[Wildwood Music] Finding A Map [Tessa Poe]

[Seven Xu]

Summer 27, 511 AV

Spires of opalescent glass reached into the sky, seemingly endless in their pursuit of the stars. Zintila’s beautiful cosmos painted the deep violet belly of an endless sky in silence; never saying a word, never having to. From the highest peak shone the brilliant light of a star that had long since fallen, the most beautiful in the sky; a sacrifice made, a throne lost. A rumble of hoof against packed earth brought forth bull and cow of dark, thick fur and hoof and horn made of the same glimmering glass that fabricated the city itself. Onward they pushed, shattering peaks and obliterating spiraling towers until the entire city crumbled and fell into the clouded darkness of night.

“Aah!” Seven hit the floor hard. Vapid white eyelids fluttered as he was yanked violently from his daydream—due in part to rolling off of the work table he’d decided to take a quick afternoon nap on. The teen huffed, hauling himself to his feet and brushing sawdust from his clothing and hair—that, he noted, had been growing like Sahovan oleander—before turning to stare at work long forgotten by a bored mind. The work table was empty save for scattered tools, paper, shaved wood, and the clean outline where blond-white hair rested for an indeterminate amount of time.

“Of course …” he murmured, reaching forward to grab hold of a pair of cane reeds he’d carved a bell earlier. Beside them, were several notes he’d written down before Sina left for the day, regarding just how to painstakingly carve the cane properly without ruining the precious material. The tools she had provided were hardly specialized, but were made for small, lithe fingers Seven was so lucky to possess. A deep breath filled his lungs and he hoisted his small frame back onto the table top where he preferred to work rather than the tripod stool that sat dusty and cluttered with paper and wood fragments nearby.

Only when the heavy door to the workshop dragged open and its sounding bell chimed did Seven look up from his perch a few strides away. A pale face wrapped around an unnatural set of vermillion eyes and a smile that rarely hid sharp canines successfully. Traits that could have belonged to a harmless Kelvic or something far more sinister; but the voice that resounded off of bare stone wall was simple and blithe and, along with the shape of his grinning face, spoke ever-so faintly of Lhavitian upbringing. “Good afternoon.”

[Tessa Poe]

Tessa peered round the surprisingly heavy door after pushing it open, eyes flicking up to the bell over her head and clutching her flute case tightly to herself. She really wasn’t going to let it out of her sight. It was about the only thing she had with her aside from some bits and pieces inside her coat, everything else she’d left back at her room after her usual bathing and laundering routine on returning to the city. At least she’d finally found her way here with a few little false starts, Gods she’d been relieved to see Sina’s sign hanging outside the door. Well alright more than a few if she was honest, but no-one else needed to know that, and it didn't matter now. She was here, the workshop of the famous Sina, at least that's what she'd been told by someone who'd seen her flute and had tried to get her into some kind of a conversation. She hoped she hadn't seemed rude come to think of it, but his breath had smelled simply awful and she'd not wanted to spend another chime in his company. Still she should be grateful that he'd mentioned this place, from what he, and the people she'd had to ask for directions from, had said Sina was an incredible musician, and that she gave lessons. She had to admit she wasn't exactly getting all that far by herself at the moment, and she'd promised her Ma that she'd practice.

She blinked as her eyes grew accustomed to the change in the light, taking in the figure seated on the table, wondering for a moment at his unusual eyes and trying to figure out if she'd ever seen similar ones before, but came up blank. She gave a little mental shrug, never being one to judge by appearances, and smiled in return to his soft greeting.
"Good afternoon, is Sina here? I was told that I could maybe ask her about lessons, or something? If she’s not do you know where I could find her maybe?" That might have been a stupid question, the workshop wasn't that big and she didn't see anyone else in the room. Just the pale man with the sharp teeth and red eyes. It really was a good thing she didn't judge by appearances because if she did she might have been a little nervous. But she wasn't, that'd be silly. There was no guarantee her question was silly though, there could be a door she couldn't see somewhere, it was always so difficult to tell in Syliras with all the walls and such in the way.

[Seven Xu]

The bell heralded something far more interesting than daydreams of a city long abandoned. As the girl’s dainty approach gave way to polite query, Seven attempted to gauge her apprehension. “Sina, Sina …” Seven’s white lips crinkled in thought before a tongue lashed out over them—a habit he’d picked up long ago. He repeated the name as if hearing it for the first time, before jovial laughter bubbled up from his playful countenance. “Oh, Sina. She often wanders about the city with that wheelbarrow full of instruments. She could be at the Great Bazaar, or by the docks, or anywhere else she can lay out her wares and play for coin.” Seven slid off of the tabletop, brushing off his knees in a lethargic approach.

“Unfortunately, I don’t know where she is today.”

The sentiment was punctuated by a shrug as Seven straightened to peer up at the woman that was a nose taller than he was, a feature now obvious from their proximity. Arms crossed over a narrow chest as Seven took a quick inventory of his customer; curiously beautiful blues sat atop sun-kissed cheeks, and despite being generally unkempt she held a respectable, natural beauty. His eyes dropped to the flute in her hand, not allowing his appreciative gaze to turn perverse. “Ah, you play the flute?” The question was accompanied by a gesture; one black-nailed finger pointed at the small instrument.

“If you want to stick around, she often returns close to the end of the day, but that’s bells from now.” Seven continued, his polite smile souring in empathy, “I wish I could provide lessons myself, but to be honest I’m just a shop keep. I’m still in training, if you will.” Seven’s eyes drifted over her shoulder as the heavy door finally shut on its own with a definitive thud, and the golden bell above it fussed as the musky air was disturbed.

“Is there anything else I could help you with?” The offer floated on sincere desperation; she’d been the only customer he’d had since he arrived in the early morning. It was now two bells past noon and the sun was teasing him as it streamed in through narrow, dirty workshop windows.

[Tessa Poe]

Tessa's face reflected her confusion as the man, who was surprisingly shorter than her, seemed not to know who she was talking about at first. Had she misread the sign? She didn't think she could have done, it was... you know, a sign. Maybe he didn't work here after all? And was just... hanging around the shop? Thankfully before she could too lost in her own thoughts he let free a little laugh and she grinned in return at the sound, realising that he'd just been kidding around. She really would have to try and get better at noticing things like that one of these days.

"Oh... well that's a shame, that she's not here I mean, everyone I asked kept saying how good she is, and I spent Gods know how long wandering round the corridors again trying to find this place. They really should have maps or something posted at the big junctions." Tessa tried to keep the smile on her face despite the disappointment of her less than perfect timing, and the feeling that she'd wasted an awful lot of day just getting here. As she did her eyes finally started taking in the man who stood in front of her properly. His delicately pale features with a shock of white blond hair, those strange eyes that she found herself drawn to once again, there was something about it all that was... she couldn't quite put her finger on it. It wasn't that he made her nervous, like most people did, maybe it was just that he was a little shorter than she was? Or that he’d laughed, and was offering to help even though he wasn’t sure if he could. She knew it was his job to do that, well presumably it was, to look after potential customers, but it was still nice to meet someone polite in the city. Not like the crowds in the corridors who tried to walk through you or the pushy sellers in the bazaar.

"Well if Sina's not here... do you have any polish? I think I've just about run out, and I don't want to let it get dirty..." She smiled wider still as he asked about her flute and she quickly walked over to the table, setting it down and opening its case before stepping back to let him see it nestled there. She loved just seeing it, sometimes she'd just sit and watch the play of the light on it and remember her Ma playing. She took another step back to let the weak light from the windows fall more fully on it, it's fine golden gilt work that decorated the silvered body of the instrument showing off its gorgeous shine. As it should, Tessa tended to spend quite a while making the instrument was well taken care of. "I do play, a little, well I try at least, I'm still starting out really... and I know I should practice more but I don't often get the time. Anyway it was my Ma's, before she died, and she taught me the basics. Only thing of her's I've got... and this might sound weird but when I play, it's like she's there with me." Tessa blinked as she realised what she'd just said, glancing over at him with a little worried look, wondering if she'd just made herself sound quite mad.

[Seven Xu]

Eyebrows so light they were made nearly invisible in the glimmering sunlight raised as Seven’s smile grew fonder. “Posted maps,” the idea had never occurred to him, “that would be sharp.” An offer lingered on his tongue, but he filed it away in the back of his mind until he could find the opportunity to voice it. Their eyes met again, and Seven held her blues within his own almond leer as long as she let him before drifting away. He let his chin drop, and his neck craned to look over his shoulder when Sina’s name was mentioned again. “Polish—yes, I probably do have some polish, somewhere.”

Never being much of a leader, he soon fell into step behind the young woman as she made her way across the smooth shop floor. His leather-wrapped feet padded almost silently across stone, only giving way to a deft thud beneath the paltry weight of his thin body. After a moment, he broke away to search the workshop for the aforementioned polish she required. His head seemed to be on a swivel as he darted around shelf and workbench, but continued to talk as he did so. “So are you not from around here?” Seven bent at the waist, sifting through a collection of glass jars. “I mean, you mentioned that you had a hard time finding your way around. You must be from somewhere else, yes?”

A satisfied chirp escaped his lips as he wrapped bony fingers around a jar of silver polish. “You shouldn’t use too much of this,” though he was sure she’d already known, “you may end up with a clogged flute that doesn’t sound quite right.” Seven approached the young woman again with a smile as genuine as his first. The polish was placed delicately beside the flute’s case as he took a moment to appreciate the fine make of the newly exposed instrument. “Lovely. Oh—,” Seven looked as if he’d been hit by something particularly jarring, eyes growing wide for a moment before a hand shot out in polite greeting.

“Gods, I’m so sorry. I never introduced myself; my name is Seven.”

[Tessa Poe]

She was grateful that he'd let what she said about her Ma and the flute pass without comment as she reached out with a smile, taking his hand gently in hers. It was strange, feeling his soft skin pressed against her own calloused palm, but not particularly unpleasant. She winced inwardly at the easily notable difference, worrying a little over what he thought of it. Thankfully she noticed his black nails and cocked her head curiously at them for a moment. They very handily provided her with a nice distraction before she could start worrying about things too much, worrying like that only ever got her into trouble. It was then she remembered with a start that matched his that she should probably reply in kind about now, she'd only make him uncomfortable if she kept quiet for too long.

"Oh, of course, sorry, I don't... ummm... tend to spend much time with other people, you know? Anyway, I'm Tessa, pleased to meet you, Seven." She held on for a couple of moments more, just enjoying the feeling of their hands clasped as they were and again she had no idea why. "You're right though, I'm not from round here," She started in as she finally let go of his hand, letting hers run along the flute and checking as she always did for a flaw in the shine, "I don't suppose I'm really from anywhere, my Ma and Da worked a caravan and I think I was born out on the road somewhere, never really thought to ask them whereabouts though. Home was wherever they were you know? I..." Tessa tailed off, even after all the seasons that had passed she still shied away from those memories, she didn't want to remember her Ma that way. She supressed a sigh and tried to keep the smile on her face as the memories bobbled near the surface of her thoughts, needing to distract herself once more, at least this time she had the perfect opportunity to do so. "But what about you Seven? I don't mean to offend you but from the looks of you you're not from round here either are you?" Tessa flicked a quite possibly imaginary speck of dust from the flute, her fingers lingering on the keys for the moment as she promised herself, again, that she'd practice more often. Maybe this time she'd even be able to keep that promise.

Thoughts of promises, to herself and otherwise vanished suddenly as she realised she was forgetting to do something else too. She reached into her coat, finding her purse as she looked back to Seven and asked "How much do I owe you for the polish? I should have asked before now, just sort of forgot I guess... sorry about that." She grinned a little sheepishly at him, maybe she was spending too much time out in the woods by herself these days if she couldn't even remember how to buy things from a shop.

[Seven Xu]

Seven’s fingers twitched within the young woman’s grasp and a handshake that seemed to last far longer than he intended. When she finally released him, he pocketed the hand and fell into silence as she spoke of her parents, a caravan, and the concept of home. Seven had a strange concept of where ‘home’ was; Lhavit was where he was born, but it certainly didn’t carry the sentiment many adopted when they spoke of their origins. He was conveniently detached from any bittersweet homesickness.

“I’m not from around here either,” Seven affirmed with a short nod, “Lhavit, actually.” The distance between the cities was vast—nearly the span of the known world—but it didn’t feel far enough. He idly wondered what Tessa knew of Lhavit; in an attempt to discourage further questioning of matters he was not inclined to speak of, he turned the topic of conversation back on her. “So, what’s it like spending your entire life on a caravan? It sounds exciting –have you traveled far?”

The hand slid out of his pocket again to wave through the thick air dismissively, “If you polish it here, don’t worry about any charge. I’ve already used some of that polish anyway,” a graceful finger dropped to tap the dainty glass bottle once before his slack lips curled into a reassuring grin that bordered on charming when his pale mouth was able to contain animalistic canines. The halfblood hoisted his weight back onto the work table, assuming a casual posture as he kept himself propped up on splayed palms. He was thrilled to have company in any form, and soon polite formality melted into candid familiarity. “So, you mentioned something about having trouble navigating the city—do you think having a map would help?” The grin turned coy.

[Tessa Poe]

He had lots of questions for her, that was for sure. She couldn't imagine why though, it wasn't as if she was all that interesting. She reached up to fiddle with her hair a little shyly, trying to figure out where to start. Maybe it was best to just get to work on her Ma's flute, might give her the time to think at least. With that decision made she gave Seven a grateful nod in thanks as she popped the lid on the little jar, her other hand lifting out the sections of the flute from its case and placing them carefully on the worktop. She glanced around, eyes latching onto a cloth that looked clean and flipped it over the end of her finger, taking just a smidgen of the polish and starting to carefully rub small circles over the surface of the flute. For some reason the work made her relax, a small smile playing over her lips to match his.

"Well... we mostly travelled round Sylira really, Mr Jones, he was the foreman, he'd plot out the routes where he figured we'd get the best returns, never really stayed in one place for too long. Never went to Lhavit though, guess it was too far away... we did go out as far as Endrykas sometimes though, but with how it moves all the time that was more of a risky prospect, it kind of depended on if he had an idea of where it'd be by the time we got there. I think that was my favourite place to go actually, at some of the others, like Sunberth, I wasn't really allowed to go anywhere. Ma always used to say it was too dangerous, but I could pretty much go where I like in Endrykas. Everyone there was always so nice too, and the horses! I've never seen people ride like that, it was almost like they were one creature... you know?"

She realised she was babbling again as she worked, but still her concentration never wavered from the flute, her fingertip still gently tracing small circles with the cloth dipped ever so slightly into the polish, trying to bring an even brighter sheen to the spotless instrument. It wasn't like he hadn't ask to hear about the caravan though, she just hoped she wasn't boring him? "It's weird though, you here people talk about home like it's a place, but it never was for me... home was just where everyone else was, no matter where we ended up." There was a sort of wistful tone to her voice as she lifted the middle section, turning it this way and that in the light, looking for any imperfections that might still linger on the surface.

She stood there quietly, picking up the little brush and running it down the inside, carefully clearing that out too, thinking on how best to answer his last question "I've seen people offering maps of this place in the bazaar, even bought one once, it wasn't... ummm... accurate? That's probably the polite way of putting it. Why do you ask Seven? Do you know where I could get a better one?" She turned to look at him again, her hands pausing mid work with a grin. If he could actually get her an accurate map of the city she'd never get lost again! No more spending hours trapped in those dark, crowded, smelly corridors. No more pressing herself against the wall to get out of the way of the pushy locals while she was trying to decide which way would be best to go! The excitement at the thought was clear on her face, her eyes practically sparkling. It might not have meant much to most people, but for Tessa, knowing her way round this place would be like being given back her freedom again.

[Seven Xu]

Seven had grown silent as Tessa recalled the series of events that made up her short life. She could certainly talk when she wanted to; he’d gathered as much as soon as the floodgates opened and work-hardened fingers furiously polished the instrument, seeming to coax more words from dawn-pink lips as they worked across the glimmering metal. He couldn’t help but smile as he leaned forward, propping his elbows on his thighs and following the small cloth with an intent gaze. It wasn’t until the subject turned back to maps of the city did he speak up.

“I’ve mapped the city once before,” an offer was hidden somewhere within the lazy murmur, flowing from lips that barely moved. “Well,” Seven’s back straightened and his shoulders rose in a defeated shrug, “insofar as I could see with my own eyes; there are places they don’t let just anyone. No idea why, though.” The grin darkened as his eyes met Tessa’s deep blues, equal in enthusiasm if not for a different reason, “Who knows what secrets this city has?”

The halfblood’s small body listed sideways, away from Tessa, far enough to snag up a nearby sheet of parchment and the pencil that lay on top of it. Then, he murmured something unintelligible—maybe in another language—before a white hand went to work sketching out the Bittern District, to start. “We’re here,” he filled in a small circle, then, from memory, began to trade the widest corridors that lead outside to the main thoroughfare. He’d omit smaller details, in fear of getting them wrong. In the season he’d been here, he had a good understanding of the layout of most of the city; at least enough to help the young woman find her way to most amenities.

“There just isn’t much steady work for a cartographer,” Seven went on as he sketched, the blithe smile still plastered across his moon-pale features, “and I have to eat. So, I work here. It’s not so bad, I mean, I could have been thrown into hard labor at the docks, or mines. I’m not really built for that.” That was painfully obvious. “And seeing as the Symenestra reputation seems to stretch across the known world, I should count my blessings that they didn’t.”

[Tessa Poe]

Symenestrans? She'd heard of them before, everyone had. The blood drinking spider things, all living in big webs together, preying on travellers in the night. She remembered some of the particularly lurid stories that Gregir had told around the fire to scare her and the other children, about the White Lady of the Lake who'd lure foolish men to their doom with her almost unreal beauty. Or the Beast of the Forest and how it'd lay in wait for people in the trees, leaping down and snatching them up, dragging them up into the foliage and draining them dry. And Seven was one of them? He didn't seem like a blood drinking monster... his teeth were a little sharper than was normal maybe... and it wasn't like he could do anything here, could he? She guessed that was the one good thing about Syliras, the fact that the Knights were always around, always on guard against trouble. She pushed her worries aside, he'd not been rude or even threatening in the slightest had he? Maybe the stories where just that, stories? She thought about trying to lead the conversation towards his comment, but didn't want to be rude or offend him by asking questions about it. Besides it wasn't like she could say 'So, you're a Symenestran? Drank any good blood lately?' was it? No, she wasn't going to panic about being in this smallish room alone with him, that'd be ridiculous!

His claim to be a cartographer was much more interesting anyway, and she watched, fascinated as Seven's delicate fingers worked, the city springing up on the piece of parchment as he drew, an intricate web of corridors all connecting together to form a pattern that at first she couldn't even begin to understand. The fact that he was doing it all apparently from memory was all the more impressive. She had no idea how he was managing it, she had trouble retracing her steps after taking a couple of turns in this maze of a place. Her own entirely forgotten as she set the flute down, she leant forwards, matching his pose and resting on her elbows, just staring in as he traced on, not wanting to speak in case she broke his concentration.

Still, she couldn't just stand here in silence, that'd be odd wouldn't it? He'd mentioned secrets before, places people weren't allowed to go. She didn't know if she'd actually come across any of those, certainly no-one had told her she wasn't permitted to go a certain way. "I didn't know there were places we're not supposed to go... though in a fortress this big you could hide all kinds of things I guess... what with the big thick walls and all, no-one would ever suspect a thing was going on behind them." Given his revelation about being a Symenestran that probably wasn't a good line of thought to go down. "Wait, is that for me?" She asked, again with a welcome distraction from her own worries, "I... thank you Seven, I'll have to make it up to you, somehow, I mean should I pay you for it or... well you said you didn't get a lot of work doing this so I guess I should, or is there something else I could do?"

Please don't say blood, please don't say blood... She couldn't help it as the treacherous thought squirmed free and had to fight to keep the smile on her face as it refused to go away. She wasn’t going to panic and make a fool out of herself this time, she really wasn’t. It happened far too often for her liking.