Bad Company is Better than None [Finished]

[Harpsdesire]

[Feel free to join.]



Dania was crouched rather uncomfortably on the floor of her father's charming little bookstore, shelving a new shipment of biographies with deliberate paws. No strong expression was visible in her violet eyes, but the slow, almost pained way she moved spoke volumes about her mental state. A depressed Torquehelm-- what could be more ordinary?

It was only the reason for her mood that was unexpected: the bound rat was leaving in a day's time, bound for Esterberry, a fine education, a brighter and more rewarding future than could be found in the comfortably suffocating environs of her small hometown. Still, she was miserable. She had skipped lunch, electing to work through the hour rather than return home with her silently disapproving father and watch her mother push food across her plate listlessly while bitter tears fell into her shepherd's pie.

At twenty years of age, Dania was ready to leave the nest. Too bad her parents had other ideas and were not above making them known in emotionally dramatic fashion. Fatherly scolding and motherly tears of the previous evening had devolved into the Silent Treatment and... actually, more tears. Did they really want her to remain at home for the rest of her natural life, never becoming anything beyond a book shop clerk?

In her father's case, the answer was quite possibly a resounding yes. After all, his shop, Paige's, was quite precious to him, and it would be difficult to find another card willing to work as hard, as much and as cheaply as his own daughter. Who else had such a vested interest in pleasing him? (The young torque was secretly convinced that her father expected her to fail quickly and completely in her classes, and it was for this reason that he wasn't forbidding her to go outright. Her failure would probably be a satisfying reminder that his beliefs about the girl's total lack of potential were correct.)

Dania's mother had protested how deeply excited and happy she was for her daughter, which was less than convincing, as her words were choked out between heavy sobs. Lily had always wanted her child to see the world, to make something of her self... she just wasn't prepared for it to happen so dreadfully soon. Wasn't Dania still a little young to be leaving home?

No, the suddenly guilt-ridden daughter explained, actually, she wasn't. For once, it would take more than her mother's big teary eyes and tenuous grasp of reality to convince her to stay.

Dania had already made up her mind, and in two days' time she would be on her way to Esterberry to apply for the new semester, parental scowls and guilt-trips notwithstanding. She would be free from the smothering of her mother and the perpetual disappointment of her father. She would step out of the dimness of Torquehelm and into the intellectual glow of Esterberry, leaving everything she knew behind.

It was actually an utterly petrifying thought. Dania shivered a little as she worked, and for once it wasn't because of the perpetually dank air of the region. She was truly and undeniably terrified by the idea of leaving home. Her father would never forgive her. Her mother would take that last tiny step into total insanity. She would get lost in a gigantic library and eventually die a lingering death of starvation and despair. The second thoughts that he rat had promised herself she wouldn't have were creeping in like the morning fog across the garden, and she let out a little sound of misery, half sigh, half sob.

Lucky for Dania, the shop was deserted. With no one to see or judge her, the rat crept behind the nearest bookshelf to indulge in a bit of self-pity.

She wept, not in elegant despair like the brave, doomed heroines of the romance novels she crouched beside, but rather snottily, with the odd snuffle or hiccup between sobs. Oh, this was just not working out at all like she had hoped.

[drewsky]

Xopek walked into the little bookstore. It was small, dark, empty, and kind of musty. He had come all the way to Torquehelm from Esterberry to find this special book. As he walked in he looked around a little bit. The store was unearthly quiet you could hear a pin drop. There was some noise he heard. It sounded like sobbing. He did not see anyone up front to help him so he let out a call.

"Helloooo, is anyone in here, I've come to buy a book"

He walked forward a bit and looked behind a shelf that seemed to be where the sobbing was from. He walked around and saw a Torque rat curled on the ground sobbing loudly. He let out a

"Miss, are you alright; is something wrong; do you need help?"

[Harpsdesire]

Dania sniffled and scrubbed at her eyes with a paw, somewhat embarrassed by her unseemly outburst. She hadn't really expected anyone to come in to the shop during the usually-quiet lunch hour, and his voice was a little startling in the shop's silence. But the card who entered... he was an Esterberry. The rat suspected that where he came from, all the bookstores were open 24 hours a day.

Where he came from... was where she soon to be going. It was a strange coincidence-- few Esterberries made it this far into Torquehelm. He must be looking for one of the shop's rarer volumes, one that only regionally available. That meant he was a customer, and she had better shape up and sell him whatever he wanted. Then she could go back to moping.

"I-I'm alright," She replied, obviously lying. "Can I help you find something?"

Dania tried to smile at the ferret as if he had not just caught her crying behind a bookcase. It was a rather pitiful, watery smile. Really, the last thing she needed was to offend a customer.

[drewsky]

[Xopek sounds like he's singing at all times, just a fun fact to help out ]

Xopek could see something was making the Torque very sad.

"Are you sure your OK?" he asked.

The Torque stiffened at his words and seemed really embarrassed. When she looked up trying to hard her tears it kind of made Xopek's heart go out to her.

He was surprised when she put on a brave face and asked him what he needed.

"I was looking for a book called The Freedom from Binding, It tells of a Torque who freed himself from his binding and went on with his life. I've always wandered about becoming free from the bindings so i wanted to see if the book would explain it to me."

"But if this is a bad time i can come back later, or something"

[Harpsdesire]

"Um, Yeah." Dania replied, somewhat calmer. "Just... er... Family trouble." That was at least part of the truth, and, she hoped, didn't really invite further questions. As much as Dania needed someone to talk to, pouring her heart out to a complete stranger just wasn't something she was accustomed to doing. In fact, opening up to anyone was difficult for the rather shy young rat.

As he described the book he needed, Dania nodded. His musical way of speaking was really rather strange, but Dania was used to strange quirks. It would be rude to comment, so she stayed quiet on the subject, instead focusing on his request. "We have that" She stood and lead Xopek to the very back corner of the store. The section was rather small and almost hidden on the bottom shelf nearest the door to the stockroom. "Actually, now is a good time."

Her words may have seemed mysterious to the Esterberry, but others of Dania's realm wold understand... Freedom from the traditional bindings was a touchy, controversial subject for many Torques, and inspired both obsession and horror. It was best discussed at a time like this, when the shop wasn't crowded.

Dania removed the shop's single copy of the book from the shelf and handed it to him, explaining, "It's sort of a Biography, describing the author's experience of becoming free... it's not exactly a guide to how to free yourself. There aren't really any guides, since they say the process is different for everyone..."

The rat seemed both fascinated and uncomfortable with the subject matter. She was blushing slightly, as she had all but admitted that she read the book on this very taboo topic... In stolen moments, of course, when her father was safely out of the store. In fact, Dania had secretly read every book on Freedom the store carried, and then some, with a combination of longing and morbid curiosity. None had actually described how she could go about removing her odd and uncomfortable binding: all had said the same thing, "Free your mind and the body follows". This was meaningless to one such as Dania, so deeply invested and indoctrinated in the idea of the Curse.

[drewsky]

Xopek was not convinced that the rat was OK. She seemed really depressed, even for this region. She was just crying her eyes out, he thought he should do something.

"It seems like you know a bit about bindings, could you explain it to me or is that too much of a taboo around here. If its not too intruding."

Xopek flipped through the book. He read a couple passages and thought "this is worth my time."

"Thank you for the help, i might not ever have found this book without you. How much will this cost"

He walked over to the front desk. He wondered what he could do to help this person out. No one should be that depressed.

"So... how do you like your job here? Is this your store or do you only work here. Is there any other books you could recommend for me to learn more about Torquehelm."

[sorry about the post its kinda confused, long school week really tired.]

[Harpsdesire]

He didn't pry, much to her relief. The simple fact that he seemed to accept her desire to avoid the subject earned Xopek points with the rat. He thoughtful, yet wasn't nosy... He seemed nice. She decided she would do her best to answer his questions, even if she was bit uncomfortable doing so.

Dania was not terribly surprised by Xopek's interest in the rather mysterious subject of binding. It seemed to be just the sort of thing, complex and unsolved, that Esterberries thrived on. There was not a huge amount of written information on the topic, as Torquehelms already knew all they wished to know about it, and most others didn't care.

"Oh, it's alright. I can tell you about it, but it's... well... it's hard to separate fact from superstition." Dania smiled, or at least her mouth did, while her violet eyes retained a look of deep sorrow. "I don't know how much you know already, but I guess I'll start with the basics... Every child in the realm is bound within a few days of birth if they're full Torquehelm, or a mix that carries the white wings." Dania indicated the pale markings on her back with a wave of one claw. "The binding can be cloth, leather, or, like in my case, magic... but most are metal. If it's removed, terrible things can happen..." She was silent for a moment, as if she hesitated to explain, then she hurried on. "By binding every child who bears the wings, we hope to atone for the past and lift the curse on the land... One day, our sacrifice might bring the sun back to Torquehelm." As she finished, Dania's eyes shone with a strange intensity and she glanced towards the windows, where the perpetual gloom on the realm persisted even at noon. "Freedom is... rare... and rather blasphemous. It's a selfish act to free yourself and thus continue the curse and let future generations suffer in your place. At least, that's what I was taught."

Dania looked embarrassed to have said so much, and was silent as they reached the front desk, except to quote the price of the book in a tentative voice. At his next question, she smiled gently. "I do like it here... among the books... It's my father's shop, but I've been working here since I was too small to reach the top shelf." She chuckled, but there was a sadness to the sound. She had grown up here, and soon she would be leaving.

His last question was met with a momentary silence as she considered the options. "Well, if you want to know about the realm, I'd suggest Torquehelm: History, Customs and Culture." She pointed out a thick scholarly volume on the nearby 'realm information' shelf. It seemed just the sort of dry, informative study material an Esterberry would like. Still, she would be remiss if she didn't at least try to introduce him to the true, beating heart of the realm. "But if you want to Know Torquehelm, there's no better way than through the realm's poetry. Beauty from Ashes is my personal favorite, a collection from one of our most visionary poets."

If there was one thing Dania was comfortable talking about, it was books. Words and pages were like her comforting friends, never judging or abandoning her, never too busy or too crazy to be ther for her, to transport her to different and better worlds. The rat seemed to relax a bit as she ran a paw over the shelves of leather-bound volumes, as if caressing the books and absorbing by osmosis the words within. "I have some... interest... in Esterberry, myself. She admitted, "I'm going to school there soon."

((Sorry to be so long! Looks like you stumbled onto kind of a back-story heavy thread here... XD ))

[drewsky]

(( Its cool that back story is just what i need to continue XD ))

The rat Dania knew so much about the bindings. It was perfect for Xopek he needed to learn as much as possible, so that when he got into the courts he would be worldly wise.

Dania seemed very reluctant at first to talk about the bindings. Xopek hoped he had not breached a huge hole in etiquette. As she talked she seemed to get really into it. She was very wise and Xopek was quite amazed at her knowledge "why she could be an Esterberry scholar easily" he thought.

When he heard that she was going to go to school in Esterberry Xopek wasn't too surprised a great mind like hers shouldn't be wasted in a little bookstore.

"Your going to Esterberry?!" he exclaimed a bit.

"Your leaving tomorrow huh, if you want i can show you around. Ive lived there for most of my life and I'd be happy to show a fellow scholar the land of learning and wisdom."

[Harpsdesire]

Xopek listened patiently, apparently interested in what Dania had to say. She couldn't help but be a little pleased by the attention, which was a luxury rarely given to her.

"Yes." She nodded, tears pricking at the corners of her eyes again, and she blinked to keep them from falling. "Tomorrow morning." Dania was surprised that he correctly assumed she was leaving the next day, but of course, everyone knew Esterberries were terribly clever, so she didn't think too much of it. She hoped he wasn't also able to guess that she was planning to leave home before sunrise in a desperate attempt to get out of sight before her mother was awake, and thus avoid a potentially very traumatic goodbye.

"You'd really show me around? Th-that would be nice." She stammered, returning to her former shyness. "I do worry about getting lost there, and I still don't know which schools to apply to, either..." In fact, leaving for an unknown realm with Phaedra, an Esterberry student she hardly knew, was a leap of faith unlike any Dania had taken before, and she was both excited and terrified. Xopek's kindness eased her mind a little, and she did her best to smile.

"I'd really appreciate the help."

[drewsky]

{{sorry about the long wait, my muse has been out to lunch for forever}}

Xopek saw the tear in her eye for a just a moment and it nearly broke his heart. Why would someone be so sad and then this happy at a mild offering off help. Well it really doesnt matter, he thought ill help her anyway.

"Why sure. I'd be happy to show u around."

"If you want to find a good school. I can definantly help. What are you studying specifically, as that would help a lot"

Xopek looked at Dania and saw she was hiding something. He was extreamly curious what it was, but he knew not to let his curiousity get the best of him and cause problems for the little mouse.

"When exactly are you leaving? I only have a little bit more buisness to attend to here. When do you want to leave tomorrow?"