Completed Meeting People Is Easy

[Sal Mander]

Day 3, Spring of 514 A.V.

The day before had been uneventful, at least in terms of physical activity. Sal had chosen to remain housebound, taking the opportunity to mull over recent events. There was much mulling indeed and a single day was not nearly enough to get it all done. He had admitted that even a thousand days would not have covered it. As the third day of spring arrived with little fanfare, Sal decided that a change of scenery was worth a shot.

Grabbing his coat and armed with Corvo at his heels, he set off early in the morning to see what the city had to offer. They picked their way through the streets, sidestepping merchants and shoppers alike while keeping a keen eye out for anything that looked of interest. Corvo was content to follow, stopping here and there to sniff clues to hidden secrets, and on one occasion to sign off on a fence with the kind of penmanship only a male dog could display. As for Sal, he realized that his head was still swimming with questions that the fresh air had done little to alleviate.

Stopping for a rest, he found refuge on a vacant bench sitting off to the side of the street. Plopping down with little grace, he watched the various denizens of Lhavit pass by, going about their daily business like ants scurrying to and fro. Watching them with interest, he realized that tomorrow would be the same for them, and the day after that. Where he expected to feel contempt towards their monotonous lives, instead there was only envy. Simplicity had its charms after all, a perspective that was magnified for someone whose life had recently become anything but.

Looking down at Corvo who sat guard at his feet, he gave the dog a welcome scratch behind the ears. "Starting to think we may be in over our heads," he said deflated. Corvo replied with a yap before returning to his nails, leaving his master to do all the worrying for the pair of them.

[Malach Varin]

The day was a small reprieve from the days that had passed; it was in fact sunny, and while there were clouds out and about, they did not block out Syna’s light, nor did they threaten some sort of inclement weather. It was however, cold. Malach was outside, enjoying the day as much as he could, taking a break from his work at the shop. He was grateful of the time away. He enjoyed the work, however breaks were always warmly welcomed. He wore his coat to guard against the wind and the cold, as he walked through the city. He did not walk around aimlessly, for he did have a goal in mind. All he was doing was searching for the right subject.

Malach was intent on practicing a particular skill that he had just learned not to long ago. Having used his auristics a few days before, he was eager to practice it in order to improve this gift. And thus, his search. The little experience he had with that form of magic was only with the wood that he worked with. He now intended to practice on a live creature. The only problem however, is that live creatures tended to be very active, and he was not skilled enough yet to hold his focus for more than just a few ticks. What he needed was someone or something that was for the most part still. Not something to easily come by in the hustle and bustle of a city.

He did not wish to ask any one straight out, for he wished to keep this new found power a secret; he knew that all wizards had to be registered, and he did not think his ability great enough to warrant any special attention nor did he want it. No, it was best to simply observe from afar.

It was not long then, until he found a suitable subject. A man sat on bench. Next to him was a dog, that particular breed that is common to Lhavit. The man sat on the bench, and for the most part he remained motionless seemingly in thought.

Perfect.

Malach positioned himself not too from the pair; just some yards away were he could study them, while at the same time retain some form of anonymity. He sat down on bench, mirroring the man and from his coat he pulled out a small sketch book and some charcoal, something that he brought along for two reasons. The first was so that should he be discovered, he could point to his drawing as a way to cover up his true purpose. The second was that while his primary goal was to practice this magic, he also saw an opportunity to practicing his artistic skills.

With his supplies out, Malach took a moment to fix the image of the man in his mind. Once he felt he had it, he closed his eyes and focused on that image. He let all other distractions fade away from his mind. He steadied his breathing; taking deep and calm breaths and letting himself relax. The process took him several ticks, at least half a chime, before he felt himself enter an almost meditative state. Once he did, he opened his eyes.

[Sal Mander]

Had Malach been anyone but an aurist, when his eyes opened he would have seen only that which had been there before; Sal nonchalantly perched upon a public bench with a mutt of local breed sitting at his feet. But Malach was not anyone. Even at the fledgling stage he was at when it came to auristics, his ability was already enough to learn a handful of details from a subject. With Sal proving to be a most cooperative study, the aurist had all the more advantage in focusing and concentrating on the man.

Auras came in a myriad of colors and patterns, changing from dark circling mists of greys and murky blues from one person, to fire charged crimsons and yellows the next. For some the shapes were clearly defined with lines and angles, while others adopted a more subtle approach, swirling and twisting like a pit of snakes.

For Sal, it was a steady mist that engulfed him, almost thick as cloud. More a shadowy grey than cotton white, but underneath there were flashes of color like lightning, momentarily glaring through the cloud and disappearing less than a second later. This apparent thunderstorm like persona reflected on Sal's face, his furrowed brows arched in concentration as his eyes seemed to focus hard on one particular point on the street in front of him. For a passerby, the man would have looked deep in thought. For Malach...

The aurist who could explain the revealing of an aura was a clever man. No two were the same, and thus the 'revealing' as it were was a very personal thing, unique to each person, animal or object. Everything and everyone had secrets to tell, but the telling was always different. For Sal, the info that an accomplished aurist sought would come to them like lurking beasts emerging from a thick, black swamp. Slowly they came to life, lifting themselves up and laying bare the secrets on their lips only for the aurist's ears. In whispers they spoke, their silky tones betraying the grey murk from whence they had been born.

Malach's skill did not portray the aura in its purest form, but he could at least still make some sense of it. The first of those lurking beasts to surface was a very raw and present sense of dread, as though Sal right there in that moment was afraid of some foul or tragic end about to occur. His exterior gave little of this away, save for the almost frustrated look on his face. But Malach could sense some form of uneasiness as it flowed towards him, as though the feeling itself was lapping at his toes and climbing his ankles in waves.

[Malach Varin]

It took a tick for the image to come into focus. When it did, Malach’s vision had become significantly clearer. It was as if a vale that had been draped over his eyes had suddenly been removed. The light around the man shone brighter, and enhanced Malachs vision. Details became clearer, He could see the wrinkles on his coat, the strands of hair on his head, and the lines of apprehension along his face. It seemed as if the man himself shone brighter. For the first time too, since Malach had discovered this power, did he begin to notice that his other things. It seemed to him that he could almost hear the low grunts and grumbles of the dog by the man’s feet, and smell flowers and foliage that surrounded him, as if his other senses, not just his vision had also become sharper as well.

The overall quality of what he saw fascinated him, as it always did whenever he used his power. To him, it was as if he saw a painting, done carefully and superbly; created by a master painter and that only he could see. Maybe if I… No. Focus Malach, don’t get distracted. He chided himself as his thoughts began to stray from his purpose. The urge to attempt to recreate what he saw on his sketch pad was great, after all, he did already have the supplies out….No, I am here to practice the magic. I’ll draw after.

As he turned his thoughts from sketching back towards the man, he began to notice something else. An image of the man, exactly as he was began to appear over laid on what Malach was already seeing. While one image sat the man as he was, the other was more opaque, translucent. Within the second image he thought he saw only what he can describe as thunderheads. It was unclear to him, whereas at first everything was crystal clear, this new image was fogged, but he could make out some movement. It swirled and wreathed within the image, however he was unsure as to what ‘it’ was. He struggled to maintain the vision for as long as he could, to try to make sense of what he saw, however the strain of using magic forced him to let the image go. Once more the world paled back to normal, and Malach felt a sense of loss as the beauty that he had seen faded away. He remained looking at the man, this time using only his mortal sight. He had been left with a sense of…turmoil was the closest way he could describe it. It seemed as if the man had been struggling with something, but more than that Malach could not tell.

Truth be told, the entire experience troubled him. He had only practiced before on inanimate objects, lifeless and without emotions. He was unprepared for what he just went through, the duality of vision, and the impressions that he felt. For the first time Malach viewed this power caution, to be able to see into someone like that was disconcerting, and he did not know exactly how to deal with it.

With furrowed brows and restless hands, he dived into his sketch book, attempting to quell his unease by drawing it away, only then hoping to make sense of it. If any one were to glance over and see him, they would see a young man, hunched over and engrossed while his hands glided over the page aggressively; the telltale signs of someone sketching.

[Sal Mander]

Throughout Malach's assessment, Sal had remained the perfect subject as he sat motionless on the bench. But just as the watcher had finished his watching, Sal had grown weary of this pause to his day and decided to set off once more. Only, it was not just Malach that had been observing the scene. Another set of eyes had held Sal in their focus, or rather the belt pouch at his waist that was a tantalizing proposition for a certain kind of person. Sal in his haste to leave early that morning had left the belt pouch unbuttoned. While certainly in Lhavit it was a reasonable expectation to go the day without being robbed, it could and did happen. For all their hard work and diligence, the Shinya could not be everywhere at once.

Those greedy eyes and the body they belonged to crept nearer, picking steps carefully between the crowd as they homed in closer to the prize. A deft hand cautiously lifted the flap of the pouch, pleased to find a small brown bag nestling inside. Slowly it withdraw the bag and was moments away from making good on the task, when Sal stopped to avoid bumping into someone. Sensing someone else within his vicinity, Sal whipped around the same time as Corvo began yapping at a small grubby figure. For a moment the thief and Sal exchanged a glance, as if both deciding what to do. Sal's hand instinctively went to his pouch, as if sensing what had transpired, his eyes widening as the realization set in.

The thief had his cue and set off at an alarmingly agile pace, weaving in and out of the crowd like a grass snake. He was a short man who had chosen to cloth himself in ordinary grays and browns. To anyone else, he was just a dock worker who had ventured inland for the day. To Sal, he was a no good scoundrel who he was not about to let run off with his coins. For all the thief's agility, Sal managed to keep pace with a more direct approach, shoving past startled residents who hurled insults after him. At one time he nearly crashed into a delivery boy clutching a crate full of fish, while another he did send someone sprawling, though thankfully they had not been carrying anything at the time.

The two men were now just about to pass where Malach had remained perched, armed as he was with his chalk.

[Sal Mander]

Malach had been focused on his drawing as the thief swept by like a gust of wind. He just had time to look up when Sal's more direct and robust approach had him glance off the artist like a crack of thunder. The piece of chalk lept spinning into the air, before both it and Malach came crashing to the ground with an unceremonious thud. "Sorry," Sal yelled as he continued his pursuit without pausing.

The thief was quick and knowledgeable of the streets, turning this way and that, avoiding Lhavitian citizens with athletic grace. It was all Sal could do to keep up, though with each sudden change of direction as the pair were swallowed by alleyways and avenues, the gap began to widen. As they came careening down a long stretch of pathway, a horse drawn cart pulled out from a sidestreet, forcing the thief to sidestep expertly as if the event had been rehearsed beforehand. Perhaps buoyed on by adrenaline, Sal inexplicably leapt up the side of the cart, pulling his weight over the ledge in what he hoped would have been a fluid motion, but instead was a less than elegant cannonball approach. He landed in the back of the cart with a crash, before lurching up and over the other side with a series of grunts. The cart driver chased Sal with a few choice expletives, before falling behind out of earshot.

Coming to a cross section, Sal came to a stop, hands on knees and panting for breath. In his head he wondered if the twenty or so kina in the pouch were worthy of the chase, before to his right he saw a flicker of movement as the thief passed through a group of people who offered startled yelps at almost being waylaid. Throughout the chase, Sal had barely noticed that Corvo had kept pace, the young dog's tail wagging and tongue panting, though by all accounts the pooch was having a far better time of it.

Setting off once more, Sal and Corvo made their way down the next street, following the trail of yelps and angry citizens who audibly marked the thief's route. He was getting sloppy, losing the agile edge as weariness began to settle in. The initial pace had been frantic and desperate. Now it was beginning to descend into a cross country slog, both runners now at an almost jogging pace. Sal himself was ready to quit, his heart hammering against his chest while a similar pounding ensued within his head. Sweat poured from places he did not even know could sweat, while muscles ached and burned without reprisal.

But on the brink of defeat, there was a crash up ahead followed by yet more angry yelling. As Sal came laboriously around the corner, he was pleased to find the thief had managed to lose his footing and crash into a stall selling fresh produce. Cabbages and mushrooms were strewn across the street, passersby gawping as the thief clumsily pulled himself to his feet before trying to set off once again. The stall owner, a picture of fury at having had his wares scattered, saw fit to launch a tomato at the thief, which struck perfectly at the back of his head with a satisfying plop. Not enough to take him down, but certainly it would be a feature of the whole affair that Sal would look back on and smile about.

With the race having switched from sprint to endurance, Sal was finding himself gaining. A new stretch of street laid open for them, mysteriously vacant of the usual crowds of before. In this setting Corvo had clear sight of their prey. Like when a cat jumped into view before running off, igniting the prey drive in dogs, Corvo set his sights on the running thief. Thinking all this a game, the hound sped up in pursuit, yapping his intent while Sal yelled encouragement after him. "That's it boy. Go get 'em!" It did not take long for Corvo to close the gap, running around the thief in a playful manner while bouncing up and down and yapping. To many of Lhavit's dog lovers, Corvo was having fun in a completely harmless fashion. But for a would be thief coming to the end of his stamina, the prospect of capture staring at him, this was an attack. Realizing the game was up, he flung the coin purse and turned down the next street. Corvo seemed undecided whether to give chase or retrieve the purse, but a firm 'here boy' from Sal settled the decision for him.

Picking up the purse, Sal gave the contents a quick audit, placing it back in his pocket when he was satisfied all the coins were accounted for. Plopping down on the street with his back up against the wall, he allowed his heaving breath to simmer down, regaining a little composure. No doubt he had pushed his body to its limits, his bones and muscles whining in complaint with every move he tried to make. But more importantly he found himself full of pride for Corvo who had essentially brought the whole ordeal to a close. Giving the dog his favorite ear scratches, he spoke in that strange voice that mothers spoke to babies in. Corvo's wagging tail showed his was approving of this approach, nuzzling his master's hand with genuine affection.

"Now Corvo. If only we could teach you to carry me home."

[Brandon Blackwing]

SAL MANDER

XP Award:

• Observation +3
• Endurance +1
• Animal husbandry +2
• Running +2
• Acrobatics +1

Lore:

• The Charm Of Simplicity
• Pursuing a Thief
• Corvo: Loyal Thief Catching Mutt
• Animal Husbandry: Rewarding Corvo With Ear-scratches
  

Notes:
A fun thread Sal, though I was wondering what Malach was going to do when you started this. But whatever, I enjoyed it, nice work!

Please edit or delete your request in the request thread.
Comments, questions or concerns regarding your grade? Why not send me a PM?

credit goes to Adelaide Sitai