"Auristics," he blinked forcefully, hoping very much that vision would begin to clear -- it didn't. Instead, the young mage found his world blurred and oscured, colors muddled awkwardly like an ametur painting.
"Truly? I'd think myself very interesting if someone would risk overgiving for a bit of information," Thomas smiled as sweetly as he could manage, eyes narrowing at the condescension in the nuit's tone. The pulser tried to keep his own expression as friendly as he had imagined himself to be, and even knowing his own meager ability with auristics, Thomas knew that smell -- decay meant death, disease, and rot. People didn't rot; the living didn't rot. He knew the stranger before him wasn't alive, at least, not in the traditional sense. And despite two seasons of working with the undead, and even the secret admiration for the masters of Sahova, Thomas didn't like the nuit; and pretending anything had never been his strong suit.
"Overgiving can mean death in many places, not just Sahova," he mused, "Perhaps we have more experience in discovering the tell-tale signs, but a crazy wizard isn't something most places would bother to tolerate," he sighed, blinking again. She was becoming clearer with the passing time, but Thomas still couldn't make out anything specific -- not that he really cared, he supposed the nuit would be changing her face in a season or two.
"I'm so glad you feel so...humored by the prospect of torture," Thomas said, knowing quite well the difference between saying something and actually experiencing it; he had seen Ialari torture and kill nuit, and Thomas was quite sure she wouldn't be laughing long if the isur got her hands on her. "I think I would much prefer to be killed immediately, kinder in my opinion. Although, depending on who found me first, I suppose I might be tortured," he added thoughtfully, mindlessly clutching his hand over his glove-covered gnosis mark; only a handful of people knew about his gnosis, and less still knew how it worked. If it was information they sought after, Thomas was essentially a bottomless pit.
Thomas swallowed at the nuit's guess at what he worked at, eyes widening as he made the connection. Only one Alchemist knew that he was an animator.
"Master Rayage. How nice of you to remember."
"Truly? I'd think myself very interesting if someone would risk overgiving for a bit of information," Thomas smiled as sweetly as he could manage, eyes narrowing at the condescension in the nuit's tone. The pulser tried to keep his own expression as friendly as he had imagined himself to be, and even knowing his own meager ability with auristics, Thomas knew that smell -- decay meant death, disease, and rot. People didn't rot; the living didn't rot. He knew the stranger before him wasn't alive, at least, not in the traditional sense. And despite two seasons of working with the undead, and even the secret admiration for the masters of Sahova, Thomas didn't like the nuit; and pretending anything had never been his strong suit.
"Overgiving can mean death in many places, not just Sahova," he mused, "Perhaps we have more experience in discovering the tell-tale signs, but a crazy wizard isn't something most places would bother to tolerate," he sighed, blinking again. She was becoming clearer with the passing time, but Thomas still couldn't make out anything specific -- not that he really cared, he supposed the nuit would be changing her face in a season or two.
"I'm so glad you feel so...humored by the prospect of torture," Thomas said, knowing quite well the difference between saying something and actually experiencing it; he had seen Ialari torture and kill nuit, and Thomas was quite sure she wouldn't be laughing long if the isur got her hands on her. "I think I would much prefer to be killed immediately, kinder in my opinion. Although, depending on who found me first, I suppose I might be tortured," he added thoughtfully, mindlessly clutching his hand over his glove-covered gnosis mark; only a handful of people knew about his gnosis, and less still knew how it worked. If it was information they sought after, Thomas was essentially a bottomless pit.
Thomas swallowed at the nuit's guess at what he worked at, eyes widening as he made the connection. Only one Alchemist knew that he was an animator.
"Master Rayage. How nice of you to remember."