A little late, but...

GUESS WHO HIT 500?!   Whee~! *Z does an uber-geeky, sober white-girl dance*

I'm about 5 over that, actually, so ^^' yeah, sorry I forgot to update the day it happened.

There's no way I'm going to be able to hit 665 before the end of the year, 160 in 60 days, I'd have to get nearly 3 VEs a day for each day for the rest of the year... I don't have a) the time, b) the money for new days, and c) the inclination to want to do that.

Perhaps by the end of 2014, I'll have another 200 VEs under my belt and be sitting pretty at 700.  Peanut may be nearly 2 by the time I hit 1000 - odd thing to think about!  XD  Here's hoping I don't have to give the game up when I become a mommy... but we'll have to wait and see.

Anyway, thought I'd share. ^^

-Z

(RP update: So far, I've not thought of anything I want to do in character to continue developing Z, so maybe something will come up soon. ^^' Again, I've got to find time, want, and an inclination to want to do any RPing.)

9.25.13 - Try outs are today...

Sorry I've been so zoney these days... Apparently, busy season wasn't quite over as I thought it was...

Then my hubby-dear and I found out that I'm pregnant! Yaaay! Everyone's excited - it's a first for us (as well as my parents! I can tell, Peanut's going to get super spoiled!)

Anyway, I've had most of this written out since July-August-ish... and put the finishing touches on it today (aka the last 4 pieces... since I can't call all of them paragraphs.)

Without further ado, enjoy the scene at the Thorngage Manor!

------------------

“I want to live…”

Those fateful words were all it took to restore her.  When she had awoken, Zaida saw the mess at the Shadow Enclave, now Thorngage Manor and restored the charred and torn tapestries, shattered statues, and broken furniture with a ball of energy that erupted from her fingertips… an ability she hadn’t had access to before… and she liked it.  But that was months ago…

Today finds Zaida in the gardens at Thorngage Manor, attempting to gain control over her recently-discovered new abilities.  Her first experience with the new powers wasn’t exactly a pleasant one… She had drawn a bath to relax after a particularly rigorous day of training. The water was piping  hot when she submerged herself – the heat coaxed the lesser deva into sleep. When she awoke, the water was like ice. She screamed, “HOLY SH---JEEZ, IT’S COLD!!”  She braced one hand on the bottom of the tub  and reached for the hot water tap, thinking one word, [Heat.]  The water around her began to warm and continued to get hotter before she could turn the tap.  She glanced at her hands as they emitted an eerie pink glow.  Momentarily dazzled by the sight, she forgot about the water’s rapidly rising temperature… soon, she was boiling in her own bath water. 

Zaida let a roar of pain erupt from her throat. She couldn’t shift this quickly into her deva form and fly, but she knew she had to get away from the burning sensation, and her body simply took over.  Zaida had pushed off from the tub to stand, bringing the water up with her as she stood.  Her hands pushed out away from her and sent the water flying.  With a splash, boiling water covered the hardwood floor of her bathroom.  Zaida stood still, trembling, for a few moments – still trying to register the events that just occurred.  Finally, she tentatively reached for her towel to wrap herself, but her skin was too tender to touch – it had blistered while in the water… she would have to shift, there was no other way around it. 

Cream colored skin darkened to blue, her hair blanched from brown to white.  White feather wings erupted from her back, their usually comforting brush against her skin a new source of pain for her damaged skin.  [Maybe that energy trick will work again…] She put her hands together, and concentrated on creating a ball of energy… which worked, sorta.  Instead of emitting a soft healing glow, this ball looked like swirling mists, clouds flickering with lightning, and hurricane winds contained within – the ball grew too big, too fast for Zaida to safely disperse.  A loud BOOMING eruption of sound sent Zaida flying backwards into the wall before crumpling into a heap on the soaked floor.  [Today… is not… my day…], Zaida whimpered to herself, taking comfort in one tiny little detail, [At least the water’s cooled off…]  She laid there for a moment to simply get her bearings, her skin still screaming in its singed state.  Rather than show off like she had before, her hands began to emit a soft golden glow and healed her body of the burns – a small pull on her energy like this wouldn't take away from her newly extended lifespan, but even right now, it just might be worth it…

But that was then… today, however, she was determined to get a handle on her newly acquired gifts.  The gardens at Thorngage Manor seemed to be a nice open area away from any precious artwork that she wanted to keep safe…  It was here that we find her now:

--------

Zaida flicks her wrists, shaking them in anticipation.  “Okay, first – water, I think…,” she announced to her empty garden.  Her mind thought the word in the form of a command, [Water.] Nothing came.  She tried again – saying it aloud this time, “WATER!”  Again, nothing.  She tried a third time, pouring herself into the command, “WATER!!!”   Clean, clear water flowed from her fingertips and into a basin she had set out to catch the water, but she soon realized she had begun to feel dizzy.  She stopped the flow of the water and collapsed to her knees, suddenly feeling parched she began to drink the clear water she had created – instantly starting to feel better… “It appears,” she announced to no one in particular, “that to create water, I have to pull it from my own body… A trick I probably won’t be pulling out at parties anytime soon…”  She hadn't felt completely better after consuming all of the water in the basin, but she at least felt well enough to continue…

Zaida spotted the fountain in the center of the garden and wondered, [Maybe I can move water, like earlier?]  She extended her hands out in front of her again, and commanded, “Move.” She moved  her hands up and the water listened.  Her hands began to make random movements, the water contracting and expanding as her gestures indicated.  “That, I will say, is a nifty trick!”  She set her hands down, and the water settled back in the fountain.

Content with her discovery, she continued, “Fire, next.”  She studied her hand, and instinctively – the words came to her, “Heat.” Her hands regained the pink glow to them, and immediately, she could feel the heat rolling off of her hand… while it was in this form, she decided to kick it up a notch, “Flame.”  Her hands shifted from pink to orange as a ball of flame began to grow in her hand.  She chuckled slightly at the discovery and safely dispersed it by closing her hand.  [I wonder,] she thought to herself, [Can I use this as a ranged attack?]  She pointed at a small patch of grass and spoke, “Flame!”  Fire erupted from her finger tips, but over shot their target… and hit the gazebo a few feet from the spot she had intended.  Quickly, she dispersed the flames and extended a hand back toward the garden fountain, “MOVE!”  The water lifted at her command and she flung her hand toward the flaming gazebo, quickly extinguishing the fire as quickly as she started it. 

The outside of the gazebo had charred and the paint had begun to bubble… “Great,” she grumbled, “more repairs I’ve got to do around here…”

“Well, there’s only one last thing left to try…,” she announced to her empty garden, before wondering aloud, “…but what do I call it? Sonic? Sound? Wind?”  After a moment of internal debate, and deciding on referring to the ability as Sonic, she rubbed her hands together and focused.  A ball of swirling mist  formed between her palms – steadily growing under her watchful eye.  A baseball-sized ball was dispersed, and a nice cooling breeze blew through the garden.  “Alright, that worked out pretty well,” Zaida remarked, “Let’s see how we do with a bigger one.”  She created another ball of swirling winds, this time – the size of a soccer ball.  When it was released, staggering winds ripped the leaves off of her trees – leaving them looking like they’d already felt the chill of winter’s touch, even though it was only summer’s end.  “Wow…” she remarked, wide-eyed, “That’s impressive…”

Not willing to leave well enough alone, Zaida decided to try one more time…  She had aimed for a beach ball-sized  ball of sonic energy, but like before, it had gotten too big for her to contain.  “Oh, f---ahhh!” She’d begun to curse, but the sheer amount of power had begun to hurt her hands.  The forced premature release of the energy created a tornado that ripped through her backyard, shattering the windows of the Manor and colliding with part of the stone wall that acted as her fence around Thorngage Manor.  Zaida facepalmed, “SERIOUSLY?!” 

She groaned, dragging her palm down her face – and put her hands together.  “Please, let this work!”  Focusing once more, she was able to produce a golden light that surrounded her hands.  She let this gentle light draw on her lifeforce within to grow large enough to heal all of the damage to her estate – soon it looked as fantastic as before.

Satisfied, Zaida gazed at her handiwork, “Yep, I think I’m going to like these new abilities just fine… especially once I learn how to control them…”  [end.]                        

07.10.13 - Awakening

[Where am I?] Zaida thought to herself… The room was silent, almost buzzing with it.  She tried to open her eyes – for months now, an unattainable goal, but now it was like curtains rising… and it hurt.  The stark white of her surroundings caused her to immediately shut her eyes again, then opening them slowly – bit by bit – until she could adjust.  She tried to sit up, and her muscles protested after months of being in a coma, and – with great effort – she was able to manage a propped position on her side until she could push off with her arm to sit upright.

She raised her arms tentatively to examine them – they were pale, she was in her glamoured form. [Shouldn’t there be scars?]  A chill went down her spine as she remembered what seemed only moments before – the fight, the wounds she’d sustained, the fire, and the burns she should be carrying.  The deafening roar when the flames engulfed her protective shield still screamed in her ears as she recalled it.  It was the final option, the only way to effectively kill Erik and the other Shadow Thief apparitions… it had been worth it.  She didn’t want to look, but ran her fingers over her waist and the upper portion of her left thigh… the brands were still there, but the skin was smooth – as if it were nothing more than elaborate tattoo. 

From behind her, she heard a distinctively male voice, “Ah, my child, you have awakened.”  She spun around, her mouth hung open in surprise, “Master Amal?”  Her voice was no louder than a whisper and as rough as coarse sandpaper, cracked.  Suddenly, a spike of fear stabbed through to the very heart of the young deva, but the aging man before her looked as if he was there in peace.   He noted her expression and remarked, “My child, what have you to fear?” “Erik…” her voice was still strained, “What happened with the others.”  “Yes,” Master Amal replied, “It’s unfortunate what happened, but you avoided confrontation to the last. You counted their lives far more than their worth…” The look on her face betrayed the fact that she didn’t understand, so he continued, “They took what we stood for and treated like so much garbage. Be certain, child, that I kept watch over you and the others – even in death. I *knew* what became of each and every one of you.”

Zaida tried her voice again, “…but I wanted to leave. No one’s ever done that before.” “Oh,” Master Amal chuckled, “haven’t they?” The thief looked up at her master with another quizzical look on her face. He began to explain by asking, “Do you remember a young thief, many centuries ago – Roux? The young Parisian…” Instantly, the face of Zaida’s first love sprang fresh into her mind… it was a bittersweet image. “I was still a child… I remember that he wanted to leave… and so you took him out one day and killed him,” she recalled. “No, my little assassin,” her elder corrected her, “I did *not* kill him.”

Amal sat next to Zaida on the low-sitting stone slab she woke up on and began his explanation: “My child, Roux wanted to leave because he had found purpose in life. He became enchanted with the local chocolatier’s daughter – Irina. He asked permission of her father to become his apprentice, so he could learn a legitimate trade and be close to the one he loved.  When I walked out with him, I took him to the local tavern… he cut his hair and shaved off his facial hair. After seeing him in one way for so long, he would have looked unrecognizable if I hadn’t been there with him to see the transformation for myself.  I gave him a little gold to start him out on his new life and wished him all the best.  He went on to marry that girl and eventually took over the chocolate shop with her.”  Zaida questioned her master, “But, master, you brought back his bloodied shirt?”  “At the time, you were too  young to discern different smells as you can now… you, nor any of the others, couldn’t discern goat’s blood from the young lad’s.  Yes, the shirt was his, but it was a spare shirt that I’d instructed him to bring,” he replied.  The young deva gasped as she understood what she had heard. Master Amal added one final bit of information, “If you’ll recall – you used to receive chocolates for your birthday. Who do you think I got them from?”  He smiled at the thief.

“But…” she sputtered, “how?!”  Amal gave her a mischievous grin, “A little trick that’s been used since the time of the great Pharaohs of Egypt… think around the time of Joseph… it’ll come to you.”  [The coat!], she thought as her face showed her grasp of history.  “It was the only way I could give Roux a fresh start at a new life,” he explained, “The only way I could be sure that the others who would’ve been angry at Roux for leaving wouldn’t go looking for him. I’ve done that for several more of my children over the years. I regret that I wasn’t able to live long enough to help you with your transition… you were right in that they should have simply let you go.  They made their decision… hold no further guilt over this, young one.” 

Zaida breathed a sigh of relief and lifted her face – feeling unburdened for the first time in months.  She asked, “What do propose I do now, master? I have nothing left of what I originally left for…”  Master Amal replied, “Well, I suppose that you could join me and never breathe another breath… or you can spend the time to find your own way again…”  “Master Amal, do you realize how long it took me to find my way?” The young deva looked at him, exasperated, “I’m not as young as I once was.”  “…or so you think,” the old man replied.  “When Erik and the others forfeited their lives, they forfeited the remainder of their years to you… you gained all of their unlived years… so you easily have another 500 years left in you, in addition to whatever you have left. Also, you are stronger now… their energy was absorbed into your body to help heal you, and it inevitably strengthened you, too… It’s up to you to discover what you’ve gained.”

“As always, my dear, you’ve got a choice,” Master Amal concluded, “So, what will it be?”

“I want to live…”

A gold light enveloped her, as it did after her fight with Erik – and as she opened her eyes, she found herself on the floor of the Shadow Enclave in the same state of disrepair that it was in after the final battle.  She saw the charred and torn tapestries, the shattered statue of herself, the ruined furniture.  She clasped her hands in front of her and began to focus; a ball of light erupted between her palms, forcing them apart as it grew.  Suddenly, she extended her arms out to her sides and clapped her hands together, sending the shockwave of energy through the room.  The golden light spread to every crevice in the room, repairing furniture, tapestries, and even the statue – all more magnificent than ever.  She smiled, pleased with this new ability.

“Ahh…. It’s great to be home!”

T^T Summer and busy season!

I'm wondering if we should change it to monsoon season, the way it's rained every day for the last 2 solid weeks... We'll have intermittent patches of sunshine and then FWAAAAAAAAAAAH, ZOMGRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAIN!  Just ugh... T^T

Anyway, the biggest part of busy season's over with - but it's still quite busy around here with the aftermath...  A solid 9 hours of wall-to-wall work...

Speaking of, I've got to get back to it.  Just wanted to let everyone know that I'm still alive.

'til next time!

-Z

Conflict Resolution - Deva Style

Zaida lay prone on the stone floor of the basement –[How much time had gone by?] She’d lost count of the hours, the days, even weeks that she’d been stranded here with no one to search for her.  Even if anyone had come by the Shadow Enclave to look for her, they would have had to hack her several high-security defense systems… [I wish Silver were here right now…], she often thought to herself.

Unfortunately, that wouldn’t be the case.  As she lay there, all Zaida could do was wait, frozen, until life returned to her immobile limbs – listening and watching as various scenes played out before her in the cinema of her mind.  She was treated to an unrelenting, unending barrage of the senses – the sights, sounds, feelings of each of the fifty men whose names now rested in the chains around her waist.  Zaida watched as their lives were all laid out before her; their names, their dreams, and the abrupt end to each all tattooed into her mind – with every torture and agony they’d been subjected to now visited upon the lesser deva in her vulnerable state.  Derek, who would have died without the guild taking pity on him – trained up to be a fence, now dead at Zaida’s hands.  Antonio, an expert in reconnaissance – a great lover unable to be with the one who set his heart on fire, now extinguished – another like Zaida who wanted to leave, and paid the price for her selfish ways. Angelo, Marcus, Reg, Kylan – one after another – on and on – until every one of them had been remembered… until the final name, the last link of the chain – Erik.

She knew it was coming, but Zaida never wanted to relive any moment of this particular life.  Amal sent Zaida to kidnap the boy as a child, thinking him to be the son of a wealthy man – to extort a large sum as ransom for the boy.  The boy seemed too easy of a target, too ready to escape from a life of opportunity and means… when the ransom had been paid and the boy loosed, the man realized that the boy was none other than Erik, a servant – a companion for his son, and was the last to see the boy alive.  Erik confessed to the accident that left the son dead at the bottom of a well, and was beaten  and left for dead.  Unable to leave the boy to die, Zaida felt the boy’s thankfulness – and as he grew, his awe and wonder of the woman who had saved him. When he learned the secret of her origin, awe and wonder turned to worship – and as the boy grew into a man, worship had turned to desire and love. Like these things are wont to do, that worship and desire turned to obsession… which drove him to want to not just love her, but to possess her… to own her.  She remembered seeing how pleased he was when she spoke to him – mistaking her friendliness for flirting.  Moments of what she considered harmless chat were seen as flirtatious rendezvous – reliving their moments together, Zaida knew her words offered him no hope of a relationship… but in his mind, she felt his hope and the need that consumed him. Zaida felt the acid that boiled within Erik after her rejections, the hurt of being pushed away, and finally the emptiness after she rejected his proposal and left… then the anger of her finding someone to love, and then rage when she chose to marry him in secret.  The moments that flashed before her eyes, Zaida remembered vividly from her own point of view – at Hogwarts, she remembered the feeling that she was being watched, but didn’t dare reveal herself or her abilities for fear of being discovered; memories of Salazar and Arius, now tainted with the knowledge of his presence.  She heard the venom in Erik’s words as he vowed to end the wretched fool’s life for daring to intrude on the life he’d planned with Zaida.  After all, Erik had been the one to comfort her after Master Amal’s death. Erik had been the one to help her run the guild as she found her way as their new leader.  Surely, the next step was going to be his betrothal and marriage to his Zaida – and, as far as Erik was concerned, this interloper had no place beside her.  [She has to know her place is with me, beside me – with this guild… so why is she hanging on to him so tightly?!]  Erik finally let the anger consume him, he gave into it when he took over as the leader of the guild.  Practices that had been strictly prohibited were now commonplace under Erik’s rule.  A once-secret organization that plagued rulers of old, who would mysteriously disappear at their hands, now left gruesome calling cards in the blood and gore as thieves carelessly disposed of bodies in the streets for anyone to find.  [This will make her come back – she’ll have to take over again… there’s no way she’ll let this go unanswered…] 

Months passed by – Arius still lived and Zaida still hadn’t returned… although the two were no longer together… she had driven him away to keep him safe… It was now time for even more drastic measures… to target the deva herself.  He felt nothing  but joy when she had returned, but it quickly gave way to anger again when he realized it hadn’t meant her return to the fold.  When she shifted into the Maiden of Death once more, he felt no terror, no anger, just the joy and awe he had known as a child. His final moments spent in worship before she cut him down and burned his body to ashes without a second thought…

[Do you see now, Zaida?] Erik asked,  [Do  you understand, now, why you have to answer for your sins?]  [I understand,] she replied, [that you’re still the same arrogant bastard that you always were. I understand that you are a sick, twisted, delusional train wreck that I never should have saved.  You’re a mistake that will be corrected soon.]

Zaida flexed her hand, and it trembled – at least it was a sign of life, a sign of her strength returning. “That’s where you’re wrong, sweet cheeks,” the poltergeist taunted, appearing above her, “You’ve been a naughty little deva, and it’s time to stand for your crimes. Lookie here, you’ve got a judge…” Another ghost  appeared… “A jury…” One by one, the other thieves had appeared. “And executioner.” Erik held his arms open as if to indicate himself for the role.  “We hereby find you guilty of treason, sedition, and – let’s not forget – murder.”  A sword appeared in his hands, “You are hereby sentenced to death by execution. It will be in a manner consistent with that you committed against your fellow thieves.  May you burn for your transgressions and find no mercy in any afterlife.”

Erik thrust out his arm, the blade hurtling ever-closer to Zaida’s back on the floor.  Zaida willed every ounce of her power to surge forth and disappeared – teleporting up to the main hall and surrounded herself with an energy shield in time to see the ghosts rise up through the floors – weapons drawn.  “Zaida,” Erik taunted, “when will you ever learn?  You will never be able to escape from us.”  He looked up at the enchanted tapestry that graced the ceiling – “We’ll see who has the last laugh.”  He flew up and slashed his way through each image, taking care to cut out the piece that included just Zaida.  He gently lowered himself, clutching a swathe of tapestry in his hand.  The dagger in his hand sliced cleanly through the cloth that bore the image of Arius Stormborn’s face.  When the scrap resembled rags, Erik cast them at Zaida’s feet. 

Erik looked up at Zaida and grimaced, “If I can’t have you… no one ever will.”  Erik reached back with the dagger and swung.  The metal sliced through the energy shield and the dagger sunk home into Zaida’s ribcage.  Zaida screamed and gasped, her lung punctured with from the blade. Her arm swung wildly, in an effort to push him away from her – swinging through the apparition, without ever touching him.  “Ah,” Erik remarked, surprised, “So, you can’t fight back against us after all.”  [Oh no!] A look of sadistic glee crossed Erik’s face, “Begin.”  The ghosts charged forward, Zaida braced herself when she felt it… her energy had returned, she could use her power again… [But…], she thought, fearfully, [If I use my abilities to the fullest again this soon… what’s going to happen to me?]

She didn’t have time to contemplate the thought further, the ghosts were upon her – their blades found her: slicing, hacking, stabbing – biting into her flesh with a ferocity she hadn’t felt in a while.  Zaida screamed in pain as her power took over.  A bright flash of energy and light pushed the ghosts away from her – as the light cleared, Zaida dropped her shield and her glamour.  Her white hair cascaded over her pale blue skin, and her gold eyes shone with a murderous glint – the energy wrapped her body and healed from the inside out; no mark of their assault remained on her.  Her wings flexed, and she turned her gaze right to Erik. “YOU SHOULD HAVE LET ME GO WHILE YOU HAD THE CHANCE,” Zaida screamed, “NOW, YOU DIE YOUR *FINAL* DEATH!”  She flicked her wrists a dark violet energy shot out from them and took the shape of blades.  Erik scoffed, “Only if you die with me…”  He rushed forward, aiming to strike again.  Zaida pushed her energy out and encompassed the room into a shield, and the ghosts trapped inside took on physical form.  Erik rushed forward, ready to strike again, but Zaida thrust her arm out… Erik stopped cold, impaled on a spike of pure energy, “..b…b…bu-but… how?”  “I will render your soul into ash,” Zaida replied, “you will never know peace, only oblivion.”  Zaida swung her free arm, the soul blade allowed her to deliver the final blow and Erik fell, dead.   The thieves let out a collective howl in anger and anguish, before they began to rush her.  Zaida tried to defend herself - she cut down several, but the sheer numbers were too much for her… Their blades found her – cutting into her back and chest.  One succeeded in stabbing through her forearm, disabling one of the blades.  Zaida screamed again, a ball of deep violet flame erupted from her and began to consume everything inside of the shield.  The souls of the thieves screamed as they were burnt alive one final time…. But Zaida was caught inside the shield, and was burning along with them.  The flames kissed her skin, her wings were singed, her skin threatened to melt when the final soul burned away and the flames finally died.

The brands sang with pain, as if a flame were still held to her skin - the names in the chain filled in to solid links, but the brands remained.  Zaida collapsed – her energy finally spent once again.  Her breathing became shallow and her heart began to falter.  She caught sight of the singed scraps of the tapestry Erik had cut – and Arius looked up at her.  A tear streamed down her cheek, [Ari--]  Zaida blacked out, unable to maintain consciousness any longer.

A ball of pale gold light formed and encompassed Zaida’s lifeless body - in a flash, Zaida’s body disappeared.  The statue of her glamoured form crumbled and fell to pieces.  The chunks of stone littered the floor, and the Shadow Enclave was silent.

[End]

That’s all for now, everyone!  Busy season’s started and this was my way of signing off for the summer.  See you guys in a few months!

Update

Sorry guys!  I know I've been MIA lately - but there's a good reason (I promise!)

I've already alluded to the fact on multiple occasions that busy season is coming up for me, and looks like (form the way things have been going lately) that it's arrived a bit early.  This is the first chance I've had in over a week to update you guys on this. :(

In addition to work, the rest of my life's been pretty busy lately - what with my sister moving back to my side of the country and getting my home ready for her, her husband, and two cats to move into for a bit until they can find a place of their own.  Pretty much any spare moment has been devoted to that and to spending time with her, since this is the first time I've seen her in 2 1/2 years.  (She had moved cross-country to be with her fiance`, now husband, after my wedding.  They're married, he's out of the military, and she wants to move back closer to family.  We had room, hubby-dear and I discussed it, and now we have house guests. ^^)

I do plan on having one final tale for Zaida before signing off for the summer.  I want to wrap up this story line that I've got going on with her and the brands that have been popping up.  Zaida's guilt has pretty much been eating her alive - I'll be writing it in story form and posting it here in its entirety, the chopped up 140-character twitter-style HL-text-box version will be available in Z's castle, the Shadow Enclave.

I'll try not to make it as simple as "Rocks fall, everyone dies."  XD

<3 -Z

400!

So - yesterday was the 100th day of the year, and I was able to achieve my 100th VE since the start of the new year.

I was able to close out 2012 with 300 VEs and set a few goals for myself.

1 - Good) I wanted to get 1 VE a day at least through my birthday (yesterday, by the way)... GOAL ACHIEVED!  It marked VE #400!

2 - Better)  I want to get at least 200 total VEs before 2013 is out - to reach 500 and the title Death Deity.

3 - Best!)  I know this is a long shot, seeing how I'll be signing off for a few months for busy season with my job.  (Yes, my busy season lasts from Memorial Day/Late May to Labor Day/Early September...)  I would like to continue the 1 VE per day and get 365 (or at least 300) VEs... At least to hit 600 (can't remember what the title would be at the moment, though ^^')

With the first goal met, it's time for me to keep working toward goal #2.  I hope you'll keep cheering on my progress and keep checking back for more of Z's adventures!

-Z

04.09.13 - Chained

 <HUF> Zaida couldn't put it off any longer - there was only so many times one could cast a SCOURGIFY spell before one began to miss the feeling of a genuine shower. She stood in front of the full length mirror 

 <HUF> Zaida --in her "mini museum" in the basement of her Shadow Enclave. Zaida swallowed, bracing herself for the inevitable... and began to disrobe. Her breath began to come in shaky, shallow gulps as she --

 <HUF> Zaida --took in the horrific sight - the brand on her thigh wasn't the only one she carried... Now, it resembled more a lock than anything else. The burning around her waist a month ago was a chain.

 <HUF> Zaida Each link a different name - she counted... there were fifty of them. One for each thief she killed on that bloody afternoon, the last time she even came close to using her full abilities. The new-

 <HUF> Zaida --brands wrapped around and connected into the lock - the original brand redesigned into a lock. She slipped into her favorite white satin lounging set - the brands still mostly visible through --

 <HUF> Zaida --the material. [Erik was right,] she thought dejectedly, [I'll never be free.] This one thought was enough to break her. "That's right, love," Erik's voice taunted her, "Now you're--

 <HUF> Zaida --gettin' it." She cried and looked up at herself in the mirror... She saw her face - red and stained with tears, and Erik standing next to her. "Forgive me," she cried, "I only wanted --

 <HUF> Zaida --to separate from the guild. All you had to do was let me go, Erik." "I wanted things, too, Z," Erik spat back at her, "I wanted our leader back. I never had designs to run the guild, you-

 <HUF> Zaida --know that. You were the rightful heir to the guild, it was your responsibility... and you walked out on us. What did you expect us to do?!" "I turned the guild over to you, Erik, because I --

 <HUF> Zaida --knew you would be the best choice. I wanted a life away from all of that... I found something worth living for, rather than killing for. For once in my miserable, godforsaken life ---

 <HUF> Zaida I was HAPPY," Zaida howled in grief, "I wanted a life away from killing, thieving. I wanted an honest-to-god place to call home and someone who would love me!" "*I* loved you, Z!" Erik --

 <HUF> Zaida --screamed at her, "*I* wanted you! Hell, I even *PROPOSED* to you!! Did I HONESTLY mean so little to you, little deva?!" Zaida covered her face with her hands, "Yes, Erik... I never, ---

 <HUF> Zaida --honestly, cared for you. I'm sorry... Master Amal thought it would be a good match, so I pretended to love you to make him happy." Erik's face contorted in rage, "You... It was all...---

 <HUF> Zaida pretend?" Zaida could see his body shaking in the mirror's reflection - even without his physical body there, Zaida could still feel the anger coming off of him in waves. "That's why you ---

 <HUF> Zaida --were trying to target Arius," she asked, "because you wanted me to love you, instead?" His barely contained rage was evident as his words came, short and clipped, "I would have done---

 <HUF> Zaida anything to have you. Even kill him." Realization hit Zaida like a ton of bricks, she stood, looking in to the reflection's eyes, "He wasn't your first target, was he? You were going to kill-

 <HUF> Zaida --Salazar first, weren't you?" "Yes," he replied, bitterly, "Until your attentions turned to his brother, yes, I was going to try to kill him." Zaida had him right where she wanted him, 

 <HUF> Zaida --now... "You would have just met your ending a lot sooner, Erik. Salazar would have killed you, just like Arius would have." Her words preyed on his biggest insecurity - that the man---

 <HUF> Zaida --Zaida fell in love with would be better than him. His next words cut Zaida as deeply as her words cut him, "Looks like neither of us are gonna get what they want... sweetheart. Besdies, they're

 <HUF> Zaida --not the ones who killed me in the end, are they?" A flash of silver - Erik drew a dagger and held it in plain view for Zaida to see... "You've hurt me, honey, in ways that only a woman can-

 <HUF> Zaida --hurt a man... and now, you're going to feel it for yourself." Zaida could only watch the reflections in the mirror, helplessly, as Erik put Zaida into a choke hold and slid the dagger into---

 <HUF> Zaida --her back until it hit home in her heart. Zaida flailed, attempting to strike out at the ghost but catching nothing but air - Erik used his arms to pin Zaida's to her body and clamped a hand over-

 <HUF> Zaida --her mouth to mute her screams. Weak and fading, Zaida fell to her knees. Erik laughed, "Looks like you'll be joining me soon, angel wings." Erik let go and faded away, Zaida's body falling---

 <HUF> Zaida --forward until it crashed into the floor - the dagger's polished hilt still gleaming. Her breath was ragged, but she managed to shift into her deva form - her body incased itself in a soft, golden

 <HUF> Zaida --light. The dagger slipped from the wound it created and clattered to the floor as that golden energy was pushed through her body - healing the damage. Much to her dismay, the brands remained.

 <HUF> Zaida Healed and severely weakened, she collapsed on the floor - unable to avoid sleep any longer. (end.)