Where The Heart Is (Reven)

[Annalisa Marin]

61st of Spring, 514 AV

Inks, brushes, and parchment were arrayed upon the workplace in a mishmash of chaos and disorder and were a far cry from organized. There were a few half completed sketches here and there upon the desk, mixed in with strange and artfully intricate arcane shapes that represented a torn mind and state. The two different styles showed vastly different levels of skill, the arcane Glyphs looking masterfully drawn, no mistakes made and within the community of wizards they would be considered master pieces to be studied. The sketches and drawings meanwhile were basic things, resembling the original things they were drawn from usually only when put up next to the originator. A flower with petals that were asymmetrical, a hand with a finger too long, a ring with symbols looking distorted.

Light pooled into the small room, Syna casting her glow upon a dark haired woman who possessed hair falling about her head in a tangled mess. Her clothing was common all things considered, a brown tunic and trousers adorning her body and possessed the occasional blotch of ink upon them. She looked rather as though she had just woken up, and really she had not too long ago in the very same chair she was sitting in. The tall woman was hunched over her work, gritting her teeth as she looked from the Glyphs to the sketches.

She didn’t understand it, what was she missing in this whole process of her art that continued to elude her? Annalisa Marin groaned loudly as she thought it over, this impossible situation in her mind and one that irritated her. She had finally managed to escape Sahova; she had fled from it all and settled down in a large city far from it. Having seen what magic could do to one and suspecting that tales of her using it could draw the ear of the undead, she opted to forego and job that used magic. Hence she had become something of a mediocre artist, though that might have been a kind way of putting it.

Was she happy though? That was the thousand Miza question the tall woman had yet to answer in her time in this life, in this commonality she had been trying so long to escape. The former sorceress honestly did not know, she felt safer and though she was something of a recluse at least she was not on Sahova. However happiness was still not something she was certain she could call her own. Rhysol’s mark still adorned her body, pushing her to seek to spread some chaos though her acts here had been minor and usually were harmless.

Was she happy? Anna wanted to say no, she wanted to cast aside this life and having to worry about saving every miza as it came her way and simply accept the magic that still flowed through her veins. She wanted to be powerful deep down, to display that power to the entire world. She hated this pathetic life on some levels, hated the lesser being she had become as she lived to the dictation of another. Part of her wanted to accept the Glyphs she was currently looking down at, to embrace her magic for all it was.

Was she happy? She couldn’t bring herself to honestly say no, as there were certain things about her life that she regarded with warmth. She enjoyed owning this small house, she enjoyed being able to go to the market on some levels and buy actual food, and she liked when those few people she regarded as friends actually genuinely laughed at her jokes. She liked feeling human, feeling like an actual person and not a cold lifeless undead thing. Was that happiness? Was that why she still wanted to continue to try the sketches again?

Anna sighed as she always did upon pondering this, placing the pair of drawings down upon the desk and standing slowly from her chair. She felt rather like an old soul, yet she was young and still full of life when another looked upon her. No one in this place could know the horrors she had witnessed, nor the blood staining her hands crimson that would never wash out no matter how hard she tried. The nightmares were bad of course, but the sorceress liked to think she could manage them now that she had certain priorities.

The former sorceress padded from the room on bare feet, closing and locking the door to her room behind her. She slipped the key into her pocket and walked to the room next to hers and paused before the door, a small smile playing at her lips. There was one thing in her life she knew that was not a mistake, one thing she didn’t regard with only regret. She was different others said, but the former sorceress hardly cared about that.

“It’s well past the 8th bell, my daughter. Get up and get dressed, I’ll have breakfast ready soon.” The tall woman said, rapping a bit on the door before heading down the small hall to the main room.

The house was a small affair, two small bedrooms, a privy, and a main room with a hearth, and a table with two chairs. There was a cupboard and also a supply chest that held the food for the house; all in all it was a rather humble affair. The former sorceress stooped over the hearth, having to resist the urge to generate res and instead gripped the flint and tender with a heavy sigh. After having used magic for so long, it was difficult to get into the habit of not using it for even the little mundane things. Her daughter didn’t know about that side of her though, and Anna hoped she never found out.

[Reven Heath]

Brown tresses bounced around flush, plump cheeks as a tiny voice whispered words to the dolls held within soft, small hands. The child had slipped out of bed early that morning and with quiet steps, taken to her toys her mother had purchased with excitement. She didn't want her mother to know she had woken early just to spend more time with her dolls. They were the only people who understood her, aside from her mother.

Reven sat on the cold floor, a large, cream colored tunic donning her form as her dolls danced playfully in front of her. Hazel eyes were alight, entertained by the story playing out in front of her. It was a familiar story, one she repeated often but had no idea why the tale was so captivating. “No!” The Kelvic cried softly, mocking pain, “Oh, my love has left me! How am I going to live?!”

“But mommy, I'll keep you company, I love you!”

With a dramatic turn of the doll, Reven threw her away. “No! I must find my love! We can never see each other again!”

The doll remaining in her small hand wobbled in the direction the feline had thrown the other, “Don't worry, I'll—“

The sound of soft wood creaking open alerted the Kelvic that her mother had finished her daily muses and returned from the mysterious room Reven always wanted to venture into. Grabbing her dolls, she quickly scrambled back into bed just before she heard the pleasant tones of her mother's voice call to her. For a tick, an odd sensation fell over her. As if a dark fog had fallen onto the young child's mind, beckoning to her the truth. With ignorance and ease, Reven pushed it aside before becoming completely enveloped within the comfort of her mother's presence.

Scrambling from the sheets, Reven reached up to the door knob, her head just barely gracing the bottom of it. With a slight tug, she pushed the door open and crept after her mother, planning to scare her in the morning hour. Bare feet stepped forward, knowing which boards to avoid to ensure her successful sneak attack on the woman. The hushed surprise made her want to giggle because it was not often Reven had the chance to creep up on her mother like this. She understood most of the time, the woman merely feigned shock but this time was different.

Predator eyes landed on dark locks hanging from the head of a familiar form, the brown tunic she wore scented with a strange smell that the Kelvic ignored. With obvious, and not so quiet steps, Reven thudded her heels into the floor. Her small frame hid behind the chair and table while her mother moved to the hearth. The smile that played on her young lips suddenly faded for a moment as she glanced upon the expression of her mother. Reven noticed she looked deep in thought, perplexed by something as she reluctantly grabbed at the materials to start a fire. It was not a rare sight to behold on the woman and trouble the Kelvic to no end as to what could put such a face on her beautiful mother's complexion.

Turning to the room her mother exited from, Reven knew it was locked. It was always locked and almost every time, her mother came from such a place with the same emotions and scents settled onto her frame. What was in that room? The Kelvic's curiosity was bubbling.

One way or another, she would find out.

Her youthful gaze returning to the woman before her, Reven crouched down much like the cat she was before running out from behind the table.

“Aahhh!” She shouted, giggles erupting from her as Reven ran to her mother, throwing her arms around her. “Heheh, I got you mommy. Surprise!” Smiling, it was obvious the young girl had lost one of her two front teeth and just recently, her kelvic fangs had started growing in. To think the child standing before her was only five months old...

“I was awake the whole time and you didn't even know, heheh.” Stepping back from the woman, Reven had her dolls tucked in her hands still, holding them out. “Tali and Kava wanted to say good morning. They weren't getting along earlier so I had to tell them to be friends. I had to talk to them awhile but now they're friends again, aren't I great mommy?”

Flashing her mother a smile, the tiny child waved her arms about, signaling to her that she wanted to be picked up and loved on. “Are you gonna play dolls with me today?” Reven asked innocently.

Truth be told, she was hoping her mother would be busy with other chores. The feline wanted to see what was in that room.

[Annalisa Marin]

Anna was not fond of using flint and tender, she knew how to use it but it was not as easy as simply creating a tiny bit of res and igniting it. Not using her personal magic was a lot like cutting off a limb; it crippled her to a large degree and even made her sad at times. The dark haired woman struck the flint and steel against each other over the wood of the hearth, the strikes firm. After about five solid hits she finally gave birth to a spark that slowly started to ignite the hearth, bring a smile to the tall woman’s face as she stood again.

So engrossed in her task she had been the woman had not actually noticed the little bundle of energy she shared a roof with until she had been pounced upon. Anna found her legs hugged tightly and looked down at the girl clinging to her, any traces of coldness in her heart melting at the sight of the girl. She knew who she was of course, she recognized her daughter anywhere though for a tick she had to actually thing about her name. It came to her through the fog, and all continued as before seamlessly with Anna not questioning it.

Reven… she was such an odd child, unnatural some had called her due to her extremely rapid growth though Anna had possessed enough experience with Kelvic to know what they were. Her racial difference did not change the fact that the former sorceress had brought her into the world; nothing would make the woman think less of her. Five months had passed, only five months and in that time she had gone from changing diapers to buying dolls for the Kelvic. At this rate Anna had fear in her heart that she would outlive her daughter, but it was nothing she had ever vocalized aloud.

Anna laughed at the tiny bundle of energy and allowed a genuine smile to grace her features, nothing but pure warmth in her heart in this moment. It was moments like these that were why she could not say that she wasn’t happy, Anna might not have been wealthy or powerful but she loved her daughter dearly. If she could ensure that her life was happy, that there was no pain or suffering in her life like the sorceress herself had experienced then she could say that she had done something truly good. That her life had not been wasted and that not everything was about pain and death.

“Mmm, you are mischievous little kitten aren’t you, Reven? You aren’t great though, my girl.” Anna said as she bent down a scooped the girl up in her arms, holding her tightly.

“You are the sweetest, most beautiful daughter a mother could ever ask for and I love you.” The woman said, pecking her on the cheek.

Her strides carried them over to the table, where the woman gently lowered Reven into her chair and smiled down at her. Something about her broke through all of the arrogance and ugliness that Anna tried to project to the world, she wasn’t quite sure what it was but the tall woman didn’t mind. Without Reven she’d be alone in this life where she hid herself away from the rest of the world, cold and without anyone to love. Unfortunately, she needed to hide from Reven as well; she just couldn’t bear the thought of her learning of her darkest of secrets.

“Mommy most certainly will play dolls with you, Reven. After we are done eating we’ll go to your room and play for a while. After that, I’ll need to work a bit today.” Anna said, kissing the crown of the girl’s head.

It was then that the woman realized that they had no water at the moment, which meant making a quick trip out to the well to get a bucket or two filled up. Well, she had already gotten the hearth lit up and Reven had her dolls with her so the tall woman supposed she could wait. She bit her bottom lip as she looked to the door, hating to leave her daughter on her own but it was necessary at the moment unfortunately.

“Mommy has to make a quick trip out to the well, Reven. Why don’t you play with your dolls until I get back? Once I return we’ll eat, and then we’ll play. I promise.” Anna said, walking to the door.

At the side of the door there were two pairs of sandals, one larger and one smaller and fitted to a child’s size. She'd probably need to increase their size a few months from now if Reven continued to grow as she had, with some dismay she reflected she’d probably be an adult in a year or two. Nothing could be done about that unfortunately, that was the hand fate had dealt them and it was best that they made the best of it. The former sorceress still had yet to tell her daughter just what she was, a conversation for another day most likely.

“Be good, I won’t be gone long.” Anna said, slipping on her sandals and gripping two buckets before head out of the house.

[Reven Heath]

Tilting her head to the side, eyes shining curiously at her mother's words, Reven wrapped her arms around Anna when the woman lifted her up. Nuzzling her nose against her mother's cheek, the Kelvic smiled when she received a kiss and holding her dolls up as they too, wanted morning kisses.

The tiny girl appreciated her dolls as if they were actual living people, playing with them, loving them, even getting into arguments with them like they were talking back to her. Sometimes the conversations were so real, laced with details even a five month old Kelvic should not have known, that it would leave adults put off. Reven knew she was different. Grown ups never tried to hide it and even when they were being nice, she could see that they would not accept her as she was. This is why she clung to her dolls so fiercely. They were her only friends and sometimes, when the shadows of truth would fog over her mind, she understood how sad that realization was.

Her small form settled easily in the chair, however, Reven did not want to be released from her mother's grip just yet. Reven clung onto her shirt for a moment, her eyes sad and needy, but with little effort from the woman, the feline released her. “Mommy..!”

Fingers reaching out once more, the Kelvic attempted to grab onto the fabric of her shirt but it was too late. With a kiss to her head, her mother had already moved away to prepare breakfast. Reven didn't like it when her mother left her side. It made her unease in an instinctual way, feeling as if she was out in the open, alone. The tiny girl knew this wasn't the case, since her mother was standing before her that very moment, but sometimes she felt the two were further apart than the ground to the sky.

It was her mother's voice that coaxed the unruly behavior from sparking up as she answered Reven about playing dolls. Oh, she was excited now! Still, a small part of her was upset that she wouldn't have a chance to look into the locked room... Hazel eyes landed upon the old wooded door as if it had called her attention, whispering sweet words as the door took on a dark, menacing appearance. Shadows slithered, sliding against the frame while all light appeared swallowed by the black abyss it was morphing into.

Reven looked away, frightened. Very slowly, she turned back, steady eyes glancing upon the regular old, wooden frame of the door. There didn't seem to be anything menacing about it. However, the Kelvic had seen a darkness like that. At some point, she knew she had... Familiar, endless... As if she had dreamt of it a time before. It was unusual because at the present moment, her mind took on an unnatural clarity that beckoned her to the shadows, to release her present conscious from the world. The grasp on her mind seemed almost tempted, as if sleep was to take her, before the tall figure of her mother came into view and it was gone again.

How very strange...

Reven's attention fell to her dolls, rousing a smile to her youthful lips as she began to play with them. “Okay mommy.” She answered her mother, too engrossed in her activity to pay much attention to what Anna was saying. The front door clicked softly closed after a tick and, without the presence of her mother, brought to the child the same whispers as before. They were softer, however, less obvious than the precious moment. Nevertheless, it made Reven slide from her chair as wonder pushed her to edge toward the door. Her bare feet padded hesitantly toward the door at first, then suddenly tapped over to it with the intention to examine it.

Crouching onto the floor, the Kelvic peered into the room through the crack at the bottom of the wooden barrier. Reven couldn't tell what exactly occupied the room, but she could see some sheets of paper had fallen onto the floor and smelled the strange scent. It smelled like ink! But what was ink?

Reven stood up, peering at the handle. It was locked... She knew it to be locked. But somehow, the cougar child felt in her gut that the door was open this time. For many ticks, Reven stood there, eyeballing the knob as if the answer would spell out on it. Then, very slowly, she reached her tiny fingers up around it, gliding over cold, dirtied metal, before twisting. It was as if time had slowed, the sound of the knob straining against her hold as she welcomed it to release from its restraints, to allow her into the room. Then, very slowly, she met with a stop, indicating the knob had been turned as far as it could go and gave an echoing click.

The noise popped out against the silence of the room and before she knew it, the door had creaked opened...

[Annalisa Marin]

Syna’s light shone brightly down upon the world, people already out and about to go about their own lives. Anna passed by a few individuals, keeping her head down and attempting to appear as inconspicuous as possible. Her steps were set upon the path to a large well, a few other women there already and chattering away among themselves. The tall woman was not exactly the most social of creatures in the town, all most knew about her was that she was some form of artist, that she had a daughter, and was not a native. Some she knew more than others, but rarely did she reveals facts about her past other than perhaps Zeltiva being her birth city.

Anna opted not to indulge in conversation when she arrived and the little gossiping group seemed to quiet down. The tall woman resisted the urge to grit her teeth, the weight of the gaze of others falling over her in a rather irritating manner. Or perhaps she had retained her rather irrational paranoia from Sahova. In any even Anna opted to just finish her task and then head back home to Reven, tying a rope around the handle of the bucket and starting to lower it in.

Yet another pang of regret was sent through her mind, the knowledge that her magic could have just easily filled the buckets. Petch she could have filled the well itself with enough water and still have some left over to spare, the mastery of the elements being hers. Instead she was forced to lower herself to this level where she gathered water like a peasant. She was bitter on some level, who wouldn’t have been really? However compared to dealing with the horrors of Sahova, the terrors that walked those halls it was something she could overlook.

Anna finished filling one of the buckets and then strained her arms to bring it back up, her own strength being anything but considerable. The dark haired woman grunted as she pulled it up, wrapping her long pale fingers around the handle and putting it down to the side. Then Anna lowered the second one down, flicking her grey eyes to the others woman who had started to talk amongst themselves again. Then one, a brown haired middle aged woman cleared her throat and smiled at the former sorceress.

“Good Morning, Miss Marin, how is the home and daughter?” She asked politely.

“Both are fine, Reven especially is healthy and well.” Anna answered, her tone curt as she drew the bucket back up.

“I hear she’s growing up pretty quickly. Wasn’t about five months ago you were carrying a swollen belly, right?” She inquired, drawing a brief look from Anna.

“…Yes, that sounds about right. In any event, I bid you a good morning as well ladies.” Anna answered, gripping the second bucket’s handle and striding off after a brief incline of her head in a respectful manner.

The path back to her house was quite as per the norm, occasionally she rustled shoulders with this person or that on the way back. It had always been questions like that recently, regarding the brief amount of time between Reven’s birth and rapid maturing. It was irritating and she could only imagine what would come next if Reven continued to grow at this pace, hopefully nothing bad. Anna had more than enough to worry about without needing to be concerned about potential discrimination that Reven might face.

“Reven, I’m back dear.” Anna said, stepping inside and setting the buckets down.

The tall woman then noted that Reven was not at the table, her grey eyes scanning the room but finding no trace of the Kelvic. After a bit of looking she did note the light shining through the window in her own room shining into the hall. Eyes widened comically wide in fear as she found herself scrambling loudly towards her open room, cursing mental. She would swing around to stand at the door frame, her expression one of worry and anger that her personal space had been so profaned.

“Reven, what are you doing in here!?” Anna bellowed, grey eyes flashing in fury as she would regard the tiny child.