Closed A Small Issue

[Neologism]

38th of Winter, 515AV
After the sun had set, citizens begun to emerge from their houses. Lanterns lit the streets, reflecting off the skyglass to cast a warm glow through the streets. On first tier of the Tenten peak, mothers drag their sleepy children from their afternoon rest to go attend tea at each other's houses and gossip about their neighbors. Lhavitians come to life to celebrate whatever it is they choose, be it a birthday, a wedding or simply because they are enjoying a period of no rain. But despite the evening's goings, the glittering steps in front of the Bhanari Library are near barren. In front of the temple, a stout man, by the name of Nilo Khuon, rests his hands on his hips. The heavily eyebrows eyes peer out between his circular spectacles as he waits for those he waits for to arrive. When he does see the two figures appear down the street, coming from two separate ends, his whiskers turn down. Although pleased that they are on time, Nilo is not a smiling man.

"C'mon now," He grumbled when they reached the steps, waving them over. "We should get this done as soon as possible." He muttered, twisting his upper lip so that his mustache wiggled to each side, but if either of the men hinted at a smile, he would glare at them so fiercely they might think the little man ready to bite.

Once they entered the magnificent library, it was eerily quiet. Even during rest hours there was usually three or four Lhavitians mulling about the public sections, yet there was no one. "You see, people are scared to come now that we've got this… girl…" He glanced over his spectacles at Brandon. "Kenvell said you've got a gift of some sort." Brown eyes flitted between the kelvics for only half a tick before the small man spun on his heels and started down the main lobby of the library, heading towards the fiction section.

Of all the practical knowledge in the Library, this was a fairly small section, mostly visited by children and families. There were a few scrolls of poetry and parchments of lullabies with pictures drawn onto them for the smallest children who didn't read so well. Of course, there was not a soul insight of this section.

This is where he spun to Kaik. "She didn't say anything about you," He dismissed the man's lack of skill with a wave of his hand.

"Doesn't matter, no one wants to come by to help us." He spoke for the Library now. "With the Registry being put away and everything. Although it doesn't really matter to me." He explained in curt words. "I just need … her… gone." But Nilo still wasn't letting the men speak.

"She's only been seen here," He waves to the stone shelves, heavy with the rich scent of the precious parchment. The nerves were getting visible now as his brown eyes flitted between the shelves, as if waiting for the spirit to show herself any moment, screaming bloody murder.

"The spirit is a little girl. She's not done any harm, but she scared the visitors. Always screaming and crying. She won't speak to us, she just follows the librarians around with a book, different one every time. We can't figure it out. But I suppose that is what you two are here to do. Talk to her, get her to go." Brown eyes flitted between the men for a second, as if waiting for an answer.

But behind them, as if called by the speak of her, a figure begun to materialize at the end of the hall. She couldn't have been nearly five feet, pale face and silvery eyes stared back at them. Pale blonde hair cut short at her shoulders hung still, as if she hadn't moved for a long time, yet she was just appearing. Nothing was in her hand, but the simple wool swung by her knees as if she had just stopped moving. She stared at the men, who faced her, for only a tick. Then, almost unnoticeable, her lower lip begun to quiver. She was only a child, and anyone would recognize the coming tantrum at such a face.

But she started running, a wailing scream peeling from her teeth as she sprinting forward. Small, lithe fingers reached out as if to grab the group of living souls, yet it didn't seem aggressive. One couldn't help but want to comfort the child, who was clearly distressed beyond what any child should feel. But when she reached Nilo, she disappeared. Her scream, more like a wail of agony now, still echoed on the library halls, and they heard a book fall to the ground, far off. But eventually the sound faded as well.

Nilo, however, had not been still this whole time. The stout man suddenly leapt forward with the agility of a much younger being. Robed legs brought him past the two men and out into the main area of the library, only turning back when the wail disappeared.

"I suppose she is expecting you." He tried to compose himself, pulling on his sleeves, but his shaking voice gave him away. "Again, thank you kindly." He said, shuffling away as tall as he could. But Nilo didn't offer them more information on that, muttering about being in his office and then disappearing to a flight of stairs, leaving the men alone.

NOTE:This is a sub-modded thread, so I've laid out the prompt for you guys and the information you can use. You guys will be able to do the rest of the thread on your own, however, if you do not complete the task (keeping in mind your abilites), that is alright. If you need more inspiration, just send me a PM and I can try to squeeze a post in for you. Have fun!

Azura [Human]

Materialization 55, Soulmist Projection 45

Common [Fluent]

Azura appears as a little girl just barely the age of ten, although at the time of her death she was nearly sixty-eight. When she materializes, she stands at just under four feet, ten inches and has short blonde hair cropped at her shoulders. Her physical body had been tanned and freckled with age and work in the Turov Gardens, but her ghostly manifestation is as pale as she was as a child.

When she was young, Azura was in love with the library. She worked with the livestock on the Sharai peak with her parents, although the young Lhavitian would often take the long trip, when she could, to go to the library. But once she graduated from the Alluvion Academy at the age of twelve, she was needed back on the Sharai Peak. The family only had a few sheep, and although their yield was enough to sustain them, they needed all the hands they could get. So young Azura's passion for literature was never granted to her in favor of helping her family.

Years past and when Azura grew and married, she forgot about her passion for books. The stories of her dreams faded, and being cut off from the thing she loved most, she grew crabby. Driving her husband mad with her ranting he passed early at the age of fifty-three. And for the rest of her sour life she remained, a hermit, in her tiny cottage. The sheep had been sold and the house begun to rot. Other farm children wrote her off as a legend, never actually seeing the old woman come out of her home. Yet one day, nearly sixty-nine, Azura departed. She remembered the books on the far away peak and she missed her passion for them. Knowing that death was near, she trekked to the inner city one autumn day, determined to return to the library.

Azura did make it to the library, although only her soul made it to the Tenten peak. Death had come sooner than she had thought and her body, along with countless other unfortunate souls, now lay at the base of the Zintia peak, resting with Semele.

Now Azura, returned to her happiest time in life, wanders the library. Although able to see the books, her ghostly soul doesn't comprehend them as her living soul once did, and she'll forget a book just as soon as she reads it, sending her child form into a wailing cry of misery. For the afterlife can never truly fill the living desires that trap the soul.

NOTE: Azura is a victim of the landslide, however she doesn't remember it. She doesn't believe she is truly dead, and simply doesn't understand why she cannot enjoy the books now that she has reached the library.

Please note that your PCs DO NOT already know the information above, although if you can get a conversation with the ghost, she will tell you, and you can learn it.

[Kaik Leyr]

OOCI look forward to threading with you. It's been a while since I last wrote, so tell me if messed up somewhere.

The glow of the lanterns mesmerized the Dollmaker. He had been leaning against some building, away from the main road. With the setting of the sun life had returned to the streets, unlike in the daytime.

Arya, a living wooden doll, pulled on her master’s hand. He looked down at his doll unsure of what she wanted. Having given no indication of what she wanted, Kaik turned to his other doll, Oliver, but had found he too had lacked an answer.

Done with street watching, Kaik looked up at the sky to confirm the time.

Look’s like it's time.

Kaik took the hands of his dear dolls and walked into the sea of people. He kept his hood over his head and glanced at his two dolls to make sure they’re hood were on. Satisfied, Kaik patted both on the head before taking their hands again.

A bad habit Kaik picked up from boredom was eavesdropping. It was not something he had meant to, but people just talk and it just loud enough for Kaik to listen. He liked to believe it was the people’s fault for speaking too loud, so it seemed many people had this fault.

“Hey, today’s when some group’s going to get rid of that ghost, right?”
“Ghost? Oh, you mean that library ghost?”
“Yeah, it’s about time something was done about it. I haven’t been there ever since I heard that inhuman wail. Creepy as shyke, I tell ya.”

The Dollmaker was uncertain if it held true for all cities, but he felt Lhavit was the most gossip hungry. It was through all the talk Kaik had learned of the need for help at the Bharani Library. If the Animation Studio was his first ‘real’ home, then the library was a second home. Throughout his life it had been his sanctuary, a place to escape to when something bad happened. It supported him when he was at his lowest. So when he heard the library needed help, Kaik could not ignore the call.

Despite knowing the time to arrive, he did not hear about if he should have talked to someone prior to announce his help.

It’ll be fine. Just like last time at that store, they’ll accept any help...I hope. Though, I’m not sure if I have any skills to deal with a ghost...ugh, maybe I shouldn’t go?

Sinking into his thoughts, Kaik arrived at the steps of the temple. It was at the steps he met the only other member of the group. If Kaik could, he would have took the longest detour up to the library if it meant just a few more chimes away from Djas, but there had been only one path up.

Mixed emotions clouded Kaik’s heart. Perhaps as a way to understand what it was he felt he looked at the eyes of Djas if he could. He felt something odd about the man since he last saw him. It made him feel Djas was not of his world, yet he was undoubtedly alive and existed before his eyes.

What he wanted to say had never come out. Instead Kaik said, “hello, you piece of shyke.”

It surprised himself what he had said. He expected better of himself.

Surely I could have said something more clever than that if I was going for an insult.

Kaik sighed as he covered his eyes for a moment. “Sorry...that’s...not how you greet a person. Normally you stab them in the head, right?”

I feel disappointed in myself. At this rate I’ll be stabbing him in the back when I run out of things to say.

Tired of his own child-like anger Kaik stepped up the stairs to meet the man he supposed would tell them about the case. The two dolls remained right behind Kaik away from sight, though it worried Kaik they were in the proximity of Djas. He thought about how long it would take to draw his dagger as he eyed the man behind him.

A moderately large man stood in front of him as Kaik reached the end of the steps. Under any other circumstance Kaik would have smiled at how stranger’s mustache wiggled, but given his company he was not in the mood.

The group followed the man’s lead into the library. Kaik quite liked how silent the library felt compared to what it was usually like. He paid no mind to what ‘gift’ meant in regard to Djas, but he kept it mind to ask for when he was not saying something rude to him.

They arrived at the fiction section of the library. It had been a long while since Kaik stepped into the section. He smiled as he thought back to his childhood.

"She didn't say anything about you,"
“Er...yeah. I- I just wanted to help. I don’t have any kind of-”
The stranger waved his hand. "Doesn't matter, no one wants to come by to help us.”
It was then he said something Kaik did not want to misunderstand. "I just need … her… gone."
“Hey-” Kaik was cut off.

The large man continued his explanation of the case. It was not the most appropriate time, but Kaik thought it adorable how the ghost followed the librarians with a book in hand. Though he felt a tinge of sadness for the girl.

What could it be she is crying and screaming about? And don’t they feel some kind of remorse for the girl? If she calms down what problem would it be to allow her to stay in the library?

The stranger expected an answer. Kaik said, “Yeah...we’ll talk to her.” He left out ‘and get her out’.

Almost on cue the ghost girl in question arrived at the scene. Kaik stared at the girl without anything to say given her sudden arrival. Before anything could be said she started running and wailing as she did so. She disappeared only leaving behind a wail.

Fear was something Kaik should have felt, but his background in magic showed him the reality of the unusual. Instead sadness filled him as he listened to scream. It reminded him of the times people he cared about left the world.

The stranger decided to leave the scene, Kaik thought he should have reacted like how that man did, with shaky voice and nervousness.

He allowed the two dolls to wander in front of him without holding their hands.

Kaik did not turn to look at Djas. “So, we have to find a way to talk to her.” He walked up to a nearby shelf and looked for a scroll with mostly pictures. He showed Djas the scroll. “So...since she is here in a library and followed librarians with book in hand; she must like books. We tempt her with a story. That okay, you petch?”

Argh, again with that. I need to stop that.

Boxcode by Estrellir Konrath

[Brandon Blackwing]

Two more chimes, give or take a few, the bat’s internal clock said, and a glance at the heavens to confirm this was a wasted effort; he’d never been all that good at reading the time from the position of Syna or Leth. He could determine what bell it was, but knowing the exact time to the chime, no, that was beyond his ability. His biological clock on the other hand was rather accurate. Of course it too had been proven wrong a couple times, but usually it was fairly correct. There still was a bit of distance to cover, and the bat picked up the pace, lengthening his strides, though by no means was he rushing.

It was nearly impossible not to know about the spirit supposedly haunting the library; rumors had floated around the city since the start of the season. Brandon had been planning on contacting his acquaintance and fellow follower of Dira, the spiritist Levi, to investigate, though he hadn’t expected the cry for aid from the Bharani. And certainly not this early in the season. Well, as a marked of Dira he simply couldn’t ignore the request; he’d be killing two birds with one stone. Levi probably wouldn’t dismiss the opportunity either. And as such Brandon had sought out the person who was trying to enlist people up for the task.

Now he was here, about to climb the steps to the Library, but to his surprise no one but himself had gathered there yet. Well, except the trio he heard walking behind him, just a few meters away. He turned around to see who they were, but only saw a young man with two children hiding behind him. His appearance didn’t ring any bells, however, his voice sure did. “Well, I suppose that means you are inferior to shyke then,” he returned the courtesy to the dollmaker. He glared at the wooden things disguised as children, those disgusting mockeries of his Goddess’s counterpart’s domain.

“Not quite. That’s for those abominations of you only.” The animator pushed past him though, either ignoring the retort or having decided not to respond. Maybe for the best, at the top of the steps there was someone waiting for him… them. Bah. Where the heck was Levi, and why was this shykehead here instead? Brandon followed his companion, close enough to the dolls to jump in, grab them both and throw them off the staircase if he so desired. And he did desire it, only he suppressed it for the sake of more important objectives… for now.

The man awaiting their arrival reminded the Kelvic of Gallan, with his short stature, his moustache, and general posture he could have been his brother. One huge difference was the color of his skin, and the grumpy expression this librarian seemed to have adopted as his standard look. Gallan on the other hand always seemed to smile. They entered the magnificent building and the moustached man explained the situation while guiding both Bran and Kaik through the Library. The bat nodded at the mention of his mark, but said nothing, instead meeting the librarian’s gaze uninterestedly. He was more concerned about the flimsy hint of a presence he had sensed ever since stepping inside the building.

A couple of words were exchanged between the man and the dollmaker, although the latter wasn’t exactly being allowed to finish his lines. They paced onwards then, arriving at a section described as ‘fiction’ by one of the plaques in the building. Mr. Librarian continued to inform the men, this time about the ghost itself; a young girl, apparently. At the mention of her, Brandon felt her presence grow stronger, and the smell of mist mixed with death filled his nostrils, growing stronger with the tick. From the background, the sensation started to dominate all else, and there she was, appearing a good distance away. Her lip trembled, and the bat cursed, covering his ears with his hands as a precaution. She broke into a run, an unholy wail piercing the air, only slightly hindered by the Kelvic’s improvised protection.

Before long, the girl had vanished again, but the wail remained, ringing through the halls for a while, fading eventually, and as did her presence. Brandon uncovered his ears with a deep sigh. “Syna’s gleaming butt cheeks, can’t it be a quiet ghost?” he muttered to no one in particular. The librarian excused himself in the meantime, leaving Bran and Kaik alone with each other. Now there were no onlookers, and the perfect opportunity for destroying the dolls had arrived. However, it probably wasn’t a good idea to openly show violence in the presence of a little girl’s spirit. She didn’t appear a threat –only to the ears- like the librarian had said, and he didn’t want to scare her too much. His mark was probably doing that for him already. Gods damn it Levi, I could use your help!

Kaik meanwhile seemed to have come up with a stupid idea, presenting it to the bat, who was not impressed. “Do whatever you please, but do it on your own.” Brandon turned away and took a few steps in a random direction to check whether his mark’s detection ability picked up the girl’s signal better or worse. He repeated it a couple times, and then headed in the direction with the strongest presence, feeling it grow and diminish. Every time that happened, and it was quite often, he had to tweak the path he took to stay on her track. Eventually though he felt as if he was gaining on her, and he grinned ever so slightly. With Dira’s blessing there was no need to lure the girl out with a book, he could just track her all around the library without too much trouble. He was very close now, the ghostly scent was stronger than ever, but she wasn’t visible. “Come on out,” he spoke, trying to keep his voice quite gentle, “I know you’re here.”

[Kaik Leyr]

OOCTried to give you plenty of room to write without me get in the way of what you're doing. I hope that's what I did.

It seemed cooperation had not been an option as Djas walked away.

Okay, fine. We work alone then.

“What’re are you planning then?” Kaik muttered as he down in nearby table. He placed a scroll on the table and unraveled it. “Arya, Oliver, come sit here.” He directed the dolls to sit on opposite sides of himself.

Right, well...I hope this works. If that petcher, Djas, was here I’d get him to talk to the girl, given how sharp tongued he seemed. Then again he isn’t a likable fellow.

Kaik cleared his throat and tried to speak in a moderately loud voice. “There once was a bunny, who lived in a tiny, wooden house. Little bunny lived happily until a big, bad wolf arrived at her door-”

Kaik continued to read the story, but girl had not arrived.

She hasn’t appeared yet. Why’d I even come here? I don’t have anything to offer here. I just wanted to help, but maybe just that is not enough. Maybe that petcher actually found he-

A scream echoed through the library.

Good job, Djas. You found her.

Kaik continued to read the story until he had to take a break. He had never talked so long before. It was then the ghost girl appeared in the seat in front of him. He stared at the girl and she stared back for a chime. The nameless girl looked so real to him. If Kaik did not knew prior, he would have mistaken her as a real girl.

It seemed the ghost was tired of the silence. “Read.”

The Dollmaker was too surprised of her actually speaking, even if it was just one word.

The girl seemed annoyed when Kaik would not continue to read. She said it louder, “Read.”
Kaik did what she said, and continued until the story finished. “Umm...so you’re-”
“I can’t remember...why? Why?” She had stood up from her chair. The ghost was on the edge of tears. “So even in this way...I can’t remember.” She cried out loud, as if to make sure everyone heard her misery.

Kaik covered his ears. He said in a gentle tone, “Please...just calm down. I’m here to help yo-”

The ghost bolted from her chair away from the Dollmaker. Kaik chased after her, but just when he touched her slight pain filled his entire hand. Surprised he quickly took his hand off her and it was then she disappeared leaving her wailing echo.

He looked down at his hand as he wondered why he felt such a sudden pain. It was not the worst pain he felt, but it was enough to catch him off guard.

That girl did something, or maybe she didn’t. I don’t know. Is that what happens when you touch a ghost? Or did she will that to happen? In any case I have to be carefull. I also need to draw her out again.

He returned the scroll and picked up a new one.

Is this going to work again? I doubt she trusts me. Should I try something different?

“Don’t leave. I’m uh...going to read again. Don’t you want to listen? You can stay hidden if you want, just be...close, I guess, so you can hear.” Kaik felt unsure how convincing he was, or if she even heard, but he decided to read again.

It was inevitable Djas would return to where Kaik was, given that was where her path led, and when Djas arrived, Kaik stopped his reading.

“Welcome back. That girl was here for a moment. She say anything to you?”

I have no time to deal with him. I need to help that girl, somehow. Maybe she’ll tell me something this time.

Once the conversation seemed to be over Kaik continued his reading as soon as he could, not saying anything to what Djas said after.

Boxcode by Estrellir Konrath

[Brandon Blackwing]

x

She didn’t show, instead her scent grew weaker, and Brandon realized she was just sneaking away from him. Good try, but useless. Dira’s mark made him a bloodhound when it came to ghosts and other creatures that shouldn’t be in the realm of the living anymore. Large as the library was, the sphere of detection of his mark did stretch rather far; perhaps not entirely covering the whole building if he stood in the center, but it wasn’t like he had to walk all that far to make her touch the edges of his tracking sense. Brandon didn’t really knew how far his ability reached, but it did not matter either way; he either sensed an undead, or he did not. It was that simple.

The thief focused and started to follow the ghost, zigzagging through the shelves and halls, eventually arriving at the spot where the spirit seemed to be. Yes, her scent was strong, as was the sensation that made the hairs on the nape of his neck stand on end. Watched, he felt watched; this feeling was almost excusive to being in the presence of a sprite, at least when it was this strong. Other times it was just paranoia. But not now.

Once again he called out to her, but there was no response, though he felt she remained where she was. Perhaps she thought it strange that someone could find her? Maybe she believed it to be a coincidence? That keeping quiet and frozen in place would hide her from him. Then, the question was whether Brandon frightened her or not. Levi’s spirit had been quite distraught by the Kelvic’s mere presence, though the ghost living in a deserted house hadn’t. From the looks of it, the level of power of the spirit had something to do with it, but there was no telling just how powerful this apparition was.

Brandon frowned, cocking his head to the side in his ponderings. A silent grunt escaped him as he turned to look around, spotting a book on the floor, lying opened. Another frown, and he approached, sensing the girl’s presence grow stronger still. Oh she was close alright, very, very close… If she were alive, Bran would have believed her to be standing right next to him… The problem though remained that if there was no real difference in the distance between himself or the ghost, either of them could move around and Brandon wouldn’t feel as if anything had changed. Eyes darting side to side, he crouched near the book, picking it up and staring at the leather cover, closing the pages in the process. ”Modern History: the rise of Lhavit”… Bah… Not even two ticks had passed before a scream tore the silence to shreds, causing Brandon to drop the book and cover his ears while yelling a string of curses that were fortunately drowned out by the ghost’s wail.

As the peace and quiet returned to the library once more, the little ghost girl rapidly removed herself from the scene, leaving the bat behind with ears that still had the echoes of her scream ringing in them. I’m sure of it; this ghost is more dangerous to me than the previous one. He sighed then, got to his feet and set out to search for the spirit again. Whether it be a coincidence or not, the bat was led back to the fiction section, Kaik’s voice serving as a beacon as much as the specter’s smell. He didn’t approach them though, instead remaining a while away, able to hear the dollmaker’s voice easily enough from where he was. Apparently he was reading a story.

The ending came quickly, and a second voice cut through the quiet, a girl’s. The ghost then. She whined and complained, proceeding to cry, much to the bat’s annoyance. She’s able to murder my ears and my patience all at once. Great. He scowled, his mouth a snarl. Someone started running, then yelped. The little girl’s presence diminished once more. Kaik spoke up, trying to coax her to come back. Brandon sighed and started moving, following the path through the racks of books up to the animator, his expression still disgruntled, but at least not as hostile as a couple chimes ago. “That girl was here for a moment.”
“I know,” he replied flatly.
“She say anything to you?”
“No.” Unless of course, an earsplitting cry can be counted among conversations.

It didn’t seem to bother the animator, and the man started to read a new story, this time something about a boy being raised by a Jamoura family. The Kelvic took a deep breath in, held it for a moment, and let it escape. Now what? Try a different strategy. Kaik was practically begging for the ghost’s attention, so Brandon decided to do the opposite. He’d ignore her. Go look for books that held information useful to him. Stop searching for that spirit and do his own thing. Maybe she’d come to him then.

He strode off then, deciding to go look for the medicine section. Perhaps they had a book on Lobothommy or whatever it was called. Something he could use to improve his integration of pressure points in his combat.

OOCApologies for not really pushing the plot forward at all

x

credit goes to Euthisa

[Kaik Leyr]

OOCWorry not! I believe I pushed the plot forward slightly I made the girl kinda sassy, but I hope you're alright with that. Also I'm starting to wonder if Brandon just gave up on the ghost, since he's just ignoring her and is waiting in the boring medical section.

Well, he doesn’t look pleased. At least he hasn’t done anything to the little ones yet.

Djas walked away without saying much. Kaik wanted to ask what Djas planned next, but figured he would not get an answer.

The Dollmaker glanced at Djas as he turned his back on him. Kaik wanted revenge, but a memory emerged from his mind. He remembered his time with Melissa. When the memory returned he felt the blood all over his hands. His hands trembled as he recalled what he created from Melissa’s dead corpse.

Revenge...I know how that ends. I don’t want it anymore. Will I feel the same if he tried something with my...creations?

He closed his eyes and tried to calm down.

No time for this. I gotta help that girl somehow. To do that I have to talk to her.

Kaik continued reading until half of the story was read. The ghost never appeared during the time. He decided to let his voice take a break. He leaned back on his chair and yawned. Abruptly an opened book was hurled directly into his face. Caught surprised Kaik leaned back too far and hit the ground with the chair.

For a chime Kaik stayed on the ground not saying a word.

It was the ghost or Djas, and with him doing...something elsewhere that leaves the girl. Should I be happy she’s here?

The girl appeared by the side of Kaik and stared down at him.

Kaik groaned, “ow...wha- why?”
“Keep reading,” she stated while poking him with the story he had just read.
“Argh…could you stop poking me?” The pocking had not ceased. Kaik sighed. “Can’t we just talk first?”
“No.”
Kaik had sat up. “Please?”
“No.”

Okay, it’s gonna be the same as last time if I don’t do something, but she’s set on me finishing this story. I have to finish it.

Unable to change the girl’s mind Kaik continued to read once he returned the chair to its right position.

Time passed until Kaik had reached the end of the story. Just like the Dollmaker expected tears began to well up in the girl’s eyes.

What to do? I have stop her crying. My entire head has been hurting, I can’t handle more screaming. Ah, but more important is just getting her to calm down.

“I’ll help you remember!” Kaik said without thought.

No idea what exactly she want’s to remember, but if it’ll calm her down.

The girl looked at Kaik with hopeful eyes. “Really?”
“Um, yeah. I promise you, I will help you.”

The girl looked away and contemplated his words spoken, as if it was something she was promising.

She quietly said, “okay.”

Finally. I thought she would just disappear again.

Kaik rubbed the back of his head. “Right...um...I’m Kaik Leyr. Do you remember your name?”
“Of course I remember my name, idiot,” she replied sharply. “Azura. What are those two?”
“My uh...dolls. Works of magic.”
She seemed disinterested in the dolls, as if she only asked out of passing curiosity. “Who was that man? The one who followed me.”

Why am I being questioned? It’s supposed to be the other way around.

Kaik said, “his name is Djas. Do you want to see him?”
“I see him just fine. But if you meant talking with him, then no.”
“Wh-”
“And before you say ‘why?’ it’s because he’s not good. Something’s wrong about him. At least with a quiet fool like you I can relax.”

What could be ‘wrong’ about him? I don’t think she’s referring to his personality. Maybe it has to do with this ‘gift’ of his. And do I really come off as a fool?

Azura sat down on the table. “Now then. Read me another story, this one.” She threw a new story unto Kaik’s lap.

Kaik looked at the book with a tired outlook. “Um...reading more won’t help you. We should just talk and find out what happened to you.”
“Huh?” Azura looked offended. “That’s why you should just read. So I can learn why I can’t remember the books.”

So that’s what she’s trying to remember? Okay, so I just help her remember somehow and she won’t bother the library...er- isn’t she just gonna come back here? That’s fine right? If she just leaves once in awhile, they won’t worry about her...I think?

Confused Kaik said, “I don’t follow your logic.”
Azura sighed in annoyance. “And you don’t have to. Just listen to what I say and read.”
“Can’t you just read it yourse-”
She slammed her hand unto the table. “You promised to help me, so just shut up and do as I say. Just read!”
“Okay, okay.”

Being bossed around by a little ghost girl. How the petch did it come to this? What the petch is that Djas doing anyway?

Boxcode by Estrellir Konrath

[Brandon Blackwing]

x

OOCOh, he’s not giving up He’s just a little … distracted at the moment He has his priorities backwards For the moment I’ll let you handle the ghost And when you least expect it, and there’s an opening for me to make use of, I’ll have her bury you under a huge pile of literature

Brandon really wished Levi would show up, apologize for being late and aid him in getting the ghost to pass on. The spiritist was easy to work with, and contrary to Kaik, he was useful. And not accompanied by animated abominations. I really should do something about those… he thought, not being quite sure how to destroy them completely. Sure, he could steal some flammables from the Chalice, and throw them at the dolls, but that was kind of… unsubtle. That and fire could be smothered, not to mention that he’d probably be chased by the Shinya for arson. Dismantling them seemed like a great plan; he could do it in public too. If he just showed the onlookers the abominations were not actual children, surely they would be on his side?

The ghost was drifting about aimlessly, he sensed, as he navigated through the library, Kaik’s reading voice echoing in the background, forming an unpleasant reminder of the company present. Bah. The bat was surprised the man hadn’t killed himself yet; if he recalled last time correctly, that had been one of his desires. Disappointing really, if he’d had the guts then this situation would have been a lot more favorable.

He found the medicinal section then, and was amazed by the vast amount of books and racks the section was composed off. It was probably just as large as the whole library of Wind Reach! A good thing, and also a troublesome one, as it would mean scouring the whole of it would consume way more time than he’d expected. On the other hand, he didn’t really have anything better to do. If he wanted to lure the ghost to him by ignoring it, he would need something to keep him busy. Then at least he wouldn’t go crazy from boredom.

Fortunately, this being Lhavit’s library, the books seemed to have been ordered on subject. Tomes describing medical herbs were grouped together, as were those on poisons, anatomy, diseases, and whatnot. Brandon’s quest was helped along quite a bit by this, with him finding multiple books on the subjects he was interested in. The sheer amount of text was discouraging though, even if all of them did have an index page, and were split in multiple chapters which made looking up information all the more easy. He sat himself down on the floor, never having been too picky about what places he deemed good enough to sit on. Chairs were comfortable, yes, but sitting cross-legged was too. And he didn’t have to go looking for a seat either.

It took a while, mostly because Brandon wasn’t a practiced reader, even though he skipped what he believed was useless information, and read most of the “useful” text diagonally, but eventually his memory had been refreshed on the subject of Lobotomy. So basically, you just stick an ice-pick through the skull of a poor sod, and they lose many of their mental functions along with the ability to use magic… Useful, I suppose. He frowned then, trying to recall what he had learned on djed and massage a while ago. Magic used Djed, which ran through the body, like blood. However, it supplied energy, with which one could move their muscles and all. To use one’s muscles though, the body within the body –the astral one, the soul- had to puppeteer the shell that was the body to use the muscles. Complicated stuff, though with the right imagery Brandon could handle it. At least it wasn’t math.

Massage manipulates the body. It can alter the flow of djed, making the target feel rested, refreshed and all that. But, to actually heal someone, you need to send the information of being healed to the soul. Because, the soul mimics the body, and the other way around. Two stones connected by a rope. Move one, and you will move the other. So if you hurt one, you hurt the other. However, if you trick the soul in believing it is hurt, the body will be hurt too… which is what I’ve been doing with the manipulation of pressure points. Although he didn’t exactly wounded anyone with it. He could just make someone feel pain, and gradually numb their arms to the point of them being unusable and limp.

I wonder… The head should have quite a few pressure points as well. Could I take away the ability to use magic, temporarily of course, by making use of the points on the forehead? I’d love to find out. There was one problem with this, and it was that Brandon didn’t know the location of the head’s pressure points. However, that was where the books he’d gather were for, the only thing he lacked was a subject to test his theory on. Hm…. Maybe Kaik could make himself useful after all! Though the Kelvic refused to get his hopes up; disappointment would strike him less hard that way.

OOCLike I said, he has his priorities backwards

x

credit goes to Euthisa

[Kaik Leyr]

I will get her to talk. As soon as I finish this story.

Kaik eyed the side of the book and learned he was halfway done.

This is ridiculous. I’ve read three stories since I’ve been here. This has to be the last one, no more.

Time passed until Kaik eventually finished the story. Azura placed her hand on the book Kaik had placed down on the table.

“Again,” the ghost girl muttered almost crying.
“Huh?”
“I said again!” She screamed loud enough to have been heard anywhere in the library.
Kaik took a chime to let his ears recover. “No.”
Azura looked stunned. “No? You- you said you’d help me.”
“I did.”
“Then why?” She screamed again.
Silence took hold of the conversation for a chime. “I want to help you. This is not the way to do it.”
“You will help me. You’ll keep reading until I remember. You made a promise and I won’t let you break it.”
“Please, listen to me,” Kaik said as he stared into the girl’s eyes. “If I can just understand what happened to you then...then surely you’ll remember the stories. I’d-” Kaik looked down at his right hand; the tattoo that was forced on him still remained. “No matter how long it takes, I will find a way to help you remember.”
Azura stared back into Kaik’s eyes to be sure he meant every word he said. “Fine...and please...don’t say that corny line ever again. That was too stupid.”

Corny? What did I say that was ‘corny’? Whatever, finally she’ll talk to me.

“Okay, so...what can you remember about yourself?” Kaik pulled out from his backpack a wooden traveling notebook and took notes.
“I used to live on the Sharai peak with my parents. I worked in the Turov Gardens with them, but I always visited the library when I could. I always thought once I graduated from school I’d work at the library, but...family stopped that.”
Kaik touched silver ring on his left hand. “I’m sorry you had to give up on that dream. Family...can be difficult.”
“Hmm…” Azura continued on with her story. “I married later, but it never went well. My husband died quite a long time ago. I had remained alone in a cottage ever since, but then I decided to visit the library. Maybe to find that ‘something’ I lost so long ago before my age catches up to me. Then- something happened after that, I don’t know. Then somehow I arrived here.”

Something is very wrong with what she said. Surely she can’t have been a child when she married, so...does her form now not match her appearance when she died? And that last part she said, surely she knows she’s dead?

“Azura...do you- uh…” Kaik took a deep breath.
“What?”

Do I have the right to tell her she’s dead? She can’t live in ignorance, but is now the time to tell her?

Kaik looked at Azura with pity. “You’re dead. You were killed somehow. And now you’re a ghost.”
“What are you talking about? I’m not dead. Do you not see me? I’m alive. Stop being an idiot and just ask what you need to know to help me.”
“Azura! I want you to understand this. You can’t just ignore the truth. You’re a ghost! That’s why you’re here now, because you died.”
“Again with your shyke! You listen to me, I’m not dead.” Azura walked around the table and looked up at Kaik as she screamed, “I’m not dead!”
Kaik covered his ears, though far too late, to protect his ears. He was then pelted with scrolls, books, and whatever else was in the vicinity.
“Hey! Ah-” A scroll had nearly hit him the face. “Jus- argh!” Kaik felt the full force of a book hit his stomach. “Could you ju-” Another scroll came for his face only to hit his right arm. “Just stop it!”

Kaik crossed his arms and covered his face as he marched toward the girl who had already walked a short distance away.

How is she doing that? She’s not even touching those things. No time to think about that. Have to find a way to stop her.

Azura stood where she was as she continued to throw books at Kaik. She was far too disillusioned to have noticed it was not her hands that were throwing the various items. She stopped when Kaik had stood right in front of her.

“What do you want? Are going to hit me? Go ahead! I don’t care. I’m right and you’re wrong! There’s no way I’m dead. I can’t died. I have to read. This is what I’ve always dreamed of. To just read. And now you tell me all this useless shyke. You promised you’d help me, but then you-”

Kaik wrapped his arms around her. Immediately after he did so he felt as if a thousand needles were jabbed into him and to accompany the pain was a sensation of being packed in ice. Kaik screamed in pain after holding unto her for half a chime.

Azura said bewildered, “what the shyke are you doing? Why are you-”
“It’ll be okay! Everything will be okay! I- I will help you! I promised you! I-”

Something more than the pain overtook him. He was not sure what happened, but his vision turned black for a chime. When Kaik opened his eyes again Azura had disappeared. Yet, somehow he felt she was still there next to him. As he tried to move, his body would not listen to him.

What is going on? Why can’t I move?

Before panic could set in, his body moved, though not through his own accord.

Azura had not realized herself, but she had possessed Kaik. When she looked down at a open book she had thrown before she almost cried. Azura had remembered what she read.

Panic had finally taken over surprise when Kaik wanted back control of his body. With just a thought the two had separated from each.

Kaik stayed on the ground as both pain and exhaustion overtook him.

Azura looked happily at Kaik. “What are you supposed to be? Some cliche hero? Spouting all those cliche lines…”
“I- uh...argh...what happened just then?”
“Stop being the hero, idiot.”
“I’m not trying to- it...really hurts, wh-y did it end up like this? Can’t you just tell me-”
“I don’t know. I don’t really care. But...I remember now, only a little bit, but I remember. So thanks.”

Is that so? I can’t even bother to talk anymore. It just hurts more. So tired. Would they mind if I just sleep? I’m sure they won’t. I shouldn’t but...if it’s just for a little bit.

Kaik closed his eyes uncaring for what would happen around him. The only thing that seemed to matter to him at that moment was sleep.

OOCSorry to do so, but it ended up with her throwing books at him in this post. So I'm sorry to have taken away your chance to write about her pilling a mountain of books on him.

Boxcode by Estrellir Konrath

[Brandon Blackwing]

x

OOCHah, no problem But now playtime's over, and it's time for the bat to interfere

Brandon pushed the books he didn't need anymore back in the shelves, not really caring whether they'd been placed correctly or not, and then he browsed through the various other thick books on the body of various races. Some were discarded right away after just a quick look at the index, others were set aside for later selections. By doing this, Brandon slightly decreased the amount of books he had to browse through, and then by scanning the pages for a specific illustration of the body and the various points, the bat diminished it even more. It didn't come as a surprise when he was left with only a couple books.

Two others were discarded as they did have an illustration of the pressure points on the whole body, they lacked more detailed ones on smaller regions, such as the head or arms. Only a few remained then, and luckily, those did have more detail, though again one book was cast aside when the points drawn on the pages didn't match those that Brandon knew already. A whole book of bogus and bullshyke, or the artist hadn't been paying attention. Either way, the bat couldn't trust the images held within its pages, especially so since the other two books didn't only match the pressure points with those that Brandon had knowledge of, but they also disagreed with the one faulty book.

He searched for the image of the head then, finding more than just one; but the head viewed from almost every angle, all points marked clearly, along with the djed vessels and whatnot. Great. This was what he needed to find. Naturally, the forehead was listed too, exquisitely drawn with meticulous precision, a plethora of pressure points littered all over it. There were too many for Brandon to remember, though he figured he didn't need to. Surely he didn't need to manipulate all points to make someone lose the ability to focus intensely enough to call forth magic. Hopefully.

For the moment, Brandon decided to memorize about ten of them, all located pretty close together, since he suspected that'd have a stronger effect then if they'd been separated from each other by a couple centimeters of skin. Kaik was once more successful in drawing the ghost to him, it seemed, as her voice rang through the halls a few times, clearly on the verge of tears. Good job Kaik, good job. Try to keep her quiet will you, I can't focus here! For a couple moments it seemed the dollmaker was able to actually adhere to the bat's wishes, but not for long, as Brandon's focus was once more broken by a scream of the ghost girl. “I'm not dead!”

A heavy sigh escaped the Kelvic's lips, and he got up from the ground, hearing thuds of things falling on the floor echoing throughout the library. Someone was causing a ruckus, and apparently they weren't going to let Brandon concentrate until he'd dealt with this shyke first. Very well then. Prepare yourself ghostie, I'll bring reality down onto your delusional denial of your non-corporal existence! He headed off into her direction then, only having to follow the noise to get there, bringing his book with him, so he could get back to his studying whenever the ghost had been dealt with.

When the bat arrived, Kaik was on the floor, and a whole heap of books and scrolls was spread all over the floor. The ghost was there too, look pretty happy, a smile on her face. Having been within hearing range when they'd had their latest conversation, Brandon had an idea of what might have happened. He could at least make sense of the girl's words and goal she hoped to achieve in the library. It wasn't all that hard to figure out once you had the necessary puzzle pieces. Exhibit A: She roamed the library, following librarians with books. Exhibit B: Kaik had been reading her stories, and after one of those she'd exclaimed that she “couldn't remember”. And exhibit C: now she claimed she did remember some things, but not a lot.

Obviously, she loved books, otherwise she'd not be haunting a library, nor come out if people read her stories. It would have been possible that she in fact hated books and reading, but then she'd probably have attacked people, and wrecked the place. So she loved stories, and loved reading, but why was she upset all the time. It was strange at first, but the words she'd spoken revealed a great deal. She couldn't remember something. What though? A book? Possibly. For a moment Brandon tried to place himself in the ghost's place; he was at a place where he felt in his element, and still he was not happy. Why? Because he couldn't remember. What couldn't he remember?


Think. I'm in … in Wind Reach's Fighting Pit. Alright. I love that place. It's the only good thing about Wind Reach. Now. I am training there. I should be perfectly happy training, and beating endal. But I am not. Why? No no no. That won't do at all. There's no real connection. Hm. Wait. I'm in Kalinor. Training with my mother. I'm not happy even though I should be... because she broke my ribs? No. She hit me in the face repeatedly? No... Hm. What do I do there? I am training... I am learning... Learning... Learning new techniques. I am not happy. I should be happy. I cannot remember something, and that's why I am not happy... I am learning new techniques, but I am not happy, because I cannot remember something.... I am not happy, because I cannot remember... learning new techniques... I cannot remember what I was just taught? That would make sense. Which would mean, if I apply this logic to this little ghostie here, that she is reading books, but can't remember what she just read? … That would make a whole lot of sense.

“Okay, I see now. Mister Cliché hero here helped you remember momentarily, however-” he pointed his index finger at the girl with a flourish, brows knitting together, “can you still recall what you just read now?” Kaik's situation kind of reminded him of Levi's condition after the ghost had temporarily inhabited his body, only worse. Back then the spirit had tried to use the spiritist's body to experience what the living could, though she had been unable to even with Levi's body. Ghosts were not granted anything else but misery. Perhaps this apparition had remembered what she had read when in Kaik's body, after clumsily maneuvering about and knocking a ton of books off the shelves. However, now some time had passed, and while she'd been able to remember a little bit after leaving Kaik's body, she should have been out of it for a couple chimes already. Utter misery was the only thing a ghost was awarded for clinging to life, so for this apparition, that would mean the memories of what she just had read should be fading, or had already entirely disappeared.

“Wha- what are you talking about! Of course I do!” She crossed her arms, looking mildly annoyed by Brandon's presence. Annoyed and a little tense. “I just said I remembered a little bit, didn't I?”
“Well then,” Brandon retorted, “why don't you tell me what exactly it is you remember?” The expression he received in return was one that seemed to question his intelligence, but the bat just stared back challengingly until she averted her gaze and appeared to concentrate, brows knitting together. Only a little at first, but gradually more and more, utter despair becoming visible on her ethereal visage. “I- I …can't...?” It was just a mumble, but it was all Brandon needed to smirk smugly for a split-tick, watching as the girl frantically tried to dig out the memories of the book. “No, no, no, no! I can remember! I remembered it! So why? Why?! Why can't I remember now? Why can't I remember anymore?!”

Brandon opened his mouth to speak up, though in his smugness he'd failed to notice the tears filling the ghost girl's eyes, which were once more overflowing. At the same time a desperate, miserable wail tore itself out of her throat, catching the bat completely off guard. She ran too, slipping away then vanishing during the commotion. Once the screaming seemed over, Brandon uncovered his ears again, kicking at Kaik's side in annoyance and frustration. That yelling was tearing through his nerves, though now he fortunately had something -someone- nearby he could take his frustrations out on. “Get the petch up. We're going after her. She seems to like your stupid face, so you're coming along to see if you can make yourself useful.” He growled, teeth bared and eyes flaring viciously, already determining what direction she had chosen to hide in. “There's nowhere to run for you though, I can track you wherever you go...” he muttered, picking up the book he'd dropped while trying to protect his ears, then looked at Kaik, deciding to just grab his leg or hair and drag him through the building if he didn't get up within ten ticks.

x

credit goes to Euthisa

[Kaik Leyr]

Kaik dreamed, as he always did, of the past. It started happy enough, with him sitting on top of a roof with Ellen, however it turned into a nightmare. Mellisa had stood in front of him smiling with a knife in hand. The nightmare ended with her stabbing into his side repeatedly.

The Dollmaker was greeted with Djas’s anger and superiority.

What a way to wake a person up.

Kaik stayed on the ground with his arm covered over one eyes. It appeared Azura had disappeared while he was asleep. There was no doubt in Kaik’s mind that Djas had caused her to leave.

His entire body stinged and all the energy in his body had left him, but Kaik would not put up with Djas’s shyke.

“And exactly-” Kaik groaned as he tried to sit up, “what the petch have you’ve been doing since we’ve arrived here?”

The Dollmaker looked up at Djas as his face turned vicious.

What an ugly face. Reminds me of Melissa, except marginally less intimidating.

“Would you calm down already? She’s scared and confused. Whatever you said when I was gone probably pushed her off the edge. We have more than enough time and she’s not going anywhere else, I would guess.”

Kaik grabbed hold of a nearby chair and pushed himself up. The pain still lingered, but it seemed he could walk. “Arya, please get over here to me.”

Arya did as instructed and was used to support Kaik. Oliver followed behind the Dollmaker. Kaik eyed Djas warily as the two dolls did as ordered.

“Lead the way.” Kaik followed behind Djas at a slow pace. “Don’t expect me walk faster than this.”

What exactly does this ‘gift’ of his even do? I would assume it would allow him to follow Azura, but that kind of skill doesn’t have to relate to his ‘gift’. He might just have more than just this ‘gift’ under his disposable.

Kaik looked down at Arya and had remembered the hole that was once in her head.

“Hey,” Kaik said in a moderately quiet voice, “I remember that evening you appeared before me. What do you think it means to be alive? To have emotions? To have self-awareness?”

Kaik looked down at his right hand. “Would you have that girl disappear against her will? She too can be considered not ‘alive’. Do you not feel guilt when you make them disappear?”

Instead of talking to Djas Kaik had started to talk to himself. “Doesn’t it change you? Taking lives away, or whatever it is you’re sending to the afterlife.”

The Dollmaker sighed as he heard a pile of book fall to the ground. “Not that anything I say or you say will change what we are. Anyway, I’m going to help Azura. Um...try not to scare her off with your foul mouth this time.”

Kaik moved toward the source of the sound made earlier. “Hey, Azura?” He said aloud.

His question received no answer.

OOCShorter post than I'd like. I didn't want to start talking with the ghost girl quite yet, though. Thought I'd give some room for the two to have a nice, friendly 'talk'

Also, just wanted to say that Bran has had a horrible attitude these past posts. Crushing Azura's false happiness with a grin. Kicking a guy when he's down.

Boxcode by Yra