Curiosity and the Cat [Tiki]

[Hadrian]

"It's... difficult to explain," he said. It had taken quite a lot of time and concentration to explain things to Ethan before he understood, and long before he could work any magic himself. Kelvics were magic, and it seemed as though it was difficult for most of them to learn to do magic. Hadrian knew that if he had been Marcus Kelvic, he would have fashioned his creatures to only use those magics which would make them more perfect servants. Auristics made Ethan a better spy, and the aeromancy might help keep him aloft in dire straits. But there were secrets yet untold that Hadrian could teach him if he chose, and it all depended on Ethan's excitement. "Using magic is a matter of will changing the shape of spirit," he said. "It requires a lot of practice, and discipline, and it's often as dangerous for the person using it as for those around him." As they sat and Tiki played with the effects of Hadrian's spell, the young wizard let his senses sink into the Kelvic's aura, studying the patterns that reflected his physical being, those hidden ones that spoke of his feline form. He had the idea that if he learned to Morph feline as well as avian characteristics, he might one day become a gryphon out of legend, and then he could fly where he wanted to go, content that he had the physical capacities to protect himself. Hm.

[Tiki]

It was a strange experience even to the touch. Tiki couldn’t feel what Hadrian saw, he just felt the difference between warm and cool. The shield, in all its simplicity being singly tasked with holding heat in, was still a magnificent fascination to him. Warmth was something he knew people take for granted and complained about when without. Well, with the exception of the Vantha that point was dominantly true. To have anability like that, out in the open wild, would be priceless. The money he spent on things like clothes would have been a waste if he knew how to do something like this. Tiki had the idea to ask Hadrian something, although the question would ask a bit much, but then he caught Hadrian doing it again. The wizard was giving him that strange look. He was fixated on him with the analytical eyes. It was absolutely unnerving and Tiki interjected immediately, knowing that look from earlier when it seemed Hadrian was trying to absorb his own essence. “What are you doing? Are you doing it again? You’re not trying to become me, are you? I saw your eyes before; those weren’t your eyes. Those were my eyes,” Tiki said, trying to not break the friendly atmosphere entirely. His tone was, ultimately, confrontational. He didn’t have much to call his own, but he was very sure of his existence and permanence. He wasn’t another cat to be hunted, or some shadow among many shadows to be feared in the dark forests. Well, yes he was literally such, but that gift Marcus Kelvic had bestowed upon kelvics and their lines was showing. Tiki was self aware. His smile had gone away. The prior question that had filled his thoughts, a request too much to ask of a stranger, had been blotted out by his suspicions of Hadrian. A request like that, to learn about magic more than it being an entity the common folk should fear, would demand great trust. Trust was needed to give both of them comfort, comfort Hadrian wouldn’t trick Tiki, and that Tiki wouldn’t do something stupid that might threaten Hadrian. It wasn’t a toy, magic, and he wasn’t quite ready to ask so much of Hadrian. Part of him didn’t want to learn magic still. Hadrian was strange, magic was strange, and he didn’t want to be strange.

[Hadrian]

"I'm just observing," he said with a suddenly tired sigh. His curiosity was, apparently, creepy. "You seem like a good specimen of a panther, and it's a shape I would like to use at some point in the future. A panther shape, not a Tiki shape. So perhaps someday you will help me tell the difference. Like this, perhaps?" He channeled djed into his eyes again, making them larger, bending the bones of his ocular sockets to make room, and changing the shape of his pupil to a slit, though they remained blue, his irises, which swallowed up the whites. Try though he might, he could not get his altered eyes to see any better, really; the changes were cosmetic more than functional, but someday he hoped to have even finer control and, perhaps necessarily, better understanding of anatomy and physiology. If only he had Caelum around to press with all manner of medical questions. His blue cat-eyes locked on Tiki, unblinking. "Hadrian eyes?"

[Tiki]

Tiki looked at Hadrian’s face in astonishment. Magic was a beautifully dangerous tool the wizard made use of. He could be anyone or anything with something like that. Why Tiki could even be… Tiki with magic, now there’s a good joke. Shock turned to sudden fright with Hadrian doing such odd things again, but soon Tiki realized how harmless it was. He was casting another shield now, over his eyes, the djed flowing and contained. Thus his fear turned to acceptance. A queer smirk crossed his face as Hadrian asked the question. Tiki felt dumb, but in a good way. Hadrian was still looking for his validation, and it felt good to have an opinion in the matter. “Tiki eyes,” he said smiling, “the blue kind. Even if you look like me, you’ll still be you, right? Those are definitely Tiki eyes then… and if they are then you’re doing it wrong. They should look more like this.” Tiki leaned closer, his eyes widened to an abnormal width to show as much of his feline eyes as he could. He was really just making faces at Hadrian, trying to join in with the weirdness of the situation, in his own way of course. He gave up in a few seconds though, smiled, and looked back at Hadrian unblinking as well. “Only snow cats have blue eyes. If you’re going to be a – be a pan-ther, then you’ll need to make them like mine, Tiki eyes. Try it?” His last words were really more of a command than a request. Tiki liked to think himself a teacher in this situation, ironically. It felt nice to know things.

[Hadrian]

Hadrian leaned closer too, until they were all but nose to nose. Those Hadrian-colored cat eyes peered deep into Tiki's, and the djed he held in them began to change their hue, mocking all the little details, too, until they were all but perfect replicas of Tiki's own. Tiki eyes, with nary a trace of Hadrian's in them. Still the changes were entirely superficial. He could not see any better or any differently, but he supposed that would come with more study. "Like this?" he asked.

[Tiki]

“Yeah, like that.” Tiki was grinning wide after that. Hadrian could have been a real smart ass about it, but Tiki believed him. He had a sense for Hadrian now, a little bit: the closeness, the vulnerability, the trust. Hadrian was a good type of person to be around. He was straight forward as far as Tiki noticed, and the kelvic appreciated that. Hadrian was a little like Tiki, the reasoned, in that he too has an intrinsic desire to just learn. Of course, Hadrian’s studies reached for levels beyond Tiki’s sole understanding. He looked close into Hadrian’s Tiki-eyes. As familiar as they were, each stroke a perfect replica, something was off. He then noticed they were switched around in reverse. The colors… Tiki knew his own reflection, but now he saw Tiki-eyes like other people see Tiki-eyes. It started to hit him now, the potential that Hadrian had with this morphing magic. It was incredible. Tiki-eyes… Tiki should be doing something right now, and it wasn’t playing with wizards in winter wonderlands. He had to catch something, or try to. Even if he didn’t always catch something, Kayin could tell what effort he put forth as a hunter. “I need to…” He look another look at the Tiki-eyes and became lost in the magic involved. He failed terrify to hide the smile. “I should be hunting. I like this though. It’s…” He struggled with his limited vocabulary more than anything in times like these. “It makes me happy,” he said justly. Tiki’s heart did find comfort in exploration of things unknown, people, places, and – as of now – powers. He started putting his jacket back on. He would need to pick up a new scent if he had hopes of finding anything. Although it had been a while, Tiki remembered how everything scattered away from Hadrian’s magic earlier. On Mizahar, only the brave or wicked toiled with magic. Hopefully evils like journeymen would forever be out of Hadrian’s life. Tiki, unknowing of the dangerous magic truly brought, did wish the best for the young wizard’s life. He took his time and was sure to give Hadrian his deserved attention.

[Hadrian]

Hadrian smiled, pleased to have accomplished something and been given unabashed approval. They had a moment, he supposed, although he was not exactly savvy as to those sorts of things. Happy, Tiki said. Well, that gave him pause, but he smiled quietly. It was nice to be told that, even if it was from a relative stranger. "Oh, yes. Hunting. You should get back to that and I should probably get back to the city. If you know Kendall, maybe you can follow your nose and find us sometime. We don't get a lot of visitors." He stood up, his magics dispersing, though his eyes remained in their altered form, Tiki-eyes. Little accomplishments led to bigger accomplishments; that was how he had built his impressive levels of knowledge, and how he would continue to build them, because his curiosity was not assuaged. Not hardly. "Won't you?"

[Tiki]

The hunt was back on sooner than their conversation’s end. Tiki had been turning his attention to the world outside the clearing, the sounds and the scents. The disappearing heat, the return of the cold winds, and the natural scents they carried took him back into the wilds against his will. The smell of the trees or fresh droppings – of those animals that were still lurking in the Talderan winter – flooded his nostrils stronger than ever. The contrast of it all put his body back into a shivering state as he tried to steady his breath and prepare to run. He’d be warm again then, and working. It had been so nice to be able to take a seat and just enjoy the world, in safety from the elements, safe away in a bubble. He had turned away from Hadrian trying to track what prey ventured back, closer now to the clearing now that it was quiet once more. Tiki flashed back to Hadrian with a smile of the thought. The invitation was, why it was an honor… Not even an honor, but to be graced with a presence of – no, that’s not it either. He didn’t have many long term friends. To know people in the frozen city, someone to pester in his boredom, someone to know and talk to, and it was a warming thought in its own. It seemed trivial, but Tiki thrived on the idea. All kelvics must. How many cats actively seek someone to bother if not for food or drink? He felt drawn to the wizard and what he offered. Still, the magic Hadrian wielded was part of the feared unknown. It would be a tense relationship until he could come to understand djed as Hadrian did. These thoughts didn’t come to him though; only the immediate thoughts of the joyful moment did. He could reflect on them more at a later time. “I will. I will smell you in Avanthal. Maybe see you too? ” The kelvic jested to the best of his ability. Tiki was turning on his way to return to the wastes in search for game. The concept of good-bye was known to Tiki, but he didn’t wish to say good-bye just yet. He didn’t want to see them go like the others. Still he smiled and glanced back to Hadrian, a look of recognition to the fact that they would speak again, later. Perhaps he’d even take up Hadrian’s offer to travel with him and friends – actual company was a gift of its own – off into the world, even if it took him away from his dreams.

OOCNot sure if Hadrian’s the type to let him walk off with that kind of motion. I wouldn’t mind a post with final remarks, but Tiki is good to go from there. Your call, then you can tie up your end and we can send it in. It doesn’t even feel like 4 pages. This was a great idea.

[Hadrian]

Hadrian just smiled at the Kelvic; they were fascinating to watch. As Tiki was clearly turning his mind toward supper, Hadrian buttoned up his winterbane coat in preparation to walk back into the city without catching cold. He just hoped the Kelvic would shift into his furred form quickly so Hadrian wouldn't worry about his health either. It was difficult not to want to take care of Kelvics; on the one hand, they were at home in nature; on the other, they were like children in other ways. "Until then," he said to the retreating form, and then turned his face toward home. END

[Macabre]

Thread Award

Hadrian
XP: Reimancy +1, Summoning +2, Flux +5, Hypnotism +1, Morphing +5, Negotiation +2, Shielding +2, Observation +3, Teaching +2
Lore: Fyrden’s Lightface [Partial], Panther Anatomy [Partial], Model: Tiki’s Eyes

Tiki
XP: Hunting +2, Observation +5, Persuasion +2, Unarmed Combat +1, Intimidation +3, Negotiation +2, Interrogation +3
Lore: Sensing the Unknown, Feigning Submission, Human Men Can Change Their Shape, Using Body Language to Persuade, The Watchtowers are Broken, Shields: Magical Defence, Shields Can Keep Cold Out

Notes: Boy, I hope I got everything. I’ve become a fan of Tiki; he’s a well-written Kelvic, and I like his inner approach to magic. It’s the way it should be. Thanks for writing such a wonderfully simple, yet complex character. If you guys have any questions about the grade, don’t hesitate to PM me. This thread was a long one, and I might’ve missed a point or a lore you were looking for.