The Hand That Mocked Them

Ljungtroll · 2022-05-20T03:53:14Z

Name: Hieronymus Heel Age: 10 years (mentally much older) Species/Race: Homunculus Appearance: Very large, swollen head that's quite soft and covered by a very loose gray knit cap, which is tied under a receded chin with a neat bow. Three withered arms, one of which grows out of his left shoulder blade and turns a wooden crank, which moves a pair of ingeniously crafted wooden leg prosthetics to compensate for his shriveled natural legs. The prosthetic device is steered by a series of strings tied to the fingers of his other two hands and is a four-legged structure, sort of like the carriage in the animated Beauty and the Beast. He has mismatched eyes both in size and color--the large one is brown and the small one is hazel. His body is very stocky but extremely emaciated, which emphasizes his severe scoliosis. Some of his teeth are growing out of the wrong parts of his gums, giving him a jutting underlip and making it difficult for him to close his mouth. His upper lip is almost nonexistent. He has two extra pairs of ribs, which makes it difficult for him to bend, and his limbs and neck are all double jointed. His ears are extremely undersized, as is his nose. He has no nipples but does have a very large scar where his belly button should be. He's about as big as a cat and, in addition, to the hat, wears a loose burlap skirt-wrap and a tattered shirt. He has extremely sensitive skin--sensitive to anything from the wrong fabric to the light of the sun to sand. It was nearly noon when Hieronymus Heel returned to The Bird's Helm, the inn in which he had reluctantly taken up residence. The sky that day was cloudless and threatened to burn Hieronymus's already itching flesh in the most horrible way, so he found himself huddled under a table waiting for scraps to drop from customers' plates. The day had been unproductive--this town had no books nor any alchemists or artificers to speak of, and there was only so much one could do even posing as a little person. Hiding his head and face was difficult enough without his legs and arm posing a problem, and he'd been nearly stomped on in several shops while making inquiries. He retreated early from his endeavors and resolved to save money by scrounging, which was more lucrative later in the day when the drunks could keep next to nothing on their plates. Hieronymus himself never drank; he was far too small and besides, drinking dulled the senses. A hounded creature such as himself couldn't afford to slip up. Hieronymus turned the crank sideways to bend and reached for a scrap of bread that had fallen from the customer's table and nibbled on it quietly, glancing around to gauge if anybody had seen. It seemed they hadn't, and so he crouched there chewing, a few crumbs falling to the ground from his mouth. (@TheMultiColoredCyr)

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Sun May 29, 2022 9:08 pm

Teddybear says... · Sun May 29, 2022 9:08 pm

Kivvien finished folding a pile of his own blankets on the bed. "The work is done. Come here now, I need to conceal you here so I can get you down to the cart."

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Ljungtroll

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Sun May 29, 2022 9:12 pm

Ljungtroll says... · Sun May 29, 2022 9:12 pm

Hieronymus dipped his head and came forward. "Thank you. And sorry again."

"The Imperial need for control is so desperate because it is so unnatural. Tyranny requires constant effort. It breaks, it leaks. Authority is brittle. Oppression is the mask of fear. Remember that." -Karis Nemik

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Sun May 29, 2022 9:26 pm

Teddybear says... · Sun May 29, 2022 9:26 pm

Kivvien ignored him and wrapped him up, hurrying downstairs to turn in the key, then got settled in the cart.

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Ljungtroll

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Sun May 29, 2022 9:29 pm

Ljungtroll says... · Sun May 29, 2022 9:29 pm

Hieronymus settled himself in the newly freed up space in the back.

"The Imperial need for control is so desperate because it is so unnatural. Tyranny requires constant effort. It breaks, it leaks. Authority is brittle. Oppression is the mask of fear. Remember that." -Karis Nemik

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Sun May 29, 2022 9:46 pm

Teddybear says... · Sun May 29, 2022 9:46 pm

And then they were on the road again, Kivvien enjoying the scenery, ignoring the creature in the back.

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Sun May 29, 2022 9:49 pm

Ljungtroll says... · Sun May 29, 2022 9:49 pm

"So." Hieronymus poked his head out of the blanket. "Did you eat breakfast this morning? Was it good too?"

"The Imperial need for control is so desperate because it is so unnatural. Tyranny requires constant effort. It breaks, it leaks. Authority is brittle. Oppression is the mask of fear. Remember that." -Karis Nemik

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Sun May 29, 2022 10:11 pm

Teddybear says... · Sun May 29, 2022 10:11 pm

He shook his head. "I typically only eat in the evenings."

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Sun May 29, 2022 11:45 pm

Ljungtroll says... · Sun May 29, 2022 11:45 pm

"Oh. Why's that?"

"The Imperial need for control is so desperate because it is so unnatural. Tyranny requires constant effort. It breaks, it leaks. Authority is brittle. Oppression is the mask of fear. Remember that." -Karis Nemik

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Mon May 30, 2022 12:07 am

Teddybear says... · Mon May 30, 2022 12:07 am

"It is just my preference. I got rather used to eating only one meal per day while in the more vigorous years of study, so the habit has stuck."

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Mon May 30, 2022 12:09 am

Ljungtroll says... · Mon May 30, 2022 12:09 am

"My master is the same way, except he forgets to eat most of the time."

"The Imperial need for control is so desperate because it is so unnatural. Tyranny requires constant effort. It breaks, it leaks. Authority is brittle. Oppression is the mask of fear. Remember that." -Karis Nemik

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Mon May 30, 2022 12:13 am

Teddybear says... · Mon May 30, 2022 12:13 am

"I very much doubt I would be allowed to forget to eat at the palace. My partner was rather adamant that I got something to eat each day."

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Mon May 30, 2022 12:14 am

Ljungtroll says... · Mon May 30, 2022 12:14 am

"That's very good of him." He nodded approvingly. "You partner seems like a caring and intelligent fellow."

"The Imperial need for control is so desperate because it is so unnatural. Tyranny requires constant effort. It breaks, it leaks. Authority is brittle. Oppression is the mask of fear. Remember that." -Karis Nemik

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Mon May 30, 2022 12:24 am

Teddybear says... · Mon May 30, 2022 12:24 am

"He is," he said fondly.

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Mon May 30, 2022 12:43 am

Ljungtroll says... · Mon May 30, 2022 12:43 am

"May I ask his name?"

"The Imperial need for control is so desperate because it is so unnatural. Tyranny requires constant effort. It breaks, it leaks. Authority is brittle. Oppression is the mask of fear. Remember that." -Karis Nemik

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Teddybear

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Mon May 30, 2022 12:49 am

Teddybear says... · Mon May 30, 2022 12:49 am

Kivvien tensed slightly. "It's irrelevant."

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