After a couple days, Penelope was still thinking about the small crown child in the tunnel. After the parted ways, things started to be odd. Not all at once, but after taking a nap the tapir found the area on her neck that was beaked out itched. Itched like a bad rash, rather annoying when she didn't have legs that could reach so she had to rub on stones to try and end the itch.

But that didn't work.

My head hurts . . . She found herself curled up by the river, trying to get some sleep that night but no matter what she did, nothing was comfortable. Her neck was still irritated and the back of her eyes had pressure on them. Poor thing just didn't want to move.

- - -

"Speech"

@Diánysma if you wish for her to watch like a werido

She had promised that she would be watching and waiting, and so... around five days later, the plague vector returned to Polaris to observe and see if her victim were still there. And of course, she was. Diánysma tucked her chin, corners of her beak twisted upwards into a wicked smile. The pale corvid lurked atop a stone, perched high above the cavern with the aid of a little bit of climbing. Rubies glimmered in the dark as she observed... but she was growing a little bored of the pathetic sight of the tapir curled up by the river.

Efiáltis needed a little bit of encouragement, that was all. The initial cast of the spell had been rather weak, so it was no wonder why it took so long to take hold. Diánysma pulled at her magicka and she gently waved a wing, attempting to encourage the disease to develop quicker with negative bacteria.

@Penelope

The poor thing curled tighter into a ball as she felt her muscles tighten. No, this wasn't right. Open her eyes, despite how much they hurt as she tried to stand. The tapir wasn't sure how what to do now. Laying on the floor hurt, standing up was even more painful and her head was pounding away. Stumbling over to the river, Penelope leaned down for a drink. So much ache. . . Even bending was to much for her. The gembound tried to think what could cause this, but she had never heard someone getting ill in such a way.

Opening her eyes, her view was clouded, head still felt like it was being squeeze from all sides. "Hmmmnnnnnnmmmmmm . . ." Groaning as she swayed, "Why won't it stop . . ." Nubbing her eyes on the sides of her legs, tryed to get whatever there was in them out.

But it didn't help. Her vision was cloudy and the lights seemed to grow weaker.

- - -

"Speech"

@Diánysma

Diánysma stares at the scene, observing with sick satisfaction upon her face. Just a little longer... perhaps with encouragement. Tucking her wings about her chest to hide the crimson glow, she hoped to summon a cloud of bacteria to encourage efiáltis to develop quicker.

As she opened her eyes again, less and less could be seen. Wha . . . Shacking her head, the tapir rubbed her face harder on her legs. Her body was still aching, but the panic of the lack of eye-sight started to get to her. Slowly, again she opened her eyes and saw nothing but blurry shapes that began to weld together and loose color. Everything for going dark and it was as if the lights were going out!

"What's going on . . ."

Soon, as if someone blew out a candle, there was nothing.

Nothing at all.

Nothing but darkness.

- - -

"Speech"

The raven's smile intensified as the creature opened her eyes once more, almost with a look of confusion. Diánysma flitted down, waving a wing up and down. But of course, the disease had taken hold. The light was gone. Now... all Penelope would see was shadow. She cackled quietly, intentionally creating a small noise for the tapir to search for or run from.

She held still, frozen in her darkness, afraid to move a muscle. Maybe this is just something that will ware off, maybe she was just having a bad dream? The young gembound tried to understand this, wondering why since she had never done anything wrong. Was the cave mad at her? Did she do something she wasn't meant to do?

Something made a sound in the area around her.

"Whose there!" Turning to face where she thought that the sound came from. "Can you help . . . me?"

- - -

"Speech"

@Diánysma

Diánysma smiled as the tapir looked about wildly, blinded by the shade. Rubies glimmered as she tiptoed closer and ruffled her pale feathers. "Hello?" she cooed in a sing-song voice, imitating someone that was not herself. "Help?" The pale raven asked innocently. "But, what could possibly be wrong!" In her mind, she recalled what her god had told her. The memories of exchange came rushing back, and she smiled. 'To make others suffer, you first earn their trust, then take what they hold onto, and reveal yourself to be what they knew you to be in the first place. Then, offer them absolution.' It would be far too easy now, with the tapir blinded.

@Penelope