kapuchu
Dnafeinyay. 16 hr days are done. FatalError are you still around? OrcPunx how about you?
I shall be moving us along forthwith. It's a pretty long post becuase I'm jumping us forward.
Astarael42 Member
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allright serra. Looks good. I suggest you and Jollan work out a way to hook up and get out of town. I shall round up the roadies and head us on our way. I have much work to do on the first OOC post to update what people know and who is here. I know orcpunx is probably still lurking. What about FatalError, Milkman, & Lupus...you three still out there?
yes. the 15th. everyone decided to go "ahhhh I need to do my taxes" and so we got slammed last week and I'm way behind to manage to get it all out on the 15th. I still hope to post as Vol tonight or tomorrow night (and probably nalia and nate too)
Nalia woke disoriented and confused. She was still in her clothing and the bed, room, everything was different. It took her several minutes to remember what happened and when she did she sighed and flopped back in the bed. She’d consigned herself to hell for her brother. That sliver of resentment niggled at her for only a brief moment but she brushed it away rather quickly. She had not only aided her brother, for half his burden she took upon herself, but perhaps she could follow her dreams whereas she was not allowed such at home.
The silence of the wagon began to thrum in her ears. She hadn’t been asleep long, she knew that now that her sleep-addled haze had cleared, she should have heard Nate tossing in bed if nothing else. She realized she was alone and frowned. Where had her brother gone?
She pushed herself out of bed, grabbed her jacket which she had carelessly tossed on the ground, and stepped outside. It was terribly still here, no signs of others. It wasn’t that late she knew--she was surprised she had slept at all. It was a testament to how nerve wracking this day had been. She began to walk around the grounds, her slim form causing her footsteps to make very little noise. She was small for her age, slim and willowy, and her nondescript floated in an unkempt haze about her head giving her a ethereal appearance that was distinctly at odds with her bulky grungy jacket.
The silence of the carnival, at least in this section, was so loud it hurt. Even the gnomes were gone, vanished back to wherever they had spawned from, their task complete. There were other wagons here, ones she assumed were the quarters of other workers, but they, like Ty’s, were dark. Obviously though the work day was done others had gone to do…whatever it was they liked to do in their free time.
Nalia was reminded again of how little she knew and she realized she really wished she had paid attention when Ty had been explaining. She also wished she had paid attention when Nate had been re-hashing the details with her. She had paid some attention of course, but not enough. Now she was somewhat lost in the gathering dark and the silence.
Nalia set out to find her brother, she knew he had gone wandering but she had no idea where to begin. So as fate would have it she went the exact opposite direction he had walked. The sounds of a party finally reached her ears, at least she assumed it was a party. She hadn’t been to any herself, her acid temperament meant that she wasn’t invited to a lot of social gatherings. She was pretty sure she didn’t give a flying rats ass about them anyway. As far as she could tell it was just a bunch of nutters gathering to try and show off, be cool, and get in one another’s pants without getting caught by the others boyfriend/girlfriend. Still she found herself drawn to the sounds of what she could only assume was a party.
It was not long before she saw lights and it became easy to follow the sounds and light to where others were gathered. It was a gathering of the technical staff, though Nalia had no way of knowing this. They were as exotic as the rest of the carnival and to her eyes they seemed foreign and exotic. She didn’t names, or even what sort of beings they were but they fascinated her. She stayed in the shadows watching. In her eyes the sight was glamorous but in truth it was a mess of slightly inebriated chattering workers relaxing from a hard but successful day. The night was not alight with the glow of a million fairies, but it was so different from what Nalia was used to that to her it might as well have been that magical.
She was too shy, a feeling that was out of place for her, and it made her nervous. She was brewing an emotional cocktail; but all she recognized is that she wasn’t quite herself. That more than anything put her off and she tucked her hands back into her pockets and schlumped off into the dark to search for her brother again. The otherworldly nature of this place was starting to seep into her skin, making her stressed, edgy, and even more aware of how much out of place she was. The only thing she knew in this whole crazy place was her brother. She didn’t even know herself anymore.
She faded into herself…without someone hassling her or her brother around…she became uncertain and edgy. She needed someone to provoke her just so she could keep her emotional balance.
***
Nate stayed in the shadows of the tree once he descended. “What an arrogant bitch” he muttered under his breath as he settled into the shadows. It was unclear to whom her referred, though to be fair in Nate’s point of view almost any of those gathered might fight that description. He had no wish to get tangled up in the stupidity he saw unfolding before him. It was, however, very informative. Sometimes he could be a much better judge of people after seeing them in a real moment. In his experience it had always been poker, but this worked just as well. This was no stage act, at least it didn’t seem to be, but this unofficial show had been interesting. They should have packaged it as a drama and then repeated it for spectators. It was better than most plays, more so because the players were so unique. As the players began to wander off Nate rose to leave himself. He would ponder the one called Andracos; he was not impressed. Trying to listen to the man for more than a few minutes would be impossible. He’d worry about that later however, now well he wasn’t sure what he would do now. He still wasn’t in the mood to rest.
The silence of the wagon began to thrum in her ears. She hadn’t been asleep long, she knew that now that her sleep-addled haze had cleared, she should have heard Nate tossing in bed if nothing else. She realized she was alone and frowned. Where had her brother gone?
She pushed herself out of bed, grabbed her jacket which she had carelessly tossed on the ground, and stepped outside. It was terribly still here, no signs of others. It wasn’t that late she knew--she was surprised she had slept at all. It was a testament to how nerve wracking this day had been. She began to walk around the grounds, her slim form causing her footsteps to make very little noise. She was small for her age, slim and willowy, and her nondescript floated in an unkempt haze about her head giving her a ethereal appearance that was distinctly at odds with her bulky grungy jacket.
The silence of the carnival, at least in this section, was so loud it hurt. Even the gnomes were gone, vanished back to wherever they had spawned from, their task complete. There were other wagons here, ones she assumed were the quarters of other workers, but they, like Ty’s, were dark. Obviously though the work day was done others had gone to do…whatever it was they liked to do in their free time.
Nalia was reminded again of how little she knew and she realized she really wished she had paid attention when Ty had been explaining. She also wished she had paid attention when Nate had been re-hashing the details with her. She had paid some attention of course, but not enough. Now she was somewhat lost in the gathering dark and the silence.
Nalia set out to find her brother, she knew he had gone wandering but she had no idea where to begin. So as fate would have it she went the exact opposite direction he had walked. The sounds of a party finally reached her ears, at least she assumed it was a party. She hadn’t been to any herself, her acid temperament meant that she wasn’t invited to a lot of social gatherings. She was pretty sure she didn’t give a flying rats ass about them anyway. As far as she could tell it was just a bunch of nutters gathering to try and show off, be cool, and get in one another’s pants without getting caught by the others boyfriend/girlfriend. Still she found herself drawn to the sounds of what she could only assume was a party.
It was not long before she saw lights and it became easy to follow the sounds and light to where others were gathered. It was a gathering of the technical staff, though Nalia had no way of knowing this. They were as exotic as the rest of the carnival and to her eyes they seemed foreign and exotic. She didn’t names, or even what sort of beings they were but they fascinated her. She stayed in the shadows watching. In her eyes the sight was glamorous but in truth it was a mess of slightly inebriated chattering workers relaxing from a hard but successful day. The night was not alight with the glow of a million fairies, but it was so different from what Nalia was used to that to her it might as well have been that magical.
She was too shy, a feeling that was out of place for her, and it made her nervous. She was brewing an emotional cocktail; but all she recognized is that she wasn’t quite herself. That more than anything put her off and she tucked her hands back into her pockets and schlumped off into the dark to search for her brother again. The otherworldly nature of this place was starting to seep into her skin, making her stressed, edgy, and even more aware of how much out of place she was. The only thing she knew in this whole crazy place was her brother. She didn’t even know herself anymore.
She faded into herself…without someone hassling her or her brother around…she became uncertain and edgy. She needed someone to provoke her just so she could keep her emotional balance.
***
Nate stayed in the shadows of the tree once he descended. “What an arrogant bitch” he muttered under his breath as he settled into the shadows. It was unclear to whom her referred, though to be fair in Nate’s point of view almost any of those gathered might fight that description. He had no wish to get tangled up in the stupidity he saw unfolding before him. It was, however, very informative. Sometimes he could be a much better judge of people after seeing them in a real moment. In his experience it had always been poker, but this worked just as well. This was no stage act, at least it didn’t seem to be, but this unofficial show had been interesting. They should have packaged it as a drama and then repeated it for spectators. It was better than most plays, more so because the players were so unique. As the players began to wander off Nate rose to leave himself. He would ponder the one called Andracos; he was not impressed. Trying to listen to the man for more than a few minutes would be impossible. He’d worry about that later however, now well he wasn’t sure what he would do now. He still wasn’t in the mood to rest.
Nalia woke disoriented and confused. She was still in her clothing and the bed, room, everything was different. It took her several minutes to remember what happened and when she did she sighed and flopped back in the bed. She’d consigned herself to hell for her brother. That sliver of resentment niggled at her for only a brief moment but she brushed it away rather quickly. She had not only aided her brother, for half his burden she took upon herself, but perhaps she could follow her dreams whereas she was not allowed such at home.
The silence of the wagon began to thrum in her ears. She hadn’t been asleep long, she knew that now that her sleep-addled haze had cleared, she should have heard Nate tossing in bed if nothing else. She realized she was alone and frowned. Where had her brother gone?
She pushed herself out of bed, grabbed her jacket which she had carelessly tossed on the ground, and stepped outside. It was terribly still here, no signs of others. It wasn’t that late she knew--she was surprised she had slept at all. It was a testament to how nerve wracking this day had been. She began to walk around the grounds, her slim form causing her footsteps to make very little noise. She was small for her age, slim and willowy, and her nondescript floated in an unkempt haze about her head giving her a ethereal appearance that was distinctly at odds with her bulky grungy jacket.
The silence of the carnival, at least in this section, was so loud it hurt. Even the gnomes were gone, vanished back to wherever they had spawned from, their task complete. There were other wagons here, ones she assumed were the quarters of other workers, but they, like Ty’s, were dark. Obviously though the work day was done others had gone to do…whatever it was they liked to do in their free time.
Nalia was reminded again of how little she knew and she realized she really wished she had paid attention when Ty had been explaining. She also wished she had paid attention when Nate had been re-hashing the details with her. She had paid some attention of course, but not enough. Now she was somewhat lost in the gathering dark and the silence.
Nalia set out to find her brother, she knew he had gone wandering but she had no idea where to begin. So as fate would have it she went the exact opposite direction he had walked. The sounds of a party finally reached her ears, at least she assumed it was a party. She hadn’t been to any herself, her acid temperament meant that she wasn’t invited to a lot of social gatherings. She was pretty sure she didn’t give a flying rats ass about them anyway. As far as she could tell it was just a bunch of nutters gathering to try and show off, be cool, and get in one another’s pants without getting caught by the others boyfriend/girlfriend. Still she found herself drawn to the sounds of what she could only assume was a party.
It was not long before she saw lights and it became easy to follow the sounds and light to where others were gathered. It was a gathering of the technical staff, though Nalia had no way of knowing this. They were as exotic as the rest of the carnival and to her eyes they seemed foreign and exotic. She didn’t names, or even what sort of beings they were but they fascinated her. She stayed in the shadows watching. In her eyes the sight was glamorous but in truth it was a mess of slightly inebriated chattering workers relaxing from a hard but successful day. The night was not alight with the glow of a million fairies, but it was so different from what Nalia was used to that to her it might as well have been that magical.
She was too shy, a feeling that was out of place for her, and it made her nervous. She was brewing an emotional cocktail; but all she recognized is that she wasn’t quite herself. That more than anything put her off and she tucked her hands back into her pockets and schlumped off into the dark to search for her brother again. The otherworldly nature of this place was starting to seep into her skin, making her stressed, edgy, and even more aware of how much out of place she was. The only thing she knew in this whole crazy place was her brother. She didn’t even know herself anymore.
She faded into herself…without someone hassling her or her brother…she became uncertain and edgy. She needed someone to provoke her just so she could keep her emotional balance.
***
Nate stayed in the shadows of the tree once he descended. “What an arrogant bitch” he muttered under his breath as he settled into the shadows. It was unclear to whom her referred, though to be fair in Nate’s point of view almost any of those gathered might fight that description. He had no wish to get tangled up in the stupidity he saw unfolding before him. It was, however, very informative. Sometimes he could be a much better judge of people after seeing them in a real moment. In his experience it had always been poker, but this worked just as well. This was no stage act, at least it didn’t seem to be, but this unofficial show had been interesting. They should have packaged it as a drama and then repeated it for spectators. It was better than most plays, more so because the players were so unique. As the players began to wander off Nate rose to leave himself. He would ponder the one called Andracos; he was not impressed. Trying to listen to the man for more than a few minutes would be impossible. He’d worry about that later however, now well he wasn’t sure what he would do now. He still wasn’t in the mood to rest.
The silence of the wagon began to thrum in her ears. She hadn’t been asleep long, she knew that now that her sleep-addled haze had cleared, she should have heard Nate tossing in bed if nothing else. She realized she was alone and frowned. Where had her brother gone?
She pushed herself out of bed, grabbed her jacket which she had carelessly tossed on the ground, and stepped outside. It was terribly still here, no signs of others. It wasn’t that late she knew--she was surprised she had slept at all. It was a testament to how nerve wracking this day had been. She began to walk around the grounds, her slim form causing her footsteps to make very little noise. She was small for her age, slim and willowy, and her nondescript floated in an unkempt haze about her head giving her a ethereal appearance that was distinctly at odds with her bulky grungy jacket.
The silence of the carnival, at least in this section, was so loud it hurt. Even the gnomes were gone, vanished back to wherever they had spawned from, their task complete. There were other wagons here, ones she assumed were the quarters of other workers, but they, like Ty’s, were dark. Obviously though the work day was done others had gone to do…whatever it was they liked to do in their free time.
Nalia was reminded again of how little she knew and she realized she really wished she had paid attention when Ty had been explaining. She also wished she had paid attention when Nate had been re-hashing the details with her. She had paid some attention of course, but not enough. Now she was somewhat lost in the gathering dark and the silence.
Nalia set out to find her brother, she knew he had gone wandering but she had no idea where to begin. So as fate would have it she went the exact opposite direction he had walked. The sounds of a party finally reached her ears, at least she assumed it was a party. She hadn’t been to any herself, her acid temperament meant that she wasn’t invited to a lot of social gatherings. She was pretty sure she didn’t give a flying rats ass about them anyway. As far as she could tell it was just a bunch of nutters gathering to try and show off, be cool, and get in one another’s pants without getting caught by the others boyfriend/girlfriend. Still she found herself drawn to the sounds of what she could only assume was a party.
It was not long before she saw lights and it became easy to follow the sounds and light to where others were gathered. It was a gathering of the technical staff, though Nalia had no way of knowing this. They were as exotic as the rest of the carnival and to her eyes they seemed foreign and exotic. She didn’t names, or even what sort of beings they were but they fascinated her. She stayed in the shadows watching. In her eyes the sight was glamorous but in truth it was a mess of slightly inebriated chattering workers relaxing from a hard but successful day. The night was not alight with the glow of a million fairies, but it was so different from what Nalia was used to that to her it might as well have been that magical.
She was too shy, a feeling that was out of place for her, and it made her nervous. She was brewing an emotional cocktail; but all she recognized is that she wasn’t quite herself. That more than anything put her off and she tucked her hands back into her pockets and schlumped off into the dark to search for her brother again. The otherworldly nature of this place was starting to seep into her skin, making her stressed, edgy, and even more aware of how much out of place she was. The only thing she knew in this whole crazy place was her brother. She didn’t even know herself anymore.
She faded into herself…without someone hassling her or her brother…she became uncertain and edgy. She needed someone to provoke her just so she could keep her emotional balance.
***
Nate stayed in the shadows of the tree once he descended. “What an arrogant bitch” he muttered under his breath as he settled into the shadows. It was unclear to whom her referred, though to be fair in Nate’s point of view almost any of those gathered might fight that description. He had no wish to get tangled up in the stupidity he saw unfolding before him. It was, however, very informative. Sometimes he could be a much better judge of people after seeing them in a real moment. In his experience it had always been poker, but this worked just as well. This was no stage act, at least it didn’t seem to be, but this unofficial show had been interesting. They should have packaged it as a drama and then repeated it for spectators. It was better than most plays, more so because the players were so unique. As the players began to wander off Nate rose to leave himself. He would ponder the one called Andracos; he was not impressed. Trying to listen to the man for more than a few minutes would be impossible. He’d worry about that later however, now well he wasn’t sure what he would do now. He still wasn’t in the mood to rest.
Deleted for double posting--no option for full delete.
Wrote my post at work--will be very late when I get home but should still have it up tonight adapted for whatever changes between now and then.
EDIT: I decided to leave Vol's part out as I wish to see where Sweet Cin leaves our dear Wishmaster. Look for him after Sweet Cin's next post.
EDIT: I decided to leave Vol's part out as I wish to see where Sweet Cin leaves our dear Wishmaster. Look for him after Sweet Cin's next post.
hello all. Don't write me off just yet...I'm just super whupped and super busy and this will probably continue until April 15. I will however still try and post at least once a week.
Sweet Cin said For know I do that when she informs Mr. Seil of such things
His reaction is parallel to, "I see..." Pauses "Wait... What?"
that was my reaction but I figured I'd just roll with it. She warned Nate of him and reccomended him as a tutor at the same time. That will give Nate enough pause. Since everyone else has a natural/innate magical talent no one should really be able to help him anyway. Any magic Nate can do is going to be tricks, deceptions, mirages and cons.
Sweet Cin said
If Andracos desires an apprentice I fear the boy will:
1. Be dead in 6 months
2. Become as dark as Andracos and possibly as theatrical
I myself had pondered that as I don't wish Nate to die. I hadn't planned on having Nate tolerate Andracos' theatrical turn of phrase long enough to actually accomplish anything. On the other hand I planned to have Nate's mood shift darker with time at the carnival, after all Nalia can't protect him from that, and Andracos is certainly a good place to start.
Nate and Nalia watched Ty walk off, the two of them standing in silence with their own thoughts. Such a strange world they had been dumped into, and as they struggled with their own thoughts they unconsciously stood closer together.
For Nalia it was a new beginning; a way out of her own life, a chance to leave the people she hated behind, and possibly a chance to do what she always wanted. She hadn’t counted on that when she stormed into Mr. Seil’s tent. She had been only concerned about protecting her brother. Doing so had opened more doors for her and Nate than she thought possible but it had also tied her to a life that would test her morality in a way she couldn’t comprehend at this moment. For Nate it was nothing more than an obligation and a chance to give his mother her life back. He would work hard, study, learn, do what was required of him without letting it affect him, and then be on his way. He understood the darker side of what he had been roped into but he didn’t see what this would offer him. He too would find his morality tested.
That would be in the future however, now the siblings had some talking to do. Nalia smiled at her brother and he her and they entered their little wagon. Nalia had the same opinion as Nate regarding the sterility of the place. Decorating would be first thing on the agenda tomorrow, a place like this made her want to pull her hair out. For now it would have to work however, they had more important things to deal with.
“Whadaya think Lia?” asked Nate as he flopped on the small chair in the little room that served as their common area.
Nalia looked around and finally settled on sitting cross legged on the floor.
“Don’t know Nate” she said softly “we can do this. We don’t have a choice.” She looked at her brother, her gray eyes meeting his vivid blue. “But its gonna be pretty weird. So what do we need to know?” She asked the question knowing Nate was already ready to tell her what he had learned. He had not only listened to what Ty said but also what she did not say. Nalia never told her brother but his perceptiveness was damn scary sometimes. She hated that her parents kept him down, tied to the house.
Nate smiled, closed his eyes, and began to recite to Nalia what he had learned in their very short time at the carnival. For her part Nalia listened intently. She always understood Nate better than any of her teachers, better than her parents, or almost anyone else she had ever met. He had a way of putting things that she understood.
When he got to his worries about finding an act for himself he opened his eyes.
“I don’t know what I’m going to do Lia” he said softly “I don’t have any real skills like you do. And, well, we are you know, human. Lia, I think there aren’t many other humans working here.”
Nalia nodded. That much she had figured out. She too was worried about her brother but for reasons other than his act. She had no doubt he could find something to do. He was too smart to be stymied for long.
“We will figure out something Nate.”
“Show no weakness unless it is to lure your enemy into a sense of false security” he said absently.
Nalia looked surprised.
“Nate?” she asked softly.
“What I mean Lia is we have to be pretty strong here, that’s never been your problem anyway. If we let them push us around like with the bullies back home they will never stop.”
And so their conversation for that night ended, and Nalia went to her room. Nate however remained where he was, thinking, letting the dark melancholy thoughts swim in his mind as he studied nothing in particular. He would ask for a wei-chi board as soon as possible. He needed the practice and it would help clear his mind. He always thought better when he was focused. Wei-Chi was his meditation though he didn’t call it that and would have been scandalized if someone had suggested it. He wasn’t a floofy person to get all pointlessly “spiritual” and “zen.”
Finally abandoning the idea of resting, he was now more alert than he had been earlier, he rose and left the tent. Without conscious thought he kept to the shadows. The only way he got out at home was to sneak out, and sometimes that involved a lot of hiding. He was actually not bad at it. He was no great stalker, but he was quiet and moved gracefully so that he didn’t draw attention to himself. Even if one knew he was there he wasn’t very noticeable.
He heard the ruckus before he ever saw it and curiosity prompted him to quickly climb a nearby tree. He had said Nalia was good at climbing trees. He hadn’t mentioned he was much better. Up a tree was a great way to hide from a bully, and he was bullied most of his life whenever he went out. Climbing was second nature for him.
He saw the tableau unfold below him, his vivid blue eyes watching everything. He recognized only Ty though a few other’s he remembered from Ty’s little “blurb” as their names were revealed. He was somewhat surprised that Ty recommend Andracos for magical training, from what Nate could see of the man, admittedly his angle was a little skewed, he was a bit…intense. But more than that his manner of speaking would drive him insane before one day was out. The same could be said for the dark arrogant angel, for that is how he saw Ceici, and for the little androgynous chinaman. Talk about a bag of mixed characters. No wonder the carnival did so well, financially. Few others could claim such a wide variety of players.
Nate watched in silence trying to learn what he could about those he was thrown together with. He held no fear, only studious interest. He formed several opinions of those below as he watched, and formed even more questions about his fellow workers. When the tension below seemed to be siphoning off, resolving itself in some way or another, Nate slipped back down from his perch. He had thought to go join Ty, the one person he knew and was in mild awe of, but something held him back. He nervously danced a small pebble across his fingers as he watched the others. He was too shy to introduce himself and too interested in the others to simply walk away.
For Nalia it was a new beginning; a way out of her own life, a chance to leave the people she hated behind, and possibly a chance to do what she always wanted. She hadn’t counted on that when she stormed into Mr. Seil’s tent. She had been only concerned about protecting her brother. Doing so had opened more doors for her and Nate than she thought possible but it had also tied her to a life that would test her morality in a way she couldn’t comprehend at this moment. For Nate it was nothing more than an obligation and a chance to give his mother her life back. He would work hard, study, learn, do what was required of him without letting it affect him, and then be on his way. He understood the darker side of what he had been roped into but he didn’t see what this would offer him. He too would find his morality tested.
That would be in the future however, now the siblings had some talking to do. Nalia smiled at her brother and he her and they entered their little wagon. Nalia had the same opinion as Nate regarding the sterility of the place. Decorating would be first thing on the agenda tomorrow, a place like this made her want to pull her hair out. For now it would have to work however, they had more important things to deal with.
“Whadaya think Lia?” asked Nate as he flopped on the small chair in the little room that served as their common area.
Nalia looked around and finally settled on sitting cross legged on the floor.
“Don’t know Nate” she said softly “we can do this. We don’t have a choice.” She looked at her brother, her gray eyes meeting his vivid blue. “But its gonna be pretty weird. So what do we need to know?” She asked the question knowing Nate was already ready to tell her what he had learned. He had not only listened to what Ty said but also what she did not say. Nalia never told her brother but his perceptiveness was damn scary sometimes. She hated that her parents kept him down, tied to the house.
Nate smiled, closed his eyes, and began to recite to Nalia what he had learned in their very short time at the carnival. For her part Nalia listened intently. She always understood Nate better than any of her teachers, better than her parents, or almost anyone else she had ever met. He had a way of putting things that she understood.
When he got to his worries about finding an act for himself he opened his eyes.
“I don’t know what I’m going to do Lia” he said softly “I don’t have any real skills like you do. And, well, we are you know, human. Lia, I think there aren’t many other humans working here.”
Nalia nodded. That much she had figured out. She too was worried about her brother but for reasons other than his act. She had no doubt he could find something to do. He was too smart to be stymied for long.
“We will figure out something Nate.”
“Show no weakness unless it is to lure your enemy into a sense of false security” he said absently.
Nalia looked surprised.
“Nate?” she asked softly.
“What I mean Lia is we have to be pretty strong here, that’s never been your problem anyway. If we let them push us around like with the bullies back home they will never stop.”
And so their conversation for that night ended, and Nalia went to her room. Nate however remained where he was, thinking, letting the dark melancholy thoughts swim in his mind as he studied nothing in particular. He would ask for a wei-chi board as soon as possible. He needed the practice and it would help clear his mind. He always thought better when he was focused. Wei-Chi was his meditation though he didn’t call it that and would have been scandalized if someone had suggested it. He wasn’t a floofy person to get all pointlessly “spiritual” and “zen.”
Finally abandoning the idea of resting, he was now more alert than he had been earlier, he rose and left the tent. Without conscious thought he kept to the shadows. The only way he got out at home was to sneak out, and sometimes that involved a lot of hiding. He was actually not bad at it. He was no great stalker, but he was quiet and moved gracefully so that he didn’t draw attention to himself. Even if one knew he was there he wasn’t very noticeable.
He heard the ruckus before he ever saw it and curiosity prompted him to quickly climb a nearby tree. He had said Nalia was good at climbing trees. He hadn’t mentioned he was much better. Up a tree was a great way to hide from a bully, and he was bullied most of his life whenever he went out. Climbing was second nature for him.
He saw the tableau unfold below him, his vivid blue eyes watching everything. He recognized only Ty though a few other’s he remembered from Ty’s little “blurb” as their names were revealed. He was somewhat surprised that Ty recommend Andracos for magical training, from what Nate could see of the man, admittedly his angle was a little skewed, he was a bit…intense. But more than that his manner of speaking would drive him insane before one day was out. The same could be said for the dark arrogant angel, for that is how he saw Ceici, and for the little androgynous chinaman. Talk about a bag of mixed characters. No wonder the carnival did so well, financially. Few others could claim such a wide variety of players.
Nate watched in silence trying to learn what he could about those he was thrown together with. He held no fear, only studious interest. He formed several opinions of those below as he watched, and formed even more questions about his fellow workers. When the tension below seemed to be siphoning off, resolving itself in some way or another, Nate slipped back down from his perch. He had thought to go join Ty, the one person he knew and was in mild awe of, but something held him back. He nervously danced a small pebble across his fingers as he watched the others. He was too shy to introduce himself and too interested in the others to simply walk away.
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