Character Castle 2.0
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Heeeey everyone!!!! I’m going to have a longer post this morning cuz time is actually available to my life…
To satisfy everyone’s curiosity, I’m currently in the state of Kentucky touring these two awesome museums called the Creation Museum and the Ark Encounter. They’re like these awesome places talking about how science and stuff doesn’t have to be exclusive from the Bible and about how God created the world and stuff like that. So that’s my life right now…
that’s A-OK! I wouldn’t suggest you change it unless I actually meant for you to change it. :))) I didn’t like that part either–didn’t know how to get from here to there. BWHAHAHAHAH! QUIN IS BREAKING SOMEBODY’S HEART!
Lol I didn’t think you would but you know, thought I’d give you permission anyway! 😉 Yeah… I was reading it thinking This sounds so much like me when i can’t figure out what to writttteeee!BWHAHAHAHAH! QUIN IS BREAKING SOMEBODY’S HEART!
LOL I LAUGHED SOOOO HARD WHEN YOU SAID THIS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! OH MY GOSH THIS IS SOOOO FUNNY!!!!!!!!!!!!! It’s also me…BRING HIM IN BRING HIM IN BRING HIM IN!!!!! I’m sure Niarok wouldn’t mind having one more person with sense, and Yila won’t care since she’s too busy chatting with a rather cute guy named Lorcan….
And I actually love that idea! Although I would kindly suggest we wait until Yila can stand up… 😀
@everyone
I’m actually considering bringing a character in as well. I haven’t counted how many people we have, so if that would put us over the limit, I will respect Rose’s call to bring in her character since I didn’t even start considering it until this morning lol.
Her name is Leytera, and she’s a character from the book I’m currently writing. (Niarok and Yila are concept characters for my next story idea.) Leytera needs some serious development, but if we need to lose a character before she comes in, I’ll wait until one of my other characters can make an exit to bring her in.
Yila
Yila’s head pounded and her eyes felt gritty.
The fever was running its course, and it it wasn’t going to stop in the middle. She had been vaguely aware of Niarok giving her some feverfew, and then she’d melted into a hot abyss of death.
She pushed herself to a sitting position and scanned the cave through heavy eyes.
There was Niarok. He was crouching in front of a girl with wild, curly black (is it black, Rose? aaahhh I hate not knowing what hair coloorrsss!!! 🙂 ). He gave her something and then turned to start walking back to Yila.
Nearby was the boy who had tried to help Niarok earlier. He was examining a rock with a disproportionate amount of interest.
Weird.
Almost like Niarok at eight years old when their father had taken him on a practice mission.
Yila winced away from the memory.
Too much pain.
She gripped her one remaining throwing knife.
Where are the other five?
Fear and anger briefly froze her heart and trickled down her spine, but then she noticed an extra bulge in Niarok’s bag and the fear vanished.
Meh. She’d attack him later.
There at the opposite wall was the man missing a leg. She gasped when she caught sight of the tall guy sitting next to her. His face was cold and hard, and his black hair sharpened his features further.
Like a statue of some feral creature.
Oh, what she wouldn’t do for her bow. But of course, Niarok had it. Besides, if her brother had let the man sit near her, he couldn’t be that bad.
Niarok arrived at her side and examined her face, then touched her forehead, looking for fever.
She would have taken that as the cue to give him the close contact warning glare had she not felt so bad herself.
Instead, she jus sat there, wishing she could melt through the floor and get away from Niarok’s weird medical side.
Ew.
Over Niarok’s shoulder she glimpsed the assassin with the cute face approaching.
Niarok turned.
Yila blushed.
Then kicked herself.
Now is not the time!!!!
“This will help,“ the assassin said. His eyes touched on Yila and quickly averted. She could have sworn she saw the slightest amount of color approach his cheeks.
Oh goody! We’re all stuck in some kind of weird structure that wants to kill us and I’m dying and now let’s have some romance!
She had to resist the urge to roll her eyes.
She didn’t want the assassin to assume she didn’t like him. The possibilities should stay open.
The assassin produced a package from his coat and unwrapped it. There was something yeasty inside. It smelled of salt and berries, and her heart pounded. She gripped the hilt of her knife.
It can’t be.
Father.
She didn’t hear the assassin and her brother talking. Behind her curious smile she fell into a flood of memories.
Her father lay dying in a pool of blood.
“Take this bread. It will give him strength. It may even save him.”
So they had. Together, Niarok and Yila had tried to save their father.
It had worked. It worked once.
But it wouldn’t work when his enemies came for him.Criminal.
Traitor.
Yila’s blood was stained.
Why?
Then she let Niarok feed her the bread piece by piece.
It tasted like sun and sky and wind in the trees. Everything she wanted back. It tasted of the trees she shot arrows from and of the leaves she fashioned into hairpieces that would last a fleeting day.
It tasted of home.
A home she wanted to return to, but with certain differences.
Like honor, not blood.
But she put on a curious smile and looked at the assassin.
His eyes caught hers in a liquid gaze and suddenly her wonderings and her longings disappeared. The smile widened and became real.
Yila frowned slightly as the taste washed through her mouth once more. “It tastes really good. All fluffy like cake.”
Niarok barely hid a snort from beside her.
So it would work. Niarok hadn’t laughed in days, at least from the hard lines in his face.
Yila felt better already, and she smiled at the assassin.
The assassin grinned back. “It does, doesn’t it?”
Yila saw his eyes glaze for the briefest second.
Energy suddenly shot through every vein in Yila’s body with an almost painful force. Lightness filled her heart and the fever all but disappeared. Her eyes widened. Significantly. “Can I have some more?”
The assassin chuckled, and Yila thought it the most beautiful sound. “Not so fast a stór. I only have a few more, and they’re only to be used in emergencies. This constituted as one.”
Niarok snorted from Yila’s side, and she grinned wider.
The assassin tilted his head at her, and she let her eyes drink in his features. The scars were so noble. Though something haunted lurked beneath his gaze, his eyes were sharp. So alert.
He’s so handsome!
Yila didn’t even try to resist. She was irreversibly taken.
The assassin looked at her too.
Then he gave her his hand. “Name’s Lorcan. What’s yours?”
Yila’s fingers twitched involuntarily.
Knife. I need a knife.
Someone slipped a knife into its sheath behind her.
“In your belt,” Niarok whispered beside her before slipping away to talk with someone else somewhere in the cave.
Yila smiled and drew the knife, clutching it in her hand.
“I’m Yila. That’s my brother Niarok.”
She leaned in, more for the sake of getting a closer look at his face rather than to be secretive.
“Where’d you get the Aranka?”
She smiled and put the knife away. This was going to be fun.
Sorry guys I gotta go byeeeee
"The darkness is seldom complete, and even when it is, the pinprick of light is not long in coming."
BRING HIM IN BRING HIM IN BRING HIM IN!!!!! I’m sure Niarok wouldn’t mind having one more person with sense, and Yila won’t care since she’s too busy chatting with a rather cute guy named Lorcan….
Awesome! Glad y’all are happy with the idea!
And I actually love that idea! Although I would kindly suggest we wait until Yila can stand up…
LOL, good plan XD
I’m actually considering bringing a character in as well. I haven’t counted how many people we have, so if that would put us over the limit, I will respect Rose’s call to bring in her character since I didn’t even start considering it until this morning lol.
Okay, I think we’re actually near the limit, and I really appreciate your offer to wait, but I’m not planning to bring him in until in a few weeks, definitely not before NaNo is over!
I want to develop Acyn and Sahar some more, and I cannot have the three of them in at the same time.
a. Because I’m busy and can’t actually keep up with that many,
b. because said character doesn’t appear until later in the books, while Sahar and Acyn are in their “beginning of book 1” states, so I would throw the timeline into chaos.
c. If I somehow ‘aged up’ Acyn and Sahar to the time when this character gets dropped in the castle and they actually know each other, Sahar would instantly murder him. Without hesitation. (No, I will not elaborate, but trust me, she would.)
In short, Angsty McEdgy is going to have to wait a while, so feel free to drop in Leytera! She sounds awesome and I can’t wait to meet her!
(is it black, Rose? aaahhh I hate not knowing what hair coloorrsss!!! )
Yep! Black! And Acyn’s is medium brown. I’d been considering changing it to black, (my mental image of him was kinda vague) but then I met a guy at my sword-fighting club who looks exactly like Acyn to the point that I’ve almost called him Acyn several times, so now I’m definitely sure what he looks like and Acyn’s hair is brown XD
(And it’s extremely weird when you meet someone ‘in the wild’ who looks like your characters. It’s happened to me twice and it’s always hysterical because I’m trying so hard not to stare XD)
Sure, bring him on in! I’m sure we’d all love to interact with him! (The very worst thing that could happen is we all give up and go away because he’s too secretive, and you (or he) end up bored, lol.) It’d be interesting to see how Quin would react. He’s never met anyone else with a disability.
Awesome! I really want to see how he interacts with Quin, Lorcan, and Niarok, since he’s a pretty even blend of the three. He has similar trauma as Lorcan, but his reaction was slightly more like Quin’s, and I don’t know why he reminds me of Niarok but he really does. XD
Actually, this character was only recently disabled by this point. Only… a few months, at most. So, he’s still trying to come to terms with it and it isn’t going great XD
if you or Sahar are too tired to talk to Qatar just forget I said anything. :)))) I was bored so I’m writing Qatar, but I don’t know what to say about him, lol.
No, that’s awesome! I’ll reply as soon as possible!
*Barges into conversation*
First of all, this entire exchange was HILARIOUS!! XD Y’all have the best senses of humor XD
That explanation had crossed my mind, but apparently I’m not American enough, because I’ve never heard that phrase used.
Oooh, that’s odd! In fact, it isn’t particularly American. (Not arguing! Just adding my weird bits of knowledge 🙂 )
I’ve heard it often and I’m definitely not American, and it’s actually an expression in Dutch and Afrikaans too!
Get ready to hear loads of Irish terms of endearment. They’re gonna be his signature sayings
turns scarlet grinning from ear to ear* YES!! I’m so happy I made a guess on a bilingual thing and it actually works great!!!!
SO! I mentioned earlier how much I adore this trope! (It’s the literal best, I just love it so much!) I think I like it so much because it shows a certain kind of intimacy that you don’t get in your second language.
I mean… “I love you” means something completely different to me in each language I can say it in, even if I pick the translations closest to each other in meaning. (There are multiple ways to express love in Afrikaans, ranging from platonic to romantic but let’s not get into that) My mother tongue always feels more emotional than any of the others.
I wouldn’t ordinarily speak a different language to someone who doesn’t understand it because it’s awkward and they can’t understand it anyway.
I guess what I’m trying to say is that slipping into a first language is just such a trusting thing to do. It conveys a certain thing that a second or third language just doesn’t. (Weirdly enough, this might also be the reason I cannot pray in English.)
I think it’s pretty common to interpret a character using endearments/ making confessions in a first language as a kinda shy thing to do, like they don’t quite want the other person to know what they mean, and it could mean that! But to me it just hits different, practically pronouncing that this person is special to them, special enough that only that one particular language can express it.
Wow, I didn’t mean to go on a rant there but I kinda did XD If you made it all the way through that, I’m impressed! XD
Anyway, I am definitely procrastinating so I’m going to go finish my NaNo goal for the day! I’ll try to write the replies right after!
Without darkness, there is no light. If there was no nighttime, would the stars be as bright?
*Appears in a cloud of pink glitter*
I’m back!! I’ve kicked the word count’s rear and I have returned victorious!
Acyn
I turned the rock over, puzzling over it in extreme confusion.
Quin knelt some distance off. He seemed to be having trouble, but remembering his reaction earlier, I didn’t offer to help. I didn’t want to embarrass him.
I turned the rock over again, and picked up another and compared it. It didn’t make sense.
I heard the tapping of crutches and then Quin stood next to me, looking rather awkward.
“What kind of rock is that?” he asked, tentatively.
“The rocky kind,” I said, dead serious, without a moment’s hesitation.
Quin blinked at me like he didn’t know whether to laugh or not. I slowly got up, still holding the two rocks.
“I know next to nothing about rocks, these just looked interesting,” I said, entirely honestly.
I tilted my head and examined them again. The armored man passed by us, hopping over the stream without the least difficulty.
I actually didn’t know much about geology, just enough to know a few basic things. I should have remembered more.
“These have a far lower concentration of iron than where I’m from. The ground isn’t particularlly rich in anything. Look, they’re gray, not red.”
Quin nodded, and I continued.
“Besides that, these are hard, look,” I smashed one of the walls on the side of the cave and pointed out how there wasn’t a mark left, like sandstone would have made.
“That indicates we’re deeper underground than I thought. I thought I saw the sky outside, but it must be some kind of projection or simulation, since these rocks don’t form until hundreds of feet underground, and they’re all like that, it isn’t an odd one or two.”
I scowled at the creek. That thought didn’t particularly enthuse me.
“That also means that this shouldn’t technically exist.” I kicked at the gravel and loose rocks. “If it’s an underground current, it should have worn cleanly into the rock. In short, nothing makes sense and I now know less, not more.”
I abruptly shut up.
“Sorry. You didn’t ask for a speech. I got carried away. Stop me if that happens, I know it’s annoying.”
I pitched the smaller of the rocks downstream, aiming for the edge of the tunnel.
I missed spectacularly, barely missing the armored man.
“Sorry, that was an accident,” I called.
I heard Sahar’s cascading laugh behind me.
“That’s why I’m never letting you touch one of my knives.”
I grumbled something under my breath and tossed the other rock in the stream with a splash.
I glanced back at Sahar and saw she was talking to a tall, dark-haired man who resembled Quin only very faintly.
“He’s your brother, yes? Do you have any other siblings?” I asked, leaning against the wall and watching the stream cascade by.
_____
I remember you mentioning horses screaming in a previous post and I am here to confirm. The mare screech is possibly the worst sound in existence XD (Not exclusive to mares but they seem to have particular aptitude for it. Especially chestnut ones XD)
Without darkness, there is no light. If there was no nighttime, would the stars be as bright?
Sahar
Realizing that I’d already said too much, I turned away and leaned back against the wall, then fished in my sash until I found the small tube of kohl I usually carried with me. I hesitated, realizing I didn’t have a mirror.
I grinned, realizing I had something just as shiny. I lifted the edge of my skirt and pulled out the knife I wore strapped to the outside of my knee. It was one of my widest ones, and polished to a fine sheen.
I held it up in front of my face and smiled, satisfied that I could see my face quite clearly in the flat. I sat down and lined my eyes, silently regretting the poor light, careful not to stab myself in the eye. It wasn’t as even as I would have liked, but it still looked pretty fantastic, if I did say so myself.
I stored the improvised mirror and noticed the other newcomer standing by himself, looking grim and intimidating.
I wasn’t intimidated. Alright, a little bit.
I slowly got up and started toward him, my anklets, bracelets and earrings tinkling an accompaniment.
“Hello, I don’t believe we’ve met. I’m Sahar.” I smiled.
“Thanks for helping me with Yila, I certainly would have fallen on my face if it wasn’t for your help,” I said.
I heard the thud of a rock falling.
“Sorry, that was an accident!”
I couldn’t help laughing as I heard Acyn’s hurried apology. If he’d thrown a rock in someone’s face, we would have some trouble.
“That’s why I’m never letting you touch one of my knives,” I called, merrily.
He didn’t reply. Apparently, he wasn’t amused.
Without darkness, there is no light. If there was no nighttime, would the stars be as bright?
Heeeey everyoneee!!!!!!!!
I’m baaaaacckkkk!!!!
Also I convinced my friend to join SE. She will appear shortly. Her name is Bella King. 🙂
Okayyyy now that I’m done embarrassing me friends, I will get down to business.
Okay, I think we’re actually near the limit, and I really appreciate your offer to wait, but I’m not planning to bring him in until in a few weeks, definitely not before NaNo is over!
Cool! I counted, and there’s room for two more, so it should be fine. I will bring her in right now because she needs some serious character development help…
(And it’s extremely weird when you meet someone ‘in the wild’ who looks like your characters. It’s happened to me twice and it’s always hysterical because I’m trying so hard not to stare XD)
DON’T YOU LOVE AND HATE IT WHEN THAT HAPPPEEEENNNSSS?????????? I literally saw an older version of Niarok at the museum today and it was so weird and I had to physically stop myself from calling him Niarok. It was a problem. 😀
I don’t know why he reminds me of Niarok but he really does. XD
LOL!!!! I’m soooo excited to meet him now!
Niarok
A skittering sound followed by a yell jerked Niarok awake and he drew his dagger. Then relaxed when he noticed Acyn holding a rock and Sahar laughing at him.
Nothing new here.
He noticed a guy with weird armor crouching in the corner.
“I found something,” he said a second later.
Something new here!
Niarok jumped up, energized. How he had gained energy from sleeping for only ten minutes, he didn’t know, but he strongly suspected it had to do with the aranka he had eaten.
He tied some of the shoulder-length black hair out of his eyes and wiped his face as best he could, trying to at least make himself presentable to the general world.
Yila was still flirting with Lorcan. Acyn was throwing rocks. Quin was talking with Acyn, although he looked a bit… confused? Awkward?
Niarok was done trying to read the man.
Feral mountain lion man was standing in the shadows getting attacked by Sahar.
And there was, of course, the armored man.
Who was being ignored.
And looked rather affronted for it.
Niarok threw back his bedroll, strapped on his various weapons, and walked up to the man.
Aside from the man’s strange appearance, Niarok had a feeling he had met a man of equal strength to himself. Finally.
“I’m Niarok,” he said. “What did you find?”
The man gave him a blank military expression and gestured to some stuff hidden by shadows in front of him.
Niarok grabbed a torch from his belt and lit it as fast as he could. With the help of the extra light, he could just make out the remnants of an old camp.
There was a blackened log, some scuffles around it, and a piece of old, yellowed paper.
But Niarok wasn’t concerned about that. He was more worried about the scent in the air.
And the displaced waves coming from somewhere near him.
Someone was watching him from the shadows.
He drew his sword and glared into the dark off-shoot of the cave.
“If you’re back there, you need to reveal yourself. My sense of hearing and space is very good, and if you aren’t willing to show yourself, I will be forced to locate you and disable you. Trust me, I’m very good at making it very difficult to move.”
By now everyone was staring at him like he had grown five extra heads. As well they would. Whoever this was was somehow entirely invisible.
Niarok glared into the shadows, his sword bared.
Tension crackled through the air.
Yila appeared beside him. She was pale, a little strained, but she seemed strong. She held a knife in each hand, and her bow and quiver were strung across her back. She had even pulled her hair back.
And we hope there aren’t any werewolves back there.
“Good to see you, Roky,” she said, her eyes fierce.
“You too,” Niarok whispered. Then he glared into the shadows. “My sister will throw her knives into those shadows in ten seconds if you do not show yourself.”
“Five… four… three-”
A girl stepped out of the shadows. A relatively small girl. She was far shorter than Niarok, shorter than Yila. Just… short. Tiny, actually.
And really, really pretty.
Her black hair was thick and curly, falling down to her waist. Her brown eyes stared at Niarok with a mixture of extreme fear and curiosity.
“Who are you?” Niarok snapped.
“Um… my name is Leytera?” she murmured, twirling a lock of hair. She put something in her belt, and Niarok felt the waves in the air disappear.
One of those people.
“Do you know this man?” he asked, gesturing to the armored guy.
“Um… no?”
Niarok huffed. “Where did you come from?”
“Er… Calanor.”
Niarok raised an eyebrow.
“Never heard of it.”
Leytera stared at him, clearly terrified but not sure what to do.
Niarok scanned her one more time.
“Never underestimate the enemy. Never.”
His father handed him a dagger.
“Now go. No matter what he does, says, don’t listen. Don’t let him make you think it’s safe.”Niarok tightened his grip on his sword and lowered it, waiting to see how the girl would react. She stayed put, watching the tip of the sword with a great amount of terror.
Niarok sheathed it, nodding to Yila to lower her guard.
Leytera stared, biting her lip hard.
“Are… are you going to hurt me?” she asked. Her voice quavered.
Niarok shook his head. “No. Not unless you give me reason to.”
Then he walked away, though he could hear Yila say a few cool words to Leytera before wandering away.
“Where do you suppose she came from?” Yila asked.
“Couldn’t tell ya,” Niarok said. He fingered the hilt of his sword.
He may not know where Leytera had come from, but he did know he wouldn’t let her hurt his new comrades.
That was rather unexpected…
"The darkness is seldom complete, and even when it is, the pinprick of light is not long in coming."
Lorcan
The girl smiled and drew the knife, clutching it in her hand. He admired it silently, the sleek curve if it, the sharpened edges. He knew a good quality weapon when he saw one. “I’m Yila. That’s my brother Niarok.”
Yila. It sounded soft and poetic to his ears.
She leaned towards him, scrutinising his face carefully. He raised an eyebrow.
“Where’d you get the Arankā?”, she inquired.
“I always have it with me,” Lorcan said smoothly. “My people make it – they’re the only ones with the gifts to create it. So I make sure to have a ready supply. Although these days…”
He sighed, bunching up his fist. “The world isn’t what it used to be. Nature is changing. Its getting considerably more difficult for my people to harvest and make the yeast.”
Lorcan glanced down at the knife in her hand. “That’s a beautiful weapon you have there. Knives come in handy. And judging by the way you hold it, you’re well trained.”
He flashed her a half smile, strands of his black hair flopping into his eyes. “Its lovely to meet a young lady who’s fairly resourceful.”
Yila blushed slightly and looked away for a moment. “So – uh who are your people?”
Lorcan pressed his lips into a fine line. Talking to her – he just wanted to reveal everything about him to her. His life, his mission, his flaws, his desires, his past.
But – he couldn’t.
Instead, he turned around, sensing something amiss.
“There is someone else here,” he said softly.
Yila was fixing her hair, tying it back. He couldn’t help but watch her curiously, seeing how she tucked her locks of black hair in.
As she made to get up, he held out his hand. Yila stared at it for a moment before taking it. He helped her up. She was blushing slightly.
He smirked at her. “Try not to get in any more trouble <i>a stór</i>.”
With that he moved away towards Niarok. He felt Yila hesitate before following him. A girl had appeared out of the shadows. She was quite petite with long black curly hair and brown eyes. She was staring up at Niarok, frightened.
This day was just getting more and more interesting.
Qatar
The short dark girl came walking up behind him. Briskly, even though she must be exhausted. her jewelry tinkled softly.
“Hello, I don’t believe we’ve met. I’m Sahar.” she grinned, a little nervously.
“Thanks for helping me with Yila, I certainly would have fallen on my face if it wasn’t for your help.”
I noticed.
“I’m Qatar.” he seemed inclined to stop the conversation there.
The thud of a rock and Acyn’s quick apology interrupted, anyway.
Sahar turned to call out to him, and then turned back to Qatar.
“Friends or siblings?”
Sahar raised her eyebrows at the brusqueness in his tone.
“We’re friends–” she started, but Qatar cut her off with a “shhh!”
Niarok was talking loudly to the darkness on the other side of the cave. In another instant a woman stepped out of the shadows. Short. Slight.
About as small as Quin.
Quin hadn’t always been so slight… his thoughts ran away from him again, wandering in the sunshine by the stream at home, in the days before It happened. He could almost hear Quin’s laugh, ringing and echoing against the cave walls. Quin never laughed now.
Sahar was looking at him intently, but he didn’t notice.
But he heard something else, too. That soft plash and scraping of stones, far away in the recesses of the cave.
What could that…
Sahar was talking to him. He drug his mind back and stared down at her, a little impatiently. “I beg your pardon?”
Rose, change whatever doesn’t fit. 🙂
Quoth the raven, "Nevermore!"
https://silverpenstrokes.wordpress.comQuin
“What kind of rock is that?” he asked, tentatively.
“The rocky kind,” answered Acyn promptly.
Quin blinked. Right…
“I know next to nothing about rocks, these just looked interesting,” Acyn went on.
“These have a far lower concentration of iron than where I’m from. The ground isn’t particularly rich in anything. Look, they’re gray, not red.”
Quin nodded. makes sense.
“Besides that, these are hard–look.” Acyn smashed one of the walls of the cave.
“That indicates we’re deeper underground than I thought. I thought I saw the sky outside, but it must be some kind of projection or simulation, since these rocks don’t form until hundreds of feet underground, and they’re all like that, it isn’t an odd one or two.” He stopped abruptly and almost interrupted himself with, “Sorry. You didn’t ask for a speech. I got carried away. Stop me if that happens, I know it’s annoying.”
He hurled the rock away, as if he were annoyed with it and trying to cover it up in a lighthearted toss. The miss fell short, and he apologized again.
Sahar laughed, and Acyn muttered something, in a language Quin didn’t understand. It sounded more like grumbling than joking, from the tone he used.
Acyn turned and looked at Qatar.
“He’s your brother, yes? Do you have any other siblings?” He asked, leaning idly against the wall and staring at the stream.
Quin looked down the stream, too, seeing another stream in another place, where the sun shone on the waving grasses outside his house.
“Yeah.” he seemed like he wanted to stop, but said after a moment, “Two: little sister Grace–she’s twelve, almost thirteen. She has Pa’s blonde hair, and Mama’s dark eyes–as green as a fir tree. Then there’s Garrick. He’s twenty-two.”
For a minute he was quiet, then asked quickly. “And you–you’re an only child?”
He wished it back a moment later as he remembered Sahar’s over-sharing of Acyn’s background. “Er, I mean to say, where did you grow up? What’s it like?”
Just then Niarok started talking into the darkness. Quin and Acyn both turned toward them, and for an instant Quin wondered if he was feverish like his sister–first the wall, then the shadows. But a moment later a girl stepped out, pale and trembling. Niarok’s sword was pointed at her, as if he expected her to engulf him in flaming arrows.
Yila tottered up to Niarok’s elbow, knives drawn.
It’s just a girl, thought Quin with something like disgust. And a pretty one at that. Quin couldn’t help but notice how small she was, and how scared; he could see that in her face. That look she was wearing was one that felt all too familiar to him. He took a step closer.
She looks like Mama… Only she had had green eyes, instead of brown. But the black hair and smooth white skin looked so much like his mother…
Acyn was saying something, and Quin turned back to look at him, a little reluctantly.
Quoth the raven, "Nevermore!"
https://silverpenstrokes.wordpress.comEeeelloo peeps! How do you be?
BELLA JUST JOINED!!! 🙂
I am going to have some fun now…
Leytera
Leytera shoved herself further into the corner as the tall, muscular man approached. He held his sword as though it were a kitchen knife, and she was certain he could kill her with it he felt like it. And he clearly felt like it.
She gripped the concealer in her hand. It was buzzing. It was about to break, and it would reveal her when it did. Although, consider the man already knew she was there, that didn’t matter.
The bow and arrow strung across his back just added to Leytera’s paralyzing fear. She bit her lip.
A girl appeared next to the man, clutching two throwing knives. She clearly knew how to use them.
Leytera cringed further into the wall, but the rock wouldn’t give.
How did I get into this.
Stupid portal. Why had she decided to play with the Fringe? Bad plan.
The concealer buzzed and vibrated, and it got so hot it almost burned her hand.
Leytera winced.
“My sister will throw her knives into those shadows in ten seconds if you do not show yourself,” the man growled.
Leytera squeezed her eyes shut.
She couldn’t decide whether she would rather be skewered by some knives smartly aimed at nothingness or smartly skewered by a sword pointed at her heart when she came into view.
“Five… four… three-”
Leytera gave up and turned the concealer off. She took a step into the light and hid the technology in her belt.
Might as well die now.
“Who are you?” the tall man snapped.
“Um… my name is Leytera?” she said, and her voice quaked. She twirled a lock of her curly hair around a finger, wishing with everything she had she could just disappear.
“Do you know this man?” the man asked, gesturing to a different man who wore armor. He looked like he knew something about tech.
But Leytera had never seen him before.
Why is he asking?
“Um… no?”
The man huffed and glared at her. “Where did you come from?”
“Er… Calanor.”
Of course the man wouldn’t know where that was. But frankly, neither did Leytera.
She figured he also wouldn’t know where the Second Dimension was.
This didn’t seem like an Arctashian kind of place.
Which raised the question: Where am I?
The man raised an eyebrow.
“Never heard of it.”
Leytera stared at him, shivering.
Well of course he didn’t.
That was helpful…
The man scanned her one more time, then slowly started to lower his sword. Leytera watched the sharp tip slowly become less and less dangerous.
What does he think I’m going to do?
Right. Stranger danger.
The man finally sheathed it, nodding to the other girl to lower her guard.
Leytera stared, biting her lip hard.
“Are… are you going to hurt me?” she asked. Her voice quavered more.
Why can’t I be more like Arwick? Or Keylan! I want to be-
The man shook his head. “No. Not unless you give me reason to.”
Then he walked away.
The girl approached her, her blue eyes icy and threatening.
“If you hurt my brother, or any of these people, I will personally see to your death. Have a nice life.”
Then she flicked her ponytail in Leytera’s face and walked away.
Leytera wrinkled her brow.
What did I do to her?
Where was she?
"The darkness is seldom complete, and even when it is, the pinprick of light is not long in coming."
Eeeelloo peeps! How do you be? BELLA JUST JOINED!!! 🙂
Excellent! How was the Ark and Creation Museum?! They’re so cool!
Also, as in…the Bella I know? Did you know her on Nano YWP at all, or is this another Bella?
Quoth the raven, "Nevermore!"
https://silverpenstrokes.wordpress.comDON’T YOU LOVE AND HATE IT WHEN THAT HAPPPEEEENNNSSS?????????? I literally saw an older version of Niarok at the museum today and it was so weird and I had to physically stop myself from calling him Niarok. It was a problem.
LOL!! That’s hilarious!! It’s awesome when that happens!!
LOL!!!! I’m soooo excited to meet him now!
I can’t wait either, I already have some lines planned out for him! (He’s almost as sarcastic as Liorah, everyone has been warned XD)
That was good! I’m just going to change it a little bit so I have a jumping-off point!
Sahar
“I’m Qatar,” he said, rather brusquely.
“Friends or siblings?” he asked.
I frowned in confusion, then realized he was talking about Acyn and I. I barely bit back laughter. Either he wasn’t observant or he was terrible at making conversation. Acyn and I didn’t resemble each other in even the slightest way.
“We’re friends–” I started, barely able to keep the amusement out of my voice.
He hushed me and stared off toward Niarok and now Yila. I was glad she was alright.
“Who are you?” Niarok snapped, at someone in the tunnel behind them.
“Um… my name is Leytera?” A soft, small voice said. A girl’s voice. She sounded scared.
I pushed past Qatar and kicked off my slippers before wading through the stream, skirts held high. The water was ice cold, flowing fast. The pebbles were smooth underfoot.
Niarok, the armored man, and Yila were blocking my path, but I could see between them.
It was a slight young girl, even shorter than I was and as delicate as a bird.
She looked terrified as she twirled a black curl between her fingers.
I shook out my ample yellow skirt, my bracelets jingling.
“Are… are you going to hurt me?” she asked, voice quivering.
I smiled, in sympathy. It was the only logical reaction. I frowned at Niarok and Yila, who were facing her with weapons out. What was wrong with them? She was no threat!
Niarok shook his head, still glaring at her.
“No. Not unless you give me reason to.”
Then he turned and walked away, sword still held loosely in one hand. It was a straight sword, I noticed, not like the curved shamshirs Liorah and Acyn used.
“If you hurt my brother, or any of these people, I will personally see to your death. Have a nice life,” Yila snapped at her, before whirling around and following her brother.
At least she was feeling better.
I pushed past the armored man and stopped some distance before the girl, not close enough to startle her.
“Hello honey, don’t mind them, we just had a bit of a fright,” I laughed quietly and straightened my skirt again. The stone was cold beneath my bare feet but my slippers were still on the far side of the stream. I preferred being barefoot anyway.
“So your name is Leytara? That’s such a pretty name! I’m Sahar.”
She was slowly starting to relax, just a little. I worriedly looked her up and down.
“You aren’t hurt, are you? The castle hasn’t exactly been friendly so far,” I asked, concerned.
_____
Mom-friend mode: Activated XD
Without darkness, there is no light. If there was no nighttime, would the stars be as bright?
Klein heard Niarok cross the stream. The torch soon lit up the abandoned camp. The sudden change in light hurt his eyes. A fault discovered after the augmentation. Sometimes being able to see like a cat in the night could cause a sudden change in light to momentary blind the person.
“I’m Niarok, what did you find?”
Klein nodded at the notepad. If one of the group could read it, they could learn what a previous wander knew. Suddenly Niarok drew his sword. Klein froze. Had he found something he shouldn’t have?
“If you’re back there, you need to reveal yourself. My sense of hearing and space is very good, and if you aren’t willing to show yourself, I will be forced to locate you and disable you. Trust me, I’m very good at making it very difficult to move.”
Klein quickly scanned the area. Hiding in a corner was a little girl. Strangely his sensors had not picked her up until now. Niarok began to count down and she walked out into the open. She was young and clearly afraid.
“Who are you?” Niarok snapped.
“Um… my name is Leytera?”
“Do you know this man?”
Niarok pointed at Klein. Klein shrugged. She was so young. Too young to be here by herself unless something had happened or there was a house nearby. Klein tensed up. Niarok was being very aggressive. If he suddenly rushed the girl, he would take him down.
“Um… no?”
“Where did you come from?”
“Er… Calanor.”
“Never heard of it.”
Slowly, almost against his judgement it seemed, Niarok lowered his sword and sheathed it. Klein twisted his helmet and took it off. Reaching into his pack, he pulled a chocolate bar out. Sahar in the meantime pushed past him and walk up to Leytera.
“Hello honey, don’t mind them, we just had a bit of a fright,” She laughed gently. “So your name is Leytara? That’s such a pretty name! I’m Sahar. You aren’t hurt, are you? The castle hasn’t exactly been friendly so far.”
Klein presented the candy to Leytera.
“I’m Klein.”
The Devil saw me with my head down and got excited. Then I said Amen
@everyone
Hey just wanted to let you know that Leytera’s 17…
Sorry I forgot to make that clear… She’s just small-boned, that’s all. 🙂
Leytera
Leytera stared at the man as he walked away with the other girl.
A different girl appeared, smiling brightly with a hint of roughness on the side.
“Hello honey, don’t mind them, we just had a bit of a fright,” she laughed softly. “So your name is Leytara? That’s such a pretty name! I’m Sahar. You aren’t hurt, are you? The castle hasn’t exactly been friendly so far.”
The armored man stood up and pulled a candy bar out of his pack. He stepped forward and presented it to her. “I’m Klein,” he said.
Leytera took the candy, nearly laughing.
“Thank you, Klein. I really don’t need candy, but if you’re not going to eat it…”
Sahar laughed.
“So, what was that about a castle? Isn’t this a cave? And where exactly is it? Are we in Arctashia still, or did the Fringe throw me into a different world?”
She opened the package and took a bite of the candy bar.
“Etallokoch!” she cried, then raised an eyebrow when they gave her blank looks. “Is that not what it’s called around here?”
“Hey, sorry about earlier,” a voice said behind her. She looked past her two companions to see the man who had threatened her. “I was afraid you were an enemy, and so I didn’t really see past that when a teenage girl appeared. Sorry.”
“That’s okay,” Leytera said. When the man wasn’t trying to kill her, he was actually quite handsome. And the etallokoch bar was really helping her frayed nerves.
“I’m Niarok,” the man said.
“Leytera.”
“And that’s Yila,” the man said, gesturing behind him to where the girl with the knives was rolling up a bedroll.
“Hmm,” Leytera said. “She seems like she wants to kill me.”
“She’s like that with any new person she meets.”
Leytera nodded.
“So what’s going on?” she asked.
Sorry had to shorten this one as I need to do other things at the moment…
"The darkness is seldom complete, and even when it is, the pinprick of light is not long in coming."
Hey just wanted to let you know that Leytera’s 17…
Sorry I forgot to make that clear… She’s just small-boned, that’s all.
SO, funny story, that’s actually the age I pictured her XD Sahar just talks that way to everyone she’s comfortable with XD (Niarok, Qatar, and Yila kinda scare her, though she isn’t letting on XD) Even Liorah, who is a head taller than her and one minor inconvinience removed from arson at any given time XD (Even funnier, Liorah likes it when Sahar calls her sappy endearments XD)
I like Leytara already! I can’t wait to see where this goes!
Acyn
“Yeah.” Quin paused, “Two: little sister Grace–she’s twelve, almost thirteen. She has Pa’s blonde hair, and Mama’s dark eyes–as green as a fir tree. Then there’s Garrick. He’s twenty-two.”
Blonde hair. That confirmed my idea that they were from farther north than Sahar or I.
“Like it? I heard siblings can be a pest sometimes,” I smiled, rather wryly.
I had no experience with it, but I’d seen Sahar with her two older sisters, Ferran with his little sister, and of course, Gavril and Liorah.
All of them, but especially Liorah and Gavril, seemed to exist to annoy the other as much as humanly possible but they also somehow had a special bond that I couldn’t quite understand. I knew either of them would die for the other, no questions asked, but if either touched the other’s possessions or was more than moderately annoying, they were always on the point of murdering each other instead.
“And you–you’re an only child?” Quin asked, then seemed to get shy and scrambled to correct himself.
“Er, I mean to say, where did you grow up? What’s it like?”
I nodded, unbothered by his question.
“No, I don’t have siblings. I don’t know if I should be grateful or sorry. As for that, where didn’t I grow up? The most specific I can be is the eastern half of the country, most of the time.”
I leaned back, trying to summarize the first thirteen years of my life.
“As for what it was like… We traveled around a lot. I’ve seen a lot of the country, but I’m glad I can stay in one place now. It’s a lot less–” I gestured vaguely. “Unstable.”
Was it too much of a sacrifice, giving up my parents’ presence to have a steady routine, a place to call home? No, it wasn’t. It sounded harsh and I wouldn’t have said it out loud, but things were far more pleasant when they weren’t around. I liked Magister Azriel, we usually got along and he was never harsh. My parents meant well, but we inevitably clashed.
I shook my head, driving out the unwelcome thoughts. I was talking too much again.
“And you? I thought you said you were a farmer?”
Niarok was shouting into the void. I glanced up, then decided to let him live his life. Who was I to judge coping methods?
Sahar kicked off her slippers and crossed the stream. I made a mental note to remind her not to forget them this time.
There was another voice in the mingle of voices. A girl’s voice that wasn’t Yila or Sahar.
Yila and Niarok turned away and came back toward us again. Now I could see a small girl with dark curly hair, right next to Sahar.
“So, what was that about a castle? Isn’t this a cave? And where exactly is it? Are we in Arctashia still, or did the Fringe throw me into a different world?”
Sahar hesitated and fastened the scarf around her hair again.
“Heavens, that isn’t an easy question. I wish I knew. None of us actually know.”
The question would be easier if I had understood more than every other word. Fringe? Arctashia?
Niarok and the girl seemed to come to an agreement that neither of them would kill the other. Good.
I slowly started over toward them, but didn’t cross the stream. It was too cold.
“So what’s going on?” the girl who had introduced herself as Leytara asked.
“We’re all doomed to die horribly and now you’ve joined us. I’m Acyn,” I said, ominously.
Sahar glared at me.
“Was that necessary?”
“It’s the truth,” I said, surprised. Why was she suddenly so annoyed at me? Had I done something wrong?
“It’s the worst version of the truth. The rest of the truth is that nobody has actually gotten hurt besides Yila and we’ll probably be fine.”
I snorted disdainfully.
“Manage your expectations. My expectation is that I’m going to die.”
“You certainly won’t be disappointed,” Sahar grumbled, gathering her skirts and crossing the stream again.
I tilted my head and looked at her.
“Something wrong? You seem annoyed.”
She glared at me from which I assumed I had somehow done something that irritated her to no end. What? I raked one hand through my brown hair.
Why couldn’t she just tell me what I’d done wrong?
“Remember your shoes,” I said, quietly.
She spun around and put on her shoes again but didn’t look at me.
I had somehow, inadvertantly, annoyed her beyond comprehension.
Without darkness, there is no light. If there was no nighttime, would the stars be as bright?
AWW!!! That’s so cute!!! That was the most adorable and satisfying ending possible!!!! I LOVED IT SO MUCH!!!
Aw thanks!!! And I’ve been loving Sahar and Acyn!!
Yep, you’re totally right there. I think that if I tried her personality type again I might get something else. I did that even before I dropped her into the castle, so I didn’t know her that well. XD
Yeah, characters just love surprising! Aaaaand you can test as a lot of different personality types depending on how suppressive you are, I’ve come out as an ENFJ when I’m overcompensating and an INFJ when I’m super depressed. The Phantom of the Opera is usually claimed to be a INTJ but he’s more an INFP and–XD I love personality types!
It’s the best when that happens! LOL, whenever I listen to a new song I try to fit it to a character XD
LOL IKR!!
Thanks, writing is like free therapy, ain’t it? XD Or at least, realizing that one’s messed-up-ness runs deeper than you initially thought! LOL, writing Gavril is the worst/best for that XD I’ll be like “Man, I relate to him so much– Oh, wait, I’m projecting, aren’t I? Wow. That’s… very disturbing.” XD
Ow yeah! Huh…I never related to Gav at all in his posts and that was really weird coz half his issues I thought I’d really relate to…
Also, I’ve really been wanting to drop a different character in. (Not right now, I’m having too much fun with these two!) but I’ve been kinda absently thinking about maybe dropping in that other character I can’t say too much about? He’s really interesting, and I want to see how he interacts with all the others, (especially Quin, since he has a paralyzed right hand) but fair warning, he’s… extremely secretive. (And extremely traumatized! Yay!)
Wait…is that the…is it THAT character?!?!?!?!?! Am I gonna finally meet that character!!!!!!!!!
You, Cathy, have one forward and imaginative tongue on you, though I believe I might have mentioned that already once or twice. That was fun to read.
Yes I believe you might’ve said something like that before 😇. It’s so refreshing to find someone just as snarky too I’m love this!!!
Yeah, I was just messing with you. That explanation had crossed my mind, but apparently I’m not American enough, because I’ve never heard that phrase used.
Ah, thanks for the clarification, I just needed to be sure *whacks you on the head repeatedly!*
Shame shame and shame! Next you’ll be telling me you’re just a New Yorker or you’ve never heard how to find your way to the road if you get lost in the woods or you’ve never heard of StarWars!!!To satisfy everyone’s curiosity, I’m currently in the state of Kentucky touring these two awesome museums called the Creation Museum and the Ark Encounter. They’re like these awesome places talking about how science and stuff doesn’t have to be exclusive from the Bible and about how God created the world and stuff like that. So that’s my life right now…
OoooOooooh!!!! Sounds so exciting, ya gotta tell me everything!!!!! XD
*Barges into conversation* First of all, this entire exchange was HILARIOUS!! XD Y’all have the best senses of humor XD
Lol thanks! And that’s why you get so many weird friends like us, darling, here to save you from soul-crushing boredom and normalcy 🤪
Oooh, that’s odd! In fact, it isn’t particularly American. (Not arguing! Just adding my weird bits of knowledge ) I’ve heard it often and I’m definitely not American, and it’s actually an expression in Dutch and Afrikaans too!
Ohhh, cool!
Hear that Noah! You now have zero excuse for being ignoramus, even Netherlands-girl knows it!!! (It’s just coz girls are smarter than guys, right @rose-colored-fancy? ;D)I mean… “I love you” means something completely different to me in each language I can say it in, even if I pick the translations closest to each other in meaning. (There are multiple ways to express love in Afrikaans, ranging from platonic to romantic but let’s not get into that) My mother tongue always feels more emotional than any of the others.
*(Waitwaitwait let’s do get into that!)*
I wouldn’t ordinarily speak a different language to someone who doesn’t understand it because it’s awkward and they can’t understand it anyway. I guess what I’m trying to say is that slipping into a first language is just such a trusting thing to do. It conveys a certain thing that a second or third language just doesn’t. (Weirdly enough, this might also be the reason I cannot pray in English.) I think it’s pretty common to interpret a character using endearments/ making confessions in a first language as a kinda shy thing to do, like they don’t quite want the other person to know what they mean, and it could mean that! But to me it just hits different, practically pronouncing that this person is special to them, special enough that only that one particular language can express it. Wow, I didn’t mean to go on a rant there but I kinda did XD If you made it all the way through that, I’m impressed! XD
Ahhh, that’s beautiful…*stealthily takes more notes*🤫🐱👤
To be a light to the world you must shine in the darkness.
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