{"id":1669,"date":"2016-04-23T10:17:12","date_gmt":"2016-04-23T14:17:12","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/jeezjosie.com\/blog\/?p=1669"},"modified":"2016-03-09T02:44:05","modified_gmt":"2016-03-09T06:44:05","slug":"rhiallis-the-blood-of-angelic-beings","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/jeezjosie.com\/blog\/2016\/04\/rhiallis-the-blood-of-angelic-beings\/","title":{"rendered":"Rhiallis: The Blood of Angelic Beings"},"content":{"rendered":"

      Today\u2019s snippet, titled \u201cThe Blood of Angelic Beings\u201d, is a piece I wrote about my PC in Mark’s new (Good) Pathfinder Campaign.
\n      Be forewarned, there may be mature themes and naughty language below.
\n– \u2013 \u2013 \u2013 \u2013 \u2013 \u2013 \u2013 \u2013 \u2013 –
\n      \t\u201cMmph? Wha?\u201d
\n      \tThe sleepy voice was stifled by a large down-filled pillow. Rhiallis smiled at him, kissing his shoulder as she slipped into his bed. The chill in the wintery air had left her skin cold to the touch, but she warmed quickly, pressed against his naked back.
\n      \t\u201cJust me,\u201d she said, wrapping her arms around him.
\n      \tJames pulled her arms close, yawning. \u201cDidn\u2019t think you\u2019d be back for days. What time is it?\u201d
\n      \t\u201cEarly. Not quite dawn.\u201d Rhiallis stroked her fingers across his belly.
\n      \t\u201cWhy are you back so soon?\u201d
\n      \tShe closed her eyes. Because there is too much evil out there. Because we cannot stop it all. Because it never ends, and because evil never sleeps.<\/em>
\n      \t\u201cRhi?\u201d
\n      \tRhiallis kissed his shoulder again, by way of silencing him.
\n      \t\u201cRhi?\u201d He twisted around in bed, facing her, and reached up to cup her cheeks in his hands. \u201cRhiallis – did someone else\u2026 Did another member of your VoGS fall?\u201d
\n      \tShe shook her head. \u201cNo, not this time. But it was a near thing. Come, we can talk about it later. You should get some more sleep before the day starts and I- Well, I could use the rest as well.\u201d
\n      \tJames gave her a long, critical look, as if he wanted to push for more details. At last he acquiesced and was content to her let cuddle close and drift off to sleep in his arms.<\/p>\n

* * * * *<\/CENTER><\/p>\n

      \t\u201cPffmpthh!\u201d
\n      \tRhiallis blinked.
\n      \t\u201cPffmphthhh! Mfffpht!\u201d
\n      \tShe lifted her head, confused. The light was still pale on the horizon, she could not have been asleep more than an hour. Beside her, James was flailing.
\n      \t\u201cJames? What\u2019s wro-\u201d The question died in her throat. He had a mouthful of feathers and was struggling to get free of them.
\n      \tShe reached over to help and her forearm brushed up against something warm and silky soft. More feathers. Golden pale and softly metallic, they were abundant in the bed. Rhiallis sat up trying to figure out what was happening here, where they were coming from. She twisted half-way around, like a dog chasing his own tail, before she realized that the feathers were her own – they were attached to her back, to a pair of great, angelic wings.
\n      \t\u201cWhere the fuck did those come from?\u201d
\n      \t\u201cI don\u2019t know- I didn\u2019t- They weren\u2019t-\u201d She sputtered, rolling to her feet. Padding across the room, Rhiallis stopped in front of the looking glass James kept upon his wash stand. Naked, her richly tanned skin glowing with that preternatural health her kin were known for, Rhiallis took a long look at her new appendages.
\n      There would be no hiding them. They were as tall as she was, give or take a few inches, with a wingspan of twelve feet. The crests were pale as ivory, the tips a dark gold with subtle metallic glimmer; the color grew deeper and more intense as they descended from top to bottom. Rhiallis thought they were the most beautiful things she had ever seen.
\n      James came up behind her, a sheet wrapped artfully around his waist, and just stared at her reflection.
\n      \t\u201cIs this real?\u201d
\n      \tShe met his gaze in the mirror and shrugged slightly. \u201cIt feels real.\u201d
\n      \t\u201cHow can this be? How can someone just wake up one day and have sprouted wings in their sleep?\u201d
\n      \t\u201cI bear the blood of angelic beings, James. You know that. I\u2019m an Aasimar. This- this must just be\u2026 my heritage.\u201d
\n      \tHe touched a feather lightly, stroking it between his fingertips. It made her entire body trill with a nervous sensation.
\n      \t\u201cAll aasimar?\u201d
\n      \tShe frowned, shrugging. \u201cI don\u2019t know. I don\u2019t\u2026 maybe?\u201d
\n      \tRhiallis returned to the bed and began to dress. Her pants posed no problem, but her shirt? The wings were too large to simply cut slits in the garment and she began to panic. Calm as a sheltered pond on a still day, James cut an oval in the back of her blouse, then opened the back seam. He carefully poked half-a-dozen tiny holes down each side of the back. She was able to slide it over her arms, then he used one of the ribbons she had left behind to lace up the back.
\n      \t\u201cIt isn\u2019t a permanent solution,\u201d he said, watching her check the effect in the looking glass. \u201cYou\u2019ll need a whole new wardrobe, Rhi. Custom-tailored.\u201d
\n      \tShe could only just nod. Why wasn\u2019t I warned this could happen? How did I not know?<\/em>
\n      \t\u201cI have to go – the workshop is in full swing already and I can\u2019t keep up with demand as it is. But I\u2019ll be back around four bells. Will you be here?\u201d
\n      \t\u201cI need to go back to my rooms, check on Song, gather my equipment before we depart again. But-\u201d She paused, smiling. \u201cIf you won\u2019t mind supping with a feathered freak, I should very much like to see you again later.\u201d
\n      \tJames kissed her. He dressed in a hurry, grabbed a hunk of stale bread and flat beer to break his fast as he headed off to the marketplace to see if there were any skilled carpenters looking for work, and was gone before the opening bells rang out.
\n      \tRhiallis took one last look in the mirror before closing up James\u2019 house and heading back to her room at the Appletree Inn.
\n      \tThe wind felt strange, whispering through her feathers as she walked. There were few people on the streets yet, still those who were around could not help but stare. Rhiallis curved her shoulders in trying to make herself smaller, less conspicous.
\n      \tGraves would have strutted through the streets, prideful as a peacock and graceful as swan<\/em>, Rhiallis thought, smiling at the idea of her friend, Ivy Graves, with wings. She would have armored herself with them and gone into battle like an astral deva – confident and skilled and utterly, terribly beautiful.<\/em>
\n      \tThe only other aasimar she knew came to mind as well. Ema would have sprouted wings as white as snow; maybe the triple set of a Solar. Something as beautiful and unique as she was\u2026 <\/em>
\n      \tRhiallis bit her lips as she walked. James had not been that disturbed by the revelation. Maybe her friends would not be either. She fluttered them experimentally, then glanced around to be sure no one was watching. One good flap, a second, then a third. Her boots lifted off the ground a few inches. She was so surprised that it worked, she stumbled when she hit the ground and windmilled her arms, trying to catch her balance.
\n      \t\u201cHa-ha!\u201d
\n      \tA small child was laughing and pointing. Rhiallis felt a flush come to her cheeks.
\n      \tBetter practice that a bit, before I try it in front of the Valorous Order<\/em>, she thought ruefully. Or I\u2019ll never live it down.<\/em><\/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 \u201cThe Blood of Angelic Beings\u201d, is a piece I wrote about my PC in Mark’s new (Good) Pathfinder Campaign.       Be forewarned, there may be mature themes and naughty language below. – \u2013 \u2013 \u2013 \u2013 \u2013 \u2013 \u2013 \u2013 \u2013 –       \u201cMmph? Wha?\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":[4,121,252],"class_list":["post-1669","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-gaming-2","category-snippet","category-uncategorized","tag-gaming","tag-pathfinder","tag-rhialis","xfolkentry","clearfix"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/jeezjosie.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1669","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=1669"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"http:\/\/jeezjosie.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1669\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1670,"href":"http:\/\/jeezjosie.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1669\/revisions\/1670"}],"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=1669"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/jeezjosie.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1669"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/jeezjosie.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1669"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}