[IC] They Are Among Us

[LadyTale]

(Sorry this took so long, everyone. I had the post written, I clicked post... and the internet crashed.)

To everyone walking by, Alanna looked like just another pretty girl. No one would guess that she was actually a creature of death; they only saw the girl standing undecided before the candy section in the grocery store. Stick to her budget or satisfy her sweet tooth?

Ssst... thunk! Jaffar gave a slight smile as his arrow hit the center of the bullseye. Nocking another arrow, he drew back the bowstring, exhaling as he released. He had been at the archery range for twenty minutes, and would most likely remain there as long as his arm had strength and his fingers had feeling.

Miriamne lost herself in the music she played, drawn out of her private world only by the applause that marked the end of her song. Smiling softly, she accepted a request from an elderly gentleman and began to play Fur Elise. She loved her job, playing the piano at a small, old-fashioned restaurant. It was one of the few things that caused her to truly smile.

[hagroden]

Ved
He sat high in the trees, his foot hanging lazily as he watched the sun glow on his chest, lifting the end of his pipe to his mouth, he took a long, slow puff of the sweet tobacco. The pipe he had received upon entering adulthood, as well as his linens made of impossibilities. The Kapre age of adulthood was 1500 years, and was celebrated by being given a pipe that would never run out of tobacco, never needed to be relight, and never cracked or burned. Kapres chose their pipe based off of the flavor they produced, and he had chosen one that tasted like the sweet berries human tribes had traded with his family. Kapre and man once got along wonderfully, long before white men came and conquered the lands and cut down trees all in the name of 'God.'

His tribe was once massive, filled with Kapre young and old, as well as humans, ugly and beautiful. From a young age he had taken a fondness to woman, so beautiful and pure in his eyes, so calm and peaceful. They were without the destructive extincts of men, they had never brought growling machines into his home, to cut down his trees. They had never brought poisoned hatchets and killed his beautiful animals, only men had. After white men came, and 'civilized' the native tribes, the Kapre made a vow to avoid humans at all costs. Far too many had been killed by falling trees and unknowing men. Their numbers dwindled in the dozens, spread far and wide across the forests lucky enough to have remained untouched by mankind's greedy fingers.

He never did understand why men still came to attack his forests, there homes were made from stone and their building metal, what use had they for wood? Could plastic or rubber not do the same thing, only without killing his homelands.

His shadow cast upon the road, unseen by any passerby's as he shook his head, vanishing his thoughts of humans, it never did do well to dwell on them, their ways could not be understood. He took another few puffs of his pipe, watching clouds of smoke form that could make storm gods envious. His pipe, clearly, was magic, just as was the small white stone in his satchel. He had recieved the stone from his dying grandfather, who had received it from his, and so on. The wish granting orb was to be kept safe at all times, if caught, he would be forced to grant the wishes of whoever possessed it, no matter how bad they may be.

[Absolute Grace]

Dulled hazel eyes looked away from the half empty shelf in front and darted to the left and right. A pleased smile quirked pinkened lips and suddenly a new small stack of books appeared in her arms from the box at the bottom of the ladder.

It truly could have been possible that she was the only one in this whole world who was masquerading as something she was not. Surely there were others like her out there, though finding out would no doubt lead to her discovery by humans and that was one thing that she did not want. They would probably kill her. Or worse.

Hiding really wasn’t part of her nature and it made it seem like she was ashamed of what she really was. It wasn’t true though, her kind were powerful and had always been revered by humans who sought them out. At least they had been, until they decided to leave this plane of existence and fade into myth.

She placed another book on the shelf. Perhaps I should pay them a visit? They couldn’t possibly still be angry with her. After all she deserved a chance to see if their stories of humans were true. Times had changed since some of her kind had been trapped in gold lamps and enslaved by humans to do their bidding. Couldn’t bygones be bygones?

The next book found itself in place beside the previous one, however, her eyes were drawn not to her task, but to the faded scar on her forearm. It had been many decades since she got it, but she still remembered the sneers, the fire and the pain.

“Mackenzie! There you are, I have been calling you fer hours.” A breathless gangly voice spoke up from the end of the isle, where an old man stood with a risen brow.

“It’s Melanie.” She corrected, not for the first time.

“Now then Mackenzie, why don’t you go see if you cant help our customers?”

“But there isn’t-“ Why she continued to try and get a word in anymore was a mystery even to herself. Though, she couldn’t deny that it was fun to try.

“Good girl, I’ll leave you to it. It’s time to change my socks.”

[Polyurethane]

There was a knock on the door and a young attractive blonde walked in.

"Sir, don't forget you have a lunch meeting at noon sharp"

"Thank you, good day." Kornesin stood from his desk, adjusted his tie, and looked down at his watch. If he left now he would get there 5 minutes early and be able to pick the table they sat at. He left his office and began his trip to the restaurant they were supposed to meet at. It was nearby so he decided to walk there. As he walked down the street people would look up at him and sometimes turn there heads for a better glance, something Kornesin was quite used to by now. He arrived at the restaurant and waited to be seated. It was a nice little restaurant, simple yet robust. There was a female pianist playing background music for the restaurant. Kornesins thoughts were interrupted when a waitress addressed him after only seconds of waiting.

"Hi, How may I help you today sir?" She asked very cheery.

"Table for two please. That one over there" He said as he pointed towards a table that was near the piano. Kornesin enjoyed the sound of the piano, it was a beautiful instrument that survived the ages. The waitress led him to the table he asked for and place two menus down on the table.

"My name is Katie and I'll be serving you today, what can I get you to drink?"

"I'll have a glass of red wine, whatever is your finest, and also two waters please."

"Of course, I'll have that right out to you sir." The waitress said before leaving to get our beverages. While she was away an older man went up to the pianist and asked her to play a song. Fur Elise. This was one of his favorite human pieces because of the resemblance of his own peoples music. As he sat there and listened to the music he thought back to the late 1800's when this piece was first discovered and published. Such wonderful performances. It made him think about more simpler times. As the song played on and he waited for his meeting he continued to think back to the beginning of it all. Images of the slaughtering of his people flashed in his head as the music picked up. Then there came a voice, it was his 12 o' clock.

"Aiden... Aiden!" He said trying to get Kornesin's attention.

"Sorry I got lost in my thoughts. Now what I want to know, is will this scale?" Kornesin asked pulling some papers out and laying them on the table. After they finished talking and eating Kornesin left a very generous tip and bid his business partner farewell. Then he turned to the pianist and once she finished her song he spoke up.

"Excuse me miss but I can't help but compliment you on your astonishing performance on Fur Elise. My name is Aiden, may I ask yours?"

[LadyTale]

"I am Miriamne." She bestowed a gentle smile on Aiden. "It is a pleasure to meet you. Do you have a request?" That was the reason most people came up to her; well, that and to flirt with her.

[hagroden]

Ved
He leaped from his tree, landing on the soft earth with a loud thump. He had grown large over the years, nearly 13 feet, and well over 900 pounds. He was larger than most Kapre his age, and as Kapre never stopped growing, perhaps he could one day grow enough to blow clouds of smoke that would rain down on mankind. He moved slowly, walking with his cane in one hand and the large pipe in another. Taking a long smoke, he blew out a few puffs of smoke then hooked the pipe in his mouth, biting down on the stem to keep it still.

Today was the day he would sit outside his favorite spot, and listen to the beautiful young women create music. He would of course remain unseen, and would sit across the street on the roof of a short building. His ears were keen, and could easily focus on the sounds of the musical desk.

As he neared the building opposite of the resturant, he simply walked up the side of the building's stone wall, then propped himself on a roof ledge. He sat quietly, listening to the music and watching the people pass. So many faces were white, how white men disgusted him. They had only ever brought him heartache and misery, never any semblance of peace.

He heard the woman speak, and something about the tone of her voice caused him to break a rule that had been in place for over three hundred ears. He made himself visible to her, but her alone.

[LadyTale]

From where she sat, Miriamne could see out the window, so she saw when the Kapre revealed himself. Her eyes widened imperceptibly, surprised that he dared to let himself be seen. Nodding just a tiny fraction, she hoped that he understood that she would come out and see him as soon as she clocked off for a break. First, however, she had to play a couple more songs. She waited patiently for Aiden to speak again.

[hagroden]

Ved
He understood, seeing the nod with his keen eyes, and smiled gently. He was nervous if he were to be honest, it had been decades since he had last interacted with humanity, and he was excited as well. He longed for a friend, an aquantance, anything truly. He was lonely, and it was good that he was finally bruning an ancient bridge.

He sat outstreched, with one leg dangling from the roof and the other propped against the ledge and tucked under the hanging leg, his arms resting in his lap. Perhaps this stranger could welcome him to new company, after all, If she sat on him he would become visible to everyone around him.

But maybe he had made a mistake, maybe she knew of the Kapre through legends passed on and perhaps she knew of his precious stone. She could be a great doer of evil, and wish to have the power to crush all who stood in her way. But on the same coin their was a chance she was a lover of the Kapre, and would wish for their numbers to rise again, and wish for a race even better than the ones prior. Larger, stronger, more open to others and less prone to Isolation.

But regardless of his thoughts, he Took a deep puff of purple and blue hinted smoke, and he waited, patiently, his leg swinging lazily.

[Polyurethane]

Kornesin noticed her looking out the window and nodding, and followed her eyes to the roof tops across the road. There was no one there.

"Yes I do. Will you call me some time?" he said as he handed her a business card. "I host event for my business and many times I find something quite lacking. Good music. My assistant usually books a no name pop band to play some light ditty in he background. I much prefer the soft melodies of a piano. Get a hold of me if you are interested." Kornesin turned and walked out of the restaurant. He glanced up at the roof, then looked around. Curious about what she was looking at, Kornesin crossed the street and entered one of the stores. He looked around the store while listening around with his advanced hearing to try and find out what she was looking at.

[LadyTale]

Well, that was new. Miriamne looked at the card, rather interested. This was the first time she had been asked to play for something bigger than the birthday party of the man who had requested Fur Elise. He was a sweet old man, and she had been honored to be asked to play at his party... she was getting off track. Tucking the card into her bag, she told the restaurant owner that she was taking a break, and headed outside.
It was relatively easy for her to get up onto the roof, but she still had to use a discreet bit of air manipulating to stop herself from falling. Seating herself next to the Kapre, she looked out over the town, swinging her legs a bit. "I've never seen your kind so near to humans before." Miriamne remarked. "It's a bit of a relief to meet another supernatural, to be honest." She looked over at him and gave a small smile. "My name is Miriamne."

[hagroden]

Ved
He looked over to her, smiling a bit.
"We are always near mankind, though it id true we are rarely seen."
He mused gently, taking a long puff from his pipe, looking he over. He hadn't seen a person up close in a few hundred years, and thought fondly of how smooth their composition was, how soft and frail they truly seemed. It was a change from his own bark-like skin and grassy hair.
"I am Ved."
He stated plainly with a smile, continuing to look her over. Some people would suggest that he was checking her out, but he didn't know of women in that manner.

[LadyTale]

"It is a pleasure to meet you, Ved." Miriamne noted that he hadn't seem to pick up on her unhumanity, despite her practically having admitted it. Maybe he just didn't care.

[hagroden]

Ved
"The pleasure is mine, to be graced by beauty such as yours."
He took a slow drag from his pipe, blowing out a bit of smoke at a time, circles forming as they floated upward, then dissipating into the sunny sky. He was a bit confused at the word supernatural, for he had never heard it before. But nonetheless, Something was different about this human, he could almost taste the magic in the air around her, perhaps she had been an angle in another life, for the air tasted sweet, like vanilla and strawberry. He had met few people with a taste of magic about them, only Shamans and Druids ever had their own distinctive flavors, but they were always far subtler than hers, only a hint of flavor, but with her it was as strong as the smoke in his pipe, which was potent enough to kill any human who puffed on it.
"Where did you learn to create sounds from the lovely table?"
He asked gently, he had never encountered instruments other than the crude pipes and drums made by the men and women native to his home. Stringed instruments were as foreign to him as electricity, and he still faced great confusion at the great metal beasts that could move almost as quickly as he could. Perhaps they contain demons, he thought to himself, his mind easily wandering from the task at hand. He had once ran into large wolves that could move so quickly they blurred out of sight, after telling his chief they disappeared, and he had yet to come across another beast nearly as great as them.

[LadyTale]

Miriamne blushed a bit when Ved called her beautiful. When he asked about the 'lovely table', she was momentarily confused, then realized that he probably meant the piano. "It's called a piano. I learned how to play it from a man named Wolfgang Mozart. Lovely fellow, he was." Pulling a bit of moisture from the air, she began to play with it, confident that it was small enough that no one down below would see it.

[hagroden]

Ved
He watched her, unsurprised with her control over her own magic. He watched tge water appear from nowhere, and smiled gently, opening his palm, a small vine grew up, spiraling up and thickening
"Not many have such a grasp on magic."
He complemented smiling, transfering the small vine from his palm to a crack in the cement.

[LadyTale]

"Thank you." Miriamne sent her water to nourish the new vine. "I've been practicing."

Alanna decided to get a bag of mints and walked to the checkout lane with her groceries. Paying quickly, she walked out with a smile on her face to hide the sadness she felt. The cashier who had helped her was near death, she felt it. Popping a mint in her mouth, she decided to check out the bookstore nearby. Maybe they would have something new to read.

[hagroden]

Ved
He smiled gently as the vine grew, standing up, he offered his hand for her to take. He wanted to take her to the forest, and show her what humanity had done, and ask her what there was he could do to regrow his homeland and reintroduce his people to their native lands. He had over 800 years to think of a solution, and he could not find one. Perhaps his mind was too simple for a complex answer.
"Please, come with me."
He requested, his hand still outstretched, Waiting patiently.

[LadyTale]

Miriamne thought for a moment, and decided that she could spare the time. "Of course." Standing, she accepted his hand and waited for him to lead the way.

[hagroden]

Ved
Taking her hand he knelt down, blowing deep pure smoke into her mouth and nose. At first it had no effect, but then it slowly began to force a drowsiness upon her, and within about 45 seconds she fell asleep, dreaming of what life was once like prior to the European Infestation.

A young boy, about 14 years of age stood facing you, his eyes bright and smiling, before grabbing your wooden hand and pulling you along. You were still very young, only about 1200 years old, and often spent your days playing with the other children, Human and Kapre. As he ran he let go of your hand, and you jogged lightly to keep up.

A loud crack sounded, like that of lightning, you look up to see if it was storming, but the cloud was clear. You look back to the young boy, and as your eyes meet his there is another echoing crack, and you see a splatter of red on the ground, as the boy falls in front of you...

You hid, the white men had found your home and you knew if they found you you would be gone in a second. It was a week after you had recieved your pipe and they had come, swinging axes and shooting, killing anything that was in their path. One neared your tree and you felt a wave of hatred wash over you, and you leapt down, tearing into him and the others that came running in the sounds of screams.

Minutes latter you stood over the fallen bodies. Perhaps now, they would stop sending humans to attack your home...

Your forests and kin had been decamated, the once proud lands of your people were occupied by hundreds of thousands of humans, all completely unaware of the crimes they had commited against your kind.



The pipes magic wore off, and she would awaken in the arms of Ved, a few dozen feet in the air, high up in an old tree.

[LadyTale]

Miriamne woke with tears in her eyes. "What was that?" She asked, voice shaking a small amount. "Was that... your past?" In response to her tears, water began to gather around them, swirling in a sphere shape. It was beautiful, but to Miriamne, all it meant was that she had lost control, if only slightly.