[Job Thread: Auldwin] This Horse is Possessed

[Caoin]

Well, Caoin’s day was about to take a turn from interesting to downright paranormal. She’d found nothing wrong with the mare, except for the strange black mist coming from her nose. Mist which seemed to be making the mare’s breath abnormally cold, icy cold, far colder than it ever got in Endrykas. And then that very cold, very black smoke came billowing out at the girl, causing her to stumble backwards as she attempted to move out of the way. The horse too moved backwards, away from the smoke and rider as it regained control of its body. The poor beast seemed confused as it came to a halt and stood its ground, staring through the materializing figure at Caoin as if asking her for instruction.

Caoin hesitated, watching the smoke figure that was forming, unsure of what it was or how to handle it or why it had just come out of the mare’s nose like some gassy snot. Needless to say, the woman was nearly in shock, and it was only concern for the mare that kept her mind in the present enough that she could still function. Cautiously she skirted around the smoke to get to the mare, one hand reaching out and under the horse’s neck so that she could place it against the side of the horse’s head. She stroked gently, trying to calm and soothe the horse, unsure of exactly what the ordeal it had just experienced had done to it. Of course, at that point, Caoin's attempts to soothe the horse, were possibly just disguised efforts to keep herself from freaking out.

Not entirely sure as to what was going on, and with a horse that seemed exhausted and unwilling to move, Caoin could do nothing but watch as the black smoke took on the form of… a man? Now, Caoin knew that the Drykas people had spiritual healers and clansmen who dealt with spirits, people that they called ghosts, but she had never come into contact with one and had only heard tales of the strange things that happened when ghosts were around. She blinked at the ghost-man as he offered her a simple greeting, and in Pavi, no less. Was he really a ghost?

“Ah… he… helloooo…” Caoin responded hesitantly, drawing out the ‘Oh’ sound of ‘hello’ a little longer than needed as her head tilted to one side and she examined him with one raised brow. Her face seemed oddly contorted in a weird expression of surprise and disbelief, with a hint of curiosity. It might seem like a rather comical moment to someone who wasn’t in the thick of it. For Caoin, it was a very unique first experience. Really, how many people could say that they’d had a horse sneeze a ghost at them?

MizNo Word Count466

[Auldwin]

Auldwin looked for a moment upon the girl. She wasn't running in terror, so Auldwin chalked it up to a half decent meeting. Beyond trying to rationalize the Ghost's existence, those that couldn't mentally handle the sight of one, or whom had heard nothing but proverbial 'ghost stories' often ran. The Drykas were a spiritual people, or at least so it had seemed, and Auldwin found himself more often then not met with perhaps some suspicion, but otherwise no hostility. The lands within the Sea of Grass weren't so accepting to spirits as Black Rock, but in a place where the dead outnumbered the living that type of arrangement was understandable.

Auldwin could look down and see the disruption in his Soulmist, some of it having been sheered away, perhaps left inside of the horse or simply burned into nothingness. Soulmist was a remarkable thing though, it could replenish itself given some time, just like a Human being could heal and rejuvenate their strength. Attempting to find some better cohesion, Auldwin attempted to Materialize what was left of his form, creating a slightly more observable body to his mist. At the very least Caoin could now more clearly make out that Auldwin was certainly a man of an average build, and considering the type of dress he wore, it actually seemed rather appropriate for the fall or winter seasons within Cyphrus.

"Not scared enough to run? Your parents didn't try to scare you from Ghosts too much?" he continued in Pavi. Pavi was a difficult language, especially as a Ghost. A great deal of it was body language, and although Auldwin certainly seemed to be attempting his best at it, not having a physical body created some curious restrictions. Still she could see his Soulmist losing some of it's transparency and beginning to seem more 'real'. As it happened the words he spoke were more clear, but common would always be Auldwin's first language.

He took a moment to look toward the horse. She was stunned and tired, but overall not injured in anyway. When Auldwin was a newer, less experienced Ghost he had some involvement with the Possession of animals, but it had a tendency to turn sour, and some of his non-Human hosts had died. Through further experimentation, Auldwin had grown quite adept at allowing the material form he Possessed to get out of a bout of Possession with fewer side effects, and no physical ailments. "I have been borrowing the horse of the Drykas to understand." he pointed at the mount, continuing his conversation in Pavi, "Understand the horse body, inside and out. It is much different from Human."

[Caoin]

Caoin could really only stare as the appearance of the man before her became a little more cohesive with time. He didn’t seem like he was a Drykas, but he spoke her language well enough, despite some sort of foreign accent. Who was he?

He spoke to her and her brain registered the words that he spoke, but was too busy processing everything that was happening for her to formulate an immediate response to what he said. Instead, she stood in shocked silence, staring at him, almost rudely. The woman did manage to offer one or two very slow nods, whether what the ghost had said actually warranted a nod or not. You would think the girl had been struck dumb… well… she sort of had since she seemed to be in shock.

“I… umm… you what?” Slowly, but surely, the situation was sorting itself out in Caoin’s head. “Wait… so… you’re the reason she was going crazy?” Caoin’s speech was broken up with pauses as she considered her words and struggled to put together what had happened and what the ghost meant. Neurons were firing, signals were being sent, thoughts were forming. Yes, connections were being made. The ghost had somehow taken control of her horse, from the inside, and had been attempting to learn how to make it move like a horse was supposed to move. “So, she’s going to be ok right? You didn’t break her did you?” It was a relevant question since Caoin knew nothing about what the ghost had done and whether it was harmful to the horse physically or mentally.

Caoin didn’t really have time to be afraid of the ghost, per say, when her boss would be far more frightening if she came back with a strider that was less of an animal than what it had been when she had taken it out. The ghost was the least of her problems.

MizNo Word Count320

[Auldwin]

Ok, so maybe it wasn't the perfect reaction. Clearly she was slightly befuddled by Auldwin's appearance, but the more the girl spoke the more it seemed like things were coming together. Explaining ones existence as a Ghost wasn't exactly an easy task. If Auldwin had the chance to tell himself in years past about life...or rather 'death' as a Ghost, he wouldn't have understood it either. "Yes." he replied to her question, but that sort of response required a bit more explanation, "The horse was not crazy, I just have difficulty working a horse body. Four legs, heavy trunk, strange eye placement, very hard to move." he sorted the facts out before her.

To a person who had never worn a horse's body like a coat, were those really facts though? Ok, so being a Ghost wasn't the only thing that was difficult to understand, nearly everything Auldwin did was a mystery to most people. A great deal of Ghosts went through their existence being able to do nothing else besides simply speak with and interact with the living. Even then, Possession was rarer still than Soulmist Projection, that being the typical poltergeist style of kitchen utensil tossing that often made it's way into legends and children's campfire horror stories alike. "The horse will be fine. I go inside the horse and learn how the horse works." he began to describe his unusual trek into the body of a host, using hand gestures to emphasis the movement of his Soulmist.

"When I'm inside, horse is dreaming, no pain. I learn about horse, make it move, make it turn, make it go fast. Inside something I can move across the world normally. I can move things." he continued. Possessing wasn't exactly the same as having a real life body though. He couldn't feel anything, it was more a matter of control than any type of sensory reflex. "Now I understand more. I understand how horse steps." with his hand he swept across the horizon. The beat of the horse's hooves were the most difficult thing to learn. As a man, Auldwin only had two legs to worry about. One would think keeping balance with four legs would be twice as easy, but having to animate each one independently wasn't so instinctual for someone who moved in a bi-pedal fashion his whole previous life.

[Caoin]

Things were starting to come together for Caoin as the ghost explained what he had been doing inside of the mare. The mare’s actions, her sluggish movement and her inability to turn properly, certainly made sense once the Drykas woman put together that the ghost had been trying to figure out how to move the creature’s legs, since he had to work with four instead of the two he remembered using while he was alive. Caoin couldn’t blame the ghost for wanting to learn how to work the bodies of the living creatures around him if it helped him to accomplish things, especially considering that it must be rather difficult to accomplish things while one was generally unable to interact with the world around them. However, she didn’t need him practicing on her boss’s horses.

“Ah… well, speaking from new found experience,” Caoin started, having gained a bit of confidence while the ghost had been explaining himself, “you should probably not use horses that have riders on them.” After she’d said it, Caoin realized that he probably hadn’t intended to use a horse with a rider, and he probably hadn’t had much choice. She realized that he’d probably be a little insulted, and he’d likely be further upset by her next statement. “And… umm,” she hesitated slightly, “do you think you could practice on horses that don’t belong to my boss?” Yes, she was asking a ghost not to do something, but she really didn’t want to get into trouble. Perhaps she should explain that. “I might get into trouble if someone sees me on a horse that’s acting strangely.”

Of course, the more she thought about it, the more she realized that while his being in the horse had no negative effects, any horse he possessed could wind up injured by accident. If he hadn’t been able to get the hang of the horse’s movements, he might have accidentally tripped while possessing her. That sort of thing could happen. And couldn’t it happen with any animal he possessed? What if that did happen? What would happen to the animal? Caoin suddenly found herself imagining all sorts of horrible scenarios. “Do you do this kind of thing often, while you’re alone, I mean?”

MizNo Word Count373

[Auldwin]

Her request met his ears, and for a moment he had to decide exactly how to respond to it. In one way, he knew there was nothing she could do if he wished to practice on that particular horse. Still, in life he wasn't some kind of bully, so to simply go against someone's wishes solely for his own personal benefit wasn't quite so easy. Finally he decided he would yield to such a request, there were plenty of other horses. He simply chose that one because he was used to it's weight from the past, but he never thought about the actual man that owned it, or what sort of things it was involved in when not stabled.

Auldwin was never much of an animal person. He knew they tasted good when he was alive. Well most of them. They were also good at performing laborious tasks, like pulling carts and carriages. Now he had to get a bit 'closer' with them than he ever had, only because understand how their bodies worked was integral to being able to jump into one and then using it. Animals were perfect Possession hosts. People didn't usually think much of them, so he could move around undetected. Also, even if the animal could fight against his powers of Possession, or knew that it was being Possessed, who would it tell? Animals were a safer bet than Humanoids, although moving about in a Humanoid body was certainly physically easier.

"I will do so." he said finally, agreeing to that what she asked of him. Auldwin had no problem in educating someone about Ghosts, it made no difference to him. The only things he had to fear were spiritists, which were extremely rare. Even then, most only had some natural sensitivity or talent, but to find someone who practiced and worked hard at the craft was a feat in itself. There was one such man within the Endrykas, though since Auldwin had met him he never shared much of an interest in dealing with the spirits, though the Ghost certainly attempted to sway his feelings.

This girl seemed like an honest and good sort, so there was no reason to unnecessarily torment her. "Often? Yes. I must practice it often to better understand different creatures. Doing it more makes it better. Like...a craft. You draw or you paint and you do it much, you gain skill. I get better too, cause creatures to be less tired, make the Possession much more easy." he responded with a nod. Even then, Possession was a craft, but it was nothing like being a blacksmith. Auldwin needed a living creature to Possess, he couldn't house himself in something that didn't have a living body to control.

[Caoin]

The more the ghost explained, the more Caoin understood. Possession was what it was called when he took control of another thing. For him, practicing it was as important as it was for Caoin to practice the skills she needed to take care of animals. “Thank you,” the Drykas woman replied as he agreed to leave her boss’s horses alone. It was a relief that he had agreed, and even more of a relief that he hadn’t gotten angry. She’d never dealt with a ghost before and wasn’t sure what all they were capable of doing; if they had the ability to take control of a person’s body, they certainly seemed dangerous. She had just asked him to change his routine though; since it seemed likely he had been using that particular horse for awhile, which means he would have to find himself another horse to work with.

As he went on to explain how much effort and time it took, she started to worry a little more about him finding another animal to practice. There were other types of animals that he probably possessed as well. “You could practice with my horse,” Caoin offered, “I have dogs as well…” It was risky, since accidents could happen. But if she were around, perhaps she could help him out if he injured an animal, or help the animal out rather, since she was sure he wouldn’t be harmed at all. At the very least, some poor sod wouldn’t find his favorite hound or horse injured with no apparent cause for their injury. She might save some other stable hand from being blamed for an accident as well. And for the ghost, she could also help him out by watching the movements of the animal he was trying to learn to move, maybe offer him some help by telling him how the animal was moving, whether the animal was moving right or wrong. It was a mutually beneficial relationship if one thought about it, because the ghost would be able to practice without being disturbed, and perhaps he could teach her more about ghosts. She could also learn to spot possessed animals, perhaps.

“My name is Caoin, by the way…” she offered up in introduction, finally. Had she not been so surprised, she might have introduced herself first. But then again, who was concerned with introducing themselves immediately after having a ghost snorted out into their face? It wasn’t your normal social situation. “Do you have a name?” A stupid question to most, but again, Caoin didn’t know much about spirits, or their social mannerisms or lives. Did they use names? Did they use the same names they had when they were alive? As Caoin spoke, she reached into the belt pouch at her side with one hand and pulled out an apple, with her other hand she pulled out her dagger and cut into the apple, cutting out a wedge from the apple. The apple was placed back in her pouch and her dagger back in the scabbard. Breaking the wedge of apple in half, she held out one piece on her flattened palm, offering it to the tired horse as a pick-me-up, something juicy and moist to whet the horse’s pallet. The other piece she chewed on herself.

Caoin stopped mid-way through chewing the piece of apple, frowning for a moment and then swallowing hard. “Eh… what do you do about eating,” she asked, suddenly conscious of the fact that she was technically eating in front of someone without offering them anything. She felt awkward and slightly guilty as she wondered if it was impolite to eat in front of a ghost.

MizNo Word Count612

[Auldwin]

Jackpot! Auldwin had played a hand and it turned out quite well. Of course he was very thankful that she had offered up his own animals, now he had a supply of creature, and even a third person view from a mentor to aid in his Possessions. However, now he also had responsibility. In order to keep the relationship in good standing he had to make sure he took care of the animals well. Subconsciously he had been doing this for a while now, worrying about the well-being of the animal he Possessed. It didn't weigh heavily upon him, but the thought was always there. Back five years ago, when he first began understanding what Possession was he didn't care what happened to the thing he Possessed, and ended up ending the lives of quite a few creatures.

"I appreciate this. I will care for them." he replied, "I have Possessed canines in the past, also difficult sometimes." When she asked him about his name Auldwin was genuinely surprised. He had a name, but did it matter anymore? The more he thought about it, the more he decided that it did. His name was a way to identify himself with his past Human self. Not having it would be like giving more of him away to the life of a Ghost, which was dehumanizing enough. "I was Auldwin. I was a Human. I still have those memories, so I will keep that name." When he was a younger Ghost he was conscientious about giving away his name, feeling like it would give some great power to whoever had it like some story tale. That hadn't happened in five years, and so overtime his paranoia wore thin until the point of being able to give out his identity freely.

Auldwin wasn't anyone special in life, and he was very far away from his home in Syliras, so the potential for someone to remember him was almost non-existent. Even if he went to Syliras, it was most likely that only his closest friends and his wife would know who he was. Even in his Materialized state his personal details were not as they were in life. They were blurred and non-specific, making it difficult to truly describe him if someone asked 'what did the Ghost look like?' He had dark hair, and wore dark clothes, but one would need to watch very carefully in order to get more information than that.

"Eating? I don't eat. Haven't eaten in years, starting to forget what it felt like. It's not a problem." he said with a dismissive gesture. Eating was one of those things in life he did as a part of living, he didn't enjoy it as much as some. His wife could make a good meal out of anything, but they lived simply, so he found his palate normally graved bland foods, and when they managed to afford something with spices or something particularly rich it upset his stomach. He didn't have a stomach to upset anymore, "Don't get hungry anymore. You have never met a Ghost then? I have seen not many around Drykas."

[Caoin]

“Thanks, I think that it’ll likely be mutually beneficial for the both of us if we worked together,” Caoin said as she eyed the ghost. It was really a great relief that he had decided to leave her boss’s horses alone, and she felt better knowing that she might be able to help him care for any animals that he possessed, poor creatures ended up feeling tired once he was done with him, not that that was his fault really. This made Caoin produce the apple again so that she could cut another wedge off for the horse, which she did and then promptly offered it up to the animal. The mare seemed to appreciate her offerings, blowing gently at her hair in affectionate appreciation. Caoin cut off another wedge for herself, using her thumb to slide it off of her dagger and into her mouth. She munched on the apple while she listened to the ghost speak, letting the juice from the fruit slide down her parched throat as she swallowed, it was a refreshing feeling.

“It’s a pleasure to meet such a spirited spirit, Auldwin.” Caoin hadn’t really thought that statement through before making it, and she cast her eyes to the ground, hoping that the unintentional pun wouldn’t be noticed. Though, he did seem rather spirited for someone who was dead, running about in a horse’s body and chatting about life as a ghost. Then again, maybe all ghosts were like that, how was she to know? “I guess you wouldn’t have much need for the food that the living eats, huh, but then, where do you get the energy to do the things you do? Do you have to have energy like we do?” she went on asking questions as he continued to patiently answer those questions. There was no telling how long that would last before he got tired of such a thing. Caoin’s eyes were alight with the curiosity of a small child; it had been a long time since she’d felt this curious about something. There were a million questions she could ask, she could probably go on forever, or as long as he would let her. This was all so very new and fascinating to her. “And no, I’ve never met a ghost. I’ve only heard about them in tales and stories from the spiritual healers and my father,” Caoin explained to Auldwin, confirming that he was indeed the first ghost that she had met.

As Caoin was speaking, she glanced up at the sky, noticing that it was getting later and that she probably should be getting the tired horse back to the stable for water and food. “Would you like to walk with me? I need to take her back and get her some water.” Caoin was quite curious and eager to talk to the ghost further, but she did have responsibilities that she also needed to take care of, her main priority had to be the mare or she could likely lose her job if she allowed the mare to become parched or dehydrated in her tired state. Caoin was already putting the apple and dagger away again as she prepared herself to lead the horse back to the stable on foot. The horse didn’t need to bear any weight at the moment, and if she had decided to ride back, she wasn’t sure if the ghost would be able to rider with her. Not that there was any guarantee the ghost would join her anyway. He could just decide to go on his merry way, he was sure to have better things to do than explain ghosts to Caoin.

MizNo Word count611

[Auldwin]

Questions. For a long time Auldwin had taken them for granted. Then he remembered all the questions he had to ask just to survive as a Ghost, if you could call what he was doing surviving. He had to essentially learn how to exist all over again, like a child learning to walk and talk. Everything was different. From moving to interacting with the world to gaining his appearance back from the chaos of the stuff that now made him up. He had to learn from the ground up from the land of Black Rock, where most of the Ghosts in Mizahar resided. At least, the ones that had what was left of their humanity.

"Yes, still have energy. Can't eat, can't drink though. Soulmist is the key, it is my energy. It is me. With Soulmist can do many things." he continued, as to demonstrate he concentrated upon his Soulmist which in response shaped to his wishes. A thin tendril of mist shot out from the Ghost's 'body' and encircled the apple Caoin held. "Do not be afraid." he attempted to reassure her as he yanked the apple away and brought it back to his own hand. There, his spectral palm tossed it about. It went up into the air and then stopped when it hit Auldwin's hand each time. The only thing to note was there was no distinct 'slap' that would normally be heard when an apple came into contact with a hand. It simply appeared to be suspended in the air, resting on Auldwin's Soulmist.

Afterward he tossed the apple back over to Caoin, which now had a cool touch about it. "Soulmist can be made. Very hard though. Takes skill from living person who deals with Ghosts. Very rare to find, not many around." he attempted to educate Caoin about the creation of Soulmist, the only thing a Ghost could consume and the only way to feel physical sensations that were positive. "Inside me, Soulmist grows by itself, takes time though, like sleeping when tired."

When asked if Auldwin would join her, he found no harm in it. He couldn't help but appreciate her curiosity to some extent, not being met with any type of hostility was a welcome change. "I will go with you. I stay around Endrykas mostly. I died near Endrykas years ago, this place...calls to me. Difficult to let go." he mentioned. The pull the lands of Cyphrus had upon him were hard to describe to a living person. Returning again and again was like a compulsion, it was something he didn't have complete control of. He found himself leaving from time to time, but Auldwin would always end up back at the moving settlement regardless of his own desires. It was strange how, despite all of the freedom he had as a Ghost, there were times when he never had felt more imprisoned.