Visitations (Kechaiya)

[Deltan Colari]

Deltan stared blankly at the ghost as it--she?--spoke, entranced by Calyn. A ghost. She could speak, but she had no body to speak with. Deltan wasn't the sort to wonder how that was done, but he couldn't resist feeling a little bit curious. It was interesting, really. Only after contemplating how Calyn spoke did he realize what exactly she had said. Speaking at the same time as Kechaiya, he said hastily, "No," before quickly falling silent and letting Kechaiya speak. It was her business more than his. Noticing her embarrassed flush, Deltan stifled a snigger with only minimal success. He wasn't terribly embarrassed; she seemed nice enough. Pretty, too...But those eyes would take some getting used to. Embarrassed, Kechaiya admitted that she was with someone named "Noven." That was good to know; he'd keep it in mind. Deltan repeated the name to himself a dozen times as Calyn and Kechaiya went on to discuss their mutual past. As Kechaiya spoke of putting flowers on Calyn's grave, the young man was struck with how odd it must have been, telling someone you were paying your respects to them. Being a ghost must be so strange. "Wolves are over in that part of the Beds right now. What do you say about that, Deltan Stick Swinger?" The final part of Calyn's words drew Deltan back out of his thoughts. Wolves. Well, petch. Deltan looked between the two women, one young, vibrant and full of life while the other was quite literally an old shade of what she once was. The young man hefted his stick contemplatively; it was strong enough to crack a few wolf skulls. The question was whether he could aim the cursed thing. Deltan had given his word that he'd protect Kechaiya, and she seemed ready to go on either way. He supposed he'd not be in too much danger, especially since his charge treated the sick and injured for a living. With a sigh, Deltan nodded. "Let's get on with it. Which way?" Deltan then thought of something... "Miss Calyn...?" he asked after a moment, "How...did you..." The young man made a wavy gesture with his free hand that he fancied was mystical, "End up like that?" Once they began walking, whether the question was answered to his satisfaction or not, Deltan would begin humming softly. It was a smooth, tuneless sound, unconsciously taking on the haunting mood of the Dust Bed. The young man's blue eyes glazed over somewhat as he became more in tune with the Djed flowing through his body. It was an incantation of a sort, and one that wouldn't stand out too much most places. If it weren't for the creepy surroundings and serious nature of their errand, he might just have seemed like he wasn't paying attention. The young man's thoughts and gaze were focused on their surroundings, though he did spare time for one thought: I better not end up like Calyn, just for trying to put some flowers in front of her grave.

[Kechaiya]

Kechaiya was pleased that her companion had agreed to escort and protect her while Calyn guided them. Then he asked how Calyn had died and ended up as a ghost. The moment the words left his mouth, the nearby temperature plummeted to freezing, Kech immediately bundling up as tight as she could manage. There was no wind or anything else to explain what caused such a phenomenon, so she had to assume it was Calyn. She didn't know ghosts could do such a thing.

The Konti woman's voice was a bit sad as she started, her features seemingly darker, as she floated past them, leading the way, "There's not a lot to it. A fire broke out in the orphanage, several lives were lost, my own among them." Kechaiya followed after her, teeth chattering. She hated the petching cold. Why couldn't everywhere be wonderful like the deserts of Eyktol? "Before I opened the orphanage, I made my money from the blood of others. And I was the best at it, there was no mark that could escape my blade. But I did have a rival, a woman completely different from me in every way. I was neat, professional, meticulous. She was bloody, brutal, and terribly effective. We butted heads many a time, competing for jobs, and it eventually become a back and forth game of one upping one another."

Calyn didn't seem to be minding the footing as she spoke, since it didn't apply to her. But the graveyard was rocky and hilly, and Kech was finding it difficult to navigate around the tomestones and prickly shrubbery. She kept up, because she'd never heard this story before, "When I retired, so did my rival. For a while she simply enjoyed the money she'd made, and I opened the orphanage and the Cheap Side. In our boredom, we often found ourselves drinking together, telling the stories of our kills, of how we had beaten the other. Those were some of the best times. We had made a pact, that we would die together. I was unable to keep my part of the agreement though, thanks to that damnable fire. So I wait on her to pass, and we can move on together. Jillene will join me one day, and I cannot wait for it."

Kechaiya couldn't believe what she'd heard. She always knew Jillene was a rough tumbler, but she hadn't known that the two of them killed for money, or had even known each other. It was a surprising revelation, Calyn was warm and sweet, and one of the best people she'd ever known in her life. And Jillene while blunt and gruff, was inherently good. But just like Kechaiya, everyone had a past they didn't share often. She continued after the floating woman, when she pointed to a single grave atop a small hill. "That's me." Under the Leth light, Kechaiya could see three wolves sniffing around her grave, and the all looked up, apparently smelling or hearing their approach. They snarled and snapped, not charging, rather, moving toward them, weaving around tombs and stones, light yips as they communicated with one another. "Practice your blade Onyx Eyes. And take lead Stick Swinger."

[Deltan Colari]

Deltan regretted his curiosity immediately; as soon as he asked Calyn how she died, the air around them became frigid. It was much colder than any fall night had a right to be, and Deltan could see his breath misting in the air now. That was new; Deltan had heard of a chill in the air when ghosts passed by, but this went a bit beyond "a chill." The young man listened as Calyn gave her abbreviated life story, and noticed that Kechaiya was paying close attention as well. For being old friends, apparently the old woman hadn't shared everything with Kechaiya. It made sense, after a fashion; when you were dead, secrets didn't matter quite as much. So what if she was an assassin? Not like she could be punished, now. Deltan had heard of stranger things, but a woman who ran an orphanage as an assassin certainly ranked up high on the list. What shocked him was that Jillene, the woman who apparently took over from Calyn, had been even more brutal than the average killer. "Jillene?" Deltan blurted abruptly, eyes wide in surprise. "But... She's blind!" Could she be faking it? Maybe her eyes were white naturally, like Kechaiya's were black. It would be convenient. Few people would bother killing an old, blind woman who took care of unwanted children. Even the worst people had to feel bad about doing something like that. Deltan was glad for the moon's light; it let him see the wolves clearly as they approached. His humming continued unabated, though he began shifting his stick in light swings, almost like a sideways pendulum. Using Flux to increase speed was a poor choice; if he already had some force behind it, he could focus on making this piece of wood into an actual weapon. Deltan took a deep breath, reminding himself to remain utterly calm. Excitement meant mistakes and, worse, the rush of power that inevitably came with heavy Flux usage. Too much and he would rip his own body to shreds...And very likely Kechaiya as well, if he lost his mind before he lost his body. Calm... It was like practice. At Calyn's command, Deltan nodded and stepped forward, trying to suppress the nervous fear he felt. It only partially succeeded; the focused, emotionless expression that had covered his face as he prepared himself mentally slipped somewhat, and he had to force himself to keep up his humming. It helped him focus, and diverted his attention away from his emotions. The young man considered hypnotism briefly, but wasn't entirely certain that it would work on wolves. Did animals get affected by hypnotism? He would have to try it, sometime. Deltan waited for the wolves to make the first move, holding the stick with both hands. Whichever one leaped at him first would find a heavy stick swinging, Flux-fueled, toward its side. Deltan couldn't aim for the head; that would not slow his stick down enough. It had to be in the center of mass, so he could bring his weapon about again relatively quickly. Carefully, Deltan managed his Flux. Not too much Djed in one place, no blow too hard. He did not want to risk tearing muscles or shattering bones. He knew he would likely be sore for a long while after this, but that was all part of the cost of using Flux. It had to be accepted. Whether Kechaiya got involved or not, Deltan would keep fairly close to her, ready to bring his weapon to bear on anything that tried to come at her. He would not see her harmed, if it could be helped.

[Kechaiya]

Kechaiya nodded at Calyn's words, finding a strange confidence from them. Calyn always seemed to know people's limitations, and just how much push they needed for growth. "Onyx Eyes, you need more reach. Think. That big brain of yours is your best weapon." She watched as a wolf crept toward her, studying her, to see if she was a prey it wanted to tackle. Kechaiya noticed that the wolves looked small, malnourished, perhaps that was why they were sniffing around the graveyard. But how could she get more reach? It wasn't as if she had a big ol' stick to swing like some redheads. Wait. Swing? She did have something she could swing.

Dropping the flowers momentarily, slipping her pack from her shoulders, she held it firmly in her left hand, drawing her dagger with her right. She couldn't feel it, but she felt as if Calyn would be nodding, not smiling, just nodding like she always used to. The wolf kept coming closer and closer, unsure but hunger making it desperate, snapping and snarling at her. That gave her an idea, no matter how ridiculous it seemed in her head. She snarled back, opened her maw and hissed at the wolf, and held her weapons up. Wolves weren't the only scary things in this petching cemetery.

And for a moment, the wolf agreed. Or perhaps was just startled. It stopped for a moment, reconsidering its odds. But it kept moving forward, one paw at a time. When it was close enough, it went all in, charging, and that was when Kechaiya swung a wide arcing swing. She had swung a bit late, missing the head entirely, striking the wolf in its hind hips, throwing her off balance, stumbling to her left. The wolf had stumbled as well, and was scrambling to get its feet beneath it. It crept closer, and she swung again, only this time, the wolf caught it in its jaws and started shaking the pack. Kechaiya held onto it, moving the strap into the crook of her elbow to better keep it. The wolf was dragging her closer, downward.

Then she realized that was exactly what she needed. After all, her dagger was in hand. She fumbled for a bit, trying to shift the grip so the blade was downward instead of upward. She nearly lost the blade when the wolf pulled hard, growling. She waited for it to pull like that again, and when it did, she came toward it and slammed the blade as hard as she could toward the body. There was a yelp and the pressure on the pack was released. She'd hit, unintentionally, between the shoulder blades, and the dog went limp.

Looking over she saw the third wolf, the one not dealing with Deltan sneaking around him. She was afraid that if she called out to him, he would lose his focus and he'd fall. She began tugging at her blade, finding it lodged deep, probably having struck bone or lodged in a joint. "To left!" She had to risk it.

[Vanari]

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