Welcome to Gaia! ::


Star Seeker


Those allowed to post here are: Kiwi, Clomp, Fai.
All others shall be shot on sight by our resident archer.
<3 <3 <3

Star Seeker

User Image
xxxxx (A S K E) L A D D E N xxxxx
c e l e b r a t e d (w i z a r d)


                                          Askeladden had considered himself "retired" for some number of years now. The fast paced life of a wizard that went around solving everyone's problems was stressful and while rewarding in some ways, not so rewarding in others. Many wizards were hermits, or nomads, preferring to seclude themselves away in forests, or wander aimlessly from town to town...many of the magic workers Aske had met over the years were like this. It was like people with magic never quite found it in themselves to live normal lives unless they lived in groups of people of their own kind.

                                          Aske himself had grown up in one of the few towns full of magical people, and even though he had settled himself down in a town now, he was a typical wizard in that he found he had never quite melded with the rest of the town. He'd been careful to pick a town that wasn't terribly aware of his exploits, aware of all the "great" things he'd done to get himself into book and song. Here, he was simply known as the local mage, and he made a very decent living off charms, spells, and potions. He had a house, food, books...and he enjoyed his time very much. The truth was, Aske had never wanted to be...great. He'd just wanted to be something. Someone. He was that and more now, but he was happy to pretend to be the average low class wizard everyone got their protection charms from.

                                          Today, the wizard brushed his hair and then braided it neatly so that it fell over his right shoulder before making his bed, careful to lift the old red fox up and then set it back down when the covers were straight. The old red fox was thought to be one of two familiars that Askeladden possessed, but the truth was that the old fox, and equally old cat that people tended to see around him were actually both...his old master, Soren. Aske didn't know if it was just age, or if something had happened to scare Soren into animal form, but he was almost always there now, a cat, a fox...Aske knew it was all Soren. It was very easy to tell, if it was tame, intelligent, and wanted to be cuddled, it was more likely than not, Soren.

                                          After the bed was made and Soren had been placed down on the end of his bed again, Aske reached out, scratching the fox behind the ears liberally. He'd once been against indulging the other wizard, but, as long as he was in animal form, Aske had decided there was no reason to deny an old fox or cat his pleasures. "I'm going downstairs now to finish up a couple spells people have ordered. I expect you to be down for lunch." Not that he needed to tell his master that. The moment the smell of food wafted upstairs Soren would be there. Affection and food. Soren had told him that was what shifters craved most. He'd never met anyone else who controlled gravity, but he suspected most of them craved a certain amount of respect and knowledge, like he did. Each type of magic was different...the elementals the most obvious and common...

                                          Askeladden had finished his commissions and had just about finished making lunch when there was a loud knock at the door. With a short sigh, the wizard removed the pan from the heat and went to the door, opening it to find a young man, who sometimes came for charms and potions, standing behind it. "Sir Wizard," he began, "Your presence in the town square is required."

                                          "What?" Aske frowned, folding his arms over his chest and leaning against the door. "Dare I ask why?"

                                          The boy bit his lip and looked behind him as though he expected some sort of monster to be there. "Just come. And hurry." With that, the boy turned and ran off in the very direction that his presence was apparently required.

                                          Aske was reduced to making a sound that was somewhere between a huff and a sigh as he closed the door. "Soren!" He called, unsure of whether or not the changeling was downstairs already or not. Once he saw the fox, he knelt down, arm outstretched, silently telling him to climb up to his shoulder to ride. "We're going out for a bit."

                                          Once Soren was in place, Aske stood to his full height again and grabbed the quiver that sat by the door with his bow and arrows in it. Most wizards had a staff, a scepter, a wand...not Aske. As he always had, Aske had a fine bow made of ash wood. It made him very recognizable, like a seal or trademark, but Aske had always felt better with it than he ever had with any of a wizard's typical instruments. It simply went everywhere with him.

                                          Quiver in place, Aske pulled the door open with enough force to make it look like it was made of paper, and strode outside. It was his first time out of the house in nearly a week. The fresh air was good for his lungs, but it felt like the air was heavy, something was certainly happening in the town square...and the wizard began to hurry, as the boy had asked him to.

                                          Long before he got into "position," Aske found he was able to tell what was happening. A lynching of sorts. The town had caught a thief or murderer, and they had gathered to punish them. So what? Why did that require his presence? "Why have I been summoned?" He asked simply, taking the same stance he'd taken with the boy in his doorway, arms over his chest, head slightly cocked, away from Soren.

                                          The people of the town jeered, and it brought up many bad memories for Aske, but he held his ground and listened as one voice spoke up louder than the others. It was a man that Aske knew to be a leader of sorts, he was up front, his hand fisted in the hair of a young boy that he had never seen before. "This miscreant has been terrorizing us for weeks, and now we have the rogue in our custody."

                                          Aske looked at the boy. Long hair, blond, dual colored eyes, a rare trait. "And what does that have to do with me? Do you think I set him upon you?"

                                          "No!" The mayor said, pulling the boy forward a little, as though pushing him toward Aske. "We thought you might want the little devil."

                                          Aske shrugged, shaking his head, "And why would I want him? I am not the type of wizard that keeps live specimens in my backroom to harvest fingernails from." It was sarcasm on his part. No real wizard did that, but some people, the ones that were wary of those with magic sometimes thought that they would do something like that, as though every mage's moral compass didn't quite point north. He was sarcastic. It was to be expected of someone of his innate power.

                                          "Sir Wizard," the mayor huffed, apparently not appreciating his commentary, "This child is a mage as well, if anyone were to turn it around, tame and train it, it would be you. Your kind are growing rarer and rarer, or so we have heard from travelers in the inn." Aske's eyes narrowed. He had not heard that. Were their kind being hunted? Was what why Soren had returned to him? "So, for the little terror we give it a choice that lies in your hands: You take it, or we kill it."

                                          That was a hard choice, harder than it should have been. He had been a wizard for many years, but he had never taken an apprentice, he'd never wanted to. Now it was being shoved in his face...and yet... "And you're serious? You will kill him?"

                                          "Yes. Take it, or it dies."

                                          And that, unfortunately, settled it for Askeladden. He stepped forward, speaking words lightly, and then reached out, tapping the child on the forehead. A seal, a weak seal, but a seal all the same. For twenty-four hours, the child would not be able to use his power. "Fine," he said, grabbing the rope that bound the boy's hands. "I will take him, but know that I do not appreciate coercion of any kind." The town could very well find themselves short a wizard very soon for this... "Come along." Terrorizing villagers...this was as much his fault as the villagers'. There was no excuse for it. If it were a matter of lack of control, there would have been a sign of it, a terror in the child's eyes about it...but there was none.

                                          Aske held fast to the rope until he returned with fox and boy to his house. He took Soren from his shoulder and sat him on the nearest chair before turning to the blond. "If I cut the rope, will you behave?" He bent down, glaring at the child on eye level, as though daring him to lie. "And your name. I want to know it." Names were important. He had never quite forgiven Soren for not asking his when the man had taken him. He was not about to not get this child's name, especially not if he was to teach said child.

x x x x xx

Luxury Starshine's Princess

Precious Blob

User Image

████ ███████████ ████


DALLAS unwilling apprentice


                                                  A sharp slap struck the girl in boy's clothing across the face. Her head jerked from the force, but not very far. The hand buried in her hair prevented that. Internally, she cursed. The man who had slapped her. The other man holding fast to her hair to keep her from lunging and biting the slapping man again. But mainly herself, for her own stupidity in allowing herself to be caught, expecially by morons such as these. She had been in this town three weeks now, tormenting the townsfolk with her dust creations while she stole things from right under their noses. In fact, she'd been planning to leave the next day, as it was never good for a theif as conspicuous as herself to linger in one place for too long. Her planned departure was one day too late, and she'd been captured for that mistake. In a way, it served her right. She'd been careless. And if she lived, she vowed she wouldn't be careless again.

                                                  She tuned out the townspeople as they argued among themselves about her fate. Whether they killed her on the spot or merely beat her so badly she couldn't move, it was of no consequence. She was a nobody. Nobodies often suffered such fates.

                                                  "Sod this!" one of the men finally growled in irritation. "The fella's a mage, right? Let's have the wizard decide what to do with him." There was general agreement, and a boy was dispatched to find this wizard. Dallas was less pleased. She'd had run-ins with wizards before, none of them pleasant. She wondered what this one would do with her, and willed herself not to care. On her face she managed to maintain an expression of disinterested contempt. It was the only thing she had to hold on to.

                                                  Long minutes passed. The people formed pods, murmuring to each other and casting a glare in her direction every now and then. Dallas stared straight ahead, focusing on nothing, knowing her indifference must be driving them nuts.

                                                  A hush fell. "Why have I been summoned?"

                                                  Dallas looked upwards at the wizard. Long, dark hair. Purple eyes. Lean build. Nothing about him looked all that impressive. But wizards were tricky creatures, and Dallas was not going to be fooled.

                                                  The crowd responded to the wizard's appearance, jeering at Dallas. It was the man who held her hair who did the talking. She forced herself to meet the wizard's eyes when he looked her over, though really she wanted to cringe away. Instead, the man holding her used her hair to push her further forward, towards him. Dallas cringed, then forced her features to smooth. She would not give these people the satisfaction of seeing she was in pain.

                                                  Fine. Talk like I'm an animal. She thought, fury swirling in her chest. Choices were given, though not to her. Either the wizard would take her, or she would be killed. She glanced back up at the wizard through her bangs during the following silence. He seemed to be mulling it over. Dallas hated him. How dare he consider letting them kill her! At the very least, he could take her and dump her somewhere. It was no skin off his back. But he'd hesitated!

                                                  He took a step towards her, and Dallas tried to lean back, before the pain of hair being pulled out her skull forced her to stop. The wizard tapped her forehead, and she froze, half-expecting to have been turned into a rat or a toad. Nothing. What had he done to her?

                                                  She refused to help the wizard as he hauled her to her feet. Instead, she took inventory. She still saw things okay. Her thoughts were still coherant. As far as she could tell, she still had all her limbs, fingers, and toes. Her magic...

                                                  s**t.

                                                  She couldn't access her magic.

                                                  It was as though a gate had slammed shut, barring her from drawing out any of her magic. That's what he had done! He'd rendered her magically helpless! She staggered after him as he led her down the road, picturing many ways for him to die. They arrived at a house, and entered.

                                                  Truth be told, Dallas didn't even notice the fox until the wizard set it down. She immediately didn't trust it. A familliar, no doubt, and no ally of hers. She'd steer clear of that thing.

                                                  The wizard bent down, making eye contact with her again. "If I cut the rope, will you behave?" He asked.

                                                  "No." The answer was simple and immediate. She would not behave, and he would be a fool to expect her to. She tossed her head, staring at the wall. She could refuse to look at him if she wanted.

                                                  "You want it. I'm supposed to give it to you because you want it." Her tone was scornful. She snorted, rolling her eyes. "Well guess what: I don't owe you anything." She scooted until she was leaning against one of the walls, and glared at him. She did not like him, and she wanted him to know it. She wouldn't play nice just because he told her to.


                                                  ████ ███████████ ████ ███████████ ████

Star Seeker

User Image
xxxxx (A S K E) L A D D E N xxxxx
c e l e b r a t e d (w i z a r d)


                                          At the immediate answer, Askeladden deadpanned at him and sighed, while still on the same eye level. "Unfortunately, that's exactly what I expected you to say..." Mage or not, he was but a petty criminal, and petty criminals who got away with it long enough began to think themselves as more than the petty criminal. More clever, more skilled than others like them...or the people that would punish them. Perhaps this boy was more than that, but he had just been forced upon his match...more than his match.

                                          The young boy continued on saying that he would not give him his name just because he wanted it because he didn't owe him anything. "Actually, I regret to inform you, Child, that you owe me your life, but I'm not asking for your life, I'm asking for your name." Actually...that had been a demand, hadn't it? Ah well...sour moods produce sour results. He watched the boy siddle on over toward the wall, glaring at him all the while. So he didn't like Aske. Aske didn't particularly care at that moment. "But if you don't want to tell me, fine, I won't tell you my name either." He gave the boy a crooked grin, as though not knowing each other's name put them on equal footing. The boy might not realize it, but Aske had the upper hand...with or without that rope.

                                          He stood up fully, stretching one arm high over his head. He walked over to the spot the boy had chosen to stand by and ruffled the boy's hair. "Your hair is a mess," he said simply, reaching down to take the rope in one hand before leading him over to the sitting area and tying the end of the rope his best low table, a particularly heavy table with heavy objects on it at that. "I'm going to get a brush and fix that for you, and then I will finish lunch. You are welcome to sit or stand, eat or not..." It was his choice. He would not make him sit or eat. It was simply not worth the effort. He would, however, make sure the boy stayed.

                                          The wizard paused for a second. "Yes...hair brushing and lunch...I haven't eaten yet today. Soren," Aske put his hands akimbo, leaning over to look where the fox was currently sitting. "Don't touch the food while I'm gone. It's not ready yet." he knew that really mattered little to Soren. Food was food, but he did not want to to deal with Soren's antics today. He had an unruly child to deal with.

                                          "I'll be right back," he promised the boy, "Far faster than you can untie yourself from the table and get to the door, I assure you." Sure enough, it took Aske less than a minute to run upstairs, grab the brush, and a tie to go with it, and come back downstairs. "Now hold still. It's not like I want to hurt you." He stood behind the boy, and used his hands to make him look straight forward. God, the boy's hair was not only a mess, it was filthy too. Hopefully there would be no lice, or he'd be spending his afternoon with another potion as well as drawing a bath. He'd need clothes for the boy too. That would involve time and tailoring...and money paid to someone else because Aske had never learned to sew.

                                          He sighed a little as he began to gently pull the strands away from the boy's face. "I bet your hair is actually a nice color...when you're clean." When was the last time he'd had a bath? Petty criminals probably didn't have much time for such things, but still. "This will have to do for now though," He held the hair in place and tied the ribbon gently, but tightly in its spot. He came around to the boy's front, gently slapping the end of the brush in his palm as he took a look at his work. It wasn't great, a bath was definitely required, but at least he had found no lice. "That'll do." He sat the brush high up, out of the boy's reach, and then untied him from the table, only to lead him into the kitchen and then tie him to the towel rack...that was imbeded in the wall.

                                          "I hope you like pasta and capon, because that's what we're having for lunch." Tonight would be stew, he already had it going over the fireplace...it was one of Soren's favorite dishes... He made sure the stove was still lit, and put the pan he'd made back on. It would be a little skimpy for today, but he thought there was enough for all three of them if he divided it correctly.

                                          "I don't think you're a dumb child," Aske noted as he left the pasta and chicken to restart the cooking process and he went to finish up the...ah, what was it called, pesto, that was it, he'd been making to go with it. "In fact, I think you're quite intelligent, and so, I'm sure you've figured out that I have sealed off your magic, for the time being." He was trying to be conversational, in a way, he wasn't good at it with people so much anymore, but...this is what they had in common right now. "However, just because I don't want to deal with your magic, doesn't mean I'm disinterested in what it is. I would like you to tell me, though, I cannot make you tell me..." What he did not mention was that he would keep the boy's powers sealed, even if he had to reseal them every day, until he knew.

                                          "I also cannot," the wizard said as he added the completed pesto to the pasta and poultry before removing it from the heat and making sure it was slightly past al-dente, as he liked it. "Make you eat, but I would like for you to do so. You're very thin, not that I'm one to talk, but I know I eat, I don't know when the last time you ate was." He took out three plates, but only two forks, and proceeded to divide the food onto the three plates. All three were sat on the table. Two on the end, one on the right side of one end. The two plates next to each other were the ones with forks. "I would like you to wait until we are at the table for you to eat, Soren," he warned light as he came back into the kitchen.

                                          "I know you said that if I cut your bonds, that you would not behave," Aske said as he pulled out a knife and checked the sharpness. "And I believe you fully, however," He grabbed the boy's wrists and carefully slid the blade between the skin and rope, sawing away at it. "It's easier to eat when you have use of your hands. In addition, I actually don't need the rope to make you behave." The rope snapped, though Aske still held onto his wrist. "If you don't believe me, by all means, test my patience. It works better when I'm in a bad mood." He patted the boy's head and let go of his wrist, giving him, for that moment, free range of his own movement. "Come sit by me. I'm sure you've had a long morning." The wizard then strode past the boy and went to sit at the table to eat. It had been a long morning for him too.

x x x x xx

Luxury Starshine's Princess

Precious Blob

User Image

████ ███████████ ████


DALLAS unwilling apprentice


                                                  Well, at least the wizard knew enough not to expect her to behave. That gave him one above the townsfolk in intelligence, at least. "I don't owe you anything," she repeated fiercely, and coughed. Her throat was full of dust. She had quite literally been dragged to the town square, and she could barely manage to talk properly, now that she was actually trying to talk. "Don't want your name anway," she muttered, glaring at the floor, and coughed again.

                                                  Dallas ringed, holding her breath when the wizard's hand landed in her hair. She half-expected him to haul hard on it, the way the men had, but instead he only ruffled it and commented on what a mess it was. She seethed. Of course it was a mess. She'd spent the last hour being hauled around by the hair. The rope was tugged, and she only followed him because she knew she had no other choice. He tied the end of the rope to a table, and Dallas made a face. She was a donkey that had to be led around now, was she? Hmph.

                                                  She grunted, and dropped to a seated position on the floor. Whatever the hell the wizard wanted. She wasn't in any position to refuse. And as he'd said, the wizard was soon back, hair brush in hand. She tensed up when he moved behind her. Her head was guided to look right forward, and she held carefully still as the brush dragged through her hair. Dallas could tell that the wizard was trying to be gentle, but with the mess that was her hair it was a futile effort.

                                                  She stared at her hands, fisted in the legs of her trousers, when he came around front. She heard the brush set down, and then the rope was tugged again. With an aggravated sigh that ended in a cough, she clumsily got to her feet and followed him into he kitchen. Oh... it smelled like food in here. Almost immediately, her mouth began to water, but she forced herself to remain disinterested. So what if she hadn't eaten today? She'd gone without food before.

                                                  Now it was time for preaching. "a*****e," she muttered. Yes, she had figured that out, almost immediately in fact. And he'd had no right to seal it away. That... it wouldn't last forever, would it? She would eventually get her magic back, right? It was a terrifying concerpt that she hadn't considered before. She didn't want to be magicless forever. She depended on it too much. How else would she scare away thugs twice her size?

                                                  "Hard to explain," she grumbled when he'd finished speaking. But she wasn't about to try. "Showing is easier." Not that he was likely to allow her to, even though she wasn't planning on tricking him with it. She doubted it would work, anyway. If he were just some common bloke, maybe. But not a wizard.

                                                  He set the table, left, then returned. Then he approached Dallas again, and she took a step back. He had a knife. What was he going to do... Oh. The ropes came free, and she flexed her hands appreciatively. "I know," she said. Of course escape wouldn't be easy. "You already said I wasn't stupid." The wizard was in control of the situation, and she hated him for it.

                                                  Dallas hesitated by the wall as the wizard walked to the table. Even though she knew she wouldn't get very far if she bolted, it almost felt like an obligatin to try, for her pride if nothing else. But if she tried and failed, her pride would be in a sorry state indeed. Besides... there was food. She shuffled a few steps closer, then stopped again, eyes flicking around suspiciously to eye the wizard and the fox, neither of whom she trusted and did not want to be any closer to. Unfortunately, they were in the same direction as the food, so she shuffled reluctantly closer, and sat down at the table.

                                                  She glanced sideways at him for some sort of indication, then slowly reached out and picked up the fork. THen she glanced sideways again. Okay, so she wasn't in trouble. She carefully scooped some pasta up with the fork and put it in her mouth. Another glance. Okay. Better eat before he changed his mind. So she shovelled food in as fast as she could, before he could decide to take it away. It was hot, but burning her mouth was worth it if she could fill her belly.

                                                  Finished, she dropped the fork down on the plate, then dropped her hands to her lap and stared at them. "...Dallas," she muttered to her hands. "My name's Dallas." She scowled. Just because she'd told him her name didn't mean he could think they were friends now. They weren't, and they weren't going to be.


                                                  ████ ███████████ ████ ███████████ ████

December Frost's Husbando

Shirtless Husband

User Image


          Soren scarcely ever woke much when he former apprentice rose in the morning. His eyes sometimes opened when the boy (for he still thought of him as that stubborn boy, no matter the years that had passed) lifted him to make his bed, and he always nestled close to that warm body before he was put back down again, but soon enough he always curled back up and dozed off. Mornings were a sleepy haze to the aging shiftling. But there was one thing that always woke him up and got him moving: the smell of food, delicious and tempting. The fox lifted his head when the scent grew strong enough to wake him, ears perking up and nose wiggling slightly as he sniffed the air. Slowly, he rose from his spot on the bed, stretching before he hooped down to the floor and headed to the kitchen.

          He had just entered the room when there was a loud knock on the door. Despite the all too delicious smell of food, the fox’s attention focused on the conversation at the door, ears perked in interest, head tilted slightly in an all too human pose. The conversation was brief, and the fox was unsurprised to hear the boy call his name once it had ended. He trotted over to the dark-haired mage, happy to hop up onto the boy’s shoulder to ride to their destination. Aske was clearly irritated by the interruption, but the fox was curious enough to be content to wait. After all, it wasn’t like he was to be denied his delicious meal. It would just be a touch. . . delayed. But it would still be warm, right? After all, the boy hadn’t been done cooking. . .

          The fox looked back and forth from his perch on the boy’s shoulders, sniffing and watching the streets around them as they headed to the town square. He gave a sharp yip as the dark-haired mage came to a stop, quickly surmising a version of what seemed to be going on in front of him, and soon enough, a man explained his version of events. A child had been harassing the townsfolk and now they were ready to be rid of her. Not that the fox believed that was the full story. Sure, the child could have been picking pockets and stealing, but was that the reason for their venom, or was it because the magic he could sense within her? Was it a general sort of hate for those who held dishonor hand in hand with survival, or the very specific brand of hate and distrust that had been spreading through their world these recent years?

          He growled softly, then fell silent, rubbing his nose against the dark haired mage’s neck as he conversed with the ruffian that held the poor child by the hair. Aske would take her, or the mob would kill her. The decision seemed obvious, and the dark-haired mage acted exactly as the fox expected. And then they were back to the house with the blonde in tow. The fox hopped into a nearby chair, watching with some amusement as the mage spoke to the blonde. Of course the first thing he wanted was a name. The boy was obsessed with names. Hell, he probably still held a grudge over Soren forgetting to ask his all those years ago. And still, Soren didn’t see a whole lot of difference between this situation and that one. Both had involved a child in trouble, and they’d each saved that child from getting killed, despite said child not wanting to be there. Only now they didn’t have to go on a journey. This time, there would be a lot less heartbreak involved.

          Soren watched as the mage ruffled the blonde’s hair, assuming as innocent an expression as a fox could manage with the mage warned him not to touch the food while he fetched a brush. The fox’s tail swished slightly, betraying his desire to do just that. Why. . . he could probably eat more than his fair share by the time the dark-haired boy returned!

          . . .but no. He would be good, despite the considerable amount of effort that took. He crept closer to the blonde while he waited, watching with interest when Aske returned and tended to the dirty locks. The fox crept closer still when the mage moved them to the kitchen to return his attention to the food. Hesitantly, the fox nudged his nose against the girl’s arm, then quickly backed away to observe her reaction. Still, in the presence of food, the fox’s attention soon wandered to watching the mage at work. It smelled so delicious. Soren wished they could eat right then. He was so hungry. Couldn’t Aske see he was hungry?!

          Finally, the dark-haired mage retrieved plates and silverware, dividing up the food and placing them on the table. The fox gave a soft chirp as he bounced up onto his chair, tail thunking against the back with each swoosh. The food was right there? How was he possibly supposed to wait for the other two? It was madness. He watched as the mage moved to cut the blonde’s bonds, nipping forward to snatch a piece of chicken off his plate while the mage was preoccupied and gulping it down before he turned back. That was quite tasty! As usual, Aske had made a good meal.

          The fox leveled the most innocent look he could muster when the mage looked back toward him and then moved to his seat. Finally! Enough conversation, already. It was time to eat!


A wizard's power of changing and of summoning can shake the balance of the world. It is dangerous, that power. It is most perilous. It must follow knowledge, and serve need. To light a candle is to cast a shadow.
A wizard's power of changing and of summoning can shake the balance of the world. It is dangerous, that power. It is most perilous. It must follow knowledge, and serve need. To light a candle is to cast a shadow.

Star Seeker

User Image
xxxxx (A S K E) L A D D E N xxxxx
c e l e b r a t e d (w i z a r d)


                                          The boy said that his power was hard to explain, that showing him would be easier. Aske believed this to be perfectly true, provided he wasn't an elemental. Elementals were easy to explain. "I create/control this element." After that though, it got harder. Even more straightforward abilities, like Soren's, were more easily shown than explained. Even so, Aske would have preferred for him to try. Oh well, he would ask again later. It wasn't that big of a deal at this point.

                                          The boy stated, not so specifically, that he was well aware that Aske was in charge. Good. That meant he was less likely to try and get away right under his nose. That made things easier.

                                          Feeling sufficiently satisfied that the ranks were in order he made his way to the table, pausing just for a moment by the old red fox, to flick one of his ears. "I saw that. You know better." But there was nothing he could really do about it, not for one piece of capon. Soren was a child, he'd never grown up, not really, and this was proof of it. Children were the ones to steal bites of food when they thought their "parent," or in this case caretaker, wasn't looking. One bite was enough to warrant an ear flick, but any more than that would have made Aske withhold dinner until after it had started, and that was all the punishment he could inflict upon his..."familiar."

                                          The wizard watched the boy come, sit, and then, as though Aske would rip it away like a cruel joke, cautiously pick up the fork, look around, take a careful bite, look around, and then...Aske sighed, pushing his plate away from him for a moment and banging his head against the hard wood table. Of course! The first person he brought into his house in years upon years and they had to have the same miserable table manners that Soren had! Shoveling food into one's mouth as quickly as necessary was an insult to cooking...if you were just going to do that he might as well have just shoved flavorless pasta in front of him and he wouldn't have known the difference. Then again, how long had it been since the child had eaten. He would just have to grill it into him that you ate slowly or at least slow enough for the food to touch your tongue.

                                          Aske breathed in, reigning himself in, and then sat up again before eating slowly, actually chewing his food, watching the boy eat like a maniac, and then, when it was gone only a couple minutes later, drop his hands to his lap and then state, quite simply that his name was Dallas. An unusual name, to be sure, but then, he had no right to talk, with the name Askeladden. It was probably one of the weirdest names he would ever hear...after Bean. Bean still took the prize. "Dallas, I'll remember it. My name is Askeladden." It was a simple exchange. He told Aske his name, Aske told him his. He could have, and probably should have, told the boy what he preferred to be called, but, the name was like a gift for the meal, Aske did not think Dallas wanted to know anything very personal about him.

                                          Naturally, he was the last one eating, but even so, the wizard did not rush himself, he ate at the pace he preferred and then, once it was done, he gathered the plates, sat them in the kitchen before returning to the table and sat one hand on Dallas' shoulder, and the other hand picked the fox up, putting him to his shoulder, Soren would probably want to either curl back up on his bed, or curl up on Dallas' new bed. "I'll need to take a few things out of it, but I'll take you up to your room now, and we'll get you set up there...before I see what I can do about a bath and maybe some clean clothing..." This was why wizards never married and had children. It required more expenses on their children. At least apprentices were almost guaranteed to become something...

                                          He ushered the boy up the stairs, past the first door at the top, which was his room, and to the second of four doors. Three bedrooms, one bath, he hadn't ordered the house like that, it was simply how it came... "And this is your room," he told the boy as he opened the door. Dallas' room was the second bedroom, with a bed, as all the bedrooms had, a wardrobe, a bedside table, a table with a pitcher and basin...and several bookshelves full of books...and the books were the items Aske would be removing. Some would stay, but only the ones that would be most beneficial to his learning at this stage...

                                          "Can you read?" He asked as he left Dallas' side to start taking down the most advanced of the books, careful of Soren on his shoulder. He hoped he could, it would save time...but if not, then Aske would simply have to start by teaching him to read and write. Magic was power, but knowledge was better power, refining power. Dallas would need it. "It's all right if the answer is no." Aske could be patient...he was pretty sure.

x x x x xx

Luxury Starshine's Princess

Precious Blob

User Image

████ ███████████ ████


DALLAS unwilling apprentice


                                                  Now that she'd finished eating, Dallas found that she wasn't sure what to do. The wizard - Askeladden, his name was - was still eating, the fox was still across the table from her, and she could hardly make a desperate bolt for the door, even if her belly was full now. Who knew what sort of spell he would cast her then? No, it wasn't worth the risk.

                                                  After what felt like forever to Dallas' frazzled nerves, the wizard finally finished eating. He gathered the plates, disappeared into another room, and returned shortly after. Dallas tensed when he put a hand on her shoulder, glancing up at him warily. Her room? What did that mean? She got up and followed him, since a bath at least sounded nice. She'd never been what could be considered clean but being cleaner would be wonderful.

                                                  She was guided up the stairs and into a room. It had nice furnishings, but was devoid of people. Dallas was confused. Did he live here... all by himself? The concept was strange to her. Why have such a big house if it was just him? And didn't he get lonely? She didn't voice any of these questions though, and just nodded when he said that this room was hers. What that entailed, she wasn't quite sure yet.

                                                  "Read?" she asked, startled. Was reading going to be necessary? She glanced around at the bookshelves, biting her lip. Apparently it was. She'd never seen so many books in one spot before. Had he really read all of them? That was somewhat... scary, that he had that much free time. "A... a little. I don't... I didn't... have time to sit around." she flustered, staring at the wizard.

                                                  "I can count though!" she blurted, as feeling the need to redeem herself somehow. Then she blushed, staring at her shoes. She probably sounded stupid. But she wasn't! It was only people with money who had the time to need such unimportant things... She knew how to count, some basic reading, and how to write her name. That was good, right?

                                                  Dallas glanced around again. She felt trapped. "I don't really understand why I'm here," she said to the nearest bookshelf. She didn't really want to look the wizard in the eyes. For all she knew he would hypnotize her. "I mean, I had to come here or I'd be dead, but... why?" It hadn't really been explained to her. And she needed to know why he was being so nice. How else would she know whether it was a trap or not? If it were simply a matter of containing her, then he didn't have to feed her, or give her a nice place to sleep.


                                                  ████ ███████████ ████ ███████████ ████

Star Seeker

User Image
xxxxx (A S K E) L A D D E N xxxxx
c e l e b r a t e d (w i z a r d)


                                          The boy seemed mystified by the room, as though he'd never been inside a house before. Or perhaps had never had a room proclaimed "his." Aske watched as Dallas startled at being asked if he could read, and then listened as the child stammered over the answer, trying to make himself seem...not pathetic. There was no need, hadn't he said it was all right if the answer was no? A little the boy said...which Aske supposed, if that were the truth, was better than not at all. "No," the wizard commented as he went and placed an armful of books outside the door before coming back in to collect more. "I can't imagine your lifestyle allowed for much sitting around at all." If what he'd done all his life was survive, it probably involved a lot of running and worrying about what was behind you. Hopefully Dallas wouldn't have to worry about that again.

                                          "Counting is good," he nodded as the child tried to make up for not being able to read. "You'll need counting too. Counting also takes logic, which you'll need." If you had logic and knew numbers up to about twenty, you could, in theory, count on forever. The boy had not lived the life he had, educated, if ignored and neglected in other ways. Anything he knew in the way of books and facts was more than he could actually expect, though he was probably more advanced in areas city people lacked in, especially if she moved from town to town.

                                          "I don't really understand why I'm here. I mean, I had to come here or I'd be dead, but... why?"

                                          Aske frowned, gently setting down the books he'd procured from the shelves his second trip around. Dallas didn't...know? He didn't know what this meant? "Dallas," Aske said as he came around to the boy's front, gently touching his shoulder and guiding him lightly to the bed so he could sit. "You're a mage. You are blessed with magic, and there are basically four kinds of mages. The kind that are self taught, the kind that are home taught, the kind that go to a school, and the kind that become apprentices." He looked at the boy's face to make sure he was following this. "Until now you've been self taught, and very well, since you were able to purposely terrorize the town, but when the town said that I was to take you or you would die they were telling me to take you as my apprentice. So..." Aske rubbed his neck a little, sighing. "You're my responsibility now. I'm to take care of you and teach you magic." Most mages would kill to be picked as an apprentice. It was the best way to learn. All the master's attention was on you, and it training was specialized so te apprentice learned the best, if the master was good, anyway. He still remembered how the girls at the school had been jealous of him, even though he hadn't understood why at the time. And... That was all there was to it, wasn't it? Perhaps not to the child, if he actually had a home to return to, but if he wanted to ask questions he was more than welcome to. The only dumb question was the one not asked.

                                          "I'm not going to hurt you, or let the town hurt you, Dallas. It would be counterproductive. As my apprentice, It's my job to protect you." From the town, from himself too, if Dallas were to try and continue such self destructive behavior as...oh...terrorizing a town with his magic. That was part of why Aske wanted to imprint obedience quickly. He couldn't risk it...but at the same time he knew he couldn't be too controlling, that would be bad too. It would be hard, he'd never had an apprentice before. He'd only been one.

x x x x xx

Luxury Starshine's Princess

Precious Blob

User Image

████ ███████████ ████


DALLAS unwilling apprentice


                                                  The wizard moved books around, and Dallas wasn't sure whether she should help or get out of the way. Since she didn't know which ones would stay and which ones would go, she got out of the way. "Logic?" she asked. She'd heard the word before, but she wasn't entirely sure what it meant, or why she would need it.

                                                  Uh oh. Had she asked something stupid? She hadn't meant to... The wizard was frowning, and he guided her to the bed. She sat obediently, hands braced against the bed between her knees. She listened, fiddling with the covers near her fingers, and nodded when he looked at her. She sort of understood... "They have schools for magic?" she couldn't help asking. She'd never encountered such a thing. She wondered what they would be like. Bizarre, she decided.

                                                  "Teach me? How?" she asked, frowning. "Can you make dust monsters too?" She'd like to see it if he could. Then she realized she'd told him what some of her magic could do, and she hadn't decided that she wanted to yet. It had just slipped out. Too late now though.

                                                  "Protect..." Dallas didn't believe him, of course. Not for a minute. In her experience humans were self-centred, and would only do things that benefitted them. There was no benefit in protecting a street rat, especially one with a record for causing trouble.

                                                  All of these things were confusing, and she mulled them over, trailing her fingers in little patterns over her pants as she did so. "But do you want to teach me?" she finally asked. "You took me because those guys made you, but you're not just gonna dump me somewhere or pass me off on someone else?" She wasn't very smart when it came to books and things. He'd probably get sick of her eventually.


                                                  ████ ███████████ ████ ███████████ ████

Star Seeker

User Image
xxxxx (A S K E) L A D D E N xxxxx
c e l e b r a t e d (w i z a r d)


                                          "Yes, logic." The tone of voice made it seem like Dallas wasn't quite sure what logic really was, so Aske screwed up his face a little to think of an appropriate example for the boy. "Like if you were to go watch a fight between a very muscular man and a skinny boy, presuming neither had magic, your mind would tell you that the muscular man is going to win the fight, because he's stronger. That's logic." Basically, if you didn't over think the situation by placing trust in an underdog or thought that speed would win the smaller contender the match. "Logic is taking the facts before you and coming up with the most likely solution." It was really quite simple, though perhaps a little harder to explain.

                                          "Yes, a couple."Aske smiled at the boy's innocent yet shocked question about there being schools for magic. "I've only ever seen one of them, an all girl's school that my master attended when he was younger, but there are others." ...Or there had been when he'd still been traveling.

                                          Dust monsters...so that was, at least a part of, Dallas' power. Aske had a couple ideas of what the base for that could be, for it had to have a base, his power couldn't just be making dust monsters... "I probably could make dust monsters, if I had the right spell, but that's not my innate ability. It doesn't matter though," Aske lightly readjusted his braid on his shoulder. "My master is a changeling, and that happens to be the magic I am worst at. I can teach you." Every mage was different and would be better or worse at different magics than another. Just like some people were better at reading and some were better at math...it all depended.

                                          "Yes, Dallas. Protect." Aske's voice took on a stern tone for just that moment. It didn't sound like the child believed him, but he was serious.

                                          The boy asked another good question. Did Aske want to teach him? The answer was, quite simply, no. "If I wanted to teach anyone, there would be an apprentice here already, but I keep my word. I took you, and that means I will teach you. I'm not going to hand you off to someone else or just leave you off in the middle of the woods or something. If I were going to do that I would have taken you straight there, I would not have fed you, or taken you up to show you your room. You're here to stay, and you will go where I go." Not exactly where he went all the time, but in general. For now it would be this town, but if he ever traveled, Dallas would come too. That was simply how it worked. Besides, he may not want to teach him now, but he may change his mind later on. After all, it seemed like Aske never got a say in anything he did...even now.

                                          "I want to get you settled in first, but then I will teach you to read and write, for literacy is important for any learned person," and when Aske was done with him, Dallas would hopefully be very learned. "And then we'll get you to reading, and theory." It would be hard work, but no harder than Aske's had been. He'd had all knowledge, but none of the power and magic at first, this child knew his magic well, but didn't have the learning. You had to start somewhere...

                                          "So you said dust monsters?" The wizard asked after a moment of silence. "Can you tell me a little more about that?"

x x x x xx

Luxury Starshine's Princess

Precious Blob

User Image

████ ███████████ ████


DALLAS unwilling apprentice


                                                  "Oooooooh," Dallas said, picturing this. "That makes sense." Of course, if it were her, she'd just turn tail and bolt. She was pretty good at climbing things and squeezing through holes half her size. She could probably get away from some big brute of a guy. In fact, she had done so in the past. But if he caught her and it came down to a fist fight... Yeah. Bye-bye Dallas.

                                                  An all-girls school? So his master had been a woman... Somehow, she couldn't picture it. Askeladden didn't seem like the type who was accustomed to females, though what such a type would look like she wasn't entirely sure. She just knew that the wizard wasn't it.

                                                  Dallas shrugged. "I don't know anything about spells or nothing. I just kinda... do it." It was easy. To her, it came as naturally as breathing. Would she have to learn spells for other things? "Learning spells seems like it'd be a pain in the a**," she commented. How would she keep them all straight?

                                                  "What's a changeling?" she asked. The wizard kept using words she didn't know, and it was frustrating her. She also didn't know what 'innate' meant, but she didn't want to ask at some point. The wizard seemed to think it was something she should already know.

                                                  So he didn't want her. And as far as she was concerned, that settled it. No matter what pretty words people used to dress it up, what wasn't wanted simply wasn't wanted. Dallas didn't want to stay somewhere where she was taken in grudgingly. She could manage just as well on her own. She'd done so until now, and she could do so in the future too. "Okay," she said. She didn't want to argue with him.

                                                  Dallas tensed again. Oh... so the wizard wanted her to explain after all. But she didn't want to! Him not knowing gave her an edge... that wouldn't work while her magic was sealed. Guess it didn't matter then. "Er, showing is still easier," she said doubtfully. "It doesn't have to be dust, really. Anything light can work. Dust, feathers, soot; things like that. Sand's a little harder, but I can still use it. I blow on it, and it fills with air, and... I shape it. It's mostly air, so it can't actually hurt anything, but if I make it a scary face it freaks folks out." She shrugged. "If you want something more physical, I gotta use dirt, or clay. Something solid, but soft enough to shape. I can't make those ones big though. Can't use air as filler. Too heavy." Another shrugged. Hopefully that was enough to please him. There was other things she could do, but she wasn't volunteering that information.


                                                  ████ ███████████ ████ ███████████ ████

Star Seeker

User Image
xxxxx (A S K E) L A D D E N xxxxx
c e l e b r a t e d (w i z a r d)


                                          The boy did have a mind, thinking the scenario over and then saying it made sense.
                                          "See? That's logic." Some people could be as educated as could be, but they were still idiots because they didn't have common sense or logic. It wasn't just about facts, there was a lot more to being intelligent.

                                          Dallas said he didn't know anything about spells. This didn't surprise Aske, he hadn't expected him to know, but he seemed to not know that you didn't need spells for your innate ability...
                                          "You don't need spells for your innate ability, innate means that it comes naturally to you. You will never need spells to use it because it is as much a part of you as your arm..." The wizard paused. "But learning spells is a pain in the a**." He quirked an eyebrow and smiled. The boy was a bit crude, wasn't he? It made sense though, since he'd apparently grown up on the streets. "It takes time," and a desire to learn, but he didn't want to discourage him by saying that. "But it is worth it." Without spells he wouldn't have been able to seal Dallas' powers, and he could be being attacked by "dust monsters" right now. No, spells were certainly useful. "Eventually it'll become like speaking. You'll just know it." But at the same time there would probably always be spells that he would have to look up. That was what books and reading were for.

                                          "This is a changeling." Aske said as he took Soren from his shoulder and held him out in front of him for a moment. "A changeling is a mage or wizard who can naturally change their shape from human into any animal they please. Soren is actually my master, not my familiar as the town seems to think...he hasn't been in human form for a long time though," so long in fact that sometimes Aske wondered if he could turn back. "He's getting older, and I am taking care of him in his later years." He stoked the fox, petting him from between his ears to the middle of his back before placing him back on his shoulder.

                                          "Showing is almost always easier when it comes to magic, but I would like you to explain anyway." And he did, at least, to the best of her ability. Aske still wasn't sure what her ability was though, not at its base. Was it an air affinity that she simply channeled best into other objects? It wasn't an earth ability, because he mentioned that he could do it with feathers. Was it construct? She could just make things from other things? Construct seemed more likely, but he couldn't rule either out. Either way, even from an elemental standpoint... "It sounds like your power is very unique." He nodded. "I look forward to learning more about it.

                                          "Now." The wizard stood to his feet. "I am going to draw a bath for you, I would like you to place your clothes outside the door so I can have them cleaned and dried before you finish, so you can wear something clean." He had no other clothes for the boy yet, and his own wouldn't fit, Aske was too tall. "After that I will finish setting up your room to fit you a little more," it would take some time before the room could be anything like Dallas' in personality and content, but getting rid of the advanced books and potion making items would be a good start, "And sometime after that will be dinner...and then I can read to you if you like. I don't know if you like that or not, but when I was younger I knew someone who couldn't read and liked me to read to them."

x x x x xx

Luxury Starshine's Princess

Precious Blob

User Image

████ ███████████ ████


DALLAS unwilling apprentice


                                                  It seemed that Dallas didn't even have to vocalize the question. The wizard answered it anyways. "I see," she said, mulling all this new information over. Like her arm... She raised her right arm and examined it, flexing her fingers. But if she already had her 'innate' magic, she didn't need anything else. She'd never needed anything else before.

                                                  "You mean the fox?" she asked, baffled. She squinted at it. It just looked like a common red fox, if an old one. Nothing more. Was he trying to trick her? He didn't seem the type, but it wasn't as if she knew him. "That seems like it would be a cool ability," she said, thinking it over. Imagine what she could do! If some brute tried to threaten her, she could turn into a bear and slash him to ribbons. ...Perhaps it was for the best that her 'innate power' was something different entirely. Still, it would be nice.

                                                  Though the fact that he said his master was male threw her for a loop. "...But didn't your master go to an all-girls' school?" she demanded. "How was that allowed?" Maybe she shouldn't have asked. She was getting too involved for someone who didn't plan to stick around. She should be keeping herself emotionally distant. But she really did want to know.

                                                  The wizard listened quietly as she struggled to explain about her powers. This flustered her. She wasn't used to being listened to, especially not by adults. When she finished, he said her power was 'unique'. She at least knew what the word meant.

                                                  "Okay." She followed him to the bathroom and watched while the tub filled with water. When it was full, the wizard turned off the taps and left her there. She made sure he was gone, then closed the door and quickly undressed. Opening the door, she quickly shoved her clothes out and then closed it quickly again. Then she climbed in the tub. The water was hot, and the girl sighed happily as she sank into the water. Ahhhh.

                                                  Since she didn't want to risk being walked in on by the wizard in her nudity, she scrubbed herself quickly. She lingered a little on her hair, since she a little vain about it. When all the dirt and grime was washed out of it, it was a creamy blonde colour. Not overly bright, but Dallas liked it that way.

                                                  When she was clean, she sat in the water and thought. She had to stay in long enough that her clothes were clean and dry, but how would she be able to tell?


                                                  ████ ███████████ ████ ███████████ ████

Star Seeker

User Image
xxxxx (A S K E) L A D D E N xxxxx
c e l e b r a t e d (w i z a r d)


                                          "Yes," Askeladden replied lightly, placing Soren back on his shoulder, "The fox. Though he is sometimes a cat instead...or something else, though a cat or fox are his favorite forms." Or tiger, or...anything that hunted down other animals, at least, that had been in his younger days. Aske had not seen Soren as anything other than a tawny cat or a red fox for a very long time...not even a human. "And it's a useful, rare, and powerful ability. Soren was always a powerful mage. I often feel I have never gotten close, despite..." being his apprentice and doing "everything" he'd done. Aske had changed, but he knew, inside, he was still that useless boy that would never amount to anything at all. "Despite the things I've done in my day." He smiled gently at the young mage, though it was a bit of a melancholy smile.

                                          The smile grew a bit more genuine at the boy's question, "Yes, I did say that, and it is true. He went to an all girl's school, at least...at first." Aske mulled over it for a moment. It had been such a long time since he had thought of that school, let alone thought on the story of how Soren was attached to it. "I don't think I was ever filled in on all the exact details, but, when he was still a small boy, Soren was found by the school groundskeeper, who was...protective," that was perhaps not quite the correct word to use for Thalia, but it was the word he settled on all the same. "She found Soren had talent in magic, and, using what authority she had as groundskeeper, made the school keep him...until he was taken on as an apprentice sometime later." Aske shrugged. "The one time I was there, they teased him, saying he was so "pretty" that they didn't know he was a boy until his second year, but I'm pretty sure they were kidding." Soren had looked dainty and fair, but still obviously male...

                                          But it was bath-time.

                                          He filled the tub and waited until the boy opened the door, shoved his clothes out, and then shut the door again. He valued his privacy, did he? That was fine. Aske liked it that way too. He still remembered the first time Fallen had walked out of the forest completely void of clothing...he swore he would never get used to that, and he hadn't. It was a good thing that at least, they had this in common.

                                          The wizard collected the clothing, drew water and then washed them carefully. Normally, the wizard would have hung them up to dry outside, but since Dallas would need the clothes back almost immediately, he used two small spells, a water one to remove the dampness, and then a "fire" spell, to warm them. He folded them and felt them. They were soft and clean now...and felt like they had been sitting in the sun for hours. Perfect. He made his way back upstairs and sat them gently outside the bathroom door before knocking on said door. "I have set your clothes outside the door, Dallas, I'm going into your room now, I will be there until you get out." That way there was no way for Aske to intrude on his privacy, as it should be.

                                          The wizard took Soren, for he didn't want Soren sneaking off and intruding on Dallas' privacy at the moment either, and went into the boy's new room, returning to his task of removing inappropriate books for Dallas' level...when he learned how to read. By the time the boy would return, there would be many books sitting by the door, and only one shelf of books left, ordered not by alphabetical order, but by ease and relevance...or what Aske hoped would be relevant to Dallas.

x x x x xx

Quick Reply

Submit
Manage Your Items
Other Stuff
Get GCash
Offers
Get Items
More Items
Where Everyone Hangs Out
Other Community Areas
Virtual Spaces
Fun Stuff
Gaia's Games
Mini-Games
Play with GCash
Play with Platinum