Gray
Dedicated
Roleplay posts: 125
Registered: Jul 2, 2021 10:00:37 GMT -5
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Post by Gray on Dec 31, 2023 18:52:37 GMT -5
Something of value on him...“Why, thank you, doctor, it is quite a nice cloak.” Gray winked. He was not quite sure if the woman had meant something else. But the man had practice in seeming human and charming. “Have to be careful,” he added, brushing the cloak's surface. “With the feathers. Things can get easily broken.”
Surely Anastasia would understand. That they could not afford to show undue familiarity in public. Just two weeks ago, one of the Angel-Touched that he knew, had mysteriously disappeared.
“Hinin.” He explained. “That is what you would have been. Non-human. Not due to your nature – due to your occupation. Like an actor, a prostitute, a butcher.” Gray's voice was its usual atonal, emotionless self. “Or an executioner. In both of our cases, it would be due to us being too close to death.” He would have never been permitted to visit a shrine. His soul was part of the sacrifice expected of him in his position. “To step onto my shadow was to be defiled.” He raised his hand towards the flames and, without looking, stretched his fingers such that their shadow would be projected onto Anastasia's shoulder. The shadow of a touch. “Yet even then, I trust I would have seen you.” He said. Seen her remarkable self. That he could use, as he now did. “I cannot say that I dislike the changes,” he spoke, with the shadow of a smile. “The sun gets closer to the horizon here than I am used to; shadows are impractically long in these lands.”
That was Gray's idea of a joke.
It occurred to Gray that, despite the layers of misdirection he wove around himself, Anastasia's insight cut right through him. It was something he liked about the woman. He had never cared much about the Emperor. He knew about courtly rites only as much as he needed to counter the Onmyōji, the magicians of high order. But he had dedicated his life to the Duke and the clocktower (now he could think of it without screaming, as long as did so glancingly and with care). Her advice on being able to choose what he valued was well-timed.
...had he blanked out? Anastasia's hand held his, warm and delicate over his glove. He twisted his hand to be perpendicular with the ground and slightly raised it, such that it would appear more as an emotional gesture on her part than a familiar one to anyone watching.
“Those are good thoughts.” He spoke. And he let go.
Gray was not stupid. He knew that when Anastasia spoke of things better left in the past, she probably included among them his secretive nature. He stared in the fire. His job as a spymaster was not something he could crumple and leave behind whenever inconvenient. In truth, he did not wish for that. He kept the memory of her touch like a light in his palm, though the brightness of the doctor's wit warmed her even more.
“I think I enjoy most the kind of rituals that represent challenges.” Gray spoke after some time for thought. “I would like to bring back firewalking to my current country. Nina suggested diving, too...” Gray gestured with his mug of mead in the direction of the sea. He needed to check in with Qori for their ideas (so long as they did not involve orgies), and he needed to involve Piper, even though that girl's condition couldn't have her throwing herself into near-freezing water. The Azure Coast needed their own traditions; their own identity. They needed to bond.
“I suppose I want to continue expressing the hope that comes from courage and mastery over one's own self.” To his surprise, he was genuine. “Do you think having both the firewalking and the diving would be medically safe?”
Gray ate his pastry. He thought of how much work had been put into that shapeless little piece. Of how much work Anastasia put into keeping people alive, and how most of what he knew involved breaking people. There was so much he needed to learn.
“Are you all right, doctor? You seemed a touch...distracted, at times.”
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Lady Naoki
Dedicated
Roleplay posts: 345
Appearance: Naoki is a curvaceous woman of average height, indeterminate age, and catlike features. Her hair is a dark auburn, often pulled back into a long braid. Her ears are both soft and fluffy, and her tail is never less than perfectly groomed.
Allegiances: New Isra
Place of Residence: Port Argentium
Registered: Mar 16, 2021 22:31:18 GMT -5
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Post by Lady Naoki on Feb 14, 2024 18:54:09 GMT -5
Yuletide, this celebration is new to the Pchelinaya. Holidays are not something they usually celebrate. They have small joyous occasions but nothing quite like the scale of this. The winter times are a hard time for her people. Many are too ill-equipped to venture outside the hive during this time of year. The Pchelinaya keep warm within the hive by vibrating their wings to generate heat. The efforts of dozens stave off the freezing temperature. This year seems to mark a different advantage for Queen Qathreens people. The deal between Lady Naoki and her has been prosperous. She has gifted the Pchelinaya furs and wool to create thicker clothing with. To thank her for her efforts, the queen and her dedicated workers have been hard at work creating a thank-you gift. As Queen Qathreen ties the final bow on the gift-wrapped item, she turns to her most faithful diplomat Saxi. "Are you ready to visit Lady Naoki? It has been quite some time since we last saw her. I hear there will be other important citizens at this festive celebration. I think it would be beneficial to make ourselves known to them too. If they are a friend of Lady Naoki then they will be a friend of ours." She smiles warmly at Saxi. "I heard a nasty folklore of this thing called Snowkeeper. The story goes that if you do not keep warm, he will come in the cold of night and take you to grind into snow to become his new snow wife." The queen herself even seems excited to participate in the holly cheers of Yuletide. The mysterious gift is wrapped in patterned wax wrappings with a large decorative bow to tie it together. Weeks have been spent making this item to ensure its proper size. She is thankful that Lady Naoki has lent them a messenger close to Naoki's size. This will make transporting the gifts much easier. The queen loads the messenger's bag with the present, before wrapping herself up in a thick puffy coat stuffed with cotton and lined with fur. The coat white as snow hangs down to Queen Qathreen's ankles. The sheer size and puffiness of the coat make the queen resemble that of a marshmallow. She doesn't seem to mind though, so long as it keeps her dry and warm. She takes a knitted scarf and wraps it around Saxi. "I can't have you getting frostbite, my dear. Keep yourself warm as we mingle with the tall ones." Much like a mother, she walks around Saxi making sure the Pchelinaya is as bundled as can be. The only downside to this winter attire is the inability to use their wings. Luckily the two can hitch a ride on the messenger of the tall ones. The two quickly make their way in time for the ongoing festivities. She scans the area taking in the faces of everyone there. She'll introduce herself to those faces later, the only face she's looking for is Lady Naoki's. After seeing the familiar cat ears among the crowd, she makes her way over sitting regally on the messenger's shoulder. Her fuzzy legs can be seen peeking out from underneath the enormous coat. Each of her six legs ended with a wool-lined boot. "Lady Naoki, good Yuletide to you. I heard that it is accustom to bring a gift during this holiday. I have brought a gift for you not only for this splendid occasion but to thank you for the help you have given my people." She stands and curtsies. The entire lower half of her face seems to disappear into the neck of the coat when she stands. Lady Naoki cuts an unobtrusive path through the Yuletide festivities. Bundled up in her largest coat, she meanders around the edges of the celebration, occasionally exchanging season’s greetings with those that address her. Often in previous years, she would give a speech, speaking to the spirit of the season, the state of the city, and other such matters. This year, she didn’t feel like it, and so hasn’t. Expectations placed on her have lessened in some respects, and in this manner, she’ll take advantage of it. In her meandering, Lady Naoki finds herself approached by the page she designated to be messenger for the Pchelinaya. His shoulders are occupied by none other than Queen Qathreen herself and the Ambassador Saxi. Seeing them, Lady Naoki nods respectfully, and listens as Queen Qathreen speaks her bit. “A good Yuletide to you as well,” she replies, looking to each of them in turn. “I’m glad you could make it to the festivities — and that you didn’t encounter The Snowkeeper on the way here.” At this, she smirks slightly. It is a jest.
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Ms. Tilly Vanderbilt
Established
Roleplay posts: 37
Age: now now, it's rude to ask a woman her age
Appearance: From her flaming locks to her sultry hazel eyes, Miss Vanderbilt is an extraordinary woman. She is of average height at about 5'5 and weighs about, oh that's a secret. The boys usually have a bad habit of looking at something other than her eyes. Her body is well maintained and often compared to that of a dancer.
Equipment: She wears black sleek clothing that hugs her curves and a pair of long gloves to avoid touching things with her bare hands. Tilly is the type of person who enjoys adding a little bit of color to her outfits. Her favorite piece of clothing is always the fur shawl she wears if the day isn't too humid. Along her hip sits a rapier finely polished and ready to pierce whatever is in range.
Skills and Abilities: Tilly comes from a family of merit and from that family learned to efficiently use her rapier. Her rapier a gift from her late father just before his passing. She hones her abilities of agility and elegance similar to a rose. People see her beauty but not the thorns that will prick their skin. It's not their fault there, Tilly can be quite the sweet talker and often talks her way out of tight corners.
Biography: Matilda Vanderbilt born into a wealthy merchant family is now off on her own. She dreams of one day owning a boat with her own crew. The wind in the hair, the smell of salt in her nostrils, and the freedom of adventure. She was never meant to have a desk job and sit around all day. Tilly currently is in the business of handling other people's money. She dreams often about the sound of coins clanking together and hoping one day those will be her coins.
Registered: Mar 24, 2021 15:54:47 GMT -5
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Post by Ms. Tilly Vanderbilt on Feb 19, 2024 23:50:44 GMT -5
Captain Frankie grabbed the hand that clasped her shoulder and twirled her red headed friend around once, then pulled her in close with Tilly’s back to the half goblin’s tummy. “Buy me a drink-” She twirled her again, pushing a little and leaning back, holding the human’s hand as the stood out stretched “Buy me a home-” Then she pulled her close and let go, only to put her hand around Tilly’s waist. “Buy me the whole world.” She planted a small, mischievous kiss on her lips and grinned. “Nothing holds a candle to your company.” She gave a wink then let the human go, but not after a pinch to her rear. “Glad you could join the party, Fussy Boots!” she said with that wide, slightly crazed grin the goblins got when they were starting to get a little too exited. She wasn't there yet, but she'd succumbed to the goblin craze twice in Tilly’s company, one when the crew had a game of deck ball, which ended in absolute chaos and laughs, and another time that ended up with both of them on the floor of her cabin, thoroughly exhausted to the point of being unable to move. The goblin looked to the cart and grinned even wider. “Yeah, that’s the project I was keeping secret. Wasn’t sure if it was gonna work, but whaddya know, the Captain’s always right after all.” That grin shifted to one of pride. Her retirement plan was moving forward, perhaps far too early, but successful so far none the less. At the mention of buying her a drink though, the captain scowled slightly. “Psh, no crew member of mine’s buying their booze tonight, Fussy Britches. There’s a loada kegs back on the ship for the boys, its the first batch, meant for sharin’!” She turned and stood beside Tilly, then bumped her hip against hers. “And after what you did last night, I think I owe ya.” Another wink, then she raised her mug which she had somehow not spilled even a drop of. Then again, with her reputation, it was likely a well practiced feat. “Besides, I already got one. C’mon, we’ll get you all liquored up, that’ll be fun as hell.” With a mischievous laugh, she set off for the Goblin Brews booze cart, pulling Tilly along by her hand. She had just pulled a fresh pint and handed it to Tilly when that beautiful word carried over the winds and straight to her ears - ‘Tits’ - quickly followed by the name of her ship. She raised an eyebrow at Tilly. “Give that a taste. Lemme see what this is about…” Then looked to the man who’d addressed her, and promptly grinned. He wasn’t one of hers, but she knew of him, and she quickly gestured for the barkeep to pour him a pint, on the house. “One ale coming up, as quickly as…” the barkeep looked the orc over. “Orcly possible. C’mon, humanly? Psh.” With that, he began his pour. Frankie scrambled down from the bar, mug still in hand. “First of all, the Green Queen’s the ship, not me. I’m a Captain, better than any queen.” Then she looked up at the Orc, her grin flashing both her goblin teeth and the stubby little tusks of her own, the mark of a true half orc, half goblin. As if her height wasn’t the main indicator of her only being half a Goblin. Though… she was still quite short. “Second of all, hellooooo tall, Green, and Handsome,” she said before sticking out her hand. “Captain Fran’garaz, or Frankie to the humans around here.” She sized him up once more, then decided that he was indeed who she thought he was. “And you’re Lugurk.” Those words weren’t said in Common though, instead she’d slipped into fluent Orcish. A gutteral, brutal language, but one most greenskins were happy to hear. It certainly wasn’t as quick or complex as Goblin-speak tended to be. “The Barkeep in town, I’m going to assume. The craft is new to me, I will admit, but it is something I’ve wanted to do for a long time. Some would call my profession Trade Baron, but without trade…” She shrugged. “I’ve had to start my retirement plans early. So far so good.” Then she slipped back into Common again, to ensure her companion understood her. “And this fine young lady is Ms. Tilly Vanderbilt of none other than the Vanderbilt merchant family. Now, she’s a valued, hard working member of my crew, a wonderful friend, and-” She looked from Tilly to Lugruk. “A little bit more.” Wink. “It’s a pleasure, my fine purveyor of even finer drinks,” she then said with a slight bow. “I was hoping we’d cross paths somewhere. Good luck that its here, eh?” "I would buy you the stars if I could. You shine brighter than all of those twinkling lights up there." She kisses the goblin back. "You always know how to flatter me. Who knew it was a woman after all this time that could treat me right." She let herself get dragged along by Frankie. Tilly didn't know when was the right moment to give Frankie her gift. One minute she had the lovely goblin to herself, and the next surrounded by the holly and jolly of others looking for a good drink. Tilly takes the pint from her and gulps it down in record time. She wipes the foam from her mouth with the back of her hand. Tilly could feel something bubbling up. The pint went down smooth but something else is coming up. Tilly held her stomach and lets out a loud belch. The elegant lady always thought of herself as refined, and this was far from it. The burp causes Tilly to crack up in a fit of laughter. It's Yuletide, who the fuck cares how lady like she is. Everyone is going to be shit faced by the end of the night. "What is this stuff? It's like ambrosia, or maybe I've just had shitty alcohol. Whatever this is, it's the stuff of gods from what I can taste." "Well hello tall green and hot" She commented at Lugruk the same time Frankie does. It seems great minds think alike. Lugruk from what she's heard has opened up a new bar right here in town. Maybe she'll have a go at it when the time's right. Tilly doesn't shy away from a good bar, but not when it's packed like sardines. She listens to the two talk in their native tongues. The sounds are harsh and fierce in her ears. They might just be talking about the weather but to her it sounds like they could start a fight at any moment. Tilly curtsies as she's introduced, "Tilly Vanderbilt, pleasure to make your acquaintance. Though the Vanderbilt family is nothing but smithereens now. Merchant money don't mean much when no one has a use for it anymore." Tilly changes the subject. The past is a drab, better to live in the now. "We'll have to find some time to stop by your bar. I've been hearing nothing but good things. Happy Yuletide to you! Let's go get you another drink. I frankly need one too"
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Queen Qathreen
Established
Roleplay posts: 12
Appearance: The queen of the Pchelinaya appears most insect-like of the entire colony. She stands regal with her wings tucked into her backside. Her skin is a yellow tint with black striped markings. She wears a long gold dress that is sleek against her figure and in her dark hair sits a light crown to display her nobility. She stands 6inches tall.
Registered: Nov 27, 2021 1:57:11 GMT -5
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Post by Queen Qathreen on Feb 20, 2024 0:13:06 GMT -5
Yuletide, this celebration is new to the Pchelinaya. Holidays are not something they usually celebrate. They have small joyous occasions but nothing quite like the scale of this. The winter times are a hard time for her people. Many are too ill-equipped to venture outside the hive during this time of year. The Pchelinaya keep warm within the hive by vibrating their wings to generate heat. The efforts of dozens stave off the freezing temperature. This year seems to mark a different advantage for Queen Qathreens people. The deal between Lady Naoki and her has been prosperous. She has gifted the Pchelinaya furs and wool to create thicker clothing with. To thank her for her efforts, the queen and her dedicated workers have been hard at work creating a thank-you gift. As Queen Qathreen ties the final bow on the gift-wrapped item, she turns to her most faithful diplomat Saxi. "Are you ready to visit Lady Naoki? It has been quite some time since we last saw her. I hear there will be other important citizens at this festive celebration. I think it would be beneficial to make ourselves known to them too. If they are a friend of Lady Naoki then they will be a friend of ours." She smiles warmly at Saxi. "I heard a nasty folklore of this thing called Snowkeeper. The story goes that if you do not keep warm, he will come in the cold of night and take you to grind into snow to become his new snow wife." The queen herself even seems excited to participate in the holly cheers of Yuletide. The mysterious gift is wrapped in patterned wax wrappings with a large decorative bow to tie it together. Weeks have been spent making this item to ensure its proper size. She is thankful that Lady Naoki has lent them a messenger close to Naoki's size. This will make transporting the gifts much easier. The queen loads the messenger's bag with the present, before wrapping herself up in a thick puffy coat stuffed with cotton and lined with fur. The coat white as snow hangs down to Queen Qathreen's ankles. The sheer size and puffiness of the coat make the queen resemble that of a marshmallow. She doesn't seem to mind though, so long as it keeps her dry and warm. She takes a knitted scarf and wraps it around Saxi. "I can't have you getting frostbite, my dear. Keep yourself warm as we mingle with the tall ones." Much like a mother, she walks around Saxi making sure the Pchelinaya is as bundled as can be. The only downside to this winter attire is the inability to use their wings. Luckily the two can hitch a ride on the messenger of the tall ones. The two quickly make their way in time for the ongoing festivities. She scans the area taking in the faces of everyone there. She'll introduce herself to those faces later, the only face she's looking for is Lady Naoki's. After seeing the familiar cat ears among the crowd, she makes her way over sitting regally on the messenger's shoulder. Her fuzzy legs can be seen peeking out from underneath the enormous coat. Each of her six legs ended with a wool-lined boot. "Lady Naoki, good Yuletide to you. I heard that it is accustom to bring a gift during this holiday. I have brought a gift for you not only for this splendid occasion but to thank you for the help you have given my people." She stands and curtsies. The entire lower half of her face seems to disappear into the neck of the coat when she stands. Lady Naoki cuts an unobtrusive path through the Yuletide festivities. Bundled up in her largest coat, she meanders around the edges of the celebration, occasionally exchanging season’s greetings with those that address her. Often in previous years, she would give a speech, speaking to the spirit of the season, the state of the city, and other such matters. This year, she didn’t feel like it, and so hasn’t. Expectations placed on her have lessened in some respects, and in this manner, she’ll take advantage of it. In her meandering, Lady Naoki finds herself approached by the page she designated to be messenger for the Pchelinaya. His shoulders are occupied by none other than Queen Qathreen herself and the Ambassador Saxi. Seeing them, Lady Naoki nods respectfully, and listens as Queen Qathreen speaks her bit. “A good Yuletide to you as well,” she replies, looking to each of them in turn. “I’m glad you could make it to the festivities — and that you didn’t encounter The Snowkeeper on the way here.” At this, she smirks slightly. It is a jest. "We would be arriving as icicles if that were the case, pray that we do not meet him on the way back." The queen nods to the messenger for Naoki's gift. The gift is wrapped in a flower patterned wax parchment and tied together daintly with a bow. Contained within are a few scented candles made with wax from Queen Qathreen's colony. The scents are oils extracted from the various flora around her hive such as lavender, lilac, and sage. "This is my first Yuletide. We do not have many holidays but the one that compares the closest is the Spring festival. We exchange gifts and celebrate the bringing of new life. We are usually dormant during this period of cold. It is unusual for us to venture out of the hive and for some this is their first time experiencing snow. We have seen snowfall but have never touched the white puffs of ice. Some of my children are even making snow Pchelinaya as we speak. They have such creativity. I've read in my research of this elixir that your kind partakes when it becomes cold. I wish to sample it if that is possible. I believe they called it a hot chocolate. This confuses me as it is a liquid but as I remember, chocolate is a solid. Regardless, I feel such glee to be partaking this holiday with you and your people. It seems many of them enjoy partaking in the fermented yeast beverage. Such fun to be had." Queen Qathreen doesn't drink, she needs to uphold her status as a ruler. To be truthful, she has never had a proper drink. Sometimes she does sample some fermented honey to ensure the quality of the mead she delivers is good.
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Anastasia Vulpin
Committed
Roleplay posts: 60
Appearance: Anastasia is a curious case. Not much is known of who she used to be, or even how much of her body is the original owner’s, or even human, as she had been remade and rebuilt by one Doctor Vulpin after finding her shattered remains. Thankfully the good doctor had the sense to replace and rebuild her former, broken body with parts from other women, instead of mixing and matching with whatever or whoever was convenient.
The doctor, however, did not take much stock in the tones of each part, which left Anastasia with a variable palette of skin tones. Each replacement part, bordered by a myriad of stitches, sports the colour of their original owner, from the palest to the darkest skinned individual, to a handful of more colourful tones, such as blue and green from the doctor’s non-human stock.
Though patchwork, the doctor seemed to have a good eye, as Anastasia could be considered good looking, if one could look past all the stitches and patches of mismatched skin. Though hidden behind a mask most of the time, she sports defined features, from carefully chosen cheekbones, a smaller nose, and a well shaped jaw line. Her mouth is split down the middle, and often pulled into a big, long grin, showing off a set of pearly whites. Thankfully, Vulpin had the sense to make these parts match, except for one of Anastasia’s canines, that looks far longer than her others.
As the finishing touch on her face, her eyes are ironically full of life, even if one is blue and the other green, at least one belonging to someone else before it was gifted to Anastasia.
She has a limber, athletic build, one built for the ease of efficient movement, and it allows the patchwork woman to climb, crawl, and otherwise move with grace, not unlike a circus acrobat.
Her body is also home to a great number of secrets. On the outside, she seems fairly straight forward, she looks like any other human just with different coloured skin across her body. The doctor needed more than just a regular old human though, which has lended itself to several changes in her body’s build. Her fingers, for instance, seem normal when in gloves, but each of her fingers is able to split in two, effectively giving her ten digits on either hand.
As for her clothing, she wears whatever she can get her hands on or whatever Vulpin gives her. Her favourite outfit however, is one of many colours, not unlike herself. The outfit must have belonged to a circus at one point, as the top left her arms and shoulders exposed, and only really covered her chest and the sides of her neck. The material over one side of her chest is a rich purple, and the other side a deep gold, all complete with green stitching all the way around.
Her bottoms starts half way up her abdomen, the almost-corset like midsection is made up of a multi colored diamond shaped checkerboard that ends just past her rear, trimmed with little golden fronds. The legs are made up of several long strips of purple and gold material that bloom at the middle, and connect back together half way up her shin, and finally she wears a matching pair of boots.
Finally, her mask was gifted to her by Doctor Vulpin, though unlike his it ends half way down her face, and consists of a pair of feminine eye-holes and a long beak at her nose. Perhaps its his way of showing off his handiwork.
Equipment: Anastasia was remade for the purpose of assisting Doctor Vulpin in whatever it is he needed done, mostly around his surgery. She is usually equipped with tools given to her by the Doctor, such as knives, a bone saw, dental pliers, whatever she needs at the time.
She does, however, own a fairly ornate knife, one that she hides among the baggy strips that make up her trousers. This wasn’t given to her by the Doctor, however, instead its one she found while walking the beaches. The way the blade shone in the sunlight made it seem so pretty, so the patchwork woman decided to keep it.
Skills and Abilities: Anastasia has many skills gifted to her by her father, Doctor Vulpin. Most notably she is a skilled surgeon, not only because of Vulpin’s teachings, but also her fascination of what makes a body tick, as well as how to preserve parts of that body once it has stopped ticking.
Her rebuild and construction has left her limber and agile, a conscious choice by the Doctor, which has given her exceptional ease of movement and flexibility. As a result, her movements are quite graceful and with purpose, not unlike that of a circus gymnast.
Her additions at the hand of the Doctor each serve their own purpose as well, such as her extra fingers for greater dexterity while using tools.
Since her body is also made up of spare parts, those parts are highly replaceable, leaving her with an exceptional endurance. Those parts that do break can either be fixed or replaced. Some might think that with her constructed nature that she can’t necessarily feel pain, especially considering she doesn’t have much of an adverse reaction to such things, but that’s not the case. She can most certainly feel, but instead of being adverse to pain, she is fascinated by it, much like every other sensation she feels across her borrowed skin and muscle.
Allegiances: Doctor Vulpin
Registered: May 21, 2021 21:19:25 GMT -5
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Post by Anastasia Vulpin on Feb 25, 2024 11:55:51 GMT -5
Anastasia was indeed not talking about the cloak, but she knew Gray likely understood what she meant. He was her friend, absolutely, but what they got up to seemed to always exceed those boundaries. Last time it involved her being kidnapped by him. What an adventure that was, and while she didn’t really seemed to mind if once she figured out who had taken her, it did give her a better understanding of him trying to be distant.
Not that she would allow that.
“Hinin is better than freak. Monster. Weirdo,” she counted the names off of her gloved hand. “Abomination. Many seem to dispense with offensive names before anything else, but they usually change their mind when I’m reattaching their limbs.” She lowered her hand again. “But that would be based on my appearance, not my profession. Though… the ideas of an actor, prostitute, or butcher not being human seems… flawed.” She mused for a brief moment. “Entertainment. Physical comfort. Nourishment. These all seem very human to me. Natural. Required.”
She realised she’d gotten away from the point he was trying to make and centred her scattered mind once more. The point that he was experiencing the change that came forth with the new world. She almost felt his hand on her shoulder, despite it being a shadow, and instinctively leant into him a touch. “To change is more human than anything else,” she said in a small voice. “I choose to embrace this part of humanity, as I do the others. Nothing is the same as yesterday, and it’s wonderful.”
The patchwork woman huddled a bit further into her equally patchwork coat and nibbled at the end of her pastry a moment as she listened, before taking a much larger bite. It truly was delicious! Gray’s talk of rituals representing challenges made sense to her, but it wasn’t something she found much interest in. She much preferred the ideas of traditions being cozy, bright affairs, with plenty to do and see that made people feel good. Dinners with family, walks with friends, the exchanging of gifts and celebrating each other. Those were rituals she could get behind. Her thoughts remained wholesome, as the rituals Qori may have apparently suggested had never crossed her mind.
Before she could really speak her mind, she was presented with a question. She spoke almost immediately, taking no time to think about it. “No.” That was easy. She nibbled on her pastry again, then looked from the fire to Gray. “Walking near a fire, perhaps, but burns are not to be underestimated. I am very good at my profession, but burns require supplies we cannot spare. To take them on willingly would be… extremely foolish. I would treat these injuries, that will never be in doubt, but I would save our best supplies for those burnt in accidents, not because of traditions or rituals.”
“And diving…” she continued, then her grin faltered and a shudder came over her. Thoughts flashed over her eyes again, memories of being under water. Unlike the new memories she got when she experienced something new, the memories of those that she was made of reminding her that they’d experienced and seen these things before, the memories that plagued her of being underwater would come to her in her dreams and nightmares. They were her own memories.
She knew how she, or the previous she, had died - for the lack of a better term. The flashes of going overboard in a monster attack, the water flooding her lungs, and the horrible, cold, adrenaline pumping feeling of her torso being bit into. It was then she would wake and the memories would stop.
It felt like minutes, but it was again just a moment. The woman took in a deep breath and shook her head. “I cannot recommend diving…” she said as her grin corrected itself and returned to her lips. “Without supervision or equipment… there is a lot of risk…”
His next question had her place her hand on his thigh reassuringly. “I am fine,” she confirms. “It is a side effect of how I came to be. I…” she took a moment to figure out how to properly explain it, but it occurred to her that it’s actually very easy to explain. “I get memories, many of which do not belong to me, but instead I suspect those whose flesh was donated to create my body. Fragments of their spirits, or souls, for lack of more certain terms. Perhaps a magical byproduct? That I am unsure of, and I may not discover without amputating parts of my body and exploring them thoroughly. I am not about to do that until it becomes necessary.”
“Most of the time these memories are beneficial. They inform me how to do things, for example…” she lowered her voice a touch. “The first evening we spent together. These memories allowed me to better understand your body in less… medical terms. I could go into more details, but I fear they may be… graphic. Perhaps later.” She leaned back again and spoke in her normal voice. “Or how to cook certain recipes, or perform certain dances.”
“Sometimes, however, they are less than beneficial.” She looks back into the fire. “But I can use them to my advantage, they inform me on the nature of different fears that I do not hold myself. Experiences that I can treat better. These… more negative memories could lead someone down many paths, perhaps bitterness, hatred, fear… I choose to let them make me more empathetic.”
Her attention went back to Gray. “But they are mostly pleasant, despite the… inconvenience of when they occur. However they seem to last far longer in my head than in reality. Curious.”
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Gray
Dedicated
Roleplay posts: 125
Registered: Jul 2, 2021 10:00:37 GMT -5
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Post by Gray on Mar 8, 2024 16:30:00 GMT -5
It was a peaceful moment.
He felt the chill in his shoulders and the warmth in his face, and moved his toes to make sure he could. The pastry was crispy and sweet and filled him like a light; he normally did not have much of a sweet tooth, but it felt just right after the show. Best of all, he had company, and so he listened.
Bothers, hopes. Anastasia opened up. He still had the old reflexes in him – labelling weaknesses, figuring out how to manipulate, how to break. Yet it felt like that part of him was like the din of steps around them - in the background. For a moment, Gray could just be.
It wouldn't last. Yet that did not make it any less precious.
...what had happened? He was just about to explain fire-walking, wasn't he now, how it could be completely safe, but Anastasia seemed to freeze- Ah. He was an idiot, that was it.
Anastasia had shown him the drawing of her former body, mangled and drowned, on their first meeting. She had spoken of drowning as her first memories. Why had he expected it not to affect her? Perhaps because he had never before seen her so vulnerable.
'A wet cloth over the mouth and nose of the prisoner can elicit a sensation much similar to full submersion-'
“I apologize. I did not wish to cause you distress.” The man bowed. 'I have been thoughtless,' he wished to admit, but that would have implied too close of an acquaintance.
He thought of his own memories. Piecemeal; not all his. He had struggled so hard to understand people, something that had never come naturally to him. Often by breaking them. Until the line between self and other had blurred. Anastasia Vulpin had that naturally – and used it in much different ways.
“You are a good person.” He said. And it occurred to him, regardless of their connection, that he wanted to see Anastasia Vulpin grow, not due to some present lack but because it was in her nature, as one would enjoy watching the growth of a tree. “I imagine it might be challenging at times, keeping your sense of self, but I hope this world will provide good opportunities to form new memories.”
Not that she would get to grow much if she kept saying the wrong things. Had her memories never warned her to be subtle?! Gray almost wanted to laugh, to lean towards her and headbutt her. No, he supposed not. That would be his job.
“I beg your pardon, doctor. I must take my leave,” he said, standing up. Not now, however. Not that he was leaving because of what she'd said, not directly. “I have promised Nina that I would help with the paintings stand.” With them being non-Israns, even topping up firewood for the fire-pot was a significant chore. Casually, he took an inventory of the people around. He had finished the pastry; the mead he would just hand to someone.
In truth, it was about time he left. And he would have to socialize with a few other people, later, to ensure that his meeting with the doctor did not stand out.
“Merry Yuletide, doctor.” Gray said, and turned on his heels.
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Anastasia Vulpin
Committed
Roleplay posts: 60
Appearance: Anastasia is a curious case. Not much is known of who she used to be, or even how much of her body is the original owner’s, or even human, as she had been remade and rebuilt by one Doctor Vulpin after finding her shattered remains. Thankfully the good doctor had the sense to replace and rebuild her former, broken body with parts from other women, instead of mixing and matching with whatever or whoever was convenient.
The doctor, however, did not take much stock in the tones of each part, which left Anastasia with a variable palette of skin tones. Each replacement part, bordered by a myriad of stitches, sports the colour of their original owner, from the palest to the darkest skinned individual, to a handful of more colourful tones, such as blue and green from the doctor’s non-human stock.
Though patchwork, the doctor seemed to have a good eye, as Anastasia could be considered good looking, if one could look past all the stitches and patches of mismatched skin. Though hidden behind a mask most of the time, she sports defined features, from carefully chosen cheekbones, a smaller nose, and a well shaped jaw line. Her mouth is split down the middle, and often pulled into a big, long grin, showing off a set of pearly whites. Thankfully, Vulpin had the sense to make these parts match, except for one of Anastasia’s canines, that looks far longer than her others.
As the finishing touch on her face, her eyes are ironically full of life, even if one is blue and the other green, at least one belonging to someone else before it was gifted to Anastasia.
She has a limber, athletic build, one built for the ease of efficient movement, and it allows the patchwork woman to climb, crawl, and otherwise move with grace, not unlike a circus acrobat.
Her body is also home to a great number of secrets. On the outside, she seems fairly straight forward, she looks like any other human just with different coloured skin across her body. The doctor needed more than just a regular old human though, which has lended itself to several changes in her body’s build. Her fingers, for instance, seem normal when in gloves, but each of her fingers is able to split in two, effectively giving her ten digits on either hand.
As for her clothing, she wears whatever she can get her hands on or whatever Vulpin gives her. Her favourite outfit however, is one of many colours, not unlike herself. The outfit must have belonged to a circus at one point, as the top left her arms and shoulders exposed, and only really covered her chest and the sides of her neck. The material over one side of her chest is a rich purple, and the other side a deep gold, all complete with green stitching all the way around.
Her bottoms starts half way up her abdomen, the almost-corset like midsection is made up of a multi colored diamond shaped checkerboard that ends just past her rear, trimmed with little golden fronds. The legs are made up of several long strips of purple and gold material that bloom at the middle, and connect back together half way up her shin, and finally she wears a matching pair of boots.
Finally, her mask was gifted to her by Doctor Vulpin, though unlike his it ends half way down her face, and consists of a pair of feminine eye-holes and a long beak at her nose. Perhaps its his way of showing off his handiwork.
Equipment: Anastasia was remade for the purpose of assisting Doctor Vulpin in whatever it is he needed done, mostly around his surgery. She is usually equipped with tools given to her by the Doctor, such as knives, a bone saw, dental pliers, whatever she needs at the time.
She does, however, own a fairly ornate knife, one that she hides among the baggy strips that make up her trousers. This wasn’t given to her by the Doctor, however, instead its one she found while walking the beaches. The way the blade shone in the sunlight made it seem so pretty, so the patchwork woman decided to keep it.
Skills and Abilities: Anastasia has many skills gifted to her by her father, Doctor Vulpin. Most notably she is a skilled surgeon, not only because of Vulpin’s teachings, but also her fascination of what makes a body tick, as well as how to preserve parts of that body once it has stopped ticking.
Her rebuild and construction has left her limber and agile, a conscious choice by the Doctor, which has given her exceptional ease of movement and flexibility. As a result, her movements are quite graceful and with purpose, not unlike that of a circus gymnast.
Her additions at the hand of the Doctor each serve their own purpose as well, such as her extra fingers for greater dexterity while using tools.
Since her body is also made up of spare parts, those parts are highly replaceable, leaving her with an exceptional endurance. Those parts that do break can either be fixed or replaced. Some might think that with her constructed nature that she can’t necessarily feel pain, especially considering she doesn’t have much of an adverse reaction to such things, but that’s not the case. She can most certainly feel, but instead of being adverse to pain, she is fascinated by it, much like every other sensation she feels across her borrowed skin and muscle.
Allegiances: Doctor Vulpin
Registered: May 21, 2021 21:19:25 GMT -5
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Post by Anastasia Vulpin on Mar 17, 2024 11:30:56 GMT -5
The hand on Gray’s thigh squeezed as he apologised and the woman gently shook her head. “It’s okay,” she said in a quiet voice. “There are… pitfalls, when speaking to someone with a mind like mine. Some things are sensitive, things that would otherwise be inoffensive, unimportant, inconsequential, to most will spark things for me. There is no need to apologise for that, it is my burden to bare.”
With that, her hand slipped from Gray’s thigh and back into the warmth of her coat. “Thank you,” she said in reply to his compliment. “There is no challenge to my sense of self though. I did not have a sense of self until recently, just an amalgamation of different selves. Not until I realised that it is part of my sense of self. It’s growing, but there isn’t a challenge to it. Just excitement.” She leaned over for a moment and nudged her friend gently. “And I would like to think you are a good person too. It may not be the case, with your profession, but you are good to me. That is enough to be my friend, and the memories you have helped me make have been pleasant so far.”
It’s an honest truth for Anastasia. Gray had provided her with numerous deep, thought provoking conversations where she’d gleaned insights that nobody else would lead her to find. The perspective of a professional killer was more fascinating than fearful, and it gave her perspective on her own life. They were opposites in many cases, but when it came down to it, he was possibly her closest friend. The intimacy they shared was one she held quite dear only added to that.
She let out a small sigh and leaned back away from Gray when he spoke of his departure. A shame, when in public he seemed so distant. Thankfully, she had given him opportunities to be a little less conservative behind closed doors. Of course, she understood his need for distance in a logical sense, but her social sense found it… a touch irksome. Still, she smiled warmly at her friend. “Do tell Nina I said hello, please, and I hope her recovery was not too uncomfortable. I’d like to know if she’s adapted to the blue, I understand some take the colour of their skin, or perhaps the uniformity of it, quite seriously.”
“Though, before you leave…” She reached up and gently touched a hand to his arm, her voice low that only the pair would hear it. “Our talks of the importance of locking windows… would you recommend I lock my window on a night like tonight?” A strange question to ask, but it was Anastasia’s way of being subtle. They both knew what it meant. She withdrew her hand. “Merry Yuletide, Gray.”
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