Nyx was never drinking again. Ever. A promise she made every time she had a hangover, and managed to keep just long enough to forget why she was keeping it and start testing the boundaries once more.
Head pounding, she sat up in bed, checking the time through bleary eyes. Ugh. Way to early.
No one else seemed to be up yet, which was fine. She'd have a bit of head time before they were all hammering on her door and bursting into the room to loudly wish her happy birthday.
She still wore her dress from the previous night, possessing that crumpled distress that could only be acquired by a night of tossing and turning in ones clothes.
Well, what a crazy handful of days this had been. Some of which she couldn't quite believe.
Speaking of which, the silver-wrapped present sat on her dressing table; the smooth paper shimmering slightly in the pale morning sun.
Nyx eyed it warily; on one hand, it was supposedly a sincere birthday presant from her newfound... Sister? Half-sister? Much, much, much older sister?- Alysha. But, on the other hand, she didn't know what Alysha quantified as a good gift. The woman seemed both incredibly old, and incredibly young, serenely wise and yet had not a lick of sense about her. Musingly, Nyx wondered if she'd ever become like that- was it a family thing, or an Alysha thing?
Curiosity got the better of her, and she picked up the box, weighing it in her hand and giving it an experimental shake. It was very light, almost surprisingly so, and she could barely hear the sound of something rattling within.
Well, she doubted it was anything alive; which took that weight off her mind, anyway.
Now, the question was, was Alysha the kind to leave her alone with something dangerous with no explanation?
Yes. Absolutely.
Nyx huffed irritably, blowing stray curls out of her face.
... Was Alysha the kind of person to leave her alone with something dangerous that could cause Nyx harm without her doing something stupid with it?
No. Nyx strongly doubted that.
Feeling content with the mental gymnastics she'd performed to justify her desire to open the gift, Nyx carefully picked at the ends, peeling back the paper folds slowly, with great concentration as not to tear them. She almost felt a sense of guilt, accompanied by strange a thrill down her spine, as if she were a child doing something she knew she wasn't supposed to. It was ridiculous really; it was, after all, her present.
Out of the paper parcel, she slid a hinged box; long and rectangular, the smooth-polished wood but a shade of brown away from black. Running her fingers luxuriously over the smooth texture of the wood, Nyx turned it over in her hands once, examining it curiously; before reaching to flick open the metal clasp, undoing the two halves of the case.
Her brow furrowed in curious puzzlement at what lay inside.
It was a little nest of things, laid out with strange precision to the plan of an unseen mental pattern. Glimmering glass beads and brilliantly coloured feathers, little white shells and a spooling gold thread lay scattered in the velvet lining of the box. Nyx examined each of the assortment of little nicknacks, smiling involuntarily; she couldn't help but find their inclusion sweet, feeling it was a personal and heartfelt touch from Alysha- one tiny little, easily dismissed action that made her feel like she knew just that tiny bit more about her mysterious sister.
A larger object lay on the bottom of the box, wrapped in cloth. Nyx gently pulled out the object, taking care not to crush the little treasures placed atop it.
Holding the wrapped object in her palm, she flicked the pale white cloth open to see... A pair of strange objects; long and metallic, one of soft silver, the other of warm gold. Each had an ornately decorated end- a handle, as she decided- adorned with delecatly crafted metal shapes. Each of the tips were formed into sharp-looking points.
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Curiously, Nyx tipped them left and right in her palm, examining them. Then, she shrugged a little, placing the elegantly crafted objects down in the carpet next to her to check back in the box.
Something else lay at the bottom.
Picking it up, she peered at it, heart thrumming loudly in her chest as she realised what it was.
A small, slightly faded photograph was grasped in her hands. In it, a woman smiled happily, joy oozing out of her like sunbeams as she looked into the camera, her image captured in the midst of a radiant laugh. She sat up in an armchair; tall and slender, dressed in a loose cream-coloured dress, her long black hair tied back loosely from her heart-shaped face. Clutched in her arms, the source of her joy; a tiny baby, wrapped in a white blanket, nestled against her mother's skin in a happy half-slumber.
Tentatively, Nyx raised a hand as if to touch the image, but froze, gaze fixed on the image.
The woman looked familiar... Almost achingly so; a heart-pounding, head-spinning, soul-tugging familiarity.
There was only one reason Nyx could think for Alysha to give her this.
Feeling overwhelmed, she she dropped the photo back in the box, reaching to shut the lid, then in her frenzy remembered she'd left out the long silver-and-gold items and flicked it back open, reaching to grab them off the ground.
It was like being hit in the gut with a bolt of lightning.
Gasping at the sensation, Nyx struggled to take a shallow breath of air, the sensation knocking the wind out of her and making her eyes water, as she peeled them open to see...
"... Oh, they were a present from a friend." Alysha giggled, sliding the silver object into her hair in place next to its golden sister. "An old friend a long time ago. Do you like them?"
"Beautiful." A man's deep voice came in response, surprising Nyx as he came into view. A tall, blond, bearded giant of a man, broad-shouldered and cloaked in furs strode in from the doorway, walking up as Alysha stood up from her dressing table to greet him.
"The hair ornaments, or me?" She teased playfully. He grabbed her waist in response, a devilish grin on his lips as she squealed a laugh, drawing her in for a passionate kiss which she reciprocated enthusiastically.
Releasing her finally, Alysha grinned broadly, absent-mindedly playing with one of his braids. "Oh, Calder. You always know what to say."
Then, she flicked the braid up into his face, laughing at his surprise as it smacked his nose; before spinning away in a pirouette and gesturing him to follow her out of the wooden hut. "Come. We have things to do."
There was a metallic clang as the hair ornaments hit against a leg of Nyx's bed at speed, having been reflexively thrown across the floor in shock.
Nyx sat there, wide-eyed, panting for breath.
"What the hell was that?!"
Mystery! Drama! Please leave your comments and theories! XD
