[D] - DivineSaturn, War and Peace

[Raven Millner]

Gone Antiquing

Raven hadn't had an opportunity to go out for some time. Her new charge kept her busy, and even with Mahou's help he was a handful. In addition she was constantly working, either preparing reports or lesson plans or readying the classrooms she had been alotted for use. Finally it was mere days before her first class, and all the work was done. If she was going to get some quality time with herself, this was her chance.

So early that morning she had left Anoki Kenelm with one of his classmates and set out on her own, with a purse full of gold and a map of the surrounding area. Unfortunately, her home was located in a rather progressive section of Gaia. So she boarded a train, settled in with a newspaper, and promptly fell asleep.

"Durem, Durem. Reclamation Hub next. This is Durem."

How she made it off the train in one piece was beyond her. Yet as the train chugged away, Raven took a deep, calming breath, and was satisfied. THIS was a city. It felt old, dignified, and even magickal in its own way. It was a city that had seen things most of the people living in it had only heard rumors of, a city that was a silent testament to mankind.

And most importantly, a city with antique shops.

Raven was fascinated by antiques. She had a long-standing love affair with them, and had been deprived for some time of a rendevouz. Of course, there was a room full of antiques that she had collected over the years in the apartment, and several other items as furnishing. But the thrill of wandering stores and finding masterpieces was something Raven hadn't felt in quite a while. More than anything she wanted to bring home a new antique, despite the oxymoron.

The first few shops held little of interest, though there was a set of silverware that Raven liked well enough to haggle for. The shopkeeper had been reluctant to let that go, but after a few exchanges decided it was probably a good idea. Of course once the strange woman had left with the set neatly boxed, the shopkeeper regretted ever letting her in. She had an odd effect on the store.

Since carrying packages would slow her down significantly, Raven had taken the liberty of preparing a pocket dimention in advance. The principle was simple enough, and all she had to carry was the spelled key to the dimention. Unburdened, she made it all the way cross town in time to stop for lunch at a trendy cafe. Being self-sufficient had its advantages, she mused after finishing her garden salad.

The sun had begun to sink when she came to the final store. Abster's Shop of Oddities and Notions. The name was certainly an oddity, but hopefully the notions in there were worth the trek. After this shop it would be time to head back to the train station.

"Come in, my dear." A soft, creaky voice came from within the store.

Another one of those theatrical shopkeepers. Raven rolled her eyes, but did step inside. The shop was cluttered, and nothing seemed particularly interesting. Part of her wanted to leave at once, but there was something that kept her inside.

The voice spoke again. It seemed to be coming from the area of the counter, but it was impossible to be sure. "Forgive me for greeting you in person, valued customer. Please, take a look around. I'm quite sure we'll have something to interest you."

There was nothing she had to lose by browsing. So she did, carefully picking her way around piles of lamps and chairs, and stacks of books and rusty weapons. Most of them seemed ordinary, run-of-the-mill antiques, and while that was all well and good it wasn't what she was looking for.

Then she saw the box.

It was made of wood in a rich cherry color, inlaid with ebony strips and bone. The center was graced with a pyramid shape, which was engraved with various symbols. The box itself was pentagonal, with extremely rusted hinges on one side and latches on two more. The box was beaten up, scratched, and covered with a thin layer of dust that Raven ignored as her hands brushed the dingy surface.

"Could it be...?" she asked aloud, her voice barely above a whisper.

The mystery voice gave a cold chuckle. "Did you find something of interest?"

Quick to mask her interest, Raven picked up the box with both hands. "Not particularly, but I wouldn't mind purchasing this old box. How much are you asking for it?"

"You couldn't afford it," the voice hissed unkindly.

Not a very accomodating shopkeeper. Puffing herself up with self-importance, Raven walked towards the counter. "Try me. I have enough gold to take care of any trifle, including this box."

"It's not the money that you don't have." The voice was lighter again, but had a hint of cruelty that stung with each word. "It's the power."

"I beg to differ." Just in case a demonstration was needed, Raven began to form energy around her hand. It was a general show of strength, and within seconds her fingers were pulsing with golden sparks edged with green.

The voice was silent for a few moments, considering. "Very well. You may take it. But don't say I didn't warn you."

That was far too easy, but Raven didn't argue. Instead she shifted the box, holding it under one arm as her other hand slipped into her pocket. "How much?"

"Take it," the voice repeated. Then, as easygoing as it had been in the beginning, it added "And enjoy."

And she would. The box was rusted shut, but it had to be THAT box. And that box contained exactly what she needed, what she had been looking for ever since the catastrophe a decade ago...

Raven was awake during the train ride home, plotting every minute.
 

[Raven Millner]

Test of Strength

After several spells, two containers of polish, five polishing cloths, a pint of oil, and a final once-over with a toothbrush, the box was starting to shape up. It really was magnificent in its splendor, a shining example of magickal craftswork at its best.

Finally Raven could get down to seeing exactly what the antique was capable of. Hands trembling slightly, she snapped both of the latches to their open position, and lifted the lid of the box.

It was lined with black velvet, which in turn had gold print depicting a pentagram. Around the box's sides were words in a long-forgotten language. Raven traced the inside with a finger, smiling as the writing glowed at her touch. The box had awakened, and it was listening to her.

Then her finger caught on a bulge, and she frowned. Something inside the lining was making an insightly bulge. Raven wormed her fingers inside the space between the velvet and the wood and pulled out a fairly sizeable lump of... what? The material was foreign, and as she pulled it into view, so was the object. It seemed to be some sort of artifact, an ancient artwork of some sort.

"How did this end up in the box?" Raven wondered, weighing the object in her hand. It was surprisingly heavy for something its size. Upon further inspection it appeared to be two seperate entities, each resembling an embryo in nature, clinging to eachother. One was almost pure white, and bore a pair of fae-like wings. The other was almost black and was wingless.

It was pretty enough, she supposed, and it probably had powers. Maybe it was even part of the box, but she doubted that. Most likely the last owner had tucked it there for safekeeping, and the object had no value other than sentimental.

Either way, it couldn't hurt to test it. Raven placed the relic in the center of the box and shut the lid. She would have to work on two enigmas now, and the new one was not her priority.
 

[Raven Millner]

Hidden Within

"Anoki Kenelm, come here please."

Anoki flinched at the sound of his mother's voice. Judging by the tone, it was either her "you did something wrong" voice or her "you'd better not mess this up" voice. Neither of them was very promising. Maybe if he stalled, she would forget whatever she wanted to say. It worked sometimes, usually when Mahou distracted her by accident.

"Al-almost d-done with th-this p-page." He held up his book one-handedly, so that the cover nearly flopped onto his head. It was a pretty good book too, about dragons and a kid who got to ride on them. Mostly it was full of fun stuff like adventures, but Raven had given Anoki the book in the hopes that he could pick up a few pointers. So far, all he'd learned was to hold on tight.

Did the boy think she had all day? "Now please," Raven called again from her study, voice painting a picture of patience stretched dangerously thin.

Why couldn't he ever get that trick to work? Flinching already, the ibex set his book upside down on the coffee table and tiptoed towards Raven's study, knocking lightly on the door when he reached it.

"Yes yes, come in."

It was only on rare occasions that Anoki was allowed into the study, much less the workrooms inside it. To his surprise, one of the doors was open, and Raven was standing beside it, waving for him to join her. At first he was frozen, both from the shock and from watching the room. There were so many interesting things in there! Bookshelves lined all the walls, papers were buried under crystals and potted plants and bits of clay and metals on solid wooden tables. The open door had a ripped piece of parchment tacked to the back, and was curling at the bottom.

"Oh, do walk faster Anoki Kenelm. There is something I must show you, and I would like to get it done." Raven wondered yet again if D-Corp had given her this particular child because they knew he would be so... slow. It was not unlikely. When the boy finally reached the door, she grabbed his hand and pulled him inside, shutting the door behind them.

This chamber was darker and windowless. It too was lined with shelves, however these contained boxes, lamp bases, tiny silver spoons, heavy brass keys, and dozens of other seemingly random objects, all antiques. In the middle of the small room was a surprisingly bare table. It contained a single notebook, a lamp with a built-in magnifying lens, and just enough room for any one of the objects in the room.

There was only one chair, which Raven sat in herself after retrieving one of the objects from a shelf near the door. It was a large wooden box, plainer than most of the other antiques, made of polished cherry wood with ebony inlay, and a stylized triangle in the center. Raven ran her hands over it affectionately, then waved Anoki over.

"Take a good look at this box," she instructed.

It was pretty enough. Some of the colors looked like him, which was nice. But Anoki still couldn't figure out why he had been called in to the dark room, and why he was being asked to look at the box.

"It's n-nice."

"Study it well. I am asking you to learn it by sight, so that you can pick it out, and hide it if necessary." Suddenly realizing that she might be confusing the child, Raven slowed down and backed up. "Do you remember when I went out for the day, and you stayed with the people at the daycare center?"

Anoki nodded. It had definitely been a memorable day.

That was a start. "While you were there, I was out looking for materia. And I found this. It was damaged rather badly, and I'm quite certain that the shopkeeper did not know its value. It is extremely important. However, no one else must know I have it."

All the talk was boring Anoki. "C-can I op-pen it?"

"What? Yes, go ahead." Was he even listening? He would have to, it was integral to her plans. Normally Raven would have preferred depending on someone more reliable, but in this case she didn't have much of a choice. "Please do pay attention Anoki Kenelm, this is quite important. You see, if anyone discovers that this box is in my posession, they will try to obtain it. And I cannot have that."

Only half listening, Anoki lifted the lid of the box. The inside had a removable lining of black velvet that absorbed all nearby light. Trying to look attentive and explore at the same time, he looked Raven in the eye and slid one hand under the lining, touching the smooth wood, feeling the well-built corners.

His fingers closed around a cold, bumpy object.

"Mahou or myself would be too obvious. So if anyone asks about the box, it will be up to you to hide it. We will set a place for it shortly. Do you understand?"

What was it? Making sure to keep his find hidden- the box lid made a good screen- Anoki examined the object. It was small enough to fit in his hand, although clumsily, and seemed to be a small stone carving. Or possibly two stone carvings intertwined. One of them had delicate wings, the other was simply dark and forboding.

"Anoki Kenelm, answer me! Do you understand?"

"Uh?" Quickly Anoki closed his fingers around the object again and slid it into his pocket. "O-o-okay."

Raven doubted he really did, but they would go over it again once she found a suitable hiding spot. She couldn't manage it again that day. All of the explaining thus far had tired her out, and she just wanted to do a nice relaxing volatile experiment. "Very well then. You are excused."

"K-kay." Even though being trusted by his mama was cool, the room made Anoki uneasy, and he was all too ready to take his leave. As soon as the second door closed itself behind him, he ran all the way to his bedroom and flopped over on the bed. After another few moments he wormed his way under the covers. Only then did it feel safe enough for him to bring out the small sculpture.

It really was pretty. In a sort of gothic way. Hopefully his mama wouldn't mind him taking it. But then, he only really wanted to see it better. He would give it back eventually, of course.

But for the time being, it was his, to do as he pleased with.

(Xposted from Anoki Kenelm's D-Corp Journal)