'Good evening Cep!' Coccineusella said behind the crimson picket fence that surrounded her scarlet coloured villa. With her long locs hiding her exhausted face, Cep turned her neck painfully to face her bubbly neighbour. She rarely left her house, but she needed to buy more steel as soon as she could. She couldn't stop for a moment of she'd face the excruciating consequences. For an entire week she sat by her window and memorised her neighbours' schedules in order to not make random small talk in an emergency like this. Unfortunately, for some reason, Coccineusella was energetically waving at her in a fancy dress.
Cep straightened her neck and pushed her locs to the right of her face. She coughed and swallowed hard. 'Evening Mrs Vereneserpe,' she said, her voice raspy and hoarse. Coccineusella gasped and walked over to Cep as quickly as she could.
'Cep,' she warily said. 'Are you alright? You sound heinous.' Cep gave her a wonky smile that showed the left side of her sharp teeth and slowly nodded her head. Coccineusella raised her eyebrow as she gave Cep a look mixed with concern and shock. Upon noticing Coccineusella's face, Cep quickly gave her a full smile, which she still tried to the right side of with her locs. Coccineusella gripped her purse and gave Cep a slow and confused nod. She always Cep was a bit peculiar.
She tried to make Cep feel like she belonged in the neighbourhood with all the Saltaturni that lived there. Being a community of creatures that originated from another world (The Incimus) and hiding out in a place where their nature doesn't truly belong would be difficult for anyone of the Saltaturni kind. She knew a bit of thaumaturgy here and there and used it for anyone who asked in the neighbourhood. It made her a leader and a trusted figure. So, as the leader and most trusted figure, she would pop up to say hello to her once in a while to check up on Cep and make her feel safe. It didn't do much, she barely knew Cep and saw her as someone drowning herself in technology.
Unfortunately, Cep usually felt anything but safe, especially when Coccineusella was known to use the local energy forces. It only threw her off seeing her be the neighbourhood Thaumaturgist.
For one-hundred and eighty years she spent day and night getting tortured by the Thaumaturgist Lelilie. This torture, which Lelilie called intense research, allowed to become governor of the west of The Incimus. To gain all the knowledge and power She had mutilated and rebuilt Cep over and over again until she had completely understood her. From the DNA on her hair to the energy force in her toe nails, no part went left untouched. Her fur was scorched and claws were chopped. The bones in her limbs pulverized and every fluid in her body had once been boiled or frozen. Her full Parduskene and semi-Parduskene form would switch over and over again from her humanoid form without a chance of her recharging her energy force at night.
One evening, which was Cep's 180th birthday, after a brutal extraction in order to harness the energy force of her full Parduskene form, Lelilie was done with her. She was able to understand the main power sources of the Parduskenes were their jaw and teeth, their limbs, and their fur. She did this when Cep was weak. When she couldn't switch between forms which Lelilie needed to concluded her extraction. Nevertheless, Lelilie wanted the energy force. In order to absorb the energy for herself she found the whitest clothes she owned. She put on grey rubber gloves, and a long-sleeved dress covered in a line of pearls (pearls are known to absorb Nox energy forces).
Whilst in her more humanoid form, she skinned Cep from the deeper layers of her skin where her fur would grow. She ripped out her right carnassial and cracked fang (it leaked a large amount of energy force) and the surrounding teeth. Lastly, finished her off by crushing the bones in her limbs and taking out the crushed pieces out from her skin. When she had everything needed, she put a few stiches and bandages on Cep and threw her out quicker than a used rag.
Cep, who was miraculously survived, alone in a dangerous environment, dragged her body to a cave. There, she had met Ferraneur, another Thaumaturgist.
'Please,' She had begged him. 'End this.'
He was fascinated. So, instead, she nursed her back to health within a year and replaced her damaged body parts with robotic parts. He had forced Cep to transform through different forms so he could make as many changes as he could. If she refused, just like Lelilie, he would force his way to make changes. Once the changes were complete, Cep had felt extremely uncomfortable. She could feel the metal in her blood when it was cold and the electricity barely cooperate with her energy forces. Her whole spine, all her limbs, her two missing teeth, her skin and some of her other eternal organs where replaced with metallic and electric parts.
He had taught her how he made the modifications in her body. He taught her how to maintain them. He taught her how to change them. He taught her how she was his greatest recycling project.
Cep could tell. She observed the organic and inorganic leftovers all over his cave. From eyes to limbs and circuits to wires, she could tell he had been trying his best to give something organic with inorganic parts a life.
She had successfully become that something.
Now, this something, Cep, was awkwardly trying to seem friendly without exposing her metallic teeth when she needed to buy new steel for her rusting neck and leg bones.
'Well,' Coccineusella coughed awkwardly. 'I thought I was the only who was late for the naming party.' Cep's smile faded as she shifted to a more puzzled look. Suddenly, she realised she had forgotten that there was a naming ceremony that day. Something inside her felt even worse now. The need to get new steel for her rusting parts grew deeper as she thoughts of another tragedy raced through her mind. A Thaumaturgist and a naming ceremony, two things that never mixed well in Cep's mind. She only had nightmares about such a scenario; nightmares which she would always expose in her sleep and wake up because it happening again was meant it be impossible.
'Is that what you're wearing?' Coccineusella crossed her arms and asked. She had put on a long, mermaid-styled currant red dress with a black ombre that had scarlet spots at its end. It represented her Saltaturni group; Coccineusella. It was quite unusual for individuals to be named after their Saltaturni group so directly. Coccineusella was unusual.
'Well...' Cep said as she looked down at her black oversized denim trousers as she put her hands the pockets of a black leather-like jacket that covered her grey tank top and shuffled her felt with socks with slides. She looked back up at Coccineusella and gave her that same awkward smile. 'No.'
'So you're going to change?'
'No, Mrs Vereneserpe, no as in I'm not going.'
'What? Why?' Coccineusella gasped, nearly dropping her bag.
'I need to get more steal and maybe some wires-'
'Oh no!' Coccineusella stopped her. She quickly rushed towards Cep and grabbed her arm. Cep quickly drew her arm back and let out her metallic claws. Coccineusella rolled her eyes and put her hand on Cep's shoulder. Cep could feel her heart send pulses strong enough to mess with the wires in her limbs. Her claws malfunctioned and retreated. 'Don't drown yourself in this tech stuff Cep! My husband's group is viper and he has no limbs so he uses these tech stuff too. It's no excuse to hide away.'
Cep was more scared of Coccineusella tearing her eyes out from her ears compared to a few stares at her metallic parts. She didn't know Coccineusella very well, but she knew Thaumaturgists very well, and she wasn't quite ready to disobey the request of one.
Cep gave her that smile and Coccineusella took that as an agreement to go. Without letting Cep change her clothes into any formal clothes, Coccineusella dragged her off to the house where the naming ceremony was happening.
Coccineusella opened the door and inside the house were kids running around in their half humanoid form, adults eating the typical meals you'd find a wild animals eating and chatting in and animalistic language whilst upbeat jungle themed music played. An elephant-like man was slurping up marula alcohol with his trunk. A cheetah-like cub was showing off her speed to her fish-like friend in a bowl like structure with wheels. Some people that were about Cep's age were talking about accessorising their fangs and sharp teeth as grillz rather than hiding them.
Cep, who had last seen a naming ceremony in over one-hundred and eighty years, was frustrated with the unserious atmosphere of the 'ceremony'. Coccineusella waved and greeted the people happily as Cep kept her head down. She could feel the rust.
'See Cep,' she joyfully said. 'There was no reason to be so self-conscience.'
Cep Rolled her eyes. Coccineusella let antennas grow from her long wavy black hair as red wings with black dots slowly sprouted from her back when she brought Cep to the room where the hosts of the party were preparing their child. The hosts where giving the girl (who was about two decades old) a fancy orange dress.
'Cep, these are the hosts,' Coccineusella introduced them. 'This, is their daughter in her drop dead gorgeous dress.' Cep waved at them. They were Leokenes. The father of the child had a long, curly blonde mane and the mother had a braid at the end of her tail.
'Cep! It's so lovely to see you out of that house of yours,' the mother said, reaching in to give her a hug. Cep clumsily hugged her back as her child laughed. For a moment Cep felt her heart melt. Even though their group were lion, she felt the same warmth from the mother's fur that was just like her own mother's.
Coccineusella pinched the child's cheek and began making small talk with her parent's. Cep Crouched down and smiled at the child. She smiled back.
'You're having a very interesting naming party,' Cep complimented her.
She excitedly smiled. 'Thank you! I wanted to have a really cool one. You look extra cool, I like your teeth. You must've had an awesome party!'
Cep's smile faltered. She shook her head and patted the girl's head. Before she could say anything, the girl suddenly began rubbing her eyes.
'What's the matter?' Cep warily asked.
The girl did not respond. She rubbing at her head until she let out a loud and painful roar.
She shivered and dropped onto the floor in her gorgeous dress.
ns216.73.216.190da2
and then Add to home screen.