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Post by stry on Apr 14, 2007 16:58:31 GMT -5
I slip among the shadows ov the tunnels of the mountain, avoiding the eyes of the people that live here. They do not believe that I could truly have a heart under these intricate tattoos of mine. And it is only because I am a Naga. They believe that I am incapable of fighting for the Sanguine because half of my is a snake. Sighing, I lean against a stone wall, my back to most of the city. I rest my forehead on the cold stone, closing my eyes to relieve myself of the headache of asking why. I twist the ends of my plae blonde hair in my fingers absentmindedly as I stare at the backs of my eyelids.
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Post by Kasanda [Onora] on Apr 23, 2007 20:20:55 GMT -5
I dart through the tunnels and streets, not knowing where in particular I was going. Cat tried his hardest to keep up behind me, weaving in and out of peoples' legs at such a rate the strangers didn't even notice. Sighing, I pause in my rush to pluck him off the ground and put him on my shoulder, where he watches the passerby with a dignified pleasure.
I rub my arms, cursing the forever cold weather of the mountain range we Suedos were forced to hide in. Even through my jacket, I can feel the chill trying to seep its way underneath the thick and tightly woven threads, relishing its bite on my face. Hopefully the pending spring weather would arrive soon, and I would be able to dress more comfortably.
My eyes flick around until they land on a man, leaning against a wall. Wait, no. Not man. Naga. You'd have thought I'd have seen him around before. You know. Considering the fact he had a tail and all. I feel my brow furrow, and Cat leaps off my shoulder, approaching cautiously. My eyebrows shoot up, and I sprint forward, snatching Cat up. "Hi," I start, offering a smile. "...Sorry." I motion at the large cat in my arms as explanation to my apology. As irritating as he was, Cat was much more forward than I and therefore had more success in meeting new people.
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Post by stry on May 14, 2007 18:57:36 GMT -5
My hand flies to the dagger at my side, and I assume a defensive position, automatically thinking she was someone out to kill me. Not like it hasn't happened before.
My deep, dark blue eyes snap open and up to her face. I pause for a second to look from her to the cat. I turn to face her, rising to my full height.
"Hello," I say, my suave voice uneasy. There's a slight, snakelike hiss to my voice, but it is forever present, a symptom of my curse. I slide the knife back into the leather sheath, though a hand rests on the ivory.
I stare at her for a moment, amazed that a human, let alone a woman would speak to me. People are usually terrified. Or they try and kill me, then I pull my eyes away and to the ground, trying not to look offensive.
" Seems your little friend there isn't as scared of me as one would think. Neither are you though. Why? " Odd question, yes, but I have to ask. I can't help my ever-restless tounge. Gotten myself into wuite a few difficult situations with it.
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Post by Kasanda [Onora] on May 15, 2007 18:03:20 GMT -5
A half smile tugged at my lips. It was normal for my social skills to suck, and eventually it was something you embraced, accepted as a fact. I could have said something amazingly deep, like, 'Appearances aren't everything' or even, 'We all have better things to be afraid of.'
"I have no idea," I said instead, with a shrug. "Cat's just stupidly curious. I'm just..." Was I really that much smarter than Cat? I literally bit my tongue, trying to think of something intelligent to say. To ask why I would be frightened of him would be stupid; after all, the answer was obvious.
"I guess I'm just... not," I finally offered, my face serious.
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Post by stry on May 15, 2007 19:45:00 GMT -5
The corner of my mouth twitches into the ghost of a smile.
" You're a first, " I say with a laugh that lacks any sort of humor. I let out a small, light sight and run my fingers down the brige of my nose, the gold scales beneath my fingers cold to the touch.
A small breeze tosses my hair, the ends brushing around my tail. I stare blankly at the ground, unsure of what to say. I don't spend a lot of time talking to people, so I don't say anything.
The awkward silence extends, and I feel the brightness in my eyes dim, and I gain a sort of dead look, though I'm entirely alert. " So how long have you been in the Sanguine? " I ask, snapping back into my eyes.
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Post by Kasanda [Onora] on May 17, 2007 18:51:23 GMT -5
Cat struggled in my arms, clearly annoyed and done with being held. I made a face at him before kneeling down and plopping him on the floor. He stretched his muscles, blinking at me as if it was my fault they were tight, then proceeded to lengthen a back limb and lick it clean.
"Five years," I said to the man, putting my hands on my black breeches and standing. I instinctively traced the tattoo on my neck with the pads of my fingers, faintly remembering my first getting it. "You?"
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Post by stry on May 31, 2007 3:08:55 GMT -5
I have to pause a moment to remember how long it's been. So, so long. I remember the night, clear as though I was seeing it unfold in my mind's eye.
A small, if then frail, Naga child. Starved, but determined to show his worth. Determined to prove everyone wrong. That he could do good, mo matter the cursed blood flowing through his veins. Yes, I think myself cursed. Cursed to a life of solitude, all because I have scales and a tail. I usually do not even get a third glance, less it's from wary mothers, pulling their little ones closer.
' Thirteen years, ' I say finally, trying to keep my face blank under the weight of all the memories.
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Post by Kasanda [Onora] on Jun 4, 2007 11:22:09 GMT -5
"Long time," I commented quietly, nodding. There wasn't much else to say, though. Did I want to say anything else?
No. Because I was preoccupied with my own thoughts, my own memories, my own ghosts. Cat stared at me with his bright green eyes for a few seconds before creeping toward the Naga, as if hoping I might not notice.
"Do you... do you mind?" I asked, hoping I wasn't interupting his own reflection. I pointed at Cat, who continued to shuffle forward cautiously, his nose pointed at the Naga's tail obnoxiously. His nostrils flared as he tested the air for danger before moving a paw forward. "He's, um, he's sort of... an idiot."
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Post by stry on Jun 4, 2007 13:05:02 GMT -5
I laugh, my voice a crystal-clear sound among the almost-quiet of my little corner.
"Not at all," I say, smiling a little bit. In one fluid motion, that which only a Naga can manage, I twist to the side, lifting the cat up to my face.
" There's nothing wrong with being curious," I say, smiling as I scratch behind its ears and then set it down. " Better treatment than most would give," I mutter to myself, my voice becoming bitter like it has only on rare occaisons.
" I'm quiet sorry about that..." I say in reference to my comment just seconds before. My mouth twitches into a smile again, even as I reutrn my gaze to the ground in an uncomfortable way.
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Post by Kasanda [Onora] on Jun 6, 2007 19:52:59 GMT -5
Cat purrs loudly, crumpling on the ground beside the Naga's tail. I smiled at him, looking at the ground and letting the smile melt off my face for a moment of relief. I rubbed my lips together, then looked back up.
"I'm Kasanda," I told him, smiling again and sticking my hand forward confidently.
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Post by stry on Jun 7, 2007 18:12:47 GMT -5
This is all new to me, interacting with humans, but I extend my hands as well, shaking hers and bowing at the waist. (If you want to call where my tail merges with my heavily-tattooed skin a waist.)
"Haraldur," I say, releasing her hand quickly. That was enough touching for me. My mouth pulls into a slighlty uncertain smile as I coil my tail closer to me.
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Post by Kasanda [Onora] on Jun 11, 2007 13:22:44 GMT -5
He was sort of weird, needless to say. But I had yet to meet a normal person yet. I glanced down to where Cat is curled up, trying to clean his tail.
"Um... his name is Cat," I said, gesturing to the yellow tabby beside him. Introducing your cat as... Cat was always an awkward situation; weird looks, raised eyebrows...
I was sort of weird, too, I realized.
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Post by stry on Jun 11, 2007 15:44:56 GMT -5
"Creative, aren't you?" I ask with a sarcastic tone to my voice. There was less uncertainty to my smile now; it was slowly becoming an easy, somewhat cold, confidence.
I curl a stray bit of hair behind one of my gold-peirced ears, then hook my thumb in my belt that holds my dagger and sword.
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Post by Kasanda [Onora] on Jun 13, 2007 8:14:43 GMT -5
Hadn't heard that one before. "Ouch," I droned, feigning a bruised pride. A smile fleeted across my face, but it was light, there and gone.
"I haven't really thought of the right name for him yet," I admitted, shrugging, continuing to gaze at Cat. "I mean, I don't even know if I'm going to name him. Who says I have the right, you know? He isn't even really mine, and..."
I was babbling. I closed my mouth before anything else could come out of it. My eyes fanned up to Haraldur, tracing along one of his many tattoos. I'd seen my fair share of tattoos, but rarely did you see someone with such an apparent fetish for them, considering his entire torso and arms were covered.
I could have asked about them. But I decided to think before I said; I wouldn't appreciate the invasion of privacy, people wondering about my past, poking their noses where they didn't belong, as much of a cliche that phrase is. So I kept my lips clamped.
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Post by stry on Jun 18, 2007 19:35:42 GMT -5
I can tell what she is looking at. Other than my tail, my tattoos are the next thing to be stared at. "I did most of them myself," I say, smiling and looking down at one on my arm. "They're symbols. From where I come from." Meaning the desert. It is in my native tongue, one that I can still remember how to speak, even when it has been so long since I have.
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