{"id":1145,"date":"2014-07-06T09:35:27","date_gmt":"2014-07-06T13:35:27","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/jeezjosie.com\/blog\/?p=1145"},"modified":"2014-07-11T09:05:33","modified_gmt":"2014-07-11T13:05:33","slug":"nida-tears-pt-ii","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/jeezjosie.com\/blog\/2014\/07\/nida-tears-pt-ii\/","title":{"rendered":"N\u00eeda: Tears, pt II"},"content":{"rendered":"

      Today\u2019s snippet, titled \u201cTears, Pt. II\u201d, is a piece I wrote about my PC in Mark’s new (Good) Pathfinder Campaign.
\n      Be forewarned, there are mature themes and naughty language below.
\n– \u2013 \u2013 \u2013 \u2013 \u2013 \u2013 \u2013 \u2013 \u2013 –
\n      \u201cYou clumsy little bitch!\u201d
\n      Wincing, Celen\u00eedaneth ducked her head so low that the heavy wimple slid forward upon her forehead. Frantic to avoid a beating, she reached up to push the headpiece into place. For a moment, the world slid into slow motion. She saw a curl tumble down in front of her eyes in unison with the apples from her basket, as they bounced to the floor. One splattered, the pale flesh and clear juices smattering the hem of Marianne Lightweaver\u2019s gown.
\n      By the Grace and the Glory! <\/em>she cursed, hurtling herself after the wayward fruit. \u201cI\u2019ll get them, ma\u2019am, just a moment-\u201d
\n      \u201cIt is too late, you oaf. There will be no dessert for the returning warriors and-<\/em>\u201d Her black eyes narrowed to emphasize her point. \u201cYou have stained my best dress.\u201d
\n      Celen\u00eedaneth felt her face going pink with humiliation. She bit her tongue – hard – as her Aunt had warned her weeks ago (after the second behavioral suspension was handed down) to keep from pointing out that the clear fluid would be invisible once it dried and that the Lady was just being a petty old witch because she knew that Master Sorvanir preferred his newest apprentice to his most senior one.
\n      \u201cYou will skip your afternoon lessons today and take my gown to that ugly fellow who lives on the Rhododendron Circle. His are the only washerwomen who can get stains out of fine silk.\u201d
\n      Rage flared in her heart and she leapt to her feet. \u201cI will not miss my lessons, Marianne. I will not.\u201d
\n      A sharp slap surprised her and she could only blink in horror as the senior apprentice\u2019s tirade continued. \u201cDon\u2019t you dare speak back to me, you dirty little leaf-licker! And how dare you use my given name, as if you had earned the honor! You are a worm beneath my boot heel until the Master says otherwise and at this rate, he shall never do so!
\n      \u201cFor that matter, if you don\u2019t make yourself presentable before decent company this instant, I shall recommend to the Master that you are flogged as a harlot and sent back to that demented old aunt. You will never learn anything beyond a cantrip, if I have my say about it!\u201d
\n      With that, Marianne Lightweaver turned on her heel and stormed away before her subordinate could frame a reply.
\n      Celen\u00eedaneth hurled the empty basket to the ground, furious as she had rarely been in her life. Hot tears spilled down her cheeks as she stooped to retrieve the bruised apples.
\n      \u201cYou shouldn\u2019t let her speak to you that way.\u201d
\n      Glancing up, Celen\u00eedaneth saw Harry Bluetoes standing in the doorway. Her face burned with shame as she reached up to push her hair back into place. \u201cI wish you hadn\u2019t seen that, Harry.\u201d
\n      \u201cPfft,\u201d the halfling waved his hand, moving closer. \u201cMarianne is a bit of a twat. You ought to ignore her, everyone else does.\u201d
\n      \u201cShe\u2019s in charge of the other apprentices, myself included. You know that. If I don\u2019t bite my tongue she\u2019ll ship me back to my Aunt in a heartbeat.\u201d
\n      \u201cYou worry too much,\u201d he plucked a damaged apple from her arms and took a bite. The juices ran down his chin and he grinned. \u201cThey\u2019re fine. Once they\u2019re chopped up in a pie, no one\u2019ll know they\u2019re bruised to all Hell.\u201d
\n      Celen\u00eedaneth sat back on her heels and smiled at him. \u201cYou are such a fool, Harry Bluetoes. I do not know why we put up with your antics.\u201d
\n      \u201cYou love me. Admit it.\u201d
\n      A blush colored her cheeks and she turned to reach for another fruit. \u201cYou do make me feel a mite better about it here. You know, I hadn\u2019t expected it to be like this.\u201d
\n      \u201cYou wanted glamour and fame right out the gate? All silver gowns and parades?\u201d
\n      \u201cNo,\u201d she paused. \u201cBut I expected I would be learning real magic by now, rather than just acting as serving girl to Marianne and the kitchen staff. I didn\u2019t realize how much of a pain this bloody wimple would be either!\u201d
\n      He laughed, \u201cIts temporary. Once you\u2019ve got the discipline required, you\u2019ll have a bit more freedom. And the spells and all that, it\u2019ll come soon and it\u2019ll be overwhelming I bet. In a year or two, you\u2019ll come round crying, \u2018Oh Harry, it is terrible! I have to brush my hair all the time because learning Gust of Wind tangles it so, and the Master gives so many papers to write, my hand is want to fall off!\u2019 I bet you\u2019ll miss the wimple and the simple days of bruised pears-\u201d
\n      \u201cThey\u2019re apples!\u201d
\n      \u201cWhatever.\u201d Harry shrugged and took another bite, speaking through the pulp. \u201cYou\u2019ll miss it.\u201d
\n      \u201cI probably won\u2019t be around long enough to miss anything,\u201d Celen\u00eedaneth sighed. \u201cIf Marianne has her way.\u201d
\n      Harry touched her arm. He was half her height, but she never noticed that – his confidence and bearing made him seem as tall as a giant and as mighty as a lion. \u201cMaster Sorvanir – all the Masters – they like you. They talk of your dedication and improvement all the time at supper. Give yourself a bit more time, Celen\u00eedaneth, and a bit more credit too. You are doing well. And anyway, it is far beyond time Marianne graduated into the ranks or was put aside. She has been an apprentice for fifteen years, after all.
\n      \u201cShe\u2019s too frail to be a Paladin or a Warrior, and she\u2019s too prideful to settle for any mundane position. I imagine, to save face, she will soon as to be transferred to an itinerancy, where she can interview potentials in the hinterlands and where no one will know of her failure to qualify for a full entrance into the Legion.\u201d
\n      \u201cFifteen years isn\u2019t so long,\u201d she said. \u201cI have waited twice as long just to be admitted as an apprentice.\u201d
\n      \u201cYou\u2019re an elf, Celen\u00eedaneth, she\u2019s human. You are what, less than fifty? She is thirty-two. You are fully grown, but your own people will not consider you an adult for some decades yet. By that time, maybe long before – she will be dead.\u201d
\n      No one had ever put the differences out so plainly for her. She frowned.
\n      Harry squeezed her hand. \u201cDon\u2019t fret, they do not despise you for your elven blood. Marianne, and the others of a like mind, are really just jealous. You are a constant reminder of their own mortality.\u201d
\n      \u201cI don\u2019t mean to be.\u201d Celen\u00eedaneth pursed her lips thoughtfully. \u201cWhat can I do?\u201d
\n      \u201cTo be less an elf?\u201d He was amused and his gaze was locked on her lips, which puzzled her.
\n      \u201cTo fit in\u2026 more. Better.\u201d
\n      Harry pulled away and gave her a once over with a critical eye. \u201cKeep your wimple on, for one. Those ears\u2026 yikes. So elf-y. Can\u2019t do much about your eyes, I guess. Are you practiced with that one cantrip Mistress Sobiesse uses to keep her hair glossy red?\u201d
\n      \u201cPrestidigitation. The second spell my Aunt taught me.\u201d
\n      \u201cGreat. You can-\u201d Harry frowned. \u201cBugger that, ignore me.\u201d
\n      Celen\u00eedaneth thrust a fist into her hip. \u201cHarry – tell me what you were about to say.\u201d
\n      \u201cI don\u2019t reckon you oughta change a thing about yourself. You just keep watching them with your lovely weird eyes and if your ears peek out of the wimple, so be it. You are who you are, after all, and who you are is pretty fucking great.\u201d
\n      Blushing once more, she reached up to adjust her headpiece. \u201cHarry\u2026 I-\u201d
\n      He stood upright suddenly, stepping away from her. \u201cYou know, there is one thing you could do. If you really do want to fit in more better.\u201d
\n      \u201cAnything. I really do.\u201d
\n      \u201cThese folk can speak a dozen languages each and memorize incantations and prayers all day, but if there\u2019s one thing they love it is a shortcut. Give yourself a nickname – quick before they give you one. What was that Marianne called you? A leaf-licker?\u201d
\n      Celen\u00eedaneth made a face. The insult was common enough that she refused to let it bother her on a personal level, though may the Inheritor strike down any brave enough to use it in regard to someone she loved.
\n      \u201cMy name\u2026 is Celen\u00eedaneth Hinawynakir Iamorganel Loshenthenniel. It is a proud elven name. Why should I give that up?\u201d
\n      \u201cNo one said give it up, not entirely anyway. Besides, you gotta admit it is quite a mouthful, even for an elf name. But you did say you\u2019d do anything, didn\u2019t you? Why are you okay hiding your ears and changing your appearance but not with a short name to uh\u2026 what\u2019s the word?\u201d
\n      \u201cAssimilate.\u201d
\n      \u201cAye, that. Why for?\u201d
\n      She thought for a moment, then gave a rueful shrug. \u201cYou are wise, for a little sword-swinger.\u201d
\n      \u201cDamn right, I am. So, what\u2019ll it be? Cellie? Nettie? Daisy?\u201d
\n      With a shake of her head, Celen\u00eedaneth straightened her shoulders. \u201cNo, none of those. I think\u2026 it will be N\u00eeda.\u201d
\n      \u201cNee-dah,\u201d Harry tasted the word, experimentally. \u201cN\u00eeda. I like it. Suits you.\u201d
\n      Genuinely pleased, N\u00eeda beamed. \t<\/p>\n

– \u2013 \u2013 \u2013 \u2013 \u2013 \u2013 \u2013 \u2013 \u2013 –
\n\"Signed,
\nNote: Image is “King Jagiello Statue Central” by (Mulligand) from SXC.hu; edited by me<\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

      Today\u2019s snippet, titled \u201cTears, Pt. II\u201d, is a piece I wrote about my PC in Mark’s new (Good) Pathfinder Campaign.       Be forewarned, there are mature themes and naughty language below. – \u2013 \u2013 \u2013 \u2013 \u2013 \u2013 \u2013 \u2013 \u2013 –       \u201cYou clumsy little bitch!\u201d  … <\/p>\n

Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":926,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10,14,1],"tags":[4,170,121],"class_list":["post-1145","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-gaming-2","category-snippet","category-uncategorized","tag-gaming","tag-nida","tag-pathfinder","xfolkentry","clearfix"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/jeezjosie.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1145","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/jeezjosie.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/jeezjosie.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/jeezjosie.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/jeezjosie.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1145"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"http:\/\/jeezjosie.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1145\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1146,"href":"http:\/\/jeezjosie.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1145\/revisions\/1146"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/jeezjosie.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/926"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/jeezjosie.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1145"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/jeezjosie.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1145"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/jeezjosie.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1145"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}