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 Posted: Sat Aug 19, 2017 5:48 pm
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In Need of Guidance
Sitting with his knees pulled up to his chest, the gentle scratching of pencil on paper could be heard in the quiet of the Sanctum as Ko drew in his sketchbook. The tip of his tongue was already poking out from between his lips as he focused on rendering the subject he had chosen to draw: the elderly Ms. Haverstraum, sporting one of her many peculiar hats.
She had developed a propensity for collecting odd articles of clothing after her husband had passed away, as well as a more severely superstitious nature. Thanks to these two habits combined, Ko always had an interesting thing to spend his time drawing whenever she came to the Sanctum for her daily holy-cleansing. Such devotion to the faith was admirable, but Ko felt with only the smallest bit of guilt that there was no way he could do the same. No, he was lucky in that his family only came for consultations once a week, when they brought the whole gang along.
Except this time.
No, this time was special. After the sudden appearance of the Dretch, things had gotten a little topsy-turvey in his life. When his parents had learned what their children had seen and heard, they wasted no time in ordering them to go to the Sanctum every day for a week in order to remove any traces left of the evil that might be clinging to them. By the Gods, Ko had been within spitting distance of the demon! He especially had to be cleansed thoroughly. So the three of them had obeyed the orders, dutifully doing as they were told. Which was all well and good, Ko loved their Gods. But you could only confess your sins and have holy incense wafted in your face so many times before it just became tedious.
Regardless of that, Ko was a good boy. He had made the trek once more today, did his part, and was now waiting outside the private room for his brother to be done. Adellia had already finished with that, but being a spectacularly holy person, had taken the opportunity to head to the main cept for some additional prayer time. Other Yaelians waited outside the other little doors to other little rooms, in the same boat as Ko and his family. He was just glad he had brought along his sketchbook again, humming to himself as he drew his boredom away.
[1/10] |
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Posted: Sat Sep 09, 2017 12:26 pm
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Rainier splashed his face with the cool water Raisa had left next to his bed before leaving for her classes that morning. He really should have gotten up ages ago, but anxiety was twisting in his gut again, making his heart pound like a racing horse. He wanted to listen to the priests and priestesses when they promised that the gods would guide them when it came to dealing with the Dretch, but he still woke up at least once every night, drenched in sweat as he relived the moment he'd lunged for the terrifying creature and it had simply disappeared. His brain saw fit to frequently to switch the poor victim's blank face with that of his anguished sister. Screaming for him as he hesitated to approach the bug and then disappearing forever when he finally made himself lurch forward, too late, yet again.
Useless.
He gripped the edge of the ceramic bowl so hard that it shattered beneath his hands, he hissed, lurching away from the mess of water and shards of pottery all over his nightstand. A stinging sear of pain made him glance down at his right hand, blood was dripping from it in a rhythmic beat. He stared at the drip, drip, drip for a few seconds before shaking his head. He walked brusquely to the small bathroom to clean up and dress the long cut. Thankfully it wasn't terribly deep, but it was inconveniently placed. His hand would be stiff and sore for some time. Rain's brow creased, as he turned to leave the room he barked his shoulder against the doorframe and yelped.
Dark thoughts invited more darkness. He'd known that since he was a child, had always before managed to stave off the darkness and keep his mind clear, but since the Dretch had invaded his homeland and he had been able to do nothing to stop it, he hadn't been able to shake the cloud looming over his head. He didn't know what he wanted to do with his life, he didn't have the skills of a warrior. He was not especially strong, fast, or dexterous. Any time he'd tried picking up a weapon, he'd come away with blisters and a bad taste in his mouth, he simply didn't care for the thought of slicing into another person. But he had to figure out something. He gazed into the small mirror at himself, the dark bags under his wild eyes, his tussled hair. He wasn't taking care of himself as he should, he needed to get this figured out. He didn't know all the steps to do that, but he did know the first.
---
Sometime later Rain walked through the doors into the sanctum. His hair was brushed and freshly braided, but his face was still drawn and full of shadows. He cradled his bandaged hand as scanned the room for someone who could help him. His eyes alighted on a familiar figure seated in the corner, hunched over a small book, intent on sketching something. Despite himself, a smile ghosted across Rain's lips as he drew closer. "Greetings, Ko, its good to see you well."
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Posted: Wed Sep 13, 2017 3:41 pm
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Ko was busy working on getting the giant silk flower stuffed between two big pom-poms in the lady’s hat juuuust right when he became aware of a presence stopping in front of him, not just passing through the area. He looked up from his paper, expression blank for a moment as his brain switched gears from sketching to engaging in conversation. And then his own face was alight as well, recognition flitting across his big eyes.
“Oh, hello again! Thank you, I’m doing pretty good,” he said, pausing as his eyes rolled up in a shrug, “Well―I mean―I’m kinda bored, but that happens all the time; so it’s no big deal! I’m working on fixing that at the moment.” He tapped the paper with his eraser, turning his sketchbook around so that the other could see it. The picture was only half done, and really, was just a quick study by an artist that wasn’t classically trained: but all the same, it was actually pretty good, all things considered.
Ko peeked out from behind the journal, grinning as he wiggled his eyebrows. “Isn’t her hat FANTASTIC?? I’d like to get my hands on a big flower like that; can’t you just imagine an imp wearing a little dress made out of the petals? It’d look like a little princess, going to a little fancy imp ball!” His eyebrows knitted together, retracting the book as he considered the sketch. “But I wonder if imps have princesses? Or royalty at all? I’ve never seen an imp palace, or a town either. Maybe they’re hidden away in secret places, so we don’t go and step on them with our big feet. That’d be awful rude and terribly inconvenient...” He trailed off, scribbling a note on the edge of the paper:
Need to investigate: where do imps live, and why don’t they ever wear clothes??
[2/10]
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Posted: Mon Oct 02, 2017 9:02 am
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Rain leaned down to peer at the carefully rendered image and cracked a smile, young Ko had a way about him that brought sunshine into any heart. "I don't think I have the words to describe such a hat." he gave a soft chuckle. "Who in the world is that?"
Rainier scratched his head, not really following, but hesitant to admit it to the animated boy in front of him. "Imps?" He queried with a curious tilt to his head, "I don't know much about them at all, I'm afraid..." He trailed off and then tried again, "But if I was quite small, I would certainly not want to build my home in range of any feet." He smiled encouragingly. To be quite honest, he wasn't entirely sure when Ko's imagination was running away with him or when he was being gullible again. "I mean, for what possible reason would they want to live near a bunch of giants?"
He leaned back, fiddling with one of his braids as he thought that over. "Say, Ko. Are you here waiting for a cleansing as well?"
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Posted: Wed Oct 04, 2017 2:35 pm
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Posted: Thu Oct 05, 2017 10:28 am
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Rainier quired an eyebrow, socks? "So thats where mine keep running off to. I need only search the forest for the Imp kingdom to reclaim my missing stockings!" He'd spoken a little louder than he'd intended and blushed delicately at the stares his declaration had elicited. Oh well, he tried not to allow the opinions of others to drive him.
"Thats perfectly alright, Ko" Rain replied placidly.
"I came today for a cleansing, I'm afraid bad luck has been haunting me today." He held out his damaged palm as evidence. Roughly bandaged, blood was starting to slowly seep through, Rain frowned at it, that wasn't good. He hadn't thought the cut was deep, but perhaps he would have to find someone to install a stitch or two to keep it closed. He shook his head and then looked back at Ko.
"I was wondering it you had come to do the same." He shrugged and looked a little embarrassed, "Unless you'd prefer not to say, I apologize, I shouldn't pry."
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Posted: Sat Oct 07, 2017 5:37 pm
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Ko looked down at Rainier’s hand as he extended it, inhaling in spite of himself. He wasn’t crazy about blood, especially seeing it on other people. You’d have thought with how accident prone he tended to be, Ko’d be used to the sight by now. But nope, it still made him uncomfortable. He just wanted to get whoever was broken all patched up as quickly as possible, in any way he could help.
He reached out his own little hands to hover over the damaged digits of the other boy, biting his lip. “Oh geez, that looks nasty! Can I…can I help? Let me help!” Turning around for a moment, he rummaged in the knapsack he always kept on his person, pulling out a folded handkerchief and a roll of bandages. “I came with my siblings, because my mom and dad have been worried ever since the dretch-guys showed up at the Sanctum. They think we might be extra tainted, so we’ve been coming every day. Me and my sis are already done, we’re just waiting on my brother.”
“But I’ve got some time to kill, he tends to complain a lot. So, yeah.” Holding up the medical supplies, he motioned to Rainier’s soiled hand, then to the bench, then to himself, clearly looking to keep his hands busy as he tried to verbalize what he wanted.
“You’re dirty. Well, not YOU! But, I mean, your HAND. It’s got blood on it. We should change the gauze...I could change the gauze? Please let me change it? I swear I’ll be really gentle, this kinda thing happens to me all the time.” He scratched the back of his head, pinching his lips. “Well, I don’t know what happened to YOU, but I meant, accidents: ACCIDENTS happen to me all the time. Cuz I’m a clutz. Which I won’t be, not with your hand! Promise!”
[4/10]
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Posted: Sun Oct 08, 2017 9:13 am
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"Oh, yes!" He nodded and smiled a bit at the boy's divulgence about his brother. He thought cleansings were important but every day seemed a bit... excessive to him. He certainly wasn't about to say that however, but he patted Ko on the back a bit sympathetically. "Its been hard on all of us since the Dretch came," he admitted, his face darkening with the memories, "I can't stop dreaming of that priest being snatched away from everything he knew and loved." Rain shuddered, "I really should have done this ages ago, but its easy to let self care go by the wayside when there are things to be done. I'm glad you've been able to keep up on it!" His eyes twinkled and he winked, he wouldn't criticize the boy's parents, but he could relate to what the boy was going through. His own father had been a bear about regular cleansings.
Rain glanced down again, he supposed the bandaging was a bit sloppy, he blushed a bit, but it was hard to bandage your own palm properly. Through some creative positioning, and embarrassing acrobatics he had managed, but perhaps it was still bleeding because he still hadn't managed to wrap it quite tight enough.
He thought back to this morning, when he had been laying on his back like an offset turtle, one end of the bandage in his mouth as he attempted to wrap his palm with only one hand and one foot and winced at the indignity of the image. He thanked the Gods Raisa hadn't chosen to come home at that moment, he would never have lived that down.
"Sure, Ko, and thank you!" He held out his hand, at Ko's admission of clumsiness he paled a bit, the palm was still throbbing and sore, but he maintained his offer. "I trust you, an infection is the very last thing I'd want to deal with right now."
He gazed around a bit shyly as Ko worked, he still wasn't familiar with the grand majesty of the Sanctum. Back at home, cleansings had felt like a much more informal affair. Well. Not exactly informal but they weren't in The Sanctum. The Priests and Priestesses lived here all the time, he was boggled at the idea of being surrounded by such grandeur all the time, he wondered if you ever got used to it? "Its still so strange to me.... Coming here, I mean, I'm still so used to Ilidan. Everything was so much smaller and less... Bustling, where we grew up. Sometimes I still get lost in all this, I can't imagine what it might be like to grow up here in Pajore. Did you, Ko?"
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Posted: Tue Oct 10, 2017 6:15 pm
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“Good good, let’s get you fixed!” Grinning, Ko sat with the other boy and got started on the damaged hand. He unwound the sloppy bandages, pursing his lips as the thing practically fell off of Rainier: the boy hadn’t done a very good job of it. But he wasn’t going to criticize, it wasn’t necessary at the moment. If you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say anything at all! So instead he answered Rainier’s questions while he took care of him, since those didn’t need to be mean or nice: they were just facts. “Yup, I was born and raised here! We live out in the manufacturing district, since it’s easier to get shipments of lumber there. Oh...we’ve got a carpentry business, in case I never told you before! Silly me.”
He shrugged, tossing the bloody bandage onto the bench next to him. It was worse than he’d thought; it looked like Rainier had barely even touched the thing before he’d slapped some fabric on it. He pulled a little jar of water out of his bag, unscrewing the cap and dipping the handkerchief inside. Usually it was reserved for his watercolors, but this situation needed the clean water more. Gentle as a butterfly on a leaf, he dabbed at the cut while he prattled on. “I love it here in the city, there’s so much to do and see! Everyone has got their own life and their own story; sometimes I like to just watch and try to imagine what that might be.”
He pointed at a young woman sitting by herself that was fiddling with a gem around her neck, sporting quite the worried look. He leaned in, whispering conspiratorially. “Did she just find out that her childhood sweetheart was seen with another girl when he was supposed to be going to a picnic in the park with her? He’d given her that necklace when pronouncing his undying love for her, fighting the spirit in an abandoned well in order to get it. Could the rumors be true, or was the magic of the gem making her paranoid, the spirit’s dark revenge?”
Wiggling his fingers mysteriously, Ko grinned and leaned back, placing a clean wad of cloth on the cut at he wound the bandage tight. “See, just like that. You should try, it’s lots of fun! Just pick a random person and go from there.”
[5/10]
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Posted: Thu Oct 12, 2017 7:56 pm
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Rainier submitted meekly to Ko's administrations, wincing a bit as his handiwork fell apart at the slightest tug.
His ears perked a bit, "Carpentry, eh? That sounds interesting! Do they specialize in building anything in particular?" He'd tried to hire on with a woodworker before, one of his many side jobs, but he was much more prone to hitting his fingers with a hammer than hitting the nails. He was equally disastrous with a saw, they'd kicked him out after only a few hours, it had been a relief.
Rain bit his lip with nerves when Ko went to touch the cut, but he was as gentle as he'd promised.
"Hmmm... " he blushed self consciously, he didn't really think of himself as creative or spontaneous, but he'd play the game. He pointed to an elderly Yaeli gentleman, about as stiff and proper as could be and cracked a conspiratorial smile, "That man is... A mighty adventurer, just returning home after a lifetime at sea, fighting monsters and rescuing innocents. He had a great house on the mainland but... a mighty flying reptile came down from the sky, breathing fire and reducing his house to ashes... So he decided to come home... Because... Because..."
He chuckled, "I don't know, why do you think he came back, Ko?"
The man in question glanced in their direction suspiciously.
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Posted: Sat Oct 14, 2017 11:51 am
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Following the line created by Rainier’s pointing, Ko got a good look at the man in question, nodding his head as the other boy told his tale. He could see him as a warrior; the man looked like he’d seen things, things that he couldn’t tell others about. Because if he DID, then they might have the same dark dreams as he.
When Rainier stalled in his story, Ko turned his attention back to the hand he was working on, sharing a smile between the pair that the older man could not see. He whispered under his breath, taking up where the other had left off. “Well, he obviously came back to Yael because he needs the aide of his only son in order to vanquish the great fiery terror, before it can destroy anything else. While kneeling in the ashes of his former home, he was struck by a vision from the Gods themselves. He saw his sword shatter upon the hide of the scaly beast as it bore down upon him, and just as all hope appeared lost, a purple keldari descended from the heavens, landing in his hand as it transformed into a mighty sword in a flash of light! With the holy sword, he was able to piece the breast of the great lizard, which turned to ash just like the piles beneath his feet.”
Ko paused for dramatic effect, tying off the new bandage on Rainier’s palm as he gestured with his hands. “The adventurer knew what the vision meant: he needed to return to Yael to reunite with his estranged son, who’d been chosen to learn in the Septum when he was a young child. Only his son’s holy touch could give his blade the power it needed to fell the demonic creature, but he fears his old heart may not be strong enough to handle rejection. So he has come to the Septum today to ask for his son’s forgiveness for leaving him as a child, and to reunite in a holy quest ordained by the Gods, the last one he shall ever embark on. As we speak, he is waiting for his son to respond to his summons: will the young man come…or has the rift been carved too deep for them to ever truly connect again…?”
He let the question hang unanswered in the air between them, face aged like an ancient tree, as though he knew the secrets of the earth itself. His eyes remained cold for a moment, then two, then three, enough for the silence to weigh heavy as a stone in a pond. Then sudden as a clap of lightning, his face cracked and Ko was smiling again, laughter filling the hole his words had left behind.
[6/10]
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Posted: Tue Oct 17, 2017 10:33 am
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Rainier's mouth hung open, the boy was really an excellent story teller. He found himself swept up in the emotions of the tale, gazing at the old man along with Ko, his impression of him seemed to change with the boy's words until he could almost swear it was true. Then he blinked once, twice, and was brought back into reality. He shook his head, and looked back at the man, who returned his stare with a venomous glare. He clearly didn't appreciate being the center of their attention. Rain offered the gentleman an apologetic smile and a shrug, before turning back to his companion. "You should write some of these ideas down Ko, they're really quite brilliant! I know my sister would love such tales!"
"Ah, yes, that feels much better, Ko, thank you!" He drew his hand back, testing the movement of his fingers with a wince. It was a good thing he had no desire or skill to work with weapons. The hand was stiff with inflammation, he wouldn't be able to use it for much until it healed. It would be inconvenient, but he could manage. He hoped he would be able to find easy work until then.
"So what are your plans for the rest of the day?"
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Posted: Mon Dec 04, 2017 2:06 am
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“Oh goodness, thanks!” Ko chirped, scratching the back of his head as he blushed. “They kinda just happen when they happen, but I’ve started writing some down. My brother and I are actually working on something right now, but it’s not very good, we’ve got lots to fix. We’re just having fun with it!”
Packing away the medical supplies back into his bag, he scrunched his nose up, thinking. “I don’t really get to make my own plans: I usually just do whatever my parents or siblings assign me to for the day. And once I’m done with that, then I just kinda...do whatever. Stay out of the way. Keep myself occupied. You know...whatever.” He trailed off, picking at a stray string on his pants. That was really the long and short of it: he liked to be helpful, but sometimes, there’s just not enough work for him to really contribute much of anything. And he didn’t want to be a nuisance by trying to butt-in. But sometimes, things just got...rather boring.
“But, um…” he glanced up at Rainier sheepishly. “Maybe my plans could be helping out with your plans?”
[7/10]
Faithofthefallen I am so so SO sorry this took so long to happen. I've just been in a bit of a funk with little Ko: I have no real concrete plans for him, and i'm finding that it's just, killing my muse big-time. I need a plot for him, it makes me sad to see him go unloved, by no one's fault but my own! |
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Posted: Wed Dec 06, 2017 11:11 am
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"That's the best kind!" He exclaimed, "I'd certainly love to read whatever you and your brother come up with once you've finished."
Rain's brow scrunched into a worried frown, "That doesn't sound fair at all, Ko." He scratched his head. "Its hard when it seems as if everyone has a plan except for you." He steepled his fingers and leaned back, "I feel that way myself a lot of the time, as if everyone has things figured out but me." He shook his head, "I have faith it will come in time. Thats what I keep telling myself anyways."
Rain's face lit up, "Well, since you've so familiar with Pajore, what do you think about showing me the sights?"
Missmisnomer Totally get it! Muses can be such fickle things, no worries! Take all the time you need! If Rain can help nudge in some way with this plot, let me know! <3 |
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Posted: Mon Dec 11, 2017 3:58 pm
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He had just been starting to feel a touch of the melancholy himself when Rainier made his suggestion, and suddenly he felt 100% better.
“Yeah, I could do that, I know lots about the city! There’s so much to see, I think I discover something new everyday. Plus I’ve got a few places in mind that are actually really neat, but get overlooked pretty often. You just gotta have the gumption to get there!”
He hopped up off the bench, pacing a bit in his excitement. “Okay, so, lemme see…” He mumbled, gesturing for Rainier to remain sitting. “Alright! You just...wait right here for a sec! I’m going to just run and tell my sister where I’m going to be, and then I’ll be right back. Don’t move!”
Bolting into action, he slowed himself down to a brisk walk instead as the fellow churchgoers cast disapproving looks his way. Keeping his head ducked, he dissapeared into the main body of the church to seek out his sibling.
After a few handful of minutes, he reappeared again, scooting over to Rainier’s side again with a smile on his face. “Okay, I let her know, she said it’s alright! We just gotta make sure I’m back here before the sun goes down so we can walk home together. But other than that, I’m yours for the rest of the day!”
[8/10]
Faithofthefallen Hi, hello, I sent you a few messages over Slack, poke me here or there when you get the chance! |
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