Cultivating Violets

Log Info

• Title: Cultivating Violets
• Emitter: Venom
• Characters: Venom, Aryia
• Place: Fernwood Pub, Aryia's Rented Room
• Time: October 4th, 2021
• Summary: Behind closed doors, Aryia is cobbling together an outfit with her novice tailoring skills as Venom stands as her mannequin. Sweet words are exchanged, as well as some reassurances before they figure out some finer details about an illusory third person. They speak about training, about how Venom just needs to hone her technique a bit more, and how Aryia's own training has been stunted due to recent developments. Venom gets lost in thought about a sight of the vast expanse of space and its beauty from a mission she went on. Though, that reverie is interrupted by Aryia attempting a new technique, one that gets her an express ticket for her face to the wall. She falls into the bed, Venom worried, but all was well. They trail off, Venom recounting how she saw the stars away from the bustle of the city.

It's another night in at Aryia's sanctum. Measuring lines, thread and swatches of fabric stand in several states of readiness, awaiting the Mul'niessa to require them in the appropriate stages of her craft.

Her hands busy twisting her hair into a twisted bun at the back of her head, Venom, bare but for her underthings and the cloth draped and pinned about her torso mubles around the stylus-like pins she's holding between her lips, "Ehm fhur ehd'll mhe reht hen ehd dhun."

Said novice seamstress is busy trying to mend a torn hem on a halfway made deep blue robe. She pauses halfway, stepping up to Venom to double check a curve matched on their flank before slinking back to her desk, stealing a glance at them from over her shoulder. Her eyes, a constant window into her inner strife, were dimmer than normal. But they flickered slightly in amusement.

Her brows knit, and she steps up to her living mannaquin. Reaching up, she plucks the pins out of the other's mouth and tilts her head to the side. "... wh-t?" Aryia hisses and clicks, a ghost of a smile on her lips.

The Acanian seems reasonably good at holding positions for a while, likely some aspect of whatever conditioning the Metal put the human through. Her head swivels just a little, leaving her eyes to do most of the work as she tries to get an eye on Aryia as she steps in make sure all is right on her flank. There was concern, even Venom could tell Aya's sacrifice to save the child was bothering her, and she thought perhaps the observed routine of 'get their mind off of what's bothering them for a while' would be a boon, though uncertainty is threaded through her thoughts on this in practice.

With the pins' removal, she utters a soft, "Ah!" licks her lips to moisten them, then, "Sorry. I said I'm sure it'll be great when it's done."

Freshly lubricated, her lips part in an easy smile.

Such a boon was well welcome, as before they even started this entire process, the shadow elf's lanterns were shut off. Least now they held some glimmer of a candle.

And she was doing her very best to keep moving forward.

The ghost of a smile turns meek as she nods, gets up on her tip toes, and pecks lips unprompted. "Th-nks," a soft hiss leaves her before replacing the pins back in their organic holding place. Robe abandoned for now, she drags over her sewing box and sets it on the table nearby. She adjusts a few pins on the fabric hanging from Venom's frame and glances to an open book nearby, reading a few lines before turning back to the task at hand. Sewing a simple undershirt for the robe. There is a pause in her work, an errant gaze, then her shaking her head before resuming with more focus.

The unveiled woman mmm's softly into the kiss, eyes half lidding for the momentary contact before reopening to acquire Aryia's features. Still doing what she can to move as little extraneous elements of her body as she can to finish her braiding without popping any seams.

She starts to return a sweet, "You're wel-hmp." before she finds herself holding the pins once more. A little rosiness dusts a span aross her cheekbones.

With Aryia's move back to her books, Venom brings a hand forward to retrieve the pins, one at a time, to slip into the twirled mass atop the crown of her head and finally secures it to set her hands free of burden at last.

The look and shake of her sweetie's head stitches her eyebrows a touch and she wonders, "Are you alright" with a new appelation for just such occaisions, "honey?"

Honey is sweet, right?

Aryia chuckles at the other being silenced, her reaching over to flip a page to see a drawn out diagram of how to do a certain stitch. A glance is stolen to the put up hair, to the tinted visage, then back down to her slow working fingers. Slow is smooth, and smooth is fast.

Crimson paints across her scars at the endearment. She glances down to the floor, then finishes a stitch before gesturing with the needle between her fingers. "You're just..." it trails off, finding its way back into the hem before finishing it to the bottom. Using a pair of scissors, she snips the thread after putting a closing loop to it all in.

Needle stowed, she continues with small movements, "... I don't think I managed to tell you the other night-" she coughs into her fist, "-but you're very pretty." <Handspeech>

Venom finds simple delight, a fuzziness inside that she's accepted as 'natural' being around Aryia, with it's mysteries a meal to be savored and explored in proper course. An experience, not a fervent puzzle.

The human lowers one of her hands, still largely held up and out to the side to leave Aryia what accesses she needs, to stroke along the ivory hair.

With the snipping done, and Aryia's tools withdrawn, she brings her hands together to smooth back the elf's hair.

Her eyes turn to Aryia's words, and a certain light suffuses the cast of her expression. It isn't a thing she'd considered, before, not in the layers beyond being certain she was back to functional specifications. A concept thrown her way by those outside her circle, one that meant nothing more than she was as Morbid built her to be.

Here, though... it means more than she can explain. It's pleasant, uplifting a sweet gift from the elf.

"So are you." she replies in gentle tones with a smile; a gift she means to share.

Aryia, in turn, was given a similar opportunity. Unlike the enigma, the mute's facets of her personality had been unknowingly engraved a long while ago. But dust had caked the inscriptions, and cracked some lines to make new ones. But like this, with the human, it gave her the moments to blow out the dust, such moments that were stolen by worldly needs.

The elf's eyes slide shut as a soft sigh leaves her, pushing her head against the hands. Her ears flick twice.

The returned gift makes Aryia both ease and grow demure. She taps the tips of her fingers together. "I'm... glad you think so. I know I don't look... the best. I mean.. you've seen, um, everything, so of course you'd think so... I... and I'm rambling. Thanks."

Flushing deeper, she picks up the robe and resumes work on that. The under shirt was something simple: white with some frills near the collar. Combined with the robe, it looked as if there was a more academic look going about this persona. <Handspeech>

Venom seems somewhat troubled by the return she is given, and she leans in, despite her concern for the needlecraft, to try and plant a quick kiss, though Aryia's turn back to business is a little hastier than she'd quite expected. The brunette steps after her, leaning in again, though this more to bring her head alongside one of those expressive ears, and a hand goes toward curling over either shoulder, "You look honest. You look strong."

She doesn't fully grasp Aryia's reasonings about the scars, as the still clearly bother her from time to time, but she respects them and has never offered any advice on removing them, though by her own words, she knows the means.

Aryia can't become who she wants to be if she is steered by any well-meaning input on V's part, and so she leaves the ball for Aryia to pick up one day, should she wish.

Should she choose.

Choice: perhaps the greatest gift a liberated slave and a broken weapon could give each other.

The movement inwards for a brief peck makes Aryia pause her work, returning the gesture with a soft, easy sigh. The smile solidifying. The needle is set down on the robe, her watching Venom stoop down and move closer. The gentle words make her nod, fingers curling into the fabric on her lap. She leans forward slightly, warm winds speaking soft on the breeze. A light chuckle. "Honest? I didn't realize me looking like this made me look honest. But thank you, V."

She pecks the human on the cheek. The ball is toyed with, yet not picked up. Either not knowing it was there, or afraid to lose it choice it be claimed.

Venom feels better, seeing the smile on Aryia's lips gaining intensity, and she holds the elf tenderly. She nods to her words, and gives her a soft kiss on the cheek in turn, "They hurt us." she says softly.

She draws back slightly and shifts her position so they can look to each other more easily, running a hand along her forearm, "I hide the signs... you tell the world 'These are mine'." she replies.

Aryia dips her chin in agreement. They did hurt the two of them. The terms may had been different, the punishments varied, but it was all the same. Pain, a ruthless teacher.

She looks down to her scarred and marred arms, then to Venom's flawless ones. The shadow elf shakes her head. "You remove yours to be free of your past. I keep mine to warn others of my past." A hand reaches out, resting on the fidgeted forearm. Her free hand motions slowly, eyes kept on the dark pools, "I know you still have them. They won't go away. It's deeper than skin, carved into your mind. Scars don't fade, but you can heal around them."

Her wisdom is crested by a soft smile. "Besides, nothing wrong with looking some way you like." <Handspech>

Venom watches Aryia as she nods, considering their different answers to damage, and her words to the effect, and the human nods in turn, repeating the bare elements of her previous compliments, "Honest, strong, beautiful."

The dark pools are glimmering in the lamplight, her expression simple warmth around them as she in turn covers the hand with one of her own.

A light squeeze, "Yes..."

She glances down to the fabric before the Mul'niessa, at the ingrediants of her new persona, then back to her eyes, "Do you think Violet should have purple hair?" hmmm, "Or maybe have a flower in it?" perhaps in a moment of flightiness, or, at least as likely, an instinct to steer things back from emotional burdens.

Aryia blinks. Her hand twirls around her scarred visage, growing redder by the second. "Beautiful?" There it was again, her stomach doing a flip. She smiles bashfully, yet warm. Leans forward, and imparts a gift upon the other's lips.

Leaning back, she picks up part of the robe to inspect it as Venom elaborates on the details of the persona, the subtle shift from the heavy topics noted and gladly accepted. Shimmery eyes back to glimmering. Her lips twist off to the side, and she exhales at her nose. Were she to be able to speak, a 'hmmm' would fit right now.

"A streak of purple. And a flower. Easier to put together and take down for later. Plus... I like your hair." <Handspeech>

Venom arches an eyebrow, concerned, at first, by Aryia's initial reaction. It melts, with her lips into the reassuring gift the elf imparts to her.

She straightens as Aryia draws back and her hands, not having anything directly useful to do, clasp before her as she reads the woman's reply.

She employs a hmmm of her own, blushing at the end then, "Thank you. I like yours, too." She mentally swings back to the start of her remarks, then, "A streak? I think I know how to manage that. I've seen wigmakers selling all kinds of colors, I'm sure I can quietly get my hands on what I need."

Aryia tilts her head to the side. "I could get you some. It wouldn't be out of the ordinary should I be with Violet," her hands offer. Then add, with a light twist of embarrassment. "I... didn't think this far. Why is her name Violet? Do you have ideas?" <Handspeech>

Venom smiles a bit at the offer, reaching out to cup Aryia's cheek, "That could be an interesting day." she notes. Some amusement touches her face at the shift in the elf's expression and she gives a shrug, "Maybe it was her cr-" she breaks off mid-word, "her parent's favorite color, or flower?"

Out of habit now, Aryia plops her cheek into the reaching hand willingly, her nuzzling her face into it for a moment. The broken word is caught, realized, and noted, her giving a nod. "Favorite flower, that's a good idea," a hand confirms, then moves onto the next step of building the persona. "What does she do for a living? And where did Violet and I meet?" <Handspeech>

Venom lightly rubs a little circle on her cheek with her thumb, smiling into the elf's eyes. She bows her head at the affirmation, though now it's her turn to seem a might embarassed, "Ah..." she starts, swallows, then, "Outside the..." she pauses, then arches an eyebrow, "Where do you buy your materials, anyway?"

Aryia's eyes half lid at the motion, the shimmer gaining a lumen or two more of strength. An amused smile flicks across her lips, her raising a hand to toss a thumb over her shoulder. "Lower markets, not too far. There's different vendors that sell textiles." She reaches forward, pulling out the fitting pins on the undershirt so it could sit comfortably on V's frame. <Handspeech>

Venom nods, "Ahh, alright, maybe Violet was curious, but hasn't quite gotten to the point of starting tailoring of her own."

There's a little shrug, "Maybe you saved her from a mugger?"

Her eyes swing down to curiously watch Aryia's hand move in toward the pins, but relent as she'd have to move too much to keep tracking the motion.

As the cloth eases into it's proper resting state about her body, she smiles and nods, "It feels nice."

Aryia's brows raise, her rubbing her chin. "Saved her from a mugger. That's... honestly kind of fitting. We'll go with that."

She smiles, reaching out to tug at the shirt one way or another to make sure it didn't fall apart in one go. "I'm glad. Do you want me to put any secret pockets in the robe? I know you like being prepared." <Handspeech>

Venom smiles and nods, "I can probably get away with a confirming with a statement of how brave you are." she notes, sliding her hand back up through the hair and over the ear, "Which is true. I can probaby redirect any more scrutiny away with questions about your friends."

Her head cants as it does when veiled, brow arching a bit, "That isn't a bad thought, but it may complicate matters." she replies in a thoughtful tone, "If we're meeting with friends, Violet may need to travel light, perhaps braiding some tools into her hair, a dagger in her boots, that sort of thing."

There's a little shrug, "If a weird kidnapping happens, or something. I'll have to think about it, some."

Aryia softly sighs and leans into the hand toying with her hair. Her ear flicks again, tapping the hand with it. A light, playful smile crests her lips. She did that on purpose.

Aryia scratches her head. "Okay. Perhaps best to keep it simple for now. Can make it more complicated the more comfortable you are with Violet."

She sets the robe aside and stands up to her full short height. A slight topic change. "How's your training coming along? I haven't seen you in the field in a while." <Handspeech>

A smile, then, "it's coming, but still needs work." Venom replies honestly. She looks down into the smiling face in her hand once the woman has finished speaking, and gives a nod before stooping in for a quick, gentle kiss, "How about yours?"

Aryia reaches up, resting a hand atop her scarred face. The quick kiss is returned with one of her own, each time it happens, a shred of her woes brushed away. She dips her chin, then grows a bit pensive. "Maybe I can show you a thing or two to help you with that. Mine's coming along okay. It's... a little harder now that, uh, sister is absent. But I think I'm figuring out how to do something new? Not sure how to go about it though." <Handspech>

Venom enjoys the kissing, and think things are continuing along well, before she notes the disquiet blooming within Aryia's expression.

With a soft sigh, she slips her arms around the smaller woman and draws her close, "We'll find a way to bring her back, somehow. We'll figure something out, you'll see." she tries, even as the more learned portions of her mind flail at the long list of details she doesn't know about the issue in particular.

Aryia is pulled into a hug, her blinking before sighing softly and hugging the woman. The elf looked... okay. Coping with it, better and better, each day. Trying to move forward. Signs tap against the enigma's sternum. "I'm fine, thank you though. I... I'm just going to keep moving, for her." <Handspeech>

Venom nods against the smaller woman's head, "I understand, Aryia. You miss her and you're... worried about everything." she says softly. Her arms tighten a little for a squeeze, then relax, "I'm here with you... if I can't stop you from feeling bad at least... I can help you feel better."

Aryia pulls back slightly once the arms relax so she could have an easier time speaking. Her eyes shimmer as they look up. "V. You... you help a lot. More than you may realize. I feel... calmer. Like I can sort out my bad feelings better with you around. Thank you. Really. Thank you."

She smiles warmly. <Handspeech>

Venom turns her attention to Aryia's words as she draws back, eyes holding to her hands until she has finished expressing her thoughts. She smiles, and new glimmers touch her eyes as she dips her head in a mute nod. She smooths back the pale hair again and again, then, "You're very, very welcome, Aryia."

Once more, now just a habit, her ears flicks against the hand as it passes by. the elf mutely giggles and softly sighs. Soaking in the affection further into the bottomless pit of nurture for a few long moments, she gives the hug a light squeeze before pulling away.

"But yes. I've been trying to figure out something new," she changes topics, stepping around to be in the center of the room. She stretches her legs out while standing, almost to a painful degree before hopping to her feet and bouncing on them. "Sister knows how to use shadows to move around. I can't do that. But I think I figured a way around that. I learned how to basically ignore pain. I think I might be able to use that to move really fast for a brief moment of time." <Handspeech>

Venom frowns a little in thought, but releases her embrace as it seems Aryia has somewhere to be. She folds her hands neatly and watches the elf demonstrate how limber she is, then further as she begins to explain her epiphany, "That could be very useful." she observes, then relates, "I've been trying to refine my striking technique. If I can catch an opponent when they aren't at their most nimble, I can hit certain spots to much more devastating effect than I can normally."

Aryia twists about, popping her back, taking a break from sewing for the time being. She raises a brow, then grins. "Oh, really? That's... a lot better than me. I just try to hit them harder. Nice. If you need a training partner, I can take it."

The elf takes a deep breath and locks her legs in a stance. Trying to focus on something intangible. <Handspeech>

Venom nods, "It worked against a giant lizard." she replies, then sighs, "Seyardu and I had work, together. We were guarding someone who was watching two comets, and he showed us a telescope, more powerful than I'd ever seen before and..." Something like awe strike wonder thaws it's way into her expression, "There's so much more to the night sky than we normally see... it was so beautiful...."

Aryia tilts her head at Venom's direction. Paying attention to the novel story, as it was the first time she's heard it. A warm smile crosses her lips, and she gives a little nod. "It is really pretty. Sometimes when I was on deck at night in the sea, I'd take the spyglass and point it to the sky. I'm glad you got to see that. It's things like that make life so pretty. Moments in our lives that make you feel alive. I'm glad you and Seyardu got out of that okay. I'll have to ask her about that, I didn't know you two did that."

The mute pugilist turns to her task at hand and steadies her breathing as she stares at nothing in front of her. But her hands move in explanation. "So. When I focus on a memory, I feel it flood me. I was stabbed in Charn, and I didn't even feel it. If... I try to focus on a different feeling from a different memory. May be I could try and use that to fuel me to move?"

She ponders. Searching her mind for a more recent memory. Warmth flashes across her face, then a twinge of saddness, then a focus.

"I'm just going to try and move right over there," she points to a spot not but a couple of feet away. Aryia ducks a bit, like she was going to break into a sprint.

Then a couple of things happen in a blink of an eye.

The air displaces briskly, some scraps of cloth getting picked up in the whirlwind.

Aryia was missing from her spot. But she still she was in the room. Were the wooden slam anything to go by above the bed. The shadow elf was face first against the wall above her bed, the room tremoring slightly from the impact. Slowly, comically, she peels from the wall from the top down. And falls onto the bed with an 'oof!'.

Uninjured, she breaks into a fit of breathy giggles. <Handspeech>

Venom nods, still seeming to be in her memories, "This one was... you could see past the dark gaps between stars... there were clouds and streams of light... and so many more stars than I imagined."

As Aryia starts her demonstration in earnest, the unveiled human clams up and starts to pay attention, eyes alight with curiosity.

Especially when the blushing starts.

The sadness fans an ember of concern, but it's gone before she can remark upon it.

Then Aryia is gone to-WHAM!

The Acanian turns quickly and something small pops as she whirls to the direction of the noise, her brain seizing a moment at the spectacle and she rushes foward to makes sure, "Aryia! Are you alright??"

Aryia is rolling on her back with her arms clutched around her gut, a massive, open mouthed grin plastered on her face. The sound she makes is a heavy "Huh! Huh! Huh!", but were there any cords to vibrate, she'd be in an uproar with laughter.

V's inspection shows the elf was... perfectly fine. Just laughing her ass off.

Venom frets for a few moments at Aryia's rolling about, but she soon straightens with a sort of incredulous look.

She's never seen her lose it quite like that, but she seems amused, so it probably isn't anything major to be worried about. She carefully eases down on the edge of the bed beside her to wait for the elf to let the laughter run it's course.

Aryia's face is flushed red as she continues laughing, but soon she settles down, propping herself up by the elbow as she wipes a tear away that was building in her brightly shimmering eyes. She reaches out and pats Venom on the cheek a few times, giggles still coursing through her. "Well that's new!" she quips. <Handspeech>

Venom leans upon a hand beside Aryia, smiling down at her with a somewhat silly little smile on her lips. She closes her eyes at the pat as the smile broadens, then she leans down to try and kiss her again, "Certainly different." she whispers against her lips.

Aryia continues to snicker and giggle as their lips meet, a hand reaching up to tug gently at the newly made shirt to steal a second meeting. She pulls away, scooting over on the bed to make room. "Sorry to interrupt your story, just wanted to show you just in case it might help you for something later."

She looks up at the wall. There was a faaaaint mul'neissa shaped outline there. Whoops.

She smiles. "You were saying? Tell me more. I want to hear what you did and saw." <Handspeech>

Venom mmm's softly as she is drawn into the second kiss, then sits up a little as she's released, seeking Aryia's hands as they begin to speak.

She nods and smiles, turning to regard the wall with a snerk as Aryia does, then she lays down beside her.

A thoughtful sigh, and she looks to Aryia's face, "Well, it started with an astronomer, a half-sil named Bozil Adveni." she begins.

-End Scene-