Flashback When Kelvics Run [Valerius]

[Nira'lia]

Spring 32nd 511 AV Working as a medic in an infirmary was actually less mundane than most people thought. Most people thought that medics spent most of their day sitting around listening to the complaints of strangers and prescribing medicine for snotty little kids. For Nira’lia, this was true. Almost every single day, she simply sat around and took care of patients with the common cold. She told herself that this was because it was Zeltiva. It was unlike Sunberth where street brawls were common and citizens needed their broken ribs treated. Zeltiva did have its share of injuries, crimes, and accidents, but it only happen on rare occasions. And Nira’lia told herself that the city was lucky for this. On this particular day, the strangest thing had happened. A little boy came in with an injured canine. It was a middle-sized, black mutt that had a wound on its left limb. The other medics, while they sympathized, said they didn’t have the time to treat an animal. But when Nira’lia looked at the sobbing, naïve boy, she couldn’t help but tell him that she’d see what she could do. And it was going well until she started to examine the dog’s limb. However, before she could fully look at his injury, the dog jumped and ran off. The other medics jumped for it, but it was quick and easily ran between legs and out the door. This left the boy to bawl further. “Don’t worry. Dogs are loyal… I bet the infirmary scared him, and he’ll be back in your house soon,” said Nira’lia trying to comfort the boy. “He’s no dog!” the boy said between sobs. “He’s a person. A person!” Nira’lia blinked. Did he mean that the dog was a kelvic? The Konti decided not to argue on the fact that kelvics were as much a person as they were animals. She wasn’t sure if this were true, but that’s what made sense to her. Again and again, she told the child that it was going to be alright. In the end, the only words that consoled him were when Nira’lia said she’d look for his friend. That’s why, next thing she knew, she was going around the streets of Zeltiva looking for the injured canine. “Xavier!” she called out. The boy had said that the kelvic’s name was Xavier. Again and again, she repeated his name.

[Valerius Nitrozian]

Valerius Nitrozian was not a happy man at the moment. He had spent the past three years studying at the university, but his family had recently informed him that they expected him to be back by the end of the year so that he could contribute to the family business and learn more about what it meant to be a Nitrozian. Oh, he was looking forward to a city where people worshipped the right god and cared about his name, a city without inferior creatures walking around as if they belonged, but he would miss the enlightened atmosphere and all those books. Ravok had the Institute of Higher Learning, but it was no match for the great University of Zeltiva, and few of his relatives that he would live with in Ravok were as intelligent as he was. They were comparatively dull or at least mildly insane for the most part, and they didn’t realize that he might be able to accomplish just as much – or even more – if he stayed here, if he became the next headmaster or somebody of similar influence and spread Rhysol’s word. He actually considered getting drunk even though he despised people who got drunk and lost all their self control and self respect in the process. In fact he was just on his way to one of Zeltiva’s many taverns to order a big glass of expensive red wine (he never drank beer or cheap liquor) – and then another one and maybe even a third or fourth one - when it happened. One moment the Ravokian was walking down the street, thinking dark and slightly depressing, possibly even murderous thoughts as he sometimes did, and then he abruptly stopped. Or rather, he was stopped. By a plain, black dog that had run right into him and soiled his expensive clothes in the process. He frowned and wished he had the whip he had often used to punish slaves and animals alike with him. How dare the dog! As he heard the Konti’s voice and saw her running in his direction, he frowned even harder and pointed at the offending animal that was still nearby. „Is this your dog?“ From the sound of his voice it was obvious that he wasn’t happy. No, he wasn’t happy at all.

[Nira'lia]

The Konti saw a black shadow in the corner of her eye. Quickly, she turned her head just in time to see the retreating figure of Xavier. He was making such an effort to run from her that she couldn’t help but wonder what the real problem was. Kelvics could change into humans easily, and this particular one would find it easy to convey what was wrong if he did just that. Amidst the panic, she failed to realize that he had a tight black collar that was slightly unseen because of his fur. It was the collar that stopped him from shifting. ‘…What is going on!?’[ rang her mind, irritated. ‘Is he even really a Kelvic?’ Nira’lia circled around a corner, her mind hopeful that Xavier wouldn’t be quick enough to disappear that easily. When she stepped into the new street, the dog was indeed there… and so was a man. Judging from the scene, Xavier had run straight into him. The dog stayed in place and was nursing his leg, which he might have hurt even more when he rammed into the stranger. The man looked far from pleased. The anger in his tone of voice heavily suggested that he was looking for someone to blame. His clothes, aside from the dirt that covered his front, looked pleasing to the eye, and he seemed to take great care of his appearance over all. It made sense that the mess that the canine did would anger him. “Xavier!” the Konti called out in enthusiasm. The Konti seemed to brush aside the fact that the stranger seemed upset at the moment. She was too happy to finally have found the animal. “No, he… he isn’t my dog, but I have been looking everywhere for him. Thank you!” Her sign of gratitude suggested that she believed that it had been the man’s choice to stop the dog then and there. Her reaction was likely because she was naturally oblivious and naïve to everything around her, or because she chose not to address the man’s frustrations at the moments. The Konti started to rush to the dog, but as soon as she took a few steps forward, the dog got up once again and seemed to make a move to run away. Horrified, Nira’lia slowed down and decided not to make any sudden movements that would provoke him to do so. Her voice was soft and gentle. “Xavier, your friend is worried… please come back with me.” Nira’lia looked at the stranger with pleading eyes. It was clear what she was asking for him. She wanted him to help her take hold of the canine.

[Valerius Nitrozian]

Xavier? Valerius thought as he looked at the creature that sat near him, licking his leg, probably unaware that sticking a dog tongue into a wound wasn’t the best way to treat it. What a strange name for a dog. She’s probably lonely, and the dog is her substitute for a family. Valerius disliked people that personified dogs and treated them like family members. They were animals. They were supposed to be treated like animals, and they ought to have names that were suitable for animals. He’s not?“ Valerius asked as the Konti claimed that the dog wasn’t hers. He sounded indifferent. It didn’t matter who owned the dog and who not. What mattered was that the dog had run into him and that the Konti’s reaction to the incident was rather strange. She almost seemed to be happy. Did she believe that he had tried to keep the animal from running away further? What a strange thought! As if he would ever willingly risk the perfect state of his clothes for an animal! „I doubt that he understands you“, he remarked as she started to plead with the dog. „He’s a dog, you know? Dogs don’t speak Common. He would likely understand you better if you barked.“ He made a face and looked at her. She was appealing, as all of her kind were. There was no outward sign of insanity. But something was wrong with her. She treated a dog like a person. Maybe all the visions that her kind supposedly had had gone to her head. Besides, she belonged to a race that only consisted of women that were probably all lesbians. She probably hadn’t been completely sane to begin with … And why was she staring at him like that now? So pleadingly? Did she expect him to help her with the dog? He frowned, pulled his gloves out of the pocket of his coat, put them on (he didn’t want to get his hands dirty) and abruptly grabbed the dog by its collar. „You should watch him better“, he informed her. „Or ask his owner to watch him better. He could hurt somebody. Where is his owner anyway?“

[Nira'lia]

The Konti stared at him, wondering if he was making a joke. Did he just suggest that she bark instead? It was such a silly suggestion, and she would have chuckled then and there if it weren’t for the look of total indifference that he wore. The canine appeared to panic when the man took hold of him, but it was too late. He didn’t realize what was happening until a hand came out to grab at his collar. Fortunately, he didn’t seem hostile enough to bite at the man’s hand. Nira’lia rushed over to them and stopped abruptly about a step away. She was peering down at the dog and at the spot that Valerius had taken hold of. A collar! That was why he couldn’t shift. It finally made sense to Nira’lia. The dog could very possibly be a Kelvic, and the only thing stopping him was that accessory. The collar had an odd lock on it, and judging from its size, it indeed served to stop a Kelvic from shifting. “I think he understands Common…” said Nira’lia. She looked at the dog. “Do you understand Common?” The dog gave her a bark, as if acknowledging her question. The Konti looked back at Valerius and smiled. She had no idea about his thoughts about Kelvics. In her mind, Kelvics were people as much as everyone else and why would anyone treat them otherwise? Finally, she answered his question about Xavier’s owner. “There was a boy, but I’m not sure if he was the… the, uhm, owner. Xavier’s a Kelvic. See the collar around his neck? I think this is why he won’t change back to a human.” Nira’lia seemed to be deep in thought for a while. Frowning, she looked at the man in front of her who was still holding the canine. Was she supposed to step forward and take him? She didn’t like the idea of treating a Kelvic like any normal animal, even if it kept running away. “Say, uhm, mister…” the Konti smiled at him sheepishly. “You wouldn’t know how to take the collar off, would you?”

[Valerius Nitrozian]

„Ah … a trained dog“, Valerius remarked, thoroughly unimpressed, as he heard how the creature replied to Nira’lia’s question with a bark. „My father’s dogs back in Ravok knew all kinds of tricks as well. Why, they could even open doors and fetch things on command.“ He still held onto the canine’s collar tightly. The creature was annoying, had bad manners and was an ordinary mutt, but it wouldn’t do if it suddenly got free again and went around biting people, stealing food or causing other kinds of trouble. The Konti was smiling, but he didn’t smile back. There was nothing about this situation that made him happy. As she explained that the creature was a Kelvic though, his eyes suddenly widened. He looked at the collar he was holding, then back at her and decided, „I’ll take what I said before back. If he’s a Kelvic and thus marginally more intelligent than a normal dog, the chance that he’ll go around biting people is comparatively smaller. Somebody might steal him though. Do you have any idea how expensive a Kelvic pet is?“ From the look on her face it was unlikely. She seemed to be concerned with reuniting the creature with its owner above everything else. „Yes, of course I know how to take the collar off“, he replied. „We’ve had a few Kelvic at home, and my aunt is the head researcher of the Kelvic Research Institution.“ He sounded quite proud as he said that. Not everybody was that wealthy or related to such an important person. „Shall I take it off so that he can show us his human form?“

[Nira'lia]

The Konti looked confused. Did he just ask her whether she knew how much a Kelvic pet was? They were in Zeltiva. She couldn’t pinpoint anyone who had a Kelvic as a pet. Kelvics were a free race, although they did often take on jobs that were subservient. But they were definitely not pets. Nira’lia remembered Sunberth. Kelvics were indeed thought of as valuable merchandize back in the city of unlawfulness. A cringe swept over her face as she took in the subtext of his statement that some (she wasn’t sure if he was one of them) regarded Kelvics as less than they were. “A Kelvic Research institution. That is very interesting… uhm, what kind of things do you research on?” she said, wiping the cringe off of her expression. She replaced it with a forced smile. Her question seemed innocent enough, but she was also very curious. Something in the back of her mind was yelling at her not to go on with this line of conversation, as she somehow knew that their opinions about Kelvics differed greatly. But she had to ask. She wanted to know why he referred to Kelvics as pets. The Konti looked from the man to the canine, and nodded her head. Of course she would want the collar off. It would be much easier to speak to the Kelvic that way. “I apologize; I do not know how to take those off. So, yes, please do!”

[Valerius Nitrozian]

„Yes, a Kelvic Research Institution“, Valerius confirmed. As Nira’lia asked what kind of things they researched there, he rolled his eyes. Wasn’t it obvious? „They research Kelvic there as the name implies. I’m not working there yet, but I hope to assist my aunt one day. One of her most interesting projects focuses on the Kelvic’s ability to change forms. She’s trying to find out if the change can be triggered by an outside influence. Wouldn’t it be useful if you could just do a certain thing, and this dog here would become human rather than waiting for him to change?“ „Watch me so that you know how to do it in the future“, he told her as she admitted that she didn’t know how to take the collar off. He manipulated the collar a bit – it looked fairly easy – and then the collar came off, and he tossed it towards her since he didn’t want to touch it longer than was absolutely necessary. „Now he should be able to change“, he informed her. „I need to warn you though, Konti. He will be naked. The clothes don’t change with the Kelvic. I hope you don’t have a problem with naked men, seeing as you come from a race of only women.“

[Nira'lia]

The Konti nodded as she listened to him talk about his aunt and her studies. To her surprise, it was of much interest to her. Her oblivious mind didn’t even allow her to think of what they could were possibly doing to Kelvics, all she thought was that it was a curious study.

“I know Kelvics are naked when they change their forms…” said Nira’lia. It was one of the most common details about the race, and the fact that he thought it necessary to mention it made her giggle. She was a medic and was commonly not disturbed by such things. “Don’t worry. I’m quite used to the human anatomy.”

When the Kelvic was finally free of its collar, it stood there on its hind legs and stared at them. It wasn’t making an attempt to flee, but it didn’t really do anything other than… nothing.

Frustrated, Nira’lia scratched the back of her neck. Was he a Kelvic or not!? The stress was apparent in her face, her expression contorted to an evident frown.

“If your aunt was here right now, she would be of much help!” she said, not really thinking about her words. “Change, Xavier. Change!”

[Valerius Nitrozian]

„Ah good“, Valerius remarked das Nira’lia informed him that she was used to the human anatomy. „We wouldn’t want you to pass out because you’ve never seen a naked man before.“ He glared at her as she giggled – what in Rhysol’s name was so funny? – but he didn’t say anything. „There’s something wrong with … what’s his name? Xavier?“ he remarked as the animal just stood there and looked at them like an idiot. Valerius in turn looked at Xavier. It was obvious that he wasn’t particularly impressed. „A Kelvic that knows what is good for him would have changed by now. Are you sure his owner hasn’t played a prank on you?“ „Well, my aunt isn’t here“, he informed her. „She has better things to do.“ He turned to the Kelvic. „You would spare us both a lot of trouble if you obeyed her and changed into a human. We have important things to do, and unfortunately neither of us can talk to dogs.“