Man's Best Friend (Eithne)

A quick lesson on how to talk to women, specifically on the subject of dead dogs.

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The Diamond of Kalea is located on Kalea's extreme west coast and called as such because its completely made of a crystalline substance called Skyglass. Home of the Alvina of the Stars, cultural mecca of knowledge seekers, and rife with Ethaefal, this remote city shimmers with its own unique light.

Man's Best Friend (Eithne)

Postby Boo Beckett on April 10th, 2016, 4:23 am

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Timestamp: 40th of Spring, 516 AV.

The Solarwind Apartments. Boo had probably wandered past the fancifully named building several times before, but had never known its true purpose. He supposed he might have sooner had he not been directed to the Okomo Estates when first arriving in Lhavit. Forty days since then, he had not encountered a reason that would bring him directly here. Until now.

There was a crumpled scrap of paper in his pocket, folded and unfolded countless times that the creases were worn and frail. He could rip it straight and true, so indented now were those lines. But of more interest were the assortment of words scribbled upon it. More precisely, it was an address. Not written in the clear and concise manner of today's standards, offering a room number for example, but instead it was a little more cryptic than that; more of a general direction than a precise location. Still, Boo mused, how accountable is a ghost giving directions?

It had all come about by accident in fact, Boo having sensed the spirit's gloomy presence while taking a stroll along the path that led by the Rainbow Falls. He always associated that place with the first time he had met Kelski, sitting on her rock trying to catch a delicious fish. But further along, where the path narrowed and the forest trees either side seemed to loom in a watchful manner, his neck hairs had tingled. Long story short, he had come to find the ghost of a Lhavitian hunter by the name of Jensen. The fool had fallen foul of the local wildlife years earlier, catching a finishing blow from a particularly nasty beast that had found itself defending its young. Meanwhile, in an affectionate display of sentiment, his friends had seen fit to bury him right there in the forest. However, Jensen was not as happy with the arrangement as they might have hoped. There was the unresolved matter of a pet.

Nemo was its name. Jensen's pet dog that is, trusted and faithful companion that had died several seasons before its master. Some even theorized that the loss of the dog had been to Jensen's detriment when it came to his wilderness skills. As if the death of his beloved dog weighed upon him greatly, he began to make mistakes, getting sloppy in a domain where sloppiness was not tolerated. The rest of course was history.

In any case, Jensen had held a small ceremony for Nemo way back when, burning the mutt into a pile of ashes which he then carefully stuffed into a small ornate jar. The jar itself, Lhavitian made of course - Jensen would not have it any other way - had taken pride among the hunter's possessions. However, as was Jensen's tradition before heading out on the hunt, he gathered what he considered his most valuable items, before proceeding to stash them under the floorboards. The man had never before been robbed. But when it came to his beloved ornate jar and other trinkets, there was no sloppiness at all.

Then he died.

Boo looked up at the building staring back down at him. He went over in his head how best to knock on a stranger's door and asking permission to root around under their floorboards. If he was lucky, nobody would be home and he could be on his way. But that was stupid of course. He would only be putting off what he had already agreed to do. This was a matter of putting a ghost to rest, an endeavor he never took lightly. No, it was simple. He would have to see this through, or shame on him for ever calling himself a spiritist.

Inside the building now, Boo assumed a more alert demeanor, keeping his senses switched on for anyone that passed him by or could see him. Not that he was doing anything wrong, but for some reason he felt a little jittery, as though he had to put on a good show of trying not to look like he was up to anything strange. Eventually he came to stand before the door he believed to be marked on the scrap of paper, the final boundary between him and Nemo's ashes. Now all he had to do was cross the threshold. Well, it wouldn't be the strangest thing I've ever done, would it?

With that, he gave the door a light rap three times in quick succession. Waiting for a response, he glanced up and down the passageway, wondering just who might be waiting behind that door and what tact he might best use to get what he needed.
Last edited by Boo Beckett on August 22nd, 2016, 3:01 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Man's Best Friend (Eithne)

Postby Eithne on April 12th, 2016, 6:16 pm

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I shouldn't have drunk from that fountain. She stared at the scorch marks left on the table that had recently caught fire. The unbidden power from her fingertips felt like an invader. Magic was not a new concept for the half-breed. She'd been taught by her father when she was young; initiated into the latent power of bones and the majesty of auras, but she had never imagined herself tossing fire from her hands. When Eithne had drank from the mysterious fountain, she had assumed it would be a repository of knowledge, not a well of curses!

And now I have to clean up this mess. Eithne sighed heavily and got up where she'd been cross legged on the wood floor. She rummaged in her pack for a rag and dusted off the shards of burnt wood from the surface of the table. There was a fluttering pit in her stomach that seemed to just grow and grow. The maledictor had never felt such paranoia since her life had revolved primarily on not attracting the attention of roaming gangs. Lhavit had seemed relatively safe, in the long run. But now... now she wasn't so sure anymore.

But why should she fear danger? Eithne paused, glancing at her journal, where she kept scraps of her drawings and notes on things she found intriguing. Danger was the unknown. And the unknown held secrets that would never be discovered unless someone risked themselves for it. She wanted to learn, and she wanted to grow. She wanted to wander the world as her father had and find the remains of creature or people who would make the most magnificent of creations. And she couldn't do that if she was afraid.

Eithne exhaled and set the rag down, and when she did, she felt that unmistakable tingling in her fingertips. "Oh no," she hissed, "Don't you start, not again!" She could feel the ball of res form from her hands, entirely out of her control. It felt like a parasite that had crawled into her skin and was now making it's way out from her very fingertips. With what little she knew of willpower in the process of auristics, she tried to apply the same to the res that was now enveloping a small potted plant in the corner. "Stop," she yelled, as though she was facing a person, instead of an incorporeal force. "Stop it, right now!"

When the res enveloped the plant's wilting leaves, there was a spark, like a jolt from her hand, and up it went in flames. Again. "Petch!" She snapped and darted for her rucksack, rummaging for the waterskin that, thankfully held water. The flames licked the ceiling of the room, though comparatively, it wasn't such a large fire. She dunked the contents of the waterskin on the plant and heard the telltale hiss as it was put out. Eithne rubbed her face with a hand. The plant was burnt to a crisp and the air smelled like singed leaves. But the maledictor didn't have time to sit herself down before there was a rap on the door.

"Oh for petch's sake!" Eithne slammed the waterskin down on the table and went for the door. This day is never going to end, is it? When she jerked the door open, she was met with a the sight of a man. Her slitted gaze looked him up and down. "I don't want anything you're selling," she told him plainly.

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Man's Best Friend (Eithne)

Postby Boo Beckett on April 22nd, 2016, 1:05 am

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Three carefully measured and considered knocks had been issued upon Eithne's door, courtesy of a curled fist where the knuckle of the middle finger had been granted duty of delivering the blows threefold. It had been a matter of preference, opting for the middle over the index. The ring finger had not even been in contention if he was honest. That was simple anatomy right there, what with the ring and pinky finger being attached to the same tendon. It was basically impossible to knock with one without the other following suite. Some might have suggested using both for the knock. But anyone in their right mind discarded that option for the nonsense that it was. No, it had to be either the index or the middle.

Despite the various schools of thought on which was the better suited for the task in hand, Boo had simply gone with his gut instinct on this one. As far as he was aware, he had racked off all three knocks without incident or error. They were good knocks, well executed, even if he did say so himself. Alas Boo. You really do think of some useless shyke from time to time. Smirking to himself, he glanced up the hallway again, spotting someone emerging from another door further down. Eye contact was made, leading Boo to feel as though his presence there needed to be justified. He offered a quick smile to the stranger, having raised his hand to knock on the door once again. It was a display that illustrated clearly that he was merely visiting, and that the stranger could go on with their day without further concern.

All this would have been absolutely fine of course. Granted, some door knocking aficionados might well have criticized his knocking a second time so soon. But the real error here was trying to knock on a door that was no longer there. Indeed, as his curled fist journeyed through the tried and tested motions, he turned his attention back to the task at hand when he realized the startling absence of wood for knuckle to land upon. Instead he was greeted by a rather curt and irritated looking woman, who before he could summon any further thought on the situation, had quite effectively shut him down.

Such was the brutality of her dismissal that he even had to remind himself what it was he was selling, before realizing in that moment that he was dumb. Withdrawing his floating hand from the vicinity of Eithne's face, Boo took a second or two to compose himself, glad to find that the woman had at least not slammed the door in his face. Not yet anyway. That conclusion was still very much on the cards though. Might as well get on with it, he conceded gloomily.

"Sorry to trouble you. I'm not selling anything in fact. Um, well, actually, I was hoping you might spare a few minutes to allow me to explain myself." He fumbled in his pocket for the folded piece of parchment, unraveling it for the umpteenth time today. "Let's see here." He scratched behind his ear even though there was no itch. "Erm, basically what it is..." This time he cleared his throat as though on the verge of some great recital. But then his head rose, eyes meeting eyes, before he seemed to look through her. Not through her, but over her, into the interior of her home. Eithne might well have found that disconcerting, especially since this fool of a man had yet to offer a satisfactory explanation for disturbing her in the first place. But perhaps she might have forgiven him upon the revelation that came next.

"Well shyke, woman. I'm no fan of tending plants either, but isn't setting fire to them a little extreme?" There was the undoubted smell of burnt plant corpse in the air, a rather agreeable scent if Boo was honest. But it had transpired that Eithne's waterskin had not quite quelled the fiery rebellion that had since reignited. Boo nodded towards the plant, wondering just what he had stumbled upon.

This was shaping up to be a most strange day indeed.
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Man's Best Friend (Eithne)

Postby Eithne on May 9th, 2016, 6:21 pm

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Eithne glanced at the hand hovering in front of her, as if he'd been ready to knock on her door once more. A persistent seller, wonderful. She scrutinized him with a deceptively deadpan look, sizing up his relatively taller height and build. He seemed to be well kept, at least, though she couldn't remember the last time she'd ever seen a door to door salesman. With the people she'd come across in her childhood, they wouldn't last very long without an imposing presence. This man was anything but imposing.

"Did you have to recite what you were going to say?" Eithne raised a brow at his fumbling over what she could only assume was an ill prepared speech to sell her something. Why else would he need to explain himself? "You're wasting my time," she added with a withdrawn tone. "If you're not here to sell, spit it out." Their eyes briefly met, and she looked notably irate, though when his gaze eventually bypassed hers and looked beyond, into her room, she glanced over her shoulder. "What are you-- Oh, for Eyris' sake."

She whirled around, momentarily forgetting the man and the wide open door. He was right, the smoke licked the ceiling and the smell of crisp leaves filled her nose as she went for a spare vase full of water and dumped its contents onto the remains of the seared plant.

"I wish that was my explanation for it," Eithne exhaled, setting the vase back down on the table as she watched the water drip to the ground. What a mess. She certainly disliked messes. Uncontrollable spurts of magic even more so. "It didn't set fire so much as combust," she added, as though that would explain everything to this stranger. Of course, she realized then she was speaking aloud, and to the very man who'd knocked on her door to accost her with his fumbling words.

"It's none of your business, anyway. It was an accident, and nothing more," she returned to the door. "Now if you have nothing else for me but a rehearsed stint to sell me something, then good day." She looked as though she was about to close the door, though she gave him enough time to change her mind should he be inclined to.

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Man's Best Friend (Eithne)

Postby Boo Beckett on May 11th, 2016, 4:00 pm

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Boo could argue he had seen some things in his time. Most of it was courtesy of Alvadas of course, that strange city offering a myriad of curiosities and puzzlement. But even out in the 'real world' as he liked to consider anyplace but Alvadas, there had been a fair share of weird and wonderful. Still, exploding plants was a new one on him. His initial reaction was that perhaps this woman had fallen foul of some kind of magic. After all, there seemed few non-magical explanations for such an occurrence. In any case, what was most striking about the whole situation was how Eithne seemed less than enthused.

Indeed, had Boo paid witness to a plant that suddenly burst into flames, he reckoned his reaction would have been a little more theatrical. But Eithne was not amused. Instead she was irate and perturbed, leaving him to the conclusion that this might not have been the first instance that the plant had over exerted itself. He could understand that. Parlor tricks proved less entertaining the tenth time you saw them. Perhaps this was the tenth plant the woman had gotten through this week.

Theories of such aside, Eithne soon resumed her position at the door, once more focusing her attention on the other distraction to her day. Boo realized in that moment that he was about to lose his window, having thus far made a real pig's ear of the situation. It was an unfitting testament to his otherwise practiced use of the spoken word, at least where communing with ghosts was concerned. In fact, had Eithne been a disgruntled spirit, Boo had far more confidence that he would have managed to appease her frustrations and entered into a meaningful discussion by now.

But essentially, what difference did it make if a person was alive or dead? This was simply a case of coming to Eithne's door unprepared, a product of the strange circumstances surrounding the visit to begin with. But rather than accept such excuses and admit defeat, he consciously focused harder on the task at hand, reaching deep for where determination's reservoir might be found. And, armed with this new motivation, Boo settled on the tried and tested theory that honesty was the best policy in order to proceed.

"I can see you're busy, so no more okomo shyke. I'll come to the point. I'm here to carry out the last wish of a ghost whose bones currently rest just outside the city. He used to live here and, with your permission of course, tasked me with retrieving an item that still remains."

Boo held the woman's gaze as he spoke, no more stuttering or searching for words. His manner was now more direct and confident, hopefully displaying to the woman that he was deadly serious. Considering the fact that she had combustible plants in her apartment, a man carrying out tasks set by spirits might not be too far fetched for her to believe.
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Man's Best Friend (Eithne)

Postby Eithne on July 26th, 2016, 5:56 am

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She could practically feel a surge of wildfire spread through her bones. It was taking everything in her not to have her hands shake from her tested willpower. This is the price you pay for curiosity, Eithne. She bit her lip. But isn't that what I'm always striving for? While the prospect of having unlocked a new source of power had originally been exciting for the half-breed, she realized it had the potential of truly causing devastating damage. And what happens then, if the Shinya found out about a "wild mage"? Would she be tossed into the dungeons? Would she be killed? The thought alone made her instinct for self-preservation kick into overdrive. She was a creature of survival, and she was going to survive by any means necessary.

Even if it meant being an asshole for once.

"I'm sorry, what?" Eithne stared at the man impassively. His explanation for arriving at her doorstep was hardly what she'd been expecting. If he truly was a salesman he was most certainly dedicated to his task. But there was something in his tone that made her assume that he was quite possibly telling the truth.

Every part of her screamed to not let him in, but it was her roaring curiosity that drowned out the noise. Ghosts. Bones. It felt like a Konti's Call, and this stranger hit every point. She was helpless when faced with the prospect of the unknown.

Eithne held the door open for a long minute, then exhaled and stepped aside. "Come in. Who is this ghost? And why isn't he haunting this place then?" She couldn't ever recall anything unnatural concurring during her several years stay in this particular room. She closed the door behind him and folded her arms over her chest, watching him.

"Who are you?" The question was posed with a demand. "Is this your line of work? Trudging through houses looking for bones of dead people?"

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