Solo The Red Thread

[Tyler]

Timestamp: 2nd of Summer; 513 AV

It hadn't been a pleasant morning, not in the least. He had woken up several times during the night, everytime only for half a bell at most, but it certainly messes you up regardless of the time spent awake. Around the 5th bell in the morning he woke up for the fourth time and decided it was enough! He shuffled out of the bed and tried to remember his dreams of the night. He enjoyed remembering them and analyzing them, often he succeeded in that although the analyzing isn't always as easy. Dreams don't follow protocol after all.

This time, however, he wasnt able to remember more than a certain vibe he felt during the night. Either way, after grooming himself and putting on comfy yet stylishly ensembled clothing, he splashed some water on his face
before heading out for a crisp morningstroll through the intricately designed and illusive Alvadas. His attitude set on apathetic and aloof, which is generally the case for him, he sets out into the bizarre city and playground of the Trickster Deity.

His exterior shows little to no mental disturbance, except when he's forced to engage in a conversation, as he's unable to focus his eyes on any set person or item. Always seemingly staring right, as if he is searching for something in a parallel dimension that he's hoping to catch a glimpse of. A glimpse or snippet of proof that it is all a lie...This stare is the effect of his subconscious belief, eventhough he attempts to lie to himself and tell his psyche that he no longer believes that insane theory...His subconsciousness clearly disagrees.

He can't help it, it's deeply nestled within his mind; Hope of ever removing all doubts that are rooted within his body, is near nihil...However, he has learned to live with it, as best as he can; While there are moments where it's barely noticeable, generally when he's doing something or near an eventful something so that his attention is diverted from himself.

So as he walks in his fancy shoes along the cobbleheaded streets, the clicking noise of his short heels bopping over the little cobbleheads resonate through the seemingly normal street. Tyler had lived long enough in Alvadas to have seen many things in this city, and he had learned that where it seemed to be the most normal...There was usually something exceptionally bizarre hidden nearby.

But as a local resident for many years now, he no longer usually goes out of his way to search for the 'hidden treasures' of Alvadas...

However, sometimes it finds him regardless.

[Tyler]

He was almost through the street and about to turn around the corner when he spotted a small red stripe on the ground, coming from the inside of a badly cemented wall from a crummy shack near the turning of the street. For some reason the red line was shimmering and glowing so vibrantly that he couldn't help but focus upon it. It was rare for him to be able to see it so clearly, as if that red thread was the real deal...The Truth.

It didn't take him long however to lose himself in thoughts again, but for the moment they were all focused upon one thing; The red thread. At the start he was thinking it was the light coming from 'the real world'. Then it evolved into the light of a portal, then of Hell, then of blood from slaughtering people in the real world and not really knowing what was going on there...All in all, he was losing it hard.

So there he was, standing still and staring at the shimmering ruby line until he couldn't take it anymore; He needed to investigate the source of this light. He quickly strode towards the door nearly falling of its rusted hinges and slammed his fist onto the rotten wood, nobody opened but the door did creak as it moved aside and revealed a sight that could only be seen and believed in Alvadas...

[Tyler]

As the door groaned and croaked while sliding open slowly, little by little another world was revealed; Conceiled in this urban jungle there lay a garden more magnificent than he could ever imagine in his wildest gardendesigning dreams. Ever flowerpetal complimented and completed the whole garden; It was as if it was a living painting of colourpalets and flowing movements as the flowers and leaves swayed around by the wind. Every pebble and even the tints of the small earthen pathway through the garden was perfectly aligned with one another.

He was so mezmerized by the revelation of this natural treasure, that he almost missed the fairly large red tent with fringes and ornamental lacy drapes and embroidements at the end of the path. Hesitantly and carefully he placed step after step into the garden, careful not to disturb the peaceful bees humming and zooming around the garden. He was afraid the slightest human noise would scare the cheerfully chirping songbirds away and disturb this fairytale scenery.

Once he arrived at the tent, he stopped, unsure what to do next. To step inside and check it out, or to back off and leave whatever or whoever is inside in peace. In the end he decided to take the middleroute and with a scrunchy rasping voice, as if the air in the garden made it hard to speak; He asked in a low tone of voice:
" Sorry for the intrusion, but may I come inside? "

After his, nearly whispered, question; He raised his head in anticipation and to better hear the response, if any would come. Then he felt it, the moment the first syllable of the answer drifted in his ears. First it felt like he got shocked or hit with a heavy beanbag in the pit of his stomach, then the dazed and balanceless state arrived, leaving him nearly breathless and almost tumbling over. It seemed like he was drowning while outside the water; It only lasted for a moment but it seemed much much longer.

"Please, enter."

[Tyler]

After regaining his composure he moved closer towards the tent and swept apart the small drape covering the entrance partially, for some reason he couldn't see anything until he was completely inside the tent; Where there was simply a rug on the grassy floor and a woman on it, seated neatly cross-legged and with a warm welcoming smile curling her lips.

The woman was a strange sight to behold, seemingly one of the Konti which Tyler had heard and read about, but it was the first time he actually met one in person; If she was indeed a Konti. Her facial features and lightly clad body were very appealing to the eye to say the least. Her white long hair simmered with a silver glow to it as she brushed a few strands away from her eyes, with a delicate and light slide with the back of her hand. She seemed as fragile as porcelaine and equally beautiful.

Her smile still hadn't faded completely, a quirky little smile still curling the corners of her lips as she beckoned Tyler over and made lowering motions with her outstretched hand as to sign him to take a seat before her. Once he did so, her voice swirled over to him again; Soothing and sensual tones of voice all intertwined as she spoke to him. It wasn't as heavy and impactful as before, but it did lull him into a state of peacefulness and calm.

"What is it you see?"

The question, as sweet and kind as it sounded, shook him up with a stronger effect than the darkest coffee. For some reason he knew she wasn't talking about what he 'saw', a beautiful Konti woman in a tent, but that she meant something much much more deeper and personal. He felt no malevolence in the question, only interest; And for whatever reason, he couldn't help but answer genuinely.

"A world surreal to me, I can not help to doubt it; Everything and everyone in it seems as real to me as my dreams at night....Help me?..."

The request came out so quiet and scared that it would make most people laugh at him. But not her, she listened as her eyes remained locked onto his. No pity nor ridicule shone in her eyes, only understanding. She didn't smile anymore though, while her face was still friendly; It was in a state of focus and thought.

" I can not cure you...But I might be able to help... "
The Konti woman proceeded to close her eyes and move her lefthand to the deck of cards with strange markings on the back of the cards. Not exactly tribal but fluid and intricate regardless. She drew one card after the other until 5 cards lay before her with the frontside up.

" This...is what I see. "

[Tyler]

Peering down and focusing every handmotion and card layed before him intently, he held his breath subconsciously and stared at the colourful pictures on the cards, without attempting to analyze them, he took them in one by one before the gears in his mind started working; Listing them in order and attempting to analyze them.


1st A laughing/crying clownmask; He figured this meant that he had more than one soul, so to speak, inside of him. Conflicting inner state of mind.

2nd A man standing in a beautiful landscape, staring intently at the mirror; Tyler thought this card indicated the moment he tried to hypnotize himself while having a beautiful life.

3rd A curling and twisting road in a natural setting; He thought this might mean the road he travelled and still had to undergo, to reach his destination.

4th A yellowscaled snake or crocodile eye; He was at a loss for this one, but for some reason he felt extremely uneasy and anxious while looking at this card, even thinking about what it could mean made him so scared somehow that his thoughts simply went blank and all he could do was break away from the card and move onto the next.

5th A scribe bending over a blank parchment; He interpreted this one as a scholarly card, in connection with his arcane studies.

After describing his interpretations to the Konti upon her request, she smiled comfortingly and shook her head slightly with closed eyes before leaning in and placing a finger on the first card.

" I'll tell you what I see... "

[Tyler]

Her polished nail and fingertip were gently sliding over the card in small circular motions. As if she was trying to swoon the card into revealing its secrets. After some short silent moments, she closed her eyelids partially as if losing herself in a haze, then she spoke.

You were right about one card, the clownmask, eventhough you didn't fully see the meaning behind it. You were satisfied with one meaning, but cards can have more than a single message. I see this card being connected to someone who has trouble portraying his emotions, while you want to cry and scream...All you do is silently smile. You bottle up everything inside, but the container is not bottomless. Apart from that you have indeed also a conflicting personality, not quite in the 'soulduality' manner but more so in not understanding and believing what you feel and experience.


However, I see something very different than you do; I do not see your past in this picture. Not the hypnotizing, but I see your present. The present where you are so focused on your own persona and state of mind; That you miss everything around you. You have gotten blind to the world surrounding you.

What you saw was partially correct, it's not just the future and past that you see in this picture. The road you have taken and have to undertake, but it's getting out of your habitat in Alvadas and taking a route that will send you on large travels to far away places. I see much adventure in your future.

This picture is your trauma, It has multiple meanings but the most prominent one is the traumatic event where you saw ruptures in the fabric of time and space and saw rifts into the void appear before you. Those black holes with the faint yellow borders, you know what I speak of, don't you?...One day you'll have to confront your fears, acknowledge and accept that.

This card shows that your future is still open to many factors, there is nothing set in stone yet and you still are the master of your own person. Do not forget this.

[Tyler]

Attempting to absorb as much as the information provided to him by this anomaly of an encounter, he sits quietly and breathes heavily through his nose with wide open eyes as he listened to the explanations and revelations given by the Konti 'oracle'. Once finished, Tyler looked up at the Konti and was at a loss for words, she had seen and spoken of things he had kept to himself all these years. The way she implied she had seen how he had hypnotized himself and the manner in which she spoke so easily of those terrifying black holes he has been suppressing for all these years, nearly angered him. But he regained his composure as he realized she definitely meant him no harm in any way.

" Wha---Can you tell me more? "

" This is all I can see, maybe someday if we meet again I'll be able to see further behind the veil of time; But not now. "

He nodded in understanding but the impatience must be easily readable from his face and shifty behaviour, nevertheless the Konti seemed equally understanding of his position and situation. He wanted to ask her more and more, share all he could with her, everything that had been laying in the pit of his stomach...But something was holding him back, maybe it was the thought of not wanting to burden someone else with his issues, maybe something else...In the end he closed his eyes as he exhaled and seemingly reinvigorated and at ease he asked.

" What can I give you? What would you like? "

" I need nothing but a promise, a few simple words promising me that the next time we meet we will share a laugh. "

" I'll promise you we'll share laughs. Genuine and hearthy laughter will fill the tent until the time comes to part ways once again. I thank you for everything! May I know your name? "

" Okana...That you may fare well. "

With a smile, a warm heart and spirited soul, he left the tent and garden, back into Alvadas...Following the unknown and unpredictable path, wherever it may take him.

[Harrier]

Skills	Amount
Investigation	1
Observation	3

Lore

Follow the little red line

The Garden in the Shanty

The world is surreal; like living in a dream

Having your fortune read

Your secrets revealed but not spoken

A promise to the oracle: to share a laugh

Okana the Oracle

Bonus:

Additional Comments: This was a very interesting thread, Tyler. While I could not give you much in the way of skills, I gave you more lore. This is a good reminder that not every thread needs to be skill grinding; reining it in to show the finesse of the character through storybuilding can be just as gratifying. A wonderfully short and intriguing snippet of this curious character.

(c) abstract