Life II: Dreams and Desires - C
Their is a profound silence before the Keep awakens which turns my mind to the divine. The Keep is so loud normally, with thousands of voices from hundreds of species talking all at once. When it’s quiet it makes me thoughtful. “I have a name.” I said to myself, “And the name of the contractor who hired him, and the building he was working on. I wonder if I will need to speak to Misha Brightleaf…” If you don’t know who Misha Brightleaf is, then I can’t imagine you know much about Metamor. Imagine a muscular, masculine fox with firm muscles and scars you could just run your tongue over and a tail that- ...I apologise, I got off topic. Anyway, I’d never met Misha except incidentally. I was however excited for the chance. You know I’m sure I could find a reason to speak to Misha if I look hard enough? 'Yes I suppose I could.' Just the thought made me smile. I had to carry my tail strung over my shoulder to keep it from dragging on the ice cold cobblestones. All of my years now as a glorified iguana and I had never once found a way to better transport the bloody thing. My thoughts on my walk swirled about, and eventually turned back to my earlier conversation. 'Did I make it clear enough this was not a romantic encounter? I need her to know that it isn’t. I mean I could use some…' It had been a long time since I had a lover. I frowned. 'How do I come off to her? As a weirdo? I don’t...who cares, I have more important things to worry about than what others think about me. No, not true. I care what the bull thinks.' The last night I was with Sotto before those two...creatures killed him, was the last time I was with anyone with my abilities. And that was just shy of eight years ago. Now though I had found someone like me, in my own city! I had walked by them and been literally inches away. 'I’m so close. I’m so close to not being alone. How do I convince him?' That stopped me in my tracks. 'Shit.' I was nine years old when I first began to notice something...odd about me. If I focused, I could hear people speaking without their lips moving. And then when I was ten I could feel people touching me who weren’t there, even if I didn’t concentrate. When I was eleven the spirits started to get violent. At the age of fourteen, just after my birthday, my adopted parents sent me to live with Mr. Sotto. I was already convinced by then, because I had discovered my powers on my own. By the time Mr. Sotto found me I was a talented amature. I was able to be trained in five years, something that impressed my mentor. 'For all I know he’s trained himself somewhat already. I resumed walking. But he hasn’t had a Mr. Sotto. I’m going to be Mr. Sotto. Eli Maker of All protect him.' By now I was shivering. It didn’t make me any warmer, but it made me feel better. The lantern was one of the only lights still burning when I arrived. I expected that. What I didn’t expect was to see was Remmie under the lamp, shaking like a leaf. Unlike me she had a cloak, which she had pulled scale-tight. Not that that would help her much… “Warden.” I gave her a nod. “What brings you out early this morning? And not in the Watch House?” Remmie forced a smile. Her tail creeped over the edge of her cloak. “Just stuff, and hells is it always this cold? It’s April!” I smiled. “You’re a reptile, cold hurts you, and wet cold is brutal. April is especially bad, like knives under the skin. You will-” I paused, “Actually, no. It will be terrible from now on.” “Thanks for the cheering up.” She pulled the hood over her head. “Anything else you want to tell me to make being a lizard better?” I laughed. “You never seemed to mind the scales when it was warm, or when it was dry cold.” My eyes narrowed. “Remmie, why are you waiting for me out here?” “We got an issue.” Remmie said. “The bull you wanted me to look at?” “Alvaro Velasco.” I said. “You weren’t supposed to continue looking into him.” Remmie twisted in place, trying to look away. “What did you discover that you are trying to conceal from me Remmie?” “Well...I got what’s his face’s residence from...an arrest report.” Remmie said. “Leather head was arrested for stealing lumber. Different Watch House picked him up.” She reached into her pocket and pulled out a few folded sheets. “This is what ya need to know. But it ain’t pretty Janie.” “I’ll be the judge of that.” I mumbled, opening the package. Public drunkenness, assault, theft, theft, assault and another theft. 'And we’re not imprisoned because?' “Apparently he was a work release thing. As for the theft, well horn-head argued he got the directions he was supposed to take it mixed up. No proof he was stealing, so they let him go. But yeah, fired for that one.” Remmie’s eyes focused on me. “I don’t mind having crooks around. Hell, we let crooks run most countries. You ain’t like that though Janie.” “I have a...reason.” I said. 'My pupil is a criminal. My pupil should probably have been exiled already. Why on Earth is he like this Eli?' “Yeah well I don’t know why ya want him.” Remmie said. “If you can, find someone else. Cuz this guy? Looks like a shit.” I folded the papers back up and stuck them in my pants pocket. “Yes he rather does.” I said. “But I have to speak to him and him alone, it’s urgent.” Remmie frowned. “Why? What are ya hiding from me Janie?” My face revealed nothing. But inside, as always, I wondered. I can tell her right now. And it would feel...she’d not trust me. The feeling died. “It’s irrelevant.” I said to Remmie. “We are needed inside. Come along Warden.” Remmie mumbled something else but followed quickly behind me. That was my first surprise for the day. My second came as I reached Srgt. Tibble’s desk. The Srgt. was engaged in something besides guarding the door. He conversed with a tan-furred Rusa (Think a deer with longer back legs). The Rusa was tall with broad shoulders. His ears were nicked and small scars cut through the fur on his face. His arms were clenched behind his back and legs held tightly together. No shoes, the hoof feet made up for that. He wore a red tabard, with the Duke’s emblem on it. Under it I could hear chainmail clinking. He was significantly better armed than I was, I could see a real sword strapped to his side. A knight of the Red Stallion.
_______________________________________________ MKGuild mailing list [email protected] http://lists.integral.org/listinfo/mkguild
