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 Posted: Sat Feb 04, 2023 12:55 pm
[Sabra via Discord]
Acashverosh felt absolutely drained. The hybrid had traveled days to get to this particular location in Sauti, a place full of natural hot springs that others could bathe in if they pleased, and while he understood that the herbalist here had connections with his father the hybrid wished that they could visit Jahaur for once instead of him always having to visit for the yearly trades between the two herbalists. Normally he wouldn't be so exhausted but he had been helping to train his daughter the last few weeks, constantly bouncing between her and hunting along with helping to raise a radaku pup she had recently adopted, and the man just wanted rest. So for once instead of having a light lunch with the old herbalist and then leaving straight away, Verosh had opted to settle in at one of the pools of warm water. A towel was slung over his shoulder as he sat down on the edge of the natural spring, a foot gently reaching out to touch the water as he tested the warmer temperatures. This apparently with some dried herbs that where in the pouch next to him would be a rejuvenating experience. At least that's what the old herbalist insisted when he pushed Verosh to take a moment to finally relax. There were even these strange robes that one wore whenever in the springs that were simple enough coverings, but something that made Verosh feel very exposed since he was missing his leather armor and the like. If some crazed beast ran into a pool what would leggings and a robe do to protect him? At least the place was quiet for the time being, he truly hoped it would stay that way with everyone else staying more at the larger building mostly meant for families and larger groups across the way.
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Posted: Sat Feb 04, 2023 12:56 pm
Wren raised his hands above his head and drug a swath of long, dusky hair into a disastrous bun. Instead of trying to stabilize it the iceling raised another hand and slid a stick through the mess. When he let go a few parts fell to the way side, but for the most part it resembled something that was purposeful. He was already out far enough into the hot spring so that the steam did a good job of hiding him, though he didn’t much care if he was spotted.
They hadn’t been able to run him out yet so Wren took that as a sign that he should stick around and reap as much of the benefits as he could. Still, even as he lowered himself to his shoulders in the warm water, he had to admit it was a little lonely. Where was everyone? It felt nice, but the atmosphere…A sound caught his attention and with far too much enthusiasm Wren started to make his way across the water to see who was…coming…in…?
What’s on his head? The teenager just stared blankly at the man before him, his teeth hidden for the moment behind speculative stare.
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Posted: Sat Feb 04, 2023 12:57 pm
[Sabra via Discord]
Well, the pool was supposed to be empty. Verosh found himself pausing, the hybrid in the middle of situating himself in the warm waters, and he simply stared at the strange boy who was in front of him. "Who are you?" It was hard to see in the rising steam but it looked like someone from Zena? At least that was what he could gather from the bluish tinge he saw on the skin and the long pointed ears that made him think in such a manner. The only other blue creatures he knew of where from Matori or Kahi but even they did not having the long pointed ears similar to his own. At least that was what he had gathered based upon what he had learned of the foreign races over the years. Still, Verosh could not help the frown that crossed his features. The herbal medicines that he had just released into the hot springs were also starting to rise up with the steam, the smell making his nose twitch even as he tried to figure out who was in the water with him. Did the herbalist lie about privacy or was someone insane enough to actually invade this place?
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Posted: Sat Feb 04, 2023 1:04 pm
“Wren.” He answered simply and moved a little a closer out of curiosity. This was his first time seeing an Aishan up close, but Wren knew enough of their kind to surmise that’s what the deal with his tattoos was. The antennae, though…They kept drawing his eye and for a moment the teens mouth started to droop open, his gaunt face exposing rows of sharpened teeth. “If you ge' too warm do they ge' all floppy like noodles?” Right now they only seemed to droop near the tip, but he kind of imagined they might mix with his hair if the man stayed in for too long.
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Posted: Sat Feb 04, 2023 1:05 pm
[Sabra via Discord]
"This is supposed to be a private place." Verosh was not amused by the question, exasperation simply making him sigh before the sight of the teeth had him pause. What was....was that natural? He frowned at the thought before truly studying the teen as he got closer, the boy looking a bit too gaunt for even Verosh's liking. "They do not flop like noodles." He eventually replied, still studying this Wren to see if he could figure out more details.
"Do your ears flop if they get warm? Think about things like that." Verosh tilted his head, making certain to take a few steps back as he tried to continue assessing the situation. The boy didn't seem like a threat if anything he seemed more like that stray radaku pup his daughter had taken in. "Have you never seen an Aishan before?"
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Posted: Sat Feb 04, 2023 1:06 pm
“Oh...well, guess i's no' now.” Wren shrugged his shoulders. Without his noose and robes the boy was waiflike with enough sharp edges to weaponize. Not that it seemed to bother his mood any; whereas his companion seemed more than a little put out Wren was happy just to converse.
When he was asked to think about it the teen did just that. He leaned back a bit in the water, chewing on his bottom lip a bit before reaching up to touch his ears. Would they get floppy? He supposed they might, but he didn’t have much experience with it. “I've 'eard ov 'hem bu' never seen one wi'h my own eyes. You're the firs'.” As he talked Wren played around with the water in front of him, maneuvering clawed hands through it with a childlike innocence. “Tha' why you're so big?”
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Posted: Sat Feb 04, 2023 1:20 pm
[Sabra via Discord]
What was this? A play place for the teen? Verosh closed his eyes to calm himself before looking back to the teen who was obviously not supposed to be here. He would have to speak with the old herbalist after this so that he could increase his security. What if something dangerous had gotten into this place instead of the teen? Verosh was already not the fondest of swimming, but the idea of coming in without weapons to something in the waters just sent a shiver down his spine despite the warmth of the springs. "I see. So...if you've never seen Aishans has your family never left this area?" He posed the question, watching Wren with interest. He seemed like a wind could just fling him to the side, that's how much of a waif the boy was. If he hadn't seemed so malnourished then Verosh would have been more tempted to fling the kid from the pool and chase him away, but now he was worried about breaking him if he even dared to get close.
"Yeah, Aishans are stronger and bigger than most earthlings. Is that why you're so small?" He quipped back though honestly Verosh was really growing concerned the more he noticed about the teen as he splashed around.
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Posted: Sat Feb 04, 2023 1:21 pm
“I don' 'ave a family. Maybe they died when I did, I'm no' sure, I jus' knah they're no' 'ere.” The way he said it was as if someone were contemplating what to have for dinner and not a deep lose. In truth Wren had never known a true birth family or an adoptive one for that matter. There weren’t many who wanted a walking spirit to darken their doorsteps for long.
“If I 'ad 'o guess I'd say i's because I still like grub. Seems weird faw a spiri', you know, so maybe I'm no' a good one. Once I'm big enough I won' need it anymawe.” With a quirk of his maw, Wren’s fangs were on full display and his eyes, so spectacularly bright against his grey skin, glowed. “No' as big as you, bu' big enough.”
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Posted: Sat Feb 04, 2023 1:43 pm
[Sabra via Discord]
"Ah." So this was truly feeling more and more like he was dealing with some stray beast. Verosh pinched the bridge of his nose for a moment as if to shove back the building tension in his skull, a headache threatening to form the longer he tried to reason with this situation. Even the way the teen spoke was off, something he reasoned was a miracle in itself because of the fact that he even knew enough common to converse in the first place. He had run into another a long time ago who reminded him of a wild beast, but that man hadn't even chatted as much as this Wren did. That man had growled and fought with him before settling their differences and sharing prey for the night. "So no family...where do you even live?"
The commentary about the spirit nearly went over his head but then Verosh found himself frowning even more. "Grub?" He repeated with confusion. "You mean food? Eating food helps kids like you grow, not make you smaller." He winced at the sight of the fangs and the expression nearly sent a chill down his spine. If the boy wasn't spouting so much then Verosh would have been tempted to think that he was some sort of beast to fight. But everything now just added to the hybrid's confusion and honestly if he wasn't a father himself the older version of Verosh probably would have simply left the teen to whatever the hell he was doing. Still, it was hard enough to be patient now but Verosh was doing his best to endure.
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Posted: Sat Feb 04, 2023 1:51 pm
While the medicinal hotspring was very clearly not a bath, Wren was keen to use it as one anyway. The vast majority of his dirt had already faded, but as they spoke he scrubbed at an old scab on his elbow. There were more than enough for him to worry about cleansing, though something in this water made them itch like crazy!
“Mostly Tale bu' over there now.” He motioned with a vague head tilt to the wilds South of the hotspring. That’s where he’d stashed all of his clothes, anyway, before skulking his way over for the evening. “Faw the livin i' does, bu' no' faw my kind. We don' need ta ea' so tha’s why I don' wawry abou' it.” It hurt when he didn’t, it hurt when he did; there wasn’t a good scenario where food was involved. So, Wren ate just enough to keep his flesh body happy, and was hopeful for the day he didn’t have to.
Slowly, he turned his head and those eyes locked onto Verosh with a grin. “Am I your firs' spiri'?”
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Posted: Sat Feb 04, 2023 2:14 pm
[Sabra via Discord]
Well, so much for a relaxing and herbal soak. Verosh winced as he realized what the teen was doing, the man actually reaching out as if to smack the teen's hand away. "Spirit?" He repeated before letting out a sigh of frustration, the hybrid walking through the water so that he could step out and find the basket of supplies. Other than mixed herbs there were a few things for personal care which he grabbed. The springs weren't supposed to be a bath but sometimes others would brush out their hair or use a round wooden stick with round pieces to massage their backs.
"Why do you think you're a spirit?" He asked upon returning, the man sitting at the edge of the pool and motioning for the teen to come towards him. Verosh didn't think he would want to get back into the hot spring but it was better than watching the teen just ripping himself apart. Aisha what had fatherhood done to him? He definitely was far too concerned about this situation for his own liking.
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Posted: Sat Feb 04, 2023 2:24 pm
Ah, well, that was it then? Wren watched him go with a mixture of confusion and unveiled pout. As he did so he picked at his skin a bit more, delighting when little bits came off and – Op, that was blood. Wren lifted his arm up at an odd angle so he could lick it, momentarily distracted, and when the man came back his eyes widened.
“Well I'll 'ell ya cuz you're bein so nice.” He gave the skin of his arm a little n** to stem the bleeding before making his way over. “When soul touched - 'ha's you - stay under the wa'er 'oo long they ge' all bloa'ed an' blue.” And that was it! He raised his arms and motioned to himself in a morbid display of pride. “Tha's 'ah come I look the same as anyone else from Tale, excep' no'.”
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Posted: Sat Feb 04, 2023 2:32 pm
[Sabra via Discord]
"You're...." Verosh bit back the usual string of curses that followed with his frustrations. The teen seemed truly to believe his words and if anything almost seemed proud of it! Didn't he realize that to be a spirit was to be gone from this world? Verosh let out a sigh instead as he tried to compose himself. "You don't look like anyone from Tale because your family probably wasn't from Tale. I've met others from a place called Zena before and they have skin that is more blue without them being spirits." He explained finally as he smeared some soap across the wooden brush and held it out towards Wren. "If you were truly a spirit then you would never feel hunger. Do you not feel pain or the desire to eat? Your stomach should be very upset with you if you skipped meals, especially since you're still growing."
He paused and glanced at Wren again, agitation once more turning more towards concern. If the kid thought he was a spirit then did he truly not take care of himself? How had he even survived this far? "If you were a spirit then we wouldn't be in this situation either. I shouldn't even be able to see you since spirits don't simply walk among others."
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Posted: Sat Feb 04, 2023 2:48 pm
"I've seen people from Zena too an' they look like 'ha' because 'hey're like me; walkin dead." He’d met a few over the years who had more of a flush to their cheeks and a bounce in their step. Newly departed, he surmised, but it was always a welcomed change compared to the locals who hid from him. Wren took the brush hesitantly and held it out infront of him, in much the same way Verosh had done, without doing anything else. He slowly lowered his head bit by bit until he was close enough to lick it and his face screwed up. “Smells be'er than i' tastes.”
He held the brush back to Verosh. “See, tha's where the curse comes in. Why else would a spiri' need 'o ea'? And bleed? jus' don' make sense. So, i go'a be cursed an' then one day I'll really die an' it’ll be okay.”
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Posted: Sat Feb 04, 2023 2:52 pm
[Sabra via Discord]
"You..." Verosh took another deep breath before making a motion to demonstrate that the comb should be going through Wren's hair. "Don't eat that but use it to go through your hair. Just up and down with the comb so that it pulls out any tangles and....dirt." Or whatever else was in there. The very thought made him grimace, especially since he was still processing the fact that the teen had licked the soap on the comb!
Listening to the teen's logic just made him want to go into a very long and exhausting training match. It would be better to take his frustrations out on a few dummies than the actual dummy in front of him. Another sigh left Verosh's lips. "Tell me then...why did you get cursed and if you are a spirit doesn't that mean you lived a life before? Did you forget about it?" He had so many questions to throw at the teen, so many options to see how twisted his view on reality was
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