Closed Quiet the Mind (Lu)

[Sayana]

Summer 89, 515 AV

Every door looked the same. Well of course they did.

Sayana sighed as she as she strode down the hallway and opened a door at random. It was a small empty room rather like a foyer. There was a single painting on one wall and a cute little bench with a mat by the next door. The Eypharian sat down and took out the key she had been given for the room at the Cubacious Inn. Apparently this key was supposed to guide her back but she still hadn’t gotten the items she had set out for. All she wanted was a proper home cooked meal or at least home prepared meal that she could make for Timothy and Andreas yet she had hardly walked fifteen chimes before getting lost in the city.

Perhaps if she managed to find a way outside, then she might spot a stall selling hot pies or something. In her heart she highly doubted she’d find a way outside since apparently this city didn’t have an outside. Not really. But she looked curiously at the door next to her that had a bit of a step as if it were leading to a front yard or something. The Eypharian stood up to open it and it was locked.

“By the gods and goddesses, why?” She shouted at it and gave a kick with a sturdy black boot. For no reason at all, she gave it another go and slammed her shoulder into the door to open it. Surprisingly it worked. However, when she opened it there was another hallway. This time with mud all across the middle of it. Shaking her head she lifted up her long red skirt with her low hands and stepped carefully to the edge to tip toe along it. Was it just mud on the floor, or mud within the floor? She didn’t really want to find out. At the end of the hallway she did a small leap and managed to avoid the mud entirely.

And big surprise, there was another door.

This time when she opened it, she felt a wave of humidity hit her. All kinds of green overwhelmed her eyes and it looked like she was practically in a jungle. Her earlier irritation was replaced with awe and she quietly stepped through the door. Her red outfit contrasted heavily with all the shades of green but here and there were flowers of colours just as vibrant as her clothes.

There were cobblestone pathways and she was elated to have finally found the outdoors even though it was much different than what she had expected. Except, when she looked up expecting to see the clear blue sky, she instead saw that it was actually a room covered with glass. Regardless, this was as close as she was going to get to the outdoors and absently she picked a brilliant blue flower as she walked along.

That’s when she spotted a figure sitting perfectly still on the ground. Instinct caused her to bring a hand to her hip where her collection of daggers were, but then she slowly drew it away. Still, she ducked behind a tree and looked at the man curiously. He was completely bald and seemed to be doing absolutely nothing at all. She wasn’t even sure if he had his eyes open. She highly doubted she’d need to use any of her daggers; the two throwing daggers, the cobra hilted dagger, nor the lakan.

That’s when a grin lighted upon her face. If he was being so quiet and still, maybe she could… The Eypharian carefully moved from tree to tree so that she might approach him from behind. She still couldn’t quite tell if he had his eyes open or not but she wasn’t going to take that chance. Then tip toeing carefully towards him, she attempted to approach him from behind and… Bop! Her high hand came out quickly to bop him on the head with the palm of her hand before she scampered off. “Gotcha!”

[Lu Gavima]

The rules of Alvadas weren't hard to follow. Forget them and forget trouble. Try to think, try to put the world into a neat box of your own choosing and you have broken the very concept that you had tried so hard to capture. Lu had his key for his room at the Cubacious. What they called the 'luxury room' he had felt were simply suitable quarters. Perhaps his time in Lhavit had made him a bit of a snob. When one came from the heavens of the Sharai, however, it made the ground a thousand feet below much harder and dirtier.

Once he had established himself, he began to walk often. He had gathered from his job that Alvadas, as strange and chaotic as it might appear, tended to have familiarity if one kept their senses aware of the coincidences. Some places felt the same, even if they looked different. He often wondered if animals could be fooled as easily as people in the wake of illusory trickery. Whenever he wasn't doing his job or training, a practice that would be ingrained into his spirit until the day he died, Lu enjoyed following what he liked to call 'The Path of the Heart'. He would secure his key and then he would just follow his heart to find the place that would want him to find it.

On this day, late in the Summer, he had felt the need to relax and purge his body and mind of any pollution that might otherwise stain his senses. The city had become an endless series of hallways and doors, something that Lu found surprisingly direct for such a strange place. He was finding, however, that direct reasoning and analysis of anything in Alvadas was a sure way to find himself utterly confused. It just had to be accepted, whatever it was. These kinds of thoughts and his walk down the path of Heart brought him to a lush jungle. The weather seemed legitimate, his mind going back to the swamps that cradled the base of the Sharai. It seemed the perfect place to meditate.

Once a suitable spot was found, it didn't take long for him to seat himself comfortably, to close his eyes and allow his mind to slow down. Alvadas was very complementary to the act of meditation as all was accepted as illusion. Since meditation brought one's mind to the center of Being, the exact details of the illusion were no longer important. It became as illusory as any other room or location might be once the mind began to slow. Concentrating on the evenness of his breaths, he began to slip slowly into his natural rhythm.

No substance.

No illusion.

No substance.

No... "Gotcha!"

There was clearly a hand on his head for a moment, not striking him in order to harm but it seemed perhaps like a child trying to play with him. His eyes popped open as he heard the footfalls scampering away. Feeling detached and a little groggy, he stood up and rubbed at the bridge of his nose for a moment before giving his attention to the culprit.Tucking his right hand into his pocket, he thumbed a loop inside the pocket to keep the limb secure as the astral arm began to slide free of its anchors. A practiced feat many times, it was a mere chime before he could see his ethereal arm free.

It elongated and extended, splitting into multiple tendrils and feeling around behind bushes or trees. He commenced to cover his eyes with his left hand's palm as if he were looking around and shading his vision. "Who's there? Friend or foe?" He always hoped for friend but was always ready for foe.

[Sayana]

Sayana managed to dash off and get behind a tree before the bald man even opened his eyes. Or at least she was pretty sure she had accomplished the feat. Gripping the trunk with her low hands and being careful not to move the branches by accident, she peered through the leaves. Oh, there he was. Now standing but looking rather groggy.

The Eypharian grinned and looked around for another hiding place. There was another large tree that wasn’t too far. And there were some medium sized bushes that she might be able to hide behind on the way over. Sayana ducked low to keep beneath the height of the bushes and then darted towards the other tree. The crunch of leaves could be heard from under her feet but she didn’t care. However, about half way along, she felt something hit against her shins and she tripped. But instead of falling on her face, she managed to tuck her head in and with a push of her low arms, she did a roll to recover from the fall.

Once back on her feet, she continued her dash for the tree and managed to get behind its branches. Then the man called out to her. She grinned in response. What sort of question was that? “Friend or foe? Fiendish friend.” Sayana called back in response but without coming out from her position. “A true friend wouldn’t have woken you from your slumber. A true foe wouldn’t have let you wake at all.” There was lightness to her voice. Light and playful.

She glanced up at the tree she was hiding behind and managed to spot a somewhat small but sturdy branch a good height up. With a grin, she did a running jump and caught the branch with her high and mid hands. Swinging from the branch, she rustled some of the lower branches and nearby bushes with her feet. She was no longer attempting to hide like earlier.

“And what of you, Baldy? Who are you? A foolish fiend?” Sayana asked with a laugh. Her low hands gestured animatedly and when he came into view, she would surely wave to the bald man.

[Lu Gavima]

Whoever it was had no interest in actually hiding or being stealthy. That was, of itself, relieving. It was most likely a friend or someone neutral. Lu let his guard down somewhat, withdrawing the tendrils until they formed a hand once more. Continuing with the charade, he looked around in different directions, though he listened for the rustling of leaves to guide his senses toward the culprit. he could see flashes of flesh and clothing between the bushes and branches, crouching a little himself to try to both actually see the other better as well as to continue to pretend to not as well.

After a strange kind of crash behind a medium sized tree, he got his response. Fiendish friend. The answer showed intelligence and mischief. It also sounded female. Her answer than made him ponder and grin. Her play was lilting and light and he chuckled, eyeing the trees. "Well, fiendish or no, I suppose I must thank you either way. Now where are you?"It was a clear game and Lu was happy to have the distraction for the moment. Something in the City brought this fiendish friend to him. Some reason wanted to unveil itself.

Almost as an answer, a burst of activity from the foliage came, revealing what could only be a six armed , dark skinned woman. She was attractive and fit, for sure. She wore weapons, which kept Lu at bay. Was she actually six armed? Was she another citizen or merely part of the scenery? Smiling, he took a few steps and approached her cautiously.When asked, he chuckled and rubbed his bald head with his left hand, the right still held in his pocket. "Surely a friend. Foolish? We can only wait and see." He watched as the many arms worked independently. It was quite a show. He only had two arms, though one was creeping up on this person as she hung from the branches. As there were armpits free to be exploited, his Projected hand split once more into two tendrils, the invisible twisting limbs lightly reaching out to tickle her.

[Sayana]

Sayana grinned as he came into view and gave a wave with her low hands. Baldy had decided to come and play after all. But then for a moment she was distracted because she spotted a branch higher up that might just be within arm’s reach. Her low hands joined her others and gripped the branch she hung from and then all three sets pulled herself upwards. It was rather like a chin up, but a little easier with the multiple sets of arms. Still, her muscles strained with the unaccustomed exertion. As soon as she was high enough she reached boldly with her high hands trying to grasp the branch above. Gleefully she seized it and had effectively climbed a foot higher into the tree. However, that’s when the projected tendrils struck.

At first she thought it was an itch and she released her low hands from the lower branch to try to scratch away the irritant. But in only a tick or two she started to feel the full extent of the tickling. She gave a yelp and squirmed where she hung in the branches. Her highs were most exposed but even the armpits of her mid arms were easily reachable. With her low hands she swatted again and again, thinking that it might be a stray leaf or even a bug of sorts. But even amidst her tortured laughter and squirming, her eyes finally fell on the bald man and realization came to her.

Her face suddenly hardened and she let go of the branch with her highs then her mids and landed on the ground. Rushing forwards she attempted to yank his hands out into view with her lows and had already drawn a small throwing dagger with her mid left. She didn’t go as far as trying to bring it to his throat, but she did want him to see it.

“Tell me what you did just there,” she demanded yet her voice remained level and soft. “Blame it on the illusions but I know you had something to do with it. Tell me what you did and how you did it.” She didn’t see him as a threat yet he had done something she didn’t know much about and now she wanted to know, everything. Was it merely a different type of illusion or was it some sort of sorcery? Her light playful smile was gone and replaced with grim determination.

OOCI didn't actually realize that she would react this way and so strongly. Have fun?

[Lu Gavima]

Her arms weren't an illusion unless she also was. Lu watched as she used her various pairs of arms to pull herself higher into the branches of three. It was quite a display. He grinned as her focus was on the climbing and not on the tendrils. Not as if she could see them anyway, but since Lu could it made for a funnier surprise when she began swatting at them and laughing. He couldn't help but chuckle alongside of her own laughing. Her attention pointed and turned to him like an arrow being strung in a bow. She wasn't happy with the tickling and she seemed to know he was the culprit.

His tendrils fused back into his hand and was retracting toward his arm as she dropped to the ground. His attention was also fixed on her and his body turned so that his empty arm was turned away from her, still in pocket. His left foot was leading forward and slightly flexed, though he didn't expect any real trouble. He had been run down by other opponents in his short lifetime and he always believed that his discipline and training would keep him safe. Even when Zintila couldn't. The projected arm was already working itself back into his bicep, the joint settling though the forearm and hand would take a chime or two longer. He still had a perfectly capable side of his body. One arm and two legs versus her eight limbs was fine odds to Lu.

His eyes glanced at the blade. It looked like a throwing dagger; too small to wield as a main but it could cause harm all the same. Her two lower arms reached out and grabbed his wrists, pulling the limp arm from his pocket, the sensation jarring and troubling him. His discipline kicked into overdrive, his left knee leaning in to her right, his left foot stepping over and locking at her right ankle to put her off balance. He stepped back and brought his right leg up at her blade carrying hand, placing his foot against her hip and kicking off to be free. He took his right arm into his hand and rubbed at it. He was feigning that his arm hurt but he was working the Projected limb back into place. The jostling had made it more difficult.

"I thought you were a fiendish friend." He tried to keep his own mood light. She had surprised him but he wasn't angry about it. He just wouldn't risk any damage to his Projected limb over someone's bad attitude. Laughing, he put his left hand out and put the palm out and facing up. His right hand was coming together now, tingling and working itself into place. "Your actions lean toward fiend, not friend." If she approached again, he would accept her invitation to spar.

[Sayana]

Even before she had reached him she could see him bracing himself. Small movements, one leg in front of the other, yet he seemed to be both physically and mentally be preparing for an onslaught if such were to occur. Yet where his legs prepared, his arms did not. Even when she yanked at them it was as if there was something wrong with them, or that he simply never defended himself with them. But that was as far as she could analyze before she felt his foot loop around her ankle and suddenly he kicked hard at her hip with his other leg.

Sayana stumbled from the impact and instinctively let go of his wrists as she fought to retain her balance. His cursed foot nearly tripped her but fortunately he wasn’t trying to attack her… yet. Her eyes narrowed as he spoke. He still hadn’t answered her questions. “What did you do and how did you do it?” Sayana repeated. “Tell me how you did it.”

He didn’t seem to be relenting. Maybe he needed more proof that she didn’t intend to be messed around with. She switched the throwing dagger into her dominant hand, her mid right, then pointed at a tree several paces away both easily within their sight. “See that tree over there? The one with the pink flower part way up and ivy wrapped around its--” Thud! Her dagger pinned the flower in question directly in the center as it sunk into the wood of the tree.

“Now I want you to tell me what you were doing back there,” she repeated once again. She was now down a dagger and she hoped that the demonstration had been worth it.

A flash of light distracted her for a moment and following closely was a loud rumble of thunder. Within hardly a couple of ticks it began to rain, and not lightly either. “Petching petch,” Sayana cursed as she wiped wet strands of hair from her face. She dropped her concentration at this point and then finally turned to the bald man once more. “Did you do this? Are you a reimancer? Do you create illusions? What are you?” At this point her tone was more exasperated rather than attempting to threaten. It seemed like the world was playing tricks on her and she was getting wetter with each passing tick. With a look of disgust, mostly at her situation, she started heading to retrieve the dagger she had thrown.

OOCThought I'd diffuse things just a little.

[Lu Gavima]

She let go, which Lu was pleased with. He didn't want to have to fight this person, though his spirit yearned for practice other than the imagination or inanimate objects. Her words came again. They seemed more determined, more urgent. She was so stubborn, he suspected of the six armed woman. His right hand was curling into a fist now, the palm opening and closing like a lotus for light. His body was retaining and confirming its own equilibrium. Their conversation could continue anew, perhaps even with vigor. "You've never been tickled before? I admit, I have never seen such a violent reaction to it. If I offended you, I apologize." He would not tell her how he did it. Next question.

A demonstration was in order, it seemed. Stepping to her flank, his arms crossed as any martial admirer might be. His stance solid and feet apart, his attention absolute. Nodding, he watched as the woman put the dagger exactly where she intended to, the throw perfect in its flight and form. Lu nodded and smiled, clapping for her effort. "An impressive display of skill." The jungle was also pleased as a flash of light happened and rain began to come in sheets. It was refreshing, regardless of its reality. He heard her question again and again he ignored it, smacking his lips and having a drink of the rain.

It was interesting that she seemed equally as irritated by the rain as the Projection. Perhaps she was just always in a bad mood. He shrugged at his own questions as she inevitably had more of her own. Her shoulders dropped and she seemed like she was as irritated and exasperated by the events as much as threatened. She even seemed to surrender in order to retrieve her weapon. Lu followed her closely, though he kept his hands in his pockets. "You anger easily. What has the world done to you to make you so fickle? One moment you are laughing as the foolish victor, the next you are quitting, the defeated fool." When they made it to the tree, he waited to see another interesting display. Perhaps more climbing.

[Sayana]

“I am not a defeated fool,” Sayana spoke in a sharp tone as she pulled the knife from the tree and the pinned flower. So he still hadn’t been persuaded to answer her questions. He was either really stupid or was confident in his own abilities. His comment also hurt her ego, being the prideful woman that she was. Who was he to determine what defeat was? What had started with a playful game had now turned her thoughts malicious. Was he a man of honor and values? Was that a method to get back at him?

The rain continued to pour. He seemed to be enjoying it yet she couldn’t tell if he was the one to have caused it. Regardless, it was time to go otherwise she’d have sopping wet clothes all day. She still might but at least she could get dry inside.

“Clearly you have secrets. You have ignored my questions each and every time so there is no doubt you did something back there. Something dishonorable, otherwise you would have no need to keep it secret.” Sayana spoke clearly as she framed it in such a way to find him at fault. It was her last attempt to weed something out but she doubted it would work.

“Foolish foe or fiendish friend, it doesn’t matter. Because I will be going.” She gave him one last long stare, one that contained a touch of arrogance and then began walking away into the jungle forest. Her boots splashed in the mud as she tried to find the door that she had come in from.

But even as she began to leave her thoughts ran wild. What had he done? How had he managed to do it? She was so sure he had tickled her, she had laughed, and yet he had been several paces away. Was it illusion, trickery? Had he a secret friend he was working with? It all seemed so spontaneous. Was it mystical? He had been doing some sort of meditation, was there something more to it? Questions raced through her head as she tried to sort out the strange phenomenon that he so deliberately tried to hide.

[Lu Gavima]

How quickly things had escalated. The six armed woman seemed very troubled and Lu felt at least partially responsible. Not for her condition, though he felt he may have aggravated it by playing along with her. She was taking the dagger back and Lu allowed it, his hands remaining in his pockets, the rain continuing to beat down on him and around him. He was troubled by her next set of statements. She was questioning his honor in his use of Projection. This told Lu something that he needed to know. She was not a machination of the city. She was another traveler , like himself. A representative of the city would have been perfectly fine with everything remaining hidden. It was an actual question, not an interrogation.

When she turned on her heel to leave, he began following. Now Lu would be the questioner. "I'm sorry that you found my methods questionable. I am saddened that you found them dishonorable. You do remember that it was you that started the game, no? I was quietly meditating and it was you that struck me and wished to play. The fact that I won the game is what really bothers you, I think." He hoped his challenged would slow her or even stop her, but if not he would continue. "I'll make you a deal. I am staying at the Cubacious Inn. Walk with me there and if you can tell me why you are so angry, I will tell you how I did what I did. Deal?"

He wanted to get out of the rain and he wanted to learn more about this strange woman. She had skills and he felt that if he could just get past her tough exterior that he might learn as much as he could teach.