Closed Careless whisper [Elaine Spade]

[Amelia Cross]

[40th of winter 512.a.v.]
[Nitrozian Plaza]
[near Tarsin's Boarding House]
[Late evening]

The Sun had set down, leaving Ravok in the dark. The only light was the one coming from building windows, lanterns and the moon. The sky was clear letting the moon shine brighter than ever, so how could one think the city was left in the dark? Everything was beautiful, no doubt. But the beauty wasn’t worth enjoying alone and so it seemed dull, for Amelia it all seemed useless and empty. For countless times Amelia had wondered around the noble district at beautiful and clear nights like this. All those times, she was left with a pain in her soul. Amelia didn’t miss a man by her side. She didn’t crave to be held every night and told she is loved. None the less, when one entered the noble district at late hours, the thoughts of having a lover always passed over the head of a little girl that had forgotten how to love. How could one not think of such things when there are so many loving couples enjoying themselves under the moon?

Maybe she didn’t forget hot to love, maybe she just didn’t want to do it. Maybe the way her parents loved thought her it’s better to avoid that feeling and so, she only played. Amelia Cross only played with the hearths of men and they enjoyed it because it was nothing but a game. If you take life as a game, it never bothers you that you lose, it never hurts and you can always start fresh, it's just a game. That’s why she loved the Docks, here everything was a game. People didn’t seem to take a lot of things seriously, or she just hadn’t encountered the right people? Not to mention, a lot of her fortune telling went better and faster here, people knew she was telling stories but they were happy to hear them. Who needed the noble part of this city? With the spoiled people, expensive rooms and dresses that cost more than her horse...With her father…

One way or the other, it was her choice to avoid soppy couple gazing at the temple, at the canals, swimming in the ravosalas and holding hands. At evenings she chose the company one could find at the Silver Sliver, too bad this was the day she didn’t feel like singing to the drunks or flirting the night away. Even telling stories and earning a few mizas didn't seam to be appealing.Amelia just wanted to be alone, to think and here, resting against one of the lantern posts across the canal to Tarsin’s Boarding House, she could do it. She could let her black eyes watch the ice still surface of the canal that was in-between her and her ‘home’, only the wind being the music in her ears that talked to her. Even the music from the tavern didn’t seem to reach her ears like it usually did. "being alone...it's such a bliss"

[Elaine Spade]

Beautiful silent night. How lovely for somebody like Elaine. She could be in peace after the noisy day. And the Moon was up and was grinding out it's beautiful light. Elaine's appearance was clear she wore white blouse and a long black skirt. Her soulmist was calm and pale. The Silent Lady loved the nights like that. She could wander around the streets the canals alone. Even the lights from the houses didn't brother her. She walked next to the canal. Glacial surface on it. The Moon's light reflected on it. Even the stars were there. Everything just perfect...

She was still wandering around there. She didn't expect that she will meet somebody. The Silent Lady noticed a girl who was staring at the canal and was thinking about something. She went closer to examine her. A black haired girl, she was so calm so silent. Elaine's curiosity rised up. She was pretty close now. The temperature dropped down near the girl now. Elaine heard what she said and awsnered to it.

I agree with you mortal. It's a wonderful thing to be alone with your thoughts only. Why are you sitting in such a place in such a time human?

She whispered and took 2-3 more steps to her. The Silent Lady didn't become nervous or mad or annoyed. It was a too wonderful night for it. She tried to socialize with a human. Such a hard thing to do from her side. But she couldn't go crazy and let her otherself take out the control from her hands. The Silent Lady appearance didn't change she even concentrated to be more clear and more visible.

[Amelia Cross]

Amelia was clearly enjoying her time of solitude. The time spent at the boarding house wasn’t this pleasing, the walls would let through the sounds that would cut deep inside her mind and some weren’t exactly the most pleasing of all. Watching the canal, all that Amelia wished was to jump in it and see is it really as deep as folk tales speak? Is Lake Ravok really bottomless? Maybe she could reach the bottom, or die trying; noting was really holding her here. All of these thoughts that occurred in the mind of a confused and lost girl, how was she to live up to her parents expectations if she couldn’t manage to even know what she really wanted.

”Enjoying the night, the moon shines brighter than ever, don't you agree?” she answered the sweet, gentle voice that reached her ears. Not even giving a thought to the words ‘mortal’ or ‘human’, she was lost in thoughts about Lake Ravok so deep that she couldn’t be bothered by a little girl approaching her at night and speaking as if higher than her. Even Amelia’s usual curiosity didn’t seem to be coming to life. It wasn’t crawling up from the bottomless pit she called her soul. She stood there empty and emotionless. Like the shell of a human, like the ones she despised.

It was slowly becoming a bit chilly, a bit too chilly once someone would recall just how warm Ravok was all year round. Rhysol would always take care of the city, it troubled Amelia for a short moment but she guessed that even a god needed a bit of a rest from the duties of warming up a city. ”Getting a bit chilly, isn’t it”Amelia chuckled as she crossed her hands over her chest and rubbed her upper arms, trying to warm up her pale skin.

”Everyone is a friend at Rhysol’s Ravok, I’m Amelia” She said with a bright smile across her blood red lips as she turned around to finally look in the direction of the voice that was accompany her. Much to her surprise, she didn’t see an opaque figure of a woman. The form was slightly translucent and the edges were blurry and had something like smoke floating around her. Overall it gave a graceful appearance, but frightful none the less ”W~what…are you?” her voice clearly shaking as she stepped back, her back hitting the post behind her.

[Elaine Spade]

Elaine looked at Amelia with her eyes. She showed no feeling to her. She turned her head back to the canal. The Moon was shining and shining on the surface which reflected it. She didn't think she will scare her. The Silent Lady knew that ghosts aren't really normal to other humans. She whispered back to the black-haired girl. Her whisper echoed a bit.

~You mean everyhuman right? I don't think other races .... never mind. My name is Elaine Spade, The Silent Lady. And what are you afraid of my dear? And why are you so rude? WHAT are you? Not WHO are you? And I'm only a ghost. A girl from Zeltiva who died.... Is it chilly? I don't feel it.

Awnsered Elaine. She stepped closer to Amelia and interested what reaction she will have. It would be the best for Elaine if the human girl would run away. She could be alone here. With all of her thoughts. She wouldn't possess her for now. Too beautiful night for it. The point is she didn't want any companion here. She didn't even want to interact or socilaze anyone. Even she is anti-social she was like that from the starts. She walked closer again. She tried to pressure on the beautiful, gentle lady in front of her.

~What do you think mortal? Tell me!~

[Amelia Cross]

Amelia was sincerely scared at first, but the calm manner the creature or how the thing named itself, ghost, spoke reassured her. She still was slightly trembling as she had only ever heard folk’s tales of spirits that have died and refused to be reborn, but never ever had she assumed they were real. Now she was facing something made out of smoke that talked and of all things, assumed that Amelia was rude? And this thing had a name? Amelia was confused and it showed well on her face, she was scared and it was probably notable in her shaking palms and trembling lips. Amelia Cross was nervous and she was not doing a good job hiding it at all.

”I…I’m sorry…I just haven’t seen anyone like you” Amelia explained herself. Whatever this thing was, she never liked to come off as rude and she would do her best to come off as polite, as good as she could. Not to mention, it would not be a good deal to be rude to someone, that could potentially kill you ”but everyone is welcomed here, you said you are a ghost…from Zeltiva…I’m also from Zeltiva” Amelia stated, trying to add a bit of polite familiarity to the unusual conversation, with the unusual partner with the mention of a common thing. She has been trained well in the knowledge of small chat and hopped that this could help her regain some control over her mind.

Anyone Sane would have ran, possibly even in the canal, she was sane. Amelia couldn’t run even if she wanted, her feet seemed to be frozen from fear and her curiosity was burning with a fresh flame as the word ‘ghost’ washed around her head. ”what exactly…is a ghost?” She asked, her voice notably trembling as she swallowed a knot of fear in her through ”is it like…the undead? The ones the storytellers speak of?...the spirits?”

[Elaine Spade]

Elaine was waiting. She saw that the girl would run but her interest on The Silent Lady stopped her. She again went closer to her. A girl from Zeltiva. She looked at her try to see if she knew her. But no. She'd never seen the girl before. She whispered to her.

~Then "thank you for your welcome".~ She was being sarcastic with her.~ Yes I am but I don't know you I didn't see your face before mortal. And to awsner your question. Most of us were a mortal being. We are like undeads. We are shadow of our past... we somehow chained to this world. And oooh what did the storyteller tell you? What are we ?

She was interested what the storytellers speak about them. She sat down on the ground and crossed her legs. Her soulmist went around Amelia it was dark grey. Elaine looked the Moon and stars above them. She again thought about her last night being a human. Noaru was right. Even if she believes that she wouldn't find her parents anymore she is still curious where are they. She turned back to the frightened girl. So elegant, so beautiful. She asked something too.

~Do you know any family named Spade from Zeltiva? Do you know a party where there was a tragic fire and they died? Could that be you were at that party too?

[Amelia Cross]

The woman was clearly sarcastic. Well, people did claim that sarcasm was Amelia’s second language, but she didn’t think she was in the position to start using it. She was scared and her intense and what seemed, loud, heartbeat was a clear sign of it. It actually seemed that Amelia’s heart was beating so hard it would pound outside of her chest. Trying to calm her mind and hearth she gathered her thoughts and words before speaking.

”The story tellers say, that the spirits are chained to this world” Amelia said slowly. Her voice was clearly shaking and she couldn’t think of how to explain the things they speak of, without having to add in offending terms…could a dead thing get offended? That was a question worth asking, but someone else. ”That spirits, ghost…Are the ones that die a violent or unearned death, there time hadn’t come yet” she added after the pause ”like, they have things to do and goals to achieve…but since they aren’t living anymore…they can’t and…it makes them go insane” the last part more of a whisper than anything.

The question that came was a bit of a relief ”I don’t, Zeltiva is a large city…it’s natural that we didn’t meet…” and it was true. Being a city of ships and port, the university drawing in so many students of all races, it was always crowded. ”and my family didn’t like it there, it was too crowded so we moved, here…to the city where it’s peace and quiet” with a bit of nostalgia. Not really seeing a reason to explain in detail that her mother never really came to Ravok and staid in Syliras. Amelia always said Ravok was a city of peace and friends. But she knew better than everyone else that this place was dirt, but better dirt than Syliras. Nobody understood.

[Elaine Spade]

Elaine was still sitting on the ground. She didn't stand up just turned her head toward the girl. It was interesting but nothing new about they are telling expect one thing...

~So can't achieve our goals and makes us insane ey?

Elaine soulmist was dark grey her otherself still slept. She didn't want her to take out the control again. Not this day. Leth's moon too beautiful. She had to practice anyway. She had to be stronger than that. Her soulmist went around Amelia who couldn't move by the fear. The Silent Lady noticed it. It was interesting that she was from Zeltiva too. They never met it's a largy city as she said. And a city which quiet and peace. Who are you kidding? thought Elaine. She didn't agree that. A city full of human mortals it's anything but not quiet and peace for her. She would like silence too but she didn't really get it.

~Tell me you man's child... Are you afraid of me? Do you think I'm scary?~Elaine whispered to her but there wasn't really evilish in her voice this time.~And this city isn't quiet and peace. Not for me. Maybe for you humans it is....~

[Amelia Cross]

Amelia was standing still. Her breath began to be growing calmer as the dark mist flew around her and the girl. It was frightening, and the mist seemed to carry a smoke like texture to its flow, her attention completely going away from the girl. All Amelia followed now was the mist, the dark smoke that seemed to be chilling on her skin, a dark grey but still not black. Something about this felt so interesting, like if she survived this encounter, she could tell her own stories about it. She could be one of the story tellers and claim that a ghost’s mist toke her, pulled her into the dark and then…”that’s what they say…” Amelia said, pulling herself away from the thoughts of a life as a storyteller, she was a fortune teller. Nothing more and nothing less.

”One can’t be afraid of someone, they do not understand and know…” Amelia began explaining, trying to put her mind into words as best as she could in this situation ”I…I’m curios of the truth, but I’m terrified of the stories they speak of…spirits seem to be a bit of a…frightening thing ” finishing with a deep, calming breath of air to think. She knew this was not the best answer, but it was the best she could possibly thing of. Above all, there was still another thing, the other statement of the woman.

”Ravok is…special, it’s the last place someone can hide, where the god of…all evil”she said, whispering the last part as if committing a crime, by stating Rhysol as the god of chaos ”this is the city, where he protects us, poor lost birds lost in time” looking down at the ground, not sure how to explain this more. Ravok was not safe, if was not the sanctuary on Mizahar, but it was the closest to it Amelia saw despite every bit of corruption in the city. Amelia did not approve of most things related to the Black sun, she did not approve of the politic going over the city, but as much as she disapproved, she respected and loved.

”if you don’t…mind me asking…what is keeping you here?”

[Elaine Spade]

She turned her head toward Amelia. Her face was calmer, she was not as frightened as she saw before.

~ Oh you think so? One CAN be afraid of something she doesn't know or understnad. Or try to mimic that she is brave and she doesn't afraid but deep in her heart she would run away.~

She whispered. The Silent Lady provoked the girl with that. She was curious about her limits. But even thought she was curious about the girl too. Elaine's curiosity never ended. By the way her other self were about to pop up. She tried to resist and focus to not lose her mind. She looked back at the canals and concentrated for a while. She calmed down. She whispered back to Amelia.

~ Do you want to know if I go insane ey? You don't want to believe that what they are saying about us. Well mortal nobody knows the truths about us. Why don't you find out about that?~ She asked and looked a bit angry at the girl when she asked something personal. A human... asked about why is she here. She doesn't even understand fully. She thought about it a lot, she was thinking about the humans with their sins because of her otherself. But Noaru lighted up another thing, her parents. But it would be too simply and she still believed that they weren't ghosts.

~ I don't know... I mean I know... But it's not your business... I hate your kind. I really do! Lust, Wrath, Sloth, Envy.... and any of these you guys invented...disgusting is the only word I could describe it.~ She whispered with disgusted voice. She still looked angry at the girl. She wanted to be alone here. She felt like she is in that inn with Alice.