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<blockquote data-quote="Drusilia Nailo" data-source="post: 584259" data-attributes="member: 2062">Couples strolled up and down the flower-clad street in the twilight, or sat out in private gardens, whispering words of desire in one another's ears.&nbsp; All of them were blissfully unaware of the drama that was unfolding just down the street, and in various other parts of the city that day.&nbsp; &nbsp; A young elven woman, with long, dark hair, and pale blue eyes looked fearfully around the corner of the two-story stone house.&nbsp; Her heart hammered in her throat, and she clutched her dagger tightly enough that her knuckles were turning white.&nbsp; Papa was trying to kill her, after all of these years of trying to train her properly.&nbsp; Her eyes started to fill with tears before she irritably wiped the moisture away.&nbsp; There was no way that she could hide in this city from Tensin Naïlo, so she wasn't even going to try.&nbsp; &nbsp; It had all started out innocently enough.&nbsp; She had gone to class like she had every day for two years, to try to learn the wizardry that was supposed to be so easy for those of her race.&nbsp; She had yet to even master the simplest of spells.&nbsp; Magic just seemed to elude her.&nbsp; It had become harder and harder for her to show her face in class, mostly because of the taunts of the other two students. One of them in particular, Alust, loved to rub her nose in the fact that he was already able to cast first circle spells.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &quot;Hah.&nbsp; You'll be lucky if your Papa wants anything to do with you when he finds out that you can't work magic,&quot; he had said, mockingly.&nbsp; &quot;He'll probably think that you're a freak.&nbsp; I know that I-&quot;&nbsp; &nbsp; Drusilia felt a rush of red hot rage, nearly enough to make her dizzy.&nbsp;&nbsp; She watched with numb fascination, as if she was an observer only,&nbsp; as her small fist balled up, and traveled towards Alust in slow motion.&nbsp; It connected between his eyes in equally slow motion, and the look of stunned surprise that crossed his face was comical.&nbsp; Then time sped up again, and Alust fell to the floor with a loud crash.&nbsp; Tomes spilled everywhere, and beakers and jars could be heard shattering under the weight of pages and elf.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &quot;Get out of my lab!&quot;&nbsp; The wizard that Papa had hired to teach her screamed this at her, staring around at the breakage, his lips white with rage.&nbsp; &quot;Get out, and never come back!&quot;&nbsp; &nbsp; Drusilia fled the lab, leaving the shattered glass, crumpled books, and battered elf behind for the teacher to deal with.&nbsp; She felt anger and fear mingled with one another.&nbsp; Papa, cast her out?&nbsp; Alust would probably be more than happy to fill the gap that her disappearance would bring.&nbsp;&nbsp; She cried at first, running through the streets of the Old City so fast that people stared at her as she streaked by.&nbsp; She didn't really see where she was going, for the tears were blurring her vision.&nbsp; She ran and ran and ran until she had absolutely no energy left, and her lungs burned in her chest.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; When she finally stopped, she looked around in surprise.&nbsp; She was in the Harbor District, near the sea.&nbsp; There were some orcish workers staring at her with suspicion.&nbsp; She sighed, straightened her spine, and wiped the tears away with the back of her hand.&nbsp; She had turned to trudge back in the direction that she came when she heard muffled applause from an alleyway.&nbsp; She turned, and her eyes widened.&nbsp; Papa stood there.&nbsp; &quot;That was very dramatic,&quot; he said sarcastically.&nbsp; &quot;And now no doubt everyone in the city is wondering why I cannot even manage to control my immediate household.&quot;&nbsp; And then with more concern, he added, &quot;What happened, Daughter?&quot;&nbsp; He stepped out of the alley, holding out a hand to take her arm.&nbsp; &nbsp; Drusilia scowled, her tears forgotten, and let him guide her back towards the Old City.&nbsp; &quot;I don't want to go back to magic class again,&quot; she said, hating the petulant sound in her voice even as it came out.&nbsp; &nbsp; Papa shrugged.&nbsp; &quot;Then don't go back,&quot; he said calmly.&nbsp; &quot;But don't cry about it.&quot;&nbsp; &nbsp; The young woman sighed.&nbsp; &quot;Rulah doesn't want me to come back anyway,&quot; she admitted with reluctance.&nbsp; She knew that if he was going to get angry with her, it would be over this, rather than punching a fellow student in the face.&nbsp; &nbsp; &quot;Why not?&quot;&nbsp; &nbsp; She sighed again.&nbsp; &quot;Because I...&quot; she peeked sideways at him.&nbsp; &quot;I punched Alust in the face.&quot;&nbsp; &nbsp; This time it was Papa's turn to sigh.&nbsp; &quot;Why did you punch Alust in the face?&nbsp; And why should this upset Rulah?&quot;&nbsp; &nbsp; Drusilia clenched her jaw, temporarily forgetting fear of reprisal in her anger at Alust.&nbsp; &quot;He was making fun of me.&nbsp; Saying that I was stupid for not being able to work magic.&nbsp; He said that you'd probably put me out and disown me because I couldn't do it.&nbsp; And... me punching him made kind of a mess.&nbsp; Shattered beakers, stuff like that.&quot;&nbsp; &nbsp; Papa winced at that last, but didn't say anything for a long while.&nbsp; &quot;Did you believe what Alust said to you?&nbsp; About me putting you out because you can't work magic?&quot;&nbsp; &nbsp; By now, the pair was back in the Old City.&nbsp; Drusilia thought about that question for several moments with fear gnawing at her belly as she tried to think of a tactful way to say it, without hurting Papa's feelings or making him more mad at her.&nbsp; She was just opening her mouth to say something, when Papa put a hand up to silence her.&nbsp; &nbsp; &quot;It is clear by your silence that he did convince you,&quot; he said quietly.&nbsp; &quot;Drusilia, come here.&quot;&nbsp; Papa pulled her into an alley, and put his arms around her. &nbsp; &nbsp; She let herself be pulled into the embrace, and put her head on his chest.&nbsp; &quot;I'm sorry-&quot;&nbsp; &nbsp; Then the world became pain.&nbsp; Papa's dagger slipped between her ribs, its sharp blade slicing past skin and muscle like it wasn't even there.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Drusilia blinked, trying to focus as the world began to swim around her.&nbsp; &quot;Papa?&quot;&nbsp; She swayed a little, trying to stand up straight.&nbsp; &nbsp; &quot;He was right,&quot; said Papa, staring at her coldly.&nbsp; &quot;No daughter of mine can't work magic.&quot;&nbsp; And then he stood there, watching her, as if waiting to see what she would do.&nbsp; &nbsp; Drusilia stared at him in horror, feeling the blood draining from her face.&nbsp; &quot;I-&quot;&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; And then he was coming at her again, with his bloodied dagger raised high in the air, poised to make another strike.&nbsp; &nbsp; She couldn't think about it, she didn't have time to think about it.&nbsp; She did what seemed natural; she pulled her own dagger, and whipped it upward fend off the stronger man's blade.&nbsp; She managed to roll to the side at the last moment, and his dagger sliced harmlessly through the air beside her head.&nbsp; It was too close for comfort though.&nbsp; Scrambling to her feet, she ran as fast as she could, clutching her wounded side, and moved out of the alley, then down the street.&nbsp; &nbsp; She didn't stop until she was at the Street of Flowers.&nbsp; Slipping around the back of an empty house, she peered back around the corner, watching and waiting.&nbsp; No, she couldn't hide, but it just didn't seem fair that she would have to die. What was going on?&nbsp; Why had he turned on her so completely?&nbsp; She shook her head then, to clear her thoughts.&nbsp; There was no sense in dwelling on her questions... Papa was trying to kill her, and that was really all that was important right now.&nbsp; &nbsp; &quot;Drusilia.&quot;&nbsp; It was her Papa's voice.&nbsp; It was coming from a place where it shouldn't be -- up above.&nbsp; &nbsp; She looked up, heart nearly stopping in her chest, but she couldn't move quickly enough.&nbsp; A throwing dagger came whizzing down from Papa's perch behind the house's chimney, and sunk into her shoulder before she even had time to register anything. Already weakened from blood loss,&nbsp; Drusilia sunk to the grass.&nbsp; She knew that the end had come.&nbsp; Her vision was starting to flicker in and out, and she had to curl her fingers to grip the side of the house to keep from falling off the earth.&nbsp; All she could do, all her muddled mind could do, was ask the question, &quot;Why?&nbsp; Why?&nbsp; Why?&quot;&nbsp; Merciful blackness came then, taking away the pain and the confusion.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="Drusilia Nailo, post: 584259, member: 2062"] Couples strolled up and down the flower-clad street in the twilight, or sat out in private gardens, whispering words of desire in one another's ears. All of them were blissfully unaware of the drama that was unfolding just down the street, and in various other parts of the city that day. A young elven woman, with long, dark hair, and pale blue eyes looked fearfully around the corner of the two-story stone house. Her heart hammered in her throat, and she clutched her dagger tightly enough that her knuckles were turning white. Papa was trying to kill her, after all of these years of trying to train her properly. Her eyes started to fill with tears before she irritably wiped the moisture away. There was no way that she could hide in this city from Tensin Naïlo, so she wasn't even going to try. It had all started out innocently enough. She had gone to class like she had every day for two years, to try to learn the wizardry that was supposed to be so easy for those of her race. She had yet to even master the simplest of spells. Magic just seemed to elude her. It had become harder and harder for her to show her face in class, mostly because of the taunts of the other two students. One of them in particular, Alust, loved to rub her nose in the fact that he was already able to cast first circle spells. "Hah. You'll be lucky if your Papa wants anything to do with you when he finds out that you can't work magic," he had said, mockingly. "He'll probably think that you're a freak. I know that I-" Drusilia felt a rush of red hot rage, nearly enough to make her dizzy. She watched with numb fascination, as if she was an observer only, as her small fist balled up, and traveled towards Alust in slow motion. It connected between his eyes in equally slow motion, and the look of stunned surprise that crossed his face was comical. Then time sped up again, and Alust fell to the floor with a loud crash. Tomes spilled everywhere, and beakers and jars could be heard shattering under the weight of pages and elf. "Get out of my lab!" The wizard that Papa had hired to teach her screamed this at her, staring around at the breakage, his lips white with rage. "Get out, and never come back!" Drusilia fled the lab, leaving the shattered glass, crumpled books, and battered elf behind for the teacher to deal with. She felt anger and fear mingled with one another. Papa, cast her out? Alust would probably be more than happy to fill the gap that her disappearance would bring. She cried at first, running through the streets of the Old City so fast that people stared at her as she streaked by. She didn't really see where she was going, for the tears were blurring her vision. She ran and ran and ran until she had absolutely no energy left, and her lungs burned in her chest. When she finally stopped, she looked around in surprise. She was in the Harbor District, near the sea. There were some orcish workers staring at her with suspicion. She sighed, straightened her spine, and wiped the tears away with the back of her hand. She had turned to trudge back in the direction that she came when she heard muffled applause from an alleyway. She turned, and her eyes widened. Papa stood there. "That was very dramatic," he said sarcastically. "And now no doubt everyone in the city is wondering why I cannot even manage to control my immediate household." And then with more concern, he added, "What happened, Daughter?" He stepped out of the alley, holding out a hand to take her arm. Drusilia scowled, her tears forgotten, and let him guide her back towards the Old City. "I don't want to go back to magic class again," she said, hating the petulant sound in her voice even as it came out. Papa shrugged. "Then don't go back," he said calmly. "But don't cry about it." The young woman sighed. "Rulah doesn't want me to come back anyway," she admitted with reluctance. She knew that if he was going to get angry with her, it would be over this, rather than punching a fellow student in the face. "Why not?" She sighed again. "Because I..." she peeked sideways at him. "I punched Alust in the face." This time it was Papa's turn to sigh. "Why did you punch Alust in the face? And why should this upset Rulah?" Drusilia clenched her jaw, temporarily forgetting fear of reprisal in her anger at Alust. "He was making fun of me. Saying that I was stupid for not being able to work magic. He said that you'd probably put me out and disown me because I couldn't do it. And... me punching him made kind of a mess. Shattered beakers, stuff like that." Papa winced at that last, but didn't say anything for a long while. "Did you believe what Alust said to you? About me putting you out because you can't work magic?" By now, the pair was back in the Old City. Drusilia thought about that question for several moments with fear gnawing at her belly as she tried to think of a tactful way to say it, without hurting Papa's feelings or making him more mad at her. She was just opening her mouth to say something, when Papa put a hand up to silence her. "It is clear by your silence that he did convince you," he said quietly. "Drusilia, come here." Papa pulled her into an alley, and put his arms around her. She let herself be pulled into the embrace, and put her head on his chest. "I'm sorry-" Then the world became pain. Papa's dagger slipped between her ribs, its sharp blade slicing past skin and muscle like it wasn't even there. Drusilia blinked, trying to focus as the world began to swim around her. "Papa?" She swayed a little, trying to stand up straight. "He was right," said Papa, staring at her coldly. "No daughter of mine can't work magic." And then he stood there, watching her, as if waiting to see what she would do. Drusilia stared at him in horror, feeling the blood draining from her face. "I-" And then he was coming at her again, with his bloodied dagger raised high in the air, poised to make another strike. She couldn't think about it, she didn't have time to think about it. She did what seemed natural; she pulled her own dagger, and whipped it upward fend off the stronger man's blade. She managed to roll to the side at the last moment, and his dagger sliced harmlessly through the air beside her head. It was too close for comfort though. Scrambling to her feet, she ran as fast as she could, clutching her wounded side, and moved out of the alley, then down the street. She didn't stop until she was at the Street of Flowers. Slipping around the back of an empty house, she peered back around the corner, watching and waiting. No, she couldn't hide, but it just didn't seem fair that she would have to die. What was going on? Why had he turned on her so completely? She shook her head then, to clear her thoughts. There was no sense in dwelling on her questions... Papa was trying to kill her, and that was really all that was important right now. "Drusilia." It was her Papa's voice. It was coming from a place where it shouldn't be -- up above. She looked up, heart nearly stopping in her chest, but she couldn't move quickly enough. A throwing dagger came whizzing down from Papa's perch behind the house's chimney, and sunk into her shoulder before she even had time to register anything. Already weakened from blood loss, Drusilia sunk to the grass. She knew that the end had come. Her vision was starting to flicker in and out, and she had to curl her fingers to grip the side of the house to keep from falling off the earth. All she could do, all her muddled mind could do, was ask the question, "Why? Why? Why?" Merciful blackness came then, taking away the pain and the confusion. [/QUOTE]

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