Civilization }{ Open

[blackwell]

After what had seemed a small eternity of travelling through dense wood, Malik finally found himself standing at the gates of a village. It was small but true civilization, with warm food and a reservoir of water. He slowly blinked his amber cat eyes in wistful pleasure at the thought of a bath.

A gloved hand rested softly on the worn gates that had seen so many pass through. He inhaled deeply, and was instantly bombarded with the scents of hundreds of beings – some harmless, some a threat, and nearly all with something to hide. Beneath all of the vendors, barkeeps, warriors and vagabonds, Malik could sense the power and magic in a scent like rusted metal. This Tamasha village would not be a bad place to remain a fugitive and to begin looking for answers.

But first, of course, he was going to find that bath. He pulled his red cloak close around himself as he passed through the hovels of the impoverished that blemished the entrance of the town. Ever unimpressed by the runoff of human filth, his boots retained a steady beat against the cobbled path until he approached a more populous area, teeming with businesses and inns. He blended well enough, apart from his eyes, able to pass as any wandering youth blown in from the outside. It didn’t take long to find a sizable inn, one that looked as though it did enough business from its tavern to furnish fairly luxurious rooms. Though Malik would hardly consider Tamasha to be a wealthy town, it had clearly sustained a decent economy from the type of commerce that many trade cities had been founded upon.

Pushing against the door of the inn, he hesitated, gently inhaling the air through his mouth again, tasting it. Strange magic was afoot in the village, something invasive and uncontrolled. Potentially dangerous. The pain it caused was delicious. Entering the smoky inn, Malik made an impulsive change of plans and moved to sit down at the bar instead of troubling the keep for a room. Perhaps it would be best, for now, to first learn the type of creatures that passed through this town and wielded such raw talents so recklessly. His nose twitched in distaste of the sheer amount of dust that coated the shelves, the legs of tables and chairs, the corners of the floor. Humans often lacked the finesse to be thorough in their cleaning.

[ParisArkw]

Living outside of civilized territory, Perrin rarely ever spent time within the village walls. His main regard when there was to fetch necessities only when absolutely and almost desperately necessary. Today, he needed food for his horse, Rock. He usually brought the mare to one of the nearby clearings to let her graze in, but when she knew they were close enough to the village she suddenly became a picky eater and sometimes, like today, he took the trouble of going to the market to get her the produce she liked. Once he had a decent haul for the time being, he was securing the food away in Rock's saddle bag when a wooden sign hanging extended over the road across the square from him caught his eye.

"May as well make the trip well worth it," he mumbled to Rock in a low voice as the spontaneous craving overtook him.

He left his horse tied to the hitching post outside and he made his way toward the door that stood beneath the hanging sign; the tavern at the inn. It wasn't that late, but he had woken very early that morning, and it was really the mindset that allowed for a drink, not the time of day, right? He stepped up the stone step outside, glancing at the floor as he pushed his way in past the door. He didn't mind seeing people, but at his entrance he kept his eyes averted from others in order to discourage the idea that he was here for social reasons.

Upon retrieving a drink, he went to a table beside one of the dusty colored windows. Shrugging off his travelling cloak and sitting by the wall, out of the way, but not away enough to seem like he was trying too hard to be ignored. That system didn't tend to work, and sometimes people got worked up about suspicious characters. Maybe I am a suspicious character, he thought with interest. Sometimes he overlooked the fact that not many people were like him, not many people were accustomed to magic. Though he hadn’t yet built up his strength in that particular area to the level that he felt accomplished with the trade, he had become altered enough that magic really was a part of him. He could sometimes feel it, tingling in his hands, tickling the surface of his skin if the energy was worked up enough. Sometimes he felt the presence of magic elsewhere. Sometimes small traces of it seemed to be in other people who were completely unaware. Sometimes he felt it in certain areas of land. It wasn’t all that uncommon, so when he felt the passing of magic around him it didn’t always catch his attention. It never interfered with him so far, so why should he bother even taking note of it?

[blackwell]

Malik had settled in to a short glass of refined whiskey when the grizzled-looking man entered the tavern. The metallic scent boisterously invaded his breathing space, forcing him to set down his glass and emit a quiet, muffled sneeze. Shaking his head clear, Malik’s curious eyes locked onto the disheveled character as he wormed his way inconspicuously to a window seat. The man was clearly antisocial, and couldn’t seem to care less about the other inhabitants at the bar. A man of purpose, then.

A man of magic, Malik thought, deeply intrigued by the sheer amounts of energy that the mortal’s body seemed rife with. There was so much potential. Malik couldn’t help but grin to himself, catlike canines glinting in the dull bar light. This was a man he could use.

He slipped away from the counter, holding his drink delicately in one gloved hand as he wove his way through the tables. Perhaps a wiser person would have waited, taken time to observe the other party with a little more reserve. Under normal and therefore uninteresting circumstances, Malik would have done the same. This man, however, was neither normal nor uninteresting, and therefore Malik couldn’t help himself. To him, those who wished to remain undetected were often the most intriguing of all.

“Is this seat taken?” he asked smoothly, gesturing to the empty chair opposite of the graying figure. He settled down into the seat without awaiting invitation, already knowing what the man’s answer would probably be and choosing not to care. “Now, what would a man in such a state as yourself be doing in an inn like this?” His amber eyes raked the man’s appearance, but betrayed the meaning behind his words to have nothing to do with such outward things. His slit pupils narrowed as his eyes widened, able to detect the light particles tracing over haggard skin, commiserating with dirty fingernails.

[ParisArkw]

Perrin's eyes caught on the steps that were nearing him and his glance went upwards, looking up the person approaching him with cold disinterest, almost warning. He wasn't a quick talker either. He had hardly even thought of opening his mouth to answer the man's inquiry by the time there was someone sitting across the table from him. He blinked slowly.

"It's all yours," Perrin nodded, giving a slight smile as he gestured with his hand. He wasn't out to fool anybody, the smile would've looked less odd on his horse. But he knew that playing friendly tended to be the quickest way out of things, and if his drink had been but a bit emptier he'd have given the man the whole table. It took just the moment to catch on to the active situation and Perrin tilted his chin upwards, looking, not into, but at the eyes of this man. No explanation was needed, he understood, and he could feel it as well, that this person had something of magic about himself, too. He didn't even question whether this amber eyed character could tell the same about him. Of course he could.

Perrin lifted the bronze goblet in his hand to his mouth and took a long sip, looking out the window, no sign of even hearing the question asked of him. As he sipped, he pondered lightly on the words "such a state as yourself"? Smart. He set the goblet down on the table with a light thunk, still looking carelessly out of the window. After a moment, he cleared his throat quietly, then without a turn of his head, shifted his gaze back onto the other's.

"I was minding my own business," he said, only now turning his head forward. "You, on the other hand," he paused, letting the other finish the sentence for himself. "If you have so much reason to carry suspicion of others, I don’t deem you so innocent.” He let himself go uncomposed and spoke again, getting rid of the flourish of spite he put in his tone and replaced it with his honest, impatient expression. "What do you want?"

[blackwell]

Taking a moment to swirl the whiskey in his glass, Malik mused over the man’s words. He spoke with the disregard and wariness of someone who, as suspected, didn’t take kindly to sudden company. Especially invasive company. Malik smiled.

“Suspicion is for people with doubts about what they see, and what they think they see,” Malik said slowly. The man’s way of talking was almost beguiling. One moment he spoke with the air of a scholar, and the next he was cutting in to his point with a mannerism that one could potentially phrase as rude. Another person might’ve thought they’d deserved it for approaching uninvited, but Malik was not this person. “I have no doubts about you. You have something that I find myself rather interested in. And it’s something that few innocent men come by, for that matter.” He blinked lazily, and the hair around his ears moved almost imperceptibly. “I should know, formerly being one of them.”

He wondered about this man. Where he was from, what he wanted, and how he planned on getting it. From the moment he had entered the tavern and so meticulously chose where to sit – where he could avoid people without really seeming like he was avoiding them – by his very action of evading notice, Malik had noticed him.

[ParisArkw]

Perrin listened casually to the man sitting before him but the more he heard the more he questioned his own interest. Perhaps he should take the man more seriously. Perrin knew they were both aware of the other's magic, and he wondered for a moment if it was, indeed, the magic that the other was interested in, if he could by chance know the things Perrin had found elsewhere and whether this man knew of any of them. He had had run-ins with all sorts of people and wouldn't be surprised if one had managed to catch up with him somehow. He knew for certain his path never crossed with this man before, but some people had friends, right? He thought silently for a quick moment, tapping his thumb on the handle of his drink, and decided upon the clarity of what this man was hinting towards.

"Yes. I'm not too sure I'd consider the child my mother once cradled to have ever been innocent," he shifted, taking another long sip from his drink, a little more quickly this time. His mother, he barely even remembered her, for even as a child he had been consumed in other things. "And I still don't know what you want," he looked at the man seriously. He sat up almost hastily, as though getting ready to stand. "But if you're interested, maybe we could go elsewhere." He paused, still looking slightly put off. He wasn't convinced of the man yet, but Perrin had dealings of his own he was unsure of, and perhaps the man would know a little more.

"I'm camped a little ways outside of the western gate," he offered, taking another drink, hoping to at least finish it before he departed. Whether he was accompanied out of the tavern or not, he would be leaving soon.

[blackwell]

A satisfied smile spread across Malik’s face. He hadn’t been sure about this vagabond going into the conversation – he’d taken the chance of compliance completely on faith, and now fully understood it to be part of this man’s nature to be… obstinate. And yet still the wheel had turned in his favor. An opportunity was on the threshold of presenting itself, and under the right circumstances, Malik could seize it and receive exactly what he wanted. For he’d always wanted the same thing since being cursedly tied to this wretched earth, and though he’d found himself settling for less, his days of compromise were about to end.

“How quaint,” he responded. “An excellent option. We can speak more plainly there, and you can be more conclusive with your judgment and perhaps even wash your hands of me.”

He grinned again, and the last of the whiskey vanished.


------------------------

OOC: Unfortunately, I'm going to be without internet at least until Tuesday afternoon/evening. Sorry about the inconvenience!

[ParisArkw]

Perrin was somewhat irresponsive. What he was actually wondering was whether or not their encounter had stood out to anyone else. The last thing he needed was strange looks whenever he did come around the area. And so, even though they seemed to have settled on an agreement, Perrin made no hurry to escape the place. He sat still, pursuing no more conversation for the time being. After a few minutes went by and he had casually finished his own drink, he picked up his travel cloak and got up from the table.

He went without any formal behavior of waiting for the other man or acting as though they were in any way linked. Once he was out of the tavern door, he pulled his cloak around his shoulders, fastened the collar of it, then made his way back toward his horse.

He didn't assume whether the other man might have a horse himself, but did presume he would say something if he did. Either way, he sat himself upon his own horse, and might suffer the courtesy of walking slowly for the other man to follow.

At his normal pace, the small migration led about 20 minutes out of the west gate, in the direction of the mountains’ foothills. His camp was in the midst of a seemingly unnatural circular clearing and looked as though someone had purposefully put it there. That was how Perrin found it. Though the forest was sparse in the greater area, this particular patch was denser, and the clearing stood about 30 feet across. It was clear Perrin had been settled in this particular camp for at least a couple weeks, which was a rare length of time for him. Rock seemed to know where to go, stopping in the same spot that she slept at night, and Perrin dismounted her.

Out of the civilized setting, Perrin already felt plenty more relaxed, even if he wasn’t alone. And though he didn’t usually enjoy conversation, he felt now that, without having to worry about anyone else overhearing, he might even be able to act a bit more civilized himself.

“Might I ask,” he began, huffing a little as he cleared Rock’s back of her saddle and saddlebag, placing them on the trunk of a fallen tree. He reached into the saddlebag and pulled out a , broke it into a few pieces, and held it out to the horse, who ate it with pleasure. “How did you become acquainted with the forces that so many call magic?”

((OOC: If there was any interaction/talking or other business you wanted to do before/while they left, don’t hesitate to steer in that direction. :3 We can always sort of…rewind or fill in the blanks.))

[Kaia]

<OOC: Is it okay if I join? If not, I'll just delete my post. I was just looking for a somewhat new one to start in. ^.^ >

"Still no takers..." Kaia thought to herself, "These are humans I'm dealing with! Someone around here must want somebody dead. No one around here wants any revenge? There aren't any monster's terrorizing any farmers? By gods!" She maintained a look of disgust as she stared at the billboard inside the local tavern. For a few days now, it remained empty. She turned from the board and scanned the tavern, sniffing the air on occasion. Everything was the same. Same sights, same smells. Dull.

"This place is very boring..." She concluded to herself. Kaia stepped a few feet and slumped into a chair. She dozed off for a bit before snapping awake as two strange men came in, a few minutes from each other. She continued to eye them curiously, her eyes darting back between the two of them. They were different. She kept watching discreetly, even as one got up and walked to the other. At first she smelled tension, but it slowly eased. They carried on, what I guess you could call a conversation, and Kaia kept silently observing. She smiled to herself, "Oh... One of them isn't fully human. How interesting..." Kaia usually didn't honestly take any interest in people, her business being on her mind most of the time. But this was a rarity, and her curiosity got the best of her.

She continued studying them, until the one who remained seated the whole time got up and departed. Kaia turned her head toward the door and watched him leave. Glancing over at the half-human who remained, she shrugged and sat up. As she walked through the door, she turned and smiled at him, revealing her feline-like incisors. "I hope that makes him want to follow me.... that or he'll want to follow the man. Maybe I'll get caught in a fight!" Getting a little excited, her tail flicked back and forth as she continued walking.

The older man whom she decided to follow mounted a horse and went on walking. Kaia was built for running swiftly so she figured this wouldn't be a problem, but his horse never picked up a pace faster than a walk. Slightly disappointed, she maintained a safe distance though, making sure the other animal's senses wouldn't pick her up. Kaia followed them for awhile until they arrived at a little camp. After she saw the man dismount, she climbed up into a tree and made herself comfortable. He was speaking to his horse as if it were human which made her giggle inaudibly. She figured this was where he was going to rest and she hoped the half-human would show up to. Kaia settled in where she would have a good view and waited patiently.

[blackwell]

OOC: Sorry it took me so long guys! I got my internet back but sadly that had nothing to do with the amounts of homework I had to deal with this week. XP Also, of course you may join!

Malik blinked almost sleepily, unfazed when the man left the inn without a word. It made sense. Only socialites made scenes, and truthfully, Malik was grateful that this human (unlike so many) did not seem to have much of a flair for drama. Subtlety was a beautiful thing. Besides, their conversation had indicated that he himself was ostentatious enough for the both of them. Maybe more. Yet he still appreciated subtlety and tact.

Neither of these traits were present when his eyes caught the flash of teeth revealed by the woman at the door. Malik's black pupils widened as he stared at her, almost devouring the amber irises. He inhaled softly as the hair on the back of his neck prickled. He smiled to himself as she disappeared through the entrance, rising from the table to follow the shabby traveler from earlier. Malik was accustomed to running into creatures linked with the feline world, but they were still a rarity, and each one had behaved differently. Long ago they were willingly enslaved; infatuation with the potential that the Underworld offered reflected in their glowing eyes as they submitted to his every demand. Yet time had worn away at the bonds he’d possessed since being cursed and dishonored, and these once faithful beasts no longer adored and feared him as they once did.

The walk from the inn to the encampment was an inconvenience that Malik had become accustomed to. When forever roaming the earth was no longer an option, one learned to make do. The clearing looked somewhat lived-in, as much as wilderness can, and he wondered for a fleeting moment how long the man had been staying there. He watched the vagabond unpack his sturdy mare, the hair around his ears shifting slightly as the man suddenly asked a question.

Taking his valuable time, Malik breathed in deeply the air of the forest, rife with different scents and energies. As his chest rose and fell, he contemplated his answer, his thoughts flitting through what he should reveal and what he should hide. Even more so, now that his audience was two.

“I have been familiar with it since birth, although I did not call it magic until I came to this earth. Even now, I don’t consider my involvement to be magic, yet I will refer to it as such to avoid lengthy explanations,” he fixed his amber eyes on the man, burning bright in the shadows of the trees. “And it is a lengthy explanation. To save myself from excess, I wonder – since you have met me, how much of that explanation do you think you already understand? I would love to hear your theories.”

[ParisArkw]

((OOC: S'okay, dude. I'll probably be in the same basket next week. =o

And yus! Welcome, Kaia. :3))

“I understand,” Perrin said, brushing his hands together as he turned to acknowledge the man. “The word ‘magic’ has developed some misconceptions as to what the doings really are – and how they’re done.” He looked at the ground for a moment, in thought. His soft brown eyes contradicted what real thoughts and emotions he had, displaying them as something more delicate.

“I was not born with magical knowledge. Clearly, as I am human. I never recognized any sign of it until a few years ago.” His arms were crossed and Rock nibbled at his elbow, but distracted with the conversation, Perrin didn’t notice. He’d only had one previous instance in which he had spoken of magic with someone, and it was in such a different way than he thought he might speak of it now. He was gradually more and more interested in what the other might have to say. Keeping to himself, keeping magic to himself, all he had now was to learn it in his own way. But maybe he could learn more.

“You,” he began, unfocusedly looking the other up and down. “I think...” Have been familiar with it since birth... “Are different,” he stated obviously, as though in agreement with the man. “I don’t know that I can speak much of your magic,” he mumbled, glancing at the eyes that looked increasingly peculiar and strange in the slowly darkening forest. He abruptly swatted at Rock’s nose and she snorted, leaving his elbow alone.

He leaned over and untied his walking stick from the side of the saddle. Near the center of the clearing was a neatly built fireplace with a large toppled rock sitting like a proper forest seat beside it. There were a few of these rocks throughout the clearing, signaling the beginnings of the mountains’ rocky foothills. Perrin went towards the fireplace, using the walking stick with little need of it. But as he moved, he felt the hairs on the back of his neck prickle. He could feel the presence of someone besides himself, but lazily put it all to the other man in the clearing. He waved his hand, which could have been swatting a fly, and pointed the stick side-handedly at another rock quite near the fireplace. He sat atop the rocky seat nearest the fireplace and set the walking stick down at his side. Elbows on his knees, he held his hands up as though warming them against the heat of a nonexistent fire.

“I think, with a lifetime of magic behind you, your uses for it probably come a lot more easily,” he said, wishing some input to his “theories” as, after a moment of effort, a bright spark lit the beginning of a fire in the midst of the half-burned firewood and he folded his hands.

[Kaia]

Kaia adjusted her position very carefully in the tree so she had a good look at both of the men. She sat still and silently, listening very carefully to their conversation. She listen to them intently for awhile and perked her ears when they mentioned magic.

Kaia thought about it a moment... A few of her tribe members could practice it, long ago, and she was sure a few of them still could. It was rare, but the power only came from long ago. She could only do basic things and those weren't even on comand. Not all of her people could transform into their ancestors beings, their animal form. She could.

Kaia noticed herself lost in thought and quickly became alert when the man with the horse paused beneath her. She sat perfectly still, hardly breathing, hoping he wouldn't noticed her. When he shrugged it off, she relaxed a bit. She lay as close to the branch as she could and waited for the conversation to continue. Butterflies started welling in her stomach. "I am so glad I decided to follow them... I haven't heard of magic in so many years..." Kaia thought to herself. Kaia sighed softly...

[blackwell]

Malik took the gesture as an invitation, learning that he would probably never receive anything straight forward besides irritation from this man. He moved to sit on the rock, albeit it was hard and cold and likely to be filthy, it was also next to the warmth of the fire that the man had conjured from nowhere. The shadows of the forest were growing longer, and soon it would be night. A mad sort of energy twisted up inside Malik at night, leaving him restless and dissatisfied, prone to feral aggression. His human body, however, grew tired and was often unable to act upon his impulses. It vastly annoyed him.

"Once," he sighed, watching the firelight flicker and dance as it devoured the wood. His frame drooped slightly, elbows resting on his knees as if he were lost and wearied. "Perhaps 'used' isn't entirely correct. One might say... that it composed me. Or I embodied it," his eyes flicked up to the man's face. How much was safe to betray? Something about the man's antisocial behavior had made him strangely trustworthy to Malik. He wasn't some human fool about to prattle on to the nearest idiot and his mother. There was a certain honor about the reserved way he chose to conduct himself.

However, the woman perched above them was an entirely different matter.

As the dim light of the sun vanished into the boughs of the trees, Malik became agitated. There was no more he wished to say with such an unpredictable variable present. Whatever the vagabond might say in response, surely his additions to the conversation would be hindered as well by this unannounced eavesdropper. He sat up suddenly, folded his gloved hands composedly in his lap, and cleared his throat.

"I think," he said to the knotted pine. "That you had better stop playing and show yourself."

[Kaia]

<OOC: Sorry for such a short paragraph! >.<
Not sure what else to say... I promise I'll make it up to you though, once we get going. ^w^>

"Awww.... " Kaia whined. She slinked atop the branch, met with the trunk, and slid down landing silently in between both the men. "I won't find out any other juicy information if you both know I'm here." Kaia told her discoverer. She turned her head to look at the old man. "I knew you were waiting for this guy, you were so slow! I'd like a bit of a more challenge next time." She told him with a tease. "But of course, my opinion does not matter in this situation and I would love it if you would continue as if I were not here," Kaia said before sitting down and leaning back against the tree. "Your talk of magic intrigues me, please continue." She adjusted her position to get comfortable before waving her hand in a kind of "well, get along with it" sort of motion.

[blackwell]

OOC: Don't worry about it, not all posts have to contain several paragraphs. We've been rather wordy up to this point. XP

Malik watched as the woman, apparently unfazed, slid down the trunk and so readily joined their conversation. Or rather, stated her preference to remain an observer. Impossible. Women were always like this.

"And what," Malik said slowly, as if tasting the words as they left his mouth. "Do you know of magic, kitten?" He smiled brightly, as if let in on a great joke between them. "The old man makes fire, I prattle on senselessly about times long past, and you..." The sentence remained unfinished, lingering in the open air and awaiting her answer.