Solo [Undeniable Interests] It's Winter and The Means Money!

[Shane Wallsly]

Timestamp: Day 1 of Winter 513 (6th Bell)

He'd had less than a wink of sleep last night. Bad dreams had plagued him. The Knights seem to feature in every one of them. Shane was starting to develop a phobia for those tin men and he couldn't even explain why. The Knights had never done anything to him before. Nothing purposefully and directly anyway. Any injustice he was forced into every other member of Stormhold Citadel was. He was not, and had not been, persecuted by the Knights before but his secrets were starting to way heavy on his shoulders and paranoia was beginning to edge in.

The show, however, had to go on so up he got and dressed too. The last garment to slip on were his somewhat new leather gloves. For a moment he remembered buying them. He remembered the odd occasion where, for a moment, he had believed the Myrian store owner to be his dead or cowardly father. Perhaps the stresses of his new job were wearing on him a little bit. Things had been moving terribly quickly recently and he'd had no ailments before he started working.

As Shane left his room he turned and closed his eyes focussing on all his stress. Everything that was a weakness to him and taking one deep breath he blew it all back into the safety of his room where he was allowed to worry. With one resolute tug he shut the door trapping those worries inside his home. That was a meditation technique the book had taught him. Worries clouded your judgement so if you could focus your mind into associating only a specific place with these worries than they wouldn't weigh you down when it counts. Of course, as a technique, it only worked if you believed it and if you had the will not to reopen that safe place.

Credit to Skerry

[Shane Wallsly]

Shane bypassed the market today. He'd eaten at some point during the night and he wasn't some kind of Lord or anything who could eat whenever they felt like it. Shane hadn't quite adjusted to the somewhat generous income he was receiving. For all the world he was still acting like the poor beggar he used to be. In all fairness it had barely been two months since he had gotten the job.

Dominac wasn't sitting outside the shop like he usually did in the mornings when Shane arrived. Shane expected the frigid weather had something to do with that. It hadn't been so long since the Autumn rains after all. Shane was just waiting for them to come back or be replaced by the winter snow. Whichever the Gods deemed appropriate.

“Morning, Mr. Avira.” Shane said as he entered the store unwrapping his scarf from around his shoulders.

“Morning indeed, Wallsly. Today is a momentous occasion.” Dominac told him with a grin.

Shane halted what he was doing and looked over at his employer. “What for, Sir?”

“Today is the First Day of Winter, Wallsly, and I really shouldn't have to remind you of that.” Dominac seemed overly enthusiastic for something that had passed over Shane's mind as a triviality weeks ago. “Winter is the month of snow and cold. Winter is the month where people need books and interesting things to amuse themselves. Winter is money!”

Well, that explains it...

“Excellent, Sir. I'm sure we'll make lots this season.” Shane responded disjointedly not really knowing how to respond to that one.

Dominac sighed and tutted. “Cheer up, Wallsly, you survived your first season in a job. Celebrate about that if nothing else and, once your done with that, I want Pages 3 through 10 of 'The Lusty Lemon'. A collector's coming to pick it up later.” Dominac ordered before muttering to himself “Making three hundred gold miza's for part of a book just cause it was written before the Valterrian. I swear that apocalypse is the only thing that runs my shop.”

Credit to Skerry

[Shane Wallsly]

Shane often wondered why Dominac put up with him. He was essentially useless in running the store. Items were not purchased often enough for Dominac to actually need another salesperson and Shane had no other contributing skills that helped the business. Perhaps Dominac hoped that Shane would make a good book copier one day because, until that day, Shane's gratest use would be minding the store while Dominac was out. Even then Shane suspected he only left Shane to manage the shop alone because he could rather than actually needing to.

He had been left alone again and, as Shane was want to do when he was left alone, he had picked out a book to study. Shane had grown rather fond of old tales about the Gods and their followers. Such tales, past down trough the ages by word of mouth, were very common among Undeniable Interest's shelves. Dominac had written many of the collections himself. The old coot seemed to have a fondness for such tales himself or perhaps it was their endurance he admired the most. This was what Shane admired the most definitely. Empires burned and Gods waged war but still these tales lived. It was quite remarkable.

He'd found an interesting tale about a man named Incurus. Blessed was he by Zulrav God of the Winds. It is said that in the Suvan Empire Incurus had once resided having been blessed by the God in a Great Storm that marked his birth. He had grown up to be an avid inventor of the weird and miraculous. It was said his one true goal was to fly like a bird. Incurus created a pair of great wings made out of feather and metal with wax to hold it together. Incurus strapped these wings to his arms and climbed the highest cliff he could find. He bade his friends and family a final good bye and sprinted right off the edge of the cliff holding his wings out flat and praying to Zulrav. As a marked of Zulrav he found the winds respond to his call and soon he was soaring through the sky. Euphoric at his success he decided to fly ever higher and higher but he had forgotten one crucial thing about the sky. It was not the sole province of Zulrav. Syna too occupied the sky and the heat that she cast out across the world found Incurus and the wax that held his flying contraption together began to melt and he began to plummet down to the ground. He tried desperately to control his descent but it was all in vain. Thus ended the story of Incurus: the man who flew too close to Syna.

The front door of the shop slammed shut. Avira was back. “Reading again, Wallsly?” The man asked sounding hardly surprised as he unwrapped a scarf from around his neck. “Don't you ever get tired of experiencing life through a book?”

Shane closed the book over and opened his mouth to respond but Avira cut him off. “Of course not. Just like me when I was younger though I was searching for a lot more than answers.” Avira sauntered over glancing at the title of the book. “Hmm, wrote that one myself. A lot of Gods in that one. Never asked your preferences before, Wallsly. Easy to tell with non-human folk but us humans have an odd relationship with the Pantheon. Got a God, Wallsly?”

Shane did not have a God. Shane's rules quite prevented it. He wasn't sure if he understood the logic perfectly on that one but it went something a little like no God was going to help him until he helped himself so it was pointless until he was a more attractive bet for a God. Shane was allowed to lie about it though he wasn't sure what the best answer in this circumstance was. If Sylir were still around it would have been an easy choice but no-one worshipped Sylir any more.

Shane found he did not have to answer however as Dominac took up speech again. “I'd peg you for an Eyris man, am I right? Always reading and I see the curious way you take to everything. The Goddess of Knowledge must be a perfect fit.” Sominac, thankfully, put the words in his mouth.

Shane smiled pleasantly “How did you know?” He asked pleased with this outcome. By all means Eyris was a sane and benevolent God to pretend to worship.

Credit to Skerry

[Shane Wallsly]

“You're in for a treat then, Wallsly.” Dominac told him coming over to where Shane sat.

Shane cocked an eyebrow questioningly. A treat? He was suspicious but intensely curious. Did Dominac have something of importance to Eyris worship? A rare statuette perhaps? Shane didn't exactly know what the man could mean but he reasoned it wouldn't be long until he found out.

Dominac took a seat opposite and heaved a meaty arm on to the table as if they were about to arm wrestle. Dominac was quite a big man in more ways than height. He had most likely been very strong in his youth. He placed his hand palm down on the table allowing the back of his hand to be observed by Shane. Shane had never noticed the brilliant Gold tattoo on the back of the hand. It made Shane scrunch up his face quizzically at the intricate design. It was quite beautiful to behold.

“Do you know what this is, Wallsly?” Dominac asked watching him closely.

Shane had to say he was at a loss. He'd never seen anything like it. It had such clarity and detail that he had never seen in a tattoo before. “I... I... I am not sure, Sir.”

Dominac smiled a smile tat oozed warmth and made his eyes twinkle. “This is Lykata; a blessing from the Goddess, Eyris, herself.” Shane had never seen Dominac quite so happy or peaceful as he seemed right now thinking about it.

Shane was almost speechless. Almost. “A Gnosis Mark!? A blessing froma God imbued with some of their divine spirit. How did you..? What does it..? Did you meet..?” Shane wasn't surwe what question to ask first. This was remarkable. His own boss was a Marked faithful of a God. Shane had read about their divine blessings in many books. From Kelwyn's Gnosis of randomness to Zulrav's Stormwardens who had the ability to control the very wind; these powers were legendary and here Avira had sat all this time with one of his very own on the back of his hand and Shane hadn't even noticed.

“Oh, I met her.” Dominac replied playfully trying to pass it off as a normal occasion for him. “She was quite lovely.”

Shane's jaw literally hung open. He could not believe this. His boss, sarcastic old Avira, had met a Goddess? Shane's closed his mouth and scowled. “I don't believe you.” He said resolutely.

Now it was Avira's turn to scowl. “Don't believe me? If I say I met a Goddess than I met a Goddess, Wallsly, and that's that.” Dominac growled at him.

“Well prove it.” Shane would never stand up to his boss like this but this was clearly a very unusual circumstance.

“I will.” Dominac declared. “Give me any object you've got and I can tell you something about it. How else do you think I know so much about every artefact in this shop?”

“Okay then.” Shane slipped off his leather gloves and put them on the table. “Where'd I get them?” Shane asked smugly. He was mostly sure he was right about Dominac having never met a Goddess before.

Dominac took the gloves in his hands and closed his eyes. He began to humm and chant mysteriously. The words he spoke were like none Shane had ever heard before and they carried an odd, rhythmic beat to them. The chant was increasing in volume and tempo. Increasing. Increasing Increasing until.... “The Leatherworks from a Myrian named Nabinu and you bought them for eight silver Mizas.” Dominac declared smugly and through the gloves back at Shane.

“Woah...” Shane was awestruck. So precise it had to be the work of the Gods. “How did you..?”

“Well you might have wanted to pick an item I haven't bought for myself at some point in my life.” Dominac declared with a grunt of laughter. “I have the exact same pair in my desk. You've seen me wear them. Don't you own anything unique?” Dominac shook his head heartily and heaved himself to his feet.

“Well...” Shane began just a moment away from outing his secret but Dominac waved him off.

“Eh, it's dark. No more customers today. You go home, Wallsly.” Dominac said letting him leave early on some sort of whimsical spate of kindness. “But I want you in an hour early tomorrow. Rise with the sun I always say.” Or maybe not...

Shane shook his head and got to his feet. “Bye, Sir.” He said to the old man as he collected his gloves. He suddenly smelled something rank in the air as he got to Avira's height level. Alcohal. The old man had been drunk as a beaver this whole time. Shane smiled and chortled to himself as he exited the shop. He knew the old man couldn't possibly have met a Goddess...

Credit to Skerry

[Orion Michaels]

Shane +1 Meditation +1 Socialization lore : Meditation Technique: Compartmentalizing Worries Dominac has Lykata Lykata: It's Power is Knowledge notes Since Incurus was ripped off directly from The Story of Icarus, I'm not going to award you any lore related to Zulrav for that. We're writers here, so don't re-skin Greek mythology, or anything else, really. Thank you. PM me with questions/comments. Please edit your request to reflect this grade.