Closed Have we met? (Kuvarakh)

[Alric Wilmot]

As they walked along Alric listened to the very interesting tales of what Alvadas had been through since his departure. It seemed Alvadas was still full of chaos and mayhem. Had it always been so? When he was younger he always thought of Alvadas as peaceful. Not idle, certainly, but peaceful. Now it seemed that the city had gone mad. Though it seemed more likely that it had always been mad, Alric had just been too young to see it. As they walked about, Alric was pleased to notice that several buildings seemed to be upside down on his left, while on the right they were perfectly normal. In fact, if he focused only on the right side, he might still believe he was in Zeltiva. Kuvarakh, Alric found was quite easy to like. Even easier to listen to. As Kuvarakh continued with his stories of the ghosts, and his possessions, Alric found a bit of sympathy in him for the man. When he began telling the tale of the body he had had when Alric met him, he was appalled. What an awful set of events! It made Alric's suffering look comparatively tame. All at once, Alric's goal of helping others was renewed with a vigor. When Kuvarakh mentioned his relatively cheery demeanor, Alric had to agree. He hadn't met many Nuits. But of them, Kuvarakh was most definitely the cheeriest. "Ah, but I enjoy your cheerfulness. And am thankful you still can be after that sordid mess. I too have gone through my share of bad experiences, but not so tragic as the one of your first body. By Ionu, what a sad tale. I can only pray I can be as delightful. I try to be, mind you. But I have let my temper get the best of me quite a bit." Alric looked about, to see if he could spot the store Kuvarakh had mentioned. With delight he thought he saw it. Until he realized it was one of the buildings that was upside down. How on Mizahar was he going to get up to the door? "Well, Isn't that a pickle. Do you have any way of getting up there? Or do we need to wait for the illusion to break?"

[Kuvarakh]

Kuvarakh laughed. "No need to wait. You simply become part of the illusion." He pointed at a reinforced bar set a few feet "above" the door, now at about chest level. He simply walked up to it and grabbed it, letting the inverted gravity swing him, back-first against the outer wall a few feet above "ground" level.

He let go and "dropped" up until his feet hit on the landing of the affected building's doorway. His upside-down face grinned at Alric. "See, it's as simple as that. What's worse is having to climb the entire street with a rope and grapple, lamppost by lamppost, and swing into the door. I've had to do that more than once."

He stepped back to allow Alric to repeat his maneuver. A voice came from inside, a woman's voice, of mature age, but sounding almost teenaged with enthusiasm. "Ku? is that you? I was wondering if you were going to make it in today. I was already here, and don't scold me for staying all night! At least I didn't have to do some petching handstand to come in the door!"

A woman came from the back room and stopped when she saw Alric. The lines in her face seemed to add to the radiance of friendly welcome as she extended her hand, "Hello, I am Wanda, and this is MY shop, regardless of what this big "chew toy" has been telling you. I try not to let him "Bug" me too much with his leaving his old, half-eaten bodies lying around." She winked and gave Kuvarakh a hug, which he returned vigorously, chuckling.

"It's good to see you, Ku, but who is this handsome young man you've brought?" She said, giving Alric an exaggerated look up and down. "I thought all your mage friends were old haggard wretches..." Kuvarakh rolled his eyes and said along with her, "Like you."

They both laughed and Wanda mock punched Kuvarakh's shoulder and turned to go back into the back room. He slapped her backside and she squealed and rubbed it in feigned protest."Naughty, naughty." But then she stopped and turned, all business. "Look, Ku, if you want to take the day off to show your friend around, it's okay, we're not that busy."

"Well actually, we were going to sit here for awhile, if we won't be in the way, you gorgeous babe!" he flattered.

She gave him a rousing raspberry. "No, you won't be in the way, but NO guild meetings here for the next few days. We're getting a shipment of leather and cotton bundles, as well as that ramie cloth and the charcoal you want for the futile job of making clothes that will keep you from stinkin' up the place. Anyway, it's crowded enough when you have your lessons and stuff here, with that other stuff, there's no way. Not until I can get the leather transmuted at least, and that'll be at least three days."

He turned and gave Alric a level look. Then with an extravagant flourish directed at Wanda, he announced "Alric Wilmot, I'd like you to meet Wanda, my boss."

[Alric Wilmot]

Alric looked on in unconcealed awe at Kuvarakh's display. It was quite impressive, and he began to wonder why he hadn't seen similiar features throughout Alvadas. But then he thought that they just might, only he had never noticed them before. It wasn't often that Alric saw the buildings go upside down. It might be that some buildings were turned topsy-turvy more than others. When Kuvarakh stood upside down, he confirmed Alric's thoughts. Apparently the poor man had had to go through quite a few loops to get to get to the shop. luckily, the process wasn't so difficult, and Alric copied Kuvarakh rather well. It was a bit disorienting seeing the world upside down, but as soon as he followed his companion inside, things got a lot better. Though Alric knew the building was upside down, since he was as well, everything appeared normal. As he entered, he heard the voice of a woman. She seemed older, but it was hard to tell. As she emerged from the backroom Alric found she was indeed older. Yet youth had not completely abandoned her. She had streaks of grey in her hair, but Alric could sense a vigor in her eyes and smile. She greeted him and insulted Kuvarakh all in the same breath. Though with a wink to the man, Alric saw it for the banter it was. Alric remained silent until she asked who he was. The question was not directed to him, but to Kuvarakh, but he thought he might answer anyway. He had to laugh first though, finding the jab at Kuvarakh's age funny as young people are often wont to do. However as he opened his mouth, he shut it as the two continued. Gradually, Alric realized it was closer to flirting than banter. He scratched his chin at that. He often got those two confused. However, almost as soon as Alric had decided to be silent, Kuvarakh introduced him. The woman's name was Wanda, seemed. Alric gave a slight bow, as he often did when meeting a new person. "Hello there. My name is Alric Wilmot as Kuvarakh has said. I've been away for quite some time, and he has most graciously decided to fill me in on what has occurred in my absence. It is a pleasure to meet you." When introductions were done, Alric asked Kuvarakh where the both of them might discuss things. He was not opposed to discussing them in ear-shot of Wanda. If Kuvarakh trusted her, Alric would give her the benefit of a doubt. Of course, he did not know if the Order had become secretive in its dealings. If it had, he thought Kuvarakh might want to go into the backroom. Regardless, he would be willing to discuss things wherever Kuvarakh might want to.

[Kuvarakh]

Kuvarakh went to the storeroom to fetch a pair of chairs, setting them away from the front counter, yet still in plain view of it. "Once Wanda starts an activation, I will need to be here to deal with any customers that may stop in." he explained. "If you wanted more privacy that this, I will put up the 'closed' sign and we can go somewhere else. Don't feel concerned, Wanda will not mind."

He sat down, indicating the other chair to Alric. "There is not so much anything greatly adventurous to fill you in on in the last year. In case you were wondering, I had made a tributary artwork, celebrating Ionu's feather, out of wood carved by students at the Acumen Asylum. I did a number of activations on it to achieve the strength and beauty and smooth feel, as well as the static attraction to bring the colored stars to its surface when touched. I wanted it to be like the real thing, colored rainbows swirling to upon it when touched..."

He caressed his black feather as he spoke. "Oh yes, the colored stars are another thing that had a season's interest here, but I will get back to that...Anyway, I guess my multiple activations and possibly some effect of the previous djed storm triggered some monstrous effect on the little critters. They had metal bodies that wouldn't melt. Believe me, the reimancer students at The Order tried..." he grimaced and shook his head and went on to tell how he had dealt with the bugs, and how they had dealt with him.

"Of course I needed a new body. Fortunately...well, sort of...one of the reimancy trainees had a problem that made some bodies conveniently available for me. They fetched one for me, and here I am." He spent several chimes going into greater detail, probably more than Alric really wanted. The young man already looked somewhat nauseous over the grim details of Kuvarakh's encounter with the bugs.

"So, honestly, since then, it's pretty much been business as usual with The Order. Training, carefully monitored experimenting, teaching. I do a class in defensive techniques against hypnosis from time to time. Work at the shop sometimes has unexpected complications, but nothing that extreme." He relayed a few incidents where new ways of improving materials were discovered by accident.

He stood and went to the window, looking out over his home city, wondering if he would be leaving it soon. "We had an event where two suns appeared and we all experienced visions where our greatest dreams were realized..." his look became pensive and his voice became quiet, "Of course, once the visions ended...it was...disappointing." he did not go into details about this, but a strange expression showed in his face as he looked over at Wanda, now in the middle of a transmutation.

He shook off his melancholy and turned a bright look back to Alric, "So what about you? What have you been up to?"

[Alric Wilmot]

Alric sat down to listen, and asked that the sign be turned to closed. He did not particularly mind talking in front of others, but he did not fancy being interrupted. Kuvarakh went first, regaling him with tales that had he had hinted at before. He expanded on the bugs and bodies, going into detail of both odd events. Alric found it quite exciting, though he wasn’t sure Kuvarakh felt the same. The way he talked, it seemed he didn’t particularly find the topic interesting, rather, he was interested in Alric’s reaction. It only made sense, Alric supposed. After all these events weren’t truly all that recent. As Kuvarakh continued, he spoke on how he had taught lessons on how to protect oneself from hypnosis. Alric found that intriguing. To know how to protect against it implied he knew the magic, however little. Which made sense, after all he was a member of the Order. When Alric heard the news about the sun, that piqued his interest. His own goals were quite similar to what Kuvarakh had said that second sun had brought. It was a pity the sun had gone. He wondered if he would be able to harness that power? He briefly wondered if it was related to the Field of Dreams. It was an old Alvadas myth, but lately Alric had come to the conclusion that within Alvadas the concept of a myth was nonexistent. Everything, no matter how impossible, could be done in this city. When Kuvarakh was done with his tales, he asked for Alric’s own. Although Alric was reluctant at first, he realized it would be rude to not share at least a little information. Kuvarakh had told him so much, and he was a member of the Order. He deserved to know where Alric had been. So Alric decided to divulge his story, though he would skirt details that he thought bet kept to himself. “Well, a few days after we had met, I received two letters. One was written by a friend I had thought long lost. He said that he had met a man by the name Wilmot, and was residing in the city of Zeltiva. The man, I thought, had to be my father who went missing during a business trip the previous season. So you can imagine the joy at receiving that letter. Not two seconds later, I was given yet another letter, this one written by a brother I thought long lost. He was also writing from Zeltiva. I was sure it was divine providence. It just seemed too coincidental. I still do, but I think it might not have been as kind a diety as I had assumed. I left the exact same day I got those letters. When I arrived in Zeltiva in about half a season, I found that my friend had left and my brother was insane.” Alric sucked in a breath as he continued. Briefly he wondered if he was divulging too much information, though it passed quickly. “ My brother was beyond my help. And when I found that man my friend spoke of in my letter, he was indeed my father. And he was dead. I found the body in the Zeltiva Infirmary, where they kept it for teaching purposes. I didn’t mind, honestly. If anyone knows the value of knowledge it’s me. Still, it...hurt at the time. His body had chunks missing, bite marks. They were identified as Zith. I had never really...considered that my father would die on that trip he took so long ago. I wasn’t ready for it.” Alric let out a long breath, he was rambling he knew. Beating around the bush. He decided to speed it up a bit. Kuvarakh may be a member of the Order, but Alric doubted that he wanted to hear the troubles of a man he just met. “ Long story short, in my grief I made a mistake with my spellwork. I was left incapacitated within the same infirmary that my father’s body had been kept. When I came to, I found it had been a year. I came to Alvadas shortly thereafter. And that my friend is the long and short of what I have been up to.”

[Kuvarakh]

Kuvarakh's spirit sank wit the thought of how Alric must have felt when he recovered in Zeltiva. He'd had a combat experience with a Zith once. He'd triumphed the way he always did. He got the enemy near water, dragged them under and endured the punishment they dished out until they drowned. Then he took their undamaged body as revenge.

In the case of the Zith, he'd been in the body of a petite young lady, a story in and of itself. A body light enough for the beast to carry aloft. Then he'd used hypnosis to set the impression in its mind that he was terrified of water and would be more obedient against that threat. The beast maliciously sought out a small pond in the Sea of Grass, and the rest worked as it always did.

His head drooped in empathy. "Oh my friend. I am so sorry. To lose so much time right on the heels of such an event. I had an incident where I triggered a closet full of magecrafted, maledicted and alchemically enhanced items in a Master's closet in Ravok and spent a year turned to stone. Must have been eighty years now. But there was no tragedy to have just been thrust on me."

He grew silent. it felt wrong to even speak of anything that was NOT tragedy right now. He looked up with sad smile. "It feels like the only thing...respectful...to speak of, in light of your pain, is the death of my wife and daughter. But it was so long ago now..." He gave that same odd look towards Wanda. "...And I'm sure that it's not truly your desire to force people to only relive their life's miseries out of some sense of propriety."

He sat up, thinking it best to be sympathetic, but open, rather than allow emotional pain to linger and brood. He was mostly over his loss. The only reason he did not wish to talk about it was that he'd have to go through the long ordeal of explaining, once again, why he'd chosen to become a Nuit when it had been a Nuit that had killed his daughter.

"Were you trying to help your brother when the miscast occurred? If you don't want to talk about it, I understand, just let me know if there is anything I can do to help. Otherwise feel free to get it off your chest."

[Alric Wilmot]

Alric was glad for the change in subject. The subject matter thus far was getting far too melancholy for his liking. He was also glad to find that he was not the only wizard to have such an accident. In truth, it was a rather embarrassing event and he was hesitant to speak of it. Kuvarakh's curiosity was natural, but Alric truly did not want to give any more details than he could. So Alric decided he would answer as best he could without divulging the true events leading up to and after his predicament. "No. I actually had the accident some time after my failed attempt at curing my brother. I had to leave him sooner than I liked. My failed attempt ended in him trying to kill me, you see. So I thought I might deal with my friend while my brother tried to control himself. He is a very accomplished wizard, and in truth I had been sure he would have better luck than my clumsy attempts. Regardless I was going to find him after I found my father. Of course the accident happened before that took place. I'm sorry, but I prefer the details to be kept private. That is all I will say about the events. I thank you for the conversation Kuvarakh. I've met a Nuit or two before, but I can say truthfully that you are the best one to have company." Alric leaned back in his chair, and scratched the back of his neck. This had been a very productive day. He had not expected to meet a fellow member of the Order when he arrived at the docks, but by Ionu it had been a very good thing he did. Though however much he enjoyed the company, he could not stay forever. He needed to rest and prepare himself for tomorrow. After all, tomorrow he would be heading to the Womiyu to explain his absence. And you needed your wits about you if you were going to get out of being arrested by a Speaker. They were usually a bit too eager to deal out punishment. He ought to know, he had been one. "I thank you for your hospitality Kuvarakh, but I think I ought to go. I have a rather important day tomorrow and I'll need my rest. We mortals need our sleep, unfortunately. I'm glad we met. It was delightful getting back in touch with the Order after all this time."

oocHey, I enjoyed our thread, but I can't really think of anything else to do. We covered our bases, and this seems like a good place to stop. I hope we can thread together again sometime in the future. You're a good writer, I really liked the style of your writing

[Kuvarakh]

After withholding the details of his wife and daughter's death, Kuvarakh could hardly object to Alric choosing to keep his own details private. And it gave a lift to his spirits to have Alric's compliment. He had often felt, and occasionally said aloud, that he felt like the unofficial diplomat for the Nuit "race".

"Well, I wouldn't want to exhaust ALL the topics of conversation in just one afternoon anyway. This way, there will still be more freakish adventures to discuss next time." He let slip a snort of laughter, "and it isn't MY hospitality, this is all on Wanda." he said, directing his voice subtly to the transmutation chamber.

"And don't you forget it!" her voice echoed from the far side of the door. "he needs to get back to work, anyway."

He rolled his eyes in jest, keeping his voice directed towards Wanda. "And if I needed sleep like a mortal, she couldn't make me work sixteen bells a day."

"It's not MY fault it takes that long to get eight bells' work out of you." you could hear the tone of her voice altering with the grin spreading across her face. It mirrored Kuvarakh's own.

She came out from the back and gave Alric a hug. "It was good to meet you, Alric. I hope things work out for you. If there's anything we can do for you...if you need any alchemy work or anything..."

"Anything" Kuvarakh agreed, shaking his hand.

"...just stop by and we'll take care of it. I have yet to meet anyone from The Order that I couldn't at least tolerate!..." her eyes flashed to Kuvarakh even as he rolled his eyes in anticipation. "...well, maybe one..."

OOCOkay, I'm done. I would love to do more threads. And thank you, I'm flattered.

[Fallacy]

XP Award! Name:Alric XP Award: Meditation 2 Observation 1 Rhetoric 3 Lore: Return to Alvadas Shipmate Farewell Kuvarakh’s Wild Tales Notes: Name:Kuv XP Award: Observation 2 Rhetoric 3 Storytelling 2 Lore: Nothing Worthwhile is Ever Easy A Familiar Face The Last Wilmot Notes: Any questions or concerns about the rewards gained please send a PM