you made the decision, now face the consequences

"Ugh, finally," Cam muttered as they passed between the trees into the Oasis. As an Ascended, they no longer tired out on long walks around Caido the way they had before; it felt like they were in the best shape of their life. But that didn't make the trek through the Outskirts any less boring or depressing. They were glad to have reached the Glade and the Oasis, ready to try sketching some flowers or animals or whatever they managed to see -- any of the things they would have photographed back at home. If their sketchbook was to replace their camera, they had a lot of practicing to do.

Of course, it felt a little weird to be out sketching in the middle of the night, but Cam's Ascended darkvision made that no problem. Actually, it was a neat effect -- colors didn't look the same in the dark as they did in the light, something Cam hoped to capture in a painting or something. They just had to make sure to leave with enough time to make it to shelter before the sun came up; they didn't want to be trapped here all day, trying to stay in the shade.

Looking around the edges of the Oasis' pool, Cam tried to figure out a good spot to start from. Maybe they could search for cool flowers as subjects? As their eyes roamed around, they were already pulling the backpack from their back, reaching inside for their sketchbook and pencil.

cameron ?

"Cameras" by Ennev is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0

I can give you freedom from your guilt with a flick of my wrist

Nephele does not often go to the Grounds now that it has become a haven for the Ascended and their ilk. For all Isla had been taken in by her lies, she is not the type to tempt fate. Still, despite the new crown she wears, Nephele is a botanist at heart - and certain ingredients, especially the nefarious ones, can only be found in the Oasis’ stubborn greenery.

She is already there when another approaches, and the sound of careless feet against soil sharpens her senses. All those outside the Greatwood seem to tread harsher than she can bear. It takes a mere moment to cloak herself in Ludo’s Rags, concealing her wings and memorable hair, leaving only bright eyes as she tucks the fabric behind her ear to leave her hands free. Her chakrams seem to burn around her elbows, itching to be used after so long without.

Turning to see a young Ascended - or at least outwardly young, the beasts do not age - Nephele calls upon her illusion magic to make her eyes seem as if they are blue instead. He doesn’t seem to notice her at first and she cannot blame him considering she is crouched in the shadow of the nearby tree, but instead of leaving well enough alone Nephele straightens and moves closer. “What are you doing?” It’s a breath shy of accusation, illusion deepening her voice into something more masculine. The hold on her concealed eyes wavers, magic not capable of such a stretch, but it’s enough for now. She appears as a diminutive man, but Ludo’s Rags are a terrifying pitch black, a shroud of avenging darkness.

I can give you death with the look upon my face

Enhanced Ascended senses or none, Cam had no clue someone was nearby until Nephele spoke; they had been totally absorbed in looking at the scenery. When Nephele's words hissed out, they jumped and whirled around, almost dropping their sketchbook and pencil. "Whoa! You startled me, uh ..."

As they looked at Nephele, they started to get some, uh, bad vibes, mostly from the pitch-black cloak that concealed her features. Wow, that was kind of spooky! Would have been some big Nazgul vibes if the figure were taller.

"I'm just here to do some drawing," Cam said, holding up their pencil and sketchbook as an explanation. They forced themself to remain calm and casual, even as ice slid down their spine. "What are you doing?"

cameron ?

"Cameras" by Ennev is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0

I can give you freedom from your guilt with a flick of my wrist

There is a sharp glee at having successfully taken the creature off guard, but she doesn’t allow it to show in her face. No sense in giving up the game so soon after all. Sharp eyes, still concealed by illusion into a cool blue color, flick down to the art pad and utensil in the being’s hands. “What is it you are recording?” She doesn’t actually care. A creation of The Voice would never have an appreciation for the nature around them that Nephele would ever care to respect or acknowledge. What it allows her is the easy opportunity to move closer, feigning interest in the sketches on the paper.

Pausing, she turns her eyes as the question is turned back against her. “Investigating. I am a scientist, and I am testing the abilities of a strange item I have found.” She is incapable of lying, but the Fae are very skilled in the art of subversion and half-truths.

I can give you death with the look upon my face

Cam wasn't sure whether to back up when the figure came closer or not. No, they wanted to look at the sketches, didn't they? Holding up the page as if it was some kind of permit that allowed them to be here, they said, "Uh, I'm not really recording anything, just sort of ... drawing pretty flowers?"

Their tone slid up in a questioning way at the end, as if they themself doubted the validity of their reason for being here. But when Nephele spoke again, they brightened, distracted from their anxiety and suspicion. If they knew anything, it was curiosity. "You found something? Cool! What is it? Is it magic?"

cameron ?

"Cameras" by Ennev is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0

I can give you freedom from your guilt with a flick of my wrist

The sketchbook would be a pitiful defense if Nephele sought to strike, but for now she merely glances down at the offered images. They’re beautiful, and in any other situation she would be enthused to find someone even on the fringes of her botanical interests, but she is hateful and apathetic. Luckily it doesn’t show in her eyes, illusioned as they are and the only thing aside from dark brows to show beyond the veil. “Any skill is worth honing,” she notes mildly, injecting her tone with something as close to complimentary as she can manage.

Shaking her head slightly she pulls one of her chakrams out, holding it flat in her hand, the sharp blade poking harmlessly at one palm. “It’s a weapon, but I am still testing why it reacts certain ways. See, it doesn’t glow or have any etchings, and I can hold it fine. Why isn’t it reacting?” the implication that she had seen it react the only way to avoid the lie. Her voice is puzzled, the question only slipping free unobstructed because Nephele genuinely doesn’t know if Ludo had crafted her chakrams to react to the presence of Ascended fluid or something else. Their circuitry perhaps? Would it do the same to metal? One hand holding the handle but the other still balanced flat beneath it like a snake in the grass, she extends it towards Cameron to allow the Ascended to investigate it with their eyes.

I can give you death with the look upon my face

Cam grinned at what they saw as approval, though the stranger still made them quite nervous. "Thanks. I, uh, I'm working on it."

They tucked their sketchbook under their arm and moved closer to examine Nephele's chakram. If they were smarter, if they were more accustomed to danger, maybe the sight of the weapon would have warned them off, made them a bit more cautious. But instead it fascinated them. "Wow, it's beautiful. What's it supposed to be reacting to? Maybe you have to use it to see any reaction."

They thought of this use in the abstract; it didn't occur to them that a weapon needed a target, and they were the only one at hand.

cameron ?

"Cameras" by Ennev is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0

I can give you freedom from your guilt with a flick of my wrist

Were she a better person - or even merely one who did not hold grudges and grief so deeply in her heart - perhaps the childlike nature of the beast would sway her.

It does not.

There are many ways she could harm this creation. Some more permanent than others. Some more physical than others. She could entice it to lay its hand upon the metal, and then proclaim shock and anger, dismay, over the burn it would leave behind. The mark of the beast. A sign of the taint within. But why waste words and preachings? So instead she tilts her head, illusion slipping for the briefest moment in a flash of her eyes, still the only bit visible beneath the cloak. “You’re right,” she says eerily, and then her hand finds the chakram’s handle, as familiar to her as the lines of her own palm, and she lashes out in a sharp arc at the Ascended before her.

Aiming to hurt this time instead of kill. A cat toying with its prey.

I can give you death with the look upon my face

"Hey! Ow! What the fuck?" Cam's first reaction isn't anger or aggression; it's surprise, then confusion. They aren't used to living in a world where people physically lash out in the middle of a conversation. Stumbling backwards, they stare at Nephele, then at the fluid leaking from the long cut on their left arm. "What was that for?"

It occurs to them after they speak that maybe they should prioritize getting away from their attacker over interrogating her motivations. They had nearly dropped their sketchbook when Nephele struck; now they tuck it more securely under their arm and back away from her quickly, trying to put the pond between themself and her. They'd turn tail and run if that didn't mean taking their eyes off of her.

cameron ?

"Cameras" by Ennev is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0

I can give you freedom from your guilt with a flick of my wrist

She waits for the burn to start - the magic imbued in the blades that, once it enters Cam's bloodstream (or what sick mockery of it they have) will burn them as if real flames are attacking them. An Ascended's weakness and greatest fear. Nephele wraps her cloak around herself tighter, the flicker of her irises wavering as she grins wickedly beneath her shroud. Chakram disappearing back into her cloak, preserving that which lingers on the blade.

"You said to use it, I see no reason why you should be upset," she croons, almost like a particularly disdainful matriarch. You got what you deserved. "Now we see if it works. And what it will mean about you." Oh, but Nephele knows exactly how it will work, and she can't wait to see Cameron experience it. Her last prey unfortunately died too soon, and while Nephele has always prided herself on quick and painless deaths in her previous career as a botanist, she barely even sees Cameron as a living thing. They had taken so much from her. Her personally. She will allow herself the cruelty of enjoying their pain.

I can give you death with the look upon my face

For a moment longer Cam still feels more surprise than pain, and then the burning sets in, like sunlight in their veins, and they double over, clutching their arm. It's not the worst pain they've ever felt -- that distinction goes to the moment of their Ascension -- but it still burns, even worse than the few times they've been caught in sunlight. They're on fire, and it flickers through their mind that if they look at their arm, they'll see it burning.

"I ... didn't realize ... you were a ... fucking lunatic," Cam manages through gritted teeth. It's not the right thing to say; their lack of self-preservation is showing again, antagonizing their attacker. But it's all that comes to mind.

cameron ?

"Cameras" by Ennev is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0

I can give you freedom from your guilt with a flick of my wrist

Nephele watches, her diminutive height meaningless with how she feels as if she's towering over the pathetic creature as it doubles over. Satisfied smirk concealed by the darkness of her shawl, an impenetrable void imitating the night Cameron would otherwise belong to. But not here - not with her.

The gritted words are not nearly as satisfying as a scream may be, but the cut had been unfortunately shallow. As she lifts her chakram anew, her sharp ears hear rustling from the foliage around them, and she frowns severely. She can't risk being found outside of her own territory. The advantage was initially hers, but this was still enemy territory. So instead she moves forward and grips Cameron by the shirt neck, twisting it in her hands as she bows towards them, the rictus of a snarl on her face that is audible in her tone if not visibly shown. "You burn because you are a monster, and it is seeking it cleanse the disease from your veins. But you are far too tainted by now. You are not even human. Your pain is proof of that - it has never burned anyone else beyond the sting of its blade." That's not exactly true - but she has only ever used it against Ascended, and so her nature lets her say it this time.

Shoving Cameron backwards in one last act of playground bully cruelty, Nephele turns and runs into the trees, holding tight to her disguise until she's far enough away to ensure nobody will see when she drops the shawl enough to reveal her wings or trademark hair.

I can give you death with the look upon my face

Oh. So that's what this is about. As the disguised Nephele releases them, Cam stumbles back, then drops to the ground when she flees. They should probably stay on their feet, just in case she comes back, but they're pretty much helpless anyway. Not much they're going to do in a fight against someone with a chakram that burns their blood (well, their fluid, anyway).

"Ow," they mutter, sitting on the ground -- shaking with pain -- while they watch pearly fluid leak from their arm. Oh, shit, they should probably do something about that, right? Can Ascended bleed to death? After a couple tries, they tear some fabric from the hem of their shirt and clumsily tie it around their arm, like they would if they were still human. Great, ruined a perfectly good shirt. And a perfectly good arm.

They turn over Nephele's words while they work, and then while they sit there and wait for the pain to subside enough for them to leave. You burn because you are a monster. You are not even human. Intellectually, Cam knows she's wrong, knows that her words come from her own hate and not anything Cam has done wrong. But it still makes them feel like shit, like a pit has opened in their stomach. They'd known, rationally, that people hated the Ascended, but it's never been made so clear to them before. It's never been directed at them before.

Well, now they're really part of the family, huh?

- FIN

cameron ?

"Cameras" by Ennev is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0