The Fortune Teller and the Dead Man (Rue)

[Varian Snowsong]

Summer, 15, 511 AV When you didn’t eat and drink, when you never slept, time seemed to drag on forever. Even as a new Nuit, a man who had been alive but a month or two ago, the former Vantha found that unbearable. He had never realized how many hours were in a day until now – and how many hours he had wasted in bed when his heart had still been beating. He was alone for seven or eight hours each and every day, with nothing but his unpleasant and melancholic thoughts to keep him company. It was a challenge to fill all that empty time with something meaningful. Since his return he had come to know Avanthal better than when he had been alive, when he had still been living among the members of the Snowsong Hold. He had taken countless walks through the city, but most often he lingered in the market place, looking at the wares that were on display. Sometimes he bought a bit of food, even though his dead body couldn’t digest it anymore. He still enjoyed the feel of it, the smell, the warmth of something freshly cooked. Sometimes, like today, he walked through the Menagerie, admiring the animals, wondering if maybe a pet would fill the emptiness inside his soul. Would an animal tolerate the presence of a creature such as the one he had become, a walking, talking corpse? Would an animal notice that there was something strange about him? Or did animals not care as long as you fed them and gave them a little love, whatever form the love of a man whose skin was cold to the touch took? He stood in front of the fire in the center of the Menagerie for a moment, rubbing his hands together, but then he abruptly stepped away, worried that the heat would dry his fragile body out, that he would be burned, that he would only lose the body he had had for all the twenty-four years that he had existed in this world faster. He had become careful since his death in Ravok, ever aware of how quickly it could be over, how soon he would have to wear a stranger’s face. He approached one of the small buildings that housed the vendors instead and stood in front of the window. It was covered with a bit of snow and ice. He raised a gloved hand, to wipe some of it away. Had a mortal man touched the frozen window, some of the ice would eventually have melted, but his body lacked warmth, and thus the ice remained, keeping him from looking through the window, into the house.

[Rue]

Timestamp: 15th of Summer, 511 A.V. Rue stayed inside Tovans shop for a while, warming herself and scratching the birds in the crook of the neck, producing hums and coos from the various species. She had a slight pressurized headache that was a warning sign of oncoming illness and the heat in the shop fed into her need for a good night’s rest. Lazily her eyes flicked to the window and back to the hawk she was playing with. The bird gave a soft coo as she ran her finger down its spine. She had been contemplating buying a hawk or some other bird from Tovan for a couple of days but had decided that she had her hands full with the runt dogs. Yesterday she had considered buying a wolf from Farren but the man scared her and she didn’t really know how to handle such a beast. A shadow in her peripheral vision alerted her that someone was outside, near the window. No one had entered the shop for a while so she went outside to see who it might be. As she opened the door she was met with a blast of cold air and a few snowflakes. Blinking them away she peered around the door. The man standing at the window was dresses in a thick cloak and had black hair, with some flair of blue. He seemed a bit ill and as Rue approached him cautiously she noted that there were deep bags under his eyes. Carefully she touched his shoulder to gain his attention. “You can come inside you know.” She offered softly.

[Varian Snowsong]

For a moment it seemed to him as if he could shapes, somewhere behind the ice, behind the glass of the window, people moving through the shop – or at least a single person, going about their work. It also seemed to him as if he could hear birds sing, a sweet melody that touched his cold heart, but what kind of bird would sing here, in Avanthal where it was forever winter? What kind of bird would sing for a dead man, trapped in the decaying remains of his body? He was probably just imagining things, losing his sanity together with his life. As the door opened, there was a sudden flash of light, of warmth, and he stepped back from the window, worried that whoever was coming would disapprove of him staring, that he might be accused of having less than honorable motives. As he did so, he got a glimpse of the inside of the shop and noticed that there were indeed birds there. He remembered what kind of shop he was standing in front of now. There was a name, Tovan. He hadn’t visited the Menagerie often when he had been alive, but he remembered at least that. The girl that stepped out of the door was new though. He couldn’t remember seeing her when he had last been in Avanthal, more than a year ago. He looked surprised as his gaze fell on her. Unlike his fellow Nuits‘ his face was still quite expressive. He didn’t have that strange, unnerving stare yet, but still acted human and had largely human emotions. She seemed to be a bit too young to be working there. She hardly reached his shoulder, and her manner of dress was a bit strange. She didn’t dress like a native of Avanthal. He pondered her question for a few moments before he answered, and then he inclined his head slightly. „Thank you“, he replied and stepped over the treshhold because it would seem odd if he didn’t come in, if he tried to find some kind of excuse and left. He removed neither gloves nor scarf though so that she wouldn’t be alarmed if she accidentially touched him and discovered that his skin was cold, and he also made sure not too open his mouth to wide lest she see his black tongue. Once inside, he turned to face her again, a questioning look on his pale face. „I haven’t seen you here before“, he remarked. His voice was soft. „Are you Tovan’s daughter? His niece?“

[Rue]

The man did not remove any clothing, like most would when entering a warm room; this seemed a little strange to Rue but she didn’t question it. The man seemed slightly uncomfortable and when he spoke his mouth hardly moved. The question didn’t register right away, as it was Rue was busy taking in the appearance of the man. He really did look sickly. The darkness under his eyes stood out vividly in the glow of the room, as did his pale skin. He had seemed to walk slowly as if he wasn’t used to the action, or perhaps stiff when they came in. Rue thought that he looked like a Vantha possibly; a very ill Vantha at that. Had he seen a healer yet? Maybe, if he had the medicine might not have kicked in yet, but a healer would most likely condemn him to bed rest. The hawk she had been petting earlier flitted over to her, flapping its wings largely as it scooted closer. Snapping out of her thoughts she quickly remembered what it was he had asked. Blushing lightly at the question she pondered the idea. Tovan was a master in a sense with birds and such people appealed naturally to bird Kelvics. To Rue, it would be an honor to be considered related to Tovan. Smiling softly she touched the bird kindly and replied. “No I’m not related to Tovan, I just like to spend my time here.” They both seemed to be very soft spoken. After a few moments of silence she spoke again. “What’s your name?”

[Varian Snowsong]

As he waited for her answer, he turned around and looked at the different kinds of birds. It was amazing to see so many birds in a place where the snow never melted. Without a doubt most of them came from a place where it was warmer. The songs they sang reminded him of his travels, of his time in Syliras, among the Konti or Ravok that was one of the most beautiful cities he had ever visited. For a moment the Nuit longed to touch one of them, to feel its soft feathers, to hold its warm, little body in his cold hands. But then he noticed a hawk that flew over to the girl, and his attention was entirely focused on her again. „It trusts you“, he remarked. „It seems to be almost tame. You are good with birds.“ He came a bit closer so that he could see the hawk better, although he still didn’t remove any clothing. He didn’t know any of the little techniques that the older Nuit employed to give themselves the appearance of a living being – although at least seeming to be a normal, healthy human was what he wanted more than almost anything else. „You should ask Tovan if he would be willing to take you on as an apprentice“, he suggested. „It would allow you to spend time here and earn money at the same time.“ There was a moment of hesitation as she asked him for his name. He still had family in the city, living people. What if they found out? What if she recognized the name? There was a strange, almost irrational fear for a moment, but on the other hand he had come here because he wanted to see them one last time. He was just worried that hey would ask him what had happened, why he couldn’t stay, that somebody would eventually draw the right conclusion and not believe the story he had invented. „My name is Varian“, he finally spoke. „What is your name?“ He extended a gloved hand towards the hawk, but then he withdrew it again, worried that the bird wouldn’t trust him, that it would just try to hurt him.

[Rue]

“Birds trust other birds.” Rue mumbled in response. This was something she had known to be true for quite some time. Birds were always approaching her at random and comical times, often interfering with her business and gaining unwanted attention. She listened carefully to his next words and was pleasantly surprised. Rue had never considered work before and had never thought about staying long in Avathal. Yet she was already imagining what her life could be like if she stayed put in one place and actually started to make a living. She would excel surely, having the Kelvic advantage of a bird herself would allow her to work easily and comfortably. As a plus to the life style she would be able to establish a steady customer base for her fortune telling and would eventually get over the cold weather. Making a mental note to think about this option at a later time, Rue gave Varian a smile. She noticed his hesitant move toward the bird and gently grasped his wrist. She found it odd that his gloves seemed to be hovering on the edge of warm and cool but proceeded to lead his hand to the nook of the hawk’s neck. “They call me Rue.” She said shyly. The hawk gave a small chirrup and nibbled at her finger. After a little pause she added, “If you’re not afraid of them, then they are not afraid of you.”

[Varian Snowsong]

As Rue told him that birds trusted other birds, he looked at her abruptly, and his eyes shimmered yellow with curiosity. „You are not a bird though“, he observed, wondering what she could have meant with the statement. She seemed human to him. She looked human and talked like one. Of course he knew that Kelvic existed – there were some among the Icewatch, and he had met a wolf kelvic but a few days prior – but that he could be facing one right now didn’t occur to him. As far as he was concerned, she was merely a somewhat unusual girl. As she grapsed his wrist, he hesitated again. He almost pulled his hand away. The color of his eyes changed to a mixture of dark red and black – he was uncomfortable and a little scared – but then he relaxed and let her guide his hand towards the hawk. He told himself that she wouldn’t be able to feel anything out of the ordinary through his gloves, that she would never grow suspicious as long as he acted human. He reached out to the hawk, gently placed his hand on the bird’s neck and let his fingers run across its feathers. For a moment he regretted that he was wearing gloves, that his hands were not as sensitive as they had been when he had been a mortal man, that he couldn’t feel how soft the feathers were, but there was little that could be done about that. He decided to be careful that the hawk wouldn’t try to nibble at his fingers though. He didn’t know what he could do if the hawk decided to try and punch a hole into his finger with its beak. His wounds never healed. „I’m not afraid of it“, he told Rue. His voice was calm and told her that he really wasn’t. „I’m merely a little careful. There is nothing wrong with that, is there? Does the hawk have a name?“ He stopped stroking the bird and turned back to her.

[Rue]

A soft giggle escaped Rue’s lips when Varian commented on her human status. Most people couldn’t detect the subtleties that came with being a non distinct Kelvic. Rue didn’t really have any outstanding inhuman features like some of the cat Kelvics. Her freckles were odd, but nothing too out of the ordinary and her eyes were only slightly angled. There just wasn’t enough physical difference to tell. “Oh but I am.” She replied with a smile. Avanthal had already begun to change her. She wasn’t as shy, the people here were far too nice for that. When traveling she always had to keep her guard up, in case someone should try to steal or bring harm to her. There wasn’t any time for talking, but now she was in a safer place and could socialize all she wanted. “I suppose so. I’m not sure if Tovan names them all.” Rue said a little dreamily. She really did like the hawk, and could easily see herself walking about with it on her shoulder or arm. She was fairly certain it was male. “I think I’d name him Wicker, if he was mine.” She pondered out loud. As she leaned over the perch to stroke the bird once more her tarot deck fell from her dress pocket and splayed itself on the floor. Quickly Rue tried to pick up all the cards mumbling a meek apology as she did so.

[Varian Snowsong]

„You are?“ The Nuit’s eyes flashed yellow with curiosity. They almost seemed to burn in fact. He couldn’t decide whether she was joking or not. He looked at her again and tried to find traces of her avian nature, but she looked just as human as before – just as human as he did. She didn’t have wings or feathers, and the voice that left her mouth was a normal, human voice. „What kind of bird are you? Are you ... a Kelvic?“ He lowered his voice as he asked this. He was worried that she would be offended if he wrongly accused her of being an animal in human skin. He had never met a human that liked being taken for a Kelvic. „There are probably too many birds for him to give them all unique names“, he murmurred and let his gaze sweep across the shop, across all the other birds before it came to rest on the hawk again. "Wicker“, he repeated softly and nodded. „The name suits him. Do you think I could handle a hawk?“ There was something fascinating about the bird. Was it possible for a Nuit and a hawk to live in Avanthal or travel the known world together? Would a hawk get along with the wolf Kelvic he had met? Would those two companions be enough to fight the loneliness within his soul? He wanted to ask her more – how she know that the bird was a „he“ for example – birds all looked the same to him – when something fell from her dress pocket. He bent down to help her, but she had already picked it up. „Are those cards?“ he asked. She looked much too young to be playing cards. It had always seemed more like a game for half drunk men in a tavern to him. It wasn’t a proper game for young girls. „What do you do with them?“

[Growl]

Appreciation Time! Name: Varian Experience: +3 Socializing, +1 Interrogation Lore: Too Much Time, Tovan's Shop (Basic) Name: Rue Experience: +3 Socializing, +1 Falconry Lore: Tovan's Shop (Basic) Additional Notes: Varian, I'm not sure your irises would be able to change color now that you're a nuit, although, I am not absolutely certain. Other than that, the thread was lovely. Sorry it ended so soon. Please feel free to PM me if you have any questions or concerns.