disease of the body, disease of the mind

Hybrid: first bit

So... figured i’d post this here. I’m an amateur writer, and i honestly wasn’t sure where else to put it. @probablyhybridrpgideas, HERE IT IS!

All was quiet in my room. The predawn darkness was comforting, as were the sheets wrapped around my body. Then, my alarm clock went off. No matter how low I turned the damn things volume it always made my ears feel like they were on fire. Blessings of being an elf. I glared at the red numbers for a second before slamming my hand on the off button. Something looked off about my arm, but I couldn't quite place it. I dragged myself out of bed slowly, reluctant to leave the warm covers. It was winter, and i’d made the dumbass choice to not put on pjs after my evening shower. The cold air gave me goosebumps everywhere. I walked over to my dresser, pulling out a set of undies, not caring if the pieces matched. No one would see anyways. I noticed the dim light catching strangely all the way down my outer thigh and shin. Quickly fastening my bra in place, I walked over and turned my rooms light on. Darkvision can only do so much. It took a painful second for my eyes to adjust, and when they did… I was expecting that maybe i’d somehow gotten soap dried on to my leg, or that i was just imagining things. I was not expecting to have grown a thin coating of blueish-silver scales on my legs. I gasped and stumbled back, no idea what i was hoping to accomplish. Then I saw my arms. The scales covered the back of my hands and my forearms like a pair of gloves, continuing up to my shoulders, leaving the flesh closest to my torso exposed. I slowly turned and looked at my full body mirror. The scales covered about as much as video game female armor. I could have walked around buck naked and just looked like I was wearing a skimpy jumpsuit. Scales traced my brow, the ridge of my nose, my eyelids, thinner, more translucent ones coating my cheeks and forehead. My eyes were the same silver they’d always been, but the pupils were like triangles pointing down. I couldn't help it. “MOOOOOOOM!?”

A few minutes later I was downstairs, sitting across the table from my mom, holding a mug of hot chocolate. “Oh Brei… where do I begin? I mean, i'm sure you might have figured bits of it out but… Corellon, I never thought this would happen.” My mom sighed. I had actually figured a bit out. I’d never known my dad. Mom had always said he’d been stronger than any elf, and that wanderlust had taken him from us. “Argentum was… he was a dragon. Not the kind you tend to read about in stories, the ones that always hurt and hoard and burn. He was a metallic. A silver. His kind protect us from the chromatics.” I could feel my stomach churn just a little bit. It was one thing with a human, but how would you… I mean, the size… and they were like, animals…

“How…?’’ I gestured helplessly.

“When we met he was in a different form. He looked just like any other elf. He remained that way until he left.” That… sorta explained it. “Brei, I know you’re confused. Anyone with unusual heritage is when they find out. I wasn’t expecting this to happen either. You showed no signs for so long… but that doesnt mean I wasn't prepared. How do you feel about getting your ears pierced?” I stared at her. Where did that come from?

“Uh… sure? I mean, i’m good with it but… why?” I internally facepalmed. I can talk just fine upstairs, but everything that comes out of my mouth… just... grr. Speaking of my mouth… something felt off there too.

My mom chose that moment to start talking again. “I had an earring made to hide any potential… beauty marks. I figured if they happened you would like to keep them hidden until you got adjusted.” The words didn't really register. I was too busy feeling out my mouth with my tongue. The tongue itself felt thinner, rougher, more maneuverable. I was also fairly certain my teeth were sharper. All of them, not just my canines. I stuck out my tongue, cringing a little bit at the long, forked sliver of flesh that came out. More came out than I intended and I quickly retracted it. Some deep part of me wondered what Val would think. “Brei, hello? Anyone home?” I quickly looked up at my mom. She looked extra concerned. “I saw that look. You’re worried about something.” She stared into my eyes, the emerald green seeming to expand slightly. “Anything or anyONE you want to tell me about?” I winced. Val and I had been dating three months and I had yet to tell mom we were anything more than friends. Damn mom radar.

“Well… you know Val, the drow i’ve brought over a couple of times? We’re… sorta…” She looked at me with slight disapproval. “Dating.” She stared at me witheringly and I shrunk back in my seat.

“Brei… you know our kinds relationship with drow. They slaughtered us by the THOUSANDS! Being friends is one thing but DATING!?” I shrunk back further. Suddenly her expression softened, the anger slipping away to reveal a slight smile. “Well, if that doesn't testify changing times, I don't know what does.” Waves of confusion washed over me. She was ok with it? But what was the…? Oh.

“Mom… you really need to stop messing with me like that. No-one finds it funny but you.” She smiled unrepentantly. I glared at her, feeling my eyes adjust in ways they hadn't before. She refused to back down, instead casually looking at the clock.

“Well, if you don't want to be any later to school, you best get dressed and let me take care of your ear.” She moved her hand through the motions of a conjuration and a slim needle of energy appeared. I stood and walked over. She stood and turned my head sideways before gently slipping the needle through my earlobe. I felt her slip the stud in, felt the slight tingle of illusion magic wash over me. It felt cold and vaguely wet. Mom smiled at me. “I decided to leave the eyes. Now, go get dressed, unless you want to make a major fashion statement at school.” I looked down at the mismatched graphic shirt and sweatpants i’d put on. Val had bought me the shirt as a joke. “My girlfriend worships Lolth” was emblazoned in red paint over the black cloth, replete with a graphic of an elven profile.  I cringed internally. That probably tipped off the relationship to mom. I needed somewhere different to put that. I ran upstairs and pulled out some jeans. I looked in the mirror. The shirt fit nicely. It would probably look good with my leather jacket.... I decided to keep it on, quickly changing into the jeans and grabbing said jacket. What a rebel I was. I looked over at the mirror, making sure the earring worked fully. Just as mom said, it left the eyes untouched. I quickly grabbed a comb and straightened out my hair- which, now that I knew about my heritage, the blue color made a little more sense- put on some socks and my boots and raced downstairs.

There was a slight uneasiness in the car as we drove to my school. I could tell mom was worried, probably thinking about how I might be judging her life choices. She worries about stuff like that despite being a couple centuries old. Last month was her 250th birthday, a big thing for us elves. 150 years of being considered a full adult isn't anything to sniff at. Granted, legally we’re adults at 18, same as everyone else, but the old traditions still apply in most circles. As we pulled up to the drop off point, she sighed. “Be careful Brei. We don't know what else has changed. Worst comes to worst… try not to land yourself a murder or assault charge.” I looked at her. She was genuinely worried about me accidentally killing someone? No matter how strong you are, it’s hard to kill someone accidentally without the use of a weapon or magic, and both of those were hard to use accidentally. Granted, in the case of the latter, sorcerers were a thing that happened every now and then. Was she implying i might be a sorcerer? “Brei, it’s not getting any earlier.” Oh shit.

“Oh, right, byemomiloveyou!” I practically flew out the car door and up to the school doors. Ooh… flying… I was part dragon, maybe i’d develop wings. Wait a minute, since when was I getting used to this? And wouldn't having wings make getting dressed and stuff kinda hard? I pushed the door open and went into the front office. A human teen with dusky skin was manning the time stamp. He looked over at me, clearly bored.

“Third period.” he stamped a pass and handed it to me. I nodded to him and ran towards the F- section of the school. The school is pretty well organized. Each section was a letter of the alphabet, A on the east side of the school through F on the west side, 100’s on bottom, 200’s on top. Third period was an elective for me, Gods in our Time. It mostly went over the ways all the ancient gods like Lolth and Corellon had changed since the middle ages. Today we were supposed to cover the circumstances of the treaty drow had made with everyone else- which happened recently enough that there were black and white photographs of all three of the gods involved. I made it to the end of the hall, made a right turn, and flung open the door, just as the start of class bell rang. Val was sitting in her usual spot at the back of the class, keeping a spot open. I quickly took it. She looked at me oddly.

“Why’re you in such a rush? More importantly, where were ya this morning? I didn’ see ya in the library.” She had the oddest drawl, probably from watching too many westerns. I personally found it cute, but some of the teachers found it annoying. I looked at her.

“I uh… had some family stuff to take care of. Sorry I missed our usual meetup.” She narrowed her eyes at me- quite a vibrant shade of purple- before relaxing.

“Jus’ don't do it again, ‘less it’s important stuff.” She smiled warmly- not easy for a drow to pull off.