Nothing Remarkable [Ended]

[The Jenn]

((Yes, I know that I have threads awaiting my reply. Sometimes it's hard to fight the muses when they demand development, especially when they're new ones. This thread is open to one other person only, whoever they may be. Once someone has replied, please no one else join in without asking. Open to anyone. Thanks!))

Like this, Rasha didn't merit more than a casual glance in the teeming collection of commonplace and bizarre that made up the Capital City. Wearing his own skin and feathers, his wings apparently bound up behind him in a common enough Torque restriction, appearing the starving stereotype of the suffering Torquehelm... he blended into the background. A lower class biped, a Four of Diamonds, and nothing terribly remarkable.

An observant Card would probably take pause at the look in his eyes.

But no one looked you in the eyes in a city. People were too absorbed in their own concerns, their own bustling and commotion and priorities. That was just fine. He didn't wish to disturb them in the frenzy of their lives. He merely wished to observe them. They were oddly endearing and fascinating in their individuality.

Each one had a story. They all had a beginning, and they would all have an end. That was how it should be.

[Chickendinosaur]

Kanoni was tired. Tired of work. Tired of being alone. Tired of being tired. She stood up decisively, she had waited around all day for something to happen, and it certainly wasn't going to happen here. She closed up shop, dragging her sandwich board sign inside, and flipping over the open sign in a manner suggesting it had done her a personal offense. She let the blinds fall closed, flipped off the lights and locked the door as she left. She was off to find something interesting to do if it killed her, darnit.

She thought she had been lonely at home in the Highlands, with her distant mother and absent father, but this was so different. Kanoni had never felt so alone surrounded by people. It was scarier living in a city so full of amazingly individual people and yet no one noticed anything, especially a young kite running a jewelry shop. Nothing back home compared. Playing alone as a child wasn't as bad, because there were no other children to play with, but here, well, Kanoni decided, she deserved to have some play.

[The Jenn]

A beautiful day, wasn't it? Rasha thought so. When he looked up past the buildings, the sky was the color of a Solandrian's tips and there wasn't a cloud in sight. Not the most common sky for the city, but a welcome one. He also would have welcomed rain. He was just glad to be himself again.

Everything about the raven suggested distraction. Like... he wasn't all there. From the slight delay of his reactions, the distant look to his expression, the occasional very quiet murmur, all of it. He had a job to do at the same time.

My, but things had changed in his absence. He hadn't been especially conscious of his time with Lior beyond a few snippets and vague impressions. His return greeted him with a much larger, much busier city. How long had it been...? He hoped they hadn't had another terribly large war in his absence. The thought of Death toying with and tormenting all of those soldiers and civilian casualties made him cringe.

And he would meet all of these people eventually. Now that he was back to himself, had reclaimed his role in existence and his place in the lives of Cards, he would meet every single one of them someday. Some simultaneously. He looked forward to it. Everyone deserved some rest.

His eyes wandered to a Highlander several yards ahead of him on the walk, her expression one of tired frustration laced with determination. And loneliness. She didn't look especially happy. Too few did.

Enjoy it while you have it. Life is too short, he thought in her direction. Literally. She would hear his wispy voice in her mind as a reverberating thought.

[Chickendinosaur]

Kanoni stopped moving abruptly. She crouched down to the ground and half-unfurled her wings, and opened her beak and hissed. It was a very base reaction to her fear. She often talked to herself, but this voice in her head was foreign. Life is too short, what the heck was that supposed to mean? Was someone threatening her? Suddenly the crowded street seemed full of strangers- menacing strangers. Her heart hammering loudly, she peered at the people passing by, trying to decide who had whispered in her head, who might wish her harm.

Kanoni knew that some cards had special powers, like her mother could always tell when she was lying (though she was never sure if that was a power or just being a mom). But talking in another person's mind? This was new, this was frightening. A leaf scooting down the gutter from a wayward breeze startled Kanoni, and she jumped, almost taking wing; to flee the street, maybe even the city. She let her self fall, embarrassed, but still sharply on edge.

"Who? Who was that?" she whispered

[The Jenn]

Rasha had intended to simply continue walking after tossing the Highlander a comment, but her reaction surprised him and he ducked to the side against a lamp post to watch. He would feel guilty if she did something rash because he startled her. The statement hadn't been that out of line, had it?

Perhaps she was just a nervous sort. She certainly wouldn't be the first. They drove themselves to an early grave, the anxious ones. It was all so unnecessary.

Normally gold eyes were a glossy black as he looked at her, only a dozen or so feet away. 'Bound' wings pressed against the iron of the pole and arms hung loosely at her side. His beak remained closed, but his eyes followed her movements. "I meant no harm. To your right, several paces away. Standing by the lamp post. I apologize for intruding. I will leave you in peace."

[Chickendinosaur]

There it was again, that whispering voice in her head. She looked slowly in the direction the voice had indicated.

Woah. He was beautiful. Taller than any bird she had ever met, blacker than the fear that had been tightening her throat just moments before. And the gold around his eyes, she couldn't help but be mesmerized. Kanoni knew his bound wings meant he was Torquehelm. He was her suit, but she felt entranced, and confused.

"W-wait! Who are you? How do you do that? Talk in... in my head, I mean?" Tentatively, she moved a pace forward, towards the lamp he leaned against, but stayed far enough away that she could still fly away if the need arose. She was still afraid, but her heart was slowing, her breath returning to a manageable pace. Her wings settled unto her sides again, ceasing to try to make herself appear bigger to frighten predators. This raven didn't seem to fit into the 'predator' category.

((sorry if this doesn't make sense; I should NOT write and be on NyQuil, however NyQuil-me never listens to better judgment...))

[The Jenn]

"It is simply how I speak," Rasha replied with slight surprise in his tone. "I suppose you could call it a natural ability. I can speak out loud as well, but there is rarely any need unless I am addressing multiple people and do not wish to expend the concentration. If it truly distresses you, I could speak aloud. These streets are busy, however, and my voice would be muffled. This way you understand every word."

At least she looked calmer. Perhaps it was merely surprise at his intrusion that had driven her to such a reaction, rather than any sort of offense. He had encountered Cards with telepathic abilities before, but he supposed they were rarer than those without.

"I did not mean to disturb you and I apologize for your distress. Please do not let me distract you from your previous task. You looked as though you were going somewhere."

[Chickendinosaur]

She took a small step forward, calming further. That's how he speaks? I wonder what his voice sounds like out loud? I wonder if he can hear thoughts as well as speak in them? Oh no! What if he can hear me right now?! Uh... 21... 48... Applesauce....Yellow... she thought to herself

"You... you don't have to speak aloud if it's uncomfortable, I guess. It just startled me... uh, pretty bad," she chuckled a little. "Have you, um, always talked like this? I like your gold markings, they're very pretty."

She took another small step forward, "It's ok... I was just going to.... uh, actually I'm not sure what I was going to do... What are you doing? Maybe I could join you?" Head drooping slightly, her fear completely disappeared and was again replaced with loneliness, perhaps this raven could help that hurt, if only for a little while.

[The Jenn]

"I've spoken mentally for as long as I've been able to speak," Rasha replied with a slight bob of his head. "And thank you. Your markings are lovely as well. Very classic for your realm. Some Highlanders have relatively little gold, but you've been blessed with a great deal."

And she approached? Perhaps she hadn't been as busy as she appeared, or he was simply more distracting than her previous task. An odd thought. He supposed that people didn't often bother her in such a manner as he had done. Novelty was a powerful draw, at times.

"In fact, I am doing relatively little. Observing the people of this city. It is... a past-time, you might say. People are fascinating. I tend not to interfere with them, merely watch. You are welcome to accompany me, though I am uncertain how much interest you would gain from the activity. If people interest you then I would be happy to discuss them. I may, however, be distracted at times. It is simply my nature."

[The Jenn]

((Would you like to continue this, or has your muse for the thread died? <3))