He endured the pain only for a moment, but it was just long enough for the djed to spread to his feet, and return to a spot just to the right of his heart. As the energy returned he redirected it to his left arm and let the Djed fill every inch. Then, once filled, he pressed the djed against his skin like a shell and let the energy soak into it like a sponge. With practiced ease Svan recalled the feeling of having scales instead of skin and when he looked down to his arm it was covered in brown and copper plates.

With a satisfied smile he glanced over to Tinnok. He raised his morphed snake skin hand to the woman's shoulder once again, but before he laid it upon her he stopped. His calm grin dipped for a moment, surprised at his own hesitation. He couldn't help it. Something about this whole thing just made Svan feel awkward. The snake shook his head slowly. Maybe its just cause I'm not wearing a shirt...Actually, why AREN'T I wearing a shirt?"

Svan's thoughts were suddenly interrupted by a short peck on the skull. With his other hand he shooed the bird away, and watched as it landed roughly two meters away. First it glanced over to Svan and then to the meditating Tinnok. The snake shot it the dirtiest of looks, and in response it opened its mouth as if to caw. Unspoken death threats crossed the expanse between them, and after a moment the bird closed its mouth. It however, continued to look on innocently as it committed every single moment to its evil little memory. Satisfied with the phirebird's compliance Svan turned back to Tinnok, and carefully placed the unmorphed palm of his hand upon her shoulder in the same way he had done before she began to meditate. He let it sit there for a moment and then leaned in close to the Halfbreed. Finally, in a voice softer than a whispered Svan began, "Now Tinnok, gather up your energy and let it pour into your right arm. Let it fill every inch of space and soak into your skin until your djed and skin are one and the same." His voice trickle out of his throat slowly, and as he continued his hissing accent slowly but subtly grewing stronger. "Don't think. Just let it flow. Allow your arm to go limp, and let your spirit move through you."

As the words left his lips Svan slowly let his hand slide down the halfbreeds shoulder. The snake kept his touch light has he glided his hand carefully over her skin with the fluidity only a snake could hope to have. "Tinnok, do you trust me?" The words tasted sour as they left him. After all the lies and tricks he had told and done how could he expect her to trust him. Svan wasn't sure but it was too late to take back his words and so he continued. "If you do then I need you need to let go of your hatred. Let go of anything that holds your mind captive, and allow your spirit mold like clay, unbiased of the for it takes." Cautiously Svan let his morph spread down his hand, and soon the halfbreed's skin was met with the slowly encroaching feeling of a snake's scales. The Dhani slowed the morph so that the transformation would be a subtle as possible, and the sensation wouldn't frighten the girl. However, try as he might he was still at the mercy of her own mind and he had no idea of how she would cope with the change. "Now, I need you to reach deep down into that part of yourself that you have denied. Allow the touch of my scales to become your own. This is what you are." His almost hypnotic whispers stopped as he ran out of things to say, and he moved his head away from her ear. He had said all he could think of and with nothing left to do Svan continue to move his hand up and down the woman's arm, stopping only periodically to trace rough scales onto her skin like a template.

As time marched on, the bird continued to watch him and his own mind began to wander. The first thought that he came to his head was the question of how much longer this would take. He was well aware that magic took a good deal of time to use for beginners like the two of them, but with no words left to distract him the awkward feeling began to return. It was only made worse when he realized that his gaze had fallen to her thighs as he rubbed her arm. "No, bad Svan. BAD! Do not think about caressing-Touching-BRUSHING- DAMN IT! There just isn't any way to say it without it sounding like I'm trying to petch her." Svan's face went light red and he turned his head quickly away. Don't forget what she is Svan. She's a Myrian, and she put more holes in you than a pumice stone if given a reason. Its her skin Svan, its just her smooth, soft, tan, snake-like skin..." With a muffled sigh Svan tried to divert his attention to a less perverted topic. Bouncing off his previous train of thought the Snake began to wonder what sort of scales if any would appear. Would they be brown like his own, or would they take after some other more important snake in her life. Perhaps they would be a separate color entirely. She was part Dhani and so it made sense that her scales would reflect some latent inner Dhani. Of course, there was also the possibility that the scales would be the same color as her skin if she only adopted the texture and forgot to add color. The snake made a pleasant expression as he watched the skin that passed beneath his fingers. Regardless of what happened he was eager to see the results.

That is, assuming there were results to be found.

oocYou gave me permission to assume Tinnok would comply to the whole meditation thing, but if i overstepped my bounds at time and Tinnok would do some thing else (aka beat him to a pulp for touching her) then tell me.

[Tinnok]

Meditation...a skill Tinnok was still so bad at. She relied on the messages sent from trees, the feel of soft earth beneath her to center her mind. But natural aid or no she knew the basics of meditation. Nodded to Svan she shifted into a comfortable seated position, legs crossed in on themselves, and set her arms parallel to her legs, closing yellow eyes.

She began with breathing. In through the nose, out through the mouth, slow and shallow breaths. She had no tree to lean upon this time, but at Svan's suggestion of water, her lips twitched somewhat. Water she could work with.

She tried to imagine his instructions within her. If creating res was letting one's djed flow through the body and escape through the tiny holes in your skin, then morphing was like...keeping the res within, holding that magic back just below the skin in order to being a transformation. The idea, in theory, made sense, but Tinnok was far from sure if she would be able to execute it.

It took her more than a chime to focus. Twice it was the headache, making her body feel as if it was being pulled down by double its weight in water, while her head felt light and arid, a desert of sand and heated pain behind her temples. She took one last draught of water the second time, and pictured the substance as her res. Her head felt no less pain, but by summoning up that fountain in the middle of her body...nearly instantaneously the pain subsided, and just touching it for the briefest of instances allowed Tinnok the moment of calm she needed to settle back into her blank thoughts. She imagined her ideas, memories and hatreds flowing out through her mouth, expelled on currents of air, picturing the slow escape of all things that would hinder her transformation.

Svan's touch was surprising, but not unwelcome. His voice nearly jolted her out of her reverie, but its softness...its closeness. In any other setting she might have broken his nose for flirting with her, but this was not the place or time, they were both mages on a mission: One to teach, and one to learn.

Slowly the energy, that life force she had only recently come to know flooded up and through her. As per instruction Tinnok slowly let it flow down her right arm, just as she would with her reimancy. She could feel the energy surging towards her hand to be released in the porous res, and her face strained to control the manic power that she had only just brushed the surface of mastering. Slowly she felt it, like a strange warmth bubble up beneath the skin of her arm, coinciding almost perfectly with Svan's scaled hands brushing against her skin, sending shivers down her spine.

His words merely contained her in her state, like a strange hypnotic trance. The images of water turned to a sea of scales, fish darting up and out, transforming into giant serpents. She imagined Svan in his Dhani form, Nissila, with her elegant patterning, and the countless Dhani she had seen, some with brown and black scales, others with yellow and green patterning.

The memories brought back hate, anguish, and despair. An image of Rekhuna, bleeding out in the cavern, looking with utter hate at Tinnok, knowing the half breed had betrayed her...when she hadn't.

"Do you trust me?" The words broke through the veil, drawing confusion from the half breed. More than most of what the Dhani had said to her in their short time together was lies...or sarcastic comments...or just bizarre linguistics, but here she was...he was...touching her, and she was trusting a Dhani not to stab her when her eyes were closed.

And that was about as close as these two beings were going to trust...at least presently.

But his intentions, his words that she was only half listening to in her magical stupor were correct. All of it didn't matter...water wore down rock, disintegrated earth, moved without care or cause. Could morphing make her skin like that?

The essence of her res was still hovering within her arm, waiting, even the strain of holding it there was making her headache come back. She knew her own scales best, knew of their small size and glint, but they did not work like real snake scales, so neatly linked and fitted together. First she let the magic run up through her pores, around a small patch of flesh upon her arm and imagined a single scale growing, thicker, bigger, like that of an anaconda, or the scales on the arms of a Dhani. Its color remained the same brown with the vaguest greenish tint as she worked to stretch and thicken her own scales. Golden eyes pried themselves slowly open to see the roundish shape of the new scale upon her arm, and she blinked once to make sure it wasn't simply an illusion. Svan's hands was still perched upon hers, and she looked at the scales he had made, then back to her arm focusing.

One by one the rest began to follow suit, growing, expanding, it felt like stretching rubber leaves or a wet wool garment, constantly pulling to adjust the shape, but though they were haphazard shapes and inconsistent sizes, soon a small patch of skin was taken up by the thicker scales, and before Svan's eyes they turned a bright and vibrant green, one that stuck clearly in Tinnok's memory.

They stayed in their altered form for barely a chime. Tinnok's breath was ragged, and she felt as if she was forcing her Djed up the wrong way of a rushing river, against the growing pressure of an insurmountable tide.

Suddenly her power faded and her arm returned to normal, Tinnok's body sagging visibly. Despite her weariness, a smile was etched in her features, and her hand clasped Svan's transformed one, fingers brushed gently over the scales without so much as a second thought.

"Thank you." It was quiet, but more audible then the last time, and TInnok found her round yellow eyes searching for his for a moment. He was a strange one this Dhani...but he, like so few others, had trusted her, and she couldn't help but trust him back.

[Licearsvansan]

The snake's smile widened as he watched the scales grow in the echo of his movements. He must have seen such a thing a hundred times before within the past season alone, but there was something mystifying about it now. A small pleased smile grew on Svan's lips as he watched the scales grow in both number and size. The scales were uneven and didn't fit quite right at some spots, but for a human is was still a spectacular job. Finally the green color spilled into the scales and the morph was complete. "Green." Svan whispered almost in silence. The snake brushed his thumb over the scales and a wave of bitter nostalgia washed over him. For the first time in years he felt homesick. It had been so long since he had seen any of his kind. Sure he had met two in Alvadas, but fear of what they might do to a deserter had kept him from revealing himself to them. The snake wore a forlorn expression for only a moment though.

At the touch of the woman's hand Svan's eyes went wide, and he stared down at his own arm. He opened his mouth as if to ask a question.

"Thank you."

The words had not been his own. Confused, the snake looked up towards the voice's source. As he did so his eyes met with Tinnok's, and for a brief moment the world seemed to stop. Whatever wit or guile Svan possessed had left him, and he found himself speechless as he stared into her eyes. All at once he felt weak. As if a great power within him had been extinguished, and without it he was left as nothing more than a cold and empty shell. His eyes grew heavy as weariness reclaimed him, and it seemed as if a thousand pounds of steel had been placed upon his back. He felt the heat radiating off her touch, and felt his face redden ever so slightly in response. The urge to collapse onto her and fall asleep just as he had done with Samantha a dozen times was near overwelming. However, his feelings toward the tiger were entirely platonic, but this woman was different. He could feel the warmth drifting off her body starkly contrasting the chill he now felt within himself. If he could just touch it... Unconsciously, and with movements so subtle and slight that they might be mistaken for a trick of the light, Svan leaned forward to kiss her.

But he was stopped. Not by Tinnok, but by himself. Before he had moved even an inch Svan froze, and after a short pause he closed his eyes and and whispered a simple, "You're welcome." When Svan opened his eyes again his natural spark of energy had returned, and as he let go of Tinnok so that he could rise to his feet a wry smile began to grow on his face. Once he was standing again Svan turned around and stretched his arms. "But you know..." Svan said almost in singsong, "Thanking a Dhani? Thats a slippery slope." Svan turned his face just enough so that Tinnok could see his teasing expression, "Why next thing you know you will be kissing them and letting them rub you in lewd ways." Svan let out a bark of laughter, and after stretching his arm across his torso once more he turned to face the Myrian. He folded his arms across one another, and continued on in a slightly more serious tone. "Its getting late and I think its safe to say that we have both pushed ourselves past our limits. The best way to deal with overgiving is food and rest. I can give you some jerky so you don't have to hunt with a headache, and if your tribe isn't nearby then you can sleep next to my camp. Tigers sleep light, and Samantha will know if any "intruders" come near so its safe." Svan shrugged his shoulders, "Don't worry you don't have to sleep close enough to the camp to meet them. Samantha is the only one who will notice you, and she won't even bother to ask about you. It should be perfectly fine." Svan uncrossed his arms and walked casually over to a tree that faced his small encampment. As he reached the tree he glanced back to Tinnok and shot her a devilish smile.

"Unless that is, a certain Dhani gets hungry for a midnight snack."

[Tinnok]

She could have slapped him for his insolence, but the very idea of lifting her arm, especially the one she had just...perhaps successfully morphed wasn't the phrase but at the very least transformed adequately, gave the pounding in her head a new fervor. Perhaps if there had been a kiss she could have said yes, could have laid down and let the strange Dhani feed her jerky, and rest her aching body.

But those were the ideas of a being not Myrian, the ideals of barbarian women to let a male soothe and comfort them. She deserved no comfort, nor respite until she had reached her hut, putting as much distance between her and the snake as possible. It would be better that way, for both of them.

Besides, the idea of meeting another tiger Kelvic was not on the half breed's list of thing to do today, not after...all of this.

So she shook her head, not yet trusting her voice to come out in confidence, and by sheer force of will...rose to her feet. Another long swig of water made her feel the illusion of comfort through the searing pain and weariness, and she looked at Svan.

"May the snake walk many good paths to the land he seeks. May he find Caiyha too." She placed her hand reverently on her Gnosis mark, and turned away from him. Like as not she would never see him again unless Caiyha played a cruel joke on the Dhani and Half breed. She hoped if she ever found the rattler again it would be marked by their goddess, so she would have a better reason not to put an arrow in his chest, because between that and embracing him, Tinnok honestly wasn't sure which she'd prefer.

And so she began to walk. The first steps were as shaky as a new born babe, like her limbs were made from water. She felt as if she did eat anything she would likely vomit, an idea most unpleasant, and just desperately wished she could be inside her hut, curled up on the cool dirt floor with Dog.

Her legs straightened out somewhat after the first few tries, her head sliding upward like something mechanical, and she focused upon the water burbling in her empty stomach. Only once she had reached the edge of the clearing did she glance back. She knew she shouldn't, but her weakness of body seemed to translate to a weakness of mind, and part of her wanted him to be watching her go.

[Licearsvansan]

Svan shook his head and sighed when the Myrian declined him, but continued to smile if only a little more sorrowfully than before. Part of him hated to see her go, but at the same time it wasn't his place to stop her.

"And may you continue to earn Caiyha's favor." He continued to smile as he spoke, but once the woman turned away the edges of his grin began to fall. His eye lids sagged a bit, and his head sank just a little as he tried to fall asleep where he stood. We both love our illusions don't we? he asked himself silently as he watched the woman almost limp away. They both tried so hard to be tough when all they really wanted to do was lie down. Knowing full well of the kind of pain Tinnok was suffering right now made Svan want to rush to her side and force her to rest. However, it was also this same understanding that kept him from doing anything. Perhaps they had different views on honor or what they considered strength, but at least on this one issue they agreed. This was their strength. The power to keep moving forward regardless of how much it hurt do so. As she left, the snake bowed his head, shut his eyes, and smiled. She was such an annoying woman. Stubborn, aggressive, and unafraid to speak her mind. He hated it, and yet it was also the part of her that he admired most. Maybe she might disagree with him, but regardless of what he had said earlier, he considered her to be strong.

If Myrians hate Dhani so much, it is not because they weak, but how strong.

Svan mulled over the words for a moment. Is that why I feel this way? he wondered, Because I'm jealous? Perhaps it was true. She had humbled him to some degree. It was a feat that few others could do, and she had done it in a matter of bells, but of course he would never let her know what sort of effect she had on him.

Still, if he felt this way, then was it the same for Tinnok? He wanted to believe it. He wanted to believe that someone else considered him strong, but in the end he wasn't sure. Without an answer Svan looked back towards the Myrian as she reached the jungle's clearing. His eyes caught hers as she turned to face him. Though they were only on opposite sides of the clearing it felt as if there was an ocean between them. Try as he might to hide it the traces of melancholy lined his weary smile. However as a certain realization struck, Svan's expression changed once again. This time though it was not smug, sad, forced, cruel, serious, or even playful. It was simply pure. "And by the way Tinnok..." The snake grinned a smile that was as youthful and kind as a child's. "I think you're cute." His eyes appraised her with warmth for a single moment more, and then with no further dramatics he left.

...

By the time Svan returned to the campsite he felt as if his muscles were on fire. Every inch of him ached and each movement brought with it a new wave of pain. Still, regardless of how horribly he ached, or how exhausted he felt Svan was in a fairly good mood. As he made his way to the center of the site he noticed that someone had lit a campfire....and that it was burning way too big. Svan groaned and looked over to Samantha. He knew that she hated fire, and a flame this large was certainly doing no favors for her. Silently, the snake hobbled over to the Kelvic and picked up the woman's water flask. He then moved back over to the raging fire and poured a ring of water around its edges. The flames hissed and a blast of stream was thrown into the air, but the flames retreated. The snake grinned happily. A flame that was allowed to grow to large not only ran the risk of endangering them, but it also risked itself out too quickly. Perhaps the fire wouldn't burn quite as strongly as Svan would have wanted, but at least now it might last throughout the night as it slowly recovered from the water's kiss. With the fire controlled, Svan moved over to a large root and plopped himself down upon it. Feeling that he deserved a little reward for keeping the fire from going wild, he decided to take a drink of Samantha's flask. Cool water ran down his throat and he smiled, but as he drew the flask away from his face the thought of Tinnok hopped back into his head. Svan scoffed harshly and glared at the flask, If I start seeing that cur every time I take a drink then I'm gonna have to kill myself...or her. Whatever is easiest. Svan swirled the flask so that its contents sloshed around within it for a moment, and then without warning he jerked the container forward. Water flew out from its mouth and splashed the fire. The flames let out another hiss, and then, steam. The snake closed his eyes as if he had been told some unhappy truth, but was quickly awoken by the hallow sound of a phirebird pecking at a tree. The Dhani glared at it and made a harsh "shh!" at it. The bird stopped its pecking, and returned the snake's stare. "The petch are you still doing here? Should you be headed back to Tinnok? She is the Phylonurist here, not me. And don't act like you can't find her if you wanted to. You managed to find the only half Dhani witch I the entire jungle, lets not pretend as if that was a fluke." The bird fluttered over closer to Svan and continued watching him without comment. Svan sighed for a moment, and rapped his hands on the stump as he tried to figure something out. "So I guess I'm stuck with you then..." Svan sighed again for the umpteenth time "Goddess knows why..." After a chime of silently exchanging death threats with the bird through mean looks, Svan went over to his backpack and pulled out a leather book, pen, and ink. If there was ever a time to write a new addition to his journal this day had been it. Soon the camp was filled with nothing more than the sounds of the jungle, a dimmed flame, and a pen scribbling its way across paper.

After a good deal of time had passed Svan stared own at what he had wrote and made a weak smile. As he closed the book his eye lids followed. There were a few brief thoughts that passed through his head before he dozed off, but none of them were important enough to give any thought.

All that mattered was that as sleep over took him, a smiled was illuminated on his face by a low burning flame.

[Praetorian]

Thank you, Gossamer!

Tinnok

Observation	+5 XP
Tracking	+1 XP
Weapon: Bow	+1 XP
Weapon: Scimitar	+2 XP
Weapon: Dagger	+2 XP
Acrobatics	+1 XP
Interrogation	+2 XP
Body Building	+1 XP
Brawling	+1 XP
Reimancy: Water	+5 XP
Healing	+2 XP
Meditation	+2 XP
Morphing	+2 XP

• Tricking the Snake
• Dishonor! Why he not fight me?
• Svan: Twice the Dishonor, Infinitiely More Confusing
• Criticized by a Creature
• Svan: Always A Liar
• Morphing: The Shifting Magic
• Morphing: Abandon Ties to Your Body
• That Wet Dhani Shake
• A Watery Waking
• Myrians: I Owe Them Nothing
• Strength of Snake and Savage
• Svan's Touch: Not Entirely Unwelcome

Overgiving Effects :

When Tinnok overgave, the lining of the small capillaries in her nose turned to water for an instant, releasing a mixture of water and blood. Tinnok will suffer from a mild headache for the next 12 hours; her nose will hurt for the next two days and appear slightly bruised if someone has the gall to look up her nose.

Svan

Weapon: Swordbreaker	+1 XP
Observation	+4 XP
Body Building	+1 XP
Brawling	+2 XP
Tactics	+1 XP
Interrogation	+2 XP
Morphing	+4 XP
Teaching	+4 XP

• Not Hate: Akin to Friendship
• Mounted by a Half-Myrian, The Price of Hesitation
• Lost in a Trance
• Excuses, Excuses
• We didn't petch, but there was penetration.
• That Wet Dhani Shake
• Tinnok: The Hypocrite
• Tinnok: Overgiving Idiot Shyke-Head
• Maybe it would be best if she never woke... Ok, I didn't mean it quite like that.

Notes :

*applauds* I love y'alls chemistry! Sure, it's an explosive reaction, but its still cute and makes me laugh and- Well, anywhoozles, this thread was a doozie! XD Very good though! A bit of everything in it... A lot of single points, but many skills were built up just a touch... So, sort of made you a jack of all trades in this one xD Anyway, if I missed anything, please let me know!

Can't wait to see what is to come!