| Players: | Benjamin |
|---|---|
| NPCs: | Hadassah, Indira |
| GM(s): | Ashe |
| Date of IC Effect: | Apr. 13, 2008 |
| Location: | Northreach |
| Synopsis: | Hadassah is sent out on a routine investigation, with two younger students shadowing her. |
Just south of Kalmar Gate, the main road is quite broad and well-traveled, busy with carts and wagons from sunup to sundown. Horses, too, along with the inevitable throng of pedestrians. The district through which this artery runs is a thriving one; alive with homes and businesses, more of the latter near the main street than the former.
The buildings in this district are neither small nor plain; some are simple brick and wood, lightly adorned if at all, while others are made of stone block and wrought-iron trim, not nearly as fine as the manses of Maratha's nobility but grander than many structures in the city.
Much of the traffic on the road is trade-related — caravans coming into Maratha, others departing. Many of the carts, wagons, and traveling groups go east towards the Trade District by way of Dagger Point, rather than heading straight for city center. Others on the road — tinkers and peddlers, travelers seeking some unusual item from the city's huge market square — take the slightly narrower (and much prettier) roads through Garden Front into the bazaar.
Over the past couple of weeks, the northernmost districts of Maratha have been reporting an epidemic of mild flu cases. No deaths yet, fortunately, but a bug which is more tenacious and widespread than might be expected. Of course, there are far more people in the city than there used to be; the contagion could just be a reflection of the greater population and population density. Nonetheless, the mages deemed it worth investigation, just in case. The weather today seems to have decided to cooperate - while morning's chill gives an edge to the air, the sun shines brightly in a nearly clear sky. Away from the main road, the district is relatively quiet; peak traffic won't come to these streets for several hours yet.
For his part Benjamin follows along his eyes filled with curiosity here is a chance to watch magic up close a chance he is not willing to give up. His gaze turns over towards Indira a small grin spread upon his lips, "This is going to be so great." he mutters softly.
Dressed in a woolen shawl and a light blue tunic for warmth, a young woman with a tangle of dirty blonde hair makes her way down the narrow gap between two buildings — neither of which has its windows open. Cradled between her palms is a disk of clear stone made all the luminous by the sunlight that glints off its smooth surface, and judging by the purposeful expression on her tanned face, her thin lips drawn into an even thinner line, she's in the middle of something that requires a high degree of concentration. It's a blessing, then, that these back streets are relatively abandoned at this time of day; if they were any more crowded, she'd run the risk of tripping over something — or someone. She isn't so focused on the task at hand that she doesn't catch Benjamin's whisper, however. "People are sick," she mutters under her breath. "What's so great about that?"
For her part, Indira just grins right back at Benjamin - whatever reply she'd had in mind having been discarded upon hearing Hadassah's remark. "They'll get better." The girl is terribly cavalier about it - but she's the daughter of a mage, and hasn't ever had the sort of experiences with illness even well-to-do commoners have. And despite the academy, they don't get to see magic in use /for real/ every day. "Have you found anything?" Indira asks excitedly, forgetting that she's supposed to be NOT distracting the mage.
While Indira's self-control slips, Hadassah's search-spell actually /finds/ something, against all expectations. But it's at the edge of the spell's range.
Benjamin ohs softly though upon hearing Indria's words the boy nods his head, "Yeah they will get better.." he falls silent for a moment watching the mage as she works the grin growing upon his lips once more, "What does it feel like?" he asks suddenly.
It's difficult to ignore Indira, but that doesn't mean Hadassah isn't going to try; now that she's found something, she's desperately afraid of losing it before she can pinpoint its location. "What does what feel like?" she asks Benjamin as she grits her teeth, turning abruptly in the direction that the disk is guiding her. "Using magic? Or putting up with you two?" Translation: Hush!
Indira huffs at Hadassah's answer, although she doesn't let it faze her in the least. Oh, no. Never that. "You /found/ something, didn't you!" the girl promptly proclaims, craning her neck as if to look around the young woman at the crystal. Not that she can. The implied instruction seems to have been utterly lost in translation. Given the way Hadassah turns, Indira grabs Benjamin's hand and starts off. "It's this way?" Let's go see!
Perhaps Benjamin simply didn't get the subtle magic, "The way it feels cast…" and then is being tugged by the hand and the boy moves to keep up hopefully moving at a speed where he will not trip and fall over his robes.
"Indira!" Hadassah's voice comes out in the form of an exasperated bark rather than the commanding shout that she had intended. On the bright side, her legs are longer than either Benjamin's or Indira's, so keeping up with them shouldn't be a problem. That's the theory, anyway.
Exasperated barks, she's used to - ignoring, that is. What stops Indira's headlong charge short after no more than a couple of blocks is the fact that she doesn't know where Hadassah was looking. Serious problem, that. Coming to an abrupt halt - still hanging on to Benjamin, so even if he /does/ make to fall, she'll keep him from actually hitting the ground - Indira gives Hadassah her most charming (and eager) smile. "Where's it now?"
Two blocks closer, of course.
No doubt with the speeds that Indria travels in the little Benjamin undoubtly almost trips a time or two, though thankfully Indria prevents him from scraping his needs, "Is the sickness magical.. is it a new form of taint?" he says adding in two questions of his own now. See this is a learning filed trip.
Gawking isn't dignified, but that's exactly what Hadassah is doing by the time she catches up to the children. Her mouth opens and closes a few times, no sound coming out, and it's only after she's had a few moments to compose /herself/ that she's able to compose an answer. "Don't you even think it," she chides Benjamin, "and /you/—" A pointed look is shot in Indira's direction. "We have no idea what we're walking into, so stop popping ahead. Those bracelets won't protect you from everything." Her eyes dart back down to the disk, and the teenaged mage pauses to reorient herself, gathering her bearings.
It can't be taint!" Indira declares for Benjamin. "That's /hard/ to find." No offense meant to Hadassah by that, of course. "Not like this!" When Hadassah isn't looking at her, the girl rolls her eyes. Her sigh isn't an audible one, thankfully - she does have /something/ resembling tact. Or self-preservation, maybe. It's just not a very well-developed inclination, as evidenced by her impatient waiting.
The small reading stays put, just under two blocks away.
Benjamin twists his lips, "Oh well… I am…" he bites his lips once more, "But well what are you looking for then? Can't make people sick right?"
"Lots of things can make people sick, Benjamin," Hadassah murmurs without looking up from the disk. "Taint isn't like a stomach ache. It's— worse. If a person is responsible for this, then that person is almost certainly a mage." She gives the disk a nervous shake. "Not a very clever one, though. Or he'd do a better job of covering his tracks. This way." Two blocks isn't very far. Before she sets off again, Hadassah glances at her own bracelet, perhaps for reassurance. "Both of you, stay close." And she's on the move again, leather boots clapping softly against the pavement underfoot.
For once, Hadassah's words /do/ have some impact on the generally incorrigible girl; Indira is abruptly reminded that there may be a /person/ behind all this. It isn't necessarily just an illness. Her lips shape an 'Oh', but no sound comes out. Still hanging on to Benjamin's hand, she pads down the street in Hadassah's wake, peering curiously around every corner and in the direction of every door or window they pass by. Maybe she can spot the mage first!
As they get closer, it becomes apparent the target isn't on the street or the sidewalk, but around behind one of the buildings. It isn't long before Hadassah's scrying registers a /second/ signal as well - and this one is moving. Closer.
Benjamin nods his head quickly biting down on his lips, "But… ah… why would a mage want to do this? Is he trying to learn more about sick people.. I mean glyphs aren't better when sick people are around are they?" he squeezes Indria's hand a little for reassurance now.
Hadassah hisses sharply at Benjamin and raises a single finger to her pale lips. Shh. When she glances back down at the disc, her eyes widen just a fraction, and she curls the hand at her mouth into a fist, nervously biting at the knuckles. She stops again, and looks from the disc to the direction in which the signal is coming. "Hold up," she tells the children. "Something's on its way."
Indira freezes as Hadassah does, looking at the older student with wide eyes. She glances to Benjamin, clinging to his hand for a moment… before her adventurous nature succeeds in asserting itself, anyway. Then the girl moves up close to Hadassah. It could be for protection's sake, but… not with Indira. And she looks the way Hadassah is, hoping to get a glimpse of whatever's
Which is… a narrow alley between two buildings. The alley is unremarkable, with a bit of debris caught on its edges and a handful of crates visible in a loose stack at a distant bend in its course. The moving signal doesn't come for the trio of students, but winds its way around Hadassah's disk until reaching wherever the other one is. Which might just be around that alleyway corner.
There is a pause from Benjamin the boy growing still as his gaze moves around The boy shifting from foot to foot as hew bites on his lower lips as he grows more and more nervous. His eyes moves over towards the disk now studying how it moves.
Hadassah grasps the disk tightly to keep her hand from shaking. It might not be such a good idea to investigate while holding the scrying crystal in plain sight, and so she looks to Benjamin and lowers her voice to a fierce whisper. "Do you think you can go pop your head in?" she asks him. "Just for a moment?"
Indira is quite put out when /Benjamin/ gets asked to go look. But she restrains herself to an annoyed and disappointed look, and doesn't /quite/ suggest she investigate instead. Circumstances - or just making a good impression on Hadassah so she gets asked to look next time - cause the girl to stay put and even stay quiet.
There is a quickly nod his head, "Yes ma'am." and like that he is off peeking his head inside a little grid spread upon his lips. He appears nervous still, but there is a sense of excitement about him.
Hadassah keeps one eye on Indira and one eye on the disc — just in case. The last thing they need is something /else/ sneaking up on them while they're distracted with investigating the alley.
Or something getting out from under Hadassah's watchful eye. But Indira will stay put, even if she resents it - provided Benjamin doesn't take too long. The girl fidgets with the sleeves of her robe, keeping a sharp eye on the alley her friend's walking down. And one on Hadassah. Just in case she's ever /not/ looking…
Around the bend in the alley is more of the same - a narrow cobblestoned way, perhaps slightly more neglected than the first section, and a couple less than tidy piles of boxes and debris that, apparently, someone wasn't quite ready to discard altogether. On one such crate, a longhaired tabby cat is curled up in the sun, Benjamin's approach not yet disturbing her sleep. She wears a collar, and so presumably belongs to someone.
The boy pauses as he spies the cat twisting his lips, "What are you doing in a place like this?" Benjamin asks the tabby moving closer towards cat keeping his eyes sharp as he looks out around the ally.
The cat is quite happy in 'a place like this', apparently - until Benjamin's voice and closer approach disrupts her sleep. With an affronted (but sleepy) hiss, she is up and over the edge of the crate and vanished into the pile in quite short order.
The boy lets out a heavy sigh as the cat runs away from the ally, "Aww i was going to pet you." he sighs. Looking more at ease now. He continues to move further into the ally.
He's /taking/ too long! - or such is Indira's opinion. She stops fidgeting with her robe and shifts her weight, craning her head in the futile attempt to see just a /little/ more around the corner and determine whether or not Benjamin's on his way back. He needs to tell them what he found already!
Before Indira charges down there to see for herself, Hadassah or no Hadassah.
As Benjamin continues, the alley remains unremarkable. There is another corner, and a second stretch which goes back to the street upon which his companions wait, albeit one that comes out several buildings down. This stretch looks… a lot like the first one he came down. Alleyways are alleyways, at least here.
Hadassah finally takes several brisk but uncertain steps after Benjamin, not daring to call out to him now that she knows what they've been looking for is so close. When she reaches the mouth of the alley, however, she pauses, using her shawl to conceal her scrying crystal from any eyes that might be watching. The expression on her face is a bewildered and unhappy one, so perhaps it is no surprise that she opts not to follow him in. If she's lost the child, the authorities at the Academy are going to eat her alive — she just knows it. "Benjamin," she whispers, hoping that her voice carries deep enough into the alley for it to be heard. "Do you see anything?" It's tempting to send Indira after him, but… "Benjamin!"
As Hadassah moves forward, Indira is right there with her. But when the teen stops… she still can't see anything! Hmph. "Ben!" she calls. Hadassah is, so she can't get yelled at for yelling after Benjamin. …Right?
While they're busy calling down the alley after him, Benjamin walks out onto the street, just a few doors down.
A sick feeling twists around in Hadassah's stomach, writhing about like a knot of snakes. What if something /has/ happened to him? "Do you think we should go in after him?" she asks Indira. Stupid question, really — especially when one considers who she's talking to.
The sound of the voices travel down the alleyway slowly reaching out towards the boy. A little frown forms upon his face as he shouts back towards the others, "NOTHING!" he sounds disappointed as if he expected to see some glyphs or something.
The sound of Benjamin's voice catches Indira's attention, and she turns around to see him now back out on the street. "Hey! That's cheating!" the girl yells, dashing down the block to join him over there. Regardless of Hadassah's opinion on the matter. "/Nothing/?" she echoes, clearly just as disappointed. "Nothing at /all/?"
Hadassah isn't sure if she should be relieved or as disappointed as the children. On the one hand, she's failed to locate the signals on the disc; on the other, nobody's jumped out of the shadows and cursed them. "That's quite enough! Both of you, come back!"
There is a loud sigh as Benjamin begins running back towards the pair, "But you shouted first!" he said, "So I'm not in trouble right I didn't think we had to be quiet anymore." he says shouting back, "Think we can find the cat he is lost."
Indira rolls her eyes as Hadassah commands them back. They're /almost/ right where she is, and not even down the alley. But, whatever. She jogs back to the teen with Benjamin, giving the boy a sharp look. "What cat?"
Benjamin says, "Yeah there is a cat down here.. it was pretty cool I was hoping maybe we could take him back.. well at least till we got him back to his owner, but well we can get him some milk and stuff right?"
As they come back up to Hadassah, Indira studies Benjamin. "Well, the cat could belong to someone here, right? Then they wouldn't like that so much." For the moment, she's more engrossed by the idea of the cat than hassling the older student about what they're going to do /now/.
All this talk of a cat has Hadassah's mouth twisted into a frown. Could that have been what she saw when she was still scrying? "Cats don't need anyone to take care of them," she assures Benjamin. "They come and go as they please." And speaking of going— "I think we've seen enough for one day, don't you think?"
There is a quick shake of Benjamin's head, "No… but it has a collar, can we find him? Please and well just make sure he is okay. What if he lost his owner, and well needs a new one. I can take care of a cat."
It's pretty clear Indira doesn't find the cat all that interesting. Certainly not as much as Benjamin does. "We're not /supposed/ to be looking for cats," she reminds the boy. "We're supposed to be looking for spells. Right?" she asks, checking with Hadassah for verification.
"No, Benjamin." Hadassah is firm on this point. "For once, Indira's correct. We're here to look for spells, and since we haven't been able to find any, we should be heading home before business picks up."
There is a soft oh which escapes from Benjamins mouth, "Okay." he nods his head quickly grinning form ear to ear, "And we get back we come up with a new plan?"
Indira gives Hadassah a pleased look as she's /agreed/ with. She links an arm with Benjamin and starts off down the street. Not as quickly as she might otherwise, but not slowly either. "Then we'd better start thinking! I bet we can come up with a better plan first!"
With a roll of her eyes, Hadassah follows after Indira and Benjamin. "It isn't a race," she mutters under her breath, but leaves it at that. She has too much on her mind to reprimand either of them further.
<< Mar 23: Of Glyphs Old and New
Apr 21: Return to Northreach >>
