A Certain Flash of Inspiration [Completed]

[Raen Silver]

"You would be welcome competition!" He said, over his wine. His eyes followed Kip as he he jumped from table to table. The younger elves seemed to delight in his presence, the older being more reserved. "You must forgive those of great age; magic to them is often something to be distrusted. But those of us with great you ... and beauty ... He flashed her a grin. "Are much more open minded. At least in here you won't be reported to the watch! Those are the enemy of the people of the Kelbé."

They chatted, though now and then Raen was called to the stage to play and sing. Though his livelier songs were well received, it was the laments and tragedies that seemed to get him the most attention. He explained it to her as the night wore on. "A lot of them remember times when the Kersaoka would not have been second class citizens in a city like this; they believe our long lives and the knowledge, and hopefully wisdom, make them superior to Humans. But, fair is fair, I suppose; Humans breed like rabbits in spring, and adapt more easily than we. You have visited Ajteire, yes? You must tell me of it; I have heard stories, of course, but everyone tells it differently. One day I hope to go myself and dazzle them all my beauty and wit!"

His handsome face was a little flushed with the effects of the wine, but he seemed in fine form, and did not slur or stumble.

[Vanessa LaNore]

Vanessa returned Raen’s grin with a subdued one of her own. She felt comfortable here, away from the drudgery of her regular duties at the antique shop or wandering from sailor’s tavern to fisherman’s dive. “I’m sure you might wonder if they are related, this beauty and openness to magic,” she said giving him a wink. “I appreciate the knowledge but will reserve myself to more mundane displays more often than not. The weaving of a good tale takes near as much from me as the display does. Where would I be if my words could not conjure the images my magic does?” she jested.

She listened intently to his explanations, finding they had matched her own experiences with the longer lived races who remained in what were ostensibly human lands. When he spoke of Ajteire her eyes began to shine. “It is a gorgeous place, ripe with bounty of both flavor and view. The people there are equally vibrant and diverse. I’ve yet to find another place I could rest without worry and tell my tales in exchange for new ones near every day,” she said, her voice filled with the faint hints of emotion.

She patted his hand as she finished another helping of wine. “Might I offer you a glimpse of the place? I believe I have one more weaving in me. I will have to ask a high cost of the patrons though,” she asked him with a raised brow. When he encouraged her she rose and carefully walked to the stage. She stepped up and pulled Kip, who had long ago gone home, out of thin air. <<“Good patrons, I ask of you a steep price in exchange for my final performance of the evening,”>> she said in Kerasokan, projecting but at the volume of casual conversation. <<“Offer me a creature I do not know, and I will show you the grandeur of the Jewel of the Jungle.”>>

There were several mutterings around the crowd. She distinctly caught the elvish word for grass several times. She made the guess the naysayers considered her an unwanted intruder despite the bard’s blessings. A younger elf, raised a hesitant voice, <<“Do you know of the rock panther?”>>

Vanessa raised an eyebrow, intrigued by the creatures simple name. <<“I do not young master. Tell me of it, so I might make it’s form. Do I begin with a simple panther, or perhaps something more exotic?”>> As she spoke Kip settled before her on the stage. His form writhed and misted before reforming into the shape of a slightly large panther.

The elf boy gulped, color in his cheeks and a slight stutter to his voice as the attention was put on him. <<“Ye-yes that looks good. It’s got big plates, hard rock, things like… granite and obsidian,”>> the boy provided. Vanessa moved her hands and kip reshaped, gaining large cumbersome looking plates of speckled grey stone. <<“It’s claws, they’re white, like moonstone. And it’s teeth are the same. It has glowing eyes, like fire!”>> the boy said, gaining confidence as he spoke and Kip’s form shifted. <<“It’s roar is like the tumbling of rocks and it hunts the spiders that live in the trees.”>>

Vanessa smiled as the boy seemed to struggle for a moment to pull more information from his memory. <<“That’s all I know,”>> he offered with a shrug. She smiled and directed Kip to offer a distant sounding roar. It was like a landslide heard across a valley. <<”That is enough to sate me, young master. This vision of the Jewel is for you,”>> she said and winked at the boy when his blush lept further into his cheeks.

Vanessa offered a clap and it again resounded oddly. It was clear this had more meaning than a simple action. There was the faintest hint of a shimmer around her when the sound died away. Kip burst into mist, filtering into the shimmers as they began to take form. The image solidified, forming into a brilliant sun seen just past broad leafy branches. She furrowed her brow slightly and the view turned.

It appeared as though they were looking through another’s eyes. The motion was quick but smooth. Vanessa weaved her hands rapidly and the view looked down, showing powerful limbs of dark skin perched atop a broad moss-covered branch. The legs moved, tensing, and then they shifted suddenly. They were falling, speeding down between vines and leaves at a pace that seemed impossible. Then there was a jerk and their view suddenly swept upwards. The powerful arms from before were wrapped in a thick vine, the falling slowed and they burst through a dense canopy.

A splendid vista lay stretched out before them. Massive trees, some bigger around than a city block, were liberally dotted with structures and walkways. Despite the grand scale of the view it was the colors that had elves gasping in wonder. Every color imaginable was on display in a pageant of vibrant plant and animal life. Their view moved up in a sweep before dropping again. They landed, getting a quick glimpse of the walkway they perched upon. The view leaned over, looking down to show the city stretching all the way to the jungle floor. There were innumerable people moving about, displaying all the same wild colors and styles as the nature they resided in.

Vanessa grunted softly as the view started to race forward, tilting side to side with the powerful legs strides. Behind the bard the silvery orange outline of wings began to form. The view of Ajteire shimmered for a brief moment before solidifying again. They were sprinting across the wide branches, leaping and hopping across uneven spaces at breathtaking speed.

Then suddenly they stopped, jerking to a halt as one of the arms came into view, steadying them against a broad trunk. The other arm reached out and pushed a broad leafed branch aside. The view was magnificent. The glimmering verdant tops of the sprawling jungle stretched beyond the horizon. Colorful birds flew in flocks that rivaled the sunset. It was truly a place of wonder.

The image faded, the shimmering dispersing into a fine mist. Vanessa panted softly, brilliant orange wings fluttering with her racing heart behind her back. Kip materialized and wrapped around her neck merring softly into her cheek. The bard took a steadying breath, bowed, and stepped down off the stage to stagger slightly over to her seat. Her wings seemed immaterial, passing through the back of the chair without concern.

[Raen Silver]

The room had been completely silent during Vanessa's performance, with a few audible gasps here and there.

When it finished however, the patrons were on their feet, clapping and cheering .... at least a lot of them were. Some muttered things into their cups about magic, but it could not drown out the younger Elves and their enthusiasm. More coin was sent her way, maybe not as much as before, but that could hardly be helped as she had already scored quite a bit from them.

When she returned to her seat, Raen sat down (for he had been on his feet and roaring singing his approval loud and clear). "Well now! You certainly can put on a show, Salquë! That was one of the most spectacular things I have ever seen! And to perform it in a Fellsguard? Your bravery is admirable."

The evening was beginning to wind down, and Raen continued to ask Vanessa all he could think of, and answer whenever she asked anything. It was a good evening with good company.

[Vanessa LaNore]

She noticed the small pile of money beside her as Kip scampered down to lay upon it. She frowned at the spirit, tickling his stomach with her finger and drawing his ineffectual ire. After a moment she rummaged in her purse and collected a quartersilver worth of coins. She slid out of her chair and walked over to the young boy who had described the beast to her. She handed him the money and gave him a bright smile. “Always pay for research,” she said patting his hand away when I tried to return the money to her.

Vanessa settled back into her chair across from Raen and slumped onto the table, laying her head on her folded arms. Her wings had begun to fade again, simply shimmering into nothingness as she recovered herself. “I think I will need something hearty and filling and then perhaps some more long conversation. Then I will walk home and sleep like the rock panther,” she said, turning her head to look around her gathered arms at Raen with her eyes still glowing brightly.

“You are a terrible influence on me. Getting me to use magic twice, making me drink all day. All just so you can charm me into telling you all sorts of things,” she said before she buried her face into the arms again. She still answered his questions with some enthusiasm and asked him much in kind. As the night wore on she began to blink slowly, clearly not up to practice with the bard’s habit of late evenings.

When she caught Kip in the throes of a sympathy yawn she chuckled. “I think I should get myself to bed. I do believe I’ll come back someday though. <<Are you always here Lord Bard?>>” she asked him shivering slightly as she suppressed another yawn.

[Raen Silver]

"It is my home and also where I regale the Elves of Fellsguard with my noble art." He said.

He called over a waiter and they placed their orders. As usual, the food was good, though not the est in Fellsguard by far; some often whispered that the food and drink were just a front, and the The White Hart was more involved with politics and the like, and that wealthy higher ups of the place got their money from 'less than legal' operations.

Raen tucked into his food as if he had not eaten in ages. "Listening to such wonders is thirsty work!"

When they had finished, Raen yawned. "Alas, it will be some time before our paths cross sweet lady, I have a journey to make on the morrow. Just a little visit to somewhere my father should have gone, but now that burden falls to me. You'll have to forgive my rather 'out of character' tight lipped-ness. It's an important mission, and no, I will not be divulging the details!" Though he laughed, a shadow passed over his fair features, as he spoke.

When the night was drawing to a close, he helped her pack her things, and gave her a bow. "It has been a most singular pleasure, dear lady!" He said. "Upon my return, mayhaps we shall converse again? Good night, Slaquë Vanessa."

[Vanessa LaNore]

Vanessa offered Raen a small smile and returned his bow with one of her own. “We certainly shall. I will uncover the secret stories you hide from me Bard Raen. Otherwise I could not call myself a researcher in good faith,” she said giving him a quick wink and a flourish. Then she was out into the cool night.

Her room at the back of the antique shop was in the central west district, that put her near an hour away from a warm and cozy bed. She grumped to herself slightly at getting so distracted by the elves and their bard. The weight of her coin purse muted the annoyance heavily, she’d made perhaps a month’s worth of scraping together coin from shows in the lowend taverns. Ever since her contract with House Nyshasa had dried up she couldn’t find reliable offers for tale-telling and song in the South or North.

With the coin worries at least put aside for a while Vanessa’s thoughts drifted to the bard’s secret keeping. What could possibly be going on that a man like that, who’d trade tales for hours just to hear them, would be suddenly secretive. She stopped, standing in the middle of the mostly empty street, and clapped her hand to her thigh. ‘He’s probably off to find something rare and write a song about it,’ she thought with disappointment. Then she considered for a moment. ‘Perhaps I can follow him, see what he’s doing. Not like I need to do anything else for a day or so.’

Vanessa nodded to herself before stepping into a side alley. It wouldn’t do to cause a panic when she summoned Kip. Suitably nestled in a dark corner she called forth her spirit companion. Kip appeared, immediately shrinking in on himself as he spotted his masters shushing fingers. The bard cast a glamour on the creature and he shimmered into nothing. Then she reached out and pushed power into him before snapping his tether. The spirit cat could last near on half a day as long as he didn’t exert himself and she’d be able to follow him no matter the distance.

With a gentle stroke of the invisible cat’s head she gave him the instructions to follow the bard Raen. Kip purred at her before zipping off into the sky, his shimmer immediately fading into the dark night. Vanessa nodded to herself and moved to begin heading home again. The stench of ale and growl of impending violence made her freeze.

There were two men, mountains of muscle covered in tattoos and scars. She guessed them for sailors, maybe street thugs even. They both sort of shuffled towards her, muttering to themselves and glaring with bloodshot eyes. Vanessa reached into her reserves and found she couldn’t pull forth any charms or glamors. She’d spent all her energies sharing the memories earlier.

Sighing unhappily she instead reached for a different well of power. There was a snap and brittle crackling, as if ice was breaking beneath a great weight. The air around her chilled to a brutal cold and then a fine mist coalesced. The thugs looked confused, but still ambled towards her, violence likely the only solution they could manage in their sorry state. Druvask’s roar was thunderous in the small alleyway as her wicked obsidian claws crushed the men. Vanessa turned away, moving back to the open streets as the ice bear dissipated back to her misted den.