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Post by MP on Jul 9, 2017 21:00:11 GMT -6
"Um." At the mention of a ride home, Sohl bit his lip. He looked down at his sopping clothes, at the weeds twined about his ankles and fingers. He thought about the last proper drive he'd been on - a taxi ride that had ended in an irate driver and a hundred extra dollars he could not afford when he, unused to the sudden turns and lurching stops, had been sick in the back seat. He held up his hands uncomfortably, reddening a little as he backpedaled.
"Oh no, that's okay. I can just fl - I can get home fine on my own. Really, don't bother. Anyway, it's not like you actually -"
But the dark-eyes had already made up his mind for the both of them. He rose smoothly, already taking charge, and Sohl trailed off in his stammering to stare, perplexed. The regal decisiveness in the man's tone demanded attention. Was almost hypnotic in its authority. Sohl had never had a pack of his own, but the instinct was there, and he knew that here was a pack leader, even if he couldn't yet put that knowing to words.
"I would love to take you up on your offer, Miss Kit," the man was saying. "But to leave the poor boy waterlogged a moment longer would be cruel. Here. Allow me..."
In that moment, with both strangers insisting, Sohl might have given in and gone with them. If it had simply been left at that. But at that moment, something moved around him. Closed in. He saw it coming and twitched back with the beginnings of a yelp in his throat. And the next moment everything was cold, black, and disturbingly - impossibly - alive. He felt the gaze of something turn on him, and he tried to make himself small and insignificant, a field mouse beneath the shadow of the hawk. He emerged in this manner, crouched and wide-eyed on the tiled floor. The unfinished cry squeezed from his throat, and as the towel fell into his arms, he panicked.
The youth's form flickered and, without any kind of transition or warning, blinked back into existence several feet away. Once. Twice. Three times. The final jump actually sent him against the wall with an audible thump. He rocked on his heels and stared at Malthiel wide-eyed, trying to orient himself.
"What did you do?" he said, almost baring his teeth in his desperation. "When are we?"
Terror coursed through him. If this man, this Dreamer - for what else could he be, with access to a thing like that - had taken him too far, Sohl didn't know how he would ever get back. His father, his plans, his way home, all snatched away. Was this him? Was this Rava? He wasn't ready - hadn't prepared. Why hadn't he prepared?
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Post by Sharei on Jul 9, 2017 21:40:30 GMT -6
The man who called himself Malthiel stood up with an air of authority and with an eloquent let me, darkness like Kit had never known closed around them with the finality of death. It roiled and surged, alive with maliciousness and hunger. In those few precious moments of absolute darkness, of icy cold so deep that it stole her breath, she was afraid.
She was afraid, because she was wrong. Kit had known one other type of darkness like this. She could still remember the smell of wet stone and the endless tunnels, the endless corridors, the screams of the fallen, the wail of the dead.
Her chest seized and it had nothing to do with the cold. One hand came up to grip at the front of her shirt and the other, the hand that she had not lost during her bout in the maze, came up to touch her other arm. The memory of its loss haunted her. The vague images of her own demise were constant nightmares. A scream began to claw its way up her throat.
And then all of a sudden they were in the bright, warm light of a living room. The darkness of the realm before had been so complete that the electric light hurt her eyes and she blinked rapidly to adjust. Nearby Sohl was having his own panic attack, and it was only his upset that stopped her having one herself. She forced the breath she'd been holding out through clenched teeth. Her whole body trembled. All she wanted to do was crawl into a corner, curl up into a ball and scream into a pillow, but Sohl was freaking out and she wasn't the sort to sit idly by while other people suffered.
"That was- shadow magic?" she said with a tremulous voice. "Umbrakinesis? Are you a shadowmancer?" she asked, though the answer was frankly obvious. She said it only to help assuage Sohl's attack.
She scooped up the towel and walked over to him. She felt bad about doing it, but she approached him as though he were a frightened animal, careful not to make any sudden moves and keeping inside his sight. She couldn't have approached quickly anyway, because her legs would not stop shaking.
"Hey," she said, not sure what was going on but understanding that he was upset. "Are you alright? Does dimension stepping make you ill?" She'd heard about how it bothered some people, though she had a feeling that it wasn't a stomach problem. She held out the towel and began drying his hair. "Everything is fine, see?"
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Post by Marshmallow on Jul 10, 2017 6:45:00 GMT -6
Malthiel's eyebrows arched toward the ceiling. For a long moment he remained where he stood, simply staring back at Sohl. It wasn't quite the reaction he had anticipated. Shock and fear, yes; Those he was intimately familiar with. Abrupt teleportation? Not something he encountered terribly often.
"That was- shadow magic? Umbrakinesis? Are you a shadowmancer?" The young woman's voice trembled as much as her form. She was faring barely any better than the boy.
Were he of a mind to speak openly, he might have launched into a lecture about poor coping skills and the failings of the 'fight or flight' instinct. Instead, he answered simply, "Yes... And yes."
Slowly, so as not to spook either of them any further, Malthiel stepped away from the wall and began to cross the room. His eyes fell briefly to the dark blotches on his carpet which marked the boy's progression of panic-induced teleportation. He clicked his tongue in distaste, and made a mental note to contact the cleaners first thing in the morning. Best not to let the stains linger.
He held up both hands in a placating manner as he approached, trying to show that he meant no harm. "I am dreadfully sorry! I didn't intend to frighten you," he said earnestly. "You are in my home. We haven't gone all that far. Look outside the window in the kitchen there - We're still on the lake." He gestured further into the home, where the living room melded into the kitchen, with a decorative partial wall to separate them. "I only meant to help. You'll catch your death staying in those wet clothes, and this was faster..." He sighed, letting his shoulders droop. One hand scrubbed nervously through his hair. "I suppose that I... forget sometimes that not everyone is accustomed to shadow travel. I should have explained. My deepest apologies."
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Post by MP on Jul 10, 2017 22:01:03 GMT -6
Sohl listened to the back and forth in a kind of paralysis, the words drifting to his ears as if from very far away.
"Umbrakinesis?" he repeated doubtfully, testing the words. "Shadow...mancer?"
He tried to piece these fragments together into an understandable image. He knew some of the parts at least, but...how did these meanings together explain what had happened to them? It hadn't felt like shadow - a shadow was nothing. It couldn't watch or think or hunger. He wanted to ask Kit what this meant. He wanted to tell her to get away from him.
Sohl actually leaned away as she approached, the wall pressing up against his back. But she was taller than him, and steadier on her feet right now, and he thought that even if he ran, this Malthiel-maybe-Rava would simply catch him and bring him back. And then he would be angry for being disobeyed.
"Hey. Are you alright?" Yellow eyes flickered back to Kit's face as she spoke. "Does dimension stepping make you ill? Everything is fine, see?"
Sohl flinched slightly as the towel fell over his hair. What was she doing to his head? It was...well, not bad, exactly. He didn't know what it was. It did, however, block out a great portion of his view. And what he saw in this narrower world gave him pause.
"You're scared too," he observed, very softly. The realization was - strangely - a relief. There was the same tremor in her legs, the weakness in her hands. Even a faint something in her voice, now that he was listening for it. The knowledge that he was not alone in this straightened his spine a little. Calmed his breathing. He began to relax - though, he still couldn't understand the towel.
"I am dreadfully sorry," Malthiel's voice broke in.
Sohl hung on to the man's explanation with rising hope. At the gesture, he shrugged off the towel and craned his neck, peering out the far window. Sure enough, a familiar lakeside sprawled on the other side. He stared hard at it, scrutinizing the very grass blades in an attempt to find something amiss. It all looked right. Felt right.
"Oh," he said weakly, all the tension and confusion and relief expressed in that single syllable. It was his turn to scrub nervously at his hair. The roots were nearly dry. Was that what the towel was for?
"I..." He glanced uncertainly at Malthiel. "I didn't know. I guess I'm sorry about your carpet then. I was trying to get to yesterday." He looked between the two of them, a little shamefaced. Kit had also been afraid, but she hadn't tracked pond scum all over the man's floor.
He risked a small, apologetic admission. "I don't think I like magic very much. Does it always feel hungry like that?"
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Post by Sharei on Jul 11, 2017 19:26:28 GMT -6
"You're scared too."
"I- ... Y-Yeah, it was scary for me too," she whispered back, distracting her from the quiet observation she was making about how Sohl seemed completely clueless about the fact that she was drying his hair. He acted as though he'd never seen a towel before and considered the fluffy fabric some kind of bizarre weapon.
What the heck?
Then he said something which caught her too by surprise. It seemed that tonight was the night for surprises. I was trying to get to yesterday, he said, and she had to replay it back again in her mind to make sure she'd heard right. Kit blinked, taken aback.
"You... were trying to get to yesterday?"
The statement was so absurd that for a moment she forgot entirely about his shaky observation of her fear. How could someone get to yesterday? Wait - did he mean time travel? Her amber eyes widened with the hungry light of a scholar let into a forbidden library. She had gone out searching for a lake monster, but had she instead found a time traveler? Her desire to know more was palpable.
Then Sohl brought the conversation right back around to the subject of the travel through the darkness and she shivered involuntarily. The terror was not so easily shaken, it seemed. She thought she could still smell the mildew of the Maze clinging to her skin and she brushed the towel over her arms instinctively.
"I've never traveled that way, so Malthiel is the only one who can answer that question," she admitted lamely. "And I hope never to again. No offense, Mal, but I don't think it suits either of our constitutions."
As far as doing rude things goes, she thought, taking someone's picture is a world less offensive that translocating them without permission. Doesn't that technically count as abduction?
It was a good thing that this Malthiel didn't seem like he wanted anything nefarious at the moment. She side-eyed him, but dismissed her suspicions for the moment. He didn't seem like someone out to get them.
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Post by Marshmallow on Jul 13, 2017 23:57:04 GMT -6
Malthiel looked on, resisting the impulse to ease closer until Sohl had calmed. The last thing his carpets needed was another round of panicked teleportation. And there was still a noticeable tremor in both of his guests, the edge of shock had not faded entirely from their voices. Inwardly, their fear delighted and entertained him. The face he showed, however, was one gently creased with concern and apology.
"Fair enough. I cannot speak for other types of magic, as this is the only kind I know. But the shadows generally... Yes, always feel like that. One learns to cope with the sensation. You could call it an acquired taste," he answered conversationally. "Shadow travel is not for everyone, I suppose. I've grown so used to it, I did not realize how it might affect the both of you. The magic reacts strongly to the subconscious, you see. By the time I knew what I wished to do, it was already forming, and it's only now that I realize I neglected to voice it." He turned to Kit with a self-conscious half smile. "At least this means you're no longer the 'dumbest person on the lake' today. I apologize again for my impulsiveness."
The silver-eyed musician turned from them and strode across the living room. "If you'll pardon me for just a moment..." he politely excused himself just before darting up a flight of stairs to the second floor. He returned in short order, barely a minute's absence. In his arms he carried a neatly folded set of dry clothes, of a size he had determined to be at least close to Sohl's, and a fresh towel. He offered them with an apologetic smile. "I don't know if they will be the best fit, but at least they are clean and dry. There is a bathroom for guests just down the hall if you would like to get cleaned up, and an extra towel for drying. Make yourself at home, it is the least I can offer for frightening you so," he spoke with patient kindness, gesturing one-handed to a short corridor that led off the living room.
"This extends to you as well, Miss Kit," he added. "I'm sure days spent camping in the wilderness take a toll. The master bath is up the stairs, left of the main bedroom. Help yourself if you wish. Or, if there is anything else I can get for you? Tea, coffee?"
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Post by MP on Jul 17, 2017 10:56:48 GMT -6
In the short pause as they waited for Malthiel, Sohl shuffled his weight from foot to foot and stared out at the lake through the window. He felt uneasy at his slip-up. Shouldn't have mentioned yesterday at all, really. Something in Kit's face had made him uncomfortable - the look of the cat finding the birdcage open. He supposed it was too late to take it back now. The youth glanced sideways at her and opened his mouth - perhaps to say something about how it wasn't any big deal really, how almost anyone could learn to do it with the right training and a proper shock. But then Malthiel was back, and Sohl took the towel instead and padded off at the man's direction.
He found the guest bathroom easily enough but was wary of the tub. The tiles were very white and clean, and went poorly with the greenish mud and pond scum. He stripped and washed awkwardly, hastily under the running tap, crouching low and casting furtive glances at the door all the while. He hoped the man had meant for him to use this. To be safe, he kept it to only a cursory rinse and stepped clear as soon as he was acceptably skin-colored. Sohl fluffed out his hair and stood for a moment, dripping. Normally he would sit on the bed or the carpet and wait himself dry, or go for a short flight even - but this was not his home. A thinking pause. Another furtive look at the door. He patted his arms and legs gingerly dry with the corner of one hand towel. Swept the rest of the droplets off with brisk swipes of his hands. Then he shrugged on the clean clothes and wadded the old ones into a tight, miserable ball. Wrung them out into the tub for good measure. Washed it all down. Well there, he was clean, if a little damp through the new clothes. But good enough. Sohl didn't think he'd taken too long.
He came back to the main room on quiet, slightly squeaking steps, his old clothes tucked under one arm. In the silence, he looked to Malthiel, wondering what he was supposed to do now. Would the man give him permission to go? Or was he expected to leave at once? Or maybe the man wanted something.
"Thank you," Sohl said, a little uncertainly. "For the clothes."
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Post by Sharei on Jul 19, 2017 11:49:20 GMT -6
"A shower would be wonderful, actually," Kit admitted. "I'll take you up on that."
And she did, and it was wonderful. Malthiel's master bathroom was unlike anything that Kit had ever experienced. She had never been inside a more luxurious space, let alone that it was only a bathroom, and spent more time gazing at the poshness of it than actually showering. There was an expanse of perfectly cut tile in breathtaking sea colors, the sides of the claw footed tub seemed like ivory and the handles of the separate, magnificent rainfall shower were mother of pearl. Standing beneath the piping hot water had been like heaven, and that was without activating the many pressurized shower heads that seemed as though they might be intended to massage aching muscles instead of clean. Kit desperately wanted to try them, but there were settings on the taps that she had no idea about and didn't want to break anyway, so didn't mess with it.
When she was done there were fluffy towels nearly as big as she was waiting on a shelf. She dried herself thoroughly, taking her time to ensure she'd put herself to rights, and then climbed back into her clothes. There were still grass stains on the knees of her jeans, but thankfully they were otherwise clean.
When she was completely dry she returned to the main foyer to find that Sohl was already with Malthiel. "Hey," she called and bounded down the stairs two at a time to land at his side. "Amazingly posh place, isn't it? I definitely have to get myself one of those shower heads. Thanks for letting us clean up."
Her eyes slid between Sohl and Mal, and she had to wonder what happened next? Did they leave? It was getting late and surely Malthiel's hospitality only extended so far. She glanced at Sohl. "So, what now? If you'd like to get that ride home I can - ooh fuck, my truck!"
She'd left it behind in the middle of the woods, along with everything else.
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Post by Marshmallow on Jul 26, 2017 21:04:41 GMT -6
In the short period he had to himself, Malthiel saw to a few small tasks.
He treated and dabbed up what he could of the stains Sohl left on his carpets. The spots didn't come clean entirely, and he regarded what remained with chilly contempt. The carpets had just been steam cleaned not a week ago, and he had kept them so perfectly spotless until now. With a huff, he tore his attention away from the offensive stains and stepped into the kitchen. In the event that either of his guests should desire a hot drink when they finished with their respective baths, he placed a row of mugs and several containers of different teas and coffee blends on the bar. He filled the electric kettle and flicked the little switch to start it heating, and then silently stepped away through a shadow to complete one more errand.
He was back before Sohl finished, and settled into one of the high-backed chairs in the living room.
Malthiel glanced up from his e-reader as the blonde youth crept back into the room. He gave Sohl a kind smile and pushed to his feet, placing the e-reader aside. "Here. I can throw those clothes in the laundry for you, if you'd like," he offered. About then, Kit called from the stairs. Malthiel was all kind smiles and patience. "You're quite welcome. It's the least I could offer for my misstep."
"Ooh fuck, my truck!"
"Is outside, on the curb," Malthiel finished. He looked slightly abashed as he explained. "Since you did not take well to shadow travel, I... may have taken the liberty of locating your campsite while you were in the shower, and bringing your belongings here. I believe I got everything, but you may wish to inspect the vehicle and make certain."
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Post by MP on Jul 29, 2017 0:49:33 GMT -6
Sohl looked visibly disconcerted by the mention of the relocated campsite. He looked from Malthiel to Kit and back again, wondering what else might have been moved without their permission. Still, the man had been nothing but nice to them so far - if a little strange - and there were manners to think of.
"Yes, please. Thank you," he said, offering the muddied clothes only to hesitate at the man's spotless appearance. It might be better to do it himself. "I can take them there instead if you...want." He glanced around for some sign of the laundry room. "You're very clean."
His eyes went again to the window, his thoughts prone to wandering in the unfamiliar environment and company, and he blurted out a tangent before he could help himself. "Why were you playing on the lake? It's so much...less muddy in here." He looked around, remembering his status as the man's guest a moment late. "If it's not impolite to ask," he added, holding up hands and sodden clothes in an apologetic gesture.
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Post by Sharei on Jul 30, 2017 11:17:56 GMT -6
Kit was at once annoyed and grateful that Malthiel had had the foresight to go and get her things. While it was a little upsetting to think that someone had gone through her possessions and had broken into her truck to put them away - because how else would he have done it, without the key, unless he just packed everything into the bed of the pick up - she was extremely grateful for not having to trek through the woods at night to find it. Still... he could have asked.
She caught Sohl's eye, and was relieved to find that she wasn't the only one thinking so.
That being said, Kit wasn't one to linger on anger if she didn't have to, and so she let it go. Malthiel had been nothing but hospitable to them both since their awkward meeting on the shore. "Thanks for that," she said. "I appreciate it. It saves me tripping over roots in the dark."
"Why were you playing on the lake?"
Kit arched an eyebrow at Sohl. She thought it was probably obvious, if Malthiel was a musician as good as he sounded, but maybe that was just coming from one artist to another. She decided to let Malthiel field that one, though.
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Post by Marshmallow on Aug 29, 2017 0:22:31 GMT -6
Malthiel rolled up his shirt sleeves and reached to take the muddied clothes from his guest. Sohl's hesitation prompted a good-natured chuckle. "I'm quite certain I will be fine, my friend. It's only a bit of muddy water, nothing a little soap won't cure," he replied. He held out his hand for the clothes, when the blonde youth abruptly steered the conversation to a hard left.
"Why were you playing on the lake?"
Malthiel blinked. He followed Sohl's gaze around his living room. Yes, aside from the new stains on the carpet, courtesy of Sohl, the space was very tidy and neat. Barely a speck was out of place, everything from the furniture to the walls, to the enchanting deep-sea painting over the mantle, was orderly and spotless.
That had been part of the problem earlier, when...
He inwardly flinched as he recalled the unfortunate state he had left the study in prior to his escape to the lakeshore. That mess could certainly be put off until later. He had no desire to revisit the scene of such profound frustration, not when he had company to entertain.
He sighed and shook his head. "Hardly impolite, Sohl. I was simply in rather desperate need for a change of scenery," he confessed with a shrug, and a wistful glance to the violin case settled against the far wall. "You see, I hit a creative block on my latest arrangement. My home and study were too stifling, I wasn't making any progress. So I took to the lakeshore to unwind. The lake has always been a source of inspiration and calm for me, it's why I live here. Usually, that spot is pretty isolated..."
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Post by MP on Aug 30, 2017 20:24:25 GMT -6
Sohl glanced around at the warm interior, the generous furniture and well-kept floors, and he couldn't imagine how any of this could be stifling. It wasn't the open sky, sure. But as homes went, it was the most luxurious thing he'd ever seen. He didn't want to insult his host though, so he only gave a small smile of sympathy.
"Usually, that spot is pretty isolated," Malthiel was saying, and Sohl flushed a little with embarrassment.
"I didn't mean to intrude," he said, ducking his head a little. "I wanted to swim somewhere where I could be, um, you know." He gestured vaguely at the whole of himself "Myself. I didn't know anyone lived here."
He offered an apologetic smile, not quite raising his head. "Your music was beautiful, though."
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Post by Sharei on Sept 13, 2017 12:20:21 GMT -6
Sohl's blush of embarrassment was matched by the red in Kit's cheeks. She was usually difficult to embarrass, but this situation was just far enough outside her comfort zone that she stood next to Sohl, and the pair of them made a pretty convincing pair of chastised school children.
"Sorry, I wasn't meaning to spy, either. On either of you, really. I was just trying to get pictures of the rumored lake creature- being - thing."
She pointedly did not say monster.
"So um. Yeah. Thanks for letting me borrow your shower and letting Sohl clean up. If there's anything I can do to repay you, let me know. And Sohl, I'd like to get to know you better, if that'd be alright?" She scrubbed a hand over the back of her neck. "I still intend to get you that coffee or something. Maybe we could catch up then?"
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Post by Marshmallow on Oct 2, 2017 7:52:20 GMT -6
The both of them stood there, red-faced with embarrassment like scolded children. Malthiel smiled patiently and waved away their apologies. "Please, don't apologize. I'm not saying I was offended," he assured them both. "The lake is for everyone, after all. It's actually a bit funny how we all found the same clearing. I would have prepared benches, had I known I would have an audience." He chuckled. "Maybe next time."
He watched them for a moment more. While waiting to see if Sohl changed his mind or still wanted to clean those muddy clothes, his curiosity prickled. Malthiel turned to Kit. "If you don't mind my asking," he started conversationally. "I'm curious. What is all this business about a supposed 'lake creature' anyway? I'm afraid I don't stay up to date on urban legends. I have heard of the alleged Mountain Devil or some such... but now there's one in the lake too?"
Of course, he knew full well that there was a monster in the lake. He was the monster. And it provided him periodic amusement to occasionally feed into the rumors. Watching humans turn a blurry photo or hysterical story into full-blown conspiracy theories was always good for a laugh. But in keeping up appearances, he maintained an air of skepticism as he spoke.
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