Call to Misadventure (blaccbeans)

[Whim]

"You ever heard of Thornycrown? I know faeries don't always give their real name. Gives you power over them right?"

"And I... I don't know if it spread. I guess I never really wanted to look too closely." Kai flushed, slapping his forehead. He'd sort of pretended this whole thing wasn't happening. The youth lifted his shirt and twisted around. Sure enough it wasn't just a tail jutting from his spine. Now the auburn fur had sprouted from his lower back. "Oh! Oh no... it has spread!"

He let the shirt drop. "D-do you suppose there's anything to be done? I've got gold!"

***

"hatspread!"

"...anything to be done?"

Unwelcome as the frost might have been, Cord's damp hair did provide some needed relief. Hauling a potion cart was hot and sweaty work. As the farm-boy stood in the dim corridor, straightening his curls, he caught glimpse of a soft light on the very edge of his perception. At a glance it seemed a trio of fireflies were dancing around him.

But on closer inspection they were not fireflies. They were the sunspots from the attic, which somehow followed him downstairs. Their soft white glow, which seemed to originate from nowhere, passed over a ratty old tapestry depicting a king with horns, illuminated a travelogue of the Kishahni jungles, and briefly danced across the damp boy's skin to warm. It was almost as though a gentle lightning storm had filled the hallway.

***

"I think... um..." Kai trailed off, pointing toward the hallway. Whatever was happening he couldn't put into words.


((No rush. And if you need clarification on my PM feel free to ask. Kai's and Thornycrown's stories are pretty up in the air so I'd be happy to shape it into something we can weave with Cord's.))

[blaccbeans]

The lights flickering around Cord's head began to dance, swirling around his head in a whirlwind of flashing gold. As they accelerated harmonic notes began to scrape from the air, piercing his ears. He gasped and reached out to hold onto the wall in the disorienting storm sparking around him.
The lights began to blend into single blinding lines across his vision. Cord looked wildly about but the light in the room grew overwhelming and stung at his eyes.
"Oth—" he gasped as he felt around for the door blindly,
"—Othnielia!"

The Oracle followed the young man's finger to the closed door. Pulsing light poured out from the cracks between the doorframe.
"Othnielia!" cried Cord's voice frantically from the other side. The boy slammed at the door and jolted the wooden frame.
The Oracle swiftly paced to the door. With a singular jerk, he tore the door open. Cord collapsed inside and into the Oracle's grasp.
As soon as they touched the light exploded; it filled every nook and cranny with a white flare, and echoed the pure noise of shimmering glass.
The Oracle turned towards the youth standing in the room.
"Pardon us," he said with a wavering voice.

[Whim]

Kai winced at the blinding flash, eyes squinting open. It was gone now. Cord, looking suddenly very delicate, was clutched in the arms of Mr. Orks? Orkneillia? It didn't really matter. The mage-squire knit his brow, edging toward the pair. "Is Cord alright? What just happened?

The boy's mouth widened into an O as it dawned on him. "Oh. You're both mages?"

[blaccbeans]

Cord stared wide eyed at the boy.
"I—" he began, but the Oracle held his hand out in front of his mouth, and turned towards Kai.
"I believe your curse may carry some,... residual energies," he said. He lifted Cord weakly, struggling under his brown and tattered robes. The boy dazed at the floor, his brown eyes unfocused.
"The magicks inside you may perhaps... be associating with the artifacts in this,.. building. We must exit the house and continue our appointment outside. Cord—" the Oracle placed a gloved hand on his shoulder. The boy turned his head toward him, looking into the dark empty, eyes of the mask. "—you go upstairs."

(OOC: tag! You're it! Now Kai and the Oracle will go outside and talk about the nature of the curse. Since you know the most about the curse right now, you can be the Oracle in all his knowledgeable ways. A note: the Oracle doesn't use any magic right now)

[Whim]

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to cause any damage..." Kai blushed and turned to hide his tail. "Awfully sorry Cord. I really had no idea."

Cord's heavy footfalls sounded up the steps  as Kai and Mr. Orks made their way to the garden. As they passed a bookshelf a slender hand reached out to pluck one of the volumes. Soon enough the pair were standing and the back garden near Cord's cart.

"You know what I mean by residual energies boy? I'd wager you are the mage here if anything."

Kai nodded. "I was trained a mage knight, I know more about combat that magical theory and-"

"Yes, yes." Mr. Orks nodded, holding up a hand for silence. "I've read of these symptoms. Bodily transformation. Residiual magic energy. It is not so much a curse as an infection of the soul. Your very essence, the bits which give you inspiration and imagination and magic, is fleeing your body. Siphoned away bit by bit. You would be dying now if it was not for a donkey's soul filling the gaps."

The boy stared in shock. None of that sounded good. He fumbled it over in his head. Would that mean he'd lose his magic? And why was he changing? "Well... okay. Okay that explains some of it. So I need to get my soul back from Thornycrown? Doesn't explain why I'm changing."

The oracle rasped. He did not sound optimistic. "Perhaps you might. Perhaps. But I think there is also a second curse at play. You say no matter the cure you away at dawn with fur and tail intact? Taking souls is risky business. Allow a man to die and it all goes into the ether," Mr. Orks paged through the grimoire. "I think... second spell is keeping you alive. Restores your true self at Dawn."

"So... I can't be killed but I'm going to turn into a jackass," Kai gave the oracle a cockeyed look, voice small and fearful, "Can you do anything about it? At least keep me human?"

"It is true I know some tinctures to keep a curse at bay. But so long as you leak these residual energies I worry there might be messy business." The Oracle clucked his tongue. "I'd recommend you let it run its course..."

"But what if you c-can't?!" Of course Mr. Orks knew far more about what was going on than any other mystic or hedge wizard he'd been to.


(OOC: Hope that's alright! I figure he might be exaggerating the magnitude of his herbal tinctures here to keep Kai around)

[blaccbeans]

Cord sat on his bed, back against the wall, staring at his feet. At how the tendons rose and fell when he moved his toes, at the shadows cast by his anklebone.
A tendril of breeze fluttered through his open window and he looked outside. The soft smell of flowers lifted a weak smile over his mouth.
A clay-colored cloth hung on his window sill, the one Allen had given him. He stared at it's folds.
"C-can I have that?"
"Have what?"
"The cloth."
"This one?"
"Yeah, that one."
"Why?"
Cord stood and walked to his window. He leaned on one hand over the sill and, running the soft fabric through his fingers, lifted the cloth up to his face. He closed his eyes  and filled his lungs with it's fading scent.
"I dunno, t-...to remember you with."
Allen's sandy laughter echoed in his ears. He could see the wrinkles at the ends of his smiling eyes.
"A cloth? Sunny, I already gave you my lute."
Cord looked down at the village below, and blushed, just like he had then.
"Yeah, yeah, I know, but,... this is the same color as your hair."
Allen laughed again. In the clouds Cord saw him rub the cloth over his auburn curls.
"There y'go buddy. My hair."
Cord placed the kerchief onto the sill and took a deep breath. Very faintly he could hear Othneilia and Kane—well, the traveller—talking out back. He looked back down at his kerchief before turning to head out the door.

---

"Be tranquil, be tranquil," the Oracle said as he held out his hands.
"Perhaps letting it run its course shall be a last resort? I recommend this: take my tincture. It should lessen the effects of the curse every morning, mayhaps preventing the fur, or lessening the length of the,.... growth. Return to me tomorrow and I shall have it set for you. You say you are on your way to Arca?"
The boy nodded.
"Good, good. They shall know most of any what to do with your curse. Now," the Oracle stepped closer to Kai.
"Where do you say you come from? What Barrow did you attempt to enter? There are,.... localized differences between magicks."
The Oracle placed a gloved hand under his masked chin.
"Perhaps I know of the magicks of your home."

(OOC: sorry for having Kai nod! I can't remember your position on godmoding, but I didn't so make it seem less like the oracle was monologueing. Also if you're ready, I think this next scene should tie up the end of the visit between Kai and the Oracle)

[Whim]

"I come from Mistlevale. Its in western Darken Vei..." Kai trailed off. Well, Mr. Orks probably wasn't as ignorant of geography as the average local. The youth reached into his sachel and produced a folded piece of paper. It depicted a crudely drawn ouroboros, alchemical symbol for eternal, entwined about a circle of thorns. "Found a crown like this at the very bottom near an altar. That's why we thought he was an old god."

The oracle studied it, making a quick scribble in the margins of the grimmoire.

"Well, thank you!" Kai tucked the embarassing tail away. "Do you suppose its safe to stay at the inn? And what do I owe you?"


(OOC: I was going to wrap up the scene. Though i wasn't sure what the oracle would recommend or seek in terms of payment. No worries about the nod or monologue)

[blaccbeans]

"Oh, you may pay once I give you your herbs. Let us settle for tomorrow at two o'clock in the afternoon." The Oracle bowed and held the door open for the young man, walking in after him.
"I've never met the innkeeper, but Cord informs me that he is a very earnest man, and I assure you there are no things to worry about in his inn. We are much smaller than Mistlevale, as I'm sure you have noticed."

---

Cord hung by the stairs, listening to the waning conversation as the appointment came to an end. As soon as he heard the front door close he ran down the stairs and to the waiting room. He peered out the window at Othneilia, clad in burly brown robes, bidding goodbye to the visitor from Darken Vei.
He eyed his long hair and how the sun flare off of it luminously, illuminating half of his tan face and casting a long shadow over the other. It was approaching evening and the sun was at its hottest, but soon the cool of night would hold Gawaine's in it's hand.
Othneilia and the visitor said a few final words, and then Othneilia creaked open the front door. The young man traipsed down the road back to town.
"So," Cord said. Othneilia sighed a deep breath and gently lowered onto a cushioned wooden bench.
"Are we going to have supper?"

[Whim]

Kai took a deep breath. His mind was swimming. It wasn't progress but it was something new. Soon enough the boy was trudging down the footpath and back toward The Plowman's Paddock.

By the time Kai reached the inn he wished it wasn't only eight-o-clock. He could see smoke rising from the chimney against the orange haze of the sunset. It was a cute town, for a collection of shacks in the middle of nowhere. No way he'd be able to think or sleep or concentrate. Not with the itching and the prospects tomorrow would bring. The Plowman's Paddock was now filled with burly farmhands, gossiping wives, and gaggles of children running underfoot.  The squire settled for a meal of bread and cheese with an apple. The thought of eating ham turned his stomach, even though he could have easily afforded the smoked haunch. He did not order mulberry this time.

The boy caught site of some younger men playing cards by the hearth. He sauntered up to them with a smile, trying to draw on the wit and bravado he usually had. "Don't suppose you could use a forth?"

They played and drank into the night. Kai rose at dawn, eight hours early.

***

Othneillia's seemed distracted with Kai's departure. It took some nagging to snap the oracle back to reality. "Yes. We will have dinner. Would you like to make the soup?" Despite her culinary prowess she was rather insistent at teaching Cord to cook and be civilized.

"And Cord... are you alright? I noticed the lights, but your hair was also soaked." Now this captured her interest. She pressed the young man for details, stopping only to correct his chopping or add a bit more pepper, a bit less mushroom, and the tomato wasn't to be boiled but diced and served fresh...

[blaccbeans]

Cord handled a small tomato between his fingers and an iron knife in his other hand. "I don't know," he said. "I was outback hitching up the wagon when my hair just... froze. It was covered in frost and even though I tried to melt it it wouldn't melt." He shrugged and sliced the tomato.
"I'll write it down when we're done," Othneilia said. She pushed the wooden mask down the counter and pulled a wooden bowl from a hanging rack, and then ran her hands over her robes.
"Interesting fellow," she crowed in her rough, grimy voice. "He was from Darken Vei—c-careful with the knife, boy. You
slice, not chop—now where was I... oh, and from Mistlevale even. I been through there a few times. It's a fair country. Fair young man, too, I'd say."
Cord nodded idly.
"Should we have potatos in the soup?" he asked, looking up at her.

[Whim]

"Hit me!" Kai let out a sharp, angry sigh at the twenty two. He gave Sam the Stableboy a look of annoyance and slid a silver across the table.

***

"If you do not mind peeling them..." she waved toward the pantry, where a large basin of potatoes sat. Then suddenly sprang up herself and grabbed a knife, getting to it. "I suppose it has been a long day. You could do with a meal.

"Now that is something. It froze after you spent all day hauling potions, yes? Convenient. Tell me about when the lights started dancing..." Her peelings were near-perfect, hands practiced from flaying, chopping, and dicing plants of all sorts.

[blaccbeans]

"I was just standing upstairs. Looking at the dust. It's odd; two occurances in a day. Usually it's one a week."
Othneilia nodded, and silently peeled the potato. Thoughts slowly puzzled behind her dark, beady eyes.
"I'm going to lock the door," Cord announced. "I don't think you did, did you?"
The old woman shook her head very slightly. Cord nodded and wiped his hands off on his pants, sliding out the door and through the hallway.
When he reached the waiting room he noticed an extra throw on the bench.
"Othneilia," he called out, picking up the article—a very fine coat. "I think the man left his coat here."
"Oh," Othneilia sighed from the kitchen. She 'tsked' her tongue and leaned into the hallway.
"Would you take it down to him at the inn? We don't want him getting cold in the evening."
Cord opened his mouth to object but the woman interrupted.
"I will finish the stew. It shall be done when you return."
Cord pursed his lips and sighed. Taking the expensive fabric in his hand, throwing it over his arm, he exited the house into a wall of mugginess and dimming light.

[Whim]

It was a good night for a barefoot stroll down the road. A cool breeze had begun to dispel the lingering humidty, and fireflies were emerging from grazing land. A few other tavern-goers exchanged pleasantries with Cord. No one noticed him enter the Plowman. The tavern was in its usual high spirits. Rufus was slid drinks across the bar, townsfolk gossiped, and Lily Weston sang the same three songs. A certain someone and his lute were conspicuously absent...

Cord would have caught sight of Kai playing with Sam the Stable-boy, a gawky creature who worked at the plowman, and two of his friends. The trio was not well-mannered as Cord. Brawling and cow-tipping was their game. "Hey orkle-boy!" Sam jeered.

***

Kai's half-turned toward the door. It was Cord again. Oh hells he'd forgotten his coat! He waved the farmboy down, pausing to scowl at Sam. "Oh, hullo there. Cord, right? Didn't have to bring that you know. I'll be coming by tomorrow." He briefly worried for that Cord might go telling tales of his curse and, uh, tail. Then again, Cord seemed more naive and gentle, and less a local hellraiser.

"Do you want to join us?" he didn't wait to ask permission. He was rich and a squire. That counted for something.


(OOC: Hope I didn't move things too fast if you wanted something to happen during Cord's journey)

[blaccbeans]

"Uh," Cord gaped. His mouth hung on the cusp of a scrambled sentence, much to the grins of the surrounding boys. "I really just came for the coat. I don't want to intrude."
Cord had meandered around a few tables through the humdrum crowd at the Paddock when he'd first entered. His bare, dirty feet felt rough against the polished floorboards, and the voices of the inn had and still drummed on, interrupted by the occasional roar of laughter or debate.
He'd heard someone call out his name and looked over to spot Sam sitting at a round table at the edge of the room. Cord looked away and bit his lip, hesitating his step for just a moment before having continued his trip.
It was the familiar glow of orange hair that caught his attention behind the bulky body of the fat stableboy.
He shifted his weight on to his right leg and held the fine coat in his outstretched hand, eyes shifting uncomfortably at the grinning faces around him. He looked down at the base of the traveler's torso.

(OOC: I'm so sorry for the wait! We got caught up in a huge lightning storm that literally shook the house with blasts of wind, and then when it settled we watched Rogue One. I hope I didn't inconvenience you too much.
On a side note—and I absolutely mean this in no mal feelings or disgruntlement—but do you think you could leave Cord to my entire control? I don't want to sound pushy or anything at all, as I've come across some RPers in the vast sea of the internet who've been rather repugnant about this. But I do want to be in control of what he in particular does and feels, etc. However you're more than welcome to control Othnielia or any other added NPCs that we come across! Its just Cord I kinda want to be in charge of)

[Whim]

"All the way down here?" Kai cracked a smile and took the folded coat. "Well I appreciate it. I don't suppose I could buy you a drink at least?" The squire looked from Cord to the card-players. Tension between them for sure. But then he followed Cord's gaze and made the connection. If he didn't have his coat then then...

Sure enough a donkey's tail poked from a hole in his britches. The boy's eyes widened as he looked first to Cord, then around the room. Had anyone else noticed?


(OOC: Oh I"m so sorry! I hadn't meant to step on your toes and I'll be more mindful in the future. My intention was mostly to do set dressing for the village than take control of Cord's emotional state or actions. Figured you were foreshadowing something at the tavern so I just sped us through the journey. If you'd like to take things a step back so you can have Cord see or do things along the road that's absolutely fine.)

[blaccbeans]

Cord gawked at the fuzzy stub protruding awkwardly from the man's britches. Why would anyone wear a donkey's tail on them? A raccoon's tail Cord had seen before. A fox's tail on the shoulder, raccoon's tail on the waist. They were pretty and sported a successful kill. But a donkey's tail? This traveller from "Darken Vei" surely came from an odd place.
"Well, I do—" Cord hesitated. "Alright, yeah, we can have a drink if you want." He stepped back, providing room for the traveller.

(OOC: it's no problem! And nah, everything's good. I would like to take this next scene pretty slowly though, just to give them time to talk and stuff)

[Whim]

One. Two. Three. And in what was meant to be a singular, graceful motion Kai stood up and struggled into his coat. Hopefully no one else saw anything. "Sorry. We'll play later." He gave the trio a shrug, leaving his stake behind. Very careless with money.

"...so long as its not mulberry, whatever that is. I had some and it was awful." Kai motioned Cord toward the bar.


(OOC: Sounds good. Also Darken Vei is just another province in the Wester Highlands. Although in a place like Gawain's Fork I guess its conceivable people don't know their geography too well!)

[blaccbeans]

When they arrived at the bar, a familiar long oak plank of wood sanded and worn from wear, Cord sat gingerly on a still and scooted it up toward the ledge.
He hunched over in his chair, arms folded across his stomach, and looked up at the boy sitting down next to him.
"What can I get you boys," asked the innkeeper (whose name slipped Cord's memory).
"I'll have uh,... mullberry please," Cord said.
"And you?" the barman nodded toward the traveller. He ordered the only other option on the board.
Cord cleared his throat and turned in his chair to face Kane.
He looked at him timidly, eyes fluttering back and forth from the other's.

[Whim]

Kai flushed. Hoping he hadn't insulted the boy's favorite drink. "Too strong for me I guess. Probably on account of not being a giant," he flashed a smile, trying to break the ice just a little.

Rufus returned with the two drinks and Kai slid some silver across the bar. "So what's the story with those three charming fellows?" Kai half-turned toward the roustabouts. He got the sense there was some kind of history between them and the shy oracle's boy.

[blaccbeans]

"Oh," Cord groaned. He looked over at the troublesome group of boneheads and then back at the boy sitting next to him.
"There's really nothing much to tell, I guess; just different people. Loud people." He trailed off.
He bartender arrived with two wooden mugs of brown liquid—Cord's tinted maroon.
He stared down the mead. He'd really needed to get back home, but the mulberry.... the subtle hue of deep, deep flavor spreading over his taste buds and washing the back of his mouth, sleeping into the hidden depths of his taste and sending flowers blooming all over his tongue. And then the strong kick of the aftertaste burning like a tarty handful of ripe mulberries; it was too tempting.
He reached out and, flinching, took a tentative sip.
"Mmm," he moaned under the weight of the mead as it flushed into his mouth. He set the drink down and took a deep breath.
The candlelight's almost could've burst into flames.
"So," he mustered. "I think I've sort of forgotten your name—unless it's Kane, right? Kane of Darken Vei?"