Almost Broken (Kiri)

[Anonymous]

It was another one of those days, just one more horridly lived out morning. Natalya had too many of them. Right now she was headed for her sanctuary, the one where she spent half the night recovering from these days. The forest, well...anywhere outside of Ketra and away from the brothel.

Her most recent client was the dominating kind, trying to choke pleas and begging out of her while he pleasured from it all. Even smacking her around while calling her all the names a whore like her hears when away from the brothel. She couldn't take it, it reminded her too much of being a slave, hit and whipped for even blinking wrong.

Her silent tears blinded her as she raced between trees. The grass between her toes was cold but felt great, she had left her heels in her room, there was no way she was going to wear them all the way out here. She couldn't stop her legs, not until she had reached a small clearing, the stars just beginning to peek down from the darkness.

Finally a sense of closure enveloped her as she collapsed against a tree, the broad trunk propping her up while she tried to catch her breath. Closing her eyes, she let the soft breeze cool her aching skin and tried to lock away what had happened within the prison of trees. If it wasn't for the money she would never take on men like him....but they always paid better than other clients.

Natalya just sat there, tears making glistening paths down her dark cheeks. She would probably stay here tonight, again.

[Anonymous]

The soles of his feet screamed out in relief as the lanky young man set foot on lush grass as he entered what he dubbed as freedom personified — the forest, on the fringe of Ketra. Just how many hours had be spent, making his way to and fro in this city filled with strangers, stretching the Foresight Aura about him, groping around to find his way? It had a stranger feel under his feet than Serendipity did — and damn, did it feel like ages since he'd left there — it was more rocky, rough around the edges, more warrior-like and savage than any other place he'd been. While places like Serendipity smiled and waved and asked how do you do, he felt as if this capitol, Ketra, bared its fangs instead of wasting time with idle pleasantries, hissing with a fiery spirit fit for a dragon. It unnerved him a little, and yet, the fragile fortune-teller had been intrigued.

With his normal black, flowing robe draped around his person, essential black blindfold tied tightly around his eyes, Kalev, with one hand tugging his robe closer about his person, and the other hand gently resting on each tree trunk that he passed while bending the Aura around him, took slow, deep breaths, not used to this forest. At the end of the day, however, a forest at the edge of Serendipity had to be the same as a forest in Adela, was it not? There was nothing different about the dirt nor the trees, and the animals... well, he felt that the animals knew, indefinitely, that he meant no harm. In fact, this was as most adventure as Kalev got when not fortune-telling; just simply being amongst all this nature, the fresh air wafting through his lungs, what could be better than this?

But the forest was wailing, a silent cry drifting through the aura. A wiser man might've turned away, realizing it was none of his business, and would've tried to curl up in a tree, get as much sleep as he could. But perhaps Kalev was not so wise, or maybe, his heart was a little bigger than the world could stand. He felt his feet unconsciously following the noise, despite the sleep that begged him to rest his head for tonight. Maybe he seemed to be not of this world as he swiftly stepped through the forest, his long black hair and long black robe sweeping behind him as he slowly made his way, an apparition, perhaps, to those who could not seen the human behind the darkness.

Someone normal might not have been able to feel the disturbance, but he could. The girl's tears were silent, yes, and his eyes had been blinded for what, he assumed, would be all eternity. But the Aura was the ultimate sense, able to feel melancholy when the rest of the forest fell silent, dead by the Sandman's head, sleeping in serene bliss. He felt that sad vibe pull closer and closer to him, and the closer it got, the more he found himself able to walk without placing each hand on each tree, no longer having to force the Aura closer — it was right there with him, all along. And soon, he found himself at the source.

A young girl, from what the Aura told him, saddened. It is quite likely that Kalev blended in with the darkness for that split moment, when he stepped closer to her, and did not move, without a sound. In an instant though, he crouched own to his knees, offering a hand to the crying woman, a ghost of a smile sketching itself onto his pale white features — features that might've screamed that he was not from this country, or, to the more superstitious, might've called him something more deadly — a ghost, maybe Death itself, from the way his robe draped elegantly around him, falling in line. With his hand still outstretched, he shook his head and murmured silently, "The forest hates to see innocent ones cry." Or at least, the Aura told him she was innocent, and it hadn't been wrong yet. "Why do you cry, on such a bright night?"

[Anonymous]

The forest was so serene, this was why Natalya loved it so much. The wind picking itself through the leaves made an almost calming melody that left her entranced. Animals, petite or predator, called out to each other or burrowed together for the night. The sight was pleasant. She didn't bother them, they never once gave her a second glance.

She had been wathching a deer off in the distance, a doe, she was proving to be solitary. No other deer had passed by her, no buck urging her within the safty of the trees. Natalya almost envied her. While she was alone, the doe was a beautiful creature. She was swifter than her troubles yet more graceful than any other creature within the woods. How she wished she could change shape and run with her, becoming ignorant of the rest of the world.

Natalya had been so intent on the deer that she hadn't even seen the man approach, she figured if anyone had been nearby the doe would have fled. When his hand appeared in the corner of her vision she couldn't help but jump back with a stifled scream.

It took her several seconds to slow her heart. First, who would have dared wandering around the woods after dusk? She knew of no one else but her. Then, his appearance frightened her more than his presence. The dark blindfold wouldn't have bothered her much, but he was pale. Living at the brothel had been more than enough to shove her, literally, into believing in ghosts.

Hoping not to offend the man, or ghost...horrible mistake to anger one, she placed her hand in his and managed to find her voice, "I hate to impose on the forest but... I have no other asylum. No place where I can cry in peace." The brothel was hardly a place to spend your time crying, and it was never peaceful. "And I cry because..." how to say she was a whore? "men enjoy beating woman more than they do spending the time to love them. A good smack and pleading wails are their only delites now it seems."

[Anonymous]

He shook his head at her statement, that was somehow 'imposing on the forest.' Distraught as she was, and the woman was thinking of being a burden on nature itself? It was a little amusing to him, but only because he borrowed, or rather, he stole from nature every day - from roots to berries for food, for the trees that gave him a temporary bed. If anything, he doubted the forest would mind.

"Don't apologize," Kalev said with almost an airy laugh, but the meaning in his words were firm. "I'm sure the forest doesn't mind. Maybe the trees like the company, even if you are distraught. Not many people take the time to notice them anymore." He wasn't sure if his humor was welcome here though; the woman looked quite upset, and he began to wonder if he should've poked into her business in the first place.

After all, he wasn't a holy man, or some sort of superhero, hell, was he even skilled with words of comfort? It might've seemed as if he had been traveling this world for quite some time, but that was only because he had come such a long way, far from the outreaches of Yoreiq Isles to, where was he now - Ketra! And accomplishment, but maybe that didn't mean anything. He bit his lower lip, crouching down to her level now, his black robes and hair curtaining him, along with the shadows.

It was times like this when he wished he weren't so pale... It was so easy for him to come off as an apparition at this time of night.

As she told him her troubles, however, he found that he could not place the pieces together. A man had either placed a hand on her, or on someone close to her perhaps, but from the looks of her, she was most likely the one who had experienced being given 'a good smack.' He frowned noticeably at these words, wondering how she had ended up in such a situation. Ironically enough, her being a prostitute was the last thing to come to mind.

He squeezed her hand, groping for words. "The world is sick and it's full of sick people. Just remember that in the end, your heart will always be more pure than theirs. No matter what, they can't taint what's inside." The dark-haired man furrowed his brows, not satisfied with that as words of comfort. "That probably doesn't help, I apologize... I wish I could offer you something more." His heart was so soft it was mushy, because whenever he saw tears, he remembered the painful ones he cried back at Yoreiq Isles, when his sister stole his eyes, and for a while, he was lost in the darkness... But those were memories long past.

The fortune-teller looked at her curiously, but perhaps she couldn't tell, with the blindfold wrapped tightly around his eyes. "Does this... happen to you often?"

[Anonymous]

Natalya watched him carefully, frightened of what might become of her now. Had it been a mistake to run out to the forest this night? No, she didn't think so. If he truly was an entity of some kind then he was doing no harm to her. She even found that she was no longer anxious with him near her so, instead, she was more curious about his blindfold and robes. If he was no ghost then what was he? Was he even a man?

She felt a bit foolish when he started laughing, as though she was six and had believed all animals could talk. "But I only come when I'm like this...I never seem to find the time to visit when I'm happy. I wish more people could admire them though, I've never laid eyes on a place more beautiful."

As he croutched down beside her, Natalya was a bit envious of the robes he had to cover his person. She had been stupid and blind with anguish that she had run out in a blue sleeveless dress. The low neckline leaving more skin to suffer the bite of the night air. Even her legs, left exposed by the shortness of the skirt, to develope goosebumps. She truly was one stupid girl.

Squeezing her eyes shut, she tried to take his words to heart, but her heart was closed to them. "I agree that there are many sick people in this land, I've met many of them, but I disagree about my heart being pure. I'm no better than they are and I'm afraid they have found ways to taint me, for quite a few years now in fact." She gave his hands a light squeeze in return, "I appreciate your words though, they prove that not everyone is like them. That people can be kind."

When he asked her about the occurrence of the beatings, she froze. For several seconds she tried to say that no, it wasn't her and that she was just distraught over the realization that women were forced to go through those things day in to day out. It would only have been half a lie. In the end she couldn't tell this man, who had already proved to be so kind to her, an untruth. "Yes..." her voice no louder than the breeze flowing through the clearing.

[Anonymous]

As the woman started laughing alongside him, Kalev felt a bit of relief settle in his throat, glad that he had, at least, brought some sort of joy, no matter how small or insignificant it might've been, to this woman. It told him that, at the very least, his coming to investigate that sorrowful cry had been good for something. As she spoke, he found himself sitting cross-legged beside her now, although his legs were hidden under the mess of his long, black robes, getting more comfortable, at ease. After all, the vibe coming from her was a good one, or so the Aura whispered, and it seemed he no longer needed to fear tripping over his words, hopefully.

"The forest is quite forgiving, you'll find. Even if you only take in this environment for just moments at a time, it's more than most people do for all of their lives." He voice was almost wistful as he spoke these words, thinking back to his peaceful time at Yoreiq Isles, how Kalev had never been one for the material world since as long as he could remember. It had always been lakes and rivers, treetops and meadows for him, the dreamer that he was. And even in big cities like Ketra, Arca, you name it, the cobblestones under his feet still felt foreign.

She had said that she hadn't seen any place more beautiful than this, and Kalev wondered if he could rightfully agree with such a statement. He smiled nonetheless, asking, "Do you think so? I wonder..." In a smooth, deft moment, for a moment, Kalev's hand seemed to be molding something in midair — that was the aura again, no doubt, unfogging the darkness around him, so that he could get a better picture of the forest better, just to hold in his fingertips. A moment later, his hand was in his lap again, and he shook his head, still in good spirits. "Sirantil Valley might be a rival to this forest, I think. Not as many trees there, but the rivers and meadows make up for it..."

Ah, but if you let Kalev ramble about nature forever, he might never stop. He shook his head again, but this time, it was as if he was trying to clear away his thoughts, refocusing on the girl and less on the grass and the trees and the birds settling in their nests for a good night's rest. The woman, it seemed, did not believe she was pure of heart, and figured that people in her life had found a way to think her. It was funny, because her Aura was still coming in clear... "Do you really mean that?" the fortune-teller found himself asking, biting his lower lip gently. "I don't think I can believe that. You haven't made anyone run off to the woods, just to cry, have you?" And then, a pause. "Or stolen something very precious to someone, have you?"

Lelena, stay out of this, he inwardly groaned, repressing the memories, pushing them back further, further... Why did looking at this woman remind him of her? He clapped his hands together, so that the tips of his fingers were balled together, so that he couldn't see, so for as long as he could not bend the aura, he was blind. Somehow, it was better this way, and he felt himself relax a little, unsure as to why he had been unnerved in the first place...

And she had been though this often, leading him to believe that maybe whoever had done this, perhaps, had forced her to think that she was tainted. "You shouldn't let them try to break you," he offered, his voice soft, contemplative. "I don't know the situation, but... to go through that sort of thing often, it hurts inside." Slowly, he unraveled his balled fist and placed it gently near his chest, giving him sight again, if not foggy sight, so he was able to take in her features. "Is there no way to get them to stop?" He thought of brothers, fathers, husbands, someone close who was doing this, getting nowhere closer to what could be the truth.

[Anonymous]

Natalya allowed herself a small smile as he spoke of the forest being quite forgiving, she hoped so, prayed so. Who would ever want to bestow their pain upon something so beautiful and pure? Better for someone like herself to just keep it all, it might cut but with what she was... how could it destroy her anymore?

"Sirantil Valley? Where is that? How could you tell if there was a more beautiful place, I mean aren't you blind-," she caught herself, "...Sorry, I didn't mean it as an insult..." How could she do that?! Sometimes people lost limbs or things like their hearing to freak accidents or fights, may people wanted to talk about it and more of them just wished to still be treated as human beings, if they were human.

Almost frightened that someone had accused her for such a crime, she quickly shook her head and her voice rose with fear, "No! I would never dream of doing such a thing! I'm afraid it's a bit twisted but... I've let people steal something very precious of mine." She was really dragging out this conversation, it would probably be worse now when he finally pieced everything together.

The girl was so intrigued by what he was doing with his hands that she almost forgot he had said anything. "I know," her voice as soft as his, "but all my life I've never really known how. People have always tried and it gets so tiring to try and resist. Sometimes I just want to give in." Being a slave had worn most of her fight away, but the fact that she still had to buy her freedom meant that she wasn't done being a slave. The thought broke her spirit. He was right, it did hurt. "I guess... maybe. If things were different I wouldn't allow it but... maybe I'm no different then they are."

[Anonymous]

Ah, he had let it slip! Sadly, it's what happened when you got him talking too much, when he was totally relaxed like this... His tight control over his speech had just slipped, and she had discerned that he was able to see.  Hah, a blind man who could see! Buying time, he shook his head, smiling a little. "Siranti Valley... it's a ways off from here, near the outskirts of Connlaoth. The country isn't really my favorite places to visit, though..." Mainly because of the magic that easily coursed through his veins. Ah, his kind, they weren't wanted in a place like that, of course..

"Don't worry about offending me or anything; it's a legitimate question, isn't it? How can a blind man see..."  For a split second, he thought of telling her, about the Foresight Aura, his eyes, everything, but then realized that he barely knew her, she was just another girl, and while she seemed trustworthy enough, Kalev had a hard time fully trusting others who were hesitant in themselves. Maybe that's why he was reminded of Lelena as the fog cleared, and the aura transmitted images of her to his brain, an innocent girl... who was possibly hiding something? If she was, he couldn't sense it, but that was nothing new...

"Well, I probably can't see as you can... but I have other ways. Smells, taste, touch, especially touch—" he thought of his hands, molding and bending the invisible aura, "—I guess my other senses have turned into how I 'see' I suppose." He laughed lightly after that, knowing that he hadn't really lied, but hadn't really told the truth either. It'd be a pain to explain it all anyway, wouldn't it? So far, he had only explained it to someone once, and that... hadn't turned out too well.

She jumped at his accusations, or rather, his attempts to fish out just why someone like her would say such horrid things about herself, quick to say she hadn't done anything like that, and he believed her. But at least he had a clue — something very precious to her had been stolen. His heart quickened at that — suddenly, it was like looking into a mirror, on those damned days after Lelena had stolen his eyes, and he wandered in the dark, his most precious thing stolen. And he had felt like breaking, until he found that he had a second chance to see...

"I know what that's like," he murmured quietly, his hand clutching at his heart again, the fabric of the black robe bunching up in his hands. But he had moved on. Had this girl moved on? Why did he have this sudden inclination to help her, even though he figured trying would be all for naught. She seemed convinced that she was tainted, but why could he not even feel an inkling of this taint? Was the Foresight Aura failing him?

Kalev fought for words, but only ended up shaking his head, smiling softly. "I wonder... why do you think you are so horrible?" As much as he wanted to counter her, to insist she wasn't, he couldn't, for the sheer fact that... he didn't know her. It was frustrating, because if she was telling the truth, then the Aura was lying to him. But there was no way it could do that... but it had malfunctioned on worse levels before. "I want to tell you that you're not... but the words of a stranger aren't really so helpful at times like this, I suppose..." His tone seemed far off, as if he was no longer on this plane of earth anymore, but somewhere else, a place more mystic...

"Is there something keeping you from fighting back... or running away? Beginning anew?" Suddenly, the blindfold round his eyes felt tighter than ever. "Sometimes, a fresh start is all someone needs. It's no good to be burdened by people who want to bring you down." That's why he had left, fled Yoreiq Isles forever... "Hearts aren't pillars. Most times they'll bend for you, but eventually..." He couldn't bring himself to finish his sentence.

[ OOC | grawh, sorry my posts are so unnecessarily long! kalev is one my ramble-y characters... Dx ]

[Anonymous]

[Ooc: ^-^ It's no problem. I love reading them, helps me get the see the character a little better. x.x Mine are probably too short.]

Natalya knew of Connlaoth, a few clients of hers had been mages on the run. Before she got to pleasing them, they took the time to indulge her in the horrors of living in such a place, praying that you could keep your magic in control enough to kill suspicions. She had almost felt as though they're lives were worse than hers, they had been living on the ice so to speak, one slip and they could have died.

When he explained to her how he was able to compare the forest with the valley she was almost convinced, she would have been completely if it hadn't been the hand gestures she had seen earlier. He hadn't been touching anything and yet he almost seemed to be looking at her...into her. Maybe it all just nonsense and speculation but...she had seen her fair share of odd people. "Oh, for a moment I believed you could actually see," there was almost a hint of disppointment in her soft voice, how interesting it would have been to meet a blind man who could see!

"Believe me sir," she was wringing her hands and fidgeting, should she tell him? "If you knew.. you probably wouldn't be talking with me right now. Many people don't. I'm the kind of person to be overlooked when you pass me on the streets, the type to be scorned and sneered at when you meet my eyes. People have many names and curses for my kind, so many that I'm not surprised when I hear them anymore, they became part of my life years ago. I live with the tainted and, worse, I'm no different than any of them."

"I don't try and get anything from people, I certainly don't try to bend them toward pitying me. I chose this life and I'm the one who has to live with it. I don't fight back because I'm petty, I've already run away from something, and I'm still not free. I guess this was my fresh start but it isn't much better..."

[Anonymous]

[ OOC | Aw, thank you! And psh, your posts are great! <3 ]

It wasn't like Kalev was a liar or anything, it was just... well, how could he ever explain? That he could see with his fingertips? Perhaps she'd be the type to think it was something marvelous too, something... grand. And this power, well, to even bring up the Foresight Aura and try to explain it, to Kalev, was like the pain an eldery would feel, trying to explain to a young one why they needed to take so much medicine. I need it to survive. And perhaps Kalev really was an old man at heart anyway, someone who had spent too much of his time seeing, and now, he could only sit back and reminiscence on the good old days, days that never even existed... So when she seemed disappointed, Kalev smiled wryly, shaking his head. "If only... I could actually see," he echoed in that same, thwarted tone, and realized that one day, karma would get him for this, this blatant, ungrateful lie.

And she spoke, and she said that if he knew what she had done, he wouldn't be talking to her right now. And he found it.. Almost puzzling. Was what she had done so terrible? And would he really stop talking to her, if he had known? He tried to think of the worst thing he'd ever known anyone to do — and all answers pointed back to Lelena, who had heartlessly stolen the one thing he'd ever needed. It wasn't like she was the only criminal he knew, no — he had told the fortunes of murders, seen them cry when he delivered news that they would, eventually, be killed by the family members of those he had slain. He had spoken to thieves and con-artists who'd swindled people of their last pennies — and still, Lelena topped the list. Kalev liked to think he'd still be here, unless she was Lelena in disguise...

But what did he know of the universe?

"For some reason," Kalev muttered silently, "Even if you were to tell me that you murdered a man in your sleep, I can't see myself walking away from you." The words were properly picked, calculated, so that hopefully they wouldn't seem offensive if she had done something worse. He had said them while he cleared the Aura to the best of his ability, so he could take her in fully — her dark skin, sleeveless dress, eyes that had recently been wet with tears — and so he could say those words and truly mean them. As a fortune-teller, he found himself saying a lot of things, telling a family with a bruised future in store that things would all be okay when really, things wouldn't, they wouldn't really... Lying to people, offering comfort he sometimes didn't even mean. But no, today was different. He could feel it, with all of his fragile heart.

Was it because she reminded him of Lelena? Was that why he wanted to be honest?

"Call me Kalev," he offered, "You don't have to call me 'sir.'" He said this with another small smile, shaking his head. She was so... strong, perhaps he had underestimated her. She chose this life, she had said, and she was the one who had to live with it... And while he desperately wanted to know, just what was keeping her from making another fresh start, desperately wanting to see if, perhaps, there was a way to fix everything... he knew that he, a stranger, didn't deserve, or shouldn't even be thinking about poking into her personal business anyway. After all, hadn't he lied? Hadn't he flat out lied to her, about the Aura?

There was no difference in the two affairs, really...

"Perhaps it takes more strength to stay, then to run away?" Kalev mused, attempting to understand. As a wanderer, what would he know? As someone with no home... what would he know? His smile grew a tad bigger. "In that case, you must be one of the strongest people I know. Ever since I can remember... I've been... well, people like me call it 'wandering,' but perhaps it is synonymous with 'running.' At least, at the end of the day, no matter your situation... you have a home." He paused. "Right?" He was one who always made assumptions, based on his own assumption that the Aura could read everything. Apparently... it couldn't.

"I wish I could offer you something more than just my simple words. You're so..." he groped for words. "... strong. I don't think I've ever met someone who sticks it out like you do. With everyone I've met, we all just... wander away, like ghosts on the scene..." What could he offer her? Would she like her fortune told? Why did, suddenly, fortune-telling seeming like such a paltry gimmick, just needless knowledge that no one could ever vitalize in their daily lives?

He stood up, suddenly, offering her a hand. "You said you never get to see the forest, right? I know it's quite dark out, but... would you like to talk a walk with me?" Just to show her the forest, that's all. And it sounded stupid as soon as the words came out of his mouth. The blind man leading those who could see perfectly... He bit his lip as soon as that realization dawned on him, smile faltering. "But you might have somewhere to go..." The wind played with the edges of his robes, almost laughing at him. As if to say, that perhaps, he really was a ghost on the scene. As the days past, he felt more and more like one...

[Anonymous]

[OOC: Haha thanks, even if I don't think so.]

The young gypsy couldn't help but think the same thing, if only he could see... He would probably know exactly what she was from one glance, many people could. Then again.. many people could pick out any of Peach's workers from their bedroom windows. It seemed like they all had been branded, their foreheads labled for all the world. On second thoughts... it might be a miracle he couldn't. She had to tell him though, it wasn't fair to be playing this game with him.

"I hope so," she prayed it could be true, "I have to admit, it's been years since anyone has ever been so kind to me. To be honest, I was beginning to forget what it felt like to recieve any. I guess I can only remember how to give it." People like him and slaves were the few who got anything from her. Despite her love of money, she would give some to slaves or runaways like herself if she could spare it. She never asked for anything in return from them, yet this display from the man before her was something that warmed the cold inside of her.

"Very well si- Kalev. In turn you can call me Natalya if you should wish," she couldn't help but smile herself. The "sir" thing was a habit that came from her slave days. Tough to break when she entered the prostitution business. "I wouldn't say that, it takes strength to run as well. Many people, when faced with a disaster or problems, will stand there like chickens before the slaughter and watch it swallow them whole. It takes more than just a thought to get your legs moving." Something she knew well, how many days had she simply contemplated running? How many years had it taken her to actually just run? Too many. "But you are giving me too much credit. You could have easily walked right by and not paid me any mind. Is that not also a strenght?"

A huge smile split the girl's face and she took his hand, picking herself off of the poor matted grass below. She almost paniced when he said she probably had someone to go, "No! No I don't. In fact I was probably going to sleep out here, I often do on days like this. I would love to walk with you."

[Anonymous]

[ OOC | Gah, I took forever to reply, didn't I? My apologies! ]

There were times when Kalev liked to describe himself as "worldly," but such a description could easily be misleading. The soles of his worn feet had indeed covered quite a bit of land on his travels, but really, had he "seen" it all? Hah, if only — maybe if he had, then he could understand the reason behind this girl's hesitance, what kind of girl she really was. He knew the word, the terminology, but he would never put two and two together, or maybe he didn't think hard enough not to. It was a fortune-teller's job to scrape beneath the surface, but what happened when you didn't need to go digging for an answer? Well, he just wouldn't find the answer until it jumped out in front of him, that was all.

But wasn't it a shock to hear someone say it had been years since anyone had shown them kindness? There came that urge to help again, that urge to yank her away from whatever sickly environment was slowly sapping away her soul. But he was frail and no good at playing hero (it was almost a little silly, to think of himself as a hero) so instead, he just found himself frowning, shaking his head. "Everyone deserves a little kindness in their lives, don't you think? The soul thrives on it." But what he really wanted to say was, what kind of place do you live in, where the people just pass you by? And he had just started to think about how marvelous Ketra was as a city...

Ultimately, she was glad to walk with him, and Kalev found himself smiling a little — never a big smile, never one that would take over his face, but a small little grin, as if that was as far as his mouth could ever stretch. "I'm glad," he found himself replying in relief. Despite everything, Kalev didn't have long talks or interactions with others. It was always brief, unless his clients kept demanding more and more information from him. In a way, that was fun in its own right, but to just walk and talk with someone was a delicacy for the fortune-teller. "The forest is supposed to be most beautiful at night—" A slight, hesitant pause. "—so I've heard."

Liar. You're a liar. Why are you lying? You've never lied before.

"As for whether or not I'm giving you too much credit, I doubt it, Natalya," Kalev continued, testing out her name, remembering her past statement. Instead of trying to bend the Aura so that his vision would be cleared, he kept his hand on tree trunk to tree trunk, feeling his way as he took each slow step. For such a tall man, Kalev walked rather slow, the wind rippling at his robes, still giving off that phantom-esque presence. He did so unconsciously, one foot after the other, in an almost inhuman fashion.

"I wouldn't have been able to walk past you so easily. My conscience is... more nagging than it is for others. Sometimes I think it eats away at me. If I had walked past you, perhaps as I slept, I would be thinking, 'I wonder what was wrong with the girl crying by the tree? Could I have done anything to help?'" He suddenly realized how unreal that sounded, shaking his head. "I'm afraid of wondering, I guess. Wondering, 'what if?'"

Like, what would've happened if he hadn't tried to look into his own future? What if Lelena never stole his eyes that night? What if he had stayed in Yoreiq Isles? What if he never found his eyes, and could never see normally again?

"If you don't mind me asking, how dark is it out here?" he asked her, which was a legitimate question for him. While he could see with the Aura, one thing he could not make out were atmospheres — he could tell day from night easy enough, but how dark and how bright areas were was a whole different story for him. "There's something in the forest I wanted to show you — but it won't be nearly as exciting if the stars aren't chasing away some of the darkness..."

[Anonymous]

((OOC: No no, you're fine I swear. I've kinda been going through a few rough patches so I can't say that I would have responded right away. That's also why my post is rather short this time. Sorry.))

"Indeed they do, but not everyone is willing to give it. Kindness seems to be going out of style in the world," was her forlorn reply. "For my people it's always been lacking from others," time for one secret to come out, she wouldn't be surprised if he treated her differently with this new knowledge, "They don't even take the time to know me, don't even care that I've never known my parents or others like me, all they care about is that I have even one drop of gypsy blood flowing through my veins..."

She was happy when she saw him smile, even the slightest, at her eagerness and her own smile grew when he told her he was glad. "It's like a whole other world at night. One much more beautiful with secrets the world still hasn't been able to crack." And it was true, she would have felt far less secure here during the day than right now. Maybe that was because now she had company this time.

Natalya didn't mind the pace, she didn't need to be anywhere soon and had no real desire to leave anyway. She noted again that he looked more like a ghost now than a few minutes before. "No, you really are. I haven't done anything much worth the credit, believe me."

Unconciously, the girl nodded only to abruptly remember that Kalev couldn't see. Funny how she forgot so quickly, "I understand, I hate thinking about what I couldn't have done and what I didn't do. It's scary imagining how changed my life might be had I just taken a different path." Sometimes she wished she had though, not that there was much she could do to prevent her entrance into slavery.

"Well..." how to describe darkness? "It's not that bad out tonight. With the moon, I can see quite well in every direction. What are you wanting to show me?" What could he show her? It didn't matter what or how, she was actually fairly excited. She couldn't help but imagine what was in the forest that she had never seen before... if it was the forest he was talking about.

[Anonymous]

[ OOC | No worries! We all go through rough patches at some point or another~ ^_^ ]

Somehow, he had got her to open up, if not a little. She was a gypsy, Natalya told him, and was hated for it... for something she couldn't control. In a flash, he recalled the many gypsies of Yoreiq Isle — but on the Isles, there had only been a passive intolerance, and such intolerance was only made by those who were ignorant.

He remembered how a lot of them were good dancers — his mother would toss them coins whenever a group of them preformed near her house, and they were always grateful for every penny given.  One day, when he was very young, the lot of them moved away... and he had always wondered why, but never had his question been answered, not even when looking in the strings of fate.

Wracked with nostalgia, Kalev found himself smiling. "There were many gypsies on the Yoreiq Isles, my home," he mused, while bending his fingers at his side, trying to clear up the Aura for just a little bit. The gypsies Kalev had known did not dress as she did, but her facial profile did remind him of them. "They never gave me a reason to hate them; I doubt any gypsy ever has. And hating people on a whole is just..." But he couldn't find a word to describe such behavior, so just ended up sighing, shaking his head.

But why did he feel sick all of a sudden? He recalled the lie he had told her, how he definitely couldn't see, and placed his hand on his heart again, as if it would stop any minute. She had trusted him — even though the information had been small, she could've not told him anything at all. Especially if there were people out there that did not just passively hate gypsies but did so in an active fashion, in the aggressive styles that she spoke of in the inflection of her voice. He could've been one of those people — but she took the chance to tell him. And he, what did he do? Kalev clutched at his heart tighter, taking a deep breath.

He could already feel karma closing in.

Despite everything, she was here — and whether or not karma would strike and make sure he paid for his lie was irrelevant right now; he was here to make the most of it. Underneath all the pain this one had been through, pain that perhaps someone like Kalev would not be able to imagine, she was still someone who could appreciate the little things, and maybe that was what made Kalev press on and smile. She referred to the world of night 'one much more beautiful with secrets the world still hasn't been able to crack,' and he couldn't think of how right such a statement felt, especially considering what he had planned to show her...

"And the best part about it all is when you actually manage to crack some of the world's secrets... Little things, beautiful things, it's been hiding all this time. We'll get to crack one of those secrets tonight, hopefully, but that's... that's giving it away." He shook his head, still in good spirits, but slightly annoyed at how he didn't seem to be any good at keeping secrets. If this kept up, he might spoil the whole thing before they even got there...!

Thankfully, it was a bright enough night, according to her report. If the moon was really bright like she said, then things would all go as planned. "Good to hear," Kalev nodded with a grin. He laughed as she asked what he wanted to show her, shaking his head once more. "I can't tell you, that'd ruin the surprise, wouldn't it? Although I will say is that it's very beautiful... I don't thinking anyone else knows about this spot, so it'll be a secret between you and me. And it's..." He was rambling again. "I'll ruin the surprise if I say anymore, probably... Truthfully, I'm horrible about keeping secrets..." Kalev was jokingly mournful as he said this, in lighter spirits than he had been in a while.

[Anonymous]

((OOC: True true))

"Gypsies? Truly? What were they like?! Actually tell me about the whole Island!" the girl demanded. She wanted to know about her people and was just a bit curious on what Kalev's life had been like when he lived there. Her eagerness melted away as he spoke of never hating gypsies, "I wish there were more people like you..."

Looking over at the man, she noticed him clutching his heart. Worry took her over, "Kalev? Are you alright?!" She didn't want the one person who had been so kind to her to be in pain. He was far too nice. This made her own stomach lurch, I can't lie to him... Hiding this would be like betraying all the kindness he's shown me. He deserves the chance to turn away should he want it...

"No no, keep rambling. I'm not the kind of person to wait very patiently for secrets so we make quite the pair, if you keep talking then maybe I could get it to slip," she chuckled. She preferred his laughter to the solemn demeanor he had earlier. "I do hope we get there soon though, I wasn't kidding when I said I had a hard time waiting for secrets."

[Anonymous]

"Truly, truly!" he assured, a ghost of a smile playing on his lips. No one had ever asked about his homeland before – but then again, he rarely spoke of it. Such a subject was almost taboo on Kalev's lips, especially considering the tragedy that befell him there, and how he had promised himself that he would never return – not until the wrong done against him was mended. Still, despite the pain that remembering his homeland brought him, such thoughts, he found, were more bittersweet than sour. He shifted through the memories, separating the bad from the good, in an attempt to tell her something wonderful about his homeland.

He shook his head, wishing he could remember more than just fragments. "I don't remember much," he admitted, a hint of regret painting his tone. "I've been away for quite some time... but I do remember the gypsies. They were great dancers, I recall – they performed around the island most nights, and everyone would gather around the central square to watch them. I remember thinking they were beautiful... but they never stayed for long. They were always roaming, and I wished they would stay on the island forever." He smiled slightly, remembering their performances.

"Nothing lasts forever though – I guess the gypsies back home were the first to teach that to me."

For a quick moment, Kalev thought he heard her say, 'I wish there were more people like you...' He turned the Foresight Aura towards her, turning his 'sight' towards her face with his hands, wondering if he had been hearing things, or if she had really said such a thing - and meant it. More people like him? He had always figured himself as someone who the world could overlook and pass by, but perhaps.... Ah, he was fooling himself – why would someone say such a thing to him? She was an anomaly when it came to people in general however – she even stopped to ask, as he clutched his chest, fearing karmic retribution for lying about being absolutely blind, if he was okay, if he was in pain... How had he found such a genuinely amicable person?

"Don't worry about me," he insisted with a smile, "I'm fine – just a little tired, is all." Which was true – he had been on his feet all day, and, for some crazy reason, decided it would be a good idea to keep trekking, to take her, Natalya, to see his secret, the one he harbored in these woods. He had to grin at his own stupidity – but, in his heart, he didn't feel like this little stroll they were taking was stupid at all. If he could put a smile on her face, after seeing her so down and depressed, then it would make his evening – his week, even. A part of him lived for altruism, thrived for it, and it wasn't something he could just ignore.

Finally, the Foresight Aura stretched forth out in front of him, and he could see that they had finally arrived – to the secret, to his secret place, which was now her secret as well. If he had eyes, he would've opened them wide – for this area was his favorite spot in all of the lands he had ever stepped foot in. A rolling green meadow, littered with narcissus flowers and daffodils, stretched out in front of them, adorned with other strange and exotic looking flowers. Skinny, lithe cherry trees were dotted across the landscape, while  friendly wildlife scattered, as soon as the two humans stepped in the area. On the fringe of the meadow, a majestic lake stood, the full moon hovering over it like a watchful, motherly eye. Skies were slathered across the dark night sky, hiding behind rolling clouds that slowly drifted above them.

"We're here," he whispered, as if talking loudly would destroy the beauty of this place. "My secret place – now it can be yours as well." He let the Foresight Aura focus not on the landscape, but on her face, twisting his hand slightly, wondering if she would like it, or if she would be disappointed... "Whenever you're feeling sad again... whenever it feels as if the world is bringing you down... Just come here. Nature will heal your wounds for you."

[Anonymous]

Natalya soaked up his memories of the gypsies and held them close to her heart. They sounded so exotic and talented, mysterious even. Suddenly she was jealous, they knew a freedom that she would never experience... could they even take her in if she found them? Probably not. This made her solemn once more, she was happy that Kalev couldn't see...

"I wouldn't know. I've never had anything wonderful enough to know the loss that comes losing it." Except money... but that certainly did not last.

"But I do," she persisted, "You've been so kind to me. Even enough to bring me all the way through here to show me a place special to you. What kind of person would I be if I didn't worry?" She hoped that he wasn't lying to her, the gypsy would feel awful if he was hurt and kept going because of her. "If you're in pain I'd like you to tell me."

Natalya had been so focused on the man that she hadn't noticed the change in scenery till he spoke. She turned to find a beautiful meadow staring back at her, a sparkling lake, and a view that gods would fight to keep. Her eyes did open wide, her mouth dropped in awe, and only a breath escaped in wonder.

"It's magnificent!" she praised as a smile stretched across her dark face. "It's wonderful. It's-it's a dream." Her hand dropped away from his as she slowly wandered a bit further into the sanctuary. Fingers delicately caressed the petals of some flower she had no name for, arms stretched out wide as if she could absorbed the moonlight, eyes closed as she took in a large breath of everything around her; oh this place was better than she could have imagined.

Turning back to the blind man, she asked in wonder, "How did you ever stumble upon such a place?"

[Anonymous]

"If you're in pain, I'd like you to tell me."

Would she be mad, Kalev wondered, turning the Foresight Aura toward the night sky, if she knew I could see her, all this time? Well, Kalev couldn't see how she wouldn't be mad – he had deceived her without meaning to, just because it was inconvenient to tell the truth.

One could even debate that she wouldn't believe him at all, and just pass it off as him being silly and trivial. After all, how many people does one come across in their lifetime that can see by manipulating an aura with their fingertips? He wouldn't be believed. And he wasn't about to ruin this moment – the moment where he had finally unveiled this secret place – by telling the truth a little too late.

She was so happy, after all, and who was he, Kalev Kostya, to take that away from her? He could remember how sad she had been when he had first found her, looking for his camp to call it a night – and now, the smile on her face put a smile on his own. He focused the Aura on her – watching her stretch out her arms, as if to absorb the moonlight into her very being. He had always believed that nature was the most powerful healer of them all, and here nature was again, proving that to him, as it always did.

Of course, Natalya had to wonder how he had found this place – and she did ask him, curious as ever. He smiled a little at the question, and wished he had a grand story to tell, but boringly enough, his finding of this forest had only been chalked up to one thing...

"Coincidence," Kalev answered, shaking his head. "I must admit – I'm not native to Adela. I get lost in these woods easily – and one day, while feeling hopelessly lost, I came across this place. It was as if this little patch of paradise was welcoming me home." He turned the Aura towards the sky, smiling a little. "I vowed to keep this one secret to myself, but now I've gone and broken it. Hopefully, you'll be better at keeping secrets than I am, no?"

 It was his way of saying, 'this could stay our secret,' without really saying it – because who was he to keep such a place secret, really? But, to Kalev, who had no family to call his own anymore, it would mean the world to have just one thing he could share with another, and not with anyone else. She probably would not pick up on his hint though – Kalev, being a fortune-teller, was too used to talking in riddles and accidental equivocating with everyone. It was quite a bother, especially when he was not on the job.

[Anonymous]

Natalya didn't find his story dull, in fact she had turned toward him, soaking up every word; when you live in a brothel you have little time to go out and listen to storytellers or hear about the outside world. She was genuinely intrigued that he just managed to come across this place by pure accident. At first she felt bad, feared that he was only showing it to her because he felt obliged, but something in his voice made her think he was implying something else entirely.

"Of course. No one guards secrets like the gypsies... or so I'm told," she hoped he wouldn't hear the smile in her voice. It was a relief he couldn't see the one that stretched across her face now. "Besides, there is none I deem worthy to share it with."

But then what did that say about him? Since she was unable to tell him what she was still. It was cruel to let the man share her company when he probably would rather be far away from her. The thought destroyed her giddiness and a frown overcame the smile. Natalya said nothing else and squeezed her eyes shut; he had been so kind to her and she was practically lying to him. Ungrateful and selfish was what she was being.

Keeping her eyes shut, she tried to steady her voice. "Kalev, have you ever visited Ketra? Met the people? Visited her wonders? Heard of her brothel?" Natalya! What are you doing?! You aren't skilled at this kind of thing, it will sound too obvious... he may get it right away before you figure out how he feels about whores. Safe to say her heart was pounding, her palms sweaty, and she'd be damned before she looked at him anytime soon for fear of what she might see.

[Anonymous]

"No one guards a secret like the gypsies."

The fortune-teller had to smile at her oath – he knew he had picked the right person to share this special place with. He still wasn't sure why he had been so dead-set on sharing it with her, except for that feeling that stirred in his chest, that it was just right to show her this special place.

Sure, Kalev magick on his fingertips, artificial sight sensors which were no much for the real thing, but Natalya, she had real eyes – and because of it, maybe she could appreciate this place more than he ever would be able to. No, Kalev was sure that she could, because the Foresight Aura was no match for the real thing. Colors were not as vibrant, sceneries was not as vivid, and atmospheres themselves could not be translated by the magick – and so, Kalev lost so many things in translation. To see her smile was to see how he might've smiled – a younger, more innocent version of himself – if he had eyes to see paradise with.

He wanted to ask her what this place looked like – because there were times when he wondered if the Foresight Aura was lying to him, and the world that he saw through his fingertips could be just a mirage all this time. However, he couldn't bring himself to do it – he was not blind, he could see, but she believed wholeheartedly that he was a blind fortune-teller, and he could not bring himself to tell her that he had lied out of convenience. He clutched at his heart once again, gathering the material of his dark robe in his wispy fingertips, and wondered if he should come clean – before it was too late.

However, Natalya had other plans, and instead, asked him, out of the blue, if him of Ketra.

"Ah, Ketra, the capital," he voiced, and nodded slowly, a smile playing on his lips. "Ah yes, I've found her people to be quite friendly – but boisterous, and proud! I stuck out like a sore thumb there, of course, but her people... are friendly, kind, if not patriotic and bold – but it was a refreshing change from the colorful streets of Serendipity." He had his best clients in Serendipity, and he was probably a little biased towards it because of that sole reason – but Ketra was definitely a place he had to visit more often.

"Heard of her brothel?"

Kalev did not flinch at this last addition, but his face grew puzzled – searching the depths of his vocabulary for the definition of this word. "The brothel?" he echoed, before his mental dictionary finally gave him a meaning for the word. "I can't say I've ever been inside... but workers from the brothel were eager to hear their fortunes. They were my first customers in Ketra, actually."

He did recall a couple of young girls who said they were from the Rowdy Peach coming into this forest, after hearing that a fortune-teller was in town. They had relatively bright futures, from what the strings of fate had predicted, and left with wide smiles on their faces.

"How amazed their faces were! It must've been their first time seeing a fortune-teller..." Despite his ability to see her face, Kalev was still confused at the randomness of her question. "Why do you ask? Do you have family who work in the brothel?"

He still didn't get it – even after looking right at her – and even if it did 'get it' it would've been a trivial matter to him anyway. Kalev was the lowest one could possibly be in social class – he lived in forests and owned no material possessions but the clothes on his back. Never one to judge, never one to believe in stereotypes, he lived as humbly as he could, with the fates of fortune as his guide.

"Look at me, rambling away..." he muttered, laughing at himself. "You must not care to hear me talk so much." It was true - the fortune-teller was never one who spoke often, but then again, he had never found someone who had cared to hear him talk, or at least, it happened very rarely. And still, he had lied and said he was blind! He had done it so many times before, but why was it that he couldn't bare to lie now?