Starting out on a journey

[Anonymous]

Kinsey looked up at the tavern in front of her.  Ah, she thought, she finally made it to Thantos.  She would have made it there sooner too if it wasn't for those stupid pirates she had run into along the way.  Pirates, you can't live with them you can't live without them, she thought as she entered the tavern.  Once they heard the door open, all eyes were trained on her.  She silently. laughed, of course they would be staring at her.  Her Serenian looks didn't exactly fit in here.   Brushing off their stares, she scanned the room looking for a certain man. She was on a mission after all. She had to focus.

Aha! Her eyes locked on the back of the man's head.  She sauntered over to him and took the sext to his left.  "Well, hello there," she said, extending her hand to the man,"Kinsley Sheffield, seer for hire, at your service." She winked at him, looking him over.  Hm, he didn't seem too bad, she thought.  He might certainly make an excellent companion along her journey.  "I heard you want to get out of here," she paused, "Well, you're in luck.  I'll help you leave this place at no charge.  The only thing you have to do for me in return is cook our meals.  I'm not the best cook in the world." She leaned back in her chair, watching him for any signs of a possible decision.  "So, what do you say?  Are you ready to start out on a journey out of this place?"

[Anonymous]

Jade had finally decided to leave Thanatos. It had taken him another month after this decision to finally make the preparations for his departure. He took with him a sturdy staff made from a branch behind his small home. For the last time, he stood before his mother's grave. Maybe one day, when Thanatos could except his appearance, he would return. But for now, it was time to say good bye to only home he had ever known. Now, it was time to set out for the world of the strange and wonderful. Jade packed rations, and a small healer's kit and was on his way. The young man was very careful to hide his eyes under the hood of a cloak and the weight of his hair. He had no idea that he looked like a specter to the people who saw him. His painful and ungainly shuffle, along with his all black clothes made many of the people passing him bye make signs to ward off evil. Jade didn't notice any of this. He simply kept his eyes on the road, focusing only on putting one foot in front of the other. At one point in his journey, Jade heard cat calls. With all the speed he could muster, the man hobbled quickly into hiding and waited until the early morning before he moved forward again.

Finally, after two weeks of this, he reached the port town of Ji'inta. It was a mystery to Jade. All of the people and the sounds. The ghost he considered his closest companion, a man who had once been a bard by the name of Lewitt Thumas, whispered into his ear. The once bard had met his demise at the hands of a nobleman. His silver tongue had led him places where non should dally. Mainly, the boudoirs of rosey-cheeked noble ladies.

"Look for a tavern, lad. They won't care what you look like long as you have the coin."

"Tavern?" Jade muttered to the ghost. He vaguely remembered what a tavern was from one of Lewitt's stories. How did a person go about looking for a tavern? Follow the sound of debauchery?

"Ach, don't worry, lad. Just follow me." Lewitt Said, exasperated. And so Jade did. The ghost led him to a Tavern that sat squarely on the edge of both seedy and respectable, The Cavorting Stag, it was called. Jade limped into the tavern and froze as every eye in the place sized him up. Mercifully, those same eyes quicky deemed him a non-entity and went about their business. Jade sighed in relief and found a table as far away from the others as possible. He jumped in surprised when a girl, or was it a woman? Sat next to him and brazenly introduced herself.

"Kinsley Sheffield, seer for hire, at your service."

Jade stared at the woman's hand for a moment, wide-eyed and at a loss for words. Lewitt gave him a spectral nudge which jolted him from his shock and he cautiously took her hand.It was warm and surprisngly soft. Is this what all girls felt like?

"J-Jade Ohanzee, Wanderer and, uh, not much else, really."

"I heard you want to get out of here,"

"How'd you know? I haven't talked with anyone since I left my village." Jade was shocked. Lewitt muttered a warning of caution in his ear. Jade wasn't quite sure what to think. He did want to leave, but he didn't think it would be this easy. Only in his silliest of fantasies did he think someone would simply come up to him and offer him a 'Get out of Thanati free' card. Even in his naive mind, Jade knew there had to be something else to it.

"you'll let me go if I just cook for you? That seems... Too easy."

[Anonymous]

"J-Jade Ohanzee, Wanderer and, uh, not much else, really." 

She openly looked him up and down, "Just a wanderer, that's all?" She smirked at him, teasing the poor lad. "Well, that's not impressive at all, now is it?" she leaned towards him, "Are you sure that's all you are?" Kinsey mentally laughed, leaning back in her chair.  Oh, how fun this boy was to tease already and she had just met him.  She could already tell they would have fun traveling together. Now, she just had to convince him.  She had thought her grand introduction would convince him, but apparently not.  Note to self, she thought, grand gestures are only a benefit when she is doing a reading.

"How'd you know? I haven't talked with anyone since I left my village." Jade was shocked.  Kinsey looked at the boy, astonished.  Was this boy deaf or did he simply not pay attention to people when they talked to him?  "I'm a seer-for-hire, lad.  Did you not hear me the first time?" she leaned back in her chair some more, "The way I knew you wanted to leave this place was because I had a vision about you.  For pete's sakes lad, I'm not Kia." She sighed, exasperated.  How old exactly was this boy?

"You'll let me go if I just cook for you? That seems... Too easy," he told her, looking suspicious.  Of course this couldn't be easy, she sighed.  Great Kia, why do you make this hard?  "Of course it's that easy, boy.  I happen to not be the best at cooking, and could use a little help. Also, some companionship would be nice.  I have a cat, but sometimes it would be lovely to have someone to talk to." She sighed, leaning closer to him,"I'm a seer-for-hire, boy, not a thief or a swindler.  No need to look at me so suspiciously now."

[Anonymous]

"Just a wanderer, that's all?" She smirked at him, teasing the poor lad. "Well, that's not impressive at all, now is it?"

"Well, for a Thanati, i'm not very impressive to start with," he chuckled weakly. "Compared to all the flesh sculptors and Necromancers, i'm like a prawn in pond full of Lionfish"

"I'm a seer-for-hire, lad.  Did you not hear me the first time?"

Oh he'd heard her alright. That didn't necessarily mean that he knew what the word meant. There were, as far as poor sheltered Jade knew, no Seers on Thanatos. So there was no need to know the word.

"Yeah, that makes sense. I misspoke earlier. It's been a long day, you see. What with the travelling and the....More travelling..."

So that was really all it was going to take to get off the island. Being cook to this fiery woman and her cat? Then so be it. Jade looked to his ghostly mentor for his opinion, Lewitt shrugged as if to say 'Good enough for me'. The young medium looked at Kinsley and smiled for the first time in what felt like a eternity.

"You've got yourself a Deal, Miss Sheffield."

[Anonymous]

"You've got yourself a Deal, Miss Sheffield."

Kinsey smiled at the boy, standing up. "Excellent, just what I wanted to hear lad."  Great Kia, that turned out well.  She was glad he had agreed to her offer, she really did need a cook.  She wasn't exactly one of the best cooks in all of Serendipity.  Her mother had been teaching her how to cook little by little before she died, she frowned.  Mother, Father, I miss you.  She sighed, alas, she must not think about such things right now.  She had to focus on getting her and this boy out of here.  She couldn't wait to get out of here too.  Thanatos wasn't exactly her favorite place to travel too, but that probably had to do with the fact that they didn't like foreigners here and with her looks, she definitely looked like a foreigner.  

"Oh," she looked at the boy, opening her bag a little bit, "I would like you to meet my cat, Shadow."  Kinsey pulled her cat out and placed him in front of the boy's face.  Shadow mewed at her, clearly annoyed at her for waking him up from his beauty sleep.  She silently laughed, her cat could be such a drama king sometimes.  She leaned closer to the boy's face, "So, what do you think of him?" she asked, petting her cat before placing a kiss on the top of his hand and putting him back in her bag.  She made sure to leave her flap open a little, so he could get some air.  She didn't want anything to happen to Shadow, afterall.    

"He doesn't typically like being waken up," she said, rocking back and forth on her feet, "but I promise you, he will take a liking to you later on."  Well, she thought, at least she hoped her cat would take a liking to this lad later on.  She didn't exactly want her cat and the boy getting mad at each other constantly.  She let out a small giggle, as she pictured a cat and a boy getting in a fight.  It was definitely an interesting and funny mental image.  Kinsey looked back over at the boy, eyeing him, "How exactly old are you, boy?" she tilted her head to the side a little, "and how tall?"  Hm, she looked him over again.  She was guessing he was about her age and taller than her, but she couldn't tell how much taller than her he was.  She shrugged, most people were taller than her, though.  Kinsey was definitely used to being short.  Just cause she was short didn't mean people could easily pick on, though.  She would not take crap from anyone.  Kinsey leaned back against the counter, closing her eyes, "I'm ready to leave whenever you are, boy."  She opened her eyes and smirked at him.  Oh, how different these two were from each other.