Remember the Flowers

by **Ricky Maze** on October 10th, 2014, 5:10 am

Remember the Flowers
Autumn 20th 514 AV, 15th Bell
Location: Maria Satterthwite Memorial Grounds

Silence. That's all that seemed to linger within this ever so secluded reaches that the jagged reaches of the mountains created, yet even so the grounds here stood as a monumental reference to the lives that once dwelt within their glorious city. Ricky had come here off and on to pay a visit to the only companion he had for the longest while, but now it seemed that there was more than just a mere dog buried here in the grounds. Both his father and Odis, yes the man who was his Godfather, resided here and even if the idea of his hero being reincarnated sounded silly, some how Ricky still believed that to be the case considering his near death encounter last year when the escaped prisoner's assaulted him and his friends. Strange though how time seems to fly, Ricky could only surmise that Tanroa knew what to expect next. In the whole span of the year Ricky managed to get caught up in a love triangle, knock up his best friend, survive those said pirates that wanted revenge, endured a staged coup by the Denvali's own leader, and in turn dealt with an annoying presence of his dead girlfriend, who really turned out to be a memory that appeared due to an illness in his mind.

Oh and lets not forget that Martin was born too, and that his birthday was coming up this season. Three hundred and twenty days. It took a while but when Ricky finally recounted it they seemed to add up, pretty soon that last day would come and mark the first year of Martin's life. And what all had happened this year up until this point? The father had dealt with insane mages, traveled to Syliras in hopes to cure his sickness, give or take a few complications encountered along the way there, and then of course now he spent his days thinking about the future. Training has been slow but he started it nonetheless, yet even so he questioned some things. Things he never thought to question before, things that made him realize that maybe his time as a guard was drawing to a close. "Oi miss ya Pa. Martin's already almost a year old an' Oi ain't gotta clue 'bout what comes next, Oi need yew 'ere... Oi need t' know what t' expect next." He admitted in a low breath as he knelt down before the headstone that resided where his father rested.

Burten Maze. Beloved father and sailor. Ricky remembered the night he died like it'd only happened yesterday, the last words that were shared were ones the fisherman would certainly never forget for as long as he lived... Just like yer mother... always so worried...Yew remind me o' 'er s' much son, s' much spirit and vitality fer life. S'much heart... Ricky's eyes watered a little then as he brushed a hand over the surface of the stone. Oi'm always 'ere... Inside 'ere... just as our friend Odis is... just as all yer friends 're. He clutched the area over his heart then as the words repeated in his mind, his lungs felt a little heavier with each sigh to follow as he regulated a steady air flow. Heeey... yer gonna be a father soon... best stay strong f'r the young'un, teach it everythin' it needs t' know of the world... Yet that wasn't enough, somehow Ricky still needed his own father here. He needed advice, stories, anything to help him make a better example.

Hmph. Yer to old f'r stories now, but never forget... Those words. Those few words that they both last shared before his last breath left him... Ricky sighed once more as he repeated them aloud, though in a low soft whisper that only he and grave would hear. "Oi'll always be yer little boy..." The father wiped the back of his wrist underneath his nose with a sniff, and then used the thumb to clear his face and eyes of the few tears that escaped in those few moments of memory. He'd honestly thought he'd been past all this, past the fact his father had been dead for almost a year now. Apparently though he was wrong, somehow he still wanted to see that same smile on his father's face, the same proud grin he always wore when it came to seeing Ricky do something that made him happy. Yet there was also questions. Questions that were left behind like the letters, and the siblings that Ricky never knew about up until now.

"Why? Just what secrets did ya 'ave t' keep Pa? An' what reason did ye 'ave t' go it alone, when ye knew ye could've very well died." It made little sense but there was just something that nagged at the back of Ricky's mind, and it had been doing so since he first started to think about the mentioning of it when he first read the letter sent to one of his younger siblings. The curse. Was this something real or just a superstitious belief his father developed? Given everything that's happened somewhere deep down Ricky wanted to believe it, wanted to think that he'd been cursed in some way just to define the significance of the events that led up to now. But surely... surely not Telion nor Martin were part of it, they were by far the best things to happen to him. And Gale? Gale was important too, Hannah was even included in this. There were so many things that cropped up lately, good things that started to balance out all the recent bad things he'd gone through. It made little sense but part of him wanted to believe, because he could then also believe that there was a solution to remedy such a pitiable thing.

He dwelt upon it further, wishing that his father would for once speak with him, give him some sort of sign or message to make all these questions have an answer.

by **Gilva Snowsong** on October 14th, 2014, 4:29 am

The boy lay upon his bed as he glared at his father's spear. There were many strange occurrences happening lately within the boys life. The most prominent of which was the appearance of "ghosts" that only Gilva could see or hear. However, the spear was also shrouded in mystery. Why did his father leave it behind? Was his father even alive? Was the spear meant to be a warning symbol of an impending danger? Gilva tried to answer these questions but to no avail. After all, his father knew the differences between their skill sets; it didn't make sense for him to willingly pass it down as an heirloom. But if his father was in trouble, it seemed more plausible that the spear would have disappeared with him. If his father deserted them, he wouldn't have left it behind. But if his father were murdered, the spear should have been stolen. These hypothetical situations began to irritate the Vantha. In an effort to escape the madness, he darted out of the cottage.

As he made his way into the streets of Zeltiva, it didn't take long for to realize that there was no escape. This was his life now. There was no one that would be able to protect or watch over him. Instead, he had to rely on himself to make ends meet. So far, he hasn't been doing a good job at it. Gilva had been taking the easy route for too long, and now time was running out. If he didn't man up to his responsibilities, and soon, there's no telling what would happen.

The boys mind wandered back to the time of when he didn't have these worries. A time where he was taken care of by his father. Tears fell from his green, grief stricken eyes as he strolled away from the comfort of the city. Before he knew it, he was drawn to an unfamiliar setting, a cemetary. He wiped his tears as he walked further in, looking at the different graves. It broke his heart to think that if his father died, his body may never be buried. He would never be able to visit the corpse and rejoice in his memories. There wouldn't be any anniversaries.

Gilva stopped near a man, who was frequenting a grave in particular. Burten Maze it read. Interesting name he thought. Though it was one that he had never known. But perhaps it wasn't too late. Knowing that he wouldn't be able to know anything else about his father, made him want to know about this stranger; if only to fill the void.

"This man, Maze, what's his story?" He inquired.

by **Ricky Maze** on October 14th, 2014, 8:12 am

Ricky had spent so much time in wonder that he'd forgotten he was the only one there, and practically failed to notice that changed when the presence of company happened to appear. Although he didn't rightly know who this stranger was he wasn't inclined to necessarily avoid socialization, given that he already seemed to be curious about the man who resided underneath the headstone. He wants a story t'en huh? Ricky mused as a slight grin lit up his features, Ricky looked up over his shoulder with sincerity then, as he went ahead and shared the very thing he'd asked to hear. "Dis man, Burten Maze, was me fat'er an' hero. Ever since Oi'd been born he'd raised me alone as Oi 'ad no Ma, he taught me how t' walk an' how t' talk, how t' read an' write, even how t' fish an' respectin' t'ose aroun' me. Both he," he then looked over to the headstone that just said "Odis" on it, "and his close friend Odis."

"T'ey raised me t' be a proper man, until one day t'ey were lost at sea. Except dat wasn't de case, while Odis died an' came back in anot'er form t' watch over me, me own Pa went out searchin' fer t'ings he kept secret from me. Like de fact Ma... she could be alive again, an' dat Oi also 'ad siblin's out t'ere." He paused for a moment as he dwelt on that part of the story, only to continue it as he found a decent way to wrap it up. "When he finally came back Oi was expectin' to be a fat'er, an' shortly afterwards Oi somehow accepted de 'im back in me life once some t'ings happened. Oi'll admit Oi was really pissed t' find out he'd been alive 'fter eight long years, but in de end when he finally died he did so peacefully. It all 'appened a year ago too, stabbed in cold blood by a few Denvali rebels, after de Coup had ended no less." He looked up to the sky then as he wondered just what had Burten's soul gone to then, as well as Odis' seeing as the man died twice now in Ricky's own lifetime. Of course the idea of reincarnation did seem rather strange but not impossible, even though Ricky was still unsure if he dreamed up that encounter.

"Ricky's de name he gave me, t'ough Oi can't really say fer sure where he got it from." He mused as he glanced over to the younger man. "Sure was a good man t'ough, always did 'is best t' set a better example fer me. Now t'at Oi t'ink o' it, t'ere was a flower he sorta liked. Really odd lookin, but beautiful all de same." He leaned forward and tugged at the grass then, his eyes darted between the ground and the headstone as he went on further. "T'ey always smelt like de sea too, even when ye found 'em far away from de coast. Least dat's what Oi remember anyways, Oi've not seen one in quite some time, probably cause summer's over already. All de same Oi t'ink he'd love t' have one by his grave." He finished with a sigh as he continued to tear the clip of grass he had into shreds, unaware that this stranger might actually feel inclined to try and help him out.

Quest Time! :

by **Gilva Snowsong** on October 15th, 2014, 8:29 pm

A tale of a man and his son, precisely what he was soul-searching for. Though it was full of twists that Gilva didn't expect. The son had eventually became the father, only to discover that there was more to the father than he originally knew. It made him reflect on his own father. It was unlikely that he was in the same situation, after all he knew of his siblings. But all the same, hearing that the man's father had been alive longer than he'd known resonated with Gilva. It gave him hope that perhaps he could reunite with his own father someday.

When the man mentioned the flower, a sliver of hope entered the boys heart. It wouldn't be much, but perhaps he could find the flower for the man. It would be a reunion of sorts, between father and son. This idea implanted itself into the boy, and fueled him. His eyes looked over the nearby graves. Some of them contained more flowers than most, and perhaps maybe the one the man spoke of was one of them. But the thought of taking flowers from one grave to another didn't sit right with the boy. It reminded him of when he first arrived to Zeltiva and his bag had been swiped by the woman in the hood. Whom of which, he became bonded to via a debt.

"This flower, it grows by the coast in the summer you said? What does it look like? Are there any uses for it besides putting them on graves? And is there anything that eats this flower?"

The boy didn't feel guilty in the slightest for bombarding the man with questions. In fact, he felt certain that these questions would lead him to the flowers. The questions, though objective in their right, were influenced by the boy's father. They were generally under the guise of a predator/prey relationship; which was highly favored by his father the hunter. The only original question the boy asked, was about ambiguity. Multiple uses would make the flower artistic in its nature; something the boy was quite versed in.

The boy mulled over the details he had received. Perhaps it would have been wise to ask more questions, for information is power. But the boy had an enjoyment for these types of situations. His mind replayed the man's words in his head over and over again looking for a hidden meaning. At least one of the details would lead him to the flower. Or perhaps nothing at all.

by **Ricky Maze** on October 16th, 2014, 8:44 pm

Accepted! :

"Huh?" Ricky looked back over to the boy when he was suddenly asked several questions about the flower, a little surprised to hear a sudden interest in this flower as though it were highly important. Though why the boy might've considered it so was unknown to him, yet all the same Ricky really had no reason to deny him the information he sought out. "Yeah, almost every summer it'd grow among de crags an' mountains near de coast line. Pa said t'ey resembled somethin' about Laviku but Oi can't remember what really, as far as yer question o' t'ere uses t'ough Oi can't say fer sure. Oi'm no herbalist so Oi've no real knowledge o' what uses dey serve." He looked back down to the grave once more as he recollected their design from memory. "T'ey 're rat'er beautiful actually, one can't ferget what t'ey look like so easily, nor how wonderful t'ey smell fer dat matter. Five distinct petals dat 're as blue as de sky, wit' a white center at de middle. Really t'ough its t'eir scent ye canny ferget, as t'ey always somehow smell like de sea anywhere ye go."

He had to admit it'd be incredible to see one now, since he hadn't in so long, and given they were a ways up from the coast, the smell of the ocean wasn't as strong as it was down in the city. Either way he didn't expect the boy to find it, much less go on a search for it all the same. De boy's pro'lly crazy if he can t'ink he'll find it, as far as Oi know it only grew once durin' de beginnin o summer. He thought in silence as he continued to meditate upon his father's grave, doubtful that any such flower would even still live in this current time of the year. "Oi dunno what would eat de flower honestly, only that larger quantities o' de flowers could maybe even attract sea gulls if t'eir aroma was strong enough." He looked to the boy once more with a sincere smile on his face. "Really t'ough Oi doubt such a flower would be easy t' find, ye'll pretty much be lookin' fer a needle in a sack o' needles, especially in a place like dis." He added with a glance all around, his remark directed to the several other graves that already had different types of flowers growing near them.

"But Oi'll leave ya be Oi guess, t'ink Oi'll spend a lil' more time wit' me Pa before Oi leave." He finished with his head bent forward and eyes closed, his head lost in thought as he slowed his breathing to take deep breaths. While Gilvia would go about looking for the flowers, Ricky would focus on finding a balanced sense of peace before he would go about doing his last task

by **Gilva Snowsong** on October 16th, 2014, 11:57 pm

When the man closed his eyes and entered his meditative state, the boy was left to do everything of his own volition. So far, the key detail that appealed to Gilva was the fact that the man mentioned Laviku. He didn't know a lot of details about the god, but he did know that he was particularly revered in Zeltiva. The port city always paid their respects to the sea god. The boy walked away from the man and his fathers grave, whilst still pondering over the details. In the north, Gilva's eyes were averted by a temple. Maybe there was someone inside the temple he would be able to ask for assistance?

The closer the boy came towards the temple, the more certain he became that he would be able to find the flower. Even if there were no one to assist him, he deduced that temples were often a site of religious prosperity, which a god ought to be fond of. The man mentioned that he couldn't recall exactly how the flower was related to the god; nor was he aware of any additional uses. But, it made perfect sense to Gilva for the flowers to have been offered to the God as a sign of respect. The walk was more tiresome that he expected, for the cemetery was a lot larger than the boy had anticipated. Hopefully he had picked the right location, because he still had to make the return trip to the grave.

The boy finally reached his destination. As he walked near the temple, he noticed that he was being watched. There were spirits within the vicinity of the temple as if they were its watchful guardians. The spirits were unsettling for the boy, for they reminded him of the ones that were haunting him. Oddly enough, Gilva didn't see the spirits that plagued him within their midst. Even more so strange, these spirits didn't seem to harbor any ill will towards the boy. They simply chose to observe for the time being. However, the boy had the inclination that if he were to do anything to disrespect the temple; it would likely be his last course of action. This was rightly so, after all if it truly were dedicated to Laviku like he assumed, as per the man's details, then desecration of the temple would be worthy of death.

But, if I do find the flowers at the temple and attempted to take them, would that be punishable by death? he wondered as he made eye contact with one of the spirits. A chill suddenly traveled down the boy's spine. Darn, maybe I should have thought this through more...no...I'm doing the right thing. I mean, I'd love it if I had something to remember my dad by! Immediately, the boy's mind flashed back to the spear that he had abandoned within his cottage. He had ran away from his fathers memento, yet here he was trying to help someone obtain one of their own. It made him feel hypocritical. But instead of giving up, the boy became inspired to find the flower even more. If he could see how much the man would value the flower, then maybe it would teach him how he should value the spear in turn.

Gilva searched the temple grounds in search of an offering altar. To his surprise, it didn't appear to be anything of the like within the immediate vicinity. Actually, the only thing that seemed to be of interest to the boy, was the koi pond filled with koi fish. The boy stepped closer to the pond, and became mesmerized by the sight of the fish swimming happily, peacefully even. Wow, they aren't even frightened of the ghosts! he thought. And there, near one of the corners of the pond, the boy noticed flowers peering out from a bush. He kneeled down so that he could further examine its contents.

"Praise be to Laviku, if these are the flowers!"

by **Ricky Maze** on October 17th, 2014, 12:31 am

When Gilvia managed to locate the flowers that were found at the temple, his inspection led him to find that they were in fact not the flowers he set out to search for. They had many petals and all where a white color compared to the one he was told about, yet although the scent of this flower didn't smell of the sea it definitely had an aroma that soothed the soul. Alas his start at the temple wasn't a bad one seeing as how it could've been a likely fresh start, and for what almost seemed like a brief moment he would hear the sound of what seemed like a dog barking in the distance. Were he to turn and face it he'd be facing the western distance, and just in time too seeing as how a soft breeze drafted through the area. The sea was faint but it was present, whether or not he could take that as a sign was up to him though. It depended on where he decided to look next, as he still had a bit of time before discovering the location of the flower.

Meanwhile Ricky had been focused on meditating during that time, his mind at a sense of peace as he looked upon the grave stone once more. His father rested here, and even if the grave looked untouched, he knew it would only be a matter of time before the stone itself could chip away. Time and the weather were both something that couldn't be withstood so easily, but if he could at least hold the effects at bay for a short while, then that was all he needed in order to honor the memory of his father. Ricky leaned a little forward with his palms wide open as he planted them on the surface, his thoughts spent on the memories of joy he had when he shared his special days with both his father and Odis. In turn he tapped into the reserves of his Djed and called it out, channeled it forth as he brought his hands slightly off the surface to allow an exit for the magic to flow through.

With a royal blue glimmer between his hands and the stone Ricky started to spread his hands out in a sluggish manner, and molded together fabrics of Djed as they weaved to create a mildly thin shield. He was in no hurry to make this, as the more time he spent on it, the better it would finish at the end. As his hands were finally far apart enough to where he could see the surface he'd already started to cover, Ricky watched as the Djed continued to flow and ripple outward as though it were water. It came as little surprise to see it act in such a manner to him, seeing as how he corresponded with the actual element more than anything. Still he pulled out more Djed and focused on the goal in mind, protection placed over his father's grave so that hopefully the weather wouldn't affect it so. Whether it would really work or not he didn't know, but he nevertheless he wanted to believe such an idea could possibly work.

The center of the stone had been covered and the inner reaches of it were just about done, and he'd continue to take the time to cover the rest in turn. The question that remained was whether or not Gilvia would find the flower, was he successful in his search or would he decide it too difficult of a task?

by **Perplexity** on March 9th, 2015, 10:38 pm

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Ricky :

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