Illarion.org

((open rp for these involved))

Darkness
It all had begun with a meeting with Friend at the Hemp Neck Tie and a trip by boat to a large ship. Friend had told her: 'Bad!', and pointed to the Inn, a place he seemed to fear. And after that things got worse and worse!

The ship, Marla and the Friend had sailed to in a small boat, swam in the middle of the sea. There was no island or land around it, just water. Another ship approached, when Marla was still looking around, exploring the surrounding by sniffing at things, like barrels and . Before she really understood what was happening or why, the people from the other ship climbed on deck, making a lot of noise. Soon it was been filled with angry men, wearing ragged clothes, smelling of sweat, rum and battle fever.
Friend drew his weapon and send her down a ladder, below deck. She could hear him scream:'Stay!' and Marla did, listening to the sound of fighting, weapons clashing and battle cries. She waited, because she wanted to please Friend and there was neither someone to attack nor a place to run to. Than finally the noise of fighting faded, but the man who climbed down the ladder was not Friend. So Marla jumped at him trying to bite him.

Marla found herself at the ground near the Hemp Neck Tie Inn, bleeding from many cut wounds, hurtful, but not that deep that they were live threatening. Still, Marla felt very week. Remembering the black scaled lizard and the green haired elfess in a red dress taking care of her, giving her food, coin and new bandages, she dragged herself to Galmair, leaving a bloody trail on the ground.
At the hospital the room was empty, too. So Marla turned to the people at the market place.
Two blond man were talking in front of a table, first she growled at them. Hurt as she was, scaring them by growling was best to avoid a fight.
One of them she knew, he had played music for her in Runewick. The other one she didn‘t knew put something on the ground and some fishes on top. He talked nicely to Marla, asking her to take the fishes. Being used to get food from humans, Marla did not pay attention to the mad look in his eyes and crawled straight into a trap.
Her leg got bitten by a 'thing', it dug its tooth deep into her leg and refused to let go. While Marla was growling at the trap, struggling to get her leg free, that man threw ropes over her and Marla got tangled up.
While she was fighting with the ropes a third man, Chicken man, the one who gave her chickens days ago, walked up the market place. He started to talk the man, who trapped Marla, but he was ignored more or less. It was not that Marla cared or understood in that moment, she tried to bite and scratch at anyone or anything near her panicking more each moment. It just confused her lightly that the Chicken man offered her some ham. As if she's care for food when having to fight! Than he left, not being on any help. The other man, the one that could make music, did not do anything helpful either.
The man who trapped, bend down with a rope in his hands. The feral woman was fighting furiously, making angry sounds and trying to get free, but the thing that bit in her leg wouldn't let her go. The man took her arms and tied her hands behind her back. It hurt. Marla growled at him. She tried to bite him, but she failed. Next the man did something to the thing holding her and it released her leg. It hurt badly, blood sipping out of the wound. Marla licked at her wounded leg, not able to crawl away and flee neither able to attack with hands tied behind her back.
Than she rolled on her back and stared up at the man. He pointed to her while talking to the other man, the musician, who mostly had been watching. Than Marla's captor tightened the knots of the rope, so that it hurt. Marla winced and whimpered more, to show the man that she'd given up. He did not seem to understand it, so Marla moved her head back, showing her throat to him, while she was whimpering desperately. Obviously he didn‘t get it either or he didn‘t care.
The man put a foot over the feral woman, pressing down to avoid that she'd move away. Marla whimpered some more, before going silent, while the two men were talking. Suddenly, while discussing, the man put more pressure on her with his foot and Marla whimpered in pain. After exchanging more words with the other man, he removed his foot but he kept the rope in his hands.
Than he walked to the depot to store the remaining ropes. After this he pulled at Marla‘s rope, trying to make her move. The feral woman was dragged along on the ground. Her hands were still tied, she could not crawl to follow. She was making sounds in protest. The man just said angrily:"Shut up!". She did not understand the meaning, but the tone made the intention clear.

Being pulled over the cobble stone and inside a building, Marla whimpered in pain as the man pulled the rope mercilessly. Her wound on her leg left a trail of some drops of blood on the floor.
Marla had no time to wonder where the man was going, fear and fighting will filling her thoughts, suddenly being thrown down a ladder and again she was pulled over the floor, no time to complain or check injuries.
The man had to stop to open a trap door and he pushed her down into a dark room. The only light came from the open trap door. There were few things in there, some benches and a large door. The man dragged Marla towards the bench, there he tied her bound hands to the furniture, so she couldn't get away. Marla watched him doing so, trying to figure out what was going on. Sitting on the ground Marla growled at her captor and struggled to get free. She felt reminded, of her time being tried with a rope on her leg to the table in the robber's hut. It had happened long ago , but for Marla this had not been a pleasant time, she had been so full of fear at first and full of anger later. This was one more reason to fight and struggle to get free. And so she did, desperately and without success. The man spit at her, spoke some words - nothing that made sense for her, but he sounded very angry - even more than angry. Than he climbed up the ladder and closed the trap door behind him. As the trap door closed the light in the room faded. Marla was alone in the dark. Angrily she fought against the ropes until she fell asleep from exhaustion. The man did not return for a long, long time.

Sunshine

Marla had spend the time till her captor returned with pulling at the ropes, howling, listening and sleeping.
The man opened the trap door and climbed down, following him was a pale, tall, green haired elfess wearing a red dress. Marla knew her name was Aswe.
Aswe called Marla's name as a greeting. Marla was pulling at the ropes that tied her hands to the bench, she growled at the man who caught her in anger. He placed a bottle on the ground near her, and threw some fruits - bananas and a carrot - beside it. Than he left Awse and Marla alone.

The elfess watched her struggling, she folded her arms and she let out a sigh. Marla stared at her in anger and showed teeth. She was very scared and it was rather reflex than a conscious decision to see anyone as a threat. Aswe looked at her. "Marla?" she addressed her gently and took some steps around the food to crouch beside the her. But Marla turned her head to the elfess and snarled. She was still trying to get her hands, that were tied behind her back, free by pulling forcefully at the ropes. Aswe placed a hand on the woman's shoulder to stop her and made a sound like "Shh.. shh." trying to calm her down, before she tried to untie her hands.
Marla snarled at the elfess again, who moved back and told her "Marla! Bad!". The feral woman ignored the command and continued to struggle angrily to get free on her own, without any success.
Aswe furrowed her brows, making a thoughtful face, before stepping around to take a look at the wound on Marla‘s leg. The wound was bloody, it looked like something sharp had tore inside the leg. There was also some blood on the ground. Seeing this the elfess whispered in anger: "Bastards. No treatment at all." and she reached into her bag and took out a small jar.
Marla eyed Aswe, her moves slowed down a bit. She was getting exhausted from pointless fighting and struggling. Aswe began to apply salve from the jar on the leg wound while the woman watched her. After a few moments, the pain was soothed by the medicine and Marla calmed down. Aswe gave her an encouraging smile, of course without showing teeth. The feral whimpered - hoping for more help. The elfess treated the wound, much like medico would do, cleaning and suturing it.

After treating the leg wound, Aswe walked up closer. The captured woman still was very angry, but also very exhausted by now, but fearful as she was, she stayed alert. Aswe sat down by her side and again she would sigh and whisper to the feral woman:"You do not deserve this.". The elfess got stared at in reply, like anything was stared at by Marla, that she does not understand.
Next, the elfess offered her half of a carrot. Marla did not remember ever having eating a raw carrot. She sniffed at it and decided it was not tasty, maybe not meant to be eaten at all. So, she stared back at the elfess, who than reached around to loosen the ropes on the woman's wrist. As soon as she did Marla crawled away to the wall of the room, licking her wrists. The tight ropes had hurt her, and with all her struggling she had not made it any better. Aswe did not follow her, she stayed where she was near the bench.
After a while the elfess held out her hand and she asked in a calm voice: "Marla?"
The woman looked up and sniffed in direction of the held out hand.
"Good girl. You are safe."
Marla did not understand, but she slowly calmed down a bit, licking her her wrist, at some of the cuts, or there the burn wound had torn open again. Some of the wounds Marla had taken when being pulled through Galmair had dirt in them. The sword cuts also were still untreated, but beginning to heal.
Aswe gestured to her. She said in a friendly voice:"Come here?". Marla knew the word 'come', it mean she should move to who was using it. The elfess asked Marla to walk over. Mistrusting her for now, she stared at the elfess, looking into her eyes trying to read her emotions. She could see Aswe was a little worried and a little sad. Still, Marla decided to stay where she was, just staring back.

So, Aswe purposefully looked away from the feral woman and reached for the water bottle. She uncorked it. Marla snarled at her and crawled closer, she placed her hand on the water bottle, snarling again the the elfess to show she claimed the water for herself. Oh, she had not expected the look she got in return: A look that could curdle milk and wither a flower. Marla crawled backwards, but Aswe pointed to the ground next to her.
"Here." she said.
So, Marla crawled next to the elfess to please her, moving slowly and carefully for she was still feeling pain from her wounds. The elfess placed her hand on the woman's shoulder and looked into Marla's face while she was passing her the bottle. Marla slowly reached for the bottle to pour some water on the ground and drink from the puddle greedily. While Marla drank the elfess stroked her head. She was careful, and Marla enjoyed the kind gesture.
Aswe said something again: "Poor thing." - but do not think that Marla understood any of it - and she waited for the feral woman to finish drinking, before standing up.
The elfess picked the remaining food and spoke: "Come.", gesturing Marla to follow her out of the room.

Aswe and Marla had gone to the desert town by teleporter's magic. The air was warm and dry. The wind carried sandy dust and the sound of the water fountain. Marla recognized the smell and the buildings surrounding the market place. They did not stay at the market place, Aswe headed to a building across the gates walking slowly, giving Marla time to sniff at the tables, palm trees and tangerine bushes, as well as startled traders.
They walked over a small patch of green, the grass dry and unhealthy from fighting the strong sunlight, and entered a building that smelled of cloth, sheep and dye. Going further Marla followed Aswe inside another room. It was darker here, smelled of herbs and very faintly of blood.
Curiously Marla Maras sniffed at the ground and the heavy desk that was placed in the middle of the room. Behind artful folding screen stood beds.
To one of these beds Aswe led Marla. She took a little bottle from a shelf and then pointed at the bed and said to Marla: 'Up.', who didn't understand. She sniffed at the bed. Only after Aswe patted the top of the had with her flat hand, Marla climbed on the bed.
Is seemed that Aswe was happy with her, because she offered Marla food. A piece of meat, to wich she had applied liquid from the little bottle. Marla remembered Aswe's scary face when she wanted to take the water bottle earlier, so she hesitated shortly before approaching the meat. The delicious smell made her realized how horribly hungry she was. Aswe did not disapprove her action. So, she devoured the food happily without paying attention to the strange taste that mingled on the meat.
Eating the food made her calm down. "Poor Girl. ", the elfess looked at her with a sad expression in her eyes. So, Marla replied with as sad sound, to show she too felt that way.
"I know girl. It is time for sleep." said Aswe, when Marla yawned loudly. Before curling up on the bed and drifting off into deep slumber Marla thought that she should climb down and find a good place to rest. At the large desk or hidden under the bed seemed like a good rest place to Marla. But her whole body felt to heavy to move, and her mind felt tired, to tired to stay awake.
The elfess waited some more minutes with folded arms and a serious expression on her face. The feral woman began to snore loudly in her sleep.
Aswe nodded to herself, getting to work on treating Marla‘s injuries: Old burn wounds, the wound in the leg, weapon cuts form the pirates and abrasions form having being dragged along the floor. She cleaned the wounds, applied some purple coloured healing potion and changed the bandages and cursed the man who captured Marla in elvish language: „Bidukan you manure breathing bastard...“.

An excerpt from a certain elfess' diary


Marla... Marla is a girl who has been failed. Failed by her parents (if they are not dead) and failed by humanity (which is not surprising) ever look at this girl inspires pity in me. This wretched girl, when i first laid eyes on her, was covered in filth and bandages. and filth on thoser bandages. Stricken with burns and wounds. But her spirit did not flicker for the pain.
To those who read this, hopefully long after my death or departure, Marla is a young girl. I could not guess the age of, who has been raised by wolves, or appears to have been. She affects mannerisms, some lupine and some canine, in essence she appears to be a dog girl.

Alongside the pity, which any reasonable soul must hold for this girl i am met with vexation too, for how she has been treated, not only by Jefferson's lickspittles, of whom i would expect such recusable cruelty, but also by the feculent simpletons of Galmair who preach ideas of charity, protection and ironically 'humanity' - Beaten, left to thirst and hunger in a barely lit cell, untreated wounds. It is a wonder how she is not dead. Even to put this to parchment fills me with a certain type of waspishness i have not felt in some time. Bidukan and his ilk shall certainly pay for this. Among other crimes. If not by my hand, then by their god's.

Upon my injury, of which i have written upon these pages and will not repeat, i was struck with a great amount of ill temper, confusion, forgetfulness and despair, and am sometimes struck still. In the process of recovery, recuperation and recollection i saw a great long life i have led. almost two thousands of years, a puncheon of hardship and a thimbleful of kindness both doled out to be, and given back by me.I realise i do not enjoy the person that i once was, the person i can recall, the person i see moving my hands, tongue and knuckles in the hazy ghost that is my past. I do not wish to be that Aswe any longer, though my previous incarnation has.. salted the earth significantly in this regard, Allesandra, the woman who saved my life upon that aforementioned injury appears to wish she walked on and left me to bleed, and knowing what i know of myself now, i would not blame her. To see me as an hideous beast is praxis and rightfully so.

I Do wish to improve myself. To make myself the beter elf, one whom i know i can be. helping this dolorous ill-starred girl will be the first step. If only we could communicate.