Synnecrosis - Part 2

Perhaps that was not the best memory to indulge in at the moment, Azur mused, feeling his gut protest. He stood summonned before the door of his mentor's quarters, spine held straight, keeping himself still waiting for a reaction to his knock from within.

"Come in, Azur."

Motions automatic as if he were being drawn by invisible strings, Azur opened the door with the quiet caution of one not certain what to expect and half stepped forward, half sidled into the room. He held a submissive posture around his mentor. It was born out of respect, not fear, despite the man's appearance.

Deceptively slender fingers were tipped with claws of similar length, and an almost beast-like snout had long since distorted whatever acceptable visage Julian had once had. The grey skin had an almost amphibuous sheen, and a pattern of faint silver much like a dedicated artist had chosen to drawn an elaborate labyrinth upon that fleshy canvas. From his shoulders, three spines curved outward like black, misplaced tusks, reminiscent of abstract wings, and each nodule of his vertebrae grew into a similar defensive construct. His shoulder-length hair alternated black and a ghostly white.

Julian was tall and no longer human.

The most striking feature of Julian's, however, remained his eyes, vivid reminder of his roots, a blue that seemed bright by contrast with the monochrome skin surrounding. The sclera had all but vanished, however, and the pupil bled out black at the edges in bewildering patterns.

"My child."

Azur grimaced, not quite able to stop himself from the instinctive reaction. After a year of living here, he had not quite shirked the prejudice for such statements - not to mention it was terribly clichéd even if he got past that. "Master Julian," Azur addressed him. Respectfully biting down a rude 'Generic question about the purpose of this summon?', he instead opted for the continuation of the conversation on rails: "You wanted to see me?"

The once-human nodded as he approached Azur at casual pace, deliberately shrinking shoulders down and folding in on itself as to appear less intimidating. "You have been with us for a year now," Julian observed, his tone full of appreciation, something that stood in constant jarring juxtaposition to his appearance.

Azur expected the conversation to continue as it had in its rigid structure, a query much like 'What do you seek?' or similar re-evaluation of his goals within the group.

But that's not what happened. Instead, Julian raised spidery digits to his face to trace the backs of them absent-mindedly through the strands of untarnished brown hair.

"I have a gift for you."