Post by Naiyu Persici Lu on Dec 28, 2013 3:11:59 GMT -5
Her chest heaved violently as another bloody hack ripped from her throat.
Lazily and without any real care, Naiyu wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. This was the fourth time already this week. How many times did she have to remind herself that she was to be out of the house by dawn? She had been sloppy. The small extra hours she'd spent the night before picking at the special flowers she'd only seen but few times had cost her an early rise from bed. It was just her luck the time she chose to walk through the door, it swung open with the drunken force of the angry wench she'd once held in maternal regard, fist clenched tightly, seething with blind rage, and a perfectly vulnerable 'eye sore' before her...
The taste of copper stinging her lips was becoming normal.
Another painful cough took hold of her small frame. At least this time there were no objects involved. She couldn't afford another broken rib now as winter was drawing nearer. It had taken her weeks to recover last time, thought she was somewhat thankful it allowed her to further the fresh healing skill she'd only recently learned. However it was still far from efficient. If she was going to work up the gumption to even attempt becoming a Summoner, she had to have something of worth to keep herself in stable condition. A bloody pulp would not be an acceptable student.
These abilities to protect and mend...they were born out of necessity, not preference.
Footsteps resounded shakily just outside the room Naiyu had found herself hiding in. Loud, thumping steps punctuated with random clatters and bangs from falling pots and pans. With a rueful frown the white haired girl scurried off, a small hole behind a board hidden by a spare bed serving as her escape route to her own room without alerting the ravenous woman just outside.
Quietly replacing the board, she stood up and brushed the dirt and dust off her shirt and pants, scorning only the dried blood stains she couldn't simply wipe away. She grabbed a nearby strip of cloth, turning to the small mirror on her wall to try cleaning her face, at the very least. Disheveled locks of blond tinged silver, barely touching the base of her neck and lined with specks of dirt. Bruised and bloody lips and cheeks, swollen and puffed from quick and painful connections with stronger, much more powerful fists than her own. And large, dark, empty eyes, pools of pure frustration and discontent, reflected in the mirror with a deep and maddening brown. This is what she'd become now. This vision of a truly homeless child, forced to live with this stranger that refused to acknowledge her existence with anything but violent rejection. Her mother died that day, the day they knew her father had left the realm of the living as well...
She almost died that day as well. The only reason she still drew breath was because of him. His wishes for her.
As she brushed and cleaned her battered form, a single finger moved, pulling the skin just under one eye as she tip-toed upwards to peer into it. Lately her eyes had begun to...change. With each passing day the young teen noticed a glow developing in her irises, light hints of what seemed to be a sparkling, royal gold beginning to grow. At this point just before deciding to begin her Summoner's training, it had fully covered three quarters of her eyes, giving them a sharp and overly piercing gaze. It made her nervous, to say the very least. Would it take over her eyes? Would she grow blind? Perhaps they were a result of the type of spells she'd decided to claim as her own, remembering fondly the flutter of amber butterfly wings inspiring her to apply their beauty and freedom in her small craft. If only she had wings of her own...
With her heavy hearted cleaning up done the girl discarded the cloth in a small basket. She would have to remember to take the basket out to wash its contents the next day. It would be a beautiful summer's morn in the Shadow Ilses before that woman currently screaming her lungs out in the hallway would touch her clothes to clean them for her. At least she was learning to take care of herself. It would aid her well when she was finally rid of this forsaken place.
Naiyu dragged her weary body into the small bed she used in the corner of the room, eyes looking distantly out the nearby window. There were no lights in her room save the glow of the shimmering moon beaming down on her. It suited her just fine, really. It was calming, soothing as it lulled her into the brief safety of slumber. Tonight would be difficult, the blows to her stomach and chest had been particularly bad tonight. But she would manage. She would have to. Taking this all, these painful days of living, the growing patchwork of scars enveloping her back, the bitter taste of blood and tears. She would go through them all,
And they would make or break her soul.
Lazily and without any real care, Naiyu wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. This was the fourth time already this week. How many times did she have to remind herself that she was to be out of the house by dawn? She had been sloppy. The small extra hours she'd spent the night before picking at the special flowers she'd only seen but few times had cost her an early rise from bed. It was just her luck the time she chose to walk through the door, it swung open with the drunken force of the angry wench she'd once held in maternal regard, fist clenched tightly, seething with blind rage, and a perfectly vulnerable 'eye sore' before her...
The taste of copper stinging her lips was becoming normal.
Another painful cough took hold of her small frame. At least this time there were no objects involved. She couldn't afford another broken rib now as winter was drawing nearer. It had taken her weeks to recover last time, thought she was somewhat thankful it allowed her to further the fresh healing skill she'd only recently learned. However it was still far from efficient. If she was going to work up the gumption to even attempt becoming a Summoner, she had to have something of worth to keep herself in stable condition. A bloody pulp would not be an acceptable student.
These abilities to protect and mend...they were born out of necessity, not preference.
Footsteps resounded shakily just outside the room Naiyu had found herself hiding in. Loud, thumping steps punctuated with random clatters and bangs from falling pots and pans. With a rueful frown the white haired girl scurried off, a small hole behind a board hidden by a spare bed serving as her escape route to her own room without alerting the ravenous woman just outside.
Quietly replacing the board, she stood up and brushed the dirt and dust off her shirt and pants, scorning only the dried blood stains she couldn't simply wipe away. She grabbed a nearby strip of cloth, turning to the small mirror on her wall to try cleaning her face, at the very least. Disheveled locks of blond tinged silver, barely touching the base of her neck and lined with specks of dirt. Bruised and bloody lips and cheeks, swollen and puffed from quick and painful connections with stronger, much more powerful fists than her own. And large, dark, empty eyes, pools of pure frustration and discontent, reflected in the mirror with a deep and maddening brown. This is what she'd become now. This vision of a truly homeless child, forced to live with this stranger that refused to acknowledge her existence with anything but violent rejection. Her mother died that day, the day they knew her father had left the realm of the living as well...
She almost died that day as well. The only reason she still drew breath was because of him. His wishes for her.
As she brushed and cleaned her battered form, a single finger moved, pulling the skin just under one eye as she tip-toed upwards to peer into it. Lately her eyes had begun to...change. With each passing day the young teen noticed a glow developing in her irises, light hints of what seemed to be a sparkling, royal gold beginning to grow. At this point just before deciding to begin her Summoner's training, it had fully covered three quarters of her eyes, giving them a sharp and overly piercing gaze. It made her nervous, to say the very least. Would it take over her eyes? Would she grow blind? Perhaps they were a result of the type of spells she'd decided to claim as her own, remembering fondly the flutter of amber butterfly wings inspiring her to apply their beauty and freedom in her small craft. If only she had wings of her own...
With her heavy hearted cleaning up done the girl discarded the cloth in a small basket. She would have to remember to take the basket out to wash its contents the next day. It would be a beautiful summer's morn in the Shadow Ilses before that woman currently screaming her lungs out in the hallway would touch her clothes to clean them for her. At least she was learning to take care of herself. It would aid her well when she was finally rid of this forsaken place.
Naiyu dragged her weary body into the small bed she used in the corner of the room, eyes looking distantly out the nearby window. There were no lights in her room save the glow of the shimmering moon beaming down on her. It suited her just fine, really. It was calming, soothing as it lulled her into the brief safety of slumber. Tonight would be difficult, the blows to her stomach and chest had been particularly bad tonight. But she would manage. She would have to. Taking this all, these painful days of living, the growing patchwork of scars enveloping her back, the bitter taste of blood and tears. She would go through them all,
And they would make or break her soul.
