Spoiler
First of all, apologies again for not posting. Offline life got in the way, I'm afraid.
Spoiler
~ Marietta
The darkness in the room was cold, heavy and suffocating. It surrounded her completely, leaving not even a dot of light to hold on to, never letting her eyes adapt to it. To Marietta, it seemed as if the freezing darkness was slowly entering her ears, her eyes, her mouth.. She could see nothing, and the silence was so loud that she wished to talk to herself - but she couldn't find her own voice.
She could feel her whole body shaking of fear, as if some small, live organisms moved under her skin, never letting her rest. She didn't even know if something actually was there. Marietta couldn't tell how much time has passed since she woke up in there, how big or small the room was, not even if she was sharing it with anyone.
And then all of the sudden, light blinded her. She didn't even know her eyes were opened. Blinking rapidly to adjust, she recognized the figure of her master, and she couldn't stop wondering how long it's been since they locked her in - she couldn't quite tell that she was hungry, but she stopped feeling hunger properly years ago anyway.
"Come," he said, in his same cold voice with no emotions. She got up and followed, her legs feeling numb, no questions asked. She could feel his eyes on her, inspecting the way her body reacted on what she's been through, trying to find signs of emotions on the way her skin looked. But never anything but that - the days in which she was used for literally anything were now behind her. In a way, Marietta was proud of herself for living up to the expectations.
"You didn't cry today."
She looked up, meeting the eyes of her master.
"Would it make you happier if I did?"
"Happier? No. More interested, maybe, I find your tears..ah..amusing."
Marietta said nothing. She knew very well, her tears would mean that they'd put her through something worse, until she'd finally either pass out or find the way to withhold her feelings from showing up.
"Go now," her master said as the door opened to the world outside. Compared to the coldness of the room she was just in, the air was almost too warm for her to handle.
Nevertheless, Marietta liked being outside. The towns were not as silent as she liked them, and she still couldn't feel comfortable among Sentients that weren't her master, but she preferred it over the dark rooms and experiments she was in inside. She found it enjoyable to look back at each pair of eyes that stared at her. It wasn't very usual to have slaves wandering around like she did, and she knew very well that they all wanted her for something. But her master never lent her to another person. Not once - and she knew he'd get angry if anyone decided to play with one of his favourite toys.
She left to the woods, following the path she marked for herself months ago. It lead into more darkness and cold, but nothing compared to the rooms she spent her time in sometimes, and she took a deep breath as she found herself far enough from the town.
With a small sigh, she did her best to look scared and lost, and ran deeper in the woods. That was where she knew they would often meet. She was responsible for a lot of legends they connected to that little clearance in the forest - the parents would send their children there, and the children would await for salvation. And Marietta would find them and cry with them and told them of better place and a group of rebels that will never let them get hurt. By the time they'd figure she was leading them towards their future masters, it'd be too late to turn around.
A girl and a boy sat by a tree, holding hands and looking terrified. Their hair was the same shade of orange red, and their eyes were blue. Twins. Marietta wondered how interesting it may be tracking their emotions - that is, if the happen to serve the same master and the same purpose. The twins couldn't have been more than eleven.
"Hey," Marietta whispered, but they jumped to their feet as if she suddenly yelled at them. "It's alright. I know how you feel, I'm here to help you."
"How can you help us?" The girl asked. So, she was the older one, probably feeling like she should take care of the boy. Marietta gave them a comforting smile and took out a piece of bread from her pockets. She would always get some to lure her targets with, and she never even thought of eating it herself.
The girl eyed it suspiciously, so Marietta took a piece and ate it. It wasn't poisoned, she knew that much. She almost forgot how food tasted like - it took more self control that anyone would think just to make her not show just how terrible she felt. She smiled again, as the girl slowly took the food from her and shared with her brother.
"Come with me," Marietta said. "Where I came from, there is so much more. You don't have to worry anymore." She reached out her hand, and wasn't surprised to see the girl taking it.
*
Getting into town, she felt the fear rising in the twins - but she now held both of them, and gripped their hands as strong as she could.
"No," the girl said, her eyes huge of fear and filled with tears. "You tricked us! Why did you do that?"
"If you act the way they ask, you will be alright." Marietta's voice was emotionless. She wondered if it was always like that.
"Let us go, let us go, please, how can you take their side? Please, just-"
Se turned silent the moment they entered the building. More a palace than a house, it was guarded and protected in every possible way, both from people entering and people leaving - the latter especially - and the guard approached them as they entered the lobby. The twins, now crying, hid behind Marietta. Even after she brought them there, they still sought protection in her. Fear did that to people - Marietta vaguely remembered.
"Good," the guard said. "The boy stays. The girl is a gift to your master's brother."
The twins now clutched Marietta's coat.
"Don't separate us," the boy whispered, "please don't let them take her away."
Even if she wanted to, Marietta could have done nothing. She stayed calm as the guard took the boy from her and dragged him through one of the doors, and she kept holding the girl so that she doesn't follow. After a minute, the girl stopped fighting, making peace with her fate. Marietta knew there will still be tears, though, especially during what the master's brother will put her through.
She made her way to Yaksha, the so-called brother of her master, accompanied by the guard. Marietta didn't care about the looks he gave her - she knew he wouldn't dare to make a move. The girl never stopped crying, but this time, as the door opened for them and they found themselves in some kind of a throne room, she didn't dare to say a word.
The guard bowed. Marietta didn't. She only bowed for her master, even though she knew she was risking getting beaten by everyone else.
The Sentient look bored, despite of having himself surrounded by girls and women of various ages. Marietta could read in his eyes that he'd welcomely accept her as well if she was free to take - but she wasn't that kind of a slave, not anymore.
After a short inspection, he waved the guard to take the girl away, and smiled a little to Marietta. Then he turned around, and waved again, this time to a young woman Marietta didn't even notice before.
"Take her to get some food for my brother," he said, with something in his voice that clearly said he'll torture her to death if she dared touching the mentioned food. The woman - the girl, Marietta wanted to call her so even though the woman was apparently older than her - stood with no emotion on her face, seeming stronger than any human Marietta has met so far. Yet Marietta, who has lived her life as a servant and made her way up only because she let them pit her down so much, could see better. By now, she has mastered the observing skills enough to see through the mask of coldness and strength - the dark haired young woman looked as if she'd cry her heart out if she was alone, but neither of the Sentients seemed to be noticing. Marietta nodded and turned around, and the girl quickly made her way to her, opening the door again.
*
"This will be it," Marietta said, as she bagged up the gift. The other girl's eyes, light green and surprisingly clear, stared at the bag, and Marietta spoke again. "I won't say a word if you do take some."
The girl looked at her, and Marietta kept her glare.
"How can you do it?" The question was silent, and the one Marietta heard numerous times. Not once from someone in her position, though.
"What choice do you think I ever had? I do as I'm asked, and I'm alive. My master didn't kill me when he had a chance - and even if I didn't owe him for that, standing up to them will lead nowhere. I do what I must, like we all do. When someone plays with your emotions, you just stop having any but the strongest ones."
***
The darkness in the room was cold, heavy and suffocating. It surrounded her completely, leaving not even a dot of light to hold on to, never letting her eyes adapt to it. To Marietta, it seemed as if the freezing darkness was slowly entering her ears, her eyes, her mouth.. She could see nothing, and the silence was so loud that she wished to talk to herself - but she couldn't find her own voice.
She could feel her whole body shaking of fear, as if some small, live organisms moved under her skin, never letting her rest. She didn't even know if something actually was there. Marietta couldn't tell how much time has passed since she woke up in there, how big or small the room was, not even if she was sharing it with anyone.
And then all of the sudden, light blinded her. She didn't even know her eyes were opened. Blinking rapidly to adjust, she recognized the figure of her master, and she couldn't stop wondering how long it's been since they locked her in - she couldn't quite tell that she was hungry, but she stopped feeling hunger properly years ago anyway.
"Come," he said, in his same cold voice with no emotions. She got up and followed, her legs feeling numb, no questions asked. She could feel his eyes on her, inspecting the way her body reacted on what she's been through, trying to find signs of emotions on the way her skin looked. But never anything but that - the days in which she was used for literally anything were now behind her. In a way, Marietta was proud of herself for living up to the expectations.
"You didn't cry today."
She looked up, meeting the eyes of her master.
"Would it make you happier if I did?"
"Happier? No. More interested, maybe, I find your tears..ah..amusing."
Marietta said nothing. She knew very well, her tears would mean that they'd put her through something worse, until she'd finally either pass out or find the way to withhold her feelings from showing up.
"Go now," her master said as the door opened to the world outside. Compared to the coldness of the room she was just in, the air was almost too warm for her to handle.
Nevertheless, Marietta liked being outside. The towns were not as silent as she liked them, and she still couldn't feel comfortable among Sentients that weren't her master, but she preferred it over the dark rooms and experiments she was in inside. She found it enjoyable to look back at each pair of eyes that stared at her. It wasn't very usual to have slaves wandering around like she did, and she knew very well that they all wanted her for something. But her master never lent her to another person. Not once - and she knew he'd get angry if anyone decided to play with one of his favourite toys.
She left to the woods, following the path she marked for herself months ago. It lead into more darkness and cold, but nothing compared to the rooms she spent her time in sometimes, and she took a deep breath as she found herself far enough from the town.
With a small sigh, she did her best to look scared and lost, and ran deeper in the woods. That was where she knew they would often meet. She was responsible for a lot of legends they connected to that little clearance in the forest - the parents would send their children there, and the children would await for salvation. And Marietta would find them and cry with them and told them of better place and a group of rebels that will never let them get hurt. By the time they'd figure she was leading them towards their future masters, it'd be too late to turn around.
A girl and a boy sat by a tree, holding hands and looking terrified. Their hair was the same shade of orange red, and their eyes were blue. Twins. Marietta wondered how interesting it may be tracking their emotions - that is, if the happen to serve the same master and the same purpose. The twins couldn't have been more than eleven.
"Hey," Marietta whispered, but they jumped to their feet as if she suddenly yelled at them. "It's alright. I know how you feel, I'm here to help you."
"How can you help us?" The girl asked. So, she was the older one, probably feeling like she should take care of the boy. Marietta gave them a comforting smile and took out a piece of bread from her pockets. She would always get some to lure her targets with, and she never even thought of eating it herself.
The girl eyed it suspiciously, so Marietta took a piece and ate it. It wasn't poisoned, she knew that much. She almost forgot how food tasted like - it took more self control that anyone would think just to make her not show just how terrible she felt. She smiled again, as the girl slowly took the food from her and shared with her brother.
"Come with me," Marietta said. "Where I came from, there is so much more. You don't have to worry anymore." She reached out her hand, and wasn't surprised to see the girl taking it.
*
Getting into town, she felt the fear rising in the twins - but she now held both of them, and gripped their hands as strong as she could.
"No," the girl said, her eyes huge of fear and filled with tears. "You tricked us! Why did you do that?"
"If you act the way they ask, you will be alright." Marietta's voice was emotionless. She wondered if it was always like that.
"Let us go, let us go, please, how can you take their side? Please, just-"
Se turned silent the moment they entered the building. More a palace than a house, it was guarded and protected in every possible way, both from people entering and people leaving - the latter especially - and the guard approached them as they entered the lobby. The twins, now crying, hid behind Marietta. Even after she brought them there, they still sought protection in her. Fear did that to people - Marietta vaguely remembered.
"Good," the guard said. "The boy stays. The girl is a gift to your master's brother."
The twins now clutched Marietta's coat.
"Don't separate us," the boy whispered, "please don't let them take her away."
Even if she wanted to, Marietta could have done nothing. She stayed calm as the guard took the boy from her and dragged him through one of the doors, and she kept holding the girl so that she doesn't follow. After a minute, the girl stopped fighting, making peace with her fate. Marietta knew there will still be tears, though, especially during what the master's brother will put her through.
She made her way to Yaksha, the so-called brother of her master, accompanied by the guard. Marietta didn't care about the looks he gave her - she knew he wouldn't dare to make a move. The girl never stopped crying, but this time, as the door opened for them and they found themselves in some kind of a throne room, she didn't dare to say a word.
The guard bowed. Marietta didn't. She only bowed for her master, even though she knew she was risking getting beaten by everyone else.
The Sentient look bored, despite of having himself surrounded by girls and women of various ages. Marietta could read in his eyes that he'd welcomely accept her as well if she was free to take - but she wasn't that kind of a slave, not anymore.
After a short inspection, he waved the guard to take the girl away, and smiled a little to Marietta. Then he turned around, and waved again, this time to a young woman Marietta didn't even notice before.
"Take her to get some food for my brother," he said, with something in his voice that clearly said he'll torture her to death if she dared touching the mentioned food. The woman - the girl, Marietta wanted to call her so even though the woman was apparently older than her - stood with no emotion on her face, seeming stronger than any human Marietta has met so far. Yet Marietta, who has lived her life as a servant and made her way up only because she let them pit her down so much, could see better. By now, she has mastered the observing skills enough to see through the mask of coldness and strength - the dark haired young woman looked as if she'd cry her heart out if she was alone, but neither of the Sentients seemed to be noticing. Marietta nodded and turned around, and the girl quickly made her way to her, opening the door again.
*
"This will be it," Marietta said, as she bagged up the gift. The other girl's eyes, light green and surprisingly clear, stared at the bag, and Marietta spoke again. "I won't say a word if you do take some."
The girl looked at her, and Marietta kept her glare.
"How can you do it?" The question was silent, and the one Marietta heard numerous times. Not once from someone in her position, though.
"What choice do you think I ever had? I do as I'm asked, and I'm alive. My master didn't kill me when he had a chance - and even if I didn't owe him for that, standing up to them will lead nowhere. I do what I must, like we all do. When someone plays with your emotions, you just stop having any but the strongest ones."
***
Spoiler
The girl is Gulfie, so Janika can take it on from here - I hope everything was alright as far as characterization goes.
Also I believe I will be making a madman* character, because I have a few ideas in mind, and in that case the profile will be in the DT tomorrow.
*definitely a MUDman. But I'm leaving the mistake be, for my autocorrect is just lovely.
Also I believe I will be making a madman* character, because I have a few ideas in mind, and in that case the profile will be in the DT tomorrow.
*definitely a MUDman. But I'm leaving the mistake be, for my autocorrect is just lovely.
