Closed A Dream of a Walk[Octarus]

[Moritz Craven]

Shrugging Moritz answered in his usual manner, non-nonchalant and matter of fact.

"I just see what I see. And I've been around ghosts more than you, I'd think. So makes sense I'd be better able to draw a comparison. Honestly, I think a lot of stuff is more in common than people think, they just don't notice it. There is some stuff in common, and some not, but the important bit here is the stuff in common. From what you said, I suppose dying could be another one of those things in common."

Moritz and Octarus were continuing their conversation when they were interrupted however. A pair of Okomo mounted by armed people, Shinya by the looks of them.

Continuing to stand casually as they approached Moritz glanced over at the Ethaefal out of the corner of his eye before returning his gaze to those approaching.

"If they wanted to go somewhere else, they wouldn't be coming directly at us. It doesn't take that good of an Okomo to go around people. We aren't stupid."

A few moments later the pair of armed Shinya came to a halt upon their mounts. Looking down at the two, they seemed to examine the situation in one sweep before turning to meet each of their eyes.

One was a large woman who looked like she could easily lift Moritz over her head and toss him off the mountain. She had a long narrow weapon as tall as herself at her side with a pointed tip at one end. The other one, a man, had a smaller weapon in a leather case on his hip, probably holding some kind of blade by the looks, and a bow on the side of his saddle.

Before anyone could speak the Okomo mount the woman rode turned to Moritz and said quite clearly in word and positioning "What are you doing here little one, what is going on?" This was said with a lilt towards Octarus, clearly indicating the man as being involved in the goings on and possibly as a threat. Or questioning the possibility of a threat.

Or at least, that was what it was interpreted as to Moritz who understood the language/motion/positioning talk of an Okomo. To anyone else it would look like the Okomo was flexing and glancing over, along with making a "Uuuuuuh" sound.

Looking the Okomo mount in the eye, rather than their rider, Moritz let out a sigh before responding in common which was understood by everyone. What followed was a conversation between the two which for half of the conversation left out all but Moritz and the two Okomo mounts. The half Moritz spoke was less clear, since it was only half of the conversation.

"I'm walking home. This guy is walking with me."

"Query, this man is not danger? Sent, danger. Do job."

"What this guy? Please, even I could take this guy. Don't let the horns fool you, he can't even hit people with them! Just for looks! I mean whats the point of that?"

"Young one, why are you out as this, at night?"

"I don't know, I went to bed in my, well bed... And woke up in a field near this guy. Outside his house. And I think I had a weird dream, but... I can't recall too well."

By this point the two Shinya were thoroughly confused, looking between each other and the two below them. They had heard Mortiz words, which seemed to clarify some things, but they weren't used to random people carrying on conversations with their mounts. Nor with their mounts conversing back. Finally fed up, the woman rose her voice and yelled down at the two below.

"Ok, someone explain what you two are doing here."

Moritz confused looked up, meeting the woman's gaze.

"I just did. You know, your mount is much better at asking questions than you. You should really work on that."

WC: 658

[Octarus]

Octarus had little time to muse on this latest revelation as the two armed figures approaching them presently occupied his thoughts. He bit back a retort at the parting comment from Moritz, not really wanting to get into an argument with the two Shinya approaching. Instead, he straightened his back and did his best to look presentable. Which was hard given his tattered apparel, though he thought he did as well as could be respected with smoothing out some of the wrinkles in his clothes. To his surprise, it was Moritz whom first started speaking. Answering questions that he most certainly had not heard. It took him longer than he would later admit to realize that the boy was speaking to the Okomos. His eyes widened at the realization but he felt stuck on just what to do. There really wasn’t room for him to join in the conversation with a different species, and the Shinya hadn’t addressed him yet. That left him in the awkward position of trying not to fidget until the woman finally spoke up. His relief was quickly superseded by the boy’s casual rebuke. Octarus blanched, patting the air in a faux attempt at mollifying things. “I’m just walking the boy home. I know his mother. Madeira is her name. He showed up as an Okomo, asleep apparently. I think he walked there like that.” He said, blurting out the bits of information as they came to his rattled mind. It was probably as clearly as he had ever parsed anything and was not likely to see a repeat. Chalk it up to fear, of which Octarus was currently feeling plenty eying the deadly weapons of the Shinya. “He’s rather direct, not his fault.” Octarus shrugged apologetically. He didn’t know what to say after that, so he found himself suddenly standing there awkwardly as the attention was focused on him. It was then that the earlier absurd feeling dawned on him, and he put together what exactly might have drawn these Shinya to them on this night. A woman. That petching woman. Or someone else on the street that he missed. They didn’t look at all inconspicuous traveling the path together. He really should have insisted on putting some clothes on the boy before they left, or him shifting into an Okomo seeing as Octarus really didn’t have spare clothing at the moment. However then they wouldn’t have had their discussion, and how much bleaker a place the night would have been in that case. Chewing his bottom lip while eying the pair, he just hoped his mistake wasn’t going to cost them anything. He didn’t have the best experiences with guards to go by, and these Shinya were a mysterious lot.

[Moritz Craven]

Moritz frowned at Octarus, annoyed that he was apologizing on his behalf when no apology was required or deserved.

As she listened to the Ethaefal explain things the woman Shinya hopped down from her mount. Moritz was not quite sure how, but at some point between hopping off the saddle and landing on the ground she had collected her long thin weapon and was now holding it casually as she stood. Not in a threatening manner, but quite easy he felt to move it into such a manner.

Turning back to the Okomo who now had no rider Moritz continued the conversation.

"Would you talk to your human, I don't think she listens too good. I don't want to be rude regarding your rider, but couldn't you find one that listens better? I mean she can't be all bad if you let her ride you, but still, not the best listener."

"Listen you!..."

The female Shinya began to speak before she was cut off by her mount, the Okomo pointedly bumping her in the shoulder by their nose. Hard enough to make the Shinya stumble but not so hard as to make her fall down. The Shinya whipped around, meeting her mounts gaze and the two of them seemed to communicate to some degree as they held gazes. Not as well as Moritz spoke to the Okomo but still much better than Moritz had seen any other human do.

Once they were done the stiffness of the Shinya's shoulders dropped, and she turned back to look at the two in front of her.

"She is a human, yes, but she has earned my trust. Also she is doing her job, something of honor and purpose. Better she act too harsh, than not harsh enough."

Moritz shrugged and answered the Okomo somewhat non-noncommittally, "I suppose..."

At that moment the woman met his gaze, and seemed to put all of the information together. The visual things she could see, the things Octorus and Moritz had said, and the last thing she had noticed. Moritz eyes. The eyes so alike to her own mounts. The eyes of an Okomo.

"Petch. Your that Okomo boy, er... Kelvic, aren't you? And that means... Ah petch."

Turning to meet her mounts gaze the female Shinya brushed her hand across her forehead while also sort of holding her forehead. Moritz was not quite sure what it was supposed to mean, but perhaps someone else would.

"Wait you walked here, sleeping... Ah great, another sleepwalker. Just what we need. And an Okomo kelvic no less, just great. Look you aren't the first sleepwalker we've heard of recently, it seems to be going around. Weird dreams, and sleepwalking. And apparently it can also happen with Okomo by the sound of your story, which is just great news. As in not good at all!"

"And it also explains why your walking around naked with a grown man, er Ethaefal. Look I'll explain to Madeline, the lady who saw you two, what happened. But you, no more walking around naked in the middle of the night with strange people, alright? Either put on some clothes, or change form. And you, if you find a random naked boy in your front yard, go and find somebody and tell them! Don't just go off on a night time talk and stroll!"

Once any more words were exchanged between the Ethaefal and the Shinya the woman would mount up and both would ride off.

Before they did both Okomo turned to meet Moritz and give him a nod of the head. Moritz nodded back, and watched for a few moments as the Okomo bounded away at a quickly increasing pace.

A few moments later Moritz turned and continued on in the direction they had been walking as if there had been no interruption and in a completely calm and unfazed fashion.

"Right, what were we talking about before we were interrupted?"

WC: 657

[Octarus]

Something was transpiring that was beyond his capacity for observation. Whether it was the look between the Okomo and boy, or the rider’s and their mounts. However, he understood the what holding a weapon meant well enough. His eyes lingered there as Moritz persisted to talk around the Shinya. It might have even been funny if he wasn’t the subject of so much scrutiny right now. These were strange times indeed. Having to rely on a naked boy to do his arguing for him. Had he really fallen so far? Surprisingly, he didn’t feel shame at that admission. He knew where his strengths lie, and more importantly where they didn’t. Talking was not his strong suit. Neither was socializing for that matter. The only reason he figured he got along so well with the boy is because he was half Okomo. He didn’t mind tending to animals one bit. It was the humans whom always caused the drama. Drama like this one brandishing her weapon so casually. It made his gut churn, though whether from nervousness or anger, he couldn’t quite tell. They were all mixed up inside him right now, jostling for the lead. Once again he reminded himself. He did not like guards. So he felt a twinge of amusement when the woman’s mount- What was the word for it? Reprimanded her? That seemed appropriate given the nature of the one sided conversation Moritz was having in earshot of them all. There was a look shared between her and the mount. A curious thing passed between them, not unlike communication though of the more basic variety. He wasn’t quite sure he understood it, but then again he didn’t have a lot of time to dwell on the gesture. She had taken an interest in the boy again, and seemed to have at least heard of him from what Octarus could piece together. He resisted asking for clarification in this instance for he had no desire to attract any more attention than he had already. Another sleepwalker did ring out to him though, relieving him in a way that this was not just a one off. It had been a creeping dread of his that he had imagined the whole Okomo thing and that it would turn out to be he had some break from reality in which he had stolen the boy from his bed. A far fetched idea, though anything was possible for a man that appeared off a beach one day. He flinched back when her attention turned back to him. “In my defense, he was an Okomo before he was a boy, and I don’t have the best relationship with my neighbors.” Or anyone really he finished to himself as he nodded deferentially towards the Shinya. Then because he found it hard not to, he shrugged because it made him feel a twinge more calm. Wasn’t like they proscribed him what to do in case a boy sleep walks into his yard. He was still putting together the whole kelvic thing. In any case, he was glad to see them leave. It was slightly reassuring to see how easily Moritz seemed to shrug off the whole interaction, resuming their walk with little trouble. Octarus followed along, though part of his mind still raced from that anxious encounter. He had to take a few ticks to really focus in on what they had been saying before all that trouble broke out. “I didn’t explain my ability did I?” Octarus posited, finding it slightly soothing to ground himself on something he was familiar with. “To be sure, I found the ability quite strange myself when I stumbled upon it. I have to be touching the thing, an- it is hard to explain. It feels like some kind of connection is building between me and the object. Then it is like lightning striking the ground, passing from me into it. What transpires is that it gets a little older. Something that also more or less fell into my lap. You see I was practicing this with a potted plant I had in Alvadas. Everyday I’d hold onto it as a sort of focus ritual, and it ending up growing much faster than the rest of what we had on that window sill.” “Now that I say it aloud, it kind of makes it a whole lot more confusing how this factors into the rest.” Octarus mused, scratching his chin. “Unless time is the connection that binds all of these things together.”

[Moritz Craven]

Once the Shinya were gone, Moritz listened to Octarus as he explained his ability. He listened as they walked, slowly growing closer to his home.

By the time he finished explaining his power to Moritz, the boy realized how tired he was. Letting out a large yawn, Moritz turned to catch Octarus' eye before responding.

"Sorry, I'm... Sleepy. Though I did wake up halfway through sleeping, and go running around in my sleep, so maybe that's why... I don't think we are too far from my house."

"As for the power, I have no idea. Are you sure its related to the others? Maybe its just some weird magic you know how to do? Yeah I've no idea, its been a long night. I guess it could be related, but I'm not sure I really track what you mean as to how."

Pausing for a moment in thought Moritz pondered over everything he had heard that night, before carrying onward with his thoughts.

"Although... Do you age? You talked about falling, not being born but emerging as you are. Do you get older? Doesn't sound like you grew up from what you said. so maybe you not aging, is related to you aging other stuff? I think I'm going to bed when I get home..."

WC: 215

[Octarus]

“I imagine your sleep hasn’t exactly been restful tonight.” Octarus agreed, though he mostly spent his time sleeping during the day. When he wasn’t working at least. It was easier that way to pass through his mortal time, away from the memories that lingered there. He wasn’t sure what had caused the boy to start sleep walking, though if others were doing it, he was intrigued to know why. It didn’t seem like the Shinya knew yet, but he hoped they might discover the reason before too long. Waking up naked on someone’s doorstep certainly wasn’t something he had planned for himself after all. He wasn’t sure if he was understanding what Moritz was saying about his powers however. Maybe it was because he was still a good deal anxious from their earlier interaction, and his mind was threatening to run in circles at the slightest provocation. Whatever it was, gone was his conductive mood for deep thinking, something he had not done in a very long while. “I do not think so. I look the same as I did a decade ago in both forms.” He said, before mulling over that for a moment. It was another thing he hadn’t really thought about till now. How the only thing that changed about him was this form from season to season, and even those had some regularity to them. Like how every summer, his horns and eyes made the same transformation. Time. There had to be something about it, though he’d lost the train of thought as they came near where Moritz stayed. Turning towards the boy, he struggled for just what to say. He wasn’t very good with goodbyes. “Well, it was a nice chat if a bit unusual. Feel free to come by sometime when you are awake, and clothed. I think I am going to walk around for a while longer as it isn’t often I come by this way. An let your mother know about that whole sleepwalking thing. Maybe there is something she could do about it.” Octarus shrugged, and then offered an awkward wave in parting. He probably didn’t need to add that last bit, but he said a lot of unnecessary things when he was tense. An a walk around the park was just the remedy for that.

[Moritz Craven]

Moritz shrugged at the Ethaefals response, unsure who was right. Or if either of them were. Both of them, he supposed, could be wrong.

"No I meant you were aging other stuff, in place of you... Whatever, doesn't matter."

Near the manor, Moritz spent a few moments looking about the grounds and the house itself.

"Sure. I'm sure I'll see you again. Not today, but some other time. I''ll have to ask the house if its noticed me walking around asleep before. It had to have opened the door, not like I did it myself in my Okomo form. You've got a lazy house, you know that? It didn't do anything the whole time I was there. Our house, it only talks to mother. But it still communicates, sort of, with others. Its usually good about opening doors when I don't have hands. Anyways, night."

With that Moritz headed off to the house, and to bed, ready to end the night that had gone on for quite some time.

WC: 169