11-14-2016, 06:37 PM
001 Rinul CP
--- Primodial Beginnings "Thus It Stands" ---
Arynea || Two black-tipped ears perk up, barely visible within the foliage the young Ereva hides in. Amber-yellow eyes peer out, unseen, looking around to see if anyone she wishes to avoid is nearby. A quiet crunching noise is the only sound she makes as she bites into a bright red apple, curling up slightly within the bushes, trying to keep her white, black-tipped tail from poking out. /He'll never find me in here./
Rowan stood unmoving by the entrance to a small tool shed. Within housed gardening utencils of all kinds and of the highest grade, even some crystal-embedded items. The averaged sized Ereva wore carefully tailored dirty-white dress tunic with a tan-copper trimming that matched well with his hair and ears. His seemingly emotionless eyes scanned over the bushes, flowers and the overall expanse of the mansion's beautiful lawn. Ultimately his gaze came back to a certain patch of flowers that waved their reds, yellows and pink about in rythm with the gentle breeze. It was not the flowers, however, that caught his attention, as it was the women removing the weeds that only she must have been capable of seeing. Her long blue hair spilled over her kimono, but never once hindering her as she worked. She glanced his way and he quickly shot his gaze anywhere else, before falling briefly on the brush he already knew the young master was hiding.
Arynea jerks back in reflex, dropping her apple, amber eyes wide as her head becomes visible over the bushes. After a moment she realizes the trick and her ears go back, her sullen glance at Rowan almost comical with the twigs and leaves in her otherwise white hair.
Rowan gives a respectful head-bow at the appearance of his unruly charge, paying no heed to her ruffled appearance. She was still but a child. A rather spoiled one at that, but she had the right to play. Allowing Aryn to believe she'd eluded her caretaker was one of the ways Rowan allowed her some normal youth entertainment; being wealthy could be a plague on the mind and while it wasn't his place, he tried to at least reduce its effect on his charge.
Arynea stands up, brushing the dirt from her clothes and the twigs from her hair as she carefully steps out of the garden. Her ears are still held back as she glances at Rowan again. "Y'know, if you saw me, you didn't have to try and crush me."
Kala hummed to herself as she removed the seedling beginnings of weeds from beneath the dirt's surface. Armed with her birth crystal and some talent in nature magic, she would sense out the invading plants and remove them before they became a threat. It was extra work now, but it would reduce her workload tomorrow. Or so she always tells herself. Content with her work, she steadily arises to her feet, brushing the dirt from her clothes. Kala spares a glance at Rowan, but doesn't act on the idea as he seems occupied with the rich brat. With a sigh and a final look over her work, she moves around to the front and departs the rich-family's grounds.
Rowan spares a chuckle while maintaining his serious composure. "I meant no offense, Miss Arynea. But it would help to improve your stealth should you wish to escape my watch."
Arynea tilts her head slightly, taking on a slightly bored expression. "Noted. Can I go now?"
Rowan smiles at the unruly child. "Why miss, it's not my place to say when you may or may not go. As long as you maintain the rules wherein your parents have set, you are free to do as you please."
Arynea keeps her stoic expression. "Stop being so pleased about this. Last I checked it wasn't actually against the rules to hide in a bush."
Zirka || With a graceful strut down the street, a figure took in the environment with much focus and interest. Five white tails softly moved along with the white kimono piece in motion as the midnight purple haired woman blinked. Intricate patterns of what seemed to be circuits flickered out of existence and then a sigh escaped her pink lips /I chose a great place to settle in. / Looking down with bright orange eyes, she acknowledges a little hand holding her own and then cracks a smile "When we get home, Plamya, we'll bake up a batch of cookies before we begin your lessons. How does that sound?"
Plamya 's ear twitches slightly as she then flinches, seeming to break away from an imaginary hold on her entire being. Scratching one ear rather playfully, the young girl responds with a smile of her own followed by a bite of her lip. Plamya hums slightly "Mmm....I was thinking maybe...uhm...." As Zirka's brow rose, Plamya immediately looks elsewhere-- a tree. She spots unidentifiable distortions in space moving as a mass, slightly distorting the form of the tree before vanishing. Weird. With a huff, the young girl, probably around the age of 9, then directs her gaze to a random turtle on the road. "Momma, do you think turtles have dreams?"
Rowan calmed himself, it wouldn't do to get pulled into the child's traps. To treat a youth as a child could prove dangerous. "My apologies Madam. It won't happen again. Is there anything that I may do for you?"
Zirka doesn't even react at the sudden change of topic. She takes out a fan tucked away in a crimson wrap on her midsection and begins to fan herself. "Well, I'm not so sure about that myself. Perhaps they do, sweetie."
Arynea flicks her tail before returning to a less annoyed stance and expression. "You could go away." Her tone isn't sullen and hostile anymore, rather teasing; she knows that isn't going to happen anyway.
Plamya nods, seeming to be satisfied with the response. There was an odd sensation of excitement following through her throughout the day. Under the plan of finally training with her mother, Zirka Alkerheim. Learning the secrets of mana.....learning the art of Dust or magically enhanced elemental crystals reduced to usable and potent amounts of dust. And most fun of all, learning how to craft and handle saezerite and saezer crystals. According to her father, the family has had many generations of collecting those two types of materials. As of recently (most likely 4-5 generations back), they have learned how to artificially produce it and farm it. The creed of the Alkerheim echoed in her mind thereafter: "Never leave limits unchecked and undefeated." Plamya smiles warmly and squeezes her mother's hand slightly. "I'm glad we're happy right now, Momma..."
Rowan nods, his amusement seeping out into his warm smile. "As you wish mistress. Should you require anything, I shall always be at the ready." The statement was both a promise regarding his willingness to help in anyway he could; but also a reminder that he would not leave her unprotected, as they both were well aware. However, Aryn did produce in Rowan a sense of worry; the young lady was displaying rapid growths in her intelligence and cunning, but she was also becoming too independant for someone who was still so ignorant. If perhaps her parents would allow Aryn to experience the labors of the unwealthy; a simple occupation to take up her time. Perhaps he could petition the idea again.
Kala tried not to dwell on much on those she worked for. It was one of three estates she was charged to assist in the groundskeeping for; Kala's reputation for attention to detail had gained her two other offers for employment, yet she didn't want to overtax herself. With her current standing, she could spend an entire work day per residence every three days, thus maintaining the precision while not sacrificing too much time for blemishes to threaten the grounds. It was somewhat grueling work, but the results at the end of the day were worth it; and while she tried not to revel in it, the praise always lightened her spirits and filled her heart with a sense of accomplishment and pride. However Kala never truly cared for the owner's of the estates themselves. She had to remind herself that she didn't know these people's true lives in order to keep herself from raging over the pompous arrogance she imagined they must display. /No no, I need to keep a tempered mind./ Her self-assurance was well-timed, for she hadn't realized how far into town she had gone. She paused when she noticed a woman and a child; Kala didn't claim to know everyone in the settlement, but she was certain she had never met these people before. She would remember someone with five tails; she'd never seen such a thing before. Her curiosity overtook her caution and she found herself approaching the duo. "Why hello there. Forgive me for asking, but are you new in town? And what a wonderful young lady we have here."
Plamya: Zirka: *she stops suddenly, pulling her furnace orange eyes to meet the curious gaze of the woman inquiring. Something about her blue hair evoked a sensation of nostalgia...soon her quick mind began to rumage around many memories. but she couldnt leave the question hanging. Zirka gave a soft smile* Eheh, yes we are new. My husband got stationed nearby and of course, lo and behold, his biggest fans had to follow *Zirka gives off a wink. Then it hit her. *Wait....K...Kala? Oh my...If its you then...*Zirka's smile grows bigger*
Arynea blinks at Rowan's lack of argument, but returns the nod after a moment and starts walking around to another side of the house. As she walks a pair of small foxlike creatures materialize beside her, one black and one white. The black one flicks his ears at his summoner, while the white nips at the black's tail. This prompts a yap from the target and the two start chasing each other while Aryn sits against the wall and watches.
Kala recoils somewhat as the woman spoke her name. Her mind raced through the archives of her memory until finally it landed on a familiar sight. Of course! "Zirka is that you? Oh my then this one must be little Plamya! Last I saw you you were only this big! My how you've grown. What a small world." Kala's eyes dash between the two, her smile radiating with welcome nostalgia. "What brings you here to Alstead?"
Plamya: Zirka: The town is lovely...we found a nice manor nearby to settle in. My husband is an engineer for Alkerheim Mining Co. *Zirka lets out a tender smile. Her thoughts momentarily shift to her beloved husband* Im sorry I havent stayed in touch. we have had such a chaotic few years...*she suddenly turns to Plamya* Arent you going to say hello?
Plamya snaps back into reality and perks her ears up. "oh!" she hums "Hello momma's friend! Do you live here too??"
Rowan watches the youth go with a grin. If anything Aryn needed a friend, and as much as he could try to be one, she would need a friend who could relate to her circumstance. With a sigh, Rowan maintained his position; out of site of Aryn but he could still sense her presence should she move.
Kala || "Oh it must be nice to have such a man at your side." An image of the Skycrown's attendant Rowan passed through her mind and she stifled a blush with little success. "I've been rather busy myself. When I moved out here, I took up groundskeeping full time. I'm a chief gardener for three of the local major estates now. And yes, Plamya, I live here now. If you want I can show you the flowers I work with some time. Would you like that?"?"
Plamya 's face lights up. An idea pops up "Gee that would be nice, miss! Maybe if im better at it, I can help them look pretty with some dust!" Zirka immediately darts her gaze at the child. Plamya's ears lower "well...when im better at it"
Arynea gives a short whistle, calling the playing foxes over to her side. Protas rubs up against Aryn's arm like a cat, while Drasa paces around slightly; the white canine gives Rowan a glance as she catches sight of him, but otherwise ignores the attendant's presence. Aryn's ears go back again, however, taking Drasa's glance in the older Ereva's direction as a signal to mean he's still there. The girl sighs, scratching Protas behind the ears, before looking around for a place to go or something to do.
Kala didn't know what the child meant by dust, so that portion of the child's response was filed away under little-girl-imagination. "I think that's a great idea." She turns back to Zirka. "How long do you think you'll be here? Are you here to stay?""
Zirka pauses, not really expecting herself to say "sure!" The nature of her husband's work often requires their family to move along with them. Much as she'd like to settle in one place to raise Plamya in until she grew up, she knew from day one that marrying Mr.Alkerheim meant she will be on the move. Plamya knew that as well. Zirka gave a light sigh "We'll see. I have a good feeling we'll be here for a long time."
Zirka: Plamya: I hope we don't *Plamya smiles as Zirka shoots an irritated glance at the girl. Her ears twitch as she goes on* I like traveling everywhere and like......*suddenly she falls silent as her eyes catch the sight of a bird flying off. It was red.*
Kala || "Yeah it must be nice travel. To see the world and new places. But let's hope you get to stay here while so we can get to know each other a little better, ok Plamya?" The young girl was truly adorable. Kala looked forward to the day she would have her own children to raise. "Is there anything I can do for the two of you? Don't want to keep you as you probably have things you need to do."
Arynea flicks her ears in the direction she knows Rowan is. How well can he sense her presence? ... What if she just made a break for it? Signaling for Drasa to stay where she it, in sight of her caretaker, Aryn slowly stands and edges toward the boundary of the property, Protas close at her heels and staying alert.
Zirka gives a light nod. "No, you aren't keeping us from anything. However...we're going to bake some cookies soon and we'd love to have you over for some afternoon tea." closing her fan, Zirka stuffed it in the waist wrap. "We're celebrating this little cutie's first lesson in mana theory!"
Zirka: Plamya: I'm gonna learn how to blow stuff up like big kids!
Zirka slowly rubs the sides of her head with her finger. "Ahh, you've definitely learned a lot from your...father, have you"
Kala chuckles. "Alright, I'll take you up on that offer. It's been a while since I've made cookies myself." She gives the child a wink as she continues. "And I'd love to see what little Mya will blow up."
Rowan watches the illusory manifestation with mild interest. It was quite impressive, although Aryn could probably supply a little less inconsistenc in their mana structure; he could see the illusions fictitious existence almost instantly. And speaking of; it would seem that Aryn was preparing to make another escape. /Let's see how this plays out./
Zirka waves her hands in front of her "No no I hope she doesn't blow things up. But anyway, we'll see you tonight....come hungry~" With that statement she fixes up her dark hair and gives a respectful nod to Kala. The sensation of finding an old friend felt very good. Plamya waves goodbye to the nice woman and followers her mother back to their manor
Arynea || /Well, no trouble so far.../ Aryn pauses for a moment, making sure to keep the building blocking some sort of line of sight between herself and Rowan. She's in a decent position to just run, right? Apparently she decides she is, and makes a beeline for the wall enclosing the property. At some point Rowan would probably see or hear her, but she hopes to be almost at or even over the wall by that point.
Kala nods and proffers an "I'll see you then", waving at the duo as they left. Truly a small world; perhaps this would be a sign of things to come? Content with life, Kala makes for her own home, taking a couple turns until she reached the eastern edge of Alstead where some smaller homes were situated. Approaching the door to a single-level home she traces her finger along the wooden portal in a brief pattern, accessing the arcane lock with the patterned combination, opened the door and went inside.
Rowan makes little movement other than a couple more steps closer to the corner blocking the line of sight. Aryn was running, and usually Rowan was quick to pursue, but that always had the same result. The young woman would become irrate, applying more damage to what little relationship the two had. This time he was willing to take a small gamble to see what would come of this venture.
Arynea || As Aryn makes it over the wall with minimal damage to the hedges lining it, Drasa dematerializes before reappearing beside Protas at her heels. /Made it!/ The Ereva knew that Rowan would come after her once he noticed she was gone, but for now, she merely bolted away from the house with the two foxes keeping pace with her.
Rowan closes his eyes, stands perfectly still and focuses on the perfectly oval-shaped crystal attached to a cufflink on his left hand. Exhale... inhale... connect with it. Become one with it. Gradually Rowan's body seems to fade; almost as if it were being dispersed into the wind. In a few moments, where once stood the Skycrown caretaker, there was nothing; not even a sign he had ever been there. And yet he was; but dematerialized into a pseudo existant state where he could none of the five physical senses could detect his presence. He could feel the pull of the void; the call of oblivion as it sought to pull him into nonexistence, but Rowan pushed away from it. He wouldn't be able to remain like this for long. In this state, he followed after Aryn, his consciousness projecting the path to take and his existence following after it.
Arynea looks over her shoulder. Nobody? Looks like Rowan either isn't following, or hasn't noticed. Slowing to a walk, she looks around. The foxes stay beside her, though Drasa occasionally gets distracted by leaves or insects, and Protas yaps at her, as if telling her to pay attention. Drasa returns the bark and the two begin chasing each other in circles around their summoner.
Zirka || It wasn't much of a long journey for the duo to their manor. A large, posh and enclosed building riddled with a flury of tulips on the front lawn and some toys spread around by Plamya's erratic playtime rituals. Zirka takes a moment to stop at the front gate and gaze upon the new home she moved into. From an eyeshot she could spot the dreadful blue curtains her husband picked out for the main room just being such a jarring eyesore. However, aside from that, Zirka almost felt sad in a way. She knew deep down that this home she took so much time to clean out and decorate (nearly) to her liking will one day be up for sale again. Where would she go next? /...oh, sweatheart.....I wish you would just retire already...and we could live her peacefully..../ Zirka's gaze soon turned foggy. /..... peacefully.... peace..... something I deserve...after.../ Plamya yanks on her mother's dress, yanking her out of the daze. "A-Ah...well..." A circuit-like pattern outlines her irises as she executes a command, then the front gate began to be traced by the same patterns. Soon enough, one by one, a segment of the steel gate began to drop down and compress in order to let the two in.
Rowan || In his dematerialized state, the sensations he experienced were unique and surreal. It was as if his five senses were compounded into a single sixth sense, wherein the feel of substance, the taste, smell, sight and sound were all warring for attention, only to be dominated by the compound sensation Rowan could never truly describe. He could feel oblivion nipping at his heels like an angered dog, and with each nip it was as if a part of him was lost into the void never to be reclaimed. No, he couldn't afford to let his consciousness wander, a moment's lack of focus and he would be entirely consumed. This was some of the most serious forms of magic; and yet he was using it to track a teenager.
Kala traced her finger along the backside of a couch as she meandered toward through the small living room toward the kitchen. It wasn't much; a entry hall that lead directly to the only bedroom. An opening in the right side of the hall was the living room, adorned with not more than an old, ugly greenish black couch and matching chair. There was a brick inlet in the wall where there used to be a fireplace. Entering from there into the kitchen there was a single counter with mediocre cooking space. As small, unimpressive home, but it was hers. She filtered through cabinets and shelves looking for something she might bring with her when the thought arose. "I never asked where they live! Oh this is not good..."
Arynea perks her ears up as Protas chases Drasa out of the circle they had been running and in a completely different direction. Pausing for a moment, Aryn glances in the direction she'd come from. Then again, she hasn't been in the area the foxes are running for. Feeling adventurous, she decides to run after them, letting them lead her off. She can always use them to get back home, anyway.
Zirka || Entering the home, Plamya immediately darted up the giant stairs overlooking the entrance while making airplane sounds. If it weren't for the mess of boxes stacked on both her sides, Zirka would have surely put away her coat on the hanger or a hat if she had one. But in due time, of course. She couldn't unpack ALL the things in case they had to move again. Zirka sighs. As soon as she takes a moment to collect her thoughts, she could hear Plamya inquiring something from another room rather loudly. "CAN MY BUNNY LEARN MANA TOO???" to which the young mother gave a chuckle and crossed her arms. This was going to be a long session alright. Knowing how Playma is easily swayed by the most strangest of thoughts and questions. Zirka answers "If you're experienced enough, Plamya. Don't worry too much about it. We're just going to learn how to handle mana for today, kay?" Plamya answers back "Aw, okay....but....but I'm sure maybe bunnies want to learn how to mana, right? Maybe make some like....mana carrots or something."
Tiran || A light scent of what could have been spoiled milk passes through the air, passing Aryn and her mischevious summons. At first not more than the putrescent scent, then the aroma subjects a feel of nausea that sickens those that breath it in. "The little girl should know better." The voice was somewhat higher, yet definitely male, although the sound seemed to come from every direction- no, perhaps a telepathic projection?.
Arynea stops, her ears going back as she looks around. Protas and Drasa quickly return to her heels, growling, as if trying to protect her despite their diminutive size. The girl says nothing, but backs up against a tree to protect her back.
Tiran || "She will make an excellent prize, mhmmm." This time the voice was definitely a voice; from behind. A man steps out from around the very tree Aryn had guarded her back against. His hair was a filthy white-blonde color that fell short over his drooped dog-like ears. A pair of goggles adorned his head, parralel with his blood-shot red eyes. "Hello there, deary."
Arynea immediately turns around and backpedals, with Protas staying beside her continuing to growl. Drasa, on the other hand, darts forward at the man, a swirl of Mana around her as she attempts to bite onto the man's leg. Aryn takes the attempted distraction as an opportunity to run.
Zirka || "Now...you need to be relaxed in order to focus better and not strain yourself much, Plamya." Sitting on the grass in their back yard, the young mother held out her palms and gave out a soft smile as Plamya placed her hands on them. Soft...silky skin. This was her daughter. This was her happiness during times of hardship. Zirka slowly flipped her daughter's hands in order to see her palms, then retreated hers and made a spherical formation with her fingers. "The great thing about mana is that it's all around us wherever we go. Kind of like the wind...it's there, we feel it, and we can will it." Sitting cross legged, the young girl leaned in closer as Zirka then took a breath. "In order to will it, you need your own will to be strong. I want you to do this for me: gently pull some mana from deep within yourself and concentrate it in your palms like me." As part of the demonstration, the grass began to rustle in a short breeze as swirling strands of blue began to dance and circle each other. One by one they began to combine gracefully into a ball of the energy. Plamya immediately widened her eyes. "Don't force it. Feel it within yourself...lead it kindly-- as in, well, use your will and your thoughts to direct it into your palms."
Zirka: Plamya: Okay. Uhm...*copying her mother's form, she looks straight down on her palms and glares at them* Turn on please. *nothing. Her muscles tense. Once again* Turn on. *Plamya's fingers scrunch. She can feel a slight tingly sensation in her fingertips. Was she doing it right? She didn't know, not like she paid much attention anyway. Make a ball of mana, big deal. That's all she needed to know.* On. On on on on on. *her glare becomes deadly with anger. She huffs and growls while her ears stand straight up* Turn on!
Tiran pulls a deformed-looking dagger from his belt and gives it a gentle swipe in front of the oncoming fox. A mana pulse emenates outward, enveloping the fox which grasps at its mana construct, dispelling the summon as if its master had done so. The pulse doesn't cease there as it ripples outward until it reaches the fleeing Aryn's right leg. The mana force grasps onto the mana circuits of the youth, crippling the leg and severing its connection with the rest of her. There was no physically noticable change, but the damage was surely there.
Arynea trips over her own deadend leg, giving a short shriek as she hits the ground. As she looks over her shoulder and notices Drasa is gone, she recoils slightly as Protas leaps to her defense in turn- placing himself between his master and her assailant, holding his ground, snarling as if he were a wolf rather than a fox.
Tiran walks casually toward the crippled youth with a sadistic grin. "Little Skycrown." Another casual swipe and the second fox protector is dispelled like the first. "I wouldn't scream or I might have to harm you." His sickening grin seems to be the physical form of the rotten scent that clung to the air like summer humidity. "We wouldn't want that, I need your help afterall."
Arynea shrinks back, her ears flat against her head and tail held close. She bites her lip for a moment, before stifling the urge to scream with sarcasm. "Fashion tips?"
Tiran chuckles, his higher-pitched voice reverberating into a kind of cackle. "You aren't far off, little girl. You see-"
Rowan appears to materialize out of comlpete nothingness directly in front of the assailant and spares no time as Rowan's closed fist meets the man's cheekbone with a crunch, knocking Tiran flat on his butt with a surprised gasp. The darkest aura, almost like a light that was absorbing light, enveloped the caretaker's left arm entirely which he held out in front of him. "Explain yourself."
Kala scurries out of her home, almost forgetting to lock it behind her. She had changed from her worn clothes and into a tan kimono with an orange floral pattern. One of her favorites, although she wasn't certain why. She ran through a mental log in her mind of homes that were available; one of them would be Zirka's. She hustled into town, the sun was approaching the horizon, it would be twilight in an hour or two. Catching a few people who were still out and about she inquiried about a recently purchased manor. Armed with heresay, Kala pressed on.
Arynea 's ears perk up slightly at Rowan's sudden appearance, though not much considering the telling-off she expects to get after this is over. Casting her gaze away, she pretends to preoccupy herself with ensuring that her leg is unharmed and, indeed, still there.
Tiran examines the man standing before him; measuring his threat level. How he had appeared without Tiran's noticing was worrisome, and it wouldn't do to have anyone know why he was there. "Eheheh. You pack a punch there, butler. If you want answers..." He grins again, looking directly at Aryn. "She'll get them soon enough." He swipes his dagger at Rowan, who raises his blackened arm to guard against it, only to half the aura completely dispelled and the same paralyzing effect crippling into the caretaker's arm which falls completely limp. Tiran does not follow-through, however, and instead dashes into the trees, taking the stench with him. "Until then!"
Rowan curses as his right arm catches the left. There was no feeling, nothing. It was as if nothing was there at all. The circuits were shot and the nerves certainly crippled, he would need a healer, this was beyond his own skills. But he could wait. "Arynea are you alright?" He offers his good arm to help the youth.
Arynea glances up to her caretaker, before taking his hand; even with the help, the difficulty she has in regaining her feet shows that her leg still hasn't recovered. Briefly she lets go of Rowan's arm, only to reflexively grab on to his shoulder to keep from stumbling. She gives the leg a glance before finally replying quietly. "I'm fine."
Rowan looks over the leg and curses again. "You need a healer. This is my fault. I suppose you're going to need a new caretaker now." He sighs, racking his brain for someone who may be able to help. The family's doctor was who-knows-where out of town of course. What's the point of having a personal pysician if he's never around? Then the gardener Kala leaped to mind. Perhaps she had some herbal poultice that could help? But he had no idea where he could find her. "I should take you home, then I'll find someone that can help with that leg of yours."
Arynea doesn't make eye contact for a moment. Strictly speaking, this was her own fault, not Rowan's. Finally she looks back at him and deadpans, "We do not tell my father about this."
Rowan 's face shifts to one of concern. "Aryn I..." He sighs. It was his duty to report this event, and yet he could see the twisted emotions in that youth's eyes. Here he found himself in a conflict of interests. If her father did learn of this, it's not his being fired [maybe even killed] that worried him... madam Arynea would never be able to leave her bedroom let alone the grounds. Confined forever most likely. "Alright then. I think I know someone who may be able to help. Do you need me to carry you or would you prefer to walk using my dead arm for support... And a little irony." He gives a friendly chuckle at the last statement, perhaps to cheer the youth, or maybe to console himself.
Arynea doesn't reply for a moment. Independent as she is, the idea of being carried grates against her... but then, it would be the faster alternative to her trying to walk, even with support. She sighs. "Unless you have a cane I can use, carrying would be faster... though, you only have the use of one arm, so..."
Kala arrives at the manor she had been suggested to try. She cringed at the sight of the grounds, the tulips were nice but not as align as they should be. There were miscelaneous toys strewn about, which she took as a good sign that she was at the right place and tried not to think of the harm they were causing the already parched, yet green grass. Still feeling nervous that she may be at the wrong home, and a little distracted by the grounds, she passed through the open gate- was that intentional or did they forget to close it?- and made for the front door and gave a rythmic knock.
Zirka || from behind the door, Plamya's voice rung out in response to the knocking "If you're a bad guy we're not here.....!" Zirka places down a tray of fresh cookies, most likely made minutes after the training began, and walked towards the door. Plamya on the other hand poked one cookie with her finger as her five tails swished around "don't worry, I'll eat you like nature makes me do"
Zirka places a finger on the door, mentally tracing its components and sensing the last knock made. A good person. Perhaps it was Kala. Zirka's face lights up as she opens the door with one swift motion "Kala! I'm glad you made it-- u-um... Sorry I didn't tell you our address but you seemed to have found your way anyway~"
Kala smiles and gives a dismissive wave. "Oh its wasn't any trouble. It's not too hard to find the five-tailed family that just moved in. May I come in? I'm afraid I didn't bring anything."
Zirka motions for her to come right in, giving a brief irritated glance at the unpacked boxes stacked near the door. /I should move these somewhere else someday/ she mentally notes. "Nah, nothing is required here but your presence. I think that's more than enough." After closing the door, something unexplainable went off in her mind. Her right ear twitches suddenly as her eye twitches a bit as well. Zirka snaps her head towards the kitchen "PUT THAT COOKIE DOWN, PLAMYA"
Zirka: Plamya: *with a piece of cookie falling from her mouth, she slowly places the half eaten cookie back on the tray* ....
Kala offers as "thank you" as she enters, instantly overwhelmed with the much-larger-than-hers house. There were unpacked boxes here and there which reminded her again that they'd just moved in. "Maybe I could help you unpack some time a-" She was cut off when Zirka suddenly shouted further into the home. /Must be that mother sense I here so much about./ Kala walks further in until lo and behold she found Plamya with cookie crumbs on her face. She couldn't help but chuckle at the sight. "Hey there, Mya. Did you have your lessons yet?"
Zirka: Plamya: *as a playful and mocking gesture, the little girl starts to lick off the bits of chocolate on her fingers one by one. Zirka gives a defeated sigh and immediately grabs another tray. For a moment, Plamya tilted her head in confusion to Kala's question, lowering an ear to show the emotion as such* what lessons?
Zirka opens the oven "mana lessons. Your mana lessons, Plamya."
Zirka: Plamya: ....e-eh...aaaahhhh, /that/. *a long pause ensues as she stares at the cookies pensatively* I guess I did good if I'm getting cookies.
Kala pats the child on the head. "Next time you can show me. Maybe I could teach you a thing or two if it's alright with your mother." Her gaze inevitably meets the same few cookies Plamya was enthralled by. /How come mine never turn out that well.../
Zirka: Plamya: *turns her attention to her mother and stares into her eyes. Though no words escape from their lips, it only took one look before Plamya smiled* yaaaay! More teachers! What kind of things do /you/ do with mana?!
Kala blankstares for just an instant at the sudden inquiry. She usually just used basic nature magic, she wasn't exactly an expert. "I can make flowers. And I can change their colors and how big they are. If you learn well enough you could make all the flowers for your home."
Zirka: Plamya: *widens her eyes. This was amazing--no, stunning. Here she was barely making a ball of mana in her hands and Kala's telling her she can make flowers and manipulate them? It was beyond her scope of things, that's for sure. Suddenly she goes blank for a minute, then scratched her ear* can you use cookie mana to make these cookies bigger? And blue?
Kala thought about that for a moment. Leave it to the imagination of a child to come up with some surprisingly ingenious connection. "I suppose so, but sadly I don't know how. Maybe there's a bker in town somewhere who does? We could go on an adventure some time and find out!" Kala was surprised to realize how genuinely excited she was teach Mya; it would definitely become a two-way learning experience.
Zirka: Plamya: *gives out an exaggerated...squee? Gasp? It make's Zirka's ears flatten momentarily* Yes yes yes! And maybe...maaaybe if we're good girls the baker can teach us for /free!!/
Kala claps her hands together with a smile. "Oh of course! And then we could make cookies of every color. Red ones and green ones. And make them in flower shapes! You would be the greatest cookie mage ever!" She gives Plamya an encouraging smile. "But you have to be good, of course. Which means pay close attention to what mommy says, especially in your mana lessons, k?"
Zirka: Plamya: *casually starts to kick her legs around and smiles* I will!
Rowan nods and hunches over to let Aryn climb onto his back, where he supported her with his good arm. The two made way into town, few people were still out with the lowering of the sun. Rowan stopped a couple people, asking for Kala and learning she had gone to see a new move-in, a wealthy family that had bought out a manor across town. When asked what was wrong Rowan would simply respond "Bee sting. She's mildly allergic and needs care but the family physician is out of town." Following the trail of information, he finds himself before a manor he had only seen a time or two before. The gate was already open which he didn't know if he should take that in any way other than what it was. Cautiously he approaches the door and gives 3-hit knock with his foot as both arms were occupied.
Zirka closes the oven and is immediately drawn to the knocking her ears picked up. Strange. The woman gives a look of confusion to Kala, almost wordlessly asking her if she invited anyone else. Well, nobody knew they were here...did they? For a brief instant, her blood went cold. Her heart felt like it sunk. But then Plamya brought her back to reality by yelling out, or inquiring if there were bad guys in the front door. Zirka took a breath /...maybe he came home early...? Literally nobody but Kala knows we live here./ With that, Zirka goes off to open the door
Rowan nods his head. "Pardon the intrusion, but I was informed that Kala was here. I was hoping she could help me, it's urgent." He tilts his head back at the teen on his back. "She needs medical attention."
Zirka is taken by surprise at the sight of the man carrying a young teenager. She immediately steps aside and motions them to come in. "Kala! "
Kala perks at the sound of her name, the urgency in the voice pulling her from her revelry. "Coming!" She hastens for the entrance in time to catch the Skycrown's butler and... was that the Skycrown girl!? There was an air about the two that seemed very off. "Rowan? Come set her on the couch and tell me what's going on." Rowan obliged, carefully moving into the living room and helping Aryn down.
Arynea perks her ears as she sees... her family's gardener? /Oh./ She gives a small wave of recognition and greeting, but otherwise stays notably silent.
Rowan encourages Aryn to follow Kala's advice to lay on the couch as he explains. "We were attacked by a bandit of some sort. He utilized some kind of strange dagger that left Miss Arynea's leg and my own arm useless. We came to you hoping there was something you could do."
Zirka: Plamya: *a dagger did that? She sits down and watches the scene with interest* /a sharp thing hurt them? Where are the cuts? Unless...it hurts their feelings...!/ *plamya leans in and looks at Aryn, then her leg and tilts her head* that's gonna take like...many mommy kisses to make better
Kala spares a glance at Zirka. "I can try a few things, but I'm no expert." Without waiting for a response she traces her arm along Rowan's crippled one. She tried to feel for a break, a fault in the arm, anything. "I don't understand, there's nothing wrong with your arm. No muscle or nerve damage; nothing."
Zirka || Snapping from the surprise of two seemingly injured people, she looks at the duo and then at Plamya. The young Ereva mother crouched down to Plamya's level and whispered "I think the man and girl might need some refreshments. Why don't you go fetch them two cups of your favorite punch?" Plamya gives a nod and runs off to the kitchen without a word. Though she totally knew her mom was trying to get her out of the room to not witness any wrong from the scene
Rowan tries to maintain composure. As much as he would hate to lose an arm, he could live without it. However the toll the loss would have on Arynea was concerning. "And yet I cannot move it, or even feel it at all. There must be something I missed. Aryn can you recall anything else about the assailant?"
Arynea swishes her tail as she registers being spoken to. "He smelled absolutely awful. That's about all else I remember."
Kala thought about it for a moment, then pounded her fist into her open palm in an 'ah-hah!' motion. "He smelled! An airborne toxin, of course! Hold still." She holds Rowan's eyes open, checking for a reaction. "Zirka do you have any medicinals? Herbs? Anything at all?"
Zirka snaps into attention and nods a yes. "We have potions in the back room. I'll get them immediately!" there was not much time. Zirka dashed back past the big stairs and immediately opened a door. There was an even bigger mess of boxes stacked on top of each other as she then lets out a very irritated growl. Four tails swish around viciously as the woman begins to open each box to look for the vials. Upon locating some beautiful, roughly carved out crystal containers, she swipes as much as her hands could hold and passes some to her tails to wrap around. She comes back rather quickly and places them on the coffee table and a small handful to Kala. "They're labled...hopefully we have something for toxins in here."
Kala turns to Aryn as Zirka charged off. "Can you remember anything specific about this smell? What it was like, the effects you felt from it?" Zirka returned with vials and bottles in tow and Kala gesture to just leave all of them on the table. "Thank you, Zirka. If you've got any herbs I could use some of those as well in case I need a suppliment."
Arynea flicks her ears forward. "The smell was nauseating. That's the only thing noteworthy I remember about it. It wasn't until he used the dagger that I couldn't feel my leg, though."
Zirka gives a snap. /herbs herbs herbs....this place must have some..../ "I'll look for some in the kitchen. Maybe my husband brought some with him-- Plamya!" Zirka yells out as she moved towards the kitchen. The little girl was calmly sitting on the table sipping on some punch. /She forgot again.../ "Did daddy bring some herbs with him while we were moving? I faintly remember him stopping by a shop for some but I don't know if he ever got them." Zirka is then interupted by Plamya yelling out "Ew food plants!" followed by Zirka giving a stare. Plamya then hums and thinks for a moment. ".....Come on Plamya, concentrate. /Did daddy buy herbs and where are they?/"
Zirka: Plamya: .....Third cabinet to the right on the first shelf next to thirteen red canteens of daddy's special punch, few inches away from a packet of spicy tuna which expires in about ten weeks, 4 days, and 6 hours from now. In a see through bag. *A moment of silence before the girl began to sip on her punch again*
Rowan nods in agreement. "A sour smell. But just like Aryn there wasn't any effect until the dagger. It shot out some kind of pulse and my arm dropped limp."
Zirka stands silent for a moment. "....good...good girl." she stutters and then goes to the cabinet she was directed to. There it was as she described it, a couple of bags of sealed herbs of many varieties next to absolutely everything Plamya described to the detail. /Yet she can't remember to hold a conversation for more than ten minutes, eh?/ Zirka grabs the bags and rushes back to the scene, handing them to Kala. "Here we go."
Kala makes no immediate response as she fiddles through the containers. She comes to one designed for headaches and sets it aside with a second that was supposed to combat infection. A third she picked up and moved over to the wall, opened the window, and dumped the contents before returning to the table in time to collect the herbs. /I suppose I could've asked for a cup./ "Zirka some water and a cloth please. Rowan take that headache medicine and poor a fourth of it into that empty vial." She busied herself with the herbs, passing her hands through the bags as if the contents were expensive and fragile.
Rowan obeys without question, lifting the designated bottle with his good hand and holding it closely to his eyes to get a feel of one-fourth. A little hesitant for fear of getting it wrong, he poors what he hopes is the right amount into the vial.
Zirka goes off to get what she is told. She opens up some boxes in the kitchen and takes out a glass bowl for the water and simply snatches a cloth hanging on the sinkhead nearby. She fills up the cup with water and then walks off, commenting to Plamya "Maybe you should take your cookies and yourself upstairs to your room. Thing's are a bit stressful for a child right now."
Zirka: Plamya: *eyes the cookies, then stands up and looks over to the living room from there.* ...No but there's a kid too. Doesn't she want a cookie? I'mma give her a cookie because that's about 10 mommy kisses baked with chocolate.
Zirka gives a sigh as she places the contents down on the table. "...well, if you say so. But I really gotta insist, Plamya..." Plamya puffs her cheeks and walks off with a handful of cookies. The young ereva calmly sits down next to Aryn and hands her a cookie. "So you feel better and stuff"
Arynea blinks as the younger child approaches and gives her a cooke. After a moment's hesitation, she accepts it. "... Thank you." The situation may be unexpected, and as a teenager she might be rebellous, but her parents did raise her to be nothing if not polite.
Kala extracts some choice greens from the bags and sets them on table, the grabs the vial and dumps a small sum back into the headache med's bottle, which was met with a frown from Rowan that Kala didn't seem to notice. She takes the infection med and lets a small trickle fall into the vial before setting it back down and reaching for the water. She soaks the cloth and tosses it to Aryn with a "hold this" before holding each hand over the water and the vial respectively. With careful concentration, a small stream of the vial's contents moves of its own accord through the gap and mixes in with the water. "Rowan hit your arm and tell me if you feel anything at all."
Rowan blank stares in confusion, then nods. "Um, ok..." Feeling a bit sheepish he gives the dead arm a swift chop with his right, flinching from the pain his brain told him should have resulted from it. "Nothing but what my right hand felt."
Kala doesn't respond, leaving Rowan to question if she had a medicinal reason for her request or not. Kala twirls the mixture with a finger as she uses her free hand to drop leaves in with it, which seem to melt upon contact with the liquid. "Skycrown, place that cloth on your leg and tell yourself repeatedly that it's cold. And Rowan, look at the mark you just put on your arm and tell yourself it hurt. Neither of you stop thinking these thoughts for even a second."
Arynea furrows her brow, but does as she's told; putting the cookie in her mouth to hold it as she positions the cloth, she vaguely wonders where this is going before taking the cookie again, now finally taking an idle bite. /It's cold. It's cold./
Zirka: Plamya: *Silently watches the scene unfold while she continuously stuffs cookies into her mouth. This was rather exciting for the young girl. Who knew moving would be so fun? Giving an eye to Zirka, Plamya directs her attention to Aryn.* /Why isn't she eating the cookie? .....maybe my hands were dirty../ *Plamya looks at her palms* /...with mana./
Rowan is somewhat surprised when he finds there is in fact the signs of bruising on his arm. /That should probably hurt- er, I mean it definitely hurts./ With the mental discipline he'd gained from watching a rebellious wealthy teenager, he keeps his thoughts focused on the pain he was supposed to be feeling.
Kala finishes the mixture and carries it over to Aryn, taking the cookie away without asking. "Drink just a couple gulps of this and continue to repeat the thought 'my leg is cold'." She hands the mixture to the teen
Arynea flattens her ears slightly as if resenting having the cookie snatched away, but again, does as told. Aryn takes a drink from the mixture; /My leg is cold./ Would this even work...?
Rowan || The concoction is brought to Rowan with similar instructions, who drinks and continues his rythmic thought, not realizing he was muttering "it hurts" out loud.
Kala sets the remaining brew on the table and glances between her two patients. She wanted so much to say something, to encourage them, but for now they would need to concentrate on the single thought. If her medicinal was right, it should counter the toxin and allow their thoughts to link up with their crippled limbs and they'll feel them again. Should.
Arynea || /My leg is cold./ Aryn taps her good foot in a mix of impatience and growing anxiety as she's unsure if it'll work in the first place. /My leg is cold./ She glances at Rowan as if to see if he's having any luck, but can't tell much beyond the fact that he's muttering it now. /My leg is cold./ Has her father noticed her absence yet? What is he going to say should she return with a dead leg? Her ears go back again. /... My leg is cold./
Zirka stands quietly. Thoughts processing the scene before her and connecting Kala's medical experience with her memories. How could Zirka forget that? One memory after another briefly flashes by, though foggy. Then a flash of slight pain darts up from her abdomen to her chest. The woman immediately winces but otherwise keeps to herself. What was that?
Rowan continues his mantra regarding the pain in his arm. It was sore and he could tell it was going to be sore for a day or two. Not too mention the spark of pain he'd be getting from bumping the bruise. He played out scenarios about how the pain in his arm was going to affect his work and he instinctively rubbed at the spot, wincing from the jolt it sent up his arm. Then his eyes shot open and he gazed on the spot. His fingers wiggled a bit. His joints twitched. His arm hurt. "A-aaah. My arm hurts."
Kala sighs a bit at Rowans comment, it was working. Although she catches herself as she realizes Aryn isn't reacting the same. The gardener holds her breath and goes for a gamble, laying her hand on Aryn's leg. "My how cold, it's like ice."
Arynea keeps her ears laid back. Forget the cold for a moment, she can't even feel Kala's touch. /My leg is-- this isn't working./ "I don't think this is helping," she says flatly after a moment. Aryn flicks an ear at Rowan. "My father should believe the bee sting story, at least."
Kala bit her lip as her hand recoils in fear. It should work. Even if Aryn got distracted from her thought she should still be feeling something, shouldn't she? "No but-" She tries to hold back the tears that were beginning to form as she hastily starts checking bottles. Another dose? No no she could overwhelm the other senses that way. Was there something she forgot? No it was working for Rowan. "It worked, I know it. You might just... need some time. Practice walking on it." She wipes at her face, still fidgeting to keep from looking at anything but Aryn.
Rowan nods at Aryn before placing his good arm on Kala's shoulder, who shudders at the unexpected touch and the weight of emotion. "It'll be alright. I'll make sure her leg recovers, don't you worry about it." He forced a smile, unconvinced of his own reassurance. It had worked on him but it was only light movement he could get for now, so there was likely a cchance Aryn would recover, right? And was he really going to lie to Aryn's father? And if he did, he'd probably need evidence of a bee sting... This was entirely his fault and he was beginning to hate himself for letting it happen.
Zirka places a comforting hand on Kala's shoulder. She wasn't so good at following up with comfort words, but she gives Kala a calm look mostly translating as "you did well" Zirka speaks up to the other two "Is there anything I can do for the two of you? Perhaps acompany you two home? Or maybe you two can take some cookies to go."
Rowan || "I think we'll be alright. I now what to look out for now so if the guy attacks again I'll be ready for him." He glances over to Aryn, trying to avoid giving a look of sympathy in case it triggered something negative. "I think miss Arynea would prefer her parents were unaware of what happened and for now I agree. Her freedoms shouldn't be sacrificed for over-the-top safety measures." He pauses, recalling what he'd said up til now. "Allergic reaction to a bee sting if it comes up. You ready to head home, miss Arynea?"
Arynea gives a small nod, her expression mostly neutral aside from her flattened ears. She glances at Kala and Zirka before giving a quiet "thank you".
Zirka gives a nod at both of them. "it was a pleasure meeting you two-- say goodbye, Plamya--" she gives a glance at the little girl who's head is hanging. She's asleep. Giving a sigh, she walks over to her daughter and places her arm around her. Plamya immediately leans up against her and continues her nap.
Kala stiffles the tears and nods, accepting the comforts and the request. "Keep me updated..." was all she could muster as she continued to replay the evening in her head.
Rowan nods to the two women, thanking them for their genuine kindness. With the feeling he was regaining in his arm, it was easier to help Aryn onto his back this time and supporting her weight even moreso. Kala composed herself enough to open the door for them before passing through it herself with a brief salutation to Zirka, stating she'd best head home. Rowan took a less traveled route back to the estate, and with the now setting sun there were even fewer people about. He made a stop when he saw a rose bush and pulled off a thorn. Reminding Arynea that they would need evidence of the beesting and that it wouldn't hurt anyway, he stuck the thorn in the lower leg, let it sit for a moment, then pulled it back out. They continued on, passing onto the estate grounds and finally, holding his weakened arm up to the door to display the crystal on his cufflink, unlocking the main door. With the same hand he pulls it open and steps inside.
Arynea almost casts her gaze away when they enter the building, for a large, almost imposing lion-like man sits in easy view of the main door. Aldon's rounded ears prick up at the sound of someone entering, and he turns to greet who he already knows is there... but blinks at the sight. His butler is carrying his daughter, and the latter's expression tells him it isn't for a good reason. "What happened?" The lion's voice, while deep, and could be considered gruff, takes a tone more of surprise and concern than the anger one would expect from an imposing figure like Aldon.
Rowan helps Aryn down and onto her feet as he begins his explenation. "Bee sting. Thought nothing of it at first but it turns out miss Arynea had some kind of allergic reaction." He points to the thron-prick in Aryn's leg. "I recalled the family physician is still out of town and in the emergency I sought for other medical attention. It's been healed up, but the medic said the leg would need time to recover. I apolgize for not informing you on the matter sooner, sir." He closes the final statement with a respectful and repentant bow.
Arynea braces a hand against the wall to steady herself as Rowan gives his explanation. When he finishes, Aldon turns to address his daughter. "Are you alright?" Aryn nods at the lion, who seems satisfied. "Let me know if you need medicine in the morning. I'm sure your mother has something stocked away." Aldon glances back at Rowan. "If you wouldn't mind helping her to her room."
Rowan quarter bows. "Of course, sir." Offering his good arm for support, he helps Aryn limp her way to the stairs, then letting her get a grip on the railing, assists her to the top. With slow yet steady progress they manage to Arynea's chambers, where he helps her to sit on her bed. "There we are, miss Arynea. You should get some sleep, it's been a tough day." He goes about the room, checking windows, closets and any other potentially exposed location an intruder could get in through or hide behind. "You're safe now. I'll have a cane and a pair of crutches for you in the morning."
Arynea is silent for a moment as she nods. It seems as if she isn't going to say anything, until she finally gives an "okay". As if to preoccupy herself, she summons Protas and Drasa again- both of whom immediately dart to her side, sniffing and whining as if to make sure she's alright.
Arynea || Two black-tipped ears perk up, barely visible within the foliage the young Ereva hides in. Amber-yellow eyes peer out, unseen, looking around to see if anyone she wishes to avoid is nearby. A quiet crunching noise is the only sound she makes as she bites into a bright red apple, curling up slightly within the bushes, trying to keep her white, black-tipped tail from poking out. /He'll never find me in here./
Rowan stood unmoving by the entrance to a small tool shed. Within housed gardening utencils of all kinds and of the highest grade, even some crystal-embedded items. The averaged sized Ereva wore carefully tailored dirty-white dress tunic with a tan-copper trimming that matched well with his hair and ears. His seemingly emotionless eyes scanned over the bushes, flowers and the overall expanse of the mansion's beautiful lawn. Ultimately his gaze came back to a certain patch of flowers that waved their reds, yellows and pink about in rythm with the gentle breeze. It was not the flowers, however, that caught his attention, as it was the women removing the weeds that only she must have been capable of seeing. Her long blue hair spilled over her kimono, but never once hindering her as she worked. She glanced his way and he quickly shot his gaze anywhere else, before falling briefly on the brush he already knew the young master was hiding.
Arynea jerks back in reflex, dropping her apple, amber eyes wide as her head becomes visible over the bushes. After a moment she realizes the trick and her ears go back, her sullen glance at Rowan almost comical with the twigs and leaves in her otherwise white hair.
Rowan gives a respectful head-bow at the appearance of his unruly charge, paying no heed to her ruffled appearance. She was still but a child. A rather spoiled one at that, but she had the right to play. Allowing Aryn to believe she'd eluded her caretaker was one of the ways Rowan allowed her some normal youth entertainment; being wealthy could be a plague on the mind and while it wasn't his place, he tried to at least reduce its effect on his charge.
Arynea stands up, brushing the dirt from her clothes and the twigs from her hair as she carefully steps out of the garden. Her ears are still held back as she glances at Rowan again. "Y'know, if you saw me, you didn't have to try and crush me."
Kala hummed to herself as she removed the seedling beginnings of weeds from beneath the dirt's surface. Armed with her birth crystal and some talent in nature magic, she would sense out the invading plants and remove them before they became a threat. It was extra work now, but it would reduce her workload tomorrow. Or so she always tells herself. Content with her work, she steadily arises to her feet, brushing the dirt from her clothes. Kala spares a glance at Rowan, but doesn't act on the idea as he seems occupied with the rich brat. With a sigh and a final look over her work, she moves around to the front and departs the rich-family's grounds.
Rowan spares a chuckle while maintaining his serious composure. "I meant no offense, Miss Arynea. But it would help to improve your stealth should you wish to escape my watch."
Arynea tilts her head slightly, taking on a slightly bored expression. "Noted. Can I go now?"
Rowan smiles at the unruly child. "Why miss, it's not my place to say when you may or may not go. As long as you maintain the rules wherein your parents have set, you are free to do as you please."
Arynea keeps her stoic expression. "Stop being so pleased about this. Last I checked it wasn't actually against the rules to hide in a bush."
Zirka || With a graceful strut down the street, a figure took in the environment with much focus and interest. Five white tails softly moved along with the white kimono piece in motion as the midnight purple haired woman blinked. Intricate patterns of what seemed to be circuits flickered out of existence and then a sigh escaped her pink lips /I chose a great place to settle in. / Looking down with bright orange eyes, she acknowledges a little hand holding her own and then cracks a smile "When we get home, Plamya, we'll bake up a batch of cookies before we begin your lessons. How does that sound?"
Plamya 's ear twitches slightly as she then flinches, seeming to break away from an imaginary hold on her entire being. Scratching one ear rather playfully, the young girl responds with a smile of her own followed by a bite of her lip. Plamya hums slightly "Mmm....I was thinking maybe...uhm...." As Zirka's brow rose, Plamya immediately looks elsewhere-- a tree. She spots unidentifiable distortions in space moving as a mass, slightly distorting the form of the tree before vanishing. Weird. With a huff, the young girl, probably around the age of 9, then directs her gaze to a random turtle on the road. "Momma, do you think turtles have dreams?"
Rowan calmed himself, it wouldn't do to get pulled into the child's traps. To treat a youth as a child could prove dangerous. "My apologies Madam. It won't happen again. Is there anything that I may do for you?"
Zirka doesn't even react at the sudden change of topic. She takes out a fan tucked away in a crimson wrap on her midsection and begins to fan herself. "Well, I'm not so sure about that myself. Perhaps they do, sweetie."
Arynea flicks her tail before returning to a less annoyed stance and expression. "You could go away." Her tone isn't sullen and hostile anymore, rather teasing; she knows that isn't going to happen anyway.
Plamya nods, seeming to be satisfied with the response. There was an odd sensation of excitement following through her throughout the day. Under the plan of finally training with her mother, Zirka Alkerheim. Learning the secrets of mana.....learning the art of Dust or magically enhanced elemental crystals reduced to usable and potent amounts of dust. And most fun of all, learning how to craft and handle saezerite and saezer crystals. According to her father, the family has had many generations of collecting those two types of materials. As of recently (most likely 4-5 generations back), they have learned how to artificially produce it and farm it. The creed of the Alkerheim echoed in her mind thereafter: "Never leave limits unchecked and undefeated." Plamya smiles warmly and squeezes her mother's hand slightly. "I'm glad we're happy right now, Momma..."
Rowan nods, his amusement seeping out into his warm smile. "As you wish mistress. Should you require anything, I shall always be at the ready." The statement was both a promise regarding his willingness to help in anyway he could; but also a reminder that he would not leave her unprotected, as they both were well aware. However, Aryn did produce in Rowan a sense of worry; the young lady was displaying rapid growths in her intelligence and cunning, but she was also becoming too independant for someone who was still so ignorant. If perhaps her parents would allow Aryn to experience the labors of the unwealthy; a simple occupation to take up her time. Perhaps he could petition the idea again.
Kala tried not to dwell on much on those she worked for. It was one of three estates she was charged to assist in the groundskeeping for; Kala's reputation for attention to detail had gained her two other offers for employment, yet she didn't want to overtax herself. With her current standing, she could spend an entire work day per residence every three days, thus maintaining the precision while not sacrificing too much time for blemishes to threaten the grounds. It was somewhat grueling work, but the results at the end of the day were worth it; and while she tried not to revel in it, the praise always lightened her spirits and filled her heart with a sense of accomplishment and pride. However Kala never truly cared for the owner's of the estates themselves. She had to remind herself that she didn't know these people's true lives in order to keep herself from raging over the pompous arrogance she imagined they must display. /No no, I need to keep a tempered mind./ Her self-assurance was well-timed, for she hadn't realized how far into town she had gone. She paused when she noticed a woman and a child; Kala didn't claim to know everyone in the settlement, but she was certain she had never met these people before. She would remember someone with five tails; she'd never seen such a thing before. Her curiosity overtook her caution and she found herself approaching the duo. "Why hello there. Forgive me for asking, but are you new in town? And what a wonderful young lady we have here."
Plamya: Zirka: *she stops suddenly, pulling her furnace orange eyes to meet the curious gaze of the woman inquiring. Something about her blue hair evoked a sensation of nostalgia...soon her quick mind began to rumage around many memories. but she couldnt leave the question hanging. Zirka gave a soft smile* Eheh, yes we are new. My husband got stationed nearby and of course, lo and behold, his biggest fans had to follow *Zirka gives off a wink. Then it hit her. *Wait....K...Kala? Oh my...If its you then...*Zirka's smile grows bigger*
Arynea blinks at Rowan's lack of argument, but returns the nod after a moment and starts walking around to another side of the house. As she walks a pair of small foxlike creatures materialize beside her, one black and one white. The black one flicks his ears at his summoner, while the white nips at the black's tail. This prompts a yap from the target and the two start chasing each other while Aryn sits against the wall and watches.
Kala recoils somewhat as the woman spoke her name. Her mind raced through the archives of her memory until finally it landed on a familiar sight. Of course! "Zirka is that you? Oh my then this one must be little Plamya! Last I saw you you were only this big! My how you've grown. What a small world." Kala's eyes dash between the two, her smile radiating with welcome nostalgia. "What brings you here to Alstead?"
Plamya: Zirka: The town is lovely...we found a nice manor nearby to settle in. My husband is an engineer for Alkerheim Mining Co. *Zirka lets out a tender smile. Her thoughts momentarily shift to her beloved husband* Im sorry I havent stayed in touch. we have had such a chaotic few years...*she suddenly turns to Plamya* Arent you going to say hello?
Plamya snaps back into reality and perks her ears up. "oh!" she hums "Hello momma's friend! Do you live here too??"
Rowan watches the youth go with a grin. If anything Aryn needed a friend, and as much as he could try to be one, she would need a friend who could relate to her circumstance. With a sigh, Rowan maintained his position; out of site of Aryn but he could still sense her presence should she move.
Kala || "Oh it must be nice to have such a man at your side." An image of the Skycrown's attendant Rowan passed through her mind and she stifled a blush with little success. "I've been rather busy myself. When I moved out here, I took up groundskeeping full time. I'm a chief gardener for three of the local major estates now. And yes, Plamya, I live here now. If you want I can show you the flowers I work with some time. Would you like that?"?"
Plamya 's face lights up. An idea pops up "Gee that would be nice, miss! Maybe if im better at it, I can help them look pretty with some dust!" Zirka immediately darts her gaze at the child. Plamya's ears lower "well...when im better at it"
Arynea gives a short whistle, calling the playing foxes over to her side. Protas rubs up against Aryn's arm like a cat, while Drasa paces around slightly; the white canine gives Rowan a glance as she catches sight of him, but otherwise ignores the attendant's presence. Aryn's ears go back again, however, taking Drasa's glance in the older Ereva's direction as a signal to mean he's still there. The girl sighs, scratching Protas behind the ears, before looking around for a place to go or something to do.
Kala didn't know what the child meant by dust, so that portion of the child's response was filed away under little-girl-imagination. "I think that's a great idea." She turns back to Zirka. "How long do you think you'll be here? Are you here to stay?""
Zirka pauses, not really expecting herself to say "sure!" The nature of her husband's work often requires their family to move along with them. Much as she'd like to settle in one place to raise Plamya in until she grew up, she knew from day one that marrying Mr.Alkerheim meant she will be on the move. Plamya knew that as well. Zirka gave a light sigh "We'll see. I have a good feeling we'll be here for a long time."
Zirka: Plamya: I hope we don't *Plamya smiles as Zirka shoots an irritated glance at the girl. Her ears twitch as she goes on* I like traveling everywhere and like......*suddenly she falls silent as her eyes catch the sight of a bird flying off. It was red.*
Kala || "Yeah it must be nice travel. To see the world and new places. But let's hope you get to stay here while so we can get to know each other a little better, ok Plamya?" The young girl was truly adorable. Kala looked forward to the day she would have her own children to raise. "Is there anything I can do for the two of you? Don't want to keep you as you probably have things you need to do."
Arynea flicks her ears in the direction she knows Rowan is. How well can he sense her presence? ... What if she just made a break for it? Signaling for Drasa to stay where she it, in sight of her caretaker, Aryn slowly stands and edges toward the boundary of the property, Protas close at her heels and staying alert.
Zirka gives a light nod. "No, you aren't keeping us from anything. However...we're going to bake some cookies soon and we'd love to have you over for some afternoon tea." closing her fan, Zirka stuffed it in the waist wrap. "We're celebrating this little cutie's first lesson in mana theory!"
Zirka: Plamya: I'm gonna learn how to blow stuff up like big kids!
Zirka slowly rubs the sides of her head with her finger. "Ahh, you've definitely learned a lot from your...father, have you"
Kala chuckles. "Alright, I'll take you up on that offer. It's been a while since I've made cookies myself." She gives the child a wink as she continues. "And I'd love to see what little Mya will blow up."
Rowan watches the illusory manifestation with mild interest. It was quite impressive, although Aryn could probably supply a little less inconsistenc in their mana structure; he could see the illusions fictitious existence almost instantly. And speaking of; it would seem that Aryn was preparing to make another escape. /Let's see how this plays out./
Zirka waves her hands in front of her "No no I hope she doesn't blow things up. But anyway, we'll see you tonight....come hungry~" With that statement she fixes up her dark hair and gives a respectful nod to Kala. The sensation of finding an old friend felt very good. Plamya waves goodbye to the nice woman and followers her mother back to their manor
Arynea || /Well, no trouble so far.../ Aryn pauses for a moment, making sure to keep the building blocking some sort of line of sight between herself and Rowan. She's in a decent position to just run, right? Apparently she decides she is, and makes a beeline for the wall enclosing the property. At some point Rowan would probably see or hear her, but she hopes to be almost at or even over the wall by that point.
Kala nods and proffers an "I'll see you then", waving at the duo as they left. Truly a small world; perhaps this would be a sign of things to come? Content with life, Kala makes for her own home, taking a couple turns until she reached the eastern edge of Alstead where some smaller homes were situated. Approaching the door to a single-level home she traces her finger along the wooden portal in a brief pattern, accessing the arcane lock with the patterned combination, opened the door and went inside.
Rowan makes little movement other than a couple more steps closer to the corner blocking the line of sight. Aryn was running, and usually Rowan was quick to pursue, but that always had the same result. The young woman would become irrate, applying more damage to what little relationship the two had. This time he was willing to take a small gamble to see what would come of this venture.
Arynea || As Aryn makes it over the wall with minimal damage to the hedges lining it, Drasa dematerializes before reappearing beside Protas at her heels. /Made it!/ The Ereva knew that Rowan would come after her once he noticed she was gone, but for now, she merely bolted away from the house with the two foxes keeping pace with her.
Rowan closes his eyes, stands perfectly still and focuses on the perfectly oval-shaped crystal attached to a cufflink on his left hand. Exhale... inhale... connect with it. Become one with it. Gradually Rowan's body seems to fade; almost as if it were being dispersed into the wind. In a few moments, where once stood the Skycrown caretaker, there was nothing; not even a sign he had ever been there. And yet he was; but dematerialized into a pseudo existant state where he could none of the five physical senses could detect his presence. He could feel the pull of the void; the call of oblivion as it sought to pull him into nonexistence, but Rowan pushed away from it. He wouldn't be able to remain like this for long. In this state, he followed after Aryn, his consciousness projecting the path to take and his existence following after it.
Arynea looks over her shoulder. Nobody? Looks like Rowan either isn't following, or hasn't noticed. Slowing to a walk, she looks around. The foxes stay beside her, though Drasa occasionally gets distracted by leaves or insects, and Protas yaps at her, as if telling her to pay attention. Drasa returns the bark and the two begin chasing each other in circles around their summoner.
Zirka || It wasn't much of a long journey for the duo to their manor. A large, posh and enclosed building riddled with a flury of tulips on the front lawn and some toys spread around by Plamya's erratic playtime rituals. Zirka takes a moment to stop at the front gate and gaze upon the new home she moved into. From an eyeshot she could spot the dreadful blue curtains her husband picked out for the main room just being such a jarring eyesore. However, aside from that, Zirka almost felt sad in a way. She knew deep down that this home she took so much time to clean out and decorate (nearly) to her liking will one day be up for sale again. Where would she go next? /...oh, sweatheart.....I wish you would just retire already...and we could live her peacefully..../ Zirka's gaze soon turned foggy. /..... peacefully.... peace..... something I deserve...after.../ Plamya yanks on her mother's dress, yanking her out of the daze. "A-Ah...well..." A circuit-like pattern outlines her irises as she executes a command, then the front gate began to be traced by the same patterns. Soon enough, one by one, a segment of the steel gate began to drop down and compress in order to let the two in.
Rowan || In his dematerialized state, the sensations he experienced were unique and surreal. It was as if his five senses were compounded into a single sixth sense, wherein the feel of substance, the taste, smell, sight and sound were all warring for attention, only to be dominated by the compound sensation Rowan could never truly describe. He could feel oblivion nipping at his heels like an angered dog, and with each nip it was as if a part of him was lost into the void never to be reclaimed. No, he couldn't afford to let his consciousness wander, a moment's lack of focus and he would be entirely consumed. This was some of the most serious forms of magic; and yet he was using it to track a teenager.
Kala traced her finger along the backside of a couch as she meandered toward through the small living room toward the kitchen. It wasn't much; a entry hall that lead directly to the only bedroom. An opening in the right side of the hall was the living room, adorned with not more than an old, ugly greenish black couch and matching chair. There was a brick inlet in the wall where there used to be a fireplace. Entering from there into the kitchen there was a single counter with mediocre cooking space. As small, unimpressive home, but it was hers. She filtered through cabinets and shelves looking for something she might bring with her when the thought arose. "I never asked where they live! Oh this is not good..."
Arynea perks her ears up as Protas chases Drasa out of the circle they had been running and in a completely different direction. Pausing for a moment, Aryn glances in the direction she'd come from. Then again, she hasn't been in the area the foxes are running for. Feeling adventurous, she decides to run after them, letting them lead her off. She can always use them to get back home, anyway.
Zirka || Entering the home, Plamya immediately darted up the giant stairs overlooking the entrance while making airplane sounds. If it weren't for the mess of boxes stacked on both her sides, Zirka would have surely put away her coat on the hanger or a hat if she had one. But in due time, of course. She couldn't unpack ALL the things in case they had to move again. Zirka sighs. As soon as she takes a moment to collect her thoughts, she could hear Plamya inquiring something from another room rather loudly. "CAN MY BUNNY LEARN MANA TOO???" to which the young mother gave a chuckle and crossed her arms. This was going to be a long session alright. Knowing how Playma is easily swayed by the most strangest of thoughts and questions. Zirka answers "If you're experienced enough, Plamya. Don't worry too much about it. We're just going to learn how to handle mana for today, kay?" Plamya answers back "Aw, okay....but....but I'm sure maybe bunnies want to learn how to mana, right? Maybe make some like....mana carrots or something."
Tiran || A light scent of what could have been spoiled milk passes through the air, passing Aryn and her mischevious summons. At first not more than the putrescent scent, then the aroma subjects a feel of nausea that sickens those that breath it in. "The little girl should know better." The voice was somewhat higher, yet definitely male, although the sound seemed to come from every direction- no, perhaps a telepathic projection?.
Arynea stops, her ears going back as she looks around. Protas and Drasa quickly return to her heels, growling, as if trying to protect her despite their diminutive size. The girl says nothing, but backs up against a tree to protect her back.
Tiran || "She will make an excellent prize, mhmmm." This time the voice was definitely a voice; from behind. A man steps out from around the very tree Aryn had guarded her back against. His hair was a filthy white-blonde color that fell short over his drooped dog-like ears. A pair of goggles adorned his head, parralel with his blood-shot red eyes. "Hello there, deary."
Arynea immediately turns around and backpedals, with Protas staying beside her continuing to growl. Drasa, on the other hand, darts forward at the man, a swirl of Mana around her as she attempts to bite onto the man's leg. Aryn takes the attempted distraction as an opportunity to run.
Zirka || "Now...you need to be relaxed in order to focus better and not strain yourself much, Plamya." Sitting on the grass in their back yard, the young mother held out her palms and gave out a soft smile as Plamya placed her hands on them. Soft...silky skin. This was her daughter. This was her happiness during times of hardship. Zirka slowly flipped her daughter's hands in order to see her palms, then retreated hers and made a spherical formation with her fingers. "The great thing about mana is that it's all around us wherever we go. Kind of like the wind...it's there, we feel it, and we can will it." Sitting cross legged, the young girl leaned in closer as Zirka then took a breath. "In order to will it, you need your own will to be strong. I want you to do this for me: gently pull some mana from deep within yourself and concentrate it in your palms like me." As part of the demonstration, the grass began to rustle in a short breeze as swirling strands of blue began to dance and circle each other. One by one they began to combine gracefully into a ball of the energy. Plamya immediately widened her eyes. "Don't force it. Feel it within yourself...lead it kindly-- as in, well, use your will and your thoughts to direct it into your palms."
Zirka: Plamya: Okay. Uhm...*copying her mother's form, she looks straight down on her palms and glares at them* Turn on please. *nothing. Her muscles tense. Once again* Turn on. *Plamya's fingers scrunch. She can feel a slight tingly sensation in her fingertips. Was she doing it right? She didn't know, not like she paid much attention anyway. Make a ball of mana, big deal. That's all she needed to know.* On. On on on on on. *her glare becomes deadly with anger. She huffs and growls while her ears stand straight up* Turn on!
Tiran pulls a deformed-looking dagger from his belt and gives it a gentle swipe in front of the oncoming fox. A mana pulse emenates outward, enveloping the fox which grasps at its mana construct, dispelling the summon as if its master had done so. The pulse doesn't cease there as it ripples outward until it reaches the fleeing Aryn's right leg. The mana force grasps onto the mana circuits of the youth, crippling the leg and severing its connection with the rest of her. There was no physically noticable change, but the damage was surely there.
Arynea trips over her own deadend leg, giving a short shriek as she hits the ground. As she looks over her shoulder and notices Drasa is gone, she recoils slightly as Protas leaps to her defense in turn- placing himself between his master and her assailant, holding his ground, snarling as if he were a wolf rather than a fox.
Tiran walks casually toward the crippled youth with a sadistic grin. "Little Skycrown." Another casual swipe and the second fox protector is dispelled like the first. "I wouldn't scream or I might have to harm you." His sickening grin seems to be the physical form of the rotten scent that clung to the air like summer humidity. "We wouldn't want that, I need your help afterall."
Arynea shrinks back, her ears flat against her head and tail held close. She bites her lip for a moment, before stifling the urge to scream with sarcasm. "Fashion tips?"
Tiran chuckles, his higher-pitched voice reverberating into a kind of cackle. "You aren't far off, little girl. You see-"
Rowan appears to materialize out of comlpete nothingness directly in front of the assailant and spares no time as Rowan's closed fist meets the man's cheekbone with a crunch, knocking Tiran flat on his butt with a surprised gasp. The darkest aura, almost like a light that was absorbing light, enveloped the caretaker's left arm entirely which he held out in front of him. "Explain yourself."
Kala scurries out of her home, almost forgetting to lock it behind her. She had changed from her worn clothes and into a tan kimono with an orange floral pattern. One of her favorites, although she wasn't certain why. She ran through a mental log in her mind of homes that were available; one of them would be Zirka's. She hustled into town, the sun was approaching the horizon, it would be twilight in an hour or two. Catching a few people who were still out and about she inquiried about a recently purchased manor. Armed with heresay, Kala pressed on.
Arynea 's ears perk up slightly at Rowan's sudden appearance, though not much considering the telling-off she expects to get after this is over. Casting her gaze away, she pretends to preoccupy herself with ensuring that her leg is unharmed and, indeed, still there.
Tiran examines the man standing before him; measuring his threat level. How he had appeared without Tiran's noticing was worrisome, and it wouldn't do to have anyone know why he was there. "Eheheh. You pack a punch there, butler. If you want answers..." He grins again, looking directly at Aryn. "She'll get them soon enough." He swipes his dagger at Rowan, who raises his blackened arm to guard against it, only to half the aura completely dispelled and the same paralyzing effect crippling into the caretaker's arm which falls completely limp. Tiran does not follow-through, however, and instead dashes into the trees, taking the stench with him. "Until then!"
Rowan curses as his right arm catches the left. There was no feeling, nothing. It was as if nothing was there at all. The circuits were shot and the nerves certainly crippled, he would need a healer, this was beyond his own skills. But he could wait. "Arynea are you alright?" He offers his good arm to help the youth.
Arynea glances up to her caretaker, before taking his hand; even with the help, the difficulty she has in regaining her feet shows that her leg still hasn't recovered. Briefly she lets go of Rowan's arm, only to reflexively grab on to his shoulder to keep from stumbling. She gives the leg a glance before finally replying quietly. "I'm fine."
Rowan looks over the leg and curses again. "You need a healer. This is my fault. I suppose you're going to need a new caretaker now." He sighs, racking his brain for someone who may be able to help. The family's doctor was who-knows-where out of town of course. What's the point of having a personal pysician if he's never around? Then the gardener Kala leaped to mind. Perhaps she had some herbal poultice that could help? But he had no idea where he could find her. "I should take you home, then I'll find someone that can help with that leg of yours."
Arynea doesn't make eye contact for a moment. Strictly speaking, this was her own fault, not Rowan's. Finally she looks back at him and deadpans, "We do not tell my father about this."
Rowan 's face shifts to one of concern. "Aryn I..." He sighs. It was his duty to report this event, and yet he could see the twisted emotions in that youth's eyes. Here he found himself in a conflict of interests. If her father did learn of this, it's not his being fired [maybe even killed] that worried him... madam Arynea would never be able to leave her bedroom let alone the grounds. Confined forever most likely. "Alright then. I think I know someone who may be able to help. Do you need me to carry you or would you prefer to walk using my dead arm for support... And a little irony." He gives a friendly chuckle at the last statement, perhaps to cheer the youth, or maybe to console himself.
Arynea doesn't reply for a moment. Independent as she is, the idea of being carried grates against her... but then, it would be the faster alternative to her trying to walk, even with support. She sighs. "Unless you have a cane I can use, carrying would be faster... though, you only have the use of one arm, so..."
Kala arrives at the manor she had been suggested to try. She cringed at the sight of the grounds, the tulips were nice but not as align as they should be. There were miscelaneous toys strewn about, which she took as a good sign that she was at the right place and tried not to think of the harm they were causing the already parched, yet green grass. Still feeling nervous that she may be at the wrong home, and a little distracted by the grounds, she passed through the open gate- was that intentional or did they forget to close it?- and made for the front door and gave a rythmic knock.
Zirka || from behind the door, Plamya's voice rung out in response to the knocking "If you're a bad guy we're not here.....!" Zirka places down a tray of fresh cookies, most likely made minutes after the training began, and walked towards the door. Plamya on the other hand poked one cookie with her finger as her five tails swished around "don't worry, I'll eat you like nature makes me do"
Zirka places a finger on the door, mentally tracing its components and sensing the last knock made. A good person. Perhaps it was Kala. Zirka's face lights up as she opens the door with one swift motion "Kala! I'm glad you made it-- u-um... Sorry I didn't tell you our address but you seemed to have found your way anyway~"
Kala smiles and gives a dismissive wave. "Oh its wasn't any trouble. It's not too hard to find the five-tailed family that just moved in. May I come in? I'm afraid I didn't bring anything."
Zirka motions for her to come right in, giving a brief irritated glance at the unpacked boxes stacked near the door. /I should move these somewhere else someday/ she mentally notes. "Nah, nothing is required here but your presence. I think that's more than enough." After closing the door, something unexplainable went off in her mind. Her right ear twitches suddenly as her eye twitches a bit as well. Zirka snaps her head towards the kitchen "PUT THAT COOKIE DOWN, PLAMYA"
Zirka: Plamya: *with a piece of cookie falling from her mouth, she slowly places the half eaten cookie back on the tray* ....
Kala offers as "thank you" as she enters, instantly overwhelmed with the much-larger-than-hers house. There were unpacked boxes here and there which reminded her again that they'd just moved in. "Maybe I could help you unpack some time a-" She was cut off when Zirka suddenly shouted further into the home. /Must be that mother sense I here so much about./ Kala walks further in until lo and behold she found Plamya with cookie crumbs on her face. She couldn't help but chuckle at the sight. "Hey there, Mya. Did you have your lessons yet?"
Zirka: Plamya: *as a playful and mocking gesture, the little girl starts to lick off the bits of chocolate on her fingers one by one. Zirka gives a defeated sigh and immediately grabs another tray. For a moment, Plamya tilted her head in confusion to Kala's question, lowering an ear to show the emotion as such* what lessons?
Zirka opens the oven "mana lessons. Your mana lessons, Plamya."
Zirka: Plamya: ....e-eh...aaaahhhh, /that/. *a long pause ensues as she stares at the cookies pensatively* I guess I did good if I'm getting cookies.
Kala pats the child on the head. "Next time you can show me. Maybe I could teach you a thing or two if it's alright with your mother." Her gaze inevitably meets the same few cookies Plamya was enthralled by. /How come mine never turn out that well.../
Zirka: Plamya: *turns her attention to her mother and stares into her eyes. Though no words escape from their lips, it only took one look before Plamya smiled* yaaaay! More teachers! What kind of things do /you/ do with mana?!
Kala blankstares for just an instant at the sudden inquiry. She usually just used basic nature magic, she wasn't exactly an expert. "I can make flowers. And I can change their colors and how big they are. If you learn well enough you could make all the flowers for your home."
Zirka: Plamya: *widens her eyes. This was amazing--no, stunning. Here she was barely making a ball of mana in her hands and Kala's telling her she can make flowers and manipulate them? It was beyond her scope of things, that's for sure. Suddenly she goes blank for a minute, then scratched her ear* can you use cookie mana to make these cookies bigger? And blue?
Kala thought about that for a moment. Leave it to the imagination of a child to come up with some surprisingly ingenious connection. "I suppose so, but sadly I don't know how. Maybe there's a bker in town somewhere who does? We could go on an adventure some time and find out!" Kala was surprised to realize how genuinely excited she was teach Mya; it would definitely become a two-way learning experience.
Zirka: Plamya: *gives out an exaggerated...squee? Gasp? It make's Zirka's ears flatten momentarily* Yes yes yes! And maybe...maaaybe if we're good girls the baker can teach us for /free!!/
Kala claps her hands together with a smile. "Oh of course! And then we could make cookies of every color. Red ones and green ones. And make them in flower shapes! You would be the greatest cookie mage ever!" She gives Plamya an encouraging smile. "But you have to be good, of course. Which means pay close attention to what mommy says, especially in your mana lessons, k?"
Zirka: Plamya: *casually starts to kick her legs around and smiles* I will!
Rowan nods and hunches over to let Aryn climb onto his back, where he supported her with his good arm. The two made way into town, few people were still out with the lowering of the sun. Rowan stopped a couple people, asking for Kala and learning she had gone to see a new move-in, a wealthy family that had bought out a manor across town. When asked what was wrong Rowan would simply respond "Bee sting. She's mildly allergic and needs care but the family physician is out of town." Following the trail of information, he finds himself before a manor he had only seen a time or two before. The gate was already open which he didn't know if he should take that in any way other than what it was. Cautiously he approaches the door and gives 3-hit knock with his foot as both arms were occupied.
Zirka closes the oven and is immediately drawn to the knocking her ears picked up. Strange. The woman gives a look of confusion to Kala, almost wordlessly asking her if she invited anyone else. Well, nobody knew they were here...did they? For a brief instant, her blood went cold. Her heart felt like it sunk. But then Plamya brought her back to reality by yelling out, or inquiring if there were bad guys in the front door. Zirka took a breath /...maybe he came home early...? Literally nobody but Kala knows we live here./ With that, Zirka goes off to open the door
Rowan nods his head. "Pardon the intrusion, but I was informed that Kala was here. I was hoping she could help me, it's urgent." He tilts his head back at the teen on his back. "She needs medical attention."
Zirka is taken by surprise at the sight of the man carrying a young teenager. She immediately steps aside and motions them to come in. "Kala! "
Kala perks at the sound of her name, the urgency in the voice pulling her from her revelry. "Coming!" She hastens for the entrance in time to catch the Skycrown's butler and... was that the Skycrown girl!? There was an air about the two that seemed very off. "Rowan? Come set her on the couch and tell me what's going on." Rowan obliged, carefully moving into the living room and helping Aryn down.
Arynea perks her ears as she sees... her family's gardener? /Oh./ She gives a small wave of recognition and greeting, but otherwise stays notably silent.
Rowan encourages Aryn to follow Kala's advice to lay on the couch as he explains. "We were attacked by a bandit of some sort. He utilized some kind of strange dagger that left Miss Arynea's leg and my own arm useless. We came to you hoping there was something you could do."
Zirka: Plamya: *a dagger did that? She sits down and watches the scene with interest* /a sharp thing hurt them? Where are the cuts? Unless...it hurts their feelings...!/ *plamya leans in and looks at Aryn, then her leg and tilts her head* that's gonna take like...many mommy kisses to make better
Kala spares a glance at Zirka. "I can try a few things, but I'm no expert." Without waiting for a response she traces her arm along Rowan's crippled one. She tried to feel for a break, a fault in the arm, anything. "I don't understand, there's nothing wrong with your arm. No muscle or nerve damage; nothing."
Zirka || Snapping from the surprise of two seemingly injured people, she looks at the duo and then at Plamya. The young Ereva mother crouched down to Plamya's level and whispered "I think the man and girl might need some refreshments. Why don't you go fetch them two cups of your favorite punch?" Plamya gives a nod and runs off to the kitchen without a word. Though she totally knew her mom was trying to get her out of the room to not witness any wrong from the scene
Rowan tries to maintain composure. As much as he would hate to lose an arm, he could live without it. However the toll the loss would have on Arynea was concerning. "And yet I cannot move it, or even feel it at all. There must be something I missed. Aryn can you recall anything else about the assailant?"
Arynea swishes her tail as she registers being spoken to. "He smelled absolutely awful. That's about all else I remember."
Kala thought about it for a moment, then pounded her fist into her open palm in an 'ah-hah!' motion. "He smelled! An airborne toxin, of course! Hold still." She holds Rowan's eyes open, checking for a reaction. "Zirka do you have any medicinals? Herbs? Anything at all?"
Zirka snaps into attention and nods a yes. "We have potions in the back room. I'll get them immediately!" there was not much time. Zirka dashed back past the big stairs and immediately opened a door. There was an even bigger mess of boxes stacked on top of each other as she then lets out a very irritated growl. Four tails swish around viciously as the woman begins to open each box to look for the vials. Upon locating some beautiful, roughly carved out crystal containers, she swipes as much as her hands could hold and passes some to her tails to wrap around. She comes back rather quickly and places them on the coffee table and a small handful to Kala. "They're labled...hopefully we have something for toxins in here."
Kala turns to Aryn as Zirka charged off. "Can you remember anything specific about this smell? What it was like, the effects you felt from it?" Zirka returned with vials and bottles in tow and Kala gesture to just leave all of them on the table. "Thank you, Zirka. If you've got any herbs I could use some of those as well in case I need a suppliment."
Arynea flicks her ears forward. "The smell was nauseating. That's the only thing noteworthy I remember about it. It wasn't until he used the dagger that I couldn't feel my leg, though."
Zirka gives a snap. /herbs herbs herbs....this place must have some..../ "I'll look for some in the kitchen. Maybe my husband brought some with him-- Plamya!" Zirka yells out as she moved towards the kitchen. The little girl was calmly sitting on the table sipping on some punch. /She forgot again.../ "Did daddy bring some herbs with him while we were moving? I faintly remember him stopping by a shop for some but I don't know if he ever got them." Zirka is then interupted by Plamya yelling out "Ew food plants!" followed by Zirka giving a stare. Plamya then hums and thinks for a moment. ".....Come on Plamya, concentrate. /Did daddy buy herbs and where are they?/"
Zirka: Plamya: .....Third cabinet to the right on the first shelf next to thirteen red canteens of daddy's special punch, few inches away from a packet of spicy tuna which expires in about ten weeks, 4 days, and 6 hours from now. In a see through bag. *A moment of silence before the girl began to sip on her punch again*
Rowan nods in agreement. "A sour smell. But just like Aryn there wasn't any effect until the dagger. It shot out some kind of pulse and my arm dropped limp."
Zirka stands silent for a moment. "....good...good girl." she stutters and then goes to the cabinet she was directed to. There it was as she described it, a couple of bags of sealed herbs of many varieties next to absolutely everything Plamya described to the detail. /Yet she can't remember to hold a conversation for more than ten minutes, eh?/ Zirka grabs the bags and rushes back to the scene, handing them to Kala. "Here we go."
Kala makes no immediate response as she fiddles through the containers. She comes to one designed for headaches and sets it aside with a second that was supposed to combat infection. A third she picked up and moved over to the wall, opened the window, and dumped the contents before returning to the table in time to collect the herbs. /I suppose I could've asked for a cup./ "Zirka some water and a cloth please. Rowan take that headache medicine and poor a fourth of it into that empty vial." She busied herself with the herbs, passing her hands through the bags as if the contents were expensive and fragile.
Rowan obeys without question, lifting the designated bottle with his good hand and holding it closely to his eyes to get a feel of one-fourth. A little hesitant for fear of getting it wrong, he poors what he hopes is the right amount into the vial.
Zirka goes off to get what she is told. She opens up some boxes in the kitchen and takes out a glass bowl for the water and simply snatches a cloth hanging on the sinkhead nearby. She fills up the cup with water and then walks off, commenting to Plamya "Maybe you should take your cookies and yourself upstairs to your room. Thing's are a bit stressful for a child right now."
Zirka: Plamya: *eyes the cookies, then stands up and looks over to the living room from there.* ...No but there's a kid too. Doesn't she want a cookie? I'mma give her a cookie because that's about 10 mommy kisses baked with chocolate.
Zirka gives a sigh as she places the contents down on the table. "...well, if you say so. But I really gotta insist, Plamya..." Plamya puffs her cheeks and walks off with a handful of cookies. The young ereva calmly sits down next to Aryn and hands her a cookie. "So you feel better and stuff"
Arynea blinks as the younger child approaches and gives her a cooke. After a moment's hesitation, she accepts it. "... Thank you." The situation may be unexpected, and as a teenager she might be rebellous, but her parents did raise her to be nothing if not polite.
Kala extracts some choice greens from the bags and sets them on table, the grabs the vial and dumps a small sum back into the headache med's bottle, which was met with a frown from Rowan that Kala didn't seem to notice. She takes the infection med and lets a small trickle fall into the vial before setting it back down and reaching for the water. She soaks the cloth and tosses it to Aryn with a "hold this" before holding each hand over the water and the vial respectively. With careful concentration, a small stream of the vial's contents moves of its own accord through the gap and mixes in with the water. "Rowan hit your arm and tell me if you feel anything at all."
Rowan blank stares in confusion, then nods. "Um, ok..." Feeling a bit sheepish he gives the dead arm a swift chop with his right, flinching from the pain his brain told him should have resulted from it. "Nothing but what my right hand felt."
Kala doesn't respond, leaving Rowan to question if she had a medicinal reason for her request or not. Kala twirls the mixture with a finger as she uses her free hand to drop leaves in with it, which seem to melt upon contact with the liquid. "Skycrown, place that cloth on your leg and tell yourself repeatedly that it's cold. And Rowan, look at the mark you just put on your arm and tell yourself it hurt. Neither of you stop thinking these thoughts for even a second."
Arynea furrows her brow, but does as she's told; putting the cookie in her mouth to hold it as she positions the cloth, she vaguely wonders where this is going before taking the cookie again, now finally taking an idle bite. /It's cold. It's cold./
Zirka: Plamya: *Silently watches the scene unfold while she continuously stuffs cookies into her mouth. This was rather exciting for the young girl. Who knew moving would be so fun? Giving an eye to Zirka, Plamya directs her attention to Aryn.* /Why isn't she eating the cookie? .....maybe my hands were dirty../ *Plamya looks at her palms* /...with mana./
Rowan is somewhat surprised when he finds there is in fact the signs of bruising on his arm. /That should probably hurt- er, I mean it definitely hurts./ With the mental discipline he'd gained from watching a rebellious wealthy teenager, he keeps his thoughts focused on the pain he was supposed to be feeling.
Kala finishes the mixture and carries it over to Aryn, taking the cookie away without asking. "Drink just a couple gulps of this and continue to repeat the thought 'my leg is cold'." She hands the mixture to the teen
Arynea flattens her ears slightly as if resenting having the cookie snatched away, but again, does as told. Aryn takes a drink from the mixture; /My leg is cold./ Would this even work...?
Rowan || The concoction is brought to Rowan with similar instructions, who drinks and continues his rythmic thought, not realizing he was muttering "it hurts" out loud.
Kala sets the remaining brew on the table and glances between her two patients. She wanted so much to say something, to encourage them, but for now they would need to concentrate on the single thought. If her medicinal was right, it should counter the toxin and allow their thoughts to link up with their crippled limbs and they'll feel them again. Should.
Arynea || /My leg is cold./ Aryn taps her good foot in a mix of impatience and growing anxiety as she's unsure if it'll work in the first place. /My leg is cold./ She glances at Rowan as if to see if he's having any luck, but can't tell much beyond the fact that he's muttering it now. /My leg is cold./ Has her father noticed her absence yet? What is he going to say should she return with a dead leg? Her ears go back again. /... My leg is cold./
Zirka stands quietly. Thoughts processing the scene before her and connecting Kala's medical experience with her memories. How could Zirka forget that? One memory after another briefly flashes by, though foggy. Then a flash of slight pain darts up from her abdomen to her chest. The woman immediately winces but otherwise keeps to herself. What was that?
Rowan continues his mantra regarding the pain in his arm. It was sore and he could tell it was going to be sore for a day or two. Not too mention the spark of pain he'd be getting from bumping the bruise. He played out scenarios about how the pain in his arm was going to affect his work and he instinctively rubbed at the spot, wincing from the jolt it sent up his arm. Then his eyes shot open and he gazed on the spot. His fingers wiggled a bit. His joints twitched. His arm hurt. "A-aaah. My arm hurts."
Kala sighs a bit at Rowans comment, it was working. Although she catches herself as she realizes Aryn isn't reacting the same. The gardener holds her breath and goes for a gamble, laying her hand on Aryn's leg. "My how cold, it's like ice."
Arynea keeps her ears laid back. Forget the cold for a moment, she can't even feel Kala's touch. /My leg is-- this isn't working./ "I don't think this is helping," she says flatly after a moment. Aryn flicks an ear at Rowan. "My father should believe the bee sting story, at least."
Kala bit her lip as her hand recoils in fear. It should work. Even if Aryn got distracted from her thought she should still be feeling something, shouldn't she? "No but-" She tries to hold back the tears that were beginning to form as she hastily starts checking bottles. Another dose? No no she could overwhelm the other senses that way. Was there something she forgot? No it was working for Rowan. "It worked, I know it. You might just... need some time. Practice walking on it." She wipes at her face, still fidgeting to keep from looking at anything but Aryn.
Rowan nods at Aryn before placing his good arm on Kala's shoulder, who shudders at the unexpected touch and the weight of emotion. "It'll be alright. I'll make sure her leg recovers, don't you worry about it." He forced a smile, unconvinced of his own reassurance. It had worked on him but it was only light movement he could get for now, so there was likely a cchance Aryn would recover, right? And was he really going to lie to Aryn's father? And if he did, he'd probably need evidence of a bee sting... This was entirely his fault and he was beginning to hate himself for letting it happen.
Zirka places a comforting hand on Kala's shoulder. She wasn't so good at following up with comfort words, but she gives Kala a calm look mostly translating as "you did well" Zirka speaks up to the other two "Is there anything I can do for the two of you? Perhaps acompany you two home? Or maybe you two can take some cookies to go."
Rowan || "I think we'll be alright. I now what to look out for now so if the guy attacks again I'll be ready for him." He glances over to Aryn, trying to avoid giving a look of sympathy in case it triggered something negative. "I think miss Arynea would prefer her parents were unaware of what happened and for now I agree. Her freedoms shouldn't be sacrificed for over-the-top safety measures." He pauses, recalling what he'd said up til now. "Allergic reaction to a bee sting if it comes up. You ready to head home, miss Arynea?"
Arynea gives a small nod, her expression mostly neutral aside from her flattened ears. She glances at Kala and Zirka before giving a quiet "thank you".
Zirka gives a nod at both of them. "it was a pleasure meeting you two-- say goodbye, Plamya--" she gives a glance at the little girl who's head is hanging. She's asleep. Giving a sigh, she walks over to her daughter and places her arm around her. Plamya immediately leans up against her and continues her nap.
Kala stiffles the tears and nods, accepting the comforts and the request. "Keep me updated..." was all she could muster as she continued to replay the evening in her head.
Rowan nods to the two women, thanking them for their genuine kindness. With the feeling he was regaining in his arm, it was easier to help Aryn onto his back this time and supporting her weight even moreso. Kala composed herself enough to open the door for them before passing through it herself with a brief salutation to Zirka, stating she'd best head home. Rowan took a less traveled route back to the estate, and with the now setting sun there were even fewer people about. He made a stop when he saw a rose bush and pulled off a thorn. Reminding Arynea that they would need evidence of the beesting and that it wouldn't hurt anyway, he stuck the thorn in the lower leg, let it sit for a moment, then pulled it back out. They continued on, passing onto the estate grounds and finally, holding his weakened arm up to the door to display the crystal on his cufflink, unlocking the main door. With the same hand he pulls it open and steps inside.
Arynea almost casts her gaze away when they enter the building, for a large, almost imposing lion-like man sits in easy view of the main door. Aldon's rounded ears prick up at the sound of someone entering, and he turns to greet who he already knows is there... but blinks at the sight. His butler is carrying his daughter, and the latter's expression tells him it isn't for a good reason. "What happened?" The lion's voice, while deep, and could be considered gruff, takes a tone more of surprise and concern than the anger one would expect from an imposing figure like Aldon.
Rowan helps Aryn down and onto her feet as he begins his explenation. "Bee sting. Thought nothing of it at first but it turns out miss Arynea had some kind of allergic reaction." He points to the thron-prick in Aryn's leg. "I recalled the family physician is still out of town and in the emergency I sought for other medical attention. It's been healed up, but the medic said the leg would need time to recover. I apolgize for not informing you on the matter sooner, sir." He closes the final statement with a respectful and repentant bow.
Arynea braces a hand against the wall to steady herself as Rowan gives his explanation. When he finishes, Aldon turns to address his daughter. "Are you alright?" Aryn nods at the lion, who seems satisfied. "Let me know if you need medicine in the morning. I'm sure your mother has something stocked away." Aldon glances back at Rowan. "If you wouldn't mind helping her to her room."
Rowan quarter bows. "Of course, sir." Offering his good arm for support, he helps Aryn limp her way to the stairs, then letting her get a grip on the railing, assists her to the top. With slow yet steady progress they manage to Arynea's chambers, where he helps her to sit on her bed. "There we are, miss Arynea. You should get some sleep, it's been a tough day." He goes about the room, checking windows, closets and any other potentially exposed location an intruder could get in through or hide behind. "You're safe now. I'll have a cane and a pair of crutches for you in the morning."
Arynea is silent for a moment as she nods. It seems as if she isn't going to say anything, until she finally gives an "okay". As if to preoccupy herself, she summons Protas and Drasa again- both of whom immediately dart to her side, sniffing and whining as if to make sure she's alright.