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 Posted: Sun Nov 02, 2014 12:09 am
 Aja's soft footsteps and the muted clinking of wrapped glass objects seemed to be the only sounds in the fog-shrouded world. It was morning and still quite early, but if she strained her ears she could hear the sounds of life stirring around her. Soon the sun would rise higher in the sky and gain warmth, banishing the mists and calling others to start the day.
She hefted her bag a bit higher on her shoulder, eliciting more soft tinkling sounds as the objects inside moved around. She had no fear of them breaking though, for she had wrapped them well before packing them. She'd seen the glass bottles and thought them quite lovely while still functional. Neither Voodoo or Hoodoo left the swamps that they called home very often, so when Aja ran across something she thought they'd like she automatically collected it. Her bag was full of small treasures for the twins. Of course sometimes she had to use those things, but it was always for good reasons. The twins would understand.
The sun inched higher, staining the fog brilliant shades of gold and pink. The sky mimicked these shades in richer, more varied colors, and twilight blue faded from a grayish blue to a thin line of bluebird blue that would soon dominate the sky. Aja paused and craned her head back, watching the sight. She never seemed to tire of watching the ever-changing sky. After spending most of her life inside a building and then deep in shadowy swamp lands, the sky was fascinating to her.Koiasi I tried to be vague about the setting, since I don't know where Tobias lives/frequents.
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Posted: Tue Nov 04, 2014 5:52 pm
A small puff of wind shifted past the taunt material, making a small woosh against the vinyl. The sound caused the male's ears to twitch, his eyes flipping open just in time to see the rays of sun fluttering through the thin cloth. He drew in a breath, trying to adjust to the light and sounds. He could faintly hear the chirping of a few robins in the distance, signifying that it was indeed morning.
Tobias lifted himself from the ground and felt around until he was able to recognize the distinct labels he had placed on his pack. He unzipped it and grabbed out a couple granola bars, popping them in his mouth with a swig or two of water. He reached his paws and grabbed everything he could before exiting the tent and began his ritual of deconstruction. He had been at this for a few days now. He was sure if his parents found him they'd scold him for being so careless.. but he couldn't take being locked away any longer. He couldn't stand to be babied, or looked down upon for his condition.. And he knew he had to prove that he could take care of himself no matter how much it might hinder him.
Drawing in a breath, he searched the trees for any signs of life around him, finally nodding when he noticed the birds were perhaps closer than he first thought. Maybe they were curious? He shut his eyes, muttering a small incantation under his breath. "Sorry Little Guy.. but I need to borrow your vision for just a moment. I promise I'll make it worth your time." Using the bird, he was able to properly remove his tent and douse the coals of the fire he had used earlier. "Thanks for the help." He said and pulled out a small bag of bird feed, sprinkling some on the ground. He hefted up his pack, looking to move on.
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Posted: Fri Nov 07, 2014 7:20 pm
Aja resumed her walk, moving further away from the small, sleepy town and into the gentle forests that it was nestled into. These forests were very open and still showed a great deal of the sky, unlike the thick, dense trees of the swamp she thought of as home. The sun rose higher in the sky, the brilliant orange orb slowly turning a blinding gold as it went. The fog was mostly burned away now, with just a few wisps valiantly clinging on in the shadows close to the ground.
A cool breeze wafted her way, making her pause. There was a smoky scent to the air. Not the smokiness of a crisp autumn morning, but like fire had been burning. She stood there, debating, then changed her course. It would be prudent to check things out, in case a fire had started. She would have to take care to avoid it if such was the case, though she could tolerate greater stresses to her body than most since it would heal itself.
As she got further along the scent trail her ears began to pick up a sound. It was the chirping of birds, but not in the usual morning songs. There were also quite a few chirps, making her wonder if she'd stumbled across a flock. She rounded several trees and the undergrowth that filled the ground around them, and came out into a small open space. There was indeed a small flock of birds, all hopping around on the ground. They scattered as soon as Aja can into view, trilling calls of alarm.
The smoke smell was strong here. Aja moved around slowly, and noticed signs of a recently broken-down camp. Prints pressed into the ground and a flattened area of the ground, a section of churned earth that smelled strongly of ashes, probably a fire pit. There was even seed scattered on the ground, which a few bold robins had come back for, eyeing Aja while they pecked up the morsels. She looked around, questions buzzing in her brain. Was the person who had made this camp still around? The fresh tracks and smokey scent to the air indicated that she'd probably missed them by only minutes at most. She hefted her bag higher on her shoulder. It was good to know this person was responsible enough to douse their fire properly. Too many people got careless.
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Posted: Sat Dec 20, 2014 11:17 am
Tobias was making his way through the trees, he held a staff made of oak in one hand, using it to gently survey the ground around him. He didn't want to carelessly stumble on some roots or stumps. He maneuvered around a fallen tree, stopping for a moment to grab another drink of water when his ears flicked back at a sudden sound. His face turned toward the direction, trying to feel out the entity, however, to his surprise he was met with a cold void. It was easy to tell his eyes were searching in his confusion. He usually could easily make out any living being that entered his magical fields. An ability to cancel out magic, perhaps? Or had he imagined the whole thing? "Is someone there?" His eyes were unfocused, easily giving away that he lacked the vision to see. He kept himself alert, just in case whoever it was meant him harm. It was very unusual to meet anyone who could divert his magic so easily.
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Posted: Tue Dec 23, 2014 5:53 pm
Aja's head instantly swiveled towards the faint sound. Her eyes, vivid green that appeared all the brighter when set against black sclera instead of white, flashed, projecting a pale green light that briefly illuminated her face, then faded back into a soft glow that was barely visible. At one time she could have scanned the area for signs of life rather than manually search, but with a large portion of her original programming missing she could not (yet) make use of that function.
She did not instantly reply to the query. Association with the twins had taught her that not all were friendly and that it was better to scout ahead to check things out. While Aja did not feel like the owner of the voice, based on the vocal cues that she picked up, meant her any harm, she dutifully followed the teaching of the twins and ghosted towards the voice. She did not attempt the seek out the person to look at them, but merely looked for a good, concealed spot to hide that was just a little closer. They could more easily converse, and if she was incorrect of the stranger's motives then it was good to have more distance between them.
She settled for a spot at the base of a tree, one that had plentiful brush to duck behind and low enough branches that she could climb if she had to.
"I am here," she said. Her voice held a slight echo, as though she was speaking from the bottom of a well. It didn't sound robotic exactly, but there was a hint of artificiality to it. "You do not need to be fearful. I mean no you harm."
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Posted: Thu Jan 15, 2015 1:52 pm
Though he couldn't see her, his ears easily followed the rotation of movement. His head slightly swerved with the tilt of his lobes, but his eyes were focused on the ground rather than where the individual would be. When she finally settled on a spot, he seemed to relax a little though he still kept himself in a position where he could easily use his walking stick if needed to bat at an assailant.
When she finally spoke, it was easy to see the confusion on his face. His ears flicked, as if trying to locate exactly where the being was. The voice indicated that she was much further than the twigs and under brush had. He frowned, clearly perplexed. "I.." He began, drawing in a breath. "I mean no offense.. Ma'am... But if you'd allow a blind man some peace... May I ask what you are..? Your voice doesn't sound... like it belongs to the person I heard approach. Are there.. two of you, perhaps? One closer than the one speaking?" He tried to rationalize what he was hearing while held on to his staff, listening for her response.
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Posted: Fri Jan 23, 2015 11:00 pm
"There is only myself," Aja replied, though her ears flicked back automatically, listening for sounds that might have eluded her. It was possible there might be someone whose skills at concealing themselves surpassed her ability to detect them. She heard nothing aside from the normal chatter of forest life around them.
She edged ever so closer, finding a spot through the dense growth which she could peer through in an attempt to see the one she was talking with.
"No offense is taken from your query, but I fear I cannot answer your first question. I apologize if this causes you distress, but if it offers you any reassurance know that I mean you no harm," she said, repeating her first message. She did not like that she could be upsetting someone, but caution held her tongue. There was no getting around the fact that she was an AI; though she might not fit the image, something about her usually tripped some kind of recognition in others. She just never talked about it though, and after a time people seemed to get used to it. It was only when people became more interested in her, personally, that Aja felt uneasy. She was not sure why that was so, only that it was.
"My name is Aja. I am merely a traveler, passing through these woods. I stumbled upon the remains of a camp, and became curious."
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Posted: Tue Feb 24, 2015 6:57 pm
Toward her statement, Tobias frowned. He continued to try to search out her aura but he couldn't find it and the more he thought about it the more he was disturbed by the thought. So instead, he focused on the noises, the sounds of the birds and the snapping of twigs to locate her movements. At her introduction, he relaxed only slightly. "Nice to meet you Aja... My name is Tobias, Tobias Pardus." He drew out a breath, wondering if what the woman said was true. He decided to take a leap of faith, besides... if she tried to harm him she'd have another thing coming. "I'm sorry for the questions. It's just... usually I can sense a person through their life force. It helps me to see, in a way, through my magic. But... I can't sense you... at all.."
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Posted: Sun Apr 12, 2015 11:56 pm
Aja processed that for a moment rather than immediately reply. One who could sense life force. Interesting. It made her wonder at the implications. After all one couldn't rightly call her dead, but if this stranger, this Tobias Pardus, was able to do as he claimed, it seemed she wasn't quite "alive" either. So what was she if not dead but not alive? An interesting conundrum, but one to be pondered at another time with more leisure.
Philosophy aside, the answer to the current problem presented itself to her. She was not made of flesh, nor did she believe herself to be possessed of a soul. The latter was yet more philosophical debate in her mind, but the former was the more likely cause for the bafflement of the stranger's power. Though she looked normal, even felt normal, her body was comprised largely of nanotech. She functioned like a normal person because it drew less attention to herself, but it was optional rather than necessary. She was, in essence, a walking, talking machine that could think.
Not that she was going to tell Tobias that.
"My apologies. I assure you I am not dead. Perhaps some circumstance of my birth left me without a readable life force. Am I the first you have been unable to read?"
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Posted: Wed Jun 17, 2015 11:36 am
jinxgirl5 Sorry about forgetting about this!
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Posted: Wed Oct 14, 2015 8:45 pm
By this point Aja was a bit more certain that whatever intentions Tobias might have had, the only ones directed at her were self-interest inspired curiosity. With powers such as his, even if his eyesight had been perfect, it probably would have become an unconscious reflex to sense the world through them. Coupled with his blindness, having such a power suddenly fail for the first time must have been...uncomfortable. Certainly she would have felt as much, were she in his shoes.
Aja slowly moved forward step by careful step, not exactly making a deliberate effort to be noisy, but certainly not troubling to keep quiet. Finally she was through the thick section of scrub she'd been hiding in, and seeing Tobias Pardus unobstructed for the first time.
She paused before speaking, taking in his appearance. He was the first creature besides herself that she'd seen who emitted a glow. It took her a second glance to realize his horns were merely very bright and not glowing, but the soft sheen from his wings was unmistakable. She wondered at it. She knew why she glowed, but Tobias was not like her. Perhaps it was a side-effect of his magic? So strange. She would ask later, given an opportunity to do so.
"I see. My apologies then, for startling you. I, too, am quite far from the place I consider to be home." She shrugged a shoulder, causing the bag draped over it to shift and making the contents gently clink. "Travel makes me a little...uncomfortable, though it is not my first time to be far away. But the friends I live with enjoy the things I bring back, so I think it is worth the trip."
Aja looked Tobias over again. "Why do you travel far from your home? One with your disability might balk at such a venture even with a companion, and you are alone." She paused. "I am merely curious. You do not have to answer if you do not wish. I have been told my questions can be quite straightforward and invasive, but I do not possess the skill to dance around a question as some do."Koiasi It's okay, I took forever to respond myself OTL
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Aja's soft footsteps and the muted clinking of wrapped glass objects seemed to be the only sounds in the fog-shrouded world. It was morning and still quite early, but if she strained her ears she could hear the sounds of life stirring around her. Soon the sun would rise higher in the sky and gain warmth, banishing the mists and calling others to start the day.
