[Scholar's Forum] Nuit are Neighbours, Not Threats

by **Castor Riley** on June 18th, 2013, 4:54 pm

Castor was surprised by the sudden sound to his left. It took him a tick to realise that the man had been speaking to him. He turned to look at the owner of the voice. Brown haired and blue-eyed, the man was pretty much the average joe. Still, Castor thought he looked a bit familiar, but he couldn't place where he might have seen him before.

Realising he'd left the man's question unanswered for a chime or two, he quickly responded. "Ah, yes to both," he said, smiling politely. "Actually," the beginning of a blush of embarassment tinged the tops of his ears at this point, "I think I may have been an... uhm... inspiration, for lack of a better word, for this speech. I'm Castor Riley, by the way," he continued, extending his hand for a shake, "And you are...?"

Castor listened to the man's response, but he had to shift his focus soon after, as Tsaba began to speak. She'd scanned the crowd before she started, but Castor couldn't be certain she'd seen him, though he thought their eyes had met. He was surprised to learn that her name meant 'living', and smirked a bit at the irony. He also noted how she avoided mentioning her magical studies, and thought it a prudent course of action. She couldn't battle all the different prejudices at once. The hubbub of the crowd audibly died down as she made her speech, similar, in some respects, to the way she'd explained his own fears away when they'd first met. He shot an irritated glance in the general direction from which a loud guffaw had sounded, but didn't dwell on it.

The questions asked by the people in the crowd were interesting ones. Tsaba's answers were also logical, and Castor felt should help alleviate some of the misapprehension towards Nuit. Castor was content to simply listen to what Tsaba had to say, as he'd already asked her the questions he'd had about Nuit in person. If any cropped up as the speech went on he'd ask them then. In the meantime, he'd listen intently as she progressed.

by **Tallis** on June 20th, 2013, 4:27 am

The man named Castor Riley amused Tallis. It seemed like his focus was constantly shifting and darting around, kind of like the way he walked, flitting from one area to the next. He decided that he liked Castor and his quirkiness. “The name is Tallis.” He replied, returning the introduction, “Nice to meet you Castor.” Tallis’ interest was piqued when he heard that Castor had played a part in inspiring the speech, but before he could ask for more details, their conversation was cut short. Tsaba was beginning her speech.

The Nuit was thorough, systematically addressing the rumors that surrounded her race. However, Tallis wasn’t interested in the tales. He had seen a nuit before, Anselm as he recalled. If these two were any indication of what Nuit were generally like, he found no harm in them. They simply seemed too weak and fragile to truly cause people any harm. If there was anything that the Nuits were hunting for, it seemed to be knowledge. They were ferociously intelligent, perhaps from all their years of life.

As Tsaba finished her first part of the speech and waited for questions, Tallis was surprised to hear a voice that he was rather familiar with. Calen was in attendance. He had gotten used to the young man’s attitude and had almost forgotten how obnoxious he could be. However, his question was an interesting one, and it was something he hadn’t considered before. Could a Nuit have been responsible for the plagues? Tsaba didn’t seem to think so, but she seemed unsure.

Another voice rose from the crowd. This one cold and cynical. There was something intimidating about the man who spoke, his words and his stature were both rather unnerving. His question was harsh, but practical. This was a man who had some sense about him. Sense for what, Tallis couldn’t be sure. Tsaba handled the question surprisingly well. She seemed to be enforcing the idea that Nuits and Humans weren’t so different. It was an idea that Tallis was still warming up to.

Tallis was the kind to listen first before speaking. Once he’d heard everything the Nuit had to say, he would ask his questions.

by **Tsaba** on June 29th, 2013, 5:09 pm

Satisfied that no more questions were forthcoming, Tsaba continued.

"Nuit aren't exactly like your standard human. Long life tends to focus the mind; that's why we often seem obsessive about a particular topic. We tend to forego a lot of popular human pasttimes, having no need for food or sleep, and after awhile small talk loses its appeal. These aren't signs of core differences, merely surface ones. Nuit tend to be very old, by human standards, and with age comes such behaviours. I think that it is possible that the idea of mindless, soulless undead is so ingrained in some people's minds that when they see something like a Nuit, it is the first thing they think of; in truth, a mind and a soul is what a Nuit is. It is the mortal shell, the body, which we cast away. And humans, too, are more than their bodies; Nuit would not exist otherwise." Tsaba tugged her hood back up. "Thank you for your time."

She would wait about five seconds to see if there were any last questions; if not, she could step down and walk away, back into the university. Back away from the crowd, and to the more familiar task of copying books.

by **Eldritch** on August 6th, 2013, 10:53 pm

Tsaba :

Calen :

Castor :

Tallis :

Aron :

Notes :

If you have any comments/questions/concerns about your grade please PM me and we will work something out.

Keep on writing!

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