Solo [Undeniable Interests] It's Time For A Stowy

[Shane Wallsly]

Timestamp: Day 81 of Fall, 513 AV (17th Bell) Shane would liked to have told you that every day was the same old story but when you worked in a book/artifiact/potion/magic shop and still managed to have a boring life than maybe you should have Rak'Keli check you out. On this very day Shane was sitting on a chair in the middle of the sort of front area where the counter was. He was not sitting behind it but merely some ways off it. . Shane was once again reading “Kelwyn's Most Extraordinary Gnosis: A Collection of Folk Tales Surrounding the Mysterious Hapchance Gnosis” as he had, after all, been interrupted the first time. In truth he was really just eyeing up the time candle. He only had one pop left before shift ended and he was out of there. It was just then as he was finishing one tale that the little bell rung on the door signalling the entrance of a potential customer. Avira set his book down and Shane looked up from his. The customer stood at a proud three foot of height and seemed to be clothed entirely in a white frilly nightgown with bits of pink on it. It was a girl; a little; slightly chubby blonde haired human girl. If Shane had to guess he would have said she was four or five but he wasn't that familiar with young girls. Surprisingly her aura didn't give off any intense feelings. Judging by the fat he saw no parents or adults of any kind around her it seemed she was lost. Shane stood up “Hello there.” He said to the girl trying to perpetuate that over-enthusiasm most people seemed to have when they spoke to kids “My name is Shane. What's yours?” “Stowy.” The girl said reaching out one of her hands toward him in a grabbing action. “Stowy. Stowy!” The girl repeated more urgently. At first Shane thought that was her name, a very odd name indeed, but then he noticed her arms were reached out to the book in his hand. “Oh this? It's not really a sto-ray. It's informative.” He said emphasising the missed letter that had made communication so difficult. Looking down at the young girl he got the sudden sense that she was probably not going to get the difference. “Is that a young girl, Wallsly?” Dominac's voice made him jump. He hadn't even noticed the old coot come up to them. “No, I mean yes. Of course. Umm, Sir.” Shane's first reaction was to deny for some reason but he realised thwere was nothing wrong with finding a lost girl but realised how incriminating it sounded that he denied it first. “Right, I don't even want to know.” “But-” “Don't. Want. to. know. I better go find this girl's parents. You stay here and keep the girl amused and make sure she doesn't touch anything, Wallsly.” With that order Dominac picked up his coat and stepped out of the front door leaving the seventeen year old boy alone with the young child. Responsible.

[Shane Wallsly]

Shane sighed as he looked down at the girl. Of all the things he'd done for Mister Avira this surely the oddest. It was, without a doubt, the most out of his job description job that he could possibly drum up. The again, the way things were going with this job, Shane didn't want to strike anything off the table. Tomorrow he'd probably be asked to groom Avira's pet Yukman. Could this job get any whackier? “So, uh, what do you want to do?” He asked the girl. What did little girl's do? He was unsure if he'd ever met a little girl before. He might have played with a few when he was younger. What did they like? For the life of him he could not remember. “Stowy.” The girl replied reaching ot with her hands toward the book once again. “Girl, you are a one track mind. Well then, stowy.., err sto-ray it is.” Shane took the girls hand and led her over to the counter. He sat her on the counter and seated himself behind it. He opened up the book. The last story he'd read wasn't quite as terrible as the other stories. “Okay,” he cleared his throat several times before he began “Once upon a time,”

[Shane Wallsly]

“Once upon a time in a land far far away there was a young Nobleman's daughter. Her name was Alehandra but all of her cats called her Ali.” Okay maybe he was embellishing the one page long story a tiny bit “She lived in a gorgeous Manor with her father and many pet cats. You see Ali was no ordinary girl. She had been born with the body of a girl but the scales of a lizard. The physicians had said it was a rare skin condition but the people believed it was a terrible curse put upon the Nobleman for he owned many lands and many slaves to work those lands. But the day of Ali's sixteenth birthday was fast approaching and, before her birth, the Nobleman had promised her hand to another Nobleman's young son in order to secure an alliance and bigger profits of course! The Nobleman had kept Ali inside and, aside from some slaves and peasants here and there, her condition was largely unhear- Unhear- Unhear- ACHOOO!” Shane turned his head just in time to blast a myriad of snot and spit over the wall. He was still battling the remnants of some sickness he had acquired a few weeks ago. He wiped his nose and returned to the book. “So, where were we? Right, nobody knew about her face. The wedding had been set for the very day of the girl's birthday and the boy, now a man, she was promised too arrived the day before. He was a charming, handsome young man named Dysonymus. When Dysonymus asked to see his bride the Nobleman told him that around these parts it was unlucky to swee a Bride the night before the wedding. This was, of course, a lie but the Nobleman knew that his daughter would be wearing a shawl and he could easily make her wear gloves as well so that Dysonymus would not know until the very last minute when the marriage contract was already legally binding. However Ali did not know this. She was locked away in her room and crying her little eyes out. 'Oh, what is a girl to do?'” Shane used a high pitched voice at this part for he was really getting into the telling of this story. “'My betrothed shall never love me. If we are even to marry he will most likely throw me in the highest tower in the highest castle never to see me again. Oh woe is me!' the girl was saying crying and crying. It was at that moment that one of her many cats, a black one named Salem, slinked over to her and said 'It doesn't have to be this way.'” He used a deep voice for Salem “Ali did not even blink as, for many years, she had been talking to Salem. He had come to her one lonely night and comforted her. Unlike most of her cats, however, Salem only came now and again for the occasional chat. Of course he was the only cat that could talk to and this was before even the Kelvics so it was a pretty mysterious thing. Well anyway the girl replied 'What do you mean, Salem?' while scratching his ears because she knew he loved that. After he was done purring to his hearts content he replied 'There are ways for the lost causes of this world to have a chance. All it takes is the willingness to gamble.' 'Gamble,' the girl said ' what kind of a gamble, Salem?' 'A big one. Would you take a gamble, Ali? Would you take a gamble if it meant there was even the remotest chance that everything could end well for you?” Do you know what she said? She said yes!”

[Shane Wallsly]

The young girl was being remarkably quiet. Shane peeked over the book at her. She was just sitting there completely entranced. An idea formed in his mind. He wondered... He wondered what would happen if he hypnotised her. She was young so her mind couldn't be that well guarded. Then again could she even understand verbal instruction? It had been implied that animals could be hypnotised so one would think young children too. It seemed pretty immoral. The code said that nothing was immoral. Everything had to be done in order to progress. Would this progress him? It would help a little bit. Hrmmmmmm... This was a real moral quandary. It was clear what the code said and it was clear what his conscience said but the book also said it was a code above any other including himself. He had to. He just had to. He put the book in his lap and leant forward staring into the girls eyes. She frowned at him. “Stowy.” She said reaching her arms out to the book. “Put your arms up in the air if you want stowy.” Shane said expanding his area of charisma over the girls. “Stowy.” The girl said making grabbing actions with her hands bt not moving her arm s up. “Hands up for stowy.” He tried to convey this with his eyes hoping a non-verbal cue would help. “St-st-stowy.” The girl said her arms wavering in the ari between being outstretched vertically or horizontally. “Hands up for stowy!” He intoned again this time putting his own hands up in the air showing her what to do. “Stowy!!!” She cried her hands shooting up into the air above her. “Yes!” Shane cried out at his success bringing his sphere of influence back over to himself. “Stowy. Stowy. Stowy. Stowy!!!” The girl was now very insistent and looked as if she was abiout to cry. “Okay, okay, it's stowy time.” Shane assured her and picked the book back up.

[Shane Wallsly]

“Okay so on the day of the wedding all of the most important people in the land are assembled. Dysonymus, who is nervous but excited to finally see his betrothed, is dressed in a fantastic suit of pure white. The music begins to play and Ali, covered from head to toe, walks up the aisle. She gets up to the front quietly and the ceremony begins. She does not say much to her future husband but she is secretly pleased. He is everything she could have ever imagined and Salem had given her the key to having a happy life with him. She just hoped that it would work. Dysonymous who hears only the snatches of her beautiful voice is already falling deeply in love with Ali even before seeing her face. So the penultimate time comes in the ceremony where she must take off her veil. As she does she thinks about Salem and wills his offer to be true. Dysonymous eyes go wide as he sees her scaly face. For a moment nothing happens and then Dysonymous falls to the ground in agony. He growls and grunts in pain and when he stands up to face Ali he is covered in scales now too. He looks down at his scaly hands and then up at her scaly face. He reaches forward and pulls Ali's veil off fully before kissing her. And together the odd pair lived for the rest of their lives. Different to all but each other which made their love grow ever stronger until the day that they died. Salem, they say, was truly the God Wyn in disguise so, the next time you happen upon a cat who asks if you're willing to take a gamble. You might just find your true love.”

[Shane Wallsly]

The girl, her arms still up in the air, looked at him expectantly as he placed the book down on the counter. The story was over and Avira was not yet back with her parents. This presented something of a problem. “Stowy!” The girl demanded making grabbing actions with her outstretched hands as if she was trying to grab the ceiling. Shane hoped he hadn't made this a thing. Surely a learned behaviour took more than a few hypnotic suggestions in the one period of time even for a young child. Shane tried to remember back. Disturbingly he could recall that when his mother told him to do something he usually would and he would keep doing things like that until he learned something better. That was a mother though. She had a special bond with her child. Surely he hadn't just taught this child a behaviour that she was going to take with her until she found something better to overwrite it. That wouldn't do. That wouldn't do at all. How could he fix this? Of course! He would just overwrite that behaviour with a better one! Or, at the very least, he would make her think it was a better one. Avira had been away too long. He had to be coming back soon parents or no parents. Surely Avira would know what was happening if he walked in on Shane hypnotising the girl. He would just have to try. Keeping an eye on the door he let his sphere of influence stretch out toard the girl. “You do not want the stowy anymore.” He told her. “One stowy a day is enough for you.” The girl stared back at him blankly. “The stowy is over. Hands down.” He put his own hands up and brought them down. The girl very slowly began to move her arms down. “Quickly.” They moved somewhat quicker until they were all the way down and resting by her side. Shane let out a massive sigh of relief “Thanks.” He said feeling a tinge of pain in his throat for his efforts. The girl didn't reply. Robbed of her 'stowy' need she didn't seem to have anything left to say. Some time later, after the last pop had popped on the time candle, Avira finally returned. The girl lay sleeping in Shane's arms. A man and woman followed evidently the girl's parents. There was many thank yous and praise Sylirs and what not. “We cannot thank you enough for looking after little Alehandra.” The man said heaving the girl across his shoulder. “Alehandra?” Shane smiled. What a weird and wonderful coincidence. “It suits her. It was no trouble, Sir. I just read her a sto-... ray.” He stopped himself from mispronouncing the word. “No amount of money can express our gratitude but it should be more than enough to pay you for your time.” The man pressed four gold Mizas into Shane's hand before leaving the woman in toe. Shane sighed watching them go out the door. He'd probably never meet little Alehandra again. Such a quiet and curious child. He hoped her parents would always be there for her. He would not wish the fate of orphan to anyone. “I'll take some of this.” Avira swiped two of the Gold Mizas from Shane's palm before he could close it. “Hey!” Shane cried “I earned that fair and square!” “In who's premise, Wallsly? In who's time? Exactly. Your lucky I don't dock you pay. Now off with you and I'll see you bright and early tomorrow morning.” loot : Babysitting Reward = 4 GM Premise Rent = 2 GM Total Gained = 2 GM

[Perplexity]

Riddled with Rewards!

Shane

Auristics	+1 XP
Persuasion	+1 XP
Storytelling	+2 XP
Hypnotism	+2 XP

Lores :

• Auristics: In Search of Fear
  
• Social Nuance: Deciding What To Do
  
• Tales and Fables: The Lizard Girl
  
• Hypnotism: Influencing Little Girls

Notes :

Hypnotizing a little girl!? How could you!? Hmm…amusing. Amusing indeed. I am not going to withhold your grade, Mr. Wallsly but there is a certain three letter word in the first paragraph of the first post in this thread that I want removed promptly. That is not an appropriate word for Mizahar. At all. I don’t want to see it again in any of your threads. Ever.

Loot- 2 GM for Babysitting