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 Posted: Fri Jan 14, 2005 1:44 pm
Quote:
This Alcove serves as the private residence of Galen.
Only SilverSyren and invited guests may post.
Oculai: The Lost Oracles
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Posted: Sat Jan 15, 2005 4:53 pm
The alcove is quiet, delicately weaving a tranquil mood. The warm smell of baking bread drifts lazily through the small dwelling. It blends with the deep, earthy scents held within the moss and comfortably worn rugs softening the stone walls and floor.
The colors of the dwelling are muted - soft greys, deep greens, and warm browns. Nature is closely entwined within every furnishing and lovingly chosen possession.
The stone walls are rough but hold no corners. Every line of the dwelling sweeps into gentle curves. Overhead, the night sky looms close from the glass ceiling. The moon shines weakly through clouds, casting a watery glow. Faint pinpricks of light glitter where the clouds part.
Inside, firelight casts an orange glow onto a woodland forest done in minature. The sound of running water is heard and then a dull clunk.
In the kitchen, a snail-bodied Oculai sets down a small brass pot of tea. Steam curls languidly toward the ceiling as he brushes a lock of hair from his eyes and absently tucks it behind a long, pointed ear.
This is the home of Galen.
.within.the.alcove.
o1. about
o2. pictures
o3. possessions
o4. timeline
o5. others met
o6. arrival
o7. preparation
o8. revealed
o9. artwork
1o. oculai information
11. top secret!! ;O
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Posted: Sat Jan 15, 2005 4:55 pm
Name: Galen
Meaning? Gaelic origins, meaning 'calm' or 'healer.'
Gender: Male
Age: Youth
Order: Hearth of the Pulmonata
Occuptation: Healer
Personality:
Enjoys: Tea. Lots of tea with biscuits. Mm.. biscuits. Galen also likes to putter around in the kitchen, either trying out new recipes for food or experimenting with medicines. No accidential mixups so far.. but a label maker would probably be beneficial in this case. He also enjoys gardening - mostly herbs but he likes some purely ornamental flowers. I'm surprised he doesn't have a frilly pink apron, personally.
Dislikes: Frilly pink aprons. -_-; Salt. For an Oculai who employs his hands in so many aspects, Galen is surprisingly fussy about being dirty.
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Posted: Sat Jan 15, 2005 4:55 pm
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Posted: Sat Jan 15, 2005 4:57 pm
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Posted: Sat Jan 15, 2005 4:57 pm
02.23.05: Added commissioned artwork! Silver went slightly commission-crazy..
02.17.05: Meets Delphi. Day now dubbed "The Infamous Peach Incident."
02.14.05: Almost a month later, alcove finally gets framework up thanks to Adrian.
01.16.05: Galen settles into his new home and visits the Villa to pilfer herbs.
01.15.05: Silver pretends to start setting up alcove.
12.10.04: Galen reveals himself! But, um, not in that way.
12.05.04: Contest ends - somehow won. ;O Recieve [shiny] lens.
11.26.04: Hearth and Home Contest [Roleplay Event] starts.
07.21.04: Galen arrives at Villa.
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Posted: Sat Jan 15, 2005 4:59 pm
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Posted: Sat Jan 15, 2005 5:00 pm
story begins: p. 129
rat bite/healing: p. 133-134
arrival: p. 140-142
----
Posted: Wed Jul 21, 2004,
Down the hall and still out of sight two voices bickered back and forth.
"For the last time you shouldn't have worried! I knew exactly what I was doing and even if I did I didn't have much of a choice! She needed some medicine!"
"That was no excuse to go running off without telling me first!"
"You were bizeeeee. I'm surprised you even noticed I was gone!"
"Of course I noticed you were gone! I might not be the most attentive girl in this house but I do keep my eyes out where it is important"
"Uh Huh. Well everything turned out alright didn't it? I have the right herbs and know how to brew them. We'll have her up on her feet in now time."
"Well... to tell you the truth." Wasabineko rounded the corner with Udara perched atop her hat. "She's been up and about already..."
"She WHAT?!" Udara looked down with a squeak "With that infection? Where is she? Oooo. I'll tell her right." And indeed Udara looked like she could for, at a good 6 inches, she had grown into a modestly pretty and mothering adult.
----
Posted: Sun Jul 25, 2004
"No fussing! No fussing!" Udara waved her hands but still kept Lachesis in an embrace and dragged Shuyin in as well. "It's good to be home. Indeed... very good to be home."
Even though older and a little more worn and weathered, she still exuded all the happiness and warmth that she ever had, though the small twist at the corner of her mouth hinted at a wisened toungue aided by a sharp ear. "Well lets have a look at you." She gave Shuyin a once over. "Well you look like the settled life suits you. No wanderlust yet? Or is this scarf a sign of trying to pack for warmer weather?" She gave it a playful bat and then turned back to Lachesis with a much tighter smile.
"Well... You've tried to look no worse for the wear that is for sure," she tapped her own nose and winked an eye, "but I know what I see and feel. You need to be helped and quickly or this infection will only break you down slowly. Fortunately, I have found your remedy, and your healer. Yes, yes another of our kin. Well... to be more specific my kin. He could have easily given me the medicine and let me on my way but when I told him about what we are doing here he invited me to stay awhile. The next morning he asked to join me... I mean us... here. So... He's here!" She gave a little nod with a slight blush on her cheeks.
"Nor would I want her to change, but she should slow down. There is no need for her to lead every charge. Of course, guarding her kin is a noble cause. She just better not injure herself or she might be beyond our new friend's help. As for what Lachesis suggested, finding him a guardian, that was already a plan in the works. I imagine that is where Radish has disappeared to do..." She looked about and gave a small sigh. Busy as a bee already...
----
Posted: Mon Jul 26, 2004
"The hearth we left in the garden. I'm sure if you looked you can find and speak with him, but until we find a suitable human companion he won't be seen about the house much, or seen by the hu... tall-sort at all for that matter." It was a matter of tact that she was trying to stop herself from saying "human" everytime she spoke of the gaurdians. After all Shuyin's comapanion was a machine, and Lachesis's an elf, their own distant cousin, and then more demons and what not you could shake a stick at. It seemed that all sorts had taken shelter in the villa.
"He's spoken to me about how he wishes to find a companion. He had an... intersting idea. Fitting... but nothing like we've seen before. Radish is going to put up some fliers in the surrounding area and see what comes up. Should be fun in a bizzarre sort of way" She gave a small shrug. "He's a little... fanciful but I don't blame him."
----
"Well it makes sense if you know about our kind. What a wasp is to the fight and the firefly is to wandering we are to the comforts of life: A safe home and warm company. And so... since he had to leave his home on the river side... he wants a new one." She gave a sort of odd smile. "Yeah... he wants to see who can make him a suitable house. He insists that if someone can put in all their heart and care into giving him a place that is just his own, then he would be willing to become their companion. I think Anxu and other elders would thing it is a little... er... what's that word he always used? Eseee... eseeer... E-soteric."
----
Posted: Mon Jul 26, 2004
Or would it...? A small face appeared in the window and eyed the peach, licking its lips. It looked left once, and then right and carefully and slowly eased the rest of him inside the kitchen. Cautiously he approached the peach and began to roll it off the plate and back to the sill. With a grunt and a heft he hoisted the peach up and out the window and disappeared behind it, leaving nothing but a faint trail of silver in his wake.
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Posted: Sat Jan 15, 2005 5:01 pm
Home and Hearth Contest >>>
"What the hell are you doing?"
Silver flicked her eyes from the sketchpad she was hunched feverishly over toward the speaker. He watched her in a sort of horrified bemusement, slouching comfortably against the far wall.
"If you must know, Adrian, I'm drawing." Silver answered, pursing her mouth primly. She regarded the piece of paper in front of her solemnly and added another careful line.
Adrian raised an eyebrow, expression dubious. With one smooth motion, he jumped to his feet and plucked the sketchpad from Silver's fingers. "What's with the snail?" He asked, cocking his head to the side. "It is a snail, right? It looks vaguely like a sock." He paused. "A snail-like sock."
Silver gave him a vastly offended look and snatched the drawings back. "It is a snail thankyouverymuch." She replied stiffly and sighed in a rather long-suffering manner. "If you absolutely must know, I'm building a home."
".. for a snail?" He said, looking on the verge of extreme humor. "That's.. new."
Silver made a sound rather like a strangled cat attempting to play a fiddle. Or, er, something to that effect. She rose abruptly to her feet, managing to overturn a sugary, sticky beverage all over her sketches.
Silence. Adrian covered his mouth with a languid hand, either in apparent shock or a futile attempt to stifle laughter. Either way, Silver simply glowered at him, turning a rather unhealthy shade of yellow.
"I-am-going-to-kill---you--" the words were gritted out through clenched teeth. 'I-have-been-working-on-those-forever-you---b*****d--.."
"Oh, calm yourself down, pet." Adrian said in a placating manner. It wouldn't do to have another reoccurrence of the last.. ahem.. incident. He still had bruises. He grinned to himself. Then again, it was worth it to see her expression after she discovered the little surprise he had prepared in her bedroom. "I'll help you put it right."
Silver looked at the verge of screeching something like "I KEEL YOU!" or falling to the ground and pounding her fists while bemoaning the unfairness of life. All she wanted to do was plan and prepare a home for Oculai. Was that really so difficult? Well.. okay, yes it was. But she really didn?t think the other contestants had to deal with something like Adrian. With another look of long-suffering, she picked up her sketchpad and gave it a mournful shake. Droplets of sticky beverage fly everywhere, including, she noted with some bitter satisfaction, Adrian?s crisp white shirt. She wasn't beyond a little petty revenge. For now, the major vengeance would have to wait - after all, she only had a few days to prepare.
Adrian watched various expressions flick across her face, feeling a bit uneasy. It wasn't like her to simply stalk huffily off. This must actually be of some importance then. He heaved a dramatic sigh and flicked at the dark spots on the frilly sleeves of his shirt. Better get this off to dry cleaning and then start helping her. After all, she was hopeless without him.
In the meanwhile, Silver had made her way to the greenhouse and settled herself into a sunny corner. She stared broodingly at the spot she had chosen for the home. It needed to be perfect.. it needed to be a home. She rummaged through a pile of books sitting nearby and pulled out a sheaf of papers and a slender, hardbound book. The sheaf of papers was quickly flicked through until the proper section was found. "Ah.. here it is.. let's see.. the Hearth of Pulmonata.. home is the greatest comfort.." she muttered to herself while reading.
She wondered briefly if there was time to put in a kitchen.. and really, where the hell would she get tiny appliances? She scowled to herself. Even if she could find them, it would probably cost her arm, leg, and several children. Maybe she could offer Adrian. He would make a nice plant holder at the least. Perhaps a simpler kitchen would be best.. too much technology wasn't very cozy, anyway. She snatched a bright orange post-it note and scrawled in nearly illegible text across the top - "research alternative kitchens" - and stuck it to the sheaf of papers.
Now then.. time to see if she could get inspiration from "The Habitats of Snails and the Men who Loved Them." by Dr. Oncomelania. Odd name, but there was a lack of text on snail habitats.. so you took what you could get, she figured. You needed some vegetation, obviously. Probably a nice natural, woodland type of home? Hm. Would be interesting anyway.. Silver wished, for the hundredth time, that there was more information on these mysterious Oculai. She had stalk--ahem.. followed Wasabineko around discreetly in a futile attempt to find out what the only known Hearth of Pulmonata female, Udara-Isra, enjoyed. It would be helpful if she could actually chat with one of the Oculai.. but she was too unnerved to actually march up to one and start questioning. That would be rather rude of her and it would probably alienate the others. She needed to work on her people skills she thought ruefully. Perhaps JadeEye could help.. and she should try visiting the different dens if she had the chance. Silver mused, nibbling at the end of her pen.
She idly picked up her damp, sticky sketches. The home couldn't be too large.. but at the least, she needed am adequate kitchen since the Hearth of Pulmonata were rumored to "make the best foods, brew the finest wines, and keep the warmest homes." Damnit. Silver frowned at the sketches. Would he want to entertain? Hold dinner parties? She groaned and pinched the bridge of her nose.
She needed a break. Maybe shopping would help.. after all, no home was complete without accessories. Silver heaved her small bag of gold in her palm musingly. The coins clinked softly against each other as she weighed the amount. Eh.. it's not like she needed to buy food or anything. She could always pilfer some from Asher or if worse came to worse, her other friends hopefully wouldn't mind feeding a poor, starving student. Maybe she could stretch her limited finds by making some stuff..
Silver wondered if Oculai used blankets and then pressed her fingers against her temples. She really, really needed to find an Oculai fosterer to interrogate. Tomorrow, she promised herself, first thing would be to hunt down JadeEye. For now, she was going to hit the town big time.
She glanced down at the slightly limp bag of coins. Well.. maybe not big time. As best as she could, anyway. Silver set aside her books and sketches and shuffled absently out of the greenhouse, making a mental list.
A moment later, the door creaked open cautiously and an impeccably groomed head peered in. Good, she was gone. Asher stepped into the fragrant room and strode briskly to the corner table. He lifted the sketches gingerly by a damp corner and studied the plans. Easy enough to rough out the actual living areas, he decided. He peeled the top page away and regarded the second with a frown. But no, not wood. Stone. Stone would be best. With a smug grin, he began making careful measurements. Silver really should have come to him straight off. But she was probably being a silly female and trying to do things all by herself. He rolled his eyes. Females. Pssh.
Quite a few hours later, Silver entered the greenhouse again, clutching a few small parcels. She was rather disappointed by the lack of items she was able to procure but at least she had managed to find a shop with a reasonable selection. It wasn't exactly going to be the penthouse of some pricey hotel but it was the best she could do. It should do, she reassured herself. Now to drop these off and get some sleep..
She stopped in her tracks, nearly dropping the precious parcels. Asher was busily making some infernal structure on her spot. She nearly stamped a petulant foot. That was the perfect area and now all her plans would have to be reworked because Asher decided to do a damnable craft project.
Adrian glanced up at her in apparent self-satisfaction as he slapped the last stone slab in place and mortared it securely. "There!" he exclaimed and brushed breezily past. "No need to thank me, pet. Now I must really get my hands clean and into cotton gloves. I fear all this mortar is going to have a dreadful drying effect on my delicate skin."
The door clicked shut after him while Silver stood frozen in shock. The.. nerve. The absolute nerve. She dropped her parcels on the corner table and hurried past the monstrous grey structure, closing her eyes briefly in pain. Oh it was all ruined, she bemoaned mentally. She needed to just.. go drown her sorrows or something equally melodramatic. Right now.
....
The next morning, Silver hit the alarm. Repeatedly. When the damnable thing still didn't shut up, she tried knocking it off the bed stand. The alarm continued to sound, the pitch getting increasingly shrill. Fully awake, but in a not so small amount of pain, Silver rolled out of bed, onto the floor, and yanked out the batteries. Oh, blessed silence.. she huddled on the floor for a moment more before staggering clumsily to her feet.
Pressing one hand against her pounding forehead, she stretched the other in front of her in a lackluster attempt to keep from injuring herself as she made her way to the greenhouse. There were only two days left and she had to get done..
The oxygen-rich air hit her as she entered the greenhouse, stilling the pounding somewhat. Silver stopped in front of Adrian's stone structure and scowled. It looked like a bloody medieval castle. That wasn't inviting. That was.. cold and hard. She squatted down and peered into the structure. It did have the general shape of her plans, she thought reluctantly. The whole structure was gently curved with not a sharp corner in sight. The roof was a dome.. and actually, it was more like a little village cottage than a castle. She brightened a fraction. Well, this could work.. and maybe stone was best for all the curves anyway.
Now that she thought about it a bit more, stone was best for all the curves she had designed this thing with. And stone.. er.. it was vaguely reminiscent of a snail's shell. If she didn't think about it too much, anyway. Silver sighed, hoping this didn't mean she would have to go thank Adrian later. Smug b*****d.
She touched the roof carefully, then around the edges, seeking the small latch. The room was made to slide back for easy access now but could be locked if the inhabitant so wished. She snatched the previously abandoned parcels from the night before and began opening them carefully. First, she needed something to soften the stone walls.. some muted, heavy blankets in soft greens and browns would be perfect. What should she use? Superglue? She rocked back on her heels, musing.
A small metal bar to loop the blankets through like tapestry or curtains.. that would work. Satisfied, Silver leaned over the home and peered inside closely. Not too bad.. it had a main level with a fairly open floor plan that included a kitchen, dining, and living area. A second floor or balcony stretched across the back of the home, with a curving ledge that hugged the wall connecting the two. The top floor could overlook the first floor and would be the private room for the Oculai.
She poked around in the kitchen, noting the large fireplace. Hopefully the Oculai wouldn't be expecting anything too shiny and expensive.. Silver caught her bottom lip in her teeth briefly, worrying. Maybe it would be too primitive? Arrhh. She made a frustrated sound of disgust and snatched up several small pots to set into the kitchen. After that, she found the miniature glass bottles that were each stuffed with a different herb or spice. She smiled grimly at the bottles. Asher would never miss just a bit of his extensive collection. She couldn't fathom what he used it for anyway.
Before Silver put the finishing touches on the home, she would definitely need to chat with JadeEye. She set the items aside and touched the rounded glass windows of the home. A bit more numerous than she had planned but it should be alright. She reached for the phone and scanned the tattered piece of paper hanging haphazardly beside it. JadeEye.. JadeEye.. there.
Silver dialed the number, fidgeting as she listened to it ring. The phone clicked.
"Hello?" a voice said.
'Er.. Jadey? This is Silver.. could you do me a favor and tell me about your Oculai?" she said in a rush.
There was a moment of silence on the other end before an amused-sounding JadeEye replied. "So, you want to know what kind stuff they would like? Do you mean Ophelia in particular or any?"
Silver nodded eagerly before realizing that JadeEye couldn't see her. "Yes! I mean.. both.. er.. in general and in particular. I read the damnable information four times and I still can't find out if they use modern appliances." she answered, still sounding rather panicked.
JadeEye grinned, mirth over Silver's tone deepening. It was rare that she sounded so flighty. "Well, I don't think they really use modern gadgets like appliances. Most stuff they have, they make out of bits and pieces of human objects.. glass shards for knives, thimbles for cups, and so on."
A sigh of relief from Silver's end. "Oh thank you, thank you. You're a lifesaver. I love you." she said fervently before hanging up to rummage for supplies.
....
"There!" Silver exclaimed as she set the finishing touch on the home and looked at it with approval. The little stone home was made cozier with muted fabric hanging on the walls and small area rugs carefully fastened to the floor. They were a bit worn but nothing too noticeable by firelight.. and firelight there was, from the small one in the living area to the large cooking one in the kitchen. A large slab of butcher-block wood sat sturdily at one end of the kitchen with glass and metal tools neatly arranged upon it. There was a panty to the far left and the pots and cauldrons were stored near the fire pit. A sink was chipped out of a stone slab against the fire pit wall. She had even managed to hook up running water for it.
The kitchen was properly set up for cooking and brewing, Silver hoped. There was room for the Oculai to add his own supplies and touches. She moved on to the dining area where another large wooden table sat. It was low enough to the ground that the Oculai could sit comfortably around it. The scarred wooden planks gleamed with careful polishing. It wasn?t the most elegant in design but it was clean. A small vase of fragrant flowers gathered from the greenhouse sat in the middle.
On the other side of the home, the living area was expansive, running the length of both the kitchen and the dining area and as wide. Hopefully, it would serve for healing-type stuff as well if needed. Moss spread across the stone floor, farther softening the curves of the home. Actually, it was rather woodland-like in atmosphere, complete with a miniature tree in the far corner. The theme continued up the sweeping ramp to the private bedroom. Overlooking the rest of the house, the room was modest in size but comfortably open. A bed made of a round cushion sat pushed against the wall. It was heaped with small pillows made from different scraps of fabric. The overall result looked slightly chaotic against the muted tones of green, brown, and grey. A large, intricately carved trunk was against the other end along with empty bookshelves. For the most part, it was sparsely furnished. Silver hoped the Oculai would be bringing his own personal things or that he could tell her what he wanted later.
Silver sighed, carefully neatening the heavy comforter on the bed. It was the best she could do for now.. hopefully it would be enough. She slid the roof back and place and latched it securely. Moonlight streamed in from the glass roof of the greenhouse, painting everything in a silvery light. Around the little stone home, different sorts of flora clustered. Out back was a small patch of dark earth, prepared for a future garden.
She gave it one final look as she slipped out the greenhouse door into the main house. There, Adrian was watching her, slouching against the wall again. His hands were thrust into his pockets as he gave her a mocking smile. "Come on.. say it. I'm the best."
Silver scowled, giving him a not-so-gentle shove on the shoulder. "Never." she replied tartly. "But.. I will say you can slap together stones in a somewhat pleasing manner."
She tossed him a grin over her shoulder as she continued on to her room.
Adrian stayed in the same position for a moment longer before straightening and shaking his head in disgust. Females. Sheesh.
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Posted: Sat Jan 15, 2005 5:03 pm
Posted: Fri Dec 10, 2004, p. 159-161
Adrian stuck his head into Silver's room, looking around cautiously. Where.. oh. There she was - sprawled out over the bed, with the covers bunched up. A gentle snore emitted from her general direction.
Adrian shuddered delicately. He really needed to get some of those little nose strips for her.. but ah.. he was looking for hair gel. He edged into the room and made his way to her dresser, poking through the little bottles.
No.. no.. oh, what was this? He picked up the little lens and peered at it. The snail.. thing. He was rather bemused when she brought it back, looking vastly pleased with herself.
"fah.. glass snail." he muttered to himself, flipping it over to study the underside. It was for this he endured a terrible case of dry skin. Did it used to be this color? Maybe it was sick.
Adrian paused, and then shook his head slowly. He needed to get out more. Silver was really starting to affect him. Glass things couldn't be sick. Hm.. well, maybe he should wake her anyway.
He sauntered over to the sink, filled a large cup with water, and made his way over to the bed---
"WARGGHHH!!" Silver screamed, bolting straight up. Water streamed off her, plastering her hair into soggy strands around her face. She blindly flailed and spluttered, managing to completely fall off the bed.
Adrian stood well out of reach, mouth upturned in a smirk. Oh, this was so fun. Good little glass snail.. thing. 'least it was good for something.
"So.. I think your glass thing is sick. It changed colors." Adrian said casually, flipping the lens through his fingers.
In the meanwhile, Silver was busily fighting herself free of the entangling bedsheets. "What?" she exclaimed, finally kicking off the last one. "Where?"
She snatched it from his hand, peered at it closely, and then shot out the door.
Adrian blinked. Maybe it was sick. He looked at his hands warily. He better go disinfect.
Silver burst into the Villa, clutching her side and wheezing. She was still damp and.. er.. looked rather slovenly.
Still, she was here. In some pain and still half-asleep.. but here.
Silver suddenly froze at the threshold. She wasn't exactly invited here, even if her lens had turned crystal. She looked around cautiously and then backed out of the doorway, clutching the lens in her left hand.
Once outside again, she stared at the lens intently. A wave of nausea hit her as her vision blurred and she staggered clumsily back to regain her balance.
The effort was too late as Silver ended up on the ground for the second time this morning. This was obviously panning out to be a very, very bad day. She closed her eyes and clutched her head, sitting with her legs sprawled out. She certainly didn't remember doing anything last night that would explain her dizziness.
Agh.. the lens? What did she do with the lens? Silver was suddenly on her hands and knees, patting the ground around her frantically. If she had broken it..
There. Letting out a sigh of relief, she scooped it off the ground. Silver brushed at the dust and cradled the lens against her chest.
Nothing to do but wait..
Wasabineko blinked and peered out the kitchen window, coffee mug firmly clutched in one hand and a random section of the Times in the other. "Udara... there seems to someone on the lawn."
"Which one? We have more than one lawn."
"Well this one" Wasabineko pointed through the sill to where Silver sat looking a bit of a mess. "Were we expecting company?"
"Radish..." The young girl gave a heavy sigh and wondered if there was ever a time the young artist was not so adlebrained. "You gave an open door invitation to any and all. Therefore we are always expecting company."
"Oh." The artist looked down into her mug, swirling its contents. "Well then... company's here. Don't know who it is though. Best make my aquaintance." She set down her paper and grabbed one of the various walking instruments (this one a simple 5 foot wooden dowel) she had planted around the house since injuring her legs earlier in the week.
Silver sighed to herself, rubbing her free hand across her eyes and managing to aquire a streak of mud on her forehead. She stroked the edge of the lens absently with a thumb, trying to regain full control of her senses.
Oh, she was going to kill Adrian. She tipped her head to the sky, musing. Well, maybe main, torture, and then kill. Much more satisfying.
She was feeling a little better. Maybe she could try standing-- whoo, no. No standing. Her feet drummed against the ground involuntarily in a fit of childish frustration.
"Well perhaps I would not have to go out walking in the rain if SOMEONE wasn't pilfering my finer art supplies." She glared over her shoulder, light reflecting a glaring white in her spectacles. "You know the art store doesn't deliver. Next time I have a list ready I'll hand it to you and YOU can do the materials run. I especially lookforward to seeing you carry back the new gas tank for the torches and a flint."
That had to mark the first time she had snapped at an oculai, but hell it had been a tough week for the artist. "Burdened" with what she believed to be an over abundance of spare time she had taken on far more projects and comissions than she would have for the month, which meant now as the weeks progressed she had holiday shops, patrons, and her own muse breathing down her neck. And what further more there were random women looking lost and bewildered on her lawn.
"Hello over there!" She paused to lean on the stick and wave. "This lack of rain won't last for long. You should be inside quick quick now.!"
Silver nearly levatived in that moment when an unexpected voice called out. She whipped her head around, neck cracking loudly in protest of the motion. She winced, and then dropped her face into her hand. This was not a good day at all.
Now she was seeing talking, three-legged spirits who sounded much too cheery to her disgruntled self.
She lifted her head again, more slowly this time, and squinted. Oh. The artist came into a somewhat fuzy focus but it was apparent now that woman didn't have three legs. Oh dear.
Silver wasn't making the best impression. At a loss for any other words, she thrust out the lens and said in a rush, "It changed!"
Yes. Great impression. Very smooth. Impress everyone with your fantastic verbal skills. Silver, with no little amount of cursing Adrian and the misbegotten she-goat that birthed him, managed to get back on her feet.
She staggered a few steps but managed to make her way toward Wasabineko. Did she say something about rain?
.. did it really matter? She looked at herself glumly and flicked at a bit of clinging mud.
Out on the lawn Wasabineko arched a brow in concern. The girl didn't look well. Not well in the slightest. But through her glasses which were already beginning to be speckled by a light mist she could see the once smoky shell adorned lens clutched in her hand. "Well... that's supposed to happen... but lets let in keep happening inside!" She beckoned her towards the house again. "Udara! Have you seen your friend around today?"
"Hmm?" Udara turned, breaking free of Fir's grasp and sliding a few inches towards the door open door. "Which one? I haven't really seen anybody around at all today."
Wasabineko took a step back in, first with the intention to speak to Udara face to face but that changed to giving a suspicious glance to the Loom beside her. "You know... the new guy. The nice one."
"Oh! Him. He's usually out in the gardens by this time. Why?"
"It's the mud soaked one. I remember now she's the one I gave the lens to."
"You... had forgotten who you gave the lens to? You know Lachesis is going to be displeased, right?"
"Only if you tell..." She turned back to Silver. "Well perhaps not inside. Perhaps you just need to look right where you are. Mind your feet and, um... try looking though the lens. I've heard that helps a bit."
"My feet?" Silver repeated, looking nonplussed. She glanced down at them. Huh. She was barefoot. Wait.. did Wasabineko say something about the lens?
She stared at the delicately wrought piece of glass. Oh yes. Look through it. Follow the light. Silver paused in her thoughts and gave her head a little shake. Focus on the lens..
She scrubbed her hand vigorously against the cleanest part of her clothes and carefully held the lens up to her eye. Hm. Shinning lines appeared, marking pathways across the ground.
It was all bit overwhelming, actually, considering her lack of sleep, and subsequent dash to the Villa. She lowered the lens and pinched the bridge of her nose.
From just off the path, with a bundle of lavender in his arms, a young yellow and lilac toned Oculai blinked up at her but smiled warmly all the same. "You look a little lost... perhaps you should stay a little closer to home, yes?"
Silver lost her balance again and crumpled to the ground as her legs folded under her. An odd squeak escaped.
She stayed where she was, lens dangling limply from her hand.
"Oh." she said finally, having apparently regained control of her vocal chords. "Hello there."
The Oculai blinked as the girl unexpectedly crumpled. He shifted the lavender into a more comfortable position and edged a bit closer. She was rather unkempt, with damp hair straggling down her back.
He brushed the long lock of hair away from his eyes. Humans were quite strange, weren't they?
At her hello, he smiled again. "Are you okay here? Perhaps I can help you?"
Silver seemed fascinated with the Oculai, peering at him intently. He was so.. cute. She pulled back again, suddenly realizing how uncomfortable her intense scrutiny must be causing him. She had read and studied on the Hearth of Pulmonata.. why on earth couldn't she remember a thing?
"You're pretty." she finally blurted out. "What's your name?"
The Oculai looked puzzled. Pretty? He glanced down at himself, twisting a little to study his shell. He gave a minute shrug of his shoulders and turned back around to peer up with a gentle smile hovering around his mouth.
"I am called Galen. You?" he replied, eyes sparkling with good humor.
Silver repeated his name. Galen. Ah.. her name. What was her name? She panicked internally for a moment. Silver. She covered her face with her hands. She had forgotten her own name. This was the strangest day she had had in a very long time.
Galen tilted his head to the side, watching her. She was a very funny human, wasn't she?
"Silver." she finally said. "My name is Silver. Hi. Yes. Nice to meet you."
Good thing the little snail oracle had a gentle sense of humor or else he would have probably fled by now. Silver was mentally writhing at herself. She wasn't this scatterbrained, really.
Galen separated a sprig of lavender from the bundle in his arms and offered it to her.
"Perhaps it will help you relax? Lavender is known for it's calming effect." he said.
Silver, tucking her legs into a more dignified position, accepted the sprig solemnly. She closed her eyes and held the lavender to her forehead, taking a deep breath. After a minute, she opened her eyes again and smiled at Galen.
"Thank you." she said, resting her hands on her knees. "I don't know how to repay you for your generosity."
The oracle laughed softly. "No repayment necessary." he assured her and then looked around as the mist turned into fat drops of water. "But perhaps, you would like to accompany me indoors?" he suggested.
Silver nodded, climbing to her feet carefully. She was going to have to improve her balance if she expected to be around Galen. It would be horrifying if she landed on him by accident.
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Posted: Sat Jan 15, 2005 5:06 pm
 by Hsein Ko (2-21-05)
 by SundayRain (2-22-05)
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Posted: Sat Jan 15, 2005 5:07 pm
Tucked near the alcove are several pieces of paper. Across the top, someone has scrawled "oculai notes (info from Wasabineko)."
HEARTH OF THE PULMONATA
Despite their mysterious sounding name these Oculai are the most down to the earth of the Oculai… literally. The snail-bodied Oculai have chosen the comforts of home over pursuits of knowledge and skill. They make the best foods, brew the finest wines, and keep the warmest homes. Because of their hospitality and generosity they are the only order that has no grudges from or against others. However, their naiveté leaves them open to manipulation.
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For the shell carrying Pulmonata, home is the greatest comfort of all. Though large in number as for as the Orders go, these Oculai are rarely seen because of their close attachment to their homesteads. That this particular Hearth was willing to leave his home to help a stranger speaks very highly of him. Now he has a mind to stay and continue playing the part of the healer.
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A young Oculai is about the size of a coconut or grapefruit. Design accordingly. Further more a Hearth has the body of a snail (as you might have guessed by the design of the lens) and thus can not fly. It can, however, cling near any surface and support double its weight (that is to say its own weight and the weight of one other) when on a vertical surface or upside down. Not sure how that last part helps... but its good to know.
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Posted: Tue Feb 15, 2005, p. 172
The story as it has been RPed out here in the shop is that Lachesis lead an assault against the rats and was wounded. Like some animal bites have a tendancy of doing, it became infected and Lachesis fell dangerously ill. Udara, unable to watch her friend languish, left the villa in search of an oculai that might be able to heal the Dagger. She brought back Galen, who (offstage) brewed a medicine that finally broke Lachesis's fever. Galen decided to stay, the contest was held, and the rest is history.
So other than that little story, all other aspects of his character are entirely up to you. While it is known he is versed in medicine, how he learned and if this talent is something he something he wants to carry further is up to you. The known range of his skill is that he is, well, better than Udara.
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Posted: Sat Jan 15, 2005 5:09 pm
[ Message temporarily off-line ]
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Posted: Sat Jan 15, 2005 5:10 pm
[ Message temporarily off-line ]
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Posted: Sat Jan 15, 2005 5:11 pm
[ Message temporarily off-line ]
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