60th of Summer, 517 AV, 9th Bell
It was supposed to be a normal day, or so he thought, it was supposed to be just another in the mess of it that is one Robinson Gilli. The weather was humid, the sweat he screated refused to go as the humid air kept it to him. Even for this city it was near unbearable but that was not what brought him trouble, in fact it was something that bordered on the realm of madness.
The face he stared at smiled back maliciously. Gray, cap, blond hair, tacky dandy-like clothing and only thing decent about it a pair of boots, and more importantly a sheathed scimitar hanging from his belt….. a scimitar that Robin was quite certain he had tucked away in his current abode.
Robin was frozen stiff in the middle of the road, to the passerby it was like he saw a ghost but they didn’t see what he saw. No, they didn’t see the memory of a past literally standing there before them as if given flesh.
“Yer dead…” Robin croaked almost voicelessly. Thumper laughed, a drunkards laugh based on the brief knowledge Robin had of the man he killed, the immature man and his friend who tried to kill him as a mark. The two he killed because they also had a mark on their heads.
Thumper kept laughing, all wheezing and drunk like as if he just saw the funniest in his life ‘ Unlife… maybe?’ Robin corrected, his mind barely processing and understanding what was going on.
A pat on the shoulder caused Robin to jump, a look of surprise on his face as his darted to the new presence only to see it was one of the Akalaks, showing concern and wariness.
“You are alright?” He said inquisitively. Robin turned his gaze around to see a dozen other folk watch curiously as they passed by. Others clearly guards lingering their hands to their weapons at the first sign of trouble.
His voice dry, Robin hazarded a question “ Ye don’ see ‘im?” He asked, jutting a chin towards to Thumper who was now sitting on his rear, his elbows resting on his legs as his head rested upon the palms of his hands. The Akalak spared a glance, but then shook his head and wondered no Doubt if the human was ill so thought Robin.
‘ I jus’ might be’ He gulped “Right, guess I be jus’ a little tired then. Heat getting’ to me" Which may as well be a partial truth he thought. Thumper merely laughed again, his juvenile and malicious cackle unheard by all save Robin.
Robin was determined to keep this a hallucination, a delusion brought on by the heat. It had to be, the dead don’t simply dust themselves off as if nothing happened then carried on, right? A corpse stayed a corpse and that’s how it should be.
“Right…uh, be headin’ back to proppa shade” He declared to the Akalak, who gave him a cautious nod and let him be on his way. Robinson had originally intended to get some archery done at the Stained Pelt like he’d done days prior, but evidently it needed to be on hold if he was this delusional.
He felt it a wise idea to head away from the area, instead of finding solace in the Blue Bull he would go to the Kulkukan, enjoy the shade there, have a meal and drink a copious amount of liquid. Yes, he would do that.
As boots hit the stone beneath, his ears picked up another pair of steps that were consistent with his own. His gaze snapped to his left to see the hallucination of Thumper walking beside him, a lazy swagger and an insufferable grin on his face.
“Oh, don’t ya be lingerin’ that there gaze Robbie. Ain’t want more people thinkin’ ya a nutter, eh?” The hallucination started, and Robin snapped his gaze forward and just marched faster.
‘ Ain’ real, ain’t real, ain’t real’ He mentally recited the mantra, his heart rate spiking as he felt the organ thump faster and loudly in his chest. ‘ three years, yer a rottin’ corpse full o’ maggots, three years!’
“Oh come now Robbie boy, ain’t exactly kind o’ you ta be thinkin’ that eh? ‘ave some sympathy for the dead” Thumper drawled, yet his tone indicated he was enjoying every second of this.
“ Jus’ a hallucination, Robbin. Jus’ somethin’ yer ‘eads cookin’ up’ He kept rationalizing as he began crossing the bridge, his destination not too long away for now. His mind didn’t help further as he recalled that day where his misfortunes seemed to start.
The job was a simple one, a small time gang was getting’ uppity, someone wanted that taken care of. Robin didn’t question his handler nor the source of the job, things like this were typical in the Birth. Then he met the two, Thumper and dimwitted Georgie, two of a gang of five or six all with a characteristic gray cap.
Turned out the two had a mark on him in return they wanted to cash, a set up that made no sense. He’d done nothing wrong as far as he was aware, and the timing was so close he’d assumed it to be a set up from the beginning. He never got the answer as to why, but its effect lingered on for years on him.
“The why really matterin’ now, Robbie? Thing is you’z all out of the Berth now, a lil’ pariah. Gots to tell you its brings me all a tingle ta see ya so down in the dumps” Thumper cackled. Robin turned only to meet a gaze that went ‘ Go on, let all the fine folk ‘ere think yer a nutso, they ain’t seein’ me an’ hearin’. Whatchu gonna do about it?’
He kept his mouth shut, fixed his gaze forward, and made his way to the damn Tavern!
The face he stared at smiled back maliciously. Gray, cap, blond hair, tacky dandy-like clothing and only thing decent about it a pair of boots, and more importantly a sheathed scimitar hanging from his belt….. a scimitar that Robin was quite certain he had tucked away in his current abode.
Robin was frozen stiff in the middle of the road, to the passerby it was like he saw a ghost but they didn’t see what he saw. No, they didn’t see the memory of a past literally standing there before them as if given flesh.
“Yer dead…” Robin croaked almost voicelessly. Thumper laughed, a drunkards laugh based on the brief knowledge Robin had of the man he killed, the immature man and his friend who tried to kill him as a mark. The two he killed because they also had a mark on their heads.
Thumper kept laughing, all wheezing and drunk like as if he just saw the funniest in his life ‘ Unlife… maybe?’ Robin corrected, his mind barely processing and understanding what was going on.
A pat on the shoulder caused Robin to jump, a look of surprise on his face as his darted to the new presence only to see it was one of the Akalaks, showing concern and wariness.
“You are alright?” He said inquisitively. Robin turned his gaze around to see a dozen other folk watch curiously as they passed by. Others clearly guards lingering their hands to their weapons at the first sign of trouble.
His voice dry, Robin hazarded a question “ Ye don’ see ‘im?” He asked, jutting a chin towards to Thumper who was now sitting on his rear, his elbows resting on his legs as his head rested upon the palms of his hands. The Akalak spared a glance, but then shook his head and wondered no Doubt if the human was ill so thought Robin.
‘ I jus’ might be’ He gulped “Right, guess I be jus’ a little tired then. Heat getting’ to me" Which may as well be a partial truth he thought. Thumper merely laughed again, his juvenile and malicious cackle unheard by all save Robin.
Robin was determined to keep this a hallucination, a delusion brought on by the heat. It had to be, the dead don’t simply dust themselves off as if nothing happened then carried on, right? A corpse stayed a corpse and that’s how it should be.
“Right…uh, be headin’ back to proppa shade” He declared to the Akalak, who gave him a cautious nod and let him be on his way. Robinson had originally intended to get some archery done at the Stained Pelt like he’d done days prior, but evidently it needed to be on hold if he was this delusional.
He felt it a wise idea to head away from the area, instead of finding solace in the Blue Bull he would go to the Kulkukan, enjoy the shade there, have a meal and drink a copious amount of liquid. Yes, he would do that.
As boots hit the stone beneath, his ears picked up another pair of steps that were consistent with his own. His gaze snapped to his left to see the hallucination of Thumper walking beside him, a lazy swagger and an insufferable grin on his face.
“Oh, don’t ya be lingerin’ that there gaze Robbie. Ain’t want more people thinkin’ ya a nutter, eh?” The hallucination started, and Robin snapped his gaze forward and just marched faster.
‘ Ain’ real, ain’t real, ain’t real’ He mentally recited the mantra, his heart rate spiking as he felt the organ thump faster and loudly in his chest. ‘ three years, yer a rottin’ corpse full o’ maggots, three years!’
“Oh come now Robbie boy, ain’t exactly kind o’ you ta be thinkin’ that eh? ‘ave some sympathy for the dead” Thumper drawled, yet his tone indicated he was enjoying every second of this.
“ Jus’ a hallucination, Robbin. Jus’ somethin’ yer ‘eads cookin’ up’ He kept rationalizing as he began crossing the bridge, his destination not too long away for now. His mind didn’t help further as he recalled that day where his misfortunes seemed to start.
The job was a simple one, a small time gang was getting’ uppity, someone wanted that taken care of. Robin didn’t question his handler nor the source of the job, things like this were typical in the Birth. Then he met the two, Thumper and dimwitted Georgie, two of a gang of five or six all with a characteristic gray cap.
Turned out the two had a mark on him in return they wanted to cash, a set up that made no sense. He’d done nothing wrong as far as he was aware, and the timing was so close he’d assumed it to be a set up from the beginning. He never got the answer as to why, but its effect lingered on for years on him.
“The why really matterin’ now, Robbie? Thing is you’z all out of the Berth now, a lil’ pariah. Gots to tell you its brings me all a tingle ta see ya so down in the dumps” Thumper cackled. Robin turned only to meet a gaze that went ‘ Go on, let all the fine folk ‘ere think yer a nutso, they ain’t seein’ me an’ hearin’. Whatchu gonna do about it?’
He kept his mouth shut, fixed his gaze forward, and made his way to the damn Tavern!