[Kova's Well] No Apparition [Kendall]

by **Hadrian** on February 4th, 2011, 9:55 pm

85th Winter, 510 A.V.

Hadrian had never spent all that much time around Kova's Well. Of course, he knew where it was. He had grown up in Syliras, after all. But he was never a social creature, and he had never gone to drop a coin in hoping for a queenly ghost to appear and give him counsel about affairs of the heart as many of his contemporaries had supposed she would. But that was then, and this was now. He still disdained affairs of the heart, mostly because he was afraid to let anyone in and see the ugliness that he perceived within himself, the darkness and the unaccountable pain. Never mind his brilliance and achievement; those things were more easily forgotten.

Now, though, he was curious to test the legend of the ghost, and as such, he leaned against the well, his Auristic vision engaged as he began to eat a winter apple. The thing was not very impressive, but he supposed any fruit at this time of year was good. He chewed, bit off more, chewed, but never swallowed. His cheeks distended a bit, making him look a bit like a chipmunk, but inevitably a little bit slipped down into his gullet, the rest reducing into an ever more mashed collection of applesauce.

Then he took a small hunk of bread and began to tear off bits and pieces to chew. But never swallow. Another aurist or spiritist might have seen a glow about his mouth as he mindfully chewed and changed the food into an offering of which a ghost might partake. When the liquid bread had mixed with the apple -- and he couldn't wait for spring to come and with it, new food that wasn't wizened by age and cold -- he took out another ingredient: cheese.

This too was picked apart to be placed carefully into his mouth, continuing the process.

by **Kendall Saarinen** on February 13th, 2011, 5:21 am

Kendall had told himself when he reached Syliras he would pay a visit to Kova`s well. It was the least he could do for Ivak in thanks for saving him back in his home town of Zeltiva. He had heard quite interesting things about the well. It was said that if one threw a coin into its depths Kova would show herself. It was a bit intimidating to think he would see the lover of Ivak, or at least her ghost. Although he wanted to pay his respects to the lathe late queen he felt a bit worried about throwimg a miza over the edge of the well. These one hundred gold mizas were all he had left in terms of money. He would halt at the thought of buying himself a nice meal but hey, why not give money to the dead?

The city was just as Kendall's father had described. It seemed to be a bit greater though. The streets were full of all different kinds of people. It was a lot different than Zeltiva, although that much was to be expected. The cities were two very different places. Still, Kendall could not help but feel a spark of hope in this city. He was unknown here are no one could look and him and think of the horrible inncident that had unfolded at his family's home. These streets would be a new start for him and this new start would take it's first steps at Kova's Well. Although, Kendall had to find it first.

After about twenty chimes of aimless wondering Kendall finally stopped to ask for directions. He was never going to find this well without help. He did not know the outlay of the city and if he passed another bar he would likely wonder off of his path to find the well and end up getting drunk again. It was becoming an issue to say the least. It took up a good amount of his money and he needed to keep as much as possible due to the fact he was no longer living off of his family's money. Kendall had to muster up his courage to ask directions though. He would not find this well on his own. He called out to a woman passing by and without too many awkward words she directed him in the correct direction.

Soon Kendall found himself in seeing distance of the well. Kendall could see a man peering over the edge of the stoney wall of the well. As he walked forward he could see the man chewing on what seemed to be an apple. Kendall walked to the edge of the well and peered down into it's depths. It seemed ordinary enough. Water, walls, normal well business. He wanted to talk to the man but he was not sure what to say. "Hello." When he was a female the words came to him so easily. Infact, it was nearly impossible to get a silent moment out of him when he was a female. No he seemed to hide within his words, or lack of them. "Paying your respects to Kova?" He knew the question was dumb the moment the words left his mouth. Of course this man was paying his respects. He was there wasn't he? Kendall made a small glance at his wrist and smiled. "Ivak... thank you." He was not sure why he was thanking the fire God. Maybe just for the fact that he had made it this far. He knew he could not have done it without Ivak's help.

by **Hadrian** on February 13th, 2011, 9:20 pm

Hadrian tried not to stiffen at the unexpected presence beside him at the well. Being socially awkward at the best of times, he didn't commonly work magic in front of other people. He didn't like them knowing what all he was capable of, nor judging him for his weirding ways. But he was struck by a strange sense of familiarity when he saw the blond man, who seemed about his own age. He was reminded of Zeltiva, and he searched that face for something else that would enlighten him, observing his aura almost as a matter of habit to see if he recognized him that way.

Something was off, and he couldn't put his finger on it. This troubled him. Normally this sort of man would have put him off, a good looking golden child who would likely have been quite popular and normal, as unlike Hadrian's experience as it was possible to be within the same sort of a society.

He almost swallowed his soulmist, but instead he brought up his hand to spit out the gently glowing mush into his hand. Holding his hand over the well, he turned his hand, letting it fall into the depths.

"Feeding the dead," he said. Remarkably, the soulmist left no traces behind on his hand. It had been transmuted from food to something else entirely, not just spiritual vomit. No wonder people thought him creepy and avoided him. He rather was. "Hello."

It wasn't polite to stare, but he got over the etiquette his mother had drilled into him. It hadn't occurred to him to offer food to her spirit, but perhaps he would. No, he didn't want her coming back. Let her move on to where the gods saw fit to send her for her next life on the wheel of time.

"You look," he said hesitantly, apologetically, "familiar. I'm Hadrian."

by **Kendall Saarinen** on February 22nd, 2011, 10:09 pm

Although most people might be a bit uncomfortable when a complete stranger stared at them Kendall had grown used to it. Somehow it seemed to be impossible to hit the strangeness of his situation to the people around him. He had tried everything he could think of to blend in with everyone else. He tried to act more like a man but it never seemed to hide the obvious fact that he was different. He was still a bit awkward in his movements. He still needed to get used to this body. Most of all, if he was going to be stuck like this he wanted to just face it and get on with life. "I don't want to be stuck though..."

The man looked familar to Kendall. Could he have been from Zeltiva? He was interesting that was for sure. He did not expect to see someone spit a wad of chewed up food into the well for one. "Is that allowed?" He was new to this town and maybe it was something people did a lot at the well. Kendall did not have any food though so he simply looked down the mouth of the well quizically as he watched the food drop into the water below.

Kendall felt himself chewing on his lips as the stranger looked at him. What could he be thinking? Was he on to him? The thoughts raced around his mind until the man beside him spoke up again. So he was right. This man, Hadrian as he introduced himself, was familiar looking. "Nice to meet you Hadrian. I am Kendall." He held a hand out awkwardly to Hadrian and attempted a small smile. He was not sure exactly how to react so he tried to follow Hadrian's example as best as he could while trying to think back to his brothers. He did not like that they had to be the basis for his new identity but it was better than acting like a woman.

Although Kendall felt as though he should stay as nonchallant as possible he could not help but have his eyes linger on the man. Blue eyes had always caught Kendall's eyes. It was a little odd considering his last romantic affair was with a man who's eyes changed with his personality. Still, the call of the cool colored eyes never failed. "Stop. I am a guy now and this person is a guy. I cannot have another happening like I did with Kain." Thoughts could not help his interest in the man though. He broke his stare with the man and looked over toward the streets of Syliras. "Are you from Zeltiva Hadrian? I attended the University since I was young. Maybe you know me from there." He directed his thoughts to the nice, calm days of the university. "I was a literature scholar back then. I focused in poetry but I know my way around more lengthy works as well." Kendall was unsure why he brought that fact up. Even if Hadrian remembered seeing him at the university he would have seen him as a woman, not a man. In truth, he just wanted to talk to him. If Hadrian really was from Zeltiva it would be like having a part of home with him, or at least he felt that way. He truely missed Zeltiva even if the city did not think of him as kindly.

by **Hadrian** on February 23rd, 2011, 1:51 am

Hadrian reached out to shake the man's hand, but more and more things were nagging at him, things he could not rationally explain. Perhaps it had something to do with spending a good amount of time in the City of Illusions so recently, but when he called up his Auristic vision, Kendall looked entirely human. He was softer on an energetic level than he was physically, or at least that was the first word that came to mind. Feminine, almost, but not effeminate. Hadrian could hardly judge him there, as his primary element had proven to be water, which was also considered "feminine", whatever that meant. But he didn't have time to think about semantics, not with a real person standing in front of him.

"Kendall?" he asked, startled, and holding onto the young man's hand a bit longer for it. "Cathan's friend?" A little smile slowly eased its way onto his face at the realization. "I'm actually from Syliras, but I spent a good four years at the University of Zeltiva, so you might have seen me there. I took some literature, but mostly anthropology and... well, magic." He figured a Zeltivan wouldn't have any problem with a magus in his midst.

They were still looking into each other's eyes, still shaking hands. Hadrian didn't have a problem with staring; he did it himself rather a lot. But he realized that perhaps he was making Kendall uncomfortable, and if he was the type of man to earn Cathan's respect and friendship, then he started off on a good foot with Hadrian, too.

"I'm sorry," he said, giving the hand a firm squeeze before letting it go. "I met Cathan last night. He's great. He mentioned a friend named Kendall from Zeltiva." He mentioned quite a bit else, but Hadrian didn't want to be a blab.

by **Kendall Saarinen** on March 1st, 2011, 9:58 pm

Kendall smiled at the mention of Cathan. He had really started to feel close to the Kelvic. "Yes, Cathan and I have known each other for about a season now. We met in Zeltiva. I guess we found each other when we both really needed it." He already missed the tall man. Kendall had become so used to always being around him. It was a bit strange not seeing him all the time now that they were in Syliras. Of course they saw each other at night, they were both staying with Sondra for the time being. "I also know a bit of magic, although most likely not as much as others. Just enough reimency to keep myself safe due to my lack of weapon skills." He knew a little about weapons. His thoughts went to his long sword. He was still very new in using it though. He had only just added it to his arsenal and his awkwardness in this body only made it more difficult to learn.

There were the blue eyes again, staring deep into his own. Kendall felt his heart beating against his chest as he gazed into them. "Just like the waters of Zeltiva…" He smiled a bit as he looked into Hadrian's eyes. "Wait…no, I can't be looking at him like that!" Kendall shook his head, trying to get the thoughts from his head. A small frown formed on his lips as Hadrian looked away. "If only I was still a girl…"

"No worries." Kendall looked down at Hadrian's hand and then back to his eyes. "So what kind of magic did you study?" What Kendall really wondered was what Cathan and Hadrian were talking about the night before. He had not told Cathan about his accident so that fact was still safe. Although he felt closer to Cathan than anyone else he still did not dream of letting Cathan know about his past. Cathan may have been open about his life before he met Kendall but he was not as comfortable to share. He wanted to tell someone about that terrible night but even Cathan was not close enough to him for that.

by **Hadrian** on March 1st, 2011, 10:39 pm

"You are fortunate," he said. "Cathan seems to care for you a great deal, and he is... well, fantastic. I'm rather useless in a fight, myself. I wish I had a Cathan too." He smiled, and it transformed his face. The lines of his face had grown somewhat standoffish, even cruel in response to the world around him, but when he forgot his bitterness, his alienation, and smiled, his face lit up with all the brilliance of his mind and potential.

Kendall didn't seem to have any trouble maintaining eye contact like some people did, and many were off put by Hadrian's 'staring'. Really, he just liked to have that connection with a person when talking to them. Something about Kendall's look made him smile nervously, bashfully, and he might even have felt a faint blush bepaint his pale cheeks as he looked away shyly.

"Ah, a bit of reimancy myself. I got stuck with water when I wanted fire, but I figure the gods have a plan. I tried to petition Ivak for fire, but all I ended up with was steam and scalded hands that required medical attention." He laughed, looking at Kendall again and smiling. It was a slightly embarrassing story that he would tell if asked. "I've dabbled in many disciplines, though, because I'm a magecrafter, or want to be... and any discipline can be worked into it for more utility and sophistication... but until I have a lot of money, I'm limited in what I can do."

He paused, peering at Kendall. It wasn't the eyes, exactly. But...

"I probably sound like a creep, but I feel like I've seen you before. It must have been in Zeltiva, but I can't put my finger on it, which is strange. I usually have a nearly eidetic memory."

by **Kendall Saarinen** on March 2nd, 2011, 12:53 am

Kendall felt rising pride in his kelvic companion as Hadrian continued to sing his praises. He smiled at the man and nodded. "I'm quite happy to have him around. He is a much more skilled hunter than me and he can fight better than I can too." Kendall was a bit surprised to see Hadrian's features calm a bit. So much that he smiled. It made Kendall smile, but in a more sheepish and almost teenage-girl-with-a-crush way. Even now two seasons after Kendall had found his way into this body the old him seemed to be able to bubble up once in a while. He felt almost comfortable in this cutesy, crush-like mindset. It was very feminine and emotional. He had tried to shove down his emotions, writing them off as too dangerous to his cover. The truth was, he felt more comfortable in that moment than he had in a long time.

The mention of Ivak only put Kendall in a better mood. The fire god had saved Kendall from a very bloody situation and for that he had Kendall's gratitude. He looked at Hadrian quizzically. He was not sure how to tell the man how he came to fire reimancy. It was not extremely normal to say "Oh yeah, I was turned into a guy and what do you know, the body I was put into had been initiated before I was even put into it." Once again, silence was the best answer. "Well Makutsi is a wonderful god, as is her watery world." He was happy that he was able to play with fire so freely. He did wonder what it would be like to try out Water Reimancy though. He winced as Hadrian recounted his attempt with the fiery arts. "Ouch, that doesn't sound too good. I bet there is an interesting story behind that." Kendall smiled sweetly at Hadrian as he asked. "I've heard a lot about mage crafting but I've never met someone who worked with it. It must be interesting. I've never really tried any other arcane crafts besides Reimancy. I asked an old friend to teach me Auristics once but she turned me down." He thought back to Ariel with a small sigh. He would probably never see that interesting little clay girl again.

As the time with Hadrian went on Kendall found himself talking easier. He blushed a little as he saw Hadrian peering into his eyes again. He felt a bolt of fear run through him when Hadrian spoke again though. He had seen him and Kendall did not even know if Hadrian saw him or the man who used to have this body. He was walking on thin ice now. What if Hadrian caught on to him? It was best to play it cool, at least Kendall guessed that much. "Well I was at the University for a long time. Does the name Kendall Saarinen ring a bell?" It was a tricky thing to say. If Hadrian knew the name he might have known the girl Kendall. If that was the case there was same major lying that would have to happen if he wanted to keep his horrible secret. He had to hope that Hadrian knew him after the accident. It would make everything so much easier. He would hate to lie to such a pretty face.

by **Hadrian** on March 2nd, 2011, 1:22 am

Hadrian found himself relaxing more and more around Kendall. This was a strange occurrence in Syliras, his hometown, where he always felt on alert. But the influx of people from Zeltiva, Cathan and Kendall, seemed to have put him more at ease than he could remember being there. He smiled and shrugged.

"Neither Makutsi nor Laviku took particular notice of me, despite the hydromancy. Perhaps they didn't care for the manner in which I was initiated. But anyway... I was trying to come to terms with the water I was working, and I prayed to Ivak for His blessing, but basically I just got superheated steam. I don't know if that was His answer or my sloppy work, but I was lucky to know a healer who lived not far away who tended to the burns and now my hands are good as new." He held them up, flexing long, fair fingers, each tapering like a musician's or surgeon's. "Someday I'll master Fire, though, unless I've upset Him. Actually... once I'm a master reimancer, I have plans to build a defensible tower for myself..." He flushed a little. "It probably sounds like a little boy's idea, but I've been working it out over the years and I think I can make it happen. Eventually.

"Oh, and magecrafting, yes... It's a world magic, which basically means it's long and laborious, rather the opposite of reimancy." He paused. "I could teach you Auristics," he offered. "At least, the basics. I'm not sure when you all are leaving for Ravok... It would probably be fairly easy for you since you're already attuned to the djed and your res."

They were speaking so quickly, bouncing ideas back and forth, and that put Hadrian happily in his element, mind tangenting along with Kendall's. But then Kendall threw a wrench in things and Hadrian's mind shuddered to a halting pace.

"Kendall... Saarinen?" He blinked, mind trying to link things that didn't seem to go together. "Wasn't she... Didn't she...?"

by **Kendall Saarinen** on March 2nd, 2011, 2:30 am

A frown lined Kendall's lips as he listened to Hadrian's story. He felt bad that his reimancy had backfired like that. He wanted to think that Ivak would not have caused Hadrian's magic to hurt him. He decided to keep his affinity for Ivak to himself. Although he was quite proud of his gift from the fire god he knew most people were not too fond of Azenth. Followers of the God who caused the Valterian were not taken in too great of stride.

Hadrian's dream caused Kendall to relinquish a little smile. "I think it is great that you have dreams like that. I wish I had some direction. Right now I'm just… wandering." Kendall looked at the sky with a small smirk and sighed. He was quite happy just doing nothing for the time being. For so long his life was just work and studying day after day at the university. Now he was just seeing the world with Cathan and it was… nice. He did not have to worry about much until he moved on to the Wildlands again. While he was in Syliras he had a place to stay. He nodded contently at Hadrian's words. Magecrafting seemed interesting, although Hadrian did not say much about it. He did like the idea of learning Aurstics though. It would be helpful to be able to gauge what people were feeling. "Yeah, I'd like that. I don't know much but I could teach you a bit of the fighting style I've been using. It is not extremely… tough looking but it gets the job done." He smiled to himself at his strange choice in defense. His fighting style was more like dancing than anything. It was pretty much a more defensive version of capoeira.

Kendall liking this calm exchange. He was a little worried when he noticed Hadrian mulling over his name. "Petch! I shouldn't have told him my name!" Kendall simply gave him a small nod. He had a hard choice to make. Would he tell Hadrian about his past or did he lie and cover it up? "Kendall Saarinen… disappeared. I'm sure m- her family is really torn…" He had walked himself into a corner. He had to tell Hadrian what happened to him now. He wanted Cathan to be the first one to hear the story but now it seemed as though the truth would have to come out sooner. "My family was really torn. Didn't stop them from pushing me out though. I wouldn't be in Syliras if it wasn't for them. I am Kendall Saarinen… I am… her." He was not sure if he should tell Hadrian the whole story. He did seem well learned in the ways of magic. He wanted to explain more but he was having trouble speaking again. "I know it seems impossible but it is true." Kendall looked down at the ground and bit his lip. Anything he had hoped would happen with Hadrian would now be nothing but a distant thought. No one wanted to smile sweetly at a man who was really a woman, or at least was one at one point. This is why he had kept from people. What he had with Cathan was different. Cathan was not like other people. He was a Kelvic, naturally accepting. Kendall looked at Hadrian with sad eyes. "I'm sure this… changes things a bit." He felt his heart drop. He was sure Hadrian would leave now.