Closed The Eyes Have It

[Zach Grasswind]

8th Fall, 521av.

The morning was overcast and drizzly, much like most of Zach’s mornings had been since returning to Lhavit. He had forgotten just how rainy the city could be in the latter half of the year. His first purchase after securing his old room at the Solar Wind had been a new coat, which he now pulled closer around his shoulders as he wound his way over to the Tenten Peak.

His destination today was the Dove’s Tower. He had no idea what to expect, for Long Stan had not elaborated on the details, but he knew that it was a doorway to ‘elsewhere’. Apparently in the ‘elsewhere’ he would be able to find a new bow, one made by the finest of woodworkers.

It took him a good while to reach the Tower, set so far back from the rest of the Peak as it was. The building was fairly unremarkable by Lhavit standards, just a simple tower. As he approached Zach could hear cooing that got louder with each step. He squinted through the persistent drizzle at the building to see that a bird was perched on almost every place one might find a footing. The white feathers of the doves stood out in the grey, and the hunter picked out a number of pigeons among them too. His gaze fell on the simple wooden door and he stepped up to it, pushing his way inside out of the rain.

The inside was vastly different to the outside. It took a moment for Zach’s eyes to adjust to sudden brightness, and once they did, he spent a moment blinking around at the walls. Intricate carvings covered every single surface of what appeared to be white marble. The stone itself reflected the little light that managed to filter in from outside and light the place up so that it almost shone. There was cooing inside too, but quieter, and looking up he could see the doves nestled along the walls.

Zach caught movement from the corner of his eye and he turned to face it, letting the door fall shut behind him with a click. A young woman was standing near him, watching quietly. The Drykas thought at first that she had one of the doves perched on her head, but after a moment he realised that it appeared she had some sort of halo of wings. She tilted her head slightly at him and gave him a small smile.
“You want to go to The Outpost?”

So ‘elsewhere’ appeared to have a name. Zach cleared his throat and nodded once. “Ah, yes. Yes, I do…”
“You just need to go back out of the door.” Zach blinked at her curiously, half turning back to the door he had entered through and touched the handle. He hadn’t noticed a second door anywhere else, but surely there had to be. The woman with the dove wings nodded encouragingly at him so he pulled on the handle to ease the door back open.

The bright light of Syna hit him square in the face, and Zach blinked rapidly to stop his eyes from watering. Peering out, he saw a man walking up a path towards him and the path definitely did not lead back to Lhavit. The man spotted the hunter and raised a hand in a wave. Zach peered behind himself back into the Tower but the young woman had gone. He stepped outside just as the stranger reached him.

“Hey there, welcome to the Outpost.” The man chuckled at Zach’s perplexed expression. “First time here? Not to worry.” He took in the coat and boots Zach was wearing. “From Lhavit eh? Well you won’t be needing that coat here! You here for anything in particular? Look, take this.” He handed a piece of paper to Zach, who noted that it was a map.
“I am actually after a new bow… I was told I could purchase one here.” Zach peered down the path ahead, not entirely convinced that Long Stan wasn’t having him on.

“You were told right! Finest market in all of Mizahar here!” The man indicated the map. “You want to get yourself to the Bazaar, you’ll get anything you could ever need there. Can even set up your own shop if you feel so inclined. There’s an inn too, among other things, lots of people stay for a while.” Zach squinted at the map. Just how big was this place?!

“Anyway, name’s Paul. I’ll be here when you want to go back home. Same way you came in, alright? You’ll meet plenty of folks from all over here, enjoy your time.” Zach returned the man’s smile with one of his own.

“Thank you, I’m sure I will!” Curiosity piqued, the Drykas headed off down the path and soon enough came upon the Bazaar. It looked never-ending, with countless stalls selling just about everything you could imagine, much like Paul had told him. The crowd seemed to flow around stalls like water in a river, light flashing off metal where money was being exchanged.

He paused for a brief moment to remove his coat. It was warm here, uncomfortably so for one dressed to endure the cold and damp. He wondered just how far he had travelled in stepping through that door. After another cursory glance at the map, Zach decided instead to just wander and explore the place before getting on with his business.


wc: 907

[Moritz Craven]

8 Fall 521

While Moritz was by no means an expert on the place, the young kelvic had been to the outpost a fair number of times. He had often spoken with the man at the entrance.... Who Moritz found himself unable to recall the name of. He knew the man was a worshiper of Xyna, gave out maps, and helped facilitate the trade of the outpost in so doing. But he could not recall his name try as he might. It was thinking of such things Moritz passed within the dovecotes doors, closed them, waited a moment, and then opened them back to reveal the outpost beyond.

Puzzling over the name, such a simple thing to forget, Moritz looked about to see if he would notice... The man whose name he had forgotten. Of course, Moritz reasoned, he might also be talking to someone else or otherwise busy, and so might not notice Moritz. But then he usually did notice the kelvic, his being quite odd in appearance compared to most people. His colorful hair was visible from a distance, matching his Okomo pelt that would mean little except perhaps to a Lhavit native. Even then seeing it on a person was odd. As he grew taller at a fast pace, already having grown past his mothers height at his apparent age of sixteen or so human years, he was nearing six foot tall and said height made it all the more easy to notice him. And it was unclear if he was done growing.

Closer up his eyes were distinct, an odd pairing of the square black goat eyes of an Okomo surrounded by the sunburst of odd colors surrounding the blackness of his square pupil. At the moment his Iraso sight was inactive and so did not shine or glow, but even still they were noticeable close up.

On this day Moritz was wearing a button up silk outfit that covered almost all of his body. The only parts visible outside of it was above his neck, beyond his wrists to his almost bare hands though with one wrist wearing a bracelet, and below his ankles were he wore sandals. It also had a name patch over one breast which bore Moritz full name, something he was unclear on since it had simply appeared as such after he wore it and fully buttoned up and donned it each time afterwards.

Besides these things Moritz had a pack on his back which had a few odd items he normally kept like food and water and other tools, and an odd bit of skyglass he had found fully formed after it fell from the sky. And of course money, Moritz knew better than to visit the outpost without that. The place ran on money, Miza's and otherwise, and so was an often needed tool for much of anything.

As Moritz looked about he soon found... Old what his name... The man was busy talking to another man Moritz did not recognize, though this other man began to walk off before Moritz arrived at... The map guy... Moritz frowned in concentration as he tried to recall the mans name, but found the name did not come to mind no matter how hard he tried. It was a clear gap in his mind, though he was certain he had heard it before. Paul? Chuck? Mo... No... Disregarding this mental lapse Moritz walked over and waved at the map man as he was mentally calling him, greeting him.

"Hello, good day to you."

The map man smiled, waving back at Moritz. "Moritz, I swear you grow every time I see you. If you keep at this you'll be ten feet tall! Any idea when you'll be done growing?"

Moritz pondered for a moment, thinking on his own parents and then considering his kelvic nature, but he realized he knew little about such things in general let alone related to kelvics..

"I'm unsure. My mother, well I've already outgrown her. As for my father... Actually I don't recall how tall he is. Plus my being a kelvic, I'm unsure how much of an impact my parents have, and how much my kelvics animal side has on what height I'll be. My Okomo form is quite big, so I imagine I'll be quite tall then. Seems like someone surely would have done research on such things, and would know the answer, but I do not for one. Sorry."

The map man waved away Moritz words, clearly remembering the Kelvics name while Moritz did not recall his.

"Ah, that's fine. I was more joking to be honest, so don't overly worry on it. So, what are you here for today?"

Moritz pondered for a few moments, mulling his words over before coming to a decision.

"The bazaar I suppose, perhaps to look at some weapons. Not really sure what, but perhaps I'll find something of use. I suppose though if I keep up such things I'll end up being a collector, as I already have several. Though I suppose one can't have too many weapons. My old instructor used to tell me as well different weapons and fighting forms have different ranges, so I suppose buying some of those other sizes would also be a good idea."

The map man nodded, waving Moritz off kindly as another new person exited the dovecote.

"Well Moritz I'm back at it, but good luck with your looking!"

Moritz smiled, not having to force the expression when dealing with the man, and nodded before taking a few steps off.

Taking out a map from his pack the kelvic quickly looked about and checked the map. If he was here... And the bazaar was here... Then he just needed to go... This way.

With that Moritz set off at a fast walk, all the faster for his now longer legs which seemed to eat the ground, occasionally checking the map to see landmarks and check his course, but otherwise just moving in a single general direction. It did not take long though before the bazaar came into sight, both due to its exuberance in terms of the assault on the senses, but also due to its large size.

Entering Moritz quickly located a Keiss, one of the guards of the Outpost who seemed to know where everything was, and asked about the weapons area. The woman quickly spit off some simple directions, turns and stall counts and such, before Moritz nodded and once more set off at a fast clip. He was not running but he was getting quite tall and moving at a fair clip, and with his colorful hair managed to pull several glances as he passed people.

WC: 1,117

[Zach Grasswind]

The Drykas had never been in a place like this before.

He thought he was used to hustle and bustle thanks to his childhood in Endrykas. The noise and colour of the city of tents, not to mention the vast sprawl it covered was quite often enough to overwhelm a newcomer. The Open Sky Bazaar, while not as large, was just as chaotic. Every path was lined with stalls, the goods often spilling off low tables onto the ground. There were people in all different kinds of dress and a myriad of languages buzzed in Zach’s ears in more accents than he could count.

There was order in the chaos however, and studying his map closer, the hunter noted the expanse of tables and shops were grouped into sections that sold like-goods. He found the section for weaponry and after taking a moment to orient himself, off he set. His eyes flickered non-stop, as if he were reading, for there was so much to look at. He passed through textiles first, pausing often to examine clothing alien to him. Heavy furs that must have come from somewhere extremely cold sat alongside scraps of gauzy fabric that apparently made up tops that would barely keep someone modest. There were coats and shirts too, like he tended to wear and Zach was very tempted to pick out a couple of new colours.

Next came pottery, and then the animals. Beasts and pets of every breed, colour and size watched the crowds pass by. Zach spent a moment looking over a pair of Luvanor Grassland Hunters, wondering if his parents knew about this market. The dogs were not theirs, but they were fine specimens. He had wondered often if he should purchase a dog, but had always talked himself out of it. Nevertheless, the Kalean Spicecoat’s he passed next definitely drew his interest and he spent a moment conversing with the seller.
“Do they have any training?”
“Some do, but the younger ones only have the basics if that. The pairing of dog and owner works better if the animal learns from you. Your voice and mannerisms, you know?”
Zach nodded, thanking the seller. It would be nice to have a companion. But not today, so he moved on.

Eventually Zach reached the weapons section of the Bazaar. He had no idea how long it had taken him, but it was clear now why people apparently stayed for a while here. Weapons of every ilk were displayed here, many of which the Drykas had never seen before. Beautifully worked knives glinted in the sunlight as he passed them and he admired the metalwork. Some were engraved with intricate patterns and others had gemstones set into their hilts. It was hard to tell if they were weapons or very sharp decorations.

There were a few stalls selling bows, and Zach pondered a moment before choosing which one to approach. He stepped up to one with a man working behind it, slowly and carefully running some rough paper over an almost finished shortbow. One bow in particular immediately caught Zach’s eye. It was simple in design but beautifully crafted. The plain grip was bordered by what looked like it could be polished bone, and the limbs were crafted from a mahogany-coloured wood he had never seen before. Next to it sat a quiver made of an embroidered forest green cloth wrapped over a leather interior with leather straps to secure it to one’s person or horse.

The stall owner saw Zach looking and set down his work, standing and holding a hand out to the hunter. “She’s a lovely one there, you have a good eye son.”
Zach shook the bowyer’s hand. “It’s a beautiful bow. I’ve never seen wood this colour before.”
“Aye, I don’t work with it often, it’s not the most common where I’m from, though this place certainly provides it when I want it!” The man chucked. “She’s my newest, my wife made it’s quiver.”

After a little more back and forth and a quick test of the bowstring, Zach handed over his money to the seller before stepping away from the stall with the bow and empty quiver secured on his back. He still had no idea what the time was, but as there was not a lot else he had to do today he decided to stick around in The Outpost for longer.

He was pondering which way to go next when something bright caught his eye. Someone with very distinctive hair was pressing toward him through the crowd and Zach was overcome with a curious feeling of recognition. The person had pink and purple hair, much like the coats of the Okomo back in Lhavit. At the thought of the candy-hued creatures a memory slotted itself neatly into the forefront of his mind. Zach did, in fact, know an Okomo on a personal level. An Okomo Kelvic to be precise.

As the person came closer to Zach, he could see more clearly that it was likely to be Moritz. Aside from the fact that he was certain he’d know if there was a second Okomo Kelvic in Lhavit, the boy looked similar, just with an older face. He didn’t know how old Moritz technically was now, of course in human terms he was still extremely young, but the person approaching was taller than Zach now and appearing to be entering adulthood.
He was within a distance now where it wouldn’t be strange to interact, so Zach stepped closer. Before he spoke, his eyes fell on a tag with a name that confirmed the Drykas’ suspicions.

“Moritz? Hi…” He had a sudden realisation that the boy wouldn’t recognise him, for the last time they had met he had appeared no more than a toddler. “I’m Zach Grasswind… I’m a friend of your mothers though I don’t suppose you’ll remember me. You’ve certainly grown!” Zach smiled and gave a chuckle, flicking his gaze to see the eyes of the Kelvic as he did so.

The smile froze awkwardly on Zach’s face as he spotted the starburst surrounding the tell-tale square pupils. Zach knew those eyes. He had been gifted them too, the golden-yellow pattern standing out obviously against the clear blue of the rest of his irises.
“You have… also… Did you meet the fox too?” Zach stammered at the boy for a moment, so shocked was he at meeting another with the same gift. He admittedly knew very little about it, but was absolutely certain that it was not a common thing. Curiosity overlapped a simmering excitement as he peered at Moritz, waiting for the boy to respond.


ledger: 50Ki
wc: 1109

[Moritz Craven]

As he neared the weapons area Moritz kept his eyes open, taking a turn and then... Running into a stand full of blades. He passed this first one by, but figured it meant he had followed the directions well and had ended up where he wanted.

With that done the young kelvic began to look around, moving from one set of wares to the next to see if anything caught his interest. Next was some more knives, followed by some odd spiky metal items he could not name. Deep in thought trying to figure out what this was Moritz was surprised when someone came rushing up to him. So startled was he that he jumped and threw his arms up defensively, nearly lashing out and striking with a punch before he realized the person wasn't attacking him.

Even still it took him a few moments to catch his breathing, and by then he was even more confused. A fox? More than anything he felt chagrined for his failure in terms of combat awareness. He knew if Kyra had seen she would have scolded him for not paying enough attention to his surroundings, let alone such that he let someone get that close unannounced. But at the same time he had sort of forcibly been ignoring things for his own sanity. He knew if he tried to track every person and motion and sound he would go insane, and so had been over focusing on secondary things like wares to tune this out... The result being his surprise when being approached suddenly, and nearly attacking said person.

Eying the man he quickly noticed one features, his eyes which matched Moritz own. After that he processed what the man had said, and put things together. He had eyes like Moritz did... He said his name was Zach Grasswind... And he seemed to know him, perhaps partly due to his name tag but still... Putting those facts together in his head Moritz remembered back to a detail of telling his mother about his gifting of Pathfinding... She had mentioned a family friend, though he could not recall their name, who had been marked and did not know much about it. Zach sounded vaguely familiar, though he could not be sure it was the same person, but with how rare his eyes were it seemed to make sense.

Though what the fox could mean was much more confusing. Had he met the fox? The fox as well, as in with addition to this Zach fellow having met him? Putting his best reasoning together he remembered his mother noting the person had not learned much of the nature of the gift... And he knew animals could also become Iraso. So then had he, oddly enough, been initiated by a fox? And therefore the man had assumed Moritz had likewise met the same fox.

Along with that his other comments indicated he knew Moritz himself, but perhaps from when he was much younger. Which made sense then why he would not remember him.

"Zach? I'm sorry, the name sounds vaguely familiar, but I don't really recall. How did you know my mother? Or me? Where are you from? Or where did you meet her?"

Rather than noting where he himself was from, Lhavit, Moritz left it for the man to say, another added detail which if confirmed would further improve the likelihood other things he said were true. He knew his name, but he was wearing it. And he said he knew his mother, but that could also just be assumed... And so he would not just blindly trust the man, even if he had the same sort of eyes as an Iraso.

"I'm sorry, fox? What fox would I have met? I'm not sure I know what you mean."

Likewise with the fox he felt he knew what the man was referring to, but left it unsaid as another thing he did not confirm for him to further have him prove his truthfulness. Plus as he did not know the full story perhaps the man would tell him those additional details. It seemed a simple enough method of questioning the man and learning from him, to not tell him anything he didn't already know and to therefore avoid letting him use a fact he told him as proof that he knew things.

Moritz at the moment was unsure what might be to gain by pretending to be someone he was not, but he was not going to let himself fall into some trick or scam by blindly adding information to the man he did not know. At least not until he heard enough to truth him.

As he spoke with a puzzled expression Moritz tried to further figure out things, but knew without additional info from the man this was unlikely. And so instead he was left with a slight frown as he tried to work things out, inspecting the mans eyes, and then clothes, the bow on his back, and other things about them.

WC: 840

[Zach Grasswind]

"Speech"

Zach had clearly interrupted the boy’s thoughts, for he startled and moved suddenly as if to lash out. The Drykas took a quick step back to give him a little space, mentally scolding himself for all but sneaking up on a Kelvic who took the form of a prey animal. He watched Moritz carefully, the curiosity still glittering in his eyes, while he waited for the boy to regain his composure.

He noted the exact moment Moritz dropped his gaze to Zach’s to take in the hunter’s own starburst eyes. The chances that two people would share such an odd gift seemed crazy to him, even more so was the fact that the pair were acquainted. Well, Zach was acquainted with Moritz, but the Kelvic did not appear to remember him at all. He could practically see the thoughts ticking over in the boy’s head, and he tried in vain to remember what Moritz’s personality was like. He knew it was vastly different from his excitable and wild twin sister Amelie, but that was all he had.

The Drykas smiled as Moritz eventually spoke. The boy’s words sounded very carefully chosen, almost defensive and asked for a lot of information. He couldn’t blame the boy, especially as he evidently had no recollection of the sandy-haired hunter.
“Ah I’m sorry, I should have known you wouldn’t remember me. I used to do a little work for your mother back in Lhavit. I’m a hunter and I would gather… items she needed for her own work.” Zach chose not to elaborate on that particular part, assuming the boy had an idea of what sort of items his mother had required.

“I am from Endrykas but I moved to Lhavit a while ago now, I think a little after you were born, for I met you when you were a tiny baby not long after I arrived in the city.” Zach had the impression that Moritz would appreciate as much information as the hunter was willing to give, so he tried to answer his questions as thoroughly as possible while not taking up the entire day.

“You probably won’t remember but you ran into the forest and I helped your mother find you again. Then we got stuck in a mudslide, but I think that story is too long to recount! I used to come for dinner at your house and bring both you and your sister sweets. Though I understand that neither of you live in the Manor anymore?” He left the comment as a question, though whether it would be answered was another matter altogether. Zach had gone to visit the Infinity Manor a few days after returning to the city of skyglass and had found it much quieter than his previous visits.

The Drykas paused for a moment to collect his thoughts before moving on to the subject of the fox. The puzzlement with which his question had been met with led him to believe that Moritz had received the eyes from someone or something else. The thought excited him greatly. Was there yet another person around who had the eyes?

“I was given the eyes from a fox. I guess you were not?” He paused again. “I got lost in the Peaks, fell into a cave and got stuck and the only other thing in there was a Misty Fox that was badly hurt. It’s a bit of a long story, but we ended up working together… well, the fox actually managed to lead us out of the cave system somehow, I guess using the eyes actually. When we were out, we were still a long way from the city and it was too injured to move any further. So it gave me the eyes so I could get us to safety. I don’t know where the fox came from and I haven’t seen it since.”

He let Moritz digest the information for a couple of ticks. “It was many seasons ago now, but I will be honest, I don’t know much about it. Do you?” Zach hoped that Moritz would realise that the hunter was a friend, even if he was not remembered. He wanted to know more about the eyes, and how it was even possible to have a gift such as this one that they shared. He could sense that the Kelvic boy was guarded and suspicious of other people, but Zach was the total opposite and never afraid of answering probing questions and idle chatter. He would be more than happy to find the inn, or another place that Moritz might be more comfortable speaking, and he said as much out loud.

“I don’t want to interrupt your day Moritz, but I really would love to know more… Can I get you something to eat? Maybe meet you somewhere once you’ve sorted whatever you are here for?”


wc: 812

[Moritz Craven]

Moritz listened and considered as the man spoke, named Zach by his own words, and explained some things related to Moritz queries. The first point was Lhavit, confirming the city he was from... Though he supposed that would not be so hard to know. But still, Moritz mentally acknowledged, the more he confirmed the more likely it seemed he was... Whoever he was saying he was.

At the question on his sister Moritz considered for a bit, before shrugging and replying.

"I'm not really sure where my sister is, even before I left Lhavit I had not seen her in awhile. Perhaps my mother knows, but I do not. I.... Vaguely recall many people coming awhile ago... But of late its mostly just been me and my mother and the house. And her ghosts."

While it had only been a few years and not a long time for most people that had been Moritz entire life and so felt ages ago in the past. He could dimly recall a number of people coming and going from the Manor, staying and living there, but of late he mostly had only his mother as human company among the manor. Well her and that odd child she had none from... Somewhere... But other than that mostly just her. He felt more like the house, Infinity Manor, had raised and mothered him more so than his own mother who was only inconsistently there and usually off being busy, with work, or other political machinations.

Thinking on his mothers ghost also made him think of Julan, who he still had not been able to learn of in regards to his fate or what had happened to him... Which troubled him as much or more than the other things.

At the explanation of the fox Moritz was glad to hear one of his theories had been on the mark and the man had indeed been gifted by an animal. Though this left more questions than answers, as he was unsure how skilled a animal could be at such a thing compared to a person. Admittedly, from his understanding, an Iraso animal was a bit more than a normal animal due to the effects of the magic, but still.... To have one perform the exchange on you seemed... Dangerous. Though from how he told it, perhaps it had been in more of an emergency thing than a normal exchange.

"No, I was not given them by a fox."

The circumstances also seemed odd, a strange fox wandering in, giving the eyes of an Iraso to Zach, and wandering off again, seemed quite odd. Thinking back on it he did not think his own teacher had a fox with her, so it being one of her companions seemed less likely but not impossible. Though he was fairly certain she had only recently arrived near Lhavit after they met, which also made it less likely.

On his query of going somewhere Moritz shrugged, considering a stand near them with weapons.

"Honestly, I did not really come for anything in particular, I just wanted to look over some weapons and the like. Maybe see if anything got my interest. So far nothing really has, so I've not gotten anything. I often peruse the weapons area in hopes of finding something of interest. Wares change, and its hard to go through them all in a day, so I perhaps hope to find something new on the next round of searching."

"As for going to talk... I'm not averse to it. Perhaps somewhere we could talk in private? Even a place to eat we would not really be alone, would we?"

Considering things he had left behind, Moritz thought on what he would also want to know.

"And perhaps you can tell me some things as well. Like how is the Manor. Or my dog, Nymon. Mother was supposed to be watching her while I was away, as she's not really suited for where I'm at. So I could not take her along. But I've not heard from mother, so I don't really know how anything is going with that. Or how my mother is either, I've not heard from her though I've been here to the outpost quite a few times. I suppose she's busy..."

Not trying to sound petulant at his own mothers apparent disinterest Moritz faded off with his last comment before turning back to the meet the mans gaze. Most of his speech was in the same unconcerned tone, as one might be stating the weather or other such innocuous and unimportant things that did not affect anything. Such was simply Moritz mannerism, as outwardly he usually kept a calm and even demeanor.

WC: 785

[Zach Grasswind]

"Speech"

Zach nodded slowly as Moritz started speaking. The Infinity Manor had been quiet when he had gone back. Of course there was some chaos, there always seemed to be at least a little, but the number of residents had dwindled considerably in the year he had been gone. A slight smile twitched at the corner of his mouth. He had no idea how Moritz might see time, was the Drykas perhaps one of those who he remembered coming and leaving? The Manor had certainly been almost a second home to him back then.

He waited patiently as the boy digested Zach’s rambling story. He could practically see gears turning behind the Kelvic’s intelligent, starburst eyes.
"No, I was not given them by a fox."

Mortiz, it seemed, was not one to offer up embellished information. As much as Zach wanted him to elaborate, for he had a myriad of questions, he was understanding that one had to earn answers from the boy. He followed his gaze to the nearest weapons stall where various spiked metal somethings sat menacingly on a cloth-covered table.

“Yes, I can imagine you can come to the Bazaar alone for several days and never see the same item twice.” The Drykas was still amazed at the sheer expanse of stalls in the weapons section, let along in the entire market. He wondered how and why Moritz had picked up an interest in weapons, for it sounded like he was training in more than one.
He nodded and gave Moritz a smile when the boy agreed to having further conversation. Zach fished the map Paul had given him from his pocket and unfolded it.

“No, that is true, I can imagine food places to be busy… How about this place?” Zach pointed at somewhere called the Water Garden. It was not too far from the section of the Bazaar they were in – if Zach got a clear line of sight through the crowd he could probably see an entrance to the walkway that would lead them to the steps down into the garden. The Drykas smiled again. “I can certainly try and give you answers to whatever you’d like to know.”

If Mortiz agreed the Water Garden might work, Zach would start to head in the direction indicated on the map, squeezing his way through gaps in the crowd. It did not take the pair long, for they really had been close and soon he was heading down the stairway. There was nobody else in the garden that the hunter could see, so he hoped that would help Moritz be a little more free with his information.

As he wound his way over to a bench Zach offered up a response to one of the questions Moritz had posed to him. “Your dog is the Spicecoat right?” While the Drykas hadn’t really interacted with it, he had certainly seen it. “She seems well to me. I saw her in the garden when I went over to the Manor just the other day.” Zach was not entirely sure if Madeira liked the dog, for it was not exactly useful to her, but it had appeared it was being looked after. “I don’t know if she is being taken out so much, but she looked happy to me.”

He settled himself onto the bench, looking out over the fountains burbling away in front of them. “Moritz, can I ask you where you got the eyes from - was it another person? I just… I thought I was the only one and to know there is more of us… Don’t you think it’s exciting?”


wc: 604

[Moritz Craven]

While Moritz was often free with his speech, and if anything was too loose and talked to much, there were a few things he tended to be tight lipped about. The truth of his eyes and what they were was one of them due to his promise from the witch who gave them to him.

So far the only person he had told the whole truth to was his own mother, and even then he had considered before telling her the whole truth. As it was he was considering telling Zach some of it, but he was unsure which bits were safe to freely tell to someone and which were not... Even someone who seemed trustworthy and knew his mother, he was unsure what he should or should not say...

The particulars perhaps? Specific names? Or should he just say the whole truth... Moritz was unsure, and found himself rolling over the decision multiple times, weighing the pros and cons and the possible outcomes. But in this case a deviating factor was that this person also had such eyes. And so it was not like telling someone completely uninitiated... And also thinking back, he knew there were some dangers involved, mostly indirectly to others but still dangers... And if he chose to not tell Zach of those and something bad happened, well then... Logically speaking in part that fault would lie with him for deciding to not tell him such things.

At the offering of meeting in a nearby place, a water garden it seemed Zach knew of, Moritz nodded. While it would be more private in the one respect as less people were there... In another respect... It would be less private. Hearing any one conversation was tricky in the market or bazaar as so many voices spoke at once. However in a private place anyone who was listening would be that much easier able to hear what was said. This seemed a bad method of protecting information and guarding secretive intelligence. He would have preferred a place indoors, away from other people, though unless it was soundproofed that would not perhaps be enough...

Of course, Moritz reasoned, no one had a reason to follow him or to think he had any important information to divulge, as he was basically a nobody. And so based on that then there would be a low likelihood of anyone listening and hearing something except by chance. There were too many people in the Outpost for anyone to keep tabs on every person entering and leaving...

"I suppose that will suffice."

Once it was agreed Moritz and Zach headed off, Moritz following the mans directions, who he assumed knew where he was going.

Moritz looked around the garden called the Water Garden and tried to remember if he had been there before, but in truth all of the gardens looked more or less the same to the Kelvic and he did not see much difference in them. A bit of greenery, use some water and pools or fountains in varying amounts, some ground and stone, and then that was it.

Hearing on Neymon Moritz nodded, glad that the dog was still alive. He wanted to trust his mother to properly take care of her, but... He also knew his mother, and was unsure how much skill she had in caring for living things. Let alone how much time she had for such things. Probably she had relegated most of it to the Manor itself, rather than doing much herself.

And then, talking of dogs over, Zach turned back to the real question he had. About their shared eye traits, the gift both had in common. What was it? What could he tell the man of it... This seemed to be the gist of the mans questions.

Frowning in thought Moritz considered the mans questions, but found his final note to be flawed.

"Exciting? Not really. Why would it be exciting to learn more people can do something you can do? If anything the more common something is the less rare it is, and therefore the less value it has. So I don't think I would say I am excited by others having the same eyes. I like Okomo's, being one, but if every animal was one and no others existed, I would think they would become less special. In some ways rarity can make something more special."

Pausing for emphasis Moritz pondered Zach's face and eyes before looking about the garden, watching for anyone nearby.

"As for where I got the eyes from, you can ask me. But I suppose you actually want to know the answer to that question rather than the question you posed which was asking whether or not you could ask. Though by itself being able to ask does not mean I would tell you, or give you the whole answer if I did tell you. You really need to work on your questioning skills, they are far too vague."

A small smile coming to Moritz lips he spent a moment looking up at the sky, wondering on the lack of clouds above. But then it was a hot dry place, and so lacking clouds made an odd sense after a few moments of thought... Turning his eyes back down Moritz looked about as he spoke, watching their surroundings for motion or anything similar.

"My eyes were a gift from a mountain witch I met outside of Lhavit, after I befriended her and one of her allies. She offered the eyes to me, and I accepted. Actually it was quite awhile after that when my mother realized I had been given them, which probably says something about how much she was paying attention to her young child... Infinity knew, but I suppose my mother never asked and so it didn't consider the need to tell her. Nor about my vision which ended up with me meeting the heads of Lhavit... For all the time she spends doing things of a political nature and how much she cares what others think, it seems a bit funny how little she knows of what happened under her own roof."

Pausing once more Moritz met the mans eyes before continuing.

"I should ask though, have you tried to confer the gift upon anyone else? If not, I would advise against it, at least until you are quite skilled at handling it. From what she said, there are dangers involved in the transfer, though these are mitigated somewhat by ones skill in handling the gift. If not done right, the transfer may fail. Or you could blind the recipient. Or drive them mad. Or other such things. My gifter was quite skilled so she did not have any issues, but one less skilled... Or less precise, like an animal... Well I suppose that would be more dangerous."

As usual Moritz spoke in a calm and even tone as if discussing the weather the day prior, not something of import or possibly life threatening or altering.

"I'm not quite there yet, but I think I might test it on a animal first once I'm ready, and have some successes before trying a person, if I do try it on one. There are some pigs near my settlement, maybe one of those... Plus it would be interesting to see the change on a pig..."

From what Moritz had seen in the past Iraso animals did seem more intelligent than non-Iraso ones, and so he wondered what a wizened pig would be like or act as...

WC: 1,259

[Zach Grasswind]

"Speech"

It was very difficult to discern what Moritz was thinking or feeling, even as Zach filled the Kelvic in on what he assumed was a much loved pet. He appeared to be a serious sort and Zach could tell there was a lot happening internally, for the boy paused often to consider things before speaking.

Zach had assumed that Moritz wanted to go someplace quiet to speak so they wouldn’t have to raise their voices at each other to be heard. Once the conversation turned towards their shared gift however, he noticed that the boy seemed to be almost evaluating their surroundings as though he were expecting other people to be eavesdropping on their conversation.

The Drykas paused for a tick, surprised at Moritz’s words. Zach was a fairly simple person in terms of what he valued and needed out of life and he had not once thought about the gift of the eyes to be worth anything to anyone. He had no secrets and was always happy to share what he had with those who needed it. He did understand the boy’s final point of course, but even so the Drykas thought that at least a handful of people with something like this gift was better than a single person with it. When one person had all the knowledge and power things seemed to go badly for everyone else.

He blinked at Moritz for a tick, processing the next things the boy said with a small frown. Zach couldn’t tell if Moritz was thinking out loud or just being pedantic. He had to remind himself that the boy was still young even though he did not look it and it was likely that he still thought in some roundabout and childish ways. Zach was reminded of another time when a friend had laughed at him good-naturedly for asking silly questions after he had accidentally likened her to a plant, and he chuckled before speaking.
“You know Moritz, most people would just say yes or no.” He smiled. “But you are right, I’ve never been very good at asking questions.”

Thankfully, Moritz went on to explain a little further on how he came about possessing the starburst eyes. Zach’s own blue and gold ones widened a fraction with the hint of excitement. There was a witch on the mountains outside of the city. A witch with the eyes and possibly more information on what exactly they did. Although in theory, if she had gifted Moritz, he should know too. Now it would be a case of getting a straight answer from the Kelvic which clearly was not the easiest of tasks.

He smiled ruefully and nodded slightly at the mention of Madeira. While he had never lived under Infinity’s roof, he had in the past gotten the sense that the Spiritist occasionally lost track of other people. Though with two Kelvic children he could also understand how that might have been possible.

“You were called to see Aysel and Talora?” Zach’s brow rose in surprise. “That’s a big deal Moritz… When you say vision, you don’t mean the things we can see with these eyes do you?” He was not sure quite what the boy was talking about, but he sincerely hoped it was not the eyes. While he didn’t feel the need to hide the golden starbursts, he also didn’t want to attract any negative scrutiny.

Zach met Moritz’s gaze and shook his head. “No, I wouldn’t even know how to give them to anyone else.” His stomach twisted for a brief tick as the boy casually listed some of the dangers that came with attempting it. Clearly he had been incredibly lucky not to have been blinded or worse.

“You… want to give the eyes to a pig? Why? I thought you weren’t keen to have others with the gift.” Zach shifted on the bench to face Moritz a little better. “Moritz, I don’t know anything about these eyes. I can get the gist of what they do, I see the coloured ribbons and I figured out that everyone has a unique… colour or light or whatever it is that they leave behind them. Your mother and I seemed to think it was people’s djed. But that’s all I have. I don’t really know what it is or where it came from.”

He frowned, mostly to himself, and clasped his hands in his lap. “Will you tell me about it? I have never used magic before in my life before this. Because it is magic, isn’t it? I am grateful to have it, but I am scared to use it.” He blinked at the boy, hoping he would be willing to offer up any more information.


wc: 788

[Moritz Craven]

Moritz eyes darted about as the two sat and spoke, though with his wide field of view due to his odd eyes this was a bit easier than for a human. Occasionally he reminded himself to meet the mans gaze as the societal norm it was, and at others met his eyes to make emphasis in his speech, but the eye contact was shallow and he spent more time looking around than at the man.

When he did explain things he tried to watch for facial cues and such things, as he understood those were supposed to inform one upon how the other was receiving the news. If that was true then one could learn as much by asking a question as by having it answered, an odd turn on the head of a normal interrogation.

Even with his admittedly sup par skills though Moritz could see the surprise on the mans face at some of his words. Though what he thought going into things with a random wild fox, he could not fathom. It was, Moritz reasoned, a bit late now. At least he had asked and gotten information first... Though admittedly with an animal rather than a person that was a bit trickier if not impossible outright.

"I could just say yes or no, but then how would the conversation ever get anywhere? That seems a rather inefficient way of doing things. Asking a question on if you can ask the question, and then asking the question, and then back and forth, that seems like an awful lot of things to follow when you can just ask the question. With that your no worse off. I mean really if you just asked a question, I would either answer or not, so what is the point then of asking if you can ask before even bothering to ask?"

His mind flipping from one topic to another, he was pulled up a bit short when suddenly Zach seemed caught on some side detail of an offhand comment which did not have anything to do with the main story. In truth he had only brought it up as it further clarified a point, rather than planning to go into detail on the topic.

"What?... Oh no, well sort of. I said I met them, but I don't suppose they technically called me to see them, more they sort of met me half way. They came to my school, and then I had a private meeting with them there... So I suppose yes technically, but a bit of both yes and no. But as far as I know that didn't have anything to do with my eyes. Actually now that I think on it, before we even got to talking about the topic at hand one of them asked about my eyes. I gave them a bit of a simpler explanation than you, that it was a gift from a mountain witch, but since that was not the topic at hand they did not really press further. Plus I promised the witch I wouldn't go just telling anyone about things, and when I told them that they seemed somewhat satisfied."

Pausing in thought Moritz looked off into the distance as he thought for a few moments before continuing his looking around and his response.

"I was trying to decide as well what to say to you, but after considering things... Well it made sense to tell you a few things about it since you are an Iraso as well and I wouldn't want you stumbling into blinding someone due to my not mentioning that part. Like the whole blinding or maddening thing. Logically speaking if I didn't inform you of that and you did it, I'd be at least a fraction to blame. Which is why I mentioned that part."

While surprise was a bit easier for the kelvic to pick up on the odd mix of emotions when he mentioned the possible side effects of an unskilled initiation was a bit harder to identify for him. Not anger... Sadness? Worry? Or... Something? He felt he was not quite right with those, but one was possibly close.

At the mention of animals Moritz simply shrugged, taking a moment with a finger on his lips to consider before responding in a way he felt expressed his reasoning.

"Well technically their are about a dozen reasons why I would want to do that, after considering various options, pros and cons, alternatives, impacts, outcomes, moral weight, sentience level, and other such things... I'm not sure I can verbally explain them all. As it is a few reasons... Well lets see... Firstly, seeing as it has those dangerous possible side effects I would want to test it on something other than a human first. Or would you intend to use it first on a normal person and just hope your first try goes well? Secondly even if I never intended to pass on the gift, if the need arose, or I was compelled to, then I would want the practice of having done it before successfully rather than trying for the first time under duress."

Holding up his fingers Moritz listed off a few more reasons off the top of his head, some of which he made up as he discussed the topic and therefore more fully considered the topic which he had not really done before.

"Another reason would be the local animals. My settlement where I live has a large number of pigs nearby, and they are often hunted for food and things. Therefore if something did go wrong they would before long be killed for food. And being local they are clearly suited to the area and able to survive somewhat. With those in mind it would be preferable to use them over a person, wouldn't it? And being something not long for this world if left unattended it would not drastically alter Dira's plan I would think... Also an Iraso pig would probably be a good pet..."

Remembering something suddenly Moritz jerked up his head, looking about before settling down.

"Oh yes, I suppose I've used that term a few times. Those who are gifted with these eyes, whether person or beast, are Iraso. We are both Iraso. You met and were given the gift by an Iraso fox, and I met and was gifted by an Iraso mountain witch. I don't think on people it has as much of an effect, but on animals.... Well I'm not exactly certain, but the witches Iraso companions seemed more than just normal of their kind. She had quite a few, a whole family of them of various types. They were not a person mind you or on that level, but more than a normal such beast. That would be another reason to make an Iraso pig. And also it would not really be giving it to another, it would be my Iraso pig. Not just some random other being outside of my circle."

Pausing Moritz tried to recall the mans words, but realized having gotten so off topic he had lost track of some of them.

"Uh sorry, what was your question again? I think I may have answered it... But we sort of got off track. Or did you actually have a specific question? I'm willing to tell you some things, but like I said I did make a promise, so there are some things I won't just freely say. Although, wait why are you afraid to use it? I don't think you really explained that one."

WC: 1,264