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 Posted: Wed May 13, 2009 12:49 am
Faolan stepped back, nearly tripping down the stairs behind him, when the strange Essentic came close. He pulled Zia from his shoulder to cradle the little one against his chest protectively. Tensing up, he wasn't sure if he wanted to try fighting the man or bolt from the place. He wanted his cards back, but not at the cost of losing Zia.
"I'm not its master," Fao said clearly, keeping a level glare at the other. "Its my friend."
Zia looked up at Faolan and smiled at that. It had always felt that Fao saw it as more an equal than as a pet or a tool. They were friends in as much as they could be. Moving in the young man's arms, its wings about Fao's neck still, it looked back at the other Essentic. "Well, then, brother, you have us here. What do you intend to do now?"
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Posted: Wed May 13, 2009 1:00 am
"Friends, hm. Lovely, that's very lovely." Vin chuckled, a little darkly. That was more because of the tension than mockery though, he did find that absolutely brilliant. "And get away from the gap, stupid, you'll break your skinny neck."
With not a moment of hesitation, he slid his hands out of his pockets, relinquishing the cards, then grabbed Faolan around his middle. He lifted him up like one would a vase, and put him down again three paces away from the stairs, in a patch of sunlight.
"Much better. .. Nice weather isn't it." And back his hands went as he shifted into that relaxed backwards slouch again. A whistle of the wind piping through a hole in the wall below seemed to mock his idle chat.
"... so, friends you say." he gazed at them both. "You're still tied to him, youngling... But you make sure to kick his a** if he ever treats you like anything but a friend, you hear me."
You could almost imagine a sigh trailing after that, as he sounded so dull now.
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Gracious Conversationalist
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Posted: Wed May 13, 2009 1:13 am
Fao yelped when he was lifted up, not trying to fight the rogue off him. As soon as he was set down, he sunk to his knees, panting. He hadn't expected the strange Essentic to grab him and the sudden startle had set his heart racing a bit. One hand on the ground to steady himself, the other stayed around Zia, hugging the little one to his chest as he willed himself to calm down again.
"It's okay, Fao. Don't be scared," Zia soothed, worried for its owner. It looked up at Vin, curious at the strange tone his voice. "Faolan would never hurt me. You're right, we're tied to each other, but I rather like it. He needs me."
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Posted: Wed May 13, 2009 1:25 am
Blink.
Slow blink.
"I didn't mean you had to become afraid of your own height, kid... I suppose you'll hit your head less hard if you fall from there, but err." Sheesh.
"Scared? 's Vin too tall for you, I can't help that." He squatted down, getting more to Faolan's level. "Take it easy, wouldn't want to be the death of you. Stupid kid."
"He better not... know what you can do, li'l one. You're like the Magickers, there's so much you can learn. There's no need for you to be defenseless. Hah, you be his protector alright, he looks like he needs it." Now he was almost smirking, all conspirationally.
"But don't get cocky. Think about yourself first. Know who you are, and don't let... anyone, ever deny you your identity." Rugovin spoke to Zia, in a calm, serious tone. For a moment, the feathers in his hair laid low, like a sudden visual depression.
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Gracious Conversationalist
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Posted: Wed May 13, 2009 1:45 am
Faolan looked up at Vin, frowning slightly. "I'm not scared." Okay, he was . . . a little. "I wasn't expecting to be manhandled. You seem to know so much about me and Zia, and yet managed to overlook that I have a heart condition, a*****e? Brilliance." He closed his eyes, letting his head hang forward while he caught his breath. Luckily he'd only felt a little weak with slight chest pains, no where near losing consciousness. He didn't want to think of what the rogue Essentic would do if he passed out.
"I'm not defenseless," Zia huffed, feathers ruffling up. If the thought crossed its mind that it didn't actually have any fighting skills, it just pushed it aside, though it did make a mental note to seek Crux out later about how to fight. "I know who I am, even if I'm still learning about myself." It let go of Fao with one wing and reached out to brush the tips of its feathers against Vin's face in complete curiosity. A bold move for the little Essentic. "I wonder if you know who you are, though."
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Posted: Wed May 13, 2009 2:02 am
What would he do, hmm... If Fao were unconscious. Oh, he'd eat Ziazan like a roast chicken and molest the half-demon, har har har.
No, not really, he'd just drop him off back home.
At Faolan's words, he leaned back slightly, frowned and raised an eyebrow indignantly. "Kid, I'm not a darn Medicker nor Clairvoyant like your buddy here. You think I don't have better things to do than watch you twenty four-seven and wonder why you keep nearly passin' out? Sheesh." Seriously now, don't credit yourself, you're not THAT interesting.
"... Just take it easy boy, didn't mean no harm. If I did you'd be a smush on the floor by now." You calm down now, didn't know you were this fragile. Vin did sound honestly apologetic there, with that grudgy hint of shame, glancing at him sideways.
When Ziazan piped up, he turned to watch him again, now quirking up both eyebrows. Oh yeah? Go ahead then, impress me. For a second he had to resist the urge to flick him, but there was no need to. Silly thing. When it reached out and touched him, that slightly mocking look wavered and snapped into one of ... fear? Not quite, but something haunted came over him.
You want to know who I am? Do you really? He blocked off his Essence, shielded himself from the Proto's magic instinctively, and from deep inside him, his own power welled up. A flash flood of pain, anguish, numbness came over him, drowning out anything else present in him. As soon as the Essentic realised it'd charged over the connection, he jerked back, plopping on his bum dully. Augh ye gods, he hoped he hadn't hurt Zia.
"... I know who I am. Even if everyone denies me it." he tried to say, didn't get more volume then a dry whisper though.
Who knows, maybe Ziazan had been able to read the most basic things about him now. An Imitation-Emergency Spark, his purpose faded, kept secret deep in his self. The bird, grey parrot, a faint trace of someone, a person, and Pain.
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Gracious Conversationalist
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Posted: Wed May 13, 2009 2:19 am
"I'll be alright," Faolan murmured, amazingly calm for a guy in a moderate amount of danger. He looked up at Vin and gave a weak smile. Yeah, he'd be alright enough, and was mildly amused at the strange Essentic being worried over him.
He'd seen Zia reach out to Vin and had moved his hand to stop it, though not in time as the little one's wingtip graced the other's face. The small Essentic's scream just about made his hair stand on end and he jerked Zia back away from Vin, instinctively cradling the poor creature to his chest.
"Ziazan? Fao looked down at the little one, not liking that Zia was just lying there with its eyes closed. He looked up at Vin, looking somewhere between crying and tearing the rogue's head off. "What . . . what did you do to it?"
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Posted: Wed May 13, 2009 2:31 am
"Awww bollocks." Well, crap.
Foolish youngling... There's a reason why people think 'asking' is a nice subtitute for 'taking' information, that way you don't get overwhelmed.
"I... I didn't really do anything." Repeat that. Wrong, I did, nobody else is responsible...
"'t Could have just asked me, always trouble with newbies." he growled, pushed himself up again, sat down on his knees before them and looked at the little thing. That Fao looked ready to chew his arms off didn't deter him.
"It set off my self-defense, but I.. might be able to undo any damage I did, take it back." he glanced up at Faolan after looking at Ziazan, with a wry serious expression. "Can't help my Influences, kid. Pain just does this."
Just don't you friggin' ask me how I got that one, I'll seriously pinch your neck if you pry.
"... if you'd let me...?" This would be a lot easier if I had some contact again, unless you expect me to go all mumbo jumbo and wiggle my fingers to magick it better. Or just let the hangover wear off, that's another option.
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Gracious Conversationalist
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Posted: Wed May 13, 2009 2:37 am
Fao didn't really listen much to what Vin was saying. He really didn't care about influences or self-defenses, he only knew that the strange Essentic had hurt his best friend. He felt like crying from worry.
At the question of being allowed to touch Zia again, Fao looked up at Vin, biting his lower lip, then nodded. "If you think it will make it better. If you do more damage or kill it, though . . ." He trailed off, his expression saying it all--if Vin dared to hurt Zia more, Fao would give his last breath beating the s**t out of him.
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Posted: Wed May 13, 2009 2:53 am
"I hope it'll at least learn from this..." grumble grumble, little fool. "Of course it'll make it better, I didn't exactly have the intention of pain-jamming it."
"... I'd never destroy it, are you mad." his voice going faint and trailing off, he nudged Fao's arms aside with his large hands, long, slender fingers, and gently picked the little Proto up. Gah, I'm sorry Zia, you rash bugger.
"It's... good that you care." he murmured absently to Faolan, letting his eyes drift close to a half-lidded gaze as he took a better hold of the tuft of limp feathers. Okay, how did the reverse work again...
Closing his eyes fully, he felt within him, let that strange cold magic do its work, slithering along the paths it had taken to intrude into Zia's body and mind mere moments before. And then, he reversed the effect. He took back the pain, the confusion, the pressure, relieving the young Essentic of the sudden crushing weight and leaving a soothing numbness in its wake. The normal, unjammed feeling should return on its own, allowing it to awake. His nerves would've gotten a jolt, but there was no magic lingering to uphold the illusion of trauma.
Of course, all that had to find its way back to another recipient, and Rugovin twitched slightly at the more then familiar feeling draining back into his system like a caustic fluid. Phew, that'd been quite a load, he should charge down sometime. Na, he could take it easily, but for one who'd most likely never been hurt seriously it could come as quite a shock. The effects had been demonstrated accordingly.
"... 't should be... fine now." Vin muttered, staring at the thingie in his hands dully. Holding Zia in one, he softly stroked its head with the other. Wakey-wakey, brother-mine. It's safe now. Just don't try to read me again, not sure if you won't get a load of the electic fence again.
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Gracious Conversationalist
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Posted: Wed May 13, 2009 3:03 am
"Of course I care," Faolan said quietly, letting Vin have Zia.
As the pain and confusion ebbed from Zia's mind and it woke to being stroked by an unfamiliar hand, it had a brief moment of muddled waking before the memories it had been able to glean before being fried surfaced. "Parrot. Child. Pain." It looked up at Vin, rainbow-colored eyes wide, tears glistening. "Alone." It wiped at its face with a tiny hand, the wing attacked hiding it away.
Faolan held his hands out. "Let me have it back, please. It needs me." As soon as he'd spoken, the little Essentic moved around in Vin's hands, twisting toward its owner and holding its wings out, wanting to be held by reassuring arms, wrapped in the familiarity that Faolan provided it.
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Posted: Wed May 13, 2009 3:14 am
Hey, welcome back... Yeah, that's me. Sort of...
"Sshhh..." and odd sound, not quite one Vin's own voice would have produced, but a soothing noise none the less. More like it was a different person uttering it, in a reflexive mimic. Shush...
"It's okay now... I'm sorry." I really am, I didn't mean to hurt you, scare you, make you feel like this. You're breakin' my heart, kid.
"Ah... there you go." he extended his arms numbly, let Ziazan back to its place of safety and comfort. His own crest of feathers had lowered even more, like a cat laying its ears back. For a moment, he seemed unable to look at them.
"... I believe I have something that belongs to you...?" he reached into his pocket and carefully retrieved Faolan's cards, held them out to him, on the palm of his hand, neatly stacked. Not a new mark on them.
Strange how humans can be so attached to items, as if they were live entities. It was shameful to abuse that attachment though.
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Gracious Conversationalist
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Posted: Wed May 13, 2009 3:27 am
Zia curled into Faolan's welcoming arms, hiding against his chest. The comforting uneven rhythm of Fao's heart calmed the poor little Essentic down as it snuggled close. Faolan stroked Zia's back, looking up at Vin. When the cards were offered, Fao took them and those, too, were held close. He moved them close to Zia. "Hey, now, little one. Look here, eh? Got Grandmother's tarot cards back."
Without looking at them, Zia reached out a cautious little hand and placed it on the deck, liking the familiarity of them and all the stories tied to the cards. When it finally did peek its little face up, its voice was quiet--an unusual side of the normally loud-mouthed, bossy Essentic. "You can do the fortunes again?" At Fao's nod, the little one huddled back close to the young man again. "Let's go home."
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Posted: Wed May 13, 2009 3:34 am
"You found the way here, you'll find the way back, too." With those words, detached and distant, Rugovin stood up. Yes. Go home, it said, that sounded like a good idea.
"Fortune-reading... hah. Just keep the memories vivid and burning, they'll keep you going more then a vague promise of a future. You two'll be fine." His feathers were at a normal level again now, and he strode away from them, to the edge of the roof. There, he briefly glanced back over his shoulder at them.
"I'm sorry."
And then, a leap later, he was gone. He'd jumped down, coming down with a heavy thud in the dust below, and the sounds of his footsteps distanced quickly as he dashed away, back into his terrain. The outlands were his home now.
Good luck, you both. Good fortune.
He never did tell them his full name.
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Gracious Conversationalist
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