Completed Killjoy at Killroy's

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A lawless town of anarchists, built on the ruins of an ancient mining city. [Lore]

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Killjoy at Killroy's

Postby Kynier on February 28th, 2019, 5:02 am

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82nd of Winter, 518 A.V.


There had been a rumor going around, one that Doler had requested Kynier to either confirm or dismiss. That there was a new gambling scene in Sunberth located at or around Killroy’s Kennels. Animal fighting. Kynier was on his way towards the Den as he thought about how he was going to approach the issue. He could pretend to be a buyer and snoop around for some evidence. Another option was to attempt to subtly display an interest in joining the gambling. Or, he could quietly cling to the shadows and watch.

The Nighstalker in him was very partial to the last option. It was better to see with his own eyes than to delve into an unknown situation and improvise. So, he decided to wait until later in the day, when Syna had gone to rest beyond the horizon, to approach the most decent looking structure in the district. A few helping hands were leading horses back inside from the pen out front of the building. Kynier knew very little of horses and could only say that those being led inside looked well cared for and clean. After his moment of admiration, he walked around the side of the building, searching for an alternative way inside.

Going around the right-hand side of the building, Kynier was able to find several windows, however, none of them appeared to have been designed to open. There were no doors that he could see initially until he was closer to the rear side of the building. Before he was able to see the other entrance, he was able to hear a bit of a commotion. The barking and yipping of canines. A large opening with a metal gate was flanked by several people. Several more were working. Cages had been loaded onto small carts that rolled not even a foot off the ground.

Kynier hugged the corner of the structure and observe from a distance. Dogs of various sizes and breeds were being taken out and lead somewhere a bit further north. For ten chimes he watched as workers lead dogs away, came back, and left with another set before the metal gate was closed. After it had clanged shut, everyone turned to follow the people hauling the last of the dogs away. Kynier slowly stepped around the corner, keeping his body close to the building and his cloak drawn around him as he followed.

Pausing at the metal gate, Kynier peeked through to see a large room that possessed many cages still. In the low light, he was able to see that there were still plenty of canines left, however, they were all smaller breeds. Kynier arched an eyebrow, suspecting that the rumors Doler had heard were correct. Kynier continued after the people that were going north. There were several tracks left in the grass from numerous trips with the short carts. Warily, he looked around each turn before taking it. The path he was following was leading him towards the city’s edge. As he drew closer, there was a tumultuous amount of noise.

Cheering and hollering, that overlapped barking and howls. Whatever it was, it wasn’t making much of an effort to remain secret. Standing at the corner of the last building before the clearing to the east of the Park, he was able to see a mass of people had gathered, and a large collection of cages that were being kept separate from the people. “Looks like I found it,” he muttered quietly.

Credit for the boxcode goes to Luminescence!
Last edited by Kynier on March 9th, 2019, 4:48 am, edited 1 time in total.
Kynier
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Killjoy at Killroy's

Postby Kynier on March 9th, 2019, 4:42 am

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Without being able to see through the crowd, Kynier was able to tell that there was a circle of torches burning, based off the radiant light coming from the center of the mass of people. Walking away from the concealment of the shadows he was in, Kynier approached the mass of people, at least forty if he were to hazard a guess. While there appeared to be a few people that were wandering around as some form of security, but they were mostly circling the crowd. One man with a large club hanging took note of Kynier’s approach. The sorcerer gave the man an acknowledging nod, which was returned before the fellow continued his rounds.

Standing among the people that were gathered, Kynier was barely able to hear his own thoughts. As he tried to move a little closer to see what was going on, he had to be careful of those around him. Fists were flailing blindly as spectators were cheering their picks. Peering over the heads of a few hunched individuals, Kynier could see that a small circular pin with simple wooden fencing had been made. Inside were two dogs snarling and circling around each other. The larger one was bleeding from their muzzle and the other had a blood staining the fur on their back.

Men and women were walking the perimeter of the fighting pen, their attention on the crowds and ledgers in their hands. One man pointed at Kynier and shouted to be heard. “You sir! Care to make a purchase? Or a bet? Four to one payout on Paetun! Interested?” Kynier held up a hand and shook his head. It was all it took before the man dismissed him to move on. Hazel eyes scanned the rest of the crowd. Most appeared transfixed on the outcome of the fight with looks of excitement and nervousness in equal measure. Only a handful of others were watching with a calm, deeper interest in their eyes. Perspective buyers? Two women in particular caught his attention.

One was young with long dark hair standing next to a Myrian woman that Kynier had seen once before. As he stared at her, he tried to think of her name. Gira something. But it was less of a name and more of a title. What he remembered, was that she was a Big Sister of the Daggerhand. Gira was standing tall with her hands resting on the hooked swords that she carried with her. The younger woman next to her was smiling while she tried paying attention to the Myrian without looking at her. Kynier started snaking his way through the crowd in their direction. When he was behind them, he listened in on the quiet conversation they were having.

“Dogs are quicker to kill than a human, or even a tiger,” the Myrian said. “They would not be as useful as you claim they would be, Hannah.”

“People are more afraid of violent looking dogs than they are of violent looking people,” Hannah said in response. “In Sunberth, they’re used to violence from another person. Many practice and train to survive it. Dogs are more difficult to bribe, louder, and faster. Knock a man to the ground with another man, and watch them wrestle. Put that same man on the ground with an attack dog and he’ll instantly curl up trying to protect himself.” Kynier watched the two women exchange a glance as the crowd reacted with cheers and boos from the larger dog pinning the smaller down. Teeth gripping the base of the smaller dog’s neck and getting wet with blood.

Four men quickly stepped in to pull the two dogs apart. The larger snarling and fighting against the men. The smaller one lay quietly in the grass as one man quickly pressed some cloth on the wound at the neck. “You deny it the kill?” The Myrian asked incredulously.

“A dead dog has no value.” The crowd began to quiet down a little as the victor and loser were taken away. Hannah stepped out to the center of the fighting stage and addressed the crowd. “Did you like that?” she yelled with her arms wide spread. The crowd cried out in affirmation. “You just witnessed Rurom defeat Paetun! Rurom is half Falivan Elk and half Ingany Deepwoods, giving him size, strength, and a keen nose for tracking! Available for purchase at a mere seventy-five gold mizas! A champion fighter people! Don’t pass up the opportunity! Next, we have Bolt, a Luvanor Grassland Hunter, and Razor, a Manitora!”

“After Bolt and Razor, we have a special showing! A second appearance of Dirana!” The crowd hollered in excitement. “Her opponent this time will be Vakir the Imperial Watcher! You have three chimes to place your bets before the next show!” People started clamoring to get their bets placed with one of the people carrying ledgers. Hannah came back to stand by Gira. The Myrian was glaring skeptically at the other woman.

“Is it wise to have you best fighting dog fight so many times in one night? Especially against a larger opponent than the first?”

“She’s the current favorite. Brings in the bets. Now, about our previous discussion. While you may not see dogs as valuable fighters, you should at least see them as deterrents. A large dog is more intimidating than a large thug.” Kynier stepped away, not needing to listen to any more of their conversation. It didn’t matter whether the Big Sister was swayed or not, Kynier felt the need to do something. Watching the next pair of dogs being dragged in by their cages didn’t settle with him. Nor watching the kennel workers getting the dogs riled up with aggressive jabs from wooden sticks. Kynier moved to just outside the crowd. Doler only asked for confirmation of the rumors, he never restricted Kynier from taking any action.

Moving along the edge of the people, Kynier made his way closer to the collection of cages. A woman that was part of the patrol or crowd enforcement stood between the crowd and the cages. Kynier paused and turned to pretend he was observing the next fight. Accessing his Djed, he brought forth his power to help be able to generate a distraction. Surrounding his left arm with Djed, Kynier pushed on his astral form to disconnect it from his physical one. His arm went limp as soon as he disjoined his shoulder, and he continued working his way down the arm until the astral fingers were free of his flesh.

Looking over his shoulder, Kynier reached behind his body and towards the woman standing guard. Stretching his astral limb and curving it around to the other side of her body, he pawed at the backside of her other leg the way a dog would. She looked down at her leg and that was when Kynier quickly turned around and moved to the edge of the collection of cages, crouching low as he started moving between them for cover.

Credit for the boxcode goes to Luminescence!
Kynier
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Killjoy at Killroy's

Postby Kynier on March 9th, 2019, 4:43 am

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The sorcerer moved slowly between the cages to prevent from startling the dogs too much, in addition to avoiding catching the eye of one of the patrols. On either side, a dog would either whimper or growl at his presence. Unable to help himself, Kynier looked at each of the dogs that he moved past. All of them were dirty with fur coats matted in clumps and blood from wounds both old and fresh. Many eyed him fearfully despite their bared teeth. Thankfully, none of them barked or yowled to give away his presence.

Only a pair of enforcers were keeping an eye on the cages between fights. Kynier waited until they weren’t looking to move across more open spaces. A few times, he had to backtrack a few steps and move around the other side of a cage. The sorcerer didn’t really have a plan of action, but he made his way more to the opposite end of the area. As he moved, he checked each of the cages briefly to see that many of them did not possess a lock, only a bolt to keep the cage shut.

Once he was down towards the other end, he started considering opening cages, but doing so one at a time would not create the distraction he really wanted. Somehow, he needed to be able to open several at once. His left astral arm was still out and suspended close to his body. Kynier supposed that he could reach out and open several from a distance and escape out the back side. As he was crouched and considering his plan, a whimper at his side caught his attention. Kynier turned to see a large dog with ice blue eyes staring at him. Unlike the eyes of the other dogs he had passed, these really latched onto him in a silent cry. Kynier could hear the call of “help” just from looking at them. The dog itself was multitoned, black on its back, sides, and top of the head, with gray rimming that faded to a white underbelly.

What struck him was how small the cage was that the dog was forced into. Its back was pressed against the top of the cage, and the sides too narrow for a comfortable turn around. Like many of the cages, there was a small parchment tied to one of the metal bars with a name written on it. Kynier had ignored all the others, but looked at this one. “Dirana” was written on it. Kynier looked at her and could see there was a set of scratches on her muzzle that were oozing a little blood. He gripped the side of the cage with the fingers of his right hand.

Dirana sniffed his fingers before giving them a single gentle lick. Her pointed ears were pinned down against the back of her head. “It’ll be okay,” he whispered. The dog’s brows shifted once as it looked him in the eyes. He took his hand away and carefully slid the bolt of the cage to the open position. It was slow as he tried to not make any loud noises while doing it. Dirana watched with keen interest as her ears pricked up. She started to push against the cage when Kynier forced it to stay shut. “Shh. Not yet,” he whispered.

The dog looked at him with a whimper. But he had turned his attention to other cages. With his astral hand stretched out as far as he could send it. Until he felt the uncomfortable stretch in his incorporeal limb. Then he started sliding bolts open. This time, he was less concerned about stealth. After the bolts were slid to the open position, Kynier would grip the cage door and pull it open. Dogs stared questioningly at the suddenly open door to their cages before cautiously stepping out. After several dogs had been released, many more began to bark and howl. At first, those patrolling only shouted for the to shut up in annoyance.

After a few more cages, they began to notice that dogs were getting out of their cages. Kynier’s right hand gripped Dirana’s cage door and pulled it open. “Go. Go. Make a distraction,” he urged quietly. The large zypherian sled dog squeezed out of the cage and stretched out her back and legs. Then she looked back at the sorcerer who now moved to the next set of nearby cages to begin opening them. Barks and howls of excitement were filling the air, and Dirana ran off towards the nearest person that was coming near.

There was a human yelp of surprise as the dog pounced on them, taking them to the ground. While the need for subtlety was gone, Kynier remained in a low crouch to avoid being seen as he opened cages both nearby and far away with his hands.

Credit for the boxcode goes to Luminescence!
Kynier
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Posts: 851
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Killjoy at Killroy's

Postby Kynier on March 9th, 2019, 4:44 am

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A dozen or so dogs of large breed were running around. Kennel workers ran towards the commotion but showed hesitation when two canines would appear and bear their teeth at the people. Kynier was able to free several more without hinderance before looking over the cages to see several people running closer to investigate. Each of them that tried were cut off by Dirana. The dog’s movements were rather deliberate, spending only ticks to hold off or take down someone. Kynier was impressed by it and thankful it didn’t spend all its attention on a single individual.

The last cage in the back area opened, releasing a large red and white dog with a lean build. It ran out of the cage with a deep throated “woof” to engage on of the humans approaching. While there were still dozens still locked in cages, too many kennel workers were getting too close. Kynier started to slip away from the back when he looked over the cages one last time. Dirana had taken another person down, her maw clamped down on their forearm. A woman was running up from behind with a heavy mace raised over her head, ready to strike down on the canine.

Instinctually, Kynier twisted his shoulders and sent his astral hand out as quickly as he could, balled up in a fist. Before the mace started to descend, the woman’s head reeled back from the impact of his attack. The woman cried out with a curse, taking the dog’s attention away from the man she was one. Dirana looked over her shoulder at the woman with the mace before running off. Kynier smirked and moved on himself before he was noticed. When he was more in the open, he started running. Shouts and howls rang out behind him as he slowly veered to the south to reenter the city.

As he did, he held his limp left wrist in his right hand to make resynchronization easier to accomplish. After a quarter to a half mile of running, he slowed his pace and looked over his shoulder. A figure was following him, but it was coming in a four-legged gait. Dirana stopped when she was within ten feet of him, her long tongue dangling out the side of her mouth. Though she was panting, her mouth looked like it was in the shape of a smile. Kynier looked back at the gambling place and sighed. “Hopefully you’re not the only one that got away,” he said to the dog. She looked over her shoulder before making a single soft yowl.

Turning to walk the rest of the way, Kynier resettled his astral limb back into his body slow and safely. Unbidden, the zypherian sled dog followed not far behind. Periodically, Kynier looked over his shoulder at her. Why she was following him he could only guess. The thought of shooing her away never occurred to him. He assumed that at some point, she was going to run off on her own. However, she followed him all the way back to the Majestic. Kynier did not wait for her as she sniffed at nearly everything in the alleys leading there. When he opened the door to step inside, the dog slip through the opening before he could. There was a sudden scurrying sound and the dog’s throat emanated a deep rumbled. A brat ran into a crack that the dog was only just able to get her head into. A muffled “wuff”, echoed. Kynier chuckled softly at the spectacle just before knocking on the back shelf that covered the secret entrance.

Dirana pulled her head out of the crack to see what he was doing, ears straight with curiosity. When he moved to stand in the center of the room, the dog cocked its head at him. “Come here,” he said as a firm suggestion. But the dog did not move, not until the shelf began to move. It circled around to stand behind him as Doler stepped through. The wizard’s eyes fell on the dog before any words were exchanged.

“I take it then, there was indeed a gambling operation being hosted by Ms. Hannah,” the wizard said, eyes transfixed on Dirana.

“Yes, but it was serving more than one purpose. Advertisement as well as profit gathering. Showing off the animal’s skills to try and entice some buyers. But that wasn’t the interesting thing.” Kynier paused to see if Doler was going to turn his gaze up to him, but he never did. “A Daggerhand Big Sister was there. Hannah was attempting to convince her to purchase dogs.”

“Really? That’s an interesting development.” The wizard pulled his eyes away from the dog to look at the sorcerer. “Why is she following you?” Kynier looked down to exchange a look with the dog. Her eyes full of what looked like curiosity.

“I’m not sure. I… might have released several of the dogs they were using for the fights. Daggerhands would probably be less inclined to do business at Killroy’s if they can’t keep their animals under control.” Doler was leering at Kynier intently. The look made him stiffen uncomfortably, as he knew he was probably being examined with Auristics. After a few moments of silence, the wizard nodded his head gently a few times.

“Good. I’ll see you tomorrow.” And he retreated behind the secret passage. When the door shut, the dog ran over to sniff at the shelves. That seemed a bit strange in his opinion. Tight lipped as the wizard was at times, he was usually a little more forthcoming on what results Kynier’s actions could have. Shrugging his shoulders, he moved to the exit. The dog padded after him when the door opened.

Credit for the boxcode goes to Luminescence!
Kynier
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Posts: 851
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Killjoy at Killroy's

Postby Kynier on March 9th, 2019, 4:45 am

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During the walk back home, he thought about what he was going to do over the next couple of days. Apart from whatever it was that Doler intended for him, he had no obligations to fulfill, nor any bits of intelligence to act upon. Rather than go out and track down a piece of information regarding the Daggerhand, or any of the other powers at work in the city, it seemed like a good opportunity to get his personal life in order. Mainly, the organization of his home. It was still a bit of a mess on the inside, with the last of the furniture he had purchased arriving yesterday in crates that he refused to leave outside.

Walking the path to his front door, Dirana had still been following him. Moving past the flimsy wooden fence at the perimeter of his property, the canine started sprinting around in the grass. Kynier watched her for a moment, wondering what to do with her. Dogs had always been of more interest to him than cats, but he hadn’t ever thought about owning one. And while he wasn’t opposed to living alone, the thought of having an animal companion had an appeal. The sight of Dirana shuffling rutting around in the grass on her back made him laugh. He supposed if anything, the dog would be able to brighten his mood from time to time.

Pulling out his key, he unlocked the door and stepped inside. After taking a few steps, he paused and looked back at the door. Dirana was standing at the threshold, staring at him. For a moment, he locked eyes with her, sensing more intelligence than he would’ve expected from a dog. “Well, come inside if you want.” She licked her chops once before lowering her head and coming in. Kynier went back to close the door, sealing them in near darkness. He could hear Dirana sniffing as he moved over to the fireplace. Taking a few pieces of scrap wood from the crates to put inside. With a small bit of res, he ignited the fire which bathed the common room in light.

Feeling a bit hungry, Kynier went over to the kitchen and opened the pantry. When he pulled out an apple, Dirana came over to the kitchen and stared up at him with eyes that looked a little wider than normal. “Are you hungry too?” The dog liked the side of her mouth once as she sat. Seemed like a yes to him. Kynier reached in and took a whole pork sausage from the small pile he had wrapped in a cloth in the cupboard. Bitting into the apple to hold it in his mouth, he ripped the sausage in two before giving half to the dog. At the sight of the meat, he could see the excitement spark in her eyes. The dog gobbled the meat down quickly with a small belch to finish.

When she was done, she stared at the other half and yowled. “Really?” he asked. But as he thought about it, feeding the animals was likely not one of the primary concerns at Killroy’s Kennels. Kynier gave her the other half before stepping out of the kitchen. He sat down on the couch and munched on his apple. The dog came over and stared first at him, then the couch, then the floor at his feet. “You don’t really look like a Dirana to me,” he said which grasped her attention. “So, a new name sounds like it would be appropriate. Unless you enjoy being called Dirana.” She let out a deep throated groan as she looked at the fire.

“I didn’t think so. What about… snowfire?” The dog gave him no visible reaction, but he could sense the disapproval. “No? How about sapphire?” A yawn was his answer. “Lily?” Ears pinned down against the back of her head as she turned to look away. Kynier suggested several other names as well. Including shadow, star, monala, and others. Not one of them got any sort of positive reaction. He sighed, “You’re a very picky lady, you realize that, right?” The dog’s ears perked up and she looked at him. “What, Lady?” She barked softly and stood up on all fours, tail wagging. “Well then, Lady it is,” he said running his hand through the fur on her back. She leaned into his affection and seemed to be smiling again.

After that, he set about placing furniture for a bell or two. Breaking down crates into smaller pieces that could easily fit into the fireplace. When he was done for the night, he had set out an armchair and a table end in the common room, as well as the table he would use for eating and a few chairs to surround it. In the bedroom he set up the bookshelf and placed his few books upon it. When he decided it was time to sleep, he went back into the kitchen and took one of the larger cooking bowls that he had. He pumped some water into from the handpump in the kitchen. The water had gotten a little cleaner over the last two days but still wasn’t up to his standard yet.

Kynier set the bowl over the fireplace for it to come to a boil. Afterwards, he poured the boiling water into a different container and set it on the ground for Lady to have once it cooled. She watched him without making any noise during all of it. Once he removed his clothing and settled into the bed, he broke the silence between them. “Good night, Lady.” He closed his eyes, feeling the exhaustion of the day settling into his bones. The bed shifted as the large beast climbed up onto it with him. Kynier watched her spin around and stamp the covers a few times before lying down against him. It wasn’t the same, but it was better than being alone he supposed. Giving her one last rub on her back, he closed his eyes to sleep.

Credit for the boxcode goes to Luminescence!
Kynier
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Posts: 851
Words: 1156083
Joined roleplay: May 13th, 2018, 3:14 am
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Killjoy at Killroy's

Postby Kynier on March 9th, 2019, 4:47 am

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It did not take long for him to fall asleep. And when his breathing grew a little louder, as well as more consistent, she stood up on the bed and leapt down. Glowing with light for a brief instant, she stood on two human paws and looked over her shoulder at the human. The short flash had failed to disturb his sleep. N’Via padded softly from the room without noise. First thing she did was go to the kitchen where she saw him take the sausage from. Gently, she pulled on the pantry doors and took two more of the sausages out.

She took a hearty bite out of the first one, savoring the flavor of the raw meat. Gods, it had been so long since she had raw meat. The mushy texture between her teeth and the juices it contained wetting her tongue made her eyes roll up into the back of her head. “Mmmm,” she hummed in pleasure. N’Via raised her arms over her head and had them drift backwards to stretch out her back. It was like a dream to finally be free from that terrible place. Softly walking over to the couch, she sat down and stared at the fire. The warmth blanketed her skin comfortably, but the flames burned with apprehension in the back of her mind. Why did humans always leave fires unattended?

Pulling her knees to her chest, N’Via took another bite of the sausage as she looked around the place from her seat. It smelled new. The odors of sawdust and sweat were still pungent in the place despite the slight smoky aroma of the fireplace. Turning on the couch, she sniffed at the cushions. The furniture was new as well. The human’s scent had not yet settled into the seats. Whoever he was, he was making a transition. Once she took the last bite of the first sausage, N’Via stood up from the couch. Going back into the kitchen, she searched through the cabinets until she found a glass.

Once she had, she bent over the bowl of clean water the human had left on the floor for her. N’Via dipped the cup in and stood back up. It felt a bit warm through the cup. Holding it up to her chin, a long tongue lapped at its surface a few times to test it. Warm, but clean. Her next drink was more like a human’s, holding the cup to her lips and tilting it. Quietly, she walked back to the doorway of the bedroom and leaned against the frame, staring at the man on the bed.

Whoever he was, he was an enigma. He had released her and the others from the cages, and had done it without the passing of money. But he didn’t seem to know that she was Kelvic. The way he spoke to her and treated her, she was only a dog to him. For now, that was fine. Whoever he was, she wanted to know more about him. Her ice blue eyes went to the bookshelf that he had set up. Slipping by the door without disturbing it, she crossed the distance to the shelves. Carefully, she placed the glass of water down on a shelf with no books on it as she bit into the other sausage.

Her free hand took the first book on the pile and opened it. On the first page were only a few words, “Limitations of the Body”. Oh, a book about exercising? She flipped over to the next page and started reading. Before finishing the first paragraph she realized what it was. The specific uses of Djed that it was speaking of were unfamiliar to her, but she knew the man on the bed better now. “Petching mages,” she muttered bitterly. She closed the book and leered at the man. A mage. Of course, he’d be a petching mage. The gods’ cruelty had to be present even in the greatest acts of kindness.

Teeth ripped another mouthful of sausage away as she stared at the human. Until a moment ago, she hadn’t hated him. Unlike Declan, he hadn’t sought to perform magic at every opportunity. Was this one a weak mage? Her old master had always been using magic when he was in the safety of his home. But then again, Declan had also raised his hand against her for the smallest thing. This one, he had given her food, made clean water for her, and even tried to give her a pleasant name that she liked. It was kindness she hadn’t experienced in a long time. Then again, Declan hadn’t always been so cruel either.

N’Via took a long drink of the water as she thought it over. The human was a mage, but what else was he? Her eyes fell on the large chest that sat at the foot of his bed. She settled herself on her knees in front of the thing and lifted the lid carefully. Inside were several strange items. A longsword with an eight-point starburst on the pommel, a large feather of silver and gray, a seashell, and numerous bits of canvas with drawings on them. First, N’Via took the feather, which was really pretty, and ran the entire length against the underside of her nose as she took a deep inhale.

A bit musty from dust, but there was a faint hint of salty air to it. After admiring it for a tick more, she set it aside and started going through the rest of it. The drawings were at various stages of development, but each of them was interesting in their own way. Not one really caught her eye. After getting to the bottom of the chest, she found a silver instrument that sparkled in the moonlight. Her mouth parted open in awe as she looked at it. Taking it in her hands, she sniffed it from end to end. The human’s breath was on one end, but the rest smelled of a fire’s warmth without the smoke and ash. Carefully, she placed it down and set everything back inside the chest, glancing up occasionally to ensure that the human was still asleep.

Strange, she thought, how there was nothing to indicate who the man was. What he was she could tell. A mage and an artist of a few different forms. But there were no writings. No letters that had his name on them that she had found. Even the strange man behind the shelves had not spoken his name. N’Via gently closed the lid of the chest and moved across the floor on all fours to his discarded clothes. There must be something on him that could tell her who he was. Her paws felt through the pants to find nothing. She huffed once to herself in frustration, before taking the dark green vest he had worn.

There was nothing in the pockets, but there were unusual bulky spots along the interior. N’Via felt along the inside and found a few slits. Hidden pockets? She smiled to herself as she dug through one. Surely there was something inside that could be enlightening. From the first one she withdrew a ten-inch feather quill of beautiful blue hues. Dark at the center that faded to pure white at the edges. N’Via began to smell it, but was only able to tolerate a partial whiff before pulling it away from her nose. The feather smelled of rain and a crackle of energy that caused her eyes to widen suddenly.

But on the quill’s tip, she saw the small golden glyph. Squinting at it she analyzed the pattern. It was something to do with passage and lightning. Deciphering glyphs had been one of her favored exercises, but the styling was vastly different from Declan’s. N’Via set the quill aside and felt through the inside of the vest some more. There was a set of small metal pins, each of them bent and crooked in different ways. Another pocket was completely empty. But in the last one, she found a locket.

It was rather mundane compared to everything else the human hand. Curious, she opened it and found a lock of hair inside. It was braided and strange. One half of it was dark as the night sky and it faded to a pure white at the other end. N’Via held it to her nose and furrowed her brow when she took in the scent. It was very similar to the feather in the chest, but had a musky smell of old feminine sweat. A woman’s hair? One that smelled of birds? N’Via rubbed the lock of hair between two fingers.

She quietly stood up and padded to the side of the bed that the human was sleeping on. She hadn’t taken a thorough smell before, so now she took a chime to really smell him. There was a strong presence of salty air, similar to the seashell. N’Via guessed he had lived by the docks for a time to smell like that. There was also the scent of another dog, and a female that didn’t match the lock of hair. N’Via looked down at the ombre strands in her hand. Whoever they belonged to, the human hadn’t seen them for some time. Maybe she was dead? And the hairs were the last thing he had of hers?

N’Via returned the hair to the locket it had been in, and placed that back in the hidden pocket of the human’s vest. Her opinion about him was still uncertain. So far, the only real reason she had to stay was because she had no where else to go. But something in her was intrigued by the human. The way he looked at her when she had been in that cage. The human cared. She finished eating the sausage and took the glass from the shelf. Silently, she went back out to put the cup away. N’Via didn’t want him to suspect that she was Kelvic. Not yet at least. That way, she could observe and see how he acts when he believes no one is watching.

When the glass was away, she went over to the fireplace and quietly closed the opening so that it would die off. “Leaving fires burning as he sleeps,” she muttered angrily under her breath. “Does he want to burn the place down?” With the common room doused in darkness, N’Via changed back into her other form. She padded back to the bedroom and leapt up onto the bed to lie down next to the human again. She wished to know his name, as well as the sort of person he was. Hope was abundant in that he wasn’t like Declan. This human had a nice home, and she would like to like him enough to stay here.

N’Via balled up her body so that her nose was covered by her tail. The bed was soft and comfortable. She had never slept on a bed before.


Ledger Changes :
-600 gm for Medium Predator Kelvic


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Boxcode credit goes to Zavya!
Kynier
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