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Post by Riva Carle (R) on Apr 28, 2006 10:52:13 GMT -5
I made my way through the streets towards the marquist's shop. I had an appointment for later to begin my marque. I had left early because it was too oppressive at Gentian and I needed air.
What I really needed was Aleron, but air would have to do.
I was passing a row of stalls when I stopped as if I had run into a wall. I turned and looked around, trying to see what had stopped me. my mind was filled with people's petty worries and troubles, nothing to make even break stride, until I saw him.
He stood a few feet from me, blending in but not completely. He was tall and dark haired, and something definitely 'other' came from him. That and something else that not even he was aware of.
I stood still, staring openly at him, and waiting for him to look up at me.
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Post by Rannan de Fournier (D) on Apr 28, 2006 12:52:41 GMT -5
I was tired of my house and all of its little annoyances, so I decided a little shopping was in order. It had been a while since I had bought anything that wasn't a necessity.
I decided to look around the local vendors and see if anyone had anything intriguing. I found a booth of religious books and stopped to take a look.
I was musing over a Yeshuite book when I felt the hairs on the back of my neck tingle a little, as if someone was staring at me. I straightened up and looked around. It was a little busy, but it was not hard to pick out the adept staring at me through the crowd, strange dark eyes that seemed to want to say something, but I could not tell what. Feeling uncomfortable, but unsure what to do I turned back around to look at the book. I saw the words without registering them, still sensing that she was behind me and unable to concentrate.
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Post by Riva Carle (R) on Apr 28, 2006 17:03:34 GMT -5
He turned and looked at me and then turned away. I wrinkled my nose in slight annoyance. Why do people try and avoid someone looking at them instead of approaching them? I sighed and walked over to the stall, moving around to where I facing him.
"It's not your fault, you know," I said, wondering how anyone could feel so much guilt over things that weren't only not his fault, but something that hadn't actually happened.
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Post by Rannan de Fournier (D) on Apr 28, 2006 22:58:12 GMT -5
I felt the presence of the adept as she walked around me.
"It's not your fault you know."
I blinked at her for a moment, defiantly not what I was expecting to hear, I actually didn't really know what to expect.
"What's not my fault?" I asked.
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Post by Riva Carle (R) on Apr 28, 2006 23:02:21 GMT -5
"Death," I said.
I stepped closer and peered at the book he was reading but couldn't tell what it was. I looked up at him and then back at the book, wondering if he was actually interested in it or was using it as a distraction.
"What is that?" I asked, pointing to the book.
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Post by Rannan de Fournier (D) on Apr 28, 2006 23:11:51 GMT -5
"Death??" I asked, still completely lost.
I looked down at the book, I had almost forgot that I was looking at it. "Its a copy of some Yeshuite text, a chapter from one of their holy books, looks like an old manuscript."
Without skipping a beat or really paying much attention to what I had told her I asked, "how am I not responsible for death, I haven't even had anyone die in my family for a few years..." my voice fadded when I said the word years. I just looked down at the adept with a slight frown on my face and my forhead adding to future wrinkles. I didn't know if she was refering to my past or not, but I wasn't about to reveal anything more to the strange person who was staring back at me.
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Post by Riva Carle (R) on Apr 28, 2006 23:17:36 GMT -5
"But you blame yourself for deaths you did not cause," I said, looking up at him. "It is not because you loved someone that they died, it just happens."
I stepped back a little, needing space between me and the confusion swirling around him.
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Post by Rannan de Fournier (D) on Apr 28, 2006 23:23:14 GMT -5
I was defensive at first, "I don't blame myself for any of the..." but I stopped myself before I even finished the sentence. It would have been obviously pointless. A small voice in the back of my head did remind me that some D'Angelines had the ability to see things that most couldn't.
I changed my approach and instead I asked, "how do you know about my past and what makes you think I blame myself for anything?" When I asked that I started to wonder if she had scene one of my forays into some of the other houses.
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Post by Riva Carle (R) on Apr 28, 2006 23:28:15 GMT -5
"Because that is what I do," I said with a wry grin. Things had changed so much for me lately. No longer did I shy from my gifts, I had Aleron to calm me and make the dreams go away if things got too bad and that made me strong.
"Riva nớ Gentian," I said, introducing myself. "Your past hangs around you like an anchor on a ship. Links of guilt and pain weighing you down."
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Post by Rannan de Fournier (D) on Apr 29, 2006 14:47:17 GMT -5
"My name is Rannan de Fourneir, I was the adopted heir of the estate since they had no biological kids. My life has been full of sudden and unexpectant death, all seeming to come in droves. Is that what you sense?"
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Post by Riva Carle (R) on Apr 29, 2006 16:10:53 GMT -5
"No," I said, shaking my head and walking a little further away. I let my fingers run along the line of books and scrolls on display. "It started further back than that, with your real parents."
I looked up at him, catching his gaze.
"And your sister," I said, walking around to the other side of the stall.
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Post by Rannan de Fournier (D) on Apr 30, 2006 15:34:13 GMT -5
I watched Riva as she slowly walked around the books and the stall. My mind not really absorbing her words.
"My sister? I don't have a sister."
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Post by Riva Carle (R) on Apr 30, 2006 18:48:53 GMT -5
"Your mother was pregnant when they left you to return to their people," I said, picking up a book looking at the beautifully gilded lettering.
"It was a girl," I told him, putting the book down and moving back to his side of the stall.
"I'm thirsty. I'm going over there now," I said, pointing to a stall two down that was selling fruit juice.
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Post by Rannan de Fournier (D) on May 1, 2006 21:41:20 GMT -5
"Your mother was pregnant when they left you to return to their people," "It was a girl," I told him, putting the book down and moving back to his side of the stall. I thought back to memories that I had pushed back into my mind. I never forgot my parents, but I tried not to dwell on the details of their death. I should have been with them then, but I wasn't because I couldn't accept my family. Instead I was here in Terre d'Ange living off my aunt and having a grand ole time. One big party while my parents struggled to move all of their belongings and where killed in their efforts. I remembered the letter where they revealed I had a sister. The last thing I ever got from them, a long appology for giving up on me, for not wanting my influence on my sister. I remembered it all. I followed Riva as she sought out her drink. "Wait," I called out after her, "how do you know all of this?" I asked the question even though I had already asked it once. I was not prepared for all of this, opening up old and not so old wounds that I had tried to heal.
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Post by Riva Carle (R) on May 1, 2006 23:11:25 GMT -5
I bought my juice and took a drink before turning back to Rannan, it was wonderfully tart and satisfying.
I made a bit of a face when I looked at Rannan, but it wasn't from the juice. Why did people feel the need to ask what they already knew?
"I told you, it's who I am, what I do," I told him.
I pointed to the woman who had sold me my drink. "She sells juice." To the man at the next stall, "He grows and sells fruit." Turning and pointing to a man walking by, "He lies to people an gets them to give him money."
Pointing to myself, "I know things about people."
I tilted my head to the side and looked up at him. "You couldn't have saved them if you had been there, they would have killed you too. They never would have let a boy that age live."
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Post by Rannan de Fournier (D) on May 2, 2006 7:37:08 GMT -5
I took a deep breath and let my sholders sag. I didn't understand it, but obviously it was beyond me. I had tried to hard to rationalize the gods, make the world acceptable in my mind. It just seemed like chaos and nothing made sense. This was not helping, but I defantly couldn't ignore her words.
"Granted I couldn't have stopped them, I was young and self-defense was not a thing my family thought it needed to know. They where farmers and not rich ones. But, why did they have to die and not me?"
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Post by Riva Carle (R) on May 2, 2006 10:31:19 GMT -5
I took his hand, bracing myself for the extra emotions that would fill me with contact, and led him over to a bench that was out of the flow of people. I sat, pulling him down beside me.
"Death happens, and almost never when or how someone wants it to happen. You weren't there because you weren't supposed to be," I told him. "If they had killed you too then there would have been no one left to find your sister. They didn't kill her."
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Post by Rannan de Fournier (D) on May 2, 2006 21:20:28 GMT -5
I let the adept lead me away from the busy market place. I had a feeling that she wnated to tell me more, though I couldn't imagine what. She had already given me a low blow.
"If they had killed you too then there would have been no one left to find your sister. They didn't kill her."
I just looked at Riva, having her repeat my past was surprising enough, but now she's telling me that it wasn't the way I had always believed, how I was told for over 13 years. My mind wouldn't accept it, if she was alive, than what would she be doing? How could she have a life, who raised her, she would have only been an infant at the time. All of this flashed through my brain at the same time. I was glad that Riva had sat me down because my head started to swim a little. Putting my head inbetween my hands I asked, "what do you mean she's still alive?"
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Post by Riva Carle (R) on May 2, 2006 22:26:50 GMT -5
It was good that his head was between his hands and he couldn't see me roll my eyes at his question. I don't think he would have reacted well to my reaction.
"As in not dead," I said, trying to be patient. Patience was something I needed to develop, and apparently I needed to work on my delivery as well - I would go mad if everyone was this hard to explain things to.
"She's alive and you should probably do something about finding her," I told him.
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Post by Rannan de Fournier (D) on May 3, 2006 10:54:43 GMT -5
"You should probably do something about finding her"
I looked up at Riva when she said this. My sister was lost in Kusheth, which was not exactly next door to this place. How was I going to find her, what if she wasn't there any more. Where would I look, I had no clue who helped her either. Maybe someone passing by. That could be almost anyone though, they might have been foreigners.
"Do you know where she is?" I asked, a little hopeful.
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Post by Riva Carle (R) on May 3, 2006 10:59:42 GMT -5
I took his hand again, hoping for the answer that hadn't been part of what I had seen before.
"No," I said, regretfully. "Not exactly. She's not as far away as she has been at times in your life, but I can't see exactly where she is. I'm sorry, truly. Sometimes these things come in pieces that have to wait to be put together."
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Post by Rannan de Fournier (D) on May 3, 2006 18:35:29 GMT -5
I let her take my hand, I was disappointed though, when she couldn't tell me where.
"A lot closer, do you know how close? She was pretty far away to begin with, Kusheith to be exact last anyone saw her."
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Post by Riva Carle (R) on May 3, 2006 19:02:21 GMT -5
His disappointment was so obvious, one didn't have to have my skills to see it.
"Much closer than Kusheth," I told him. "L'Agnace certainly. I don't know more than that, I'm sorry. Not right now anyway."
I looked at the people passing on the streets, heard their thoughts in my head.
"It's too loud here. I might be able to tell you more if you came to Gentian. It's quieter there and I might be able to focus more," I said, stroking his arm reassuringly.
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Post by Rannan de Fournier (D) on May 3, 2006 19:26:02 GMT -5
I had never been to Gentain house before, nor had I really planned on it. However, there was no way that I could just ignore this adept and what she had to say. Maybe I should have paid more attention to the house in the past.
"Lead away, I am yours for now." I didn't know what to expect, but I didn't think it could be any more shocking than what had already occured. My mind was still feeling a little numb.
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Post by Riva Carle (R) on May 3, 2006 20:30:28 GMT -5
I smiled, glad that he hadn't balked at returning to Gentian with me.
"Stay here. I have to go reschedule an appointment, but I will be right back," I told him, giving his hand one last squeeze.
I jumped up and dashed off to reschedule my appointment at the marquist's. I knew Rannan would wait for me to return, not that I would be gone more than a handful of minutes.
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Post by Rannan de Fournier (D) on May 3, 2006 20:51:09 GMT -5
I watched her run off and then put my head inbetween my hands again. I had essentially been an only child for my entire life, I left my parents before she was born and my adopted parents never had kids. I wondered what it would be like to have a sister. I wondered what she would look like, how life treated her, and similuar such thoughts. I just let them run through my head at random, I didn't really know enough to know what to think about all of this. I would simply wait for Riva to return and see what happened next.
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Post by Riva Carle (R) on May 3, 2006 22:13:27 GMT -5
I settled things at the marquist's, he didn't seem surprised at all that I was rescheduling it probably happened a lot.
As I made my way back to where I had left Rannan, it occurred to me he might not realize that if he came back to Gentian with me he would have to make a contract before I could help him there.
I walked up to the bench where he sat with his head between his hands, wondering if he realized what a picture of confusion he painted.
"I'm ready," I said, standing in front of him. "I don't want you to think I'm trying to trick you into anything. If you come back to Gentian, Octavier will make you do everything proper - contract, fees, everything. If you don't want that then you can just wait and if I feel anything else about her I will find you, I promise."
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Post by Rannan de Fournier (D) on May 3, 2006 22:27:45 GMT -5
I looked up at Riva, "A contract would be fine, I don't mind paying if it will help to answer some questions. While I'm not the richest guy in d'Ange I'm not really hurting for money either."
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Post by Riva Carle (R) on May 3, 2006 22:33:01 GMT -5
I took his hand and pulled him up, heading us back towards Gentian.
"I just didn't want you to think I was trying to trick you. If you did then you would be less inclined to believe me," I said, matter of factly.
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Post by Rannan de Fournier (D) on May 3, 2006 22:35:51 GMT -5
I let her lead me back towards the House.
"I understand, " I told her, " though you have already impressed with what you have already told me. My history isn't a big secret but its not that well known either.
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