Pariah (BlackBlood)

[FavoredFox]

The sound of crunching pine nettles and snapping twigs broke the relative silence of the pine forest. Bare, calloused feet darted over pebbles and sticks without caution, and filthy hands reached out to catch himself against the trunks of trees. The young man, clad in what could only be a potato sack with holes torn in it for his arms and head, panted softly as he came to a slow stop with barely contained pants. Long, wild, gnarled green hair whipped against his face as Niko jerked his head to stare back at the forest behind him.

Niko pursed his chapped lips together and forced his lungs to pause in their desperate fight for sustenance, so he could watch, and listen.

....

Nothing. The man nearly fell to his knees as relief forced his trapped breath into the air with a loud 'Pwah!' The group that had been chasing him since before dawn had either lost his trail or finally decided to just go home. The 'Filthy Spell Beggar' wasn't worth a full days hunt it appeared. The slur for the abomination of a human mage had lost its damaging effects a long time ago. He was sure he was called that at least twice as much as his real name.

The short man rested his forehead on a hand still resting over ridged bark. The moss usually covering them was beginning to die as fall began to genocide of foliage. Emerald eyes fluttered shut, and he strongly considered just curling up against this tree and falling asleep; but he knew better. He took one more deep breath, steadied himself, and continued walking on at an even pace. On a warm spring night, he may have fallen into a light doze, but he was too exposed now.

Dappled light streaked through the webbing of pine needles, lighting his way through the thickest part of the forest. Glancing up, he could see the sky through the gaps in the canopy. A brilliant ocean of blue hanging high above him; not a single cloud in the sky... Yet the air was heavy and thick with moisture. A storm was coming. He needed to find shelter.

With more haste in his steps, the short man continued to the tree line. He wasn't sure how long he was jogging, or even where he was going, but it seemed to Niko to be only moments before the world began to darken. Cumulus clouds built up in that floating sea, masking the sun and casting a dull grey shadow across the land. A rumble of thunder turned his gait into an all out run. He only just managed to reach the edge of the forest when the clouds unleashed their burdens onto the world below. In an instant Niko was drenched in rain; mud dribbling down his skin. The storm created a dragon's roar as it muted out all other sounds. He shivered, gazing out wide eyed into the clear acres of land stretched out before him.

Niko lifted his hands and roughly scrubbed them over his eyes before looking again. He wasn't imagining it! A gigantic building stood just a few yards away. Only the silhouette could be made out through the fog of rain, but the lights in the windows caused an inviting glow that had him moving forward thoughtlessly. It started slow, then picked back up into a run. Faster and faster. The soles of his feet slid on the freshly cut grass, making Niko scramble and flail to keep his balance without stopping.

CLANG

The man's yelp was muffled as he bounced back, holding his hands over his face while glaring accusingly at the metal fence blocking his way. He pulled his hands back to check for blood, but even if he were bleeding, nature's tears would have washed it away before he got the chance to look.

Niko glanced up, then began the slippery task of climbing the obstacle, only to fall face first into a mud puddle on the other side with a resounding splash. smeared from head to toe in wet soil, Niko pushed himself up with a pained grown. An old injury flared up in his right leg, but he ignored it. The human mage stumbled through the grey static, arms out stretched to feel his way around. He followed the line of hedges and the paths made of smooth stone tiles through what he supposed was a garden. Niko thanked what ever deity decided to toss him a bone today, when he came across a wooden shed.

Feeling around, Niko eventually found the door, the handle, and the lock keeping it shut. So he waited, and he waited. Holding the lock in his slick palms, his exposed skin going numb from the sheer force of the rain, and the cold was beginning to turn his lips an icy blue. A bolt of lightning streaked across the sky, and the second the thunder began Niko muttered something under his breath, and the lock exploded with a loud boom drowned out by the storm. Throwing open the doors Niko jumped inside, slamming them shut behind him.

It was even harder to see in the shed; pitch black interrupted by the occasional lightning strike. It didn't matter, he was too tired to explore. Niko carefully crouched down to crawl across the floor to find a corner to curl up in. He ended up behind an assortment of hanging tools, huddled tightly into the conjoining walls. His mud sodden burlap sack squished as he pulled up his legs and wrapped his arms tightly around himself for warmth; with little success. He shivered endlessly, and his stomach twisted in pain to remind Niko that it had been days since his last meal; but, he focused on the pattering of rain against his sanctuary, and fell into a light sleep. A doze. Always ready to run.

 

[BlackBlood]

Atsuko had been working in the study of his family's home, the light flickering as he watched the storm rolling in beyond the slightly parted curtains. It was overdue and seemed to have been building over the last few days- something that had made it so the others had gone out to finish any business the had that required travel. He rarely left the house, and usually when he did it was to go out and get one of the others out of trouble. He was glad he had no reason to go out this time.

Pale fingers diligently worked over the pages of the ancient tome he was studying for reference. The magic in it was archaic and held spells used to heal, revive, dispell and even a few defensive works that could technically be revised into halfway decent attack spells if one pushed them. Nearby, however, was a book with a different sort of collection- one that no one in the family knew he studied- despite the nearly seven hundred volumes of such works that were in the patriarch's library. This family did not lack in the 'darker' arts of play- the entire property was rigged with spells that specialized in capturing invaders alive and dragging them into the basement dungeon for play...

It was due to this that when Atsuko's blue and jade eyes caught sight of a shadow on their land moving towards the garden shed that his golden brow arched slightly and a small smirk played over his lips. Well... it seemed another had somehow slipped past the defenses, and those were always interesting. He closed the tome and moved away from the large windows to head downstairs. That blue stoned staff that never left his reach was quickly and deftly pulled into his grasp as he moved. He used a minor spell to turn his cape into a hooded cloak and drew up the hood before heading out into the rain...

He moved silently along the path which took him to the shed, all the plants moving to try and gain his attention, more awake with the rain feeding them. He stroked the vines and lightly ran clawed fingertips over the petals of the roses... which almost seemed to plead with him to not walk by... They would not dare to try and entrap one of the Black Bloods without an invitation to do so, but they stroked his clothing and had their own ways of making it known that they wanted his undivided attention.

By the time he reached the shed most of the garden was upset that he was not outside for them and were starting to pay attention to the thing which held the tools used to care for them.. while a few of the tools were disliked, the instinctive awareness that he might be there to work on them had the plants shivering in anticipation- till he opened the door and tilted his head slightly as if looking at someone inside- which he was.

"Well, now... this is not the warmest spot you could have taken to- nor the safest," He commented softly as he brought the brightness of that stone a it higher so they could see each other. "Come time for you to leave, the garden may have started to notice your presence- and I do believe a few of the meat-eating plants are hungry...." He offered his hand, "I don't have to guess at the roses- I do not believe Masami has let them have his blood in a few days now. What is your name? I am Atsuko- Atsuko Manning..." He offered softly, "I can get you safely into the manor... as my guest... and it looks like you could use some clothes as well."

 

[FavoredFox]

A few minutes, that was all the rest he managed. Despite sleep deprivation, green eyes were bright and alert the moment they snapped open. Deep, rattling thunder was muted by the heavy thudding of his heart against his sternum and disrupting his breath. Niko could feel the surrounding foliage springing to life, could hear their excitement in tiny voices mewling in the back of his mind. Plants had never reacted to him, but when they were willing to speak he would listen, even if the voices were too tiny to make out.

Tension pulled at the miserable creature's muscles, bunching them up in preparation. The heavy raindrops colliding with the shingled roof masked any sound or smell from the outside. He was deaf and blind, and he'd cornered himself. Filthy, broken nails began to claw at the wooden wall in a frantic search for a loose or broken board but found none. Niko hissed through his teeth as the door began to open, and just before his predator came into view, the small mage snatched up a pair of shears and pointed it forward between hanging rakes.

Niko flinched as the light drew up, his pupils tightly contracting until an ache formed in their sockets, but he refused to shut his eyes completely. Squinting through green lashes, his muddy, rounded face twisted into an animalistic snarl as he slowly lifted himself onto the balls of his feet, his shoulders hunching. A frightened, cornered beast.

The man, Atsuko, spoke to him in a kind tone, and a low, warning growl scratched at his throat. It had been a long, long time since he trusted kindness. It was never free, and usually a trap, but the threat of hungry plant life kept him from dismissing him entirely. At least, not until he was free of the garden. The young man was silent for several long moments; calculating his chances and evaluating risks. Then, finally, his dry, cracked lips parted, but rather than words a strange gargle came out.

Matted eyebrows pinched together while he opened and closed his mouth and rolled his tongue, continuing to make interesting sounds. A voice unused for years. A question that hadn't been asked in longer. Niko hissed again, his calloused palms kneading the smooth wooden handles of his makeshift defense.

What... What was his name?

Confusion clouded his eyes as he searched the recesses of his memories. To long before. To when he had a name. To when it wasn't Abomination. Then, a moment of clarity. Tattered toes curled, broken nails bending against the ground. His mouth opened wide, jaw stretching. Another scratching noise, his face contorted, then finally, "Neeeeeee-" He smacked his lips, "Koooo." Drying mud crumbled from his lips as they pursed. "Ni-ko," he managed, the single word distorted. Like a toddler doing it's best to speak its first word.

Despite answering, the small man didn't move from his spot and didn't lower the blades. Fear kept him rooted. Instinct told him to wait for a chance to flee.

 

[BlackBlood]

Atsuko tilted his head as the other remained put, that blond hair sliding partly before those jade and blue eyes which studied the other. It seemed he was human... maybe one of those mages the idiots kept trying to destroy. It was not something he agreed with- nor the rest of his family, but no matter who took rulership it almost seemed like the world had to hate some group or another. With a soft sigh he looked to the ground and then back up. He would have to try and show he was no threat, and that was easier said than done with most.

He lowered into a crouch to put himself at the other's level, "Hello, Neko. It is nice to meet you. I have no doubt that the other.... creatures... out there were acting as idiots- they tend to like being such. However, I am not going to harm you. I can sense your magic- I can also tell you are human. These two things make most beings stupid instantly... but as you can see, I am not going to attack- after all, I am a dragon... if I had wanted to do so, I would not be where you are, and would not be in this form." He smiled faintly, "I see no reason to fear you, since the chance that you may actually know something that could harm me is very small... I am willing to teach you more... because one thing I have noticed is those who are taught do not tend to want to destroy those who taught them without provocation of some sort, mm?"

He offered his hand again. "What I offer instead of intolerance and stupidity are lessons, food, shelter and clothing. Would you like this? You can even stay in the hall that is mine- you needn't meet or speak with the rest of my family when they return unless you wish to."

He expanded the protective globe of light from his rod so that if and when Neko took the offer they could walk together and not get rained on.