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3/21/08 - First encounters

The shopfront was elegant and understated, inviting and lovely; the pieces in the display windows were artistic and beautiful, and subtly spotlighted to bring out their shine. Kefan couldn't see a price tag beside any of them. "Which probably means," he said wryly to Ajax, "that I shouldn't even be asking." But the sandy-haired man lingered in front of the windows anyway. Ajax voiced a whuffing sigh and sat down beside her summoner's feet, wrapping her long tail around her haunches to wait.

There was a bright bracelet in the display, with what looked like coral and blue stones in all the shades of the ocean. It would make a good present, Kefan thought. "I suppose it wouldn't do any harm to go in and have a look," he said, and looked down at Ajax. "I'm guessing animals aren't allowed; Ajax, return."

The auka got patiently to her feet, gave her master a long-suffering look, and smoked away into a cloud of sparkling motes that returned into the ring on Kefan's right index finger. That detail taken care of, Kefan opened the frosted-glass door and stepped into the cool dimness of the shop. He moved quietly over to one of the cases and looked down at the jewelry on display there. Depending on exactly how expensive the pieces here were, he might be able to afford the bracelet he'd been looking at; if he was careful with his budget, perhaps he could pick up an earring or pendant for himself as well.


Reyna sat quietly behind her desk, idly twirling long silver locks between her fingers in utter boredom. She wasn't certain whether to be thrilled when the customer walked in or to be irritated. Regardless, it was something to do.

She offered the newcomer a smile and stood. "Welcome to Twilight Designs," she replied in a warm, sweet tone, "Looking for anything in particular..?"


Kefan jumped slightly when the woman stood up. He hadn't even seen her there. He returned the smile warmly, and answered, "Well, mostly I was just taking a look around ... but I saw a bracelet in the window, one with coral ... ? Might I get a closer look at it?"

He glanced down at the display of pendants in the case he stood at. "Maybe a necklace," he added thoughtfully, eyes flicking over the selection there. Even if he was a little wary about the potential prices, the pieces were mostly of a style that he liked a great deal.



She stood and strode over towards the case in question. "Not a problem at all," she all but purred as she reached out with one hand and tapped at the glass with what appeared to be a small coin. Her complaining to Athan finally did some good it seems, and he gave her a "key" to all the cases so that her own warped magic didn't, well, warp things.

"This one?" she inquired as she pointed towards the blue bracelet that shimmered brightly within the display. She removed it from the case and smiled as she held it out towards him for inspection.


"Yes, that was the one I was looking at." Kefan took the bracelet carefully and took a closer look at it. The craftsmanship was really excellent, well enough designed and constructed that it easily could have been an enchanted piece; but there were no markings or warnings that suggested it was anything but a piece of beautiful jewelry. He made a quick estimation of the size. It really would be perfect.

He looked back up at the woman - saleslady or proprietor, he wondered? "Can I ask the price?" he inquired, considering; if it wasn't too horribly extravagant, he could look more closely at the other cases. Otherwise, he'd better not fall in love with anything else here, he told himself firmly.


Reyna rested her chin in one hand with what appeared to be a mischievous smirk toying at her lips. "Mmm.. for you..? I'd give to to you for 30k gold." Her hand fell to her side before she glanced back towards the case. "And I think I've a pendant somewhere that matches if you're interested."


Kef's eyebrows arched, and he smiled. Better than he'd been expecting, by a good margin. He'd been worried for nothing. That was a relief. "I'll take it, then," he answered. "Could I take a look at the pendant?"

Maybe it was the conversion rate - he kept forgetting that the assorted shards he'd been carrying were rare around here.


"Of course!" she chimed happily as she moved towards her desk and reached for a black tray that was lined with a soft felt. There were several of them, each containing a project involving half-finished or reworked jewelry. "I had just finished it not but a few hours ago. You came at a perfect time!"

She paused briefly as she set another of the trays aside. Within it was a nearly complete necklace, it's focal point a small, oval cabochon of a deep purple hue. Athan had been right. The stone didn't seem to shine quite right anymore, at least not since she knew what it had once been.

"Here it is," she declared as she held up an entirely different pendant necklace that matched the bracelet Kef had selected.


Kefan followed, really pleased. The bracelet was perfect, and it was even part of a set. As the woman picked up one of the trays that had been sitting on the desk, he took a casual glance over the contents of the other ones. "You made all of these?" he asked. She had a really good eye. One of the unfinished pieces caught his gaze - a necklace, set with a small, deep purple cachobon.

Then his attention was diverted again as she held up the pendant that matched the bracelet he held. It sparkled lightly, a nice counterpoint to the other piece. He nodded. "That's lovely. I'd like to purchase the set. Do you have a giftbox?"

For some reason, though, he kept glancing back at the other necklace, the unfinished one. Oh, well - if he was being impulsive anyway - "Could I take a look at that one, too?" he asked, nodding towards it.



"Most of them," she answered, pleased that he seemed impressed by her handiwork, "Some are repairs for customers. Some I rework to a degree because, well, I don't always agree with the atypical manufacturer's design sense."

She paused when he motioned towards the other piece, towards Sugi. She gave him a sidelong glance through thick eyelashes. "Mm... that piece is special," she stated quietly.

'Special, indeed.'

She resisted the urge to hiss in irritation at the soft, telepathic voice that filtered through her link to Mystic. Instead, she reached for the tray and pushed it across the desk so that it was closer for Kefan to view.

"I haven't yet tied off the ends with a clasp yet, but otherwise it is complete. The focal point here is a piece of sugilite. It's a bit on the uncommon side."

Athan never said she wasn't allowed to sell it. He had simply told her to "do something" with the stone once Luthe had left the shop, and something, yes... she had done.


"I like your designs," Kef said. "Not something you see every day. Maybe I have unusual tastes." He quirked a grin.

Special? He met the woman's glance, curious. He demeanor had changed in a way he couldn't define. It was definitely something about the piece he'd asked about, but beyond that, he couldn't read her expression.

He leaned forward a little bit, letting himself look closer. It was certainly an unusual piece; he was pretty sure he'd never seen any other examples of this type of stone. He reached out, almost touching the pendant with a fingertip. It fascinated him. Something about the design, something about the stone -

He glanced up at the woman, trying to gauge her reaction. "Is it available?" he asked, a little hesitantly.



Any misgivings Reyna had had previously seemed to have vanished. There was not trace of the tension that had been visible in her form when he had asked to view the piece prior.

She smiled charmingly and moved to the other side of the desk. "If you don't mind waiting a moment or so, it will be?" she offered as he pulled out various forms of jewelry pliers along with an assortment of other tools and clasps.


"I don't mind." Kefan relaxed slightly; whatever it was that had been off a moment ago seemed to have resolved itself. Perhaps it was a new design, or something of the sort. "Do you mind if I watch, or should I go look at something else while you work?"

He didn't like to be watched while crafting, he knew; and while his own experience with jewelry was limited to the kitra rings on his hands, it might be similar enough.


"I don't mind, though thank you for asking," she chuckled quietly under her breath as her nimble fingers reached for spools of sterling wire. She would finish this off properly and create a wire wrapped clasp that would match that which held little Azel in place.

She smiled over at the stone fondly and ignored the faint, teasing jabs that came from her own Shadow. He knew better than to distract her while working, but it was the mischief she was so expertly stirring up with her delicate bead work and twirled wire that had captured his interest -- if only because he knew there was a chance that Athan would be displeased. His maker's displeasure was something he took delight in.

Reyna shoved the Fiend's thoughts aside and away from her own as she worked before presenting the completed piece to Kef with one final snip of her pliers.

"All done!"


Given that permission, Kef watched with interest as she completed the clasp. He admired deftly done craftsmanship, and it was quite clear now that she was an expert at this. When she presented the piece to him, he took it carefully, his smile widening. "Absolutely beautiful. Thank you for finishing it for me."

He nodded to the other jewelry set. "I'll take those as well - they're just right for someone I have in mind." The pendant ... maybe he'd just wear it; no point in wasting packaging when he would be taking it right back out.


Reyna nodded quietly, small smile still fixed upon her face as she reached for the bracelet and necklace set. She placed both into a flat, square box. She tied it off with a single black ribbon and tucked business card in the bow that boasted the shop's logo and contact information in a shimmering, silver ink.

"Would you like that wrapped up as well..?" she inquired before moving towards the register off to the side of her desk to tally up his bill. "And all of that brings you to..." she trailed off as she squinted at the numbers on the rather archaic looking register, "... 90k gold."



"I think I'd like to wear it, actually," Kef answered. The metal of the pendant had warmed a little with his body heat, and he found himself almost reluctant to set it down. He fumbled a little with the unfamiliar clasp, but it wasn't a complicated one. The chain was long enough to let the pendant rest below the wide collar of his shirt; that was good. He could tuck it in if he wanted, but for now, he left it showing.

He nodded at the total - more than he'd meant to spend when he went out today, but for three beautiful pieces of handmade jewelry, it was more than reasonable. He took his wallet out of his pocket, handing over the sum without a protest.


She nodded quietly as she accepted the money and tucked it away before handing over the box containing his other jewelry and a receipt.

"If anything ever breaks, or you have a problem with anything," she murmured with a smile, "Just come back and see us."


Kef nodded, taking the box and tucking it carefully into his pocket. He could sneak it into the house and surprise Shiro with it later. He returned the jeweler's smile warmly. "Thank you very much. A pleasure doing business with you."

He didn't think anything odd of what she'd said; the shop seemed a very professional one. He'd remember it, and hang onto the business card. All in all, it had been a quick and pleasant experience; when he went out, he did so with a smile and a light step.


"And with you, sir," Reyna replied in a pleasant tone.

Mystic floated through the back wall behind Reyna and curled up against her back with one arm slung carelessly across her shoulders. 'You did a bad, bad thing.' He wasn't scolding her. His voice was too warm, and sounded suspiciously like a low purr, the same as how his bond spoke when she was particularly pleased with something.

"Did not," she insisted as she shrugged him off of her and folded her arms over her chest in a defensive manner, "Athan tried to awaken him again. Nothing came of it."

'Mmmhm. We'll see about that, won't we?'

4/27/08 - Gems and Grass

Esfandiar took a deep breath as he stepped through the Gate, then twitched as the expected itchy sensation crawled over his skin. The shadhavar did his best to ignore it, and not to scratch - if he started now, he'd not stop for a while, and that would be both uncouth and bad for his skin. The feeling was purely psychological, so they said...

The shadow-stone didn't seem in the least bothered by the Gate, and Esfandiar smiled at it with some satisfaction. "Hey, now, we're off to where you came from, hmm? Going to see Athan?" He had to thank the sage for the Seastone; while it hadn't yet managed to summon anything, the padishah's magi were intrigued by the relic at the very least.

Still... he wasn't quite ready to go straight to business. Not today. It was a beautiful day, pleasantly cool instead of just plain freezing as it had seemed last time to the desert shadhavar, and Esfandiar found himself turning his steps towards a nearby park. The lush greenery was not as exquisitely groomed and elegantly managed as the once-luxurious pleasure gardens of Tesfaldir, but the scent of green and growing things was sufficient lure to bring Esfandiar in, if only for a little while.

"Someday, if your master's little stone does what we all hope, the gardens at home will be like this, little one," he told the shadow-stone, cupping a lily in one hand and holding it up to the floating rock.


Kefan folded up the wrapper that his sandwich had come in and put it back into the take-out bag, and sat back against the low brick wall bordering the park lawn. His errand at the bank hadn't taken long, and the day was nice enough, clear and warm, that he had decided on impulse to grab lunch and eat it in the park across the street. The profusion of neatly kept flowerbeds always reminded him of Grandmama's garden. He crossed his ankles and watched the people who strolled or walked briskly along the paths.

One caught his attention suddenly. The unicorn wandered along the edge of the flowerbeds, admiring the lilies; that in itself wasn't unusual, but what was odd was the little patch of shadow floating along beside him. Kefan though he could see the glint of something bright and golden within the patch, and it sparked his curiosity all the more. The odd wispy thing reminded him of a kitra. But there were no kitra here, and so he had no idea what it was. When the unicorn had come within earshot, Kef spoke up. "'Scuse me - can I ask what that is?" he inquired, nodding towards the little shadow.


The shadow-stone drifted a bit closer to the lily, but it didn't seem as interested as Esfandiar had hoped. He found himself obscurely disappointed. "Ah, come now, surely-" he began, but was interrupted by the sound of footsteps. He quickly put down the flower and turned, surprised that someone would approach him here.

Then again, usually he did not linger when he was on business. This visit was an anomaly.

"I beg your pardon, efendi," he said, offering the man a polite half-bow, but only just enough to be polite. "It was given to me to tend to by a sage of this town who owns a shop nearby. I am not entirely certain what it is, only that our bargain included that I tend to it, and that it is alive in a sense."

The shadow-stone, to his further surprise, drifted over close to the newcomer - but not too close. Still, it was quite clearly more interested in this new person than in the flowers. Esfandiar watched it with mild concern, ready to snatch the stone back should the man prove to be unfriendly.



It was alive? Well, that made some sense, and explained why the unicorn was speaking to the stone. Kef sketched a polite little bow to both of them. "I hope you'll excuse my curiosity," he said, falling back on a more formal tone in response to the slightly cool answer he'd gotten. "I have an interest in unusual stones." His hand came up half-consciously to brush his fingers against the wire-wrapped stone of his pendant, a gesture that was becoming habitual.

He smiled at the stone as it floated a little closer. "Nice to make your acquaintance," he said to it, just in case it understood. The ring on his right index finger warmed slightly as he did, and he hid his surprise. Ajax had something to say, it seemed. Later, he promised her silently. It might be taken as an aggressive gesture if he brought her out unexpectedly in front of a stranger.


Esfandiar nodded to the man - now that the spell of the silent green had been broken, so to speak, he was itching to be on his way, but the shadow-stone seemed quite curious about something... and he shouldn't be quite that rude, in any case. Brusque, perhaps, but not rude. "She seems taken with you," he remarked, his confusion shifting to amusement as the shadow-stone drifted closer to the man. It reached out shadowy tentacles towards his necklace, but stopped just short of the man's own skin.

"What are you doing, little one? You shouldn't touch other people's precious objects," Esfandiar murmured. "If she worries you, I will take her away," he added.



"She's quite pretty." Kef watched curiously as the shadowy tendrils wavered out towards his necklace. "This? I got it at a shop nearby," he told the stone. "A nice place. Called Twilight Designs." He didn't find anything odd about speaking to the stone; the unicorn had done the same, after all, and it - she - seemed curious.

He shook his head. "It's not bothersome," he assured the other man. "She isn't trying to take it, I don't think."


"Ah, perhaps that's why she's so curious," Esfandiar said, with a sudden knowing nod. "That's where she came from, that shop. From the sage Athan that operates it, as far as I know. I was on my way there to deliver my thanks for a service rendered to me. My caring for this little one was my payment for that service." And it was such a small thing. He still wasn't quite sure it was fair. If the Seastone saved the city, then he was certain it wouldn't be. All of Tesfaldir would owe Athan a great debt, in that case.

The shadow-stone, apparently emboldened by such words, reached out and wrapped two tentacles around the purple stone in Kef's necklace, tugging it ever so slightly. Simultaneously, Esfandiar felt something-



"Ah, she did?" Kefan nodded thoughtfully. "I thought some of the pieces there looked to be the sort that can be enchanted. I may have met the sage," he added. "She made this pendant." Now there was an interesting thought - was the pendant magical in some way? Surely not. The jeweler had said nothing about that.

A fleeting image - a burst of fire, accompanied by a strong feeling of almost childlike delight.

Kefan blinked and looked down at the pendant, now wrapped in tendrils of the shadowling. For half an instant, he had thought he felt something. Ajax's ring warmed again on his finger. Something was going on.


Esfandiar blinked, a smile stretching over his face for... what reason? No reason whatsoever! What was that odd feeling of joy? "Fire..." he murmured, then shook his head, hard, and schooled his expression. One hand, at his side, made a subtle warding gesture. "Come away from there, little one," he said, with a very slight edge to his voice that surprised him. Whatever that entirely strange burst of sensation was, it had rattled him.

The shadow-stone dropped the necklace and inched back a bit, then extended a tendril towards the same ring that had warmed on Kefan's hand.



Kefan, too, was beginning to feel unsettled. He brushed his fingers over the purple stone again, a tiny frown settling between his eyebrows. "Be careful, little one," he told the shadow-stone. "The rings are magical." He had no idea what the touch of the shadow might do to the kitra resting in his rings. It could be nothing; but then again, it might not be. If the stone did something to the rings, or vice versa, he'd be responsible.


The shadow-stone paused before touching the ring, then retreated to its usual bobbing place by Esfandiar's shoulder. The shadhavar resisted the urge to heave a sigh of relief. "Well. That was... interesting. I'm sorry if she made you uncomfortable; I've not yet really figured out how sentient she is." He held up one hand; the shadow-stone immediately tangled tendrils around his fingers, as usual.



"Well, she seemed to understand, anyway." Kef nodded to Esfandiar. "No apology necessary." He watched as the shadowling twined its tendrils around the unicorn's fingers. At the least, it seemed affectionately attached to him. Kefan realized suddenly that he felt a faint touch of wistful envy at the sight. That was - unusual. He would examine the thought later; for now, he was on his guard.

"I guess I shouldn't keep you from your business any longer," he said. Undoubtedly the unicorn had somewhere to be, and the faint sense of unease was slowly growing.


"Yes, I-" Esfandiar began, relieved that the other man was giving him an easy way out, but then he paused and shook his head. "No... I have to know. Is your stone a magical one as well? I've never seen her so interested in an inanimate object before. And did you..." Esfandiar hesitated. "Feel something when she touched it?"

He glanced at the shadow-stone. It seemed unaware, or uncaring, that it was being talked about.


Kefan rocked back a little, the tiny frown between his eyes deepening. "The jeweler didn't mention anything about it being magical, so I assumed not," he said slowly. "I thought I felt - I'm not sure. Perhaps it was my imagination. It was barely anything at all." This time, when he touched the pendant, it was a conscious gesture. But if it had been his imagination - "One of my kitra reacted when I thought I felt something," he admitted.

Perhaps he should return to the shop, find the jeweler, ask about it.


"Mmmm. I see. Thank you - I'm sorry our meeting was so brief and strange." He owed the man something now, Esfandiar felt, for bringing this odd and disquieting piece of rock to molest his things. "My name is Esfandiar Kian - should you ever be in the city of Tesfaldir in the world of Elohir, look for the Inn of the Silver Fountain in the west quadrant, and you shall find good lodging and food prepared by my hand."

It was likely that the man would never take him up on it. He'd given the offer of hospitality to many, as courtesy dictated, for various reasons. About a third actually came. But the offer had to be made. Otherwise, the perceived debt unpaid would rankle him for days, much like the itch of the Gates.


"I hope you'll excuse me for interrupting your walk," Kefan said, and bowed again, falling back on courtesy. "My name is Kefan Andreitus. Thank you; I will remember the invitation." He didn't think that he'd have cause to accept it. He'd never heard of the world, nor did he have any particular reason to visit. But it did seem that there was some unknown link. Maybe he'd yet be proven wrong. He wasn't sure if that thought was interesting or unnerving.

Kefan was asleep when the first faint wispings of shadow curled up and out of the stone. The pendant lay on the nightstand beside the bed, not far away. Too far, though. The tendrils, nearly invisible in the darkened room, stretched over towards the bed, seeking wistfully. They drew on the energy and emotion of the man who had been wearing the pendant. Minutes passed as the patch of shadow around the purple stone grew denser. Then it floated slowly up off the nightstand and drifted over to drop onto Kefan's chest, trailing the chain the pendant hung on.

Satisfaction and delight in being. Sugilite's tendrils curled and rippled.

When Kefan woke, he felt a deep sense of simple happiness and a disinclination to go anywhere. He yawned and turned over to curl up closer to his lover. When something slid off his chest, he felt a brief stab of alarm, confusion following rapidly on its heels. He opened his eyes, and found, rather to his surprise, that the pendant that had been merely a piece of jewelry yesterday had developed a wispy patch of shadows overnight. In fact, it looked very much like the shadowstone Esfandiar had been accompanied by. Well - that explained some things, but it opened up a good few further questions. He picked it up.

Sugilite projected happiness, and coiled wisps of shadow around Kefan's fingers.

Ajax doesn't like the shadow thing. She is uneasy with it; it is emphatically not a kitra, and she has no idea how to deal with it. Like herself and the other rings on the master's fingers, it draws on his energy for its life; unlike herself and the others, it has no bond of service. How can it possibly love the master without the proper bond? If it does not properly love the master, it shouldn't be connected to him. But she can clearly feel that the master loves the little wisp, doesn't want to disconnect from it, shares his energies freely. It makes her uneasy.

The wisps's own energies make her uneasy too. She can sense its mischief, its curiosity, and lurking beneath the surface, a deeply buried, leviathan emotion that she cannot quite identify. It roils and bubbles and sometimes pushes up slightly; when that happens, the wisp's energy darkens, sharpens. Ajax doesn't think the master senses this alarming edge. It doesn't worry him, at any rate. She will worry for both of them, and she will not trust this - this parasite. It must prove itself before she will acknowledge its right to her master. She was his first kitra, and she takes her duty as caretaker very, very seriously.