Now walking along the edge of the plaza, hoping to pick up some pieces of conversation people preferred to keep private, Kelmar looked across the city center and briefly remembered a scene from his childhood. He tried not to think of his past before his days as an agent too much as they often brought the pain of emotion and melancholy, rarely did he feel good after remembering. It wasn't so much that the memories themselves were bad - to the contrary, most of his life before had been happy and full - it was remembering the loss that came afterward and how he ended up here that put this usually emotionless man in an even quieter mood.
This particular scene Kelmar remembered was when the agent was no older than about nine or ten, the little noble Hedos dragging his father around the plaza while mother Hedos dealt with the auction of some fine tapestries somewhere in the city. Mr Hedos clearly didn't wish to be here, but he had promised his son a chance to get out of the house and he was, after all, a man of his word. That didn't make him any more pleased though. The little Kelmar didn't notice though, too caught up in all the various performers and all their skills. He ran from person to person, watching each individual skill, often asking if they could teach him. All smiled at him and said they would one day if he asked again, but Kelmar was never satisfied. He'd go to each person, watching wide-eyed and asking for lessons. He was turned down each time though, and he had already made it around the plaza. Mr Hedos was getting impatient and started urging that they return home, but just as he was about to tell his son that they needed to go little Kelmar ran up to an old woman fiddling with a deck of cards.
A rustling from his side drew his attention to a pale woman approaching him, a white horse covered in black dots astride her. She was a few inches shorter than he was, wearing a fine red dress and with equally red lips. Her eyes were startling similar to his own, irises and pupils indistinguishable from each other so that they looked like a single solid hole in the middle of the white. Long black hair that was combed straight and fine fell to her hips helped complete an alien yet elegant look. In her hands was a deck of cards that constantly changed hands, flowing from one to the other. A fortune-teller most likely, but everything about her look told Kelmar that she was not merely a common street performer.
What she said to him confirmed the former part of his conclusion. Usually, Kelmar disliked being randomly approached and suddenly waylaid due to his intense work/train focus, but something about his recent recalling made him pause. He had no job currently, and as of yet had not heard any rumors that might point to one, so really he wasn't in any hurry to go anywhere or do anything at all. Studying this fortune-teller, Kelmar tried to make an analysis before replying.
her posture suggested a comfortable upbringing, back straight with her chin at a slightly higher angle than most. That kind of arrogant body language was usually employed by the wealthier citizens of Ravok, which suggested she'd at least observed such high life if not lived part of it herself. However, the horse beside her obviously belonged to the woman, else it would not be beside her, and it was laden with baggage. A traveler then most likely. Not only was it rare to see an animal allowed to wander the canals and walkways - in Nitrozian Plaza no less - but it indicated that she wasn't native to Ravok, a fact most outsiders tried to hide because of the scrutiny and... lesser favor shown by the Ebonstryfe. Perhaps either ignorant of the rules, or aware and simply bold enough to disregard them. The horse itself was getting a lot of looks, people probably wondering why it wasn't in the stables. Kelmar was wondering too, but he wasn't as annoyed. In the end, he found it hard to pin this woman down, but her eyes seemed indifferent towards him, and indifference was much better than malevolence.
His usual disregard for fortune-telling was not specific - he ignored all street performances equally these days - nor was it because he questioned the credibility. No, however fortune telling worked, there were some practices that definitely produced accurate results. Back ten years ago, when Kelmar ran up to the old woman playing about with her cards as easily a child would a toy, the old woman had the same reactionary smile to the lad that all the others did. She offered to tell him his fortune, and the young Hedos agreed readily despite his father's disapproval and dismissive claim of it all being a bunch of claptrap. Annoyed that his son had outright ignored him, he pressed the matter that they returned to the household soon. The old woman only had time to tell him a little, but it was enough to get the lad thinking. Sometime down the road, the Hedos would suffer great tragedy, but afterwards Kelmar would be freer than he'd ever been, freer than a bird.
Five years later, his parents were murdered.
So yes, he put stock in fortunes.
"Craving is a sensation I keep myself distanced from," Kelmar replies, choosing to respond in a similar fashion. "I have no interest in money, nor luck, nor desire. I am, however, curious as to what you have to say. So please, say what you will, and I will listen." Once he'd finished, he stood still, gauging her reaction and doing his best do analyze and deduct from her appearance and actions. |