More Different Than Me

[Laszlo]

Summer 83rd, 512 Business with Sakana that evening began with a session of uncomfortable small talk (uncomfortable for Laszlo, at least) about all the usual topics. Are you settling well in Lhavit; yes, the city is quite beautiful. I trust your classes are going smoothly; yes, this round of students has been bright this year. Everything was all well and good, and everyone was happy. It was never very clear whether the four-century-old Ethaefal was curious about Laszlo's personal life, or if he just politely refrained from prying. Both being children of Syna, they shared a familiar and inexorable bond, but the younger Fallen could not begin to fathom what four hundred years would do to a mortal mind. He was by no means a somber fellow, but he must have been jaded, if only in secret. In any case, Laszlo wasn't interested in sharing the gory details of the mistakes he'd made since beginning his mortal life. It simply wasn't polite conversation. And anyway, as with most worldly individuals, a two-year-old Laszlo was easily fearful of what others more experienced would think of him. Soon enough, the courier was sent on his way with a bundle of letters, destined for the Towers' Respite. Strings of magenta clouds traced across a sky gradually draining of color, mourning the sun which had sunk below the mountains over a bell ago. Laszlo donned his night guise, the pale Symenestra, moving with a seamless grace unbefitting his height. It was much too warm for a cloak, so he chose to weather the muted looks of disdain granted to him from passersby. As Lhavitians were largely nocturnal, there was no shortage of souls walking the streets. Laszlo would have liked to think that by now he was used to the looks, but he had not forgotten the night his Symenestra flatmate came home after being beaten into a bloody pulp. It could easily happen to Laszlo too, if he wasn't careful. Although some were by now more familiar with Laszlo's vespertine shape, most did not know or did not choose to associate his sullen visage with the shining, handsome features of the Ethaefal's truer form. Ultimately, the weight of their combined spite grew heavy, and Laszlo wearily chose a quieter path around the Zintia peak. It would have been significantly faster to cut through the Surya Plaza, but with Abalia's due date approaching, he wasn't sure had the fortitude to pretend he didn't care what he was. He did care. If he were half human instead, he wouldn't be in this mess. An echo of voices glanced off the nearby alleyway walls, drifting from somewhere deeper in the unlit portions of the Zintia. Laszlo turned his head curiously, his keen eyes easily piercing the shadows but seeing nothing. The laughing continued, young but predatory. The Ethaefal felt himself tense, and the back his mind tingled with the desire to draw on his poisonous magics should he be required to defend himself. There was a new sound: the soft thud of a fist against another person's body. Laszlo tilted his head. He wasn't the one in trouble. OOCHey Ysk, I'm thinking no more than 2 or 3 guys, probably young kids (maybe 17 or 19), out looking for trouble and finding your PC. Whether or not they're armed with anything weapon wise is up to you.

[Yskul'thu]

From the very moment he had arrived Yskul'thu was filled with a childlike excitement about exploring this new city. So wonderfully delighted by this he wanted to explore right then and there, but what a terrible mistake it had been. Had someone told him about the dangerous the lurk at night in this fair city, he would have just gone to secure a bed some where to resume his adventure in the city on the morrow.

" P-please..I don't have anything you would wa- huk! " These people, these hooligans seemed to not want this as an answer. Though he tried to fight back against them it seemed like it was to no avail. All Yskul'thu could do was land a glancing blow from a punch before he was hit by someone else. After a while of all of this he had no choice but to place his back against a wall while the onslaught continued.

The sky had been so beautiful and although the air was thin for him, it was so enjoyable for him to have been there. " Is this..it? " He said lowly to the group of ruffians. A strike of terror ran through the Charoda's body and then a shrill ear splitting cry rang up from his mouth as he began to speak in his native tongue. While on land it was just a horrible screeching sound, he knew what it would sound like in his home under the waves. It was a song, a requiem for himself. If one listened to it without covering there ears, they would notice it as a swan song. It was the only thing the poor Charoda could think to do now, reminisce about home before his end came and all his valuables were stolen.

[Laszlo]

Seeing as Laszlo had other pressing business, albeit not very urgent, he at first resolved to keep moving. He had a history of becoming entangled in other people's problems, and he had plenty of his own to deal with. Whatever was happening in the deeper shadows of Lhavit had nothing to do with Laszlo. Involving himself could make matters worse, and this was not the body he would want to bring into a fight. Laszlo's gait slowed, and he sighed. As much as he wanted to listen to fear, an uninvited sense of morality coaxed him into hesitating. Even if it was just a stranger's business, what if it was Duvalyon being attacked again? Or thieves mugging Abalia? What difference did it make if Laszlo didn't know the person? In all likelihood, that voice crying out in pain was precious to someone. And it wasn't as if Laszlo were powerless to defend himself. Cursing himself, he turned down a narrow alley and hunted toward the sounds. As his fear grew, his resolve fortified, as did his desire to push magic past his teeth. It was with a sense of dread that Laszlo fully realized he was about to get himself into something. No cure for idiocy, Laszlo mulled to himself dryly. He flinched when suddenly the air was filled with strange, mournful cries—or shrieks?—not dissimilar to a bird or perhaps a raccoon. It certainly wasn't human. What in Mizahar was happening out there? Swallowing his reluctance, the Ethaefal pressed forward still, rounding one final corner. Quietly, he placed himself within view. Three young men stood over another collapsed on the ground. It was hard to make out the victim from here, but there were parts of him that looked wet. Laszlo's attention shifted back to the assailants. Djed welled in the back of this throat as he began to wonder whether these were the same men who'd attacked Duvalyon. "Hey!" Laszlo called to them, emboldened by a wave of anger. He alone was no match for three men, and although his trepidation mounted, he approached them as if he weren't afraid at all. It was part of the enchantment, his Hypnotism, a ruse to make the ruffians think they had something worry about. "What is going on here?" The young humans all straightened and turned, shifting their focus onto a new target. Laszlo stopped, keeping his distance, but made no sign that he wanted to leave. He hoped they couldn't hear his heart pounding against hi chest. "This doesn't involve you, Widow." One of them said, taller than the others. He looked well-built and able. A solid kick could easily shatter Laszlo's ribs. "But if you're inviting yourself…" The pack leader began to lead his friends forward. "I wouldn't, if I were you," Laszlo hissed. His light-sensitive eyes glinted in the dark, much like a cat's. "I wasn't the only one who heard that creature's yelling. There is a patrol of Shinya on its way here. Don't you hear them?" Surely they didn't, but with a little hypnotic push, they should have begun to wonder if they did. Laszlo briefly glanced over his shoulder, as if Shinya were about to turn the corner at any moment. He faced the men again, his tongue burning as he infused his words with djed and pushed a little harder, forcing a surge of fear in them. "I'd advise that you run while you have a head start on them." One of the men turned and ran immediately, followed soon by the second. The last, now alone and faced with a Symenestra a head taller than he was, seemed to eventually think better of his circumstances and vacated the area with his friends. Their footsteps soon became echoes that faded into the ambience of the city. Laszlo released a breath and closed his eyes as he tried to force his heart out of his throat. A mild headache bit at his temples as Laszlo moved forward, inspecting the crumpled heap on the ground. As he drew nearer, he came to realize that the creature was far from human. It had the skin of a frog and fishlike fins. And… were those tentacles? What in Syna's name… "They're gone," Laszlo told the thing as he edged closer, searching for a face. It had a human enough shape—two arms and two legs—but it wasn't any race he had ever heard of. The gender was impossible to tell, and the degree of its intelligence was imperceptible. Still, Laszlo drew close enough to kneel down to the creature's side, reaching tentatively to touch its shoulder. "Are you alright?"

[Yskul'thu]

Shocked by the very display of power, Yskul'thu edged away from the man at first. His thought only on the fact that he was saved by someone who would probably do worse to him than the three thugs. But his personality got the better of him and his trusting nature made him speak to the man, albeit in his native tongue.

Loud screeching echoed throughout the alley again before the fish like man covered his mouth and cleared his throat. " You will be having to excuse me, when I become the nervous I forgot my Common. "

Being a little bashful Yskul'thu stood up and brushed himself off, knocking a clod of mud from his side before gasping in pain and grabbing his side. " I am thinking it is rude of myself to be so defensive against the one who is coming to my save. " Reaching a fish like hand out, fingers spread and webbing showing he smiled, sharp rows of teeth showing " I am believing that a shake of hands is a proper sign of hellos. And my name is Yskul'thu. Though I am thinking it is easier to just be calling me Ysk. Common tongue is difficult. "

[Laszlo]

"Gods!" Laszlo cringed and pitched backward as the creature began to wail at him, sounding something like a very panicked bird. Rising to his feet again, the Ethaefal put some healthy distance between himself and the stranger, backing away several paces. He appeared to relax when it began to speak Common tongue, but the look on his face retained some of his initial shock. That was your language? The creature extended a hand, drawing Laszlo's attention to the strange webbing between his fingers. A bit like a Konti, he recalled, but further from human than he'd ever seen in an upright creature. Violet eyes drew upwards again, settling on the stranger's unnervingly sharp teeth. A smile from Laszlo in Symenestra form often boasted fangs, which was disconcerting enough. This amphibian-like being was an entirely new brand of strange and terrifying. Still, he (presumably he) seemed good-natured enough, considering the circumstances. It was likely the same reservations Laszlo had that had driven the youths to beat their fear and confusion into the poor thing. Laszlo glanced off in the direction they had disappeared in, his contempt gradually dwindling, but ever so slowly. "Indeed," he answered vaguely, facing the creature again and taking his hand. He tried to suppress a strong urge to violently pull away as he came into contact with the creature's cool, moist skin. Instead he quietly, fervently yearned for the moment when he was no longer touching him. "I'm Laszlo." It always felt like a lie to say it. "I apologize, but I've never seen your kind before. My shape is Symenestra. What is your race called?" So far, Ysk had shown no fear toward Laszlo, aside from initial apprehension. Was he familiar at all with the people from Kalinor? "Never mind, it doesn't matter. Are you hurt badly? I can take you a medic."

[Yskul'thu]

Yskul'thu shuddered and tilted his head at a funny angle stepping a bit closer to Laszlo trying to look him over. He flipped the mans hand from side to side looking at it. It was so strange to see something like this up close. " You are no having webbing between fingers? How is it you swim? "

It was if the question simply glanced off the side of the Chroda's head simply missing his ears. " So strange..you creature of an upper world. "

Finally he let go of the hand and brushed himself off knocking more dirt and mud from his skin, wet mucus and clobs of things falling from him. " My people are being called Chroda. Inhabit the water ways we do. " Canting his head to another side Yskul'thu asked a strange question one would more than likely not be asked on a regular basis. " What is Med-ic? Do you have tub? I am only needing water source. "