The Problematic Injury (Alice)

[Vapis]

Summer 30, 511 AV

To put it simply, Vapis was in trouble. He was walking quickly one of the side-streets of the city of Mura, a thick white liquid dripping slowly from a gaping hole in his arm. As he moved, the ichor splashed against the already moist streets, leaving a silvery streak to mark his passing.

Where can I go...? He wondered, doing his best to ignore the pain he felt I suppose I could seek the graveyard and a new body, but I don't even know where that is. He gnashed his teeth in frustration. Normally, the first thing he did when he got to a new city was to find the graveyard (or wherever the dead were buried) in case of a situation just like this. But in Mura, for whatever reason, he had neglected to do so, and now it was back to haunt him.

At that thought, Vapis let out a low chuckle. If he didn't find a graveyard soon, he would be the one haunting. With a final sigh, he realized he would have to ask someone where the graveyard was. He moved into the main street, and ignoring the strange looks he got, tapped a konti on the arm.

"Excuse me" He said, in his most polite voice "But could you tell me where the graveyard is...?"

[Alice]

Indeed, there were strange looks, although the Konti were way too polite and tolerant to ask him what was wrong or accuse him of staining blooming bushes, plants and grass with his ichor. However, someone had already made a decision and was on their way to inform the Taviasa. The white liquid needed to be cleaned away. Some of it would probably land in the hands of the Opal Order, in their laboratories and stored away for later experiments. For the time being, however, the workings in Konti society went unnoticed by the owner of the white liquid. When he addressed a Konti who had been walking past him, not gracing him with a single glance, she jumped and froze. Then she turned around, remnants of shock still evident in her watery eyes. Like all Konti, she was clad in scales that shimmered in a pastel blue hue and ran up and down her shoulders, arms and legs, wrapping around her neck. She wore a simple white and yellow dress, made of light fabric for the Summer. Her hair was short and pure white, messy curls at the back of her head. When she heard his words, her eyes widened and she took a step back. As if to protect herself, she raised pale hands in front of her body. Translucent webbing between her fingers shimmered in the sun. “The graveyard ...?” she repeated. Then her gaze adopted a steely expression and she sighed. “I must ask you what kind of reason you have to look for a graveyard, Sir. I understand you have... some sort of problem. But wouldn’t the Opal Temple be the better option?” Naturally, she hinted at his injury and the ichor dripping from it. If in doubt about an injury, go to the Opal Temple. All Konti knew as much.

[Vapis]

Vapis sighed inwardly when she raised her hands, mentally smacking himself. What had he been thinking? Of course a Konti wouldn't understand. She would assume he had done something stupid and was going to accept his death and go to his grave. If only he had gone to the graveyard first he wouldn't be having this problem now! He heard her say something about the Opal Order and took a breath to protest

"Ma'am, I am beyond anyone's medical help. I do not wish to be heretical, but Rak'keli herself could not heal this wound. I need to go to the graveyard, not to die, but survive. I died a long tme ago, but I still inhabit a body thanks to a very complicated ritual. If I can find an appropriate cadaver-even an animal's corpse would be acceptable for a time-then I can continue my existence. Unless I procure a suitable body within a few hours or so, I will die for good."

Vapis hoped that his speech would be sufficient to at least get an audience with the Opal Temple so that they might grant him a body.

[Alice]

Plot Notes The Konti listened to his speech and observed him at the same time. The weird foreigner started to make sense in her eyes. She gasped when he spoke of his undeath and reached out with a hand as if to touch his skin. It lingered in mid-air, however, and didn’t touch his skin. Would it be warm, the illusion of life? Or would it be ice-cold and rotting? Such were the things she wondered. Eventually she burst into short laugh, her voice tinged with just a little nervousness. “So what you’re trying to say is you’re a Nuit? And you can even live in the corpse of an animal? Their souls don’t work like ours, you know.” She planted her hands at her hips and looked him up and down once more. Obviously she couldn’t get enough of him. Nuit were rare. They hid in the wilderness, they visited human cities, but not Konti Isle. Most were terrified of water, especially the sea, since it made their skin dry and age too quickly. A large number of them gathered in Sahova, the Konti knew, but she didn’t want to think about them. A power-hungry and dangerous lot, she had heard from the few adventurers who had left the island alive. But the exemplar in front of her couldn’t possibly come from Sahova. Eventually she turned around and cast a glance over her slender shoulder. “I’ll take you to the Opal Temple then. Honestly don’t know what to do with you. I mean, don’t you have respect for the dead? What about the person whose body you’re occupying now?” She was probably rambling, she thought. Her steps were quick as she led the way through the broad pathway that was Mura’s main street, between trees and bushes, between trickles of water in the high grass and small ponds, messages of Silver Lake, with fish glittering under the surface. Soon a white building, one tower framing it on each side, appeared behind the treetops. The Konti didn’t enter the main building, instead she turned left. Once inside, Vapis would realize it had to be the clinic, a place where healers diagnosed patients, tended to their injuries or illnesses and cared for those who were too fragile to live on their own. The walls were white, the rooms were white. Paintings showed scenes with a woman healing several people or animals, probably Rak’keli, and loads of greenery and life. Eventually the Konti stopped to address one of her sisters. Clad in white robes, like most of them. “Majira?” white robes responded and listened. Just when she started inspecting Vapis, another Konti joined the group and grinned at him. “A Nuit? My, my, what precious white blood you have here! Would you mind if I borrow some of it for experiments?” Both Konti stared at her, the glint in her turquoise eyes, but white robes decided to ignore her and said: “What’s your name, Nuit? Why are you here? And what kind of body do you hope to acquire?”

[Vapis]

Vapis felt a tidal wave of emotion as the woman reached out to touch him, then stopped, and retracted her hand. A surge of disgust filled him, both for himself and for the woman. He was not a monster, surely she saw that? Vapis felt betrayed by the Konti, as if, by refusing to touch him, she had dubbed him an abomination, a freak. He turned his head away from her ever so slightly, barely able to contain his outrage.

When the woman correctly identified hm as a Nuit, he nearly laughed in relief. He had feared, if only for a moment, that she would call him a bugga-boo, or a ghoul, or some other creature manufactured to scare small children at night. At least now he knew this was a relatively smart and (hopefully) unsuperstitious woman, who would probably get him some kind of a body. At her question, he gave a small shrug "Yes, I am a Nuit. I originally died about 40 years ago, and, fortunately I haven't had to inhabit an animal body in that period. However, I was assured by my creator that it was indeed possible, and depending on the circumstances, sometimes preferrable. Besides, I don't think souls matter all that much post mortem." He chuckled.

Vapis looked down at his one good arm. The hand and forearm were cracked and dry, with tiny hints of rot beginning. Even if he hadn't totally decimated his arm he would have needed a new body desperately. He had barely gotten this body 6 months ago and it was already beginning to break down and decay, as all his bodies did. He suddenly regretted coming here. He had hoped to, just maybe, find a life here, but the isle was much too small for that, the Konti too aware. He couldn't be just another faceless bystander if there was always a face and a name for every body. Besides, he didn't really like female bodies to begin with.

Vapis followed the woman as she began to walk toward the Opal Temple. "The Opal Temple..." Vapis repeated slowly. He knew they handled most medical matters on the Isle. Hopefully they'd lose someone and he could perform his ritual. With any luck, it would be a fatal disease, or a choking perhaps. Heart problems were good too. They did nothing to the outside, and didn't interfere with the ever important brain. The Konti said something about respect for the dead, and Vapis laughed loud and heartily, belaying the fact that he appeared mortally injured. "Respect for the dead? My dear madam, by all medical standards, I am dead! Besides, the way I see it, no one else is using the body, so why shouldn't I benefit from it?" Here, his flippant attitude faded somewhat "In all honesty, I don't know the name of the body I'm currently in. He was lying on the side of the road, no pulse, no breathing, so I took it as a blessing and performed my ritual."

Vapis nearly had to jog to keep pace with the Konti's brisk pace as she moved down the main road, ignoring the dozens of curious, rude and occasionally alarmed looks he was gettting from the people going about their daily lives.What idiots He thought, flicking his black tongue out at a goggling child. Can't they see I'm a person too?This train of thought was cut short as they reached the Opal Temple, a huge white building with a tower on each side and entered a side door.

It was very obviously a small clinic for diagnosing and treating minor illnesses before a patient was allowed into the main hospital. There were dozens of paintings of Rak'keli and healers saving people's lives and curing terrible diseases. How incredibly imaginative Vapis thought dryly, looking at the paintings. But I suppose they are appropriate for a clinic. Still, what's with the obsession with white? I swear, I'm going to go blind just from the glare. As these thoughts were running through his head, the Konti who'd brought him here addressed one of the white-robed women bustling around.

However, as soon as Majira began to look over Vapis' wound, a third Konti bounded over and gave a smiled that would have given him a tan, had he been able to get one. After she'd asked fo his blood, he raised an eyebrow "What, not even dinner first? At least tell me your name."

White-Robes cut in and, ignoring the other two, spoke directly to Vapis.
He answered quickly and without emotion "My name is Vapis. If at all possible I'd like a humanoid, male body in relatively good shape. However, female or animal bodies would be acceptable as a last resort."