Mac's Boarding House

[+Sorana]

Laughing she shook her head. "No, I don't. This world will take some time to get used to." His grin was a nice change, suit him better than the heavy mood he was in before. She watched him pack away the contract and realized, that she had missed to check how much she had to pay for the room. Same as anything else.

"When I arrived in Hallandren, it was different. Especially their lifeless scared me to death when I first saw one of them, but all in all, I could pretend, that it was nothing but a different country." She shuddered slightly when she thought back at the first days there. At her desperation, at the fear, the dry blood on her hands. "At first I wanted to do nothing but go home, I looked for ships, asked about my own country, but they never heard of it. It took me a while to figure out what had happened."

A wry smile on her lips she looked outside. "This time, I knew what happened, but realized that even crossing a street is awful dangerous here. I feel like a child opening her eyes for the first time and understanding nothing. In a few days it will be different, but for now..." Standing up she walked to the window, looked at the street, at the strange carriages, and the people looking into small items, or talking into nothing with their hand close to their ear. She was silent for a while, did nothing but look, tried to see a pattern in their behaviour, when they walked, when they stopped. When they crossed the street.

"Have you been to Alethkar?" She asked and turned around, sat down in front of his table again.

@MacThorstenson

[MacThorstenson]

"I have indeed," Mac replied, "It was a beautiful place, though the first time I visited I didn't have much time for sightseeing. I spent around 20 years on Roshar, studying the Magic and the spren. Then I moved on." He glanced out the window, at the cars speeding by and the jaywalkers darting off the road. Cam would have a heart attack. "When I went back later it was after the Vengeance pact had been finished? Broken? Is that the right word?" He shrugged and waved his hand. "It still is a very different place from here. But I think that is a good thing. Where are you from in alethkar?"

@Sorana

[+Sorana]

"I was born in the Tahanadal Princedom." Temeria answered, wanted to add something, anything. But the only thing that came to her mind, was her mother, her father. Her siblings that had left her alone. "It was beautiful there, but I don't plan to return there, if I'm honest with myself." She said finally, to cover her dark thoughts, although her eyes probably betrayed her. The blood on her hands, the fear. It was good that she was gone, that she had left all of that behind. Looking down at her hands she took a deep breath, tried to stay in control. In a way Hallandran had saved her, had forced her to change to become someone else. She had needed that change, that distance.

"And yes, broken." She smiled to banish her thoughts although it felt strained and added in a forced lighter tone, "You were there longer than I was. If you substract the years I can't remember, it's even more." She smiled apologetically at him and then changed the topic. "I can't imagine to live that long. To find things to do, or places to visit. It seems lonely."

@MacThorstenson

Edited September 21, 2019 by Sorana

[MacThorstenson]

“It takes a special kind of person to deal with immortality. Thankfully the complexity of my magic makes it so that I am always learning or experimenting,” he kept his mind on his words, not thinking about what he learned to do or experiment on, “it does get tiring and lonely sometimes, but it’s never long. Things always happen that demand my attention.

Im always looking forward, making sure I have something to do. Otherwise I start dwelling on my thoughts, and while reflecting is important, for me it can be incapacitating.” 

@Sorana

[+Sorana]

"I have a hard time being alone." Temeria admitted. "Sometimes I can handle it, most of the time I can't."

Falling silent she drew a pattern on the table, considered his words. She was tempted to ask about his magic, but then decided against. If he kept occupied to avoid reflecting, then she didn't want to leave him in a position where he might feel obligated to reply to her.

"Can you tell me about this world? Things I should know or be aware of?"

She asked instead, because hopefully it was a topic that he was able to talk about easily.

@MacThorstenson

[MacThorstenson]

18 hours ago, Sorana said:

Can you tell me about this world? Things I should know or be aware of?"

Macs face brightened, “Certainly! Its possibly the most interesting planet out there." 

It was also the only bloodless accomplishment of the DA. 

He paused, gathering his thoughts, “First, a little bit of background. This iteration of the world was made less than 3000 years ago, by some of my colleagues. It’s held together by a giant spike in the center of the city. Along with this world, they created an alternate dimension, called the alleys, in some ways its a lot like the cognitive realm, or shadesmar as you may know it. This dimension of alleys is connect to all the alleys in every planet in the multiverse, and they allow those who have the right knowledge to travel nearly instantly from place to place.”

He thought back to the far reaches of the past, back when the planet had been young. “Long ago there were multiple guilds that could use the powers of the alleys, but now only we remain. Other guilds have risen up in the city and the area around it, each having different themes and purposes. One is a guild of assassins, the Ghostbloods, there are two guilds of bakers, the Dark alleys, and TUBA, another is the scholars guild. The guilds have the power in this world, with only them having the money and resources to get things done," Now what kind of things would she need to know about the technology? Glancing around, he realized he didn't have any way to pull up a picture of a gun, or advanced technology.

"Storms, this is when you need a phone," he muttered, "In terms of technology, I would advise you to be careful. There are these long rods that shoot a tiny piece of metal faster than you can see. If you are hit with those it can be lethal. Also, most people have things called phones. They are like spanreeds, but they can do a lot more. They can share messages with voice or text over long distances. I don't carry one due to certain, issues I have with them," Dang candy crush addiction, "but they can be very good things to carry around, but the technology is easily research able. With the large amount of immigrants we have here, there are lots of people who are able to catch newer people up with the technology. That's fairly straightforward. What is controversial is the recent history of the alleyverse. I can give you a rundown of it, but as I was technically a disembodied spirit for most of it, I think im not the best source of information."

He paused, thinking about the seven day war and what he could share. 

“From what I remember about it, About 20 years ago, there was a massive guild war, with all the guilds except for mine laying siege to the city, trying to remove the spike that holds this world together, and trying to remove us from power. It ended up with a big explosion, er, blast of energy, destroying most of the city. But despite the war, those were the days of hero’s, the days of legends. The world is worse off without them.” He finished. He paused, an idea coming to the front of his mind. A memory of a place long forgotten, a hall honoring those who had fallen, and the legends of the city.

"How about I give you a little tour of some history in the city? There's one place that was built as a memorial to those who fought, and a grave to those who died. Its called the hall of legends. I've always thought that it does a good job of honoring those who fell." Then he leaned in, and in a conspiratorial whisper said "It also has a statue of me for some odd reason, and I have to say that I like having a statue." 

Edited September 22, 2019 by MacThorstenson

[+Sorana]

15 hours ago, MacThorstenson said:

"How about I give you a little tour of some history in the city? There's one place that was built as a memorial to those who fought, and a grave to those who died. Its called the hall of legends. I've always thought that it does a good job of honoring those who fell." Then he leaned in, and in a conspiratorial whisper said "It also has a statue of me for some odd reason, and I have to say that I like having a statue." 

Temeria laughed at at his whisper. A statue, he had a statue. It made sense she supposed if his colleagues created this planet. It also meant, that while he had told her, that he was no god, he was most likely more powerful than any Returned. She shrugged the thought away, although there was this nagging motion, that she was nothing but prey in this city.

"Gladly." She accepted his offer and looked to her backpack. "Could you tell me where my room is? Then I don't need to carry everything with me."

His words about the war had been grave, the destruction he described, the weapons. A world sitting on a spike in the center of this city. It sounded almost hilarious, but she could see that he was earnest, that he believed it. His organization had created this world, slowly she realized what it meant. Maybe he didn't call himself a god, but still - she suppressed another laugh, albeit a slightly crazy one, when she wondered what her mother would say, if she had some advice how to deal with someone like him, what to do.

Leaning back in her stool she considered him for a moment, his change in mood, how he was surprisingly easy to talk to. What ever she knew about gods and the creation of a world, she had to forget it all. This place was different, a crazy kind of different, if long pieces of metal could kill at a distance. A challenge. The thought to stay here, to learn about this world, it was a challenge. She had learnt a new trade when she arrived in Hallandren. Most likely she would have to do the same. Learn and find a place for herself.

[MacThorstenson]

“Of course! Follow me,” Mac said as he led the way out of his office and up the stairs to the second floor. “We have three levels of rooms, starting with 2 rooms here, right across from the library, and 4 on the third floor as well as four on the fourth floor.” Turning and pointing to the room closest to the stairs, he said “this one is taken, but all the others are open. You can have your choice of room. The only difference is location, besides that, they are all identical.”

@Sorana

[+Sorana]

Temeria followed him the stairs.

"Across from the library sounds great." Smiling she walked to the room farther away from the stairs and opened the door. When she stepped inside she was greeted by a room, that immediatly felt good. It was hard to describe, but she felt welcome. A good place to stay for a while.

She sat down her backpack next to the bed and placed her coat over a stool.

"Thank you." She addressed him again while she buckelt her sword belt around her hips again. "For taking so much time for me. I really appreciate it."

A grin touched her lips when she pulled a flask out of her pocket and offered it to him.

"Freshly imported from Hallandren. Not that bad actually."

@MacThorstenson

Edited September 22, 2019 by Sorana

[MacThorstenson]

"Of course." Mac reached his hand out, warping a key labeled 102 into it. "Here is your key,"

He watched as she got her stuff situated, and he watched as she reached into her pocket and pulled out a flask.

Suddenly he was 7.

He saw himself sitting in the back of a house as he heard a drunk man hurting a crying women.

He saw himself sneaking out the back window. Running into the Deepness. Trying to find help. To find power.

He remembered taking a cookie from a man made of metal, and finding a spike inside of it.

He remembered looking up and seeing the gray ceiling above the alleys for the first time.

He remembered starting his journey, becoming who he was today.

He remembered the path of his journey, discovering that without inhibitions he could do more, destroy more. 

And he remembered the regret he would feel every time he emerged from the Haze.

Suddenly 1500 years passed, and he was standing in a boarding house, being offered a drink.

"No thank you," He said strained, "I'm sorry, I... I shouldn't have that. We can leave when youre ready, I'll be downstairs." Turning, he made his way downstairs, leaving the situation quickly. Somethings were too dangerous for him.

@Sorana

 

Edited September 22, 2019 by MacThorstenson

[+Sorana]

Temeria watched him go, flee. She looked down at the key stepped out of the room and locked the door. She lifted the flask to lips and sipped, grimacing when the sharp alcohol ran through her throat. It was a familiar taste, just something you did. Running sober into a battle, no it was easier when you lost some of your inhibitions. She closed it again pocketed it and slowly followed him downstairs.

"I am sorry." She apologized quietly, "I didn't know."

She tried to think of something else, something that would show him, that she understood, but everything that had happened to her felt - insignificant. Her troubles with her family, her doubts, those she killed. He was so old, there was nothing she could say, even to think that she knew about situations that dragged things up, that made you turn around and flee. It felt assuming, as if she was pretending. Awkwardly she shifted her weight from one foot to the other while she tried to come up with something good. She really had a talent to mess things up, she'd only wanted to thank him.

"So, maybe we should go?" She asked carefully, hoped that she wasn't conjuring up another trauma.

@MacThorstenson

Edited September 22, 2019 by Sorana

[MacThorstenson]

Mac took deep breaths, trying to banish the memories. Now wasn't the time to dwell on the past.

"It's alright," He said, as she came down the stairs, "I wouldn't expect you to know. Its not something that anyone knows." Mac started walking toward the door. "I appreciate the gesture, but there are some things from my past that I shouldn't mettle with." 

He watched, noticing her obvious discomfort.

"Yes, lets go," he said, "I'm sorry for reacting how I did. If it's any consolation, you now know more about me then any living person." Idly he wondered in the back of his mind, Did Death count as living? I mean he had a daughter but... 

He walked to the front door and held it open for her, "The Hall of legends isn't too far from here, it's maybe a 10 minute walk." 

@Sorana

[+Sorana]

"Don't apologize." She stepped towards the door when he held it open for her, but turned towards him before leaving the house. "Not for something like that."

Speak, she had to explain, had to try to explain. Obviously he had interpreted her awkwardness in a wrong way. Nervously she looked at her hands, turning the situation this way, then that way. Finally she looked up into his eyes.

"Most nights I wake up at one point or the other. I tried to forget, but I can't." Lifting a hand she could almost see the blood on there, hear her mother's voice. Not good, never good enough. "I don't want to pretend that I can understand. I know I can't, not really, I am twenty, not," she made a gesture indicating a much higher number, "But I don't think, you should apologize for it."

Lowering her eyes again, she smiled gratefully, then stepped outside, her mother's voice reminding her, that it was impolite to have him hold the door open for her that long.

@MacThorstenson

[MacThorstenson]

"Thank you." Mac said quietly. Nodding as she explained. "That does help."

He turned his head to hide a tear forming in the corner of his eye. He didn't do anything to deserve this treatment. Yet she forgave him when he turned down her gift. 

Sometimes people were a pain, other times they were boring, and occasionally they were wonderful and inspiring. She had dealt with the memories, despite her young age. Yet it didn't embitter her, didn't drive her insane. He shook his head in marvel, and followed her out the door. 

After they had walked a few steps, he said "Sometimes it's better not to forget. As painful as it is, the past can help guide you. It certainly has helped me. In recent years it has kept me humble, and it has kept me human.

Some of my colleagues, I should say all of my colleagues, disagree with me. To them it is better to forget about the past, only looking toward the future. Mishaps are only as good as the lessons they teach. But once you've learned your lesson you have no more need for them. To me the past is the only sure way to know where you are going. It provides the context for your life, and is how you make decisions. Without it how would you know what to do?"

@Sorana

[+Sorana]

"I don't know." She replied honestly, followed him down the road. "But I just wish I could sleep one night, just a single night without waking up jittery, with my heart beating fast. Without the taste of a nightmare in my mouth and the images in front of my eyes."

Looking around she kept close the buildings they were passing, as far away from the carriages as possible. They were lound, and the whole city stank. Every city stank, but this one was the worst. She couldn't place the smells, but they were strong, like acid burning her nose.

"I can see that I need my past to change, to become who I am, to find my path." she jumped slightly when an especially large carriage rushed past them, " but at the same time, I am not sure, if I'm even able to learn my lesson. I feel more like running away, like hiding, than like really thinking about them and working through what happened. Learning. I like to fight. To put my strength against someone else. That moment when you feel your heart pick up, when you loose all fear. When there is nothing but you skills left, and when you know that without them, you are dead. I like it."

Her voice shook slightly when she continued, memories hanging in the air above her. "It's not about war, about a battlefield. About this senseless slaughter, where you loose yourself, until nothing is left but the sole urge to survive and you do anything for it. When you loose track how many you've hit, how many will never loose the battlefield because of you." Her hand tightened around the handle of her sword, when she held on to it, tried to fight what happened in her mind.

"But a good fight, an honest fight, I like that, and I don't know where it leaves me, what kind of person that makes out of me. I should have learned that lesson, about killing, about lifting a weapon against someone else."

@MacThorstenson

[Voidus]

A group of flamespren danced together around a fire that was being used by a small food cart to grill meat on. The spren mingled together and moved so smoothly that it was difficult to tell how many there were. Amongst them however, one spren was a little brighter than the others,it danced together briefly before separating from the rest. It's small, flickering form appeared human shaped but it continued to shift through different sizes and builds as it darted out from the fire.

It seemed to leap into the air, as though caught in a sudden updraft, before streaking back towards the ground. It was not the slow and graceful movement of a windspren dancing amongst the leaves, it moved in sudden bursts and shifts. Flickering over towards a stand of flowers and pausing briefly to dance in delight as one of the flowers began to smoke ever so faintly. After being chased away by the stands owner it flashed skywards once more, landing on a nearby roof to overlook the streets below.

It watched two people pass nearby, one male and one female, though it didn't pay attention to such things, what it did notice was the hat that one of them was wearing. It hadn't seen a hat like that before.

It leapt from the roof, glow fading as it was caught in the wind and seemed about to vanish entirely when it suddenly shot downwards like a tiny lightning bolt, leaving a faint orange trail in its wake as it landed perfectly on the mans bowler hat.

[MacThorstenson]

Mac thought over her words for a couple of steps.

"I suppose it depends on if there's a difference between a fight and a slaughter," He was silent for a few more steps, "I think there is. I'm not all that great at fighting, I haven't fought a lot. Every time I kill its from a position of strength. That is the bad part, I think. But an honest fight, I don't know. For being over 15 hundred years old I don't have much wisdom to share." He walked silently for a couple more steps, then saw a light in the corner of his eye, he barely had enough time to identify it as a flame spren until it landed on his head. "Storms!" He shouted, ripping off his hat. He was rather attached to it.

He inspected it carefully, making sure that there was no smoldering or discoloration, before pulling it in protectively toward his chest and glaring at the firespren. "What was that about?" He asked before attempting to shoo it away.

@Sorana

@Voidus

[+Sorana]

Temeria jumped in surprise when something flew towards him, settled on his bowler hat. She had her sword half drawn when she realized that it was a spren, a firespren from the looks of it. Laughing she watched him inspect his hat, surprised by the way how he pulled it protectively towards his chest. A spren. Delighted she smiled at the little flame. It had been so long, since she last saw a spren.

"I didn't know you had spren here. No, I mean, I knew you had spren here, but not that many." She looked over at the fireplace and there they were, firespren. "I saw a few, but they're spren." They reminded her of home. She had ignored them, same as everybody did. They didn't act intelligently, instead they were everywhere, attracked by -

"Do you have something fire related hidden in your hat?" she asked surprised by the fact, that a fire spren was attracked by a bowler hat.

"You should stay with your friends, not fly around alone. This is a dangerous place, maybe even for a little spren." She told it still smiling. The little piece of home warmed her heart. How could she have missed them earlier? She had been so occupied by the strange carriages, by the people that she had missed the one familiar thing.

@MacThorstenson

@Voidus

[Voidus]

The spren tumbled off the hat as it was pulled out from under it, it's body shifted, turning momentarily into a more indistinct ribbon of flame before settling back into a humanoid shape. Its head flared a little brighter and then was suddenly equipped with an identical bowler hat which it removed and held to its chest protectively, copying the gesture of the man.

It looked back up to the man, crackling briefly in satisfaction before flaring again and reverting to its previous, unhatted appearance as it dodged out of the way of one of the mans swatting hands.

"Friends." The spren agreed, with a crackling voice full of sparks.

[MacThorstenson]

Mac kept an eye on the spren as it changed his appearance to mimic his.

"We don't usually have too many..." Why was there a flamespren talking? It made no sense unless, well unless it was a proto radiant spren. A few thoughts fell into place, and Mac let out an ever so small smile as he continued inspecting his hat.

"Well, it wouldn't be the weirdest thing to discover a fireball in my hat, but there isn't anything here right now." Now that the crisis of potential damage to his hat was gone, he refocused on Temira. "Yes, we rarely have spren, essentially spren that have such good taste as this fellow here." 

[+Sorana]

Laughing Temeria watched the spren change his appearance to fit Mac's. It was endearing how it held a bowler hat pressed to his chest. She turned to Mac when he spoke again and grinned at his words. A fireball in his hat. She just accepted it, there were so many strange things around here, she'd just accept them. Although it irked her to ask how he could fit a fireball in there without ruining the whole hat.

"I never saw a firespren interested in a bowler hat before." she agreed and looked at the little spren. Friends. "I didn't know spren could talk."

Smiling she waited for the spren to fly away, or return to the fire. "But then I also didn't know that firespren can change their appearance either."

[MacThorstenson]

Quote

Hey Sorana, do you think we could switch threads soon?

Mac carefully put his bowler hat back on his head. 

Would it be bad to share why spren started talking? Probably, Mac would hold his silence for now. He wouldn’t want to hurt anything just yet. 

“It is interesting. Spren are a relatively new field of study for us considering that they only just recently started bonding people again.” Recently being 300 years ish, but what did it matter?

”we don’t know a whole lot about them, but this spren seems to be oddly sentient.”

@Sorana

@Voidus

Edited September 24, 2019 by MacThorstenson

[+Sorana]

1 hour ago, MacThorstenson said:

Hey Sorana, do you think we could switch threads soon?

Quote

As you are leading the way, I have to admit I kind of waited for you to do it, since Temeria won't even recognize the Hall if she stood in front of it.

Should we change now?

 

[MacThorstenson]

Quote

 

i just didn’t want to cut you or voidus off and have a disjointed scene if you guys had something planned with the flame spren.

i would say let’s do it now.

 

[+Sorana]

14 minutes ago, MacThorstenson said:

i just didn’t want to cut you or voidus off and have a disjointed scene if you guys had something planned with the flame spren.

i would say let’s do it now.

Quote

Well, we have something planned (I think it's rather obvious), but the thread where it happens isn't important, if you ask me.

What do you think Voidus?

@Voidus