Completed Something Missing

[Tichi]

28th of Fall, 513

Tichi huddled in a corner of the courtyard, her uneaten lunch bought from a food stand sitting beside her, and wondered why she wasn’t happy.

She’d been so thrilled when she’d finally been freed from under her father’s control. Free to run around as she liked, free to earn her own money. But once the initial excitement faded, Tichi realized it wasn’t enough. True, she was no longer in danger of losing her mind from being trapped in a tiny apartment, or of being thrown in a dungeon to rot for stealing, but something was still missing.

Tichi pressed a hand to her chest, wondering at the ache she still felt in spite of her freedom, then went back to watching people moving through the courtyard. She unconsciously tilted her head a bit to catch a breeze - fresh air was always welcome, and her nose twitched a little at the various scents. Her eyes roamed over faces, though she had no idea what she was looking for.

Finally she sighed again and got up, completely forgetting her lunch. This wasn’t a day she was delivering for Hadyn, but that didn’t mean she could just sit around. She’d already done a few deliveries today for other clients, and she had a couple more before she called it a day. Maybe she'd go for a run after to work off some nervous energy.

Her last delivery of the day made her heartily wish she’d taken the day off. “This is NOT what I ordered,” the old man yelled, waving the package in her face. “This is wrong!”

Tichi cringed. “But – “

“What am I supposed to do with powdered sugar? I’m not a bakery!”

“I don’t – “

“I’M NOT PAYING FOR THIS!”

By this time Tichi was trembling from head to toe. “It’s not my – “

The cranky old man leaned forward, and Tichi cringed away, thinking he was about to hit her with the package. “It’s not my fault she sent the wrong stuff,” she wailed.

[Daniel Connor]

Daniel sighed, ah the sound of coins in his pocket! The last job had required him getting his hands dirty, but he did enjoy working as a bodyguard. People tended to pay better if they were in fear of their lives, and Daniel was one of the best in Syliras, as far as he was aware. His knuckles still had a bit of dried blood on them; he had actually needed to protect his employer from a group of unpleasant men, unlike most contracts like this, where they just paid him to look fierce. Deciding to reward himself for a job well done, he went to lunch at a place a grade above where he usually went. His order was taken almost immediately, a glass of wine brought to his table without a word, and the atmosphere was soothing. Now that he was completing higher paying contracts, he could afford to do this more often. His eyes turned a deep, prideful shade of purple at the thought. Having consumed his food and drink, he exited the restaurant, leaving the waiter a nice tip. Daniel wandered the city, deep in thought, not really caring where he ended up. Though the chill of Fall had set in, his cloak was warm and the fresh air was doing him good. He was roused from his musings by someone shouting across the street. He glanced over to see an old man, outrage written all over his face, roughly holding a package of some sort. He was towering over a girl, who seemed to be in great distress. His irises grew dark, turning a dull grey. He did not like to see anyone get abused, especially if they had not done anything to deserve it. He walked over, slowly picking up speed as he did so. The old man raised up the package as if to strike her and Daniel felt anger course through him, like the tendrils of an icy demon in his veins. He caught his arm harshly and spoke in a low voice, “Stop. Look at me,” the man did so, and he continued, “Right, now I do not tend to like people who abuse women, and, as of now, you fit into that catagory. And do you what people I do not like think of me? Trick question, they think of nothing,” he warned ominously, his eyes slowly returning to a more normal shade, a kind of blue grey. “You will pay the miss, and thank her for delivering such a lovely package to you, won’t you?” he narrowed his eyes, waiting for the man to comply. He did so, looking down at his shoes and then hurrying back off the street in a huff. He turned to the woman, his eyes turning the color of spring grasses, and with concern he asked, “Are you alright miss? I hope I intervened in time to spare you from the old man’s wrath. What is your name?”

[Tichi]

Tichi's eyes widened as a tall man suddenly intervened, forcing the horrid old man to pay her after all. She stood in shock, one hand holding her pay, the other tracing the scar on her right cheek in an unconscious gesture.

She didn't realize at first that she was taking slow steps backward. Whoever he was, he was as tall as her father, and her instincts told her he could be quite dangerous.

Wait, was he saying something?

“Are you alright miss? I hope I intervened in time to spare you from the old man’s wrath. What is your name?”

Tichi realized what she was doing, and forced her feet to stop moving her backward, though they were still set in a stance that would let her take off running in an instant. Her free hand fell down from her face and she tried to respond, but nothing but a small squeak came out. She blinked and swallowed, and tried to stop trembling.

"T - T - Tichi." She stared up at him, eyes still wide.

[Daniel Connor]

Daniel, his eyebrows drawn up with concern for the girl over his eyes that now seemed to be a color that perfectly ebodied how it felt to be beside a warm fire with a cup of something hot. "Tichi, that is a wonderful name," he said in a soothing voice, aware that the girl was very frightened of him. She kept stroking her scar too, he wondered how she had gotten it. Or who had given it to her. The thought made his heart burn with sadness over her past, though, his had been no picnic either. "Do not be scared, for you have no reason to be. Do I even look like someone that would hurt you?" he asked, emploring her to really think about the question. His face was groomed down to the hair; his beard trimmed until it formed perfectly shaped stubble, his complexion fair, and his face, while chizled, still managed to have a more rounded bone tructure than most of his trade. It was the appearance of one that had been through much sorrow, and yet, had a kind heart. Daniel had been alone for most of fall, as his old bond had been severed ubruptly as Sylk had just, one day, vanished without a trace. The hole it had left in him was great, drving him to deep pits of depression. He managed to get out by filling his life up with training, work, and frequent visits to the pub. He had all but recovered from it, and now he felt a pang of sadness, as this girl reminded her of Sylk. Hmm, now that he thought about it, there were a lot of things similar to his old bond. She looked perfictly fine, it was not that, it was the way she acted, the way she carried herself... Well, no better way of finding out answers than by asking questions, as his mentor would say. "Hey, completely random question, are you a Kelivc? I know, it is wierd, but you reminded me of my bond mate...she is gone now," he asked, his eyes growing like the sea on a cloudy day.

[Tichi]

Tichi blinked in confusion, then looked Daniel up and down. Her shoulders relaxed a little. Tall and possibly dangerous, yes, but he didn't seem to be threatening her. Quite the opposite in fact.

She considered his words, frowning. "Yes, I'm Kelvic." She had no idea how to respond to his comment about a bondmate, but something else had caught her attention anyway. She cocked her head and moved closer, peering up at him as curiosity overcame fear.

"Did you know your eyes change color? I've never seen eyes do that before."

[Daniel Connor]

Daniel had been right about Tichi being a Kelvic, and he was glad that even though his bond was gone, she had still helped him with something. His eyes turned the color of quicksilver, as he was thinking of the happy times his bond and he had shared in the past. He snapped back to reality when he noticed the girl was very close to him, her head cocked to the side. Her reasons for doing so became clear when she voice her question. He had long since gotten tired of people asking him this question. But the girl was a Kelvic, so he gave her a smile, his eyes changing to a soft aqua and he answered, “Yes, I did know my eyes change color, it is hard to miss, no? Loads of people comment on it. I am a Vantha, and we have an eye color that matches how were are feeling at the time. It is good, as it is hard for a Vantha to be dishonest, but also a curse, as it can betray your intentions when you need to keep them hidden.” He had briefly slipped into Vani, as he was known to do sometimes when he was thinking of home. “What of you? Tell me your story.”

[Tichi]

"Vantha, Vantha .. oh! I've heard of that." Tichi beamed. "Human from ... somewhere else, I don't think I ever heard where. I didn't quite catch all of that, was some of it that language? I only speak Common. And Squirrel, because I am one, but I don't get the chance to use that as much as I'd like. I'm sure there's more squirrels in the forest I've heard about, but I'm too scared to go by myself."

Her brown eyes turned wistful, then Tichi shook herself visibly and went back to rapid-fire chatter. "Your eyes are really neat, but I can see how it could be a problem sometimes. Maybe you could wear a hood you could pull down low over your eyes if you need to be sneaky. I like being sneaky. Squirrels can get in and out of about anywhere, and nobody pays attention to the occasional squirrel running around. What's your name or did you say and I missed it? And what's a bondmate? Am I talking too much? Sometimes people get this look on their face. I don't see it on yours but sometimes I miss things."

Her stomach growled loudly, and she pressed a hand to it with a startled look. "Oh bother, I forgot to eat again. Wait, you asked me something, didn't you?"

[Daniel Connor]

Daniel blinked, being bombarded with chatter from Tichi. He let out a chuckle, amused by her fast speech, as it was so uncommon. He thought it was rather cute, and said, “I can take you to the forest if you wish, I often go there to think. And yes, there are other squirrels there. Oh, did I start speaking Vani? I apologise, I can not help it sometimes.” Soon after he finished, she started right back up again. She liked being sneaky, huh? Hmm, that was a good skill to have, handy for things that might not be considered ‘legal’. “I forgot to introduce myself, I am Daniel Connor, from the hold of Skyglow. You do talk quite a bit, but I find it quite pleasant,” he said proudly, his eye turning a light gold. How to explain bondmates, he wondered. Sylk had informed him on how it worked after they were bonded, so he knew the gist of it. “Well, a bondmate is the someone you have been searching for all of your life. The whole you sometimes feel deep within you, that is the place where a bond would fit. It can be anyone, really, as long as both parties are willing. It is like love at first sight, but with strong companionship instead of love. That does not mean of course, that bonds can not be lovers, infact that is quite common, I think. I hope that helped,” he explained, pausing frequently so that she could absorb the information. Daniel heard Tichi’s stomach rumble, and she said she had not eaten lunch. “Would you like to eat supper with me, I suppose it is about that time anyway. I have food prepared at home, or if you would like to eat out that is fine too,” he offered, saddened that they were talking while they could be doing the same thing over a hot meal.

[Tichi]

The explanation of bondmates made Tichi's jaw drop and everything else fly right out of her head. "So that's what's wrong with me! Dad never mentioned that. What the heck else didn't he tell me, I wonder? Am I going to turn blue on my second birthday? Do I eventually get stuck in squirrel form? Who knows. Thanks a lot, Dad," she grumbled, one hand reaching back up to the scar on her cheek for a moment.

Her stomach rumbled again, and the scowl cleared from her face as the rest of what he'd said sank in. "Oh. Yes, I need to eat anyway so why not? If you don't mind my chatter. It sounds like you know more about being Kelvic than I do, how's that for irony." Belatedly Tichi remembered her pay from the delivery clutched tightly in her left hand, and shoved it in her pocket. "I wouldn't mind a good meal out, and I have money." She beamed, mood shifting as swiftly as her chatter, and bounced on her toes a little. "Thanks for helping me out with that mean old man, by the way."

[Daniel Connor]

Daniel smiled at her enthusiasm, most people were so dull. She seem to balance him out, a yang to his yin. His calm, cold, collected nature clashed well with her energy and spirit. She was so different than his old bond, but he found that change was sometimes a good thing. “It was what anyone who cared would have done. It was my pleasure to help you, Tichi,” he thanked humbly, his eyes turning a sweet brown, “Shall we be off?” He offered her his arm, as he was brought up to, and together they set off in search of a restaurant that would satisfy their needs. He had one in mind, and was leading her there as they engaged in light, pleasant talk, getting to know each other and the like. They arrive at the Rearing Stallion, a tavern that served great food, though it was always the house special. Daniel opened the door for her and sat down in a table, dimly lit with a lantern. It was quite, as it was an hour before the usually would start to flood in the doors. “Would you like wine, or beer? I shall order us some food, it is very hearty. Oh yes, what I was asking before, what is your story, what brought you to this moment in your life?” Daniel asked broadly, signaling for the bartender to serve them dinner.

OOCWould you like to bond with Daniel? We can have them do it soon if you wish it.