--Lakirio, 19, Yoreiqi--
Beautiful and bustling, that's what the port was like today. She loved it like this, being surrounded by people. Though, she didn't trust the outsiders, she still enjoyed seeing all the different cultures. Their armor, clothing, and their accents piqued her curiosity. Not to mention the goods they brought to sell or trade. It made her eyes grow to the size of saucers.
But she was on a mission today. She knew there was someone who was bound to want her furs and leathers. She had a large bundle slung across her back, leathers and furs of the highest quality. All cured and worked by her own hands. She was quite proud of the quality of them, but thus far she hadn't been able to sell any. This was her second time into the market area to see if she could get rid of them this time around.
The first stall she stopped at kind of waved her off, not even wanting to take a look, saying something about her poor job. She huffed and moved on. He was a typical ignorant outsider, not even caring to look and see what beautiful hides they were. What was the name she had heard someone use for people like that? Bah, she couldn't remember and no point in dwelling on it.
She laughed quietly to herself and stopped at another stall. This older man who looked elvish traded for a few of the smaller furs. Praising her on her ability to keep the fur intact but give it a clean look. She thanked him and pocketed the goods she had taken. A roll of nice strong rawhide string that would go great on a new bow and some cloth that had a pretty design that she was sure she could incorporate into her armor she had been working on for years.
Another stall and she traded some of the larger furs for a pack of quality needles, some foreign food that smelled wonderful, and some various threads and cloths. She only had a few items in her bundle to trade now, mostly leather pieces that she didn't need and couldn't seem to get rid of.
She sighed then began to move towards her hut, stopping as she looked to the side, hearing a scuffle. She craned her neck to look and saw a small fight breaking out. Soon though the villagers would step in and break it up. It was apparent it was a couple of outsiders fighting about something.
She wasn't looking as she was walking and bumped right into someone, almost knocking them down but they seemed to steady themselves. Her hand reached out all the same though, gripping their shoulder and grinning at them.
"My apologies," she said in her native tongue.
Findra was watching from above on another sign. She loved watching from heights knowing it had great vantage points on how to cause trouble. Watching those below her she wasn't seeing much fun for herself. It came though shortly as a stranger walked under her.
She sighed and put down her new fishing rod pulling the hat off his head depositing it on the man standing not far away. It seemed dumb but both didn't seem like they could walk without falling down at least once. It had the desired effect.
Instantly they were yelling and fighting. The one man looked bewildered on how he got the hat. The look on his face was priceless. Fin was laughing so hard she almost fell off her sign. She knew it wouldn't last and that she would need more fun soon. She couldn't stop laughing though at the trouble she caused. She had remembered to pull her line up before anyone saw it.
She saw someone stumble a little ways off. It was an opening and she was nowhere near to cause trouble. Fin realized though that sometimes trouble found its way into the open even if she didn't help it. She watched anxiously to see what the being would do.
Kalani wandered through the port city, taking in her surroundings. Everywhere she looked, she saw some strange little wizard in wearing heavy, uncomfortable robes, or a merchant arguing with someone over a bad trade. The air was filled with voices: common, Yoreiqi, and some languages she had never heard before. Of course, Kalani was used to the outsiders. She had lived in the Port of Ainu her entire life, and had met people from all over. She even recognized a few traders here today that were "regulars" at the port.
As Kalani slipped through the crowd, she saw a couple of foreigners arguing about something. Apparently, someone had taken a hat that belonged to someone else. As they argued, Kalani couldn't help but chuckle. People fought over the silliest things. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a fishing line sway in the breeze before being pulled up into the air. Curious, Kalani followed the line with her eyes and thought she could make out a person. Before she could focus her gaze, however, someone bumped into her from behind. Kalani stumbled forward and almost fell, but managed to keep her balance. Looking frantically up, she gazed at the spot she had been looking at before. There was nobody there. Weird, she swore she had seen something.
A voice spoke behind her, and Kalani turned to look at the person who had bumped into her. It was another Yoreiq islander; a girl not much older then Kalani. "My apologies," the girl said in their native language. Kalani replied, "Don't apologize. I should have looked where I was going." She tried not to feel annoyed. This girl had caused her to lose sight of the strange person with the fishing line. Sighing, Kalani smiled politely and said, "I'm Kalani. I don't think we've met before."
Being timeless, a person starts to talk to themselves when they're alone. Such as it was today as Ritousaey floated invisible above this bustling port.
"There are some very interesting people in this land. I may stay here for a few hundred years before I decide if it should be saved. Oh look, a Brownie" Ritou floated over to observe her up close. He sought through her mind for her name, Findra, a pretty name for a little gem like her. It appeared she was about to play some sort of trick. A trouble maker this one. No wonder her aura was so chaotic and murky, questionable morals. As is common amongst the wee fae, the multiverse over. She dropped her line, hooked a hat, and placed it on another mans head. Deft little trickster, but not deft enough.
From his angle he saw that someone had noticed her line, as she drew it back in. The young woman's gaze was climbing toward the brownies perch. Though she was tiny, Rit knew that many of the locals had keen eyes for hunting, and Findra may just get caught, despite her natural ability to blend in. Sympathetic to the plight of troublemakers, he did spend a thousand years as a pick pocket once, he helped Findra out. He grabbed her by the back of her tiny coat, and did a space/time jaunt. He set her down two signs over and two minutes into her future.
"Sorry little one, but you were almost spotted", the disembodied voice of Rit said. "Luckily I happened along when I did. Be more careful. The local hunters have keen eyes, little brownie Findra." Rit decided he'd watch her for a while. A disembodied voice that knows your name was a prank he'd love to experience.
Fin was enjoying things until something strange happened. In just seconds she was two signs over. She was wondering how that had occurred. She hadn't the abilities to just magically move like that. Some fae did, but not her. She wondered if she had some new powers she didn't know about til now.
"Who are you? Where are you?" She asked keeping back behind the top part of the sign. It was a safe spot for her. She was more interested in the voice than she was in that below her now. Did she have a new friend? Was that even possible considering who she was?
"How do you know my name? What is yours?" She asked when she remembered that it had said her name. She was very curious about this. She hoped the answers would come.
Ritousaey quirked an eyebrow at the reaction. Such recklessly fearless little creatures, brownies. Fin's aura brightened. She was curious, and hopeful. A human would have run in fear that a ghost or demon was attacking them. He decided to show himself. He assumed his default appearance for this universe and moved back away from the edge of the roof to avoid as many gazes from below as possible. Keeping his levitation just a centimeter above the roof he phased out of invisibility.
"Hello Fin", he began, with the quick staccato rhythm, common to the tiny fae. "I am so old and so often alone that I forget my manners at times. It was rude of me to read your mind without your permission. I am Ritousaey, all powerful guardian of the multiverse. It's not as exciting as it sounds. I'm fairly benevolent at the moment, and hardly as impressive as the title alludes. You may count me a friend and call me, Rit."
With an innocent grin, Rit extended a finger for Fin to shake in meeting.
Fin wasn't expecting this at all. She had a feeling it was someone who possessed and used magic regularly, but this? Guardians didn't just come out without a reason though. She was trying to figure out why a guardian would be here of all places.
"Hello Rit," she said shaking his finger. Larger beings were never this nice to her. She wondered what he could want. Her mind couldn't contain this, "what exactly brought you to this place?"
"Curiosity, boredom, nothing really in particular. When you literally have all the time in the world, can be everywhere at once, and do anything, it gets lonely. Plus it's my job to decide if your world is worth saving this time. It has been a few times, but usually its not. I hope this time it is. Is it?" Rit quirked his head to the side in thought with that question. More as if he had asked himself than Fin.
"If it is, I'll save it yesterday, and again one hundred years ago. And then a few more times later on. I'll even have to save it from myself at least once I'm sure." He smiled at that. Fighting himself off always amused him.
"It'll take me a few hundred years to decide I'm sure." He looked at Fin, inquisitively.
"Would you like to help me decide?"
"I know those myself its why I do what I do. I'm always looking for fun," she said with a large grin. She heard the rest Rit was saying. She didn't like what she was hearing. Their world needed saving? That was news to her.
"Why does our world need saving?" She asked not sure she wanted to get mixed up in all of this. Where was the fun in deciding if the world needed saving? He wasn't making any sense in what he was saying.
"Okay, I'll help you decide," she said not sure what that entailed.
"Every world needs saving. Some more than others. Most times the people living on it don't know how close they all come to dying, until they do of course." Rit smiled at Fin, hoping to keep her in decent spirits. A terrified Brownie was not something he wanted.
"What makes me decide to save a place is pretty simple," he continued. "One way is it has to have something unique to itself that can't be found anywhere else. That's a hard one," Rit paused for effect. "There are an infinite number of places for something to be. There are even other you's at other here's." He hoped that wasn't too confusing. Time jargon even got him turned around sometimes.
"The other, and much easier way, is to be such a wonderful place that I love it and don't want to see it gone. With as much, death, pain, and suffering this world has, it won't be easy," Rit finished, hoping she might have something in mind to change the direction his decision was headed.
Fin was alarmed by what he was saying. She hadn't thought of that before. He confused her with the time jargon, but she didn't show it. She figured he was just talking in riddle. She knew he spoke truth about death. There had been a couple of close calls for her. She was grateful those had passed though.
"Do these other worlds have someone like me? I highly doubt it. Brownies maybe, but someone who seeks out a larger world for some fun? That's even rare among the brownies on this world," she said not sure if that was enough. She had a feeling he would want more.
"Have you see the world through my eyes? It is a wonderful place. Death, pain, and suffering are just part of it. Without those we wouldn't have birth, happiness, and joy. One must stub their toe sometimes to have laughter fill the world. Yes they are in pain, but the outcome is better," she said wondering what Rit was thinking now. She had a feeling she still had a long way to go to convince him.
Rit ignored the question about other there being other Findra's. Of course there were others, but that would just be a distraction to the task at hand. Riding inside Fin's mind and seeing the world as she saw it was an intersting idea, but that's not what she meant. It was too early in the budding friendship to manipulate her words like that.
"Well I suppose," Rit said in thought, "that could work." He flashed her one of his most charming half grins, "Where would you like to go little lady?" He raised a finger indicating she should wait, and cocked his head a moment in thought.
"Perhaps I should put a bit of extra effort into this." In an instant he was a 20cm in height. Not much taller than Findra.
"What kind of mischief will we be making today Fin?"
Fin had to think about this question of his. Where did she want to go? She smiled wondering what he was offering. Did that mean any place in this time or another? She figured sticking to this time was the best and this world. She wasn't ready to cause trouble any place else yet she hadn't run out of room here.
"Any place that I haven't been yet," she answered still smiling. It was the truth any place she'd been would be different by people, but she liked seeing new things. Along with the new things came new experiences. Fin wasn't expecting Rit to shrink down to her size. That made it more interesting.
"I guess you really do want to see through my eyes. I don't know usually I wait for an opportunity to present itself. If you force mischief it might not turn out so rewarding," she said a glimmer in her eye. She turned from him to look around. It wouldn't be easy to cause more trouble from up here. Someone might be expecting it now.
"We need to get back to the ground. There is a drain over here that will lead us safely down. After that maybe try to trip someone."
This was going to be fun. Rit found himself genuinely excited for the first time in ages. He had achieved mischief in his very distant past, and he would again many times, but spontaneity was not present in his existence. Now that his mind was headed down this path, he started thinking of great pranks he could pull with his new friend. They would start with a trip down on the street below, and who knew what after that. He could take them anywhere. They could truly get away with the greatest mischief ever conceived.
"Well Fin, today I am completely devoted to your whims. I will follow your lead wherever it goes. To the drain?"
Fin heard what he said and smiled. Nobody had been 'completely devoted to' her whims before. She was looking forward to this for several different reasons. The top two were that fun was involved and she was making a new friend. The fact that this went together only made it so much better.
She was about to move toward the drain pipe when she stopped. She noted below was a tabby cat. That would be trouble if they got down there and met up with the cat. She sighed not liking this. That was the best way down, a nice slide.
"We can't now. That cat ruined it. If only there was some way to get that cat. Hey can you make water?" She asked a glimmer in her eyes. Cats hated getting wet.
"The cat? Water?" It only took Rit a moment to connect the idea, and it seemed quite funny and they hadn't done anything yet.
"I think I can do one better. If you prefer, I can open a portal to the bottom of a full tavern chamber pot. Both wet and foul." This was going to be a fun adventure, and having a new friend here would help with the decision to save this world.
"How would you like it delivered," Rit asked with a devious grin. "A personal rain storm of filth? A foul waterfall? Or perhaps a fast splash down?"
She heard his words and was about to explain only to find she didn't have to. He had a fast mind she liked that. She had been thinking to drop it down the drain pipe, but if it was foul they wouldn't want that as they had to go down that themselves.
"That would be even better. Perhaps a fast splash down over the side of the building here," she said the humor in her voice. She was seeing the benefits of having Rit around, but knew not to push her luck. She was after all helping decide the fate of this world. Heaven help this world.
"Well let's move in to watch, shall we?"
Rit stepped to the edge and waited for Findra to get her perch.
A splash down was an easy task. Rit chose a chamber pot that wasn't too big, as he wanted the mess to be localized. From the top of the building might cause a huge splash and get passerby's too, that could draw unwanted attention. He created the portal just a foot above the cat and let the vile contents of the chamber pot plunge through. It washed over the cat completely. The reaction was immediate, and surely just what Findra had hoped for.
Fin moved in sitting close enough to watch what would happen without falling off the edge. She was waiting to see the cat be splashed, and wasn't disappointed. It wasn't long before they saw the cat yowel about being wet and running off. She couldn't help but hoot in laughter.
"I should say poor kitty, but I can't bring myself to do so. That was wonderful. Onto our next adventure?" She said motioning for him to move down the spout with her to ground level. She wasn't sure what they could do next, but opportunities had funny ways of presenting themselves.
Rit found himself not only pleased with the success of the mischief, but also with the clear joy he had brought to his new friend. He hadn't done anything simply for "the fun of it" in quite a long time, perhaps a few hundred years. The cat sprinted out of the area with great alacrity. With a thought, the remaining mess below was cleaned up so that nobody would step in it, and the stench would not draw attention. Ritousaey followed Findra to the spout, and joined her for an exciting trip down into adventure.
Findra wondered what else they could do for fun. She wasn't seeing any possibilities just then though. She sighed knowing that sometimes this was a waiting game. She wondered more about her new companion wondered what he thought of this so far, but she just couldn't bring herself to ask.
Once down on the ground again she had managed to get around a few feet without any problems. She turned hoping that Rit had the same ease. Sometimes though one was almost squished the price paid for being this small. She was used to it though. He was not.
"Don't worry it takes practice being this small. Sometimes I have to wait between fun times, and sometimes they just come like with the cat. I'm sure our next fun thing will be along soon. What do you normally do for fun?" She said passing the time. She had chosen to hide out in a hole that nobody was using at the time.
Keeping his view of the world just a moment ahead of his physical presence made avoiding feet easy enough, though he did stumble when he toed a pebble. A change in mass took some adjusting. Once in the hole with Findra, Ritousaey was safe from accidentally hurting someone that might unknowingly step on him. He observed the oblivious humanoids as they wandered by at varying speeds before answering his companions inquiry.
"The last time this me had fun was ages from now," he answered wistfully. "A sword fighting competition on Rylos, in a pre-space-flight era. I threw a match and took fifth place. Don't want to take the spotlight away from deserving mortals." A vendor pushed by with a food cart and Rit couldn't help thinking a snack sounded great.
"Are you hungry? Would you like a snack while we wait? Something from another world perhaps, or a local favorite? Just don't say fish fingers and custard. That's just not normal anywhere."
Fin was impressed that he was squished when she crossed like that. It wasn't always easy to get around at this height especially if one had been bigger not too long ago. She wondered how long he would stick around and how long he would stay her size. It wasn't often she got to converse with those her size that could speak back. Most considered her too much of a pest to stick by.
"This you?" She asked not sure what he meant by that. He liked his riddles that much she knew. She didn't understand all of what he said. She knew what sword fighting was, or at least had heard of it. She hadn't heard her stomach, but food did sound good right about now.
"Well we could play a trick on that vendor. As for what to eat, I'd be up for trying something new not of this world," she said the gleam back in her eye.
Findra was interested in a snack. But what to get her? Something messy would be fun. Perhaps an entire spread would be a good idea. With a thought Ritousaey created a bubble of time around them so that they would not miss the opportunity with the vendor and his cart. A brownie sized table and a pair of chairs were easy to conjure up. He then laid out some foods that he thought she might like. Spicy cheddarwurst on sweet buns topped with brown sugar baked beans and grated extra sharp cheddar cheese; Deep fried sweet potato and yellow pea samosas with a peanut dipping sauce; Capellini pasta with a seafood cream sauce, scallops, shrimp, and white cap mushrooms; Yellow curry with tofu, baby corn, carrots, onions, bamboo shoots, and potatoes, served with steamed white rice; Molé con pollo, served with traditional frijoles, arroz, and warm corn tortillas. And a meal would not be complete without dessert so he whipped up a few of his favorites. Buttermilk Panna Cotta with Cinnamon Caramel; Rolled tuile cookies filled with sweet cream and fresh blueberries; Butterscotch pots de crème; Bananas Foster; Pineapple custard with coconut whipped cream and fresh strawberries. Creating Brownie sized cuisine was something he had never done before. He had no need to before now, and the moment brought a smile to Rits face.
"Well we can pause time for a meal. I hope that you like the variety. Eat as much or as little as you like. And when we're done I can put us back in synch with time so we can make mischief on the vendor." With that, Rit sat and began to eat.
Fin couldn't believe her eyes or ears on this one. Rit had thought of everything. She sat down to a nice meal of things she hadn't seen before. Wow he goes all out. She thought impressed by all of it.
She put one cheddarwurst, a sweet potato, and a capellini on her plate to start with. She hadn't seen this much food even at a party for those her size. Not that those happened often. She saw the smile wondering what he was thinking.
"Pausing is nice, and this food is wonderful. Thank you, Rit," she said grateful for it and pleased he would do such a thing. Nobody really did anything for her and nothing like this. While she was eating she was trying to devise a plan for the vendor and what trick they could play. Life was good.
After finishing a serving from each plate and enough dessert to put a normal person into a sugar coma, Rit conjured each of them a mug of raktajino with heavy cream and agave syrup. As he sat and pondered the possibilities of mischief, he discovered that his thoughts were overly complicated, and more along the lines of sinister than playful. Perhaps it was best to leave the ground work to Findra, and he could simply elaborate on and expedite the processes.
"So what sort of ideas do you have for that food vendor?" Rit frowned and continued, "I was unable to think of anything that wouldn't be overly devastating to the poor man. I find it difficult to think small despite my change in size."
Rit realized after saying it, that his statement might sound insulting. He was not intending to call Fin simple minded. She just had a reasonable grasp on harmless mischief, where as Rit was used to fighting gods and destroying planets.
"Freezing his food solid or burning it all to a crisp might be a bit more extreme than what you have in mind."
She had enough food to last her years. It was all wonderful. Accepting the mug he had for her she drank it wondering what it was. She didn't ask any questions though knowing that sometimes it was best to just accept things. She listened as he spoke too.
"Don't worry I didn't take that as an insult. It is difficult for someone so big to think small. It's not just being this size, but living this size. You are only starting to see what my world is like. There is still so much to be learned about being me," she said smiling as she continued to drink this new elixir.
"I was thinking we could plant a fake rat among the food. We could also use rope and vines and move his things around so he could think he's haunted," she said sharing the ideas that were coming. They were small and tame compared to what he said, but that's how she worked.
"Sometimes stealing an item that they need is an option too. I once took a human's whole pack from him and hid it. He wasn't very happy with me."
A quick assessment of the vendor and his cart showed that all of those things were viable options, but since some of his food looked like rats, that gag probably would have little effect. He could do the whole haunting bit by himself, without any tools or props, but he doubted Findra would get much fun out of that. Half the fun was pulling the prank. If she had no part in it, that wouldn't be nearly as fun. That left the theft. It was a wheeled cart, and it had a break peg to lock it in place while the vendor served his customers. It would be amusing to steal that after he put it in. It would make the cart unstable as the man worked, causing minor mayhem.
"I have some thoughts on those," Rit said, turning to face Findra. He explained everything he had thought of to her, and would let her decide if haunting or stealing would be best. As he started to let her in on his thoughts, he vanished the leftovers, and the furnishings. He replaced Fin's chair, even as she sat in it, with a large fluffy cushion. Her reactions to his powers had been fairly calm so far, so transferring into a nice comfortable spot didn't seem like a bad choice. With spill proof mugs for their coffee, not much could go wrong.
"Thoughts, suggestions, criticism?"
Fin was a little shocked when her chair changed. She didn't say anything though. It was much better even more comfortable, and the best part was her drink didn't spill. She wondered how he thought of everything like this. She was glad they had met yet again.
"That is brilliant. While it would be fun to haunt him and scare off all his customers it might be even better if he turns around and his cart is completely gone. I say we go for the steal on this one," she said not being able to help but smile.
"It would have to be timed just right though for this to work."
Rit was more than happy with the decision to steal the brake peg and make the cart roll away while the vendor wasn't looking. Frozen in time as everything was, they were able to observe the area and see that the man was being waved down by a potential customer. That would give them the opportunity they required to steal the peg. The more customers the better. It would give them time to get the prank done. From the safety of the time bubble, Rit drained the energy from several people nearby, just enough that they would now realize they were hungry, and he enhanced the odor of the food cart, making it smell a bit more appetizing. That should get the cart vendor quite a few customers, prolonging the distraction, and lightening the load in the cart.
"Well I've laid some ground work," Rit explained what he had done to Findra. "You're the expert," he said with a smile, "What's the plan from here?"
Fin heard his words not sure exactly what Rit had done to assist in this. She had a feeling she wouldn't know either. She saw a dog walking past and the idea hit her. She looked and saw the vendor was way too busy to notice anything out of the ordinary. Without thought she lassoed the dog's tail and let the animal go by.
Fin was out of the bubble quickly. She ran for the vendor getting there carefully. She was more skilled in size. Having what she wanted she let the vine go its long way. It still had a ways to go before it would yank anything. She tied the remaining vine around the peg. Carefully she made her way back to the hole and Rit.
"Now we just watch. The dog should do the rest for us."
As Fin stepped from the bubble she was frozen in time with everything else. Rit dismissed all that remained of his conjured amenities, and then the time bubble as well. He couldn't help be awed by Findra's reckless bravery. She seemed without fear as she ran out where feet could crush her. If the dog noticed her, it might have thought her a fun chew toy, but he doubted that crossed her mind. She was back quickly and they stood together watching the dog move away, the vine growing taut. But the dog paused to sniff around a few times, as dogs are known to do, and more customers bought food from the vendor, lightening his load.
As the dog reached the limit of the vine, it hesitated at the tug and began to turn to inspect its tail. The peg was in too tight for that little tug to do the trick. Quick reaction kept the prank going. Rit opened a small portal leading from himself to right behind the dog. With a snap from his fingers, he sent an electrical charge through to zap the dog on the rump. With a yelp it dashed off, tugging the brake peg loose. Without the brake in place, the well maintained cart was free to roll at the slightest nudge.
"Here comes the fun."
What came next was wonderful. Not even she could have planned better alone. She watched as Rit zapped the dog sending him running. He was back quick enough and the cart started rolling down the hill. She laughed wondering where it was headed.
"Do they have any bodies of water down that hill? Only thing to make this better would be a wet hot dog cart," she said laughing as the man started to chase his cart. It was awesome.
"That was wonderful. I wonder what is next."
What Ritousaey saw was indeed awesome, but it was not the prank his eyes were on. Findra was an amazing discovery. Her smile, her laughter, they were intoxicating. He didn't realize until now how much he missed companionship, and all the pleasures it brought. He couldn't help remembering his first mortality. The sound of his once brother Telpris, playing his magical instruments, or the ridiculous antics of his first friend Eshdin. He could visit them if he wished, but that would complicate the lives of long dead friends who wouldn't recognize this him. A momentary pang of sadness drew a tear from his eye as it mingled with the joy of having a new friend, and the smile that brought to his face.
Rit looked at Fin very seriously to make sure she understood the levity of what he said next, "you have brightened my existence in a very short time, reminded me that mortality may be painful, but that its the pain that makes these moments all the brighter. I vow that as long as your bloodline continues, this world will live." Rit reached up and plucked the tear from his face, and as he did it transformed into a beautiful gem. He pulled a fine platinum chain from the air and attached the tear to it. "Wear this piece of my essence always, and I will always be with you, keeping you safe," he handed the necklace to Findra. "It cannot be destroyed by any means, nor can it be lost, and it cannot be taken from you against your will. Pass it to your child when the time comes." His face then brightened into a smile again after that, "so what is next? Nothing calls me away, so I am still at your service."
She heard what he said and looked away from the catastrophe they had just caused. She took the gem and put it around her neck wondering what was going on exactly. She had apparently saved the world with little effort. She wasn't sure what it was, but he seemed to like it.
"It might be awhile before I have a family. I'm more the wandering type. I promise I'll pass it along though. Does this mean though that if you were called away you would leave and not come back?" She said that prospect saddening her. It wasn't the fact that he helped make her pranks easier. She hadn't had anyone like this to talk to in a very long time.
"I often lose track of time and hundreds of years will pass without my noticing. But as I can travel any direction through time, that matters little. I can be in as many places as many times at once as I wish." Another Rit appeared next to the first and continued to talk, "I can always come back to right now whenever I like," the new Rit said with a broad smile, and the old Rit simply vanished. "That was the moment I went back and became me. I could leave and return and you wouldn't even notice I was gone," he continued, "but it's best that I not interfere with certain critical moments in a persons timeline if I wish for a desired outcome. Like helping a butterfly escape its cocoon will lead to its death. So at some point I will need to depart and let your journey unfold without my constant presence."
"For now I'm at your service. What sort of harmless mayhem would you like to create?"
It shocked her when he suddenly made two of himself. She didn't like the idea of him leaving and not coming back at all. It got her thinking.
"But what if meeting you was a critical part of my journey? Can you see the future too? How do you know my journey doesn't involve you too?" She said liking having someone else around her size. It didn't hurt he could help her cause mayhem and that he was interested in doing so.
Fin was looking around the place not sure what else they could do. She smiled when she saw someone staring at their reflection in a window. She knew who he was and wondered if this was a good idea.
"Well I see two who could use messing with. The town bully could be slowly shrinking or at least thing he is. The other is the guy staring at himself in the window. Could be he sees himself differently like he's ugly or something," she said wondering if Rit could do this. She didn't know the extent of his powers. She kept looking around though just in case she needed to do something by herself.
"Simple tricks. One just an illusion. The other will take the enlarging of his clothes."
Rit pointed to the reflection and the face the man saw, very slowly, began to change into the visage of an ogre. Needless to say, the man began to get hysterical. After a few moments he was running off screaming about his face. The bully was not a hard task either. His clothing began to grow. But not much. It was a time released effect. Over the next few hours his clothing would very very slowly, get a few sizes larger. But already you could see his confusion at why his pants suddenly felt as if they weren't going to stay up.
"We won't be able to see the payoff on the bully, but I'm sure it will be worth it." Rit turned to Fin, "and to answer your question, yes, I can see the future," he said, "but it's a bit more complex than that. I can see all the possible futures, but I can't see my own. So if I remain near you for long I won't be able to see yours either. It's best I don't linger in any place for more than a few days."
"I'm surprised you haven't learned yet," she said knowing it was simple tricks that made life fun. It made it easy to laugh. She chuckled as she saw the man run off yelling about his face. It was good. He was right about the bully, but it would put something else in motion too. People would talk they always did.
"Have you looked at my future without you? Does it look good, or do I look as lonely as I think I'll be?" She asked keeping it simple. That was how the world was for her - simple. She didn't need complex or even too many promises. Normally she would look for fun.
"I don't know why seeing my future is so important. I can guess how it will go. I'll be playing pranks until my last days. I might have a family if I ever find someone special. Otherwise I'll have to appoint someone to pass along your gift. I'll be around having fun wishing all the day long just as before."
"Your question is fairly simple, but I fear the answer is more complex than you can imagine." Rit conjured a dry erase board and an assortment of colored markers and began to draw.
"Imagine that your life, your reality, is a river." He drew a swervy blue line across the board. He made several dots along the "river."
"Each dot is a choice you make, whether it be take the left road or the right road, or eat an apple or eat a pear." Then he made branches off the river at each dot.
"Every time you make a choice a new reality spilts off, and each time a different you makes a choice in each of those realities, more are made." He drew more branches off the smaller one. He took a moment then, hands moving faster than the eye could see, to use all the colors to draw a very intricate web of overlaying lines. It was like spider web meets ball of string. It filled the huge board entirely.
"With all the people, all the possible choices, all the random events that could occur, this is what one second looks like just along this street." Rit sat, hovering cross-legged three inches off the floor.
"If I follow your threads forward in time, I can see you happy and sad, I see you live long lives and short. You sometimes have many children and sometimes none. Your path is at times lonely and others so full of friendship you can't find time to be alone. You fight in wars, you become a leader of little people. You also are reclusive, and solitary by choice, avoiding the lives of others."
Rit looked to see how his words were affecting Findra. "One thing I never see are any of your funerals, which means a future me is at all of them. I guess you have a pretty big impact on me." He smiled at her then.
She watched and listened his words having some impact on her. She hadn't thought much about her future. A leader of little people? Fight in wars? What wars? Why would I fight anyone I have no enemies and am loyal to only myself. He's talking crazy. She thought sighing.
"You may see all that but I don't. In life we are suppose to have choices right? Well if you leave then won't my choice be taken away from me? The one thing you said that makes any sense of my future is being a recluse and alone. The rest doesn't sound right. I play practical jokes not fight," she said wondering if he would even believe her. She heard what he said about funerals.
"What is a funeral? I do?" She said amazed a little that she could have an impact on anyone.
Findra's pure innocence made Ritousaey smile. Her ignorance of what a funeral was made him chuckle softly. A funeral is an event held to mark a persons death. Sometimes they are sad occasions full of mourning, others are a celebration of a life well lived. Either way, I will be at yours, so I cannot see it since I cannot see my own future." Rit got a far away look in his eyes just then, recalling back across the eons.
"There are a rare few people to have existed that impacted my life so much that I was at every funeral they had on the time web of the multiverse. So I've deduced that you will be a very important impact on me." He smiled at her again.
"I say we have some more fun in the mean time."
"Ah well then you'd be the only one at mine. I can't think of a single other being who would care if I was alive or not," she said knowing it was true. It made it easier to leave her village knowing they wouldn't care if she was there or not. It was a sad topic, and she was glad he moved on.
"Have you learned anything yet from being by my side and at this size?" She asked studying the surroundings instead of watching him. He wanted more fun, but that didn't always come right away.
"In due time, tell me more about where you are from while we wait," she said knowing that patience, while boring and inconvient, was of essence in life.
Rit threw Findra another smile. "I have learned more than I expected," he said to her, "and am pleased to say so. I have learned that little things can be more important than big ones, that the street is much bigger from down here, and the world in perspective, isn't the tiny place I see it as." He stepped up beside her and followed her gaze, as she scanned the surroundings. "Its good to relax and not take my existence so seriously."
After a moment he answered her other question, "I am from nowhere. When I was created, nothing else existed yet, not even the gods. Though my first mortal timeline began on a planet called Ycrad. I lived there for thousands of years before being released into my true powers. Most of my highly cherished memories and loved ones are there."
"Why did you leave your home?"
She was liking his answers. She hadn't expected some of what he said, but was glad she could help make some impression. Life wasn't always so easy for one her size. She often risked getting caught. She tried not to think of such things.
"One must have a home to leave a home. I like you am from nowhere. Oh yeah I come from a village and have lived there but it was never home. I have yet to find a place to call home and just stay put. I like wandering and the great things that come from the pranks I play. I couldn't find enough fun in the village so I set out to find some," she said her answer simple. That was just her though - simple.
"In my early mortal experiences, I envied people that had stable lives, and didn't have to move around much. I was always on the go, looking for answers and going on dangerous adventures. It was probably my deepest desire, until I began to lust for death. Then it was simply true mortality that I envied."
He sat on the floor with his chin on his knees and looked at some bugs that were crawling by. They were still tiny compared to him, and the span of their lives would be gone in the flutter of his eye. Perspective was so important. He'd forgotten that. He was always larger than life, being this big wasn't ever a thought he entertained. Why make yourself smaller, when you can make yourself infinitely larger? Meeting Findra was quite fortuitous. Hmmmmmmmm........ Larger........
'Idea!' On a whim he reached out and touched a water beetle that was walking by. It stood there calmly as it grew in size. Once it was large enough, Rit conjured up a palanquin fit for two on its back. He reached out and duplicated the enlarging process on a few ants, and outfitted them with plated armor. They would serve as an honor guard. He stood and turned to see Findra's reaction, and bowing to her said, "would you care for a ride my lady? It will prove to be most exciting."
"But those people usually end up being so boring. If you had died when you wanted to you wouldn't have met me," she said keeping it simple still. It was best not to complicate things unless it was a master plan and needed it.
They sat in silence for a few minutes. She was still looking around trying to come up with an idea for fun. He beat her to it though as a water beetle and two ants were enlarged. She looked at him and noticed he bowed to her. She wasn't sure why he had done that, but thought it best not to question.
"A great idea. I can only imagine what the bigger ones will think if they see us," she said a big smile on her face. She had never ridden a beetle before either. She got on leaving room for him and waited for him to mount up. She had no idea where they would go, but that was half the fun - the adventure.
Up he went, and down the street they went at a decent pace. He steered the beetle toward the docks. What was the point of riding a water bug if you didn't take advantage of its aquatic capabilities. The ants, armored as they were easily kept anyone from approaching, and Rit waved at a few children that had pointed them out to their parents. They got some looks and a few stares. He was sure this was the first time any of them had seen something like this, but with as diverse as these people were, he figured it wasn't that big of a deal to them. The weather was pleasant and the crowds not too thick, so the ride was nice. It would have been much faster for him to teleport them to the docks, but where was the fun in that. At one point a curious cat did approach them, but the ants, though only the size of large mice, chased it of. Armor and powerful mandibles were not something cats were used to contending with.
"So what was your village like?"
Fin was having fun. She could't think of a better time than this one. She noted he waved at children. She wondered what they thought of all this it wasn't every day they saw a brownie riding around with someone else her size on a water bug. Nor the water bug being the size it was.
Fin felt bad for the cat. Only a little though it would have done something evil she was sure of that. She and cats just didn't get along. It was more a size thing than anything that and the fact they happened to be bullies.
"Much like this one. We lived around humans. Some of the brownies there liked helping humans I never understood why though," she said still looking around a little. Her mind was always at work on how to play the next prank or how to have more fun. Sometime those two were combined.
Rit was glad to see Findra's obvious enjoyment. It was good to bring happiness to others. That was perhaps his favorite part of the job. Fin was an excellent companion, and easy to please.
"They probably enjoyed helping humans," Rit commented, "just as I enjoy my time with you. It's all about the company and the shared goals."
As they turned a corner he could get a clear view of the water in the distance. Not long until they were at the docks now. Perhaps they could enjoy some fishing or some other aquatic activity.
"So what did you do in your village," he asked her, "just play all day? Or did you work?"
Fin had no idea he was thinking of going into the water. She was a little uneasy considering fish usually liked to try and eat her. She also knew the ants wouldn't be coming along with them as they couldn't endure water. She wanted to say something, but she didn't want this fun to stop.
"That's true. I guess perspective helps too. I've never seen a bright enough human though to want to help them," she said smiling. It was true she had yet to meet one intelligent enough for her. That didn't mean they weren't out there.
"And don't think you count in this. You are very different from anyone I've ever met before," she said hoping he would take it as the compliment she meant it as. She heard the question wondering just how much she should share. It wasn't wise keeping secrets.
"Much the same as I do now. I've not changed since I learned what a prank was and how to play one. It's one of the reasons those in that village are happy I'm gone I would play pranks on the humans they were trying to help. I even undid some of their work sometimes."
"Well I suppose some are not meant for community. But that does not mean that you can't be part of a fellowship," Rit said, turning to Fin, "I'm sure there are other like minded brownies and tiny fae that you could join up with. Most of the tiny fae I have met have been mischief inclined. And while they didn't tend to be as pure hearted and innocent in intent as you," he smiled at how ridiculous that sounded, "they enjoyed having fun and working as little as possible." Rit laughed at a memory he had from being Aeytrious.
"There was a druid I once knew that had quite a serious prank played on him by a fairy trio. You would have liked those three," Rit laughed again. "He was miserable for several weeks. They put poisonous plants in his boots while he was bathing."
As they approached the water Rit reached through time and pulled out two fishing poles with more bells and whistles than would be imagined for hundreds of years. He magicked away the top of their palanquin and then showed Fin how to cast using the fancy pole and reel.
"Don't worry about the fish getting us. I'll make it so they won't be able to see us from under the water. And I've magicked your pole to shrink the fish you hook so you won't get pulled out."
"That's right just like me," she said a big grin on her lips. She was starting to enjoy her time with Rit. She heard about the fae trio and the prank it made her laugh.
"You are right I would have liked those three. I tend to shy away from magic users though you never know exactly what they will do to the likes of me. They don't take kind to mischief makers at all. Did the druid repay the fae trio?" She asked intrigued by their boldness. She wished she could be that brave.
"Poles instead of nets? This is new. Thank you I don't need a bath just yet," she said and chuckled a little. She just hoped she did't give him any ideas.
Rit smiled at Fin's bath comment. The peoples of this era were not as frequent bathers. The rich, and the nobles did tend to bathe more often. But common folk often couldn't afford soap or clean water on a regular basis, and there were superstitions about washing away things you didn't want to wash away. Some simple things like that, Rit had trouble understanding. Superstitions seemed a bit silly to him when he could see most all of reality.
"The Druid did nothing in retribution. He had a very strong opinion about nature and not disturbing the balance of the universe," Rit smiled at that, "Druids tend to be that way. They don't seem to realize it's really hard to disturb the balance. There is so much going on everywhere, things tend to balance out of their own accord." He paused thinking back to that time and the other companions that he had. "The magic user of the group would have liked you. He was very much into creating chaos. The Paladin however would have wanted to punish you. Not kill you I'm sure, but he was so uptight all the time."
She noted he smiled. A smile looked good on him. She knew not to get attached in any way as he was going to be leaving her. She figured she'd have a friend who would pop in and out from time to time.
"Life is like that so I've seen. Even though I've played tricks on people that doesn't stop them from moving on with their lives and doing things like they do every day. I've seen life balance itself with death and birth. People don't always know when I'm around," she said with a grin. It was easy to ignore something or someone when you weren't looking for them.
"I'm sure that guy and I wouldn't have gotten along. I tend to play more pranks on the uptight ones. I remember once that I had this guy in a forest he got a few quills in the backside. Boy did he holler," she said chuckling. It was good having someone to share stories with.
Just stopping to enjoy himself was something Rit hadn't done in quite a long time. Running into this adorable brownie was a pleasant bit of serendipity. She made him miss living as a mortal. Life had so much more meaning when it was a fleeting thing. His was pulled from his momentary reverie by fish on his hook. There was not much of a struggle to reel it in, and as he pulled it out of the water he used a small hand net to lift it. The fish had pretty blue and yellow scales, and from what he had overheard from the locals, it was delicious when grilled with a little salt. He gently held the fish with one hand as he pulled the hook free with the other. A tiny spark of magic healed the fish and removed the trauma of being fished out of the ocean as Rit slipped it back into the water.
"So besides playing pranks and lazing about, what do you like to do to pass the time?"
Fin watched as he fished and then put the fish back into the water. She didn't understand that knowing humans ate what they caught. She just watched almost missing his question. She sighed.
"Well staying alive along with praying those pranks passes the time. I don't do much lazing. I don't want to even think about what it would be like to be caught by an actual human. There is no telling what they would do to one my size."
Edmund Preach, known as Captain Bllackheart to the general population, figured it must be his birthday. He didn't know when his actual birthday was, but a bustling port filled with traders and goods was the greatest gift he could have gotten. He immediately ordered his men to take the ship into the port. They had some shopping to do.
Rit was enjoying the calm of the day, sitting with Fin on the water when he noticed the ship approaching. The dark aura that surrounded the ship made him use his near omniscience to call up what he knew of that vessel. Hades' Call, the ship of Edmund Preach more commonly known as Captain Blackheart. A man such as that would not bring good things to the shores of the Yoreiqi Isles.
Ritousaey, guardian of the multiverse, charged with restoring the balance of this universe by bringing light and hope to this Earth could not let the scourge of the high seas land at Ainu's port. He waved his hand and strong winds picked up, blowing strong into the sails of Hades' Call. The winds would push the ship away from the islands, they would shift so that the vessel couldn't laveer and make port. If the pirates wanted to land, they would have to lower their sails and use oars. To make that difficult as well, Rit shifted the local currents around the ship. The rowers would be stroking against those currents if they tried for Ainu. Rit did not wish to engage in combat directly with the pirates, not unless he had to. Hopefully his deterrents would suffice. Just in case he stepped out of this moment in time and found the lookout that was assigned to spotting pirates today. An invisible force that was Rit urged the lookout to use his spyglass and see Hades' Call. When he caught sight of the boat Rit whispered the name of the ship into his mind and name struck fear into his heart. The spotter would start the alarm, the island would be combat ready long before Captain Blackheart could arrive at port with the difficulties Rit had set in his path. He stepped back into the moment he had left, and Fin would not even notice he had been gone, for truthfully, he had not. Being more powerful than the "little g" gods of this world, being omnipresent was an easy trick for Rit.
"Well Fin," Rit said to his little friend, "as long as you have the crystal tear I gave you, you will forever be protected, and not have to worry about such perils."
Fin noted the ship and Rit's attention to it. She almost asked some questions, but didn't say anything to break his concentration. It wasn't long before he was back to her. She listened to what he said more questions coming to her.
"How does that work? What was up with that ship?" She said not sure about any of this. It didn't scare her though. She just wanted to know.
Blackheart noticed the change in the winds and current. There was a greater power at work here. One of his crew members approached him.
"Captain, the winds and current have.."
"I know they have," Blackheart interrupted. "Proceed to shore in a zigzag pattern. It'll be easier than taking the elements head-on."
He would have his prize. He never left empty-handed.
"The tear allows me to see and hear you even through the fog of my own future. It's rather complicated. Needless to say that as long as you don't give it away, I'll never be far from you. As for the ship, there are very bad men aboard and I do not intend to let them ruin our day.""
While Rit was sitting with Fin fishing, another Rit, one that had stepped out of time, flittered between the men on the approaching vessel. He looked into their minds searching for what he needed. Sailors as it happened were very superstitious, pirates tended to be even more so. Frozen in time like this it was easy for Rit to find the ones that would be most susceptible to his implanted suggestions. He whispered into their minds, stirring up their darkest fears, sending chills up their spines. In a panicked state, they would hopefully spread their terror to the others.