15 Jul 2018, 08:20
Alteration.
Today was a day of secret telling, apparently. Rhea and Eris had spent hours in the library, going over the lengthy past history of liars, betrayers, and accomplished dark wizards that roomed Eris’s family tree, entangling their thorns in everything the girl knew from her short time being exposed to her real family. Some called her past a fairytale, a bedtime story told to pureblood boys and girls to teach them to stay away from muggle borns and to share the dangers of society that was not pure, and how even the most promising of their own could go missing without a trace. That was before the real truth resurfaced and exploded in Eris’s face, destroying the facade that had been created without her knowledge, and without her consent.
Her story was not one of fairy tales. Fairytales always had happy endings, princesses, and princes. No, the only remotely good part about her family was the metamorphmagus powers that ran through the Fawley side of her family tree, but that seemed to be a gift that Eris hadn’t gained, which proved just how different her life was from a fairy tale. In fairy tales, there were evil queens that won, and ruined the lives of their daughters, husbands, and families. Every day at Hogwarts, every owl that flew through the Great hall with newspaper articles about her family, and every moment Eris caught the eyes of other students, she knew that life was no fairy tale. No fairy tale would cause her as much pain as the headache that pounded at her head and temples, making the walk to the lake nearly unbearable.
It was said that when someone was stressed, they got horrible headaches called migraines, but the pain in her head was near catatonic, and did not seem to ebb from the stress of her family tree that had Eris had only recently truly thought about in depth. Eris wanted to curl up in a ball on the stairs, ignoring the lake all together, but she kept walking, following the red puff of hair that was Rhea Bishop, her roomate and, now, her confidant. Eris didn’t notice when her hands crept up to clutch at her forehead, but her small pale hands stayed clutched at her forehead, dainty caressing her forehead. Even for all her gentleness, a red patch began to grow, as Eris’ hands continued rubbing in a futile attempt to rid her head of the throbbing and pounding that echoed relentlessness in her skull, as if something was attempting to crawl out.
The walk down the stairs was one of the most painful things Eris had ever done, and when the two girls made it outside into the rays of the Scottish sun and the breeze floated around them, blissfully blowing onto Eris’s forehead with gentle gusto, Eris was careful to remove her hands from her head and shove them into her robe-side pockets. The pain was still there, but was receding slightly by the moment, leading Eris to feel light headed and strange. Her fingers dug into the fabric of her robes, embedding her short nails into the dirty mess of papers, wrappers, and food stains that had been aimlessly shoved to the bottoms of her pockets over the course of the school year. The friction of the robes, and all the objects inside helped soothe Eris’s head and clear her thoughts from the pain, and the flurry of emotions running rampart in her brain, but it was too small a comfort for such a large pain.
A headache such as this had only occurred once before, but that had been a smaller headache, in the middle of a deserted park, after a strange new friend had vanished into the night. Even that experience couldn’t of prepared her for the pain of this moment, and even with the comfort of a closer friend and warm clothing, she felt lost in waves of pain and dizziness.
Eris felt lighter,
lighter,
lighter,
and lighter.
She felt so light she could float over the clouds up above, dancing with the birds in the trees. Where was Rhea, anyways? Eris could hardly see through the fog of her vision, but the red hair of her friend seemed to be behind Eris now, waiting for Eris to take the lead. Every step was slow, unbrittled and lazy-looking to an outsider, but anyone close enough to see Eris’s face would see the unmistakable grimace on her dreamy eyed face, and the way her footsteps swayed, along with the girl, as each movement painfully dragged her forward.
Waves of pain slowly ebbed away, as Eris sat herself down under one of the small trees of the grounds. The trees were at the edge of the forest, not close enough to the forbidden forest to be large, but not close enough to the middle of the grounds to be overheard. It was the perfect meeting place for any talks that one didn’t want to be overheard, and the perfect place to stay in the sun. The tree’s leaves were weak, and the branches did not cover the sun, as it poured in overhead, nearly blinding the tiny girl with the red mark on her rapidly paling skin. Her red hair was stark in comparison to her pale face, which seemed even more pale than normal, as Eris knelt down in the fields.
“Mr Stark Rhea, I don’t feel so good..” Eris burst out, teeth gritting against each other in a desperate attempt to bite down a scream that never came, as the world exploded into colors, and her body slammed to the ground as the grand display of hidden magic exploded around her.
The colors were, of course, not just a hallucination on Eris’s part, but rather, the shades of her hair were changing rapidly from red to gold to pink, as the lengths varied, flickering between long and short, bangs and no bangs. Her pale skin tanned and paled again and again, as all of Eris’s facial features changed back and forth rapidly, as if she was a machine glitching over and over again.. Maybe she was asleep for minutes, maybe it was moments, but when she opened her eyes, her headache was gone.
Hands shaking, Eris reached up to tug on a strand of hair, that stopped it’s frantic switching for a moment. Her hair wasn’t pink, was it? Before she could think another thought, her hair violently turned crimson, and Eris dropped the strand from her hands, color leaching from her skin, before it came back, not of her own will. Just as suddenly as the changes started, they stopped, leaving Eris sitting on the grass under a tree with crimson hair the color of blood, tan skin, and hair that was as long as it had been before being cut before school.
There was a long moment of silence, as Eris’s hands found the strands of hair again, twirling the strange new colored strands through her fingers, before letting out a breathless chuckle of shock. “What the bloody hell?” She finally asked, awe darting through her face and eyes, before her eyes panned towards Rhea’s face, confusion and excitement waging a war to show themselves as the predominant emotion.
Reducio
Tis not a hoax, my lovelies. Eris is not pretending here.
Tis not a hoax, my lovelies. Eris is not pretending here.
sorry not sorry bout' what i said
STA: 6 EVA: 7 STR: 1 WIS: 8 ACC 9 ACC: 9
abilities: transfig DC -5
18 Jul 2018, 22:56
Alteration.
The day was still young as two ginger-haired girls exited the castle and slowly began the trek down to the Lake. They had recently engaged in a conversation that had, most likely, completely changed the shorter one's life. Secrets had been told, secrets that would soon be flying all over the school and the Wizarding World. But at least, when the truth came out and gossip would run wild, the subject of these stories, Eris Fawley, would have her newfound friend, Rhea Bishop, with her. (Eris would have no idea that this friend would be the one to kick start these rumors).
As the two girls neared the exterior of the castle and found themselves outside, the harsh sun almost frying them on the spot, Rhea turned to cast a look behind her at Eris. The short girl's hands clutched at her forehead, an expression of... something on her face. Rhea couldn't figure out what was happening to her new friend - an expression of pain was something the young Bishop had never encountered before, having led a prestigious life where no emotions were ever expressed, especially negative ones - so she turned around and continued down the path that led to the Lake. They'd never actually discussed where they were heading, but Rhea assumed it was the Lake. The grand expanse of clear water was a typical place of attraction to sit around and talk for Hogwarts students, so Rhea thought to make a beeline towards it. However, as she turned around to look at Eris, she decided to stand back and let the other girl take the lead. After everything the Fawley had learned, Rhea thought it would be nice to give her the ability to decide where they should go - not that it mattered, though. As long as they had a place to sit down and talk, everything would be alright.
Soon enough, the two girls found themselves settled under a tree just on the outskirts of the forbidden forest. It wasn't as big as the trees inside the actual forest, more like an early, smaller prototype. The tree's leaves covered just enough area to provide a secure place for the girls to talk some more. No one would be in close enough proximity to eavesdrop on their conversation, which would prove to be in good graces over the next five minutes.
Rhea sighed and leaned back against the tree trunk in an attempt to become more comfortable in the way she was sitting. Small pieces of bark stuck out, and Rhea was afraid of getting splinters… but she was much too lazy to change her position so she powered through, deciding to change her thoughts by changing her attention to Eris. The other girl looked positively ghastly - her skin had paled, and the contrast it had against her bright red hair made her look almost like a zombie. Although Rhea was not well-versed in manners that concerned health and wellbeing, even she knew that Eris was unwell. As soon as she opened her mouth to ask what was going on, the smaller girl interrupted her, barely managing words out. Just as the phrase was completed, a rainbow exploded out of nowhere. What seemed like billions of colours appeared and started to swirl around, encasing the two girls in a colourful, magical bubble. Rhea could do nothing but stare as Eris’s looked changed over and over again, first her hair to pink (it did kind of fit her) then to long, then short, then curly, then various shades of red; her skin colour changed as well, the amount of melanin in it causing a variety of colours; even her facial features changed. Rhea was so, so confused.
What was happening? Was this some sort of illness that had not been uncovered before, and was only no surfacing? Rhea’s eyes started to furrow as millions of possibilities and worries ran through her head, but not a single thought included that of a way to help her friend. How could she help, anyway, if she didn’t know what was wrong in the first place?
Rhea watched with wide eyes as Eris slid down the tree trunk unconsciously until she lay sprawled out on the ground, the various changes happening to her. She could only stare, and subconsciously she felt her eyes dampen. For what reason, she didn’t know, but one could assume that watching a friend literally convulse and change in front of you could be scarring to an eleven year old. Rhea furiously wiped at her eyes and knelt down beside her friend, hoping against hope that whatever was happening would end quickly. If just watching this hurt her heart, then how must Eris be feeling? This, whatever it was, didn’t look completely harmless; having your nose change into a pig snout and hair be lengthened and shortened did not seem like a painless feat.
Finally, finally, whatever was happening stopped. Rhea was left staring at Eris as the other slowly got up, trailing her hands over her face and hair. Eris’s hair had both changed colour and gotten longer, and her skin had gotten tanner. She looked different. Not like the Eris that Rhea knew, but still like Eris, if that made sense.
Rhea couldn’t speak for a bit, opting to simply stare at her friend for a bit. The other, of course, was much too shocked by what had just happening to her to talk. So what resulted was an awkward moment of silence, before Eris broke it by asking what had just happened. Rhea tried to speak, but no words would come out, so she was just left gaping, her mouth opening and closing. Instead, she opted for a shrug. What was she supposed to say? Was she supposed to know what whatever the hell just happened was?
“I have no idea what to say,” the Gryffindor prefect said. She brought her knees up closer to her chest before taking her hands and entwining her fingers, then looping them over her legs. At this point, she sort of resembled a ball, which was ironic because she sort of hoped to roll away from whatever was happening right now. Should they go to a professor? It seemed like a wise choice… but then again, who actually went to a professor when were having problems, right? Rhea sighed and trailed a hand over her face. They could figure out what to do later, but for now, Rhea needed to know how Eris was feeling. Eris looked better already - at least she didn’t look like a pale, ginger zombie anymore. That was a good sign, right? “Are you feeling better? You definitely did not look alright when we left the castle earlier. I don’t want you to die on my watch.” Rhea attempted to crack a light joke to lighten up the mood, but figured now probably wasn’t the time to do so.
the trouble is, if you don't risk anything -- you risk more.
♕ℛ ♕
STAMINA: 4; EVASION: 10; STRENGTH: 8; WISDOM: 6; ARCANE POWER: 5; ACCURACY: 12
19 Jul 2018, 08:24
Alteration.
Today was a day of firsts, and this moment was definitely one of them. She couldn't speak, shock weighing down at every part of Eris, and her vocal chords felt so far away. Speaking felt miles away, as if the effort of speaking would pull her under waves, and thus, Eris did not speak, eyes trailing down and away from her strange new appearance, until she was face first with the dirt and grass that gathered at Eris's feet.
Shaking hands, no longer their pale ivory color, grasped the grass under the tree, ripping clumps of the green turf from the grounds, until Eris's bitten nails caressed the soft dirt under the grass, clumps of green stuck under the bitten nubs of her nail beds, mixing in with the typical grime and dirt that accumulated after a busy day of school. Hands curling into fists, as the dirt collected in her palms, Eris let the dirt fall to the ground, mixing with the grass that stood in ripped out piles, patches of dirt underneath the ripped out patches raked by the bitten nails, attached to the hand that Eris was carefully inspecting, as the brown dirt fell from her outstretched fingers.
The faint sound of dirt dropping to the ground that it came from echoed softly in the near silence, one that was only broken up by the faint whisper of the wind through the trees, or the murmurs of students coming from the castle, riding the wind as it blew through the trees, weaving through the two girl's respective hairs. Although, Eris did not pay attention to the wind, or the lack of it, as the breeze faded away, as soon as it had appeared. The faint gust of wind had vanished, the leaves no longer rippling, and Eris's hair falling flat to her waist, the strange offset of deep red, almost purple hues contrasting with the tan skin that Eris now sported. She looked like she had just returned from a beach, and had also decided to recently dye her hair the same day, although unlike those who recently spent a day at the beach, or indulged in the process of getting their hair dyed, Eris did not look overjoyed or relaxed. Her whole body was tense, hands shaking, and back hunched.
Eris's hands, devoid of any dirt besides the remaining traces that had been etched into her skin with the sweat that covered her hands, shook. The dirt remaining on her hands fell off with the frantic shaking, as Eris's hands retreated to the folds of her robe pockets, dirt stained fingers digging into the abyss of fabric and wrappers, clinging to the sides of the fabric as if they were a life line. All the while, her hands shook like a miniature earthquake in the folds of her robes.
Could Rhea see her hands shaking, in their pockets? Maybe, if the red haired girl was looking hard, but her eyes seemed to be flooded with a veil of mist, tear tracks dripping down, pooling at the tips of Rhea's blue orbs eyes, settling on her skin in a silvery sheen, leaving nothing but watery tracks in their wake. It was eerie, seeing the pure blood princess cry for no apparent reason, and the sight dragged Eris out of her self wallowing, eyes darting up to focus on the trail of tears drying on Rhea's face.
Why was Rhea sad? Was it something Eris had done? The girl hardly remembered the past few minutes, just the sensation of growth and alteration, the effects of which could be visibly seen from the sheen of her skin, and the luster of the wine colored hair that fell limply to Eris's waist, it's presence heavy and foreign, reminding Eris of a past life, lived in a flat with a caring mother and father, where her hair was long and cared for by doting parents, and a loving sister.
Already, Eris awaited the tangles to come and knot up the new hair, and gingerly, Eris pulled her hands out of their robe pockets, fingers prying themselves away from the edges of the fabric. Her hands had stopped their errant shaking, shock suppressing, at long last, no longer showing any physical symptoms. Instead, the rope of anxiety and nerves tightened on the inside, a dull stomach ache starting to grow in the pit of Eris's stomach.
Hands, no longer shaking in the slightest, removed themselves fully from her pockets, and moved upwards to, once again, touched the hair attached to her head, studying the colors that danced around in Eris's vision. Just a single strand was deep red, with touches of Eris's familiar orange along with chocolate-brown. It wasn't a bad color, it was just..new.
Rhea made a feeble attempt at a joke, and in her shocked state, Eris found the joke near hysterical, leaning back to rest her back on the grizzled bark of the tree, dropping the strand of hair with a hysterical, breathless, giggle, to rest her hands on her stomach.
Than the laughter erupted, loud and rancorous, bitter but drenched in confusion. "It would be quite a testament to your prefect skills if you let me die under your watch."
A huff of a breath escaped from Eris's lips, as the bark of the tree dug into the back of her school robes. Situating herself again, Eris finally let out a loud sigh. "Rhea, what do I do? Do you think I'm sick? This isn't normal for a witch, is it?" Eris had never seen students with random color changing hair before, but maybe she wasn't alone in her odd predicament. Even though Eris did not want to go to a professor for help, that might of been the only option to solve the mystery of the changing appearance.
As if cued by her thoughts, the strands of Eris's hair turned a melancholy blue, and when Eris saw the color, Eris recoiled back, arms shooting around herself in complete shock. "It happened again, oh my god.." Her voice was a low moan, as Eris buried her face in the long sleeves of her robes, letting out another pitiful moan (Ever the drama queen, that one.)
sorry not sorry bout' what i said
STA: 6 EVA: 7 STR: 1 WIS: 8 ACC 9 ACC: 9
abilities: transfig DC -5
20 Jul 2018, 19:13
Alteration.
"the bad news - nothing lasts forever.
the good news - nothing lasts forever."
Tears were something that Rhea was partially familiar with. She was not someone who could be called sensitive; she cried for only the important things that needed crying. For example, when her grandfather died - that day was forever ingrained in her mind. It was the hardest she'd ever cried; for days after, her eyes remained puffy and red. She'd even glimpsed her cold-hearted mother crying, which made sense, as her father had died. Seeing her mother cry restored some faith in Rhea's mind about her parents, reminding her that although they were rough and strict, they were still humans with feelings (albeit, they never showed these feelings).
But, why was Rhea focusing on her own feelings and thoughts? Here was her friend, laying down on the ground, suffering, with features changing every now and then. And she was crying? Now was not the time to cry. If her father would see her now, there would be hell to pay. Now was the time to help her friend figure out what the hell (whoa, look at her swearing!!) was wrong with her friend. Rhea had an inkling, but she couldn't be too sure yet.
Instead of focusing on her own selfish self, Rhea turned her attention towards her friend. Her hair was not a natural one - it was that of a dark, dark red, almost purple. Honestly, the colour fit Eris. It matched her personality - fierce, ambitious, and even aggressive; the colour purple was all three of those qualities. Eris was shaking violently, as if someone had taken a hold of her shoulders and were using her as a pair of maracas. Rhea was certainly not a medical expert, but she knew that this wasn't something a normal girl did on a daily basis. So, the Bishop picked herself up and scooched a little bit closer to her friend, draping an arm over her friend's shoulders. Rhea didn't know much about comforting people, but she knew that showing solidarity almost always helped lift someone's mood. At least, it worked with Rhea. When her grandfather died, it was the only time her mother showed compassion towards her daughter. At the funeral, there were no words exchanged between the two; simply a long, firm hug. It was the sign that Rhea needed - the sign that showed her that her parents were still her parents, that sometimes they did care.
She squeezed Eris's shoulder and tried to get rid of the shaking. Maybe if she held the small girl still, it would go away. And soon enough, Rhea's theory seemed to work. Eris's fisted hands seemed to stop shaking, and on the outside, it seemed as if she had calmed down by a huge amount. Rhea felt her heart lift, and slowly, the tears stopped running down her face. Her eyes remained puffy and the edges were red, but no tears were being produced anymore. She thought that Eris was fine, that everything was okay now. But she didn't know the inner turmoil that Eris was experiencing, and if it ever came up to the surface, Rhea would beat herself up for not realizing that it was always there.
At the pitiful joke that she'd made, Eris had dissolved into laughter. Rhea, unable to stop herself from contracting the laughter, giggled alongside the crimson-haired girl. The two had a small laughing session, one laughing because of hysteria, and the other because it was contagious. It was quite a sight to behold, but it was one that no one was near enough to see. The trees hid the events that had transpired from the outside world - no one would be able to see Eris... changing, and call her names. Not that anyone would dare to call her names - the girl would kick the crap out of them, and Rhea would hex the living daylights out of them.
Tilting her head when Eris began to question what was happening to her, Rhea wracked her mind for an explanation. Just like the Fawley had said, this was not a normal thing that witches endured. Rhea had yet to know of anyone who just randomly changed their features. Maybe they really did have to go to a professor... But wait. Maybe, just maybe, Rhea did, in fact, have an explanation for what was happening. She remembered her mother talking about some distant member of her family (her grandmother? great-grandmother? Rhea couldn't be too sure) that was able to change their features at will. She called that relative a... metamorph-something. However, the relative had been able to do it at will. Eris, obviously couldn't... but maybe that was because she'd only just discovered this power.
"I may have an idea what it is," Rhea answered, stroking her chin dramatically. Yes, this was a serious situation, but keeping things serious was not one of Rhea's strong suits. She continued to stroke her chin as she spoke. "Some relative of mine, my mum's grandmum or great-grandmum, had the same thing as you, I think. She was able to change how she looked like at will. My mum called her a metmorph...whatever, and maybe that's what you are? I'm not sure, though."
Rhea shrugged. When she'd come down to the grounds to have a nice conversation with her friend, she hadn't expected that she would be faced with this, whatever this was. She simply wanted to enjoy the nice weather that Scotland barely had, sitting underneath a nice tree. Instead, she was faced with something she'd never been faced before - her friend changing before her very eyes. You know, what every normal eleven year old faces these days.
The weather really was nice today, though. Yes, it wasn't the most optimal time to focus on the weather, but Scotland never allowed for nice weather. The two girls really had chosen a good time to come outside. Too bad some evil being had decided to choose that time to make Eris shake and change into different people.
Speak-think?- of the devil. The second the thought passed through Rhea's head, Eris's hair changed to a deep blue. It was a really pretty blue - close enough to resemble Rhea's favourite color. Eris, the usual drama queen, collapsed onto the ground with a deep sigh. Rhea laughed and thrust a hand out, intending for Eris to take it. And as she did, a mischievous twinkle (cliche as it may sound, it was true) appeared in her eye.
"Why should this be a bad thing?" Rhea questioned, a smirk playing around on her lips. "Imagine the trouble and adventures we can go on if you learn to control this... power of yours. The professors don't have to know about it - it can be our little secret."
But, why was Rhea focusing on her own feelings and thoughts? Here was her friend, laying down on the ground, suffering, with features changing every now and then. And she was crying? Now was not the time to cry. If her father would see her now, there would be hell to pay. Now was the time to help her friend figure out what the hell (whoa, look at her swearing!!) was wrong with her friend. Rhea had an inkling, but she couldn't be too sure yet.
Instead of focusing on her own selfish self, Rhea turned her attention towards her friend. Her hair was not a natural one - it was that of a dark, dark red, almost purple. Honestly, the colour fit Eris. It matched her personality - fierce, ambitious, and even aggressive; the colour purple was all three of those qualities. Eris was shaking violently, as if someone had taken a hold of her shoulders and were using her as a pair of maracas. Rhea was certainly not a medical expert, but she knew that this wasn't something a normal girl did on a daily basis. So, the Bishop picked herself up and scooched a little bit closer to her friend, draping an arm over her friend's shoulders. Rhea didn't know much about comforting people, but she knew that showing solidarity almost always helped lift someone's mood. At least, it worked with Rhea. When her grandfather died, it was the only time her mother showed compassion towards her daughter. At the funeral, there were no words exchanged between the two; simply a long, firm hug. It was the sign that Rhea needed - the sign that showed her that her parents were still her parents, that sometimes they did care.
She squeezed Eris's shoulder and tried to get rid of the shaking. Maybe if she held the small girl still, it would go away. And soon enough, Rhea's theory seemed to work. Eris's fisted hands seemed to stop shaking, and on the outside, it seemed as if she had calmed down by a huge amount. Rhea felt her heart lift, and slowly, the tears stopped running down her face. Her eyes remained puffy and the edges were red, but no tears were being produced anymore. She thought that Eris was fine, that everything was okay now. But she didn't know the inner turmoil that Eris was experiencing, and if it ever came up to the surface, Rhea would beat herself up for not realizing that it was always there.
At the pitiful joke that she'd made, Eris had dissolved into laughter. Rhea, unable to stop herself from contracting the laughter, giggled alongside the crimson-haired girl. The two had a small laughing session, one laughing because of hysteria, and the other because it was contagious. It was quite a sight to behold, but it was one that no one was near enough to see. The trees hid the events that had transpired from the outside world - no one would be able to see Eris... changing, and call her names. Not that anyone would dare to call her names - the girl would kick the crap out of them, and Rhea would hex the living daylights out of them.
Tilting her head when Eris began to question what was happening to her, Rhea wracked her mind for an explanation. Just like the Fawley had said, this was not a normal thing that witches endured. Rhea had yet to know of anyone who just randomly changed their features. Maybe they really did have to go to a professor... But wait. Maybe, just maybe, Rhea did, in fact, have an explanation for what was happening. She remembered her mother talking about some distant member of her family (her grandmother? great-grandmother? Rhea couldn't be too sure) that was able to change their features at will. She called that relative a... metamorph-something. However, the relative had been able to do it at will. Eris, obviously couldn't... but maybe that was because she'd only just discovered this power.
"I may have an idea what it is," Rhea answered, stroking her chin dramatically. Yes, this was a serious situation, but keeping things serious was not one of Rhea's strong suits. She continued to stroke her chin as she spoke. "Some relative of mine, my mum's grandmum or great-grandmum, had the same thing as you, I think. She was able to change how she looked like at will. My mum called her a metmorph...whatever, and maybe that's what you are? I'm not sure, though."
Rhea shrugged. When she'd come down to the grounds to have a nice conversation with her friend, she hadn't expected that she would be faced with this, whatever this was. She simply wanted to enjoy the nice weather that Scotland barely had, sitting underneath a nice tree. Instead, she was faced with something she'd never been faced before - her friend changing before her very eyes. You know, what every normal eleven year old faces these days.
The weather really was nice today, though. Yes, it wasn't the most optimal time to focus on the weather, but Scotland never allowed for nice weather. The two girls really had chosen a good time to come outside. Too bad some evil being had decided to choose that time to make Eris shake and change into different people.
Speak-think?- of the devil. The second the thought passed through Rhea's head, Eris's hair changed to a deep blue. It was a really pretty blue - close enough to resemble Rhea's favourite color. Eris, the usual drama queen, collapsed onto the ground with a deep sigh. Rhea laughed and thrust a hand out, intending for Eris to take it. And as she did, a mischievous twinkle (cliche as it may sound, it was true) appeared in her eye.
"Why should this be a bad thing?" Rhea questioned, a smirk playing around on her lips. "Imagine the trouble and adventures we can go on if you learn to control this... power of yours. The professors don't have to know about it - it can be our little secret."
"the bad news - nothing lasts forever.
the good news - nothing lasts forever."
the trouble is, if you don't risk anything -- you risk more.
♕ℛ ♕
STAMINA: 4; EVASION: 10; STRENGTH: 8; WISDOM: 6; ARCANE POWER: 5; ACCURACY: 12
22 Jul 2018, 07:18
Alteration.
Change is a powerful thing, people are powerful beings
Tryin' to find the power in me to be faithful
Change is a powerful thing, I feel it comin' in me
Tryin' to find the power in me to be faithful
Change is a powerful thing, I feel it comin' in me
The presence of Rhea's arm around her shoulder was too small a comfort for all of the pain and confusion, but Eris found herself leaning into her friend's warmth, nonetheless. Her friend was remarkably normal, without her hair changing shade, and without shaking weighing down her whole body.
Eris felt like she was floating again, above the world. She was gliding through the clouds, a bird far away from the pathetic body of a shaking girl. Her whole body was changing, but this wasn't puberty, which took place over time. This was all strange and sudden, and Eris didn't understand where the changes had came from, but with the changes came faint clarity, peeking through the clouds of her foggy memory.
She had been barely a year old the first time her hair had changed color. In the crib with Bella, the coos and giggles of two babies had caught the eye of Jane Rowell, who had giggled herself, feet dancing over to the small crib, and the two forms of the children, lying side by side. (Eris and Bella had refused to be separated, thus, their tired parents had agreed to put the two rambunctious in the same crib to make sure the two adults regained their sanity.)
When Jane reached the crib, she had fallen back in shock, hand clutched over her heart at the sight that her eyes behold. Instead of a red haired child, and a brown haired twin, there was a girl who's hair was flashing between colors, while the chubby, normal, sister clapped in delight, eyes sparkling. She was not afraid, and the smaller of the two children let out a childish coo, before the small tuft of hair on top of her head turned a brilliant shade of bubble gum pink.
When the pink haired child saw her mother, her arms reached out, hair flashing between a myriad of colors, as Jane staggered away and shut the door to the twin's room.
She'd been bottle fed the next day, and the little child with the color changing hair had squirmed as the mixture went down her throat. Whatever was in it, it only took another day for Eris' hair to stay stuck at a dull red color.
The incidents had occured yearly after that, before the same drink was poured down Eris's throat in different ways. Smoothie, bottle, chocolate milk, all with a bitter taste of something else. What the girl didn't know wouldn't kill her, and over time, the memories of color changing hair, and different features left Eris, every year after the potion strange drinks her mother made were swallowed.
Eris's head hurt, as the memories of strange drinks and strange moments flooded through her head, causing Eris to lean even more on Rhea's body, the warmth of the taller girl's body still grounding. Eris's mum was insane, of course she had done something strange to Eris as a child. Maybe this was her mum's fault too, but yet, the color changing felt right. Some part of her changing appearance and hair was normal, as if the ability had lingered dormant under her skin, just calling to be summoned out.
And now it was out, and Eris was terrified, but something deep inside sung glorious melodies, happiness twining with the worry and apprehension burrowed in Eris's gut. It was the excitement that scared Eris the most, and quickly, she turned to study the red and brown hues of Rhea's hair, staring at her friend's blue eyes, heart beating fast in her chest, as Eris forced herself to study the normality of Rhea's appearance.
Yes, Rhea was remarkably normal, and it was her unremarkable traits that calmed Eris down. The presence on her shoulder calmed down the young girl, grounding her, once again in reality. Rhea's words also helped Eris calm down. Rhea maintained the perfect posture, a mix of humor and worry seeping into her words, but the undercurrent of support and friendship strong enough that Eris didn't feel the need to run away screaming.
"A metmorph-metamorph-METAMORPHMAGUS!" Eris suddenly gasped, remembering the word from the family tomes she had read about all the pure blood families. It was a trait passed down from generation to generation, extremely rare, but possessed by two of the wizarding families Eris remembered from the book of pure blood registries.
The Winchesters and the Fawleys. Oh, how fitting that her strange new family happened to have strange new abilities, even more random and odd than the new magical abilities that Eris had just found a year ago. How fitting that today was the day that her abilities showed themselves, right after all the strangeness of finding out about her family. Just Eris's luck, honestly.
As Rhea mentioned all the trouble Eris could get into, a matching smile burst to light on Eris's face, and she felt better all at once. Some people took hours to get over sadness, but from a young age, the idea that one should quickly get over their feelings and roll with the flow had been impressed on Eris, and thus, she was able to snap back and forth between emotions faster than a rocket.
A secret with Rhea, and a chance to cause chaos! They could get into the other students dorm rooms, could pretend to be professors, could do anything really, with this new power of Eris's. If she learned to control it, anyways. Whatever, it would happen someday, right? Eris would have to learn to control her appearance, but it was fun to imagine trouble she could get into, and it helped relieve the stress of strange new abilities and family history.
"I suppose we could do some pretty terrible things. Can you imagine!? I could turn into the professors, sneak into the other common rooms, give us house points and really ANYTHING I WANTED. I would be such a great professor, they would never notice I was a little girl." Eris giggled, grin easily sliding into place on her face.
sorry not sorry bout' what i said
STA: 6 EVA: 7 STR: 1 WIS: 8 ACC 9 ACC: 9
abilities: transfig DC -5
24 Jul 2018, 02:27
Alteration.
"oh, i've seen trouble more than any man should bear.
but i've seen enough joy, i've had more than my share."
The calm breeze blowing through the trees was a stark contrast to the turmoil of emotions boiling up in Rhea's stomach. A mix of excitement, confusion, and trepidation swirled around, and the poor girl's mind couldn't pick a single one to focus on. She was excited for the trouble they could cause; still confused on what was happening; and scared that her friend might get hurt. And although Eris had already calmed down from the shaking that had taken over her body, Rhea was still wary. She kept her arm wrapped about the shorter girl's shoulder, even squeezing in an attempt to remind her that whatever happened, Rhea would be there to help her face it.
Together, the two laid in silence for a while. If she tilted her head in just the right way, Rhea could manage to see through the towering tree's leaves and glimpse the sky. The weather was nice that day, and thus, the sun could be seen, jumping in and out from the clouds. It was a nice change when compared to the dreary climate they'd had practically the entire school year - and one that Rhea welcomed with open arms. She didn't like the cold; winter was her least favourite season. Rather, she favoured the warmer temperatures - therefore, her favourite seasons were spring and summer. Besides, it wasn't uncommon for girls her age to prefer warmth over coldness.
As Eris reminisced about her own childhood, so did Rhea. Now that she'd brought up, the Gryffindor started to recollect more and more about her mother talking about this special power. A particular encounter stood out in Rhea's mind as she remembered just who in her family had this power. It was her grandmother, Stella Winchester. Although she was now deceased, Stella always used to showcase her abilities whenever she visited Rhea, much to her mother's dismay. Morgan didn't appreciate what Stella did, thinking that power peculiar and unnatural. However, she couldn't do anything to stop her mother.
Smiling at the many memories of her grandmother, Rhea found herself dozing off. She was lost in a world where it was only her grandparents and herself, one where she was taken in by them, one where she didn't have to deal with her parents. The Bishop couldn't understand how the two generations were so different - their morals were completely different; while Stella and Jamie (her grandfather) could care less about reputations and blood status-alright, Jamie cared a little, but definitely not as much as Aaron-Morgan and Aaron only focused on gaining money and power. They spent almost no time with their daughter, and the time they did spend with her was almost always just lecturing her about what to do, how to act, where to sit, who to talk to. If the older generation could see the younger now, they'd be sorely disappointed.
Without realizing it, Rhea found herself delving deeper into her memories of her grandparents. Specifically ones where Stella entertained her little granddaughter by changing her features - her nose changing into a pig snout, shaping her hair into a mohawk, changing her skin color to unnatural ones such as a deep blue shade. All her memories that included the old couple were good ones. Not a single memory that would put them in a bad light crossed her mind. It was impressive, really, just how good these people were.
Eris's sudden exclamation of brought Rhea out of her thoughts and back into reality. Her grandparents were dead, and she was stuck with her parents - there was no alternative, and besides, at least she had a roof over her head. A good one, at that, seeing as the Bishop Manor was nothing less than exemplary.
So apparently, people who are able to change their features at will are called metamorphaguses (metamorphagi?). Rhea knew that she was close to the right answer - she was never wrong. Now that they knew what this was called, they could do more research about it. Although the idea did not thrill Rhea - in fact, it made her want to run into the Great Lake and swim with the Squid - she knew that she had to do it, for Eris. Maybe it could be fun?
Oh who was she kidding, research could never be fun.
But what could be fun? Pranking people. If - no, when - Eris learned to control her power, nothing would be able to stop the two from pranking the living daylights out of everyone. They could scare their friends, too! Rhea could just imagine Rosie screaming and attempting to punch them but failing, and Max itching to prank them back. Just the idea got Rhea jumping up from her seated position and grinning at Eris.
"Alright, you have to begin practicing your power. Otherwise, we'll never be able to prank anybody!" Rhea exclaimed. With a wicked smile on her face, she prompted, "Try to turn your hair... pink!" Rhea had no idea how, or if, Eris would manage to do so, but it couldn't hurt to try. The Gryffindor knew for a fact that being a Metamorphmagus was based on will; it wasn't random. Therefore, with enough practice, the short girl should be able to turn into whatever she wanted!
"oh, i've seen trouble more than any man should bear.
but i've seen enough joy, i've had more than my share."
the trouble is, if you don't risk anything -- you risk more.
♕ℛ ♕
STAMINA: 4; EVASION: 10; STRENGTH: 8; WISDOM: 6; ARCANE POWER: 5; ACCURACY: 12
25 Jul 2018, 22:22
Alteration.
Even though Eris was calm, and her hair had not changed shade, still a stark blue resembling the sky up above the two children, Rhea's hold on Eris did not recede. What had been sweet at first felt constricting and strange, as did the amount of care that Rhea seemed to feel for Eris. The feeling was foreign, and even after all her months at school, Eris had never felt so supported by another person. Or at least, she had never felt so supported physically, the presence of the other girl warm and comforting, but scary. Was Eris supposed to push her away, or was she supposed to relish the comfort?
Eris had never had friends before, never had another girl her age to gossip about boys to late at night, besides her sister. But, her sister had stayed with her mother, and harbored hatred towards Eris for being a witch. Maybe Amelia could of been a friend, but she never came back to Eris, and the whole prospect of a friend was strange and forgein. Max, Adam, Dorian, and all her other friends would never offer support through a hug. Adam would, maybe, but the two hadn't talked in a while, and Max and Dorian would rather beat up her enemies. Eris had never had a friend who was a girl, oh god, this was totally ruining the friendship! Who would want to be friends with a strange color changing midget? Eris certainly wouldn't, so maybe Rhea wouldn't either. She was a pure blood princess, the kind of which that Eris could only read about in her books, and Eris was a nobody. Or, at least, she was a nobody until a few hours ago, when the incriminating family legacy had unraveled in front of her, through the books in the library and Rhea's faraway voice, as she told what she thought was a fairy tale. But, Eris's life wasn't a fairy tale told to young pure bloods, evidenced by the strange color changing hair she now sported.
But oh! The pranks they could attempt, the marvelous chaos that could ensue because of Eris's powers, how lovely! Maybe Rhea would stay her friend, if just for the apparent chaos Eris could now cause. Even though she had been destructive in the past, the idea of having even more magical powers to mess around with sent a thrill of excitement through Eris, unwarned but nice to consider.
She could pretend to be professors, could award house points to those in her house, and do whatever the hell she wanted. There would be nothing stopping her, because they wouldn't know who she was! Eris loved the idea of pranks, they were better than violence, which was all people thought Eris was capable of. She knew more than violence, she knew books and the knowledge they provided. She knew loyalty, the kind that burned deep inside of her soul, the kind of loyalty that folk songs were written about. She knew friendship, the small amount of it that Eris had been exposed to over the course of the year. And above all, she knew pranks.
Belladonna and Eris had been bored children, not having much to do, besides read and watch movies. It hadn't been that strange when they had started pranking each other. Just small things, like hiding book and clothing, and replacing them with other things. The pranks had grown, as the children grew. It had been a way of growing up, a way of suppressing the boredom that gnawed at both of their souls, from living a life of boredom, far away from other children to talk to. The two sisters had been best friends, but sisters were not the kind of friends you could confide everything in, and in the end, Bella had stayed behind while Eris went to Hogwarts.
Did her sister ever go to Hogwarts, or did she stay behind with their mother? Was she okay? Eris had never learned, but she suspected that her sister had been a squib, whatever that meant. Some of the purebloods talked about squibs, children who were born with to parents with magical powers but never got to use them, as if the magic that lingered under their skin had never exposed itself. At least they had avoided the turbulent exposure of magic as children, which always seemed to be the worst part about being a wizard. Eris's own magic had exposed itself by exploding a birthday cake, which she still didn't exactly regret. The cake hadn't tasted good, anyways.
Snapped out of her thoughts by the lilt of Rhea's voice, a pretty posh British accent that wasn't unlike Eris's own, if not a bit prettier. "You'd prank people with me?" Eris asked, as if the idea of pranking people together was a true friendship starter. Truthfully, it was basically best friend status to prank people together. One didn't go through pranks without getting closer to whoever was aiding you with them. "That'll be wonderful, if I can master this."
Eris muttered the last bit to herself, before concentrating diligently on the color pink, imagining the strands of her hair turning bubblegum pink, the kind of color that one could find in their ice-cream cones, or the sickly sweet color of medicine. The more she focused, the more the top of her head tingled, but maybe it was just her nerves. Focusing even harder, Eris's eyes shut closed and the top of her tongue stuck out, as her teeth bit down on the flesh. The tingling sensation the height of it's strange feeling, and Eris's eyes opened again, and a frown graced her face as Eris gingerly stared at the strand of hair that was draped across her forehead, in plain view of her face.
It wasn't the shade of pink she had been going for. It was more of a cherry red, with strange hues of pink scattered through the tangled mess of hair. It's a start." Eris shrugged, displeasure exploding over her features.
sorry not sorry bout' what i said
STA: 6 EVA: 7 STR: 1 WIS: 8 ACC 9 ACC: 9
abilities: transfig DC -5
31 Jul 2018, 19:06
Alteration.
"i'm still not done, i'm only halfway there
i'm a million miles ahead of where i'm from"
Maybe, as a prefect, Rhea wasn't supposed to condone this kind of behavior. Pranking professors and students alike was against the rules, something that Rhea was perfectly aware of - and Eris too, most likely, since her friend was an ex-prefect as well. But here they were, making plans to prank as many people as they could. And Rhea couldn't say she regretted it. Even if she got caught, the experience was definitely worth it - when had she ever gotten the chance to play pranks on people with her friend? All of her childhood, she had never truly gotten to experience what it was to be a kid. Since the day she was born, Rhea was forced to act prim and proper, never say the wrong word, never think the wrong phrase. She was never given an opportunity to mess up, and the ideals she'd been raised by had been engrained into her head; and now that she got a chance to test them, she would take it. She would break as many rules as she could, just for the thrill of doing so - and to rub it in her parents' faces - and still manage to get away with whatever she did.
All her life, she'd been told to, metaphorically, stay inside the lines and never cross them. She was never allowed to leave the Manor, as her parents feared she would mingle with Muggles or others who are not worthy. She never got to make worthwhile friends; the children she met at dinner parties and the like were people she knew she would most likely never see again. They were only friends for the night. So what could be concluded?
Hogwarts opened up a new realm of possibilities for her. She made friends, friends that she knew would either stay forever or at least for a long time. She would not be alone anymore. There would be people that she could confide in, some that she trusted more than others, but still, they were there. Never in her eleven years had she imagined that she would meet such people - never had she imagined that such relationships existed! Her parents always told her to not waste her time on friends, for they would always betray you and stab you in the back - but what if they were wrong? They seemed to be a wrong a lot, lately, so it would make sense for them to be wrong about this too.
The story that Rhea had revealed to Eris, about her past and about her family, was not a pleasant one. And because Rhea was the one who revealed it, didn't that mean that Eris would be mad at her? What if... what if Rhea lost Eris as a friend before she even had her as one? The Gryffindor would be absolutely devastated, and so at that point she promised herself: she would do anything to make sure not to lose this short, gnomish girl as someone she could trust.
Starting with this pranking business. Rhea was more than excited to be able to do this, but to be able to pull it off successfully Eris needed to get this power under control. As Eris attempted to turn her hair pink, Rhea bit her lip and thought about ways to help. She couldn't recall anything her grandmother had said about controlling the power - and why would she? It's not like Rhea had the power herself. All she could do right now was stare at Eris and hope that the girl would be able to do this properly.
And she could. Somehow. With awe, Rhea watched as Eris' hair changed from a dark, wine red to a cherry red, with various highlights going through. Just watching it spread awe through her, so Rhea couldn't imagine what it felt like to actually be the one able to do this. "Bloody hell Eris, that's... marvelous. And it's a start - soon, you'll be able to turn into, say, Professor Yornikovych!"
All her life, she'd been told to, metaphorically, stay inside the lines and never cross them. She was never allowed to leave the Manor, as her parents feared she would mingle with Muggles or others who are not worthy. She never got to make worthwhile friends; the children she met at dinner parties and the like were people she knew she would most likely never see again. They were only friends for the night. So what could be concluded?
Rhea's childhood was lonely.
Hogwarts opened up a new realm of possibilities for her. She made friends, friends that she knew would either stay forever or at least for a long time. She would not be alone anymore. There would be people that she could confide in, some that she trusted more than others, but still, they were there. Never in her eleven years had she imagined that she would meet such people - never had she imagined that such relationships existed! Her parents always told her to not waste her time on friends, for they would always betray you and stab you in the back - but what if they were wrong? They seemed to be a wrong a lot, lately, so it would make sense for them to be wrong about this too.
The story that Rhea had revealed to Eris, about her past and about her family, was not a pleasant one. And because Rhea was the one who revealed it, didn't that mean that Eris would be mad at her? What if... what if Rhea lost Eris as a friend before she even had her as one? The Gryffindor would be absolutely devastated, and so at that point she promised herself: she would do anything to make sure not to lose this short, gnomish girl as someone she could trust.
Starting with this pranking business. Rhea was more than excited to be able to do this, but to be able to pull it off successfully Eris needed to get this power under control. As Eris attempted to turn her hair pink, Rhea bit her lip and thought about ways to help. She couldn't recall anything her grandmother had said about controlling the power - and why would she? It's not like Rhea had the power herself. All she could do right now was stare at Eris and hope that the girl would be able to do this properly.
And she could. Somehow. With awe, Rhea watched as Eris' hair changed from a dark, wine red to a cherry red, with various highlights going through. Just watching it spread awe through her, so Rhea couldn't imagine what it felt like to actually be the one able to do this. "Bloody hell Eris, that's... marvelous. And it's a start - soon, you'll be able to turn into, say, Professor Yornikovych!"
Rhea grinned at her friend. Her mind started to soar with the possibilities of the trouble they could create, the chaos they could produce - and all simply because of this power. The first professor that they could prank could be the Bulgarian Transfiguration professor - maybe Eris could turn into a bear and scare the upcoming first years in his class! There were so many possibilities, so many options, and Rhea couldn't just settle on one - if they had time, and when Eris mastered her ability, they would have to do all the prank they could think of.
"Try again," Rhea encouraged, tilting her head as she looked at her friend. "Try closing your eyes and focusing on only this. You want your hair to be a gorgeous shade of pink - like the shade of pink of that flower we saw earlier. Focus on turning your hair into that colour."
A sudden thought popped into the young Bishop's head. She craved to tell her parents. She wished to tell them about the adventures she'd had, the friends she'd made, the trouble they'd gotten into. She wanted to trust them, she wanted them to care.
But the only way they would care was if she'd done something so bad they needed to cover up, or she'd made friends with the Minister's daughter.
What could she do? This wish of hers would never be fulfilled, no matter how many times she wished upon a star, no matter how many times she wished at 11:11. There was no need to dwell on things that would never happen, and Rhea had learned that the hard way. So instead, she decided to focus on positive things - such as this moment here. Pranking made her heart dance with happiness, and made her forget about whatever was wrong.
"Just keep trying, and you'll get it eventually," Rhea nodded her head. Even though her parents always expected Rhea to get everything right on the first try, she couldn't. She couldn't be perfect, and it was stupid of them to expect her to be. Practice makes perfect was a phrase unknown to her parents, but well-known to Rhea. Her nanny taught it to her, her nanny who was slowly growing to be less of a nanny and more of a mum. Eris and Aida would have to meet eventually - Rhea had a feeling Aida would appreciate Eris, and perhaps be her mum too, if Eris' new family were bad.
"i'm still not done, i'm only halfway there
i'm a million miles ahead of where i'm from"
the trouble is, if you don't risk anything -- you risk more.
♕ℛ ♕
STAMINA: 4; EVASION: 10; STRENGTH: 8; WISDOM: 6; ARCANE POWER: 5; ACCURACY: 12
3 Aug 2018, 06:22
Alteration.
Eris let out a chuckle of her own, imagining turning into the professor. He was a strange old man, it would be really funny to turn into him, but she doubted that her abilities were that strong, yet. Someday, she would be able to turn into anyone she wanted, and that day would be amazing. “What if I turn into you?” Eris giggled, even though a voice in the back of her head was questioning if Eris would ever get her normal hair color back. While it was lovely not being one of the red headed mob, she wasn’t a fan of the pink. Well, she was, but Eris also loved her red hair. All Fawleys had red hair, according to the pure blood dictionary, and Eris was a Fawley now. Apparently.
“I mean, I guess I could try again.” Eris closed her eyes, imagining the pink of her sister’s skirts, and her hair changed another hue, turning an even lighter pink. The top of Eris’s head tingled, as she opened her eyes again, a grin spreading across her face at the evident change in her hair.
It wasn’t perfect, but it would be someday. She would master the new ability, and it would be great. “Yes! I’ll get it someday, I think I’m getting there..” Eris mused, as her voice faded, and the only sound was the wind in the trees.
Finally there was silence, as Rhea and Eris both seemed lost in their own worlds, far away from the color changing hair, and back in the land before Hogwarts, when their lives were ruled over by parents or the other impossibly simple moments of childhood, before the Castle surrounding them had become a home and a sanctuary for wayward children, as everyone in the school seemed to have their own inner demons. Slowly, gingerly, Eris wrapped her arms around her knees, and then she was gone, back in the past.
~~~
The flat was small, yet cozy in demeanor. Piles of books lay on every surface, halfway open and folded, with pages turned over by food stained hands. Water stains clogged some of the book pages, and all the books gave the impression that, while not taken care of very well, that they were loved by the owner. Dolls hung off every chair, along with poofy pink princess skirts, and superhero jackets with painted shields and helmet-like hoodies laid on every surface, bright blue colors colliding with the pink frills of the skirts. Pictures of a red headed girl and her red headed father were on the mantle, accompanied by photos of a brown haired woman with a stern face, and a younger version of her.
The largest photo on the mantle was of the two girls. One was extremely short, her hair a mess of curls and knots. That girl was glaring at the camera, while the taller sister had a half smile on her face, turned away from the short one’s antics. Before he left, Luca had claimed it fit his two girls perfectly, arms thrown around the two daughters, as he placed it on the mantle, while Jane stood, laughing in the corner of the room, leaning against the door frame. That was one of the last times they had been happy, before secrets unknown to the two girls had ripped their parents apart.
The outside of the flat was a dull, inconspicuous gray, that hid the mess & the small family that dwelled inside. The outside was truly plain and dull, just like the rest of London, and no passerby would pay any heed to the place, unless they had business with Jane. Eris and Bella had grown used to figures dressed in strange outfits, ever since their father had became an absent figure in their lives, and even before then. The men in robes or leather jackets never noticed the two girls peeking out from the keyhole in their room, as their mother ordered them to hide in the safety of the small room the twin’s shared.
Today was another one of those nights, and Jane seemed more flustered than normal. Her face was all sharp angles and lines, but the woman had started to get wrinkles, and her long brown hair had grown messy and unkempt. Jane could often be found staring at photos of her estranged husband, running pale fingers over his face, before snapping up to glower at whichever daughter had the misfortune to catch her remincising.
Jane had lived in a perpetual state of shock after Luca’s screaming fit, and the way he had left and never came back. The two twins, who were almost nine, in a couple of months, weren’t able to do much for their mother, but they fed and clothed themselves the best they could manage. Today was one of the first real days that Jane had woken up out of her stupor, if only to dress in her leather jacket, which was the twin’s clue that it was one of the nights they would spend in their room.
Over the long months, Jane had never looked so alive. Alive, but frantic. Her eyes were wild, as the woman brushed a comb through her hair, frantically gazing at Eris, while Belladonna stood in the corner, an expression on her face that was far more serious than one a recently turned 10 year old should have. She looked haunted, watching Jane shove on her jacket, as Eris looked up from her comic book. A bowl of goldfish was on the couch next to Eris, and already, the cheddar was getting crushed into the pages of the comic book. Captain America’s face would no longer be pale, rather, it would take on an orange hue, but it was not something Eris minded, as she chowed down on the food, turning pages with stained hands.
Soft music played from the desktop computer next to Eris, which laid on the one table in the living room. Anyone who decided to come closer to the girl would find a certain loud theme song playing, but the music was turned down enough that only Eris could hear, and hum along, as she currently did, whispering the words to the song under her breath, turning the pages of the comic with wide eyes, studying the images beheld to her with rapt awe on her features.
Comic books had been outlawed by Jane, after Luca left, but Eris had never cared. The spark of adventure that her father had possessed had only grown in Eris, and the only way to quench that thirst for something less mundane was through her books. After long winded fights and screaming matches, Jane had finally given up and let Eris read the books that she adored so much, which was what the girl was doing now, until her mother glided over on silent feet, switching off the looped youtube video Eris had been playing absentmindedly.
“How is your headache, love?”
Jane Rowell asked her shorter daughter, in an uncharacteristic display of love, running her fingers through Eris’s ratty mess of hair. The headache had started in the morning, and when Eris told her sister of the pain between hisses of pain, Belladonna had climbed out of bed, with a haunted expression on her face, telling Eris to wait a minute, while she got their mother. A minute later, Eris’s mum was in the room, handing Eris a yucky medicine.
It was supposed to hold her over until night, when mum could get better medicine, Eris reminded herself, making a face thinking about the gross pill she had swallowed. Swallowed, not chewed! It wasn’t a chewy pill, like the ones that Eris enjoyed. Those sometimes tasted like candy, but this one was hard to get down, and tasted bitter, like mint leaves and something else that she couldn’t quite place her finger on.
Setting down the comic book, and swinging her short legs over the side of the couch to stand up, lightly pushing off her mother’s cold hand as she did so, Eris shrugged her shoulders. “It hurts.” The child pouted, even though her headache wasn’t too terrible. It wasn’t horrid, like it had felt in the morning. She was surviving, and her mother knew it too, as the girl in front of her was in way less pain than Eris had been in the morning. The headache was just there, lingering in the back of her head, bearable but painful.
“It’ll be better soon. I just have something to do. You and your sister need to go to your room, do you think you can do that?” Unbeknownst to Eris, Bella and Jane exchanged a grim look, as the smallest Rowell nodded her head vigorously, bare feet leaving imprints in the carpet, as she stepped back into her room, Bella lingering behind to talk to their mother.
When she was gone, Jane turned around, exposing the snake with the crown, lying on her jacket pocket. “Watch her.” She commanded her other daughter, all fake kindness gone from her voice. Without waiting for a response, Jane took off towards the door, and the people that would be arriving shortly.
~~
Bella followed Eris into the room, as the front door opened, exposing the voices of men and their mother. Eris was already sitting on her bed, feet dangling over the side, as she kicked them back in forth, feet lost in their own personal whirlwind hurricane.
The room was just as messy as the outside of the flat, if anything, it was even more messy. Bella’s side of the room was pink and littered with dolls, while Eris’s side of the room was covered in books and stuffed animal dragons, which were all in various states of disarray from being squeezed too much, or being thrown around in late night adventures. Late at night the dragons were real, flying across the ceiling in sweeping circles--not being propelled by Eris’s hands, of course not.
Sometimes, Eris thought she was magic, and sometimes she could swear her stuffed animals floated of their own accord, but everytime she woke up her sister to check, Bella would swear it was just Eris moving them with her hands, and would curl up and go back to sleep. Sometimes Eris would catch her looking, and Bella would admit to the magic that Eris possessed, pushing herself up and crawling into Eris’s bed to watch the dragons dance across the ceiling.
Eris was the magical one, and Bella wasn’t. The magic was the twin’s secret, a secret Eris and Bella had agreed to guard with their lives, after seeing the way their mother spoke of anything out of the ordinary.
Her sister seemed sad, as Eris turned to grin at Bella. “Do you want to spy on them, or do you want to play dolls?”
Belladonna’s lip quivered, as she looked down at the younger sister, years worth of anger finally burning out. If Eris could remember, she would know that this night happened once a year, and every time around this day, her sister exposed what she really felt. But Eris would not remember this moment, nor would she remember her sister’s rage.
“God Eris, can’t you grow up? We’re ten years old, we aren’t going to play with dolls. You need to grow up, JUST GROW UP ALREADY. You think I like living in your shadow, you little freak? I see the things you do, making those stupid toys fly, making mother scared. You think she wants to meet with those creeps outside? She does it for you, because You. Are. A. Freak, and I can’t wait for you to leave us, and go be with the other freaks. Mother hates you, she can’t wait for you to leave either. You’ll leave us just like father did, and we won’t miss you.”
Dolls forgotten, Eris stood up, to do something, but all of a sudden, the top of her scalp was on fire. She couldn’t think, she couldn’t breath, all Eris could do was scream. Belladonna’s whimper was foreign, and far away, as Eris’s screams became louder. Was she on the ground? Hadn’t she just been on the bed?
It didn’t matter, only the pain did.
Fire burned at everything, it clawed at her chest, at her hair, at everything. Eris was still screaming when the men grabbed her, and her mother poured something down her throat. The pain faded, as the whole rest of the world faded, but the last thing she saw was the snake and the crown gleaming on her mother’s jacket, the men’s jackets, and her sister’s new jacket, which Eris hadn’t seen her put on.
As the room dimmed to black, Bella let out one last whisper.
“Freak.”
~~
Eris had woken up the next morning to hot chocolate and the mysterious appearance of her father. Apparently he had been on a work trip, and when Eris crawled out of bed, he was there, standing with her mum and sister, both who weren’t wearing any jackets. They had eaten breakfast as a family, and when Eris had told Bella of her dream, her twin’s eyes had gone distant, before a fake smile was plastered onto her face, as Bella replied.
“It was all a dream.”
And Eris had believed her, until this moment.
~~
Eris squirmed, a low gasp escaping her lips. “Rhea, I don’t think this is the first time I’ve gotten a weird headache and then had my appearance change.”
sorry not sorry bout' what i said
STA: 6 EVA: 7 STR: 1 WIS: 8 ACC 9 ACC: 9
abilities: transfig DC -5
15 Aug 2018, 05:35
Alteration.
runnin', runnin', runnin'
ain't runnin' from myself no more
together we'll win it all
ain't runnin' from myself no more
together we'll win it all
was never a favorite color of Rhea's, but if Eris liked it, then who was Rhea to protest? If Eris wanted her hair to be pink, then she could have her hair be pink. Personally, Rhea would have preferred a head of purple or blue hair... or maybe blonde, her original hair color. But funky colors were always something Rhea dreamed of having, although her strict pureblood parents never would allow it. Still, a girl could help.
Seeing Eris changing her hair color sparked a feeling of want in Rhea's chest. She wanted to be able to change her hair color; she wanted to have blue or purple hair. Why couldn't she have the ability? Not being able to have whatever she wanted handed to her on a silver platter was a stark change for Rhea. One that she didn't like, but appreciated at the same time. It proved to her that she was changing as a person. For the better or the worse, though, only time would tell.
Shrugging, Rhea turned her attention back to her friend. Her back starting to hurt from sitting up for so long, Rhea turned around and laid down on her back on the ground, her head closest to Eris's body while her legs pointed out. The tree's leaves barely hid the fervent sun, but still, the sunlight wasn't able to ruin Rhea's eyesight and her view of the bright blue sky. She was able to daydream as much as she wanted, about whatever she wanted; the hue of the sky was a relaxing one, and it provoked Rhea's breathing to slow down, and for her mind to stop turning as much.
"If you did turn into me, imagine what I could do! I could have you go to my classes instead of me going to them," Rhea giggled and winked at her friend. "Or you could deal with my parents - my father, mostly, my mother is tolerable - so I don't have to! Goodness, it would make my life so much easier." Of course, Rhea was kidding, and Eris could probably tell. There was no way she could force her shorter, more violent friend to do any of those things, anyway!
The young girl watched as her newfound friend kept attempting to turn her hair different colors, grinning at her latest attempt. Her hair had, indeed changed color, and pretty successfully too. Eris seemed to be well on the way of mastering her power, although it would take a lot more time and practice. "Oh good, you're getting the hang of it!"
Grinning, Rhea made eye contact with her friend and clapped. The sound echoed throughout the place around them, for there was no one to hear them, and the forest close to them only amplified the noise. It sounded as though it was about to thunder - a small exaggeration, but that was Rhea for you! - and the redhead let out a soft chuckle. As Eris would soon come to know, Rhea was one for theatrics.
That included staring at the baby blue sky and... just doing nothing in general. Sometimes, Rhea just needed to take a moment for herself and relax. Didn't everyone? There was something about the sky that emanated a relaxing aura, and thus, Rhea found herself dozing off. Her eyes drooped shut and while Eris was still in her daydream, stuck in the past, Rhea had taken a long needed nap. She'd been too worried about upcoming exams and projects that she had forgotten to sleep, and thus, this nap on the grass was something her body craved.
was running through... a field, but it was not one that she had seen before. There was green as far as the eye could see, with tiny prints of brown in the background. One could assume they were trees. The grass reached all the way up to her knees, so the blades kept tangling around her legs as she ran. What was she running from? What was she running to? Rhea didn't know; she only knew to run.
It seemed no matter how much she ran, she would end up back at the same place. With the amount of space she had covered - or lack thereof - Rhea looked to be running in circles. Her route was marked by bent grass blades; they were no longer as tall as they were before, folded in half by the force of Rhea's footsteps.
Not knowing what to do, Rhea tried to stop running. It didn't work. The nerves didn't transfer the order from her brain to her legs, and thus, she kept running. It was as if her legs had a mind of their own, controlled by some outer source. What was she supposed to do, keep running forever?
Just as the thought crossed her head, the redhead felt her feet leaving the ground. With a yelp, Rhea looked down and saw that she was moving away from the ground at a rapid pace. Her legs were still moving, but now she was sure that someone had cast some sort of spell on her. She seemed to be moving towards the horizon, where the trees bordered the skyline. As she moved closer, Rhea noticed just how large the trees were - the trunks climbed all the way up to the clouds, the crowns hidden among the thick, white clouds.
For some reason, Rhea kept ascending, getting closer and closer to the sky. The pace she was moving at picked up, and soon, Rhea felt herself being flipped over onto her stomach, as if she were Superman. She was being wrenched through the sky had an unmatched pace - even the Firebolt she had at home was nothing compared to this.
"Bloody hell!!" the words flew out of her mouth, lost to the wind. She couldn't even hear herself. "Oh my god, I'm going to die, I'm going to die!!"
Rhea paid no mind to the fact that she was dreaming; the wind whipping through her hair, and the sudden chill she felt as she climbed farther into the atmosphere felt too real. Where was she going? Who was controlling her? What in the world was happening?
Soon, she found herself delving into the clouds. Some way or another, Rhea was able to float through the clouds. Rather than feeling a cold dampness on her skin like, scientifically, clouds were supposed to feel, Rhea only felt fluff going into her eyes as she wafted through them. Blinking the fluff out of her eyes, Rhea tried to take a deep breath but only succeeded in inhaling some cloud. It tasted like... cotton candy?
"What the bloody hell?" her confusion only heightened as she witnessed the clouds around her change colors, going from white to pink to red to purple to blue to orange and finally, settling on green. It was the most peculiar thing, but Rhea didn't have much time to think about it before she was whisked off, higher and higher into the clouds. With furrowed eyebrows, the redhead shrugged and went along with the flow, letting herself be taken for the ride.
Soon, somehow, she found herself reaching a big, white expanse of cloud. It seemed to be solid, for Rhea was set down in the middle. Her legs didn't start moving of their own accord again, so Rhea settled for sitting down. She picked up some fluff and played around with it, before she heard a rumble. Wide-eyed, she turned around and saw a... okay what the heck, why was the Bishop Manor rising from the clouds?
"Can someone please explain what the hell is happening?" Rhea asked out loud, not knowing who exactly she was talking to. Sighing, she dropped her face into her palm but a voice answered her. It was a familiar voice... the voice was that of her -
"Father?" Rhea pressed her lips together and stood up, brushing the imaginary dust off of herself. Crossing her arms, she tilted her head and looked at him. Did he know what was going on? Why was there a Bishop Manor made out of clouds, and why had she been flying? "Father, do you have inkling as to what is happening?"
Her father did not answer, simply scoffing and making his way towards her. His face was blurry; the only stark feature that could be seen was his mouth. It was moving, but no words were coming out. Not until he got closer and Rhea was able to see his lips forming the words... unpleasant words.
"Typical Rhea, not knowing what is happening," her father snickered, his face slowly coming into focus. There was a fire in his eyes, his nose was upturned and he was sneering. "Pathetic. You really are a disappointment to the Bishop name."
Her mouth gaped. What had she done to invoke such insults? "Father, I-"
"I do not care what you have to say. All you must do is understand that you will never live up to our standards. Your grandmother may have told you that it was okay to be a failure sometimes - but she was mistaken. The only reason she thought it was acceptable to say such things was because she was an old, delusional woman. Do you understand?"
Narrowing her eyes, Rhea stalked closer to her father. How dare he insult her grandmother? Stella Winchester was the only one who had cared about her while she was alive, and now her father was insulting her memory. "Grandmother was an amazing wo-"
"Silence! I do not care what you say, your opinion is invalid. Now scuttle of, and try not to disappoint me and your mother any more than you already have," Aaron said haughtily, before starting to walk away. Rhea wanted to chase after him, she wanted him to see that she was not a disappointment, she wanted him to treat her with love... but her feet were rooted to the ground. She couldn't move.
All she could do was accept his deprecatory words, like she always did.
than waking up peacefully, or waking up with a start, Rhea woke up in a way that was somewhere in the middle. She was unsettled, but well aware that what had just happened was a dream. Her father would never be that open about what he thought of her; he would only show his true feelings in inconspicuous slights against her. Yes, it bothered the young girl, but she was much too used to it to care. Sometimes it affected her, and sometimes it didn't - everything depended on her mood, and if she really wanted to take her father's tomfoolery or not. Today, she didn't. Rhea was much too focused on Eris and her finding out about her history.
Sighing, Rhea blinked a few times to get the sleep out of her and focused on just staring at the sky. The different tints of blue and the way they all operated effectively together created a sense of tranquility in one's soul. There was no way Rhea could be worried about her father as she watched the clouds move at a leisurely pace throughout the sky. The slow motion of the giant fluff throughout the sky slowed down the rapid twisting and turning of Rhea's own mind.
Turning around to look at her surroundings, Rhea saw her friend still in a deep trance. What could she possibly have been thinking about? Whatever it was, it seemed that Eris was troubled. The expression upon her face was agitated, as if her whole world was coming undone. Little did she know, it was..
But soon enough, her pink-haired schoolmate snapped out of it. Her eyes slowly widening, Rhea listened to what her friend had to say. What the heck? First the dream, and now this... Was her life some sort of twisted fairytale/mystery story?
Biting her lip, Rhea sat up and flipped onto her stomach. She leaned her chin on the top of her palms and looked up at Eris quizzically. "That is bizarre. How do you know? And why are you only remembering this now?"
Rhea had so many questions she wanted to ask, but for now, she cut herself off before too many spilled out of her mouth. "We need to find out what on Earth is going on, so we can fix it."
Reducio
i have... no explanation for that dream, except that it somehow ties into rhea's fear of her dad? idk man, she just sounds high.
the trouble is, if you don't risk anything -- you risk more.
♕ℛ ♕
STAMINA: 4; EVASION: 10; STRENGTH: 8; WISDOM: 6; ARCANE POWER: 5; ACCURACY: 12