Completed Curiosity Killed the Cat

[Faradae]

THE DOCKS
Winter 24, 515 AV

There were two things Faradae liked about the docks:

Firstly, the sound of gentle waves lapping against the wooden pier, accompanied by the rustling of nets and shivering sails.

The second thing was the scent. Wintery air encompassed the entire city, it was the herald of coming ice and snow and frostiness, piercing her breath like a warning. But the harbour was different. It smelled of labour and hardship and fading lives. The lives belonged to the fish, still fighting for survival when the fishermen’s boats reached the landings, and their smell engulfed the docks in a bubble of its own. Unlike the rest of the city, the winter had no influence over the harbour. Setting the fishing aside for winter break was no option for Nyka. There was no fruit in winter, no vegetables, no herbs and no crops. There were provisions. And there was fish. So instead of resting in their modest homes, the fishermen continued to make their living, working even harder during the cold months, and a bit of night-time snow would certainly not keep them from picking up their work in the morning, right?

Wrong.

Instead, flocks of fishermen stood in close circles, eyeing the remnants of what little snow had fallen like it had come right out of the Aperture itself. They watched it as if they expected it to jump on them. The snow seemed unimpressed. It did not stir.

Faradae watched with interest as one of the fishers began poking the pitiful pile of dirty white with a wooden stick. Nothing happened. Faradae was hardly surprised. There was nothing unusual about snow lying on the ground, doing nothing. It were the fishermen that were acting weird. It was only her fourth day in the city, yet she refused to believe that this was the normal procedure in the case of snow. She drew a bit closer, keeping an eye out for further abnormalities, but saw nothing. Instead, she overheard a bit of conversation between two of the fisherman, one of which seemed to just have joined the crowd of spectators.

“What’s all o’ the commotion ‘bout?”, the newcomer demanded to know.

“Something about burning snow”, he was told by his companion, a stocky man who seemed eager enough to spread the news. His moustache swayed gently as he talked. “Sanders said forgot his knife on board yesterday. Unfortunate bastard, him. Said he felt a burning when the snow started. The snow burned him. You can see it all over his skin.” He looked around warily, obviously afraid to be listened in on. Faradae crouched a little lower behind a few spools of rope. The fisherman seemed eased. “Others say they don’t believe him. But look at them – suspicious lot.” He lowered his voice a little, and the young woman in hiding had to perk up her ears to get what he was saying. “He’s telling the truth, I know it. Sanders never lied, he never did. Would be madness, too. Why lose your job for such a folly? It’s the fault of that blasted rift.”

Why indeed. Faradae’s interest was sparked. She did not wait for the newcomer to reply, instead, she ducked her way out of the harbour utensil labyrinth and considered the situation.
The docks smelled nice that day. The case was interesting. She decided to look into it.

[Alija]

Last night had been scary. Dogs had began to run the streets, her own scratching at the door. Eager to leave, eager to run out. She had risen in the late hours of the night to find Rosco eager to leave the shop, and had chased him to the Cursed Bridge, stopping him leaping off just in time. As she watched another dog fall to his death, it started to snow.

It landed on her skin with a burn, Alija immediately pulling her cloak to cover any other bare skin. It hurt. She had returned home terrified, the mysteries confusing and unnatural. Sleep on it. That was what she tried to do, but the thought, and the burn, resulted in a rough night. Tossing and turning, all she could do was watched cursed snow burn those around her.

She was first to rise, bags under her eyes and hair ratty. Alija couldn't concentrate, hurrying to her office where she first scrawled a mixed diary entry of observations, then ripped a page out with a hurried note: "Gone to docks. Avoid snow unless necessary. Don't worry."

This she placed on the kitchen table, before leaving, taking Rosco on a firm leash. Perhaps a walk in the docks would clear her head, maybe reveal something new. A thin layer, smears of white, remained, Alija doing her best to avoid it. Her steps were hurried, and she soon reached her destination.

The scent of salt instantly calmed her, reminding her of her real home. Fish and salt. The noise of the waves, of the sailors and of the sails. But something was wrong here, too. The sailors huddled in small groups, inspecting the snow nervously. They knew what it did, then, for why else would it be such an interest? None seemed any help for trying to get to the bottom of this.

There was a woman though, tanned skin and dirty brown hair, not a sailor. High cheekbones, defined jawline, flawless skin, all that made her appear of high-birth, but her clothes weren't the finest, nor her hair done in a way that would show wealth. Then again, appearances could be misleading. Like the snow that burned. What she could be sure of was the curiosity in her eyes, and Alija hurried over quickly, greeting her.

"I'm sorry to bother you, I'm Alija," she extended a hand, "This snow, the dogs jumping off the bridge into the Aperture - you need to help me. I need to know something more." She had the appearance of a crazed woman, desperate because of her curiosity. This was something more. It had personally affected the woman, twice. Relaxing, she let herself take deep breaths, focusing her mind on the thing she knew worked best.

Auristics. Swirling shapes appeared, swirling images of the woman. Images, scents, feelings all to be interpreted.

She saw the curiosity first. It was there, strong, steady. A yellow, but a swiftly changing mist, always searching, always investigating. Then something else came, a feeling of weightlessness. A feeling of flying. Did this woman hold flight? No, there was something more. The aura of another, that brought this flight and freedom. The first thought that came was Kelvic. Would a kelvic bird not have this feeling, this other aura? Not separate, exactly, but a feeling of difference. Alija could think of no better explanation.

Her heart slowed, her mind focused. Alija had returned to a rational state to hear what the woman had to say.

[Faradae]

Faradae She saw the woman hurry down the few stone steps leading down to the docks, excited and searching. For a moment, she came to a halt, her eyes locked on the very same fishermen Faradae had watched only chimes ago. She took another glance – some of them had strayed in the meantime, deciding the incident was not worth their worktime and preparing their boats for a long day on the water, the others were still occupied with the snow, but the pile was dwindling. In fact, they were trying to extinguish it with pieces of cloth, carefully, so they would not touch it. One of them failed in his attempt to avoid the grey mess, however – and instantly retracted his hand, a pained expression on his face. By the time she looked back, the woman had almost reached her. There was nothing especially memorable about her face, and her hair was just a few shades lighter than Fara’s. It reminded her of the colour of straw, and she could imagine it to hold the golden hue of autumn crops when the sunlight touched it. She was dressed like a worker – shirt and pants, no fanciful colours. She was not one of the wealthy citizens patrolling the commercial avenues and bazaars. That was no surprise, either. What kind of rich wife or noblewoman would have spent her time at the dirty, fishy docks? Faradae did not remember having seen her before. She hardly had time to wonder what her intentions may be before the other woman started talking to her, stating her name and lifting the mystery of her sudden appearance. Faradae guessed that she had witnessed the snow’s effect elsewhere and was now looking to unveil its secret, just like herself. She gave a smile, small and friendly. Maybe she had found a comrade for her investigations. She had, however, not heard anything about dogs behaving strangely before. And jumping into the Aperture? That was odd, indeed. The Aperture had a strange vibe to it, almost tangible and definitely unpleasant. One had to be no mage to realize it had ‘stay away’ written all over it, to know it consumed those who lost respect. All living creatures kept their safe distance from it, except for the monks, mad as they were, and even tried to protect their houses from its pull. The animals felt it, too, and hardly crossed the bridges on their own. Faradae even believed that some of Nyka’s inhabitants’ prejudices against foreigners and hostility towards strangers originated in the collective fear of the huge cleft. It was only logical: A joined bane made communities move closer together. It eliminated the space and flexibility newcomers required to settle in. Just for a moment, it looked like Alija – she instantly liked the sound of the name – was someplace else entirely, but when Faradae blinked, it was gone. She had likely just imagined it, and she was too excited to talk to her to pay much attention, anyway. She shook the hand presented to her and proceeded to explain her observations: “I just came here to watch the docks, so I didn’t see much of the action, but it seems that the snow caused burns last night.” And with a side glance at the unlucky fellow who still held one hand’s digits with the remaining hand, muttering under his breath as he stood aside and let the others treat to the snow, she continued: “And obviously it still does, despite lying on the ground and melting. It just happened to catch my attention. This is the first time I heard about the dogs, though – I heard some barking at night, but I thought I had dreamed it. Did the snow burn you? Or did you see the dogs?” One of the latter two had to be true, if not both. The woman did not look like the type to make a fuss over things that did not affect her, but she most definitely was agitated right now.

[Alija]

It appeared the woman knew very little, only having heard about it when she arrived at the dock. She didn't even know about the dogs, but that didn't mean she didn't want to find out. Alija's companion seemed interested, explaining how it caught her attention. Now calm, Alija took a moment to explain in more detail the events of last night.

"My dog," she gestured towards Rosco, "Seemed agitated last night, so I let him outside. When he was released, he began to run towards the Cursed Bridge. I managed to stop him, watching a number of other dogs jump without any provocation. Moments later, it started snowing. It hit me on the back of my hand, burning painfully. I return home, terrified." Alija took a deep breath, stopping her trembling hands that flailed around as she talked.

Were the two events connected? Before, she had considered it so, for two unrelated strange happenings in one night seemed too unbelievable. But now, as she started to think about it, the events were too different. Unless...
"Maybe the dogs knew this was going to happen - they say dogs know of future catastrophes. Maybe they were trying to avoid the snow... no, that can't be right." She stopped mid-thought, realising that if they wanted to avoid the snow, they would just stay inside.

"Are you interested in investigating this with me?" she questioned, before she got too far ahead of herself. She glanced behind herself, spotting a quick escape before things got awkward. "Because if not, I'm sorry for bothering you."

When the woman assured her that Alija wasn't talking to someone who wasn't interested, Alija would calm, tensing less. "Perhaps we should look around - maybe something knows some more? Unless you have a better idea?" she suggested, wanting to start with the investigation.

[Faradae]

Faradae It was only now that Faradae took real notice of the dog accompanying Alija, and she only did so with reluctance. The dog was of medium height, with brindled brown fur, small ears and a short snout. He was currently standing next to his mistress, wagging his tail and seemingly following the conversation with interest. Overall, it did not look like he was presently posing any threat. Fara was generally not afraid of dogs, but certain races and sizes filled her with a healthy dose of respect. Rosco was the sort she would rather avoid facing during a fight. Between examining the dog and his owner, whose body language now showed obvious signs of discomposure as she explained herself, Faradae listened to what her investigational partner’s report of the previous night, trying to make sense of the events, but the information was too scarce to form any kind of lead. “I’ll join the investigation, of course. It would make little sense to look into this separately. We’d end up asking the same people similar questions and overlooking things.” She agreed that more throughout research was due, and tried to think of a good place to start: The snow had been in various places, at the docks, and at the place where Alija lived. Also near the Aperture, but that was hardly a surprise. And it had had the same effect in all of those places – it had looked like regular snow, it melted like regular snow, and it burnt those who touched it. There was no telling whether the next outburst of frozen weather would share those properties. “If we want to take a closer look at the snow, we should begin with that, before it melts completely”, she said, thinking aloud. “Although I doubt we will learn anything new. It is snow and it causes burns. I don’t see another way to determine its characteristics other than touching it, and you already tried that. As did the fishermen, yet I don’t think they’ll feed us any new information. Is there anything unusual about the burn on your hand?” The other lead was more promising in the simple way that it led to a certain place – the Aperture. Something had pulled the dogs down there and that was alarming, whether it was related to the snow or not. Everything about the Aperture was discomforting, but dogs mindlessly jumping into the abyss were a much more real threat than some undefined fear of “monsters”. What if it happened to people, next time? At the same time, Faradae had a feeling she could consider this matter closed before even looking into it – venturing into the Aperture would have been madness. Still, they could examine the site in daylight. “And maybe we should pay that bridge another visit – see if your dog still acts strangely around it, maybe find a trace, find something…”

[Alija]

“If we want to take a closer look at the snow, we should begin with that, before it melts completely. Although I doubt we will learn anything new." Something flashed in her mind, and Alija cursed herself for not thinking about this before. Auristics would be able to reveal something about the snow, things simple sight wouldn't be able to reveal.

"We can learn more!" she exclaimed without any more explanation, hurrying to a secluded section sporting a small build up of snow. She trained her djed to her eyes, turning the magic on and letting herself see the snow for what it truly was.

Red hot flames engulfed it. Not snow - definitely not snow. Nothing here told her it was snow, only the opposite. Only heat and burning. This wasn't snow. That she could tell. What it was, however, was a mystery. Visiting the bridge was the best idea, and Alija pulled herself out of the magic, feeling a numbness in her face. "The snow isn't snow. I can't tell what it is - I can't recognise it, but it most certainly isn't snow. I think we should investigate the bridge."

As they walked, Alija looked at the burn, curious as to if there was something unusual to it. Nothing special, a coin sized splodge of red that stung the very slightest bit. As a blacksmith, she knew burns, and this was an ordinary one - and a first degree burn too, no blisters or peeling skin.

"The burn is normal. I could use auristics on it, but I doubt that would reveal much." Besides, she didn't want to ask too much of herself. It was one of the safer magics, but could still be dangerous. As they approached the bridge, Rosco seemed more agitated, fixating on something they couldn't see. Alija tightened her grip on his lead, "Notice anything strange... I don't think you gave me your name." There was nothing she saw that would get Rosco into a mood like that, but perhaps this woman, whatever her name was, did see something.

[Faradae]

Faradae Faradae hurried after Alija when she went to inspect the snow. The woman crouched down and her eyes ventured somewhere Faradae could not determine, and unlike the first time, when she had dismissed it for a trick of her eyes, she was sure about it this time. Alija was doing something, and she had no idea what that something was. Magic, possibly? The thought made her uncomfortable. What had she been doing earlier, when they met? Faradae hadn’t felt or seen anything strange, but that was hardly a guarantee for Alija’s harmlessness. She watched with scepticism as Alija moved again, immediately informing her that the snow was not what it seemed to be. Before she got a chance to ask about it, Alija mentioned something – Auristics. She had not heard of that before, and she could only guess that it was a special skill Alija could perform – probably what she had seen her do earlier. “What exactly are Auristics? Is that what you did before, with the snow?”, she asked, and felt a little stupid because she had no notion of something that seemed to be so ordinary to her fellow investigator. They continued walking while they talked, and Alijah inspected her burn, which had all the features a burn should have – reddened skin, slight pain, a slight tightening of the skin. It was entirely unremarkable. So much for that lead. The bridge was their last remaining option, and the large dog Alija had brought was showing clear signs of disturbance when they approached it. Faradae wasn’t well-versed in the specialties of canine behaviour, but Rosco seemed to be both excited for and afraid of something. From the way his owner immediately shortened his leash, she doubted that it was the general influence of the Aperture, the feeling of danger and discomposure hanging in the air like thickish smoke. Nothing about the place had a good vibe to it – not the name, not the tight feeling in her belly, not the dim winter light, not the darkness waiting below. An inner sense told her to flee the place, but nothing about that was truly strange. “Faradae,” she murmured, a bit absent-mindedly, trying to figure out what exactly was agitating the dog. There was no snow on the bridge – around it, yes, but not on the Bridge itself. There was no telling if it had already melted or never been there in the first place. Some of the rope-ladders leading into the abyss had been torn by tumbling claws as the dogs had launched themselves into the rift. She leaned over the railing, wooden, but iron-cold, and stared into the breach. She could see the ground, stone-paved and bare, dark and uninviting. There were no remnants, and no bones. For the blink of an eye, she could have sworn she saw a shadow. It lingered for a second, taunting her, then it was gone. There was a yelp below, shrill with fear. Impossible. The dogs could not have survived that fall, the impact must have shattered their bodies, and the night had taken them away. She looked at Alija. “Please tell me I’m imagining things.”

[Alija]

Alija nodded at the woman's question, "It's a magic." Before she could start fearing Alija for being a magic user, the mage added, "Perfectly harmless. It lets you see auras, which give you information." She had been a fool to mention it, for now her companion watched her with a little scepticism. Magic, however harmless and simple it could be, was feared by many. Even if the magic couldn't directly hurt someone, people had secrets they didn't want shared.
Being able to find out those secrets scared them.

The damage was done now, the women turning back to the investigation. The Aperture brought a strange feeling upon them: a tightening in her stomach, a dizziness and an overrall feeling of evil. The Cursed Bridge. Alija knew little about its history, but from the name and the feeling, she knew that not many took it. It was a bad place to be.

There was no snow on the bridge. Alija saw that when Faradae did, wondering whether it was coincidence, or because even the snow feared this bridge. Perhaps neither, perhaps both. This was Nyka, anything could be true. After all, the snow was snow, but something that burned the people it touched. For all she knew, the snow could be a creature that feared the crack through the city like the citizens did.

Faradae moved to the railing near an old rope-ladder, torn by claws and reason for it being there unknown. She needed to find more about the bridge - if she did, perhaps more could be understood. But now, she watched Faradae lean over, holding her own breath. Then there was a shrill yelp, the woman looking at Alija hoping she would tell her it was real. Or not real, Alija couldn't tell.

But she had heard it too, slowly shifting towards where Faradae stood. She leant over, gripping the railing tightly. Her eyes blurred the surroundings, calling forth the djed that let her see the auras of something. A feeling of dizziness overcame her, a feeling of vertigo. Alija felt like she was about to fall in, and threw herself back rather than fall forward.

"There's nothing down there... Faradae, what do you know about the bridge?"

[Faradae]

Faradae She stared back into the chasm for a few seconds, tense and unmoving, alert, but no more sounds reached her ear, at least none originating from the Aperture. Instead, she heard a thud next to herself. It was Alija, stumbling against the railing on the opposite side of the bridge. She was overcome by a sudden urge to step closer to the edge, but the rounded bars of the railing kept her from doing anything imprudent. It took her high concentration to win the fight and tear her gaze from the rift, and when she did, she stumbled away from the sight, much like her partner had moments ago. “I know very little about it,” she admitted, gathering herself, “I heard it’s an old hanging site, but I don’t remember where that information came from. I have no idea when it ceased serving that purpose, if it is actually cursed, and if so, how it came to be. But it isn’t hard to believe, is it? It’s one of the worst places in the city.” She left the bridge, crossing into the Western Quarter. “In any case, it has a history of death, and death has visited once again.” She silently filed the sounds they’d heard under Mysteries of the Aperture, a drawer that held the most curious, yet unsettling stories. There hardly ever was an explanation. “I’m afraid there’s nothing we can do about it, right here, right now, and I won’t risk my life in the Aperture and run into some gruesome trap. I have no idea what this has to do with the snow, though.” Burning snow, burning snow… It was magic, that much was clear, but where did it come from? “Do you think there’s a spell on the snow, something someone cast to cause harm, or an experiment gone astray?” She couldn’t imagine the reasons for a spell of this sort. If someone wanted to cause panic or damage, there were more effective ways, weren’t there? They could set the town on fire, damage a bridge or stir a fight between the monks. Why rain down fire in the middle of the night, when hardly anyone was outside?

[Alija]

Faradae knew more about the bridge than Alija, explaining how it was used for hangings. She said she didn't know whether it was actually curse, but Alija knew that for herself. The bridge was most definitely cursed, although perhaps not in the most conventional sense. Death clung to it, like a mother clung to her baby. It seemed that it had a history of death, and now it seemed that it would have a future like that as well.

Alija followed Faradae into the Western Quarter, thinking about everything said. The bridge did have the essence of evil clinging to it, but nothing specific that stood out, shouting to her about the reason for the dogs' actions. There was nothing left there to discover and as Faradae had so neatly put it, she wouldn't want to run into some gruesome trap in the Aperture either.

"Do you think there’s a spell on the snow, something someone cast to cause harm, or an experiment gone astray?” Alija didn't know. What else could it be? It wasn't normal snow. But it wasn't like someone had taken normal snow either, and just enchanted it. It wasn't snow. That much she knew.

But an experiment gone astray? That seemed much more likely. "Maybe that's it? A wizard trying to do some magic, but messes up and creates this? I don't know. I really don't. There's nothing left for us to look into, is there?"

Alija had lost hope in this investigation. It was going nowhere, creating more questions than answers. Sure, they had come up with explanations, but what evidence did they have that it was really that? None, that was how Alija saw it. Would they truly find out anything?