Body horror with Tsing Tao

Tsing Tao says, "Mm... What kind of runes can you-"

Tsing Tao says, "Ooh."
"All sorts." Lotlhuitl answered, cutting Tsing Tao off before he could finish his question.

The runescribe's left gauntlet was suddenly coated with her own blood. It oozed out of her flesh, pooling in and open hand before (perhaps concerningly) spilling and dripping to the ground. With a gesture, the thick, red ichor flowed into a circle..

Tail twitching, the woman had bent at the waist and traced out the runes which went within the circle by hand. Her right held her cloak bunched at her shoulders.. preventing it from falling further and smudging her progress.

The green wing etched into her lower back, just below her tail and to the side, was distinctly visible, if Tsing looked. It.. looked.. painful.

Her fluffy tail twitched, glancing up at Tsing as she put the finishing touches on the large defensive runework.

"This is a guardian rune. Makes running hard."

Lotlhuitl straightened, facing away from Tsing. Her cloak fell down, covering the green runework from view once more.

The Nagual exhaled. Summoning her power. Her energy. Feeling it condense around her. And then she began to dance.

The jewellery she wore seemed to create a kind of beat, jingling and clinking as each piece jostled with her movements. Movements which were less vigorous than normal. Movement pained her. But vigorous enough, all the same.
(Lotlhuitl)

Of course Tao looked. A beautiful woman was dancing in front of him, with no one around, and performing something he'd never seen before. How could he NOT look?? He wasn't exactly shy about it either - embarrassed, if his cheeks were anything to go by - but not shy.

The green wing immediately caught his eye - he had seen the glow last night, and had in fact intended to ask her about it, had she not provided AMPLE distraction with her performance. He eyed it with curiosity... and unease. He thought of Elizabeth...

The performance itself was something to be seen, and it almost seemed disrespectful to look away! She was lithe, graceful, and astounding... And hurt, he could tell that much. Which was odd, her body seemed perfectly healthy... Perfect.... Perfection...

Sorry, what was he thinking about again?
(Tsing Tao)

Your ritual has been completed!

Lotlhuitl rolled her body. Rolled her hips. Jingle, shimmy, jingle. She traced around the outside of the circle, her light-footed step careful not to smudge the runes she had etched into place.

Her blood was sparking. Smoking. Blue light was searing the runes she'd marked out into the ground below. Her hair, her tail swished and swayed as she channelled the energy within her, around her, into the guardian rune she had created. She would protect this area.

Her fluffy tail brushed against Tsing, his entire body, heck even his face (if he wasn't caraeful). The end end twitched rapidly as the multiple bangles she wore jostled and jingled against each other.

And then it was done. Finished. And she was standing next to the young man. Peering at him once more. He was blushing.

"Are you okay?"
(Lotlhuitl)

Tao had seen dancing before, but nothing like this. And certainly not this close, not this... sensual. He knew it must serve some alternate purpose, but he didn't know enough about the art to not be entranced by the method.

His blush only deepend as her tail brushed against him, suppressing a sneeze, afraid to disturb her. The beat generated by her jewelery was infectious, and he barely resisted tapping his foot.

Being as young and inexperienced as he was, it was perhaps excuseable that it had taken so long for him to notice. Whether Lotlhutil knew that was a different matter... The red soaking in to the ground, burning a rune in to the dirt, still coating her gauntlet... was blood?

And then a voice tore him from his reverie. "Wah! Uh- Yes! Yes I am. You are- that was quite something..! Beautiful. And not at all how I have seen runes drawn in the past... where did you learn that?"
(Tsing Tao)

Lotlhuitl tilted her head. "I am a spirit dancer," she said. As if that answered anything. The Nagual's ears had perked up, she reaching up with her clean right hand to press her mask aside. She revealed her delicate face to the Tsing Tao for the first time... and promptly did something weird.

Without batting an eyelash, Lotlhuitl had raised her left hand to her lips, and had promptly begun licking her own blood clean from her clawed-gauntleted-fingers.

"Mn," she exhaled, cleaning her gauntlets off with her mouth. Tail twitching. "I learnt if from watchin' Xitlalli an' Zahhual."

Her gaze darkened, and she removed her finger from her mouth. "I learnt a lot of things from Xitlalli."
(Lotlhuitl)

"I learnt a lot of things from Xitlalli."

Tao's blush spread like wildfire, his face burning up enough that he couldn't maintain eye contact. At first it was just his cheeks, but now his entire face was the colour of burnt charcoal, and it was threatening to engulf his ears and neck.

"What, did they teach you..?

Ah! About, spirit dancing! What is that? I've, never heard of it..."

Stumbling for words, Tao continued as he had begun - watching something he did not at all understand. She was drinking her own blood..? Had Tao finally fulfilled his dream of meeting a vampire?? Probably not... but it was highly unusual.
(Tsing Tao)

Lick, lick..

The Nagual stared at Tsing, mask still pushed to the side. Face still visible. Lips parted, blood beginning to smudge against her full lips.

Lotlhuitl was a pretty woman. Not a pretty young, little thing. No, she was fully developed. Experienced. And staring, staring, staring as she deliberately cleaned her fingers one-by-one with her rasping tongue.

A smile.

Lotlhuitl might've had lightly pointed canines, but she wasn't a vampire. By any means. Well, she might've been a bit of a vamp, a real femme fatale, but to be fair to her it wasn't a role she had fallen into entirely by choice.

It wasn't something she particularly desired.

And truthfully, sometimes she wished she had some other worthy quality to offer people.

But here she was, tormenting a teenage boy. Why? Maybe in part the rune was to blame. But to be honest, the young man had seemed well.. determined to convince her of things about the undead.

She wanted to do some convincing of her own.

"She taught me to play dirty." Lotl breathed, staring at Tsung from beneath long, dark eyelashes. Fingers clean, she flexed her hand, before wiping them against her leg. "To not trust anyone."

"Spirit dancing is a living act of sacrifice, I suppose. My dance generates mana for runes I place. Runes which honour the Tocathian." She gestured to the rune, which had once been her blood, and was now energy burnt into the ground.

"They're runes for spirits of protection. They keep this place safe, now."
(Lotlhuitl)

Tao withered under her gaze, heart thumping, his fine clothes suddenly hot and oppressive. He had spent very little time with people not his own age. Well, people in general, really, he was obviously the bookish type, but with broad shoulders and defined arms from working the forge. But right now, by comparison, he felt like a mouse before the cat.

Ever since she had begun the dance he had been enraptured, following the strokes of her tongue with wide eyes, certainly not helping his complexion in the slightest. He knew he was being toyed with, he was friends with Arielle after all, but in the moment he didn't much care.

"Tuh.. trust is. Important, though! How can you..." Things began to click in to place in his head through the hormonal haze. "Mmh. I am sorry to hear that, and hope that somehow I can earn your trust..."

Blood sacrifice. Tocathian. These were things that Tao had seen before, and at least in his mind, caused the rebellion of Ardent Cliffs, and a certain amount of his lost innocence. He didn't exactly approve, but the vision before him was a damn sight different to Sibri...

"Do they.. need blood? Is there no other way?"
(Tsing Tao)

"Some runescribes use energy magic."

Lotlhuitl mimed marking out a shape with a fingertip, making a "zzzzzcchh" sound effect with her mouth. It was an attempt at vocalising some sort of energy burst, perhaps. Or.. well, who knows what it was. It was certainly something.

"Blood is easier for me. A rich source of mana."

She blinked slowly, looking Tsing up and down. She bit her bottom lip, before giving her head a slight shake. Long, silken hair cascading over shoulders as she stepped even closer to the Neries.

"Do you wish to learn to be a spirit dancer? I could teach you."

She reached out, aiming to take his hand. To place it lightly on her hip. And then she reached for him, aiming to brush her clawed-gauntlet-clad fingertips against Tsing. To grasp him.

She began to move.

"It's just like this."

Lotlhuitl aimed to grab Tao around the waist. To lead him as she began to dance. Applying pressure, seeking to make him sway.
(Lotlhuitl)

Tao wasn't short, but he felt about an inch high next to her. He nearly gasped aloud when she rested his hand on her hip. As she began to lead him through the dance, he grasped her back with his other for stability, threatening to be cast aside from her easy motion, or swept up entirely.

Many things were obvious about him, the grey skin and horns the least of which. He was earnest, considerate, pensive... And not at all a dancer. He could move, and his steps were sure, but they lacked any rhythm or allure. Seeking to mirror her the best he could, his movements weren't stiff, but they were unnatural - he was mimicing the form without any of the artistry.

"Does it not... hurt? Is there no easier way? And, ah, I am willing to learn as much as you can teach me..."
(Tsing Tao)

Does it hurt? The question bewildered Lotlhuitl. Plainly, she didn't quite understand that Tsing might have been referring to her usage of blood. "Shh, dancing is painless." She reassured him.

And then she blinked. The Nagual looked down at Tsing with a suddenly very wry smile tugging at her lips. "That is, so long as nobody steps on your toes."

A chuckle.

She attempted to lead him through some steps, even counting for him. But gosh, teaching dance was harder than it looked. Tsing didn't seem to have music just.. in his soul, the way she did.

"Mn, Tsing." She exhaled, holding the Neries lad close to her. She wasn't quite pressed up against him, but she was the next closest thing to it. The youth might've been able to feel the very heat radiating from her skin, she was that close.

"Close your eyes. Listen to the sound of your heartbeat. Focus on that. Let the dance be a link to your soul."
(Lotlhuitl)

He took her dismissive statements as a direction to focus on the task at hand (and body), and not a misunderstanding. Gulping, he nodded, and lowered his eyes to watch his feet... having the unfortunate side effect of looking directly in to Lotlhuitl's chest.

With his face well and trully beyond flushed, his skin felt like ice next to hers. He could feel the heat of her presence, and even the scent of her skin was intoxicating. If ever there was a time he could lose himself and be free, this was it.

His eyes fluttered closed, and his breath hung heavy in his throat as he swayed with her. If he was calm his heart would have provided a perfectly suitable beat, but with the woman so close his pulse was a rapid thundering barrage.
(Tsing Tao)

The guardian ritual in this area has expired!

You have left a Guardian Ritual: 15% flee roll penalty removed!

Lotlhuitl wasn't a complete idiot. She got that Tsing was, well, distracted by her presence. But truthfully, while tormenting him had initially amused her, it had grown old.

She actually genuinely was trying to teach the Neries how to worship the spirits with his body, and he just really wasn't great at it. "Don't look at me. Don't look at your feet. Breathe and listen to the beat of your heart."

Her grip turned slightly rough as she muttered a soft, "no, no." One of her hands reached out for his wrist, and, frowning, she realised that his pulse was racing.

Surely this wasn't just because of her. Lotlhuitl regarded Tsing for a moment before becoming still. She let out a soft, "tsk," tail twitching, batting gently against the Neries.

"Shh."

She traced her fingertips up his arm, tracing over his neck. Once more paying attention to his pulse.

"Calm yourself. Focus on your mana. The energy around us. The spirits."

One hand on his shoulder, the other on his hip, she began to dance again. Guiding his body with her own. "Feel movement running through you, a connection to the world itself. Free mana, floating in the air and the trees and the grass and the sea. Once you can feel that, you can channel it into a rune, if you have one."
(Lotlhuitl)

How am I supposed to be calm at a time like this.

Tao let her take his pulse and... found an odd comfort in it. It reminded him of his mother, the doctor... which of course was an AWFUL time to think of her, but it gave him something to focus on that wasn't the gentle thwap of a fluffy tail, or the touch of her skin...

With her fingers at his neck, he could feel the thumping that much clearer. While he thought he was focusing before, it was now clear that he was focusing on entirely the wrong thing. He breathed, he allowed himself to reach out to the ambient mana in the air, and his pulse slowed.

Whether it was practice, or the reduction of feminine distraction, Tao certainly seemed less tense. He was lighter on his feet, and was no longer simply mimicing her movements, but anticipating them.

Though it may have been accidental, he followed her direction and began to experience his connection to the world around him the only way he knew how - by tasting it. Draining it. It wasn't enough to cause harm, even to the grass beneath their feet, but Lotlhuitl may feel a gentle tug on her circuits.
(Tsing Tao)

"Good, you're doing--"

Lotlhuitl was caught off guard as she felt something tug at her circuits. "W-what?"

She hadn't been actively indulging in the corruption which lurked within her, but it was still there. Sin.

Envy.

Heck, her internal monologue had never been far away from detesting how likeable Tsing seemed to be. How many friends the young man had. How he likely had his whole life ahead of him. How conflicted she was that he seemed to suggest they weren't so different -- both having suffered from the actions of Kayeliun.

She envied him. He didn't really know what suffering was.

And so it was he might taste a glimmer of corruption.

Sin.

Lotlhuitl's breath had subtly hitched in her throat as she felt something tug at the mana within her circuits. For a second, a pale green glowhad flourished around the woman. Well, not so much a glow as eerie shards of reflections, reflections where none ought to be.

Reality shivered.

As did Lotlhuitl, as she found herself breaking her grip on the youth. Attempting to step away.

The reflections shattered, plinked out of existence, disappeared almost as quickly as they had appeared. Had Tsing seen them? Sensed what she was?

The Nagual's expression was distinctly bitter as she fumbled with her mask, taking a moment to secure it once more in front of her delicate (perhaps even gentle seeming!) face.

"You attacked me." She accused, hands curling into fists. Her tail flicked from side to side, her cloak rippling out as the wind around them seemed to rise. Gusts coming out of nowhere.

"You ATTACKED me, when I was only teaching you something!" Anger. Pain.

"You.. you tricked me!"
(Lotlhuitl)

And here Tao was, having such a nice time dancing with the woman. Tasting mana was almost literal for the Neries - not just Tao, but their race as a whole. Their circuits were thin, shallow... but voracious. There was a reason they often felt a kinship to tyrium.

Having never tasted sin magic before, Tao had no idea just how much danger he was in. He didn't know what it was, but it was new, unique, and... not at all pleasant. Elizabeth crossed his mind once more.

As she moved to step away, his hands dropped, and he struggled to open his eyes, almost like he was lethargic. Part of him didn't want to stop this new sensation, but he tore himself away just as Lotlhuitl had torn herself from him.

And, for the second time today, Tao was facing down the wrath of an angry magi. This was indeed a record for him, and it was enough to shake the taste from his mind, cutting himself off from reaving the ambience. "Wh- N- Dreamer, no! I didn't mean to! I'm- You said to feel-"

This afternoon with Lotlhuitl was becoming a rollercoaster of emotions. Right now was panic. "I'm sorry! Please Lotl, it wasn't intentional, I swear..!"
(Tsing Tao)

Envy.

It wasn't really a concept which had a taste. If Lotlhuitl had been describing how it tasted (in the hypothetical situation that she was answering questions truthfully!) she would've probably shrugged and said, "bitter."

But it was more than that. It was glass, being shoved beneath fingertips. Your fingertips. Someone elses'. It was an inherently PAINFUL and TOXIC emotion. And it threatened to consume the Nagual with the fluffy overlarge ears, wide green eyes, and bristling blue-black tail.

Her chest rose and fell rapidly, her lips parted. Breath ragged. Expression ashen, though, her face was once more hidden by her snarling feline mask.

"You're lying." Lotlhuitl's voice tumbled out of her. The woman was panicked. Embarrassed that she was acting like this, in front of the youth.

Pain. Agony. Fear. A whole host of negative emotions surged through the woman as she began to pace back and forth, decidedly out of reach of young Tsing Tao.

"How did you do that. How did you do that. How did you do that,"  She repeated, fingers momentarily rising up to her face, almost like she was going to bite her nails. But one, she was wearing mythril gauntlets, and two, she was wearing a mask. So. She didn't.

Instead, she snapped to attention, turning and facing Tsing Tao. Did he know? Had he worked it out? Her eyes were wide for a moment. Her.. fear obvious.

And then the fear was gone. Hidden behind a wall of.. well. Anger.

"You tried to feel me UP." Lotlhuitl rounded on him, electricity crackling over her form. Shadows, like jet black ink, began to take over her rich brown skin. Ixchel's blessing physically manifesting. "Somehow. With your.. strange.. magic."

She waved a hand at Tsing, as if punctuating her accusation. And then she snarled.

"Oh. You're not sorry, not yet. I can't believe I fucking trusted you!" Anger. It concealed the conflict raging within.

"I challenge you to a duel!" And with that said, she aimed to slap him. Intending to get him across the face.
(Lotlhuitl)

Bile rose at the back of Tao's throat, the taste of mana being wicked away, leaving an awful residue. It was almost literal - he had the urge to hack and spit, but given the situation, he had more pressing concerns.

He took half a step back, and then another; hands down by his side, spread wide, completely open. She was more panicked than he was, confusion raged. What had he done? What did she mean, attacked? The respiration of mana was almost as natural to him as air, and he hadn't put two-and-two together.

The slap came uncontested. SMACK! His vision reeled, he stumbled backwards, and his head spun for a few heartbeats. The harsh stinging on his face hurt less than the idea he'd caused such an extreme reaction from his new friend. That is to say, it hurt, but emotional pain always hurt more.

His jaw clenched against the pain, and he looked up at the raging nagual with wide eyes, pleading. "Please. Don't do this. I don't understand..."
(Tsing Tao)

Lotlhuitl grit her teeth, squaring up to Tsing Tao. She expected a fight. She expected him to duel her. And so for a moment there was a glimmer of corruption rising from the Nagual. Reflections shining where no reflections ought to be seen, out of the corner of ones eye.

And then, she stared. Lotlhuitl's breath catching. Stunned. She didn't expect... whatever this was.

Tsing Tao was little more than a child.

Her tail twitched, tension easing as she looked him up and down.

"You.. I felt it. I felt it brush against my mana circuits."

Her voice sounded weak, even to her. Confused. Bewildered. Heck, she sounded hurt.

"You refuse to duel me?"


(Lotlhuitl)

Tao blinked. A trick of the light? A technique he'd never seen before? He gave no outward indication of suspicion, just confusion and worry... And then, as she mentioned her circuits - guilt.

His shoulders sagged, and confusion gave way to realisation. Negation, using his shallow circuits like a void to draw energies from around him. That's what had caused such an extreme reaction. That's why she thought he had attacked her - because he almost did. Neries were engineered to be magical siphons, after all.

"I'm sorry - I didn't mean to scare you, it... It's the only way I can taste the mana around me! If- I understand. And, I'm sorry. Just... tell me what you want."
(Tsing Tao)

Lotlhuitl's right hand drew closer to her chest. Protective. Her left arm curled around her staff. Said staff no longer held as if readying for an attack. No. She was leaning on it. Weary. Hurting.

She'd closed her eyes. Grit her teeth. Her tail slid up her leg, looping around her waist. Tight. Almost like she was hugging herself.

"No, I'm sorry." She didn't sound very sorry. She sounded very, very angry. Venomous, even. Bitterly so. "I get it." She finally said, shaking her head. Eyes opening with a flutter of dark eyelashes. A glare. Her breathing was harsh.

It was easier to hold onto the anger she felt, the bitter, cold anger, rather than to just let it go. Rather than admit, 'oh, hey, I was being silly.' Rather than admit, 'oh, hey, I'm so used to everyone and everyone attacking me, I thought you were about to do it too, kid!' Rather than admit, 'oh, hey, I was worried you were about to beat me into the ground because everyone else has!'

"You don't think I'm good enough to duel you."

At this point, Lotlhuitl didn't even know what the fuck she thought was going on. She was running on adrenaline. Desperately trying to save face. And was painfully aware that she was making a bigger idiot out of herself than if she'd just kept her fucking mouth shut.

What the fuck was wrong with her. What the fuck.

{{'ahahaahahahahahahahahaha haahahahah ahah--'}}

She grit her teeth, hearing the sound of laughter as distinctly as if someone was laughing at her. It was all in her head. All in her head.
(Lotlhuitl)

Tao looked every bit as hurt as she did. Eyes shimmered with tears that weren't quite ready to fall at her outburst. He knew she had been hurt, abused, but he obviously didn't know the whole story. He had been careless, and brought her past rushing back to haunt her.

"I'm no fighter. If you beat me in to the dirt, you'll just suspect I'm not even trying. I don't want to fight you, Lotlhuitl, I want to help you. Just. Just tell me. What do you want..?"

It started like a wish - the desire for Lotlhuitl to somehow feel what he felt, to know the truth behind his words, to feel his compassion and care, his understanding of her pain. Grey skin paled to ashen as a gentle glow began at the outline of his form, holy energy manifesting within the Neries for the first time, pushing back the encroaching darkness just that little bit.
(Tsing Tao)

Lotlhuitl grew quiet. Her gaze wide, lips parted, drawn into a silent snarl. Baring her teeth at Tsing Tao. Her expression matched that which her mask bore.

What did she want?

At her core, Lotlhuitl just wanted to be worthy. Someone people admired. Someone people ENVIED. But she wasn't. She was pathetic and weak and lacking in oh-so-many ways. That much was obvious to her. That much had been beaten into her. Again, and again.

She leant further against her staff. As if it could protect her. She plainly wanted to leave. But she didn't want to be perceived as a coward. And so she remained, frozen, STARING at Tsing Tao. Doing her darnedest to look furious, angry, scary.

"I don't need your help..!" She protested, her voice low. And then she felt it. Holy magic. It was strange. She wasn't an occultist. It didn't hurt her. It felt.. gentle and compassionate and kind.

It reminded her of Hatsune. How the Sirenian had scrubbed her soul clean, once upon a time. And then again, it didn't. Because while Hatsune had left her all alone and vulnerable afterwards, Tsing was right here and there was something about the magic which suggested that he didn't want to just go away.

Lotlhuitl exhaled shakily.

"I am not some victim and I don't appreciate your pity, Neries."

She lowered her voice.

"What do I want? I want you to back off."

She was serious. She felt threatened by his kindness. It made her feel like an even greater monster.

"Here's another lesson for you, kid. No good deed goes unpunished. My good deed was trying to teach you something, so, fair enough. I deserved that, I guess. But don't make me into something I'm not. I'm not a victim, and I refuse to be some project of yours. I refuse to be 'helped' by some misguided teenager just because he feels guilty because he can't control himself or his powers!"

Lotlhuitl was FULLY aware how hypocritical she was being. Especially, well, since she had the ability to go around and steal people's magical powers. But hey. She was no saint. And truthfully, the corruption within her DEMANDED some kind of satisfaction. It was PLEASING to some horrible part of her to try and torment Tsing, to try and convince him that he had acted improperly and in the process hide her own (in her opinion) horrifyingly glaring character flaws.

That said, she decided to turn from him.

"...I forgive you."

Lotlhuitl turned her gaze from the young Neries, and shifted, intending on leaving.

"I'll talk to you later."
(Lotlhuitl)

Despite the holy aura, Tao was no saint, he was just a boy that had a mother that loved him very much. She had nurtured and cared for him the best anyone could hope for, and had tried to impress upon him since he had arrived in Ardent Cliffs little more than a baby, the importance of compassion.

She taught him that they didn't hate him, they hated what they thought he was. Azraelite. Necromancer. Demon. Agent of the Betrayer... Greyskin and Starchild were the nicest names hurled at him at that age, but, even then, things had changed, all it had taken was time. He was accepted, and possibly even loved within Ardent, all it took was patience.

In the silence that followed, Tao finally noticed the holy energy radiating from him. He couldn't meet her gaze, hidden behind the mask though it was - his pale green eyes flicking between her face and the river, the cliffs, the trees, anything but the domineering figure of rage and hurt before him.

His voice came out a little shakier than he wanted, but what could you expect from a someone facing the fury of one nearly twice their age. "I want to help, because I care about you. And, if that is how you feel... I'll wait for you." He had been called passive, unassertive, cowardly, timid, soft, weak... but he preferred to think of it as patient.
(Tsing Tao)


Lotlhuitl says, "... I don't need help. I just don't like being touched, and you touched me in a very private way."

Lotlhuitl says, "I wasn't expecting it."

Lotlhuitl says, "So I suppose if you want to help me... "
Lotlhuitl she STARED at him.
(Lotlhuitl)
Lotlhuitl says, "...learn to control your hunger."

Tsing Tao says, "It-"

Tsing Tao says, "Mm."

Lotlhuitl says, "Don't dip into my mana again without permission."

Tsing Tao says, "I understand."

Tsing Tao says, "Of course... I'm sorry."

Lotlhuitl says, "I forgive you."

Lotlhuitl says, "You're.. barely more than a boy. "

Lotlhuitl says, "I apologise for challenging you to a duel. I should be more merciful."

Tsing Tao asks, "Did I, insult you, by not fighting you?"

Lotlhuitl says, "... yes."

Tsing Tao says, "...Ah."

Tsing Tao asks, "...Would we be talking right now if we had fought?"

Lotlhuitl says, "I would respect the result of the duel. "

Lotlhuitl says, "I don't bear grudges."
Lotlhuitl lied.
(Lotlhuitl)

Tsing Tao says, "Ah."

Lotlhuitl says, "If you still wish to learn how to connect with the spirits.. I.. I would teach you."
Lotlhuitl distinctly looked away, fiddling with her staff..
(Lotlhuitl)

Tsing Tao says, "I would be very grateful."

Tsing Tao says, "I would enjoy the chance to spend more time with you."

Lotlhuitl says, "... very well."

Lotlhuitl asks, "I.. why?"

Tsing Tao asks, "...Why?"

Lotlhuitl asks, "Don't you have friends your own age?"
Tao seemed actually surprised someone would ask Why to that...
(Tsing Tao)

Tsing Tao says, "Well, yes."
Lotlhuitl was distinctly bewildered.
(Lotlhuitl)

Tsing Tao says, "But they aren't you."

Tsing Tao says, "They haven't experienced what you have, they don't have your story to tell."

Tsing Tao says, "And... I would like to hear it."

Lotlhuitl says, "... "

Lotlhuitl says, "I don't know why you'd want to hear tht."

Lotlhuitl says, "It's not exactly a story which is inspiring."

Tsing Tao says, "The most worthwhile ones seldom are..."
Lotlhuitl squirmed lightly..
(Lotlhuitl)


Lotlhuitl says, "If you're trying to butter me up to make up for earlier, you really don't need to."

Lotlhuitl says, "I already forgave you."

Tsing Tao says, "I'm... doing the opposite, I feel."

Tsing Tao says, "I'm asking a favour."

Lotlhuitl asks, "... a favour?"

Tsing Tao exclaims, "Mm!"

Tsing Tao says, "I'm asking for your time, your history..."

Lotlhuitl says, "... what could *you* possibly need from m--"

Lotlhuitl says, "..."

Tsing Tao says, "You know... your story."

Lotlhuitl says, "I.. that's a big favour to ask."

Lotlhuitl says, "I don't *like* my story."

Lotlhuitl says, "I prefer other people's stories."

Tsing Tao says, "Well."

Lotlhuitl says, "Heck, if I could, I'd trade away my life for literally anyone elses' in an instant."

Tsing Tao says, "Perhaps I can share mine."

Lotlhuitl says, "You can do what you like, but I'm not going to agree to telling you my life story just.. willy nilly.."

Lotlhuitl says, "I have my secrets. "

Tsing Tao says, "Of course."

Lotlhuitl says, "And by 'my secrets' I mean, well, everything I've ever done. Or experienced."

Tsing Tao says, "...Oh."

Lotlhuitl says, "I don't talk about it. Who does. That's.."
Lotlhuitl whispers: only people who live lives worthy of being talked about tell others about what they've done.

Lotlhuitl whispers: Or braggarts.

Lotlhuitl whispers: Mostly braggarts.

Tsing Tao whispers: Then don't tell me. Don't brag, don't boast.

Tsing Tao whispers: We can... share.

Lotlhuitl says, "..."

Lotlhuitl whispers: What.. where should I start?

Tsing Tao whispers: Well... Tell me about your children. What were their names?

Lotlhuitl says, "Atoli and Xohuiotl. "

Lotlhuitl says, "Xoconan murdered Xohuiotl. "

Lotlhuitl says, "Atoli, I haven't seen since he was four."

Tsing Tao says, "Goodness..."

Lotlhuitl says, "He'd be, gosh.. nine, now.. I think.."

Lotlhuitl says, "Kayeliun has him."

Lotlhuitl says, "I.. I didn't want to die. Xoconan tried to kill me. And when I escaped, he told me he'd kill them both. "

Tsing Tao asks, "How old would Xohuiotl be?"

Lotlhuitl says, "And I was too much of a coward to return and meet my death. I.. "

Lotlhuitl says, "They were twins."

Lotlhuitl says, "Atoli and Xohuitol.."

Lotlhuitl says, "Xohuiotl*"
Tao smiled. He always liked the idea of twins. Or siblings at all, really. Being an only child could get lonely.
(Tsing Tao)

Lotlhuitl says, "Xoconan killed Xohuiotl in front of Atoli. "

Lotlhuitl says, "Because I didn't return."

Lotlhuitl says, "Because I couldn't save him."

Tsing Tao says, "Because he was cruel, and corrupt."

Tsing Tao says, "Not because of you."

Lotlhuitl says, "He... Kayeliun did it to him. She turned him against me."

Lotlhuitl says, "What does it matter, why he did it. I couldn't stop it."
Brave little Tao took a step closer to her, resting his hand on her shoulder, in what he hoped was a comforting gesture... And she wasn't being entirely honest when she said she didn't like to be touched.
(Tsing Tao)

Tsing Tao says, "It matters that you know it was him, not you."
Lotlhuitl flinched.
(Lotlhuitl)

For a fraction of a second, REALITY LURCHED around Lotlhuitl. At Tsing's touch. Again. Why? Gosh, it was like the woman half expected the Neries to draw her power out of her again, out of her very mana circuits.

Reality quivered around the Nagual.

And then something happened that really shouldn't.

Real body horror.

It was just a fraction of a second.

Shards of pale green and highly reflective glass suddenly sliced through her form. Dissected. Her heart beating and raw bones and guts and hair and sinue and -- it was all visible, glass pulling apart -- and all of this happened in literally an instant. It was just there. Like it always had been.

And then it was reordered. Parts recombined. Glass shattering. Flesh bleeding and threading together--

And then it was like the world had just inverted and then twisted 90 degrees.

And then, for an even smaller fraction of that same second, it was like Lotlhuitl was a completely different person. And not at all in a pleasant way.

But literally in the blink of an eye, the awful, horrible, corrupt sensations, visions, they were all GONE.

And everything was fine. Everything was fine. **Everything was fine.** Right?

In fact, had that even happened?

Lotlhuitl stepped backwards, eyes WIDE. Ears pricked forward. Look, this time she looked more alarmed and frightened than angry. She was too tired to be angry. Too spooked. Corruption glimmered at her fingertips. She hadn't needed to slap Tsing's hand away. But she moved to do so anyway.

"Don't touch me." She breathed. Horrified. Tail twitching.

Vulnerable, spooked, she added: "Please."

Her heart was hammering in her chest. Her eyes were wide. Pupils dilated to such a point that it made her eyes look like mirrors. So much light was reflecting off the back of her eyes, they might as well have been.

She grit her teeth.

"I.. I know it was my fault. Save your pity, Tsing."

And that said, it seemed Lotlhuitl wanted to storm off.
(Lotlhuitl)

Tao froze. Two tricks of the light in one night? But. There was no light, it was nearly pitch dark, with only the shimmer from his skin to push it back. He had seen something, he was sure of it... But had no idea what it was, or the implications.

Third time he'd messed up tonight. He did not know when to fold 'em, nor when to walk away. His hand hung in the air, motionless as Lotlhuitl pulled away. Biting his lip, he chastised himself.

"I'm sorry... again, Lotl. Thank you for telling me about your sons. I hope you get to see Atoli again soon..."

And, if she was set on storming off, Tao wouldn't stop her, but he would watch her go.
(Tsing Tao)

Lotlhuitl stormed off!
(Lotlhuitl)