Wanderer

[Anonymous]

(Trying out a thread, maybe someone will like my writing?  And sorry, I couldn't think up a very good title.)

It wasn't going very well.  Maybe people were sick of streetside performers, maybe his tricks weren't flashy enough.  Maybe it was his appearance.

Naishi looked out over the crowds walking by and around him, the tip of his long draconian tail twitching with irritation.  He tried not to show it on his face, smiling at passersby, keeping up a running commentary on the tricks he was doing.  Admittedly, juggling knives was pretty passe, though he did get a few looks when he added a couple of fireballs to the mix.  Still not enough; when he glanced down, there were only a few coins in the bag.

The children were interested, of course, but they didn't have much in the way of money.  He thought they might be a little nervous of him as well, with his height of 6'5", his oversized clawed feet, his horns and tail and sharp teeth.  Just because strange creatures often passed through here didn't mean they weren't a little scary.

He caught the knives and let the fireballs dissolve, then ran long fingers through his sandy blond hair.  Pale green eyes, flecked with gold, scanned the crowd.  If no one showed some interest in his tricks, he was going to have to either convince an inn owner to let him work for his supper, or go out hunting.  Well, fishing, he supposed; not that he was very good at that.  Was there anyone?

[Anonymous]

(Sorry for the slight powerplay there having him whack into your character, hope it's not too much)

Layne hadn’t been in Cerenis long before he started getting in trouble. What could one expect? He was afraid of everything, and he did an ass-backwards job of trying to hide it. Other street urchins enjoyed frightening him, which would usually cause him to turn uncontrollably into a sheep and that was just awful.

This time, he was running away from a rat that had bolted across the alleyway he’d been in. Vermin were among the less severe of his abundant apparent phobias, but the sudden movement had scared him more than anything. Lack of proper rest made him even more paranoid, and his wan appearance confirmed that he was in such a sleep-deprived state now.

He took no notice of the crowd as he fled, nor of his own battered and mangy look. He was too pale and too thin, smeared all over with dirt, and his clothes were too big, torn in numerous places, and faded to beigish-grey from whatever colour they had once been. His black hair was matted, bedraggled and dull. His brown eyes, worst of all, seemed disproportionably large for his body and had the haunted look of someone about to go into hysterics.

Yet another thing he didn’t notice in his panic was a street performer, who of course, being the clumsy little guy that he was, he smacked into and, being considerably lighter and frailer than the stranger, ended up falling over on his rear. Oooh no, this guy looked scary, he had big teeth and really dangerous-looking horns…  

“I’m s-sorry mister, I d-d-didn’t mean to b-bump into you,� he looked embarrassed about his stutter, but he couldn’t talk without it and especially not when he was nervous. He got up, didn’t even bother trying to dust himself off, and prepared to run for his life, wishing he’d never stowed away on the ship that brought him here.

[Anonymous]

(heh, no, I don't mind powerplays to a point)

Nope, still nobody paying him much attention.  With a sigh he started to pack up his gear, and that was when somebody ran full-tilt into him.

He took a step back, startled, but it was just a kid, or at least he thought it was kid.  Scrawny little thing, didn't look like he'd had a good meal in a while.  No match against Naishi, proved by the fact that the kid fell on his backside from the impact.

The kid stuttered an apology and got up, obviously about to run.  Without thinking, Naishi reached out and grabbed his shoulder, then mentally cursed himself.  Kid looked scared enough as it was, probably didn't want strangers grabbing him.

"Don't worry about it," Naishi said hurriedly, releasing him.  "Look, kid, I..."  He leaned down and scooped up the few coins he'd managed to gather.  "Here.  You look like you could use these."

[Anonymous]

“Eep!�

Layne nearly jumped out of his skin- well actually, he was closer to ending up bovine, considering he could already feel his fingernails turning to hooves. It took every bit of control he had to turn them back.

The man had just grabbed him, and he was sure he was in serious trouble now. He took a breath and made it as deep as he could, because he was considering the possibility that it might be his last. His lungs were quite powerful for his size, possibly due to all the running away screaming he did on a regular basis, and when filled to full capacity they threatened to burst his puny ribcage.

What was this? Don’t worry about it? And then the guy… let him go? No yelling, no muttered death threats, no wringing his neck? Huh. Very odd… or maybe just unexpected. He blinked in further disbelief when offered a few coins, and then looked the dragon-guy up and down with suspicion in his eyes.

Although whenever the cities he was in had a rundown part, that was where he’d be found, he had spent time on the streets of several different cities and there were some where the strangers were more dangerous than others. He hadn’t been here long enough to figure out the ratio of malevolence to benevolence, but since there were no real slums here like he was used to he figured that must say something about the place. On the other hand, however, he lived by a rule of better safe than sorry.

“I c-c-couldn’t accept these, sir, it l-l-looks l-like they’re all th-that you’ve g-g-got.� It was a comically ironic excuse, when his emaciated form and worn-out clothes were taken into account, but it was an excuse nonetheless.

[Anonymous]

Naishi looked at the kid in disbelief.  He was refusing the money?  When he was in such a bedraggled state?

Kid was looking at him suspiciously; Naishi couldn't really blame him.  If their positions had been reversed, he would be suspicious too.  Of course, if their positions had been reversed, he would accept the damn money.  Or maybe that was his stomach talking, because it was certainly making a few growling noises.

"Look, kid," he crouched down to put himself closer to the kid's height, curling his long tail around his feet, "I can go hunt for my food if I have to.  You look like you'd be the one hunted.  Take the money, I'm not going to hurt you."

He didn't know if that would work.  After all, anyone could promise something and then not go through with it.  Though he didn't know what the kid expected him to do; he'd already grabbed him and let him go.  Maybe he thought Naishi would ask for something in return.

With this thought on his mind, Naishi added, "It's free money.  Take it, buy yourself some food.  No strings attached."  He thought for a moment, maybe it would help...  "My name's Naishi, by the way."

[Anonymous]

You look like you’d be the one hunted. Okay, now that was a phrase that really freaked him out. Layne was so nervous now that his magic was starting to slip out of his control… again. People nearby were looking drowsier by the minute; hypnotic abilities were harder to rein in than turning into a sheep was.

And hadn’t the man’s stomach just growled a few seconds ago? Maybe he was going to eat Layne, but he liked to play with his food first. He had mentioned hunting, after all, but he hadn’t necessarily said he’d be hunting animals. He looked up when he heard a name and thought, if he were a cannibal, would he think it wise to tell a prospective victim his name? Seemed like an unnecessary risk of the prey escaped, didn’t it? That poked a hole or two in the sheep-boy’s earlier logic, so he finally allowed the coins to clink into his palm.

“Th-thank you, Naishi, sir. M-my n-n-name is Layne.� He was really started to get sick of his own stutter, but there was nothing he could do about it except not talk. He’d changed his mind about running off- not only had Naishi not hurt him yet, but he looked like he’d be good to hide behind if necessary, and Layne was always looking for someone big, strong and relatively trustworthy to hide behind.

[Anonymous]

"Hi, Layne.  Just Naishi, I'm no sir."  Naishi smiled at the boy, remembering not to flash too much teeth.  It was weird, but he was beginning to feel a little sleepy.  Well, he had been on the move for quite a while, a nap would be nice.

Poor kid had a stutter to go with his emaciation and tattered clothes.  Made Naishi feel grateful he himself was relatively big and strong, and confident enough to take care of himself.  He felt bad for Layne, though he suspected that there was more to the kid than just looks and a stutter.

"Look, kid... sorry, Layne.  Why don't I take you to an inn I know?  It's not the fanciest place in town, but those coins should at least get you some hot food."  There were enough coins that Layne should be able to eat; not enough for someone with Naishi's large appetite.

He looked around.  Doubly weird, other people were starting to look sleepy too.  It wasn't even that late.  Covering a yawn, he straightened up and started to hold out a large clawed hand to the boy, then stopped.  Layne wasn't his little brother, and he doubted the kid wanted to be walked somewhere like a little child that might run out into the street.

"So, what do you say?" he asked, trying to cover up for his momentary lack of common sense by busying himself packing up his gear.

[Anonymous]

Layne blinked. He addressed almost everyone as sir, madam, mister or miss, although he’d never been called and would probably never be called any such title himself. He was an orphan, living on the streets, with a habit of disappearing every few months; he knew his place and, as the saying went, it was pretty low on the totem pole. If there was one thing he was even the tiniest bit proud of it was the fact that he at least had a last name, because not every homeless kid did have one, but that really wasn’t much.  

“Th-thank you,� he stammered again, as if he’d forgotten that he’d thanked Naishi already only moments ago. He hadn’t had anything worth calling a meal in a long time, and he hoped he might be able to get a decent night’s sleep sometime soon too. It was ironic that, with his power over sleep and dreams, he couldn’t do anything about his own insomnia. Maybe it wasn’t actually insomnia? Sleep was bound to be a lot more difficult when it was attempted in a cold, dirty, unsheltered alleyway. Then again, paranoid people usually couldn’t sleep.

Layne noticed Naishi start to hold out a hand and then stop. Good choice; if the treating him like an immature child didn’t undermine what little confidence he had, the claws would definitely scare him. He watched attentively as the dragon-man packed up the remainder of his gear, still far from ready to completely let his guard down.

“Th-that sounds w-w-wonderful,� he replied, feeling gradually more and more at ease the way he always did when he began to warm up to someone he’d just met. He often forged relatively strong friendships with anyone who managed not to frighten him away, although it did take quite a lot of time to build up any worthwhile amount of trust.

[Anonymous]

"Good, I like a bit of company."  Naishi carefully slid his knives into their sheaths and folded the little package up, slipping it into his pack.  It took him a moment to get it in properly, stuffed as his pack was with all the junk he absolutely needed to have with him.

He swung the pack onto his bare shoulders, covering up the majority of the brightly coloured bird tattoo on his back.  Settling it comfortably, he led the way down the street, allowing his appearance to suggest that no one get in his way, although he politely stepped aside for anyone who seemed determined to play pedestrian chicken with him.  He kept his tail close by as well; some people saw it and just couldn't resist giving it a tug.  That usually earned them a stinging smack with said tail; he was easygoing but that didn't mean he was going to just allow people to pull on him.

As he'd said, the inn wasn't exactly attractive to the most noble of people, but the innkeeper kept things clean and tidy, and wasn't apt to put up with too much trouble.  Or at least, the innkeep kicked any combatants outside.

Naishi held up a hand in greeting to the innkeep and found them a table a little ways from everyone else, hopefully to put Layne more at ease.  He dropped down in a chair, carefully shifting when it creaked a little under his weight, and arranged his tail so he could sit comfortably. When a serving girl came over, he gestured at Layne to indicate he was the one ordering.  He wasn't sure if Layne would take offense to being ordered for, or too shy because of his stutter.  Better to be polite and allow the boy to make his own choice.

[Anonymous]

He eyed the knives with fearful curiosity. He didn’t trust himself around knives because with his clumsiness, shaky hands, paranoid reflexes, and twitching problem he would be a rather gory accident waiting to happen, and he didn’t like blood one bit, especially not if it was human or sheep blood and even less if it was his own.

He had to admit that he did have a little envy in him for anyone who could carry that pack without their back breaking. He stuck close behind Naishi, because the crowd seemed to part for him but not for Layne. The boy wasn’t fond of crowds; he usually found himself getting stepped on, jostled, knocked over, noticed, threatened and just generally frightened out of his wits when he wandered into the thick of one. Not to mention that out of all of those people, at least one was bound to be a serial killer or something.

So the inn wasn’t exactly fancy; Layne didn’t mind. He hadn’t seen the inside of any building in a long while, and one with solid foundations, at least one window that wasn’t broken, and no pieces missing from the roof in even longer.

He was glad that Naishi had been considerate enough to choose a table that was slightly isolated. He could handle one or two strangers at a time as long as he had the option of running away, but put him too close to too many people at once and he’d be paralysed with fear. He slid carefully into a chair that, although it was slightly wobbly, had no trouble taking his weight (or lack thereof) at all which made him feel very small and frail. He paled a little when Naishi gestured toward him, but eventually his locked vocal chords unfroze and he managed to mumble his order, which it took the serving girl several tries to decipher though his stutter. Although relaying an order to a barmaid was no challenge for most people Layne was left with a strange sense of accomplishment, because it had been very difficult for him.  

“I’ve n-never d-d-done th-that before,� he confessed to Naishi, embarrassment colouring his sunken cheeks a faded shade of watercolour pink.

A few minutes later the girl returned with a steaming bowl of vegetable soup (he was a vegetarian, because the thought of chewing on something that had once walked around really creeped him out and reminded him that sometimes, people ate sheep), which she placed on the edge of the table and slid over to just in front of him. He paid for it with the majority of the coins he’d breifly possessed and tried to return her smile although his failed halfway through and never did reach his frightened eyes. He set to it slowly and cautiously; although soup would be relatively easy on his starved stomach, he’d had to eat again after being starved enough times before to know that if he ate too fast he’d just throw it back up.

[Anonymous]

Naishi leaned back carefully in his chair, trying to mentally will his stomach to shut up at the smells of cooking food.  He could stand to skip a meal or two, and he supposed he could try his hand at fishing if he absolutely needed to.

Layne seemed frozen with fear at the idea of ordering his own food, but fortunately he managed it before Naishi had to step in.  Naishi had to smile when the kid confessed that he'd never done that before.  Layne was cute, in a paranoid starved way.  It did make Naishi miss his family, especially his little brother, Taiven.  Though, of course, Taiven was much bigger, and didn't act like he would jump out of his skin if anyone looked at him too hard.

At least the soup Layne had ordered was vegetarian.  The smell didn't assault Naishi's sensitive nose, but at least it made his stomach quiet down some.  Vegetables were fine in moderation, but Naishi needed meat to go with it.  Best not to think on that too much, his brain was currently too fixated on food as it was.

"Why don't you tell me a bit about yourself?" he asked, trying to get a conversation going.  To tell the truth, he was honestly curious.  He hadn't seen any street kids before he left his home and went exploring; it just didn't happen in Gigari culture.  He was assuming Layne was a street kid anyway, no parent would let their child look like that.  Right?

Then again, he was still somewhat naive, although he had learned plenty in his travels.  Mostly about the bad that people could do, but some good as well.  It made him miss his home, and be thankful that he'd had a good family and a protective tribe to look after him until he left.

[Anonymous]

When it came to people Layne often found admiration mixed in with his fear, not wholly different from the way that he found fascination tainting his unease around sharp objects. So far it seemed that Naishi was rather… cool, for lack of a better word in the sheep-kid’s vocabulary. A confident guy, the kind that people didn’t step on and someone who didn’t seem to be ashamed or afraid of much. Hard not to look up to someone like that when you were as timid as he was.

He half-hoped Naishi would say something soon, because too much quiet always gave him an inexplicable sense of foreboding but he didn’t have the spine to break the silence himself with his stutter. As if on cue, the dragon-man asked Layne to tell him a bit about himself and the boy thankfully obliged.

“W-well, b-best guess is th-that I’m about t-t-twelve years old, considering I’m s-small for my age. N-no way of n-n-knowing for sure. I was born t-t-to the streets, in that c-c-c-cold place in the m-mountains.� Like a lot of place names, he couldn’t quite pronounce Hyoite, so he just avoided saying it whenever he could. “As s-soon as I f-figured out how to st-st-stow away on c-caravans and sh-ships, I began to j-j-jump from one s-s-city to another, w-which is how I e-ended up here. S-s-s-sometimes when I’m nervous, I l-l-lose control of my m-magic; I can t-turn into sh-sheep, make people f-f-fall into a d-d-deep sleep and ch-change their dreams.� He felt like he’d said about three times as much as he actually had, simply because he wasn’t used to talking that much, and he’d deliberately left out the subject of parents; as far as he knew his father died or left his mother while she was pregnant, one of the two, and his mother probably froze to death within a few days of his birth. Real cheerful, that. Better not to think about it.

“H-how about you t-t-tell me a little about you, n-Naishi?� he asked, unwilling to let the silence sink back into his paranoid mind.

[Anonymous]

"A sheep?"  Naishi smiled.  "I haven't heard of a sheep shapeshifter before."

Well, the power over sleep and dreams explained the dozy look on the crowd's faces, and why he himself had been yawning.  Not that he couldn't still use a nap too.

He noted that Layne made no mention of family but didn't ask; he'd found if a person didn't say anything, they usually just didn't want to talk about it.  He could understand that; some subjects were touchy and he'd learned early on to only ask neutral questions, at least until he got to know someone, and vice versa.

Layne asked for a bit of information in return; Naishi paused for a moment before speaking.

"Well, I'm 22, and I was born in the Azadair Mountains, in a place called Navaniye.  I'm a Gigari de-I'm a Gigari."  He'd almost said 'demon'; it wasn't smart to identify yourself as such to a stranger.  "Born to the Azadair tribe.  I've been travelling since I was 18, just exploring everywhere I can get to.  I make enough to live on by performing tricks, as you saw.

"My parents are back home, taking care of my little brother, Taiven.  I have an older brother too, named Xanthin; last I heard, he'd gone to help breed rock dragons."

Naishi smiled again.  "I guess that's me in a nutshell.  Not very exciting, and my magic isn't nearly as interesting as changing someone's dreams."

[Anonymous]

“It’s n-not a c-c-common sh-shifting animal, b-because it’s n-n-not overly useful.â€? There wasn’t much you could do as a sheep, except run for your life and bah at people. Maybe headbutt someone or break through a fence if absolutely necessary, but Layne preferred not to be put in a situation where he’d have to.  Better safe than sorry.

He noticed that Naishi paused and wondered why. It probably didn’t mean anything, but on the other hand he had no way of knowing that it didn’t. Paranoia, paranoia, paranoia. To Layne, the little snippets of information he picked up about others were always fascinating, so he listened intently.

So he’d had parents, and two siblings to boot. Layne was only partially jealous; not having any really sucked, but he’d met street kids who’d had parents abusive enough to be worth running away from, too. He tried not to wonder whether they’d regretted leaving later, because that might make him too painfully aware of the structure and security that he had a vague idea he’d missed out on.

“Ba-be-b-breeding rock d-dragons?� he asked. It had jumped out at him; what was the difference between a rock dragon and a just plain old dragon? Why did they need people from other species to breed them, shouldn’t they breed on their own like most animals? Or were specific ones, like the strongest or the one with the prettiest colour pattern, selected for breeding, like people did with livestock and pets?

[Anonymous]

"Yeah, rock dragons."  Well, obviously Layne was going to want a little more explanation than that, most people did.

"Where I come from, there's a couple of different species of dragon, all of them rare.  Rock dragons are the most endangered, because they breed very slowly, and because people would poach them for the gems in their hide.  They're named because when they're still, they look just like big piles of rock, with bits of quartz over their backs.  The gems tend to be on their necks and bellies.  Here."  He dug in his pack and finally produced a diamond about the size of his palm.  Carefully he kept it hidden and showed only Layne; he'd been mugged before for it.

"This is from one of them, the matriarch of the family my brother's helping.  Sort of... a gesture of goodwill."

No matter how hard up he was for money, he'd never sell the diamond.  Sure, most people only saw it as something pretty and expensive, but he'd been given the diamond personally.  It was a link to Xanthin, a gift from him as well; it showed trust.  Besides, it had a bit of its own magic and had occasionally helped him out of tough spots.

"Anyway," Naishi said, burying the diamond back in his pack, "Xan helps to guard them so that they are actually able to breed in peace.  Cuts down on deformities and stillbirths as well."  He looked up and smiled.  "Sorry to chatter on there.  Feeling better with some food in your belly?"

[Anonymous]

Layne listened intently, absorbing every word about endangered rock dragons. “Th-that’s f-f-fascinating,� he said, and he meant it.

His face took on a look of surprise and wonder when showed the dragon scale. First off, because Layne didn’t see such things very often, and second, because if it was the size of Naishi’s palm he could only imagine how big the dragon it had come off was.

“Oh, w-wow,� he whispered.

As he put the scale away, Naishi apologized for chattering, but Layne honestly didn’t mind. He had not had a decent conversation with anyone in quite some time, partly because as a street kid he did not always have the best options when it came to the company he kept, and partly because he was so afraid of everything that he kept little company in the first place.

“I d-d-don’t m-mind at all, I d-d-don’t like s-silence.�

He looked down at his empty bowl when Naishi asked him if he felt any better with food in his belly.

“I d-do feel m-m-much better,� he stammered, returning Naishi’s smile with every part of his face but his haunted eyes. It would eventually become apparent that his eyes never smiled, no matter how good a mood he was in

[Anonymous]

The way the kid listened so intently was flattering.  It was nice to have such an attentive audience.  Besides, it appealed to Naishi (in a harmless way) to be impressive, even if it was just relating some of the things from his homeworld.  Just a shame his eyes were so haunted.

He noted that Layne's bowl was empty, and felt a bit disappointed that it was time to move on.  But he had no money to spend, and he wanted to get some game to eat, and then find somewhere a bit more hospitable to his tricks.  Hell, he was feeling a bit homesick, maybe he'd even go to visit his family.

He wished there was something else he could do for Layne though.  He thought about offering spare clothes, but his pants would be much too big, and even if he gave up one of his few cold-weather shirts, it would be more like a dress.

"Listen, Layne," he hesitated a bit, "I've got to get going.  Are you going to be okay?  Maybe... maybe there's somewhere I can take you, so you can get off the streets?"

[Anonymous]

“D-do you h-h-h-have anywhere in m-mind?�

Layne was utterly shocked by such a suggestion, but also totally open to it. He’d do almost anything to get off the streets, although he never thought of that as a real possibility. And did Naishi mean off the streets for a little while, or off the streets permanently? The former was perhaps doable; the latter was, in Layne’s mind, a daydream.

There was not much to know for Layne about where he’d come from. Even if he knew the whole tragic story, it would still be simplistic and irrelevant. More importantly, he didn’t know where he was going- which city’s streets he’d inhabit sixth months, eight months, a year from now, or if he’d even still be around to inhabit city streets by then. He didn’t know whether his life would, in that breif space of time, give way to a short and sad tale no one would ever tell, or on the flipside, whether by some miracle he’d wind up being one of the lucky ones whose lives changed.

Chances were that he would always hover between those two extremes, that nothing new would happen and everything would stay the same. Or maybe something really unexpected would happen, like he’d just shapeshift one last time some day and go join up with a flock of real sheep. Maybe he’d go insane.

But he knew he had nothing to lose, so of course if Naishi offered to take him somewhere to get him off the streets, he had no reason not to go ahead.

[Anonymous]

(sorry for the late reply; I'm moving in about a week and there's a lot to do beforehand)

"Nowhere in mind," Naishi said thoughtfully, tapping one hard claw against his chin.  "Like I said, I'm a wanderer.  But you can come with me if you want, until we find somewhere to take you in."

There had to be somewhere, surely, that would take Layne in and give him a good life.  An orphanage, or people without children of their own.  It often happened in his tribe, should a child lose their parents; those who couldn't have children for whatever reason adopted the orphans.

It might be a little harder travelling with a kid to watch out for, especially one so nervous.  But it's not like he did anything important other than hopefully provide entertainment for bored crowds.  And he could surely take care of Layne as well as himself for a little while.

He noticed that the innkeep was looking over at them, and took that as his cue to get to his feet again, slinging his pack over his shoulder.  "Come on, kid, if you want to."

[Anonymous]

(No prob, I can tolerate slow replies)

“Th-that would b-b-be alright, I guess,â€? Layne stammered. Sure, there was no certainty in wandering around with Naishi, but there was even less in wandering alone on the streets like he was used to doing.  And it did guarantee him at least temporary protection and companionship.

He was pretty skeptical about the idea of getting adopted. Part of this was because he was, of course, afraid of it to some degree, but the majority of it was because he just didn’t think it would happen. It was the kind of thing he wished for but didn’t dare allow himself to daydream about. After all, you’d have to be extremely desperate to want to raise a nervous, sickly, slightly clingy and generally useless sheep-shifting kid with an out-of-control influence on sleep as your son and there were probably plenty of orphanages full of more appealing kids to choose from if you were adopting.

He started to get freaked out by the way the innkeep was looking at them, as if they were loitering. He almost had to jump to get down off the chair, but eventually his feet made it to the floor and he stood up. He nodded and turned to follow Naishi out the door