Zephrun’s Imperium

Tamika sighed, resting in her chair. She wore a black tank top and khaki shorts that went down mid-thigh. Nicely tanned, and curvy, with long brown hair, she was about as beautiful as a woman could be. "An adventure sounds fun."

Nyx hummed for a moment once she’d calmed down. Then she realized something. “How did you kn-know I was the prin-princess?”

Nyx shook suddenly - something that happened when she was excited. "Yes, yes, yes, Nyx will help you." She started pacing and let out a hiccuping laugh.

Nyx nodded. "That would be good. They-they are b-bad people..." She considered. "You want me to help you?"

Nyx immediately calmed down. "You... want to hurt them?" she guessed.

She furrowed her brow. "H-how do you know I am the prin-prin-princess?" Suddenly she grew angry. "Did Mother and Father send you? Do they want me back?"

Her face brightened. "Oh th-th-th-th-th-th-" She paused, screwing up her face in deep concentration to get the word out. "Thank you," she said slowly. Then, she proceeded to voraciously attack the sustenance. She shoved whatever she could into her mouth without care for how messy she got. When she was satisfied, she sat on the floor. "Said you needed help?"

Nyx licked her lips in a very un-princess-like manner, getting up to grab something. She ripped off a chunk of bread, then paused, looking up at Jahr with a look of shame. "For Nyx?"

"Mmm." She considered, cocking her head. "Shaky. Hungry. Do you have food?" Nyx had a nasally voice, and made frequent pauses, as if she was running out of breath after speaking a few words.

Nyx woke up not too much later in clean clothes, all the dirt and grime washed off of her. (though even after being thoroughly washed, her hair was still frizzy) She hummed contentedly, looking over herself. She hadn't been this clean since her days at the castle. That thought didn't bring back happy memories, but there was a dignity to cleanliness that just hadn't been present in her life the last several years. She looked over and smiled, finding Jahrdor in a chair beside her. "'lo," she said, cocking her head. "Nyx remembers you, yes, yes."

“Oh, everyone.” She wobbled, hardly able to stand up straight. “Head hurts….” she said. then she fainted.

“Help, help? I’m worthless, they said I’m worthless.”

“Jahrdor…. I’m Nyx, Nyx. Why are you here?”

Nyx nuzzled her savior. "Who-who are y-you?" she asked, looking up. Only one of her brown eyes was visible, the other's lids swollen up.

Nyx gripped him tightly, the movement making her feel lightheaded. "Th-thank you. Thank you, Nyx thanks you."

“Can-can-can-“ she tried to stand again, but tripped, falling onto Jahr for support

"Huh?" She looked up, her head pounding. "Who-who-who-who's you?"

Star angrily snatched the bloody hatchet that Xino had left on the ground after trying to kill her. It would be fitting, wouldn't it, to kill him with the same blade with which he had tried to vanquish her. She knew in the back of her mind that her plan was insane. Xino was still her best friend. He had only tried to kill her because of the game. But the game was very real, she knew that now. There were no misguided fantasies about somehow winning the game; she was wounded, and she hadn't joined to win anyway. She wanted to die. It just made it all the easier that someone else would be so inclined to do the deed instead of having to do it herself. She chose a random direction and started walking. Each step hurt like Mal, but it only made her more angry. And angry Star was not something anyone wanted to deal with. Her blue eyes were fire, her steps were stealthy, and her intent was deadly. When she heard a rustle in the leaves, she crouched, readying her weapon. @#1 Taln Fan

@xinoehp512 Nyx awoke hours later in the pig sty, her whole body aching. She hardly remembered the beating she’d suffered, but it had been bad; worse than any that had come before it. It had been less about the broken cups, and more about the managers hatred for poor old Nyx. He’d been looking for an excuse to fire her for months now, and now he had one. A fat, hairy pig sniffed at Nyx’s hair, wetting her frizzy locks with snot. “He-hey!” she said, glaring and pushing the animal away. “Out-out-out!” She tried to stand up, but immediately fell back down to the earth, splattering more mud on her already soiled dress, the world spinning beneath her feet from standing too quickly. Nyx hummed distastefully. She was an utter mess; blood all over her face, a broken nose, hair pointing out in all directions, a black eye so swollen she couldn’t see out of it, and a torn skirt exposing her undergarments.

It was closing time; around 3:30 in the morning, when things started to wind down for the night. Nyx piled mostly-empty cups of liquor onto a platter, wiping up spills as she went from table to table. As she walked to the kitchens to drop off the dishes, Nyx tripped. It was a grandiose fall, the sort of fall where every which limb goes every which way and the stupid skirt that was tripped over gets a big old rip in it. The sort of fall where, for a moment, everything seems to be in slow motion, but then the cups you were trying to be ever so careful with just SHATTER against the floor and you know - lying on the wooden planks, left over food splattered on your face and carefully styled hair - that someone is about to be very, very angry with your sorry self. She whimpered. The manager was upon her in seconds, dragging her by the hair into his office where he pressed her up against the wall. Before she could even start pleading, he had decked her across the face and she was curled up into a ball, pleading for him to stop. "It's only a co-couple cu-cups!" she tried, but that only made the man more angry. "Now, listen here you little twit. Those cups you broke were cursed expensive and if you think I'm going to let you keep working here after that stunt, you're insane. OH WAIT. You already are!" She was slapped. "Nyx Thadel, my ass, you're no princess. Maybe the princess of filth, I guess." "I-I-I-I am too a princess, my daddy's the king, he is!" Stars, why couldn't she just keep her mouth closed? "Well, your daddy," said the manager, "won't be saving you from this." Nyx covered her head and the tall man raised his hands to pummel her.

Star nodded. “Thank you,” she said hesitantly, her back stinging from the stitches. She sat up gingerly. “Do you happen to know which way my district partner went? Tall, dark hair, square face, glasses.”