Reading is fundamental (OPEN) - Printable Version +- Court of the Fallen (https://cotf-rpg.com) +-- Forum: Out of Character (https://cotf-rpg.com/forumdisplay.php?fid=26) +--- Forum: Important (https://cotf-rpg.com/forumdisplay.php?fid=27) +---- Forum: Archives (https://cotf-rpg.com/forumdisplay.php?fid=38) +---- Thread: Reading is fundamental (OPEN) (/showthread.php?tid=371) |
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Reading is fundamental (OPEN) - Remi - 01-05-2019 Remi made his way to the atheneum to do some research on this LongNight that Vai had told him about. He'd circled around the Notice Board but it hadn't told him anything that the former-huntress hadn't done already. And so the library was a perfectly reasonably place to go. Or so Remi would tell anyone who questioned him. In fact the alchemist hadn't been able to pull his mind away from the atheneum. It was the last place he'd seen Loren, and despite the fact that the Launceleyn's kin (he still wasn't entirely sure how Loren and Edy were related) had said that Loren was seeing someone and was likely off with them somewhere ("sex cave", she'd said), Remi still desperately wanted to see him. Despite the fact that Frey had removed his love for the former duke, Remi's mind was still inexorably drawn to thoughts of him on a near constant basis. He worried over what had happened (and what hadn't), conversation they'd had and the ones that they obviously should have had. On one level the alchemist had submitted to the mounting wall of evidence that things between he and Loren were over (once again, before they'd ever even begun) and that he needed to move on. While part of his mind indeed held that that was true...somewhere deep down, in a crack caused by the chasm of Loren's disappearance, a seed of hope bloomed. It was stunted of course and without any light or warmth the odds were against it, but there it was. And there Remi was, walking up the steps of the Atheneum pretending not to be searching for a glimpse of the Launceleyn. After a bit of searching, Remi found himself seated at a fairly uncomfortable table with a few books scattered around him. Most were almost like ghost stories of the chaos and madness that happened during the LongNight, some tales of heroes who'd managed to coax the Spark Bird from hiding to bathe them all in light. But however fantastical the tales, there was probably a kernel of truth in some of them. And so Remi read, and tried not to constantly glance over the top of the book in hopes of seeing the familiar blonde-haired librarian. RE: Reading is fundamental (OPEN) - Jigano - 01-05-2019 There was just so much to learn about this new world, and not enough time in the day. He'd made it through the thick history book Samuel had recommended in fairly short order, catching up on the broad strokes of Caido, if not the specifics of the important things - the Barrier, the Spire, the Demon, the New Gods. He'd tried learning about the demon and the Spire itself, but those books were damaged, lost, or perhaps in languages he didn't read - yet. He hadn't given up looking, however. And of course, there was no real replacement for first-hand experience, so he had continued to explore the world as both fox and man, trying to sift a few secrets from its jaws. The world... had not been forthcoming. And now snow had dropped by the bucketful on the streets and fields and forest paths, and natives spoke in hushed tones about "Long Nights" and "Spark birds" and he himself had already seen a luxere - sung it to his hand, in fact, with the help of the lovely Isla. But he didn't understand it, didn't know what to expect or how to sort fact from fable. And that was intolerable. He hoped to catch Sam for a scholar's discussion about it, but before then he wanted to discover a bit more about the luxere, at the very least. And perhaps those monsters the Notice Board had mentioned... Long white hair pulled into a loose tail, and with a warm cloak wrapped tightly around his slender shoulders, the intrepid lorekeeper stalked through the library like a hunter. Two of the places he searched first-- had empty spots where the books he had hoped to find should have been. As he came around a tangle of shelving he found a table, and the reason for that: a man with a pile of his own books -- and the two Jigano had been seeking beside him. "Pardon the intrusion, but... will you be using those much longer?" he inquired politely, nodding to the two - and then realizing that several other books were along the same vein. RE: Reading is fundamental (OPEN) - Remi - 01-05-2019
RE: Reading is fundamental (OPEN) - Jigano - 01-06-2019 Another jumpy one, like Samuel, Jigano thought ruefully. This man, though, spoke with more music in his voice and an intriguing accent that sounded quite pleasant. His cheerful smile was also a welcome change from the painfully nervous bookmaker - not that the bard would ever admit it out loud. It was hard not to think of his friend without both fondness and exasperation, but then, they had endured a rather rough introduction to each other. He wasn't going to be making any jokes about horses anytime soon, for one thing. "Ah, you're a foreigner here as well?" Curiosity piqued, Jigano reached for one of the books - though not without taking a sharp glance around to make sure none were moving toward him of their own volition. Once bitten... "How long, may I ask, have you found yourself in lovely snow-bound Caido? Ah, but forgive me. My name is Jigano. And you?" There was another chair nearby, mostly buried under books, but Jigano's eyes caught an arm peeking out from the pile. Setting his chosen tome back down on a clear space across from Remi he turned to begin excavating while the other man answered, moving the books with care and respect and piling them far more neatly on the floor than they'd been deposited. RE: Reading is fundamental (OPEN) - Remi - 01-06-2019
RE: Reading is fundamental (OPEN) - Jigano - 01-06-2019 Jigano chuckled softly at the disapproval of the naturals, not particularly bothered by it. That would be changing soon enough, if he had any say in the matter, even if he could only change the opinions of a few at a time. It wasn't as if there were a lot of people here, after all. Changing individual minds until he'd reached them all was, sadly, possible. Well, those that could be changed. He had no doubt that there'd be some stubborn holdouts. But he could be stubborn, too. Remi's bow brought a broader smile to the bard's face, and he returned it with an elegant flourish, able to perform a more courtly gesture since he was still standing. He let Remi muse while he worked on the chair, his choice of floor the simplest when there was no room on the nearest shelves - possibly why they'd been dumped there in the first place. He was also beginning to have terrible urges to begin reorganizing things, what he could reach of them. There seemed no rhyme or reason to the place, books in at least a dozen different languages - or more - interspersed without regard to subject or author. Finding things seemed as much a matter of luck as skill. Maybe if he started with just one shelf-- But that way lay madness. More, an utter lack of priorities which he had long since outgrown. The information contained in the Atheneum needed to be shared and used, and he couldn't do that if he locked himself inside and spent a lifetime cataloguing the great library. Someone else would have to take that task upon themselves. But just one shelf couldn't hurt... "Oh, me?" the lorekeeper asked absently, shaking himself out of his distraction as the chair was freed and he was able to pull it over to the table across from Remi. "A few weeks, I think. Time is a little... strange here." He grimaced, glancing towards the collapsed section of the building where cold wind swirled snow against a cloudy sky. "It was autumn - er, Leafchange - when I arrived. And now it's the heart of midwinter, quite overnight. It's a bit disconcerting." With a sigh he opened his own book, flipping through and noting the chapter names first before going back to the beginning, humming softly. "When fairies are real, the tales about them are facts," the white-haired man noted dryly, lips quirking in a small smile. "The lovely doctor was having similar problems with a fiery flower we found in the glade, back before the snow fell." He glanced up, blue eyes dancing with amusement as he continued, voice gently teasing. "Unless there are several Remis running around here, I do believe you're the alchemist friend she mentioned, yes? Your name also passed young Edy's lips. I'm honored to finally meet such a famous man." RE: Reading is fundamental (OPEN) - Remi - 01-06-2019
RE: Reading is fundamental (OPEN) - Jigano - 01-06-2019 One white brow arched slowly as Remi rattled off the damage to the woodwork. Something, Jigano had to admit to himself - though it stung - that he would never have thought to check. ”If only the barrier could be affected by something so mundane as the weather,” he murmured dryly. The other brow rose as a feather – which he was certain hadn’t been there before – slid between his companion’s fingers. Sleight of hand? Or something else? Remi appeared completely oblivious to how it had gotten there, so perhaps it was simply a nervous tic of some sort. Still, a lightfingered man was worth keeping an eye on, even if there wasn’t much worth stealing in Caido. Jigano should know – he had practiced no few ‘magic’ tricks on his own. Not so much for the entertainment value – once, he’d had magic of his own to draw on – but to protect himself from some of his traveling companions whose fingers had a bad habit of wandering into belt pouches that weren’t theirs. To recognize Yohgel’s tricks he’d had to learn them himself— Damn, a memory he didn’t need right now. He brought his expression swiftly back under control, shifting attention with a quip he was quite proud of, though Remi didn’t seem to appreciate the clever wordplay as much. With an inward sigh Jigano bit back his instinctive response – and just what did Remi think he was sitting across from? – because ever since coming to Caido, even he wasn’t sure what he’d become. Nor was it something he’d ever shared beyond his family, so how would the other man have known? He’d lost so much, physically and magically, that if he didn’t have more on his plate than he could handle simply surviving, he might have had a nervous breakdown. ”They are, in some places. My world, for one,” he said, keeping his voice and smile gentle. ”And how you know, well… you find where multiple sources match and where they differ. And sometimes, you go find out for yourself, in person. As Isla and I did with the volcanettes,” he added, smile turning livelier at that much happier memory. Jigano was too wary of the new man to lose his composure completely, but he couldn’t miss the hesitation or forced smile over the old… ‘coworker.’ He kept his expression pleasantly interested, making a mental note to perhaps try and learn a bit more later, from Edy – Edrei? – over a glass of pumpkin spiced whiskey. ”Should I be worried that you need healing so often?” he murmured, only half-teasing. He dropped his gaze back to his book, skimming the text with practiced speed to find important key words – or new words, unique to Caido – but his thick white lashes were perfect for hiding the glances he stole at the man across from him, studying his expressions with hidden interest. RE: Reading is fundamental (OPEN) - Remi - 01-06-2019
RE: Reading is fundamental (OPEN) - Jigano - 01-06-2019 ”It’s on the list,” Jigano agreed ruefully in regards to the barrier. ”The very long, ever-growing list of things I’m trying to research here.” Every week, if not more often, brought something new that had to be looked into. Some things, like the Long Night, he hoped would be fairly quick – written by the locals in a tongue he could understand. Others, like the Spire, the Demon, the Barrier… were more elusive. His erstwhile companion seemed a little distracted by his presence, but not distraught. Oblivious to Remi’s past or inclinations, Jigano chalked up his nervousness to being around a stranger, not even realizing his sex played a part in it. Why should it? He had grown up in a place where there was no stigma associated with such things, and would have been baffled to learn that someplace so backwards existed. Not unlike Remi’s surprise over the existence of fairies, something Jigano was still getting used to as well - that they weren't taken for granted as being real, even if rarely seen. ”Really,” he confirmed, a little bemused still at how…limited Caido was in that respect. He’d only met humans so far, with and without magic, but none of the wide variety of sentient creatures and beings he’d known on his world. Apparently Northhaven was much the same as Caido in that regard which seemed… almost sad, in a way. He nodded agreement, no little satisfied to hear that Remi was also a bit of a scholar in their pursuit of sifting truth from tales, but an eyebrow rose in query at the non-answer he was given to his question about the other man’s affinity with the infirmary. Before he could pursue it Remi was kind enough to continue, but his answer brought the second brow up for a moment before Jigano consciously smoothed his expression out to one of polite interest rather than total shock. ”An… animal shift?” he asked tentatively. ”That you… developed…” He hesitated, attention completely distracted from his book as he found himself examining Remi for any hint of what kind of animal. That feather… was he a bird? But what kind of bird would require people to be armed against it? Jigano chewed his lip furiously for a moment until the other man found a passage in his own book – one that had the bard blinking in surprise, then frowning at. ”Cruel. Evil, even. But smart. Enough for a man to say ‘But I didn’t wield the knife that killed him’ under truth-sensing. Or for someone too squeamish to do the deed themselves to still get retribution. That’ll be a nasty business to watch out for, then.” His frown turned momentarily to a scowl, but he shook his head and forced his expression to something more pleasant. ”The luxere, at least, I know. Isla and I met one in the glade. It’s a deer – a reindeer, I think – with glowing antlers and a gentle disposition. We sang for it and it approached us quite fearlessly. Looking for treats, no less.” His smile by the end was sincere, the recent memory a good one. ”But, please, tell me more of this animal shift you mentioned. Just how does one ‘develop’ such a thing?” There was lycanthropy, of course, or a sorcerer’s transmutation, but the way Remi had mentioned it didn’t sound like either of those things, and Jigano found himself more than a little uneasy at this development. Was he not, then, the only one here? RE: Reading is fundamental (OPEN) - Remi - 01-06-2019
RE: Reading is fundamental (OPEN) - Jigano - 01-07-2019 ”It’s what I do,” the lorekeeper agreed cheerfully, not bothering to mention that the other side of his profession was safeguarding information too dangerous to be let loose in the world. That—was not something those not of his trade needed to worry about. But the barrier was a dangerous mystery, one that harmed – that killed, apparently – and he was fairly certain that anything he learned about it would be shared with others concerned about such things. Isla, for certain. And perhaps Remi as well, given his apparently scholastic bent. Samuel… well. The man was easily frightened, so… perhaps not him, at least not at first. For the moment, however, it was Remi who captured his attention, speaking with a frankness that Jigano both admired and envied. And what he said was, frankly, fascinating. The bard listened raptly, a little tilt of his head at the mention of a ceremony, and a lift of a brow at the word ‘Attuned’ – his first time coming across it with any context attached. Even if that was all Remi had shared it would have been wealth of new knowledge to parse and research, but when the man continued Jigano exhaled the breath he’d been holding softly, slowly, trying not to distract the flow of words. Especially when his companion’s expression indicated an unpleasant memory attached to what he was sharing. He didn’t realized his fingers had tightened on the book on his grip until glass-green eyes met his with an openness that was arresting in its sincerity. Gods,, did the man have any sense of self-preservation? Sharing such an intimate secret about himself with a stranger— Only years of training in controlling his expression kept it courteously interested and not revealing his inner shock as Remi told him of his animal form. That he’d gotten from a ceremony, of all things. ”A… lion,” he repeated faintly. It was, admittedly, a bit difficult to see the bookish, sweet-faced young man across from him as a hawk, much less a lion that lashed out at people in such a way that he’d asked his friends to go armed. ”And… you can’t choose when the shift happens? It just… does, when you’re under stress?” Perhaps he shouldn’t share any potentially upsetting information about the barrier with his new companion after all? Or at least, not unless he was at a safe distance! Making a mental note to watch out for raw meat in the snow – though he hunted his own food and didn’t have a door, per se, nor any enemies he was aware of yet – Jigano was glad to turn his attention to the luxere and his day out in the glade with Isla. ”During the day, too,” the bard chuckled. ”The glow is actually quite strong! He was a lovely creature all around, and I’m hoping to find a few more and take some notes.” He glanced down at his own book, flipping to the pages on the luxere and doing a quick scan. ”Ah, yes, sweet hay might be a good way to coax them close for some study as well, it looks like. It doesn’t say anything about apples or carrots, but perhaps I’ll take some just in case...” Apples and root vegetables, at least, the world inside the barrier had in plenty! But he steered the conversation – perhaps not subtly – back to the shapeshifters of this world, of which he was – maybe? Somehow? – one. This time he let himself frown, thoughts slipping between what he knew of where he’d been, and all the things he didn’t about where he was now. ”In my world,” he began slowly, ”there were sorcerers who could change their forms – or the forms of others – into any animal they wished. But it required a certain amount of preparation and materials to do so, and sometimes the mind was irrevocably lost to the beast in the process. The druids, too… those sworn to a nature deity could take the forms of several animals, or so I was told. But theirs was a power born of study, sacrifice, and the direct intervention of a god. Though Edy did mention that the local gods can be a bit… meddlesome.” His lips tightened for a moment into a thin line, brows drawing together for a split second before he smoothed the twitch of anger away. The past was settled and done, or at least, couldn’t be undone. This was a new world, with new possibilities… new freedoms. No ghosts but those he brought with him. ”Though the shrine I visited myself seemed quiet and harmless enough.” RE: Reading is fundamental (OPEN) - Remi - 01-07-2019
RE: Reading is fundamental (OPEN) - Jigano - 01-07-2019 The display of what Jigano would have once assumed was illusion was disconcerting, to say the least. He stared at Remi’s clawed hand, fascinated at the way the feline pads were rising to the surface of his skin. He had just started to reach across the table to touch the claws and prove to himself that they were real—when the other man flexed his fingers and withdrew his hand out of reach. Embarrassed by his breach of courtesy, the white-haired bard cleared his throat and withdrew his own hand back to his own book. ”Ah… perhaps you simply need more practice, then? To… accustom yourself to that body and its instincts? Though I suppose you’re already doing all you can to deal with that. I should leave the advice to experts.” He offered a rueful, lopsided smile of apology, still bemused and no little stunned at the bombshell Remi had dropped on him with his explanation of the Attuned. It did, in fact, make them sound like some kind of very limited druids, but that only made the once-kitsune feel even more out of place among them… and even less willing to reveal himself, especially to strangers he hardly knew. His dearest friends hadn’t known what he was, in two years of travel and battle and saving each others' lives more times than they could count. Until the last time... The luxere proved a happier distraction – and a useful one, for the very subject they were both researching. If they could be coaxed into the settled areas, perhaps they could provide some protection against the coming darkness, and even if not, well, they were a lovely and fascinating breed that Jigano would enjoy learning more about for the simple joy of it. He was surprised, however, at his companion’s eager push to accompany him, one silver brow rising as he cocked his head. He didn’t even have to say anything – Remi was already shrinking back in embarrassment, realizing his misstep. The bard couldn’t help but snort softly in amusement at the young man – young pup, he was starting to think of him – as he turned another page. ”Hmm. Well, I suppose as long as you don’t turn into a lion we might go together.” The display of control over the hand-shift was reassuring, at least. And the deer themselves were gentle enough that they shouldn’t startle the other man into anything too violent. ”The spring might prove a good place to lay out some hay, and perhaps if we can obtain skates it would be a way to while away the time while we wait. The one we found seemed attracted as much to our good cheer as my singing.” If they were protection against dark magics, and attracted to light, as the book in his hands assured, that would make sense. If they had any relation to the unicorns of children’s fables, Remi’s innocence alone should draw half a herd of the creatures! He kept his smile hidden at that thought, glancing up in curiosity at something else his companion had said. ”Peppermint bark? Perhaps you can show me what you mean while we’re out there, then. I thought mint came from a plant far too small to have bark.” The conversation shifted back to more serious things, fascinating but unsettling, too. Animal shifters and gods and memories and ghosts. Gods they called ‘New’ without any idea what the word meant… ”Edy mentioned something about clothing thieves and bondage,” the lorekeeper said, dryly amused as he tried to focus on what was in front of him – not what lay behind. ”Was that you, then?” |