Zion - LotNM Character Prologue (Narissa "Hearthsinger")
Zion - Path of the Moon Mother
Prologue, Narissa "Hearthsinger"
As with all performances, Narissa never went before the crowd without having someone else begin the evening of entertainment first. In this case it was a young ermine woman who, to the tigress' trained eye, was obviously relatively new to the Dance of Silk. The uninspired performance was well received by the audience, but Narissa was unimpressed-- her own performance of the dance had her audiences drowning in their own saliva... though that felt like a long time ago. The newcomer's performance gave her time to admire the architecture as she was waiting for her set to begin.
Unlike the standard building practices of destruction-then-recreation, the most beautiful structures within Doen were more often re-purposed rather than destroyed and the communal hall was such an example. The grange was a large building and, at one time, had been a temple to the Pregnant Moon. Even though the altar had been removed and the relics relocated, a powerful presence remained within the hall providing a sense of quiet reverence for those who were sheltered in the community center-- it provided a wonderful backdrop for Narissa's first grand performance in years.
Narissa was a consumate professional when it came to entertainment, and being on stage was as natural to her as breathing... but, as the dancer's performance was coming to a close, the tigress found her paws starting to twitch. Her claws extended and contracted, drawing audibly across the finished wooden surface of her mandolin. She steadied her breathing, setting the instrument on the table beside her as her fingers began to cramp.
"No... not now... Goddess, please... not now..." she murmured, feeling the tell-tale signs of an itching in her wrist. She placed her palms against the table on either side of her mandolin, pressing them against the wood and leaning her weight down. Narissa forced the pain back, willing it away. The itching continued to inch its way up her forearms until it settled in her elbows, "No... not now... not tonight..." she whispered. It had been two weeks since her last flare-up; it chose the worst time possible. Once the sensation settled into her elbow joint it began to intensify into a strong burning.
"Lady Hearthsinger... five minutes." noted a young male rabbit, passing by. He slowed, then came to a stop and she quickly avoided eye contact, forcing herself to straighten up. She took hold of her mandolin, gripping it with a paw which was quickly cramping up beyond anything the word 'pain' could successfully describe. "Is everything okay, ma'am?" he asked, ears perked.
Drawing upon her greatest reserves of skill, Narissa proceeded to put on what she knew would be the greatest performance, and hopefully the shortest one of her life. Standing on both feet, electric agony lancing from her right heel up through her right shoulder, the tiger put on a warm smile and faced the young man, "Of course... now, since you're here, would you mind watching my mandolin while I make a quick trip to the facilities?" she shifted her weight lightly to her left side in what she hoped would look like a casual, open invitation to help, and not a desperate attempt to avoid passing out from the rapidly increasing pain.
"Of course, Lady Hearthsinger." the rabbit noted calmly, "I'll stay right here 'til you get back." Narissa placed the mandolin back on the table, exerting all of her will in forcing her fingers open, and then slid it toward the young male.
"I'll be back in a minute." she stated and, with that, she made her way off into an adjacent hall. She was so focused on maintaining her composure that she did not notice that the rabbit followed her down the hall, mandolin left abandoned on the table.
Oblivious to everything around her, Narissa stumbled into a side passage. Shaking all over, it was all she could do to force a quivering paw into her pocket, biting down on her lip to silence a whimper of pain... but, once her fingers closed around the stowed glass vial she knew everything would be alright.
Her pain-stricken fingers fumbled the vial as it emerged from her pocket. She gripped at it ineffectively, trying in vain to force the stopper out, "Come on... come on..." she murmured, tears streaming from her eyes as the battle line between the pain and her willpower started to give way, "Come on!" she cried out... and the vial slipped from her paws. Everything happened in slow motion as the container spiraled down to the floor and, in tandem with all of Narissa's hopes, shattered.
"No..." Narissa whimpered, "no...." she mewled, her body beginning to cramp up as she slunk to the floor, gazing at the streak of Hefflys powder commingled with glass. For several seconds she entertained the idea of trying to lick up the powder heedless of the shattered vial, but she couldn't manage to extend her tongue, teeth unable to clench. She sobbed, body wracked with horrific pain and no chance for a cure... or so she thought.
"Easy there..." the voice was familiar-- Narissa knew that she had heard it recently, but, amidst the pain, she couldn't place it. Gentle but firm hands eased her up to a sitting position. It took her a few moments to recognize the young rabbit.
"I... told you..." she murmured through her clenched teeth.
"Right..." he nodded, "stay with the instrument... I know." he reached inside his tunic and drew out a small vial. Uncorking it, the rabbit rested his free paw on the side of her muzzle and Narissa felt, for just a few seconds, a cooling flow of relief. Her jaw relaxed and she was able to open it enough for the young man to fit the vial through her teeth and slowly tilt it.
The bitter flavor stung her tongue acutely but it was like the hand of Tah'aveen herself come to bless her and take away the pain. The too-familiar taste of Hefflys was heaven to her... though, as her mind slowly awoke from the pain-induced delirium, she at once realized that she had failed to escape her dependency... again. She continued crying, though this time the pain was not physical.
"Woah... hold on there..." the rabbit noted, pulling a small piece of silk cloth from his pocket. He offered it to her, and she accepted, using it to dry her eyes.
"I won't be able to perform tonight..." she said softly.
"I know." the rabbit acknowledged with a faint nod, "Don't worry though... we have it covered."
"We?" Narissa asked.
"The Temple." the rabbit noted.
"Whhat...? Why....?" she knew she wanted to ask some questions, but the Hefflys was already taking hold, making everything so much more difficult, "the... temple?"
The rabbit nodded again and slowly got to his feet, helping her up into a standing position as he positioned her arm across his shoulder to help her keep her balance, "Right... the Temple." he confirmed, "We have need of you."
"Oh..." the tigress nodded, finally starting to think she understood, "need of me..." she nodded ineffectively."
"Right." the rabbit helped her down the hall.
"I've had to do this for Hefflys before..." Narissa resigned herself, "I'm okay with anything... but if it gets on my fur then you owe me a bath."
The rabbit paused, one ear up, the other drooping as he regarded her for a minute, "No... that is not what I meant. We need you for something else entirely... you see..." he began to explain the situation but he had already lost her attention. Narissa's focus grew indistinct and she retreated into the comforting haze of the numbing Hefflys bliss, heedless of what lay ahead.