Chapter Two- Black house, Black heart.
"Niko-" Nimue pleaded, in a soft voice that belonged to a trained singer- not an ungrateful teenager- or at least that's what Lark thought.
Briar thought her voice sounded like the gentle chiming of falling rain-drops in thin puddles, or the music of breaking china.
Rosethorn reached out and physically closed Briar's jaw, as the boy was obviously unable to do so himself.
"No, Nimue." Niko lightly scolded, "Stop hiding. Show us who you are."
He was holding her chin now- so she couldn't look away; and he gazed deep into her eyes; into her soul.
Sighing, Nimue lifted her chin out of Niko's grasp, and wiped away a lone tear.
She turned to face those at the table, and closed her eyes. Concentrating, and breathing in the steady beat of the meditation technique, Nimue retracted her undetectable magic.
The four young mages squinted, as Nimue momentarily glowed silver with magic, then gasped as they saw her; who she really was.
Rosethorn and Lark jumped up; Rosethorn in confusion and disbelief, Lark- because she didn't know what else to do.
"What is this trickery, Niko?" Asked Rosethorn; warily and faintly disgusted.
Nimue looked up at Rosethorn; having identified the emotion in her voice. She opened her mouth, about to protest; then looked away; heartbroken.
Sandry saw how she only gently squeezed her bruised eyes to stop her crying.
The reason for her being so pale was now obvious- although you could barely see her skin underneath... all of that.
Her eyes were bagged with tiredness, although that was the last thing you'd look at in her purple/black complexion of bruised skin. Various scratching and scars contrasted red with her white skin. Blotches of blue-green stood out like pox, marking collisions with something hard.
Her hands, which she had clasped to her pale lips, Sandry noted, were covered in red scars and welts. A few deep cuts had not healed properly and bled sluggishly, she saw as Nimue fidgeted.
After a few minutes Niko spoke. "This is no trickery, Rosethorn. This is Nimue. What you saw before was the trickery, if you wish to call it that. It appears that Nimue here has a very rare type of magic." He paused for effect- which Daja broke.
"Illusionist." She though aloud.
"Huh?" Briar looked to her.
"Illusionists are great, but rare. They can make things look like something else- or can make them look better than they are."
Briar still looked confused, so she continued with her explanation.
"Say I wanted to sell a broken vase, if I had an illusionist made on ship. they could make it look whole- and if they were really powerful they could make it feel whole too. My uncle once met a mage who could make an entire gemstone necklace from one tiny little gemstone." Daja smiled at the memory.
"Traders." Briar shook his head.
"So... Who hurt you if you where locked away?" Lark asked, confused.
Nimue looked up, and with worried eyes looked to Niko for guidance.
He nodded at her, and smiled encouragingly.
She took a shaky breath in, and looked up at Lark, and the other expectant mages. "I..." She bit her lip, then jolted slightly when she caught a cut, "When, when ..." Her voice was coming out quick- she was scared. "When you feed on plants hurts take longer to heal." She rushed; with her eyes closed; finishing by drawing in another shaky breath.
Niko gently guided her back to the table. "And... Nimue hasn't been all that stable, recently have you?" He coaxed.
She frowned, and looked away, watching out the window.
Niko leaned forward; explaining how the girl struggled to feel her true self-worth whilst being locked away by her parents and so on many occasions had tried to end it; her pain, suffering (and therefore the general idea of 'life') yet had been unable to as her bond with the plants linked her to them. She was unable to die until they did, as her magic entwined with their life force.
As Daja listened, she realised that the feeling of self-worthlessness was very similar to what she felt, after being cast out by the traders. She looked over to Nimue to say something, only to see the girl had put her 'glamour' back on (-she looked uninjured) and was looking in her hands, creating animals that ran around and chased each other.
They each seemed to glow a little bit, like animals made of fire, or magic. They didn't shine bright white, but merely a soft orange.
"How do you do that?" Daja breathed, amazed.
Nimue's head shot up and she immediately rid of the animals. "'lusion." She replied, hardly moving her lips.
"Then why aren't they all... how are you hiding the magics trace?" Tris asked, realising that Nimue wouldn't understand if she simply asked why aren't they silver.
"I... It's tiring, but, but I can... feel the magic I give off. I can..." Nimue clasped her hands and brought them up to her chin. "I can stem the ... the flow of magic given off. Just, just leave the 'lusion." She lowered her head then shot a small, quick smile at Tris.
A shiver encased Nimue's arms and she curled in on herself.
Rosethorn nodded and patted Briar's arm before the boy shot off from the table and thundered up the stairs.
Lark raised an eyebrow but Rosie waved a hand, blowing the matter aside.
"Wae, can you; could you show us a , an image of the house I found you in? With all the Ivy and such?" Niko asked; purely wondering.
Nimue sat up, and straightened her back; before holding out her hands in-front of her, and shaping them; like she was moulding clay.
A dark bricked house came into view, a grand house; with three floors and turrets at the corner. Nimue waved her hand, and the house set to a slow spin, so the 'n' shape of the house was viewable. The girl frowned, and a courtyard appeared, then Ivy suddenly spread all over a wing of the house. "That was my room." She explained shyly.
Lark barked a laugh, "It's like the haunted house of North Emalan."
Briar came downstairs, and set the Shakkan in-front of the black-haired girl.
She looked up, and watched him sit in his seat. As he did Niko gave a slow nod.
Briar gestured to it, "Please. It, um. Has magic in it, so I... It might make you feel better."
Nimue smiled, and placed a hand on the Shakkan's bowl. This time only Rosethorn and Briar saw the magical tendril work its way into the plants core, yet everyone could see the small, contented smile that broke over the girls face.
Everyone else was rather preoccupied though, having found out their new house-mate came from a house so haunted that it had been abandoned for about a hundred years- and no-one had stepped foot in it since the Owners- Lord and Lady Maelstrom died of a curse set upon them by a jealous mage.

Briar silently swore in a very street-rat type way when the girls silently relayed to him what happened.
Rosethorn slapped him. 'I can hear your thoughts' She reminded him.
Even through this exchange, Nimue was immune to everyone else's stares; she was adding small details to the house. Her house.
She looked up, with large, dark doe eyes and saw everyone but Niko watching her.
Needless to say she curled back in on herself again.

So? What do you think?
Shall be updated next week! (fingers crossed)