Another experiment... (Rhi-Rhi!)

[Anonymous]

Clack clack clack clack...

It was not the typical humanoid footsteps, that was for sure.  The impact of the foot made a sharper, harsher noise.  Blue flames gazed about as Vesk walked past the prisoners.  He was unnerving to many, but then again, few things were more horrifying to non-necromancers than a walking skeleton.  An intelligent skeleton, and a mage as well.  Those who had the honor - or misfortune, as most would call it - to be a subject for him often found that he was heartless, physically and metaphorically.  He held no form of compassion or empathy.

He paused outside the cell of the subject.  Number 587933401.  A Tuathi female.  He turned his head, and looked into the cell, the unnatural flames staring directly at the subject.  She was curled up in the corner of the cell.  Vesk glanced down the halls, and proceeded to unlock and open the cell.  "WELL, THEN, IT SEEMS THAT YOU ARE AWAKE.  COME QUICKLY, AND I SHALL SEE TO IT THAT THIS TAKES AS LITTLE TIME AS POSSIBLE."  He spoke.  His voice was even more unnatural than his form, if it was possible.  It sent chills down the spine of those unused to it.  His mentioning of time was usual, he always said that, because he always aimed to take as little time as he could.  This often proved good for the subject, as it meant less time with the lich.  Of course, he never said anything about pain.  He couldn't feel it, and he felt no sympathy for those who could.

He made a gesture, and one of the many guards came to him.  The guard would know the drill, he hoped.  Give her about ten seconds, then drag her out if she wasn't coming.  After all, Vesk didn't have all day.  Well, technically he did, but he wasn't about to take that long.

[Rhi-Rhi]

It wasn't the clacking that unnerved her; that she was used to. It was the sound her own hooves made against hard ground, just like any others of her kind. Of course, she hadn't seen them for a while now, not in weeks, and she was starting to lose hope that she'd ever get to go home.

She'd had hope when Mazz had rescued her--but that hadn't lasted. He'd been found out and fired (she hoped not literally! The thought of him being burned terrified her!) and she had wound up right back where she'd started: alone in a cold, sterile cell.

For the past few days she'd been left alone, for the most part. She had taken her meals, taken her showers with the other, and wandered around aimlessly in the exercise room when she was allowed her hour of daily exercise. Mazz was gone...but she didn't have much time to be sad for him. She had herself to worry about, and she remembered everything he had told her that first day she had met him.

She was just a number, and the people here did horrible things to the subjects.

Curled up miserably in a corner of her cell, wedged between the bottom bunk and the wall where she fancied herself relatively well hidden, she sat with her knees drawn up to her chest and her arms wrapped around them, hugging them to her protectively. The clacking sound was growing closer, and she hunched her shoulders and rested her chin on her knees, trying to appear small as she watched the door. It was likely that whoever it was, they would pass her cell by--but she couldn't help but panic whenever she heard footsteps.

This time, the panic was warranted.

The...thing that stopped outside her cell and looked in at her was like something out of a nightmare, yet even while her heart leaped into her chest and fear turned her blood cold, she could only stare at the thing. A walking skeleton. It was like her brain didn't want to register that it was real and so instead she just froze up completely.

Until it spoke. That snapped her out of her stupor.

Teidra yelped in surprise and scooted backwards out of reflex, but her back just thumped against the wall. Go with it? No way. Green eyes wide, she shook her head, her chest tightening in fear and making her breath come in short, shaky bursts, but the cell was unlocked and opened and a guard came forward. Oh gods, the guards. She knew from experience that there was no fighting them.

She knew it was either go willingly or get hauled out. That was about as much of a choice on the matter as she would get.

That still didn't mean she wanted to go. A skeleton. Death.

She swallowed, working moisture back into her mouth. "I...n-no...what are you going to do?" she whispered, throat too constricted to speak louder than that. Instinct screamed at her to get up and run, but there was nowhere to run. She was cornered--and unused to feeling this helpless.

[Anonymous]

Panic.  Of course.  They HAD to panic.  Of course, he was sure that it didn't help that he was a lich, a walking visage of death.  The flaming orbs seemed to narrow at the female.  "COLLECT YOURSELF.  WHAT I DO IS MY BUSINESS, AND THE LESS TIME YOU TAKE, THE FASTER THIS FINISHES."  He said.  He made a motion at the guard, then to her.  That signal was obvious.  The lich was done waiting, and he was not going to tolerate more delays.

The guard moved forwards, into the cell, their weapon ready.  He wasted no time in handling the female, dragging her to the cell door, threatening her with the weapon, set to deliver a somewhat painful shock if it was to strike her.  Vesk looked down.  "YOU CAN EITHER COME WITH ME WITHOUT FUSS OR BE DRAGGED THERE."  He said, the guard ready to drag her along if she didn't go, and also ready to follow if she did follow him.  Of course, Vesk knew he had other ways to goad her into moving, but he wanted to keep her as mentally intact as possible.  No use in damaging a subject, especially a relatively new one such as her.

[Rhi-Rhi]

His business?! It was her business, too, because whatever happened, it was happening to her! But before Teidra could protest anymore, the guard was on her and she was hauled to her feet and dragged to the door. She didn't resist. She had resisted the first time a guard had handled her, and it had gotten her nowhere; all it had done was exhausted her. Her eyes never left the stun baton, though, which was way too close for comfort, and by the time they had reached the skeleton...thing... her legs were shaking so badly she didn't know if she could follow 'without a fuss'.

The lich stared down at her, and she shrank back with a small squeak, ears flattened back against her head, pulse throbbing in her ears, and every muscle trembling with tension. She licked her lips nervously and eyed the guard and his baton again, then looked to the walking skeleton. Maybe this was just a dream. This had to be one. Skeletons...they didn't walk and talk. That was ridiculous.

Of course, she knew better than that. She'd seen all manner of nightmarish things here already.

"O...okay...I'll go..." Teidra said quietly, crossing her arms over her chest as though to protect herself. She looked at the guard again and for a moment considered making a run for it--but then she quickly reconsidered. Run...to where? They were out in the middle of space. There were guards everywhere. If they caught her, they'd hurt her. She ducked her head and chewed nervously on her bottom lip, stiffening her legs to try and make them more stable. It wouldn't do for them to buckle on her.

"Um...where are we going?" He hadn't given her any answers, but she decided to try again anyway.

[Anonymous]

Vesk simply watched her, noting her reaction to him.  Fear.  Everything feared death, it seemed.  Why?  It was the one appointment that all creatures had to keep, yet for which no time was set.  He had embraced his own death and had come out as he was now: more capable than he had ever been in life.  "LET US GO THEN."  He said simple, heading off, the guard giving her a bit of a push to start her off.

As she inquired where they were going, something that would unnerve most happened.  The lich's head turned completely around, now sitting squarely backwards on his body.  After a moment of the blue flames staring directly at hers, he spoke.  "A SIMPLE TEST ROOM." he replied simply, telling her exactly where they were going and yet revealing absolutely nothing in the process.  However, since the test was simple, that probably meant that it would involve less possibility of pain, a fact which she may or may not have figured out yet.  Slowly, the head righted its orientation to the lich's body, and he continued, pausing to open a door.  She was pushed inside, and the guard waited outside as Vesk entered and closed the door.  The room looked much like a doctor's office.  He approached her, and seemed to inspect her a bit visually.  He reached down and picked up her arm, his touch chilling and probably unnerving as he inspected her arm.  He nodded, letting her go before heading to the supplies.

[Rhi-Rhi]

Teidra grunted when she was pushed and she stumbled forward a few steps before catching herself. Follow or be dragged. It wasn't much of a choice, but between the two she would rather walk on her own two feet. That was all there was to it. When your back was up against a wall, what else could you do but accept your situation as gracefully as possible?

...Hah. That's what they said, whoever 'they' were. She wasn't so sure about that.

She stared at the floor as she walked, hooves clicking on the tile, but unfortunately when the lich spoke again she looked up.

At first she didn't think there was anything wrong with the way he was looking back at her--until she realized he wasn't turned around and walking backwards. His head was turned around backwards. Teidra gasped and jumped backwards in surprise, only to bump into the guard behind her who gave her a shove forward, and she gave an involuntary whimper and made a point of staring at the ground again. It was difficult to get the image out of her head, though. Test room? Test? Simple? How simple was simple? Would it hurt? She flexed her hands, palms sweaty, and tried to calm her short, panicked breathing.

By the time they actually got to the room, she felt nauseous with dread, having tormented herself over just what exactly 'simple' meant. It could mean anything. He could very simply cut off a finger, for example. Her breath hitched at the thought, and she curled her hands into fists to protect her fingers.

The room was simple enough. It looked like the room Mazz had taken her to, the first day they'd met, to collect hair, blood, and skin samples. Standing in the center of the room, she waited there stiffly, eyes locked on the skeleton, and when he grabbed her arm she resisted out of reflex, a shiver traveling down her spine as his touch seemed to chill every inch of her. When he finally let her go and turned away, she backed away toward the door, just to put more distance between them.

Doctor's room supplies never looked very friendly.

She rubbed her arm where he'd touched her as though trying to smooth away the creepy feeling, then leaned back against the door and crossed her arms over her chest tightly. Tests...why did they have to do tests...she could tell them anything they wanted to know--ah! Suddenly perking up at the realization, allowing a glimmer of hope to enter her thoughts, she looked up to the lich and cleared her throat nervously.

"Please, I...I can tell you anything..." she began, unable to keep the desperation out of her voice. Her eyes darted back and forth throughout the room. She'd seen what 'tests' had done to people. "If you want to know anything, I can tell you. Anything about me, my people...you don't have to do tests, I won't lie...please?"

[Anonymous]

Vesk seemed to take no notice of her obvious surprise that his head wasn't on the correct way.  He'd gotten similar reactions so many times that they seemed to barely even make him notice any longer.  He could almost feel her seeming anxiety.  He'd left the idea of what might happen open, and he knew that she was mentally torturing herself with it.

He shuffled through some equipment and picked up a syringe that was empty.  "LET'S SEE..." He said, heading towards her.  "ANOTHER SAMPLE OF BLOOD IS NEEDED.  THE LAST ONE TAKEN WAS CONTAMINATED."  He said.  He caught her arm, and with a speed and accuracy that few doctors had, the syringe was in her arm, drawing blood.  He didn't take too much before he pulled the needle out.  He went to set the sample in a vial before sealing it.  He then turned again to face her.  It was then that she spoke.  He paused, the flames that were his eyes not changing.

"TELL ME?  UNLESS YOU CAN PREDICT THE FUTURE, THERE IS PROBABLY NOT MUCH THAT YOU CAN TELL ME THAT I AM CURRENTLY UNAWARE OF."  He said.  He shrugged.  Well, there was at least one question he could ask.  "WHEN DID YOU REALIZE YOUR POTENTIAL AS A MAGE?"  The idea that this subject might volunteer information was wonderful!  If they could find out the rough estimate of when mages realized their power, it might be easier for them to seek out a gene or the like.  He went to get another syringe, and he would have smiled, if he'd had lips.  He picked up another vial, and filled it a bit, looking at her and simply waiting for a reply.  Regardless of her answer, he was going to try this substance.

[Rhi-Rhi]

"I..." Teidra held her arm where the needle had pierced, sore. She'd hardly any time to yelp before he'd grabbed her and the thing had been in and out, the blood taken. Not nearly as gentle as Mazz had been. This...thing...obvi ously didn't care. She eyed the new vial suspiciously, wincing as his words boomed in her ears, which were laid flat against her head.

Don't freeze up, just talk.

She swallowed hard to wet her throat and looked down at the ground, away from him. Just calm down. Breathe. It took a few seconds, her throat too tight to speak, but finally she managed to get the words out.

"I...well...I knew ever since I was old enough to understand words." Glancing up at him, she shifted awkwardly and scraped at the tile with a hoof. "We...my people I mean...we all have some sort of gift--what you call 'magic'. It's, um, a really rare person that doesn't. So I guess I always knew--I didn't start using it until I was--" She paused and furrowed her brow, trying to figure out how to translate her age. Mazz had taught it to her after she'd explained the cycle of her planet's years and he'd explained how the Earth's year worked. He'd explained how to convert her age into 'Earth years', but she still had to really think about it. "Ah, well, I guess you'd call it 'twelve'. I was twelve years old. I had to be taught."

Teidra raised her eyes and gave him a nervous glance, green eyes focusing in on that vial. "What...is that?"