The Bookwyrm

Island on a Distant World Bookwyrm blinked. "Ooookay, then...." Really bad time for a psych assessment, he thought to himself, considering I just lost a few friends to corruption. "Um...is there anything else you need to ask me?"

Island on a Distant World "Lark?! What are you doing here? How'd you get here?" He sighed and dismissed his sword. "No, I'm not stressed. Too much. I'm jumpy because someone just appeared behind me out of seemingly nowhere on a remote island on a remote planet in a remote universe."

Okay.

Can I have nice colors too?

Island on a Distant World Bookwyrm jumped, spun around, and summoned his sword.

"We can head to my office, for now," Alyxa said. "It's not far from here."

"I think there's the confirmation I need on how suspicious you are," Alyxa said to Kasha. "I never said I wasn't an anomaly," Alyxa said with a smirk. "I'm perfectly and fully aware that I'm acting very strangely for my ethnicity. It's funny how you'd pounce on my supposed hypocrisy so quickly, though... "And I won't judge you too hard. Based on the knife close to that man's hand, I suppose he may have been attempting to rob you, in which case you were acting in self defense. And perhaps you assumed that he'll be in a better place then the streets once law enforcement comes and gets him. I can see your reasoning, and appreciate it." She folded her arms. "I don't appreciate dishonesty, though. I need cold, hard facts to do what I do. And what I do is see things. Connections. Which means...I have the skills to help you find this rogue Talented. And I've been looking for an excuse to do so for a while, now."

Island on a Distant World Bookwyrm continued his journey through the foliage. He wore sturdy black hiking boots, black cargo pants, and a black and blue jacket with a casual button shirt underneath. He had transformed his infinite pouch into a nice modern travelling backpack, because frankly it felt nicer. He adjusted his glasses and stepped out onto the beach of the lagoon. In the distance, he could see waves crashing against the barrier reef that marked the entrance into the bay, but the waves in the lagoon were calm and peaceful. They lapped gently against the shore with a hypnotic sound. Bookwyrm paused for a moment. Well, I'm here. Now what... Eventually, he decided to set up a base camp before exploring the island. He put up a small tent, dug a fire pit, and spend half an hour gathering wood and some strange fruit from the nearby jungle. After putting up some magical protections around the base camp, he went to go explore the island. If I'm lucky I'll find something useful. The Archive wouldn't have information on this place for nothing.

Alyxa jumped as a newcomer seemed to appear out of nowhere. This just keeps getting more and more interesting, doesn't it... Something Riki said struck her, though. "Wait," she said. "You're looking for a rouge? As in, that rouge Talented?"

"My own. It's true that I occasionally work with the government or police. They find my skills highly useful. But I still work for myself." Alyxa shrugged. "I mean, it's true I have no hold over you. You don't have to tell me anything, if you don't want to. But," she walked a little closer to the group, "Anomalies fascinate me. When something doesn't fit the data, it means a story is there. And with you all gathered here? You clearly have a story. Perhaps only the start of one, but a story nonetheless. I just take the chance that you're nice enough to tell me."

"Sorry," Alyxa said. "Perhaps it is. At least I didn't eavesdrop, which I was honestly considering." Alyxa raised an eyebrow. "I don't think there is an average for an alleyway conversation. And if there is, it's between much shadier people than your bunch. And besides," she said, gesturing to the unconscious man, "this isn't the ideal place to take a nap. Facedown. Next to someone holding a cane. You might not be shady, but you are suspicious. So I'd like answers."

Alyxa smiled to herself as she tucked her clipboard into her messenger bag. She'd just finished the last questionnaires for a survey of a quickly-growing neighborhood. Cross referencing that with the information her employees had gathered would certainly bring some interesting insights. There was something satisfying, even fun, about gathering and analyzing this kind of social data. It was more than just a job, though the money she acquired was certainly a benefit. No, the information was a reward in and of itself. Though considering her Talent directly related to this line of work, she supposed she was partially biased. She walked through the busy streets, people bustling around her. Businesspeople in fine suits going to their next appointment, workers coming home from a productive day at their respective trades, parents taking children to shops to buy sweets or toys. A few horse-drawn carriages made their way through the central road, and Alyxa even saw a black automobile carefully weave through the busy street. She was glad that at least this driver took some measure of care; she'd seen far too many close calls with those machines, no matter how useful they were going to be once they were commonplace. She loved it. So many people, just living. So many stories to tell. And one big story that all those little stories would tell together. That's what she was after. And yet...there was something off about these people. They held a tension, hidden under the facade of a normal day. Most of them avoided each other, keeping their heads down, only greeting family or close friends. Parents kept their children close as they window shopped. Workers walked quicker than normal. The rouge Talented. Alyxa barely had any information on the individual, but looking at the data...the effect was clear. And though Alyxa had been hired by the city to complete the survey on the growing neighborhood, part of her itched to look into the case. She was sure she'd be able to find them, whoever they were. Alyxa turned onto a side street, kept walking, then turned onto another street, less populated. A shortcut through a more shady part of the city to get to her office quicker. Alyxa was confident she could handle herself if things went downhill. She had her pistol, tucked carefully in her messenger bag. As she walked, she got weird looks. She'd lived in this part of Validus for several years, so while many people knew her as a familiar face, those who were passing through or new in town were surprised to see a Xefic with short hair and clothing like hers. The Xefic had a very specific culture, and so seeing one with a pixie cut and trousers, boots, and a button up shirt with a leather overcoat was somewhat strange. Alyxa was used to it, by now. But she understood their confusion. Weirdly, as she passed by one alleyway, she heard a conversation. Alyxa stopped. A conversation in an alleyway...was certainly an anomaly. And anomalies fascinated her. She carefully peered into the alleyway to see a group of figures in conversation. They were of various nationalities, and for some reason there was an unconscious man near them. Even stranger, there was Xefic. Besides her family, Alyxa had only seen three other Xefic travellers in her life. One had been from a distance. The other two she'd talked to, and one had been horrified and angry that Alyxa had drifted so far from their culture, and the other had seemed to feel really sorry for her. This Xefic, though, wore simple clothing, and his hair was cut short. Which Xefic didn't do unless they were a weird case like Alyxa. Her curiosity brimming over, but her caution keeping her hand near her messenger bag and it's concealed pistol, Alyxa walked into the alleyway. "I'm very curious, now," she said loudly. "What exactly is happening here?"

@Mystic Syn

Ooh...hm...I'm going to say, for now, the Monado from Xenoblade Chronicles. There are other ones, of course. But I like a...certain side effect that comes with weilding it.

What's it like to be on Shardcast?

*Written on the back of @That1Cellist's hand* "Be hobbit." - @Ranryu EDIT: @Odiumiumium, I think we're going to be good freinds.

@Mystic Syn

Signing up as Bookwyrm, the SE deprived Sharder who's doing this even though it might be a bad idea.

...Hm. Accurate. (Depending on your definition of wyrm. Which can be very versatile in my mind.) Also, I notice that I generally assume that people who were on the Shard before me are older than me, and people who joined the Shard after me are younger. Generally. There are exceptions.

I think I already described Halcyon somewhere on this thread... And I think I've seen a picture of Calano somewhere, so that kind of ruins it... @The Aspiring Archivist...oh scud, I just imagine you as your PFP. Um...brown hair, medium-short height, no glasses... @Morningtide, I always just picture you as your PFP. Like, more than anyone else. I see "Morningtide" and I think that Elsecaller glyph. I guess...you seem like you have brown hair. And that's about all I can muster. I don't normally have to imagine these people; your words are enough for me to get a good idea of your personality, which is what matters. And now my curious brain wants to know how people think I look...except many of them have already said...

Avi stared at Il'anque's sudden burst of magic, and at the vines that slowly wrapped around the wyvern. Questions later, she told herself. If you'd rather others wait to question you, you might as well wait to question others. As the wyvern struggled in the air, one last surge of energy flooded through Avi. It's time to end this. Avi gathered her power, concentrating it. She prepared to fire a beam of energy at lightspeed at the wyvern's head. Let's see if it can slow this down. Avi released the energy, and a blinding white flash filled the area. @Channelknight Fadran

??? Bookwyrm made his way down the mountain and into the jungle. Luckily, there seemed to be some kind of a path, winding down the side. It was overgrown with strange plants and vines. A strange, colorful bird was perched in a small tree growing beside the mountain path. It gazed at Bookwyrm with a large, black eye, before letting out a small chirp and flapping away with three pairs of wings. Bookwyrm continued down the dirt path until it leveled out. The jungle sprung up around him, thick with strange palm-like trees with giant leaves of vibrant colors. Chirps and calls echoed through the foliage, both familiar and alien at the same time. He stepped over a twisted tree root and continued on his way. A swarm of glittering insects buzzed near him, but left him alone. Multicolored light filtered through the canopy above, giving the forest a strange vibrance. Bookwyrm heard a rustle in the leaves of a nearby plant that was closer to the ground. Wary, he prepared to summon a weapon. But the creature that revealed itself seemed docile. It walked on two legs, was covered in light blue fur, and had a large angled head with large eyes. It had two small arms, and in one of it's hands it held a little fruit. It also had a large tail at the back; overall, it reminded Bookwyrm vaguely of a kangaroo, but there was something strangely weird about it. Bookwyrm wasn't fully able to put a finger on what. The creature stared at Bookwyrm for a moment before dashing off into the trees. Bookwyrm smiled to himself, for some reason. The creature was cute, and obviously startled to see such a strange being in it's home. A sudden, invasive burst of guilt drove through Bookwyrm. You don't deserve to smile when you couldn't save her. It faded, and Bookwyrm was left with only confusion. That wasn't me. He remembered the tendrils of darkness that had nested in his mind. I need to figure out how to get rid of those...and then, how to get rid of Insa's. Another pang of guilt came as he thought about how he left everyone else at the clinic. And yet, as he felt the guilt, he was able to separate himself from it. That guilt isn't me. It was a freeing thought. But it didn't mean that the guilt left. And he did feel a measure of guilt that was his own. I'll make it up to you, Insa, he said. I'll find a way to free you, and Emma, and anyone else who suffers from this Kaos.