The Dream-Shaped Shadow I - First Deceit

[Alice]

Garola took the slip of paper and examined it as Keyta pointed to all of the pictures in a particular order. Apparently drawing was the only way to communicate for the little girl, and so she made an effort to understand the message. With each picture, she voiced her interpretation, looking down at the Kelvic to check if she was right. “So, you were on a large ship and came here. Then you made friends with two of our sisters or at least you talked with them and followed them around. And you’ve also heard that we need help at confronting Nel’vira. So you came here because you want to help? That’s very noble of you.”

She left the paper at the desk, unsure whether the girl would want to have it back or she could keep it. Suddenly a fruit was dangling in front of her. Surprise was all across her features. The girl was certainly an interesting one. “Why, thank you”, she said and smiled. After taking a first bite, she considered what to do with the child.

Daughters were of high value to the Konti. They were raised cherished as well as with great care. Even though they were young of age, most Konti children showed maturity that was foreign to humans. Some never learned. But the girl seemed to be bright, despite her handicap of silence. “So, you could mouth your name so I can properly address you. And then, please tell or show me what kind of skills you can offer. If I see that you can contribute to the completion of the mission, I will tell the group to let you join. However, it will probably become very dangerous once we find the lost sister.”

Her voice was soft, but she didn’t lie. Honesty was an important value, and she would teach it not only to her daughters. Reaching back, she offered another piece of paper in case Keyta needed to draw more pictures.

[Keyta]

Excited that she was actually able to communicate even just a little bit with this woman, Keyta started trying to explain her name, she remembered the easiest trick from back on the docks. She started by holding out her key necklace out in front of her; then she held her fingers out in front crossing each other. Now down to the last sound, she hadn't learned any knew trick for that, so she waited a moment and placed her finger on her lip trying to think. With nothing new coming to mind, the little Kelvic just simply opened her mouth again trying to provoke the sound "ah". If only she hadn't eaten the fruit with her name written on it, she would have been able to just have shown her that, but since it is destroyed, she hoped to re-learn it. Finally finished trying to express her name once again, Keyta tried to think of what she had to really contribute. She could not fight, she could not write, she had no special gifts, the only thing she had was her secret. Wondering if she could even show her that, Keyta remembered her father's words about never allowing anyone i don't trust to see her as her true self. She also remembered how her father showed her how trust looked like on paper, so quickly the little girl grabbed the paper and wrote it just like her father had. Holding it in front of her, Keyta pointed at the word and then back to herself, and then to Garola. If Keyta could trust Garola, then the kelvic could show this konti her true form and find out if she could be of any real use.

[Alice]

Once again, Garola recalled the playing and reading lessons she had with her children. Konti were quick learners, of course, but before they could read and write, even before they could speak, she had to find a different way to understand what they wanted. Guessing games were one of her favorite. When the girl started showing her name, Garola felt excitement welling up inside her. The little human - for she didn't know what other race she could be - communicated just like her daughters before they had outgrown their lack of knowledge. First the necklace with the pendant. Key, thought Garola and nodded. Then she formed a cross which obviously stood for a t. At last, she whispered, and Garola added the sound in her mind. "Key-t-aa... Your name is Keyta?" she suggested and smiled, hoping she had guessed right with the first try.

Next, she hoped, the girl would explain what kind of skills she possessed. However, signs on the paper revealed something else. "Trust? You mean, you, I... If you can trust me?" She blinked. What kind of question was that? Not sure how to react, she took a deep breath to gain time. First and foremost, her mission was to find suitable adventurers and negotiators, probably even fighters, to investigate the matter and stop Nel'vira. But then, she wasn't in a hurry, not really. Every problem would sort itself out when the time was right.

So Garola decided once again that she could invest the time and get to know Keyta better. Something was boiling under the surface. "Keyta, you can! I'm a member of the Mothers' Circle which means it is my profession to be there for others and listen to others' needs and problems. I'm some sort of people organizer, I guess." She chuckled a bit. And spread her hands a bit, allowing the girl to go ahead. Must be a secret of some importance, she assumed, and her eyes glittered.

[Keyta]

Keyta was excited that Garola was able to guess her name and with almost no trouble at all. She was even more excited that she found someone she could trust and show her true form to on this strange island. Keyta held her finger in front of her to ask Garola to wait a moment and took a few steps away from the desk. Holding up the sign one last time, Keyta placed it on the ground and began disrobing in the office. After removing her tunic, Keyta looked back at the window in the doorway, so she quickly pulled a curtain over it to ensure only this woman would see her. Bear chested, Keyta reached for her shorts and pulled them right over her boots and then finally removing the boots as well. The last piece was her necklace, which she took off and placed on the desk in front of Garola. Keyta held her arms up, reaching for the walls and jumping forward before transforming into her bat form. Keyta began to flutter above Garola's head and continued to fly around for a moment. Wanting to show off, Keyta began to flip and transform again completing the transformation landing on the desk perfectly looking just as she did before but now out of breath. The naked child's eyes were closed but she carefully and slowly opened her right eye to look at Garola to see if she was impressed or not.

[Alice]

OOCLet's wrap this thread up so we can move the quest along. For your next post, please don't let Keyta find the ship yet.

Garola’s eyes widened as she watched the girl undress in her office. She hoped that nobody would come in just now and tried to listen to any noises drifting in from the hall. Everything she heard was silence though.

As the necklace landed on her desk, Garola looked at it for a while. She didn’t know if she was allowed to touch it, but she made a silent promise to look over it until the girl put it on again. It must be some sort of heirloom, from her parents maybe, she thought. Her gaze returned to the small girl just to catch a glimpse of her spreading her arms.

At the sight of the bat, she jumped. Clung to the desk a moment later. Where had the girl gone? Only after another few moments of the bat flying around her head, she realized what she had heard about Kelvics. Of course, a fair share of them lived in Mura, working together with the Opal Order in their Ivaski forms. However, Garola had never seen a Kelvic with such an unusual animal form. Watching the girl, she wondered how she could be useful to the mission. She’d make an excellent spy, with her small size and night vision.

Laughing at Keyta’s stunts, Garola waved her down. “You’re really good, Keyta, that’s magnificent”, she commented and smiled at the single opened eye. “I suppose you could be a good spy and messenger. That is, if you want to. But you already said you wanted to help, so...” Taking a deep breath, she got down to business. “There’s no need for further demonstrations or anything. Your ship to Sahova will depart from the harbor tomorrow, two bells after sunrise. Please be punctual. You won’t miss the ship, it’s the biggest that’s currently anchoring there. Any questions?” She smiled and made sure the Kelvic got her necklace back.

If Keyta didn’t have any other questions, she find herself on her way to the harbor a day later...

[Keyta]

Keyta nodded and smiled at Garola, stating she understood and had no further questions and carefully took her necklace back from her. The small kelvic placed the key necklace back around her neck before returning any of her clothing. Excitement filled her head as she now felt like she would be able to finally return a small favor to the island she had taken refuge. Keyta took a quick look around the room and reached for her clothes to put them back on. Thoughts flooded her mind as she began to wonder what type of excitement she would be experiencing as she was in Sahova. With every piece of clothing returned to its rightful place, the kelvic girl turned on her heels, smiled and bowed politely before turning back around. Keyta turned her body to continue smiling and waved to Garola before leaving through the doorway. With time to burn, Keyta began to run, hoping that she was heading in the correct direction to the harbor, but knew she would have time to find it if she were in the wrong location. OOCI'm all done unless you have anything else you would like to add to the end of the thread, but I look forward to the quest <3

[Alice]

As the Kelvic girl neared the harbor, she’d feel a tingle at her back. As if someone was watching her from the shadows, deciding that she’d be their prey. Being a Kelvic, she’d be familiar with the principles of territory and food the animal world was centered on. Be quick or be dead.

Indeed, someone was watching her, but even if she looked around, she wouldn’t be able to discern them. The Konti was nearly out of sight, sitting under a bush down at the beach and watching the paved way leading down to the harbor. She watched the path of every person who went to the harbor that day, watched what they carried and how they moved. She knew what kind of day it was and she knew why the foreign ship was there.

Eventually she rose, unseen to Keyta, brushed the dust off her white robes and went to join the adventurers she had observed. “I’ll be careful, I’ll find out the details and report them to you. I’ll make you proud, my lady”, she muttered under her breath.

And with that, the journey to Sahova began.

Keyta

Experience: 1 Observation, 2 Drawing, 1 Writing
Lores: Nel’vira (rumors), Frustration, Drawing a Series of Events, The Consistency of Ink, Communicating One’s Name, Asking for Trust, Showing One’s True Identity

Comments

Nice writing! Not sure what else to award since they mainly talked. I’ll send you a link for the next thread (the actual quest) as soon as it’s ready and posted.