Little Tears (open)

[Talbot Linsorim]

With Aido running ahead, thuming his tail against the ground to allow her to see the world around her as the majic pulse gave everything a dim signature. Talbot was glad for no longer having to walk with her arms outstretched and enduring the sounds of whispering people and soft giggles- the sounds of people taking bets on the blind girl colliding into something had unnerved her for only a short while. The whisper of feathered wings told Talbot, Mikon was close by. His constant worrying having bothered her only slightly- it was Zula's constant crying which had her in knots. Even now, the smallest of the mice was in her pocket- mourning or scared, Talbot did not know.

Pausing, Talbot removed Zula from the pocket, her speech had improved only so much- she had to take long breaks from long talking but nothing out of the unusual- as it was now all she had were the mice and occaisionally Corsair to speak with as it was- in this she had long periods of silence. She cleared her throat, asking softly, "Zula, why do you keep crying? Why won't you stop?"

The small mouse only screeched and cried louder. Talbot nearly dropped her in surprise, Mikon and Ardo both turned their full attention on the two. Mikon chittered for Zula to stop, when he failed, Zula began shrilling as if a monster held her. Tears welled in Talbot's colorless eyes- she was uncertain of how to calm the little mouse and she was slowly becoming more desperate to make her stop.

Ardo hopped back to the three. At the sound of his deep mousy bark, because we was far to big to be squeaking like the little mice, Zula flailed about and cast water ball on Ardo- her screeching sounding between gasping breaths of panic. Talbot could do nothing, she simply walked to the closest wall- arm outstretched to find it. She slowly slid down the wall and faced the open street as the small mouse continued the tantrum and as tears welled down her face as well.

[ketsuki]

Ketsuki had been watching the whole spectacle and he had his own guesses about why that mice was afraid.
But he decided not to show of with it and try to befriend that woman instead. They're much easier to trick if you're their friends.
If he was lucky she might even begin to like him. Love drives humans blind, and can pull them over cliffs like lemmings. He actually liked love, it was fun to see people struggle to maintain it even when it was clear that it had all been faked. He had seen it a hundred times before. And he was hoping for at least another hundred times.
But he isn't picky so he takes what he can. And being friends also works really well even if he may not kill her because of his promise to the staff, he could at least make sure that she was going to the right direction afterwards. Maybe he'd succed having her kill herself. That'd makea good laughter for another ten years or so.

So he decided to try it. He put on his nicest face and best behavior and walked over to her. Then he made sure not to hiss when he said:

"Hi there. What's going on?"

[Talbot Linsorim]

Being blind, she could not see his face- but she could hear his voice and the vibrations made a little red flag appear in the back of her mind. Mikon swooped down and flared his wings, before settling inside a secondary pocket, his dark eeys watching closely. Ardo, too large to fit in a pocket, simply watched, his tail curling and uncurling with curiousity at this odd looking being. Even Zula paused in her tears, though within bare seconds she picked right back up again.

Talbot sighed heavily, her tears of frustration having dried on her face. Slowly, she shifted to her feet her robes making barely any sound. Her frustration was not visible in her voice, she eminated content calmness to the outside considering the lack of sleep due to nightmares and small tears. She smiled, "Just a baby having a tantrum."

She bowed slightly in the direction of where his voice eminated, "Talbot Miranari Linsorim."

[ketsuki]

Knowing how much value some humans put in their manners Ketsuki answered by bowing himself.

"And I'm Kyu Ketsuki. I'm pleased to meet you."

He looked at the different creatures. How small, cute and cuddly.
It made him want to throw up. Probably on them.

"All of you."

He added without making any signs of what he really thought.
Then he straightened himself and continued:

"I've got a good hand with animals, at least in my own opinion. Would I be intruding on something if I asked what it was about?"

He didn't use the tempting voice yet. She wasn't quite ready for that yet it seemed. And he was sertainly not. He needed to know what she desired more than anything. And when he knew that, he'd give it to her.
For a price of course.

[Talbot Linsorim]

"The pleasure of this meeting is ours, Mr Ketsuki," she answered formally.

Mikon climbed onto her shoulder, in the language of familars- a series of squeaks and chittering in the flyinf mouse's case- he warned the being it unwise to think they could not handle their own ssituation. Somewhere by now, little red flag was waving madly in the back of Talbot's mind- but that could have just been the feeling of Mikon's wings brushing the base of her neck.

Zula continued to sob, Ardo shifted foreward and sniffed at the being, instantly shaking his head and starting to groom. He barked something about feeling unclean after scenting this being. Talbot shook her head, colorless eyes still seeming to hold an unforseen happiness- maybe it was because she had been lonely for a while now?

"I don't think you'd be able to speak their language. Thank you though, I believe we can handle our own," she answered politely, though a tone of worry still partly remained in the casual joy she presented.

[ketsuki]

"I understand. And you're correct, I probably wouldn't understand what they said. Actually I've always had more succes with reptiles. Especially snakes, but I love all kinds of animal and I look forward to see how they'll look in the future."

With the last bit he ment that according to the bible it would probably be alot of boiling seas and burning forests.
That'd be something that he'd give his right hand to see. At least somebodys right hand.
He decided to get on trying to figure out her weaknesses and lusts. As he'd been told in the early days, everyone has a price, some are just higher.
So he asked her:

"So, what kind of magician are you? I've seen alot of elementarists around here but you don't look like one with those, are you a summoner?"

[Talbot Linsorim]

Shaking her head, Talbot still held her smile, "I'm certainly no summoner, Mr. Ketsuki. Sorry to dissapoint, but I am no more than an elementalist with alchemaic dabblings."

Mikon nodded his head sharpy. A summoner indeed! Ardo snorted, still grooming, he was no fabrication from another world! Zula sniffled miserably, she certainly wasn't a silly little summon- though she did miss playing with them.

Talbot raised a hand in a carefree attitude, "And yourself, Mr Ketsuki? What do you specialize in?"

[ketsuki]

Ketsuki smiled at a chance to talk about himself. He didn't do that often, mostly he talked about other peoples 'needs'.
So he was more than happy to get a chance to do it.

"My specialty lies in bodily transformation, such as wings and similar. Your little friends seems to be quite unhappy with my guess, I have to apologize if I have somehow offended them, or of course you."

He really enjoyed a chance to sharpen his tounge a bit and talking with a girl, especially by explaining while saying nothing like this is on top ten.
He had other things he liked of course, and many he'd love to try on this woman but for now this was the best move if he wanted her. And since her small pests seemed to be intellectual they probably had a soul, and if they were loyal enough he might kill four annoying flying creatures with one stone. He loved this kind of game. And his boss loved that he enjoyed it since he did a good work then.

[Talbot Linsorim]

((OOC: just in case you didn't know, Mikon is the only flyer- air elemental mouse. Zula is a water elemental and Ardo is an earth elemental..... ))


Talbot inclined her head slightly, there was something in his voice- an almost secretive delight in his words, maybe he got out less than she did?

Shaking her head, she smiled still, "You'll have to excuse them, my familiars aren't often mistaken for summons. They're simply a little sensitive."

Taking a moment to consider what he said he did, Mikon flared his wings and took to the air- doing backwards somersalts and twisting about. Zula climbed out of Talbot's pocket and sat on her shoulder, watching- holding out little paws in hopes of getting to ride too. Ardo finished grooming and waddled to the closest apple barrel, thwapping it with his tail and gaining the apple for a snack- the soft sound of crunching could be heard.

"I have to clarify but are you a shapeshifter?"

[ketsuki]

((Sorry, I knew but didn't quite think it through. But that one's probably most annoying.))

"Yes, in a matter of fact I am. It's quite intresting to change your view of life like that. And I can understand that they might be a little sensitive about something like that. [Like hell I do!] I mean, I myself would be quite annoyed if someone described me like a lizard or something. My other shape is a snake, you see."

He had been watching one of the little pests jump down a barrel of apples. He suddenly wished that Linsorim hadn't been there so that he could've seen how long it would take for hit to roll down a hill. For a moment he also watched the flying one. He wondered when rats got wings.

"I feel that I must ask something myself. Where did you find these cuties?"

He said and made his best efforts to controll his stomack so he could keep that lunch he had eaten to keep the humans calm.

[Talbot Linsorim]

There was something in his voice which made her want to question his motives, but for all she knew he was simply some harmless shapeshifter with an affection for helping people. Thinking for a moment, she nodded, "I've had Mikon since I was born, he was my mother's amiliar and simply passed to me when she passed away. Zula and Ardo, I have found after my powers advance or shortly after I dodge death."

She said this casually and without restraint, mind you she did not laugh in the face of death- she had known better for many years. Ardo twapped the barrel again and took another apple. Mikon joined him and Zula began to cry. The loud shrills of the small mouse sent a chill down Talbot's spine- mostly because the small creature was so close to her ear.

[ketsuki]

"I see. You seem to have been through quite alot that one wouldn't guess. I've got to say that I'm impressed."

This was getting better by the minute. He had thought that she'd been a normal student or so, but if she had this kind of background he'd get praise from below and that could possibly mean authority to use more powers or something. This was really promising.

Then the mouse began to cry again. He had enjoyed the few moments of silence but there it all restarted. He could barely believe that such a small creature could emit such a sound.
If he managed to send it down there he'd make it his personal pet. And he wouldn't let it cry in his ear like that. But it would look good on the wall. Hanging there with a nail through its loud mouth.
But now he went ahead of himself. That was dangerous.

"There, there." He said in a futile attempt to calm it so that he got some peace and quiet.

[Talbot Linsorim]

Talbot gently took Zula off her shoulder and put her on the ground, "Go eat with them. Go on."

As soon as Zula's feet touched the ground, she stopped crying and joined the toher two. Ardo knocked down a third apple for them to share. It seemed Zula was simply feeling left out. Standing, Talbot shook her head and laughed, the sound of wind chimes escaping, a trait earned from her mother's mixed blood.

"Well now I have to make sure that doesn't happen again," she said, eye focusing back in the direction his voice had eminated from, "sorry about that. She is still a baby in their years."

[ketsuki]

"Really? How long do they live? And more exactly, what are they?"

He was curious about them for real. He wasn't to fond of this kind of animals so he decided that if they were rare enough he'd just kill the rest of them. Maybe find some way to make their pelts worth money or take away their living areas.
Humans are so easily maipulated into doing ones job if one just know how to manipulate them.
Ketsuki knows exactly how to manipulate them. Mostly with something made of paper and that was easily put into safes and such together with papers that indicated that they weren't bribes of any sorts and a polite suggestion to cut down a rainforest or two.

[Talbot Linsorim]

Talbot was smarter than that. Familiars were rare as it was. "No one knows how old they can grow to be and no one honestly knows what they truely are."

This said, she made a mental note of his interest and felt the same echo of greed she knew from her father. With a slight shiver, her smile dimmed for only a moment, she chittered softly and the three mice made no more moving than adjusting their ears.