Superstitious: Rain rejects the idea that a person by nature can be a 'bad luck charm' for another person (As his parent's believed of his sister Raisa). He does believe that its possible for another person's individual bad luck to be passed to him if he's not diligent in protecting himself, or for him to accidentally bring bad luck upon himself. Outsiders would still find him quite superstitious with his good luck charms and little rituals, but in Yaeli, his superstitions would be considered tame. He is quite skittish when it comes to meeting mainlanders, but he also finds them eerily fascinating in the same way that some people enjoy scary stories for the adrenaline rush. He would seek them out to look at them and enjoy a little shudder of fear. He does look down on them with pity and fear rather than hate. Rain views them as unintelligent at worst and reckless at best for not recognizing the importance of carrying good luck charms and learning basic cleansing and counter jinxes, and he wishes it was safe to help them learn how to protect themselves. While he wouldn't casually engage one without good reason, he is curious and sympathetic enough to potentially avoid bolting away long enough to talk to them, as long as there was a good bit of distance between them, and preferably a barrier of some sort... With his arms full of good luck charms, and a nice cleansing ceremony afterwards juuuust in case.
Posted: Mon Jun 05, 2017 10:42 am
History:
Rain was born to a middle class merchant family. He had a relatively normal childhood up until his mother passed away during the birth of his younger sister. It was unsurprising to the rest of the village, his mother was not a robust woman, she had had much difficulty during Rainier's birth and the village healer had advised against having any more children. His mother had desperately wanted more children, so his parents did not listen. Rather than blaming his own choices, Rainier's father turned the blame on his youngest child as the vehicle for the misfortune brought down upon their small family. His father was an ordinary enough man, but his wife's death broke something fundamental in him and his mental health deteriorated. The combination of his own guilt, the stress of raising two children on his own, and his own excessive paranoia, led him to develop an almost phobic aversion to his own child. He withdrew and began drinking, to deal with his emotions. Over time he began gambling when his drinking habits began to affect his work. His small business failed when he stopped showing up to work and he lost much of what he owned, saved his house, which had been passed on to him from generations prior. Seeing this turn of horrific luck, the rest of the village began to turn from him out of fear. Rain's father was blind to his own failings as a father and as a man. He viewed the troubles brought on by his own actions as yet more evidence of his youngest child's bad luck and began to treat her as if stricken with a plague. As a young child, Rainier was fooled into believing his father that Raisa had somehow been hexed or haunted, although he did not see it as a reason to turn from Raisa as his father chose to. Rather he felt that his baby sister needed his protection. As she was far too little to perform the small rituals and charms to protect herself, he would do them for her. He would carefully make and place good luck charms around her as she slept and he stayed with her to try to protect her from any misfortune that may seek her out. He prayed for her multiple times a day and would carry her to their local temple for cleansings and for shelter from their father's stormy temper. Their relationship has always been incredibly close, with Rain acting as more of a parental figure to his sister than his father ever could manage. As time went by and their father's paranoid behavior became more obvious and troubling, Rainier began to see his father for what he really was. While he was a forgiving young man, he realized that the biggest danger to Raisa was from his own father, a broken man, and began to despise him for it.
Rainier began his apprenticeship at 14, but with his father to deflect and Raisa to look after, he was at best a distracted student. He was so caught up in his home life it seemed selfish to try to focus on his training and leave Raisa to deal with their father alone. On top of that he had no idea what direction he wanted to take his studies, his future was placed on the back burner. The other villagers were wary of his family, but quiet Rain was so respectful and patient, he won them over through the years. When he came of an appropriate age, he began picking up odd jobs in the village, dreaming of the day when he could buy his own home to give Raisa and himself a new beginning, away from their father.
By the time Rainier had turned 18, he had had more than enough of his father, who had finally become cruel in his guilt and despair. Rainier fully understood that his mother's death had broken something fundamental in his father and that he was now a twisted shadow of his formal self. Rainier had taken a job delivering goods for one of the local merchants, he was to be gone only two nights, but he had never left Raisa alone before. He felt unease in his decision, but Raisa urged him to go, so he acquiesced despite his own misgivings. Their father came home in a drunken rage, having lost his last copper in a foolhardy bet. Convinced his daughter was to blame, and with no Rainier to calm him and put him to bed, his father cast Raisa from the house and demanded that she never blacken his doorstep again. Rainier returned to find his father passed out in his own mess and his sister vanished. Stricken, he immediately began to look for her, terrified of what he might find. He ended up finding her sitting out front of the local orphanage, waiting for him. He ended up technically adopting her and they left for Pajore, ready to start a new life away from the painful memories of their childhood.
When they arrived in the capitol, Rainier was able to purchase a small two bedroom flat. It was mostly bare of furnishings, and they were practically living on top of each other, but the siblings were happy for a time. Rainier finally had the time and energy to focus on his studies and has picked up where he left of, albeit much older than your average prentice. It brought his attention to the fact that after all this time, he still didn't know what he was good at. He is truly hopeless with a weapon and had no particular skills to speak of. At least not the sorts of things you devote a lifetime to. He began harboring the secret fear that it was already too late for him and that he had wasted whatever potential was there. He couldn't escape the nagging feeling that he was meant to do something, but whatever it was seemed just out of reach. Struggling with a bit of culture shock after moving to a new city, he was self conscious that others his age were so much more advanced in their training.
Not long after arriving in Pajore, Rain and Raisa attended the great meeting at the Sanctum, where the templefolk were to discuss the recent disappearances throughout Tendaji. Overwhelmed by the crowd and the sight of the High priest and priestess themselves, Rainier wasn't as worried about the trouble as he ought to have been, it seemed so unreal and far removed from their Island. In his youth, he felt untouchable. That all changed when one of the Bug mages themselves, the Dretch, materialized in front of the crowd and snatched one of the young priests from the very heart of their gathering. Rainier and others had lunged to try to grab the young man, but they were far too late to save him from his fate.
Rainier no longer felt safe on Yael after that. He began to struggle sleeping, tormented with fear of the Dretch and guilt over failing to save the man when he had been so close. His feelings of uselessness began to overwhelm him. He tried to take solace in his faith but, for the first time in his life, he began doubting the Gods, wondering if they created the bug monsters and if they truly had meant for the boy to be stolen away as part of their grand plans. He went to the temple to try to cleanse his spirit of such thoughts, but they lingered, when he returned home, he was horrified to find that Raisa had not returned from her lessons. Plagued by a bad feeling he began searching Pajore for signs of his sister, but there was no trail to follow. She had simply been there, and then she wasn't. It nearly drove him mad with grief, guilt that his own negativity had somehow attracted this darkness to their home. He withdrew from the world, hiding away in his room, drowning in his misery, and wasting away. He was useless, he couldn't fight, he couldn't save the young priest who had disappeared out from under his nose, now he couldn't save the one person he cared about the most in this world anymore. For a time it seemed he would simply let himself fade away.
A spark of hope that he might hire warriors to seek out his sister finally drove him from his despair, and that grain of optimism ignited the power lying dormant within, allowing him to partially heal the damage to his body. Not wholly, but enough to begin the long process. But with this realization, Rainier became a man obsessed, starved so long of hope or drive, he worked through the day to save funds for his trip, and poured through any books he could find on healing by candlelight. Slowly, he began to make up for his knowledge deficit.
Always a slender man, Rain became gaunt as he pursued his feverish obsession. He was a man haunted, plagued by tremors and nightmares, with dark bruises under his eyes from chronic lack of sleep. He couldn't let go of the darkness that was eating him up inside. He grew to fear he was becoming a man like his father, that he could no longer trust himself, that something in him was broken beyond repair.
At the height of this episode, Rainier heard word that his father had died and the surge of satisfaction cracked him even further. He was horrified at the relief he felt after another person's death. How could he look his sister in the face again when he could barely stand his reflection in the mirror? Rain returned to Illidan to settle his father's affairs and to find a ship to take him to the Mainland. He gave up his rights to his father's home, it held nothing but bad memories for him. In the midst of his dark brooding, he encountered the local priest, new since he'd left his home settlement. Talking with Father Zekiel realigned something fundamental within him. Rather than trying to scrub his soul clean with ritual, he had allowed Rainier to speak his mind and the fears and doubts bled out like poison from a wound. He realized that, not wanting to burden another soul, he had been bottling up his emotions and letting them fester instead of releasing them. On top of that, his lack of self care had devastated his ability to cope with his troubles. After such a long time spent feeling sad and alone, he felt hope rekindle within him, and his power surged for the second time. With this use, Rainier unlocked the key to intentionally using his power and with some time to rest and recover, his learning began in earnest, and his soul began to mend.
3 Base Traits: Patient, Protective, Gullible
Patient: Rain tends to be composed, easy going, and even tempered. He leans towards bein very forgiving and tolerant, sometimes people try to take advantage of this to push him around. The exception to the rule is when Rain is around his sister, Raisa. She knows exactly how to push all his buttons and finds it hilarious to drive her brother to pulling his hair out and screaming in frustration. Little sisters are like that.
Protective: When danger presents itself, he tends to be much more preoccupied with the safety of those around him than attacking or 'winning.' Its not that he has an aversion to killing, its simply not his first priority and he thinks battling for fun is somewhat silly. He stands between danger and those who need his protection. When it comes to his sister, Rain is especially on guard. He knows she can defend herself, but she is his only acknowledged family and he is in some ways guarding his own heart.
Gullible: Its not that Rain is unintelligent, he is still capable of making moral and rational decisions, but he is trusting. The problem is, he is easily misled and vulnerable to manipulation because he tends to accept new (within the realm of possibility) information at face value.
Total:6 points 1829 words [300 word solo] x 6 = 6 points (remaining words = 29 )
RP Growth Points || 300 word solo = 1 point || 10 post RP = 5 points || 7 posts in meta = 5 points
|| RPs consisting of two to three characters will have a 10 post minimum requirement per character to count for growth. || RPs consisting of more than three characters will have a 7 post minimum (also per character). || RPs cannot be added together to create one growth req (ex: two 5 post RPs will not equal a growth requirement) || RPs consisting of double the posts can count for 2 Rps (and triple can count for 3, etc.) || Owners cannot RP more than one character combined in one post even if they are related or otherwise (ie: Aminah and Sathe cannot have one block of text to count for both of them. Aminah's post should be clearly labeled as her post, and Sathe's should be clearly labeled as her post.)
EXP Growth Points || 1 crafting solo = 1 point || 1 beast battle = 1 point || 1 battle = 2 points
|| EXP growth points include battles and beast battles. || Battlers must have at least half of their battle reqs from battling, and beast tamers must have at least half from beast battling. || Battlers and Beast Tamers cannot use crafting solos to fill their EXP growth points.
3479 words [300 word solo] x 11 = 11 points (remaining words = 179 ) [7 posts in Meta] x 1 = 5 points [World Event Solo] x 1 = 5 points [10 post rp] x 1 = 5 points
xxxxIncludes one (900 word minimum) solo is required to show class affinity
Special Attacks: Panacea: || This spell allows a healer to remove a status aliment on themselves or another player as well as heal over 3 turns. || Stage 2: heals 2HP per turn, Stage 3: heals 4HP per turn, Stage 4: heals 6HP per turn. || Can only be used once every 5 turns || Considered a full action. || This attack is not effected by powering up. _____________________________________________________
[b]Special Attacks:[/b] [b]Panacea:[/b] || Removes a status aliment from one player as well as heal them over 3 turns. || Stage 2: heals 2HP per turn, Stage 3: heals 4HP per turn, Stage 4: heals 6HP per turn. || Can only be used once every 5 turns || Considered a full action. || This attack is not effected by powering up.[/size][/color]
Faithofthefallen
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Faithofthefallen
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Posted: Mon Jun 12, 2017 10:54 am
▼ A new beginning ▼ Rainier splashed water onto his face, wishing it was colder, the heat and humidity was unrelenting even this early in the day. He supposed he should be grateful, it was hard enough to keep himself and his sister fed and clothed without having to worry about shielding them from the cold. He sighed and smoothed his long hair, combing his fingers through the tresses, he separated three strands behind his ear and began to braid... And braid. Then he stopped, blew out a gusty sigh, shook out the braid, and began again. It was important that the tension was even. If his hair pulled on one side more than the other it would distract him all day.
When he finished he sat back on his heels. Life was hard when you were the only parent. He couldn't imagine taking care of Raisa on his own if she were younger and needed more care. He hadn't thought it would be much different than when they were growing up. Since his mother's death and his father's downward spiral, Rain had always taken charge of caring for Raisa. He had held her when she was sick, or sad, or lonely. He had hung dreamcatchers and burned incense to ward away nightmares and scare away the haunts before she went to sleep. For a long time he'd suffered under the fear that his sister was cursed, a fear his father had put there. But what had filled his father with hate had filled Rainier with a fierce protectiveness. He had already lost his mother to death, he would not lose his baby sister too. As he'd grown older, eventually he'd realized that his father's hate had brought forth the curse, not the other way around. His sister was no more or less haunted than anyone else in Yael. His fierce protectiveness remained, but his efforts had turned to protecting her from a father who had turned cruel when he'd grown tired of indifference.
When he'd returned from a small job, delivering new cloth and clothing from the craftsman in Ilidan to the market stalls in Pajore, he had found his father passed out from drink and his sister gone. A frantic Rainier had torn the house apart, terrified of what he might find, but while Raisa was gone there was no evidence of struggle. When he calmed down enough to think straight, he'd returned to her room and found that most of her clothes and belongings were gone, along with her sturdy carry sack. He'd known then what must had happened. Scribbling a note to his father, he'd left it next to him, went to collect Raisa, and left that night for Pajore.
He'd made the decision without even thinking, there was no other choice but he was horribly unprepared for how different it would be. It was not so much that Raisa was a burden on him, she was 14 after all, and busy with her own prenticeship. Rather, it was the constant bone deep worry that had left him reeling. Would there be enough money for them to eat this evening? Would he be able to pay all of their bills? Would Raisa be safe out in the bustling streets of the Yaeli capitol. He didn't really know what he was doing, he had no career, he accepted what jobs were available for whatever pay was offered and somehow scraped enough together for them to get by. The money he was able to bring bought them much less in the city than it would have in their small hometown, but they had enough. Barely.
Rainier pressed his forehead into his hands and took a deep calming breath. He was 18, he should be finishing up his prenticeship and progressing into the next stage of his training. The truth was, he had no idea what he wanted to do with his life, there had been no time to consider such things while in Ilidan, the turmoil of his family life had seen to that. He was sorely behind and well aware of the fact, he had stagnated over the last four years, trying his hand at this or that line of work, always hoping to feel the spark of passion or natural talent that would tell him what he was supposed to be doing with his life. He'd always imagined it would be like fireworks, he wanted to find something he loved if he was going to devote his entire life to it. His father had wanted him to follow in his footsteps, to become a craftsman, or merchant. He simply wasn't interested, and with the arrival of the.... He shuddered... Mainlanders, he wanted to be able to protect Raisa should any trouble crop up. But he was a disaster with a bow, the thought of slicing another's flesh with a blade made him queasy... What was he good at? Now that he was cut loose from his father, he felt he needed to figure out what he wanted and fast, but that was so much easier said than done. Rainier shook his head, realizing he needed to banish these invasive toxic thoughts. The gods would guide him to the answer when the time was right. Thats what they taught at the Sanctum, questioning their timing was inviting the wrath of the gods into his home. Striking a match he lit a stick of incense and took a breath, letting the scented smoke surround him. Negative thoughts invited negative outcomes, the smoke would chase away whatever spirits were filling his head with such poison. Rain picked up the small burner and carried it through their small home, waving it around to fill each corner with the columns of fragrant smoke until there was no corner left for the little devils to hide. He set the burner down on their tiny table once the flames had sputtered out, dusted his hands off, and headed out the door for another day's work.
Notice has spread across Yael that the Sanctum had an important announcement from the High Priest and Priestess. It was a rare occurrence they would summon everyone outside of the bi-annual festivals, and naturally many began to grow nervous. Some felt it was an omen, a sign of a curse that befell across their entire race. Others saw it as something not as troublesome, maybe some news on the Mainlanders or Extremists.
Everyone began to gather in the large courtyard outside of the Sanctum. No one noticed if a Mainlander or two were part of the mass, all were more concerned about the group of Priests and Priestesses that stood outside the large doors. It felt familiar to many of their festivals, but instead of a joyous occasion all were concerned. Why were they gathering? When would they be told of what was going on? Were they in trouble?
None knew, and even with some of the Priests calling out for calm, the crowd began to grow concerned and nervous, all wondering why they were there.
▼ The Breakdown (Class Affinity) ▼ The house stood was quiet, still, dim. Dishes piled in the small wash basin and dust was piled up in every corner.
Rain stared at a small knot in the wood on his ceiling. Tracing and retracing it with his dull eyed gaze. His long hair was tangled and sweat soaked, his clothes rumpled and stained. He hadn't changed or washed in a couple weeks.
A small forest of mugs surrounded his small cot, a few had tipped over, spilling their bitter contents across the floor and staining the wood.
Rain's arms lay over the sides of the cot, limp, his fingers trailing on the ground. His eyes were red rimmed, his under eyes bruised with exhaustion and despair. He had lost weight, always slender, he was now just shy of skeletal. The food had ran out a few days ago and he couldn't summon the strength to go out for more. Raisa was gone. Taken, he could only assume. He'd tore through the town like a madman searching for her, but no one had seen her. He had kept looking, weeks had past with no clues as to her whereabouts. Finally, the spark that had driven him had began to dim, and then eventually it had stuttered out. Leaving only a yawning, aching cold that was threatening to swallow him alive. He couldn't take it, he was going mad. Her face danced in his mind's eye until he wanted to scream, the imagined vision of the dretch mage winking from existence with his sister, screaming his name, was constantly tormenting him. He had failed her. He was a failure.
When she had needed him the most he hadn't been here to protect her. Not that he could have as much as he wanted to, he was no warrior. She was the one who had been training to fight, she would likely have ended up trying to protect him.
Rainier rolled over, groaning at the movement, his mouth felt fuzzy and tasted foul. His head ached fiercely and he was dizzy. He needed to eat, but he couldn't bear to leave the house. How could he go out and about as if his world wasn't shattered into tiny fragments?
***
The days continued to pass and Rainier grew weaker, a fever began to wrack his slim body, eating away at his remaining store of fat. He lay still as death, moaning as the room spun and he shivered. His muscles driving the fever higher with their spasmodic twitching. His lips dried and cracking with the heat that burned within.
He was going to die. Some small part of him was always aware of it, even as the fevered hallucinations gripped him. Nightmares wracked him both awake and asleep.
Useless, weak, pathetic, failure
The words tormented him. He tossed and turned in the snarl of his blankets, crying and screaming into his pillow. He had tried again to pick up a weapon after losing Raisa, intending to force himself to learn to fight, he needed to save her. But the blade had felt so alien, he had shuddered at the heft of it. Still, he'd swung at a strap practice dummy and managed to trip, sprain his wrist, and drop his weapon. Nearly goring himself with the practice sword. He'd taken up the bow next and nearly shot one of the women practicing. He'd fumbled and tripped over his spear, dropped the knife (Because his wrist hurt), and couldn't even lift the heavy shield. When he'd tried to spar hand to hand, a younger prentice had knocked him out in two hits. The master had practically shoved him out the door finally, pronouncing him a danger to himself and others with a weapon. He'd advised him to take up some soft skill, like dancing or playing an instrument and told him in no uncertain terms that he would never be a warrior.
Rainier had to agree. He didn't want to kill anyone, except for the Dretch mages, he wanted to wring their necks with his bare hands for stealing his sister, but he was certain that they could dispose of him without a second thought.
What he needed was a warrior. Not a Yaeli, they would likely be unwilling to leave the safety of their island home. Especially in search of such monstrous creatures. He had some money. He could scrape up some more and hire someone to take him to the Dretch, to save Raisa. He pushed down the conviction that it was too late, and filled with determination, he pushed to a sitting position, his muscles trembling from the exertion.
He promptly vomited on the floor, holding his head in his hands as the world spun erratically and his skull pounded. He couldn't die, not when he had a reason to live again. But there was no one who would dare come in to his home to look for him, he was alone. Despair threatened to swallow him again, to finally have hope and not have the strength to do what needed to be done, what cruelty. Even if he managed to survive this fever, he would be weeks, maybe months regaining the strength he had so thoughtlessly allowed to waste away.
Rainier called himself all kinds of names, his fury and despair filled him so intensely that he thought for sure he must explode from the force of it. Instead, a gentle cool light suffused him. He tingled from head to toe for a few minutes, when the sensation cleared, his dizziness and nausea were gone. He felt clearheaded and the fierce trembling in his limbs had ceased. He risked standing and while he was still terrifyingly weak, his legs could hold him. He was still terribly thin. Rain pressed his fingers to his mouth, his lips were no longer cracked and stinging, although the blood remained from before. He wiped it away with the back of his hand. Stumbling out of his room to the small washroom, he pumped up a bucket of water and sloshed it over his head. Hissing in relief as dried sweat, and grime sloughed off his skin to the floor. He repeated the process three more times until he was absolutely soaked, but mercifully clean.
***
It had taken him hours with a comb to tease all the snarls out of his hair. It was a bit vain, perhaps, to have refused to go to market looking like a wreck when he so desperately needed nourishment, but a man had to set the line somewhere, and he would not step foot outside of his home looking like... Well, like he had laid in bed for weeks on end without washing or caring for himself. He couldn't stand the pity.
It had taken even longer to clean the house once he had eaten, but he felt better for that as well. He had hesitated to spend any of his small store of coin, needing to save for his hired warrior, but he needed to build up his strength again, so he could accompany whoever his new companion would be.
Try as he might he could not again summon the cool light from before. He could hardly believe that it wasn't just a dream, but here he was, whole, if somewhat worse for the wear. His desperation had simply pulled it out from him. If he concentrated he could feel the power there, deep inside him. It had always been there, and precisely because of that, he had never noticed it. He had no idea how to call it or manipulate it, but for once, Rainier had an idea of what he was supposed to be doing with his life.
He was not a warrior, but neither was he powerless. He was destined to be a healer, and suddenly his aversion to death and his drive to protect made so much more sense. He would find Raisa, and he would study hard in the meantime so he could learn to heal her once he did. He squashed down the small voice in his mind that reminded him Raisa had been gone for over a month now and it would likely take him at least another month to find her. He couldn't think like that. He had a purpose again, he would not give up on his little sister.
He would find a warrior, travel to the Dretch and see them punished for their evil, and he would heal his little sister and bring her home to safety.
WE 10.16.17 - 11.12.17 (Prompt 1) : The Truth Behind It All
Prompt
Solo or RP Format Counts as 5 RP growth Points Solo word minimum is 750, RP post minimum is 7
The news of the recent events spread wide across Tendaji, from the mountains of Zena to the remote settlements in Zinris. Everyone knew that something major had happened, but very few could agree on exactly what it was. Sure, the Alkidike sisters and their new daughters had a clue, but they kept such stories close to their heart. Only the few who ventured out to the Earthling settlements shared their tales, and even then it was so widely out of scope that many refused to believe. After all, why would anyone want to believe that there lived a race of unknown creatures that could control Earthlings and kill them with a wave of their hand?
It was easier for everyone to feign ignorance and stick to what they knew. Prepare for war, prepare for battle, and prepare as a nation of allies.
It seemed that everyone was determined to come together, as a whole, and figure out how to best protect their lands. The letters that spread from leader to leader spoke of individual impressions and a determination to meet and plot. It seemed many pushed past their differences to come together, including the newer races of Belrea and Yael. A great gathering was in the works, and everyone seemed to have different feelings on what that really meant.
As you hear reports of your leaders traveling to the heart of Tendaji, how do you feel about it? Do you trust that they will come out with the right decision, or do you think it's a massive mistake and time is better spent protecting their own people? Take some time to reflect on your feelings, or even roleplay with a friend to talk about what you think will happen with the gathering between leaders.
[ We are looking to have a lot of reflective response for this event, and expect your response to reflect your character's worldview and how their own race might feel if this is something that is rare for them (such as the Yaeli, Zenans, or Belreans).
▼ Restless nights ▼ Rainier staggered into his sparse, one room flat, exhaustion warring with determination. His body was gritty with sweat and dust from a long day at work. He had sold his small house for the extra money, and rented this tiny ramshackle room while he continued to save and look for someone who would be willing to help him. He had worried Raisa would show up and find him missing, but some part of him was certain that if she was able to return to him, she would have done so already. He would ask some of their neighbors to watch for her and explain where he had gone in case she did manage to escape, but none had ever returned from wherever the Dretch dragged their victims. His face paled at the thought, but as he did many times a day, he shoved his terror into a small pit of his stomach and held it there. He could not allow his emotions to overwhelm him again.
Rainier walked into the bathroom, stroking his thumb along the long raised scar on his hand, and thought of his friend, Ko. He hadn't seen the young boy in a while, part of him was desperate to find him and pour out his hurt and anger to someone who might listen, but he didn't want to burden someone he had come to see as a friend. He had tried cleansing himself at the sanctum after his breakdown, but the desperate fire driving him would not be quelled, nor did he really want it to go away. For beneath those flames was a dark hollowness that threatened to swallow him again if he let it. He glanced into the mirror, his eyes were red rimmed and wild looking, his face had lost most of the roundness of youth and was now all planes and angles. Rough stubble coated his chin and neck. He tossed water over his face and watched the dirt flow down the drain along with the water. His jobs lately had been quick and dirty, simple manual labor, where he could make a decent amount of money in a short amount of time.
Because time was everything right now.
The jobs were hard on his body, he winced at the ache in his limbs as he moved away from the mirror, but they had had the added benefit of filling out his lanky body, he was still slim and whiplike, but the outlines of muscles rippled underneath his nut brown skin with each movement. He was stronger than he'd ever been, more driven, and despite his deep sorrow, he also had found joy.
No longer purposeless and confused about what his future must hold, Rainier knew his destiny was to become a healer. The power was there, had always been there, but he had never noticed it. Never considered that not everyone felt that glowing spindle of light within them, it was as much a part of him and thus he had spared it about as much thought as his elbow. But the power had revealed itself for what it was, now he had to figure out how to use it.
All Rain wanted to do was sleep, his body yearned towards the bed, but he lit a candle and lowered himself to the uncomfortable wooden floor with a groan. Pulling one of the large tomes towards him, he opened it up and began reading. He had a small collection of books he had borrowed, a scant few he had purchased. Books about the makeup of the body, not nearly as detailed as he might wish, but they would do the job. Books about knitting together flesh and bone, books about summoning defenses to shield against enemies. He poured through the material every night, committing as much as he could to memory, for he would not be able to carry all this information with him when he left. He unrolled a scroll of thick waterproofed vellum until he found a blank space and began taking notes on things he wanted to remember. He hadn't yet been able to summon the power again, his hands were marked with small, evenly spaced scars from when he had sliced himself with his belt knife and tried to heal the damage.
He desperately wanted to find a teacher, but during the day he needed to work, and he knew of no professor who would hold lessons in the dead of night. So Rainier taught himself as much as he could, even as his candle shrunk lower and lower with each passing hour. At some point, he slumped forward over his books and fell asleep curled up on the floor, his long hair splayed around him in a shining fan. As he slept, he murmured her name, tossing and turning as the nightmares tormented his unconscious mind.
He woke again when the sky had begun to lighten, he had trained his body to awake with the dawn long ago. He hissed as he pulled himself to his feet, gently stretching his complaining muscles. There would be plenty of time for rest when he was on the ship. Once he found someone willing to take him. His eyes had nearly bulged out of his head when he'd heard the asking price for one of his countrymen to drop him off on the mainland, if they even gave him a price, most simply paled and then walked quickly in the opposite direction. The mainland was a haunted place, he was foolish at best and reckless at worst for wanting to leave the safety of Yael. Rain would have agreed with them months ago, before he had watched the enemy emerge out of thin air and steal a boy from his only home. Before his sister had disappeared without a trace. No. Yael was not safe. Nowhere was safe until the Dretch were dealt with. He knew he couldn't do it by himself, but he had to try, he had to go there. He would fight for his sister until there was no hope left, and it didn't matter how many horrors he had to wade through to get to her. He would go to the mainland. If the Yaeli wouldn't help him, he'd find someone who would. Rainier swallowed nervously, it was almost time to seek out a mainlander captain.
Throughout the past few months since the Dretch's reemergence and his sister's disappearance, Rainier has walked down a road of despair and darkness that has clouded his character and made him fear that he is changing for the worst. After his father's death, he found himself concerned that his shadows would twist him the same way his mother's loss destroyed his father. This morning is the culmination of months of planning, when Rainier intends to finally leave his home to seek out his sister. This is something that means the world to him, so he is extremely torn when he is confronted with someone desperately requiring aid only he can give them. He must decide between making a selfish choice, and confirming his own worst fears that he has changed for the worst, or doing the right thing and helping someone else at the expense of something extremely important to him. Doing the right thing in the face of strong temptation has left him feeling more confident in who he is as a person and as a healer. It has given him the necessary boost to keep pushing him back up out of this downward spiral and it has taught him that helping others can be an outlet for helping him cope with his own pain.
Rainier snuggled deeper into his warm, soft bed. His eyelashes fluttering against the sunlight pouring through his window to bathe his face.
Sunlight.
His eye flew open as a jolt of adrenaline flashed through his body. He threw of the covers and attempted to roll out of bed in the same motion. Instead the covers twisted with the movement and he found himself flopping onto the floor with a loud "oof" and a hollow thunk that had his downstairs neighbor rapping against the ceiling with her broom and shouting at him through the floorboards. Rainier barely paid her any mind as he hurriedly untangled himself, and staggered to his feet and towards the window. He threw open the curtains the rest of the way, thank goodness the wind had blown them open enough to allow in a sliver of light. He was supposed to have been at the docks before dawn, but the sunrise was well underway and he had overslept!
Thankfully his clothes for the day were already laid out and his bag was packed and sitting by the door. He hopped around wildly on one foot as he struggled into his pants and tugged his shirt over his head so violently. Cursing his long tresses as he winced at the eye smarting sting of pulled hair, it was unavoidable. He glanced in the mirror over his small washbasin and wailed in despair. He was a haystack, there was no denying it, and he was far too late to do anything about it. His cloud of violet hair remained wild as he snagged his pack in one hand and sprinted down the stairs. "I'm off!" he called over his shoulder at the innkeeper, having already paid the night before. He took off down the street in a flat run, chanting prayers under his breath as he went that the captain wouldn't have set sail without a paying customer. He would have laughed at his own fool's hope had he not been so out of breath. Lifting, he could manage after months of physical labor, but running remained a challenge.
Rainier kicked up a cloud of dust as he whirled around a corner, and heaved out a sigh of relief as he spotted a familiar sail rising up above the roofs ahead. He was the luckiest man in Yael, he could hear the sound of yelling and it seemed likely they would leave at any moment, but the ship hadn't set sail yet. He was going to make it! Soon he would be riding the waves to the mainland, he was going to find Raisa, at last. His heart soared.
A loud scream and a crash cut through his thoughts. Rainier couldn't help himself, he stopped to try to find the source of the commotion and gasped. A cart had tipped over, spilling its' contents across the road, but even worse it had landed on a woman's legs. People surged around the scene to help. To his deepest shame, Rainier glanced back at the sail flapping in the wind. He was supposed to be on that ship, he could still just make it if he ran now. A group of Yaeli were heaving at the cart while a man, likely the woman's husband, pulled her out of harm's way, but it was clear the legs were broken. People were crying and rocking, calling for a doctor, anyone who could help. Rainier took another step away, indecision warring in his body. He had spent months saving up the money for this trip, had spent another month seeking out a captain willing to bring him to the mainland, but he could see blood. The woman was crying out in pain and clinging to her husband's arm, burying her face in his chest to avoid seeing the damage.
Rainier remembered the promise he had made, to pay forward the kindness he had been shown. He had never used his power on another person before, had only very recently managed to harness the ability to use his power with intent, but he had been studying faithfully ever since he had first discovered his aptitude for healing. He understood what should happen if he applied his power to those breaks, he just didn't know if it would.
Cursing himself for a fool, for the second time that morning, he made his decision. Trotting over to the growing crowd, he pushed his way through, calling out that he was an apprentice healer. To his surprise, the people melted out of his way quickly and respectfully, he reached the woman faster than he could imagine and crouched down at her side. Taking her small hand in his he squeezed her palm gently. "My name is Rainier," he murmured in a soothing voice, "Whats your name?" She sobbed the answer and then screamed as someone jolted against her damaged limbs.
Standing again, Rainier held out both his arms, pushing at the air. "You need to back up!" He called out, "Be on your way or at least give us some space." Again, to his surprise, the people listened.
Rain knelt once more, this time next to the woman's feet. She whimpered as he lay his hands gently over her knees. Despite the chaos surrounding him he felt surrounded in a bubble of calm. It didn't matter what had happened this morning, it didn't matter what was going on his life. His fear and heartbreak and pain were shunted away in a wave of compassion. What did it matter that he didn't know what he would do now that he had wasted his chance. All that mattered was this woman, this moment, and taking away her pain. This was something he could do.
He closed his eyes and let himself become a vessel for the power the gods had blessed him with, let his hands become conduits to bridge the source within him to the injury before him. Rainier hissed as his strength flagged but he maintained the flow of power, taking so long that the people around him grew bored with the spectacle and wandered off, but he wanted to do this right.
When he finally pulled away, the sun had moved enough to tell him nearly an hour had passed. He glanced down at his handiwork. The legs were still horribly bruised, but as he felt along each limb, he could tell the bones were once again whole. He pressed her calves gently and watched her face as she winced, but she was no longer deathly pale with pain and shock, some color had come back into her cheeks. He stood up carefully, bracing one hand against the fallen cart for support and wobbling with exhaustion. He wondred if healing would always leave him so stripped of energy. "Thats as much as I can do I'm afraid, they will likely ache for a few days yet until the inflammation dies down, but the worst is past. You should find somewhere to rest"
The husband murmured his thanks and scooped his patient up in his arms, clearly in a rush to get her somewhere comfortable. Rainier stood there for a long while as his sorrow came back. Bracing himself, he turned, half hoping that the ship was miraculously still in port, but the sail was gone. Squinting, he could just make out the vessel bobbing in the waves far out to sea. Pressing his fingers to his temples against the sudden burning in his eyes, he let a wave of emotion crash over him and then took a deep breath, steadied himself, and began walking back to the inn.
Sometimes things didn't work out as expected, but he had no real regrets. He was practically back at square one, but Rain knew he had had to stop. He would not have been able to look at himself if he had abandoned that woman out of selfishness. In a strange way, even though his life had just gotten a lot more complicated, he felt more serene than ever. He had just healed a person, really truly healed someone, for the first time in his life. It felt good, his heart felt warm and light. Yet more of the shadows had lifted from him. Perhaps it was true that helping others made your own burdens easier to carry. Whatever would be would be, he would find his way to the mainland. Today had been meant for another lesson, Rainier would take it to heart.
