Post by NightshadeVII on Feb 12, 2024 14:17:25 GMT -6
“That’s good, do anything less and this place would swallow you whole”, while the nøkk spoke, he moved to lift his veil, disoloured fingers handling the delicate fabric with ease.
Beneath, there was unnatural darkness, horribly sharp teeth gleaming white. Other than that, it was hard to really decide what one was looking at. There was distorted skin, or perhaps bones, intertwined with elder branches, shifting and changing as if only a reflection in the water. It almost hurt to look at his unveiled visage, triggering some animal fear of the unknowable.
Then there was a shift, like morning dew fading under sunlight, and the nøkk’s appearance changed.
Now in front of Faolan, instead of an unknowable figure, stood a man. His skin still fair, but without that unnatural pallor, his eyes still a striking turquoise, but now with clearly defined whites and pupils and long lashes. His features, high cheekbones and a straight nose, were framed by long, black hair that fell down his back like a waterfall. His soft lips were pressed together in a half-frown and his brows were slightly furrowed.
Even his clothes changed, from strange robes to a sleek blue shirt, half unbuttoned, sleeves rolled up to the elbows, and simple black pants. Regular everyday clothes. He looked like someone Faolan could have passed on the street. It made him seem so much more real, as if the phantom from just a heartbeat earlier had simply been another illusion. The nøkk was beautiful, in that ethereal way fae were. In that way that didn’t inspire discomfort by being too inhuman, but would still draw people to him without them realizing. In any other circumstance than this of course.
The man that now looked at Faolan had a strange look in his eyes, not quite mocking, not quite comfortable in his own superiority. Like a dog that had been kicked but knew it could still bite.
What was he doing? Had he forgotten what happened the last time? Here he was again, a caged bird yearning for freedom.
“In that case, perhaps we can help eachother”, Aberdeen proposed, not entirely sure why he let the words slip. It was foolish, for him to willingly rely on a human, much less one that was trapped in the realm. But there was something about Faolan, almost a sense of familiarity, that he couldn’t quite shake. It wasn’t the familiarity of looking in a mirror, more so the familiarity of a repressed memory. The thought made him nauseous, made him want to laugh.
Did he really see something of himself in this human and his fearful eyes? Was that raw desire to live, to escape, so different from his own? He knew he was not that person anymore, that he had ceased to be that person centuries ago, but still, maybe…
The nøkk sighed, not wanting to dwell on those thoughts.
The years had made him soft, made his heart, which he so denied himself, a pliable thing. How pathetic he had become. It was laughable.
Still, he extended a hand to help the blonde up from the ground.
“What do you say, Faolan?”
Beneath, there was unnatural darkness, horribly sharp teeth gleaming white. Other than that, it was hard to really decide what one was looking at. There was distorted skin, or perhaps bones, intertwined with elder branches, shifting and changing as if only a reflection in the water. It almost hurt to look at his unveiled visage, triggering some animal fear of the unknowable.
Then there was a shift, like morning dew fading under sunlight, and the nøkk’s appearance changed.
Now in front of Faolan, instead of an unknowable figure, stood a man. His skin still fair, but without that unnatural pallor, his eyes still a striking turquoise, but now with clearly defined whites and pupils and long lashes. His features, high cheekbones and a straight nose, were framed by long, black hair that fell down his back like a waterfall. His soft lips were pressed together in a half-frown and his brows were slightly furrowed.
Even his clothes changed, from strange robes to a sleek blue shirt, half unbuttoned, sleeves rolled up to the elbows, and simple black pants. Regular everyday clothes. He looked like someone Faolan could have passed on the street. It made him seem so much more real, as if the phantom from just a heartbeat earlier had simply been another illusion. The nøkk was beautiful, in that ethereal way fae were. In that way that didn’t inspire discomfort by being too inhuman, but would still draw people to him without them realizing. In any other circumstance than this of course.
The man that now looked at Faolan had a strange look in his eyes, not quite mocking, not quite comfortable in his own superiority. Like a dog that had been kicked but knew it could still bite.
What was he doing? Had he forgotten what happened the last time? Here he was again, a caged bird yearning for freedom.
“In that case, perhaps we can help eachother”, Aberdeen proposed, not entirely sure why he let the words slip. It was foolish, for him to willingly rely on a human, much less one that was trapped in the realm. But there was something about Faolan, almost a sense of familiarity, that he couldn’t quite shake. It wasn’t the familiarity of looking in a mirror, more so the familiarity of a repressed memory. The thought made him nauseous, made him want to laugh.
Did he really see something of himself in this human and his fearful eyes? Was that raw desire to live, to escape, so different from his own? He knew he was not that person anymore, that he had ceased to be that person centuries ago, but still, maybe…
The nøkk sighed, not wanting to dwell on those thoughts.
The years had made him soft, made his heart, which he so denied himself, a pliable thing. How pathetic he had become. It was laughable.
Still, he extended a hand to help the blonde up from the ground.
“What do you say, Faolan?”