He didn't sound fine. No matter what he might say. Ely wasn't just curious, now she was puzzled. Puzzles drove her crazy. She had to figure them out, or at least find all the pieces.
Ely smiled at him. The game of questions had long since left her thoughts, but not the reason behind them. Maybe he was skittish. She could understand that, well, maybe.
"You sure?'
The tavern had gotten quiet again. Dom's voice no longer penetrated her active mind, and whatever soreness had been in her throat earlier was long gone.
Catgirl Extraordinaire
“Build a man a fire, and he'll be warm for a day. Set a man on fire, and he'll be warm for the rest of his life.”
Kiga kept his face buried and tried to formulate something that sounded reasonable. He couldn't see her at this very moment but damn it she was RIGHT THERE and that wasn't hepling. Much.
He lifted his head and rubbed his eyes, keeping his face hidden in his hands. He sighed softly, took his time to speak. Be professional dammit, so she has ears.... and a tail.... and those eyes.... ULP.
I am fine..... really.
Just.... fine.
His words came with slow breaths, him fighting the urge to shriek like a lark and climb into the rafters or flee out the door.
Orp Boon [M:83:616:][D3v:http://www.rpgmenagerie.com/index.cgi?action=display&board=cs&thread=406&page=1#374]"Is that family heirloom for sale?"[0:Gone fishing.][1:The store is open!]
"Name's Orp Boon. I'm a bit of a trader. Anything you're willing to sell? Need to buy anything? My store's been pretty empty lately. Say, Ely, where did you even hear about this town? It's pretty out of the way."
Orp interlocked his fingers. Take a little pressure of Kiga and lay it back on Ely's mysterious history.
"Sell? Um... not really. I mean, I don't have any goods to sell. I'm not much for material possessions. I suppose I might buy something, maybe... if the price is right. I like books, and... magic, fire magic."
What the hell is wrong with you Ely?You've never been this wishy washy among strangers. Her interior voice wanted to beat the exterior one over the head with a big stick. Where was her staff? Oh, right, against the bar, naturally. No more drinks for you. Ely's fingers were laced together on the table, her thumbs rolling over each other mesmerizing and monotonously.
"Here and there, you know how it is. People talk and the closer I came the more they said...
...Go to Wistvale. It's a must see. And here I am."
Catgirl Extraordinaire
“Build a man a fire, and he'll be warm for a day. Set a man on fire, and he'll be warm for the rest of his life.”
Orp Boon [M:83:616:][D3v:http://www.rpgmenagerie.com/index.cgi?action=display&board=cs&thread=406&page=1#374]"Is that family heirloom for sale?"[0:Gone fishing.][1:The store is open!]
"Oh, we definitely have lots of good books here. Someone started up a library if I recall correctly. We have a few magicians as well. Even I dabble a bit."
Orp pulls a coin from his pocket and levitates it an inch above his palm.
He makes a mental note about the urgings to go to Wistvale. A tourism industry could be viable.
She was talking. Not to him. No, she was distracted.
He moved fast. Very fast and very silent.
The chair spun on one leg like a top for a few seconds before it clattered to the floor. The only sign that he had leaped with disturbing speed into the rafter's was the three or so jade-green feathers that fluttered down amidst the dust he had left in his wake.
The shadows felt safe, much like hiding under the covers from the monster in the closet.
Ely [M:164:1653:][D3v:http://rpgmenagerie.com/index.cgi?action=display&board=cs&thread=394&page=1#14814][b]A soul on fire...[/b][0:Snuffed][1:Flame On!]
Ely stopped at the mention of a library. She looked at Orp, who was levitating a coin above his hand. Her lips quirked.
"Library?"
She would not have thought such an idea would come to a town this size. Surprise showed on her face. Strange. This place just kept getting more interesting. And that thought made her turn to look back at Kiga.
Except there was nothing to be seen. He'd vanished from the table. The feathers floated down to the wood and Ely's expression changed. She looked up.
Catgirl Extraordinaire
“Build a man a fire, and he'll be warm for a day. Set a man on fire, and he'll be warm for the rest of his life.”
It was quite evident that something had stirred up the dust that fell in the air and Kiga had not walked by her. No, he had moved all too quickly to even cause his chair to drag before he was gone.
He meanwhile hid, pressed flat and inverted by the wall. He knew the shadows here well and they cloaked him quite easily, him using the drab of dark magic he knew to amplify his stealth. There was no sign of him, not to her rather mundane senses. Mundane meaning entirely normal, nothing wrong with that.
But he was watching her. Intently.
Ely [M:164:1653:][D3v:http://rpgmenagerie.com/index.cgi?action=display&board=cs&thread=394&page=1#14814][b]A soul on fire...[/b][0:Snuffed][1:Flame On!]
Ely had palmed one of the feathers. Her thumb was riding along the spine, by her eyes were still searching the darker area above the rafters. She had not felt him pass by her and by that reckoning he must have gone up – somehow. Was he just that fast or did he have magical help? This was only leading to more questions and more curiosity.
Plus, the Cyclops hadn’t said anything more about the library. No matter, she would figure out where that was, too. It was a small town.
But, first, Kiga.
Catgirl Extraordinaire
“Build a man a fire, and he'll be warm for a day. Set a man on fire, and he'll be warm for the rest of his life.”
Who remained silent still. She had taken one of his feathers... which made him think. No one bothered. None. Why was she so casually attentive? She... was persistent in her bold quesitoning of him, she almost seemed oblivious to his discomfort. Was she here to kill him perhaps? Or was she just.... odd?
Why was she even interested?
Ely [M:164:1653:][D3v:http://rpgmenagerie.com/index.cgi?action=display&board=cs&thread=394&page=1#14814][b]A soul on fire...[/b][0:Snuffed][1:Flame On!]
Ely was watching the rafters with a determined eye. She had not given up on locating him, though, now she was looking for clues instead of a body. She was watching the dust, surely no one cleaned up that high, and if he was moving there would be evidence of it.
Ely’s eyes were much better than a human’s. She couldn’t see in the dark, but she needed a hell of a lot less illumination to pick out details. She could see beyond the rafters at least, and she was quite sure no one else in the room could without help.
She was tempted to do something spectacularly foolish. Maybe throw up a quick burst of flame, but well, she didn’t know where he’d gone.
Catgirl Extraordinaire
“Build a man a fire, and he'll be warm for a day. Set a man on fire, and he'll be warm for the rest of his life.”
Ely would be wrong given the whole 'no racial advantages rule' and her lack of points in Survival. No, she couldn't see any better than anyone else so NEENER.
But more than that, he did not move. His only interest was in watching her at this moment and he could do that in an entirely stationary manner. He was a master of stealth and concealment and whilst she knew he was in there SOMEWHERE well, that simply wasn't enough.
No, she wasn't about to spot him unless he made a very foolish mistake or she affected his ability to hide.
He did wonder what she might be thinking though.
Ely [M:164:1653:][D3v:http://rpgmenagerie.com/index.cgi?action=display&board=cs&thread=394&page=1#14814][b]A soul on fire...[/b][0:Snuffed][1:Flame On!]
Ely made a disgusted sound. She should send a fireball up there, she really should. Except, the last time she did that the building burnt to a cinder and she was forced to slip out of the city before getting caught. She hadn't been pleased about that. Brindisi had a massive library and she had only read about a tenth of the books offered. But, well, it was that or be thrown in jail. She did not care for jails, did anyone? Guards maybe? Jailers?
Ahhh! Her thoughts were trying to run away from her. She should be concentrating, but now she was twitchy.
Her fingertip went back over the feather. It was a beautiful thing. For a minute or two Ely’s thoughts lingered on the idea of flight, feathers, and flames; which sparked a new idea. This time the bird she created in the opposite lantern flame was in the shape of a phoenix.
Catgirl Extraordinaire
“Build a man a fire, and he'll be warm for a day. Set a man on fire, and he'll be warm for the rest of his life.”
Kiga watched the flame with a wide eye, the little light up here glimmering upon his single, black orb. It was incredible, such an intricate manipulation, such effort put into such a small display and still... why? What in the blazes had her so insistent on having his attention?
But she got it then. Marg was in the tavern and had warned Ely about her magic already and whilst it was no huge surprise, Kiga considered Marg to be something of a power tripper when it came to her role as the resident law enforcer.
Did she do it to impress him? Crap.
Kiga dropped from the shadows with a soft thud immediately in front of Ely and in an instant his hands were clamped onto her wrists, his face showing the tiniest hint of concern.
No. Stop it. You're going to get in trouble, you don't understand. Just stop, please....
Ely [M:164:1653:][D3v:http://rpgmenagerie.com/index.cgi?action=display&board=cs&thread=394&page=1#14814][b]A soul on fire...[/b][0:Snuffed][1:Flame On!]
Ely’s head jerked back her vivid green eyes round and wide. She looked too much like a child caught with their hands in a cookie jar; In the middle of the night, with a milk mustache, and with crumbs all over the counter in front of her.
“Hey!”
She yanked on her hands. Her fingers were her lifeline, she needed to be able to move them if she wanted to defend herself. What the hell.
Catgirl Extraordinaire
“Build a man a fire, and he'll be warm for a day. Set a man on fire, and he'll be warm for the rest of his life.”