mute_pen | summoned

Etty is awoken not by her transformation, but by her summons, a few minutes after dark. In her sleep, she drifted to shore; she's lying in human form - arm intact - half in and half out of the water when she feels it.

It's very insistent.

She cannot bring herself to move. She tries - she does; intellectually she knows it's the smart thing to do - but - she can't. Cannot get up and go to him.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

From:

mute_pen

She -

Looks at his hand.

She desperately needs to get at that scroll and process. She is going to fall apart if she doesn't, just completely fall to bits.

She's not going to have any chance if he beats her like he did last night.

She swallows.

And waits for an order.

From:

pythbox

"Run along, my swan."

From:

mute_pen

Run -

Run along?

She gets up out of her chair slowly, keeping an eye on him.

From:

pythbox

He lets go of her shoulder and turns away, apparently expecting her not to follow.

From:

mute_pen

Etty edges towards the door.

From:

pythbox

The Baron ignores her.

From:

mute_pen

She lets herself out, and heads for the orchard.

From:

pythbox

There is no one there.

From:

mute_pen

Right now, that is the way Etty needs it to be.

She uncovers the scroll and the writing supplies, and finds a moonbeam to sit in, and puts the flat rock on her lap, and she writes.

She deliberately affects terrible handwriting - it's not hard; her hand trembles now and it's dark - in lieu of any sophisticated cipher. She doesn't want her thoughts read.

From:

pythbox

She is left alone until morning.

From:

mute_pen

Well before sunrise, she's tucked her implements away and put the rock back, and filled up on fruit. In the likely event that the just-dinner invitation will not be consistently repeated, she'd like to not approach a summons too hungry to think straight.

She changes.

From:

pythbox

She's left alone all day, too.

From:

mute_pen

She starts gliding by windows again, looking for Nona.

From:

growcrooked

Nona is in her room, engaging in one of her pastimes.

From:

mute_pen

Etty will just fly on past, then.

Maybe Nona will come out and see her tonight after the Baron's done with - whatever is on the menu for tonight.

From:

growcrooked

Well - Nona won't be engaging in the same pastime all day.

A few hours after dawn, she's screaming instead.

From:

mute_pen

Etty can't help her.

She wishes she could, but even if she weren't a swan right now -

She flies over the forest, on the lookout for any signs of humans.