Closed Consequences (Kuvarakh, Aislyn)

[Yisanareysin]

20th of Fall, 514 AV Rey didn't usually find himself in the Underground. Unfortunate, really, because he suspected that if he had previously spent more time here, he wouldn't be so petching lost right now. It seemed like every time he wandered around the city Ionu would deposit him somewhere he didn't usually find himself in. Most of those places, like the Sunken Conwhatsit, or the Bizaar Bazaar whatever, were rather interesting. This winding set of dark pathways was... significantly less so. Turning a corner to find yet another set of twisting paths, Rey only just managed to keep from screaming. Quite fortunately too, as it turned out. As he prepared himself to trudge down another stupid gloomy alleyway which would no doubt lead to yet another alley, even stupider and gloomier than the last, a noise caught his attention. He froze midstep, cocking his head to one side. The noise came again, and his eyes narrowed in interest. Loud whispering in a dark, seedy back street. Rey had heard enough stories to know that that was always a sign something interesting was going on. Admittedly, those had been Eypharian stories, and he was unlikely to overhear plans for a political coup or something here, but nevertheless. Something interesting was happening, and that made Rey a curious curious snake. Padding forwards as stealthily as he could, he managed to avoid making an ungodly amount of noise as he approached the sound of whispering. "Horseshyke. It ain't him you saw." A male voice, low and gruff. He sounded angry, at least to Rey's ears. "Of course it isn't. Like that idiot could have gotten a job at some shop." A smoother voice, contempt dripping from every word. "He and Verek together barely had the brains to pull off their little scheme." Rey frowned. Verek.. the name sounded familiar somehow. Something... ugh, he couldn't place it. "You callin me a liar, Vann? Couldn't forget that ugly mug if I tried. He was missin that finger of his and all." A third voice. There was something he was missing here. He had all the pieces of something, but he couldn't quite place what it was. Something familiar, something... The second voice interrupted his thoughts. "Verek's bitch hound had more brains than that brick Kirby. You really trying to tell me he managed to convince someone up top to hire him?" Oh. Well, he had been hoping for something interesting. In hindsight, he really should have realized that a man like Kirby would have friends, or not-friends, judging by the way they were talking about him. On a sudden impulse, Rey quickly stripped and began to shift, while the three were still arguing about whether the man they had seen was really Kirby or not. Rey quickly stowed his clothes in his pack, and stuffed it in a dark corner while he still had arms. It was difficult to focus on what they were saying when his ears were shifting. When he was fully snake, he poked his head into the next alley, only to find the three men walking towards him. "I ain't going up there chasin after nothing." The first voice, an ugly man with a limp. Rey ducked back before they reached him, quickly slithering to the side of the alley. Hopefully the darkness of his scales would help hide him from view. "It ain't gonna be nothing." The third voice said as the three of them rounded the corner. They were coming closer to where he was. Rey focused, sensing each man in turn. They didn't smell alarmed, as far as he could tell. Akajia, hide me from their view he prayed. "It had better not be, or you're paying Kirby's debt yourself." The second voice belonged to the man in the middle, it seemed. He was short and stout, with a scar across his cheek and a wicked looking knife at his hip. He walked half a step in front of the other two, clearly in charge. As they stepped past where Rey was hiding, he held his breath. None of their auras changed. It didn't look like they'd noticed him. Sending up a quick prayer of thanks to Akajia, he slowly slithered around the corner, the way the three had come. Rey shifted there, then peeked around the corner. They were gone, and he let out a sigh of relief. As he dressed himself, he couldn't help but grin widely. It seemed like he'd have to pay Kuvarakh a little visit. Even the odds a little, and maybe see what other tricks Kuvarakh had up his sleeve. Things were happening, and he didn't want whatever came next to end too quickly. He dashed through the twisting alleyways, eager to find his way to Kuvarakh, his bag held tightly at his side until he found a staircase. He bounded up the stairs two at a time, nearly tripping on the last one as he emerged out into the sunlight. Blinking away the shock of sudden brightness, he forced himself to keep to a human pace as he jogged through the streets, looking for the Alchea. This was going to be fun. He wondered if the nuit had what it took to really kill someone, not just send Rey to do it for him. He'd have to see if he could nudge things towards that. Spotting the sloped roofs that marked the magical shop, he made his way to the front door, before pausing to compose himself. Excitement was probably not the right emotion to be displaying, and it was worth pretending, even if Kuvarakh would likely see right through it. He pushed open the door. "Kuvarakh, you might have visitors soon. Or, rather, Kirby might have visitors soon." He paused for a moment. "The stabby, not friendly type of visitors." He clarified. "Very not friendly."

[Kuvarakh]

Kuvarakh looked up, hoping to see a customer. It would not be fair to say he was disappointed to see Rey Ekans. "Apprehensive" would be a better word. For himself, he had nothing against the Dhani. Not like many people had against that race, justified or not. Kuvarakh knew how it was to be branded as "one of them". As a Nuit, he'd been targeted with countless sour and suspicious looks, from one end of Mizahar to another.

Truth be told, he was greatly indebted to the Viper. But not for any reason either of them would ever allow to come to light. Kuvarakh had recruited the Dhani to mount a rescue operation. A "rescue" where the highest priority task was NOT the freeing of any hostage, but rather the execution of the criminal involved. And he had performed the job with complete success. The body of the criminal was the body that he was currently inhabiting.

It was that which was the basis for the Nuit's apprehension. Just two days before, Kuvarakh had encountered a seriously intimidating man, bent on some sort of revenge against "Kirby". This was the name of said criminal. But the man, who called himself 'Victor', did not believe that Kirby was truly dead, and currently housing a Nuit soul. It was possible he had come to believe it, after the events of the day. But Victor's escape had left Kuvarakh jumping at shadows. And now, Rey's arrival could only herald more of the same.

At the news, Kuvarakh sagged. He looked over at a polished tray to see "Kirby's" reflection scowling back at him. "Last laugh, eh, You rat-faced petch! Vengeance from the grave? Stuck me with the bill, did you? I hope you're as satisfied as you are DEAD!" He looked over to see Rey looking back. Maybe it was his imagination, but it looked as though the Dhani was restraining a good laugh.

He took a deep breath, not because he needed to breathe, but there was something instinctively therapeutic about a deep, heavy sigh. "Thank you for the warning, Rey, truly. But it may interest you to know that I am already aware of unexpected repercussions of my "commandeering" of this little rat-bastard's body." he sighed again. "But I thought it was only one. Incidentally, if you hear tell of the location of an unsavory fellow calling himself "Victor", I would be grateful to be informed."

It appeared he was going to be needing his courier to run another errand of intrigue. He wondered how long it would be before the young fellow decided there was too much unanticipated danger in being Kuvarakh's courier, and called it quits. There had certainly been more than Kuvarakh himself had anticipated, and he was far less nervous than the Inartan kid.

But he sent him, once again, to go retrieve Maya for him. When he was gone, and Wanda was in the middle of an activation, he got the details of what Rey had seen and heard. "Do you think you could give a description detailed enough for her to draw a sketch of these men? Or maybe direct her as she draws free hand? Like, 'no, longer, curlier hair', or...'thinner nose and higher cheekbones'... something along that line? I've made a friend that shares this 'Victor' as a common enemy, and I think I'll be going to get her once Maya arrives."

[Aislyn Leavold]

20th of Fall, 514 AV

Aislyn's little odd-job gig had gotten quite... Interesting.
Once again she had been sent for by Phobius, and once again she had arrived at the Alch with no idea what she was getting herself into. All the little red-haired courtier had said was that it was urgent and involved more sketches. From that short statement, Aislyn was left in the dark.
Once the messanger had disappeared, Aislyn had found her way to the Alchemmia as quickly as possible, careful to make sure her "Maya" illusion was flawless before she left the house. Ever since the last time Aislyn had been revealed as an illusionist- and liar- she had taken extra precautions to avoid detection. No more illusions including clothing, at very least.

It had taken Aislyn just around fifteen chimes to find the Alch; a new record, with this city. If Ionu didn't spin her around in every direction except the one she wanted to go in, it really must have been urgent. That, or Ionu was taking a day off.

Soon, Aislyn was walking through the doors of the Alch, wondering what it was that Kuvarakh needed her for so badly. Perhaps some more designs for the mansion? It couldn't have been more trouble with his hands, could it? Hopefully that novelty had worn off with Kuv's last body.

Once inside, Aislyn put on a small smile, thinking it would be a good thing to lighten the mood. Unfortunately, the facade didn't last long, as the woman's eyes soon fell upon the face of someone she had hoped and prayed never to see again. The smile immediately dropped from her face, and it was all Aislyn could do to stop herself from running right back out the door.

Standing in the middle of the Alchemmia Alchae, talking to Kuvarakh like they were friends of many years, was mother petching Reysin Ekans.

Aislyn’s first thought was, rationally, why the hai was Rey standing anywhere in a fifty foot perimeter of me, though her second, slightly less rational thought was how long do I have to pretend I’m not a petching liar before he leaves. With either thought, however, came the same worry. Reysin was, as of yet, the only one to figure out Aislyn had the ability that she did. And, even more worrying, was that the only thing standing between Rey and connecting another face to Aislyn was the disguise she was wearing right now. Which, unfortunately, happened to be her favourite. Maya.

Luckily, the pair of men were facing away from her, though she knew that at very least they had heard her come in. For the moment, however, Aislyn was allowed to panic. It had been no coincidence that Rey had found her out before. He had some way of knowing, and if he did it then, in the middle of the night while it was pouring down with rain, he could do it in broad daylight in the Alchemmia Alchea. Aislyn was going to have to be careful. Whatever had given her away last time… That couldn’t happen again.

That meant no panic attacks.

Right as she was forced to meet Kuv and Rey’s eyes, Aislyn brought back her smile from when she had walked in. Her hand almost immediately went to her neck to nervously fiddle with the locket she always wore, but she forced the hand back down. Nothing to give her away. As of then, the locket was plastered against her skin, hidden by her clothing, and that was the way she wanted to keep it. Aislyn was sure Rey had seen the necklace during their last encounter, and if anything was going to give her away, it was that.
Definitely no locket fiddling.

Pacing towards the men, Aislyn forced her gaze away from Rey, landing her eyes on Kuvarakh instead. After all, he had sent for her for a reason, and the quicker she found out that reason, the quicker she could fix it, and the quicker she fixed it, the less time she had to spend in the presence of Reysin Ekans, or whatever his real name was.

”Nice to see you again, Kuv. Though I hope today I’ve been sent for because of less… Well, life-endangering matters.”

[Yisanareysin]

It was hard, keeping a straight face as the normally composed Nuit snarled at his reflection. He couldn't have planned something this entertaining if he tried. "I don't know if any of them were named Victor, but their leader was called Vann. Three of them, that I saw, and they didn't seem happy. That body seems to be coming with a lot of debts." A man named Victor, hmm? He'd have to keep an ear out for that one. This was turning out to be interesting work. Certainly not the menial odd jobs he had expected to be doing when he first saw Kuvarakh's notice. This was probably not the work Phobius had expected either, nor Rana, nor Maya, whoever she was. It was interesting, now that he thought of it, just how much Kuvarakh relied on others. If it even was reliance. Perhaps he simply liked to have others do the dirty work for him. Hmm. It took a few chimes for Rey to briefly outline just what he had seen and heard, and he nodded at Kuvarakh's request. "I got a fairly good look at them, enough to do a decent drawing if the artist is any good, but sight is something of a weakness for my kind. I know exactly what they smell and sound like, if that's any help." He grinned, running his fingers through his hair. So far, Kuvarakh always seemed to have yet another ally at hand. He'd met the little snack and the guide, and now apparently Kuv was going to be bringing in two more. "This Maya, and this friend of yours, are they any good in a fight? Because if it comes down to that, three people is a little too many for me to keep an eye on." He wasn't a trained warrior, like his father, nor an accomplished poison maker like his mother. In this world of soft, squishy humans, simply being a Dhani was often enough, but facing three foes while protecting three others would be near impossible for him. Well, he could make his decisions when they came. The first of them appeared perhaps ten chimes later. When Rey heard the door open, he paused midsentence. Pulling up his right sleeve, just enough for the edge of his bracer to to poke out. His other hand settled just behind the latch for the needle launcher. If it was the thugs, he could try to hit one with a needle to even the odds a little. The spring blade wouldn't be much use here, not if they knew he was coming. He had his dagger at his hip, but even so the odds did not look good. He let his sleeve drop as a woman's voice sounded out. It wasn't them then. So, presumably this was Kuv's Maya? He turned to look at her. Blue eyes, blond hair a shade yellower than his own, skin far paler than his. From this distance, she did look a little shorter than him, he thought smugly. "Save that hope for another day. Kuvarakh, how long will it take for you to bring back your friend?"

[Kuvarakh]

Kuvarakh gave Maya a sympathetic smile, by way of agreeing with Rey's remark. Then he turned back to Rey, "Well, I hope to find her at The Wolf's Cave..." He was about to ask if that wasn't the same inn at which Rey himself was staying, but decided that the viper might not wish such information divulged without his approval. He had to admit, the Dhani did not so much as twitch to suggest the truth of this conjecture, one way or the other. It was common enough knowledge that the more bestial races stayed there.

"...But if she's not there, I...have a few leads. But unless Ionu is as concerned about my situation as I am, I expect to have the usual roundabout directions." his eyes rolled in conjunction with the last few words. They stopped rolling as he fixed his gaze on Maya. She was clearly distressed. He assumed it was the atmosphere of slowly unfolding revelations of impending danger that had her on edge.

He gave her an empathetic sigh. "Well, Maya my dear, I'm afraid my "body troubles" have taken on a new dimension. It seems there are a number of unsavory characters afoot in town with unsettled scores against yours truly." His eyes rolled again, this time with a decided scowl. "Not truly ME, no...but the man in whose body I have now clothed myself. It appears he had debts; debts of money, goods, services, amends...all of the above. These gentlemen seem quite willing to adhere to the belief that, as I have accepted his body, so have I accepted his accounts."

He started to pace, frustration punctuating his words. "I've already had ONE run-in. A man named 'Victor'. He did not believe that I was not Kirby. I was fortunate to have been aided by a Kelvic that had a grudge against this same man. I shudder to think of the...disrespect...he'd have visited upon your recent artistic efforts, had she not come to my aid. There was no room left for misunderstanding, I'll give him that. He made it very clear where I stood."

Kuvarakh looked pained as the memory repeated itself. "I had no idea what a bastard this man was." Kuvarakh's gestures toward himself made it clear he was referring to Kirby, not Victor. "I'm sickened to relay what it was that Victor came to collect...what it was Kirby "owed" him..." he looked up, his gaze flicking between Rey and Maya, his expression equal parts fury and loathing. "...A baby! A slave baby...born from one of his rape victims, also sold into slavery after being forced to deliver up an innocent life to this...monster!"

His disgust shifted to apprehension. "You should also know that these rape victims are impregnated to be sure of their fertility. I say this because there is an additional villain here. An Akalak, who apparently feigns rescuing these woman from Kirby and his partner, making them feel indebted to serve as surrogates for that race. It's all prearranged. Victor hinted, with great malice, that I would be better off dying by HIS hand than waiting for what this Akalak is going to do to me."

He walked to the door. "I don't know if either of you have ever been to Riverfall, or ever met an Akalak before. But I can tell you, they are some mighty rough customers. All focused on martial training, and strong as your proverbial ox. There are exceptions, of course, but I doubt this guy will prove to be one. Anyway, I'm going to go see if I can track down this Kelvic girl. She's gotta be the biggest wolf I've ever seen."

He stepped over to Maya and put a hand on her shoulder. "I'm really sorry about this. I was wondering if you could draw up a sketch or two, based on Rey's descriptions, for me to give to Nanami...uh...that's the Kelvic...when I bring her back. We've discussed a sort of "bodyguard" arrangement, and It's looking like more and more of a necessity every day. These men may well come by to check the place out. With me gone, they're sure to hold off on trying anything. If anyone comes to the door asking for me, just tell them I went to the port to pick up a shipment...of...wax." he shrugged and left, after answering any last questions either of them may have had.

[Aislyn Leavold]

Aislyn's smile briefly returned to it's former grimace state as Kuvarakh mentioned leaving.
She was going to be alone with the one man in Alvadas that knew just what she could do and how. The one man in Alvadas that would connect the dots from "Nise" to Aislyn to "Maya". And then Kuvarakh would know.
And then Kuvarakh would know.

The idea troubled her; Sure, she felt guilty... Really guilty, but she had never willingly let anyone know about her illusions. Not that guilt was usually a problem. It was just something about Kuv, how easily he had trusted her, hired her, even putting quite a big risk on her shoulders that quite literally stopped his inevitable death, even if the action had been minor. He had trusted her with his life not even a season after they had met, yet she hadn't even given him her name.
Gah, why did the man have to trust so explicitly easily? It would be so much easier to lie if he didn’t.

Distracting her worries by listening more intently to what Kuvarakh was saying, Aislyn picked up on his frustrated speech-of-sorts, going on about ”body troubles” Interjecting as the man began to pace, she shrugged,
”Right. I remember you mentioning the man was a murderer before and… Well, murderers don’t usually have very good reputations around town.” Nodding out towards the street for emphasis, she allowed him to continue.

Kuvarakh was progressively getting more aggressive as he went on, causing Aislyn to wonder what he had said to Rey before she had arrived. The thought of the man send aggravated vibes through her thoughts, but she continued listening attentively anyways. As he went on, Aislyn began sensing just how much Kuvarakh hated the body he was in. Or rather, the person the body had once belonged to. His words sparked hatred in Aislyn as well, until she remembered that if her mother had not been in the same situation Kirby’s victims had been in, she herself would have never been born.
That still, however, did not make it right. Not even close.

Two horrible men imprisoning woman like Zith slavers, an Akalak overseeing it all, a Kelvic wolf bodyguard, the fact that Reysin was still within ten feet of her, it was all a lot to take in. This new race, especially. Akalak, Kuvarakh had called them. They didn’t seem like very… Well, good people. That was a stereotype attached to many Mizahar races, however, and Aislyn wasn’t in a position to judge.

”I’m going to have to go with no, never been to Riverfall, nor met an… Akalak. However, from what you’ve said, they don’t seem too terribly… Pleasant.”

Kuvarakh continued, walking over towards the door and pausing next to Aislyn. He put a hand on her shoulder, and she tensed at the touch. She had to remind herself several times during the contact that she had checked her illusions more times than she could count, just to reassure herself that Kuvarakh wasn’t going to feel an imperfection in the cloth of her shirt, or brush against a strand of hair that wasn’t meant to be there. No, nothing that risky. Everything was fine.
Forcing herself to breathe, Aislyn nodded at what the man had to say. Drawing sketches. Check. She could do that. Based on Rey’s descriptions, however…

She flashed a look over at the Dhani, who was still standing near the other side of the room. Aislyn was going to have to listen to the man talk for what could be bells, following his instructions to a point. And she was going to have to do it without letting Rey know who she was.
Great.

”One question, Kuvarakh… Where’s Wanda? Doesn’t she usually tend the shop when you’re gone, and vice-versa? What would we do if a customer walked in?”
They were valid questions, but really, Aislyn was just hoping she could passively convince the man not to leave. It was a futile wish, but she went with the questions anyway. Once he was gone, it would be just Rey and Aislyn there. Alone.

Mumbling softly as Kuvarakh walked out the door, Aislyn repeated her instructions.
”Sketches, descriptions, wax…” Looking over at Rey, she continued inaudibly under her breath ”and most importantly, don’t give yourself away.”

[Yisanareysin]

Ahh, so it looked like he wasn't going to be doing the fighting this time. A wolf Kelvic, was it? Interesting. Just how did Kuv find these people? A Dhani, a Kelvic, and a half Isur. It seemed like this Maya and Phobius were the only humans in the Nuit's employ, something he found unusual, considering the large human population in Alvadas. Then there were the details of just what Kirby had been doing before Rey had pumped him full of venom. Slavery was one thing. Slavery he had known in Ahnatep, in Kenash, in Sunberth. Slavery had some natural order to it, the strong taking from the weak. (He would never be that weak again. Never) Raping a slave and having a child on them was.. not unheard of, if distasteful to him. But to sell that child, to sell your own flesh and blood... "Shashassen!" He hissed, his hand curling on his dagger. For the first time, he thought of that kill with regret. I should have given him a half bite. Give him time to suffer a little more, and dread his death. One who would sell their kin like that deserves no less. And then there was the matter of the Akalak. He had heard of the all male race, of course, but only rumors, each more fanciful than the last. All that could be agreed on was that they tended to be calm, deadly combatants. If one of those came to extract a perceived debt from Kuvarakh, it would probably be for the best if Rey was elsewhere. On the other hand, he'd never heard of Akalaks enslaving women before. What was this Akalak doing with them? What did Kuv mean by "surrogate"? And just what did that have to do with fertili.... Oh. That would certainly explain how an all male race would survive. That was rather ingenious, actually. If his own race could do that, to increase their population, he had no doubt that they would. He doubted a human would react well to giving birth to live dhani hatchlings though. Regardless, he'd have to be watchful for this Akalak. Just as a precaution. Rey watched as Kuvarakh walked over to the girl. She seemed rather upset, which he supposed was understandable for someone suddenly getting involved with slavers and Akalaks and thugs. Interesting, though, that she seemed twice as uncomfortable when Kuvarakh touched her. Could she be afraid of him? Or was it some lingering bias against his kind? Apparently not. If anything, she seemed even more uncomfortable once the nuit left. How odd. Hmm. Perhaps it was him she was afraid of? It was possible Kuv had told her he was a dhani. The thought of Kuv doing that annoyed him, but he brushed it off. The nuit was so open about his own race, he supposed it was possible that he didn't realize that Rey would not be the same way. To test out his theory, he walked over to the door Kuvarakh had just exited from, deliberately brushing against her as he did so. He closed the door firmly, then locked it. "If a customer comes, we tell them what Kuvarahk told us to. Now, shall we begin?" The description he could give her was not the most detailed, but it would be good enough that the thugs would be recognizable. Most of his description was focused on the leader, Vann, with his recollection of the other two thugs a little hazier. It would have to be good enough.

[Kuvarakh]

Kuvarakh smiled and nodded past "Maya" right as a bright flash cast sudden stark shadows against the front wall. The shadow was only broken by the open door as Kuvarakh made his exit. He was not in a desperate hurry, not yet anyway. So if there were any last comments or questions, he could easily be caught before disappearing around the corner a block away.

Meanwhile, a fairly tired looking woman of middle years appeared from the back with a modest smile beneath her fading brown coif. But anyone that knew her even as little as a year ago would say that she actually looked younger. Such was the invigorating effect of having her business suddenly become prominent in the City of Illusions.

It was getting SO prominent, in fact, that she was thinking of retiring; or at least semi-retiring. With Kuvarakh able to work without sleep, and the skill he showed, she had been entertaining the thought of turning over the primary operation of the shop to him. She would still be a presence, of course. After all, many of their contracts had been nurtured by her, and she still had the better head for the diplomatic approach it often took to KEEP those contracts.

As well, her Glyphing was far superior to Kuvarakh's. It was fundamental in many of the jobs they'd done recently. Kuvarakh had been gently pestering her for a season or more to give him a crash course. She was starting to find that there were occasional bells where this could be done. Even now would have been one if he was present.

"Hello, I'm Wanda. May I help you?" She greeted them, primarily speaking to Rey. She turned to Aislyn, seeing only the "Maya" illusion. "Hello again, Maya. It's good to see you. Did you ever have a chance to visit that Mansion...uh...Kuvarakh keeps going on about?" She looked around with her last comment, then returned her gaze to the two visitors, focusing more on Rey this time.

"Hello sir. Are you a friend of Maya's? I seem to remember you vaguely." her voice developed a joking tone, and she shook her head and made a face, "I seem to remember everything vaguely these days. Age...the first thing that goes is your memory, you know. And the second thing is...uh...what was it?...Oh yes! Your memory!" She laughed lightly at her joke for a moment, then looked around again.

"And speaking of memory, I don't recall Kuvarakh having any errands to run today. Was he here when you got here? Did you see him leave?...uh...Do you know where he's gone?"

[Aislyn Leavold]

It was time to begin.
After Kuvarakh left, Aislyn took a silent look up at her new partner. Another wave of distaste ran through her, though she kept her outer look under control. Nothing to give herself away.

Unfortunately, this plan went all but out the window as Rey went to shut the door. She made an effort to move out of the way, but the Dhani’s shoulder rammed into her arm despite her trying. Aislyn recoiled from the touch, trying to step away from the man as nonchalantly as she could, though her results were not the most successful. The combination of the unwanted touch and the click of the door lock sent mental chills through the woman’s mind. She was now locked in a building with the one man she really didn’t want to be within twenty feet of. Or fifty feet, for that matter. A hundred for good measure.
Really, she wouldn’t have mourned if he were dead.

Moving her way over towards the nearest table as if the contact between her and Rey hadn’t happened, Aislyn drew out her notebook and flipped to a fresh page, careful not to let any previous sketches show. The drawings didn’t have anything to do with her insecurities around Rey- She just didn’t enjoy sharing her ability. Unless she was drawing specifically for that person, they didn’t get to see.

Aislyn started off her sketch with nothing more than a rough outline of a face, edited when need be. A sharper jaw, Rey would state, or Not so big of a forehead. Overall, Aislyn felt blind in the process. When she usually drew, the picture appeared in her mind. Anything from a simple outline to a full-colour representation. If she wanted to draw it, she knew what it would look like.
She did not have such luxury with Rey.

He obviously wasn’t an artist, as it seemed he was describing the man from the perspective of which Rey had seen him. Then again, that was to be expected. What Aislyn really needed, however, was a description of the way the man would be drawn. She didn’t need to know how big his head was, nor how tall he was. She was drawing a forward-facing profile, so descriptions like his hair or eye shape were more useful than how muscular his neck was. Not that neck muscles were something she expected Rey to describe, it was just that the Dhani seemed to be distracted by something else, something other than the task at hand.

Aislyn didn't have time to ponder the topic, though, as a flash of white light soon inturupted her work, along with scrambling her thoughts. Even before she looked up, however, she could tell it was Wanda entering the room. The woman carried a certain air about her, bringing something Aislyn couldn't name into the room. Not something negative, just... Something
Aislyn hadn't seen much of the Alch owner since she had applied for the 'Odd Jobs' job, other than the occasional pop-in when she was called for by Kuvarakh. Other than that, Aislyn never saw Wanda, yet still the pair greeted each other like old friends.

"Good to see you too, Wanda. Haven't been to see the mansion, yet, unfortunately, but I'm sure Kuv'll invite me sometime. Preferably when the mansions' in a good mood. Wouldn't want to get sucked into any bottomless pits that just happen to appear through the door I'd happened to be walking through." Aislyn smiled at the words, though her expression once again faded when the attention was turned to Rey. With the arrival of Wanda, Aislyn had all but forgotten the man was also in the room. Those few ticks, however short, had definitely been sweet.

Aislyn exchanged an accidental look with Rey after Wanda introduced the notion that they were friends. The idea, however insulting, was a reasonable deduction, she supposed. Then again, that didn't make it true.
"Ah... No, no, not friends, just... Working together." Aislyn tried a smile at the statement, but the expression soured once again. "Kuvarakh's' idea, actually, I'm supposed to make some sketches based on his description." With that, she nodded to the papers that had been torn out of Aislyn's notebook. Not counting the messy sketches the artist had begun on two of the pages, just one of the drawings were started. Even then, it didn't look like much. Either way, Aislyn was sure Wanda would get the gist of what they were doing.

"You just missed Kuvarakh, actually." Aislyn debated whether or not to tell Wanda the truth. Kuv had said to say he was out getting wax if anyone asked, but it seemed wrong to lie to Wanda. After all, she didn't know how much Kuv had told the woman. Wand might already be aware of the danger at hand. "He went out to fetch a friend. I would've thought he told you- we're having a convention."

Aislyn smiled at her joke, though the look behind her eyes was strained. She could feel Rey watching her, along with the pressure of deciding what to tell and what to keep secret weighing down on her. ”I’m sure he’ll be back soon, if you need him. Other than that… I think I… We should return to our work.” Aislyn didn’t mean to be rude, it was just that the more time she spent in the room the greater chance there was for her to be found out.
The woman fell silent for a long time after that.

OOCSorry if this post seems patchy. I'd typed up half a response even before Kuvarakh replied, so half of the post was written today and the other half yesterday.

[Yisanareysin]

The smugness Rey felt from being right about to the source of Maya's discomfort was overshadowed by the irritation of finding out he was right. Kuvarakh had kept his race a secret from Rana and Phobius, and he had thought they had had an unspoken understanding that the truth about what Rey was would be kept from those who did not absolutely need to know. So why was it that this girl had been told about him, when he had never seen her before in his life? It wasn't even that he minded others knowing about him, not when most of the people he knew in this city were aware of it. Then why did it bother him so? Maya seemed to still be wary as he gave his descriptions. Perhaps that was it. She'd been told without his knowledge and agreement, and before she'd ever met him. He preferred to befriend a person first (a certain annoying illusionist being the exception), and only told people when it came up. Like when Korin burst into his room after smelling a snake. Which reminded him that he was likely going to have to quickly reassure Kuvarakh's Kelvic when she came. What a wonderful party that would be. His grumpy thoughts were halted by a flash of light, and the sharp buzz of magic in his ears. He grimaced, shaking his head slightly as a woman emerged from the back. He smiled politely as she introduced herself. So, this was the Wanda on the sign. Kuvarakh was her employee then, he supposed. Rey stayed silent as the two women conversed, frowning in confusion. A mansion? What exactly did Maya mean "in a good mood"? A mansion was a large house, like a small palace, wasn't it? Why would a home... well, a human home have pits just in front of a door? Could they be speaking in code? But speaking in code was supposed to deflect attention from what you were talking about, and Rey was now just confused and curious. They could just be really bad at it, he supposed. He smiled politely at Wanda as she spoke to him, chuckling briefly at her joke, though not for the reason she might think. At a glance, he would have guessed her age to be perhaps in the mid forties, early fifties? He was easily twice her age. Odd though, that she didn't seem to know who he was. Why would Kuv tell Maya but not his employer? Perhaps she simply hid it better? That didn't seem very likely to him. The woman didn't seem like the type to be able to feign ignorance, though in all fairness, if she was any good at it he would be none the wiser. Perhaps Kuvarakh hadn't told Maya then. Yet she obviously knew, so who would both know and have a reason to tell her... Of course. Phobius knew, and given what had happened last time Rey had showed up at the Alchea, it didn't seem so unlikely that he would try to warn her. Well, that could be an issue. He wondered if he'd have to have words with the little red headed courier. If, of course, it had been him. Glancing at Maya, he met her eyes for a brief moment before she turned to speak to the older woman. A spark of familiarity flickered in his mind before he dismissed it, almost without thinking. How defensive she was. She really didn't like him. Just what had Phobius, or Kuvarakh told her? And that defensiveness, that waryness reminded him... what did it remind him of? Well, whatever it was, it was very suspicious, and somehow he doubted Wanda would be satisfied with her answers. "There's been something of a situation with Kuvarakh's body. He's gone to get someone to make sure we can deal with it. I'm sure he'll explain when we get back. But Maya is right, we should get these done before Kuvarakh comes back." He turned back to Maya, then paused. He was still a little upset about how she was around him. Why not spread the distress, he thought spitefully. "Better finish off these picturess before thosse snakes get here." He told her, the most innocent look he could muster plastered on his face.